Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Iranian counterpart on the protection of religious minorities during the ongoing conflict.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government's position on Freedom of Religion or Belief in Iran is unchanged, as set out in the answer of 6 August 2025 to Question 67802, and there remains no excuse for the Iranian authorities to target religious minority groups because of their faith, regardless of the current conflict. We continue to raise these issues alongside other human rights concerns.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to engage with the Government of Iraq and regional authorities on the safe and voluntary return of displaced religious minorities, including Christians and Yazidis.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 March in response to Question 117286.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to her Pakistani counterpart on reports of persecution and discrimination against the Christian community in that country; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department’s engagement with that country in protecting freedom of religion or belief and ensuring the safety of religious minorities.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all in Pakistan, including Christians. Over the past year, alongside our High Commission in Islamabad, I have raised the rights and safety of religious minorities with Pakistan's Human Rights and Interior Ministers and with the Deputy Prime Minister. We press for due process, accountability for violence, and stronger protections in law and practice. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to uphold its international obligations and to ensure the safety and dignity of all communities.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports that Baha’i women in Iran have been imprisoned on charges of promoting Baha’i beliefs; and whether she has made representations to her Iranian counterpart on their release.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided to question 67802 on 6 August 2025.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she supports arts programs in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The department is committed to revitalising arts education in schools, including changes to the curriculum, qualifications, accountability and enrichment.
We are consulting on an improved Progress 8 model, which balances a strong academic core with breadth and student choice. The current structure has hampered progress in subjects that strengthen our economy and society, including the arts. The improved version recognises the value of these subjects.
The department is supporting arts in schools through a £13 million investment in the new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, which will launch in September 2026 to provide strategic national leadership, support excellent teaching, and promote arts opportunities, ensuring every child can access a high‑quality arts education.
The department provides significant funding for the Music Hub network, Music Opportunities Pilot, Music and Dance Scheme, and Dance and Drama Awards, all designed to improve equity in the arts, mainly in schools and colleges.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committed £22.5 million enrichment in up to 400 schools, across all types of enrichment activity, including arts and culture.
Arts Council England, an arm’s-length body of DCMS, provides funding to a range of programmes that support arts in schools. As part of the government’s recent response to the independent review of Arts Council England, the department has committed to enabling all children across the country to have access to excellent culture in both schools and communities.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to expand defence-related apprenticeships.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence already supports over 460,000 jobs and 25,000 apprentices across the UK, providing sustainable, high-quality, well-paying jobs.
Alongside the Defence Industrial Strategy, the Ministry of Defence announced a £182 million skills package that includes a range of initiatives to support defence-oriented careers and apprenticeships UK-wide. This includes initiatives such as establishing five Defence Technical Excellence colleges in England, and the creation of the Apprenticeship and Graduate Clearing System which will become live in due course.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assistance his Department provides to families affected by long-term illness.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is a wide range of support available through the benefits system for families who have a member affected by a long-term illness. Universal Credit can provide financial help for eligible households including additional support in respect of health conditions or caring responsibilities, depending on their circumstances.
Additionally Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is designed to help people aged 16 to state pension age with the extra costs arising from a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability. It is intended to support individuals in leading full, active, and independent lives.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help improve road safety for children near schools.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department recognises the importance of safety for children near schools and the Road Safety Strategy (published January 2026) sets a goal of reducing the number of children under 16 killed or seriously injured on roads by 70% by 2035 in Great Britain.
Active travel is a devolved matter for national governments. In England, the Department for Transport uses Active Travel England (ATE) to support authorities to develop a wide range walking and cycling schemes. ATE have developed and published specific guidance on how to improve safety around schools through implementation of School Streets.
The Government is providing £626 million to local authorities in England for walking and cycling schemes for 2026/27 onwards across the spending review period, which may also be used for safety measures around schools amongst a range of other measures.
More information on School Streets, the road safety strategy, and available funding can be found at the following links:
The Road Safety Strategy, published earlier this year, has also committed to publishing a new edition of the best practice guidance Setting local speed limits - GOV.UK which gives local authorities clearer, more up‑to‑date best‑practice standards.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve rehabilitation programs in prisons.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) has a unique opportunity, across prisons, probation and the Youth Custody Service, to help people turn their lives around. To do this successfully, it is important to ensure that the best conditions are created and the right services for rehabilitation provided.
Fundamental to the rehabilitation offer is a supportive and rehabilitative organisational culture, coupled with positive support from skilled pro-social staff. We know from the evidence that this is likely to be the best approach to support those who are at lower risk to desist from future offending. Others, particularly those at a higher risk of re-offending, will need more. HMPPS is committed to ensuring that the right approach is adopted in relation to each individual.
Rehabilitation services take many forms, ranging from accredited programmes and interventions that are aimed at giving people skills to change their attitudes, thinking and behaviour, to enabling a person to access education, healthcare, substance misuse support, suitable accommodation, and the means to earn a living pro-socially. Some rehabilitative activity is delivered in-house, and some via partner organisations. HMPPS keeps its work under constant review to ensure it is acting in accordance with the available evidence. It is committed to the ongoing development, monitoring, evaluation and review of accredited programmes in line with the aims of reducing re-offending and protecting the public.
To help achieve this, HMPPS has implemented the Next Generation of Accredited Programmes change programme and rolled out the new Building Choices accredited programme, realising significant benefits in terms of staff training and development, programme assessment, evaluation, and quality assurance processes. In addition, HMPPS is deploying a range of resources and training courses as part of the Enable Programme, which is designed to build skills and boost confidence in front-line prison colleagues. Topics covered include security, safety, leadership, procedural justice, defensible decision making, incident management and relational practice.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have access to faith-based support services.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
All prisoners in England and Wales have access to faith-based and pastoral support services. His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service is required to make chaplaincy and faith provision available to prisoners of all faiths and beliefs, as well as to those who do not identify with a particular faith. This support is available on request in every establishment.