Oral Answers to Questions

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Wednesday 12th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jo Stevens]

I could not agree more with my hon. Friend. Plaid Cymru Members will have to explain to their constituents why they voted against £600 million extra for the NHS last week, blocking crucial funding from reaching our hospitals, NHS staff and patients in Wales.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

One of the issues with waiting lists in Wales, as is the case all across the United Kingdom, concerns those who have been waiting first for diabetes diagnosis and then for treatment. There used to be a strategy in Westminster that encompassed not just England, but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Would the Secretary of State support a similar strategy for the four regions together to address diabetes and what it is doing to this country?

[Jo Stevens]

We are talking about nations and regions, rather than just regions, but I would be happy to have a discussion with the hon. Gentleman outside the Chamber about that matter.

Oral Answers to Questions

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Thursday 6th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Ms Oppong-Asare]

My hon. Friend is right to raise this issue. The Environment Agency is responsible for issuing flood warnings. For locations covered by severe flood warnings, the Environment Agency may ask for an emergency alert to be activated where there is an immediate threat to life, in order to support the response in the local area.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Minister for her response. It is good that we have this system right across this great United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and that all our constituents can respond to it. It has a very clear role. First, how quickly can there be a response to things such as domestic abuse, flood warnings or whatever? Secondly, my understanding is that councils have a role to play. If so, perhaps the Minister could remind us of their role.

[Ms Oppong-Asare]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising this important issue. We work very closely with local authorities and local resilience forums when considering issuing an emergency alert, to ensure that the response is as adequate as possible.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

That completes questions�after Jim Shannon.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

The best is always last.

What assessment has the Minister made of the volume of apprenticeships offered within the cyber-security industry, specifically in relation to digital software and hacking prevention online?

[Pat McFadden]

We want to see more apprenticeships. The numbers have come down, compared with where they should be. The area that the hon. Gentleman highlights would be a very good and fruitful one for people to learn more about and get the skills they need.

Oral Answers to Questions

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Wednesday 5th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Kirsty McNeill]

My hon. Friend is right to raise the concerns of parents who are worried about how their kids will get good jobs. The SNP has said that a zero- hours contract is “a positive destination” for a school leaver, but this Labour Government will ban such exploitative contracts. Labour’s Budget delivered an extra £4.9 billion for Scottish public services, but after 18 years the SNP still does not see Scottish kids as a priority. It should stand aside, and give Scotland the chance of the new direction that it deserves.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Minister for her response, but more importantly I thank the hon. Member for Edinburgh South West (Dr Arthur) for setting the scene. He has clearly explained the importance of having children, and the importance of their having opportunities. With those opportunities in mind, has the Minister had a chance to discuss with the equivalent Minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly how we can better help our children in Northern Ireland, as she wishes to do in Scotland?

[Kirsty McNeill]

I have not had that chance, but I would be delighted to do so. Scottish education is, of course, devolved to the SNP Government. SNP Members should think long and hard about the fact that they have claimed that it is their No. 1 priority and yet the attainment gap is growing. Working-class kids’ education and exam results were explicitly downgraded by the serving First Minister. We would be delighted to partner with anyone across these islands who wants to increase educational opportunity for our young people.

Ukraine

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Monday 3rd March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I definitely have the strongest legs in the Chamber, Madam Deputy Speaker! I have been bobbing up and down for about three hours.

I thank the Prime Minister very much for his statement and his leadership. As you will know, Madam Deputy Speaker, and as everyone in the House will know, I am very proud to be British, and this week we in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are very proud of our Prime Minister for his stance. I welcome it, and I wish to convey that to him from my constituents and everyone I have spoken to.

We in the Democratic Unionist party welcome the £1.6 billion contract to supply thousands of advanced air defence missiles to Ukraine, announced by the Prime Minister yesterday and featuring on the front pages of the Northern Ireland papers today. The deal will secure 200 new jobs for Thales, and my right hon. Friend the Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson) wishes to thank the Prime Minister for that as well. According to my right hon. Friend, most of the people who work at Thales live in my constituency, and I am very pleased about that, because it means extra work for my constituents and a few extra jobs. I welcome equally the clear indication that we are standing firm in support of Ukraine as it battles against Russia. Will the Prime Minister please confirm that this support will seek to broker peace, but not until we do right by the people of Ukraine, and that that remains our foundational principle?

