Jim Shannon MP: written questions
1010 published records · newest first.
Written questions
China: Falun GongForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30114More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle (a) propaganda, (b) disinformation, (c) persecution and (d) other forms of transnational repression by the Chinese Commu
Answer: Within China, the environment for freedom of religion or belief is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. This government will work to uphold the right to freedom of religion and belief for all abroad, for example through...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: ClosuresDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30098More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have closed in the last five years.
Answer: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.98 state-funded mainstream primary and secondary schools in England closed between January 2020 and December 2024. The attached table sets out these closures by cal...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordNon-crime Hate IncidentsMinistry of JusticeTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30097More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions there have been for hate crime in the last 12 months.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a large range of offences at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Just...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordTinnitus: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30096More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are on a waiting list for treatment for Tinnitus.
Answer: The Department does not hold information in this format. Tinnitus is a condition that can result in many different treatments, including medication, which are not all captured in the Waiting List Minimum Dataset.As of November 2024, the waiting list for e...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSick LeaveDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30095More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to encourage people on long-term sickness back to work.
Answer: Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched on 26 November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate. We are committed to reforming the syste...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordBus Services: RecruitmentDepartment for TransportTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30094More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to recruit more bus drivers.
Answer: Transport is a devolved matter, and the Department for Transport is responsible for transport in England only. Bus services in England are predominantly run on a commercial basis by private operators. Ultimate responsibility for recruiting bus drivers fal...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordBowel Cancer: ResearchDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30093More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on funding bowel cancer research.
Answer: Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24. C...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordBanks: ClosuresTreasuryTabled 10 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 30059More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many bank closures there were in 2024.
Answer: The Government does not hold bank branch closure data. Guidance from the FCA sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact ...
Answered 18 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordNuclear Power: InnovationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 6 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 902712More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations on innovation in nuclear technology.
Answer: DESNZ Ministers engage with Devolved Government counterparts on energy matters regularly, including through the Net Zero, Energy and Climate Change Interministerial Group (IMG) which last took place on 17 October 2024. The next IMG is scheduled to meet on...
Answered 12 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: ContractsMinistry of DefenceTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28931More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what contracts his Department plans to provide to businesses in each of the devolved regions.
Answer: The Defence footprint is nationwide and in every one of the UK’s nations and regions the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is making a positive difference. The MOD is required to use fair and open competition for all its contract opportunities, which includes non...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Transport: Crimes of ViolenceHome OfficeTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28930More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many assaults on transport staff there have been in the last 12 months.
Answer: The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of offences and their investigative outcomes recorded by the police in England and Wales on a quarterly basis, which can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-reco...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordFuel Oil: Northern IrelandDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28929More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on enabling oil fuelled heating homes in Northern Ireland to transition to gas.
Answer: Energy policy is a transferred matter to the Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive. DESNZ holds regular discussions with NI Executive on broader energy matters, including through our Net Zero, Energy and Climate Change Inter-ministerial...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordInfluenza: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28928More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of the level of uptake of the flu vaccine in (a) 2024 and (b) the last five years for which data is available.
Answer: The UK Health Security Agency publishes provisional monthly data on flu vaccine uptake in England in eligible patient groups, with further information available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#seasonal-flu-v...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28927More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of the uptake of Universal Credit in under 21s in the last 12 months.
Answer: Monthly statistics for the number of Starts to Universal Credit in Great Britain by age, are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore, and are currently available to October 2024, with statistics to January 2025 due to be published on Tuesday 18th February 2025...
Answered 11 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Breeding: ConvictionsMinistry of JusticeTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28926More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an estimate of the number of people convicted for offences related to puppy farming in the last 12 months.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on offenders convicted for animal cruelty offences in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.However, data held ...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordAnalgesics: PrescriptionsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28925More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of recent trends in the number of people prescribed pain medication in the last 12 months.
Answer: The Prescription Cost Analysis data release gives items and quantities of each medicine dispensed in the community in England. The following table shows the total number of items dispensed for analgesics in England, regardless of where prescribed, as well...
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: SalesDepartment for TransportTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28924More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of electric vehicle purchases in the last 12 months.
Answer: The Government closely monitors developments in the EV market. 2024 was a record year for the sale of new zero emission cars. In 2024 over 380,000 electric cars were sold, the highest number ever in the UK. These made up a fifth of the new car market – al...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28923More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on small businesses sourcing material.
Answer: The Windsor Framework established a broad set of arrangements to support Great Britain-based businesses to move goods to Northern Ireland, including to small businesses based in Northern Ireland. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and are fr...
Answered 12 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordIndia: Religious FreedomForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28922More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of reports of freedom of religion or belief violations in India.
Answer: The UK Government condemns any instances of discrimination because of religion or belief, regardless of the country or faith involved. Concerns about the rights and opportunities of some religious minorities in India are widely reported, and our High Comm...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDiabetes: Soft DrinksDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 5 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28908More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of fizzy drinks on type 2 diabetes.
Answer: Scientific risk assessment and United Kingdom dietary recommendations are based on independent advice from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).In 2015, the SACN published its report on Carbohydrates and Health and recommended that “the c...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordMembers' Staff: PaySpeaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards AuthorityTabled 4 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28876More
Question: To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing staff salary pay scales so parliamentary advisors
Answer: The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) keeps MPs' staff pay under review and periodically assesses benchmarking data so that pay scales remain in line with the salaries of other similar roles within the public sector.There are seven stan...
Answered 10 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall BusinessesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 4 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28875More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to provide additional incentives to help encourage people to establish small businesses.
Answer: The Government supports entrepreneurs with funding and mentoring through, for example the British Business Bank, via Start-up Loans.The recently announced Business Growth Service which is due to be landed later this year, will help businesses access the s...
Answered 11 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDevolution: FinanceTreasuryTabled 4 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28874More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will hold discussions with the devolved Administrations on the adequacy of (a) funding and (b) devolved powers for the provision of public services.
Answer: The UK Government regularly engages with officials and ministers from the devolved governments on a wide range of issues, including their funding to deliver public services. The devolved governments’ settlements for 2025-26 are the largest in real terms o...
Answered 12 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDefibrillators: Public PlacesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28494More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of developing a national strategy to place defibrillators in high need areas.
Answer: The Government is committed to improving access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. Following the depletion of the existing AED fund, launched in September 2023, th...
Answered 17 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordKidneys: Transplant SurgeryDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28482More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the NHS is of (a) surgery to transplant a kidney and (b) medication for a year for a kidney transplant recipient.
Answer: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for transplant services across the United Kingdom. Transplants represent a cost-efficient treatment and in the case of kidneys is a cost saving to the National Health Service.The following table shows the es...
Answered 24 Feb 2025
Original Parliament record
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