Commons
Debate
17 November 2025
Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Power Station: Wylfa
I thank the hon. Member for Ynys Môn (Llinos Medi) for securing this urgent question and giving us an opportunity to discuss this issue. As the Minister will know, I welcome the UK’s first small modular reactor nuclear power station, recognising the strong nuclear heritage and expertise of that area…
Commons
Debate
17 November 2025
Budget: Press Briefings
Last week, VAT was to increase; this week, it is not. Pensions increases were to feature in the Budget; then they were not. Income tax was to feature; then it was not, and then it was again. The one thing that we are sure of is that retailers faced £7 billion in extra costs from the 2024 Budget, wit…
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
17 November 2025
Refund Delays
I thank the Minister for his answer. Application costs are significant, and sometimes push those who apply to the wall. Whenever it comes to getting moneys back from someone who owes them, the Government are very zealous—as they should be. I suggest that when it comes to those that they owe money to…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 November 2025
Parkinson’s Disease
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I will show people how to do a 30-minute speech in two minutes. I congratulate the hon. Member for Colne Valley (Paul Davies) on setting the scene, and thank him for that. I am the DUP’s health spokesman, so I know many people in my con…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 November 2025
Police Reform
I thank the Minister for her statement and her answers. It is always good to hear how money is being spent, and how policing can be delivered more effectively. She probably has direct contact every month with the relevant Minister in Northern Ireland, where the problems relating to the moneys availa…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 November 2025
Business of the House
I am deeply troubled by increasing reports of the Taliban’s crackdown on women’s education: more than 2.2 million Afghan girls have been banned from attending school beyond primary education. Will the Leader of the House urge the Foreign Secretary to outline what concrete actions the Government will…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 November 2025
Food Waste
Mr Speaker, you and I—and many others in this House—will remember that when we were younger, nothing was ever thrown out. When the cheese had blue mould, we cut off the edges and ate it. If food was coming near to the end of its time, the dog got it. Nothing was ever wasted. “Best before” dates on f…
Commons
Westminster Hall
13 November 2025
4 contributions
Modern Day Slavery: Pakistan
I beg to move,
That this House has considered modern day slavery in Pakistan.
I thank you, Sir Roger, for coming to stand in as Chair. We appreciate that very much. I also thank right hon. and hon. Members for coming along to participate in the debate, and I thank in particular those in the Public…
Yes, there are many places in the world where international slavery is rampant. We can think of China and the Uyghurs; probably countries in central America; Africa, of course; and many other places. The hon. Gentleman is right to highlight that issue.
I welcome the Minister to her place. I know th…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
13 November 2025
Rogue Builders
I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate, and he is absolutely right. In Northern Ireland, consumer protection against rogue builders involves preventive measures, official reporting channels and legal recourse through the Consumerline service, trading standards and the small claims cou…
Commons
Debate
12 November 2025
2 contributions
Nolan Principles
Will the hon. Member give way?
