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 with her counterparts in the devolved Administrations to promote staycations.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
While tourism in Wales, Scotland and Ireland is devolved to the respective Governments and tourism bodies, VisitBritain retains responsibility for marketing Great Britain on the international stage. Its GREAT-funded international marketing campaign launched at the beginning of this year. ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ uses the hook of Britain’s rich film and television history to encourage more international visitors to explore across Great Britain. Staycations are by definition the responsibility of the devolved Administrations.
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 assessment he has made of the potential impact of cannabis use on risk of heart disease death.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to reducing the harm from all illicit drugs. Any illegal drug use, including cannabis, can be harmful, due to both the immediate side-effects and long-term physical and mental health problems. It can, for some, have a negative impact on their fertility. Cannabis use can also contribute to and exacerbate existing mental health problems or can accelerate their development in people predisposed to mental health problems.
There are various studies on the potential impact of cannabis use on the risk of heart disease death. The study, Cardiovascular risk associated with the use of cannabis and cannabinoids: a systematic review and meta-analysis, was recently carried out and published in the British Medical Journal’s Heart journal where findings revealed positive associations between cannabis use and major adverse cardiovascular events.
More information on the impact cannabis has on health can be found on the National Health Service website and Talk to FRANK, the Government’s drugs information and advice service. The Talk to FRANK website also has basic harm reduction advice and details of drug treatment services and support organisations.
We know that drug treatment is protective, and the number of places in treatment for people who use non-opiate drugs, including cannabis, is being increased by 30,000 compared to 2021/22, including 5,000 more places for young people in treatment. The number of people in England receiving treatment for problems with cannabis use increased from 63,854 in 2021/22 to 74,931 in 2023/24.
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 representations he has made to his Pakistani counterpart on people imprisoned under blasphemy laws for exercising religious beliefs in that country.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government remains deeply concerned by the misuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan, particularly where they are used to target individuals for peacefully exercising their religion or belief. We regularly raise this issue at senior levels, urging Pakistani authorities to uphold due process, ensure fair trials, and protect those at risk. In March and June 2025, I raised concerns about freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) with Pakistani ministers. Working with the UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, we are committed to championing the right to FoRB for all around the world - promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral organisations, our bilateral work, and our programme funding.
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 support people who served in Operation Banner.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
We owe the people who served on Operation Banner a huge debt of gratitude. Their professionalism and in many cases personal sacrifices saved many lives and helped to bring about peace in Northern Ireland. I will continue to champion their cause as we deal with Northern Ireland’s legacy. We are working hard to ensure that veterans’ interests are fully considered in any future legislation on this matter.
I am acutely aware of the impact that military service can have on veterans and their families. Where a veteran (or serving member of the Armed Forces) faces allegations arising from activities related to their duties, they are offered appropriate legal support at public expense.
The Veterans Welfare Service (VWS), run by the Ministry of Defence, provides free one-to-one support for veterans or anyone supporting a veteran, and their families, with a national network of welfare managers across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
More broadly, in England, Op COURAGE provides support with mental health and wellbeing for veterans, and Op RESTORE is the veterans’ physical health and wellbeing service, with similar services available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Housing support is available across the United Kingdom via Op FORTITUDE, a single referral pathway connecting veterans with support
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many physical attacks there have been on judges in the last five years.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Secretary of State for Justice regards Judicial Office Holders’ safety with great importance. There are robust security and safety systems at court/tribunals to protect all court users and the department works with the Police and Judicial Office to deliver effective judicial security outside of court and online.
Physical attacks on Judicial Office holders are incredibly rare. There have been two instances in the past five years. When serious incidents such as these do occur, they are subject to robust investigations to ensure lessons are learnt to prevent recurrence and ensure all security and safety risks are managed to as low a level as reasonably practicable. Over £20m in additional funding in 25/26 has been allocated to a programme of works to further strengthen existing physical and online security arrangements.
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 assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of short-term funding grants on the ability of drug treatment services to (a) provide long term care and (b) retain staff.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug or alcohol problem can access the help and support they need, and we recognise the need for greater certainty regarding funding and the ability to set clear budgets.
