Jim Shannon

The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) protects disabled people from discrimination in the workplace. The Act requires employers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees and jobseekers to ensure that they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to their non-disabled colleagues. This could include improving access to premises for wheelchair users, through installing ramps or other auxiliary aids or services.

The uptake of apprenticeships within the Civil Service (in England) fell under the previous administration from 7,007 starts in 2022/23 to 6,508 starts in 2023/24.

This Government is committed to apprenticeships as a means of removing barriers to opportunities and building the skills needed for the future workforce.

The UK is facing an ever-changing and growing set of risks. All risks in the government's National Risk Register (NRR) are kept under review to ensure that they are the most appropriate scenarios to inform emergency preparedness and resilience activity.

I refer the honourable member to my answer from 2 September, (2302) and would add that the UK Government does not comment upon operational security matters.

It is important that the new procurement regime commences with a statutory National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) aligned to the Government’s strategic priorities. The new NPPS will set out a mission-led procurement regime which meets the challenge of applying the full potential of public procurement to deliver value for money, economic growth and social value. The NPPS will be informed by stakeholder engagement taking place over the coming months.

The Government is committed to working with Devolved Administrations and delivering compensation to people who are infected and affected as soon as possible.

As of 30 June 2024, 109 individuals in Northern Ireland have received interim compensation payments. This comprises 85 individuals infected with contaminated blood or blood products, and 24 bereaved partners of infected individuals who have sadly passed away. While the Statistical Expert Group, established by the Infected Blood Inquiry, has provided valuable insight into the numbers of infections from blood and blood products in the UK between 1970 and 1991. Due to the nature of the Infected Blood scandal there is uncertainty over the number of people, especially those affected, who might be eligible for compensation. The final number of eligible people will ultimately depend on the number of victims who come forward. The Government will compensate people who have been infected and affected by the infected blood scandal, and we expect the Infected Blood Compensation Authority to begin making payments by the end of the year.

Attracting investment is one of the key pillars to the Government’s growth mission and is vital to helping address the challenge of achieving sustained growth, improving productivity and increasing the number of good, well-skilled jobs across the country. At the International Investment Summit, we secured £63bn worth of investments across the whole of the UK, creating nearly 38,000 jobs. On top of this we have launched Invest 2035, our vision for a modern Industrial Strategy “Invest 2035”: a credible, 10-year plan to deliver the certainty and stability businesses need to invest.

As an example of the many steps we are taking to encourage investment, we have today (12th November) launched the Clean Industries Bonus which will encourage investment in renewable energy projects.

The Government supports the Doha Declaration on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and Public Health and, within that, a country’s right to use compulsory licensing, where necessary and appropriate, to achieve public health policy objectives in the case of national health emergencies. We are aware of the potential impact such initiatives may have on access to medicines, market dynamics, and innovation. We are closely following the process undertaken by Colombia and are in regular dialogue with them on this and other regulatory matters.

In recent years the Government has commissioned research covering both corporate and personal voluntary insolvency processes. In 2022 the company voluntary arrangement research report was published and on 17 October 2024 the research findings into Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs) was published. Further research into corporate voluntary insolvency processes will be published later this year. The Government will be considering the findings of this research, and along with other evidence, may bring forward proposals for reform in due course.

For SMEs that pay interest at a variable rate, or those contemplating new borrowing, lower interest rates are clearly beneficial.

The Government introduced the Employment Rights Bill in the House on 10 October 2024.

The Bill will make basic protection against unfair dismissal a day one right for all employees, ending the current arbitrary system that leaves employees waiting up to two years to access this right.

The Department understands that more needs to be done to improve awareness and promote opportunities for young people in the clean energy sector, as these jobs can offer secure, well-paid careers. We are working closely with the Department for Education, Skills England, as well as industry and Trade Unions, to explore what can be done to improve this to encourage the uptake of skills and training provisions on offer for young people.

The UK has committed to the fastest reduction in GHG emissions between 1990 and 2030 of any major economy. Between 1990 and 2022, UK methane emissions dropped by 62%. As part of the Clean Energy Superpower Mission, we are leading the way towards rapid national and global action to reduce short-lived climate pollutants, including methane, and are taking domestic action across the waste, agriculture and energy sectors.

Energy policy is a transferred matter to the Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive. DESNZ holds regular discussions with NI Executive on broader energy matters, including through our Net Zero, Energy and Climate Change Inter-ministerial Group, which last met on 17th October.

The Energy Price Cap is set by Ofgem and there are different costs included in the price cap, such as the wholesale cost of energy. Any changes to these costs will affect how much the price cap will be each time it is reviewed.

As such, the Government believes the only way to protect consumers permanently is to speed up the transition towards homegrown clean energy and reduce our reliance on volatile international fossil fuel markets.

We are committed to engaging with all Devolved Governments on our ambitious energy security and net zero plans going forward, while respecting the devolution settlements.

Details of Ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.

