Commons
Westminster Hall
16 July 2025
Further Education Institutions
I thank the hon. Lady for securing this important debate. One of the first things that I had to do after the general election was to ensure a funding guarantee of more than £20 million for a rebuild of Harrogate college. Due to the local authority dropping the ball, the planning expired and the fund…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 July 2025
Future of the Post Office
I thank the Minister for his statement, and I add my thanks to our postmasters, including Andrew Hart in my constituency. Last year, residents in Knaresborough faced a prolonged period without a Post Office service. I had extensive communication with Post Office officials about service continuity, m…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
14 July 2025
Leasehold Reform
At a recent surgery, a constituent brought to me the leasehold problems that she is experiencing with her housing association. Despite paying a considerable amount in service charges, leaseholders have been whacked with a £7,000 bill for improvements to the property’s roof, with the expectation that…
Commons
Proceedings
10 July 2025
7 contributions
Disabled Bus Passes
It is a pleasure to stand here today and raise, once again, the issue of restrictions on the use of disabled bus passes. The Minister will be well aware of this matter, which I have raised with him on a number of occasions, and I have already had the opportunity to discuss it with him directly, for …
I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention; she speaks extensively about an area in which I know she is a champion. I completely agree with her. If we are giving people disabled bus passes, we are doing that for a reason, and those reasons often do not apply only from 9.30 am onwards.
That brings …
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
10 July 2025
Business of the House
Last week, I asked the Leader of the House if she would join me in wishing good luck to Freedom Performing Arts, which was performing at the world championships in Spain. I am sure she will be pleased to hear that the six to nine-year-olds secured a bronze medal. Amy and the team are really chuffed.…
Commons
Petition
7 July 2025
Harrogate Spring Water money for Harrogate
Harrogate Spring Water pays a 0.5% levy on its revenue annually. This used to go to Harrogate borough council for the benefit of the local area, but following local government reorganisation, it now goes to North Yorkshire council. This was a key campaign during the Harrogate town council elections,…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
7 July 2025
Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life
Some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children are those who have been adopted or are receiving kinship care. Will the Best Start family hubs provide any specific help for those who have lost out on access and support as a result of the cuts in the adoption and special guardianship support f…
Commons
Debate
3 July 2025
5 contributions
Women’s State Pension Age: Financial Redress
It is a pleasure to be called to speak so early in the debate. I congratulate the hon. Member for Salford (Rebecca Long Bailey) on securing this debate. There is not much more that can be said, as she has put the case so eloquently, but there is one key point I want to get on the record: broadly spe…
I completely agree with my hon. Friend. At a time when trust in Government and politicians is so low, it is imperative that we do all we can in this place to right that wrong.
To get an idea of the level of support across the House, I would like to see a vote in Parliament about whether we should h…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 July 2025
British Film and High-end Television
Earlier this year, “Tinsel Town” was filmed in Knaresborough. The benefit of seeing the film industry come to my constituency was clearly apparent from the get go. It has given a real buzz and excitement to the local community. I would like to see more on the regional investment side. Channel 4 is h…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 July 2025
NHS 10-Year Plan
I welcome the 10-year plan; its focus on prevention is right. I notice that there are a number of references to diabetes in the plan, but none to type 1 diabetes. We already have simple blood tests for biomarkers that identify people who are likely to develop type 1 diabetes, and immunotherapy, whic…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 July 2025
Business of the House
Freedom Performing Arts, a dance school in Knaresborough, is currently representing England at the dance world cup in Spain. It had to raise £30,000 from the local community, businesses and parents to get there, and it still faces a funding shortfall. Will the Leader of the House join me in wishing …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 June 2025
G7 and NATO Summits
I welcome the increase to defence spending and the revised targets. Earlier this year, at the spring statement, we saw cuts to official development assistance—the overseas aid budget—to fund defence increases. The ODA budget is integral to our international security abroad, so will the Prime Ministe…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 June 2025
Business of the House
In recent weeks and months, Harrogate has been gridlocked, with seemingly unco-ordinated roadworks blocking our town. It is particularly difficult for businesses when those works go on for protracted periods of times—and when they already face Labour’s jobs tax. Will the Leader of the House agree to…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
26 June 2025
Topical Questions
T5. When the Government introduced the increased £3 bus cap, it saw the cost of a number of shorter journeys with local bus providers increase by more than inflation. What steps is the Minister taking to ensure that people are not feeling the effects of Labour’s bus tax?
