Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the proposed pay‑per‑mile tax on electric vehicles will take into account rural drivers.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that electric vehicles (EVs) contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty.
The Treasury has considered the impact of eVED on rural drivers; as with fuel duty, those who use the roads more will generally pay more in eVED. Although those living in rural areas tend to drive more than those living in urban areas, they are also more likely to have a dedicated home charger for their EV, which allows access to the lowest charging costs.
The eVED consultation provides further detail on how eVED will work and seeks views on its implementation. The consultation is available at GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-introduction-of-electric-vehicle-excise-duty-eved.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women have been affected by faulty PIP breast implants in Truro and Falmouth constituency.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry (BCIR), set up in 2016, collects all implant data, and explant data where possible.
Practically, it is always difficult and often impossible to identify a model and product code on an explant. If explanted devices, or patients undergoing explant, cannot be linked to data collected at time of implant, then this often reduces explant data to 'patient, surgeon, location, date'. This in turn makes it impossible to monitor trends in explant/failure.
NHS England is in the process of clarifying and mandating the detail required in the BCIR and other device-related collections. This will place a greater responsibility on trusts to either identify a device at the point of explant, or to identify the device from internal trust records created during the same patient's implant procedure.
This will only be possible if the implant and explant are performed at the same trust. It is then the intention of NHS England to provide the same matching service for implant/explant where the trusts differ.
This solution will, when implemented, give a full, proactive picture of device longevity/risk, for the purposes of research and surveillance, alongside the existing ability to identify patients affected by a device recall notice.
Alongside this work, as part of the its reforms to the Medical Devices Regulations 2002, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has introduced updated requirements for the post-market surveillance of medical devices, including implants, enabling both the manufacturer and the MHRA to identify issues with medical devices more easily and where necessary, for the MHRA to take fast action to safeguard public health.
Later this year, the MHRA intends to introduce a requirement for clinicians to provide patients with an implant card and information regarding any warnings, precautions, or measures to be taken by the patient or healthcare professional. This will strengthen transparency and support patients in understanding their implants.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation will next consider the potential merits of offering the Meningitis B vaccine to teenagers on the NHS.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) meningococcal sub-committee have met several times over 2024 and 2025 to discuss the meningococcal vaccination programme. In June 2025, the sub-committee noted that when available, they would like to review a model evaluating the impact of the Meningitis B (MenB) vaccination when given in a teenage programme in a two-dose schedule, including impact on meningococcal disease and gonorrhoea.
In 2013, the JCVI advised that the cost-effectiveness of an adolescent MenB vaccination programme would be dependent on the impact of the vaccine on protection against meningococcal carriage, which was uncertain at the time. Since this advice was published, the JCVI has continued to review the MenB vaccination programme. Recent evidence, discussed by the JCVI meningococcal sub-committee in March 2025, indicated that MenB vaccination in adolescents has little to no effect on meningococcal carriage.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent teenagers and young adults from contracting Meningitis B.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Meningococcal disease is rare, and the incidence has declined over the last two decades following the introduction of vaccines targeting meningococcal disease including the MenACWY teenage vaccination programme.
There is no current Meningitis B (MenB) vaccination programme for teenagers and young adults.
The importance of raising awareness in parents, teenagers and other adults about the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia remains key. There are a range of resources developed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), co-branded with the National Health Service, that set out these key messages and their importance, such as the teenage guide to immunisation. The guide is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immunisations-for-young-people
The UKHSA collaboratively produces a university vaccine communications toolkit. This is shared with the distribution lists of Universities UK and the Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education (AMOSSHE), and is available at the following link:
In addition, United Kingdom guidance on the public health management of meningococcal disease provides clear advice on the management of confirmed and probable cases of invasive meningococcal disease, including MenB, to minimise onward transmission and further associated cases. This guidance is available at the following link:
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her Nigerian counterpart on attacks on civilians in Benue and Nasarawa states. Nigeria.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement of 27 November 2025.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to encourage the use of a surgical robot in Cornwall, in the context of it being the only region in England and Wales without one.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our 10-Year Health Plan commits to expanding surgical robot adoption over the next decade. We recognise the importance of ensuring equitable access and we will establish national registries for robotic surgery data from 2029 and develop telesurgery networks to support geographical equity of access to robotic assisted surgery.
Decisions on the procurement of robotic‑assisted surgery are made locally by NHS trusts and integrated care boards, in line with local need and national guidance. The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) has a robotic surgery programme as a commitment in their refreshed 10-year strategy, which was approved at the RCHT Board on 8 January 2026.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department will take to ensure high levels of UK content in tidal stream projects.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government continues to engage with the tidal stream industry to support high levels of UK content in projects, which currently stands at around 80 per cent, including through the Marine Energy Taskforce’s sub group on supply chains.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when draft updated statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions will be published.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government has committed to ensuring that schools are equipped to support pupils with medical conditions effectively and inclusively. The current statutory guidance, ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions,’ will be updated to reflect best practice and recent developments.
We intend to consult later this year on revised guidance. This consultation will seek views from schools, parents, health professionals, and other stakeholders on proposals to strengthen how schools meet their duties, including improvements to allergy safety and broader medical condition management.
Our aim is to ensure that every child can access education safely and confidently, regardless of their health needs.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children's homes that are privately owned and operated.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As at 31 March 2025, 84% (3,360) of all children’s homes were privately owned and operated.
Ofsted publish annual data on children’s social care in England. This includes data on the number of homes and the different types of social care providers. The latest data is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childrens-social-care-in-england-2025.
The government is taking forward work to reshape the children’s social care placement’s market, including increasing the number of foster carers so that more children can be looked after in family-based environments and encouraging more non-profit, local authority, and social investment backed providers to enter the market.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when guidance on clinical delegation will be published.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The regulators of registered healthcare professionals, including the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), are independent of the Government, are directly accountable to Parliament, and are responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of their statutory duties. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.
The GMC has published the guidance ‘Delegation and referral’ while the NMC has published its guidance ‘Delegation and accountability’. Both regulators expect their registrants to follow the appropriate guidance when delegating clinical work.