Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Polish government on the allocation of UK or NATO forces to Poland to counter any threats to that country from Russia.

Mr Julian Brazier

My right hon. Friends the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary met with their Polish counterparts in Edinburgh in January 2016 to discuss a range of options for countering threats in the region. We are working closely with Poland to ensure that the Warsaw Summit in July further strengthens NATO against current threats and adapts it to combat future ones. We also promote more effective defence cooperation in the region with our partners in the Northern Group: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Sweden). The UK already makes a substantial contribution to Assurance Measures in Poland, and will provide 1,000 personnel to Exercise ANAKONDA in June 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase public awareness of rare diseases.

George Freeman

The UK Strategy for Rare Diseases was published in 2013 and is currently being implemented across all four countries of the United Kingdom. The UK Rare Diseases Forum monitors the implementation of the Strategy and provides the Department with advice on rare disease policy development, including awareness raising. The 100,000 Genomes Project, a world-leading initiative launched by the Prime Minister in December 2012 has rare diseases as one of its key priority areas.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with clinical bodies on the potential connection between the level of diabetes and eating pears to reduce sugar levels.

Jane Ellison

There have been no such recent discussions.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage people to become pilots.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Secretary of State for Transport appointed Terry Morgan CBE to develop a transport infrastructure skills strategy, which was published on the 28 January. The strategy, which covers aviation and specifically pilot training, contains recommendations for both government and industry to act on.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the Colombian government’s ability to guarantee safety for (a) social activists and (b) human rights defenders in the region of Catatumbo.

Mr Hugo Swire

Our Embassy in Bogota has received reports about the safety of social activists and human rights defenders in Catatumbo. This was raised at a meeting between Embassy officials and community leaders during a visit to the Catatumbo region in May 2015 and also in a meeting with the ‘Marcha Patriotica’ movement in January 2016. The Government of Colombia has put in place a National Protection Unit responsible for coordinating and implementing protective measures for those at risk due to their activities.

Peace Process negotiations are at a key stage, but there is still further to go. Catatumbo is an example of a region in conflict that will be positively impacted by a peace deal. This Government is committed to supporting Colombia as part of the ongoing negotiations to ensure the safety of its people and long term stability across the country.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nursing on the connection between a low-fat diet and the reduction of migraine attacks.

Jane Ellison

There have been no such recent discussions.

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

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the emergency response plans are in the event of Russia firing a nuclear bomb.

Mr Oliver Letwin

We live in an unpredictable world and if a threat to the UK were to arise from a nuclear-armed adversary, we would seek to ensure that they were deterred from using nuclear weapons by convincing them that the costs to them of doing so greatly outweighed any gains they could hope to make.

Other chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats are considered as part of the National Security Risk Assessment and this is reflected in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. The Government’s approach to preparing for emergencies is to prepare for the common consequences of a range of civil emergencies. This is supplemented with proportionate planning and capability building for the highest impact and most concerning risks, of which a nuclear terrorist attack in the UK is one.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with people who run airports on excessive VAT charging in retail outlets based in airports.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Department for Transport meets regularly with airport operators and the issue of the treatment of VAT in airside retail shops has been reviewed. The Chancellor announced on the 31 December 2015 a review into airport sales to make sure VAT savings are being passed on to shoppers. It would therefore not be appropriate for me to comment at this stage whilst HM Treasury is undertaking this review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to ensure that any underspend of the budget for Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus is allocated to projects and schemes on those bases; and what planning his Department has carried out for such a scenario.

Penny Mordaunt

There has been no significant underspend in the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) in recent years. In the unlikely event an underspend is identified, there are measures in place to identify priorities for additional investment in the SBAs, subject to wider Departmental policies. These measures involve engagement with all key stakeholders at the beginning of each Financial Year to identify ‘quick win’ projects that could be funded and implemented promptly in the event of a potential underspend.

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 support the Government has given to the Lebanese government to assist with the refugee situation in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK has contributed over £330 million to support Lebanon since the start of the Syria crisis. Our priorities have been to support refugees and host communities, and strengthen the ability of the Lebanese Armed Forces and security forces to protect against armed groups at the border at terrorism.

On 4 February the UK co-hosted the ‘Supporting Syria and the Region 2016’ conference which secured over $11 billion in pledges from the international community for Syria’s neighbours, including Lebanon. This was the largest sum raised for a cause in a single day.