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 help reduce tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan; and what steps he is taking to promote respect for freedom of religion or belief in efforts to secure a peaceful resolution.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK welcomes the conclusion of negotiations on a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and urges both sides to sign the agreement as soon as possible in the interest of lasting peace and stability in the region. We remain ready to support further progress wherever it may be helpful. The recent meeting between the leaders in Tirana marked a positive step forward, and we continue to encourage peaceful dialogue to address the remaining challenges. I reiterated this message during my engagements with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in April, as well as with Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister, Yalchin Rafiyev, on 30 April. The Foreign Secretary also conveyed this message during his phone call with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister on 17 June.
The UK Government remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief globally.
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 he is taking to promote public awareness of (a) sarcoma and (b) its symptoms.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Hon. Member on 23 January 2025 to Question 24851.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on fitting military vehicles with direct energy weapons to help protect from swarm drone attacks.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This Government has announced nearly £1 billion in further investment for Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) to bring these capabilities into service, including a new DEW for the British Army by the end of the decade.
We have recently completed trials of both radio frequency and laser DEW demonstrators mounted on British Army vehicles, putting DEW in the hands of the warfighter so we can learn from their experience and shape the development of future systems. This included the first use of DEW by the Army to counter drone swarms as part of live testing against targets.
DragonFire, our high energy laser for Type 45 destroyers, recently completed a trial that saw us fire 300 times, proving consistency and reliability, and included 30 drone defeats and firings in adverse weather conditions. This is critical to system development, meeting our plan to put it into service from 2027.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has any plans to upgrade cannabis to a class A controlled substance.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government has no current plans to review the classification of cannabis.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of seizures of cocaine at (a) ports and (b) airports on the supply of the drug.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
In 2023/24, 28.3 tonnes of powder cocaine was seized by police and Border Force in England and Wales. This was an increase from 18.6 tonnes the previous year and the largest recorded quantity of cocaine seized since the time series began in 1973.
However, serious criminals are constantly developing their approaches to traffic cocaine into the UK in response to our efforts at the border. This includes changing their trafficking routes and evolving their methodologies to evade detection, for example, diversifying importation methods through at-sea-drop-offs.
We therefore recognise that we must continue to adapt our strategy and work more closely with law enforcement partners upstream to stop cocaine trafficking at source and all across the supply chain, targeting the gangs responsible, and bringing them to justice. Officials will continue to assess the impact of global drug trafficking on the UK and implement new approaches to respond to this threat.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help improve HMRC investigation times.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As part of our transformation of HMRC, we are improving our compliance learning offer to build the capability of both new trainees and established colleagues. Our Compliance Professional Standards reinforce that all colleagues should be mindful to avoid unnecessary delay in dealing with cases and keep customers informed throughout the compliance activity.
HMRC’s new Interactive Compliance Guidance tool, launched in April 2025, is designed to help businesses and individuals understand HMRC compliance checks, improving our support for customers. This promotes a better experience for the customer.
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 recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of trials of a test designed to identify pregnant women at risk of miscarriage; and whether his Department plans to roll this out on the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to considering the latest research and evidence that will improve the experiences and outcomes for women at risk of miscarriage.
The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is currently funding a £1 million award focused on a device that delivers vital doses of progesterone to women with threatened miscarriage. If approved, this would become the world’s first drug-device combination product to treat threatened miscarriage. The new technology could help over 150,000 women in the United Kingdom who experience threatened miscarriage each year.
Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage and Research at the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire is piloting a new test to identify women with an abnormal womb lining that increases their risk of miscarriage. We will carefully consider the findings of this pilot when it concludes.
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 recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of making Apolipoprotein M available through the NHS on the prevention of macular degeneration.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made an assessment. There are no approved medicinal products in the United Kingdom with apolipoprotein M, and there is no specifically approved product for macular degeneration that is known to act mainly by increasing apolipoprotein M.
If a company were to develop such a medicine, they would need to apply for a licence to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The medicine would be assessed for safety, quality, and efficacy before it could be granted a marketing authorisation in order to be appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for routine National Health Service use.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of trends in the level of the cost of travel insurance abroad for people diagnosed with cancer.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Insurers make commercial decisions about the terms on which they will offer cover following an assessment of the relevant risks. For example, the existence of pre-existing medical conditions may represent an increased risk.
However, the Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive). The FCA is clear that it monitors firms to ensure they provide products that are fair value, and, where necessary, it will take action.
It is worth noting that different insurers may take a different view of the relevant factors in determining the price of insurance based on their differing claims experience. Since some specialist travel insurers may be more equipped to provide cover for consumers with pre-existing medical conditions, the government would encourage consumers to shop around for the most suitable cover at the best price.
To support consumers in accessing travel insurance, the FCA also requires travel insurers to signpost consumers to a directory of specialist providers if they are declined cover, offered cover with an exclusion, or charged a significantly higher premium based on their pre-existing medical conditions.
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 assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of anti-conversion laws in India.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is firmly committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all, as a fundamental human right. We are aware of concerns regarding anti-conversion laws in India, and their potential impact on religious minorities. Where issues arise, we raise them directly with the Government of India, both at national and state levels. Our diplomatic network across India monitor developments closely.