Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of local and regional press and media monopolies on the adequacy of levels of varied and balanced reporting.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government remains committed to a pluralistic media landscape. A free, strong and plural media plays an essential role in democracy. It is a key source of trustworthy information and plays a vital role in holding power and public institutions to account.
Under the Enterprise Act 2002’s newspaper merger regime, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has a quasi-judicial role and can intervene on public interest grounds to refer a merger to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), subject to a jurisdictional test. These public interest grounds for intervention include plurality of views and plurality of persons with control, within the United Kingdom, or a part of the United Kingdom.
More broadly, the Government is concerned about the sustainability of local journalism and DCMS is developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. We recognise that the industry has faced significant financial challenges for some time, and consolidation and mergers have been a part of the response in order to keep many struggling titles open. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level, reporting on the issues that matter to communities in a varied and balanced way, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story. More will be announced on the Strategy in due course.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will regulate the commercial use of copyright protected material by generative AI.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This is a complex and evolving area. The government’s priority is to get this right - not legislate prematurely. We have said that we won’t act unless that action works for creators. We continue to engage with a range of stakeholders across sectors, and with parliament as we consider all options. This includes engagement through our technical working groups and the parliamentary working group chaired by the DCMS and DSIT Secretaries of State. We will also publish an economic impact assessment and a report on the use of copyright works in the development of AI systems, by 18 March 2026.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children who have an unmet SEND need in England.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The requested information is not held by the department.
The department publishes information on the number and proportion of pupils with special educational needs as at January each year. The latest information available indicates that 19.5% of pupils have special educational needs (SEN) support or an education, health and care (EHC) plan. This publication, from January 2025, is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england/2024-25.
It may also be useful to note that the Education Policy Institute has conducted research on a longitudinal dataset that gathers information on SEN support and EHC plan status for pupils who started school in 2008 and reached Year 11 in 2019. This research indicates that 37% of these pupils were recorded as having SEN support or an EHC plan at some point during this period. Their report is available at: https://epi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SEND-Final-Report-version-FINAL-04.02.2024-2.pdf.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the government has made an assessment of the trends in the range and take up of lifelong learning and evening class courses since 2015.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government recognises the importance of lifelong learning, funding a range of courses across further education (FE) and higher education (HE) for adult learners.
We do not collect data on delivery mechanisms in FE. Part-time and full-time data for HE is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/higher-level-learners-in-england/2023-24.
We allow providers the flexibility to decide how to offer provision, including when and how courses should be offered. Provision can be offered in a range of different ways to meet the needs of learners, for example Tailored Learning, primarily non-qualification-based provision tailored to the needs of learners, and which may be delivered in evenings.
The Adult Skills Fund fully funds or co-funds courses for eligible adults aged 19 and over from pre-entry to level 3 and supports four statutory entitlements to full funding.
We are also introducing the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, which will provide greater flexibility for individuals of all ages to study on terms that suit their needs.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of (a) police officers (b) PCSOs and (c) support staff remaining on restrictive duties pending an investigation for misconduct in England.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold information on the number of police officers and staff currently on restricted duties pending an investigation for misconduct.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department have had with police forces about effective detection and enforcement of crimes where electric bikes are used as a means of offence and escape.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is determined to crack down on snatch theft and other crimes, including those facilitated by mopeds and e-bikes, that make people feel unsafe in our communities.
The police have a suite of powers available to them to tackle the illegal use of vehicles including e-bikes and the Government expects police to deploy them appropriately.
The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving vehicles including e-bikes, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizure. This will allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the take up of flu vaccinations so far this year.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
For England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes provisional vaccine uptake data throughout the flu season. Weekly national level data for general practice (GP) patients is available from October to January, at the following link:
Monthly national and regional level data for GP patients, school-aged children, and frontline healthcare workers is available from October to January. The first monthly data for the 2025 to 2026 season includes all vaccinations given between 1 September to 31 October 2025, and is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#seasonal-flu-vaccine-uptake:-figures
Compared with the equivalent time period last season, from 2024 to 2025, influenza vaccine uptake is higher in two and three year olds, school-aged children, pregnant women, and frontline healthcare workers, and for those who are aged 65 years old and over and those in clinical at-risk groups, uptake is comparable, with a less than a 1% difference.
Final end of season data is published in the annual reports in late spring, with data available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#seasonal-flu-vaccine-uptake:-figures
Annual reports contain final end of season data from multiple previous seasons.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the trends in the levels of life expectancy in (a) England, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Oldham; and what progress is being made to improve outcomes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Life expectancy estimates for England and sub-national areas are produced by the Office for National Statistics and are available at the following link:
Following falls in 2020, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, life expectancy has since increased for both sexes in England, Greater Manchester, and Oldham. For both sexes, life expectancy in each of these areas in 2024 was similar to pre-pandemic estimates for 2019. Life expectancy in Greater Manchester and Oldham remains significantly lower than in England.
The Government is committed to addressing health inequalities through a comprehensive, long-term, and collaborative approach, rooted in the priorities outlined in the Government's 10-Year Health Plan. This includes an ambition to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions, while raising healthy life expectancy for everyone. Central to this is a shift from treating illness to prioritising prevention, thereby ensuring that every individual, regardless of background or financial circumstance, has the opportunity for better health outcomes.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the cost of building materials on house building costs.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Construction costs have increased 52% over the past ten years. Prices are now stable, rising only 1% between January 2024 and January 2025.
We are taking urgent action to support housebuilding and meet our mission to build 1.5m homes through bold planning reforms and a record £39bn investment to kickstart social and affordable housebuilding at scale across the country.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of professional accreditation of home care workers on levels of recruitment and retention; and what discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on this issue.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are beneficial effects of accredited qualifications and structured learning on the recruitment and retention of care workers. Skills for Care data shows that turnover rates are approximately 10% lower for staff who hold a relevant qualification compared to those without. Additionally, staff who received more than 30 instances of training evidenced a turnover rate 3.4% lower than those who recorded only one to five instances, with further information available in Skills for Care’s the ‘State of’ report at the following link:
The Department introduced the Care Workforce Pathway, the first universal career structure for adult social care, which sets out clear skills, and progression routes to help retain staff and attract newcomers by recognising care workers as professionals and promoting development opportunities.
Additionally, we launched the Learning and Development Support Scheme, which provides funding support for training, including recognised qualifications like the Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate, which provides a portable, recognised foundation of skills and knowledge, aiming to reduce duplication of training and increase retention. Furthermore, the Quality Assured Care Learning Service ensures training is high-quality, meets sector needs, and supports career growth.