Alison Hume MP: speeches

Speeches

• 15 Sept 2026 · Fracking Ban · Hansard source

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  Does the hon. Gentleman accept that he is somewhat a voice in the wilderness? Fracking is unpopular with Reform voters—they do not want it. I am speaking in this debate to represent my constituents in Scarborough and Whitby, but can he honestly say that he is doing the same for his in Boston and Skegness?

• 15 Sept 2026 · Unregulated Child Contact Centres: Risks · Hansard source

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  12. What assessment he has made of the risks to children and families from the use of unregulated child contact centres.

• 9 Sept 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day, it is important that we recognise the heightened risk of suicide among autistic women and girls, who are too often overlooked and diagnosed too late. Autistic people are three times more likely to attempt, or die by, suicide than non-autistic people. Will the Secretary of State set out what action the Government are taking to reduce suicide among women and girls with autism?

• 8 Sept 2026 · World Suicide Prevention Day · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. Autistic people are three times as likely as non-autistic people to die by suicide or attempt suicide. The 2023 suicide prevention strategy for England was the first to recognise autistic people as being at a higher risk of suicide. Does my hon. Friend agree that we need an update on progress for autistic people under the strategy, and on how the Government intend to incorporate autism into future suicide prevention strategies?

• 1 Sept 2026 · Science Facilities and Laboratories · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right—it would be catastrophic. I completely agree with her. Other hon. Members have also mentioned Jodrell Bank. These cuts are threatening some of the UK’s most important scientific assets and arguably the entire discipline of UK physics.

• 1 Sept 2026 · Science Facilities and Laboratories · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member; he is right that those areas of academic expertise must continue to be a hotbed for physics talent. Boulby underground laboratory, nestled between Saltburn and Whitby on the north-east coast of England, is the UK’s only deep underground science facility. Located 1.1 km beneath the Earth’s surface, in a working polyhalite and rock-salt mine, it is the deepest laboratory in the UK and one of only a dozen such facilities worldwide. I will never forget visiting the lab for the first time and descending for what seemed like an hour—it was actually about eight minutes—in a tiny lift towards the centre of the Earth, before walking out towards a pristine laboratory sitting in the dusty, science-fiction-like moonscape. Inside, Boulby lab is home to an extraordinary range of research, from environmental science and biology to quantum physics. The lab’s greatest advantage lies in its depth: a quiet place in the universe, where studies can be carried out almost entirely free from interference from natural background radiation, including the search for dark matter.

• 1 Sept 2026 · Science Facilities and Laboratories · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for making that important point. I will come to Jodrell Bank later in my speech; I completely agree that it needs to be saved. Dark matter is thought to make up most of the matter in the universe. It has played a major role in shaping the cosmos, but despite decades of effort it is yet to be detected. Discovering what dark matter is made of will be one of the biggest discoveries of our time. The Boulby lab has been a frontrunner in the race since the 1980s. It is the birthplace of the ZEPLIN technology that is now used in the world’s leading dark matter experiments. I want to welcome some of the incredible scientists working at the Boulby underground laboratory to the Public Gallery today, and thank them for making the journey down to Westminster. In recent years, Boulby has been preparing to host a massive international experiment seeking to detect dark matter. This is not the stuff of films and TV—it is really happening. It is called the XLZD, and it is a $1 billion international science project that would build upon the legacy of ZEPLIN to create the most sensitive dark matter detector ever constructed. Only a small number of underground laboratories worldwide are considered capable of hosting such an experiment, and Boulby is one of them.

• 1 Sept 2026 · Science Facilities and Laboratories · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for making that important point. We lead the way in physics in the UK, and we want to continue that and continue to inspire young minds.

• 14 Jul 2026 · Extreme Heat: Preparedness · Hansard source

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  At the moment, there are 19 live wildfires across England and Wales. Last year, a devastating wildfire on the North York moors raged for 40 days over 10 square miles. It was caused by a campfire. Does the hon. Member agree that it is time to ban the use of disposable barbecues in public areas?

• 8 Jul 2026 · Seasonal Scampi Fishers · Hansard source

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  4. What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential merits of introducing bespoke fishing visas for seasonal scampi fishers in Northern Ireland.