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 1,761–1,780 of 2,211 · this parliament
How many of the military homes his Department bought back in December 2024 are in Northern Ireland.
No military homes in Northern Ireland were brought back from Annington Property Limited as part of the Annington Deal which was announced on 17 December 2024. Military housing in Scotland and Northern Ireland is predominantly owned directly by the Ministry of Defence.
What steps she is taking to support newly recognised refugees into employment in the agricultural sector.
DWP provides a wide range of support in Great Britain to help refugees into work. Employment support in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. DWP Support for refugees includes access to Restart, Sector Based Work Academies, work experience and help with English language skills where appropriate. We also work with national employers, trade associations and partners across a wide range of labour market sectors, including those from the agricultural sector, encouraging local Jobcentre link ups and the use of Find a Job to support people into work. To support agricultural recruitment specifically, DWP is working with Defra and key Trade Associations to develop and deliver their long-term strategy designed to build and develop a skilled workforce for both seasonal and long-term roles in the agriculture sector.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Iraqi counterpart on the recent memorandum of understanding between BP and the Iraqi government on Iraqi oil fields.
The Foreign Secretary met with Prime Minister Sudani and Foreign Minister Hussein during their Guest of Government visit to the UK. The BP deal was not raised during these engagements. This was a commercial agreement between the Government of Iraq and BP. The Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in Syria, development of the UK-Iraq security partnership, expanding trade (including £12.3 billion of export wins for UK companies announced during the visit) and cooperation on irregular migration. During their engagement, the Foreign Secretary and Foreign Minister Hussein signed the Memorandum of Cooperation on Climate Change.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent trends in the level of police funding on the prevalence of police activity in local communities.
As set out at the final police funding settlement on 30 January, overall funding for policing will total up to £19.6 billion in 2025-26, an increase of up to £1.1 billion when compared to the 2024-25 settlement.Total funding to police forces will be up to £17.5 billion, an increase of up to £1.1 billion compared to the 2024/25 police funding settlement. This equates to a 6.6% cash increase, and 4.1% real terms increase in funding.
How many deaths in police custody there have been in the last five years.
Data on deaths in police custody for England and Wales is produced by the Independent Office for Police Complaints in its annual report: Annual deaths during or following police contact report - 2023/24 | Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)There have been 95 deaths in police custody in England and Wales for the period 2019 – 2024 as follows;Year19/2020/2121/2222/2323/24Deaths1819112324
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with Lord Hoffmann on the renewal of his tenure as a Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal judge; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of this appointment on the Government's support for political freedom in Hong Kong.
Retired UK judges that choose to serve on Hong Kong courts do so under their own personal judgement, which is their right as private citizens. The UK judiciary and legal profession remain independent from the UK Government. It is for remaining retired UK judges to decide for themselves whether to continue their service in Hong Kong.
What safeguards are in place to manage the use of AI in the NHS.
There are strict safeguards in place throughout the National Health Service to protect data. All providers of services which handle patient data must protect that data in line with UK General Data Protection Regulations, and the Data Protection Act 2018, and every health organisation is required to appoint a Caldicott Guardian to advise on the protection of people’s health and care data, and ensure it is used properly. This includes where artificial intelligence (AI) is used in relation to patient records.The NHS AI Lab and Sciencewise, which is funded by UK Research and Innovation, held a public dialogue on how the public feels decisions should be made about access to their personal health data for AI purposes. The NHS AI Lab conducted a discovery exercise to design approaches based on insights from the public, which is now informing broader data stewardship initiatives, for example as part of the Secure Data Environments.To mitigate the likelihood and severity of any potential harm to individuals arising from use of data in AI, the Information Commissioners Office has developed detailed AI guidance which provides an overarching view of data protection, including Data Protection Impact Assessments and UK General Data Protection Regulations. They have also produced an AI toolkit to support organisations auditing compliance of their AI-based technologies.
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of waiting lists for prostate cancer diagnosis.
No assessment has been made of the adequacy of waiting lists for prostate cancer. However, we know that patients, including those with suspected prostate cancer, are waiting too long for diagnosis. We will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer on time or earlier, treating it faster, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system.As we set out in our new plan for reforming elective care, we are committed to improving performance on cancer waiting times. Further details will be set out in a dedicated national cancer plan and the NHS’s annual operational planning guidance.
What assessment he has made of recent trends in the level of diagnosis for rheumatoid arthritis.
No specific assessment has been made of recent trends in the level of diagnosis for rheumatoid arthritis in England. In 2023/24, 0.8% of patients in England aged 16 years old and older had a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis recorded on the practice disease register. Therefore, there are estimated to be approximately 460,000 people with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis in England. This data is from the Fingertips data collection and is based on the Quality and Outcomes Framework, with further information available at the following link:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/msk/data#page/4/gid/1938133186/ati/15/iid/91269/age/164/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1/page-options/tre-do-0.The percentage of patients with rheumatoid arthritis has remained fairly stable since the Fingertips data on rheumatoid arthritis was first collected in 2013/14. In 2013/14, 0.7% of patients in England aged 16 years old and older had a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis recorded on the practice disease register.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to provide humanitarian aid in Sudan.
