Commons
Westminster Hall
14 July 2026
2 contributions
Coastal Communities: Isolation and Hidden Deprivation
The hon. Gentleman is speaking about the transport challenges that people face in rural communities. We know that the Government have plans to introduce additional charges for purchasing an electric vehicle, which seems paradoxical when we are trying to encourage people to be more environmentally fr…
The hon. Gentleman is speaking very powerfully about the need for connectivity around coastal ports. Is he aware that the two largest towns in the UK with no railhead, Fraserburgh and Peterhead in my constituency, have been left in exactly that position after the Beeching cuts of the 1960s? Does he …
Commons
Oral Questions
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
9 July 2026
Topical Questions
T8. The Minister has heard from both sides of the House this morning about the deepening crisis for independent pig producers and farmers. There are concerns that a quasi-cartel might be operating, to the detriment of small independent producers. Will the Minister consider using his powers to make a…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 July 2026
2 contributions
Lobular Breast Cancer: Moon Shot Project
The hon. Member speaks about the value of research. Some 50 years ago this year, my cousin was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had three years. She left five children under the age of 10. Yesterday I met Lesley, who was diagnosed 20 years ago. Lesley is well. She is still receiving treatment, but …
This is not a party-political issue; it is something the shadow Minister and the whole House can agree on. In 2022, the Scottish Government began the process of improving their imaging kits with the introduction of 3D mammography, which is a major step forward. Two months ago, the Scottish Parliamen…
Commons
Oral Questions
Energy Security and Net Zero
7 July 2026
Climate Change: Resilience Planning
One of the Department’s key planks in tackling climate change is carbon capture. Given the Government’s difficulties around the defence investment plan and the need to find allegedly an extra £5 billion, can the Minister confirm her Department’s continuing support for the Acorn Project at St Fergus …
Commons
Westminster Hall
1 July 2026
4 contributions
Fishing Industry: Government Support
I beg to move,
That this House has considered Government support for the fishing industry.
It is always a pleasure to serve under you, Sir Alec. The rich fishing and coastal heritage of my constituency of Aberdeenshire North and Moray East is second to none. My constituency is home to Europe’s lar…
Thank you for that clarification, Chair. I have six pages of almost entirely redacted correspondence, so it is clear that somebody does not want us to see these things.
In subsequent correspondence between the Scotland Office and the chair of the Scottish White Fish Producers Association, it is adm…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
30 June 2026
Department of Health and Social Care
The hon. Member is making an excellent speech, and is trying to draw out the details of this deal; I am glad that one of her constituents drew her attention to it. I was lobbied by Karl Claxton at the University of York, who described this deal as an existential threat to the NHS because of the pote…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
29 June 2026
Benefit Cap
The House of Commons Library, quoting the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, reports that child poverty rates in Scotland are much lower than in England, at 23% compared with 31%, due at least in part to the Scottish child payment. In the light of this Government’s mission to tackle the scourge of child po…
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 June 2026
North Sea Oil and Gas
The hon. Member says that the oil and gas belong to the Union, but it is Scotland’s oil and Scotland’s gas. Can he explain why Scottish bill payers are paying the highest bills in the UK when the oil and gas is being extracted from the North sea?
Commons
Oral Questions
Health and Social Care
9 June 2026
Topical Questions
Many Members in this place will be all too familiar with the trauma of a miscarriage; for some, the tragedy occurs more than once. Scotland is the first nation in the UK to implement a miscarriage patient charter, based on the so-called Tommy’s graded model of miscarriage care. Will the new Secretar…
Commons
Oral Questions
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
4 June 2026
2 contributions
UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement
2. What discussions she has had with Scottish fisheries on the UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement.
The Scottish White Fish Producers Association is concerned that the worst elements of the common fisheries policy could reappear in these negotiations. For exporters, time is everything. Even small delays at the border can mean lost value for highly perishable goods. The SPS agreement must deliver f…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 June 2026
Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stuart. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight East (Joe Robertson) for securing this important debate.
Report after report has complained about the impact of the Labour Government’s national insurance hikes, which are felt in my consti…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 May 2026
High Speed 2 Reset
I can sense the Secretary of State’s anger at the scale, width and depth of the failures in this project, but it was initiated in 2009, when Labour was in power. I am looking at the collective failure on both sides of the House. Labour Members are so quick to point out the ferries problem in Scotlan…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 May 2026
National Security
I commend the Minister on his statement, particularly his peroration about how standing up to hatred and intolerance is the shared responsibility of every person in these islands. The Scottish Government have been working closely with Police Scotland and relevant partners to ensure that safety for J…
Commons
Oral Questions
27 April 2026
2 contributions
State Pension Age Changes: Compensation
22. What recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations in the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report entitled “Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues”, published on 21 March 2024.
