Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of establishing one of the five proposed Clean Energy Technical Excellence Colleges in Northern Lincolnshire.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is introducing Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs) to specialise in training skilled workforces which industry needs in growth-driving priority sectors.
The Post-16 education and skills white paper, confirmed that the government is expanding the TEC programme to a further four sectors: clean energy, advanced manufacturing, digital and technologies, and defence. These new TECs, backed by £175 million, will secure the pipeline of skilled workers into these areas. Provider specialisms will be aligned with the priority sectors in the Industrial Strategy and Plan for Change, and in direct response to employer demand for specialist technical skills.
Exact locations are yet to be determined, and colleges will be appointed through a fair and transparent application process. The selection process for these TECs will start by the end of 2025, with delivery planned to begin from April 2026. Further details will be published in due course.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of gluten free prescribing provision for people with coeliac disease.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No recent assessment has been made by the Department. However, a review was undertaken in 2019, which confirmed that the position in England remains that gluten free (GF) bread and mixes can be provided to all eligible coeliac patients on a National Health Service prescription. A wide range of these items continues to be listed in Part XV of the Drug Tariff.
NHS England developed guidance on Prescribing Gluten Free Foods in Primary Care in 2018 which states that NHS commissioners can restrict the prescribing of GF foods to bread and mixes only. Under the current legislation, integrated care boards may choose to further restrict product choice, or end prescribing of GF foods altogether, if they feel this is appropriate for their population, whilst taking account of their legal duties to advance equality and having regard to reducing health inequalities. NHS England currently has no plans to update the guidance.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to Lyft shots prescribed for children with Type 1 diabetes in (a) Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes constituency and (b) England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made a specific assessment. Decisions on the prescribing of medicines in England are a matter for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE has published advice on the management of Type 1 Diabetes, including advice on managing acute hypoglycaemia. This is available at the following link:
https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/diabetes-type-1/management/
Glucose gels, such as Lift shots, are available on prescription for Type 1 diabetes hypoglycaemia episodes if deemed clinically appropriate and with regard to national guidance.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
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 variations between integrated care boards for access to free Lyft shots on the management of Type 1 diabetes; and whether he has plans to ensure equal access to those medicines across England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made a specific assessment. Decisions on the prescribing of medicines in England are a matter for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE has published advice on the management of Type 1 Diabetes, including advice on managing acute hypoglycaemia. This is available at the following link:
https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/diabetes-type-1/management/
Glucose gels, such as Lift shots, are available on prescription for Type 1 diabetes hypoglycaemia episodes if deemed clinically appropriate and with regard to national guidance.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of probation staff pay, in the context of the (a) workload and (b) public safety responsibilities of probation staff.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We are committed to supporting probation staff and value their hard work, commitment and dedication. We recognise that fair and competitive pay is essential not only for staff wellbeing and retention, but also for maintaining the resilience of the Probation Service in its critical public safety role.
In recent years, we have made significant investments in pay through a multi-year pay deal (2022–2025), which provided certainty in pay increases and addressed longstanding structural issues. In June 2025, we secured exceptional agreement to pay the Competency Based Framework (CBF) Progression element of the award to eligible staff, recognising their contribution during a period of exceptional operational pressure.
We are currently working with senior leaders, ministers and recognised Trade Unions to agree the best possible outcome for the 2025/26 pay award, in line with Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance and our priorities for attraction and retention.
We also recognise the link between pay, workload and public safety. To address workload pressures, we have implemented initiatives such as “Probation Reset” and “Impact” and launched the “Our Future Probation Service” programme, which aims to reduce workload by 25% by April 2027. Recruitment remains a priority, with significant numbers of probation officer trainees onboarded in 2024/25 and a commitment to onboard a further 1,300 by March 2026.
These efforts are supported by a new wellbeing support model across HMPPS, including regional plans such as the Midlands wellbeing strategy, to ensure staff are supported in delivering their vital public safety responsibilities.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is taking fiscal steps to help support employment agencies in the context of trends in the level of costs in that sector.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The department recognises the vital role employment agencies play in our labour market. While there are no specific fiscal measures targeted exclusively at employment agencies, the government is conscious about the cost of conducting business. That is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500. This means that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, more than half of employers see no change or gain overall from this package and employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.
Employment agencies will also benefit from the new tools to unlock access to finance, action to address late payments and regulatory costs, improve digital adoption and create easier pathways to business support through the Business Growth Service.