Commons
Oral Questions
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
9 July 2026
2 contributions
Waste Crime Action Plan
10. What progress she has made on implementing the waste crime action plan.
I really welcome the three-pronged strategy in the Government’s waste crime action plan—focused on prevention, enforcement and remediation—and I welcome the small number of recent and really significant illegal waste sites, which the Minister mentioned, that will be assessed for clearance. Will the …
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
15 June 2026
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
I thank the Minister for his comments about Grenfell. I welcome the legislation that the Government have introduced to lower the voting age to 16, and to make it easier for people to register to vote, but has he considered the benefits for increased participation in elections of adding a “none of th…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
15 June 2026
2 contributions
Acoustic Design Planning Requirements: Workplaces
7. What assessment he has made of the adequacy of acoustic design requirements for workplaces in the planning system.
Sownd Certification is the UK’s first accreditation for spaces that are audio-inclusive and comfortable for neurodivergent people, spaces such as Oscar Acoustics innovation centre in my constituency. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the benefits of incorporating measurable acoustic performance a…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
10 June 2026
Engagements
Q3. Flexible and co-working spaces play an important role in regenerating town centres such as mine in Rochester and Strood. They bring more people to our high streets to spend money in our local shops and support our local economies. But recent case law has put that under threat, with Valuation Off…
Commons
Proceedings
10 June 2026
Speaker’s Statement
Q3. Flexible and co-working spaces play an important role in regenerating town centres such as mine in Rochester and Strood. They bring more people to our high streets to spend money in our local shops and support our local economies. But recent case law has put that under threat, with Valuation Off…
Commons
Oral Questions
27 April 2026
Topical Questions
Can the Minister provide an update on the action plan to ensure that lessons are learned from the way that changes to the state pension age were communicated to women born in the 1950s?
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
15 April 2026
2 contributions
Engagements
Q1. If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 15 April.
The Prime Minister was right to resist us being drawn into an ill-conceived war in the middle east with apparently no clear plan for how it may end. Despite the welcome cost of living support that he referenced in his statement on Monday, we are all rightly angry that our constituents will feel the …
Commons
Oral Questions
14 April 2026
Topical Questions
The James Williams healthy living centre recently opened in Chatham town centre in my constituency. It means that more of my constituents can receive care closer to home, rather than travelling to the other end of Medway to visit the hospital. May I invite the Secretary of State to attend its offici…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 April 2026
Topical Questions
T3. I welcome the action that the Government are taking to improve the reporting and transparency of political donations from unincorporated associations in the Representation of the People Bill. Since 2010, 97% of donations from such bodies have come from unknown sources under the existing rules. W…
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
Gurkha Veterans
I thank the hon. and gallant Member for Tewkesbury (Cameron Thomas) and the Backbench Business Committee for facilitating this really important debate.
My constituency of Rochester and Strood has a long and proud history and association with the Gurkha community and Nepal. There are over 100 Gurkha…
Commons
Debate
17 March 2026
Youth Unemployment
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement. As someone who represents an area where more than 90% of businesses are SMEs, I particularly welcome the financial incentives for SMEs to take on young apprentices in the key industries of hospitality and retail. Demand for apprenticeships has been h…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 March 2026
Business of the House
May we have a debate on the recent Valuation Office Agency changes to business rate classifications for flexible and co-working spaces? The agency says that it is just following case law, but the changes could have significant implications for businesses, some of which will face big backdated bills.…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
Topical Questions
I add my voice to that of my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Daniel Francis) in calling on the Government to publish the review of market access for small breweries as soon as possible. I was delighted that Moot Brew brewery from Halling in my constituency produced the guest ale…
Commons
Oral Questions
11 March 2026
Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation
Before I became a Member of Parliament, I worked for the CWU at the time of Royal Mail’s privatisation, and I am sad to say that much of what we feared would happen has come true. Residents in Grain in my constituency reported receiving no first-class or second-class mail for weeks, similar to the r…
Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
10 March 2026
High Street Businesses: Tax Changes
The Government’s business rate relief package for pubs has been hugely welcome, but other high street businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors are struggling. Will the Minister consider increasing the small business rate relief threshold to encourage growth and hiring? Over half the…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
9 March 2026
Unemployment
Net migration has fallen to the lowest level since 2021, which will have a significant impact on our labour market and economy if we do not train and support unemployed people in the UK into jobs in key sectors. What steps is the Secretary of State taking to target back-to-work programmes, especiall…
Commons
Oral Questions
5 March 2026
Topical Questions
Earlier this week, those of us on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee took evidence from the Cabinet Office on the significant issues with the administration of the civil service pension scheme—issues that are plaguing many of our constituents. It was quite clear that poor…
Commons
Debate
4 March 2026
Ministry of Defence
I thank the Chair of the Defence Committee for securing this debate. There was a lot of focus in the House on the percentage of GDP that we spend on defence, and it is important to meet our NATO obligations. I welcome the Prime Minister’s statement that the Government will reach at least 4.1% of GDP…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 March 2026
Spring Forecast
I thank the Chancellor for her statement, and welcome the OBR forecast that unemployment will fall to 4.1% by the end of the current Parliament. No doubt that will have been driven by excellent policies such as the youth guarantee and the apprenticeship reforms. The NEET rate remains stubbornly high…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
3 March 2026
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
We are all deeply concerned about the escalating situation in the Gulf. Following the Prime Minister’s statement yesterday, has the Secretary of State had any discussions with her counterparts in the US, Europe or Israel about measures to secure any nuclear or radiological material in Iran, in the l…
Commons
Debate
2 March 2026
Representation of the People Bill
I welcome the Bill, particularly the parts that will deliver on the Government’s manifesto commitment to give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote, introduce automatic voter registration, and widen the list of accepted forms of voter ID. By taking those steps, the Government are improving the way i…
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
3 February 2026
2 contributions
Prisoner Rehabilitation: Education and Training
6. What steps he is taking to ensure that education and training programmes support the rehabilitation of people leaving prison.
I thank the Minister for the work he is doing in prisons to improve literacy, but last week the Government confirmed to the Justice Committee that core prison education provision has been cut by a quarter nationally under retendered contracts. The independent monitoring board recently raised concern…
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
19 January 2026
Topical Questions
T2. There is concern in the hospitality industry that the Government are reviewing funding for some important level 3 and level 4 apprenticeships, such as those used to train chefs. Hospitality is a key means by which we can tackle the challenge for those not in education, employment or training, bu…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
8 December 2025
Welfare Spending: Economic Impact
Around 600 young people in Rochester and Strood are claiming unemployment benefits; many more are NEETs—not in education, employment or training—and are not known to the Department for Work and Pensions. Does the Minister agree that the best way to improve their futures and reduce the welfare bill i…
Commons
Proceedings
4 December 2025
Business of the House
The Environment Agency budget was halved over the decade from 2010, and that contributed to the illegal waste sites that still blight our countryside today, including Brambletree Wharf in my constituency, which has been there since 2018. It is fantastic that the Government are doubling the budget fo…