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 1,841–1,860 of 2,211 · this parliament
Whether he is taking steps to promote the use of energy saving lightbulbs in domestic properties.
The Warm Homes Plan will help people find ways to save money on energy bills. Consumers can use the Government advice site (www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency) to get tailored recommendations for home improvements to increase energy efficiency. There is also existing Ecodesign regulations which sets the minimum energy performance standards for lighting products.
What plans he has to increase the availability of spirometry testing in primary care.
NHS England is continuing to support the restoration of local spirometry services and is enhancing capacity through community diagnostic centres (CDCs). These initiatives provide structured pathways for general practitioners (GPs) to refer patients for essential respiratory diagnostic tests such as spirometry, ensuring faster access to these services for individuals with suspected respiratory conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). By equipping primary care with the tools and pathways for earlier and more accurate diagnosis, this effort addresses the significant issue of undiagnosed COPD, which is estimated to affect 2.1 million people in England. These measures are designed to strengthen the collaboration between primary and secondary care, increasing capacity to meet diagnostic demands effectively.As part of Phase 2 of the GP Direct Access scheme, launched in December 2023, the National Health Service aims to achieve earlier detection and diagnosis of COPD so that patients access timely interventions and optimal treatment, improving patient management and outcomes. The guidance recommends that general practice teams refer patients for spirometry for the diagnosis of COPD.
What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on protecting women from online harassment.
Equalities Ministers have regular discussions with their colleagues across Government about tackling online harassment as part of the Government's commitment to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. These include the Safer Streets Mission Board and Violence Against Women and Girls Ministerial meetings.
What assessment he has made of trends in the level of people referred for alcohol addiction support.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities publishes adult substance misuse treatment statistics annually which includes the numbers of adults aged 18 and over in contact with drug and alcohol treatment services in England. The latest publication is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/substance-misuse-treatment-for-adults-statistics-2023-to-2024/adult-substance-misuse-treatment-statistics-2023-to-2024-reportThis publication provides an analysis of trends over time. The data over the last ten years for adults newly presenting to treatment for alcohol only and treatment for alcohol and non-opiate drugs shows that from a previous high in 2013/14 of 84,533, the number of new presentations to treatment fell year-on-year between 2014/15 and 2017/18. The number of new presentations remained relatively stable between 2017/18 and 2020/21, before rising continuously since then to a new high of 94,782 in 2023/24. This is the highest number since records began in 2008.The most recent estimates of alcohol dependence in England from 2019/20 suggest that, of the people with alcohol dependence that could benefit from specialist alcohol treatment, in 2023/24, 80% were not in treatment.The following table shows the above information in more detail:YearNumbers of adults newly presenting to treatment for alcohol onlyNumbers of adults newly presenting to treatment for alcohol and non-opiatesTotal2013-1465,11019,42384,5332014-1561,40418,54879,9522015-1657,72318,82276,5452016-1752,58318,71671,2992017-1850,65618,75769,4132018-1952,39320,21572,6082019-2050,95721,16772,1242020-2152,22020,84973,0692021-2256,99523,23480,2292022-2357,80224,22982,0312023-2465,10829,67494,782Source: National Drug Treatment Monitoring SystemInformation on the number of young people under 18 years old being treated for substance misuse, including alcohol, is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/alcohol-and-drug-misuse-and-treatment-statistics
How many people in the UK have been diagnosed with vitiligo.
The Department does not hold data on the number of people in England who have been diagnosed with vitiligo. Data relating to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is a matter for the devolved governments.
What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on introducing more flexible paternity leave.
The Government is committed to ensuring that employed parents receive the best possible support to balance their work and family responsibilities.The Employment Rights Bill will increase the flexibility of Paternity Leave. This Bill will make Paternity Leave available from ‘day one’ in a new job and enable it to be taken after Shared Parental Leave.We will also review the parental leave system to ensure that it supports working families. Planning work is already underway across Government, including with the Department of Work and Pensions.
What discussions he has had with his Northern Irish counterpart on the new solar farm installed at Hydebank Prison.
DESNZ officials meet regularly with their counterparts in Northern Ireland to discuss matters relating to renewables, including solar. Solar energy is at the heart of our Clean Energy mission and solar farms, alongside rooftop installations, will play an important part in helping to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2030. Government is keen to lead by example in decarbonising its estate and as set out in the Clean Power Action plan, published in December 2024, Great British Energy will also promote renewables on public estates, unlocking additional scope for generation capacity on government-owned land. Great British Energy will seek to work with government landowners who will host generation assets and provide power directly to public buildings, in addition to connecting into the grid.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of community energy projects on local employment.
The Government recognises the important role community energy projects play in many different areas, including tackling climate change and providing local employment opportunities. Great British Energy’s Local Power Plan will provide funding and support to community energy groups to roll out renewable energy projects and develop up to 8 GW of cleaner power. It will increase capacity and capability to build a pipeline of successful projects in local areas and aims to expand community energy projects by helping to crowd-in investment, creating skilled jobs and changing communities for the better. Great British Energy will benefit all four nations of our United Kingdom whilst respecting the devolution settlements.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the cost of electricity on people with health conditions requiring medical devices which use electricity.
