Commons
Debate
4 November 2025
3 contributions
Supporting High Streets
Our high streets are the heart of our communities. They are where people meet, where local pride grows and where livelihoods are made. High streets have certainly struggled over the last decade, with vacant properties, antisocial behaviour and concerns about the impact of densely populated HMOs. I a…
I could not agree more. We must be ambassadors and advocate for the wonderful innovation, ingenuity and entrepreneurship that business owners show along our high streets.
I also want to show today areas that the Government are already helping to revitalise, so I am going to take hon. Members on a s…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
3 November 2025
Care Leavers
I thank my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour for giving way. Next week marks the first National Supported Lodgings Week. It will celebrate what those lodgings do in offering the wonderful opportunity of a safe, stable home to people who can then grow and have their independence. She and I are b…
Commons
Debate
3 November 2025
Huntingdon Train Attack
I associate myself with the many tributes given to those people on the train who tried to prevent the attack, the staff and the responders. As the Member for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, I use the Doncaster to King’s Cross service most weeks. Many of my constituents and people across Donc…
Commons
Debate
30 October 2025
GP Services: Melton and Syston
On the subject of capacity, one of the biggest concerns that is raised with me when new houses are proposed for a particular area of Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme is access to appointments in the future. Can the Minister reassure me and my residents that discussions take place between his D…
Commons
Proceedings
30 October 2025
Ageing and End-of-life Care
The day I get to intervene on such an amazing Member is a remarkable day. I live in a very rural area where there are places with real socioeconomic deprivation. I know for a fact that there is huge inequality in those kinds of areas when it comes to palliative care. Does he agree that the Minister …
Commons
Debate
30 October 2025
2 contributions
Property Service Charges
I often hear the same story across Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme about bills that jump without warning, charges that people cannot control, invoices that are hard to decipher and work that arrives late or not at all. If we pay for services, we should know what we are paying for, the standar…
The hon. Gentleman makes a valid point, and it is certainly one that the Minister should listen to and take into account. I was concluding when he intervened, so I will finish with this: our home should be a place where we get to dream, not where we have nightmares.
Commons
Proceedings
30 October 2025
Business of the House
Will the Leader of the House update us on the progress that is being made to finalise the transfer of the £2.3 billion reserve of the British Coal staff superannuation scheme?
Commons
Debate
28 October 2025
Support for Disabled Veterans
I thank my hon. and gallant Friend the Minister—it is great to say that—for giving way. We know that our disabled veterans are over-represented in the homeless community, but Doncaster council has taken a lead in making the armed forces a locally represented group. That means that members of the arm…
Commons
Westminster Hall
28 October 2025
2 contributions
Connected and Automated Vehicles
It is a pleasure to speak under your chairship, Ms Vaz. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich (Sarah Coombes) for securing this timely and insightful debate.
The advent of automated passenger services as a new pillar of our transport infrastructure is a huge opportunity to transform t…
I 100% agree with my hon. Friend. My wife was born with full sight, but over the years her degenerative condition has meant that she had to lose her licence. I know that it was almost like ripping her heart out; the independence she lost was huge. Anybody who experiences that independence—having the…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
27 October 2025
Topical Questions
T6. I still have parents in my constituency coming to me because they are not getting the money their children need. One constituent reports her ex repeatedly self-declaring employment until the Child Maintenance Service catches up with them, switching on to benefits for a few months, dropping to £7…
Commons
Proceedings
23 October 2025
Business of the House
Young adults in my constituency are still waiting more than five months for a driving test. It is just not fair. They cannot get to work; they cannot have apprenticeships. Will the Leader of the House join me in pushing the Department for Transport to do something about this very quickly?
Commons
Proceedings
16 October 2025
Business of the House
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Bawtry in my constituency is once again painting the town pink to help raise awareness. This year, it has launched its own “Legally Blonde” inspired bend and check campaign to remind everyone to take charge of checking their own breast health. To support…
Commons
Debate
15 October 2025
Work for Serving Prisoners
I visited His Majesty’s prison in Hatfield in my constituency—I have among the highest number of prisons in the whole country—and it was absolutely amazing. The governor there had been creative and innovative in his thinking about rehabilitating the prisoners, working with Tempus Novo. By bringing t…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
11 September 2025
2 contributions
Suicide Prevention
I beg to move,
That this House has considered suicide prevention.
