Commons
Westminster Hall
14 July 2025
8 contributions
Northern Ireland Veterans: Prosecution
I beg to move,
That this House has considered e-petition 725716 relating to the prosecution of Northern Ireland veterans.
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Mundell. As a member of the Petitions Committee, I am pleased to fulfil my duty in opening today’s debate and presenting thi…
The hon. Member makes an excellent point, which I will consider more fully later.
In 1998, as the then Prime Minister Tony Blair approached the end of his negotiations on the Good Friday agreement, one final demand was made. Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness said that they could not go ahead with t…
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
8 July 2025
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
Under the SNP, the number of suspected criminals in Scotland being let off with a slap on the wrist has increased by 28% in a year, according to the latest data. Now the Labour Government here seem to want to copy the SNP. Why will the Labour Government not put victims first, instead of doing what t…
Commons
Oral Questions
8 July 2025
2 contributions
Grooming Gangs: Criminal Justice System
9. What steps her Department is taking to support victims of grooming gangs through the court system.
I am grateful to the Secretary of State for her response. Thousands of children across the UK have been abused by grooming gangs, yet charities still warn of victim blaming by police and those in authority. We should be clear that the problem is not children; it is those who prey on them. What are t…
Commons
Oral Questions
7 July 2025
2 contributions
National Inquiry: Grooming Gangs
14. Whether she has had discussions with the Scottish Government on the national inquiry into grooming gangs.
Senior Scottish advocate Sandra Brown has said that grooming gangs could be operating in every town and city in Scotland. This scandal affects the whole of the United Kingdom, so when will the Government extend the grooming gangs inquiry to Scotland? Surely all victims across all parts of the United…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 July 2025
British Film and High-end Television
I congratulate my hon. Friend on her report and her wonderful statement, as well as on all the work that has gone into the report behind the scenes. Public service broadcasters are struggling to compete with the massive budgets set by streamers, so what more can be done to ensure we see high-quality…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 July 2025
Business of the House
Can we have a debate to recognise volunteers and fundraisers who support the work of hospices and help people living with cancer? I recently met the team at the Lavender Touch in Galashiels who have been supporting people across the Scottish Borders for over 20 years, funding and providing therapeut…
Commons
Oral Questions
House of Commons Commission
3 July 2025
2 contributions
Apprentices
1. What steps the Commission is taking to increase the number of apprentices in the House of Commons.
I am grateful to the hon. Member for that answer. Everyone should have the potential to work in Parliament, not just those who live in and around London, so can he confirm how many apprentices have been recruited since the introduction of the UK Parliament’s apprenticeship scheme, and in particular …
Commons
Debate
1 July 2025
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. Does he agree that the Labour Government’s proposals are creating the worst of both worlds? On one hand, they are failing to tackle the rising welfare budget, but on the other they are creating anxiety and fear among many disabled and vulnerable people, …
Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
1 July 2025
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
The award-winning bookshop and deli Mainstreet Trading Company in St Boswells has been forced to reduce its operating hours because
“increases to employer national insurance mean that our operating cost base has increased significantly.”
What advice does the Chancellor have for small businesses su…
Commons
Westminster Hall
30 June 2025
2 contributions
Driven Grouse Shooting
I beg to move,
That this House has considered e-petition 700036 relating to driven grouse shooting.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Harris. As a member of the Petitions Committee, I have been asked to open this debate, and it is my duty to present the petition reasonably and…
Mrs Harris, you will be relieved to hear that I will not take the remaining hour to conclude the debate. I thank the petitioners; I thank the Petitions Committee for facilitating the debate; and I thank the 104,000 people who signed the petition. I suspect those people will be a little surprised by …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 June 2025
Business of the House
Research shows that 91% of farmers see poor mental health as the industry’s biggest hidden issue. Last year, Kelso farmer Neil Stewart very sadly took his own life. His friends and family have since raised over £80,000 for RSABI, which provides support for people working in farming. Will the Leader …
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 June 2025
3 contributions
Access to Banking Hubs: Hertfordshire
My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. I have had similar challenges in my constituency in the Scottish Borders. Like him, I have been campaigning for banking hubs—in Selkirk and Eyemouth. Indeed, I presented a petition in the House of Commons a few weeks ago. The banking hub we have in Jedbu…
My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech about banking services in Hertfordshire, but I want to make a broader point about the criteria for allowing banking hubs. To be fair to the Minister, she has engaged well with me, too, but surely the point has come for Government intervention, to try to p…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
16 June 2025
Topical Questions
T4. Scottish education was once the envy of the world, but under the SNP it is being destroyed. Data shows that a quarter of 11-year-olds in Scotland are not achieving expected literacy levels. Does the Minister agree that the SNP needs to drop its weird obsessions and get back to the basics of sort…
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
16 June 2025
2 contributions
Smartphones in Schools
7. If she will take steps to stop the use of smartphones in schools.
Mobile phones in classrooms are linked to disruptive and violent behaviour. Does the Minister agree that mobile phones should be banned in all schools so that children are focused on their education, not glued to Instagram and TikTok?
