Every parliamentary written question tabled by Jim Shannon this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 781–800 of 1,864 · this parliament
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her US counterpart on a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The UK fully supports President Trump's efforts to end this war and we are in regular contact with the US, Ukraine and our other partners to secure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary most recently discussed our efforts in Ukraine with Secretary Rubio on 7 October, and before that on 18 September during President Trump's State Visit.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the level of threat from Iran.
This issue was addressed at length in the Minister for Security's statement to the House on 4 March: Iranian State Threats, Col 195, Vol 763.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of social media in schools on bullying.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.We know that evidence suggests that cyberbullying is often linked to face-to-face bullying.Mobile phones have no place in our schools. The department’s ‘mobile phones in schools’ guidance is clear that schools should prohibit the use of devices with smart technology throughout the school day, including during lessons, transitions and breaks.The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning. If pupils fail to follow those rules, schools have the power to confiscate devices.Additionally, the department is launching a procurement for an expert and evidence-led review into best practice on managing pupil behaviour, reducing preventable exclusions and tackling and preventing bullying. The learning from this best practice review will inform the support to be given in the longer term by up to 90 new regional improvement for standards and excellence attendance and behaviour hubs, which are being established across regions in England to focus on supporting senior leaders to develop safe, supportive school cultures.
If he will take steps to increase the pay of band two phlebotomists.
Phlebotomists in England are paid on the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay scale which is underpinned by the Job Evaluation Scheme (JES). The JES is a structured method of comparing job demands as set out in the job documentation, for example the job description, to determine the appropriate AfC pay band for any given role.Employers are responsible for correctly and consistently implementing the JES locally to ensure staff are paid correctly for the work they are asked to deliver.Regarding AfC pay in general, the Government remitted the Pay Review Bodies on 22 July to begin the 2025 to 2026 pay round, with the target of getting uplifts into the pockets of health workers earlier next year.
If his Department will take steps to build neighbourhood health services in partnership with (a) Macmillan and (b) other charities.
The Department recognises the value of neighbourhood health services being built in partnership with voluntary organisations, such as Macmillan. We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations.The Planning Framework for the National Health Service in England, published on 8 September, reiterates the commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan that place partners develop a local neighbourhood plan, which integrated care boards will bring together into a population health improvement plan. These local plans should set out how the NHS, local authority, and other organisations, including social care providers and the voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector, will work together to design and deliver neighbourhood health services. The Department will publish separate guidance to support their development in the autumn.The National Cancer Plan will build on the shift from hospital to community set out by the 10-Year Health Plan and will seek to foster improved collaboration with the VCSE sector to deliver this.This includes exploring how the impact economy can help deliver the goals set in the National Cancer Plan, collaborating across the Government, the NHS, civil society, and the corporate sector.
Whether he has had discussions with his Northern Irish counterpart on increasing capacity in the prison estate.
The Secretary of State for Justice has not yet had discussions with his Northern Irish counterpart on increasing capacity in the prison estate.However, the UK Government is in regular dialogue with the Northern Ireland Executive on prison capacity challenges at ministerial level through the Inter-Ministerial Group for Justice, and at official level through the Five Nations Forum on Prison Capacity, as well as bilaterally. Lord Timpson will shortly be visiting Northern Ireland to meet the Northern Ireland Justice Minister, where they will discuss a range of justice related issues, including prison capacity.The UK Government has already taken action to progress towards a sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis in England and Wales. On 22 May, David Gauke’s Sentencing Review was published, and on 2 September we introduced legislation to take forward most of the recommendations made by the review. Our landmark sentencing reforms will ensure we never run out of prison places again.To ensure we have sufficient capacity in the lead up to implementation of the Sentencing Bill, the previous Lord Chancellor also announced further measures to manage the prison population, such as extending the Home Detention Curfew, and expanding the Early Removal Scheme, enabling the earlier removal of foreign national offenders.
Whether he has had discussions with his Northern Ireland counterpart on introducing charge cards to support coeliacs in paying for gluten free alternatives.
