Energy Prices: Energy-intensive Industries

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Thursday 1st May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sarah Jones]

There was no coherence under the previous Government, and there will be coherence under this Government. We are developing our plan of support for our foundational industries in the industrial strategy. I know that the Opposition are very keen to see what the industrial strategy will contain. They will have to wait a few weeks for its publication, but all will be revealed in due course.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Minister very much for her answers. Manufacturing currently represents less than 10% of the UK economy, but in Northern Ireland it represents 16% of the economy and about one in four families in Northern Ireland are dependent on manufacturing. It is clear that, as energy prices rise, so do the concerns for such industries. How can the Government and the Minister offer support to those industries to retain their viability while the Government are finding an energy solution?

[Sarah Jones]

The hon. Member is right to raise this issue, and the figure for manufacturing in Northern Ireland of 15% or 16% is high. Yesterday, I was with trade unionists from Shorts Brothers—Spirit AeroSystems —to talk about the importance of manufacturing there and the importance of retaining those jobs. They made the point that these good jobs have helped not just with people’s lives, but with the sectarian divides. Bringing people out of poverty and giving them good, well-paid jobs is an incredibly important part of the history of Northern Ireland and of what we need to preserve there. I will continue to work with him to make sure we protect that manufacturing base. We of course had huge support in the Budget, with the £2 billion for the automotive sector and the £1 billion for the aerospace sector to support exactly that manufacturing industry.

Oral Answers to Questions

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Thursday 1st May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sarah Jones]

I do not want to underestimate the challenges that the chemical sector faces. Between 2021 and 2024, UK chemicals manufacturing fell in real terms by about a third. We are working to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU. We want to build exports and investment opportunities and reduce barriers to trade. Conversations are at an early stage, so I will not go into specifics, but we are certainly working to help the chemicals industry.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

What assessment has the Minister made of the benefits that inclusion of the chemicals sector among the eight sectors could bring for our national security and our pharmaceutical sector? How can all regions of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland benefit from this sector?

[Sarah Jones]

When we look at the eight sectors that we are trying to turbocharge through the industrial strategy, we see that the chemicals sector underpins so many other sectors. We need to make sure that we protect it. As I have just said, chemicals manufacturing has fallen by nearly a third over the past three years; we need to turn that around. We are looking at what we can do to break down barriers and make improvements—for example, on the cost of energy. That is part of the mix when it comes to making sure that we are secure in the future.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Justin Madders)]

I had to wait 50 minutes for a question, Mr Speaker, but this is an important one and I share the hon. Member’s concerns. We regularly meet Ofcom to discuss the performance of Royal Mail, and I will certainly write to him about the discussions we have in respect of his constituency.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

What discussions has the Minister had with his counterpart in Northern Ireland about encouraging young people into casual hospitality employment, to teach them about the benefits of work and the importance of managing money?

[Jonathan Reynolds]

I am always grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his questions. We always seek to keep colleagues in Northern Ireland well briefed on a range of issues, particularly some of the complexities around trade that have come out of the Windsor agreement and need to be managed carefully. I do not think I have had a specific conversation about the matter he raises, but this is a good opportunity to say that I think I should, and I will. I am grateful to him for getting that on the record.

Hair and Beauty Sector: Government Policy

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Wednesday 23rd April 2025 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms McVey. I commend the hon. Member for Hornchurch and Upminster (Julia Lopez) for securing this debate. If you looked at me, Ms McVey, you would say that a beauty person could be working all day on that guy without making much difference. There is nothing on the top of my head, so when it comes to going to the barber’s it does not take me too long. I say that in jest: I am speaking in this debate on behalf of the constituents who have contacted me.

As the hon. Member for Hornchurch and Upminster and others mentioned, we are inundated by messages from local businesses and the consumers that they provide services to. According to the National Hair and Beauty Federation, there were more than 61,000 hair and beauty businesses operating in the United Kingdom in 2023. The hair and beauty industry is largely represented by small businesses. Those small businesses have mostly female owners, operators and workers, but not all. Three quarters of businesses employ fewer than five people, while 95% employ fewer than 10. Of people working in the beauty and hairdressing industry, 60.5% are self-employed—it is a specific group of people. There is also a downward trend: the industry has declined by 7%. Apprentices have also declined, as the hon. Member for Hornchurch and Upminster referred to, and some businesses are not taking apprentices on. Those are the issues.