I commend the hon. Member for bringing this debate before the House. I was on Ards borough council from 1985, and the Nolan principles came in in 1995. They were very clear about the need for integrity, selflessness, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. Those principles wer…
Commons
Debate
12 November 2025
Energy
The cost of energy bills for the average household will be £1,775 this year. Charities indicate that energy companies are owed £4.4 billion by UK households. Does the hon. Gentleman fear, as I do, that the vulnerable and needy will be unable to heat their houses this winter because of the money that…
Commons
Debate
12 November 2025
Taxes
I commend the shadow Chancellor and the Conservative party for bringing forward this debate. Is he aware of the stat that the average British family is as much as £15,000 poorer than they were five years ago? The biggest increases have been in energy and food, of course, and while there have been wa…
Commons
Proceedings
12 November 2025
Independent Football Regulator
First of all, I welcome the Secretary of State’s comments. She is a right honourable Lady; I know that, and I hope that everybody in this Chamber does, as well. I very much welcome the Independent Football Regulator, but my constituents have asked me to ask a question, so I will; that is my job. Yes…
Commons
Westminster Hall
12 November 2025
Carbon Budget Delivery Plan
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir John. I thank the hon. Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) for setting the scene. The Government are trying to meet their carbon budgets, and that is important, but I want to make a quick point in the time I have on behalf of those …
Commons
Westminster Hall
12 November 2025
Public Bodies: Governance and Accountability
I commend the right hon. Lady for securing the debate. Formidable lady that she is, I am surprised that she has not been able to crack the whip and get the desired result. The issue for us all—for you, Sir John, and everyone in this room—is that elected representatives are elected by the people to s…
Commons
Westminster Hall
12 November 2025
SEND Provision: Kent
I commend the hon. and learned Gentleman for securing this debate. He is quite right to outline the issue of the growing demand and the complexity of needs. Similar things are happening in all of the United Kingdom, as indicated by the 51% increase in the number of SEND cases in Northern Ireland in …
Commons
Westminster Hall
12 November 2025
2 contributions
Typhoon Fighter Sovereign Capability
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Christopher. I thank the hon. Member for Fylde (Mr Snowden) for presenting the debate so well, and his passion, knowledge and deep interest are obvious. I support his plea: he, I and other Members in the Chamber wish to see any work retained i…
I thank my hon. Friend, who always instils words of wisdom in these debates. He is right: the Republic of Ireland is our neighbour, and we want to have an economic friendship and relationship with it—by the way, we do not want to be annexed by it, and we are quite clear where we are on that. However…
Commons
Proceedings
11 November 2025
Blood Transfusions during the Falklands War
I commend the hon. Member on securing this debate, and I spoke to him beforehand. Does he not agree that the story of these British servicemen saved through blood donations from the ARA hospital ship is one of those times when honour in war was demonstrated? Does he not further agree that we must en…
Commons
Debate
11 November 2025
2 contributions
Remembrance Day: Armed Forces
While we are celebrating and remembering the greatest generation, we also have the potential to build our young people into being the best generation. Perhaps we should be focusing on that as well—looking back, but also looking forward, as I think the Minister said. We must try to raise a generation…
First, I declare an interest, having been a member of the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Royal Artillery for some 14 and a half years of part-time service. Like others, I know what it is like to lose colleagues and loved ones in the name of safety, security, democracy and freedom.
I represent Stra…
Commons
Debate
11 November 2025
BBC Leadership
I thank the Secretary of State for her answers and for her statement. It has been clear over the years that there has been a bias in the BBC, and I have had concerns over the last 12 months on at least four topics: BBC bias against Brexit; BBC bias against my party, the Democratic Unionist party—the…
Commons
Debate
11 November 2025
Prisoner Releases in Error
I thank the Secretary of State for his answers. Three hundred and twenty-one violent or sexual offenders either failed to come back to jail after being temporarily freed, returned later or breached the terms of their licence last year—the highest number for years. The number was 177 four years ago a…
Commons
Oral Questions
11 November 2025
Rehabilitation: Unspent Convictions
One implication of an unspent conviction is that those who have a passport and want to go on holiday suddenly find that they cannot do so due to something that happened 25 or 30 years ago when they were younger and under 16. I have had a number of cases like that in Northern Ireland this past while.…
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 November 2025
Support for Dyslexic Pupils
It is a real privilege to serve under your chairship, Ms Butler. I thank the hon. Members for Yeovil (Adam Dance) and for Broxtowe (Juliet Campbell) for setting the scene. Nothing tells a story better than personal stories, and both Members gave us their thoughts on where we should be. By doing so, …
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 November 2025
Sixth-form Provision: Bolsover
I commend the hon. Lady for securing this debate and for her campaigning in this Chamber, which has clearly been instrumental—the people here and those at home watching will be greatly inspired by her, so well done. In my constituency in Ards, we need to ensure that our teenagers have support and so…
Commons
Debate
5 November 2025
Drug-related Deaths
I commend the hon. Lady for bringing forward the debate. I congratulate her on the campaign, and on her words to the House on the issue. We all greatly admire what she does, and thank her for it. In Northern Ireland, there were 169 drug-related deaths in 2023. That was an increase of 47% on the deca…