Contributions
166 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFamily BusinessesI thank my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby (John Slinger) for his question. I am afraid I do not remember that, because I am far more youthful than I look but, as with the corn…26 Feb 2025HANSARDFamily BusinessesI have spoken to Josh who runs the business about every single aspect of it and I assure Members that he is delighted with how his business is going. I am delighted—…26 Feb 2025HANSARDFamily BusinessesI defer to my hon. Friend; he is a learned historian and I dare say knows far more about the history of the pint then I will ever muster. I have probably drunk more than him, but…26 Feb 2025HANSARDDefence and SecurityI welcome the Prime Minister’s statement, because although difficult decisions have had to be taken today, the alternative is inaction—which, of course, is also a decision. Does…25 Feb 2025HANSARD Children’s Social Care: North-east EnglandI am glad to have secured the debate. I am also grateful to the Members who have stayed in the Chamber for a debate that is beginning somewhat later than they may have expected. I…05 Feb 2025HANSARD Children’s Social Care: North-east EnglandI echo my hon. Friend’s praise for schools in Gateshead, and indeed across the wider north-east, which I am sure we will cover in this debate. The changes being brought forward in…05 Feb 2025HANSARD Children’s Social Care: North-east EnglandI agree with my hon. Friend. We both have experience of representing in the workplace those who stand up for children in and across local government as well as in the health…05 Feb 2025HANSARD Children’s Social Care: North-east EnglandI thank my hon. Friend for raising the vital issue of kinship care. It is something that is very dear to my heart. Gateshead’s kinship care—a programme I am particularly proud…05 Feb 2025HANSARD Children’s Social Care: North-east EnglandI very much agree with my constituency neighbour. This is a huge problem and it increases the pressure on children’s social care, which, as I am sure we are all aware, already…05 Feb 2025HANSARD Children’s Social Care: North-east EnglandI absolutely agree, and I commend my hon. Friend for the huge amount of work that he has put into the Employment Rights Bill and several other important pieces of forthcoming…05 Feb 2025HANSARD Children’s Social Care: North-east EnglandI could not agree more, and I commend North Tyneside children’s services. I also commend and echo Ofsted’s recognition for Gateshead council’s children’s services and place on…05 Feb 2025HANSARD Children’s Social Care: North-east EnglandI thank my hon. Friend for that excellent point. The Family Rights Group saves a huge amount of money and does incredibly valuable work, and it is important to talk about the…05 Feb 2025HANSARDGrowing the UK EconomyIt is good to hear the Chief Secretary and the Chancellor talk about removing barriers to growth, but in Gateshead we have a literal barrier to growth: 400 tonnes of concrete in…29 Jan 2025HANSARDAirport ExpansionMy hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Northfield (Laurence Turner) made an excellent point about hub airports. At the moment, there are 19 flights between my local airport in…28 Jan 2025HANSARDExtremism ReviewI thank the Security Minister for clarifying the timeline of when this report was commissioned. We should remember that since it was commissioned, we have seen the brutal,…28 Jan 2025HANSARD Unity ContractLike many people from Gateshead, I am proud to say that I come from a long line of people working in the defence manufacturing industry. Can the Minister assure me that this deal,…24 Jan 2025HANSARDGeneral ElectionIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Harris. This has been an interesting debate so far. Like other hon. Members, I thank the people who came up with the…06 Jan 2025HANSARD Provisional Local Government Finance SettlementThank you for squeezing me in, Madam Deputy Speaker. I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I was glad to hear my hon. Friend refer to the…18 Dec 2024HANSARD Building HomesAs has already been mentioned, there are 1.3 million people on the social housing waiting list and there will be 150,000 kids in temporary accommodation this Christmas, but the…12 Dec 2024HANSARDHigh Streets: Government SupportMy hon. Friend will know from his visit to Gateshead this week some of the fantastic small businesses we have on our high street, but also some of the incredible challenges faced…12 Dec 2024