Speeches by Shannon.

“I did?”

“Is that the Myanmar one?”

“Sorry, you mentioned that I turned one down in January. I didn’t turn it down—I accepted it.”

“One of the concerns that probably all of us in this Chamber have, including the hon. Lady, is the squeeze of the middle class and the working class. Many of my constituents have told me—I wonder whether her constituents have also told her—of their concern that that squeeze is going to be felt even more. The people who …”

“I do not see any reason why not, Martin. We both desire the same goal, so let’s just do it.”

“Does the Pope have red socks? Yes, of course—there is absolutely no doubt about that.”

“Chairman and fellow Members, this is an important issue. Whenever I have asked Members in the Chamber what they would be interested in, there are specific issues in Northern Ireland, but I found this was an issue across every constituency. Everyone says they could tell me about at least half a dozen cases right now. Th…”

“I would be happy to have the debate heard, and if we can combine the two to make one debate—”

“It is always a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Turner. I thank the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Andrew Lewin) for setting the scene so well. I have to say, I was never much good at cricket, to be truthful, but I loved it. I was one of those guys who went to the crease and would bat about three or fo…”

“I commend the hon. Gentleman for bringing this debate to the House. The plan 2 student loan repayment threshold was frozen until 2030 under new announcements in the Budget. That means that graduates begin repaying sooner, but it is also almost like a hidden tax on career incomes, whereby students will pay more over the…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Murrison. I thank the hon. Member for South Leicestershire (Alberto Costa) for leading the debate. I will give a Northern Ireland perspective, but first, I want to say that quarries bring economic life to communities. They create jobs. All the debate so far has been ab…”

“I commend the hon. Lady—I spoke to her beforehand. It has been brought to my attention in this last period of time that there is a proportion of people in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland who are survivors of trafficking. They were brought to the UK with unresolved status and they therefore stru…”

“I certainly do. The hon. Gentleman is certainly right to highlight the issue of Derbyshire, as I and the hon. Member for Leicester South (Shockat Adam) will do shortly; we will also highlight the attributes and the plusses of Leicestershire cricket team as well. I love the fact that sport draws people together, as the …”

“I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. In the time he has been in this House, he has proven himself to be assiduous, committed and a hard-working constituency MP; I think every one of us is impressed by his efforts in this Chamber and in Westminster Hall, and we thank him for that. Today, he has done hi…”

“I welcome what the Minister has said; he has clearly underlined that all parts of the United Kingdom can benefit. As the Minister will know, we are very fortunate in Northern Ireland to have a very strong agrifood sector, which promotes itself wherever it can across Europe, across the mainland and further afield. The d…”

“rose—”

“I thank the hon. Lady for making that point, and I thank the hon. Member for Leeds South West and Morley (Mark Sewards) for his intervention. Throughout my constituency and indeed Northern Ireland, defibrillators have been supplied to every school and community centre. The communities in Ards, Ballynahinch and the Ards…”

“Thales and Spirit in Northern Ireland are leading the way in cyber-security and engineering. What steps are being taken to fund a potential Typhoon supply chain programme in which Northern Ireland can play its part in contributing to aircraft production across the United Kingdom?”

“I thank the Minister very much for her answers. I know that she is in regular contact with the Minister back home in Northern Ireland and that there is a deep relationship between them. The Simon Community in Northern Ireland has revealed that, between October 2024 and March 2025, 609 households presented as homeless b…”

“I thank the Secretary of State very much for his answers—the BMA is losing public support, and clearly the Secretary of State is gaining it. I wish him well in his role. Official figures show that flu cases in Northern Ireland nearly doubled to 954 in recent weeks, and flu-related admissions also doubled, with hundreds…”