Business of the House
Debate between Lucy Powell and Jim Shannon(1 week, 2 days ago)
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Lucy Powell
I congratulate White Rose business park, in my hon. Friend’s constituency, on its excellent work. This Government will ensure that we have a skilled workforce for the future. We are pursuing a range of measures, such as setting up Skills England, as announced in yesterday’s Budget. There is more money for further education, which is vital, and we are reforming the apprenticeship levy. As he describes, devolving these areas to local councils and mayors will ensure that local skills provision is available for all.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
Father Marcelo Pérez, a priest and prominent figure in Mexico’s Chiapas state, was killed while travelling to his parish. Father Marcelo was deeply respected for his lifelong dedication to advocating for peace, justice and indigenous rights in a region heavily impacted by organised crime and violence. His loss has deeply shaken his community and underscores the dangers faced by those who challenge violence and defend human dignity in Mexico. Will the Leader of the House join me in condemning such violations of the freedom of religion or belief, and will she ask the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to raise this issue with its counterparts in Mexico?
Lucy Powell
The hon. Gentleman raises another important issue, as he does every single week, this time concerning the freedom of religion or belief in Mexico. I will miss him next week, when we are not here for business questions. He is a doughty campaigner on these matters, and I look forward to him being a regular attender, and raising many similar issues, in the forthcoming Backbench Business debates.
Business of the House
Debate between Lucy Powell and Jim Shannon(2 weeks, 2 days ago)
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Lucy Powell
I am really sorry to hear about my hon. Friend’s constituent. The Government are committed to introducing an extra 40,000 appointments per week by the end of this Parliament. That work, led by the Health Secretary, is already under way, and I hope it means that such a situation will not happen again.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
It is common for us to believe that freedom of religion or belief violations do not occur in the west, but they do. Recently, the Breccia di Roma, an evangelical church in Italy, has been embroiled in a legal battle regarding its place of worship. The Italian tax agency denied the church tax exemptions granted to other religious institutions on the grounds that its place of worship did not exhibit sufficiently religious architectural features. Despite favourable rulings from lower courts, the Italian supreme court ruled against the church, claiming that it was liable for commercial taxes. The church, represented by Alliance Defending Freedom International, has now taken its case to the European Court of Human Rights. This case is discriminatory, so will the Leader of the House join me in raising concerns about that violation of freedom of religion or belief, and will she ask the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to raise the matter with its counterparts in Italy?
Lucy Powell
Yet again, the hon. Gentleman raises the important matter of freedom of religion or belief in business questions. I will certainly get him answers to his question. He has asked me previously about the case of Jimmy Lai, so he might like to know that the Foreign Secretary raised that on his trip to China last week.
Business of the House
Debate between Lucy Powell and Jim Shannon(3 weeks, 2 days ago)
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Lucy Powell
I, too, was delighted that this Government took quick action to deliver their manifesto commitment to ensuring that veterans’ cards could be used as voter ID, and I am pleased to hear of my hon. Friend’s reaction to that. As he will be aware, this Government are committed to an armed forces commissioner Bill. I can tell him today that that Bill is fairly imminent, and I am sure that we can debate some of these issues as we approach Remembrance Sunday, too.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
Tsering Tso, a Tibetan human rights defender and tour guide, has repeatedly faced arbitrary detention and harassment by Chinese authorities for advocating for the rights of Tibetans to freedom of movement and equal treatment under Chinese law. Her most recent detention occurred in June 2024, following her public criticism of local authorities’ discriminatory practices against Tibetan monks. Tsering has been subjected to administrative detention on multiple occasions, having raised concerns about racial discrimination and the unlawful detention of Tibetans—two monks were arrested while on a pilgrimage. What representations can His Majesty’s Government make to the Chinese authorities on the detention and repeated harassment of Tsering Tso?
Lucy Powell
This Government stand firm on human rights, including China’s repression of the people of Tibet. The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the Foreign Secretary is to make a diplomatic visit to China; I know that he will raise these matters in his conversations. I will ensure that he comes to this House to give an update on how that visit goes.