The personal care and beauty industry as a whole grew its contribution to the UK economy by 11% in 2023, so there has been an upward trend in the businesses and what they do. Beauty and hairdressing is worth £5.8 billion, and it makes up a considerable chunk of the sector’s overall contribution to the economy. People tell me that it should be noticed that, for the large majority of hair and beauty businesses, turnover is less than £100,000. In its September 2024 industry survey, the NHBF found that 46% of salons and barbers surveyed made a profit, 41% made none—they broke even—and the rest just weren’t doing.

Those are not healthy statistics. The hon. Member for Hornchurch and Upminster was absolutely spot on when she outlined that business owners are facing a perfect storm of rising costs, including the withdrawal of business rates relief, the increase to employer national insurance contributions and higher minimum wages. Although people are happy to spend their hard-earned money on self-care, the industry struggles with profitability and needs more support. I look forward to what the Minister will say, because it is important we get this right.

The rise in the national minimum wage, the rise in national insurance contributions and increases in the goods supply price are leaving the industry with profit margins of a mere 2% to 3%. That is unsustainable. We need to correct it and offer support to small businesses and microbusinesses. I look to the Minister to see how we can help keep our beauty and hair businesses thriving, keep people in employment and keep people feeling good about themselves. That can be done only with greater support than is available right now. My wife says that when she goes to the hairdressers, she comes out and feels like a million dollars. I would say that she always looks like a million dollars, but that is just me.

[Esther McVey (in the Chair)]

You sweet-talking devil.

British Steel

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

I call Jim Shannon to ask the final question from the Back Benches.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. I thank the Minister for all her hard work, and I thank the Secretary of State, the Prime Minister and the Labour Government for their commitment to, and for saving, British Steel. There is no one in this great nation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland who is not aware of that and does not welcome it, so well done.

I welcome the Minister’s statement, but can she confirm that developers and those in the construction sector in Northern Ireland, where steel is really important, will be able to secure steel as a certainty, and at a reasonable price? Can she confirm that they will not be tempted to outsource for fear that orders will not be fulfilled, because British steel will be accessible, viable, ready and available to those in Northern Ireland who wish to use it?

[Sarah Jones]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his words of appreciation. The construction sector is incredibly important when it comes to steel. We are looking at every measure we can take to ensure that people can buy British steel in a way that is competitive and useful for them. We are looking at procurement and at other measures to make the sector more competitive, but the hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that British Steel provides huge amounts of steel for the construction sector, and we want that to continue.

Horizon Redress and Post Office Update

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 8th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Gareth Thomas]

I recognise that my hon. Friend has been campaigning hard to save Morley post office; he has certainly made clear representations to me about it. The starting point for discussions about the future of postal services, in Morley as elsewhere, is that post offices will be replaced by a main post office offering Government services as well as traditional post office services. If he has particular concerns about the way the transition is happening, he is welcome to get back in contact with me.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Minister for his answers and commitment to addressing these issues. The Post Office Horizon scheme was deeply flawed from the outset, and we cannot trust Horizon to provide evidence for postmasters or postmistresses when the entire scandal is based on Horizon’s unreliability. Does the Minister not agree that we have no option other than to trust the people, not the computer, and that we must do the right thing by the people who have been vilified?

[Gareth Thomas]

I absolutely pay tribute to the journalists and campaigners who exposed the Post Office scandal, and who continue to campaign for those who have not yet received redress. I had the privilege of meeting a number of sub-postmasters who were very badly affected by the scandal, and those conversations will stay with me for a very long time, and I suspect that the same is true for other Members who have had similar conversations. They are powerful, motivating conversations that will help this to get sorted out.

Scunthorpe Steelworks

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Monday 7th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sarah Jones]

That is what we were telling the previous Government for many years. British Steel is owned by a Chinese company because the purchase was made under the last Government in a commercial and private sector way. Labour Members believe in fair, open markets; I do not know quite what the Opposition are becoming. On China, our priority is UK jobs and steel production. We believe in a fair, open market for foreign investments, and in having mature and balanced relationships with trading partners such as China. We will ensure protections for the steel industry in the UK, and make sure we do the right thing. On primary steel and the materials that the hon. Member wants me to commit to spending millions of pounds on, I think most Members would understand that I cannot commit to anything like that at this time and place.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Minister for her answers to the questions—they have been very helpful. My concern is not only about retaining UK steel, but for the workers. The potential for 2,700 people to lose their jobs is frightening, and I think of all the families who will be directly impacted by this. Will the Minister confirm that ahead of any announcement made on Scunthorpe steel, she will commit to meeting the workers who will be directly affected by any decision, and provide a way forward, so that workers in the steel industry are secure in their employment and are protected throughout the United Kingdom?

