Commons
Debate
18 March 2026
Flooding: Rural Communities
I commend the hon. Lady; she is an assiduous MP and constituency worker, and we all recognise her efforts in this Chamber. Does she agree that the smaller numbers of people living in rural areas can sometimes skew the cost-benefit analysis? The Department must take each request based not on how many…
Commons
Debate
18 March 2026
Fuel Duty
I congratulate the shadow Secretary of State and the Opposition on securing this debate. It is important that we consider this matter, as we are fast approaching a crisis that cannot be circumnavigated. Does the shadow Secretary of State agree that the Government must consider reopening North sea pr…
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 March 2026
Social Enterprises and Community Ownership
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir John. I thank the hon. Member for Leigh and Atherton (Jo Platt) for highlighting the wonderful benefits of social enterprises and community ownership. She is back with a bang—well done to her for securing this debate. I wish to give a Northern…
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 March 2026
Cheadle Train Station
I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing the debate. Like him, we lost our train station many moons ago—back at a time when I had hair, which was a long time ago. We have watched the decline of public transport, and if we get rid of stations, it means a slow decline, and can easily end up with the …
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 March 2026
Freedom of Religion or Belief in China
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine. I thank the hon. Member for St Helens South and Whiston (Ms Rimmer) for setting the scene incredibly well in this very important debate. Her unwavering commitment ensures that the persecution of religious minorities in China, an issue …
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 March 2026
Domestic Abuse Survivors: Government Support
I commend the hon. Gentleman on securing this debate; he was absolutely right to do so. I am also very happy to see the Minister in her place and I look forward to hearing her response. Does the hon. Gentleman share my concern about children in emergency refuge accommodation? I bring that to his att…
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 March 2026
2 contributions
Royal Mail: Performance
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I thank the hon. Member for Exmouth and Exeter East (David Reed) for providing the opportunity to speak about this issue.
We are seeing the breakdown of vital services in my Strangford constituency and in Ards. We are hearing stories of…
The Minister is always very responsive; I appreciate his responses today and in the past. I spoke about a person who applied for PIP and found that there was a delay in the post. That young boy, a type 1 diabetic, was denied one month of his benefit as a result. Will the Minister please look at that…
Commons
Debate
17 March 2026
Ministerial Salaries (Amendment) Bill
The right hon. Gentleman is waxing lyrical about the Bill, but the fact of the matter is that my constituents are facing an oil cost of over $100 a barrel, are paying more tax and having less money to spend, and are wondering how having more Ministers will make an ineffective Government more effecti…
Commons
Oral Questions
17 March 2026
National Listing Framework
I thank the Secretary of State for his positive answer. When I think of the great United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, I am always keen that we share improvements, whether that is from Northern Ireland for here or from England for Northern Ireland. Could the things that the hon. Mem…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 March 2026
Productivity and Economic Growth: East Midlands
I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate; he is making a name for himself in the House for raising issues that affect his constituency, and I congratulate him on that. There are lessons here for all parts of the United Kingdom, so I thank him for raising this topic. Given that manufactu…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 March 2026
Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme
I commend the hon. Lady for securing this debate. I spoke to her beforehand to give her my thoughts. I am here to support her and wish her well in the project. There is a good Minister here to help her and her constituents; I look forward to his response. Does the hon. Lady agree that although spend…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 March 2026
4 contributions
Immigration Reforms
I congratulate the hon. Member for Perth and Kinross-shire (Pete Wishart) on securing this vital debate. I am well-known for believing in immigration for those who need it, those who have a desire to assimilate and those who wish to make a new life for their families and become part of the fabric of…
Does the hon. Gentleman share my concern—I think he probably does—that on many occasions, the French police seem to sit back and do nothing, and let the whole process go ahead? That poses the question whether this Labour Government’s agreement with the French Government means anything at all.
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 March 2026
Child Maintenance Service
I thank the hon. Member for securing the debate. This is a massive issue in my constituency, as it is in hers. In Northern Ireland, a large proportion of parents relying on the CMS face difficulties in receiving timely maintenance, which directly impacts child poverty and family stability. Does she …
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 March 2026
Rural Roads
I commend the hon. Gentleman. I spoke to him beforehand about this issue. Insurance claims due to potholes, damage to car rims and tyres, and bicycles driving into potholes and riders going over the handlebars and getting injured—those are just some examples of what has happened back home in my cons…
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
2 contributions
Asbestos-related Lung Cancer: Compensation Act 2006
rose—
You are very kind, Madam Deputy Speaker—I ran the whole way. I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on bringing forward the debate. Over the years as an elected representative—as a councillor and as an MLA back in Northern Ireland—I had a number of constituents who had unfortunately succumbed to mesothel…
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
Grenfell Tower Memorial (Expenditure) Bill
I thank the Secretary of State for the sombre and appropriate way he proposes the Bill. Although the memorial is important and should be tasteful and poignant, the best memorial is the lessons learned so that no other family has to suffer as these victims’ families have suffered, and the lives that …
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
Heating Oil Support
I thank the Minister very much for his announcement—the £17 million for Northern Ireland, as part of the £53 million package, is welcome. That recognition and funding is important, given the price of home heating oil. Some 62% of people across Northern Ireland have heating oil, including almost 80% …
Commons
Oral Questions
16 March 2026
GP Contract
I thank the Minister very much for his positive answers, and I thank the Minister and the Government for the giant steps they are taking to improve the NHS; we are encouraged by that. While the Government have rolled out major changes to the GP contract in England to improve access to same-day appoi…
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
Lord Mandelson: Response to Humble Address
I thank the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister for making himself available on every occasion that the House asks him to come along and answer questions. As each week passes, the attention on this matter is not diverted but intensified, and with each seeming redirection, the British public become…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 March 2026
Strait of Hormuz
I thank the Minister for his answers, for his tone and for his careful use of words. I am very clear on my stance on the principle of the war against the terrorist regime in Iran, but this is not about principle; it is about practicality. Some of my constituents are on the poverty line, and the wage…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
16 March 2026
Military Personnel: Pay
I thank the Secretary of State for his answers. Personnel and families from Northern Ireland face exceptional costs if they are stationed here on the mainland. If they want to meet up with their family or go home again, there are extra costs for them. What has been done to ensure that personnel from…
Commons
Debate
12 March 2026
International Women’s Day
Talking of strong women, there is my mum, my wife, my three daughters-in-law and my three grandchildren. Those three wee girls are at a very young age, but I tell you what: they have the potential to be leaders as well. They are fierce women and they are strong, and I am very pleased to see that.
E…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 March 2026
Defending Democracy Taskforce
I thank the Minister for his statement, and the Speaker’s Conference for bringing forward recommendations—they are really important. Operation Ford, which is mentioned on page 2 of the statement, will cover England, Scotland and Wales. Will he clarify why Northern Ireland is not included? Perhaps so…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 March 2026
Business of the House
I want to bring to the attention of the Leader of the House the recent visit to the UK by Nigeria’s President Tinubu. There are concerns about the ongoing harassment, persecution and killing of Christians in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians have been killed, abducted or unlawfully detained in Nigeri…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
Parental Rights at Work
I thank the Minister for that very positive answer. There is nobody in this House or further afield who does not welcome the improvement of parental rights at work. I had a chance to speak to the Minister beforehand, so she will know where my question is coming from—I ask it on behalf of the small a…