Commons
Westminster Hall
10 February 2026
Sherwood Forest: Tourism
I am probably the oldest person in this Chamber; I can well remember seeing “The Adventures of Robin Hood” on TV in black and white—that was not yesterday. I am impressed by the hon. Lady’s discussion of her beautiful constituency; I hail from Strangford, which I think has unparalleled beauty. Does …
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 February 2026
Place-based Employment Support Programmes
I commend the hon. Lady. In Northern Ireland, we are doing a collaborative, localised model through the Ards community network. We have done there what the hon. Lady is referring to in Stafford: identifying job opportunities. HGV training is one—it costs about £3,500 to do that—and there is also sec…
Commons
Proceedings
9 February 2026
Brain Tumour Survival Rates
May I say what a pleasure it is to follow the hon. Member for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket (Peter Prinsley), and thank him for his knowledge of the subject matter, and the way that he portrays it with such empathy and understanding? I also thank the hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden (Dame Siobhai…
Commons
Debate
9 February 2026
2 contributions
UK-India Free Trade Agreement
I thank the Minister very much for his enthusiasm and energy in doing this job. I think that we welcome the tariffs.
The agreement was projected to give Northern Ireland’s economy a boost of some £50 million. Three distilleries in my constituency— Echlinville, Hinch and Rademon—will take advantage …
Sometimes.
Commons
Proceedings
9 February 2026
Procedure committee
I thank the hon. Member for Newbury (Mr Dillon) very much for what he has said, and I agree with the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis)—it is not often that we have two people agreeing spontaneously with the Member speaking on behalf of the Committee. I think that I have the st…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
9 February 2026
Standards in Public Life
The Chief Secretary is an honourable man. He is answering incredibly difficult questions, and we have to recognise that. He will know that I seek to find solutions rather than prioritising point scoring in this House—I say that very respectfully—and in this instance it is clear that the public want …
Commons
Oral Questions
9 February 2026
Jimmy Lai: Prison Sentence
The Minister will have heard me ask numerous times over a number of years for interventions on behalf of Jimmy Lai, who is a British citizen, as other Members of this House have done—indeed, we have been very strong collectively. His sham trial has now ended and, unsurprisingly, Jimmy will be held i…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 February 2026
2 contributions
Russian Influence on UK Politics and Democracy
Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
I could not let this opportunity pass by. My point is about Russia’s influence; I want to mention in particular Russia’s abuse and disregard of lives. I am thinking of human rights and the persecution of religious minorities, and I could give some examples right away. Those of us who have stood up t…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 February 2026
Sudan
I thank the Foreign Secretary very much for her tone, her words and her obvious empathy and compassion for the Sudanese victims, which are greatly appreciated by us all.
The UN’s presence in famine-stricken Kadugli in South Kordofan and risk zones in Darfur and Kordofan in order to prevent mass atr…
Commons
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Business of the House
I wish to raise concerns about the treatment of the Shi’a Muslims in Saudia Arabia. There have been long-standing reports of systematic discrimination, including restrictions on religious practice, unequal access to employment and limits on political participation. Such reports raise serious concern…
Commons
Oral Questions
Solicitor General
5 February 2026
CPS Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate
The Solicitor General announced an expansion of the victims’ right to review scheme, allowing rape and serious sexual assault survivors who request a case review by a different prosecutor before a final no-evidence decision is made. That is welcome news. What discussion has taken place with counterp…
Commons
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966
We are a nation of animal lovers. When I got married, my wife loved cats and I did not, but I realised that if I loved her, I had to love her cats, and that is how it works. Can I bring to the Minister’s attention one thing that annoys me and my constituents, which is pet insurance? Pet insurance is…
Commons
Debate
4 February 2026
Construction Industry Training Board: Funding
I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. He is absolutely right on this. He has been an assiduous, committed and very industrious MP for his constituency, and I thank him for that. CITBNI is very similar to the organisation on the mainland to which he refers. It provides key support fo…
Commons
Debate
4 February 2026
Lord Mandelson
I commend the shadow Minister and the Conservative party for bringing forward this matter for consideration. What we are listening to and what is happening is absolutely incredible. May I suggest that the five years during which Mandelson was EU trade commissioner should be part of the investigation…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 February 2026