No discussions between ministers and their counterparts in Northern Ireland on introducing charge cards to support coeliacs in paying for gluten free (GF) alternatives have been held.In the United Kingdom, healthcare is a devolved matter. Nearly all health and social care policy in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, including arrangements for coeliac patients, is handled by their respective administrations.Following a review in 2019, the position in England remains that GF bread and mixes can be provided to all eligible coeliac patients on a National Health Service prescription, and a wide range of these items continue to be listed in Part XV of the Drug Tariff.
Whether he plans to introduce the use of AI to detect skin cancer.
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a wide range of opportunities to help change our health and care system for the better. One opportunity for AI in the National Health Service is to support with diagnostics, including detecting skin cancer.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) routinely evaluates medical technologies, including innovative AI-enabled technologies, and makes recommendations on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of products for the health and social care services in England. NICE has recommended the use of an AI technology for assessing and triaging skin lesions for patients in the NHS suspected skin cancer pathway.This AI tool, DERM, can distinguish between benign and cancerous skin lesions with nearly 99.7% accuracy, and is now being used in 25 NHS trusts as a part of the NHS's rollout of ‘teledermatology’. Further evidence on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the tool is currently being collected.
How many foreign nationals have been deported in the last five years.
The Home Office publishes data on FNO returns in the quarterly Immigration System Statistics release. Quarterly data on enforced, voluntary and port FNO returns (of which ‘deportations’ are a legal subset) are published in table Ret_D03 of the Returns detailed datasets accompanying the release.Information on FNOs who have been deported more than once, or who have returned to the UK after deportation, is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.A deportation order requires a person to leave the UK and prohibits them from lawfully entering the UK while it remains in force. Entering in breach of a deportation order is a criminal offence under section 24(1)(a) of the 1971 Act, with a maximum sentence of five years under section 40 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.
How many people aged between 18 and 25 have epilepsy.
This information is not held in the format requested. However, the following table shows a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) and distinct patients where there is a primary diagnosis, or any diagnosis, of epilepsy, where the patient was aged 18 to 25 years old on admission, in 2024/25, in English National Health Service hospitals: Primary diagnosisAny diagnosisYearAdmissionsPatientsAdmissionsPatients2024/253,7172,70818,4099,839Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS EnglandNotes:an FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period;patient counts are based on the unique patient identifier. This identifier is derived from a patient’s date of birth, postcode, sex, local patient identifier, and NHS number, using a standard algorithm. Where data are incomplete, this identifier may wrongly link episodes or fail to recognise episodes for the same patient;the primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital;the number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a HES record. Each episode is only counted once, even if a relevant diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record; andfor the purposes of these data the following ICD-10 codes have been used: G40 - Epilepsy G41 - Status epilepticus. Please be aware that this data does not represent the total number of people aged between 18 and 25 years old who have a diagnosis of epilepsy. This data only represents the number of patients aged between 18 and 25 years old with epilepsy who required hospital admission in 2024/25. The data presented here will, therefore, only represent a small proportion of the total number of people aged between 18 and 25 years old who have a diagnosis of epilepsy.
What steps he is taking to raise awareness of sarcoma.
NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns in England to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and to address the barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers, including sarcoma, at an earlier point.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how the Department will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. Having consulted with key stakeholders and patient groups, the plan will be published early in the new year. It will ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. The plan will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, to improve the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer, including sarcoma.
How many people have been arrested for non-fatal strangulation in the last 12 months.
The Home Office does not hold the data requested.The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests in England and Wales, including reason for arrest, as part of the ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ statistical series. The data is available here: Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics - GOV.UKHowever the data is collected by wider offence group, for example “Violence against the person”, therefore data on arrests for non-fatal strangulation is not available.
How many sick notes have been issued by GPs in the last 12 months.
