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 his Department has had with NATO on tackling negative reporting on NATO and its member states from Russian media outlets.

Mr Julian Brazier

The UK works closely with NATO Allies to ensure there is close alignment in messaging and communications that demonstrates our joined up and credible alternative narrative to Russian misinformation. NATO communicates with a range of media outlets in the region to provide a balanced view of NATO aims and activities. However in Russia, state-controlled media outlets dominate the information environment and therefore crowd out independent voices.

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 reduce the incidence of substance addiction in people aged over 50.

Jane Ellison

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning effective drug and alcohol prevention and treatment services based on an assessment of local need. Public Health England (PHE) supports local authorities in this work, by providing bespoke data, value for money tools, topical briefings, and advice on good practice to help local authorities meet the needs of their local population, including older people.

PHE is engaged in a series of work programmes which aim to reduce the incidence of substance addiction and help provide support to older people; an alcohol misuse screening question has been part of the national NHS Health Check since 2013. The Health Check programme is offered to three million 40-74 year olds per year.

An independent expert group updating the United Kingdom drug misuse clinical guidelines, Drug Misuse and Dependence: UK Guidelines on Clinical Management[1] is considering specific advice for clinicians on managing and addressing substance addiction in older people.

[1] http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/clinical_guidelines_2007.pdf

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is giving to the government of Pakistan to help ensure that polio vaccination programmes in that country can take place without disruption by violence.

Mr Nick Hurd

The United Kingdom is fully committed to global polio eradication and is providing £300 million to support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative for 2013 to 2019. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative works closely with the Government of Pakistan, including with law enforcement and the military, to ensure that vaccination campaigns take place in the safest possible conditions.

Security planning is integrated into vaccination campaigns by including members of law enforcement and military in Polio Emergency Operations Centres and ensuring there are sufficient numbers of security personnel accompanying vaccinators in security compromised areas. Security officials create safe zones for vaccinators to operate in and also provide relevant threat information that is taken into consideration before launching any vaccination activity. Community initiatives are extensively supported to build local community trust and acceptance of polio vaccination campaigns.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what requirements her Department places on police officers to take regular driving tests.

Mike Penning

As an operational matter, requirements on officers regarding driving tests are the responsibility of forces.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to assure the future funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit for the next five years.

Rory Stewart

The Government remains committed to tackling wildlife crime. We are currently allocating our Spending Review settlement. Future funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit will be decided as part of that process.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to make the new natural form of IVF treatment available on the NHS.

Jane Ellison

It is for clinical commissioning groups to determine the provision of local fertility services based on local need and the best evidence of clinical effectiveness, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. ‘Natural in vitro fertilisation (IVF)’ would be subject to individual clinical decision-making if the patient’s circumstances indicated such an approach was appropriate.

Women considering ‘natural IVF’ should discuss treatment options with their clinician and have regard to the relevant pages of the website of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority:

http://www.hfea.gov.uk/natural-cycle-ivf.html

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to encourage more use of diesel vehicles.

Andrew Jones

The Government’s policy is to support measures to encourage cleaner, more sustainable vehicles and transport systems. Over £2 billion has been committed since 2011 to increase the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles and green transport initiatives and to support local authorities to take action.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of missing people who are found.

Karen Bradley

The Government’s Missing Children and Adults Strategy for England and Wales provides a core framework for local areas to do more to prevent and protect children and vulnerable adults who go missing. We are currently undertaking a refresh of the strategy, to be published later this year. This will include an implementation plan to improve the overall response to missing people, including better use of the Child Rescue Alert (CRA) system, prevention (reducing the numbers who go missing) and improving the response to finding people who have gone missing or are at risk of doing so.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to ensure that military personnel based in Cyprus have the cost of flights for them and their family to return to the UK on leave fully covered by the allowances provided, even at peak travel times.

Mark Lancaster

The Get You Home (Overseas) allowance enables eligible Service personnel and any spouse, civil partner or dependent children to return to the UK by assisting towards the costs of return journeys to the UK or, in the case of non-British passport holders, to their country of domicile. Get You Home (Overseas) is calculated by the Ministry of Defence based upon an average of economy class airfares obtained from Expedia three times per year – summer, Christmas and Easter. The flight route used is from the overseas location to the UK and prices are sourced from the internet one month prior to the date selected as the date of travel. The current rate for Cyprus is £337 per person. Analysis by British Forces Cyprus for the peak summer period indicates that the allowance fully covers the cost of a routine economy flight.

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 his Department is providing to the Lebanese government to prevent recruitment to terrorist groups from the Palestinian camps in Lebanon.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

As part of the UK’s global work countering terrorism and extremism, the UK is supporting Lebanon to prevent the recruitment of individuals to violent extremist groups. This support includes supporting moderate Sunni religious voices in Lebanon, training young Muslim leaders on countering extremist narratives, and supporting the reform of the Lebanese school curriculum to educate young people on tolerance and citizenship values. This financial year we are spending £1.15 million within the camps to support Palestinian youth networks to bolster community stability and build resilience against extremism. This includes supporting young people in the development of solutions to community-level problems, increasing civic participation, developing alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and the production of youth-led counter extremist narratives.