Commons
Westminster Hall
4 November 2025
2 contributions
Cross-border Healthcare
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate the hon. Member for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe (David Chadwick) on securing a debate on cross-border healthcare, because we in Northern Ireland know only too well that health outcomes are not, and should not be, defined by bord…
I thank the hon. Member for raising a valid point that comes to the crux of this debate and of what has been said by every Member so far. It is about putting the “national” back in our national health service, and doing so across borders without the unnecessary bureaucracy that often comes with how …
Commons
Debate
3 November 2025
“Soldier F” Trial Verdict
As we approach Remembrance Sunday, many of those who served in Operation Banner will reflect on comrades whom they lost, comrades who were injured and comrades who still suffer mentally as a result of their deployment in that operation—the British Army’s longest continuous deployment. The Secretary …
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
3 November 2025
Cadet Numbers
The Northern Ireland Universities Air Squadron is based in Aldergrove in my constituency. Can the Minister reassure me that any support for cadets will be expanded to every cadet and every base across the UK?
Commons
Proceedings
30 October 2025
Business of the House
The Royal Horticultural Society has today launched its report, “Space to Grow”, realising the potential of the community gardening movement. Will the Leader of the House join me in recognising and celebrating the work of Tidy Randalstown in my South Antrim constituency, and look at the opportunity f…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
30 October 2025
Industrial Strategy
I will not take the dig about being short personally, Mr Speaker.
The industrial strategy and the strategic defence review both offer great opportunities to the entire United Kingdom. Can I seek reassurances from the Minister that he will work with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that Nort…
Commons
Westminster Hall
28 October 2025
Family Farming in Northern Ireland
I congratulate the hon. Member on securing a debate that focuses specifically on Northern Ireland. Does she agree that what the Treasury and the Government have missed in the proposal is the unique nature of farms in Northern Ireland, where 99% are actually family owned? Even that promise of the opp…
Commons
Proceedings
23 October 2025
Business of the House
May I join the Leader of the House in his acknowledgment of the start of the poppy appeal? Is he aware that our British Legion in Northern Ireland is now required to have an appointed EU rep to handle compliance for safety issues for products distributed, sold or given for donation during the poppy …
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
23 October 2025
Voluntary Sector: Partnership Working
I welcome the Minister’s reassurance. The UK shared prosperity fund is about to come to an end, to be replaced by the local growth fund, and voluntary and community organisations in Northern Ireland have real concerns that they will be left in limbo between one ending and the other starting. I recog…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 October 2025
Heathrow: National Airports Review
As far back as 2019 there was talk of manufacturing and logistics hubs for the Heathrow hub being sited in Northern Ireland. Can the Secretary of State still give a reassurance that the whole of the UK will be considered in support of the manufacture of the third runway, should it go ahead? Will sit…
Commons
Statutory Instrument
22 October 2025
Draft Control of Mercury (Enforcement) (Amendment) Regulations 2025
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Lewell.
I am the former Northern Ireland Health Minister, and when the issue of moving away from dental amalgam kicked off, it was quite serious. It was raised by all political parties, the British Dental Association and its representatives in t…
Commons
Proceedings
20 October 2025
Alleged Spying Case: Home Office Involvement
Chinese officials recently briefed Stormont’s Finance Minister on the status of a local company in his constituency owned by the Chinese state. Information on that briefing, released under the Freedom of Information Act by the Department of Finance, withheld details, citing freedom of information la…
Commons
Oral Questions
Northern Ireland
15 October 2025
Defence Industrial Strategy
May I welcome the Minister to his place as well? Will he ensure that there is that co-working across the Northern Ireland Executive and the Ministry of Defence with regard to the Executive’s investment strategy, which is also integral to the defence industrial strategy, and that the NIE will work to…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 October 2025
Northern Ireland Troubles
On that assurance from the Secretary of State about the protections for veterans, on 19 September he stood beside the Irish Government when he made this announcement, and later that evening the Tánaiste, Simon Harris, went on Irish media and clearly said that there were no added protections for vete…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 October 2025
Middle East
I congratulate the Prime Minister on getting us to this point. The Labour Government’s role in decommissioning in Northern Ireland is not as complete as portrayed. In a memo of 17 January 2003, an adviser to the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said:
“The IRA will never be able to account for all t…
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 September 2025
Windsor Framework: Internal Market Guarantee
I thank the hon. and learned Gentleman for securing this debate and for continuing to raise what is an important issue. He mentioned the manufacturers, but would he also agree about the impact on the Road Haulage Association? We have seen not only the implementation of additional bureaucracy and cos…
Commons
Debate
8 September 2025
Defence Industrial Strategy
I welcome the Government’s announcement of a dedicated procurement hub in Northern Ireland to support our SMEs, although I note that no location has been announced in Northern Ireland. Can I remind the Minister of the excellent opportunity that the Aldergrove base in my constituency presents and how…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
3 September 2025
Engagements
I am joined today in the Gallery by the leadership of the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster, an organisation and young people who are passionate about youth work, our rural countryside and the future of farming and agriculture. Agriculture policy is devolved, but the Prime Minister’s agricultural inher…
Commons
Oral Questions
22 July 2025
2 contributions
Industrial Action
13. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of industrial action on NHS services.
In a previous role, I found that health workers took industrial action only in extreme circumstances, so I agree with the Secretary of State that if the strikes can be prevented, they should be. During previous resident doctors’ strikes, elective or scheduled procedures were usually postponed, or pl…
Commons
Westminster Hall
22 July 2025
UK Internal Market
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Huq. I thank the right hon. Member for East Antrim (Sammy Wilson) for securing this debate.
I am sure that we will hear in the Minister’s response what the Government have done to alleviate some of these issues, but it is the practicalities that…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 July 2025
Infected Blood Inquiry: Additional Report
As far as I can see, some of the Paymaster General’s announcements and his acceptance of some of the recommendations and sub-recommendations will cause devolved administrative bodies to have to stay open for a longer period. I believe they were initially scheduled to close on 1 February 2026, but th…
Commons
Oral Questions
21 July 2025
2 contributions
Post-16 Education: Skills
5. What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that post-16 education provides the skills necessary to support the economy.
The apprenticeship levy is collected equally across the United Kingdom, but unfortunately it comes back to Northern Ireland under the Barnett consequential. Will the Minister look at an option for a system in which those employers who contribute to the apprenticeship levy can draw it back directly t…
Commons
Proceedings
17 July 2025
Business of the House
The shadow Leader of the House referenced Monday’s Westminster Hall debate on Northern Ireland veterans. Unfortunately, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland ran out of time before he could give his full response. There seems to be a difference in the Government’s response between the Ministry…
Commons
Proceedings
17 July 2025
Strategy for Elections
A previous parliamentary inquiry into the funding of Northern Ireland political parties expressed a concern about the lack of visibility on how cross-border parties—the likes of Sinn Féin—manage their fundraising and the difficulty for regulators in verifying that no Republic of Ireland, or indeed U…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
17 July 2025
Parental Leave
Hugh’s law would have brought in job protection and financial support for parents of children aged between 29 days and 16 years and guaranteed parental leave while those children were receiving palliative care. The Government voted down an amendment last night to the Employment Rights Bill that woul…