Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
15 July 2026
Independence Referendum
The Scottish Secretary will be aware that no NHS board in Scotland has met its target for starting cancer treatment within 62 days since 2012, that Public Health Scotland data shows that one in seven Scots are on an NHS waiting list, and that the Scottish Government’s own figures show that home comp…
Commons
Debate
13 July 2026
2 contributions
Immigration and Asylum Bill
rose—
Does my right hon. Friend think it would be more appropriate for the Lord Chancellor or the Judicial Appointments Commission to have input into the first of each of these appointments, to ensure their independence is guaranteed?
Commons
Debate
9 July 2026
3 contributions
Israeli Settlements: Trade Ban
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) for securing the debate and speaking with so much passion about an issue that concerns us all.
The ever-increasing number of Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal—each and every one of them. …
I absolutely agree with the hon. Member. I know that there have been such examples in Gaza, too. I raised that in a Westminster Hall debate almost two years ago, and I was reassured by the Minister that none of those drones are being produced in this country, which is at least a start.
It is also c…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Proceedings
9 July 2026
2 contributions
Science, innovation and technology Committee
I thank my hon. Friend for the report, and for all the hard work her Committee has put into it. I was very interested in the section about space. Does she share my pleasure in the announcement today that the SaxaVord space station is likely to have a launch of a rocket within the next three weeks?
In addition to acknowledging the investment from the UK Government, may I ask whether my hon. Friend’s Committee agrees with the recommendation of the Scottish Affairs Committee, which I chair, that we should have a Minister for space in Government? That is because we recognise the cross-cutting nat…
Commons
Westminster Hall
29 June 2026
NHS Breast Screening
The hon. Member for Bromley and Biggin Hill (Peter Fortune) makes a valid point. Is my hon. Friend aware that between 2020 and 2023, more than three in four women in Scotland took up their screening invitations? However, take-up is varied based on deprivation: 64.2% of women in the most deprived are…
Commons
Oral Questions
Culture, Media and Sport
18 June 2026
Topical Questions
T5. Can the Secretary of State advise what steps will be taken and what funding provided to encourage young people to take up sport, drama and other activities when the social media ban comes into place?
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 June 2026
Clean Power by 2030
I thank my Committee colleague for the way in which he presented the Committee’s findings and recommendations. It was a very interesting piece of work. One issue that came up time and again was curtailment costs—the payments made to electricity producers when turbines are not operational. Does he ag…
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
10 June 2026
Scottish Independence
Does the Scottish Secretary agree that given the incoming Scottish Government have a whole list of issues and problems on their plate, the last thing they should be concerning themselves with is another divisive referendum?
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 June 2026
4 contributions
Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026
I beg to move,
That this House has considered Government support for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. Today marks 43 days until Glasgow hosts the 23rd Commonwealth games. The games will happen from 23 July to 2 August, and the city w…
I could not agree with my hon. Friend more. In fact, one of my bugbears over the years has been that it is far too easy for cash-strapped local authorities to cut back on sport and culture, because they are not part of the statutory services that everyone expects them to deliver. The Scottish Govern…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
16 April 2026
Business of the House
My constituent recently applied to renew his passport. As requested, he returned his old passport to His Majesty’s Passport Office. He then received two consecutive messages advising him that he had sent the wrong passport—he had not. Subsequently, he received from HMPO a package purporting to conta…
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
Business of the House
In January, 15-year-old Jordan Kerr went to the aid of a person who had collapsed on the platform at Drumchapel train station. Jordan administered CPR—cardiopulmonary resuscitation—having learned that skill in the Army cadets, and ultimately helped to save the passenger’s life. Will the Leader of th…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 March 2026
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Craniocervical Instability
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this important debate. Like others, I was not aware of this condition until I was contacted by my constituent Jo, who has bravely shared her story widely. I am grateful that she has done that. However, one of the things that Jo wanted to have raised today is…
Commons
Debate
17 March 2026
Middle East
I thank the Foreign Secretary for her statement. It was reassuring to hear her say that we will not be outsourcing our foreign policy—something I think we should all agree with. Is she confident that the United States properly understands that its actions in the middle east have not only made peace …
Commons
Westminster Hall
5 March 2026
2 contributions
World Book Day
It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mrs Hobhouse. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Helen Hayes) for securing the debate, and for her excellent contribution that set the scene for our discussion.
