Asked by: Jon Pearce (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress her Department has made since June 2026 on implementing the recommendations of Lord Mann's review on antisemitism and other forms of racism in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I have this week made a written ministerial statement to the House providing an update on that progress, which is available at the following link:
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2026-10-27/hcws424
I thank the Hon. Members for their work on these issues and their specific interest in progress with implementation of Lord Mann’s recommendations. I will keep the Hon. Members and the rest of Parliament informed as the implementation programme continues.
Asked by: Jon Pearce (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Sudan.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Sudan is at risk of a famine not witnessed in 40 years - driven by attacks on civilian infrastructure and humanitarian workers, systematic obstruction of aid, and compounded by droughts.
The UK is providing £146 million in aid this year, including £15 million directly to local responders, who can support communities in areas the UN and INGOs find hard to reach.
Since the outbreak of conflict, our aid has supported 5.5 million people.
But aid alone won't solve this crisis. On 23 October, a UK-led statement with 20 partners called on the parties to facilitate unimpeded humanitarian access, protection of civilians and avert this manmade famine.
Asked by: Jon Pearce (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value was of payments for statutory paternity leave, shared parental leave and statutory maternity leave in the last year by geographic region and nation.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
HMRC does not hold information on periods of Statutory Maternity Leave, Statutory Paternity Leave or Shared Parental Leave.
Asked by: Jon Pearce (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Victims’ Right to Review scheme pilot on victims of rape and serious sexual offences.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Attorney General
I recently announced the extension of the Victims Right to Review scheme beyond the West Midlands to the North West, Yorkshire and Humberside, and Wales. I am carefully reviewing the impact of the pilot scheme ahead of decisions on a potential further rollout.
Under the scheme victims of rape now have the right for their case to be considered by a second prosecutor, before a final decision is taken to drop the case.
This gives victims more of a voice in their cases, and a second chance at justice.
Asked by: Jon Pearce (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help lower energy bills.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Energy bills are too high. The previous Government left Britain dependent on the roller coaster of gas prices and left families paying around £1.7 billion on their bills for their failed energy efficiency ‘ECO’ scheme
This is why we are scrapping ECO and taking some of the expensive legacy levies off bills – saving households an average £150 from April.
Asked by: Jon Pearce (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates in cases of violence against women and girls.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Attorney General
This government is committed to halving violence against women and girls. This is my number
one priority as Solicitor General.
The CPS’s focus on tackling VAWG is driving an increase in charges across a range of VAWG
offences.
For adult rape prosecution, the CPS continues to transform its approach through the
implementation of their National Operating Model, based on robust academic evidence from
Operation Soteria. Through this work, there has been substantial increases in referral, charge,
and prosecution volumes for adult rape.
Similarly for Domestic Abuse (DA), the CPS and NPCC launched the DA Joint Justice Plan in
November 2024 with the aim to improve partnership working between investigators and
prosecutors, and over the last year this has led to increases in charge volumes by 10% and
conviction volumes by 7%.
To address the increasing complexity of VAWG offending, and holistic needs of victims, work is
ongoing to deliver the activities within the CPS’s VAWG Strategy for 2025-2030. This will ensure
that prosecutors have the right skills and tools to prosecute VAWG effectively leading to a positive
impact on prosecution rates.
Asked by: Jon Pearce (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an estimate of the time taken for Iran to construct a nuclear weapon.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are carefully monitoring Iran's nuclear programme and call on Iran to halt and reverse its nuclear escalation. In March, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran has increased its enriched uranium stockpile and enrichment capacity, far beyond the limits imposed by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Iran has expanded its stockpile of High Enriched Uranium. While we remain committed to a diplomatic solution, the extent of Iran's enrichment activities is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons, and has no credible civilian justification.
Asked by: Jon Pearce (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to use the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action snapback mechanism to re-impose nuclear-related UN sanctions on Iran before their expiry in October 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear issue remains possible and the primary focus of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office efforts. However, if a deal is not reached there will be little choice for the E3 but to trigger the UN snapback mechanism before its expiry. Alongside E3 partners we have made this clear to Iran.
Asked by: Jon Pearce (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people on zero-hours contracts in High Peak constituency.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 3rd December is attached.
Asked by: Jon Pearce (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
We will continue to consider all tools at our disposal to protect the UK and our interests from Iran-linked threats.
More than 400 Iranian individuals and entities, including the IRGC in its entirety are sanctioned.
We keep the list of proscribed organisations under constant review and continue to work at pace to identify further ways to tackle Iranian state threats.
The National Security Act 2023 provides another significant toolkit in the fight against individuals working for state entities like the IRGC. The UK is now a harder target for those states which seek to conduct hostile acts against the UK, including espionage, interference in our political system, sabotage, and assassination.
The Government continually assesses potential threats to the UK, and takes the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety incredibly seriously – wherever those threats may originate.