[The Prime Minister]

On the principles, the hon. Gentleman is right, and I am so pleased about the jobs in Northern Ireland. As for the bobbing, when I came here 10 years ago, I saw the joint gym session that we go through in these statements, particularly long ones. It is something to behold, but I suppose it keeps us all a bit fitter and a bit healthier, which has to be a good thing.

Oral Answers to Questions

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Wednesday 26th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Hilary Benn]

For the avoidance of doubt, there is no question of paying anybody any money to disband. There is no question of doing that at all. As I indicated a moment ago, for all the efforts that have been made—there is much to learn from what has worked—the fact remains, as the Independent Reporting Commission report makes clear, that many communities in Northern Ireland continue to suffer real harm because of paramilitary activities. What is the proof that those who say they are prepared to disband are doing so? The proof will be: do they end recruitment, paramilitary-style assaults, intimidation, child criminal and sexual exploitation and violence against women and girls? That is what people are experiencing today in Northern Ireland.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I want all paramilitaries off our streets for good, and I also want to see justice done for their victims. That is why I cannot quite understand why the Dublin Government are closing their eyes to the 2021 Horner judgment, which recommended inquiries in the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland. The family hearings in Omagh have brought the horror of that day to a new generation. Will the Secretary of State use his influence to call on Dublin to give the Omagh families the public inquiry they deserve and want so, so much?

[Hilary Benn]

I recognise, not least because of the commemorative hearings that have been taking place in the inquiry, that all the pain, suffering, horror and tragedy of that day have been brought to life again for the families who live with that every single day of the week. I welcome the fact that the Irish Government are committed to co-operating with the Omagh inquiry. I look forward to the signing of the memorandum of understanding. It is for the Irish Government to decide what inquiries they wish to establish in relation to events in the Republic.

High Street Businesses

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Wednesday 26th February 2025 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Desmond, and I congratulate the hon. Member for Stockton West (Matt Vickers) on setting the scene. I wish to give, as I always do, a Northern Ireland perspective to this debate. I know the Minister is eager to hear it, and I am pleased to provide it.

There are so many issues facing our local high streets; I will name just a few. There are the empty units that ultimately reduce footfall as well as consumer choice. There has been a dramatic increase in online shopping—in a couple of clicks, customers can now order nearly anything they want online. Local businesses are struggling with the high cost of energy, rent and business rates. The price of electricity and gas has to be sustainable for businesses for the future.

I want to mention two towns. Ballynahinch is a fantastic place to nip down to and do some shopping. Newtownards is the main town of the borough, where you can get everything you want in terms of home comforts and food. It has been a market town since the 1600s and I am pleased that, even today, we have the market every Saturday in Newtownards town. It brings in people from all over the Province and creates, by its very nature, a buzz around the area on the weekends.

I love to see the many independent retailers on the high streets, as they are the backbone of the economy. In Newtownards we have hairdressers, salons, fashion shops and family-run coffee shops. We have a coffee culture in Newtownards now as well. The charity shops cannot be dismissed, by the way, because there are always good products for sale. My mother was one of those people who was always keen to buy something for a pound—definitely an Ulster Scot, that’s for sure. We must continue to invest in public spaces to fill the gaps and engage further with local councils to see what more can be done to revamp business rates so that local shops can afford to stay open.

[Mr Dhesi]

After more than a decade of Tory Government neglect, the number of police community support officers has halved, and the number of special constables is down by more than two thirds since 2012. That has left places like Slough High Street plagued by an epidemic of antisocial behaviour. Does the hon. Member agree that this Government must continue to prioritise the safety of our high streets and ensure that they can thrive, especially by targeting shoplifting?

[Jim Shannon]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right—of course he is—about making sure that high streets are safe and secure. We have had a number of knife threats in shops in Newtownards, and if it had not been for the presence of the police there to stop that, it could have escalated to something very much worse.

I look to the Minister for his commitment to local businesses. I make this request of him, as I often do: will he engage directly with the Ministers in the Northern Ireland Assembly? I think it is better when we do things together. We can exchange good ideas and see how we can do things better.

Defence and Security

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 25th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

It is always a surprise not to be called last, Madam Deputy Speaker.

I welcome the Prime Minister’s statement. It has encouraged everyone in this great United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and we thank him for that. As for an increase in defence spending from 2.5% to 3%, let me gently remind the House that during the cold war it was 7%—so we have a bit to go yet to catch up, but there we are.

