Speeches by Shannon.

“It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, as always, Dr Murrison, and I say a special thank you to the hon. Member for Falkirk (Euan Stainbank) and the hon. and learned Member for North Antrim (Jim Allister) for highlighting this topic and securing the debate. There is a potential for UK-wide investment, whi…”

“I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing the debate. Under a previous Government, the DUP had funding from the confidence and supply arrangement, and we were able to boost the broadband in Northern Ireland exceptionally. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that, by their very nature, delays perpetuate the digital divide, ca…”

“It is again a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine. I thank the hon. Member for Lowestoft (Jess Asato) for setting the scene so well and giving us a chance to speak on the matter. The situation in Northern Ireland for women’s safety is incredibly worrying, and of course it is equally concerning for t…”

“I commend the hon. Gentleman for bringing this matter forward; it affects everybody in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. About 39% to 40% of households in Northern Ireland are classed as being in fuel poverty, meaning that they spend more than 10% of their income on energy just to keep their hom…”

“This is an incredibly difficult subject to address, and I thank the hon. Gentleman for doing it incredibly well. As a grandfather of three beautiful granddaughters and having seen how the online world has made so many women and girls vulnerable to despicable attacks, I certainly share his concerns, and I believe that w…”

“What assessment has the Minister made of the recent trends in household living standards across the United Kingdom, including through discussions with the relevant Minister in Northern Ireland? What steps has his Department taken, in conjunction with regional Administrations, to ensure that the Northern Ireland Executi…”

“I thank the Minister very much for his statement. It is indeed a joy to have some good news in the Chamber for everyone out there, and we welcome that. Thank you for that, Minister, and for the Government’s proposals. The Government have an interest in Northern Ireland, and while homeowners in Northern Ireland have the…”

“As others will know, I have raised this matter a number of times in the Chamber. In Wales, for example, the health service pays students’ fees and trains them, and students then have an obligation to stay with the Welsh health service for a period of time. One of my constituents, whom I know well, did just that. She we…”

“14. What steps he is taking to ensure that the Timms review of personal independence payment considers the needs of people with arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions.”

“I wish you well, Mr Speaker, and I hope you are being spoiled by the staff around you, and obviously at home as well. You deserve it. I thank the Minister for that positive answer. As he will appreciate, people living with arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions make up one of the largest groups of PIP claimants…”

“I thank the Minister for his answers. He and I share concerns on the issue on human rights, and I want to ask a question about that. As the chairperson of the all-party parliamentary group for international freedom of religion or belief, I am very aware of the human rights concerns that exist, including on the repressi…”

“I thank the Secretary of State for her statement and I very much welcome the UK-wide National Police Service. The papers over the weekend referred to a “British FBI”, and I am reminded that national and international crime gangs are involved in terrorism, drug smuggling, people trafficking and child sexual abuse. They …”

“I am greatly encouraged—I think we all are—by what the Secretary of State has said about victims. I am conscious that sometimes we have young people—perhaps aged 16, 17 or 18—joining the forces and finding themselves under pressure, away from home and from their parents, and they might be vulnerable to start with. It i…”

“I thank the shadow Minister for what he has said, but let us be honest that President Trump should never have made that statement, no matter what. My constituent Channing Day gave her life in Helmand province, and I think of Colin Thompson, who was invalided out of the Army because of an injury on the frontline in Helm…”

“It is a real pleasure to speak in this debate. I want to thank the Minister and the Government for all they do. I mean that genuinely, because the Bill before us has lots of good things on which we should be encouraged to support the Minister. I am also pleased to see the Minister for the Armed Forces, the hon. and gal…”

“I thank the Minister—that is a superb response. The hon. and learned Member for North Antrim (Jim Allister), my right hon. Friend the Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson), David Johnstone, and the hon. Member for South Antrim (Robin Swann) are the people with whom, if possible, we would have that meeting, and const…”

“I commend the hon. Member for Southgate and Wood Green (Bambos Charalambous) for securing the debate—I am sorry that I could not have been here earlier; I was in the Chamber. I know the focus of the debate is on what Britain does when it comes education, but the other side of it is that many churches across all of this…”

“May I thank the Minister for his answers? They are always very helpful. Cyber-crime and fraud are now the most common crime in the UK, accounting for some 50% of all offences and costing the economy billions of pounds per year. Will he please discuss with Cabinet colleagues providing additional funding to ensure that o…”

“I thank the Leader of the House for all his answers. I would like to turn the House’s attention to Mexico, where there have been recent reports of persecution and intimidation of Christians. There have been some 376 incidents of assault or abduction of Christians in Mexico in the last couple of years. That is quite wor…”

“I thank the Secretary of State for his statement. He has outlined that the purpose is to save moneys, cut down on waste and improve efficiency. In Northern Ireland, we undertook the reorganisation of councils, reducing their number from 26 down to 11. Councils need only one chief executive, one head of each department …”