Commons
Oral Questions
27 April 2026
2 contributions
State Pension Age Changes: Compensation
3. What recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing compensation to women born in the 1950s affected by changes to the state pension age.
I ask this question on behalf of the 6,000 WASPI women in Strangford. Given that the Department’s own 2007 evaluation raised serious doubts about the effectiveness of letters to pensioners, how can the Minister justify the decision that no direct financial loss occurred when thousands of women were …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
23 April 2026
Housing Conditions in Temporary Accommodation
I thank the Chair of the Select Committee for a truly excellent report and for highlighting the issues of temporary housing. In Northern Ireland, the pressure for housing is critical, and temporary accommodation has therefore become more important and sought after. The hon. Lady is to be congratulat…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
23 April 2026
Synthetic Chemicals
I thank the Chair of the Select Committee and all members of the Committee for their hard work and endeavours on synthetic chemicals and for highlighting the dangers to us all as citizens and to the environment. Environmental issues are a devolved matter, so what discussions or inquiries did the Sel…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
23 April 2026
UK Biobank Data
I thank the Minister very much for his statement. As my party’s health spokesperson, I know that research on health is so important initially. UK Biobank is a critical part of that in finding the methods and drugs for cures. The disclosure of data is always a worrying issue, so will the Minister con…
Commons
Oral Questions
23 April 2026
Public Procurement
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister for his answers and for his endeavours to try to do better. The Minister and this House must recognise that public confidence is incredibly low due to repeated failures by the Government, I say respectfully, to do the right thing. How can the Government an…
Commons
Westminster Hall
23 April 2026
4 contributions
Young Adult Carers: Education and Training
It is a real pleasure, as always, to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I thank the hon. Member for Harlow (Chris Vince) for requesting time to debate this vital topic. I do not think he ever makes a contribution without mentioning Harlow, and well done to him. Indeed, I have probably never mad…
I thank the hon. Member; that was going to be my fourth request, by the way, so well done.
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
23 April 2026
2 contributions
Gambling Advertising
I have already apologised to you, Mrs Harris, to the hon. Member for Halesowen (Alex Ballinger) and to the Minister for the fact that, because of the strikes, I need to take a taxi to catch my plane, so I cannot, unfortunately, be here for the whole debate. However, I spoke to the hon. Member for Ha…
I spoke to the hon. Member about this beforehand, but problem gambling is a critical issue for us in Northern Ireland, where rate is 3%, compared with 2.7% here on the mainland. A recent survey found that 65% of adults in Northern Ireland felt there were “too many gambling advertisements”, 71% suppo…
Commons
Debate
22 April 2026
Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy
First, I commend the hon. Gentleman for bringing this debate forward. I spoke to him beforehand and, like the hon. Member for Bracknell (Peter Swallow), I am here to represent my constituents and those who are affected by this issue in Northern Ireland. SUDEP affects one in 1,000 people with epileps…
Commons
Debate
22 April 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
In the papers today, there are pictures of six ladies who are going to be executed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is in charge in Iran, because they protested in the streets for liberty and freedom. For those six ladies whose lives are on the line and for the millions of people in I…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 April 2026
Pension Schemes
I thank the Minister for his answers on the statement—no one doubts his commitment to try to find a solution. The statement outlined some 1,500 complaints from MPs about their constituents’ pensions being withheld, and a number of those complaints are mine. He highlighted the availability, for peopl…
Commons
Debate
22 April 2026
Government Procurement Strategy
I want to ask the Minister a very specific question about Northern Ireland. In light of the recent Public Accounts Committee report that has highlighted the fragmented nature of procurement in Northern Ireland, with nine separate centres of procurement expertise, what steps can he take to ensure tha…
Commons
Oral Questions
22 April 2026
Cost of Living
Labour has done much to address child poverty, for example, but the issues with the price of heating oil, fuel and red diesel are the same in Wales as they are in Northern Ireland, and indeed across this great United Kingdom. The price of red diesel has increased for rural farmers and for the fishin…
Commons
Westminster Hall
22 April 2026
Car Insurance Industry: Fraud
It is again a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. We are going for a hat trick this afternoon, and we are on a roll.
