Contributions
282 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsT3. The Ministry of Justice has made welcome changes on transgender prisoners, excluding those guilty of not only sexual offences but violent offences from the general women’s…26 Apr 2023HANSARD Cost of Living IncreasesThere is a cost of living crisis in energy, food and other aspects. It is all part of a wider age of austerity being imposed on us by the few and inflicted on the many. It is, of…25 Apr 2023HANSARDGovernment Transparency and Co-ordination6. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on improving Government transparency and co-ordination.16 Mar 2023HANSARDGovernment Transparency and Co-ordinationIt is several years and, indeed, several Prime Ministers since we had the Union connectivity review. Thankfully, Boris’s bridge has crashed and burned, but, as with the Budget,…16 Mar 2023HANSARD Budget Resolutions and Economic SituationAs other speakers have said, there is always something in a Budget to commend, and some elements that are admirable. It is the totality that needs to be looked at, and it is not…15 Mar 2023HANSARD Business of the HouseSince the establishment of the welfare state, there has been an acceptance of the need for a minimum level of income below which no one should fall, and, more importantly, that it…09 Mar 2023HANSARDEngagementsQ3. There is a stark correlation between areas off the gas grid and those with the highest rates of fuel poverty. It is worse in Scotland, ironically in those areas closest to the…08 Mar 2023HANSARDOffshore Wind Farms: Health and SafetyI hope the Minister would accept that the technology is changing and that most of the new turbines will be outwith UK territorial waters in many instances, which changes the…06 Mar 2023HANSARDOffshore Wind Farms: Health and SafetyAs I will come on to say, the HSE does a good job onshore, on oil and gas and on turbines, but we require that its powers be extended. It is the agency. The MCA and the MAIB do a…06 Mar 2023HANSARDOffshore Wind Farms: Health and SafetyA just transition was proclaimed when COP26 was held in Glasgow in 2021. While that global jamboree may have underwhelmed in so many respects, it was at the forefront in one…06 Mar 2023HANSARDOffshore Wind Farms: Health and SafetyI spoke earlier with Offshore Energies UK and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, and this is not a criticism of any existing or past Government. There is…06 Mar 2023HANSARD Business of the HouseI share the Government’s concern about vulnerable women in the Scottish prison estate who are required to be incarcerated alongside men who self-identify as female, and who often…09 Feb 2023HANSARD Prepayment Meters: Ofgem DecisionAlmost one in five households in Scotland are off the gas grid. Fuel poverty and the use of prepayment meters are greatest in those areas because those households are reliant on…06 Feb 2023HANSARD Energy Bills: Self-disconnectionA parliamentary answer on Tuesday disclosed that around 66,000 households in Scotland and 660,000 across Britain had self-disconnected from smart meters in the third quarter of…25 Jan 2023HANSARD Energy Bills: Self-disconnection(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State to make a statement on the levels of self-disconnection from power sources and on Government support for energy bills.25 Jan 2023HANSARDUnaccompanied Asylum-seeking ChildrenI welcome the Minister’s clarification, but our obligations go beyond simply providing safe and secure accommodation. It has been a few years since I met unaccompanied asylum…24 Jan 2023HANSARD Prepayment MetersLegacy prepayment meters number about 300,000 in Scotland and 2 million in the UK. Many have a credit limit of only £99, which with the perverse higher tariff and standing charges…23 Jan 2023HANSARDEngagementsQ9. The Prime Minister is well aware of the injustice of prepayment meters, not least because he commented on it in response to an earlier question. It is long-standing, with…18 Jan 2023HANSARDPrepayment Meters: Self-DisconnectionI congratulate the hon. Member for Glasgow North East (Anne McLaughlin) and others who have contributed to the debate. I agree entirely with their comments and sentiments. I want…15 Dec 2022HANSARDScotland’s FutureI very much welcome the increase in the polls, as I will come to, but we have to find a route and a method to get there. So far, the courts have ruled that out, and indeed, it…14 Dec 2022