Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on the Department’s review of statutory notices announced as part of the Local News Action Plan in March.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
As part of the Local Media Action Plan published in March we announced our intention to conduct a review of all types of statutory notice, to determine whether action is needed to better ensure that communities have access to journalistic scrutiny of local decision making.
As the next stage of that review, we are planning to launch a public consultation on statutory notices by the end of this year.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the apprenticeship budget was for 2025/26; what proportion of that budget was spent in total; and what proportion was spent on (1) training for apprenticeships with levy-paying employers, (2) training for apprenticeships with non-levy-paying employers, and (3) other activities.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions, and prior to that the Department for Education, has responsibility for apprenticeships in England only. The annual English apprenticeships budget is agreed at key fiscal events and ring-fenced. This budget is distinct from the total levy receipts collected by HM Treasury and the funds in employers’ apprenticeship service accounts.
The English apprenticeship budget funds: the spend drawn down by all levy-paying employers as well as apprenticeships for those who do not pay the levy; the costs of English and maths tuition for apprentices; and additional payments to employers, training providers and apprentices. It also covers the administrative costs of running the apprenticeships programme including the digital Apprenticeships Service.
The English apprenticeship budget for the 2025-26 financial year was £3.114 billion. However, spend data for that year cannot be provided, as the Department for Education’s accounts are still subject to audit and have not yet been published.
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 her Department are taking to improve NHS waiting times for assessment and treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 26 October in response to Question 35764.
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 estimate her Department has made of the number of days lost to the economy due to (a) endometriosis, (b) adenomyosis and (c) menstrual health conditions.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The requested data is not centrally held by the Department, but on the wider issue raised by the Hon. Member, our Renewed Women's Health Strategy recognises that – for millions of women – endometriosis and other gynaecological conditions can have a devastating impact on their wellbeing, their relationships, and their participation in the workforce, and states our commitment to improve the treatment and ongoing care for every woman affected.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of endometriosis on (a) employment, (b) economic inactivity and (c) labour market participation.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department publishes the employment rates and labour market status of disabled people using the Labour Force Survey (LFS) which is conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The LFS collects data on main or secondary health conditions, but does not specifically collect data for endometriosis.
Research from the ONS using linked data from 2016 to 2022 found that the probability of being a paid employee significantly decreased after an endometriosis diagnosis, decreasing by 2.7 percentage points in the four to five years post-diagnosis. Among those in paid work, monthly pay decreased on average from one to five years after the condition was identified, compared with the two years prior, reaching an average decrease of £56 per month in the four to five years post-diagnosis; this suggests that, following the diagnosis, women in work may be taking lower-paying jobs or working fewer hours.
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, if his Department will consider the potential merits of establishing a diplomatic group on Children and Armed Conflict in Sudan.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In February 2026, the UK co-founded the Coalition for Atrocity Prevention and Justice in Sudan, a grouping of eleven members which aims to coordinate and strengthen international action to prevent atrocities, promote accountability, and protect civilians, including children. Through the Coalition we are calling for the warring parties to protect civilians, comply with international humanitarian law, and facilitate safe and unhindered humanitarian access at every level. We have no current plans to create a parallel grouping focused solely on Children and Armed Conflict in Sudan, as this agenda is in the remit of the Coalition.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Church of England on enabling funds, endowments and charitable bequests held by parish churches to be used to support Church of England schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
As a key provider of state-funded schools, departmental officials and Ministers engage regularly with the Church of England and its dioceses.
There have not been specific discussions on the use of funds, endowments and charitable bequests held by parish churches to support Church of England schools.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the Child Maintenance Service provides enforcement action in cases where considerable arrears have accrued over a ten year period.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service has a range of powers to collect unpaid maintenance and enforce arrears.
In the year ending June 2026, CMS collected £235.4m through civil and legal enforcement actions (including deduction from earnings orders and requests) which is increasing year on year and is the highest amount collected through the administration of robust collection and enforcement powers.
For further details, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 October 2026 to Question 31527.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church of England plans to enable funds, endowments and charitable bequests held by parish churches to be used to support Church of England schools.
Answered by Marsha De Cordova
Whether charitable funds may be used to support church schools will depend on the objects of the charitable trusts under which the funds are held. So far as the general funds of a parochial church council (that is, the unrestricted funds which it holds for any of its purposes) are concerned, the trustees may apply these for any aspect of the mission of the Church of England, whether that be pastoral, evangelistic, social or ecumenical.
A parochial church council could therefore, in principle, use its general funds to support a church school; but it would need to balance any such support against other calls on its funds, in particular the statutory duty to maintain the church building.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the financial impact on individuals who are required to re-tax a vehicle following a transfer of registered keeper between former spouses as part of divorce proceedings.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No specific assessment has been made of the financial impact on individuals required to re-tax a vehicle following a transfer of registered keeper between former spouses as part of divorce proceedings.
Vehicle excise duty cannot be transferred between registered keepers. When the registered keeper changes, the existing tax ends and the new keeper must tax the vehicle before using it on the road. This makes clear that responsibility for taxing the vehicle rests with the new keeper and reduces the risk of them unknowingly using or keeping an untaxed vehicle.