Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to provide equipment and training support to the army of the Kurdistan regional government; and if he will make a statement.

Mike Penning

Since 2014 UK Service personnel have been deployed to the Kurdish region to train and support the Peshmerga in their fight against Daesh. In addition, the UK has gifted some 50 tonnes of non-lethal support, 40 heavy machine guns and over a million rounds of ammunition, with the most recent shipment delivered in July 2016.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what contingency plans his Department has to respond to a raised security threat level in Northern Ireland.

Mike Penning

Policing and security remains the responsibility of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Security Service. As with the rest of the UK, there are a number of standing contingency plans in place to provide Defence support in Northern Ireland beyond the capacity of the civil authorities and in times of crisis. I am withholding the detail of these contingency plans for the purpose of safeguarding national security and in order not to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our armed forces.

Beyond this, as with the rest of the UK, Defence will consider requests for additional assistance on a case-by-case basis, ensuring that support provided is in line with Military Aid to the Civil Authorities principles.

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

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been diagnosed with the rare cancer rhabdomyosarcoma in each of the last five years by (a) age group and (b) gender; and what proportion of those people died in each of those years.

Chris Skidmore

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

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

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the net change in the number of jobs in the UK since 23 June 2016.

Chris Skidmore

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of suspected war criminals in the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Home Office has not made such an estimate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to control the population of grey squirrels; and if she will hold discussions with shooting organisations on their potential role in such control.

Rory Stewart

In December 2014 Defra and the Forestry Commission published an updated grey squirrel action plan for England. This reaffirms the Government’s commitment to working with land owners and other organisations as part of a reinforced package of measures to support targeted grey squirrel control. The action plan includes:

• Additional measures in forestry options of Countryside Stewardship for land managers to control grey squirrels (not just in red squirrel areas but in woodlands where squirrels are a threat to management plan objectives).
• Plans for a national squirrel partnership to help local groups outside of grant schemes.
• Support for research and evidence (for example squirrel pox vaccine and fertility control work).
• Taking action on its land holding (the public forest estate).

Defra is also one of 32 signatories to the UK Squirrel Accord, which aims to bring a concerted and coordinated approach to securing the future of our red squirrels and woodlands, and to controlling the introduced grey squirrel. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) is also a signatory and a meeting of all the signatories is planned for 10 November.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of TB in the UK.

Jane Ellison

The five year Collaborative Tuberculosis (TB) Strategy for England 2015-2020 was launched by the Department, in partnership with Public Health England (PHE), in January 2015. It lays out 10 key areas for actions needed to achieve a year on year decrease in TB incidence, a reduction in health inequalities and, ultimately, the elimination of TB as a public health problem in England.

Since the strategy was launched PHE along with NHS England have formed a TB Strategy implementation team which has facilitated the establishment of seven TB control boards covering all of England. The TB control boards will lead local TB networks in delivering the 10 key changes outlined in the Strategy.

Over the past three years there has been a year on year decline in the number of TB cases in England, from 8,086 in 2012 (a rate of 15.1 per 100,000 population), down to 6,520 in 2014 (a rate of 12.0 per 100,000 population).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that British veterans who develop cancer through exposure to asbestos are entitled to the same level of compensation as civilians.

Mark Lancaster

As the Prime Minister said during Prime Ministers’ Questions on 4 November 2015, the Ministry of Defence is looking into the matter.

The Government has continuously made compensation available under the War Pensions Scheme for injuries, illness or disease caused by service before 6 April 2005, including mesothelioma. The War Pensions Scheme provides Veterans with mesothelioma with the maximum award paid on a weekly/monthly basis and additional supplementary allowances and, where appropriate, entitlement to dependent’s benefits.

While there are currently no plans for separate compensation arrangements for veterans suffering with mesothelioma, consideration is being given to whether any flexibility can be provided for future claimants under the War Pensions Scheme. As this issue is a complex matter, officials have been undertaking a detailed review. I hope we will be able to present our conclusions soon.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of still births; and what steps he is taking to improve communication between coroners and health professionals to inform such steps.

Ben Gummer

On 13 November 2015, the Government announced an ambitious campaign to halve the national rates of maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths and brain injuries in babies by 2030.

To help meet these aims trusts will receive a share of over £4 million of government investment to improve outcomes for women and babies. This includes:

– a £2.24 million fund to help trusts buy monitoring or training equipment to improve safety;

– a £500,000 investment in developing a new system for staff to review and learn from every stillbirth and neonatal death; and

– over £1 million investment to roll out training packages developed in agreement with expertise from the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, to make sure staff have the skills and confidence they need to deliver world-leading safe care.

Stillbirths are certified by a registered medical practitioner if they are present at the stillbirth or examined the baby, or in the absence of a registered medical practitioner, by a midwife. The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 provides the legal framework for the coroners role, which is limited to investigating the cause of deaths. Stillborn babies are not legally classified as having died because they did not show signs of independent life after birth.

Medical professionals will only refer a case to the senior Coroner if there is reason to suspect that a baby’s death may have been violent or unnatural. This includes babies who only briefly showed signs of independent life and/or where there is doubt about whether a child was born alive or was stillborn.

One of the powers available to a coroner is the power to make a Rule 43 report. If the coroner feels that the evidence gives rise to a concern that circumstances creating a risk of other deaths will occur or continue to exist, he/she may make a Rule 43 report, which is sent to the organisation that has responsibility for the circumstances. A recipient of a Rule 43 report must send a written response within 56 days. The response must give details of any action which has been or is proposed will be taken, or provide an explanation when no action is proposed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he or his Ministers have had with their Egyptian counterparts on (a) the reconstruction and repair of churches and other Christian property and (b) the granting of licences for new churches in Egypt.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

There have been no recent discussions between ministers and the Egyptian government on these issues. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have discussed these issues with church representatives in Egypt. The UK remains clear that the freedom of religious belief needs to be protected and that the ability to worship in peace is a vital component of a democratic society. We look to the Egyptian government to implement the rights contained in Egypt’s constitution, which includes protections for freedom of religious belief.