Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 January 2026
Business of the House
Changes to income tax reporting from April mean that childminders need to claim tax relief on specific purchases, rather than the current 10% wear and tear allowance. Deanne, one of my local childminders, points out that wear and tear is a daily reality for the few professionals who face very young …
Commons
Debate
19 January 2026
7 contributions
Disclosure and Barring Service
What my hon. Friend has said puts me in mind of another case in a village not far from where I live, where a cleaner was systematically thieving from elderly and vulnerable residents. This went on for years, and every time the person nearly got caught or was interviewed by the police, they just left…
Should DBS checks not have a start date and a finish date, so that people who are not particularly worldly are clear about the beginning and the end, and understand that when the end date comes, a new check will be needed?
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 January 2026
Public Office (Accountability) Bill
I thank the Minister for her statement. I know that she is a woman on a mission, and let us hope that we get to the end of this before terribly long. We know that the Government are struggling with accepting the families’ wish that we should pick up amendment 23 and its consequential amendments. I a…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 December 2025
Topical Questions
I served on the Bill Committee for the Public Office (Accountability) Bill—better known as the Hillsborough law—and was very grateful to the Minister for agreeing to meet my hon. Friend the Member for Cheadle (Mr Morrison) and me to discuss 11 amendments, two new clauses and general points that came…
Commons
Proceedings
11 December 2025
Business of the House
My constituent Ben has a friend who is in HMP Stocken, and he tells me that family and friends have been banned from sending books into the prison for several months. Can the Leader of the House ask his colleagues in the Ministry of Justice about the guidelines? I understand that they say that frien…
Commons
Statutory Instrument
3 December 2025
2 contributions
Draft Infected Blood Compensation Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2025
The Minister will probably anticipate what I am about to ask him. It has been a long wait for a number of families, some of whom are in my constituency, so I am pleased to see that we now have an effective and speedier compensation scheme. That will be hugely welcomed by the families. I recognise th…
Is it possible to have some vague timeframe? The Minister is saying that there is a 12-week consultation, which I absolutely understand, but so many of these people are desperately ill. Can he give me any idea of when that might come into action?
Commons
Statutory Instrument
1 December 2025
4 contributions
Armed Forces Chaplains (Licensing) Measure 2025 (HC 1454)
Abuse Redress Measure 2025 (HC 1455)
May I ask the Second Church Estates Commissioner whether there is something in place to allow for the Archbishops’ Council to report, perhaps on an annual basis, to her on progress with the scheme?
On a point of order, Mr Mundell. I asked a question—I wonder if I might have the courtesy of a reply.
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 November 2025
7 contributions
1994 RAF Chinook Crash
One of my constituents is a cousin of Master Air Loadmaster Graham Forbes, who was one of the four crew members who died that day. The bereaved families were never informed that the MOD had sealed those documents for 100 years, and it took a BBC investigation for that to be revealed. Will the hon. L…
When the Minister replies, I wonder whether she might answer this question, with which I am sure my hon. Friend will agree. When did the MOD stop allowing so many critical personnel on one flight? Those on board included members of MI5, RUC special branch and the British Army intelligence corps, as …
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
24 November 2025
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
In Somerset, we were set back enormously by six years of council tax freeze during the early 2010s, under the Conservative-led council— [ Interruption. ] Council tax was frozen for six years, way in excess of what the Government had anticipated, leaving council finances in Somerset in dire straits.
Commons
Ministerial Statement
20 November 2025
Reoffending: Rehabilitation in Prisons
I thank the hon. Gentleman for presenting the Committee’s statement. With the chief inspector of prisons recently concluding that the outcomes for children in custody are not improving and the urgent notification issued to Oakhill secure training centre, and given that it is children we are discussi…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
20 November 2025
Business of the House
I would like to return to the listed places of worship scheme. Although departmental policy is to keep grant funding records for seven years, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport uses grant records only for the last three years, since 2022, as only that data is considered reliable. The Leader…
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 November 2025
9 contributions
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
I beg to move,
That this House has considered Government support for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Mundell. Myalgic encephalomyelitis is a complex, chronic condition affecting multiple body systems. There is currently no cure or establish…
I could not agree more. For far too long, patients have been dismissed, and that care element is incredibly important, because it affects so many people.
