Contributions
518 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDChristianity in SocietyI am grateful for the Minister’s considered response. Will she answer my question about returning overseas aid spending to 0.7%?30 Mar 2023HANSARDInvestment Zone in ScotlandA total of 7,000 council jobs in Scotland are under threat from SNP cuts to local government. Council leaders across Scotland have written to the former First Minister warning of…27 Mar 2023HANSARDHomeless Children: Bed-and-Breakfast AccommodationEvery year since 2011, the number of children in temporary accommodation has risen—we are talking about well over 120,000 children without a home to call their own. It is a form…27 Mar 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration BillWe have heard a shamefully grim level of debate from some Government Members. The debate has lacked compassion and logic, but I want to start on a positive. Last night, something…13 Mar 2023HANSARD Brain Tumour Research FundingOn a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. We understand that the Government have just announced huge delays to High Speed 2 and other road and active travel projects via written…09 Mar 2023HANSARD Brain Tumour Research FundingI thank the hon. Member for St Ives (Derek Thomas) for securing this important debate. It has truly been a privilege to sit here listening to the heartfelt, knowledgeable and…09 Mar 2023HANSARDInternational Women’s DayI have listened intently to the debate, and it is an honour to be able serve alongside such fantastic female representatives on both sides of the House. The Minister is talking…09 Mar 2023HANSARDAdult Social CareI appreciate the Minister’s generosity in giving way, and I completely agree on the kind of long-term futures that we talking about for local government, yet we are 23 days away…08 Mar 2023HANSARDAdult Social CareThank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and may I also welcome you back? It is great to see you in the Chair. Today we have been allotted time to speak about something the Government…08 Mar 2023HANSARDDraft Non-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention: Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2023It is a pleasure to see you in the chair, Mr Hosie. Since we last addressed the topics outlined today, it seems little has changed to clarify how the policy will support local…27 Feb 2023HANSARD Local Authority Boundaries (Referendums) BillIn the politest terms, this is a bizarre piece of legislation. We of course share the view that local representation matters. Indeed, when Labour was last in power, we funded…24 Feb 2023HANSARD Local Authority Boundaries (Referendums) BillMy stated position is that the constituents the hon. Gentleman represents and the constituents we all represent should be able to put food on the table, pay their bills and have…24 Feb 2023HANSARD Local Authority Boundaries (Referendums) BillActually, no—I have only two minutes. I ask the Minister whether her Conservative colleague is mis-selling the solution when he tells his constituents that the answer to all their…24 Feb 2023HANSARDLocal Authority BudgetsOver a decade of Tory cuts are not the only thing damaging council budgets; fly-tipping is a stain on our communities and costs nearly £400 million a year. Taxpayers are left…20 Feb 2023HANSARDDraft Local Government (Structural Changes) (Supplementary Provision and Amendment) Order 2023It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mr Vickers. I welcome the new Minister to her place; she has made a fine first outing. I look forward to working opposite her as we go…09 Feb 2023HANSARD Local Government FinanceIt is clear that, in every corner of the country, from coastal towns to rural communities to dense urban areas, our constituents are being short-changed by this Government. Their…08 Feb 2023HANSARD Local Government FinanceThose are the kind of difficult decisions that the people we represent are forced to take. The Secretary of State chunters from a sedentary position about taking back control; he…08 Feb 2023HANSARD Local Government FinanceI thank my right hon. Friend for that intervention and, unfortunately, he is absolutely right. Councils across the country have spent £27 million in a cost of living crisis…08 Feb 2023HANSARD Business of the HouseA constituent wrote to me about his elderly friend’s experience in A&E at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital recently. The 88-year-old man needed urgent care. He waited in a…02 Feb 2023HANSARD Council Tax and Revenue Support GrantIt is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Sir Mark. I think I might have caught my daughter’s cold, so forgive me if I am a little hoarse—I wish that the Minister had bought two…31 Jan 2023