[Sarah Jones]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. We of course continue to talk to the trade unions, including Community, GMB and Unite, who have been incredibly strong voices for their workers in Scunthorpe. We will continue to talk to them and to people who work there, to understand exactly what they are going through. They have to be at the heart of all the decisions we make.

UK-US Trade and Tariffs

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Thursday 3rd April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jonathan Reynolds]

My hon. Friend is a formidable negotiator, as I have seen at first hand—we might see if she is available for some of the work we have to do. She is right that this is about delivering for our constituents, who must be concerned when something of this magnitude has been announced. No one in Government or in any part of the Chamber is relaxed about the relatively better position we find ourselves in, because it is still something that we have to find a way through. We must keep all options on the table—that is behind some of the announcements I made in the statement—but the approach that my hon. Friend advocates and promotes is my approach, and I thank her for her support.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I watched the Secretary of State on television this morning, and I thank him for his calm, collected and carefully chosen words. He understands my real concerns about Northern Ireland businesses—my stomach is doing somersaults worrying about the impact for Northern Ireland. My party leader, my right hon. Friend the Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson), made a point at Prime Minister’s questions that still stands: Northern Ireland remains exposed to potential EU retaliation, and local businesses must not become collateral damage. The Government must take urgent steps to protect Northern Ireland interests and to ensure that our place in the United Kingdom internal market is fully safeguarded. In his reply to my right hon. Friend yesterday, the Prime Minister kindly committed to act in our national interest, so will the Secretary of State outline for the record what steps will be taken to do just that?

[Jonathan Reynolds]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question and for his kind words. It has been quite a week so far, and we still have some way to go. This is an issue not just for Northern Ireland Members, but for all Members of the House. We have to be alert to the particular situation that would occur if there were a different retaliatory stance from us and the EU. That is why I briefed the First Minister, the Deputy First Minister and my counterpart yesterday. The shadow Minister was right that the issues around the duty reimbursement scheme are key. On the formal steps that we have taken, businesses can now input their concerns and what the tariffs will mean to them directly to Government. We need to work together, particularly in relation to Northern Ireland, to ensure that specific voice and that specific question are a key part of how we look at the issue and respond. I am keen to work with the hon. Gentleman in that regard.

Non-disclosure Agreements

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd April 2025 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

It is a pleasure to speak in this debate. Mr Betts. I congratulate the right hon. Member for Sheffield Heeley (Louise Haigh) on setting the scene, and I commend the hon. Member for Congleton (Mrs Russell), who has brought a vast amount of knowledge to the debate. She is not a practising solicitor any more, but all the knowledge she has learned has contributed greatly to the debate, so I thank her for that. That does not take away from anybody else, by the way—I appreciate that others will contribute their expertise.

This is an issue in every avenue of life, from public to private life. In 2022, in his then role as Economy Minister, my colleague at the Northern Ireland Assembly, Gordon Lyons, was one of the first to come out in support of the publicly funded universities that were speaking out against the use of NDAs to silence victims of abuse. Others have outlined how NDAs can be abused, which is the point I wish to focus on.

Gordon Lyons issued a statement at the time, which said that

“sexual harassment and bullying is completely unacceptable and complainants should never be bought or bullied into silence simply to protect the reputation of the institution they study or work at. Non-Disclosure Agreements make it harder for other victims to come forward and help hide perpetrators behind a cloak of anonymity…While there is little evidence of NDAs being used in Northern Ireland higher education settings, I still fully support the Can’t Buy My Silence campaign’s aim of bringing an end to this practice which is why I wrote to the local higher education institutions asking them to sign the pledge…I welcome the collective leadership shown by Northern Ireland’s higher education sector in signing a pledge which demonstrates their clear opposition to the buying of victims’ silence.”

