Speeches by Shannon.

“I commend the hon. Lady for bringing this issue forward. First, there is an anomaly—there are two and a half times more self-employed men than women, with jobs and opportunities. Women have the skills and the talent, but one of the things that holds them back is childcare. It does not matter where someone is in this gr…”

“First, Chair, I wish you and the newly elected Backbench Business Committee members all the best for the future. I suspect, if God spares me over the next few years, that you will see lots of me. This application is for a debate that, had the election not been called on that Thursday, I was due to have then, but becaus…”

“They are both from the Labour party. It is about ascertaining who the Members on the Conservative side and what their interests are. The Chair has said he wants those named to participate in the debates, so I am conscious of having to ascertain names. We are trying to add a Conservative to that at the moment, and we wa…”

“You know me—I am happy to do whatever you feel is right. On that question that you brought up, four are Labour Members, and the other four are on the other side of the House.”

“(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make a statement on the ongoing connectivity issues caused by belatedly announced cancellations of flights, such as those between Belfast and London.”

“I commend the hon. Gentleman on that comment. Every farmer in Northern Ireland will be impacted by this change. The Ulster Farmers’ Union—I declare an interest as a member—has said that the change is universally discredited and universally opposed. The threshold for agricultural relief for farms should have been higher…”

“The hon. Lady epitomises the very thing that the Newport Chartists stood for, and I congratulate her on that. What she refers to affected everywhere in the United Kingdom. The people of Northern Ireland realised that they should also try to achieve working-class rights, so what people did in Newport meant the same for …”

“I commend the hon. Lady for securing the debate. It is an important occasion, as she has expressed. As a proud working-class man, I am thankful for the members of the Newport Chartists, who did what good men do to secure democracy; they put it all on the line. Does the hon. Lady agree that their deaths brought forward …”

“I thank the Secretary of State for her statement. With fees to increase, how can we expect students to stay and work within the United Kingdom when the fields are much greener on other shores and it is much cheaper to live there as well? May I make a plea about the retention of student and junior doctors? I have repeat…”

“Many of us understand the need to have a more focused fraud law, and that is very important, but every other week people I represent come along to me and say that they have been overpaid for their employment and support allowance, their personal independence payments or their disability living allowance. They find them…”

“What discussions have there been with Invest NI in relation to supporting small Northern Ireland businesses in the digital evolution, to help them adapt and make improvements with digital technology to ensure the smooth running of their businesses?”

“Father Marcelo Pérez, a priest and prominent figure in Mexico’s Chiapas state, was killed while travelling to his parish. Father Marcelo was deeply respected for his lifelong dedication to advocating for peace, justice and indigenous rights in a region heavily impacted by organised crime and violence. His loss has deep…”

“The Minister has very kindly given us some hope about the way forward. I should have mentioned the Department for Work and Pensions earlier. It is important that parents are aware of all the help in the system—for instance, there is disability living allowance. Whenever somebody comes to me with a child who has experie…”

“I welcome some things that the Minister has referred to regarding high street businesses, and I thank him for that, but there are many other matters. For example, in Newtownards family businesses make up a great many of the attractive high street businesses, such as Wardens, Knotts Bakery and the family butcher, and th…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Mark. As the hon. Member for Basingstoke (Luke Murphy) and I were walking down to Westminster Hall, I asked if he would be speaking and he said he was. I know that the debate is about Hampshire, but I always want to come along to support hon. Members who are bringing …”

“I thank the Minister for her comprehensive and helpful response. In my contribution, I referred to “nurture” classes in a school in my constituency, which bring together and look after children with educational challenges in a big school. That is in the education system in Northern Ireland, of course, but I know the Mi…”

“There is not one person on the Opposition Benches who is not concerned about the inheritance tax changes. If I am honest, I do not think there is one Member on the Government Benches who represents a farming community and is not also worried. The measure has been universally condemned by all the farmers I have spoken t…”

“I am of an age—I am not sure many others are in this Chamber—where I get a test for bowel cancer every year. A kit is sent out to do the job. Thankfully, every time I have done a bowel cancer test it has come back negative. To be fair, the NHS has a good system for that. When someone reaches 60, they are sent a test. T…”

“There is hardly a day when I do not make a speech, Mr Betts. I thank the hon. Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones) for securing the debate and for sharing his personal story. Demonstrating an issue is best done with a personal story, if possible, so I thank him for that—it was incredible. I am minded of his story, and I …”

“I will make sure that whenever I mention Northern Ireland, I mention Hampshire as well. That will hopefully keep the perspective right, because what the hon. Member said happens in Hampshire happens in my constituency as well. I want to illustrate that and make some suggestions on how we can provide better help in the …”