Commons
Debate
10 September 2025
Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]
I had the pleasure of serving on the Bill Committee, and I am pleased to see the Bill back before the House. Although it does good work, it simply does not go far enough in its ambition or its delivery of the change we need—that is apparent from the number of amendments tabled on Report.
One of the…
Commons
Proceedings
4 September 2025
Business of the House
Sea Palling in my constituency has little mobile signal, and its emergency sirens were removed 16 years ago. Ahead of the weekend’s emergency alert test, I asked the Cabinet Office what it would do for communities such as Sea Palling. We went back and forth three times, and I am really frustrated th…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 September 2025
Living Standards: East of England
The hon. Gentleman knows as well as I do how rural and isolated much of Norfolk can be. I represent the oldest constituency in the country, and I have been shocked by the living standards of some of my elderly residents in isolated communities, who simply feel that there is no help out there to give…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 September 2025
Borders and Asylum
People with a wide range of views about how to tackle immigration spoke to me over the summer, and none of them is happy with how things are. They are furious about how the Conservatives trashed our border security, and they certainly do not want the hare-brained schemes of Reform—they want action t…
Commons
Debate
9 July 2025
3 contributions
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
It is an honour to follow the hon. Member for South West Norfolk (Terry Jermy), who is my constituency neighbour. I welcome and value his testimony and his authenticity of purpose in what he said.
I wish to speak in favour of my new clause 5, which I am pleased to say has been supported by many of …
I completely agree that that barrier must be addressed, and the business case is so clear and easy to see. The Government should focus on supporting employment opportunities in our coastal communities by investing in our tourism and hospitality sectors, supporting training and development opportunit…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
2 July 2025
Engagements
Q7. I refer Members to my role as a serving county councillor. July is Good Care Month and Jane Austen told us that the best place for convalescence by the sea is Cromer in my constituency. However, thanks to Norfolk’s Conservative county council, Cromer risks losing its convalescence facility for…
Commons
Committee Stage
26 June 2025
5 contributions
Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [ Lords ] (Third sitting)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Desmond. I rise to speak to my new clause 36, but I will first touch briefly on my concerns about new clause 15, tabled by the hon. Member for Broadland and Fakenham.
I can see the case that the hon. Member and his colleagues are trying to make ab…
I thank the hon. Member for his astute point. I would be glad to include ferries. After all, the new clause proposes better-integrated transport across all modes and modalities. We do not have any ferries other than river-crossing ferries in my constituency.
My constituents have found the issue of …
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
26 June 2025
2 contributions
Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Allin-Khan.
To refer to the general comments made by the shadow Minister, I am totally up for supporting things that put passengers first and are aligned to that purpose. I was regretful that the Committee disagreed to clause 1, on the inclusion of…
The shadow Minister makes a valid point, as is always the case, but it takes us into the philosophical domain again. I gently point out that there are other perfectly profitable industries where the cost-plus model is the industry norm, and where it is possible for investors to make a return.
Never…
Commons
Committee Stage
26 June 2025
7 contributions
Public Bill Committees
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Allin-Khan.
To refer to the general comments made by the shadow Minister, I am totally up for supporting things that put passengers first and are aligned to that purpose. I was regretful that the Committee disagreed to clause 1, on the inclusion of…
The shadow Minister makes a valid point, as is always the case, but it takes us into the philosophical domain again. I gently point out that there are other perfectly profitable industries where the cost-plus model is the industry norm, and where it is possible for investors to make a return.
Never…
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
25 June 2025
2 contributions
Department for Transport
I am grateful to the Chair of the Transport Committee and the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee for allowing us to debate the transport estimates.
I felt a bit underwhelmed by the Chancellor’s offering for transport following the spending review. I am not really sure what she had to offer m…
I thank the Minister for coming to North Norfolk; he is welcome at any time. Having experienced at first hand the reality of rurality in my constituency, does he agree that we need to look at alternative models for rural public transport?
Commons
Debate
24 June 2025
Department of Health and Social Care
In the limited time available, I want to press the Government on a very live and urgent issue, which is the establishment of a dental school at the University of East Anglia. Currently, there is no dental school in the entire east of England. The Government accept that Norfolk is the Sahara of denta…
Commons
Debate
19 June 2025
4 contributions
Water Safety Education
I am pleased to wind up this debate on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, and I congratulate the hon. Member for Southampton Itchen (Darren Paffey) for securing it. As others have said, this debate is incredibly timely, as this week is National Drowning Prevention Week.
There have been a number of ex…
On that note, having seen the hon. Gentleman in his place, I will give way to him.
