Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label attachment file name title
tabling member	label

Search

1691079

registered interest
date	22/02/2024
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he is taking steps to improve investigations into benefit fraud.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	15275
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2024 answer text <p>In May 2022 the Department for Work and Pensions launched a robust plan to drive down fraud and error from the benefits system.</p><p> </p><p>The “Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System” plan sits alongside additional investment of £900 million that will deliver £2.4 billion of savings by the end of 24/25.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 27/02/2024 15:04:56 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1691080

registered interest
date	22/02/2024
answering body	Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
answering dept id	215
answering dept short name	Energy Security and Net Zero
answering dept sort name	Energy Security and Net Zero
hansard heading	Renewable Energy: Northern Ireland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had discussions with Northern Ireland Community Energy on promoting government incentives to community groups.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	15276
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/02/2024 answer text <p>As community energy is a mainly transferred issue, it is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive to engage with the community energy sector in Northern Ireland. There is, however, some UK-wide support available to community energy groups – for example, the devolved administrations have access to UK-wide Growth Funding, such as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and we encourage community energy groups to work closely with local government to support the development of community energy projects within these schemes.</p> answering member constituency Beverley and Holderness answering member printed Graham Stuart question first answered 29/02/2024 13:24:01 answering member 1482 label Biography information for Graham Stuart
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1691081

registered interest
date	22/02/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Antidepressants
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in the UK are prescribed anti-depressants.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	15277
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2024 answer text <p>The most recent data was published on 6 July 2023 and can be found here <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.nhsbsa.nhs.uk%2Fnews%2Fnhs-releases-mental-health-medicines-statistics-for-20222023-in-england&amp;data=05%7C02%7CMegan.Wright%40dhsc.gov.uk%7C8d21291d4b064bb6178608dc3e0717f5%7C61278c3091a84c318c1fef4de8973a1c%7C1%7C0%7C638453447383496876%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=6jQUzU1sTc%2FBuMrbYshGrWBjlBOcV71K9iGew3gp3UQ%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">NHS releases mental health medicines statistics for 2022/2023 in England (nhsbsa.nhs.uk)</a></p><p> </p><p>Prescriptions do not state the purpose for which they are written, so there may be instances where these medicines are used for other conditions.</p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 07/03/2024 14:23:58 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1691082

registered interest
date	22/02/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Dental Services: Northern Ireland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland on NHS dental provision.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	15278
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2024 answer text <p>On 13 December 2023, I met with the Ministers and officials from across the four nations to discuss dentistry provision. There was an agreement to continue to work on a United Kingdom-wide basis for international recruitment initiatives. The Permanent Secretary of Northern Ireland's Department of Health, alongside Government officials, was present for the meeting. The Government's Chief Dental Officer for England also meets regularly with his counterparts in the devolved administrations.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 14/03/2024 14:23:56 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1691083

registered interest
date	22/02/2024
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	First Time Buyers: Mortgages
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with major banks on the accessibility of mortgages for first time buyers.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	15279
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government is regularly in contact with mortgage lenders on all aspects of their business, including the provision of finance to first time buyers.</p> answering member constituency Hitchin and Harpenden answering member printed Bim Afolami question first answered 28/02/2024 10:22:06 answering member 4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1691084

registered interest
date	22/02/2024
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Speed Limits: Schools
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to impose 20mph speed limits on school roads; and if he will provide funding to devolved Administrations to purchase speed limit signs for each (a) primary and (b) high school.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	15280
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2024 answer text <p>In England, responsibility for setting local speed limits rests with the traffic authority. The Department for Transport advises that in specific and limited areas traffic authorities should consider the use of 20mph schemes, for example outside schools.</p><p> </p><p>Speed limits in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Department for Infrastructure.</p><p> </p><p>There are no plans to provide specific funding to devolved Administrations for the purchase of speed limit signs.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 27/02/2024 13:53:10 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1691085

