Every parliamentary written question tabled by Jim Shannon this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 801–820 of 1,828 · this parliament
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support the game keeping industry.
We do not currently have specific policies that support the gamekeeping profession. However, in addition to our work to support the farming sector, Defra works across Government to ensure policies are rural proofed with the aim of supporting rural businesses and communities.
What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce the number of attacks on gamekeepers.
Rural communities – which includes gamekeepers – can be assured that visible, neighbourhood policing is returning to our communities. This Government is clear that when you report a crime, it should be properly investigated with victims having faith that justice will be delivered, and criminals will be punished – no matter where you live.A physical assault or threat to someone’s safety should always be reported and responded to appropriately - in the case of common assault, if convicted, it carries a six months’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.The Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime. That is why we are working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to deliver the next iteration of their Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy. The strategy will set out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling crimes that predominantly affect rural communities.
Representing the Church Commissioners, how many churches are listed places of worship.
There are approximately 16,200 Church of England churches, over 12,000 of which are listed. Of those listed churches, around 4,300 are listed at the highest level of Grade 1, making the Church of England responsible for about half of the Grade I listed buildings in the country.
What information his Department holds on the number of people who have been diagnosed with Tinnitus in the last 12 months.
The information requested is not held centrally.
What steps he is taking to improve fracture screening.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NICE) has published a clinical knowledge summary on osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fractures, which is available at the following link:https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/osteoporosis-prevention-of-fragility-fractures/management/assessment/If a doctor suspects that a patient has osteoporosis, they can calculate the probability of that individual having a fracture using the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool or the Q-Fracture risk calculator. Further tests, including bone density scans, otherwise known as DEXA scans, can be performed to diagnose or assess risk of osteoporosis.Fracture liaison services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local needs. Our 10-Year Health Plan is committed to rolling out fracture liaison services across every part of the country by 2030.
What information his Department holds on the childhood cancer survival rate in each of the last five years.
The following table shows age and gender standardised overall one-year and five-year survival rates for children between the ages of zero and 14 years old in England, with the latest data being from 2020:One-year overall survival dataYear20162017201820192020 Patients1,4151,4281,3071,3811,319 Overall Survival (%)94.392.993.093.693.3 Source: Department of Health and Social Care Five-year overall survival dataYear20162017201820192020 Patients1,4151,4221,3831,3831,370 Overall Survival (%)85.886.386.186.286.2 Source: Department of Health and Social Care
With reference to his Department's publication entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, what progress his Department has made on the digital-only delivery of weight loss (a) services and (b) treatments; and if his Department will publish further details on how it plans to test innovative models for those services and treatments.
We are committed to expanding access to weight management services through digital innovation and personalised pathways that support people in a way that best meets their needs.The NHS Digital Weight Management Programme is the only nationally commissioned weight management service delivered entirely through digital means. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, there is a clear commitment to expand access to this programme, including doubling referral volumes. The service went live in 2021, and active planning is now underway to deliver this expansion, which is expected to begin in 2026/27.For pharmacological treatments such as tirzepatide, otherwise know as Mounjaro, for the management of obesity, NHS England is working with the Office for Life Sciences and other partners to develop digitally enabled care pathways supported by behavioural interventions and which place patient safety and clinical oversight at their core. This is part of the newly launched £85 million health innovation programme, in collaboration with Eli Lilly, to test novel delivery models for weight management. These include digital platforms, pharmacy-led services, and community-based access routes. The programme is designed to improve accessibility and reduce pressure on specialist services, whilst ensuring care is safe and aligned with national clinical standards. These innovative pathways are being designed to bring together remote prescribing, personalised behavioural support, and ongoing clinical supervision, allowing patients to access high-quality care in a way that is convenient and tailored to their individual needs.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of obesity on cancer.
