Contributions
277 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEngagementsQ4. Football is a game based on fairness, yet brilliant clubs that unite communities every week, like Hartlepool, are being held back by a fundamental unfairness. The 3UP…29 Oct 2025HANSARDHolidays During School Term TimeIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in this important debate on holidays in school term time. This issue…27 Oct 2025HANSARDHolidays During School Term TimeThere are a number of mechanisms. The Chair of the Education Committee, my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Helen Hayes), offered one solution. I am a believer…27 Oct 2025HANSARDEnding HomelessnessThroughout this debate the issue of community has been raised repeatedly. A challenge we face in my constituency is the fact that local authorities in other parts of the country…21 Oct 2025HANSARDAsylum Seekers: Support and AccommodationThe hon. Gentleman does know my constituency quite well—I would not say very well, if we are honest about the short time he spent there—and he makes an interesting point. This is…20 Oct 2025HANSARDAsylum Seekers: Support and AccommodationIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. I commend the 1,600 Hartlepool constituents who signed the two petitions that we are debating. Asylum accommodation…20 Oct 2025HANSARDFree Schools: Application Decisions8. What plans she has for the free school application decisions that were paused in October 2024.20 Oct 2025HANSARDFree Schools: Application DecisionsResidents in Wynyard, in my Hartlepool constituency, have waited for far too long, thanks primarily to the mess left by the Conservative party, for their new primary school, St…20 Oct 2025HANSARD Pride in PlaceI warmly welcome the £21.5 million pride in place investment for Hartlepool, which will go directly into our neighbourhoods. It comes off the back of the biggest deal in…15 Oct 2025HANSARDMiddle EastI welcome the Prime Minister’s statement and, of course, the peace deal. I also welcome his crystal clear statement that there can be no lasting peace or viable Palestinian state…14 Oct 2025HANSARD Russian Drones: Violation of Polish AirspaceThe appalling attack on Ukraine and the violation of Polish airspace yesterday simply highlight the increasing and devastating use of drones in modern warfare. I have been…10 Sept 2025HANSARD Business of the HouseYesterday the Tory Mayor of Tees Valley took to social media to claim falsely that Venator, a brilliant company operating in my constituency, had gone into administration, and…04 Sept 2025HANSARDProperty TaxesThe right hon. Gentleman has talked at great length about taxing the wealthy, but he has omitted one of the suggestions that came forth over the summer, which was to get rid of…03 Sept 2025HANSARD English Devolution and Community Empowerment BillEnglish devolution is a mess. It is a postcode patchwork of opaque systems, varying powers and unclear lines of accountability. That is not just an historical failure, but…02 Sept 2025HANSARD English Devolution and Community Empowerment BillI agree that far greater powers are required to hold mayoral development corporations to account, and that may be one way of doing it. The changes are not just about planning…02 Sept 2025HANSARD Beer DutyThe hon. Gentleman is making a persuasive speech about reducing beer duty. One of the other great pressures facing microbreweries—such as the Crafty Monkey Brewing Co. in…15 Jul 2025HANSARD Beer DutyThe hon. Gentleman has argued eloquently in favour of the record of the last Government, but ahead of the last general election the British Beer and Pub Association reported that…15 Jul 2025HANSARDNorthern Ireland Veterans: ProsecutionIt is a privilege to speak in today’s debate and to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I thank those who signed the petition that has brought us here today. The…14 Jul 2025HANSARDPlanning System: Community InvolvementIn Hartlepool, the Tees Valley Mayor’s development corporation has removed planning powers for large swathes of the town from all democratic control. In turn, much of the planning…14 Jul 2025HANSARD Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment BillWhen the Bill started its life, the Government were advocating for cuts for PIP and UC health claimants now and in future. They conceded that now was not right and that it was…09 Jul 2025