Commons
Proceedings
4 September 2025
Business of the House
During recess, at an event to promote the new Avon and Somerset victim service, concerns were raised with me about the delay in publishing a new hate crime action plan for England and Wales to replace the one that expired in 2020. Will the Leader of the House tell us when a new plan will be publishe…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 September 2025
Middle East
I know that the hundreds of constituents who have contacted me calling for action to end the heartbreaking suffering in Gaza will welcome the Foreign Secretary’s recommitment to recognising Palestine. However, if, as he says, recognition is rooted in the principle of a two-state solution, why is gra…
Commons
Debate
21 July 2025
Extending the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate. He is making an important point. I have heard from a number of Ukrainians—particularly those from the east of the country—who cannot return home, as their home towns have been destroyed. They are looking for a more permanent solution than the te…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 July 2025
Independent Water Commission
In my constituency last year there were 2,036 sewage spills, lasting for a total of 28,360 hours. However, contrary to the Secretary of State’s earlier assertion, we do not know the volume of that dumping because it is not monitored. What steps are the Government taking to impose targets to reduce b…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 July 2025
Future of the Post Office
In rural areas such as my Thornbury and Yate constituency, it can be difficult to travel to post offices in towns because of the lack of buses. If the Government are considering relaxing the distance and access criteria for post office provision, will they take that issue into account in setting new…
Commons
Proceedings
10 July 2025
Energy Planning
The report highlights an ambiguity about what is said centrally by the Government and what is expected from industry. Separately from this report, the Select Committee has heard evidence on tidal range power generation from the Severn and, during visits, about innovative approaches. Does the Chair o…
Commons
Proceedings
10 July 2025
Business of the House
On Monday, I spoke to a constituent who works at the Jessie May charity, which provides hospice-at-home care for children and young people in my constituency and beyond. It is currently fundraising to meet running costs of £300,000—costs that cannot in any way be helped by the capital funding for ho…
Commons
Westminster Hall
7 July 2025
Fossil Fuel Advertising and Sponsorship
It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I thank everyone who signed this petition for securing this debate. RepRisk’s 2024 report identified 1,841 incidents of misleading communication globally in the past year; 56% of those cases involved environmental issues, and nearly a third of…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
30 June 2025
Welfare Reform
In her statement, the Secretary of State recognised that existing claimants
“rely on the income from PIP for so many different aspects of their lives.”
One aspect, for many, is work. Why does she think that new claimants will not have the same need and what “aspects of their lives” does she think …
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 June 2025
GP Funding: South-west England
My hon. Friend is making a strong case for Three Shires medical practice, which has three surgeries in my constituency. Does he agree that if any of the surgeries were to close, it would be a disaster for patients because of the poor public transport links? Does he agree more generally that it is mo…
Commons
Debate
24 June 2025
2 contributions
Department for Education
As we know, not all local education authorities are created equal. For those like South Gloucestershire, where schools are among the lowest funded in the country, the average rise quoted will not make up for years of underfunding. As I recently raised in this House, it is reported that two thirds of…
I agree with what my hon. Friend says. Schools are disincentivised from taking action on special educational needs if they know that they have to fund the first £6,000.
Finally, I highlight the pressure of free school meals and breakfast clubs. Although the extension of that provision is of course …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 June 2025
Warm Home Discount
We welcome investment in warm homes following a winter in which millions of households were living in fuel poverty. The crisis was exacerbated by the Government’s cut to winter fuel payments— and we welcome the U-turn on that, too. The former Conservative Government’s stop-starts on home insulation …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 June 2025
UK Infrastructure: 10-year Strategy
As one of my constituency neighbours, the Chief Secretary will be aware of our local infrastructure needs, such as upgrading junctions 16 and 17 on the M5, fixing the original Severn bridge and upgrading Westerleigh rail junction. The West of England has often been overlooked in the past, so how wil…
Commons
Proceedings
19 June 2025
Business of the House
It was reported yesterday that two thirds of south Gloucestershire schools will be in the red next year, which will have a massive impact on our children’s learning. As I have said to Ministers, under the current school funding formula, south Gloucestershire schools are the second lowest funded in t…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 June 2025
Hydrogen-powered Aviation
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I thank the hon. Member for North Somerset (Sadik Al-Hassan) for securing this debate, which is particularly important for the west of England.
Hydrogen-powered flights have real potential to cut carbon emissions in a notoriously difficul…
Commons
Debate
12 June 2025
Covid: Fifth Anniversary
Thousands of self-employed people and business owners were excluded from Government support because of the arbitrary eligibility criteria. They paid their taxes but were left unsupported during the crisis. Does the hon. Member agree that it is disappointing that those people are still struggling fiv…
Commons
Debate
12 June 2025
3 contributions
SEND Funding
Schools in my constituency are among the lowest-funded in the country, and there is a lack of resource for early intervention work before children get to the point of needing SEND support or an EHCP, which means that more children will need a higher level of intervention later. It is a vicious circl…
That is one approach, but we need to ensure that it does not take away from the high-needs approach. The point is that we have to fund both early intervention and the high-level needs that have resulted from the lack of early intervention.
The previous Government declined to fund an additional 200 …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Proceedings
12 June 2025
Business of the House
The Government’s decision to cut personal independence payments by changing the eligibility criteria is a double whammy for carers, who risk losing their carer’s allowance if the person they care for no longer qualifies for PIP. Given that it is Carers Week, will the Leader of the House raise this i…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
11 June 2025
Engagements
Q9. I have spoken to parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities who are not getting the support they need in school, but if, as a result, their child is out of school, they are left facing prosecution, fines or even prison time. Punishing parents for the failings of a broken…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 June 2025
Nuclear Power: Investment
Happy birthday, Mr Speaker. Oldbury in my constituency is one of the sites under consideration for SMRs, and I have been told many times that it has many factors going for it, including GB Nuclear’s ownership of it, the nuclear expertise in higher education locally, its existing nuclear history and …
Commons
Debate
9 June 2025
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
Net zero standards cut bills as well as carbon emissions, so does my hon. Friend share my incredulity that a Government who have been forced to U-turn on winter fuel payments are refusing to back new clause 2, which would cut bills for people of all ages?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
9 June 2025
Winter Fuel Payment
While the Government buried their heads in the sand, countless pensioners suffered, such as my constituent who, despite having a terminal disease, had to cut back on heating and food, and spent the winter “freezing cold”. Can the Minister explain why no impact assessments were conducted last year be…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
9 June 2025
Topical Questions
T3. In the light of some worrying small-site applications on previously undeveloped green-belt land in my constituency, and of concerns from the Campaign to Protect Rural England, will the Minister undertake to monitor and assess the initial impact of the new grey-belt provisions and look at refinin…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 June 2025
Free School Meals
Vulnerable children spend many weeks each year—during the holidays—not at school. My own Liberal Democrat-Labour partnership local authority provides funding in the form of vouchers during the school holidays. Will the Government take this opportunity to end holiday hunger and provide funding for fo…
Commons
Proceedings
5 June 2025
Business of the House
My constituent Olivia is fighting for Archie’s law—new legislation to improve the quality of care for critically ill infants and children—after tragically losing her baby boy Archie. I have raised the matter with the Secretary of State, but the responses so far have failed to specifically address Ar…