There is evidence that adults living with obesity have a higher risk of developing several types of cancer, according to research from Cancer Research UK, which is available at the following link:https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/obesity-weight-and-cancer/how-does-obesity-cause-cancerAdults living with obesity are at a higher risk of many cancer types. This increased risk arises from excess weight causing mechanical changes to our bodies and complex changes to our hormones and metabolism. More information is available at the following links:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-018-0029-6https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMsr1606602?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.govData suggests that 6% of cancer cases in the United Kingdom are attributable to obesity and overweight, including: 34% of uterine cancer cases, or 3,000 out of 9,000; 24% of kidney cancer cases, or 2,900 out of 12,400; 17% of upper gastrointestinal cancer cases, or 5,600 out of 32,400; 11% of colorectal cancer cases, or 4,800 out of 41,800; and 8% of breast cancer cases, or 4,600 out of 55,100. More information is available at the following link:https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/risk/overweight-and-obesity#heading-Zero
What steps she is taking to increase the number of pupils learning languages in school.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The study of languages is compulsory under the national curriculum at key stages 2 and 3 for all maintained schools, and will become compulsory in academies, subject to the passage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.The government continues to fund the National Consortium for Languages Education, which is developing a new model of language support for schools and online continuing professional development for teachers that will support high-quality language teaching. This programme is designed to have national reach, ensuring that all schools can benefit regardless of their location.To further support languages education, the department is offering a £26,000 tax-free bursary for trainee language teachers starting courses in 2025, or alternatively, a £28,000 tax-free scholarship for those training to teach French, German, or Spanish. Additionally, Oak National Academy is developing modern foreign languages lesson resources for key stages 2 to 4, to be fully released by autumn 2025, helping teachers deliver high-quality lessons and reduce planning time.
What steps she is taking to help tackle sexual abuse in prisons.
His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) takes sexual harm in prisons very seriously. This year we have created specialist roles to address sexual harm across HMPPS, and we are developing a system-wide approach to prevent all forms of sexual harm in prisons as we implement Jennifer Rademaker’s review of HMPPS Professional Standards.
What proportion of Mounjaro (a) prescribing and (b) medication management services his Department plans to carry out digitally.
There are not currently any specific targets for the proportions of prescribing and medication management activity of tirzepatide, also known as Mounjaro, including monitoring, follow-up, and review for tirzepatide that will be carried out digitally.The National Health Service is in the process of making tirzepatide available for weight management in primary care, including developing and testing new models of care, like community-based services and digital technologies. NHS England is working with the Office for Life Sciences and other partners to develop digitally enabled care pathways, supported by behavioural interventions, with patient safety and clinical oversight at their core. These innovative pathways are being designed to bring together remote prescribing, personalised behavioural support, and ongoing clinical supervision, allowing patients to access high-quality care in a way that is convenient and tailored to their individual needs.
What steps her Department is taking to ensure the prosecution of people who use AI to create deepfake photos of girls.
The Government takes the use of artificial intelligence to generate child sexual abuse material (CSAM) extremely seriously. Offences involving AI-generated CSAM – including so-called ‘deepfakes’ – are an increasing concern for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) due to the realism of such images and the speed and scale at which they can be produced.Creating, possessing, or distributing AI-generated CSAM is already a criminal offence. The Online Safety Act expands upon this by placing a duty on online platforms to proactively identify and remove this type of content. The CPS will prosecute individuals who commit these offences whenever the legal test is met.The Attorney General’s Office and CPS are working closely with criminal justice partners to identify and address any legislative gaps. The Crime and Policing Bill will introduce a new offence to criminalise AI models that have been optimised to create CSAM. It will also expand existing legislation on ‘paedophile manuals’ to enable the prosecution of individuals who instruct others on how to use AI tools to generate CSAM.
What steps she plans to take to help tackle inequalities experienced by young disabled people at work.
The DWP supports young people aged 16-24 to achieve financial security by helping them to move into, stay and succeed in work. Support is delivered nationally and locally, tailored to individual needs, and includes personalised help from Work Coaches in Jobcentres and communities, working with partners such as The King’s Trust, Local Authorities, and the National Careers Service/Career Wales. Our plan to Get Britain Working includes a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 (including young people with health conditions or disabled young people) to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. Eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers were launched earlier this year, and the insights gained will inform the future design and delivery of the Youth Guarantee. For young people with complex needs, specialist Youth Employability Coaches (YECs) offer dedicated intensive support in Jobcentres and communities. This includes help with CV, interview preparation, skill development, and accessing opportunities such as Supported Internships, Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes, apprenticeships or traineeships. Support typically lasts six months, with flexibility to extend, and includes six weeks follow on support after young people enter work, education or training. YECs also work closely with Disability Employment Advisers and specialist partner organisations, to provide joined-up, holistic support. Additional support is also available to help people with health conditions and disabilities of all ages. The WorkWell pilot, currently running in 15 areas across England, provides integrated work and health support to help people get into, stay in, and progress at work. Services include work and health assessments, coaching, physiotherapy, mental health support, and advice on workplace adjustments. An Access to Work grant can also support people with a health condition or disability, by funding the purchase of specialist equipment, providing a tailored plan to help stay in work or funding access to sessions with a mental health professional. It also covers in-work support for young disabled people undertaking Supported Internships, helping them build confidence, develop skills, and move into paid employment.
