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…
Commons
Oral Questions
Northern Ireland
19 November 2025
Film and Television Productions
I thank the Minister for that answer. I also thank him for his energy and interest in Northern Ireland. We hope to have him in Strangford shortly for a visit. Between 2019 and 2022, there was an increase in economic value of 19% in the Northern Ireland film sector, and there is the potential for muc…
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 November 2025
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
I commend the hon. Lady on bringing this debate forward. In Northern Ireland, the figures for ME have unfortunately risen from 7,500 to 12,500 in the past few years. We have no clinical lead, no specialist services and no commission care pathways. We need research. Queen’s University Belfast is real…
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 November 2025
Access to Healthcare: Bracknell Forest
I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. He is right to underline the issue of GPs. Does he agree that access to healthcare must begin with access to the local GP surgery, and that the Government must prioritise training and retraining GPs to ensure that people can access their GP and …
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 November 2025
2 contributions
Suicide: Reducing the Stigma
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Mundell. I thank the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Sarah Olney) for setting the scene, as she so often does. I know that this issue is very close to her heart; indeed, it is very close to all of us. I will give a couple of examples from Northern Ir…
I thank my hon. Friend for her words of wisdom. I know that she has tried, before and during her time in this place, to address the issue of online access to information about how to commit suicide. I cannot conceive how that can be available; maybe I am from a different generation, but the availabi…
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 November 2025
Local Government Reform: Huntingdonshire
I wish to be helpful, as I always try to be. I have spoken to the hon. Gentleman and I congratulate him on the debate. We had a local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland, reducing councils from 26 to 11. The idea was to save money and make the system more accountable. It did not save any m…
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 November 2025
2 contributions
Specialist Manufacturing Sector: Regional Economies
Thank you for calling me early, Mrs Harris; you are very kind. I am sure hon. Members are wondering why. I thank the hon. Member for Calder Valley (Josh Fenton-Glynn) for securing today’s debate. In his short year and a half in the House, he has shown himself to be assiduous on behalf of his constit…
I hope the Minister will forgive me if he is going to address my earlier request, which related to the Northern Ireland Assembly Minister back home. I know that he travels to Northern Ireland and has an interest in Northern Ireland, and it is important that we work together. Will he give the commitm…
Commons
Debate
18 November 2025
Warm Homes Plan
I commend the hon. Lady for raising this issue. In Northern Ireland we have a slightly different scheme called the affordable warmth scheme, run by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. The problem we have is that only a certain amount of money is set aside, and it is first come, first served, so …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
18 November 2025
2 contributions
ExxonMobil: Mossmorran
I thank the Minister for his statement and wish him well in his endeavours. Anybody in this place would be churlish not to wish him well in his endeavours to try to do better—
Expect there might be one or two to my left-hand side, but that is by the way.
It is sad to hear of yet another large UK company closure next year, this time in Mossmorran. I have seen and experienced similar stories in Northern Ireland, and what springs to mind is always the impact that this will …
Commons
Debate
18 November 2025
2 contributions
Northern Ireland Troubles Bill
Further to the point made by my right hon. Friend the Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson), the Republic of Ireland Government and the Garda Síochána have to respond on the things on which they fell short. For instance, when my cousin was killed and others were killed, the killers crossed the bo…
On accountability, I think we all want justice for those victims who have never had justice. I think of the four Ulster Defence Regiment men of Ballydugan, for instance: there was no justice for them and nobody was ever made accountable. My cousin Kenneth Smyth was murdered by the IRA and they fled …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
18 November 2025
China Espionage: Government Security Response
I thank the Minister for his statement; we are greatly encouraged by the steps the Government are taking. I chair an all-party parliamentary group—some Members here are members of it—and we had our website hacked and stories replaced. I have also had conversations that were under surveillance by the…
Commons
Oral Questions
18 November 2025
Topical Questions
Here is a pithy question, which I hope will be important for us in Northern Ireland. Will Northern Ireland receive a dedicated share of UK-wide peatland funding schemes such as those covered by the Nature for Climate Fund?
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 November 2025
UNESCO: 80th Anniversary
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. I want to say a big thank you to the hon. Member for Mid Derbyshire (Jonathan Davies) for setting the scene incredibly well on a subject in which we should all be interested. It is wonderful to be here to celebrate UNESCO’s 80th anniversa…
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 November 2025
2 contributions
Infrastructure: Cramlington and Killingworth
On a point of order, Mr Dowd. I am probably not the only Member who has noticed that this Chamber seems as cold as a butcher’s fridge. It was the same yesterday. Have you had any indication when the heating might be turned on?
I commend the hon. Lady and understand exactly her frustration in relation to having infrastructure in place. In my constituency we have been pursuing the Ballynahinch bypass for over 35 years—15 of which I have been pursuing it as an MP. We now finally have a date, but such situations hold back dev…
Commons
Debate
17 November 2025
Clive Treacey Safety Checklist
I congratulate and thank the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. His choice of words, his tone, and the compassion in his voice are a real tribute to Clive Treacey, and to his family in the Gallery. The hon. Gentleman has paid a wonderful tribute to Clive, and it is right to put that on the rec…
Commons
Debate
17 November 2025
Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill
It is such an important subject, and I appreciate the opportunity to ask a question on behalf of those I represent who are involved in fishing. The Bill and the international treaty it implements will affect the fishing industry primarily through the creation of marine protected areas and through th…
Commons
Proceedings
17 November 2025
Illegal Waste: Organised Crime
I thank the Minister for her answers. Nobody in this House doubts her commitment to addressing this issue, and we very much welcome that and thank her for it. The discovery of the Mobuoy illegal dump in Londonderry in 2013 revealed an enormous operation involving criminals who buried vast amounts of…