Every parliamentary written question tabled by Jim Shannon this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 241–260 of 1,828 · this parliament
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2025 to Question 83339 on China: Religious Freedom, what recent discussions she has had with her Chinese counterpart on the case of Pastor Ezra Jin.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 23 October 2025 to Question 83339.
Food and Rural Affairs, how many times the fisheries protection vessel has been deployed in each of the last five years.
Defra is unable to confirm the position at a UK level as fisheries protection is a devolved matter. The Marine Management Organisation is responsible for regulating and enforcing fisheries activity in English waters. Its two dedicated Offshore Patrol Vessels maintain a near-continuous presence at sea to monitor compliance and safeguard sustainable fishing, with each vessel averaging over 350 days at sea per year since 2022. Information on at sea activity undertaken by the Scottish, Welsh, or Northern Irish authorities in the waters for which they are responsible can be obtained directly from the respective devolved governments.
Whether he plans to publish the review of clinical negligence costs by David Lock KC.
The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last ten years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. That work is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee reports.The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.
What the cost is per electronic monitoring tag; and what the running costs are of those tags.
The spend on electronic monitoring contracts in each of the last five financial years is presented in the table below:Year 2021-22£55.6mYear 2022-23£60.4mYear 2023-24£88.0mYear 2024-25£106.8mForecast Year 2025/26£107.8mThe total number of individuals with an electronic monitoring device assigned at 31 December 2025 was 28,111. This figure comes from the Electronic Monitoring Statistics Publication: (Electronic Monitoring Statistics Publication, December 2025 - GOV.UK).https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electronic-monitoring-statistics-publication-december-2025The cost per tag information is commercially sensitive. The Ministry of Justice believes that releasing information on device costs would prejudice, or likely prejudice Allied Universal Electronic Monitoring’s (the provider of the monitoring equipment) commercial interests.The latest assessment of average running costs per offender per year is £3,130 – related to direct EM costs only. That figure includes contracted out and internal costs but does not include the average cost of a probation or police officer supervising an individual with EM.Tagging is a critical tool for punishing and monitoring offenders outside of prison which is why we are already tagging more offenders than ever before and will increase numbers further through the Sentencing Act.For information relating to the additional supervision costs of managing an individual with EM please refer to the following answer: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
How many electronic monitoring tags are in use.
The spend on electronic monitoring contracts in each of the last five financial years is presented in the table below:Year 2021-22£55.6mYear 2022-23£60.4mYear 2023-24£88.0mYear 2024-25£106.8mForecast Year 2025/26£107.8mThe total number of individuals with an electronic monitoring device assigned at 31 December 2025 was 28,111. This figure comes from the Electronic Monitoring Statistics Publication: (Electronic Monitoring Statistics Publication, December 2025 - GOV.UK).https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electronic-monitoring-statistics-publication-december-2025The cost per tag information is commercially sensitive. The Ministry of Justice believes that releasing information on device costs would prejudice, or likely prejudice Allied Universal Electronic Monitoring’s (the provider of the monitoring equipment) commercial interests.The latest assessment of average running costs per offender per year is £3,130 – related to direct EM costs only. That figure includes contracted out and internal costs but does not include the average cost of a probation or police officer supervising an individual with EM.Tagging is a critical tool for punishing and monitoring offenders outside of prison which is why we are already tagging more offenders than ever before and will increase numbers further through the Sentencing Act.For information relating to the additional supervision costs of managing an individual with EM please refer to the following answer: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
How much has been spent on electronic monitoring contracts in each of the last five years.
The spend on electronic monitoring contracts in each of the last five financial years is presented in the table below:Year 2021-22£55.6mYear 2022-23£60.4mYear 2023-24£88.0mYear 2024-25£106.8mForecast Year 2025/26£107.8mThe total number of individuals with an electronic monitoring device assigned at 31 December 2025 was 28,111. This figure comes from the Electronic Monitoring Statistics Publication: (Electronic Monitoring Statistics Publication, December 2025 - GOV.UK).https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electronic-monitoring-statistics-publication-december-2025The cost per tag information is commercially sensitive. The Ministry of Justice believes that releasing information on device costs would prejudice, or likely prejudice Allied Universal Electronic Monitoring’s (the provider of the monitoring equipment) commercial interests.The latest assessment of average running costs per offender per year is £3,130 – related to direct EM costs only. That figure includes contracted out and internal costs but does not include the average cost of a probation or police officer supervising an individual with EM.Tagging is a critical tool for punishing and monitoring offenders outside of prison which is why we are already tagging more offenders than ever before and will increase numbers further through the Sentencing Act.For information relating to the additional supervision costs of managing an individual with EM please refer to the following answer: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Whether he has had discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on improving access to mental health support for adolescents in Northern Ireland.
Health is a devolved matter, and responsibility for improving access to mental health services in Northern Ireland, including for adolescents, sits with the Northern Ireland Executive.The Government works closely with the devolved administrations on shared health challenges, including mental health. Ministers meet regularly with their counterparts through intergovernmental forums such as the Interministerial Group for Health and Social Care.At the Interministerial Group for Health and Social Care in April 2025, ministers discussed common priorities across the four governments on mental health, including the importance of early support for children and young people delivered in schools and community settings. The Government remains committed to continuing to work with the Northern Ireland Executive and the other devolved administrations to share learning and approaches to improving mental health support.
If she will make extra staff available to process certificates of entitlement for those born in the UK.
The Home Office keeps staffing levels for processing Certificates of Entitlement under regular review. Current resourcing is sufficient to meet service standards, with straightforward applications processed within eight weeks of receipt of all required information.
What proportion of the health budget is allocated to mental health services.