Whether his Department funds research on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obesity.
The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, has awarded £133 million into obesity research grants over the last five years. It has awarded £78 million into research grants exploring chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the last five years.
What steps her Department is taking with international partners to disrupt cross-jurisdictional fraud networks.
The Home Office is committed to leading international efforts to tackle fraud, which is why we are supporting the next Global Fraud Summit in March 2026, hosted by UNODC and INTERPOL. This will be a key event to strengthen the global fight against fraud and will include ministers, private industry and civil society from across the world.We are also working bilaterally with key countries to build capability and strengthen their ability to tackle and disrupt fraud before it reaches the UK. This has already resulted in a Memorandum of Understanding between UK and Nigeria, signed this spring by Lord Hanson in Abuja, agreeing a clear framework of future collaboration, including on policy development, law enforcement, and information sharing to tackle fraud.
What steps she is taking to uphold free speech in universities.
This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom in universities. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, confirmed to Parliament on 15 January the government’s plans for the future of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, which will create a more proportionate, balanced and less burdensome approach to protecting academic freedom and freedom of speech.On 28 April, the Secretary of State for Education signed commencement regulations, bringing the following provisions into force on 1 August 2025:Strengthened higher education (HE) provider duties in relation to securing freedom of speech and academic freedom and promoting the importance of freedom of speech and academic freedom.A requirement for HE providers to put in place effective codes of practice on freedom of speech and academic freedom.A ban of non-disclosure agreements in HE for staff and students where there is a complaint about bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct.A requirement for the Office for Students to promote free speech and enable it to give advice and guidance on it.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of attacks against Christian communities in Sudan; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure the (a) protection of places of worship and (b) promotion of religious freedom in that country.
The UK is committed to championing Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. The Government's strategy on FoRB was published in July and is firmly rooted within our overall approach to human rights and governance. The Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith, made a statement at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on 4 March, highlighting our concerns regarding the coercion of non-Muslims in Sudan to change their beliefs through denial of work, food aid, and education. He has also visited Port Sudan three times since December 2024 to press the parties to comply with the Jeddah Declaration of Commitments to Protect Civilians from continued atrocities. We will be raising this issue again at the UNHRC next month when, as part of the Sudan Core Group, we push for a renewal of the UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan's mandate - an impartial mechanism that investigates human rights violations and abuses. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Officials have also spoken with representatives from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on different occasions since the start of the conflict. We have used these exchanges to request that their leadership make every effort to protect civilians and cease atrocities.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent trends in levels of water pollution in England.
Defra publishes an annual suite of indicators that assess progress on protecting and improving the water environment. These reports are publicly available at GOV.UK. The latest report has several trend assessments, each one is useful for understanding different parts of the water environment and for understanding trends from different pressures, such as those from the water industry. One of the trend assessments, covering data from 1990 to 2023, shows a generally improving national situation for many pollutants over that time, though some exceptions remain. The Environment Agency and Defra are working hard with many partners to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas and won’t change our focus until reductions in pollution are observed across the board.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of using Functional Electrical Stimulation devices to support people with Parkinson's disease.
The Department delivers research into Parkinson’s disease via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). While no specific assessment has been made, the NIHR is funding the STEPS II trial, which aims to determine whether Functional Electrical Stimulation improves walking speed for people with Parkinson’s disease, and which is due to complete in September 2026. Further information is available at the following link: https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR131791The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including Parkinson’s disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.Welcoming applications on Parkinson’s disease to all NIHR programmes enables the maximum flexibility both in terms of amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.
How many women aged between (a) 50-60 and (b) 60-70 years olds have been diagnosed with bowel cancer in the last 12 months.
Using the Rapid Cancer Registration Data between June 2024 and May 2025, the most recent 12-month period available:a total of 2,221 female patients aged 50 to 59 years old were diagnosed with bowel cancer in England; anda total of 3,380 female patients aged 60 to 69 years old were diagnosed with bowel cancer in England.Further information is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-sets/rcrd