Contributions
1,554 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDBusiness of the HouseCuts to police budgets have left my constituents in Hoyland well over eight miles from their nearest police station. May we have an urgent debate in Government time on how police…28 Feb 2019HANSARD A Better Defence EstateBearing in mind the concerns of the communities who are losing these facilities, will the Minister assure us that the closures are operationally led rather than cost-cutting as a…28 Feb 2019HANSARDTransport for TownsIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Austin. I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) on securing this important debate. I…19 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. The average pension is just £84 a week, but it is a lot less for widows in receipt of a pension. Some are forced to get by on much less. For…14 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. I want to make it clear at this stage that my complaint is not with the deal at large. There are some concerns over the details of the bonus…14 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeMy hon. Friend is right, and I will come on to speak about that in a moment. The guarantee is not without its merits, but what the debate seeks to address is the specific surplus…14 Feb 2019HANSARDBusiness of the HouseGovernment funding for free TV licences runs out in 2020. More than 4,000 pensioners could lose out in Barnsley East. Can we have a debate in Government time about how they intend…14 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeThank you, Mr Speaker. I also place on the record my thanks to you for selecting this debate, which I am pleased to have secured for one simple reason: to give the Government a…14 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeI thank my right hon. Friend for her comments. She is absolutely right, and I will come on to talk about that in a moment. She talks about when the agreement was set up. The…14 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeThe Minister will acknowledge that that review took place quite a few years ago, when the scheme was in a very different state. Given that there are now more than 150,000 fewer…14 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeMy hon. Friend is absolutely right: it is totally unfair. That is why I ask the Minister to dispel the concerns that I briefly touched on earlier and protect the bonus element of…14 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeI thank my hon. Friend. As a former miner, he speaks with passion and has done over many decades, and he is absolutely right. It is blatantly unfair that those who have spent a…14 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeMy right hon. Friend is absolutely right. I am sure that the Minister has heard her question and will address it in good time. Never mind whether this is fair. From a financial…14 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeI thank the hon. Gentleman for that contribution. I am pleased that we have cross-party support today. It is very welcome. The risk undertaken by the Government in guaranteeing…14 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeI thank my right hon. Friend for that intervention. I know he has championed this issue over many years. I have indeed spoken to the trustees, and they are in agreement that we…14 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeThe hon. Gentleman is absolutely right, and that is the purpose of this debate. It is time that action was taken. We should consider what a difference it would make to pensioners’…14 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is just totally unfair. How can £59 for a retired miner and £4.4 billion for the Government possibly be justified? How is that fair? These…14 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeMy right hon. Friend is absolutely right. The sums of money involved are huge, but for the individuals and families affected, it is striking how small the numbers are.14 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeI thank my hon. Friend for her contribution. I know that her constituency hosts the Durham miners’ gala, which celebrates the coalfield communities. She is absolutely right about…14 Feb 2019HANSARD Mineworkers’ Pension SchemeI thank my hon. Friend. He is absolutely right that a lot of former miners are taking a great interest in this debate, not least because the Government have taken £617 million…14 Feb 2019