Commons
Westminster Hall
26 November 2025
Home Insulation
First of all, I commend the hon. Lady for securing this debate. I spoke to her beforehand. The problems that she is outlining in her own constituency of Shipley are similar to those we have in Northern Ireland, where 65% of dwellings have full cavity wall insulation, 15% have partial cavity wall ins…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 November 2025
2 contributions
1994 RAF Chinook Crash
May I say what a pleasure it is to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd? You are known as probably the most friendly Chair in the House, so we are pleased to have you here. We all enjoy your company. I certainly did last night; you and I had a good time together. Thank you very much for that.
I also…
Was it 2001? My goodness! There we are—that is how long ago it was; I was not sure. I was really pleased to see the hon. Member set the scene so incredibly well today.
As I listened to the hon. Member’s speech, my mind—my memory—went back. Last night, Mr Dowd, we talked about things from many years…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 November 2025
Children of Alcoholics
I commend the hon. Gentleman; we spoke about people who have lived with this before the debate, which he might refer to, and I was very moved by what he told me. Across Northern Ireland, there are some 40,000 children living with parental alcoholism, and there has been a rise specifically in alcohol…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 November 2025
Driving Test Availability: South-east
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing this debate. It is not just a Surrey Heath issue; it is an issue across the whole of the United Kingdom. In my Strangford constituency in Northern Ireland there are populated areas where people have to wait for up to 12 weeks—not as long as the hon. Gent…
Commons
Debate
25 November 2025
Uckfield Community Hospital Surgical Unit
I commend the hon. Lady for bringing forward this debate. I spoke to her beforehand, and I share her concerns. We have similar concerns in my constituency, where the minor injuries unit closed. The unit was crucial for constituents, and its closure meant that they had to travel further—for almost an…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
25 November 2025
G20 and Ukraine
I thank the Prime Minister for all that he does for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and, indeed, for the western world. It is appreciated by many.
There is a plan that we all hope can end the war in Ukraine and stop the devastation and the killings. Our eyes are focused on …
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 November 2025
Pension Investment in UK Equities
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. The right hon. Member for North West Hampshire (Kit Malthouse) referred to the impact on Britain, but there is an impact regionally as well. Many workers in Northern Ireland are enrolled in UK-wide pension schemes and equity systems, and the…
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 November 2025
Bike Theft: Loughborough
I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. He has referred to the stats in his own area. The Police Service of Northern Ireland notes that the number of motorcycles or scramblers recovered by owners in Northern Ireland is relatively low: for example, in 2022, only 30 out of 136 were reco…
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 November 2025
4 contributions
Immigration Reforms: Humanitarian Visa Routes
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Edward. I thank the hon. Member for Rushcliffe (James Naish) for setting the scene so well on a subject close to all our hearts. This debate is not simply about policy but about the lives of people who will be deeply affected by the impact of the p…
The Minister is, no doubt, listening. I agree with the hon. Gentleman, and I am sure the Minister will give a positive response.
We must not ignore the plight of those suffering for their faith: the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan, Christians in Nigeria and the Baha’is in Iran. Faith groups in coun…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 November 2025
Violence against Women and Girls: London
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I commend the hon. Member for Poplar and Limehouse (Apsana Begum) for leading today’s debate and for her strength of character as well. I have had talks with the hon. Lady and I understand there are things in her own life that she has deal…
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 November 2025
Level 7 Apprenticeships
I congratulate the hon. Lady on securing this debate, and I reiterate her point from my experience with level 7 apprenticeship funding at Queen’s University in Belfast. It was disappointing to hear that, from January 2026, public funding for many level 7 apprenticeships will be removed for those age…
Commons
Debate
24 November 2025
HMP Downview: Female Prisoners
I commend the hon. Lady for bringing this debate forward; I spoke to her beforehand in relation to it, and I thank her for raising the issue. Reports have shown that there has been a 90% increase in the number of mentally unwell women at Downview, who face extended delays in getting the support they…
Commons
Debate
24 November 2025
2 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Will the Minister give way?