That was in 2022, but how wise those words are today, as was the leadership that Minister Lyons gave at that time in Northern Ireland. Even though we did not have many examples of it, we still need to have the same law in Northern Ireland as here, with the same protection for people. Gordon Lyons’ actions are to be congratulated: they were the first of a number of steps taken in Northern Ireland to send a message that people could no longer hide behind NDAs to protect themselves when they had clearly done wrong.

Initially, NDAs were created with a view to commercial sensitivity, and the reasons behind that could be understood, but they are not used for that any more. They are used for other reasons, which is where the problems are. What has not been right for some time is that staff are pressured into agreeing to blanket NDAs, which are then abused by those in power to cover over bad behaviour or, even worse, wrongdoing and criminality, with the rights of victims taken away. We have seen very public cases of how NDAs covered up the most vile and disgusting acts for decades, and the time has come to put that right. I very much look forward to the Minister’s contribution. He is an honourable person who takes on board our issues and questions, and hopefully comes back with answers.

I believe in the principle of clean hands. A person deserves protection if they have done nothing wrong. When someone with access to a good lawyer can tie a victim in knots, we know there is something wrong with the system. We must change the legislation and offer the protection for victims that is so needed.

There are loopholes for legal professionals to use. I have no issue with legal professionals doing the job they are paid to do. The hon. Member for Congleton is honourable in every sense of the word, and used her position well to help others. However, we know that loopholes are there and must be closed, to protect not the people who are seeking to sell a story to a tabloid but those who have been abused and cannot speak or warn others. They are petrified of the system and the legal complications that surround them. That is not the purpose behind an NDA and the Government must clarify that in legislation.

I ask the Minister to ensure protection for those who have signed NDAs without realising that they went beyond what they thought. Commercial confidentiality is one thing and should be protected, but when it becomes something else—protecting wrongdoing in the business—that has to be taken on. For many victims, the trauma of the reporting process is too much. When they do go through it, the appearance of an NDA they signed, believing it referred to keeping silent about business practices, now means they cannot speak about their abuse. This is simply not right. The right hon. Member for Sheffield Heeley referred to victims; some of those who have spoken to me say they never knew what an NDA meant, and they are petrified by the legal complications and implications.

I support the right hon. Lady in her efforts and hope she is successful. We are all here to support her in the goals she seeks to achieve on behalf of all our constituents. Those who are proven to have committed sexual offences should not find shelter under an NDA. We must revise the legislation accordingly, and I hope the Minister will give us that reassurance. The victim has a right to be heard; we can and must make that easier, in a way that ensures they feel confident and reassured that their concerns and complaints are taken on board.

Scunthorpe Steelworks

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Thursday 27th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sarah Jones]

I meet house builders regularly; I have some meetings with them today. The production and recycling of steel is important to construction, as are some of the off-takes from steel that can be used to make cement; there is recycling that can be done on that front as well. We need a lot of steel to build the 1.5 million homes that the Government want to build, so we need to make sure that the steel industry is strong.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Minister for her answers. We all share her frustrations about the process. The news that the Government’s offer of funding to retain jobs at Scunthorpe is to be rejected certainly outlines the difficulties in British businesses no longer being owned by those who have an interest in British jobs. My thoughts are with the workers today who are looking at their children and their mortgage repayments and wondering how they can make it work out, when all they want to do is work. How can the Government give confidence to workers in Scunthorpe and in industries that rely on steel throughout the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, so that they know that a way forward can be found?

Shipyards: Economic Growth

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 18th March 2025 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine. It seems to be a regular occurrence in Westminster Hall now. I wish you well and thank you for all you do.

I thank the hon. Member for Glenrothes and Mid Fife (Richard Baker) for leading the debate. I am very pleased to be here. He mentioned Harland and Wolff, which I will talk about as it obviously plays a critical role in Northern Ireland. For the record, the Minister has played a significant role, along with others, in ensuring that its future is a lot rosier than we thought it would be. We were worried about its future, but the Minister and others have ensured that it looks much brighter.

