Commons
Oral Questions
16 April 2026
Business of the House
In February, it was announced in the national cancer plan that a rare cancers clinical lead and a rare cancers research lead would be appointed, but no time frame was given for these appointments. These new positions are key to progressing outcomes for people with rare cancers, who have been left ou…
Commons
Debate
15 April 2026
2 contributions
Pension Schemes Bill
I wish to speak to Lords amendment 15 and, ultimately, what it still fails to address: the long-standing injustice faced by almost 1 million pensioners.
The Chancellor’s decision last year diverted attention, with her announcement of the restoration of indexation to a quarter of a million pensioner…
For the pre-1997 pensioners in companies such as Hewlett Packard and many others, the trustees are not able to act on behalf of the pensioners because a board, usually in the USA, says, “No, we are not going to give you a pension increase, even though the trustees say you should have it.”
To ease s…
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
15 April 2026
2 contributions
Cancer Research
4. What steps the Government are taking with the National Institute for Health and Care Research to support cancer research in Scotland.
Cancer Research UK’s manifesto for cancer research and care in Scotland recommends that the Government should increase
“strategic institutional research and innovation funding…investing in and supporting the delivery of a new Scottish Health and Biomedicine Institute (SHBI) to deliver new innovatio…
Commons
Debate
14 April 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
I will speak to Lords amendment 312 on cumulative disruption. I am deeply alarmed by the amendment, which would require senior police officers to take into account any so-called cumulative impacts of frequent protests on local areas when considering whether to impose conditions on public processions…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 April 2026
Infected Blood Compensation Scheme
I join others in thanking the Minister for his update. I met a constituent in Wokingham last year who was one of the 30,000 people affected by this scandal. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority should have been life-changing for them and others affected by the scandal, but when an offer of comp…
Commons
Oral Questions
14 April 2026
Topical Questions
T4. Last week, the Secretary of State announced £10 million for the Royal Berkshire hospital to fund a new site, which is very welcome news. After years of Conservative neglect, £400 million is needed to maintain the existing Royal Berks until rebuilding starts in 2039. What is the Minister doing to…
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
Business of the House
Two people a day are diagnosed with cancer during or right after pregnancy, yet their maternity leave cannot be deferred. That means that mums are missing out on precious time bonding with their baby—time they will never get back—as they undergo urgent and necessary treatment. It is clear that legis…
Commons
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
2 contributions
Pothole Repairs: Government Funding
4. What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Government funding for repairing potholes.
Wokingham borough council is the lowest funded unitary authority. Between 2020 and 2022 when the Conservatives led the council, they cut the road maintenance budget by £2 million, although they seem to have no recollection of doing so. Now the Labour Government are cutting £43 million from the counc…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 March 2026
Prison Officers: Mandatory Body Armour
It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Mr Betts. I thank the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis) for securing this very important debate.
Our prison system has been pushed into a deep crisis by years of neglect and mismanagement under previous Governments. Prisons are o…
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 March 2026
Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir John. I thank the hon. Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Andy MacNae) for securing this very important debate.
First, I would like to recognise the work done by organisations such as SUDC UK that have campaigned on this issue to raise awareness of…
Commons
Oral Questions
23 March 2026
Violence against Women and Girls
One of my constituents suffered such coercive violence that her partner forced her to allow him back into the home. She could not tell anyone, and he continued to assault her daily. She reported the behaviour to the police, but they did very little. He is in prison for less than five years, and auth…
Commons
Debate
12 March 2026
International Women’s Day
I congratulate the hon. Member for Gorton and Denton (Hannah Spencer) on her maiden speech. It was an eloquent speech that made us think that she has been here for several years. I really enjoyed her description of her constituency, and of the people and organisations she now represents. I hope that…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 March 2026
Business of the House
Duncan-Lynch Precision Engineering is a successful specialist manufacturing company established over 60 years ago. It would like to take on a number of new apprenticeships—good, well-paid jobs for local young people—but is struggling to find apprentices and appropriate courses. That is a clear conce…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
Trade with Europe
I have heard from so many businesses in Wokingham that have suffered post Brexit with masses of red tape limiting their exports. Losing key trade relationships in Europe has meant that many local businesses have seen their profits evaporate. What are the Government doing to develop and strengthen tr…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 March 2026
NHS Capital Spending
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Western, and I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Bobby Dean) for securing this extremely important debate.
Let us make no mistake: what we are talking about today is a national scandal. Many parts of our hospitals are f…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
2 contributions
Road Maintenance Funding
12. What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of funding for road maintenance.
The funding given to local authorities is woefully inadequate to maintain the roads, let alone improve them. While Department for Transport funding remains well below historical levels in real terms, local authorities such as Wokingham have also had their funding dramatically cut by the Government. …
Commons
Debate
11 February 2026
Local Government Finance
The settlement is unfair, and it is a disaster for my constituents. Wokingham borough council is already the lowest funded unitary authority per capita in the country, as it was under the Conservative Government for more than 10 years. As a result of this so-called fair funding review, the Labour Go…
Commons
Debate
11 February 2026
Police Grant Report
As my hon. Friend the Member for Cheltenham (Max Wilkinson) said earlier, Liberal Democrats have long called for a return to proper community policing. After years of Conservative chaos and mismanagement, it is clear in Wokingham and across the country that there are not enough police officers. Resi…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 February 2026
Local Power Plan
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement. My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I have long campaigned for community energy, but it is not enough to have a plan to deliver local power projects in the future, when there are projects around the country ready to go now, but sadly not supported by …
Commons
Proceedings
9 February 2026
Brain Tumour Survival Rates
I thank the hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden (Dame Siobhain McDonagh) and my hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Charlie Maynard) for securing this evening’s important debate. Brain cancer is a particularly nasty and lethal form of cancer, and one of the least improved cancers in terms of survival …
Commons
Oral Questions
9 February 2026
Jimmy Lai: Prison Sentence
As my hon. Friend the Member for Hazel Grove (Lisa Smart) said, Jimmy Lai’s conviction is a massive failure for the Prime Minister, who said that he could change outcomes. This sends a worrying signal to Hongkongers living in Wokingham and across the UK, many of whom face intimidation from China whe…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 February 2026
National Cancer Plan
I was the first MP in this Parliament to call for a national cancer plan back in October 2024, so I congratulate the Secretary of State and the Minister for publishing the plan. There are some good things in it: the concentration on children and young people’s cancers; the concentration on rare and …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 February 2026
Sudan
How are the Government engaging directly with Sudanese civilian coalitions, including the Somoud coalition, to ensure that their proposals inform international mediation efforts?
Commons
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Business of the House
I thank the Leader of the House for his comments about the Westminster Hall debate. Yesterday, the Government finally launched a national cancer plan, which contained many ambitious targets. However, that plan requires us to have firm checks in place, so that we can ensure that promises on paper are…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
29 January 2026
Business of the House
Patients, cancer charities and healthcare professionals have been calling for urgent investment in oncology to prevent a postcode lottery of care. Unfortunately, regional inequalities exist, denying many patients access to effective treatment or quicker diagnosis. Will the House schedule time to con…