Commons
Oral Questions
Solicitor General
9 July 2026
2 contributions
Violence against Women and Girls: Prosecution Rates
4. What steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates for cases involving violence against women and girls.
I spoke recently, at a surgery, to one of my Monmouthshire constituents who had served on a jury in a case in which the victim had been subject to domestic violence. I was horrified to hear that there were only two women on a jury of 12, and that my constituent had heard other jurors victim blaming …
Commons
Oral Questions
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
9 July 2026
2 contributions
River Wye: Pollution
9. What steps she is taking to help tackle pollution in the River Wye.
I thank the Minister for all her hard work on the River Wye, but as she knows, time is running out for that iconic river. With temperatures rising to dangerous levels, our fish stocks will be further affected. The Wye needs a water protection zone across the English and Welsh parts of the river to m…
Commons
Oral Questions
Energy Security and Net Zero
7 July 2026
2 contributions
Energy Security
2. What steps he is taking to increase energy security.
I agree wholeheartedly with the Minister. I recently visited the first UK deep geothermal site at the Eden Project in Cornwall, thanks to the excellent energy and environment parliamentary knowledge scheme—[Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”] I learned that geothermal direct heat has several advantages, in…
Commons
Debate
30 June 2026
Department for Work and Pensions
I pay huge tribute to our two new Members of Parliament, the hon. Members for Aberdeen South (Douglas Lumsden) and for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry (Lara Bird), for their maiden speeches.
I will talk about something that makes up a relatively small part of the DWP’s operations and its spending, but …
Commons
Oral Questions
Wales
17 June 2026
2 contributions
Economic Growth
6. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support economic growth in Wales.
Monmouthshire’s high streets welcome the £1.5 million Pride in Place funding, especially Monmouth, after November’s devastating floods. I recently wrote to the landlord of 20 Monnow Street—more commonly known as the “pigeon-poop building”—as part of my campaign to fill empty shops. But we need deeds…
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
8 June 2026
Topical Questions
I welcome my hon. Friend the Minister to her place. Surviving Economic Abuse estimates that around 750,000 women are trapped in a joint mortgage with an abusive partner or ex-partner, with the only way out often being to let their home be repossessed, as abusers refuse to contribute their share of r…
Commons
Oral Questions
28 April 2026
2 contributions
Economic Growth in Wales
13. What steps she is taking to support economic growth in Wales.
The people of Magor and Undy have been celebrating the fact that they are getting a new train station, thanks to two Labour Governments working together to deliver it. It is therefore unbelievable that Reform’s leader in Wales recently said that nobody wants or needs these new stations. Does the Min…
Commons
Oral Questions
22 April 2026
2 contributions
Economic Growth
6. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support economic growth in Wales.
I was pleased to see the Secretary of State and the First Minister launch the local growth fund in Wales this week, to boost jobs and investment in local economies. That is on top of the local Wales placemaking grant funding and the UK Government’s Pride in Place funding, which will give £1.5 millio…
Commons
Debate
14 April 2026
2 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
I really welcome the Government’s amendment on image deletion orders, which will ensure that after a conviction, courts are properly mandated to destroy those intimate images and film. They will be able to give prison sentences, too; that is incredibly important. Does the Minister agree that this, c…
I support Lords amendment 361 because some women, even after being found not guilty, have investigations that show up on their Disclosure and Barring Service checks, which impacts their life and future careers. That is the reality for a young woman named Becca, whose case I raised in the House a yea…
Commons
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
Driving Test Waiting Times
I, too, have heard lots of stories from learners in my constituency about their long wait for driving tests, and waits for medical driving licences are also going up. I am delighted that this Government are taking the driving test backlog seriously. Monmouthshire residents will be relieved to know t…
Commons
Oral Questions
23 March 2026
2 contributions
Violence against Women and Girls
15. What steps she is taking to help tackle violence against women and girls.
Survivors in Monmouthshire tell me that economic abuse not only featured in their relationships, but stopped them rebuilding their lives long after they left. For some, the separation compromised their business. Others face continued control through child maintenance disputes. In what measurable way…
Commons
Debate
18 March 2026
2 contributions
Fuel Duty
In Wales, it is fantastic news that the Welsh Labour Government have put in place a £1 cap on bus fares for young people and a £3 fare for all people over 18. Does the hon. Lady agree that that is a fantastic use of funding by the Welsh Labour Government?
The Government are not just talking about it—we have put £53 million into supporting the cost of heating oil. That is doing something about it. When the Conservatives were in government, they took 200 days to do that.
