Contributions
168 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Bank Closures: Rural Areasrose—24 Feb 2025HANSARDInheritance Tax Relief: FarmsI thank the hon. Member for his scoring system, but can he confirm whether he was part of the last Government, which failed to get £300 million of subsidies to farmers out the…10 Feb 2025HANSARDInheritance Tax Relief: FarmsI agree with my hon. Friend that these are some of the challenges our farmers are facing. As these examples show, the value of the land often bears no relation to the limited cash…10 Feb 2025HANSARDInheritance Tax Relief: FarmsIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Edward. I have held dozens and dozens of conversations with farmers across my constituency of North Northumberland. It has…10 Feb 2025HANSARDInheritance Tax Relief: FarmsOur farmers are facing a great many challenges, including being very over-leveraged in debt, and we should consider that. I spoke to one farmer whose land is valued at £16…10 Feb 2025HANSARD Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Money)I would like to raise a couple of practical and principled concerns about the finances around assisted dying. First, on the practical, I welcome the comment from my hon. Friend…22 Jan 2025HANSARD Public Services: Rural AreasYes, sadly my constituency absolutely has those same challenges with mental ill health in the farming community but also in the rural community, which often comes about from…22 Jan 2025HANSARD Public Services: Rural AreasI do agree with the right hon. Gentleman. It may be utopian to imagine the family doctor doing home visits, but we should always aim for the ideal. As I have said, there are…22 Jan 2025HANSARD Public Services: Rural AreasYes, we need to do everything in our power to encourage healthcare professionals, including GPs, to move into rural areas, where they can have a fantastic quality of life. I think…22 Jan 2025HANSARD Public Services: Rural AreasI do not know whether I should declare an interest as a Scotsman who is the Member of Parliament for an English constituency—and proud to be so. I have seen that with my own eyes,…22 Jan 2025HANSARD Public Services: Rural AreasPeople would expect me as a Member of Parliament for a rural area to say it is absolutely essential that we consider the peculiar circumstances, geography, logistics, the…22 Jan 2025HANSARD Public Services: Rural AreasYes, I wholeheartedly associate myself with the comments of my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour. Last Friday, I was in the village of Chatton, which is near the border…22 Jan 2025HANSARD Public Services: Rural AreasAbsolutely. I welcome the fact that the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution, my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton (Jim McMahon), is…22 Jan 2025HANSARD Public Services: Rural AreasI could not agree more. I will come on to talk about bus services, but the situation is especially challenging in counties such as Northumberland. I certainly find that there are…22 Jan 2025HANSARD Public Services: Rural AreasI thank my hon. Friend. However, I hope a few points have become clear from my remarks.22 Jan 2025HANSARD Public Services: Rural AreasColleagues across the House will be delighted to know that, as we have rattled through the business today, we get to have a four-hour debate, so I welcome interventions, and will…22 Jan 2025HANSARD Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Money)I am sorry; I am almost finished. This could seem like a tangential point to make on a money resolution, but, to summarise this and my other points, I fear the consequences of the…22 Jan 2025HANSARD Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Money)I do not have time. That opens up the dark possibility of a race to the bottom—to looking for savings in the health and social care budget. Any Government would be tempted, where…22 Jan 2025HANSARD Public Services: Rural AreasI am so pleased that my hon. Friend made that intervention. I declare an interest because, before I became a Member, I was chief executive of a homelessness charity, and I was…22 Jan 2025HANSARDLegacy DiscussionsMy first full-time job in the early 2000s was setting up and running a peacemaking programme for young people in Northern Ireland, so I am pleased that the Independent Commission…15 Jan 2025