Humanitarian Situation in Sudan
Debate between Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Jim Shannon(3 weeks ago)
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Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
I appreciate the opportunity to serve under your chairship, Dr Huq. I thank the hon. Member for Huddersfield (Harpreet Uppal) for setting the scene so very well. She made an excellent speech that encapsulated all the ideas; I thank her very much for that. As always, it is a pleasure to see the Minister in her place. We are very fortunate to have a Minister who is very responsive and who understands the issues of human rights and persecution. I very much look forward to her contribution.
As chair of the all-party parliamentary group for international freedom of religion or belief, I find the situation in Sudan to be of the utmost concern. I have spoken about this issue many times—indeed, there was an urgent question in the main Chamber just last week, to which the Minister replied. The hon. Member for Birmingham Perry Barr (Ayoub Khan) and others have referred to the Christians who are suffering unbelievable human rights abuses, persecution and unspeakable violence; the situation is incomprehensible. As a Christian, I pray for my brothers and sisters, as I have done every morning of my life; this morning before I left the hotel, I prayed for Sudan.
We must do more to support those being persecuted. It is great to be here to represent them and to get that point across. One of the things that disturbs me greatly, as it does us all—it is incomprehensible—is the sexual violence. I can never understand why that is done, but I think I can understand the horror that the women and girls are made to endure by those with guns and strength. I hope the Minister will tell us what can be done to help those women and girls who are subjected to the greatest of violence.
The recent events in Sudan are horrendous, most notably the bombing of three churches in El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces last month. That resulted in the death of five people, including Father Luka Jomo, the parish priest of the Roman Catholic church, and left many more injured. The RSF also seized two major camps for internally displaced persons, Abu Shouk and Zamzam, which house more than 700,000 people and have now been militarised. I hope the Minister can tell us what is happening in those two camps seized by the military, where 700,000 people are subject to whatever the RSF want to do to them.
The RSF’s repeated attacks on places of worship and systematic pressure on Christians to convert to Islam during the ongoing conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces are deeply troubling. Both parties have committed violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including attacks on vulnerable civilians seeking refuge in churches.
While fighting between the SAF and RSF has intensified in Darfur and Omdurman, targeted attacks on churches have continued since the civil conflict began in April 2023. Both armed factions were accused of desecrating religious spaces during military operations. They show an absolute disregard for church buildings and the right of people to worship their God if they so wish; they attack the sacraments in some churches, particularly Roman Catholic ones. There is the destruction of houses, of the community, of economic opportunity and jobs. All those things are happening. Many of us think that Sudan is the place that the world has forgotten. It disturbs us greatly.
Mr Dhesi
The hon. Member is making a powerful speech. In August last year, the third official famine declaration of the 21st century was made in the Zamzam displacement camp in north Darfur. This year, it is projected that 65% of the Sudanese population will require humanitarian support. Does the hon. Member agree that the scale of human suffering in Sudan is unconscionable, and that ensuring access to aid should be a priority for the UK Government and international partners, to avert further death and suffering for the millions in Sudan?
Jim Shannon
I certainly do, and I commend the hon. Gentleman on raising that issue. As I and others will reiterate, he is absolutely right that the priority is to reduce the level of suffering. As he rightly says, this is unconscionable, but our Minister and Government, in partnership with other countries, have an opportunity to do more.
Furthermore, Christian communities displaced by Sudan’s civil war have faced restrictions on worshipping in refugee areas. As both a Christian and the chair of the APPG for international freedom of religion or belief, that greatly disturbs me. In Wadi Halfa, a town in the Northern state, displaced Christians were blocked last year from holding a Christmas service in a public park, where they had taken shelter, as they had been internally displaced and moved away from the violence.
Pastor Mugadam Shraf Aldin Hassan of the United Church of Smyrna said at the time that officials told the congregation they needed written permission to conduct Christian activities in a Muslim area, despite prior verbal approval from national security officers. There had been an agreement, but radicals with extreme ideas decided that they would not let it happen. Again, perhaps the Minister can give us some idea of what can be done to help our brothers and sisters in the Christian communities out there who are subjected to this each and every day.
High Street Businesses
Debate between Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Jim Shannon(5 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Desmond, and I congratulate the hon. Member for Stockton West (Matt Vickers) on setting the scene. I wish to give, as I always do, a Northern Ireland perspective to this debate. I know the Minister is eager to hear it, and I am pleased to provide it.
There are so many issues facing our local high streets; I will name just a few. There are the empty units that ultimately reduce footfall as well as consumer choice. There has been a dramatic increase in online shopping—in a couple of clicks, customers can now order nearly anything they want online. Local businesses are struggling with the high cost of energy, rent and business rates. The price of electricity and gas has to be sustainable for businesses for the future.
