Commons
Proceedings
27 November 2025
Business of the House
I am deeply concerned by the growing and systematic discrimination faced by Christians in Algeria, including the closing of churches and the aggressive abuse of blasphemy legislation against Christian converts. Will the Leader of the House urge the Foreign Secretary to outline what concrete actions …
Commons
Proceedings
27 November 2025
2 contributions
Right to Trial by Jury
rose—
I thank the Minister for her answers. However, it is confusing just why this proposed decision is being considered. She talked about solutions, and I refer to Northern Ireland. More than 99% of Crown court cases in Northern Ireland are heard by a jury, and only in exceptional cases is a jury not use…
Commons
Oral Questions
House of Commons Commission
27 November 2025
Palace of Westminster: School Visits
It is important that all children of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland get an opportunity to come here, because it broadens their horizons and gives them an idea of how decisions are made here. However, children from Northern Ireland cannot just jump on a coach or a train; the…
Commons
Oral Questions
27 November 2025
Resale of Concert Tickets
I am aware of tickets for the Belsonic event at the Boucher Road playing fields in Belfast previously appearing on secondary sites at more than four times their original price within minutes of going on sale, so I welcome the news from the Secretary of State. What progress has been made on perhaps i…
Commons
Westminster Hall
27 November 2025
2 contributions
Packaging: Extended Producer Responsibility
It is a real pleasure, as always, to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I thank the hon. Member for Gower (Tonia Antoniazzi) for setting the scene so well, as always.
EPR is a UK-wide strategy aimed at addressing issues with waste and improving recycling. I often give a Northern Ireland perspec…
In my contribution I referred to DAERA in Northern Ireland. Can the Minister engage with them—I know she probably does already—so that we can work together on progress going forward?
Commons
Westminster Hall
27 November 2025
2 contributions
Domestic Abuse: Children
The hon. Lady is giving some personal stories, which are always very hard to tell because their seriousness and trauma always lies with us in our hearts. I wish the hon. Lady well as she pursues her case, and I support her.
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine. Many thanks to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight West (Mr Quigley) for leading this debate on a difficult subject.
Sometimes debates like these are a realisation of the sad reality of life across the United Kingdom. I will try to give…
Commons
Proceedings
26 November 2025
Grove Park Railway Station
I commend the hon. Lady for bringing this issue forward. She is right to highlight the condition of the station. It was great when it was first built because it suited the times, but today’s times are different. I spoke to her beforehand about this issue. My concern is that many stations across the …
Commons
Debate
26 November 2025
Budget Resolutions
I want to confirm my party’s support for the Government’s change to the two-child benefit cap. Child poverty levels in Northern Ireland are some of the highest in all of the United Kingdom; between 30% and 35% of children are in poverty. This change will bring them out of poverty and mean a better l…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 November 2025
Young People not in Education, Employment or Training
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. I thank the hon. Member for Amber Valley (Linsey Farnsworth) for setting the scene so well. Education and career prospects are so important. They affect confidence, mental health, opportunity and long-term economic wellbeing. It is imperative …
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 …