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 March 2026
Child Maintenance Service
I thank my hon. Friend for securing this debate. As a child of divorced parents way before the CMS came into existence, I know that the whole issue of how much the paying parent should pay and getting them to pay on time is extremely stressful—for the children as well.
My hon. Friend raised good po…
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
Heating Oil Support
I welcome the £3.8 million commitment, which will help Welsh households with rising costs. A 70-year-old woman in my constituency saw a quote for 500 litres of oil rise by £250 in less than a week. Farmers will also be hit hard: they will face increased red diesel prices and an exponential rise in f…
Commons
Oral Questions
Women and Equalities
11 March 2026
Topical Questions
T2. According to Surviving Economic Abuse, an economic abuse victim loses her life every 19 days, with more than 50% of domestic homicide reviews involving that form of abuse by a partner. What steps is the Minister taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle it, both through the Government’s violence …
Commons
Debate
10 March 2026
2 contributions
Courts and Tribunals Bill
I rise to speak in favour of the Bill, but first I want to remind the House why these reforms matter to victims. When the powerful wave of the MeToo movement washed over us in 2017, almost 10 years after the incredible Tarana Burke began the MeToo programme in US schools and women began to share the…
I agree that we need to do more. As a recipient of legal aid myself in the past, I know how important it is that its budget is increased.
It is almost 10 years since the birth of the MeToo movement. We must now ensure that we deliver on the hope that it engendered. Real change is needed. I back sur…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
9 March 2026
Topical Questions
Sadly, I have been contacted by a number of constituents who are facing a hidden problem in the child maintenance system: their ex-partner has found ways of hiding their income to avoid having their monthly payments increased or paying the arrears that they owe. Can the Minister share with me the wo…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 March 2026
Energy Markets
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement and for the Government’s laser focus on renewable energy in England and Wales. Does he agree that this should deliver basically a triple whammy for us? We will not be at the mercy of foreign states for our energy, bills for consumers will go down and,…
Commons
Oral Questions
5 March 2026
2 contributions
Civil Service Pension Scheme
5. What recent discussions he has had with Capita on ensuring timely payments under the civil service pension scheme.
I welcome my hon. Friend to her place. My constituents Richard, Peter and Chris all planned to retire in January and all gave at least the required notice to get their pensions; I have many other cases of people waiting too. January has been and gone, as has February, and despite repeated attempts t…
Commons
Debate
26 February 2026
4 contributions
St David’s Day and Welsh Affairs
Does the hon. Member not agree that we have the green shoots of recovery already in the economy? We have interest rates going down and retail sales up. The recent massive £14 billion investment in rail will help every single small business and every single person across Wales.
Will my hon. Friend give way?
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 February 2026
Local Power Plan
I thank the Secretary of State for announcing a big investment in local energy. He mentioned the fantastic example of the Geraint Thomas national velodrome in Newport, in my neighbouring constituency, with its 2,000 solar panels. This shows the value of community energy projects, which will cut bill…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
2 February 2026
2 contributions
Support for Veterans
7. What steps he is taking to improve support for veterans.
Veterans in my constituency benefit from the stellar Monmouthshire veterans support hub in Abergavenny. Such organisations, and the volunteers who keep them running, are invaluable to our communities. We also have excellent branches of the Royal British Legion, and a veterans-informed GP service in …
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
29 January 2026
Topical Questions
Recently I met with employees and union reps from SYNLAB, a thriving pathology laboratory in Abergavenny. It has been taken over, and now more than 30 jobs are at risk, meaning that these highly skilled opportunities in science, technology, engineering and maths could move out of my constituency. I …
Commons
Westminster Hall
20 January 2026
2 contributions
Water (Special Measures) Act 2025: Enforcement
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Allin-Khan.
Cleaning up our rivers is one of my top priorities, and I am delighted that the Government agree and have introduced more legislation and action on enforcement in 18 months than the previous Government did in 14 years. I was incredibly …
Our White Paper, published today, deals with the reform of Ofwat, so hopefully we will see an end to that kind of behaviour. In fact, I was just about to say that a total of £9.7 million was paid out in executive bonuses and benefits to water and sewage company executives between 2022 and 2023. The …
Commons
Oral Questions
Church Commissioners
15 January 2026
2 contributions
Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme
2. What recent discussions the Church of England has had with the Government on the future of the listed places of worship grant scheme.
I have had the privilege over the last 18 months of visiting many beautiful historic places of worship in Monmouthshire, including St James’s, Llangua; Bettws Newydd church; St Mary’s priory; and St Tewdric’s, which dates back to 600 AD. The listed places scheme is a lifeline for volunteers and char…