Business of the House
Debate between Lucy Powell and Jim Shannon(1 month ago)
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Lucy Powell
Postmasters have had a very difficult time in recent years, and there are still many questions facing the Post Office about the support, recruitment and remuneration of postmasters. I am sure that would make an extremely good topic for a debate in this House.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
Happy birthday, Leader of the House! To make quite a simple point, do not count the years—instead, make the years count. That is the important thing to do.
On the minds of Members who care about protecting freedom of religion or belief is a man of great importance, Jimmy Lai. British citizen Jimmy Lai, who will turn 77 at the end of this year, has been detained in solitary confinement in a maximum security prison in Hong Kong for nearly four years since December 2020. Confined to a cell for 23 hours of the day, his Catholic faith is a source of strength. What steps can the Government take to raise the case of Mr Lai with the Hong Kong authorities, and will representations be made concerning reports that Mr Lai—a practising Roman Catholic—has been denied access to the Eucharist, aggravating that inhumane treatment even more and impinging on his freedom of religion?
Lucy Powell
What better birthday present than a question from the hon. Gentleman, and some pearls of wisdom to go with it! I will take his words on board.
As ever, the hon. Gentleman raises a very important case. Mr Lai’s case is a priority for this Government; the Foreign Secretary has already raised it with China’s Foreign Minister, and we continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecution and to release him immediately.
Business of the House
Debate between Lucy Powell and Jim Shannon(1 month, 4 weeks ago)
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Lucy Powell
I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Jack. I am sure that, as is often the case, around the time of Remembrance Day there will be ample time on the Floor of the House to do what this Government and many Members will want to do: pay tribute to all those veterans who served this country so well over many years.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
I would like to draw the attention of the House to a recently passed anti-discrimination law in the Philippines that is aimed at enhancing equality and protecting marginalised groups which has sparked a nationwide debate about the implications for religious freedom. The key question is: although the law seeks to prevent unfair treatment in employment, education and public services, how can the Government ensure that religious freedoms are safeguarded, particularly given concerns raised by faith-based groups about potential conflicts with their beliefs on gender identity and sexual orientation? Will the Leader of the House join me in questioning such persecution of religious freedom and will she urge the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to raise this issue with its counterparts in the Philippines?
Lucy Powell
I thank the hon. Gentleman for once again raising the important issue of expression of freedom of religion or belief for all. I certainly will ask the Foreign Office to raise these issues about what is happening in the Philippines. He will know that the Government are committed to ensuring that there is freedom of religion and belief for all across the world.
Modernisation Committee
Debate between Lucy Powell and Jim Shannon(2 months ago)
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Lucy Powell
I thank the right hon. Gentleman again for that, but this is a balance. The membership make-up of the Committee reflects that of all Select Committees of this House, and to achieve a proportion where one place would be available for a smaller party would mean a very big Committee indeed—even then, only one smaller party would be represented and not all. My approach will be to make sure that the smaller parties are regularly invited into the Committee, are regularly engaged and are regularly asked for their thoughts ahead of and during inquiries. That is a more meaningful way to collate all the views of the different parties and groupings in this place, given how the membership of the Committee has to come about.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
I want to follow on from what the right hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) said, and to raise a specific query about my own party, the DUP. We have five Members, while there are other single Members from Northern Ireland as well, and there is a big interest in, for example, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. I do not expect an answer from the Leader of the House straightaway—I am not putting her on the spot—but I am very keen to hear her thoughts on the best way to do this. With our deep interest in Northern Ireland affairs, is it the intention of the Government, ever mindful of the statistical and numerical change there has been in this Chamber, to ensure that our party has representation to reflect that?
Business of the House
Debate between Lucy Powell and Jim Shannon(2 months ago)
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Lucy Powell
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. Kinship carers play a vital role and special educational needs are vital in our mission to ensure opportunity for all. Special educational need has been the poor relation for the last few years, and that is something that we are going to put right. We will have Education questions next week and I hope that he will ask a question then.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
I thank the Leader of the House for this opportunity to ask an important question that has been on the radar of Members who care about protecting the freedom of religion or belief. I would like to turn the House’s attention to Nicaragua, where since 2018 the regime of Daniel Ortega has unleashed relentless attacks on the Catholic faithful. Viewing them as the last hurdle of opposition in the country, they have systematically targeted religious leaders, imprisoning bishops, priests and seminarians on baseless charges and forcing them into exile.
