The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2015 to Question 7643, what estimate he has made of the number of single earner married couples where the earner is a basic rate taxpayer in each parliamentary constituency.
Priti Patel
The information requested is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on providing possible alternative oil and gas supply to the Baltic states.
Grant Shapps
I have not had bilateral discussions with European counterparts on providing possible alternative oil and gas supply to the Baltic states. The UK’s support to the Baltic states on diversification of their oil and gas supply takes place largely through the European Union. The UK continues to work closely with Brussels in pursuit of security of supply, and our efforts to improve EU energy security are carried out through the Energy Union Project. The UK appreciates the pressures that the Baltic states are under, and ending their island status in gas and oil is a key area of our work on gas supplies within the Energy Union. On the 15 October 2015, the European Commission signed a joint-declaration with the Baltic States on constructing the Gas Interconnector Poland – Lithuania (GIPL), aimed at providing a secure gas supply for the Baltic region and reducing reliance on Russian gas. Construction is intended to be completed in 2019.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received of the situation of the Bahá’i community in Iran.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Baha’i community in Iran is subject to mounting persecution, and we are concerned by state efforts to identify, monitor and arbitrarily detain Baha’is. We have repeatedly expressed our concern at the harassment faced by Baha’is in Iran and at the sentencing of seven Baha’i leaders to 20 years in prison. We urge the Iranian Government to ensure that all Iranian citizens are able to practise their faith freely, as required by international conventions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to assist and advise all British ex-servicemen resident in the Republic of Ireland on financial support for medicines and medical aftercare.
Ben Gummer
Neither the Department nor the National Health Service commissions or provides medicine or medical aftercare for veterans in the Republic of Ireland (ROI).
However, all veterans who reside overseas and are in receipt of a United Kingdom war pension, a war widows’ pension or armed forces compensation scheme payments plus their spouse/civil partner and children (under 18) are entitled to receive free healthcare from the NHS in the UK.
All UK Veterans residing in the ROI are able to access the UK Ministry of Defence Veterans UK website and helpline and the Veteran Welfare Service for any additional support. Veterans UK may meet the cost of treatment for accepted war pension condition(s) provided the treatment is:
– clinically necessary for a disability due to service; and
– not available free of charge through the health system in the country of residence.
The Ministry of Defence has a contract with Leopardstown Park Hospital Trust in Dublin that provides, through the hospital, facilities for the short and long-term care of former UK service personnel and their spouses, who are resident in the ROI and can also provide financial assistance to those who have been disabled or invalided as a result of service with the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom.
The speech made by Jim Shannon, the DUP MP for Strangford, in Westminster Hall on 1 November 2022.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship. Dame Maria. I too thank the hon. Member for Cleethorpes (Martin Vickers) for setting the scene so well and for giving us a chance to participate. It is good to see the Minister is his place, and I look forward to hearing his comments, as well as those of the shadow Minister.
This debate could include many conflicting opinions, yet I trust we can all come from a place where we respect the ideal of faith. Although we may treasure our individual faiths, there is undoubtedly a place for all in the diverse United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I know that the ideal of religious education differs from region to region. I bring the Northern Ireland perspective to these debates, as I always do, and that is somewhat different yet again. The importance of religious and theological teaching could not be more prominent today, given the expansion of belief and the ever-changing faiths we all have.
It is great to be here today to discuss the importance of religion in schools, both primary and secondary. According to the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, religious education in Northern Ireland is a compulsory part of the school curriculum. As I am sure all hon. Members are aware, Northern Ireland is no stranger to different and diverse religious beliefs and the impact they can have on modern society. For young people to be able to understand our changing world, they must be able to interpret different religious issues.
The Department for Education and the four main Churches in Northern Ireland define the religious studies curriculum, allowing for the teaching of the revelation of God, the Christian church and morality from both Protestant and Roman Catholic perspectives. That is as it should be, because the personal relationship someone has with the Lord Jesus is what is important, not their denomination or the church they go to.
Seven out of 10 people—73%—surveyed across the United Kingdom—agreed that the role of religious education in schools is to provide pupils with opportunities to learn about other people, beliefs and cultures. A further 65% stated that the subject also allows young people to evaluate their own political beliefs. That is why the hon. Member for Cleethorpes referred to political beliefs with a religious viewpoint.
I understand that some young people nowadays have become disillusioned with religion, but it is crucial that they have a basic understanding of how religion plays a part in modern society and indeed in modern Britain. Parents are allowed to withdraw their children from some or all aspects of the teaching of religious education, but I always encourage them not to do that, regardless of what they may think of that religion. Having strong faith oneself is one thing, but being able to understand and respect other people’s faith starts from a young age—as early as P4 teaching in Northern Ireland.
The High Court in Northern Ireland ruled that exclusively Christian religious education and worship was discriminatory. However, we must ensure that this ruling, and the calls for it to be considered UK-wide, do not diminish the place of the larger practised religions, such as Christianity, in religious education, but rather allow learning about other faiths equally. I have the utmost belief in Christ as my saviour, but that does not mean that the faiths of Judaism, Sikhism or Islam are of no interest to me.
I can recall the 1960s and 1970s, when I was at secondary college. Our religious education teacher asked the class whether we wanted to know about other religions, and the answer from us all was that yes, we did. Our teacher then introduced us over a period of time to other religions. In the closed society we were in, we perhaps did not have any knowledge of other religions. That teaching gave us an opportunity to understand these things at an early stage. Through another teacher in a different subject I had the chance to understand Irish history. As a proud Unionist, it did not do me any harm to understand Irish history—understanding it a wee bit better never made me less of a Unionist. It does not harm anyone to understand things from another perspective, but it does let people develop a wider understanding and respect for others, which is what I try to do in my life.
