Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 January 2026
Venezuela
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I definitely have the strongest legs in this Chamber—I have been bobbing for over three hours.
I thank the Secretary of State very much for her statement and her strong commitment, but will she further outline what support we can offer our US allies to ensure that d…
Commons
Debate
5 January 2026
Northern Ireland Troubles Bill: Armed Forces Recruitment and Retention
I thank the hon. and gallant Gentleman for his answers. I ask him, with great respect, whether it is any wonder that recruitment is down when a Sinn Féin First Minister tells my right hon. Friend the Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson) and my party to “butt out” of recent recruitment issues—pai…
Commons
Debate
17 December 2025
Window Cleaning Industry: Workplace Safety
I commend the right hon. Gentleman for raising this subject. I was sitting here and thinking to myself that years ago I lived on a farm, and years ago farmers were not aware of the dangers of telescopic hydraulic lifts touching cables, just as they were not aware of the dangers of falling off roofs.…
Commons
Debate
17 December 2025
National Insurance Contributions (Employer Pensions Contributions) Bill
My intervention will be very brief. The Federation of Small Businesses in Northern Ireland has told me of its concerns about national insurance contributions, but it has also told me that utility prices are up by 52.7%, labour costs by 51.5%, and taxes by 47.2%. I ask the Minister respectfully how h…
Commons
Proceedings
17 December 2025
Puberty Suppressants Trial
May I thank the Secretary of State for all that he does? He deserves credit. A mother from my constituency phoned me this morning and said:
“Why is money being spent on this pathway when my child has been waiting for clinical support for 3 years and the waiting list is so long she may be moved to a…
Commons
Proceedings
17 December 2025
Northern Ireland Troubles: Legacy and Reconciliation
The Kenova report was clear in proving that there was no evidence of state collusion or machinations. Yet the republican drum still bangs to cover the sound of the voices of the innocents calling for justice and to be heard. How will the Secretary of State respond to the lack of protection for the s…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 December 2025
2 contributions
Membership-based Charity Organisations
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg, for the third time this afternoon—I enjoy your company so much. You are kind and patient as a Chair—thank you very much.
I congratulate the hon. Member for Gosport (Dame Caroline Dinenage) on securing us the opportunity to sow into this deba…
I thank the hon. Member for his intervention. The knowledge that he has developed over the years is an important addition to this debate. I know that the Minister is listening when we make our asks, as the hon. Member for Gosport has done and as I will do now.
The service that these organisations p…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 December 2025
Neurodiversity in the Workplace
I commend the hon. Lady for bringing this matter forward, and I spoke to her beforehand. By way of encouragement, in Northern Ireland, we have done a lot of work on this issue, and I am very impressed by what we have done. There has been a significant push towards neuro-inclusion through governmenta…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 December 2025
2 contributions
Housing Development: Cumulative Impacts
It is always a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I thank the right hon. Member for East Hampshire (Damian Hinds) for setting the scene so well. I will obviously bring a Northern Ireland perspective on the impacts of housing development. I want to be fairly positive about how we do th…
I intervened on the hon. Lady in the Chamber yesterday and she has returned the compliment today in Westminster Hall. I recognise what she say—and by the way, I do not take anything away from the Government. I support their target of 1.5 million houses, whether or not they reach it, because it is im…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 December 2025
Palliative Care: North Derbyshire
I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. I spoke to him beforehand to suggest a helpful intervention. He rightly said that fundraising is important for the hospice, but NHS funding never covers more than a fraction of the cost. There are four distinct hospices in Northern Ireland that …
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 December 2025
4 contributions
Asylum Reforms: Protected Characteristics
I commend the hon. Lady for securing this debate. There have been incidents in the last year, which I am sure the hon. Lady is aware of, where women have been trafficked into the United Kingdom. They have been brought in illegally and when they are sometimes able to escape from their captors or kidn…
It is always a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Huq. I say a big “thank you” to the hon. Member for Aberdeen North (Kirsty Blackman) for securing this debate. She has—I say this with great kindness—a wonderful, warm heart. I always enjoy her contributions, and today is another example of j…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
16 December 2025
Finance (No. 2) Bill
One of the concerns that probably all of us in this Chamber have, including the hon. Lady, is the squeeze of the middle class and the working class. Many of my constituents have told me—I wonder whether her constituents have also told her—of their concern that that squeeze is going to be felt even m…
Commons
Proceedings
