Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the number of schools that took part in the Youth Parliament.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to enable young people to learn about the democratic process, engage with policy and decision makers, and have a say on issues that matter to them.
UKYP is not designed to be a schools programme. We do not therefore hold data on the amount or type of school involvement.
UKYP is made up of approximately 300 Members of Youth Parliament (MYPs) aged 11-18. MYPs are elected every 2 years to represent the views of their young constituents to government and to national and local youth service providers. A small number of MYP elections are delivered by schools, who provide ongoing support to the elected young people. In most cases, MYP elections are delivered by local authorities and support for MYPs is provided by UKYP delivery partners and local youth workers.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the time taken for driving tests and MOTs.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The national average waiting time in Great Britain (GB) for a car practical driving test in November 2025 was 22 weeks.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times across GB. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests that will break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times in GB. Further information on the measures announced can be found on GOV.uk.
DVSA supervises the delivery of light vehicle MOTs in GB through its approved MOT garages. However, as these are private garages, DVSA does not collate overall average waiting time data for MOTs.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve electric vehicle charging provision.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
While transport in Northern Ireland is largely devolved to the Department for Infrastructure, the Department for Transport is supporting Northern Ireland’s transition to zero emission vehicles and has regular meetings to discuss the transition. Additionally, through Round 1 of the Levelling Up Fund, we are providing up to £3.27 million to upgrade and expand the electric vehicle charging network. Previously, two grants totalling £1.38 million were awarded under the On Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps are being taken to raise awareness in schools of the potential impact of vapes on health.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The department has included a specific reference to the dangers of vaping in the amended relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance, which was published in July. This includes the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and associated risks of vaping, the risks of illicit vapes containing drugs, and the facts about vaping, including the harms posed to young people.
To support schools to deliver this content effectively, the department’s existing suite of teacher training modules includes one on drugs, alcohol and tobacco, which makes specific reference to e-cigarettes. In addition, Oak National Academy has developed materials across the updated curriculum.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to launch the Contingent Decision route for the Civil Service Partnership Pension scheme.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
A launch date for the Partnership Contingent Decision route cannot be confirmed at this time. The Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) launched the Contingent Decision process for members who opted out of the scheme in July 2025. However, the process for members who switched to the Partnership pension scheme involves additional complexity, requiring the reconciliation of contributions between defined contribution and defined benefit arrangements.
The administration of this work will now be picked up by Capita who took over the CSPS contract on 1 December. Planning work has started to define the process and timeline.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps are being taken to ensure there are safeguards when facial recognition is being used for children.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The UK’s data protection framework is technology-neutral, with principles such as transparency, accountability and fairness applying to all technologies using personal data. In practice, organisations must be clear with people about how and why their data is being processed, only processing it where there are legitimate grounds to do so, and ensuring that any data held is accurate and up to date.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published a range of guidance, including the use of biometric recognition technologies, and the use of video surveillance, including facial recognition technology used for children. These require organisations to carry out an impact assessment when processing activities involving technologies such as LFRT are likely to result in a high risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve regional air travel.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Regional airports serve our local communities and act as a gateway to international opportunities, alongside maintaining social and family ties and strengthening the bonds between the four nations.
The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector. It is for airports to invest in their infrastructure to attract passengers and airlines, while airlines are well placed to deliver services to their customers by responding to demand for different routes.
The public service obligation (PSO) regulations enable the protection of existing domestic routes that are in danger of being lost. The government currently joint-funds three PSO routes into London from Derry/Londonderry, Newquay and Dundee.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps are being taken to improve the condition of derelict buildings in town centres.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government is committed to supporting town centre regeneration including bringing derelict buildings back into use through targeted investment. Our Pride in Place programme is delivering significant funding to help communities thrive, create vibrant town centres, and celebrate local heritage, as part of phase 1 of the programme, which included funding for Northern Ireland.
As part of Phase 2 of the programme, corresponding funding will be made available, and MHCLG and the Northern Ireland Office will work in partnership with the NI Executive to determine the appropriate delivery approach, of which further detail will provided in due course
We will continue to work closely with local partners to ensure this funding delivers lasting benefits for businesses and residents, helping to strengthen high streets and foster pride in local places.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with British Airways on reducing the number of cancelled flights.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The resilience of the UK aviation sector is key to its success. As UK aviation operates predominately in the private sector, it is the responsibility of industry to ensure appropriate contingency plans are in place to minimise potential disruption and cancellations.
My officials regularly engage with the aviation sector to discuss strategies in place to minimise disruption and cancellations and ensure resilience exists across the network to deliver for their customers. This involves regular communication with airlines, including British Airways, airports, ground handling agents and industry bodies.
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, whether he is taking steps to raise awareness of grief awareness week.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government understands the importance and significance of National Grief Awareness Week. Grief is something we will all encounter during our lives, and it’s important that grieving families and friends who have lost loved ones have access to the support they need, when they need it.
As part of National Grief Awareness Week 2025, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health met with the UK Commission on Bereavement. This was highlighted on social media, with further information available at the following link:
Furthermore, the Department chairs the cross-Government Bereavement Working Group, with representatives from over 10 departments, to consider options to improve bereavement support and services.