Contributions
374 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Strength of the UK’s Armed ForcesI am grateful for the opportunity to speak in this very important debate. I wish to urge the reconsideration of the decision to cancel the Warrior capability sustainment…14 Apr 2021HANSARDTrade with the EU: Non-tariff BarriersWhat steps he is taking to support businesses subject to non-tariff barriers to trade with the EU.25 Mar 2021HANSARDTrade with the EU: Non-tariff BarriersBedfordshire chamber of commerce is doing an excellent job helping businesses in Bedford and Kempston to cope with the significant challenges that the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal…25 Mar 2021HANSARD International Women’s DayIt is a pleasure to have an opportunity to speak in this debate. Until recently, thousands of women were detained indefinitely every year in Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre…11 Mar 2021HANSARDWomen’s Health StrategyIn January, Bedford Hospital’s maternity services were downgraded to inadequate due to significant concerns on the part of the Care Quality Commission about staffing levels and…08 Mar 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateAnita Barker, the headteacher of Scott Primary School in Bedford, is doing all she can to keep her school safe and open, but she knows that more can be done and wants her staff to…02 Mar 2021HANSARD Coronavirus: Supporting Businesses and IndividualsThe Government’s approach to business support through this latest lockdown does not match the scale of need. The hair and beauty industry has been severely impacted by the…23 Feb 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsGiven the scale of need for help with home adaptations for the rising number of older people with disabilities, dementia and now the impacts of long covid, will the Secretary of…22 Feb 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Road MapI am very concerned about the large numbers of care home staff in black and ethnic minority groups who will not take up the vaccine. Local authorities have for weeks been asking…22 Feb 2021HANSARDFuture of Health and CareIn my constituency of Bedford and Kempston, patients are being left in unimaginable pain as they struggle to access even emergency dental treatment. Dental practices are…11 Feb 2021HANSARDSupport for University Students: Covid-19It is completely unfair that teenagers just starting out in adult life are being expected to cover the cost of rental accommodation that they cannot even use in this pandemic.…03 Feb 2021HANSARDEducational Settings: ReopeningThere are children in Bedford and Kempston who still cannot access remote learning today because they do not have a digital device or broadband. So will the Government urgently…26 Jan 2021HANSARD Remote Education and Free School MealsThe shocking pictures we have all seen of the tiny portions of grated cheese, half-sliced tomatoes and, if lucky, half a pepper are a measure of the contempt that this Government…18 Jan 2021HANSARDTopical QuestionsSmall businesses in my constituency are struggling to cope with the complex bureaucracy regarding all aspects of trade since leaving the EU, from navigating immigration rules to…14 Jan 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Educational SettingsThe Secretary of State has placed the decision about whether to open maintained nursery schools on governing boards. Will he make public health a priority, and guarantee full…06 Jan 2021HANSARD Provisional Local Government Finance SettlementCovid-19 costs are expected to leave Bedford Borough Council with a funding gap of nearly £22 million by 2021-22. One councillor described the lack of a fair funding settlement as…17 Dec 2020HANSARD Immigration Rules: Supported AccommodationOn Christmas eve, the first asylum seekers are due to arrive at the remote site of Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre, where they will be housed in prefab-style accommodation.…16 Dec 2020HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy constituent Mark, a publisher, sells 60% of his specialist books outside the UK. He wrote to me to say that the prospect of Brexit is bad enough for business, but the increased…15 Dec 2020HANSARDFuture Relationship with the EUEngland and Wales were due to qualify for BSE negligible risk status next year, but due to the diversion of Government resources and staff to work on Brexit and covid, the…10 Dec 2020HANSARDBenefit Cap: Families with ChildrenWhat recent assessment she has made of the effect of the benefit cap on families with children.30 Nov 2020