Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
9 February 2026
Topical Questions
The Home Office has said that a new licence to practice will be required by all police officers. Can the Minister explain how that will differ from what is required under police conduct regulations, the police code of ethics and current police training programmes?
Commons
Petition
4 February 2026
Tarka Line
Further to our online petition, signed by more than 3,000 people, calling for the Tarka rail line to be future-proofed, I present this petition on behalf of rail passengers in northern Devon, who have suffered overcrowding and repeated service disruption due to flooding this winter, despite a record…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
2 February 2026
Naval Shipbuilding
We could invest better in naval shipbuilding if the Government paid attention to a report published by the National Audit Office, which estimates that £1.5 billion a year of defence spending is lost to fraud and that the Ministry of Defence recovers only 48p in every £1 spent on counter-fraud work, …
Commons
Debate
26 January 2026
Armed Forces Bill
It is a privilege to speak on the Armed Forces Bill, which will shape the direction of this country’s armed forces for the next half-decade.
The war in Ukraine should be a wake-up call to all of us, and the world has not looked so dangerous since the end of the cold war. The strategic defence revie…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
26 January 2026
Topical Questions
T4. One of my constituents is a disabled Royal Navy veteran. Their migration to universal credit has been a nightmare, involving incorrect payments, long delays to identity verification and a lack of help with accessibility. I have received no response to their case since 13 November last year. Does…
Commons
Debate
14 January 2026
2 contributions
Ukraine
Will the hon. Member give way?
Just today it has been reported that 18 tankers from the Russian shadow fleet have passed through the channel since the Defence Secretary’s statement to the House on 7 January on curtailing Russian oil exports. Does the hon. Member agree that we must show the Russians that we mean what we say?
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 January 2026
Horse and Rider Road Safety
I was shocked to read those statistics, but in Devon since 2020, there have been 375 road incidents involving horses, with 19 horses injured and three killed, and 29 riders injured and one killed. Does my hon. Friend agree that there is a strong case for asking riders across the country to use body …
Commons
Debate
13 January 2026
Finance (No. 2) Bill
Does the shadow Minister agree that as a result of this policy, lots of local pubs, including lots more in the hospitality industry, will go out of business?
Commons
Proceedings
13 January 2026
Chinese Embassy
I will offer the Government some advice. It is one word: common sense. [ Interruption. ] Well, two words. Given the interest in national security, I am quite surprised that a Planning Minister is at the Dispatch Box to talk about this case, but the two issues are intertwined. The Minister has rebutt…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 January 2026
Topical Questions
T2. Over Christmas, I was contacted by constituents in North Devon who have been without NHS dental care for nearly 20 years—one with a tooth held together with superglue. When will the Government reform the dental contract and properly tackle recruitment and retention, especially in rural areas,…
Commons
Westminster Hall
7 January 2026
6 contributions
Rural Fuel Duty Relief
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the Rural Fuel Duty Relief scheme.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Furniss. I am pleased to have the opportunity to introduce this debate, especially in the new year at a time when many people across the country will be watching the …
I agree with my hon. Friend that more people could benefit from the scheme. I am sure the Minister will take note of that in his response. As I said, the scheme benefits around 125,000 local residents and many visitors across the UK, including the remote parts of the Scottish islands, Cumbria, North…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
5 January 2026
Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief
Many of my rural constituents are relieved that the Government have partly seen sense on this issue. Given the track record of U-turns from this Government, when I meet with a group of local farmers next week, what reassurance can I give them that the Government will not change course on this policy…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 December 2025
Local Government Finance
As an ex-council leader, I welcome the multi-year settlement and am glad that the Government have listened; I have campaigned for it for many years, so thank you.
I welcome the remoteness element. In my constituency of North Devon, we have North Devon council and also the wider Devon county council…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
15 December 2025
Topical Questions
The strategic defence review states that we need a 30% increase in cadet forces, from 140,000 to 180,000. However, I am informed that there is a severe shortage of adult instructors. What is the Minister going to do to address that problem?
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
15 December 2025
Defence Spending: Economic Growth
We were told that the defence investment plan would be available before the Christmas recess. What day this week will it be announced?
Commons
Debate
9 December 2025
2 contributions
Railways Bill
As the Government move to create a publicly owned Great British Railways, I want to speak on behalf of several thousand rail passengers in my constituency, and to say what they have suffered in recent weeks. We all want a rail network that delivers a fantastic service, supports the economy and prote…
I agree. Disabled access is absolutely necessary at all stations, particularly in rural areas. My hon. Friend is a big advocate for accessibility for disabled people in Yeovil who need it.
As the network and operator are brought together, we need joined-up planning for increased capacity, and again…
Commons
Debate
8 December 2025
Child Poverty Strategy
In the year 2000, half of children in poverty lived in workless families, but now almost three quarters of children in poverty are in working families and millions of universal credit recipients have a job but suffer from low wages. Can I ask the Secretary of State how that has shaped the new strate…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
8 December 2025
Ajax Armoured Vehicle
The former First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy, Lord West, who is also a former Labour security Minister, said in the other place that
“the Ajax programme, no matter how much one dresses it up, has been a complete and utter disaster.” —[ Official Report, House of Lords, 12 December 2022; Vol. 826, c. …
Commons
Oral Questions
1 December 2025
Topical Questions
T4. Forces families sometimes find that a child’s education, health and care plan is not automatically recognised when they are reposted to a new area, leaving children without provision. With the children’s services White Paper due next year, will the Minister ensure that military children specific…
Commons
Oral Questions
1 December 2025
2 contributions
Sexual Consent and Relationships Education
2. What steps she is taking to improve education on sexual consent and relationships.
Many parents are concerned about how schools address the sensitive issues of consent and sexual violence. What action is the Department taking to ensure that those subjects are being taught in schools by appropriately trained professionals, to safeguard both pupils and teachers?
Commons
Oral Questions
24 November 2025
Topical Questions
In rural areas like my constituency, private renting is very expensive and is unaffordable to many. What is the Minister doing to ensure that more housing is available at social rent rather than market rent, which people can simply not afford?
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 November 2025
Parkinson’s Disease
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship today, Ms Lewell. Earlier today, I was at the Parkinson’s event in the Palace, and I spoke to a surgeon who treats Parkinson’s patients every week. He told me that if more people were seen earlier, he could ensure better outcomes. Does the hon. Membe…
Commons
Debate
11 November 2025
Remembrance Day: Armed Forces
It is a privilege to be able to say even a few words about the vital contribution our armed forces continue to make to the act of remembrance.
Every veteran deserves to have their service recognised, and it is a great credit to communities across the country that people from all walks of life still…
Commons
Proceedings
4 November 2025
Sudan: Government Support
I thank my hon. Friend for securing this debate. Does he agree that part of the great tragedy of Sudan has been the way it is unfairly overshadowed by conflicts happening elsewhere in the world, and we should be less squeamish about pointing that out to the public here in the United Kingdom and the …
Commons
Debate
4 November 2025
2 contributions
Supporting High Streets
So much of this debate focuses on high streets under a magnifying glass. In my constituency, one in five people work in the retail or wholesale sector. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that if our shop fronts were a factory or a shipyard, the Government would be framing the challenge very differently?
As a frequent visitor to Weymouth, I have seen the dog-friendly sticker scheme in the businesses on the high street. Does the hon. Member agree that making high street businesses dog-friendly helps to increase their profits? It has certainly cost me a bob or two when I have gone into shops that allo…