Commons
Oral Questions
Solicitor General
9 July 2026
Jury Trials
Although it is a civil matter, where a jury trial cannot apply, yesterday we found out that Virgin Media has been fined a record £28 million for ripping off its customers, yet the chief executive appears to be getting off scot-free. I think that the shareholders should be considering his future and …
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
25 June 2026
Natural Disasters: Community Resilience
There is awful news from Venezuela this morning after an earthquake there. Has the Minister had the opportunity to speak to her Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office ministerial counterpart about support for that country at this difficult time?
Commons
Proceedings
25 June 2026
Sudan
I thank the Minister for his statement on this terrible conflict. Will he tell us more about the impact of this tragedy on countries that neighbour Sudan? How can we help them?
Commons
Oral Questions
House of Commons Commission
18 June 2026
3 contributions
Education and Engagement Outreach Team
It is good to give my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Marsha De Cordova) a break.
The Commission has considered the proposed changes to the education outreach model. The changes are designed to save money—over half a million pounds every year—and to ensure that we reach more students across t…
We understand my hon. Friend’s concerns about these proposals, but the new model is designed to increase engagement with schools across the UK. Given the high number of constituencies that receive no outreach visits at all, the key benefit here is that the proposals would remove geography as a barri…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
House of Commons Commission
18 June 2026
2 contributions
Cruelty-free Cleaning Products
I am pleased to report that good progress has been made on reducing the number of cleaning products we use that are not certified as cruelty-free. My hon. Friend has rightly pushed us on this matter. In total, we use around 40 cleaning products. Since early 2025, we have reduced the number of produc…
The cleaning contractor will continue to work on identifying suitable alternatives from its suppliers, and I would be pleased to put it in touch with the body that my hon. Friend suggests can provide good advice.
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 May 2026
Middle East
I welcome this week’s trade agreement with the gulf countries, and I give particular thanks to the Ministers and diplomats who worked hard to deliver it. Given Iran’s belligerence towards its neighbours, however, can the Minister outline what measures we are taking to support gulf states under threa…
Commons
Debate
21 April 2026
Middle East: Economic Update
I thank the Chancellor for her statement. I agree that the best economic policy today is diplomatic policy. Given the situation in Iran, will she tell us more about her plans for putting economic pressure on the leadership there to de-escalate this dreadful situation?
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
21 April 2026
Topical Questions
Constituents involved in my local Rotary club have contacted me about the global polio eradication programme. I am reliably advised that Ministers want to concentrate resources for the best impact. Can the Minister reassure my constituents that the UK remains determined to protect the important gain…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 April 2026
Business of the House
Last week, I visited our youth hub in Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, and heard at first hand some fantastic success stories of young people being supported into work through this Labour Government’s prioritisation. Can we have a ministerial statement on the work of these hubs and how they will integrate…
Commons
Oral Questions
Restoration and Renewal Client Board
16 April 2026
2 contributions
Client Board: Progress
The Church Commissioner gets another rest.
In February, the Restoration and Renewal Client Board reported costed proposals for the programme and a recommended way forward. The key recommendations are a phase 1 works package and the preparation of temporary accommodation, including a long-term resil…
I, too, read the waterside options. The issue is that there is a preferred option, which is that the Commons moves to the northern estate and the House of Lords moves to the QEII centre. That has been proposed for safety and value-for-money reasons.
Commons
Oral Questions
Restoration and Renewal Client Board
16 April 2026
2 contributions
Queen Elizabeth II Centre
I am delighted to give the Second Church Estates Commissioner, my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Marsha De Cordova), a short rest this morning.
The possibility of the House of Lords being temporarily based in the neighbouring QEII centre during restoration and renewal is being considered. Th…
My hon. Friend is right to emphasise the QEII centre’s value to the UK events sector. However, I am advised that the evidence indicates that any displaced events could be accommodated by other conference centres in London, given the available spare capacity. Events, visitor spending and associated e…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 April 2026
