Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
10 September 2026
Civil Service Pension Scheme
Current service levels are completely unacceptable, and we are holding Capita accountable by withholding payments in the short term and assessing the long-term viability of bringing the scheme in-house. We will continue to use the most stringent commercial levers we have under this contract—which wa…
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
10 September 2026
5 contributions
Topical Questions
I thank my hon. Friend for raising that appalling case. Current service levels are completely unacceptable. We continue to use the most stringent commercial levers that we have under this contract, including withholding contractual payments. We have 147 surge staff deployed in this crisis. We will n…
I thank the hon. Member for raising that case. As I have said, Capita’s performance is diabolical. I will not make any excuses for it from the Dispatch Box—there are no excuses for it—but we are holding Capita to account every day. As I said, we have deployed 147 surge staff to help during this cris…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
7 September 2026
5 contributions
Regional Devolution: Funding
We will be giving mayors greater flexibility to deploy funding within integrated settlements, and mayors will also retain a share of business rates in place of Government grants from April 2027. We will replace further grants from central Government with a share of local income tax from 2028.
I know my hon. Friend has been campaigning on this issue. She will be pleased to know that we are committed to empowering mayors, giving them further levers to invest in their communities and their areas, including through retaining a share of income tax. Further details will be set out as part of t…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Petition
16 July 2026
Repairs and refurbishment at Doncaster Royal Infirmary
I present this petition about repairs and refurbishment at Doncaster Royal Infirmary. People in Doncaster deserve a hospital that is fit for the future and the needs of the growing population. The petitioners
“therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to take into account the…
Commons
Petition
16 July 2026
Repairs and refurbishment at Doncaster Royal Infirmary
I present this petition about repairs and refurbishment at Doncaster Royal Infirmary. People in Doncaster deserve a hospital that is fit for the future and the needs of the growing population. The petitioners
“therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to take into account the…
Commons
Westminster Hall
7 July 2026
3 contributions
Future of British Horseracing
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I declare that I am also a member of the APPG on racing and bloodstock.
I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this important debate on the future of horseracing. Few places understand the cultural and economic impact of that i…
I agree with my hon. Friend, and I want to highlight the unique relationship between horseracing and betting. Key income streams, including the horserace betting levy, media rights and sponsorship contribute around £350 million a year to racing. It is therefore vital that any changes to regulation r…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
18 May 2026
5 contributions
Audiology Services: Doncaster
Let me start this debate by welcoming the Minister to her seat and to her new role, as I believe that this is her first time responding from the Front Bench. I am sure that she will be excellent, and I look forward to her response.
Doncaster has a long and proud history of supporting the deaf and h…
That goes to show that this is a widespread issue. This is happening not just in Doncaster, but further afield, and thousands upon thousands of people have been impacted. At one stage, the audiology service at Doncaster royal infirmary temporarily shut down. While some of the emergency cases and chi…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
22 April 2026
Criminal Proceedings (Juror Absence)
I beg to move,
That leave be given to bring in a Bill to provide that any criminal proceedings set down for trial may not be adjourned by reason of absence of or discharge of a juror where the number of members of the jury is not reduced below nine; and for connected purposes.
I am introducing a B…
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
20 April 2026
2 contributions
Fostering
10. What steps she is taking to help increase levels of fostering.
I thank the Minister for his answer. Can he outline how he will implement the expansion of foster carers so that more children can stay close to home and in their schools, reducing their vulnerability to sexual exploitation and county lines—something that disproportionately impacts children in resid…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 April 2026
Business of the House
My constituent Lisa Theobald suffered the unimaginable loss of her son Ryan, who was killed at just 20 years old when he was stabbed in Doncaster city centre one evening in January 2022. Lisa has shown extraordinary courage in the face of this grief and has channelled her energies into being a campa…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 April 2026
Housing Needs: Young People
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Butler. I thank the hon. Member for Mid Dunbartonshire (Susan Murray) for bringing forward this debate. I will focus on the housing needs of care leavers and those with care experience.