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 June 2025
11 contributions
Businesses in Rural Areas
I beg to move,
That this House has considered Government support for businesses in rural areas.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Western, and I am delighted to secure this important debate. We need growth. It is a key part of the Government’s agenda and it is a fact agreed across…
I agree entirely—if only there was a buses Bill before the House. We are also going to get the Transport Committee’s report on buses connecting rural communities, and I would be interested in his thoughts on that in due course.
Meanwhile, rural residents see the Chancellor and the Business Secretar…
+9 more contributions in this session
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
11 June 2025
Engagements
Concerning new statistics show that delays in cancer treatment in North Norfolk are greater than the national average. Much of this relates to the struggles we face specifically as an older rural constituency. I was elected on a promise to get our NHS back and fighting fit after the criminal damage …
Commons
Debate
10 June 2025
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
I am happy to speak today in support of amendment 151, which was tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton and Wellington (Gideon Amos). Our planning system needs reform, but the approach the Government are taking in the Bill is sadly all wrong and desperately needs to be amended.
Amendment 1…
Commons
Debate
9 June 2025
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My hon. Friend is making an excellent case. In North Norfolk, people want house building that genuinely meets local need and helps address the housing crisis, which is affecting everyone in my constituency. On affordability, does he agree that we need to empower local authorities to define what “aff…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
4 June 2025
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Parishioners in the Matlaske benefice have raised over £3,000 to support the people of Gaza. They were visited last year by a priest from Bethlehem, who shared how this conflict is impacting people there. They hope for the return of the hostages, and for peace for the Palestinian people. I will not …
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 June 2025
Swimming Facilities
Thank you for calling me to speak, Ms Jardine. I congratulate the hon. Member for Isle of Wight East (Joe Robertson) on securing this debate.
A young lady called Imogen wrote to me recently to tell me about her concerns over swimming safety. She notes that Norfolk has many beautiful rivers, but she…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 June 2025
Groceries Code Adjudicator
Farmers in North Norfolk are facing a litany of struggles. They feel let down by the previous Government for selling them down the river with dodgy trade deals and years of cuts to the farming budget. They feel let down by the current Government’s continued pursuit of the damaging family farm tax.
…
Commons
Debate
2 June 2025
3 contributions
Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]
I draw Members’ attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I have campaigned politically in North Norfolk for nearly a decade; all the while, people have been sharing with me their frustrations with our local public transport network. Since the age of 11, I have been watc…
I certainly agree. Much as I will slag off Norfolk county council at times, at least it has someone driving a bus, in contrast to her council.
The problem is how the issue is being treated by those in power. It is not the fault of bus operators; I have been grateful for the time and engagement that…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
22 May 2025
Access to NHS Dentistry
I am grateful to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (Melanie Onn) for securing this debate—the application for which I was pleased to support.
I would like to tell the House about Philip, who wrote to me, in his own words, in “desperation”. He is a proud armed forces veteran and was …
Commons
Westminster Hall
21 May 2025
Broadband and Mobile Connectivity: Rural Areas
The connectivity challenge is a huge issue in rural areas, especially for businesses. I recently visited a local tourism business in Bacton that relies on multiple copper landlines—a very vulnerable set-up, given the upcoming switch-off of the public switched telephone network. That business has had…
Commons
Oral Questions
Science, Innovation and Technology
14 May 2025
2 contributions
Broadband: Rural Communities
2. What assessment he has made of the adequacy of rural broadband coverage.
Many rural villages in my constituency still suffer from poor broadband access, with no clear date for when it will get better and more demands for huge expenditure to get them connected to the network. I think particularly of residents in Banningham, who have suffered from poor broadband access for…
Commons
Westminster Hall
13 May 2025
2 contributions
Flooding: Planning and Developer Responsibilities
I congratulate the hon. Member for Mid Norfolk (George Freeman) on securing the debate. As in much of the country, we in North Norfolk have been told by the Government that we need to identify significantly more sites for housing. Let me be absolutely clear: we do need more homes, including homes th…
Unquestionably, and a slightly more sympathetic approach should be taken to historical instances in which householders’ surface water drains have been connected to foul water systems, which they may not even realise. For developments that have been built since that law, it is absolutely unquestionab…
Commons
Debate
12 May 2025
British Nationals Murdered Abroad: Support for Families
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate. Dr Ding Col Dau Ding was raised and educated in North Norfolk and became a neurosurgeon before travelling to South Sudan to practise medicine and save lives. In 2017, he was found dead in his family’s flat, and they believe that he was murdered.…