Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the indebtedness of people aged 18 to 25.

Harriett Baldwin

The government is committed to ensuring that young people can access the support they need in order to make informed financial decisions and avoid problem debt.

To ensure that young people leave school with an understanding of personal finance, financial literacy was made part of the secondary school National Curriculum in September 2014; and the mathematics curriculum has also been changed to include topics on financial decisions. This means that for the first time, young people now learn about the importance of budgeting, sound management of money, credit and debt, as well as understanding different financial services and products.

The government set up the Money Advice Service (MAS) in 2010 to enhance consumers’ understanding and knowledge of financial matters. MAS provides a single point of debt advice for consumers, including people aged 18-25, and allows those facing problems with debt to obtain free and impartial money advice. MAS also recently launched their nationwide Financial Capability Strategy, which will specifically consider how the needs of young people should inform provision going forward.

The government is currently consulting on how the provision of public financial guidance could be made more effective for consumers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) an appropriate number of podiatrists work in the NHS and (b) such podiatrists are appropriately trained.

Alistair Burt

It is the responsibility of Health Education England (HEE) to ensure that the healthcare workforce has the right skills, behaviours and training, and is available in the right numbers to support the delivery of health care and health improvement.

HEE’s workforce plan is based on the needs of Local Education and Training Boards, which are responsible for working with local providers and clinical commissioning groups, to determine the future requirements of the workforce reflecting local patient need. The workforce investment plans are reviewed by the HEE Allied Health Professions (AHP) Advisory Group, which is chaired by NHS England’s Chief AHP Officer and has representation from the AHP professional bodies including the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists. For 2015/16, HEE commissioned 362 training places for podiatrists.

HEE is committed to working with stakeholders to influence training curricula and ensure that the NHS workforce can provide the highest standards of care. This includes ensuring that podiatrists receive appropriate pre-registration training and then through Continuing Professional Development to broaden their knowledge, expertise and competence, in line with the latest evidence-based clinical practice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that reductions in energy prices are passed on to consumers by energy companies.

Andrea Leadsom

The government expects and has regular discussions with suppliers to make sure any reductions in the costs of supplying energy are passed to consumers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the Government has to introduce a tax relating to the sugar content of food.

Jane Ellison

There are no plans to introduce a tax on sugar. However all taxes are kept under review, with decisions being a matter for the Chancellor as part of the Budget process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to improve the security of mobile devices that are used to access internet banking.

Mike Penning

Through the National Cyber Security Programme, the Government committed £860 million in the last Parliament to increase the cyber security of the UK. This has included a range of work with industry to increase their cyber resilience. For example, the Cyber Essentials scheme sets out the basic technical controls organisations should have in place to protect against common cyber attacks. As the Chancellor also announced on 17 November, spending on the UK’s cyber security programmes will be almost doubled over the next five years, with £1.9 billion funding. Although Government is making a significant investment, partnership between the public and private sector is crucial to making the UK one of the safest places to do business online. By identifying and closing down vulnerabilities in their systems and processes, the private sector can make it much more difficult for criminals to operate. That is why we are working closely with the private sector to drive up standards. In the coming months we will also publish, in collaboration with industry, information to help the public better understand key cyber security principles of devices to help them to make more informed decisions. This work will be a part of the Government’s Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, which I intend to Publish next year.

At the same time, through our Cyber Streetwise campaign, we are helping to inform the public of simple security measures, such as installing security software, which in themselves can protect them and their devices against fraud.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome in the last year.

Jane Ellison

No assessment has been made of the number of people who have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in the last year.

In 2007 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produced the clinical guidance Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy): Diagnosis and management of CFS/ME in adults and children, which estimates that the annual prevalence is approximately 4,000 cases per million of the population.

There is no medication available to specifically treat CFS, however the NICE guidance recommends that pharmacological pain relief may be appropriate for the relief of chronic pain that the condition can cause. Other methods of treatment that may be of benefit are cognitive behavioural therapy, graded exercise therapy or activity management. The guidance can be found at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg53

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of trends in media ownership in Romania.

Mr David Lidington

The British Embassy in Bucharest follows developments in the Romanian media closely, including changes in media ownership. The economic crisis of 2008 resulted in questions over the profitability of many media outlets and changes in ownership. The Government considers that a pluralist media is important for media freedom and the freedom of speech as provided for in the Romanian Constitution.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK plans to take as a member of the UN Security Council to facilitate diplomatic negotiations on protecting civilians in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Protection of civilians in Syria, as well as those who have been forced to flee the country, is a priority for the UK. In the Security Council we have co-sponsored a number of humanitarian resolutions that call for an end of indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including the use of barrel bombs, starvation as a method of warfare and obstructing the flow of humanitarian aid. Specifically, the UK played a key role in negotiating resolution 2191, which has allowed the UN and its partners to deliver aid across Syria’s borders to people who were previously denied access, including food for 2.1 million people and medical supplies for 2.5 million people.

The long term protection of civilians requires an end to the conflict in Syria and a political settlement. The International Syria Support Group in its communiqué of 14 November called on all parties to adhere to International Humanitarian Law and end immediately indiscriminate attacks on civilians.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance the UK has offered to Central African Republic with preparations for elections in that country in December 2015.

James Duddridge

Free, fair and inclusive elections are critical for the Central African Republic’s future stability, and for successful future reconciliation. As such, the UK supports the Constitutional Court’s ruling that all citizens of the Central African Republic, including internally displaced people and refugees in neighbouring countries, have the right to vote in upcoming elections. The UK is supportive of an EU Election Mission to the Central African Republic. The UK contributes to the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic and is one of the largest humanitarian donors to the country, providing £58 million since 2013 to Central African Republic and Central African Republic refugees through non-governmental organisations and international organisations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department’s most recent estimate is of the number of illegal firearms in the UK.

Mike Penning

The Home Office does not maintain records of firearms seized by police forces in England and Wales.The National Ballistics Intelligence Service regularly assesses the volume and type of illegal firearms in use in the UK. The information is operationally sensitive and is not suitable for release.