Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on ensuring that Kurds are part of Syria peace talks.

Mr David Lidington

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has had a number of conversations about Syrian peace talks with the Foreign Minister of Turkey and other Turkish leaders, including during his recent visit to Turkey and at the Syria Conference in London. There was agreement on the importance of support to intra-Syrian negotiations on political transition in Syria. Any political settlement must be inclusive and we trust that the process will bring in a full range of Syria groups at the right time.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the value was to the UK economy of the game meat market in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry

Official statistics are not broken down in sufficient detail in order to separate the value added and employment attached to the processing and sale of game-meat from that of other meat or poultry products.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will make representations to Rt Hon Tony Blair to request that he accede to requests from the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee to give oral evidence on compensation for victims of IRA violence.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

As I set out in my speech on 11 February, this Government condemns terrorism. We take very seriously the needs of victims of terrorism who, it is important to remember, suffered the most as a result of the Northern Ireland troubles. My Department has assisted the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in its call for evidence on the issue of Libyan-sponsored IRA terrorism. The Government has every sympathy for the victims of these appalling atrocities. I would of course encourage anyone who can help the Committee with its work to do so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve spousal employment for service personnel posted in Cyprus.

Mark Lancaster

There are a limited number of employment opportunities for family members of deployed personnel within British Forces Cyprus (BFC). Spousal employment is restricted by the 1960 Treaty of Establishment between the UK and the Republic of Cyprus (RoC), which states that service organisations shall, ‘so far as is practicable, employ only Cypriot staff’. To help mitigate this restriction, the Partner Employment Programme (PEP) under the New Employment Model (NEM) facilitates courses and training to assist with employability on return to the UK. BFC is also facilitating Business Start-up courses run by Wolverhampton University. There are no restrictions on spouses seeking employment in the RoC; by way of an example it is known that some spouses are employed locally in international schools.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what use his Department makes of information it collects in Palestinian camps in Lebanon.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Information and analysis pertaining to Lebanon and the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon is used by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to inform policy-making and programme work.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to stop the black market economy in aid allocations.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID’s work on the black market is primarily related to illicit markets and organised crime. We are building the evidence base on the linkages between organised crime, development and conflict, and exploring innovative integrated approaches to tackling organised crime in partnership with other government departments. Our work in this area is focused on building resilience and reducing vulnerabilities to organised crime, increasing transparency, and mitigating harm. Examples of our work related to organised crime include:

• The Work in Freedom programme, which helps prevent 100,000 women and girls from India, Bangladesh and Nepal from being trafficked;
• Tackling Corruption by Tackling Drug Trafficking in Ghana, which focuses on improving detection of drug smuggling by the Narcotic Control Board, and increasing criminal proceedings against those involved;
• The Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, supports projects that develop sustainable livelihoods for communities affected by illegal wildlife trade, strengthen law enforcement, and reduce demand for the products of the illegal wildlife trade;
• Working to tackle illicit finance in partnership with the Metropolitan and City of London Police, the National Crime Agency and the Crown Prosecution Service.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding he plans to provide to stem-cell research in each of the next five years.

George Freeman

Total spend in future years on stem cell research by the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The usual practice of the NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including the use of stem cells. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and the National Health Service, value for money and scientific quality.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent steps she has taken to ensure that (a) there is investment in UK renewable energy projects and (b) the UK meets its renewable energy targets.

Andrea Leadsom

We have announced our intention to hold three further Contract For Difference allocation rounds in this Parliament. At Budget 2016, we announced the budget for these allocation rounds. Applicants in the first allocation round will compete for £290m of annual support, which is being made available from 2021/22 onwards. Over the 3 rounds we are planning to allocate £730m of annual support. We will announce further details in relation to the next allocation round, as soon as possible . More details of future rounds will follow in due course.

Our estimates show that we are on track to deliver 35% of the UK’s electricity from renewables in 2020/21, exceeding our ambition of 30%. We have announced the Renewable Heat Incentive budget will continue to March 2021 when it will reach £1.15 billion and Department for Transport will be consulting, later this year, on meeting the transport fuel sub-target of 10%.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that all blood cancer patients have access to a clinical nurse specialist or equivalent point of contact as part of their care.

Jane Ellison

The independent Cancer Taskforce published its report, Achieving World Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020, in July 2015, and recognised the need to improve care and support for people living with and beyond all types of cancer, including blood cancers. In September 2015, we announced that by 2020, the 280,000 people diagnosed with cancer every year will benefit from a tailored recovery package. The packages will be individually designed to help each person, including those with blood cancer, live well beyond cancer. In April 2016, we also published guidance for commissioners on commissioning and implementing the recovery package effectively. Support for patients living with and beyond cancer should be tailored specifically to the needs of every patient.

In addition the strategy called for every person with cancer to have access to a clinical nurse specialist or other key worker from diagnosis onwards. NHS England is currently working with partners across the health system to determine how best to take forward the recommendations of the Cancer Taskforce, and has appointed Cally Palmer CBE as National Cancer Director. A National Cancer Transformation Board is overseeing the implementation of the strategy, and an implementation plan will be published shortly. An independent Cancer Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Harpal Kumar, the Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK and Chair of the independent Cancer Taskforce, is advising and scrutinising the work of the Transformation Board.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the proposed removal of Government support for solar thermal energy on the (a) UK solar thermal and (b) solar cylinder manufacturing industry.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government’s recent consultation on reform of the Renewable Heat Incentive included a proposal to withdraw RHI support for solar thermal technologies. The consultation closed on 27 April. In taking a decision on the future of support for solar thermal we will consider all relevant factors including potential effects on the UK supply chain.