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 1,864 · this parliament
What plans he has to increase employee protection from unfair dismissal.
The Government introduced the Employment Rights Bill in the House on 10 October 2024. The Bill will make basic protection against unfair dismissal a day one right for all employees, ending the current arbitrary system that leaves employees waiting up to two years to access this right.
Whether he is taking steps to raise awareness of the symptoms of migraines.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline, Headaches: Diagnosis and management of headaches in young people and adults, updated in December 2021, sets out best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment, and support of people who suffer from headaches, including migraines. It aims to improve the recognition and management of headaches and migraines.NHS RightCare has also produced a Headache and Migraine Toolkit. The toolkit sets out key priorities for improving care for patients with migraines, which includes correct identification and diagnosis of headache disorders. Additionally, Getting It Right First Time for Neurology published a National Speciality Report, which makes several recommendations in relation to improving recognition and diagnosis of migraines by general practitioners.The Royal College of General Practitioners has developed two e-learning modules about migraine and cluster headaches, which aim to raise awareness amongst primary care clinicians about the different types of migraine and their associated symptoms, and how to differentiate between them.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the initiation of supervisory proceedings against Jehovah's Witnesses in Denmark.
The FCDO is aware of supervisory proceedings against Jehovah's Witnesses in Denmark. We are committed to the safeguarding of all vulnerable people, as well as promoting freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) around the world. We will continue to monitor developments.
What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to prevent cyber attacks; and what data his Department holds on the number of cyber attacks against Government infrastructure in the last 12 months.
I refer the honourable member to my answer from 2 September, (2302) and would add that the UK Government does not comment upon operational security matters.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to help support families affected by the recent landslide in southern India.
The UK is a major contributor to the Start Fund which has allocated over £200,000 to Caritas India and SEEDS India. These two non-governmental organisations are providing support to vulnerable communities that were severely affected by the landslides and flooding in Wayanad District in Kerala. This included basic household goods, such as bedding, kitchen and hygiene items, and cash assistance.
What assessment his Department has made of effectiveness of the Government’s procurement strategy for (a) health and (b) social care.
The role of the Department’s Commercial Directorate is to provide the Department and wider health system with the appropriate commercial strategy, leadership, insight, and advice to enable delivery of the Government’s Health Mission, consistently maximising value for money. The directorate is responsible for oversight and assurance of procurement activity in the Health Family, including Arms Length Bodies like NHS England and The UK Health Security Agency, which encompasses approval of high-value or high-risk business cases.The directorate is also responsible for ensuring that procurement policy is aligned to Cabinet Office requirements, and that Health Family commercial compliance and performance is continually assessed for improvement against the Government’s Commercial Functional Standards, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-commercial-functionThe directorate sets an annual commercial savings target against contracts the Department awards and manages. For 2023/24, the directorate has delivered £44.6 million worth of commercial savings and benefits through procurement and contract management activity within the Department.
What data his Department holds on the number of nurses employed in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) England.
The Office for National Statistics has recently produced an article on the data available to compare healthcare workforces across the United Kingdom. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/articles/thehealthcareworkforceacrosstheuk/2024To estimate the level of the healthcare workforce across the UK, the report details a range of potential sources, including the Office for National Statistic’s published estimates of employment by occupation sector, based on the Annual Population Survey and the Labour Force Survey.The latest data from the Annual Population Survey and the Labour Force Survey, based on the survey period April 2023 to March 2024, estimates there are 610,200 employed registered nursing professionals in England and 31,500 in Northern Ireland. As this covers registered nursing professionals, it will also include registered midwives. It covers nurses employed in any sector, so will include those working in National Health Service trusts, general practices, social care, charitable bodies, as well as private provision.These estimates are based on a sample of the population, which means any cross-UK comparisons using this data should be done with an understanding of the potential limitations. Notably, the estimates are impacted by sampling variability across the UK, and there may be bias if certain households cannot be reached, or from respondent error. For Northern Ireland, the impact of small sample sizes means that estimates for specific occupations, such as registered nurses, have greater levels of uncertainty and are not suitable for interpreting differences between the countries of the UK.
