Catherine Atkinson

106 parliamentary sessions on record in this archive

106 sessions page 2 of 5
Commons Debate 10 March 2026 9 contributions
Courts and Tribunals Bill
Will the right hon. and learned Gentleman give way?
On that point—
+7 more contributions in this session
Commons Westminster Hall 5 March 2026
Local Museums
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Jen Craft) for the opportunity to debate this hugely important issue. Dinosaurs, Egyptian mummified people, a bronze age boat, Viking weaponry, rare native animal species, jet engines, rockets…
Commons Debate 4 March 2026
Department for Business and Trade
We are seeing fantastic and significant investment and regeneration in our city centre in Derby, but it still bears the scars of 14 years of austerity and neglect. Will the Minister tell us a bit more about how the Government are helping businesses to grow?
Commons Ministerial Statement 3 March 2026
Spring Forecast
Derby will be the home of Great British Railways, which, with rail continuing its journey back into public ownership, will be focused on serving passengers rather than profit. Under the previous Government, rail fares rose by 60% between 2010 and 2024. Under Labour, they are frozen. Does the Chancel…
Commons Westminster Hall 25 February 2026
Student Loan Repayment Plans
The ambition for two thirds of young people to benefit from higher level education, where it is an apprenticeship, technical or academic qualifications, is about ensuring that young people have opportunities. Of course we want a fair system of student finance, but the answer should not be taking awa…
Commons Oral Questions Housing, Communities and Local Government 23 February 2026 2 contributions
Pride in Place Funding: Derby North
12. What mechanisms his Department has put in place to ensure that communities are consulted on the use of Pride in Place funding in Derby North constituency.
For me, the most exciting thing about the £20 million of Pride in Place funding for Chaddesden West in my constituency is that local people decide how it is spent. People in Chadd know their community better than anyone. I have already had some great suggestions, including creating opportunities for…
Commons Oral Questions 10 February 2026
Household Energy Bills
Last year, I teamed up with the local Labour council cabinet member for the cost of living and my hon. Friend the Member for Derby South (Baggy Shanker) to launch a free local pension advice service, which has delivered over half a million pounds to eligible pensioners in Derby. It has helped with p…
Commons Oral Questions 5 February 2026
Topical Questions
T5. The beautiful River Derwent, which powered the early industrial revolution, flows through Derby and up to the Peak district. I have met local councils, MPs and our East Midlands Mayor as well as many local and regional organisations that agree that turning our existing rambling walks and cycle p…
Commons Oral Questions Science, Innovation and Technology 4 February 2026 2 contributions
Protecting Young People Online
6. What steps her Department is taking to help protect young people online.
I have heard from many parents in Derby who want to know that their children are properly protected when they go online, not left exposed to harmful content or addictive design features. I have also spoken to many young people who are also concerned about what they face online. Can the Minister set …
Commons Westminster Hall 3 February 2026
Town and City Centre Safety
My hon. Friend is setting out brilliantly some of the regeneration that we are seeing in our city. From the new performance venue, Vaillant Live, and the redevelopment of the Friar Gate Goods Yard, to the £20 million that the Government are investing in the Guildhall and Derby theatres, it is regene…
Commons Oral Questions Women and Equalities 28 January 2026
Health Inequalities: Women
Earlier this month, Derby County Community Trust launched its “See you at your smear” campaign, encouraging women across the city to visit the pop-up cervical screening clinics that are in place until March. The trust does amazing work on women’s health. We know that increasing the uptake of smear t…
Commons Ministerial Statement 26 January 2026
Police Reform White Paper
Those responsible for organised crime, fraud and terrorism do not operate within the boundaries of local police forces, so I welcome a joined-up, national approach to those types of crime. However, residents in Derby also want more visible policing in our city centre and local communities, and that …
Commons Ministerial Statement 22 January 2026
Business of the House
This week, I met 19-year-old Jack Billingham, a third-year Derby Rolls-Royce apprentice who won gold at the national welding championships in November and who is representing the UK at the WorldSkills international competition in Japan. I had a go at virtual-reality welding, and I admit that Jack’s …
Commons Westminster Hall 22 January 2026 4 contributions
Transport Connectivity: Midlands and North Wales