Commons
Debate
24 June 2025
2 contributions
Speed Cameras: Installation Criteria
I thank my hon. Friend for giving way and congratulate her on securing her first Adjournment debate. Many people in my constituency have written to me about this issue, particularly those in villages around the towns, such as Ferrensby. Does she agree that in rural areas like mine, there needs to be…
In North Yorkshire, we do not have any average or fixed speed cameras. We have a number of temporary mobile speed vans, but they do not act as a sufficient deterrent because they move around—that is obviously the purpose and nature of them. Instead, we have seen lots of community speed watch groups …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
24 June 2025
China Audit
The Foreign Secretary mentioned Hong Kong in his statement. Would he consider speaking to colleagues in the Home Office about rethinking the changes to indefinite leave to remain, to ensure BNO passport holders do not end up facing questions about their status?
Commons
Debate
23 June 2025
2 contributions
Access to GPs
I have been working with Lib Dem councillor Hannah Gostlow to tackle some of the issues that local health services and GP surgeries in Knaresborough are facing. I recently visited a surgery and was told that it had the staff that it wanted to get in place, but did not have the consulting rooms. The …
I thank the Minister for indulging me again. Will he join me in congratulating the many fantastic GPs in my constituency and throughout the country? It is not an easy job; we hear of the flak that they get from patients day in, day out when they are working to tight timeframes. One such GP in my are…
Commons
Proceedings
23 June 2025
5 contributions
Pride Month
I will be brief, given the time limit that has been set. I must say I was slightly disappointed that there were not more musical numbers and puns from the Minister in his speech at the start—I am sure we will get some later.
I am really proud to represent Harrogate and Knaresborough. At the moment,…
My hon. Friend makes an excellent point, and I completely agree with him. I am amazed that in this day and age, there are still places in which we dispute whether or not we should fly flags or have Pride celebrations. In my view, that is not British.
I want to briefly mention that in the days follo…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
23 June 2025
UK Military Base Protection
Let me associate myself with the remarks about Armed Forces Week from Members across the House and the condemnation of the escalation of the situation in the middle east. Is the Minister able to explain to me if there will be any additional security measures at the Army Foundation College in Harroga…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
23 June 2025
UK Modern Industrial Strategy
I welcome the industrial strategy, but I want to push the Secretary of State on skills. Harrogate college often tells me that it struggles to access funding for technical and vocational training that meets the needs of local business. In the next academic year—in just a couple of months—it will face…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 June 2025
Warm Home Discount
The Minister knows that I have a lot of time for her, and I welcome her announcement today, but it will be of little relief to those who are living with spray-foam insulation that was inadequately installed, and there has been no support from the Government to fix that. Putting that aside, I wondere…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 June 2025
UK Infrastructure: 10-year Strategy
Last week something amazing happened: I actually found myself in agreement with the Labour Mayor for York and North Yorkshire, when he said that spending review
“announcements fall well short”,
and that this
“government had a real chance to show it was serious about rural…areas—but it missed it.”…
Commons
Debate
17 June 2025
Prostate Cancer Treatment
I thank the hon. Lady for securing this important Adjournment debate. We have heard from a number of Members who have constituents who are affected or have frustrations with the current system. I met a gentleman called David in the run-up to the general election who has metastatic prostate cancer an…
Commons
Oral Questions
Health and Social Care
17 June 2025
Cancer Diagnoses
Every 17 minutes, someone in Yorkshire is told that they have cancer. Tomorrow, I will be launching a report for Yorkshire Cancer Research, which is based in my constituency, that will set out key recommendations. Will the Minister meet us to talk about how we can feed them into the national cancer …
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 June 2025
Disabled People in Poverty
The hon. Member is talking about barriers to disabled people, particularly those in poverty. I am running a campaign calling on the Government to make sure that people with disabled bus passes can use them at any time of the day, rather than just after 9.30 am. Does he agree that that would be a gre…