Contributions
167 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDProtecting Built HeritageThank you, Sir Desmond. I am pleased to be here to present the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s report “Protecting built heritage” and I am grateful to the Backbench Business…16 Jul 2026HANSARDProtecting Built HeritageThe hon. Member is absolutely right to mention councils and local authorities, which are trying to do so much work in the country. The report points out that every place will be…16 Jul 2026HANSARDProtecting Built HeritageMy hon. Friend makes an important point, which goes back to the previous question. The report has highlighted schemes that have worked for particular areas, such as the community…16 Jul 2026HANSARDProtecting Built HeritageThe right hon. Gentleman is a great contributor to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, and it is an honour to sit alongside him there. I agree that there is significant scope…16 Jul 2026HANSARDProtecting Built HeritageIt is also an honour to sit alongside my hon. Friend on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee. She makes an important point, one that I referred to in my earlier remarks. The…16 Jul 2026HANSARDProtecting Built HeritageThat was a major part of the report and the inquiry. I have visited two derelict churches over the last few weeks, including Sacred Heart only last week. We know that places of…16 Jul 2026HANSARDRegional Accents and Social MobilityI beg to move, That this House has considered regional accents and social mobility. Thank you for chairing this debate, Sir Roger. The way we speak reveals so much about us. Long…15 Jul 2026HANSARDRegional Accents and Social MobilityI cannot agree more with that statement; I think we are grasping that more and more. We do not have to come from the places we represent—I do not—but representing our communities…15 Jul 2026HANSARDRegional Accents and Social MobilityMy hon. Friend is absolutely right about confidence. Politicians have a lot of work to do in supporting our constituents, including children and young people in schools and the…15 Jul 2026HANSARDRegional Accents and Social MobilityThank you for chairing this debate, Sir Roger. It has been enlightening and humorous but serious in its cause. I thank the Minister for her response, and for acknowledging the…15 Jul 2026HANSARD Business of the HouseHistoric buildings are a huge part of our national identity, yet restoration is harder than demolition. As the former manager of Leigh Spinners Mill—I am not sure I have mentioned…09 Jul 2026HANSARDHigh Street Shops: Illicit ActivityIt is a pleasure to speak under your chairship, Mr Dowd. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Halesowen (Alex Ballinger) for securing this important debate. This is an issue that…17 Jun 2026HANSARDHigh Street Shops: Illicit ActivityI thank my hon. Friend, who is a huge champion of that cause and who did so much work on it before entering this House, and I echo his comments. We need joined-up action across…17 Jun 2026HANSARDIllegal High Street Trading7. What steps her Department is taking to help tackle illegal trading on high streets.08 Jun 2026HANSARDIllegal High Street TradingWe welcome the creation of the Government’s high street organised crime unit, and in particular its focus on strengthened partnership working between enforcement agencies. In…08 Jun 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsT2. Happy St George’s day, Mr Speaker. The covid-19 inquiry exposed how long covid was repeatedly dismissed, despite its lasting impact on nearly 2 million people, including me.…23 Apr 2026HANSARD Business of the HouseAs Members will know, this week Parliament welcomed Prestur, the wonderful Icelandic horse showcasing the value of animal-assisted and community-based support for neurodivergent…23 Apr 2026HANSARDCrime and Policing BillWhen people talk about feeling safe where they live, they are talking not about spreadsheets or crime statistics, but about whether they feel okay walking home at night, whether…14 Apr 2026HANSARD Social Enterprises and Community OwnershipI beg to move, That this House has considered social enterprises and community ownership. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir John. When people make speeches about…18 Mar 2026HANSARD Social Enterprises and Community OwnershipMy hon. Friend is a great advocate for the co-operative movement, whose birthplace is in his constituency. I absolutely agree with him—there is more the Government can do to…18 Mar 2026