For the 2025/26 financial year, total mental health spend is forecast to be £15.6 billion, the equivalent to 8.71% of the recurrent National Health Service baseline of £179.4 billion. However, there are important elements of mental health spend not included in these figures. This includes capital spending, where we committed £75 million of investment in 2025/26 to reduce out-of-area placements, prescribing mental health medication, continuing healthcare, and NHS England’s investment in training the mental health workforce. This was set out in the Written Statement HCWS562 of 27 March 2025, by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.Funding is central to delivering the ambitious goals set out in the Medium-Term Planning Framework for integrated care boards (ICBs) and providers over the next three years to drive improvements across mental health services. These include 100% coverage of Mental Health Support Teams by 2029, expanding NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement Support, and reducing the number of inappropriate out-of-area placements by the end of March 2027. To support this, the Government is requiring all integrated care boards to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard over the next three years, which sets a minimum rate of growth in annual spend on mental health services.As required under Section 3 of the Health and Care Act 2022, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will lay a Written Ministerial Statement before Parliament setting out the expected mental health spend for 2026/27, including the total forecast spend and the proportion of the NHS recurrent baseline allocated to mental health services. This will be before the start of the next financial year.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the local growth fund on critical infrastructure, transport connectivity, digital infrastructure and energy resilience in Northern Ireland.
The Local Growth Fund has the scope to support economic growth in Northern Ireland through investment in a broad range of interventions including infrastructure, innovation, business support and skills MHCLG and the Northern Ireland Office are working with the Northern Ireland Executive to design and deliver the funding in Northern Ireland, ensuring that investment aligns with Northern Ireland’s priorities and delivers meaningful impact for local people.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has a strategy for monitoring (a) the protection of Iraqi religious minorities, (b) missing Yazidi women and children, (c) survivor recovery and (d) accountability for genocide-related crimes.
The UK is firmly committed to protecting ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq, and promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). Through our diplomatic presence, we regularly monitor and raise these issues with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government, including the situation of missing Yazidi women and children, survivor recovery, and accountability for crimes committed by Daesh. FoRB-specific objectives are threaded throughout our programme work in Iraq, especially following Iraq's recognition as a UK FoRB priority country in October 2025. On Yazidi communities specifically, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 March in response to Question HL15070.
Whether he has had discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on improving support and diagnosis for women experiencing menopause in Northern Ireland.
Health is largely devolved and the Government works closely and collaboratively with the devolved administrations on a range of health priorities. The Department engages regularly with counterparts in the devolved administrations to share information and discuss areas of mutual interest. This includes engagement through established intergovernmental structures such as the Interministerial Group for Health and Social which meets quarterly at the ministerial level.While health policy, including services relating to menopause, is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive, the Government remains committed to constructive engagement with the devolved administrations on shared health challenges and opportunities to improve outcomes across the United Kingdom.
Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to (a) ensure adequate funding to youth clubs and (b) promote social inclusion in communities.
This Government is committed to rebuilding and improving local youth services to ensure every young person across the country has a community. We’re also investing in the #iWill Movement to support place-based youth social action work. In this work, young people will play an active role in addressing local issues, supporting their sense of belonging and connection to community.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle humanitarian crises caused or exacerbated by climate change.
The issues raised in the Hon Member's questions are among the most important priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and our work in these areas cannot adequately be summarised in the answer to one parliamentary question. However, he can find regular updates about that work by following the FCDO news feed on GOV.UK, and by continuing to attend our statements, oral questions sessions and urgent question responses in the House.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle global malnutrition.
The issues raised in the Hon Member's questions are among the most important priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and our work in these areas cannot adequately be summarised in the answer to one parliamentary question. However, he can find regular updates about that work by following the FCDO news feed on GOV.UK, and by continuing to attend our statements, oral questions sessions and urgent question responses in the House.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the rights of women and girls.
The issues raised in the Hon Member's questions are among the most important priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and our work in these areas cannot adequately be summarised in the answer to one parliamentary question. However, he can find regular updates about that work by following the FCDO news feed on GOV.UK, and by continuing to attend our statements, oral questions sessions and urgent question responses in the House.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help promote the (a) rights and (b) well-being of children in conflict zones.
The issues raised in the Hon Member's questions are among the most important priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and our work in these areas cannot adequately be summarised in the answer to one parliamentary question. However, he can find regular updates about that work by following the FCDO news feed on GOV.UK, and by continuing to attend our statements, oral questions sessions and urgent question responses in the House.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make it her policy to pause the passage of the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill until the Metropolitan Police investigation into Peter Mandelson has concluded.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 2 March to question 111415.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what her Department’s policy objectives are for the Global Partnerships Conference in May 2026.
I refer the Hon Member to the press release published on GOV.UK on 20 February setting out our plans for the conference: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/global-partnerships-conference-to-build-new-international-coalitions-to-tackle-shared-challenges
What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that victims of domestic abuse presenting in the NHS outside of primary care get the responses they need.
Victims of domestic abuse may present in any part of the National Health Service. All NHS staff receive national mandatory safeguarding training that is being strengthened for launch in December 2026. This will reinforce to staff their safeguarding responsibilities and support them in identifying and responding to victims of abuse.The risk of domestic abuse can increase during pregnancy, which is why midwives and health visitors are trained to spot the signs and to provide support.From April 2026, sexual assault referral centres will be asking victims and survivors about domestic abuse. This will improve outcomes by ensuring that the correct referral pathways are accessed in a timely and appropriate manner.As well as rolling out a domestic abuse and sexual violence referral service across integrated care boards, which will include training general practice staff to spot the signs of violence and abuse, the Department will be investing a further £5 million each year for the next three years into support services for victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence.To go further, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has appointed the Hon. Member for Lowestoft, Jess Asato as his advisor on violence against women and girls to drive further transformation across the health system.