Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the potential economic benefits of increased investment in regional infrastructure projects.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy is core to delivering the government’s mission to boost living standards in every part of the UK, by funding at least £725 billion for infrastructure over the next decade. This is creating and connecting people to good jobs, supporting new housing and neighbourhoods, ensuring people can depend on vital public services and providing resilience in response to a changing world.
On Tuesday 17 March we announced new City Investment Funds which will provide up to £2.3 billion of new grant, loan, and patient capital funding, going directly into hands of mayors of the largest city regions in the North of England and the Midlands to deliver city densification at a local level, and to address viability gaps. City Investment Funds will bring together financing tools for five Mayoral Strategic Authorities in the North including West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
The government is also rolling out targeted local growth funding across the UK. Northern Ireland will receive a total of £45.5m per year of local growth funding over the next three years to invest in key growth priorities.
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 her Department is taking to help ensure equitable digital connectivity across the UK.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Our ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030 and we have a target to deliver gigabit broadband to 99% of UK premises by 2032. Both go further than just the largest towns and cities, to help ensure equitable access to digital connectivity across the UK.
Standalone 5G connectivity is being delivered by the three mobile network operators, who have each committed significant investment and made coverage commitments which align with the Government’s ambition. Alongside the commercial rollout of standalone 5G, Government’s Shared Rural Network programme continues to deliver 4G coverage in areas where there is little or no coverage currently, with delivery continuing to January 2027.
Gigabit-capable broadband is delivered by the market where it is commercially viable and the Government subsidises delivery to harder to reach premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans through Project Gigabit. We also continue to monitor and support market development for alternative solutions to deliver quality broadband connectivity to more remote premises.
To support both the rollout of fixed and mobile networks, Government continues to work to identify and address barriers to deployment where practical to do so.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide additional funding to support schools in introducing digital literacy programmes for pupils aged 11 to 16.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and this response relates to state-funded schools in England only.
On 5 November 2025, the government issued the response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, setting out the changes that will be made to the national curriculum, as well as reforms to qualifications. To ensure students develop the essential digital literacy skills needed for future life and work, the refreshed curriculum, due for first teaching in September 2028, will provide greater clarity on what should be taught at each key stage.
The department continues to invest in the National Centre for Computing Education, supporting teachers to confidently teach topics such as digital literacy through the provision of free online courses and resources. This includes a free online course supporting secondary subject leaders to understand what digital literacy is and to integrate it across subjects.
The core schools budget is also increasing by £1.7 billion in 2026/27, which includes funding for special educational needs and disabilities reforms announced within the Schools White Paper.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with financial institutions on improving access to affordable credit for small businesses.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to ensuring that small businesses across the UK can access the finance they need to start, grow and thrive. Treasury ministers, including me in my capacity as Economic Secretary, regularly meet with both traditional and newer banks, and wider market actors across the financial services sector, to discuss a range of matters.
The chief focus of this Government is growth, and the financial services sector clearly has an important role to play in supporting the real economy. The UK benefits here from a diverse range of high-street banks, specialist lenders and fintechs, supported by Government policies such as Commercial Credit Data Sharing and British Business Bank programmes, for example the Growth Guarantee Scheme and Community ENABLE Funding. In the Spending Review last year, the Treasury gave the British Business Bank a significant uplift of £6.6 billion, increasing the Bank’s total financial capacity to £25.6 billion. This settlement represents a major expansion of the Bank’s ability to support SME finance, crowd in private investment, and deliver new programmes such as Industrial Strategy Growth Capital and expanded regional and sectoral funds.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of levels of teacher recruitment in STEM subjects in the last academic year.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The department is seeing real progress. On top of an increase of 2,346 teachers (full-time equivalent) in secondary and special schools between 2023/24 and 2024/25, the future pipeline is also looking positive. New entrants to training in physics are up 37% this year, computing up 46%, and maths up by 18%. In total, the data shows an increase of 22% in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, exceeding the STEM target for the first time since it was introduced in 2019.
The department set out plans for an additional 6,500 teachers in our delivery plan, published last month alongside the Schools White Paper, available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6995de6aa58a315dbe72bf7c/6500_additional_teachers_delivery_plan_print_ready_version.pdf.
We are continuing to offer bursaries worth £29,000 tax-free and scholarships worth up to £31,000 tax-free to encourage more talented people to train to teach key STEM subjects. We are also offering a targeted retention incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for teachers of the same STEM subjects in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools.
