Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the government is supporting individuals diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 20 January in response to Question 104957.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what more is being done to support FY1 doctors as they progress into specialty training.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 implements the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training places, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with significant National Health Service experience for specialty training places. Under the act, doctors who have completed, or are completing, the UK Foundation Programme are prioritised for specialty training places.
The recently agreed 2026 Resident Doctors Deal also significantly expands the number of specialty training places by up to 4,500 over the next three years, including 1,000 next year. On 10 August 2026, NHS England announced that more than 350 of these additional specialty training places will be available in England to start in February 2027.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure older people receive timely and appropriate care in suitable clinical settings rather than hospital corridors.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As with my answer of 7 September in response to the Hon. Member’s Question 26543, I refer him to the answer provided on 16 July in response to Question 17438.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure hospices are appropriately funded, staffed and able to provide palliative care to patients.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 13 July in response to Question 16185, which sets out the steps the Government is taking to support hospices throughout England.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether proposed European Union regulations on food supplements will apply in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those regulations on regulatory divergence between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department maintains regular engagement with a range of stakeholders on matters relating to nutrition legislation, and this has included the European Commission’s proposals for potentially introducing maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements. To date this has not included healthcare professionals, but we would consider future stakeholder engagement requirements once further information on the European Commission’s proposals becomes available.
For information on the application in Northern Ireland of any future European Union changes to food supplements legislation under the Windsor Framework, and the Government's assessment of the implications for regulatory alignment between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 8 September in response to Question 20033.
In addition, for the Department’s assessment of the potential impact of the European Commission’s proposed maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements in Northern Ireland, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 9 September 2026 in response to Question 20032.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed European Union food supplement regulations on businesses operating in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department maintains regular engagement with a range of stakeholders on matters relating to nutrition legislation, and this has included the European Commission’s proposals for potentially introducing maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements. To date this has not included healthcare professionals, but we would consider future stakeholder engagement requirements once further information on the European Commission’s proposals becomes available.
For information on the application in Northern Ireland of any future European Union changes to food supplements legislation under the Windsor Framework, and the Government's assessment of the implications for regulatory alignment between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 8 September in response to Question 20033.
In addition, for the Department’s assessment of the potential impact of the European Commission’s proposed maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements in Northern Ireland, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 9 September 2026 in response to Question 20032.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what engagement her Department has had with businesses, healthcare practitioners and representative organisations in Northern Ireland on the European Commission's proposals to introduce maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department maintains regular engagement with a range of stakeholders on matters relating to nutrition legislation, and this has included the European Commission’s proposals for potentially introducing maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements. To date this has not included healthcare professionals, but we would consider future stakeholder engagement requirements once further information on the European Commission’s proposals becomes available.
For information on the application in Northern Ireland of any future European Union changes to food supplements legislation under the Windsor Framework, and the Government's assessment of the implications for regulatory alignment between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 8 September in response to Question 20033.
In addition, for the Department’s assessment of the potential impact of the European Commission’s proposed maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements in Northern Ireland, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 9 September 2026 in response to Question 20032.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed European Union restrictions on vitamin, mineral and herbal food supplements on consumer access to those products in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department maintains regular engagement with a range of stakeholders on matters relating to nutrition legislation, and this has included the European Commission’s proposals for potentially introducing maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements. To date this has not included healthcare professionals, but we would consider future stakeholder engagement requirements once further information on the European Commission’s proposals becomes available.
For information on the application in Northern Ireland of any future European Union changes to food supplements legislation under the Windsor Framework, and the Government's assessment of the implications for regulatory alignment between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 8 September in response to Question 20033.
In addition, for the Department’s assessment of the potential impact of the European Commission’s proposed maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements in Northern Ireland, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 9 September 2026 in response to Question 20032.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has undertaken a cross-government assessment of the economic implications for Northern Ireland businesses of proposed European Union food supplement regulations.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department maintains regular engagement with a range of stakeholders on matters relating to nutrition legislation, and this has included the European Commission’s proposals for potentially introducing maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements. To date this has not included healthcare professionals, but we would consider future stakeholder engagement requirements once further information on the European Commission’s proposals becomes available.
For information on the application in Northern Ireland of any future European Union changes to food supplements legislation under the Windsor Framework, and the Government's assessment of the implications for regulatory alignment between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 8 September in response to Question 20033.
In addition, for the Department’s assessment of the potential impact of the European Commission’s proposed maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements in Northern Ireland, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 9 September 2026 in response to Question 20032.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on the UK internal market of divergence between Northern Ireland and Great Britain arising from proposed European Union regulations on food supplements.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 8 September 2026 in response to Question 20033.