Shipbuilding has been crucial for the UK for decades. It generates hundreds of thousands of jobs and improves infrastructure between mainland Britain and the devolved institutions. I am honoured and pleased to be here to showcase the success of our fantastic shipbuilding sector. Gone are the days when Harland and Wolff employed almost 30,000 people in Belfast. It is down to about 1,000 or 1,500, but it hopes to grow to 2,000, 2,500 or maybe even more.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Northern Ireland paved the way in shipbuilding. Some of the world’s most iconic ships were built at the heart of Harland and Wolff in Belfast. Everyone knows of the famous Titanic, probably for the wrong reasons—the tragedy in which all those people lost their lives—but there were also the RMS Britannic and the RMS Olympic. At the time Harland and Wolff, in the neighbouring constituency of Belfast East, represented by my right hon. Friend the Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson), was one of the largest, most famous shipbuilding companies in the world. We are proud of that rich history.

I am proud to be able to speak about what Harland and Wolff has done in Northern Ireland and the jobs it has created. The tradition of shipbuilding, although not as big as it was, is still significant within Harland and Wolff across this great United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland is and was a global hub for shipbuilding. The sector employs hundreds even today, so it is important that we protect and preserve it, and retain people and give them opportunities. We want to protect and retain shipbuilding skills, including metalworking and engineering.

We are rich in shipbuilding culture for many reasons, including defence, global trade, imports, exports, design and engineering—the hon. Member for Glenrothes and Mid Fife mentioned that in his introduction. In September 2024, Harland and Wolff entered administration for the second time in five years. In January 2025, with the help of Ministers and others, it was announced that the Spanish-owned firm Navantia was to take over ownership, maintaining the core roots of the historic shipyard in Belfast and elsewhere in this United Kingdom.

Maintaining jobs is at the core of any administrative takeover. Many employees who worked in Harland and Wolff before the takeover lived in my constituency and still do. I remember the tradition of shipbuilding even in the small village of Greyabbey, which I lived just outside of. The number of people who worked in the shipyards in the 1960s and ’70s and even in the ’80s was significant, as it was in Newtownards. Like some of those people, employees today are fearful of job losses and redundancy. The Minister has also been involved—for which I thank him—in the Spirit/Airbus takeover. Employees are not in control of which sectors are bought, which poses a massive question mark to their livelihoods, and indeed their futures.

Shipbuilding contributes billions of pounds to the United Kingdom economy, both centrally and through devolution. We continue to export and repair ships and we have a part of the defence contract as well, which we are very proud to have. It massively contributes to the value of our trade and goods. Furthermore, some 36,000 people are employed in our wonderful Royal Navy. Shipbuilding is imperative for our defence capabilities, from defending our overseas territories to protecting our sea trade routes. Without the shipbuilding sector and the staff and people that have made it what it is, success would not be possible. Warships and submarines are built in other areas across the nation, including areas in England and Scotland and in the constituency of the hon. Member for Glenrothes and Mid Fife, who introduced the debate. I am surprised that his colleague, whose constituency I cannot remember, is not here. He has always been very much to the fore in naval debates. I expected him to be here to wax lyrical about what he would do. I can remember his name but not his constituency.

[Richard Baker]

I think the hon. Member might be recalling my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie), who is at this moment at the Rosyth port meeting Babcock. His passion for his community and for that yard is, as the hon. Member knows, very strong.

[Jim Shannon]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for filling in that gap. Hansard will pick up on the constituency and keep it right. The only reason the hon. Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie) is not here is because he is away doing something very practical in his own constituency, so well done to him.

We must continue to prioritise shipbuilding for the future, so I look to the Minister for the commitment that I know is already there. Just for the record, it is always good to have the reassurance that we all seek. There are steps that the Government can take to provide direct financial support to the shipbuilding sector, both centrally on the mainland and regionally to the devolved nations. Infrastructure development is massively important for the United Kingdom, from our safety right through to the food in our supermarkets. I am old enough to remember things that we used to say in my history class: we are an island built on coal, surrounded by waters full of fish. I am not sure whether that is true any more, but it tells us that the role of ships in connecting our islands is very important.

The history goes back centuries and is something to be proud of. In Northern Ireland it is always great to look back and recollect the successes of our past and still be grateful to this day that shipbuilding is as important as ever, despite being under the control of different companies. It still creates jobs, wage packets and opportunities and helps us grow as a nation.

I will conclude with this. I look to the Minister for her commitment to the industry and to the staff that will ensure it continues for the future. I am pleased to see the Minister, who has shown commitment, in her place. In all the things that I have brought to her attention, I have never once found her wanting, and I am sure we will not find her wanting this time, either.