The new defence and security agreement with Norway is to be welcomed, but I am a great believer in ensuring, while we build new rooms in a house for new family members, that existing family members are comfortable at home with us. What discussions has the Prime Minister had with our closest ally, the United States of America, about aligning our defence strategies and solidifying the network of information-sharing?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his support. We already work closely with Norway on defence and security, and we want to enhance and strengthen that, which the bilateral relationship will do. Of course we need to work with the United States, and I will be leaving for the US tomorrow. I have already had a number of conversations with President Trump, and our teams are speaking continually about these very important matters.

Infected Blood Compensation Scheme

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Thursday 13th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Nick Thomas-Symonds]

I think I speak for the whole House in sending our sympathies to Lynda and James for the indescribable sense of loss and the experience that they have been through over so many years. The answer to my hon. Friend’s question is yes. These consolidated regulations are for the estates of infected people, but also for the affected, too. But I know, and the whole House would agree, that no amount of money can make up for that awful experience.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Minister most sincerely for his statement. Nobody in the House is not reassured by what he has said. He also referred to the regional Administrations and how this will affect them, and he has had those discussions with them. There are reports today that only 0.2% of eligible family members have been contacted about the scheme, and there are concerns that the scheme does not have the capacity to cope with the numbers of potential applicants. Can the Minister outline how he will ensure that there is capacity for all those families to have a sense of recognition and to be definite about a form of restitution?

[Nick Thomas-Symonds]

First, in terms of numbers, as I indicated, IBCA is operating a test and learn approach that then allows it to scale up. It will scale up its capacity alongside that, to ensure that it has the capacity it requires to process the claims. As I indicated, I visited IBCA last month. I can already see that scaling up starting to take place, and the hon. Member can certainly give assurance to his constituents that the Government will continue to do all we can to ensure the swift delivery of compensation.

Oral Answers to Questions

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Wednesday 12th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Peter Kyle]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Chair of the Select Committee, who raises an important point. Let us focus on what we did achieve in Paris: we signed this week the joint coalition for sustainable AI, which is to be launched this summer; we joined the initial group of countries and multilateral organisations kicking off the collaborative network of AI observatories on work; we co-sealed the statement on cyber-security with France—that also launched this week; and we signed a statement on AI and gender, as part of the global partnership for action on gender-based online harassment and abuse. A lot was achieved this week, but we will always put the national interest first. The House will know full well that this Government will always put national security first—an issue that we wanted to raise at the summit, and which prevented us from signing the overall agreement.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

When it comes to public services, one thing that bugs me, and bugs our constituents, is the difficulty of accessing GP appointments, let alone having to call at half-past 8 in the morning. What progress is being made in allowing patients to book GP appointments online, so that they are not forced to wait on the phone every morning to see a doctor when they need an appointment right away?

[Peter Kyle]

As always, I am grateful for the exchanges that the hon. Gentleman and I have in this House, which are always constructive. That issue is part of the legacy that we have inherited from the failed Tory Government of over 14 years, but I assure him that the Data (Use and Access) Bill, which has its Second Reading today, will force different parts of the NHS to finally start communicating with themselves and using interoperable data in the interests of patients.

US Steel Import Tariffs

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 11th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Alexander]

While I may not agree with that characterisation of the efficacy of the US President’s actions in recent weeks, it is a matter of record that we stand ready to work with the United States to broaden and deepen our trading and economic relationship. We are significant investors in each other’s countries, and that trading relationship matters. The previous Government abjectly failed to secure the trade deal that they promised—the big promise at the time of the Brexit referendum—but with a clear sense of the national interest, and a willingness to engage with open minds, we are ready to have this conversation with the United States.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Minister very much for his answers. The time is coming, and I hope we will have better news for the future. President Trump has been very clear that he wishes to work with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and to build on the friendship that already exists, but he is also clear that America comes first. He is a businessman, and we have to acknowledge that. What consideration has been given to addressing the tariff issue with him, and to securing a deal for our businesses? He has made it clear that he is prepared to give and take, and we have much to offer in this very special relationship that we both savour.

[Mr Alexander]

If one observes the comments made by the Chancellor last night, or by the incoming British ambassador in Washington, it is clear that we are ready to engage in a thoughtful, pragmatic way with the new Administration in Washington, and we want to broaden and deepen the trading relationship. I observe that under the first Trump presidency, bilateral trade between the United States and the United Kingdom increased, and we have ambitions to see that continue.