The Department began an assessment process on patient support for at home medical equipment energy costs in August 2024 with a review of existing policy provision. This work includes consideration of the impact of the cost of running electrical medical equipment at home on vulnerable groups.At Ministerial direction, the Department is working with the National Health Service, gathering technical data from within the health sector on use, cost and power demand of at home medical devices, to support development of costed policy options.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of income for farmers in 2024.
The Government has committed to support farmers through a farming budget of £5 billion over two years, including £2.4 billion in 2025/26. We publish regular accredited official statistics on farm income in England and other data related to farm businesses. For example, on 14 November 2024, we published our Farm Business Income statistics (Farm business income - GOV.UK), which looked at how Farm Business Income has changed in 2023/24, including the contribution of Direct Payments and agri-environment payments to farm incomes and analysis by farm type. Farm Business Income has seen substantial year-on-year fluctuations over the past 15 years driven by a multitude of factors which include weather and market fluctuations. For most farm types, Farm Business Income in 2023/24 saw very large falls relative to exceptional highs in 2022/23. At the all-farm level and a longer-term view, the average Farm Business Income of approximately £82,000 for the agricultural transition (2021/22-2023/24) remains above the pre-transition average of approximately £58,000 (2018/19-2020/21). Further, farming evidence packs have been recently updated including key statistics and farm performance (Farming statistics evidence packs - GOV.UK). These set out an extensive range of data to provide an overview of agriculture in the UK, and the contribution of farm payments to farm incomes, including analysis by sector, location in England and type of land tenure. The Secretary of State discussed the department’s approach to the problem of low farming income across Britain at the Oxford Farming Conference on 9 January, and his full remarks can be found here. We will continue to carry out appropriate and timely assessments of our interventions to inform policy development.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Syrian counterpart on the protection of Christians in that country.
The Foreign Secretary underlined the importance of an inclusive political process with interim Foreign Minister Al Shaybani during a meeting in Riyadh on 12 January. In December, senior Foreign Office officials met with the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the interim Foreign Minister. They highlighted the need to protect the rights of all civilians, including religious minorities. We are closely monitoring the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We will continue to advocate for the right of Freedom of Religion or Belief in Syria and for an inclusive political transition.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of China's treatment of Falun Gong practitioners.
The environment for freedom of religion or belief across China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.This Government champions freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. We work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement. For example, the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary both raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi and Foreign Minister Wang).
What steps she is taking to help tackle disability discrimination in workplaces.
The Government is fully committed to the Equality Act 2010 (the Act), which protects disabled people from discrimination in the workplace. The Act prohibits direct and indirect disability discrimination and requires employers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees and jobseekers to ensure that they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to their non-disabled colleagues. This could include improving access to premises for wheelchair users, through installing ramps or other auxiliary aids or services.The failure of an employer to make reasonable adjustments could amount to direct disability discrimination. However, the Act also recognises the need to strike a balance between the needs of disabled employees and the circumstances of their employers. What is ‘reasonable’ will therefore depend on the circumstances of each case.Strong legal remedies are available to employees and applicants who feel that they have experienced disability discrimination by an employer. Guidance and codes of practice have been published by The Equality and Human Rights Commission and Acas, to help employers follow the law and employees and applicants understand their rights.
When the most recent review of the frozen pensions policy was.
There has been no recent review of the policy. The policy on the uprating of UK State Pensions paid overseas is a longstanding one of successive Governments, which has been in place for over 70 years. UK State Pensions are payable worldwide, without regard to nationality, and are only uprated abroad where there is a legal requirement to do so, for example in countries with which we have a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating. Up-rating is based on levels of earnings growth and price inflation in the UK which has no direct relevance where the pensioner is resident overseas. Over many years, priority is given to those living in the United Kingdom when drawing up expenditure plans for additional pensioner benefits.
What steps her Department is taking to ensure that people who emigrate to (a) Canada and (b) Australia are aware that their state pensions will be frozen.
For a number of years, advice has been provided to the public that the UK State Pension is not uprated overseas except where there is a legal requirement to do so - for example where there is a reciprocal agreement that allows for uprating. Information on moving or retiring abroad is available on GOV.UK and this includes advice on how State pension is affected. Advice can also be obtained by calling the International Pension Centre on 0191 218 777 or from the Pension Service on 0800 731 7898
How many people have presented at Accident and Emergency with respiratory concerns in the last six months.
The following table shows the number of type 1 and 2 accident and emergency attendances, as well as the percentage and number of those with a chief complaint relating to airway and breathing, in each of the last six months:MonthNumber of type 1 and 2 atte...
What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on improving mental health provision in universities.
My Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has discussions on multiple areas across Government departments, including mental health for children and young people.
What steps he has taken to encourage uptake of the flu vaccination in 2024.
This year’s national communications campaign to encourage the uptake of essential winter vaccinations, including for influenza and COVID-19, launched on 30 September 2024. The campaign, called Get Winter Strong, targets eligible cohorts where uptake has h...
Media and Sport, what support her Department has offered grassroots football clubs in the last 12 months.
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has access to and benefits from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.We are acting to support more people in getting onto the pitch wherever they live via the Mu...
Representing the Church Commissioners, what support the Commissioners offered local food banks during the run up to Christmas.
Church of England churches run or support 35,000 social action projects, including 60% of churches supporting 8,000 food banks with volunteers, donations, venues, or a combination of these. 12,000 churches are involved in the Trussell food bank network ov...