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 support SEND training for teachers.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is committed to providing training for teachers to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). In the new year, we will publish a white paper to build a system where every child receives the support needed to achieve and thrive.
The department has reviewed the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework. From September 2025 more content related to adaptive teaching and improving inclusivity for SEND pupils was added. The department also enhanced the requirement on providers to develop SEND training materials.
Beyond the first few years of teaching, National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are available to education professionals at all levels. In 2024 we began delivery of the mandatory NPQ for Special Educational Needs (SEN) Co-ordinators. Participants will develop the knowledge and skills needed to set the strategic direction of SEN policy and the conditions for pupils with SEND to thrive.
The department has committed to a full review of both NPQs and Early Career Teacher training, which will include a focus on SEND.
The Universal Services programme helps the school and further education workforce to identify and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND earlier and more effectively.
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 steps she is taking to support the provision of cricket clubs across local communities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to supporting grassroots cricket through its recent announcement of funding for the England and Wales Cricket Board to build two new indoor cricket domes in Farington and Luton.
This funding for cricket domes is in addition to the £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the nation which was announced following the spending review. As part of this funding, 40% of projects across the UK will be required to benefit a sport other than football, including cricket, basketball and rugby league. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans.
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding. This includes long term investment to the ECB, which receives up to £11.6 million for five years to invest in community cricket initiatives.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will ban the use of smart phones in schools.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Phones have no place in our schools, and leaders already have the power to ban phones. The department’s guidance on mobile phones in schools, published in February 2024, is clear that schools should prohibit the use of devices with smart technology throughout the school day, including during lessons, transitions and breaks. The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.
Research from the Children’s Commissioner, with responses from nearly all schools and colleges in England, shows that the overwhelming majority of schools, 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools, already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.
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 road safety outside schools.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The safety of our roads is an absolute priority for this Government.
Local authorities have a range of traffic management measures available to them to help improve safety outside schools including reducing speed limits, traffic calming, and introduction of a School Street where appropriate. On 19 November 2024 Active Travel England and the Department for Transport published joint School Streets Guidance. The guidance is available at School Streets: how to set up and manage a scheme - GOV.UK
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of the time taken for court hearings.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice published data concerning the average length of hearings in complete cases at the Crown Court as part of the Criminal Court Statistics series which is available at the following link: Criminal court statistics - GOV.UK
The average hearing time for cases completed at the Crown Court in England and Wales has fallen 14% compared to the previous year.
The Ministry of Justice does not collate hearing time information for the magistrates’ court or other jurisdictions.
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, how many children under the age of 10 have been diagnosed as deaf across the UK.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 October 2025 to Question 77507.
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 improve cadet provision in rural areas.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 September 2025 to Question 76173 to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Dr Al Pinkerton).
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 encourage more young men into education.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The department recognises that participation statistics indicate females generally have lower not in employment, education or training (NEET) rates than males in most years.
In the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, we set out a comprehensive NEET prevention package to reduce NEET numbers.
Local authorities are required to offer all young people aged 16–19 support to encourage, enable or assist them to effectively participate in education or training.
The government has introduced a new Youth Guarantee to ensure that every young person has a clear pathway into education, training, or work. We have allocated £45 million for Trailblazers in the 2025/26 financial year, with a further £45 million in 2026/27, to develop and test innovative ways to bring together local leadership and support.
The department will support the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university, regardless of their background and personal characteristics.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the provision of safe bathing water across the UK.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
To protect our waterways and the health of bathers, the Environment Agency monitors the water quality at over 400 designated beaches and inland waters across England during the bathing season. This is achieved through a robust sampling programme – as set out in law in the Bathing Water (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2025.
On 25 November, the Environment Agency published the 2025 bathing water classifications for designated bathing sites in England. 93% of sites sampled were deemed “Sufficient” of better, with 87% meeting the standards for ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ classification. This is an improvement on 2024, meaning swimmers can benefit from a higher number of better-quality bathing sites compared to last year.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on a Bill of Rights extending across the UK.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We have no plans to introduce a new Bill of Rights extending across the UK. The Human Rights Act 1998 provides human rights protections across the UK. It is an important part of our constitutional arrangements and will remain part of our law.