16 December 2025
Africa: New Approach
I thank the Minister very much for his answers and recognise his intent and that of the Government to try to help in whatever way they can. For centuries, churches and faith groups have sent missionaries to Africa. I think of the Samaritan’s Purse charity, which works across Africa and the middle ea…
Commons
Proceedings
16 December 2025
Chagossians: Trust Fund and Resettlement
The Minister is an honourable and just man, but I do have to ask this question. Does he accept the reasons that Chagossians are concerned about the delivery of the UK-funded trust fund? They are concerned that the fund will not help to resettle Chagossians, but will be used by other settlers. How ca…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 December 2025
Online Misogyny: Victims
It is quite clear that it is important that we all work together across the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Indeed, we should take that a stage further and work together with the Republic of Ireland to ensure that we both can combat online misogyny. What discussions has the Min…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 December 2025
Quarries: Planning Policy
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Murrison. I thank the hon. Member for South Leicestershire (Alberto Costa) for leading the debate. I will give a Northern Ireland perspective, but first, I want to say that quarries bring economic life to communities. They create jobs. All the debat…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 December 2025
No Recourse to Public Funds: Homelessness
I commend the hon. Lady—I spoke to her beforehand. It has been brought to my attention in this last period of time that there is a proportion of people in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland who are survivors of trafficking. They were brought to the UK with unresolved status and…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 December 2025
2 contributions
Grassroots Cricket Clubs
It is always a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Turner. I thank the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Andrew Lewin) for setting the scene so well.
I have to say, I was never much good at cricket, to be truthful, but I loved it. I was one of those guys who went to the crease and would …
I certainly do. The hon. Gentleman is certainly right to highlight the issue of Derbyshire, as I and the hon. Member for Leicester South (Shockat Adam) will do shortly; we will also highlight the attributes and the plusses of Leicestershire cricket team as well.
I love the fact that sport draws peo…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 December 2025
Budget 2025: Impact on Graduates
I commend the hon. Gentleman for bringing this debate to the House. The plan 2 student loan repayment threshold was frozen until 2030 under new announcements in the Budget. That means that graduates begin repaying sooner, but it is also almost like a hidden tax on career incomes, whereby students wi…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 December 2025
2 contributions
Transgender People: Provision of Healthcare
Will the hon. Member give way?
I am reminded of last year when a mother came to me back home. Her son wanted to transition. The mother was under real pressure, as was the young boy. We tried to help as much as we could through the health system back in Northern Ireland. Does the hon. Lady agree that there is a journey not only fo…
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
2 contributions
Sudden Cardiac Death in Young People
I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. In the time he has been in this House, he has proven himself to be assiduous, committed and a hard-working constituency MP; I think every one of us is impressed by his efforts in this Chamber and in Westminster Hall, and we thank him for that. T…
I thank the hon. Lady for making that point, and I thank the hon. Member for Leeds South West and Morley (Mark Sewards) for his intervention. Throughout my constituency and indeed Northern Ireland, defibrillators have been supplied to every school and community centre. The communities in Ards, Bally…
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
2 contributions
Industry and Exports (Financial Assistance) Bill
rose—
I welcome what the Minister has said; he has clearly underlined that all parts of the United Kingdom can benefit. As the Minister will know, we are very fortunate in Northern Ireland to have a very strong agrifood sector, which promotes itself wherever it can across Europe, across the mainland and f…
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
Employment Rights Bill
My colleagues in the other place all expressed concern about open-ended, unlimited compensation. That is a concern not only for them and for colleagues here, but for businesses back home. I know the Minister means well, but for goodness’ sake, this will not work for business.
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
Jimmy Lai Conviction
First, I associate myself with the Foreign Secretary’s comments and send my and my party’s sympathies to those affected by the murders on Bondi Beach this weekend. They are very much in our thoughts and prayers. I believe the Government should also support the Australian Prime Minister and Governmen…
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
Sudan: Humanitarian Situation
I thank the Minister for his strong answers. The situation in Sudan is deteriorating every hour, yet the anguish that people are suffering is fresh and new. For Christians in particular, the murder, rape and systematic violence happens daily. Every day, another child loses their mother or father, th…