I will not be the only MP who has received correspondence from the Country Land and Business Association. That organisation is quite clear that it fears that rural regions will be left behind, and is worried about mayors taking unprecedented control over transport, housing, planning, skills and econ…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
24 November 2025
Critical Minerals Strategy
I thank the Minister very much for his positive statement. It is great that the Government’s critical minerals strategy aims to reduce our over-reliance on foreign suppliers and to build a more resilient domestic supply chain, which is central to our growth sectors and to clean energy. He referred t…
Commons
Proceedings
24 November 2025
Maccabi Tel Aviv FC: Away Fans Ban
I thank the Minister very much for her answers, and for the confidence that she is trying to instil across the nation. On the so-called confidential intelligence that West Midlands police claims to have seen about Israeli fans engaging in significant hooliganism, I am very concerned, as others are, …
Commons
Proceedings
24 November 2025
Ministerial Code
I thank the Minister very much for his statement, and I thank you, Mr Speaker, for all you do to ensure that the ministerial code is followed by all Ministers—we appreciate it.
There has been much discussion this year regarding the ministerial code and how major policy announcements are made. What …
Commons
Oral Questions
24 November 2025
Private Rented Sector
I recognise what the Secretary of State has said about protection for those who rent houses, but desperation is the issue for many people who rent their accommodation, and who find themselves in financial difficulties while living—as we heard earlier from the hon. Member for South Basildon and East …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
20 November 2025
Business of the House
I am deeply concerned by the continuing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, including some disturbing and well-documented allegations of forced organ harvesting. Will the Leader of the House urge the Foreign Secretary to outline what concrete actions the Government will take to press f…
Commons
Proceedings
20 November 2025
Separation Centres: Terrorist Offenders
In Northern Ireland, we have dealt with the spread of extreme forms of paramilitarism in our prisons, and we have learned that the influence of the most hard-line prisoners spreads easily and completely; there are those who enter prison for, perhaps, petty crime and come out the other end with hatre…
Commons
Proceedings
20 November 2025
Ukraine: Forcible Removal of Children
I thank the Minister for his answers and for his strong focus on the Ukrainian children. I also thank the hon. Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire South (Johanna Baxter) for all that she has done—we appreciate it. The trafficking to Russia and forced adoption of Ukrainian children is truly despicabl…
Commons
Proceedings
20 November 2025
Russian Ship Yantar
I thank the Minister for his strong words and his answers, which encourage both hon. Members and those who are listening. Let us be clear and succinct: Russian ships have twice entered British sovereign waters, and to add to that aggression, they have been tracking our RAF pilots with lasers. Our en…
Commons
Oral Questions
20 November 2025
Great British Railways: Passenger Consultations
I use the railways every Monday, Thursday and on other days in the week. The things that passengers look for, as well as those I talk to who come over here from Northern Ireland, are price, punctuality, space and comfort. Can the Minister assure us that those things are central to the Government’s o…
Commons
Westminster Hall
20 November 2025
2 contributions
Unpaid Carers: Inequalities
It is a joy to serve under your chairship, Ms Vaz. I thank the hon. Member for Shipley (Anna Dixon) for championing the cause of unpaid carers so well, and congratulate her on how she has spent her time in this House. She is always making a name for herself on subjects important to her, such as care…
What the Minister is referring to is very positive; as always, I have a quick ask. The policy he is outlining seems very plausible and workable, so can I ask him to share those thoughts with the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt? I think that the two Ministers are in re…
Commons
Westminster Hall
20 November 2025
2 contributions
World COPD Day
I beg to move,
That this House has considered World COPD Day.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Efford. I thank the Backbench Business Committee for making time for this debate. I am always pleased to see the Minister in her place—she knows that—and we look forward to her answers …
I thank all hon. Members for their contributions. I particularly thank the hon. Member for Blaydon and Consett (Liz Twist). She and I have been friends for ages and ages—so far back that I maybe had hair at that time. She underlined two issues: access to public transport, and how difficult it is for…
Commons
Debate
19 November 2025
2 contributions
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
rose—
I welcome what the Government are trying to do, and the thrust of what the Minister is saying, but I think that the Minister and the hon. Gentleman are referring to the fact that we have to ensure that there is a bit of muscle behind the legislation. My colleague Lord Weir was very clear in the othe…