Speeches by Shannon.

“The hon. Lady is right. Others have illustrated the issue of house building. We live in older houses: that is a fact. The Government have committed themselves to 1.5 million new homes in this Session, and I wish them well in that, because I want to see that happen. We can only hope that those homes will be energy-effic…”

“rose—”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship again, Sir Roger. I congratulate the hon. Member for North West Cambridgeshire (Sam Carling) on securing and introducing this debate. I will give a Northern Ireland perspective, as I often do, and say what we are doing in my constituency. End Furniture Poverty has state…”

“Will the Minister give way?”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for securing the debate. I recall the two Members to whom he referred, including a former colleague, and their campaigns. In the previous debate, I also referred to the 26.5% of people in fuel poverty in Scotland. Does the hon. Gentleman see a methodology to get help with an energy rebate bas…”

“I think as I do with the Irish Government: they are our neighbours, and we have to have economic contact with them. They will not be getting Northern Ireland as part of their great united Ireland, which is their constitutional position; we oppose that, but that does not mean we cannot have working relationships with ne…”

“Okay. If Members were able to assent to a 90-minute debate in Westminster Hall and that were possible, I would be happy. But I realise that this is my first time here in this new Session, and I do not want to be too pushy.”

“Did I ask for a 30-minute debate?”

“Okay. I am sorry—I had another one but I asked for that to be withdrawn, and it has been. That is the one we talked about in the Lobby. That one for NICVA is very specifically about Northern Ireland. We had the chance of an urgent question in the Chamber and every one of the political parties in Northern Ireland put fo…”

“Was that for a half an hour or was it—”

“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.”

“I think it is better if it comes from Parliament but, if there is an obstruction here to bringing it forward, then yes. I hope the Minister will come back to us positively. If it can happen within regional Administrations that is something to consider, but I am very conscious of Parliament’s prominence and pre-eminence…”

“Pakistan is one of them—humanitarian and freedom of religion violations in Pakistan. I have Ruth with me here. As all Members probably already know, I chair the all-party parliamentary group for freedom of religion or belief. Ruth is the vice-chair, and we work very well together in what we are trying to achieve. If Me…”

“My apologies. Westminster Hall is probably the norm, but we feel that this debate warrants time in the Chamber. It will be the first in I do not know how many years, even going back to the last term of Government, where we have a debate on religious persecution and religious belief. Also, if you do not mind my saying, …”

“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…”

“The issue means a lot to my constituency, because the plantation brought my brothers and sisters from Scotland to Northern Ireland, and they brought their architecture, culture, history, poetry and music with them. In Newtownards, the main town in my constituency, the market cross is architecturally similar to those in…”

“We very much welcome what the Government are doing in relation to the contaminated blood and Post Office Horizon scandals, but let ask the Minister a very gentle question—a question that needs to be answered—in relation to the WASPI women? When the right hon. Gentleman was in opposition, we all supported the WASPI wome…”

“I commend the hon. Lady for bringing this issue forward; the number of people in the Chamber indicates the interest in it right across the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Does she agree that dentistry is on the brink and that the additional national insurance contributions are going to push even m…”

“I thank the Minister for his response. The hon. Member for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East (Seamus Logan) referred to the visa issues, and I have a suggestion to help the Minister in his discussions with the Immigration Minister. The poultry and horticulture sectors have already been given seasonal worker status, an…”