I thank the hon. Member for North Shropshire (Helen Morgan) for allowing me to come and highlight the pressures my constituents are facing. I thank her for her incredi…
Commons
Westminster Hall
22 April 2026
Osteoporosis and Bone Health
I commend the hon. Lady and thank her for the work that she did on this before she came to this place. We are very much indebted to her. Does she agree that the fact that this condition affects one in two women and one in four men over the age of 50 means that there should be greater awareness? The …
Commons
Westminster Hall
22 April 2026
2 contributions
Mountain Rescue
It is always a genuine pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I give a special thanks to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Lisa Smart) for not only introducing the debate but doing so exceptionally well. I also thank the hon. Member for Bolton West (Phil Brickell) for his thoughtful propo…
First of all, I thank the Minister for those suggestions and for the direct help from Government. I know that this is not in the Minister’s remit, but I ask her to ringfence the moneys being sent to Northern Ireland in Barnett consequentials, because if they are ringfenced, they go to where they sho…
Commons
Westminster Hall
22 April 2026
2 contributions
Army Reserve
I congratulate the right hon. Member on securing this debate. I declare an interest as a former reservist for 11 and a half years. I used to have hair then—that is how long ago it was. He will be aware that as of 1 January 2026, the trained strength of the UK Army Reserve was some 23,740, a decrease…
On the comments by the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (Jamie Stone), I recall my time in the Royal Artillery during the Falklands war. This relates to the issue of whether a person can retain their job should they be sent to the front. We were not going to go to the Falklands,…
Commons
Westminster Hall
22 April 2026
4 contributions
Junior Doctors’ Foundation Programme
From this morning’s papers—perhaps the hon. Member will wish to refer to this—it seems that the Health Secretary had engaged with the British Medical Association and had an agreement with its leader. Does the hon. Member share my disappointment that even with that agreement, it went ahead with the s…
As always, it is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Barker. I thank the hon. Member for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket (Peter Prinsley) for setting the scene incredibly well. We all appreciate his in-depth portrayal of the issues. I thank him for his 40 years, as I understand, of service …
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
21 April 2026
SS Richard Montgomery: Masts
I commend the hon. Gentleman for bringing forward this debate. He has illustrated the issue and the concerns over the explosives, although the second and up-to-date assessment seemed to indicate that maybe the threat is not the same. I want to ask him about marine and maritime history and the three …
Commons
Proceedings
21 April 2026
Points of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Unfortunately, the Chancellor has left the Chamber. She did give a response to the hon. Member for Lagan Valley (Sorcha Eastwood), but we have some concerns about what she has said, as I expressed to you when I came to the Chair about 15 or 20 minutes ago. …
Commons
Westminster Hall
21 April 2026
Hammersmith Bridge
I commend the hon. Lady for her patience—the Bible refers to the patience of Job, which I think she has—and for her campaign. She will be aware that when routes such as Hammersmith bridge are closed, the pressure on surrounding infrastructure is greatly enhanced. That is similar to the pressure in m…
Commons
Westminster Hall
21 April 2026
Alternative Measures to GDP
I commend the hon. Lady for a very commendable speech in setting out what we are trying to achieve. She rightly highlights that, while GDP measures the monetary value of goods and services, it fails to capture critical aspects of life, such as environmental sustainability, income distribution and he…
Commons
Westminster Hall
21 April 2026
Wind Farms: Protected Peatland
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Alec. I say a big thank you to the hon. Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore) for his clear passion on this matter and for reaching out to all the political parties to try to engage them and bring them together in the way he always doe…
Commons
Westminster Hall
21 April 2026
Sex Trafficking: Scotland
I commend the hon. Lady for bringing this forward. This is never an easy subject to talk about, but she always illustrates things well. We have to talk about these important issues and find a way forward. Does she agree that the shocking reports into sex trafficking would break even the hardest of h…
Commons
Westminster Hall
21 April 2026
4 contributions
Wheelchair Provision: Independent Review Body
As always, it is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Murrison. A special thanks to the hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Daniel Francis) for the opportunity to support him in this debate on a subject of which he has personal knowledge, and for his opening speech. If I recall right, …
He is trying to catch up. I look forward to his response and that of the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Hinckley and Bosworth (Dr Evans). I tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Luke, you’re back again!” It is a real pleasure.
When Members use phrases such as “postcode lottery”, it brings a s…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
20 April 2026
Community-owned Assets: Government Support
I commend the right hon. Lady for raising this subject. I spoke to her beforehand, and she is right to refer to the issues affecting her local cinema and to its community-based importance. Does she not agree that community-owned assets are essential to our quest to overcome hidden barriers, such as …