Commons
Proceedings
12 June 2025
Business of the House
It is common ridings and festival season in the Scottish Borders, a spectacular and ancient tradition dating back to the battle of Flodden in 1513, bringing together each of the Borders communities to celebrate, so may we have a debate on the importance of the Scottish Borders common ridings and fes…
Commons
Debate
10 June 2025
4 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
I will speak to the amendments relating to compulsory purchase powers, and to my new clause 128. I note that much of the Bill and most of the clauses will not affect Scotland, but, unusually for a planning Bill, there are components that do affect it.
Before I talk about the detail of my concerns a…
I share my right hon. Friend’s concerns. Ultimately, this is about choices. The choice that this Government and the Scottish Government are making is whether we protect our natural environment, and the rural communities that have sustained food production for many years, or turn them into an industr…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
9 June 2025
Winter Fuel Payment
A shocking 75% of Scottish pensioners said that they were left cold in their home last winter. Does the Minister agree that the Scottish Government must use the additional funding from today’s announcement to ensure that pensioners in Scotland receive the same amount of winter fuel payment as they d…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
9 June 2025
Topical Questions
T4. Oxton in my constituency has a newly refurbished community shop, and it exists thanks to the hard work of local volunteers. The Plunkett impact report highlights how community-owned shops are at the centre of the local economy. What are the Government doing to support the ownership of community …
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
4 June 2025
Veterans
The previous Conservative Government had a dedicated Minister of State for veterans sitting at the Cabinet table, but that job was taken away by the new Administration. How are the interests of veterans in Scotland being raised in Cabinet under the new Government?
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 June 2025
2 contributions
Swimming Facilities
My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech, and he is being very generous with his time. My constituency has six swimming pools. Much has been made of the health benefits, but does my hon. Friend agree that, for those of us who represent coastal communities or constituencies with large rivers, bei…
I should declare an interest: I learned to swim in Seamill in the hon. Lady’s constituency. Does she agree that there is a particular challenge in Scotland because the Scottish Government are underfunding local authorities, which makes it much harder for councils to support swimming pools in the way…
Commons
Petition
3 June 2025
Banking Hub for Selkirk and Eyemouth
I rise to present this petition from my constituents in the Scottish Borders to the House of Commons. It calls on LINK to set up a banking hub for Selkirk and Eyemouth. I want to record my thanks to the many local residents who have signed this petition.
The petition states:
The petition of the re…
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
2 June 2025
Topical Questions
T2. On Saturday, 1,200 illegal migrants poured into the United Kingdom by small boat. Many gave spurious reasons to stay here, so when will the Government repeal the Human Rights Act 1998 for immigration cases and take back control of our borders?
Commons
Oral Questions
House of Commons Commission
22 May 2025
2 contributions
“For Women Scotland” Supreme Court Judgment
9. Whether the Commission is taking steps to comply with the Supreme Court judgment in the case of For Women Scotland v . the Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.
I am grateful to the hon. Member for his response, but the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has said that we “can and must” uphold the
“rights, the freedoms, the spaces for women as sex-based rights”.
I am therefore extremely concerned to hear reports that the House of Commons is not …
Commons
Proceedings
15 May 2025
2 contributions
Solar Farms
I pay tribute to the hon. Members for South West Norfolk (Terry Jermy) and for Rother Valley (Jake Richards) for taking a brave stance against their Government Whips and standing up for their constituents against these reckless solar farm proposals. Today’s debate is on solar energy, but the points …
I am grateful to the Minister, but what is he saying to my constituents who are genuinely terrified by these large-scale wind farms, pylons and solar farms coming to our area of Scotland, which I am sure he knows well? Just as importantly, what does he say to the hon. Members for Rother Valley (Jake…
Commons
Proceedings
15 May 2025
Business of the House
The Scottish fire and rescue service is facing damaging cuts thanks to underfunding by the SNP Government in Edinburgh. Last week, I visited Hawick fire station, where I heard about the proposed cuts, including changes to the retained service and a reduction in the 24/7 coverage to office hours. Suc…