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 assessment she has made of the adequacy of broadband infrastructure in rural communities.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Gigabit-capable broadband is now available to 86% of UK premises, as reported by Ofcom’s Connected Nations Report (2025), and we continue to work towards the target of nationwide coverage by 2032.
Project Gigabit is the government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. Delivering the speeds associated with gigabit-capable broadband ensures the UK network is prepared for the future, with the ability to handle increased demand and new technology developments.
As of the end of December 2025, over 1.3 million premises in rural and hard to reach communities across the UK had been upgraded to gigabit-capable broadband through government-funded programmes. More than one million premises are included within £2.4 billion worth of signed Project Gigabit contracts.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of inflation on low-income households.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises inflation can place particular pressure on low-income households. Analysis from the Office for National Statistics shows that lower-income households spend a larger share of their income on essentials such as food, energy and housing.
The Government is committed to bearing down on inflationary pressures and cutting the cost of living.
Alongside this, the Government is going further to support those who need it most by removing the two-child limit in Universal Credit, increasing the National Living Wage, and committing to the pensions Triple Lock for the duration of this Parliament. The Government has also expanded the £150 Warm Home Discount to a total of 6 million lower-income households, and is expanding free school meals to children in households receiving Universal Credit in England.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to improve cooperation between law enforcement agencies in tackling cross-border criminal activity.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office works closely with domestic and international partners to strengthen cooperation between law enforcement agencies in tackling cross‑border criminal activity. This includes supporting UK law enforcement’s use of established international frameworks and operational channels, including the UK’s arrangements with the European Union under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, as well as cooperation through organisations such as Europol and INTERPOL.
In line with the Common Understanding agreed at the 2025 UK‑EU Summit, the Department is continuing to build on the strong existing relationship with EU partners to improve practical cooperation against international criminality. This includes improved data‑exchange and operational capabilities, such as strengthened biometrics and criminal records sharing.
The Home Office also continues to develop bilateral and multilateral agreements with international partners to further improve law enforcement and judicial cooperation, where there is a need to do so, ensuring that UK law enforcement agencies are well equipped to prevent, investigate and disrupt criminal activity that operates across borders.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's measures to tackle organised crime.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling SOC in all its forms in line with the priorities we have set out on crime and policing and security, including the Safer Streets mission and border security. Due to the nature of the threat from SOC requires a whole system approach in tackling it.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) plays a pivotal role in leading the operational response at the national and international level, protecting the public by targeting and pursuing criminals who pose the greatest risk to the UK. That is why as part of the recent Spending Review, the Government has increased the NCA core budget by £120m from 2025/26 to 2026/27, to ensure that the Agency is well-equipped to tackle SOC. A review of the effectiveness and efficiency of NCA by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services is underway and will be published later in the Spring.
As set out in the Government’s Police Reform White Paper, the Department will further strengthen the response to SOC and other threats by creating a National Police Service (NPS). The NPS will bring together the NCA, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) and the national facing capabilities of ROCUs. This will create a stronger, more coherent centre, delivering real benefit to the public. It will also improve efficiency and increase productivity, saving money to reinvest in local policing.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help support police forces in addressing rural crime.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Our police reforms will end the postcode lottery of provision by setting central targets, increasing transparency so people can see how their force is performing, and taking robust action where forces are not performing.
With our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee every neighbourhood, rural or urban, now gets a named contactable officer and a response to non-urgent queries in 72 hours.
Every rural area will be covered by a Local Policing Area under a commander responsible for emergency response, local crime investigation and neighbourhood policing. They will be set targets to ensure they answer 90% of 999 calls within 10 seconds and attend 90% of the most serious incidents within 15 minutes in urban area or 20 minutes in rural areas.
We are ensuring forces have the tools and resources they need to deal with rural crime like equipment theft and livestock rustling. We are on track to deliver an additional 3,000 neighbourhood officers by March.
We are equipping those officers with tougher measures to clamp down on equipment theft and anti-social behaviour, and to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping. We are finally implementing the Equipment Theft Act, which will make it harder to steal All-Terrain Vehicles and GPS units used in an agricultural setting and easier for the police to identify the owners when such items are recovered.
We are ensuring the police have the capability to pursue the organised criminal gangs behind some rural crime. This financial year the Home Office has provided the first Government funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (£365,000) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (£450,000) to help them target organised crime groups stealing farm equipment and to disrupt networks exploiting endangered species in the UK and abroad.