registered interest
date	22/02/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Honour Based Violence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many instances of honour based violence due to forced marriage there were in the (a) UK and (b) devolved Administration in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	15281
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/03/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office holds data on the number of police recorded forced marriage offences in England and Wales. The data are given in the table. Police recorded offences in Northern Ireland and Scotland are the responsibility of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Scottish Government respectively.</p><p>As with all police recorded crime figures, these data only cover offences that were reported to and recorded by the police. It is recognised that force marriage is a hidden crime and victims can be reluctant to bring them to the attention of police or other authorities. These data, therefore, are likely to only represent a proportion of the actual forced marriage offences committed.</p><p>The joint Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth &amp; Development Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) provides support and advice for victims, those at risk, and professionals, through its public helpline and inbox.</p><p>We are working to increase reporting of this crime which is why the FMU has an extensive outreach programme to provide dedicated training and awareness raising sessions for professionals and communities across the country, including the police and social workers. In 2023, the FMU delivered training and awareness-raising activity to 3,656 police officers, social workers and other professionals. Victims and organisations are encouraged to report potential signs of forced marriage to professionals with safeguarding responsibilities.</p> answering member constituency Newbury answering member printed Laura Farris question first answered 05/03/2024 09:57:43 answering member 4826 label Biography information for Laura Farris attachment 1 file name Table - Police recorded forced marriage offences.xlsx title Police recorded forced marriage offences
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1691086

registered interest
date	22/02/2024
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Profession: Trade Unions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require law firms to recognise trade unions.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Riverside
tabling member printed	Kim Johnson
uin	15384
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2024 answer text <p>The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 outlines the process for recognising a trade union.</p><p>If trade unions wish to be recognised by a law firm, then they may follow the standard procedure in place. Information on this procedure can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/trade-union-recognition-employers/union-requests-recognition" target="_blank">Employers: recognise a trade union: When the union requests recognition - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).</a></p><p>The legal profession and its regulation are independent of government, and there are no plans to bring forward legislative proposals to require law firms to recognise trade unions.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 04/03/2024 12:57:55 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4824 label Biography information for Kim Johnson

1691087

registered interest
date	22/02/2024
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	General Elections: Subversion
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is taking steps to counter the potential use of (a) AI and (b) other means to influence the (i) operation and (ii) outcome of the next general election.
tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
uin	15228
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government is committed to safeguarding the UK’s elections and already has established systems and processes in place, to protect the democratic integrity of the UK.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government has established the Defending Democracy Taskforce, which has a mandate to safeguard our democratic institutions and processes from the full range of threats, including digitally manipulated content. The Taskforce ensures we have a robust system in place to rapidly respond to any threats during election periods, including novel threats from AI.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Online Safety Act places new requirements on social media platforms to swiftly remove illegal misinformation and disinformation - including artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes - as soon as they become aware of it.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The new digital imprints regime, introduced by the Elections Act 2022, will also increase the transparency of digital political advertising (including artificial intelligence-generated material).</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The threat to democracy from artificial intelligence was discussed at the AI Safety Summit in November 2023, reinforcing the Government’s commitment to international collaboration on this shared challenge.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Additionally, the Elections Act 2022 strengthened financial transparency and controls against foreign spending at elections. Since its introduction, the Government has restricted foreign campaign spending at elections and introduced a new requirement on political parties to declare their assets and liabilities when registering with the Electoral Commission. Foreign donations (and channelling foreign money) are already illegal.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Government passed the National Security Act in 2023 which creates a range of new tools and powers to tackle evolving state threats. Parts 1-3 of the Act came into force in December 2023. This includes a new foreign interference offence which will give our law enforcement and intelligence agencies significant new powers to detect, deter and prosecute those who seek to interfere in our democracy. Part 4 of the Act, containing the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, will come into force later in 2024. This will require the registration of political influence activity conducted at the direction of foreign powers.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 27/02/2024 17:41:51 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

1691088

registered interest
date	22/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Classroom Assistants
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing funding for SEND teaching assistants in schools.
tabling member constituency	Bradford South
tabling member printed	Judith Cummins
uin	15296
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2024 answer text <p>Many teaching assistants who support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are partly or wholly funded from local authorities’ high needs budgets, as a result of assessments and consequent decisions about the additional support that those individual pupils need.</p><p> </p><p>The department is increasing high needs funding nationally by £440 million (4.3%) in the 2024/25 financial year. This will bring the total of high needs funding to over £10.5 billion next year, an increase of over 60% from the 2019/20 allocations. Bradford Council is due to receive a high needs funding allocation of £42.2 million through their 2024/25 dedicated schools grant, which is a cumulative increase of 37% per head over the three years from 2021/22.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed David Johnston question first answered 11/03/2024 15:38:33 answering member 4761 label Biography information for David Johnston
tabling member	4391 label Biography information for Judith Cummins