Does the right hon. Lady agree that the issue is not just fares but routes? Derbyshire had a 60% loss of bus routes in the 15 years up to 2023. Would she say that it is hugely disappointing that for such a long time, most of which was under her party’s Government, bus routes have been slashed?
My hon. Friend is very effectively making an important point. As she has set out, between 2019 and 2024, the Conservative Government gave the east midlands a quarter of the funding that they gave to London and half of what they gave to England on average, and I know that her area does not benefit fr…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons Ministerial Statement 21 January 2026
Water White Paper
I have seen at first hand the brilliant work that the volunteers of the Earl of Harrington’s angling club and the Midland canoe club do to test water quality and to clear up and look after our waterways, including our beautiful River Derwent. How will the action that this Government are taking ensur…
Commons Debate 20 January 2026
Sentencing Bill
In government, the Conservative party oversaw a disastrous privatisation of probation, which ended in a £500 million bail-out by taxpayers. Our Probation Service plays a critical role in the rehabilitation of offenders and in keeping our communities safe, so can the Minister further set out how the …
Commons Ministerial Statement 15 January 2026
Business of the House
The temporary bridge at Darley Abbey Mills was forced to close before Christmas due to sudden riverbank deterioration. No one is legally liable for the old bridge, and despite not owning it, the council built a temporary one in 2022 and is assessing whether it can be safely reopened. Our East Midlan…
Commons Oral Questions 15 January 2026 2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
In October, I shared that the Stockbrook Colts, a local grassroots football club for over 250 children, had to stop play because its pitch was unusable. I am pleased to report that Stockbrook Park now has planning permission for a new play zone, with a football pitch and floodlighting. Will the Secr…
Commons Oral Questions Housing, Communities and Local Government 12 January 2026
Topical Questions
Hundreds of new homes are being built at the Friar Gate goods yard, originally a 19th-century rail depot. This development is near the city centre, but other housing that was built further out under the Conservatives went up with inadequate transport infrastructure and little thought for public tran…
Commons Proceedings 8 January 2026
Business of the House
I recently visited Derby athletic club and met volunteers including Ernie, who is 100 years old and has been volunteering for more than 70 years. I know that Ernie doesn’t like a fuss, but will the Leader of the House join me in thanking Ernie for his incredible commitment, and will he consider how …
Commons Oral Questions Transport 8 January 2026
Passenger Rail Services
I met East Midlands Railways to give the new ticketless travel app it is trialling a go. It is exciting new tech that will ensure passengers always pay the best price for travel. EMR says that that system should save passengers money and, with capped prices, will mean cheaper fares. Does the Ministe…
Commons Debate 7 January 2026 7 contributions
Jury Trials
Does my hon. Friend agree that it is really frustrating to hear people say that the backlog is the result of covid, when it is clear that backlogs were increasing before covid as a result of underlying factors including substantial real-terms cuts to the justice system, court closures and reductions…
Is there a part of the hon. Gentleman’s speech where he says that the reason that so many of our courts are dilapidated and falling down is because we did not see investment in 14 years of Conservative Government?
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons Debate 5 January 2026
Northern Ireland Troubles Bill: Armed Forces Recruitment and Retention
This Christmas, the Government funded travel for up to 35,000 service personnel—including over 2,000 from the east midlands—so that they could be with their family over the festive period. My husband served in Afghanistan, so I know how much it means to have those moments with loved ones. Does the M…
Commons Debate 5 January 2026
HMP Leyhill: Offender Abscondments
When we see offenders abscond from prison, it is understandable that many people feel unsafe. Our thoughts are particularly with the victims and their friends and families. Does the Minister agree that absconding is not only a serious criminal offence, but a symptom of years of austerity and chronic…
Commons Ministerial Statement 16 December 2025
Planning Reform
Under the previous Conservative Government, there was significant building in Mickleover in Derby, yet the GP surgery that was promised alongside that development never materialised. Can the Minister outline how the Government’s new clearer planning policies, particularly on where development should…

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