Speeches by Shannon.

“Okay. I am happy to change it.”

“Thank you very much, Mr Chairman, and thanks to the Committee. I secured a debate related to this in, I think, ’22, in the last term of Parliament. Since then, the APPG for international freedom of religion or belief, which I chair, has brought forward a report about the brick kilns. We presented that report to the Pak…”

“No. I thank the hon. Member—he is a friend—but look, honestly, I am a Brexiteer; it is no secret. I want the same Brexit as the rest of the United Kingdom got. I did not get that. We were let down by a Government who did us over, so we did not get what we wanted, but if I had got the same as everybody else in England, …”

“My hon. Friend always intervenes with words of wisdom and understanding. Perhaps the Minister will respond to that. There is little point in Northern Ireland MPs discussing this issue, unless the discussion involves the revocation of the Northern Ireland protocol and each aspect of European interference. I ask the Mini…”

“Irrespective of the Windsor framework and the protocol issue, I understand that experts and businesses have suggested that the VAT threshold should be £250,000. The hon. Member for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire (Mr MacDonald) referred to the fact that that would enable businesses to perhaps employ one or two appr…”

“I commend the hon. Gentleman on bringing this debate forward. He is right to underline the issue for Chesterfield, but there is a real problem across all the United Kingdom. Thinking of my constituency, and Newtownards in particular, 25,000 houses and properties are in the floodplain, which is bolstered by the floodban…”

“Well, they will know about it before I have finished anyway. Newtownards in my constituency of Strangford has always had a history and tradition of serving in uniform, whether it be in the Army, the Royal Navy or the Royal Air Force. I declare an interest: I served in the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Royal Artillery…”

“I thank the Foreign Secretary for his statement. It is essential that we have a fuller understanding of the reach of China, as well as of our goals. British citizens have contacted me about the human rights violations, not only against those in China but those who live on our shores. Will the Foreign Secretary ensure t…”

“The hon. and learned Member for North Antrim (Jim Allister) asked the question I had hoped to ask, and the Minister sort of answered it, so I will ask a quite separate question. If the ambition is to reach spending at 5% of GDP on defence and broader security by 2035, what is the true current figure? We know the figure…”

“I commend the hon. Lady for securing this debate. She is right to mention the organisation Brake and the good work it does; it does the same good work in my constituency, and we all benefit. In Northern Ireland, speed cameras are primarily installed in locations with a demonstrated history of injury, collisions and spe…”

“I welcome what the Foreign Secretary has said, and I warmly welcome the Prime Minister’s repeated assurances that vaccination remains an international development priority. Ahead of tomorrow’s high-level pledging summit, does the Foreign Secretary agree that the UK must continue to make a significant contribution to Ga…”

“It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Vickers. I thank the hon. Member for Mid Leicestershire (Mr Bedford) for setting the scene and giving us all an opportunity to engage with the Minister on this issue, as the hon. Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore) just did. The Minister is always a very…”

“Thank you for filling in, Ms Butler, and bridging the gap to enable the debate to go ahead. I thank the hon. Member for Liverpool Walton (Dan Carden) for leading today’s debate. As a strong advocate for stability and comfort for young children, I will focus on young children and those unfortunately in care settings. It…”

“The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. Unfortunately—or fortunately, whatever way we want to look at it—this is an issue not just in his constituency, but across the whole of the United Kingdom, including in Northern Ireland. Local councils will not go into unadopted housing estates for kerbside collection of bins in …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stuart. More importantly, I thank the hon. Member for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy (Melanie Ward) for her passionate and completely accurate portrayal of the role of memorials in community life today. Obviously, my constituency of Strangford—well, maybe it is not obvious;…”

“3. How much funding his Department plans to provide to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance for the 2026 to 2030 period.”

“It is very important that those who have pensions get a return, so that their pensions are beneficial. It is also important to ensure that net zero is delivered, because many people who have pensions want to see that happen. It is about getting a balance, so how will the Minister get that balance?”

“I thank the Foreign Secretary for his statement. I have often spoken in this Chamber about the Iranian regime and the horrific human rights abuses that take place under the IRGC. I have nothing but admiration for the steps taken to destroy Iranian nuclear armaments by our American and Israeli allies—steps that we must …”

“My bronchitis is starting to get to me a little, Madam Deputy Speaker.”

“I commend the hon. Member for North Down (Alex Easton). He is my neighbour and has been my friend for many years. We served in the Assembly before we ever came here. It is a pleasure to see him secure what I understand is his first Adjournment debate; it will be the first of many, no doubt. Does the hon. Gentleman agre…”