Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department is giving to women soldiers in Iraq through (a) training and (b) provision of body armour.

Penny Mordaunt

The UK has trained female soldiers from the Iraqi Security Forces in infantry skills, combat first aid and explosive hazard awareness as part of the wider Coalition programme to build security force capacity in Iraq. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence announced to the House on 2 September 2014 (Column 16WS), the UK has also gifted non-lethal equipment to the Peshmerga including enhanced combat body armour suitable for both men and women.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will provide assistance to the Ugandan government to support the capture of Joseph Kony in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK supported UN sanctions placed on the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and Joseph Kony and will consider imposing further sanctions on other members of the LRA. The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) welcomed the International Criminal Court’s action in the case against LRA Commander, Dominic Ongwen and encourage the international community to work together to bring all perpetrators to justice.

The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) was alarmed at the LRA’s increase in activities across eastern Central African Republic this year. Those attacks have involved looting, violence against civilians, destruction of property and abductions.

The African Union’s Regional Task Force remains the best tool the international community has to defeat the LRA and the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) welcomed the extension of the operation to May 2017. He urged the UN Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) to work with the region to ensure there is no increase in LRA activity.

The UK is working with UN Security Council partners on the MINUSCA (UN peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic) mandate renewal in which MINUSCA will be asked to enhance operational coordination and information sharing with the Regional Task Force.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received on reforming the questions asked on asylum applications related to persecution related to religious beliefs.

Mr Robert Goodwill

In June 2016 The Home Office received the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Freedom of Religion’s report, ‘Fleeing persecution: Asylum claims in the UK on religious freedom grounds’. We are carefully considering the report and its recommendations and will provide a response in due course, including whether we will consider whether any changes to the way we handle religious-based claims are appropriate.

The report acknowledges the progress made by the Home Office with regards to guidance and training provided to its staff but highlighted the Group’s view that there were some discrepancies between the Home Office policy and practice.

The Home Office carefully considers all asylum claims on their individual merits and grants protection for those who genuinely need it, in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). In every asylum case the particular circumstances of the individual are considered in light of published country information, which includes issues relating specifically to religious freedoms.

Published guidance on the interviewing and consideration of religious claims is regularly reviewed and takes into consideration the views of religious groups and other stakeholders.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with Chinese government on protection of freedom of religious belief and human rights in Hong Kong.

Alok Sharma

We take a close interest in the respect of all rights and freedoms guaranteed for Hong Kong in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, including freedom of religion. In the Government’s six monthly report to the House published in February 2016 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/six-monthly-report-on-hong-kong-july-to-december-2015), we raised concerns about freedom of the press. During his meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on 9 April, the former Foreign Secretary my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) stressed the importance of respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of all residents of Hong Kong.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she was aware of the Homeless World Cup taking place; and what discussions her Department has had with the organisers of that event.

Tracey Crouch

The Homeless World Cup is an excellent example of how sport can transform the lives of homeless people all over the country, and we particularly championed the role of Pride House in creating spaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people to engage with and celebrate the event.

As outlined in our Sport Strategy, the Government recognises the power of engaging in sport and wants to encourage more people from every background to regularly take part in sport.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department is providing to pensioners who depend on charities and families to pay household bills.

Richard Harrington

This Government is committed to providing a secure and dignified retirement for those pensioners who would otherwise find themselves without an adequate income.

Pension Credit is an income-related benefit paid out of general taxation which targets help at the poorest pensioners. Pension Credit tops up a person’s other income to a standard minimum amount – currently £155.60 for a single person and £237.55 for a couple. Higher amounts may be available for those with a severe disability, caring responsibilities or certain housing costs. The amount of Pension Credit a person receives depends on how much money they have coming in each week and how much they have saved or invested; regular payments from a charity or relative will generally not count towards this calculation.

People in receipt of Pension Credit may also qualify for other benefits (each with their own conditions of entitlement) such as Cold Weather Payments, Funeral Payments from the Social Fund and the Warm Home Discount Scheme. Other benefits such as Housing Benefit and help from the Local Council Tax Reduction scheme are available to Pension Credit recipients and to others who may qualify on the grounds of low income.

Pension Credit recipients are also exempt from certain health charges. Other benefits including Winter Fuel Payments, free prescriptions and concessionary travel are available on the grounds of age.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Reserves recruits made it through Phase 1 of the recruitment process in the last 12 months; and whether the target for such recruitment was met.

Mark Lancaster

Information on how many members of Future Reserves 2020 have completed Phase 1 training and commenced Phase 2 training in the 12 months to 31 July 2016 is shown below:

Maritime Reserve 160

Army Reserve FR20 1,830

Royal Auxiliary Air Force 270

There is no target for completing Phase 1 training but targets exist for trained strength, new entrant inflow and ex-regular trained joiners.

Notes

• 1. Future Reserves 2020 includes volunteer reserves who are mobilised, High Readiness Reserves and those volunteer reserves serving on Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) and Additional Duties Commitment (ADC). Sponsored Reserves who provide a more cost effective solution than volunteer reserve are also included in the Army Reserve FR20.
• 2. Professionally Qualified Officers have been excluded for the Army Reserve FR20 as they may be simultaneously completing Phase 1 and Phase 2 training.
• 3.Figures represent the number of personnel who have completed Phase 1 training and commenced phase 2 training the following month in the 12 months ending 31 July 2016.

• 4.Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in 5 are rounded to the nearest 20 to avoid systematic bias.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of cattle which have died of disease or were put down on account of disease in each of the last five years.

George Eustice

Defra collects data on cases of notifiable or reportable diseases, as per a legal requirement. The department does not estimate the number of all cattle or all pigs which have died of disease or were put down on account of disease as the department does not collect cattle or pigs death data.

There have been no pig deaths due to notifiable disease in Great Britain in the last 5 years. There were two cattle deaths in 2015 from Anthrax. The most recent data on Bovine Tuberculosis is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/incidence-of-tuberculosis-tb-in-cattle-in-great-britain

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abortions have been performed on the grounds of possible abnormalities detected in the womb in each of the last five years.

Nicola Blackwood

Data for the last five years derived from HSA4 forms notifying abortions is available through the following links:

Year	Data
2011	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/200529/Abortion_statistics__England_and_Wales_2011.pdf
2012	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/307650/Abortion_statistics__England_and_Wales.pdf
2013	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/319460/Abortion_Statistics__England_and_Wales_2013.pdf
2014	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/433437/2014_Commentary__5_.pdf
2015	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/529344/Abortion_Statistics_2015_v3.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to assist young people experiencing anxiety and depression.

Nicola Blackwood

Our Government is committed to delivering the vision set out in the Future in Mind report, which sets out the five-year vision of major system-wide transformation to improve access to high-quality mental health care for all children and young people when they need it and as close to home as possible. Since its publication in March 2015, working alongside our partners in Government and arm’s length bodies, progress has been made on many of the key ambitions to improve access to high-quality support across the country.

The core delivery mechanism for this ambitious programme of transformation are Local Transformation Plans, which are publically available and should cover the full spectrum of need for children and young people who have existing or emerging mental health problems, including anxiety and depression.

To support this transformation, an additional £1.4 billion funding has been made available over the course of this Parliament. This will also enable the expansion and extension of the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme so that high quality evidence-based interventions, including for anxiety and depression, can be delivered by children and young people’s mental health services across England.