The sick note was replaced by the fit note in 2010. Since 2022, fit notes can be issued by doctors, registered nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and physiotherapists.The latest data published by NHS England shows that out of the 10,974,495 fit notes issued electronically in primary care in England between January and December 2024, 9,898,344 were issued by general practitioners (GPs). This means that GPs issued 90.2% of these fit notes.Data is only available for fit notes issued electronically within primary care in England, meaning that paper fit notes or fit notes issued in hospitals are not included in these figures. The published statistics can be found at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/fit-notes-issued-by-gp-practicesUpdated figures will be published by NHS England on 23 October and will provide fit note data up to June 2025.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure the National Cancer Plan prioritises improving (a) patient experience and (b) quality of life.
The National Cancer Plan, which will be published in early 2026, will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer. The National Cancer Plan will build on the three shifts set out by the 10-Year Health Plan. These shifts will enable rapid progress on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, as well as supporting those living with cancer to better manage their condition and improve their quality of life.The National Cancer Plan will aim to improve how the physical and psychosocial needs of people with cancer can be met, with a focus on personalised care to improve quality of life. It will address how the experience of care can be improved for those diagnosed, treated, and living with and beyond cancer.
What support her Department provides for people in further education.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The department provides a range of financial support for students who need it to enable them to participate in post-16 education, including free meals, bursaries to help with the cost of education (such as travel, books, equipment, and trips), plus support for childcare and residential costs where required.Within the Adult Skills Fund, Learner Support is available to colleges and training providers to help learners meet costs such as transport, accommodation, books, equipment and childcare. In addition, learning support meets the costs of reasonable adjustments as set out in the Equality Act 2010 for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
Whether she has had discussions with her Northern Ireland counterpart on substitute teachers unable to get permanent jobs.
Supply teachers perform a valuable role and make an important contribution to the smooth running of schools by filling posts on a temporary basis and covering teacher absences.Schools, academies and local authorities are responsible for the recruitment of supply teachers, which includes deciding whether they contract supply teachers directly or use employment agencies.Education is a devolved matter. The department is in contact with Northern Ireland counterparts at an official level to discuss and share valuable knowledge about supply teachers and the supply system in England and Northern Ireland.
What steps he is taking to improve mobile clinic provision in rural areas.
The integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the planning and commissioning of health services, including mobile clinic services.In doing so ICBs must take into account the needs of their local population, which includes meeting the healthcare needs of their rural populations.The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan commits to three big shifts which includes increasingly moving services away from centralised hospitals into the wider community.
What estimate she has made of the proportion of UK cars powered solely by electric.
In the 12 months ending June 2025, 4.4% of all licensed cars in the UK were zero emission battery electric cars, equivalent to 1.5 million cars.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of blue-green algae on water quality in UK rivers.
The Environment Agency (EA) works with others including local authorities and Public Health England to manage waterbodies affected by blue-green algae and the risks they pose. The EA does not routinely monitor for blue-green algae but attends incidents and analyses samples where appropriate, assessing the risks and notifying water body owners, abstractors, Environmental Health Officers, as necessary. Excessive nutrient enrichment is a major cause of algal blooms. The Government recognises this and is taking action to reduce nutrient pollution. The Environment Act 2021 sets legally binding goals to cut agricultural nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment entering water by 40% by 2038 (compared to a 2018 baseline), and to reduce phosphorus loadings from treated wastewater by 80% by 2038 (compared to a 2020 baseline). We have also committed to a review of the Environmental Improvement Plan, which will outline how Defra will meet these targets.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of creatine on public health.
Scientific risk assessment of nutrition and health claim applications in Great Britain are carried out by the UK Nutrition and Health Claims Committee (UKNHCC) and based on thorough and robust evaluations.In 2024, the UKNHCC considered a health claim on creatine supplementation and improved cognitive function. The proposed conditions of use for the health claim were that creatine should be ingested in an amount of 3g per day and the target population for the health claim is the general population, healthy adults of both sexes.The UKNHCC considered evidence submitted by the applicant to substantiate the claim and published a negative scientific opinion. Based on the data presented by the applicant, the committee concluded that a cause-and-effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of ≤3g per day creatine and improved cognitive function.