We live in an ever-changing world; nowadays people can believe and be practically anything. In my eyes, one thing that does not change is the importance of religion—not just my own belief in Christianity, but everyone else’s beliefs as well. As chair of the APPGs for international freedom of religion or belief, and for Pakistani minorities, I know that the study of religious education allows us a chance to learn about religions without feeling the socialisation or pressure of today’s society.
As always, there was not a thing that the hon. Member for Congleton (Fiona Bruce) said that I do not agree with. She touched on the Uyghurs, the Falun Gong in China, the Baha’i in Iran, the Yazidis in Iraq and the Rohingya Muslims. In Nigeria, which we visited in May and June, we ascertained just how bad the persecution of Christians was, but it is getting worse—there is less understanding. That is so frustrating, because the people we talked to told us they were trying to bring things together, but the reality is that that is not happening.
Fiona Bruce
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that it is not too lofty a thing to say that helping our young people understand how important it is to respect the freedom of religion or belief of others of different faiths and beliefs contributes towards nothing less than global peace? So many atrocities across the world start small and locally and then grow. If we can develop a generation in this country that has respect, and we can promote that across the world, we will be able to stop local friction developing so that people can learn how to live together peaceably. We will then see a better world for the next generation.
Jim Shannon
I wholeheartedly agree with the hon. Lady. That is something we should all strive to make happen. I am reminded of the Hindus in Pakistan and the Ahmadi Muslims in India as examples of people across the world with a different religious viewpoint who are terribly persecuted, both physically and mentally.
My youngest staff member chose to drop religious education at GCSE in order to focus on mathematics, as that was what she wanted to do. She has since said on numerous occasions that she does not feel informed about what people believe and why they choose to believe it. She says it was great to pursue mathematics, but in a way it is a pity that she did not get that understanding at an earlier age.
While I appreciate that education is devolved and our curriculum guidelines differ slightly, the principle that religion is important remains the same. I call on the Education Secretary—we are pushing at an open door—and respective regional Ministers to ensure that the teaching of religion in modern Britain remains in our schools to help to tackle religious discrimination and promote respect for others with a different religion or faith. It is difficult to see a path forwards if we do not know where we have come from. For me, the teachings of Christ, which tell a child that they are loved and chosen, that there is a plan for lives and that they are not alone, are imperative. When social media tells them that the opposite is true, we need the calming influence of religious education in schools.
I am far from perfect—I am probably the most imperfect person in this room—but I believe that the creator, God, has a job that he has set only me to do. Oh, that more of our young people across this great nation would understand their unique, divinely appointed role and that, no matter what the world may say to them, they are special and worthy. I believe that RE plays an important part in understanding that. It is as essential a skill as home economics or technology. When we talk about the important things for future vocations, we should note that religious education in schools is a calming influence and gives us a better understanding of those around us. The hon. Member for Cleethorpes referred to a Scripture text, and I will finish by quoting Jeremiah 29:11, which says:
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans…to give you hope and a future.’”
Who does not need that?
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart on training and capacity building in the Egyptian army.
Dr Andrew Murrison
The Secretary of State for Defence has not had any discussions with his Egyptian counterpart on training and capacity building in the Egyptian army.
As part of wider UK defence engagement Ministry of Defence officials regularly discuss the potential for further engagement with a number of countries and may from time to time provide training as required and in accordance with wider Government policy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to increase the sentences available in cases of the cyber-bullying of students.
Mike Penning
The sending of abusive messages or material online can cause misery for victims and is an issue the Government takes extremely seriously.
That is why we are changing the law through the Criminal Justice and Courts Act to increase the maximum sentence to two years in prison for the offence of sending abusive or offensive material online with intent to cause distress or anxiety.
We are also changing the law to enable prosecutions to take place three years after the alleged offence, rather than six months.
There are a number of other serious penalties available in cases of cyber bullying of students.
Under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, the offences of harassment causing alarm or distress or putting people in fear of violence carry a maximum of six months and five years imprisonment respectively.
There is also an offence under the Malicious Communications Act 1988 of sending material which is indecent, grossly offensive, obscene or menacing. It carries a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment.
In addition, guidelines issued by the independent Sentencing Council stipulate that it is an aggravating factor if an offence is committed against a vulnerable victim or involves abuse of a position of power. Sentencing guidelines can be found on the Sentencing Council’s website, and courts are obliged to follow the guidelines unless it is not in the interests of justice to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will discuss (a) solar energy and (b) other alternative energies with his Egyptian counterpart.
Gregory Barker
The UK Government engages with Egypt on a series of renewable technologies, including solar, through multilateral forms such at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). We also provide some technical assistance, through the World Bank, to help Egypt diversify their energy sources.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps he has taken in response to the discovery of horsemeat in other foods in 2013 to improve co-operation between Government departments on public health issues.
Jane Ellison
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) continues to develop its capability in relation to food fraud, in response to recommendations made in the reviews of the horsemeat incident, working closely with other Government Departments, enforcement agencies, local authorities and industry to detect and deter food fraud. The FSA is building an intelligence gathering network to increase the opportunity to capture and act on intelligence which may be indicative of future risks, as well as producing strategic and tactical assessments to share with relevant enforcement agencies, particularly through the Government Agency Intelligence Network.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Iranian government about the imprisonment of Pastor Behnam Irani.
Hugh Robertson
We are aware of the arrest and imprisonment of Pastor Behnam Irani. We remain deeply concerned about the detention and treatment of all prisoners of conscience in Iran and the ongoing discrimination against Christians and other minority religious groups. We have called for the Iranian government to protect the rights of all minority groups in Iran and end the persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith. The UK’s non-resident Chargé d’Affaires raised the issue of freedom of religion with the Iranian authorities during his visit to Iran on 12 March.