The UK continues to provide humanitarian assistance to support people in Sudan and those who have fled the country. The UK has recently doubled its Official Development Assistance (ODA) this year in response to the conflict in Sudan to £226.5 million - the vast majority of which is spent on vital humanitarian aid including support for the regional refugee crisis. This funding includes support to key UN agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF who are providing life-saving food assistance in Sudan. We are also one of the largest donors to the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) which delivers life-saving multi-sectoral support to communities across Sudan and is now piloting support to the Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs). The UK also continues to support the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), including their work on emergency preparedness and response, protection of civilians, and providing life-saving healthcare across Sudan.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government has plans to provide financial support to (a) local women-led initiatives and (b) community groups in Afghanistan.
In 2024/2025, we are providing £161 million for humanitarian and essential services support to the most vulnerable and marginalised Afghans, through trusted non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and UN agencies. We are committed that at least 50 percent of people reached with UK aid in Afghanistan will be women and girls. Through our contribution to the World Bank led Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund (ARTF), we have supported a $20 million project of support to Afghanistan civil society. The project has supported NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs) that improve basic service delivery and promote socio-economic empowerment of women and girls, including 100 women-led organisations.
Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on steps to help tackle knife crime in the devolved nations.
Halving knife crime is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.Policing and justice in Northern Ireland, apart from national security, is a devolved matter but the Home Office works with a wide range of partners to share best practice and knowledge.I will work with my Northern Ireland Ministerial colleagues on this important Government priority.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Official Controls Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on trends in the level of trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
Northern Ireland goods move freely to Great Britain and are unaffected by regulation 2017/625. Regulation 2017/625 is explicitly disapplied for goods moved via the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme.
Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help support small music venues.
The Government response to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee's report on grassroots music venues sets out our commitment to working with the sector to support the sustainability of the entire music ecosystem. In particular, the Government is urging the live music industry to introduce a voluntary levy on tickets for stadium and arena shows, to help safeguard the future of the grassroots music sector.The Government has also announced £2.5m of continued funding for the Arts Council England’s Supporting Grassroots Music Fund for 2025-26. This enables grassroots music venues, recording studios, promoters and festivals to apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams, make repairs and improvements, and enhance the live music experience for music lovers across the UK.
What his planned timetable is for the rollout of Durvalumab for the treatment of bladded cancer.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on whether new medicines should be funded by the National Health Service based on their costs and benefits. Wherever possible, NICE aims to align its processes with the regulatory process so that final guidance is published at, or around, the time that the treatment is granted a licence. The NHS in England is required to fund treatments recommended by NICE, normally within three months of guidance, and cancer medicines are eligible for funding from the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point of a positive draft recommendation.NICE has four relevant technology appraisals in development or awaiting development currently: Durvalumab for neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer, with development expected to start in April 2025 and earliest publication date February 2026; Durvalumab with enfortumab vedotin for neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer when cisplatin is unsuitable, with development expected to start in October 2026 and earliest publication date August 2027; Durvalumab with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) for treating high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer after resection of papillary tumours in people previously untreated with BCG, with timelines for this appraisal still to be confirmed as NICE is awaiting an update from the company regarding its preferred submission date; and Durvalumab with tremelimumab and chemotherapy for treating unresectable or advanced urothelial cancer, with development expected to start in January 2026 and earliest publication date October 2026.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of humanitarian aid provided to help promote freedom of religion or belief in Pakistan is spent in-country.
The UK works to promote freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in Pakistan through our diplomatic engagement and programme funding. I underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when I met Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November and discussed this issue in Parliament on 28 November. The British High Commission also regularly raises FoRB issues at the highest levels. The UK-funded Aawaz programme supports both policy development and community empowerment to promote the rights of marginalised groups, including religious minorities. However, the UK Government does not ringfence UK Aid for FoRB programming in Pakistan, nor do we report UK Aid spending along religious lines.
Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to support young men at (a) schools and (b) universities who are gambling online.
We are committed to protecting children and young people from gambling harm. In December last year, the Government laid a draft regulation introducing new stake limits for online slots games, including a lower stake limit of £2 for adults aged 18 to 24.We are introducing a statutory levy to be paid by gambling operators raising funding for research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms. The levy will play an important part in the Government’s wider aim to have a better informed and protected public when it comes to gambling-related harms. The government also continues to support the NHS National Gambling Clinic which provides treatment for adults and children experiencing gambling harm.
What steps he is taking to help increase public awareness on the prevention of liver cancer.
NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns in England to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address 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 at an earlier point.NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including liver cancer. This information can be found at sources like the NHS.UK website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of persecution of Christians in North Korea.
The UK is deeply concerned by reports from North Korean escapees, which tell of serious human rights offences and persecution of those who are caught practising religion. It is unacceptable that citizens face surveillance, imprisonment or even death because of their religion or belief. We will continue to raise human rights issues in all relevant meetings with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) officials through multilateral and bilateral channels. Following the DPRK's Universal Period review in November 2024 in which the UK raised the issue of freedom of religion, we remain committed to engaging with the DPRK on their approach to human rights.
What steps he is taking to ensure that UK renewable energy infrastructure is not widely owned by companies owned by foreign governments.
As an open economy, we welcome foreign trade and investment where it supports growth and jobs in the UK and meets our legal and regulatory requirements. We work closely with industry to build secure supply chains and back UK businesses. The government has also established Great British Energy to drive forward greater investment in clean, home-grown energy production and to build supply chains across the UK. Great British Energy will work with DESNZ, The Crown Estate and the National Wealth Fund to support domestic clean energy supply chains.