Contributions
695 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDChildren with SEND: Assessments and SupportOn that point, will the Minister give way?15 Sept 2025HANSARD Neurodivergent People: EmploymentIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms McVey. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Ely and East Cambridgeshire (Charlotte Cane) on securing this incredibly…09 Sept 2025HANSARDAgricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief: Impact on FarmingWe Liberal Democrats oppose the family farm tax, but in the spirit of constructive opposition, last November I recommended and requested that Ministers look at the idea of a…09 Sept 2025HANSARD Neurodivergent People: EmploymentWe would all welcome a framework for monitoring the outcomes and the results, but we have heard today that people face many barriers in trying to access these kinds of schemes.…09 Sept 2025HANSARDEmployer National Insurance Contributions: Economic GrowthThe jobs tax has hit small businesses the hardest, with statistics from the Office for National Statistics showing that vacancies among small businesses alone have dropped by 18%.…09 Sept 2025HANSARDProperty TaxesI absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. He will know, as I do from my constituency of St Albans, that many people have spent decades and decades living in their property, which…03 Sept 2025HANSARDProperty TaxesI begin by adding my voice and that of my party to the others who have welcomed the hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Dan Tomlinson) to the Front Bench. Like so many other things,…03 Sept 2025HANSARDProperty TaxesI agree. We are discussing property taxation, but of course, taxation on its own without a broader vision for property may well lead us towards the kind of fiasco we had with the…03 Sept 2025HANSARDProperty TaxesAgain, I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. I recall—as I am sure he does—that in the previous Parliament, we Liberal Democrats tabled a number of amendments to legislation…03 Sept 2025HANSARDProperty TaxesI could not agree more with my hon. Friend. I would love to see that registration programme, although we Liberal Democrats have repeatedly said that it is only the first step.…03 Sept 2025HANSARDFinancial Services ReformThere is much to welcome in the statement. I hope that it sends a strong signal to the fintech sector and sustainable finance that UK plc is open for business, but it is important…16 Jul 2025HANSARDNeighbourhood Plans: Planning DecisionsThe village of London Colney in my constituency is under siege from top-down housing targets, with a huge development being dumped on the border by the neighbouring local…09 Jul 2025HANSARDNeighbourhood Plans: Planning DecisionsThe hon. Gentleman will recognise that the housing debate is about not just the number of homes but who determines where they should be built. He continues to point to the Liberal…09 Jul 2025HANSARDGovernment Performance against Fiscal RulesI am grateful for your guidance, Madam Deputy Speaker. Can the Government confirm that they will not raid capital budgets to fix crumbling hospitals and to pay for day-to-day…07 Jul 2025HANSARDGovernment Performance against Fiscal RulesWe all know the Government had a terrible inheritance from the previous Government, whether it was the incompetence of covid contracts, the mini-Budget or the botched Brexit deal.…07 Jul 2025HANSARDWomen’s State Pension Age: Financial RedressA few moments ago, the Minister said that the Government had concluded that it would not be appropriate to apply a flat rate to all 3.8 million women. Have the Government done any…03 Jul 2025HANSARDWomen’s State Pension Age: Financial RedressI, too, congratulate the hon. Member for Salford (Rebecca Long Bailey) on securing the debate, on campaigning on this issue, and on making sure that this debate came to the main…03 Jul 2025HANSARDWomen’s State Pension Age: Financial RedressI am grateful to the Minister for giving way again. He will be aware that in other compensation schemes, there are often waves of compensation. The first wave of compensation can…03 Jul 2025HANSARDWomen’s State Pension Age: Financial Redressrose—03 Jul 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsMore than 50% of local authorities are having to overspend on the dedicated schools grant to cover the rising costs of SEND services, and the increasing demand for inter-authority…01 Jul 2025