Every year around 12,000 young people leave foster care or res…
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
Gurkha Veterans
I, too, thank the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Cameron Thomas) for bringing this important debate to the Chamber.
For over two centuries, Gurkha soldiers have stood shoulder to shoulder with British troops in conflicts across the globe. Their bravery, loyalty and sacrifice has been unwavering. They …
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 March 2026
Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir John. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Andy MacNae) for securing this important debate.
I pay tribute to my constituents Nathan and Fiona Robinson, whose son Alfie tragically passed away. I first met them before I was e…
Commons
Oral Questions
19 March 2026
Business of the House
Capita’s handling of the civil service pension scheme has been absolutely abysmal. I have constituents in the Prison Service and across the whole civil service who have had their life devastated because of the financial consequences. Will the Leader of the House escalate this matter to the Chief Sec…
Commons
Oral Questions
19 March 2026
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
What assessment has the Secretary of State made of agricultural co-operatives and how they might contribute to Government objectives on sustainable farming and food security?
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
Topical Questions
From Kingswood accountants to Automated Analytics and our young traders market, Doncaster is home to many businesses run by ambitious entrepreneurs. Will the Minister update the House on how Government support, such as the start-up loan scheme and the growth guarantee scheme, are helping young entre…
Commons
Debate
10 March 2026
3 contributions
Courts and Tribunals Bill
I, too, pay tribute to those Members of the House who made exceptional contributions, particularly my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington North (Charlotte Nichols). Her bravery today will be the debate’s real stand-out moment.
As we all know, the backdrop to this Bill is a court system that is fa…
I completely agree. Whether they will be found innocent or guilty, people are entitled to their day in court, and within a reasonable amount of time, as are the victims who need to have their cases heard. Frankly, that also allows prisons to get on with the important work of punishing those who are …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
3 March 2026
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill
Does my hon. Friend agree that the reopening of Doncaster airport is not only critical so that we are part of the sustainable aviation future, but to create the high-skill, high-wage jobs in the green economy that young people in Doncaster deserve?
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 February 2026
Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, which declares my various union memberships.
Many Members have made very valid points, and I will try not to echo them. To follow on from what my hon. Friend the M…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
29 January 2026
Prison Capacity: Annual Statement
I remind Members of my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests: I am a member of the POA.
I want to back up what the Minister said in retaliation to the shadow Justice Minister. Prison can indeed work, but words alone are not enough, and when a party is in office, it has to back them …
Commons
Debate
20 January 2026
2 contributions
Sentencing Bill
I am pleased that the Bill will deliver long-term and sustainable reform to our criminal justice system and make sure that we never again end up in the position where dangerous offenders are not being locked up, the police do not have the capacity to make arrests and courts are not able to hold tria…
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I wish to apologise for inadvertently making an error. At the start of my speech on the Sentencing Bill, I forgot to declare that I remain a member of the Prison Officers Association, following my time in the Prison Service. I hope that the record can be co…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 January 2026
Business of the House
Audiology services in Doncaster have faced huge problems for some time, and while the trust is working hard to improve the service, it is unacceptable that some of my constituents have been waiting years for basic hearing tests, and to have their hearing aid needs met. I pay tribute to Maggie and Pa…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
8 January 2026
2 contributions
Economic Growth: Transport System
12. What steps she is taking to help ensure that the transport system supports economic growth.
Junction 3 of the M18 in Doncaster is one of the biggest bottlenecks to growth in our region, so will the Minister meet me to discuss the possibility of its inclusion in the road investment strategy and how the Department can further support the mayoral combined authority and the council to make sur…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
11 December 2025
2 contributions
Small and Medium-sized Businesses
8. What steps his Department is taking to support SMEs.
Clean Power Hydrogen, a small business in my constituency, is a UK leader in the manufacturing of membrane-free electrolysers for green hydrogen production. It employs about 60 people in Doncaster, and it has the ability to expand that to hundreds by 2035. Will the Minister set out what he and his D…