Commons
Westminster Hall
20 January 2026
Water (Special Measures) Act 2025: Enforcement
I commend the Liberal Democratic party for all they do on water issues. That cannot be taken away from them: they are to the fore. Other parties may be a wee bit annoyed at that, but they are so active it is incredible. Well done.
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the private companies do not appe…
Commons
Westminster Hall
20 January 2026
Domestic Abuse-related Deaths: NHS Prevention
It is always a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir John. I thank the hon. Member for Stroud (Dr Opher) for securing this debate, setting the scene incredibly well and giving us all an opportunity to participate.
As always, I want to give a Northern Ireland perspective of what is happening. …
Commons
Westminster Hall
20 January 2026
Temporary Accommodation: Out of Area Placements
I commend the hon. Gentleman on securing this debate. I am absolutely incredulous that any authority should send a family way out of their area. I was shocked when I read about an example of this issue in my constituency, with a family whose child attended a special school being offered accommodatio…
Commons
Debate
19 January 2026
Disclosure and Barring Service
I commend the hon. Lady for securing this debate; I spoke to her beforehand about the incredibly important issues that she is raising. Does she agree that child safety must be paramount? The Government need to clarify paid and voluntary sector rules—for example, how often should screening be done an…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 January 2026
Public Office (Accountability) Bill
I, too, thank the Minister very much for the statement. I also thank the Liverpool MPs, who have worked very hard to achieve balance in the Bill between citizens and the priority status of security agencies. As the Minister said, it is time for the Government to get this right, and that is what we s…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 January 2026
Arctic Security
I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for your patience in getting us all in; it is much appreciated. I also thank the Foreign Secretary for her statement. I agree that the sovereignty of Greenland is a matter for her own people, but I understand the dangers present, with the Russian threat and aggress…
Commons
Proceedings
19 January 2026
Proposed Chinese Embassy
I thank the Minister for her answers. In last week’s urgent question on the Chinese embassy, I highlighted that while the consulate is entitled to facilities that enable its citizens to get consular help, the Chinese are not entitled to facilities that pose any type of threat to national security. T…
Commons
Debate
19 January 2026
Local Elections: Cancellation
The hon. Lady is indeed a very honourable lady, in her response and in the way that she does things in the House, but the fact is that, whether it be down to reorganisation or a new strategy—whatever reasons the Government put forward—3.7 million people will be denied the right to cast their vote. T…
Commons
Proceedings
19 January 2026
Iran: Protests
I thank the Minister for his answers. He will be under no illusions about the barbaric tactics that are being employed in Iran; indeed, last week’s statement made it very clear that the Government are fully aware of them. The strongly worded condemnation has not brought about any change, and we have…
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
19 January 2026
Flu Vaccination: School Absences
In Northern Ireland there is only a 52% uptake in flu vaccinations. There are two reasons for that: first, parents want to be sure that it is okay and safe for their children; and secondly, schools sometimes show reluctance to let it happen. Will the Minister share the policy that the hon. Member fo…
Commons
Debate
15 January 2026
2 contributions
New Towns
Will the hon. Lady give way?
I thank the hon. Lady for Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch—I hope I have pronounced that correctly; apologies if my Ulster accent has destroyed that word. The last new town we had in Northern Ireland was Craigavon back in 1965, some 60 years ago, when I was a 10-year-old starting secondary school. Does…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 January 2026
Prisons: Illegal Drugs
I thank the Chair and his Committee for all their hard work. Back home in Northern Ireland, 41% of prisoners surveyed said it was easy to acquire illicit drugs and, worryingly, 28% reported developing a drug problem while in prison. I think those figures are replicated in the report that the hon. Ge…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 January 2026
Business of the House
I thank the Leader of the House for this opportunity to ask a question about Bangladesh. The Chair of the Backbench Business Committee, the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman), has already referred to some of the issues. In the weeks leading up to the February 2026 parliamentary elections, th…
Commons
Proceedings
15 January 2026
Digital ID
Hopefully there will be easier questions for the Minister to answer in the time to come. This is issue is very important to my constituents; I get hundreds of emails about it. The response to the proposal of digital ID has been swift and intense, and the feelings on all sides of the community have n…
Commons
Oral Questions
Church Commissioners
15 January 2026
Christians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
It is important that worship is retained, but one of the reasons that people will stay is that they have jobs and opportunities. When I met some Church representatives last year, they said that people were leaving not just because of persecution, but because they had nothing to do work-wise. What is…
Commons
Oral Questions
15 January 2026
Youth Activities
It is important that we improve access to youth activities for young people, particularly because of the rise in their anxiety, depression and mental health—important issues. The rise in suicides among our young people worries me greatly, too, as I know it worries the Minister, and indeed us all. Wh…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 January 2026
Food Inflation
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dame Siobhain. I say a big thank you to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Friern Barnet (Catherine West) for setting the scene, and to the right hon. Member for Salisbury (John Glen).
This is a very important debate, because so many families out there a…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 January 2026
Gambling Harms: Children and Young People
It is a real pleasure, as always, to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I thank the hon. Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey (Kevin McKenna) for bringing this debate, for giving us lots of detail and information, and for giving us an opportunity to participate. I welcome the Minister and am gla…
Commons
Debate
14 January 2026
Oil Refining Sector
I also thank the hon. Member for bringing forward the debate. He is right to refer to the Lindsey oil refinery, but all of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is affected by the sector if we become vulnerable and reliant on foreign entities. Does he agree that for the nation’s e…
Commons
Debate
14 January 2026
Ukraine
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that there must be accountability for those Russians who have carried out massacres and raped, violently tortured and killed people, and they must be taken to court and put in prison?
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 January 2026
3 contributions
Horse and Rider Road Safety
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. I thank the hon. Member for Newbury (Mr Dillon), who I spoke to beforehand about the issue. He is absolutely on the button with what he has requested .
I am the MP for a rural constituency, and I live on a farm in the midst of the unmatchable…
Yes, but I will not give way again.
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 January 2026
UK-France Relations
I commend the hon. Gentleman on securing the debate. He talks about the relationship between the UK and France, and we have fought many battles against each other. However, we always remember that the last two battles we fought, we fought together, and we took on fascism across the world.
Does he a…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 January 2026
2 contributions
Science and Discovery Centres
I apologise for not being here at the very beginning of the debate; as I explained to you, Mrs Harris, I was running late because I had a meeting with a Minister beforehand.
The hon. Gentleman is right to underline these issues, which affect not just England, but Scotland, Wales and Northern Irelan…
The hon. Gentleman is right to recall his youth and how his love of the countryside energised him to seek the job and life he wanted. Marine biology and local sea life can do something similar. In my earlier intervention on the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr (Steve Witherden), I mention…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 January 2026
Factored Energy Arrangements: Pricing
I commend the hon. Gentleman for bringing forward this debate. He and I spoke beforehand, but he might not be aware that consumers with factored arrangements in Northern Ireland were historically vulnerable to high, unregulated prices, similar to consumers in GB, but the Northern Ireland Assembly mo…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 January 2026
2 contributions
Ajax Programme
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stuart. I want to say a big thank you to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty) for setting the scene incredibly well and providing lots of detailed information that is beyond my knowledge; hopefully he helped to set the scene for the Mini…
If he has not done the job, there should be no bonus. That would be the same for anybody, no matter who they are—you get a bonus because you do it right. But the Minister can perhaps answer that question better.
It is important that these issues have no knock-on effects on essential supplies gettin…