The ICO rigorously oversees and enforces compliance with UK data protection law across the whole economy where it relates to the processing of personal data. It does this in a range of ways, including by receiving complaints from members of the public, issuing guidance for organisations and where necessary investigating potential non-compliance. Whilst the ICO is not undertaking specific work to review academic publishers' privacy practices, this may change if evidence comes to light during the undertaking of its regulatory duties.

The UK mandates open access to publicly funded research via funders such as UK Research and Innovation. Negotiations between Higher Education and academic publishers, including Springer Nature, are supported by Jisc. They seek value for money and off-set read subscriptions and publishing charges, while enabling open access in accordance with UK funder policies.

Jisc is negotiating new agreements with publishers in 2025. These focus on pace of change to open access models, financial sustainability, and equity to benefit wider audiences. Also, funders and universities, encourage a diversity of outputs from research, beyond publication, including preprints.

My department works closely with the Department for Education (DfE) and Skills England to ensure that data collection for STEM careers is standardised across government and has already started using the occupation classifications published by the DfE in March of this year. We will continue engaging with the DfE and the Office for National Statistics to improve these classifications, ensuring that Standard Occupational Classifications are updated to reflect new and emerging technologies and occupations.

The Government is committed to renewing UK leadership in Life Sciences, working in partnership with industry to drive innovation and treatments in key disease areas which help patients.

The Medical Research Council have funded a project at University College London to develop new antibiotics for the treatment of TB. Our Joint Global Health Trials Scheme is also collaborating between MRC, FCDO, the National Institute for Health Research, and the Welcome Trust on a project specifically looking to improve outcomes for children with TB. We will continue to work with and support the sector in developing treatments for diseases such as TB.

UK Research and Innovation’s Medical Research Council (MRC) supports the development of anti-malaria drugs through its Research Boards, Translation portfolio, and participation in the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership.

The MRC contribution for active projects totals £10.93m, including £3.84m for academic-led translational projects. For instance, the University of Liverpool, in collaboration with the Medicines for Malaria Venture, has been awarded £1.12m to lead on a multinational, interdisciplinary programme to develop a drug capable of curing malaria in a single or three daily doses treatment regime.

The sporting programme for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, and the recent decision not to include shooting as a sport, is a matter for the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Scotland.

Shooting has been an optional sport for Commonwealth Games since a decision made at the 2015 Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly, and its status as such is not, therefore, a decision for the UK Government.

In the last year, 315,700 people have participated in shooting activities, and Government continues to support the success of the sport. Sport England have funded British Shooting £1,197,420 from 2022-27 as part of their system partner investment. UK Sport will invest over £8m in supporting Olympic and Paralympic shooting 2021-2025, and will be making future funding decisions in due course.

The issue of illegal gambling is a concern for this Government and we are committed to working closely with the Gambling Commission, the statutory regulator for gambling in Great Britain, to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Commission continues to monitor this area closely and take action against unlicensed operators where needed.

Estimating the size of the illegal gambling market is difficult due to the changing nature of the sites and channels through which customers are able to access illegal activity. While research in this space is improving, further research is required to confidently estimate the extent of illegal gambling within Great Britain, who is engaging with it, and the impact that it is having. The Gambling Commission is working to improve its evidence base around the unlicensed gambling market, using web traffic data and gambling behaviour data to estimate the size of the online unlicensed market and conducting qualitative research to understand consumer motivations for participation in illegal gambling. The Commission published a blog outlining its approach in October 2024.

Gambling regulation is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland, where it falls under The Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 and The Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Amendment) Act 2022.

The Culture Secretary believes it is important that the television licence fee has a fair enforcement regime that does not disproportionately impact vulnerable people, and has discussed her concerns on this issue with the BBC’s leadership.

As part of the next Charter Review, the government will engage with the BBC and others to consider how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond. This will include discussions on a range of important issues, including future funding models for the BBC and their enforcement.

The Government is committed to the licence fee for the remainder of the current Charter period. The Government will keep an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and will engage with the BBC and other relevant stakeholders before deciding on next steps.

Education is a devolved matter, and response outlines information for England only.

The government acknowledges there is no universally agreed definition of ultra-processed foods (UPF).

The topic of UPFs could be covered under a number of subjects within the National Curriculum, including design and technology (D&T), science, and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). The department does not specifically prescribe the teaching of UPFs. This is because we want schools to have flexibility over how they deliver these subjects, so they can develop an integrated approach that is sensitive to the needs and background of their pupils.

The cooking and nutrition strand of D&T, which is compulsory for key stages 1 to 3 in maintained schools, teaches pupils how to cook and apply the principles of healthy eating and nutrition.

Similarly, in science, healthy eating is covered through topics relating to nutrition and digestion, which cover the content of a healthy diet and the impact of diet on how the body functions. Science teachers could decide to highlight UPFs and their impact where appropriate in the course.

Furthermore, within the health education portion of RSHE it is expected that by the end of primary, pupils should know what constitutes a healthy diet, including understanding calories and other nutritional content, the characteristics of a poor diet, and the risks associated with unhealthy eating. Then by the end of secondary, pupils should know how to maintain healthy eating and the links between a poor diet and health risks, including tooth decay and cancer.

