Commons
Westminster Hall
15 July 2026
Regional Accents and Social Mobility
Thank you very much, Sir Roger, for giving me the chance to participate. I thank the hon. Member for Leigh and Atherton (Jo Platt), my cousin from across the sea—or across the shuck, as we would say back in Northern Ireland—for highlighting this issue. It is a real pleasure to speak in this debate.
…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 July 2026
Peak Cluster Pipeline and Project
I fully support the right hon. Lady’s efforts on behalf of her constituents. I have an understanding of the issues. Does she agree that any final approval for the Peak Cluster project must include cast-iron, legally binding guarantees to protect landowners’ rights, and that local environmental objec…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 July 2026
2 contributions
Coastal Communities: Isolation and Hidden Deprivation
I am in a state of shock; I had to fiddle through my papers to get my notes. Thank you, Sir Alec, for calling me to speak. I thank the hon. Member for Isle of Wight West (Richard Quigley) for setting the scene. He is right about the deprivation of coastal communities everywhere in the United Kingdom…
I thank my friend and colleague, whose intervention is now on the record. He is right to focus on that. I hope the Minister will be able to answer. What happens in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency happens in mine.
Pockets of the peninsula face employment and income deprivation due to the seasonal …
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 July 2026
Rugby in Schools
I commend the hon. Gentleman for bringing this forward. He outlines some of the clubs in his constituency that do great things. In my main town of Newtownards, Ards rugby club is a phenomenal club that seeks to be involved in charitable as well as sporting aspects within the area. On its own initiat…
Commons
Oral Questions
Health and Social Care
14 July 2026
Lung Cancer Screening Programme
Never intimidation, Mr Speaker; I am not strong enough for that. My colleague and friend, the hon. Member for Runcorn and Helsby (Sarah Pochin), has kindly let me ask this question.
As chair of the all-party parliamentary group on respiratory health, I want to ask this question. The lung cancer scr…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 July 2026
Extreme Heat: Preparedness
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak, Sir Christopher; it is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship. Let me say a big thank you to the hon. Member for Waveney Valley (Adrian Ramsay) for highlighting this issue. Whether people like it or not, it has to be addressed. It is a key iss…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 July 2026
3 contributions
Support for Pig Farmers
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship again, Sir Christopher. I thank the hon. Member for Gordon and Buchan (Harriet Cross) for setting the scene incredibly well.
It is a pleasure to champion a sector that is not only vital to my constituency, but a cornerstone of the entire economy of Nor…
I certainly do. That is one of the things that the hon. Member for Gordon and Buchan and others have asked for, and I look forward to hearing the Minister’s response.
Sadly, pig farming cannot simply be switched on and off like a tap. It requires immense long-term investment, precision and dedicati…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
9 July 2026
Tuna Fishing Licences
I do not know how to respond to that, Mr Speaker, but I will take it that it was meant in a good way.
I echo what the hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Torcuil Crichton) said and I ask the Minister to focus on Northern Ireland. Why are Northern Ireland’s sustainable rod and reel fishers being t…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
9 July 2026
NATO Summit
I thank the Secretary of State for her statement, which had vast portions of positivity and good news within it. While the £70 billion Ukraine package and the 5% spending target by 2035 sound impressive, our constituents want to know just how well those declarations translate into safety on the grou…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 July 2026
2 contributions
Conflicts: Impact on Older People
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the humanitarian impact of conflicts on older people.
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Betts; thank you for chairing this debate for us. I have been asking for a debate on this subject for some time. The subject is close to my he…
I speak for myself, but I think you are not too far off my years, Mr Betts, although I know that I am older than you.