2 contributions
Grassroots Sport
11. What funding her Department is providing to help improve participation in grassroots sport.
I declare an interest as the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on parkrun. As the Minister knows, parkrun is a global phenomenon, and it has just celebrated its 21st birthday this year. Currently, over 1,300 parkrun events take place across the UK every Saturday morning, including two in my…
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
National Savings & Investments
I thank the Minister for his statement. I am glad to see that he is stepping in, and I am pleased to hear that National Savings & Investments will focus on reuniting bereaved families with their money, which it holds after things went badly wrong. How will he and the Government raise awareness w…
Commons
Debate
19 March 2026
UK Steel Strategy
May I say how proud I am that my birth certificate says, “Father’s occupation: labourer in the steelworks”? This strategy is a shot in the arm for steelmakers across the UK; it is in stark contrast to the failures of the last Tory Governments. But can the Secretary of State say more about the infras…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 March 2026
International Development
I welcome this development reset. I support the Government’s decision to invest in our country’s security now and our ambition to support development more in future. On Yemen, given the conflict and the overall fragility in the region, how do the Government ensure that UK aid spent there does not fa…
Commons
Oral Questions
19 March 2026
Business of the House
The Government have delivered for mineworkers and their families on improving their pension schemes. Although members of both the mineworkers’ pension scheme and the British Coal staff superannuation scheme tell me that they are pleased after the release of reserved funds, there are many former mine…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 March 2026
Business of the House
Bank closures have affected many communities. In Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, we have a banking hub in Abertillery and will shortly have one in Ebbw Vale, so that residents have access to bank services on their high street. These are very popular, and it is great that the Government are committed to d…
Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
10 March 2026
2 contributions
State Pension Increase
8. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the state pension increase in April 2026 on pensioners.
That is great news. Our pensioners deserve the best support, and will be glad of the extra income. I will shortly be organising events in my constituency promoting pension credit take-up. Some of my pensioner constituents, however, have lost money to the Safe Hands funeral scheme when trying to prep…
Commons
Oral Questions
House of Commons Commission
26 February 2026
2 contributions
School Visits to Parliament
Given my hon. Friend’s journey time from Cornwall, I can understand why she asks that question. The Commission recently endorsed recommendations from our participation team to improve the school visit booking process and the use of our travel subsidy. Schools from her area will have extra time to ap…
The new booking process, which will be launched in September, will ensure that regions are allocated visit opportunities to ensure that no region accesses more than its fair share. Consideration has been given to the circumstances of band C schools—those furthest from Westminster—which have a clear …
Commons
Oral Questions
Restoration and Renewal Client Board
26 February 2026
2 contributions
Palace of Westminster: Major Works
The Client Board’s recent report recommends a way forward for restoration and renewal. It contains phase 1 works, including seven years’ foundational works for the full programme. These preparatory works can begin once we have approval from both Houses. A final decision on the preferred delivery opt…
I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend. She is right to say that we must make progress, and we now have the costed proposals in front of us. The work is necessary. The home of our Parliament is not only an iconic building, but a UNESCO world heritage site. We currently spend £1.5 million a week …
Commons
Oral Questions
House of Commons Commission
26 February 2026
2 contributions
Productivity: Technology
Members and their teams should be supported to manage and address the increasing volume and complexity of work being placed on us all. Managing email inboxes is a huge task, as we all know. The Parliamentary Digital Service has been working with Members to understand how we can harness technology to…
The hon. Member is right to keep on raising this issue. The foundation of the guidance to Members on the use of AI is that there needs to be a human in the loop. The Parliamentary Digital Service is in ongoing discussions with Microsoft to shape the use of Copilot to meet Members’ needs. Our digital…
Commons
Oral Questions
Restoration and Renewal Client Board
26 February 2026
2 contributions
Client Board: Progress
The Restoration and Renewal Client Board has recently published a report providing costed proposals for the R&R programme and a recommended way forward. The key recommendation is to commence a phase 1 works package, including enabling works and the preparation of temporary accommodation, which i…
I agree with the hon. Gentleman that we should make much faster progress on this project. However, he talks about Notre Dame, which has a much smaller footprint than our Palace of Westminster. The bulk of the construction costs relate to the replacement and upgrade of mechanical power, water and hea…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 February 2026
Sudan
May I say how great it was to see that the Foreign Secretary was in Chad this week in support of Sudanese refugees? I particularly support the remarks at the start of her statement, when she said:
“I am determined that we do not look away.”
Can she tell us more about UK efforts to get our humanita…
Commons
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Business of the House
Before Christmas, I raised the poor standard of service by the Royal Mail in Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney. Despite our excellent posties, constituents still report delayed deliveries leading to missed appointments and worse. Ofcom should hold Royal Mail to account on the universal service obligation, y…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
29 January 2026
2 contributions
Industrial Energy Costs
1. What steps he is taking to help reduce industrial energy costs.
Under the last Conservative Government we had soaring energy costs and the highest industrial energy bills in Europe. Now, under Labour, manufacturers, including those in Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, have seen costly levies taken out. Will the Minister please outline what else the Government can do to…