I am sure we all remember what triggered our own love of reading—a …
I draw the hon. Member’s attention to a scheme that has been running in Scotland since about 2000. It used to be called “Bookstart” and is now called “Bookbug”. New-born babies through to children at the beginning of primary school go along to the library with their parent or carer and take part in …
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 March 2026
Energy Security and Net Zero: Scotland
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairpersonship, Dr Huq. I thank the hon. Member for securing the debate. I intervene in my capacity as Chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee, of which she and many other hon. Members here today are valued members. As she knows, our Committee has been examining…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 February 2026
Business of the House
My right hon. Friend is well aware of the ongoing issues with Royal Mail and the concerns of many Members and constituents about the delayed delivery of hospital appointment letters and other important correspondence. The Communication Workers Union advises that the problem of delivery office staff …
Commons
Oral Questions
Church Commissioners
26 February 2026
2 contributions
Christian Communities in Palestine
7. What steps the Church is taking to support Palestinians living in Gaza and the west bank.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pizzaballa, recently said of Palestine:
“Peace and reconciliation are beautiful concepts, but they risk remaining mere slogans if they are not accompanied today by concrete actions, gestures and testimonies that physically demonstrate the possibility of re…
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
25 February 2026
Hospitality Sector
Any support for Scottish hospitality businesses is welcome; however, the recent Scottish Budget simply tinkers around the edges, with many businesses still in line for a 400% tax hike. Does my hon. Friend agree that a fundamental overhaul and redesign of the current system is required so that we can…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
9 February 2026
Standards in Public Life
I thank the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister for his statement. Could he tell the House how the Prime Minister is considering strengthening the role of the Ethics and Integrity Commission, given his commitment to improving standards in public life?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 February 2026
Sudan
I thank the Foreign Secretary for such a strong statement this afternoon. She has rightly highlighted the disgraceful use of rape as a weapon of war in this conflict, but it happens in many other conflicts around the world, from Ukraine to Myanmar. May I urge her to use her office to lead internatio…
Commons
Oral Questions
Solicitor General
5 February 2026
2 contributions
Female Genital Mutilation
2. What steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for female genital mutilation.
By its very nature, FGM is a hidden tragedy for many women and girls, and it is important that prosecution rates are increased. One way to do that would be to emphasise and publicise the use of FGM protection orders, which can help to prevent the carrying out of FGM both here and abroad, and now app…
Commons
Westminster Hall
5 February 2026
Scottish Affairs Committee in 2024-25 and Industrial Transition
My hon. Friend has given a good explanation of some of the Committee’s work. Does she agree that one of the most impressive things that we have seen this year has been the commitment of the apprentices at BAE Systems and elsewhere, such as at Babock International? They are young people with a clear …
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 February 2026
Armed Conflict: Children
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Hyndburn (Sarah Smith) for securing the debate. I know how interested she is in these issues, and how much she cares about them, so it is good that we are having this debate today.
I make no apolog…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 February 2026
3 contributions
Indefinite Leave to Remain
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Lewell. I thank my constituent Favour Deedam and her colleagues in Unison’s migrant worker network for sharing their experiences, views and concerns about the proposed changes to indefinite leave to remain. I am grateful to the many constituents …
Will the Minister give way?
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
29 January 2026
Women’s State Pension Age Communication: PHSO Report
My right hon. Friend is a very serious individual and his statement was very serious. It helpfully enumerated that the majority of pensioners on lower incomes are women and that women make up the majority of those depending on pension credit. The anger that WASPI women feel about the steep increase …