4 contributions
Armed Conflict: Children
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I thank the hon. Member for Hyndburn (Sarah Smith) for setting the scene incredibly well and for all the work she has done on the issue over the years and in her time in Parliament. She has championed the protection of children in arm…
I was talking to the Liberal Democrat Northern Ireland spokesperson, the hon. Member for Wimbledon (Mr Kohler), last night, and he asked me a similar question. We have the urban and the rural: in the urban areas—Belfast, Londonderry and the big cities—the influence on people is perhaps more direct a…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 February 2026
Nurseries and Early Years Providers: CCTV
I commend the hon. Lady for all she has done over the years. In the short time I have been here, I have found her to be assiduous, committed and dedicated on all these issues. As she knows, I have tried to support her in all her campaigns. Today, she is talking about another massive campaign, and I …
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 February 2026
2 contributions
Postal Services: Rural Areas
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I thank the hon. Member for South Shropshire (Stuart Anderson) for allowing us the opportunity to speak in this debate. I say well done to him for setting the scene incredibly well, although it does not give us any joy to highlight Royal M…
I thank the Minister for responding to all the questions that we posed. One of mine was about the minimum wage. If a business wants to retain staff, it has to pay them a decent wage. The problem in Newtownards is that some of the staff who have been there for many years are not getting the minimum w…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 February 2026
Fast-Track Visas: Skilled US Citizens
I commend the hon. Lady, because this is such an important issue; I am aware of it in my constituency, although there are not the numbers she referred to—those 200 email requests. With Belfast receiving a high level of investment from US companies that wish to avail themselves of our superior cyber-…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 February 2026
3 contributions
Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I thank the hon. Member for Blackpool North and Fleetwood (Lorraine Beavers). We all owe the hon. Lady a debt for bringing forward this issue, and our constituents would agree.
I have constituents who are close to defaulting on their mortga…
Let me read out an email sent by a lady who worked for almost 50 years in the civil service at His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. If anyone knows how to work the figures, then this lady does. Yet she is powerless in the face of Capita.
“I joined the Civil Service in September 1977 and retired from …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
3 February 2026
Fish and Chip Sector
I commend the hon. Gentleman. I am mindful that the best chips come from Comber spuds and the best fish comes from Portavogie—that is just me talking up my own area. Does he agree that the new fisheries management plans have resulted in reduced total allowable catches, affecting local supply? It mea…
Commons
Debate
3 February 2026
Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill
I commend the hon. Lady. May I put on record my thanks to her for her words, the Secretary of State for his commitment and the Labour Government for bringing this change forward? Some 50,000 children in Northern Ireland, out of 13,000 households, will benefit—out of child poverty and into a better s…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 February 2026
Separation Centres Review
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement and his careful words. In Northern Ireland, we operated segregation in our prisons during the troubles, and we found that it was essential to keep those who were able to turn moderates around into fanatics away from the general populace. However, for …
Commons
Debate
3 February 2026
Iran
I thank the Minister for his tone in speaking about this incredibly grave situation. Some 6,500 people have been killed by headshots—they have been blinded and murdered—and thousands have been injured. It is estimated that some 60,000 people have been imprisoned. While it is positive news that there…
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
3 February 2026
Magistrate Recruitment
I thank the Justice Secretary very much for his very positive answers about recruiting magistrates, and about the timescale; that is welcome news. He referred to 90% of cases being dealt with by magistrates in the courts. That means that there are a lot of delays, and those affect victims, who have …
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 February 2026
Animals in Science Regulation Unit: Annual Report 2024
I commend the hon. Member for rightly bringing us this debate. He is right to say that many people are concerned. Between 2018 and 2022, only 12% of animal welfare convictions in Northern Ireland resulted in a custodial sentence. Councils and enforcement bodies need greater funding to gather evidenc…