In July, the Department of Health and Social Care published the final delivery plan for ME, a cross-Government strategy aiming to improve attitud…
+7 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 November 2025
Police Reform
I welcome this statement. I have always been opposed to diverting taxpayers’ money to police and crime commissioners and their offices, and away from officers who can fight rural crime in our area. I have a couple of concerns. First, what will happen if a police force area like mine is split between…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 November 2025
Business of the House
Some of my constituents have had valuable property stolen from their homes during viewings, and have come to discover that the so-called potential buyers or tenants were not who they purported to be. Estate agents usually check the financial readiness and capacity of potential buyers and tenants, bu…
Commons
Debate
12 November 2025
Nolan Principles
It is absolutely apparent from looking at the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, which is known as the Hillsborough law, that it will create enormous pressure on any number of bodies, particularly the employment tribunal, which I understand has tens of thousands of cases waiting. I could list any …
Commons
Debate
11 November 2025
Prisoner Releases in Error
The day before Prime Minister’s questions last week, we spent hours discussing the Public Office (Accountability) Bill. Bearing in mind that there has been such a crash in public trust and confidence, has the Lord Chancellor considered that it might have been better to have referred to the fact that…
Commons
Proceedings
4 November 2025
3 contributions
Sudan: Government Support
rose —
Will the Minister give way, on that point?
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
3 November 2025
4 contributions
Public Office (Accountability) Bill
rose—
I welcome this Bill. Will the Prime Minister reassure me and my constituents that organisations that are contractors for public authorities and public bodies will also be covered the provisions of the Bill? It is important that where responsibilities are deferred to other bodies, they too are captur…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
30 October 2025
2 contributions
Infected Blood Compensation Scheme
The Minister will see my pile of papers, which I hope are criticisms that I never have to raise again. I welcome his statement and the work being done, particularly by Sir Brian Langstaff and others. I also welcome his intention to listen to and work with the infected blood community. This scandal r…
I apologise, Madam Deputy Speaker. Can the Minister confirm that people will not have to wait and that those 10,573 registrations are only part of it, when we recognise that there are 30,000 victims?
Commons
Proceedings
30 October 2025
Business of the House
My constituent John appealed his business rate demand 13 months ago as the rateable value on his office is incorrect. He tells me that the business rate appeal is taking between a year and 18 months. Will the Leader of the House ask the relevant Minister to improve the check and challenge system to …
Commons
Debate
29 October 2025
2 contributions
Sentencing Bill
I would like to draw attention to two cases in my constituency, one of which I have spoken about before in this place, in which a lady called Lorraine lost her life. It involved somebody who was driving, possibly while looking at their mobile phone, and again, that person did not go to prison. It is…
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I want to put it on the record that there has unfortunately been a blip on today’s version of the Sentencing Bill’s amendment paper. While I did put my name to several new clauses, I did not put my name to amendments 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 22, 23, 31, 32, 3…
Commons
Westminster Hall
28 October 2025
Lasting Power of Attorney
I understood that someone could execute a power of attorney only if they had capacity, so if there had been a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, that would not have been possible. Am I incorrect?
Commons
Debate
27 October 2025
4 contributions
Regulation and Inspection of Funeral Services
rose—
My constituents would be really shocked to discover the lack of clarity in this matter. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that, as part of the licensing regime, anyone undertaking a funeral service in the community should be clear about where bodies are kept and the various arrangements that are in play…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
23 October 2025
Business of the House
The Chinook Justice Campaign presented a petition to Downing Street this week asking for transparency about the Mull of Kintyre crash in 1994. The Ministry of Defence at Boscombe Down grounded these Boeing Chinooks before the flight, but the special forces pilots were blamed by the RAF, only to be e…
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
23 October 2025
Topical Questions
My constituent Phil is in the special category mechanism for the 916 people who were inexplicably excluded from the infected blood compensation scheme in February, even though the Government’s expert group said in August last year that they should be compensated. On 5 June, the Paymaster General sai…