These women were not properly informed about changes to their state pension. So said the PHSO on 21 March 2024, just in time for the election that year, when so many Labour Members of course promised to address the issue, if elected—another shameful, broken promise. First, can I ask the Minister to …
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 April 2026
3 contributions
NHS Federated Data Platform
It is a pleasure to serve under you, Dame Siobhain. I thank the hon. Member for Newton Abbot (Martin Wrigley) for securing this important debate and for his excellent speech, demonstrating tremendous technical expertise.
This £330 million deal signed in 2023 with controversial American spy tech fir…
Will the Minister give way?
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
15 April 2026
Pension Schemes Bill
I appreciate that the hon. Member is very learned on this subject, as are many Members on both sides of the House. Is he saying that the Bill does not give sufficient protection for pensioners in terms of governance of trustees and equitable distribution of any surplus from defined benefit schemes?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 April 2026
Infected Blood Compensation Scheme
I pay tribute to the Minister and his team for the great work that they have done. I agree with the right hon. Member for Salisbury (John Glen) that this work is really cross-party, and the Minister will continue to enjoy our support in the future. I would like to raise two matters of detail. One re…
Commons
Oral Questions
14 April 2026
Cancer Treatment
Cancer patients, like so many other patients, are worried and concerned about the resident doctors strike in England, which is reportedly costing around £50 million a day, not to mention its impact on waiting lists. Meanwhile, in Scotland, we have a Health Secretary and a Government who are competen…
Commons
Oral Questions
23 March 2026
2 contributions
Worker Visas: Rural Businesses
5. What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential impact of changes to worker visas on businesses in rural economies.
Sheep shearing may not be on the Home Secretary’s bucket list, but in another U-turn, following pressure from NFU Scotland, the Government have apparently listened to the farming industry and agreed to a sheep shearing visa extension for one year. The Home Secretary is looking a little sheepish in h…
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
2 contributions
Heating Oil Support
More than 130,000 homes in Scotland now face deeper anxiety and financial uncertainty with this paltry intervention from the Government. The reality of this cold winter and spring in the north of Scotland and in the highlands and islands, not least in my constituency, is that there was snow last nig…
What are you going to do about it?
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 March 2026
4 contributions
Disability Equipment Provision
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the provision of disability equipment.
I am grateful to the Speaker’s Office, which oversees the ballot that leads to the selection of debate topics. I am truly very pleased to have secured this debate to provide us all with the opportunity to shine a …
I do agree. Indeed, that problem causes a massive cost to the taxpayer as well.
It is no surprise that 74% of equipment providers were aware of patients experiencing delayed hospital discharge due to unavailable community equipment. The APPG’s report recommended and called for the implementation of…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
9 March 2026
Immigration Policy
At lunch time today I chaired a meeting of the all-party parliamentary group on fisheries, during which we heard about existential threats to the fishing industry across these islands. Will the Minister agree to attend a meeting of the APPG so that he can hear at first hand about some of the threats…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 March 2026
2 contributions
Type 1 Diabetes: Infant Testing
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Alec. I thank the hon. Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell) for opening this important debate, and I pay tribute to the members of the public present, who no doubt represent thousands of people online tonight.
The Lyla’s law campai…
I completely agree with the hon. Member and endorse his suggestion.
This topic is personally important to me, not only because so many family members have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes but—as the hon. Member for Edinburgh North and Leith (Tracy Gilbert) referred to—because of the premature de…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
3 March 2026
Sudan: Humanitarian Situation
The Foreign Secretary has referred to the UN report published on 19 February, which said that the horrific events in El Fasher bore all the “hallmarks of genocide”. Does she agree with that assessment?
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 February 2026
2 contributions
Hughes Report: Second Anniversary
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Allin-Khan. I thank the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Sarah Green) for securing the debate.
On behalf of constituents who have written to me, I want to begin by quoting the comments of the Patient Safety Commissioner for England, Professor …
I appreciate the complexities of the steps that the Minister is outlining. Nevertheless, in repeated contributions, Members have asked for a timescale, so will the Minister respond by the end of the Session? Will she respond by the autumn? Will she respond by the end of the calendar year? Can she gi…