Commons
Debate
17 November 2025
2 contributions
Clive Treacey Safety Checklist
It is an honour and a privilege to lead this debate on Government support for the Clive Treacey safety checklist. I secured this debate in Clive’s name, and I want to start by telling the House a little bit about him. I did not have the pleasure of meeting Clive, so I am drawing here on the words of…
I thank the hon. Gentleman. That is my first intervention from him. He raises an important point, and when he asked that question, I thought back to a couple of weeks ago, when I was asked at a community event, “What gives you hope, Dave?”. I thought for a while. So often, we hear in this place stor…
Commons
Proceedings
17 November 2025
Illegal Waste: Organised Crime
In January, criminals dumped two lorry loads of rubbish on Watery Lane, just outside the city of Lichfield. The dump was so large that it blocked access to the road and, in the process, stopped emergency services being able to access nine properties. One of the residents of those properties requires…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
3 November 2025
Topical Questions
Last week I had the honour and privilege of attending the dedication of the new LGBT+ armed forces community memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas in my constituency, alongside His Majesty the King, proud veterans and members of our armed forces. Will the Minister join me in commend…
Commons
Debate
30 October 2025
3 contributions
Property Service Charges
I place on record my thanks to the hon. Member for Reigate (Rebecca Paul) for bringing this debate before the House, and to the Backbench Business Committee for scheduling time for it. From the number of Members present in the Chamber today, we can all see that property service charges are a problem…
My hon. Friend is right. She is a very good friend, and often she has seen speeches before I give them, but she has not seen this one, and she gives me the perfect segue into my next point.
Transparency is so important. When I surveyed residents in the affected estate, 85% told me that billing was …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
21 October 2025
Ending Homelessness
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Efford. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Wavertree (Paula Barker) and the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman) for securing the debate, and the Backbench Business Committee for scheduling it. Last week, my hon. Friend and I had…
Commons
Debate
20 October 2025
A50/A500 Corridor
I thank my hon. Friend or right hon. Friend—sorry, my right good friend—and neighbouring MP for giving way. He has mentioned the Staffordshire chambers of commerce, which is so excited to see these investments happen. At the corridor’s closest point to my constituency is one of the roundabouts in Ut…
Commons
Proceedings
16 October 2025
Business of the House
The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership is an academy trust with 24 schools across the west midlands, including five primary schools with alternative provision and my old secondary school in Lichfield. Last year the trust was bailed out by the Department for Education, and last Friday it wrote to all …
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 October 2025
Ada Lovelace Day
It is a pleasure to be here and to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Furniss. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Lizzi Collinge) for securing the debate.
We are here to celebrate Ada Lovelace Day—a day to celebrate women in STEM across the country and across the world. W…
Commons
Debate
13 October 2025
Baby Loss
I place on record my thanks to the co-sponsors of today’s debate and to all Members who have shared their personal experiences. It has been a very difficult debate for many of us on such an important but such a difficult subject.
Like many Members today, I am here to speak on behalf of my constitue…
Commons
Proceedings
13 October 2025
Education Committee
I started my teacher training in 2008, and I continued to work as a teacher and to be a teacher trade unionist until 4 July last year. I knew that the SEND system was broken, although I did not realise quite how broken it was until I opened my emails on day one. We all know that the system is broken…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 September 2025
Children with SEND: Assessments and Support
My hon. Friend is a powerful advocate for children with SEND right across the country. Given her personal experience, and the experience of many of our constituents, it is clear that the system is broken. Across Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages, I have set up a network of people looking to chal…
Commons
Debate
11 September 2025
Regional Transport Inequality
I am pleased to follow my hon. Friend the Member for East Thanet (Ms Billington), who talked about the impact of covid on transport. Many of my constituents across Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages rely on the cross-city line to get to Birmingham for work, for social activities—to visit the thea…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
11 September 2025
Business of the House
Many right hon. and hon. Members will know the name Armitage Shanks as the company that has been making basins and toilets for over 200 years. However, fewer people will know that it takes its name from the village of Armitage in my constituency. Sadly, Armitage Shanks is planning to scale down its …
Commons
Oral Questions
Science, Innovation and Technology
10 September 2025
Topical Questions
T3. Too many of my constituents in Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages are struggling with appalling mobile signal. It is a problem we see across the country, and it is often worse in rural areas. What steps are the ministerial team taking to ensure that the Government’s review of the mobile ma…
Commons
Debate
8 September 2025
3 contributions
Renters’ Rights Bill
Earlier in response to my hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Danny Beales), the shadow Secretary of State said that my hon. Friend did not need to pay any attention to the people in his inbox who had contacted him. Was he not advocating exactly that—we should not listen because i…
rose —
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
4 September 2025
House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill
Does the shadow Minister honestly think that I could go back to my constituents in Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages and say that by supporting the amendment, as he is encouraging me to do, there would be more Ministers from the other place and fewer from the Commons? How does he think that woul…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
4 September 2025
Early Education and Childcare
I thank the Minister for all the work he has done in bringing us so far, so quickly. I have three school nurseries opening in my constituency this year, which will mean dozens of families and scores of children being given the very best start. Can he advise me on how best I can remind those parents …
Commons
Proceedings
4 September 2025
Business of the House
For 16 years, people in Burntwood in my constituency have had to visit their GP in portacabins in the car park of a leisure centre. The site was closed in March 2024, but there was no replacement and 5,000 patients were distributed to other surgeries. No one agreed with that decision, but we were to…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 July 2025
2 contributions
Cross-border Rail Connectivity
9. What steps she is taking with the Welsh Government to improve cross-border rail connectivity.
Bore da. Does the Secretary of State agree that the introduction of the midlands rail hub project, which will see an additional train per hour from Cardiff in south Wales to the midlands, is a great sign that this Government are investing not just in Wales and the midlands but in the whole country?
Commons
Oral Questions
15 July 2025
Renewable Energy
A business in the village of Fradley in my constituency has a plan to put millions of watts of solar on the roof of its businesses. Unfortunately, it cannot proceed with that application, because there is not sufficient export capacity on the site. It would never export a watt of that electricity, w…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
8 July 2025
Road and Rail Projects
Today’s announcement is great news for people across Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages. To the north, we have improvements on the A38, making access to the University of Derby easier; to the west, we have improvements to the M4 and M6 link road, which will be great for access to the i54, and to …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 July 2025
Business of the House
Barely a week goes by when my email inbox does not swell with people getting in touch about one particular issue. Whether from Lichfield, Burntwood or the villages of Longdon, Streethey, Handsacre, Hill Ridware, Armitage and Abbots Bromley, residents are writing to me electronically with complaints …
Commons
Oral Questions
Solicitor General
19 June 2025
2 contributions
People Smugglers: Prosecution
5. What steps she is taking to help ensure the effective prosecution of people smugglers.
People across Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages want the Government to get a grip on people-smuggling in the channel after the previous Government’s dereliction of duty. Too many lives are at risk; too many people are making that dangerous crossing. Although it is great news that police are work…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
18 June 2025
HS2 Reset
My constituency is the only one in the country that has HS2 phase 1, phase 2a and phase 2b. It is not true to say that the line will not continue north of Birmingham, because it will cut through miles of Staffordshire, through my constituency, until it rejoins the main line at Handsacre. The failing…
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 June 2025
Businesses in Rural Areas
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Western. I congratulate the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Steff Aquarone) on securing the debate.
In Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages in my part of rural Staffordshire, we have an amazing number of great local businesses—far too many to name…