Jim Shannon MP: written questions 2025
1100 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Church of England: Rural AreasChurch CommissionersTabled 5 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35649More
Question: To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church has made of the potential impact of rural parishes on social isolation amongst elderly people.
Answer: Churches in rural areas often play an important role as a community hub and a place to connect with others. The Church of England has many examples of communities tackling social isolation and loneliness; this may be through traditional offering of worshi...
Answered 21 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordRemote WorkingCabinet OfficeTabled 4 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35262More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information he holds on the number of workers who work full-time from home.
Answer: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4th March is attached.
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Inheritance TaxDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35261More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will have discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on reversing the changes to inheritance tax for family farmers.
Answer: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordBiodiversity: Northern IrelandDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35260More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of Sate for Northern Ireland on the preservation of biodiversity in Northern Ireland.
Answer: The UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan (NBSAP) was discussed with Minister Muir, as well as other devolved government ministers, at the Inter-Ministerial Group for EFRA held on 16 September. The UK has published the full NBSAP during th...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordGender Based Violence: Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 4 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35259More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Northern Ireland on tackling violence against women and girls.
Answer: The UK Government has welcomed the Northern Ireland Executive’s Strategic Framework on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls. At the end of January, I welcomed the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, to Norther...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordChina: Artificial IntelligenceForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 4 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35258More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his EU counterparts on the use of AI in China to target and persecute religious people.
Answer: The Foreign Secretary has not discussed this specific issue with EU counterparts. However, he regularly discusses with likeminded partners a range of issues relating to China.
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordIron and Steel: Northern IrelandDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 4 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35257More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Northern Ireland on encouraging international steel investment in Northern Ireland.
Answer: We believe that our Plan for Steel will be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make a real difference for this industry. It will address the problems the sector faces and create a competitive business landscape across the entirety of the United Kingdom....
Answered 12 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordApprenticeship LevyDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35256More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage employers to take advantage of the apprenticeship levy to use these funds to develop skills in young people.
Answer: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only. The government is reforming the current levy-funded apprenticeships offer to deliver greater flexibility for employers. Apprenticeships will remain at the heart of...
Answered 12 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEU Countries: Religious HatredForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34852More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his European counterparts on (a) religiously motivated hate crimes and (b) hostility toward religious (i) figures and (ii) communities in
Answer: The UK condemns incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, wherever this occurs, and we denounce hatred on the basis of religion or belief. We are committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. No one should live in fear because of w...
Answered 4 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPakistan: AhmadiyyaForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34851More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on the rights of Ahmadi Muslims in that country.
Answer: Promoting the rights of religious minorities is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement in Pakistan. I raised the deteriorating situation for Ahmadi Muslims when I met Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November 2024, and discussed this issue in...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordVictoria CrossMinistry of DefenceTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34850More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to review the adequacy of his Department's policy on the timescale within which a Victoria Cross can be awarded.
Answer: Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blair Mayne’s brave actions and leadership in command of 1 SAS Regiment on Operation HOWARD in April 1945 were recognised with the award of a third bar to the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). Whilst he was originally recommende...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPaddy MayneMinistry of DefenceTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34849More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to review any evidence relating to the process through which a decision was made not to award Robert Blair Paddy Mayne a Victoria Cross.
Answer: Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blair Mayne’s brave actions and leadership in command of 1 SAS Regiment on Operation HOWARD in April 1945 were recognised with the award of a third bar to the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). Whilst he was originally recommende...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMilitary DecorationsMinistry of DefenceTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34848More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing the process by which gallantry awards can be awarded retrospectively.
Answer: Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blair Mayne’s brave actions and leadership in command of 1 SAS Regiment on Operation HOWARD in April 1945 were recognised with the award of a third bar to the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). Whilst he was originally recommende...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMilitary DecorationsMinistry of DefenceTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34847More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing the process by which gallantry awards can be awarded posthumously.
Answer: Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blair Mayne’s brave actions and leadership in command of 1 SAS Regiment on Operation HOWARD in April 1945 were recognised with the award of a third bar to the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). Whilst he was originally recommende...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMilitary DecorationsMinistry of DefenceTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34846More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has a procedure for awarding gallantry awards previously refused because of an administrative error.
Answer: Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blair Mayne’s brave actions and leadership in command of 1 SAS Regiment on Operation HOWARD in April 1945 were recognised with the award of a third bar to the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). Whilst he was originally recommende...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPaddy MayneMinistry of DefenceTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34845More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of awarding the Victoria Cross to Robert Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne.
Answer: Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blair Mayne’s brave actions and leadership in command of 1 SAS Regiment on Operation HOWARD in April 1945 were recognised with the award of a third bar to the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). Whilst he was originally recommende...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDrugs: SalesHome OfficeTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34844More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of the illegal selling of weight loss drugs.
Answer: The Department for Health and Social Care are responsible for policy on human medicines, and the illegal sale and supply of human medicines is recognised as a significant challenge for regulators across the world. Buying medicines, including weight loss m...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHIV/AIDS: ScreeningDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34843More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve HIV testing across the UK.
Answer: Health is a devolved matter, and it is the responsibility of the individual administrations to commission comprehensive healthcare based on population need. All four nations, however, are committed to reducing HIV transmissions.The Government is committed...
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: PricesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34842More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of trends in the levels of house prices in the last 12 months.
Answer: My Department continuously monitors the latest data on house prices.In the 12 months up to December 2024 (the most recent data from the ONS), average house prices in the UK rose from £256,000 to £268,000 a 4.6% increase.In England, the average house price...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordNorovirusDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34841More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been hospitalised for Norovirus in the last six months.
Answer: The information is not available in the format requested. NHS England publishes Daily Situation Reports throughout the winter period, which include information on the number of hospital beds taken up by patients with norovirus-like symptoms. This informat...
Answered 7 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEyesight: Hereditary DiseasesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34840More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in the UK have genetic eye conditions impacting the AIPLI gene.
Answer: Mutations in the AIPL1 gene can cause retinal disorders. Genetic causes of retinal disorders are tested for by R32 testing that is available nationally via the National Genomic Test Directory for any patient that meets the eligibility criteria. R32 tests ...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCarer's Allowance: OverpaymentsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 27 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34266More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many carers have received an earnings-related Carer’s Allowance overpayment since (a) 16 October and (b) 9 December 2024.
Answer: We do not have the in-year estimates for the time frame suggested however last year’s statistics are a guide to the overall overpayment levels.Levels of Carer’s Allowance overpayments for the year 23/24 can be found here:Fraud and error in the benefit sys...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCarer's Allowance: OverpaymentsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 27 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34265More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many carers have received a Carer’s Allowance overpayment since (a) 16 October and (b) 9 December 2024.
Answer: We do not have the in-year estimates for the time frame suggested however last year’s statistics are a guide to the overall overpayment levels.Levels of Carer’s Allowance overpayments for the year 23/24 can be found here:Fraud and error in the benefit sys...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHospices: Northern IrelandDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 27 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34264More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure adequate funding of hospices in Northern Ireland.
Answer: Healthcare, including hospice care, in Northern Ireland is devolved and, therefore, a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive, although we are always happy to learn from experiences in other countries, including within the United Kingdom, and share our ...
Answered 5 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDefence: Northern IrelandMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 34263More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his Northern Irish counterpart on the expansion of Northern Ireland's defence workforce.
Answer: Northern Ireland plays a vital role in the defence of the UK, as demonstrated by the £1.6 billion deal with Thales that the Prime Minister announced on 2 March 2025. The deal will see 200 new jobs created at Thales in Belfast, and hundreds more supported ...
Answered 6 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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