Contributions
151 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDAnimal Experiments: Medical ResearchScience is showing us that non-animal methods are effective, more relevant and more accurate to the human body. Innovative technologies known as new-approach methodologies can…16 Jun 2025HANSARDAnimal Experiments: Medical ResearchI could not agree more with my hon. Friend. It is worth questioning the quality of care for animals used in animal experiments. Answers to written parliamentary questions indicate…16 Jun 2025HANSARDAnimal Experiments: Medical ResearchI thank my hon. Friend for his intervention and fully agree with everything he has said. I will speak about those matters a bit later. To achieve those aims, we must consider…16 Jun 2025HANSARDAnimal Experiments: Medical ResearchI fully agree with my hon. Friend.16 Jun 2025HANSARDAnimal Experiments: Medical ResearchAs I said, this is about phasing out animal experiments in research. I hope that the example of scientific experimentation the hon. Gentleman has given would be possible without…16 Jun 2025HANSARDAnimal Experiments: Medical ResearchI agree with my hon. Friend. Moving towards animal-free research will take some time, which is why we refer to “phasing out”. The funding structures, particularly relating to…16 Jun 2025HANSARDAnimal Experiments: Medical ResearchBefore I start, I must declare an interest as the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on phasing out animal experiments in medical research. This issue is very important to…16 Jun 2025HANSARD Swimming FacilitiesIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine. I thank the hon. Member for Isle of Wight East (Joe Robertson) for securing the debate. First, I declare an interest:…04 Jun 2025HANSARD Swimming FacilitiesI fully agree with the hon. Member’s comments. Additionally, 93% of Scottish people think that all children should learn to swim, and 91% think that learning to swim is an…04 Jun 2025HANSARD Animal Welfare in FarmingIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Vickers. Much of what I was going to say has already been raised, so I will make just a few brief points, because I care…03 Jun 2025HANSARDAccess to NHS DentistryWhen the NHS was introduced, it made the biggest positive changes ever to the health of the general population. The original “How to use your NHS” booklet from 1948 stated: “It…22 May 2025HANSARD Parkinson’s DiseaseI want to look at things in a positive way for a moment. In my constituency, the local newspaper, the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald , highlights that the North Ayrshire table…21 May 2025HANSARD Carer’s LeaveThank you for securing the debate. It is an important topic and it is a privilege to be here. I used to do a lot of work with carers and young carers in my job in the NHS, and I…14 May 2025HANSARDScientific and Regulatory Procedures: Use of DogsI fully agree, and I will speak a little about that later. Modern, non-animal methods give the best possible chance of securing medical progress, since they are not hampered by…28 Apr 2025HANSARDScientific and Regulatory Procedures: Use of DogsI beg to move, That this House has considered e-petition 705384 relating to the use of dogs in scientific and regulatory procedures. It is a pleasure to serve under your…28 Apr 2025HANSARDScientific and Regulatory Procedures: Use of DogsI absolutely agree with everything that my hon. Friend said. It is important to note that the Labour manifesto pledge commits the Government to “partner with scientists, industry,…28 Apr 2025HANSARDScientific and Regulatory Procedures: Use of DogsI fully agree. Surely, we must consider reversing our priorities. This debate provides us with a prime opportunity to look at how to fund future testing in the UK. In 2023, the…28 Apr 2025HANSARDScientific and Regulatory Procedures: Use of DogsI first thank Maria Iriart for creating the petition and for her work in growing it to more than 230,000 signatures. I thank its supporters who have attended the debate—it is much…28 Apr 2025HANSARDScientific and Regulatory Procedures: Use of DogsI fully agree with everything that my hon. Friend said, and I will speak about that in a minute. A study published in Communications Medicine found that the non-animal…28 Apr 2025HANSARDScientific and Regulatory Procedures: Use of DogsI agree with everything that my hon. Friend said. Animal Research UK continued: “Applicants are allowed to adjust and re-submit licence applications to enable them to be granted…28 Apr 2025