In Sudan, the health sector has been destroyed and medicines are in short supply. Even those with manageable health conditions are at grave risk. In parts of Darfur, dozens of older…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 July 2026
Lobular Breast Cancer: Moon Shot Project
I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. He has been very vocal on this subject matter and we all support him. I apologise to him, to you, Mrs Hobhouse, and to the ladies in the Public Gallery today, because I have an early flight home so I cannot be here to make a longer contribution …
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 July 2026
Draft UK-EU Agreement on Gibraltar
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir John. I thank the hon. Member for Brigg and Immingham (Martin Vickers) for securing this incredibly timely and crucial debate. It is nice to see some representatives of Gibraltar in the Public Gallery, as well as one of our old friends from th…
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 July 2026
Defibrillators in Police Vehicles
I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. By equipping every police vehicle with a device, such as the CU Medical iPAD SP1 or the Defibtech Lifeline AUTO, we will expand our chain of survival on the roads. Our police officers are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Does the hon. G…
Commons
Oral Questions
Northern Ireland
8 July 2026
Seasonal Scampi Fishers
Owing to the severe financial impact of the restricted skilled worker visas, family-owned trawlers in Portavogie, Ardglass and Kilkeel face a perfect storm, alongside fuel costs and the newly imposed Isle of Man transit barriers. The Minister knows about the issue—both the hon. Member for Scarboroug…
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 July 2026
2 contributions
Societal Impact of AI: Government Policy
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing the debate. I spoke to him beforehand; he knows where I am coming from. My concern is for the young people of today looking for the jobs of tomorrow. My grandchildren will have to prepare themselves. We must try to equip young people. In the last few day…
The hon. Gentleman is focusing on employment and big tech companies; does he agree that we need to go a step back—back to school, teachers and training? Teachers need to prepare their pupils for the future with AI, and for what that means. Does the hon. Gentleman feel that that is something not for …
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 July 2026
2 contributions
National Youth Strategy
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship for the third time today, Ms McVey; I think we are getting to know each other quite well. I thank you for your courtesy and guidance. I also congratulate the hon. Member for Huddersfield (Harpreet Uppal) on securing this debate. I spoke to her befo…
Those opportunities allow many young people to enjoy camping—unlike the hon. Member for Twickenham (Munira Wilson), who is not really a camper. Those who get the thrill of camping for the first time will always want to do it. My oldest boy did it, and now he goes camping every summer with his wife a…
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 July 2026
Government Support for Bus Services: West Dorset
I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. As he is well aware, West Dorset is similar to my constituency, with market towns and many townlands rather than towns, and the profitability of public transport can be questionable. However, does he agree that the bottom line is not the ledger,…
Commons
Debate
8 July 2026
Greenhouse Gas Removals Sector
I commend the hon. Member for securing the debate. I spoke to him today about this subject and I congratulate him on highlighting environmental issues. Does he agree that we must ensure that all areas of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, receive a fair share of investment? Does he also…
Commons
Westminster Hall
7 July 2026
Carlisle-Settle Railway: 150th Anniversary
Some of the navvies who helped to build that railway would have come from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. I congratulate the hon. Lady on her assiduous commitment to her constituents: she is making a good name for herself in this House. Well done to her; I wish her well.
Will the hon.…
Commons
Proceedings
7 July 2026
Summer Jobs
I congratulate the Opposition and the hon. Gentleman for bringing forward the debate. I can well remember my first job. It was not just about the pocket money, because it was not much in those days; it was about punctuality, turning up, social engagement and meeting people—all those things were impo…
Commons
Westminster Hall
7 July 2026
Future of British Horseracing
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I thank the hon. Member for Spelthorne (Lincoln Jopp) for setting the scene incredibly well, as he always does on this subject, which is very close to his heart. It is always a pleasure to see the Minister in her place, and I look forward t…
Commons
Westminster Hall
7 July 2026
Fraud Strategy 2026-29
We need to get a balance. I spoke to the hon. Gentleman beforehand, and we must be incredibly careful not to let the state overreach in the process. Does he agree that a law-abiding citizen should be able to walk into their local bank and spend, withdraw or transfer their own hard-earned money witho…
Commons
Westminster Hall
7 July 2026
Human Rights in Kashmir
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I thank the hon. Member for Bradford East (Imran Hussain) for setting the scene, and I commend him for his words of wisdom and his directions for finding a peaceful way forward. I have supported him every time he has had this debate ov…
Commons
Debate
7 July 2026
Independent Schools: Regulation of Proprietors
I commend the hon. Lady on securing this debate. She has brought to the attention of the House and the Minister to something that is incredibly important: the takeover of any school with little or no discussions with the staff, the principal, or the board of governors, little or no contact with the …
Commons
Debate
6 July 2026
Employment and Training
I commend the hon. Lady for her comments. On opportunities for apprenticeships, whether in construction or whatever they may be, they should also be available in, for instance, fishing and farming. Does she agree that there should be equality of opportunity for women and men to seize apprenticeships…