Before I begin, I want to share for the benefit of anyone watching or anyone in this Chamber who may ever need it that help is available: 24/7 crisis mental health support can be accessed by calling NHS 111 and selecting option 2, o…
We have felt a very different kind of emotion in the Chamber this afternoon, compared with what we normally feel. The stories that have been shared have been stripped back, quite raw and very emotional. It really brings home to me the extent of the risk we are talking about here.
Let me thank all h…
Commons
Proceedings
4 September 2025
Business of the House
Last weekend, a group of volunteers launched a fundraising activity to put on a new annual show hosting a hoedown in Epworth. Will the Leader of the House join me in wishing the rootin’ tootin’ team the best of luck in whip-cracking away on future events to raise loot to put on the first Isle countr…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 September 2025
Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund
I met the representatives from the Yorkshire Adoption Agency and a number of adoptive parents this week. The one point they made to me is that the earlier that therapy takes place, the better the life chances and opportunities. Does my hon. Friend agree that having that fund available over a longer …
Commons
Oral Questions
21 July 2025
Topical Questions
T6. Apprenticeships should be open to everyone. I have met too many young people in Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme who are more than capable of doing the job—they have the hands-on skills, the attitude and the drive to work—but are being held back from apprenticeships because they have to ge…
Commons
Debate
14 July 2025
Condition of Roads: Cheshire
In common with what the hon. Lady hears from residents in Cheshire, I often hear from my constituents about the problems caused by potholes. The Government have recently committed £6.7 million to South Yorkshire and £9.8 million to north Lincolnshire, which is a huge step forward, but strategic lead…
Commons
Debate
3 July 2025
Women’s State Pension Age: Financial Redress
I should declare that my mum is a WASPI woman. She would be disappointed if I was not here today, and there is nothing worse than your mum being disappointed in you. I also represent 6,030 other WASPI women in my constituency. I just wonder if the Minister really understands the discrimination faced…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 July 2025
Business of the House
I recently spent the day with the amazing volunteer team at the Bread and Butter Thing at the Fair Green pub in Thorne, helping to distribute surplus food to local residents in need. Does the Leader of the House agree that charities, like the Bread and Butter Thing, and the volunteers who dedicate t…
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 June 2025
Flood Defences: Chesterfield
Does my hon. Friend agree that, in areas where we have significant risk of flooding, it should be compulsory for schools to educate children on building flood plans as part of the curriculum? If people knew that there was a flood coming, they would then actually know what they should be doing. I kno…
Commons
Debate
19 June 2025
Water Safety Education
Sam Haycock is a name that most Members in the Chamber will not have heard before today, but it is my job to make sure that that 16-year-old’s legacy does not end four years ago, when he was swimming in a South Yorkshire reservoir with his friends. I want Sam’s name imprinted on everyone’s brain and…
Commons
Debate
18 June 2025
Post-industrial Towns
My hon. Friend tempts me to intervene because she knows how passionate and driven I am to see Doncaster-Sheffield airport open, revitalised and ready to take flights in the near future. That will bring new jobs, prosperity and longer-term ambition for the young people who live in the area. Does she …
Commons
Debate
12 June 2025
SEND Funding
I have met people from about 18 schools, both here in Westminster and at home in the constituency, and, more recently, have heard the voices of young people on SEND in Doncaster. At every single meeting, the first questions asked are about support, capacity, and young adults’ transition into work. D…
Commons
Proceedings
12 June 2025
Business of the House
June is indeed a very special month for birthdays—as you will know, Mr Speaker, given that you celebrated your birthday this week. Will the Leader of the House join me in celebrating the 100th birthday of the Doncaster Free Press and recognise the importance of local newspapers in our regions?