What steps he is taking to improve the quality of (a) hospital, (b) specialist centre and (c) other NHS buildings.
The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, providing high-quality health and social care for those in need. This means providing strategic, value for money investments into capital schemes that improve the quality of hospitals, specialist centres, and other NHS buildings.Integrated care boards and trusts have been allocated £4.2 billion this year to prioritise for local capital schemes that maintain and improve their NHS estate. An additional £3.9 billion is being provided through national programmes that aim to modernise and transform the NHS estate, facilitating digital improvements, and providing funding for new urgent care centres and mental health facilities. Decisions regarding future investment in the NHS are subject to the upcoming Spending Review, where the short and long-term needs of the NHS estate will be assessed.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Nigerian counterparts on (a) violence by non-state actors and (b) freedom of religion for minority communities.
The UK continues to champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all in Nigeria, and beyond. No one should live in fear because of what they do, or do not believe in. We work to uphold the right to FoRB through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora and bilaterally in Nigeria. The UK Government remains committed to supporting Nigeria to address ongoing security challenges, including violent extremism and intercommunal violence, which continue to impinge on the rights of Nigerians to FoRB. In September, the Foreign Secretary had an initial conversation with his Nigerian counterpart on security issues and will be seeking to engage proactively on FoRB in upcoming discussions.
What data her Department holds on the number of police misconduct investigations held in England in the last 12 months.
The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of police complaints, conduct matters and misconduct proceedings (including cases and allegations) on an annual basis in the ‘Police misconduct, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-misconduct-statistics.The latest information covers cases finalised in year ending 31 March 2023.This statistical release is also accompanied by open data tables which include information on misconduct proceedings:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-misconduct-open-data-tablesData for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 is due for publication in late 2024 to early 2025.
What steps he plans to take with NHS England's (a) clinical chairs and (b) device working groups to refine the process for the inclusion of new devices and range extensions within the existing national catalogue; where those processes are published; and what steps he is taking to ensure clarity for external stakeholders.
Under the Specialised Service Devices programme, clinical chairs and advisors in the device working group are continuing work to refine the inclusion process for new devices, while also developing range extensions within the existing national catalogue. This is alongside continuing work on device category specifications.Device working groups will develop a clinical utilisation methodology designed to reduce unwarranted variation in the extensive range of available devices, while NHS Supply Chain will deliver price reductions in devices purchased.
What recent assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) efficiency of the Border Force fleet.
We always seek to ensure the adequacy and efficiency of the Border Force fleet. Working with key law enforcement partners, Border Force Maritime Command supports border security in the maritime arena. Domain awareness and the effective deployment of maritime assets to a variety of tasks is achieved in conjunction with the Joint Maritime Security Centre (JMSC). The efficacy of these operations is reviewed by senior Border Force staff on a monthly basis.
What steps she is taking to ensure the adequacy of police response times.
Chief Constables are responsible for determining the allocation of resources for operational policing and managing their response times, in line with the priorities set out by their Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) regularly inspect forces’ response to the public as a part of their Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy (PEEL) inspections. As a part of this, they examine whether forces provide an appropriate response to incidents.As highlighted in their ‘Getting a Grip’ report on police performance, HMICFRS found wide-ranging issues with the recording of data on attendance times at incidents. The NPCC are exploring options for a standardised measurement of police response in light of recommendations in HMICFRS's ‘Getting a Grip’ report, and the Home Office are supporting them with this work.The Home Secretary has been clear that she wants the Home Office to play a greater role in setting performance measures and monitoring and driving system performance in the police. Plans will be set out for this in due course.
What steps he is taking to support manufacturing in the UK.