I want to mention two towns. Ballynahinch is a fantastic place to nip down to and do some shopping. Newtownards is the main town of the borough, where you can get everything you want in terms of home comforts and food. It has been a market town since the 1600s and I am pleased that, even today, we have the market every Saturday in Newtownards town. It brings in people from all over the Province and creates, by its very nature, a buzz around the area on the weekends.
I love to see the many independent retailers on the high streets, as they are the backbone of the economy. In Newtownards we have hairdressers, salons, fashion shops and family-run coffee shops. We have a coffee culture in Newtownards now as well. The charity shops cannot be dismissed, by the way, because there are always good products for sale. My mother was one of those people who was always keen to buy something for a pound—definitely an Ulster Scot, that’s for sure. We must continue to invest in public spaces to fill the gaps and engage further with local councils to see what more can be done to revamp business rates so that local shops can afford to stay open.
Mr Dhesi
After more than a decade of Tory Government neglect, the number of police community support officers has halved, and the number of special constables is down by more than two thirds since 2012. That has left places like Slough High Street plagued by an epidemic of antisocial behaviour. Does the hon. Member agree that this Government must continue to prioritise the safety of our high streets and ensure that they can thrive, especially by targeting shoplifting?
Jim Shannon
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right—of course he is—about making sure that high streets are safe and secure. We have had a number of knife threats in shops in Newtownards, and if it had not been for the presence of the police there to stop that, it could have escalated to something very much worse.
I look to the Minister for his commitment to local businesses. I make this request of him, as I often do: will he engage directly with the Ministers in the Northern Ireland Assembly? I think it is better when we do things together. We can exchange good ideas and see how we can do things better.
Global Combat Air Programme
Debate between Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Jim Shannon
Mr Dhesi
The hon. Gentleman is a member of the Intelligence and Security Committee, and indeed a former defence spokesman for the Liberal Democrats. Having extra partners on board can be very beneficial, as it can share the cost burden and enhance our export possibilities. However, as the Committee rightly noted, having additional partners will require careful consideration. Under no circumstances should we allow that to jeopardise the 2035 target date, because that could have serious cost implications for the Exchequer.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
I thank the Chair of the Defence Committee for his statement today. In the statement, he referred to the demand for skilled workers. On Friday, I had the opportunity to meet Unite and GMB in relation to the airspace sector in Northern Ireland, where the Chair will be aware a skilled workforce already exists. What discussions are being held with this sector in Northern Ireland to transfer the global combat air programme skills through both smaller and larger operations and contracts?
Mr Dhesi
As always, the hon. Gentleman asks an excellent question. Having a robust defence industrial base is vital, as is having a skilled workforce. As I mentioned, our report calls for a holistic approach to recruitment and retention. The Committee has had various meetings with union representatives, and we feel it is very important to retain our existing Typhoon workforce, wherever that may be in the UK. I am sure my right hon. Friend the Minister will have heard the hon. Gentleman’s comments about Northern Ireland.
Primary School Breakfast Clubs
Debate between Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Jim Shannon(8 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Mr Dhesi
My hon. Friend makes an excellent point about the importance of free breakfast clubs in getting rid of the stigma.
One in 10 young people lives in a household classed as food insecure. During the covid pandemic, pupils from families using food banks attained, on average, GCSE grades half a grade lower than their peers. We know that working people are facing some of the toughest economic conditions in decades. The price of essentials has skyrocketed, childcare has become a luxury for many, and many parents feel as though they have been left out in the cold as they continue to do their level best to give their children a better future.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. There is such a crowd in the Chamber because we all agree with him.
Northern Ireland launched the extended schools programme in May 2006. Since then, some £167 million has been given to the most disadvantaged areas to offer a wide range of services, including free breakfast clubs, and it has been successful. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the Government and Parliament must provide greater central funding to ensure that all UK schools can offer free breakfast clubs to give children a good breakfast to boost their energy levels for the day? Quite simply, hungry children do not learn.
Mr Dhesi
I fully agree with the hon. Gentleman. He is right both to highlight Northern Ireland and to make the wider point. He is a regular feature of Adjournment debates, and I feel honoured that he has intervened on me.
The Minister and the Government need only see the number of Members in the Chamber at half-past 9, here to speak on behalf of their constituents and underline the importance of universal breakfast clubs. The Institute for Fiscal Studies reports that families whose children use breakfast clubs five days a week during term time save a staggering £760, which is a significant saving for working parents. With the roll-out of funded breakfast clubs, imagine the money that could remain in the pockets of working families in Slough and beyond.
Democracy in Bangladesh
Debate between Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Jim Shannon(11 months ago)
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