At GCSE, pupils can choose to study the food preparation and nutrition course. The subject content requires pupils to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how foods are grown, reared or caught, and the primary and secondary stages of processing and production, along with how this processing affects the sensory and nutritional properties of ingredients.

To support teachers, Oak National Academy currently have free online resources on their website that will help in delivering education on food processing in D&T, and also within geography as well where they highlight the negative impacts of UPFs. Included in this are lessons specifically on the different ways that food is processed and how new technologies are used in manufacturing.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review will seek to refresh the curriculum to ensure it is cutting edge, fit for purpose and meeting the needs of children and young people to support their future life and work.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.​

The government is committed to improving mental health outcomes for all children and young people, including young girls with eating disorders. Having an eating disorder can often be devastating for young people suffering with the condition, as well as for those around them, which is why the department wants to ensure they have access to the support they need.

The department’s statutory health education curriculum, which should be taught in all schools from primary, includes a strong focus on mental health. This includes teaching pupils how to identify the early signs of mental wellbeing concerns and where and how to seek support if they are worried about their own or someone else’s mental health. As part of the secondary health curriculum, schools can teach pupils how to be safe and healthy and manage their lives in a positive way, seeking support when needed. They can also teach about eating disorders, drawing on qualified support or advice as needed for this specialist area. A consultation on proposed changes to the statutory guidance closed in July. It is vitally important that teachers have clear guidance, which is why we will be looking carefully at the consultation responses, talking to stakeholders and considering the relevant evidence, before setting out next steps on relationships, sex education and health education.

Early intervention is key when a child or young person is experiencing a mental health issue, including problems with eating. To ensure that every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate, we will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. As of April 2024, Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) cover 44% (4.2 million) of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England and are expected to cover at least 50% by the end of March 2025. The government will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.

The department also supports schools to embed whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing, which often includes training staff to recognise early signs of eating disorders and promoting a culture of openness and support. More than 8 in 10 state-funded secondary schools have accessed grants from my department to train a senior mental health lead, developing their knowledge and skills to embed a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing. Information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/senior-mental-health-lead-training.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Developing the skills of young people, especially in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is a critical enabler for the government’s missions to break down barriers to opportunity and drive economic growth.

That is why the department is setting up Skills England, a new body, to bring together central and local government, businesses, training providers and unions, to help meet the skills needs of the next decade, aligned to the government’s Industrial Strategy.

This will be underpinned by Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), that support our aim to make technical education and training more responsive to local labour market and employer needs. A £165 million Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) has been made available across all areas of the country to support providers to respond collaboratively to the skills needs identified in the LSIPs.

The department will continue to support learners who wish to have a career in STEM through our technical education offer with a range of high quality qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities at all levels.

Access to future employers should never be dependent on who you know, or where you live. Our ambition is to offer a guarantee of two weeks’ worth of high quality work experience to all young people, irrespective of their background. This will open doors to a wider range of employers and businesses and give young people a greater insight into the labour market.

To support young people with careers information, advice and guidance, the Careers and Enterprise Company, back by £30 million of government funding in 2024/25, coordinates a national network of Careers Hubs which now includes 93% of secondary schools and colleges. The network includes 400 leading employers and around 4,000 business volunteers, including many representing STEM occupations. Our careers framework, the Gatsby Benchmarks, includes a clear expectation that all 11 to 18-year-olds should have at least one meaningful interaction with employers per year. This should include an encounter with a STEM employer or workplace, or a careers event focused on STEM, before year 11.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Religious education (RE) is an important subject that should provide pupils with an opportunity to learn about a wide range of religious and non-religious beliefs. Religious education should help pupils to better understand the values and traditions of different religious communities, which is why it remains a compulsory subject in all state-funded schools in England for each pupil up to the age of 18.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, which is chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review will seek to deliver a curriculum that reflects the issues and diversities of our society, ensuring that all children and young people are represented in their learning and have access to a broad range of subjects.

The review group has recently launched a call for evidence, which sets out key questions and themes where it would particularly welcome input.

Anyone can access and respond to the call for evidence or register to join a live event. The review is looking to hear from a range of experts across the sector, in addition to the regular contact departmental officials have with stakeholders on the matter of religious education.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Religious education (RE) is an important subject that should provide pupils with an opportunity to learn about a wide range of religious and non-religious beliefs. Religious education should help pupils to better understand the values and traditions of different religious communities, which is why it remains a compulsory subject in all state-funded schools in England for each pupil up to the age of 18.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, which is chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review will seek to deliver a curriculum that reflects the issues and diversities of our society, ensuring that all children and young people are represented in their learning and have access to a broad range of subjects.

The review group has recently launched a call for evidence, which sets out key questions and themes where it would particularly welcome input.

Anyone can access and respond to the call for evidence or register to join a live event. The review is looking to hear from a range of experts across the sector, in addition to the regular contact departmental officials have with stakeholders on the matter of religious education.