Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to increase the level awareness of sepsis among healthcare professionals and the public.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided in the House of Lords on 14 September in response to Question HL2897.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that veterans are aware of the services available to them and kept informed of the support they can access.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
The Government is committed to ensuring that veterans across the UK have easier access to the essential care and support that is available to them.
Over £26 million of development funding for VALOUR-recognised centres (VRC) has been allocated in two rounds of funding, with the second round of funding recently announced. £13.2 million will be distributed to 21 organisations across the UK to give veterans and their families easier access to healthcare, jobs and housing, ensuring the right support, in the right place at the right time.
This builds on the fourteen VRC announced earlier in the year, including Brooke House Health and Well-being Centre in Northern Ireland which was awarded £1 million in March.
Alongside this, the VALOUR Campaign Site has launched to help veterans and their families find their nearest VRC, access MOD Veterans Services, and explain the breadth of support available across the UK.
A new digital service will also be introduced for VALOUR, aiming to offer as many options as possible to help veterans and their families find the right support, especially for those unable to travel to a VRC.
VALOUR staff will maintain and evolve existing stakeholder networks within NI and across the country, improving collaboration, coordination, and access to services for veterans, enabling data-driven policy and service development to ensure that services are designed to meet local needs.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to tackle antisemitism in cultural institutions.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The government is taking decisive action to tackle antisemitism across cultural institutions.
We are working with Arts Council England (ACE) on an independent audit into how allegations of antisemitism are handled by ACE and where the system needs to be strengthened. The auditor has been instructed to begin work and more details will be made public in due course. In addition, we are strengthening the Charity Commission’s ability to tackle extremism - including antisemitism - in charities with new powers to disqualify people who promote or encourage racial or religious hatred.
Furthermore, in June 2026, DCMS announced a £1.1 million investment package, which includes a £1 million grant to help the Jewish Museum London establish its new temporary premises and support for Manchester Jewish Museum’s ongoing community outreach amidst rising security costs. We are also working with DfE on a schools pilot to engage pupils with Jewish cultural organisations, building lasting relationships and increasing understanding of British Jewish heritage.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the protection of religious minorities and the restoration of communities in Sudan.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to press the warring parties to protect civilians of all faiths and none, to comply with international humanitarian law and allow unimpeded humanitarian access to all communities across Sudan. In October, the UK led efforts alongside partners in the UK-established Coalition for Atrocity Prevention and Justice for Sudan to renew the UN Fact-Finding Mission's mandate to investigate human rights violations and abuses across Sudan. We also support Sudanese human rights defenders to collect evidence of atrocities, helping lay the foundations for accountability and justice.
Our work to advance freedom of religion and belief is embedded in our broader support for independent civilian actors and for open civic space in Sudan. The UK supports efforts to bring a diverse range of Sudanese voices into inclusive political dialogue, including religious minorities, and as part of this we have met with Sudanese Christian leaders.
The UK is providing £146 million of assistance to Sudan this year, making us the third largest humanitarian donor. Non-discrimination is embedded throughout the design and delivery of UK-funded programming. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office programmes are required to consider equality and inclusion, identify risks of exclusion or unintended harm, and put appropriate mitigations in place to ensure assistance is delivered according to need and does not reinforce discrimination.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK-Israel relationship, particularly regarding trade and energy security.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to support important and valued trade with Israel within its internationally recognised borders. The UK Government continues to use our range of diplomatic tools and bilateral dialogues with the Government of Israel to discuss issues of mutual interest.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of measures to reduce child poverty in Northern Ireland; and what steps he is taking with the Northern Ireland Executive to improve household incomes, reduce child material deprivation and ensure that eligible families receive the financial support available to them.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Reducing child poverty requires coordinated action across UK government, devolved governments, and regional and local government where different policy levers sit. Devolved governments have set out their own approaches, reflecting different policy choices and contexts. These are complemented by the UK-wide Strategy and contribute to the shared evidence base on what works.
This approach recognises the devolved context, where devolved governments hold responsibilities and have their own strategies and priorities for tackling child poverty, and focuses on alignment and shared learning. We will continue to work with devolved governments including the Northern Ireland Executive, including through the Four Nations Group on Child Poverty.
The Department assesses the effectiveness of its measures to reduce child poverty through the monitoring and evaluation arrangements set out in the Child Poverty Strategy Monitoring and Evaluation Baseline Report: Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty: Monitoring and Evaluation - Baseline Report - GOV.UK.
Our UK wide Child Poverty Strategy sets out immediate action to reduce child poverty while delivering the foundations for long-term change. This includes removing the Universal Credit two-child limit, which the Northern Ireland Executive has also chosen to mirror, and across the UK is expected to lift 450,000 children out of relative poverty in the final year of this Parliament.
Taken alongside other measures, the strategy will lift 550,000 children out of poverty in 2029/30. The measures in the Strategy are expected to lead to the largest reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began
We worked closely with the Northern Ireland Executive during the development of the Child Poverty Strategy, and will continue to engage with the Northern Ireland Executive as part of its ongoing delivery.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to raise awareness of preventative security measures and encourage households to better secure oil tanks.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Households can help themselves by putting in place preventive physical security measures, which can reduce the costs and disruption associated with security incidents and help maintain confidence.
The police publish specific advice at The police publish specific advice at https://www.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/protect-home-crime/oil-tank-theft/ on practical and preventive steps households can take to protect domestic oil tanks from theft, such as installing appropriate locks, security lighting, alarms, and CCTV.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tackle antisemitism within schools and universities.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Tackling antisemitism in schools, colleges and universities is a job for us all. This government will root out antisemitism wherever we find it. The government has accepted all 27 recommendations from the Bell Review, including encouraging schools and colleges to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, providing dedicated training for leaders, improving the reporting and recording of antisemitic incidents, and developing resources to help staff identify and challenge antisemitism. Key guidance will be strengthened, including Keeping Children Safe in Education, and schools and colleges will receive further support to discuss sensitive geopolitical issues and respond to complex cases.
The government is also clear that antisemitic abuse has no place on university campuses. The Office for Students' E6 condition of registration requires providers to have effective measures in place to address harassment. The department continues to work closely with universities and the Union of Jewish Students, including funding training to improve understanding of antisemitism and support effective responses to incidents on campus.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure access to apprenticeships and provide good employment options for young men.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 October 2026 to Question UIN 33619.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department will take to support further marine research and seagrass restoration in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Sarah Owen - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)
Marine research is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. The UK Government will continue to work collaboratively with the Executive on these issues as and when needed, but specific queries regarding policy delivery in this area are a matter for Northern Ireland Ministers.