Local authorities are responsible for assessing local need for alcohol and drug prevention and treatment in their area, and for commissioning services to meet these needs. It is also the responsibility of local authorities to set the length of the contracts with services.
To better support upper tier and unitary local authorities’ vital public health work, from 2026/27 we will bring together over £4 billion of public health funding for local government, by consolidating service specific grants into the Public Health Grant. It is our intention to publish indicative Public Health Grant funding alongside the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year, with final multi-year local authority Public Health Grant allocations published early in the new year. This will give local authorities more advanced notice of their total funding allocations, further empowering them to plan more effectively and better manage their services.
Alongside the funding allocations, the Department and NHS England have also published a 10-year strategic plan for the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce, from 2024 to 2034, which is the first national workforce plan for this specialist part of the health workforce in England and outlines key milestones to grow, train, and develop staff.
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 proportion of drug treatment services have fewer than 24 months of secured funding.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug or alcohol problem can access the help and support they need, and we recognise the need for greater certainty regarding funding and the ability to set clear budgets.
Local authorities are responsible for assessing local need for alcohol and drug prevention and treatment in their area, and for commissioning services to meet these needs. It is also the responsibility of local authorities to set the length of the contracts with services.
To better support upper tier and unitary local authorities’ vital public health work, from 2026/27 we will bring together over £4 billion of public health funding for local government, by consolidating service specific grants into the Public Health Grant. It is our intention to publish indicative Public Health Grant funding alongside the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year, with final multi-year local authority Public Health Grant allocations published early in the new year. This will give local authorities more advanced notice of their total funding allocations, further empowering them to plan more effectively and better manage their services.
Alongside the funding allocations, the Department and NHS England have also published a 10-year strategic plan for the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce, from 2024 to 2034, which is the first national workforce plan for this specialist part of the health workforce in England and outlines key milestones to grow, train, and develop staff.
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 ensure that teachers are adequately trained to deal with students with ADHD.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
High-quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, including those with neurodivergent conditions such as ADHD, and we are committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers.
The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and this is embedded in teacher training. From September 2025, all new teachers will benefit from 3 years of evidence-based training through the revised initial teacher training and early career framework. This has significantly more content related to supporting pupils with SEND, including content adapted from the new national professional qualification for special educational needs co-ordinators.
To ensure ongoing review, the department’s Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group brings together experts to make recommendations on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings. Additionally, the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national, cross-governmental programme, backed by £22 million of investment, which deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children in mainstream primary schools.
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 assessment he has made of the potential merits of using nano needles to detect cancers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department looks at opportunities to utilise technology to improve diagnostic performance and bring down cancer waiting times. We are committed to backing an innovative clinical research ecosystem in the United Kingdom so that patients can be among the first to benefit as we make the National Health Service fit for the future.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has not currently made a specific assessment of the potential merits of using nanoneedles to detect cancers.
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 she is taking to help tackle organised crime.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government is committed to tackling Serious and Organised Crime (SOC). SOC is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK. It costs lives, blights communities, hampers economic growth, and corrodes the global reputation of the UK and its institutions.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) plays a pivotal role in disrupting SOC and In November last year the Prime Minister announced an additional £58m to the Agency’s core budget in 2025/26 to support NCA’s disruptions of serious and organised crime. This represents an increase of 9% from their 2024/25 core budget.
In addition, on 11 June 2025, the Chancellor announced up to £280 million per year for the Border Security Command by the end of the spending review period in 2028-2029. We’ve boosted the NCA’s capacity to tackle organised immigration crime by funding 100 new specialist officers, bringing the total dedicated FTE close to 500.
We have also introduced the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill to bring forward new laws to protect the UK border and our communities. This includes a series of measures to enhance the effectiveness of SCPOs, including a new Interim Serious Crime Prevention Order (ISCPO), which will speed up the process for placing restrictions on suspects to prevent, disrupt and restrict serious crime. The Bill also brings forward new criminal offences related to the possession and supply of articles used in serious crime, targeting those who enable or facilitate such activity. (SOC articles included are vehicle concealments, pill presses and templates for 3D printed firearms components).