This government wants to drive manufacturing growth. Manufacturing makes an important contribution to private capital, R&D, and exports, which leads to higher productivity, more investment and more jobs.Building on existing support to industry, government will introduce a new Industrial Strategy to drive long-term sustainable, inclusive and secure growth - through securing investment into crucial sectors of the economy.As announced in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper published on 14 October, advanced manufacturing has been selected as one of eight growth-driving sectors. The Strategy will also look at support for subsectors which provide critical inputs and infrastructure to these sectors.
With reference to the Written Statement on Procurement Act 2023 Update of 12 September 2024, HCWS90, what the changes to the National Procurement Policy Statement are that entail the delay in implementation of the Procurement Act 2023.
It is important that the new procurement regime commences with a statutory National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) aligned to the Government’s strategic priorities. The new NPPS will set out a mission-led procurement regime which meets the challenge of applying the full potential of public procurement to deliver value for money, economic growth and social value. The NPPS will be informed by stakeholder engagement taking place over the coming months.
If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of a NATO-first defence strategy on the shipbuilding supply chain.
All decisions on Defence strategy, encompassing our relationship with NATO, are fully assessed to ensure UK defence requirements are met, including the shipbuilding supply chain. The National Shipbuilding Office works with colleagues across Government and industry to promote growth and resilience across the entire UK shipbuilding sector to enable it to meet our NATO commitments and, where possible, seize opportunities presented by working closely with allies.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to help Ukraine join NATO.
At the Washington Summit in July, the UK and other NATO Allies agreed measures to enhance NATO's support to Ukraine as it advances on its irreversible path to NATO membership. NATO will be stronger with Ukraine as a member. The UK will continue to play a leading role in supporting Ukraine, including on interoperability and reforms. In the meantime, the UK and our Allies are stepping up support for Ukraine's immediate and long-term self-defence.
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding for the construction of the North South Interconnector.
Energy policy and funding for infrastructure in Northern Ireland are devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. Additional funding for this joint infrastructure project is ultimately a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government.
How many people are in receipt of a sickness benefit.
People ‘in receipt of a sickness benefits’ have been assumed to be those in the main phase of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and the Universal Credit (UC) Limited Capability to Work (LCW) and Limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) groups. The Department regularly publishes Benefit Combination statistics on Stat-Xplore and these were extended in February 2024 to include additional information for those on ESA and the UC Health Journey, so can now be used to provide the information, from quarter ending May 2019 to the end of the latest quarter, February 2024. The figures can be obtained from the ‘Benefit Combinations - Data from May 2019 for England and Wales’ and ‘Benefit Combinations – Data from May 2019 for Scotland’ datasets using the ‘Additional Claim Details’ options. The ‘ESA Phase of Claim’ and ‘UC Health Journey’ options should be used to identify quarterly totals for ESA Support Group (SG), ESA Work-related Activity Group (WRAG), Universal Credit Limited Capability to Work (LCW) and Limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) groups, alongside Totals for those ‘Not on ESA’ and ‘Not on UC or UC Health Journey’. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. Using the Benefit Combinations data on Stat-Xplore and the assumptions above, there are 3,043,410 working age claimants of ESA (SG or WRAG) or UC Health (LCW or LCWRA) within GB, at Feb-24. Notes:Total is rounded to 10.A person can claim both ESA and be on the UC health caseload and these claimants would be counted in each separate caseload in the published data on Stat-Xplore. Benefit Combinations data on Stat-Xplore allows these 'Dual claims' to be identified and only counted once in the above.
How many illegal drugs have been seized in the last 12 months.
The Home Office latest published data on drug seizures made by the Police and Border Force for England and Wales can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seizures-of-drugs-in-england-and-wales-financial-year-ending-2023.The latest published statistics show that police forces and Border Force made a total of 191,623 drug seizures in England and Wales in the year ending March 2023.Border Force also release quarterly transparency data which include drug seizures. The latest available data are below:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-q2-2024