Contributions
565 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFunding for Youth ServicesI thank the hon. Member for allowing my intervention. Volunteer-led Somerton library has recently been highlighted as excellent in a review of public libraries. It plays, as the…28 Feb 2024HANSARD Tackling ObesityIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairship this afternoon, Mr Dowd. I congratulate the right hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Sir David Evennett) on securing this…27 Feb 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsT1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.22 Feb 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsDoes the Secretary of State agree that we need to support local initiatives to encourage more girls to get into—or back into—and remain in sport? I myself enjoyed a long and…22 Feb 2024HANSARDCeasefire in GazaWe need to recognise the gendered face of conflict, as the hon. Member has said. Hamas have weaponised sexual violence against female civilians in Israel, and UN experts warned on…21 Feb 2024HANSARD Local Government Financerose —07 Feb 2024HANSARD Local Government FinanceI thank the hon. Member for allowing me to intervene again. He is making some unfair points that need some context. As a Dorset Member, he will know that the council tax in Dorset…07 Feb 2024HANSARD Local Government FinanceI was pleased to debate local government finances in Somerset with the hon. Member for West Dorset (Chris Loder) at the beginning of the debate, but it would have been better if…07 Feb 2024HANSARD Local Government FinanceOf course.07 Feb 2024HANSARD Local Government FinanceWe need fundamental change to the way we fund local government. Across the country, we have an ageing population; in Somerset specifically, it is forecast that the 75-plus age…07 Feb 2024HANSARD Local Government Financeindicated assent.07 Feb 2024HANSARD Local Government FinanceI am a proud serving Somerset councillor and am fully aware of the issues Somerset is facing. However, those issues have occurred not just over the last nine months, under the new…07 Feb 2024HANSARDKnife and Sword BanI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his comments on this often heartbreaking topic. My constituent Julie’s daughter Poppy Devey Waterhouse was killed in her home with a knife…06 Feb 2024HANSARD Fly-tippingI thank the hon. Member for securing this important debate. She is obviously describing the situation in her constituency in Croydon, whereas I represent a rural constituency in…06 Feb 2024HANSARD Fly-tippingIt is great to hear about the initiatives in the hon. Member’s constituency; perhaps I will be able to take some back to Somerset with me. Owing to the financial difficulties…06 Feb 2024HANSARD Fly-tippingMy point was that local councils are being forced to close household waste and recycling centres because of the lack of funding. Many councils are now in a financial crisis and on…06 Feb 2024HANSARD FloodingI congratulate the hon. Member for Tewkesbury on securing this important debate. Flood victims across the country have been affected by Storm Henk, but none more so than people in…06 Feb 2024HANSARD FloodingI thank the hon. Member for giving way again. He has already mentioned that Somerset is home to a large number of wetlands and, indeed, the levels. That can help communities…06 Feb 2024HANSARD Nursery Provision: South-west EnglandI thank the hon. Gentleman for securing this important debate. He is making a really strong speech. Yesterday, I spoke to Sue Place, the chief executive officer of the Balsam…06 Feb 2024HANSARDDelegated LegislationOn a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker, I apologise to the House for not mentioning my entry on the Register of Members’ Financial Interests before my speech last Monday. I should…06 Feb 2024