The closure of Catholic media outlets, the confiscation of Church properties and the suppression of religious education echo the darkest days of history in communist countries and the dictatorships of the past. Will the Leader of the House join me in condemning such violations of the freedom of religion or belief? Will she ask the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to raise these important issues with its counterparts in Nicaragua?
Lucy Powell
As ever, the hon. Gentleman raises in this House the important issues of the freedom of religion or belief. I share his concern about the arbitrary detention of members of the Church in Nicaragua. We welcome the release of seven priests in August, but we are alarmed by their expulsion from Nicaragua. What is happening there is unacceptable; I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising it on the Floor of the House.
Business of the House
Debate between Lucy Powell and Jim Shannon(3 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Lucy Powell
I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend’s point. Every town and village contributes greatly to the life of their local communities. It is about not just libraries or banking facilities, but a whole range of services and tackling issues such as rural and village crime. That is why the Government are committed to looking at all those issues, but also giving local communities the power to determine the future of their own towns and villages.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
I thank the Leader of the House for the opportunity to ask a question regarding the necessity of safeguarding freedom of religion or belief. As I indicated to her, I would like to turn our attention to Mexico. In April, more than 150 Baptist Protestants in Hidalgo state in Mexico were forcibly displaced after their electricity was cut off, their church vandalised and access to their homes blocked. The inaction of local government officials has prolonged the suffering of the families, who currently face exorbitant fines based on their conversion to Protestantism. Will the Leader of the House join me in condemning those violations of freedom of religion or belief in Hidalgo state, and will she ask the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to raise the issue with its counterparts in Mexico?
Lucy Powell
I am pleased to see the hon. Gentleman in his place today. I would expect nothing less. I was also pleased to see that, during his Adjournment debate this week, he was intervened on many times. I have heard him many times in this House and at business questions raise the issue of freedom of religion or belief. He will know that the Government are committed to continuing to support those measures and that we will continue to champion them in government.
Code of Conduct and Modernisation Committee
Debate between Lucy Powell and Jim Shannon(3 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Lucy Powell
As the hon. Gentleman knows, his party has four other Members in this House; the House is considered in terms of its Members, not in terms of the popular vote. What he describes is a consequence of formulas that are long-standing and have brought about effective representation on many Select Committees.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
I understand the mathematics—one party has over 400 Members, another has more than 120, another has 72, and so on—and I understand how Committees are made up, and how the Government and the Opposition work. However, when it comes to more parochial things, and while I am ever mindful that the Government have the right to a majority, does the Leader of the House agree that the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, the Scottish Affairs Committee and the Welsh Affairs Committee should include more representation from regional areas?
Lucy Powell
Perhaps there is an opportunity for a wider debate on the make-up of Select Committees. I can see some of the issues, but I reiterate that the Modernisation Committee needs to strike a balance between being effective and making fast progress. It needs to be representative, but not too big. I reiterate to the smaller parties my commitment to having ongoing, meaningful engagement, and to having them come regularly to the Committee to give evidence and views. Of course, the proceedings of the Committee will be fully transparent; we will have calls for evidence, and our deliberations will be regularly published for the whole House to see.
Business of the House
Debate between Lucy Powell and Jim Shannon(3 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Lucy Powell
I congratulate my hon. Friend on asking his first question. As a former teacher, he is laying down a clear marker that special educational need and children’s wellbeing will be at the forefront of his agenda as the new MP for St Helens North. He will have seen that there will be an education debate next week; I hope he can raise these important issues then.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
I very much welcome the Leader of the House to her position. I look forward to a weekly relationship of questions and answers and wish her well.
I am very concerned about the Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief Bill, a private Member’s Bill that Fiona Bruce, the then Member for Congleton, introduced under the last Government and that the then Prime Minister was going to bring in. Unfortunately, such was his haste for an election that the Bill was not included in the wash-up before the last Friday; in another week, it would have been law. What can we do to make sure that that private Member’s Bill can be proceeded with? When the Prime Minister was in opposition, I had discussions with him about ensuring that the special envoy is in place. Will the Leader of the House discuss that in Cabinet, or should we bring forward a debate?