Claire Hughes MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 26 Mar 2025 · Mobile Coverage: Ofcom Reporting · Hansard source

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  My constituent Lesley suffers from multiple health conditions, including epilepsy, and lives with the constant risk of seizures. Her family rely on broadband to use the landline, but recently the broadband went down for several days, which meant she was completely unable to make calls because of the ongoing problems with mobile coverage in Llandudno. Will the Minister agree to meet me to discuss how we can safeguard vulnerable customers such as Lesley and address the issues in Llandudno?

• 26 Mar 2025 · Mobile Coverage: Ofcom Reporting · Hansard source

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  4. What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Ofcom’s reporting of mobile coverage.

• 14 Mar 2025 · Free School Meals (Automatic Registration of Eligible Children) Bill · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend mentions working with regions. May I add a point about nations? In Wales, all primary school children have been eligible for free school meals since September last year. Does my hon. Friend agree that in designing the roll-out of free school meals in England, the UK Government could learn from the experience in Wales?

• 13 Mar 2025 · Victory in Europe and Japan: 80th Anniversaries · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for her statement—it is so important that people across the country have the opportunity to celebrate VE Day and VJ Day. I was really pleased to hear that the UK Government are working with the Welsh Government. How can the Government ensure that veterans are at the heart of our celebrations in constituencies such as mine in north Wales?

• 13 Mar 2025 · Farming · Hansard source

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  Does my hon. Friend agree that given some of the challenges that we have discussed today, university research farms like Henfaes in my constituency will play a vital role in the future of farming? Does she welcome some of the grants announced by the Secretary of State for farming innovation and technology?

• 13 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I recently visited Ysgol Pencae in my constituency to talk to pupils about my role as an MP. We practised bobbing, which I have been doing this morning, and they asked some wonderful questions. The children at the school learn in the medium of Welsh, so as it is Your Vote Week, will the Leader of the House say bore da to the pupils at Ysgol Pencae and tell them what is her favourite thing about being an MP?

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Ogwen Valley mountain rescue in my constituency is being stretched to the limit by an increase in call-outs. It has gone out 23 times already this year, including for two tragic incidents that resulted in fatalities. Will the Leader join me in saying a huge thank you to all the volunteers who dedicate their time, especially as the group celebrates its 60th birthday this weekend?

• 5 Feb 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Llandudno is a beautiful seaside town and a wonderful place to visit, but businesses are struggling with a rise in shoplifting. In many cases, thieves are stealing in full view of staff because they just do not fear the consequences. The recent funding boost for neighbourhood policing is very welcome, but will the Prime Minister please tell my constituents what more the Government are doing to tackle retail crime and deter repeat offenders?

• 30 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Since last year, all parents in England who have experienced the heartbreak of losing a pregnancy have been able to apply for a certificate that formally recognises their loss. An agreement was made in principle with the previous Secretary of State of Health to extend the scheme to Wales, but discussions were paused before the general election. Would the Leader of the House consider writing to the relevant Ministers to ask them to meet me to discuss how this scheme could be extended to Wales, so that baby loss certificates are made available without any further delay?

• 29 Jan 2025 · NHS Reform · Hansard source

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  Will the Secretary of State outline how she and her colleagues are working with the Welsh Government to improve health outcomes for people in Wales?

• 28 Jan 2025 · Road Safety: Young Drivers · Hansard source

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  It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond, and I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Shrewsbury (Julia Buckley) for securing this important debate, and specifically for mentioning road safety on rural roads. Sadly, nowhere is the devastating impact of crashes on rural roads better demonstrated than by telling Olivia’s story. Olivia Alkir, a much-loved 17-year-old, was denied her bright future when she was killed in the passenger seat of a friend’s car. The driver had been racing on another rural road when he lost control and crashed head-on into an approaching vehicle at 80 mph. He had only passed his driving test the day before. Olivia’s tragic death in 2019 devastated her family, of course, but also the wider community of Efenechtyd, near Ruthin. Olivia’s mother, Jo, is determined that her daughter’s story will save other people’s lives. I am sure that it already has saved lives, because Olivia’s family decided to work with North Wales Police to create a hard-hitting film designed to warn other young people about the dangers of reckless driving. Olivia’s story has been shown to learner drivers in schools all across Wales and indeed in this House, thanks to the work of my predecessor, Simon Baynes, who represented what was then the constituency of Clwyd South. Olivia’s story brings into sharp focus the need for action. I welcome the new Government’s road safety review and I implore the Minister to leave no stone unturned in her mission to improve road safety for young people, including learning from other countries, listening to campaigners such as Crystal Owen and considering the use of emerging technologies, such as AI and telematics, which are developing all the time. I look forward to hearing the Minister’s response to the debate and to seeing further action in the coming months.

• 23 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Last week, a broken mains water pipe in my constituency left 40,000 people without water. The engineers worked really hard to fix the repair in challenging circumstances, but despite an incredible community response, too many people face an unacceptable wait for bottled water. We need to get much better at identifying vulnerable people in emergency situations, using the information that we already hold across various Government Departments. Will the Leader of the House ask the relevant Ministers to meet me to discuss how we can better use data to improve our response during emergencies such as this?

• 17 Jan 2025 · Licensing Hours Extension Bill · Hansard source

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  I am absolutely delighted to support this Bill, which has been brought forward by my hon. Friend the Member for Wrexham (Andrew Ranger). He is a great champion of pubs and of the hospitality trade in our communities in north Wales. As a member of the all-party parliamentary group for beer and the APPG for hospitality and tourism, I am very well aware of the vital role that pubs play in our local economies. In my constituency of Bangor Aberconwy, we are proud to have 119 pubs and three breweries. Like my hon. Friend, I have not visited all of them yet, but I am dedicated to working on it. Pubs in Bangor Aberconwy support 2,000 local jobs, many of which are filled by young people getting their first taste of the world of work and learning valuable life skills, so it is my turn to do some name-checking. Pubs such as the Union in Bangor, the Albion in Conwy and the King’s Head in Llandudno play a vital role in our communities by bringing people together over a pint, and no more so than during national sporting events. The 5 June 2022 was a very special night. It was the night that Gareth Bale scored a 34th-minute screamer to secure Wales’s place in the world cup finals for the first time since 1958. My whole family watched that match, and it was absolutely brilliant. There were Wales flags and kids everywhere, and, when he scored, there was beer everywhere too—I will never forget it. Although my national team’s fortunes might have taken a bit of a turn since then, I hope that the Bill will make it easier for pubs and clubs across Wales to bring people together all over again to watch Wales in the world cup finals in the USA in 2026. I thought that I might be pushing my luck with that, but given that my hon. Friend mentioned it, I think he will agree that it would be an event of exceptional national significance, which we would all want to support. In all seriousness, this Bill will make it easier for pubs to bring people together, celebrate national events, support the sector and streamline the process, while staying true to the spirit of the Licensing Act. I sincerely hope that Members on both sides of the House will join me in supporting the Bill.

• 17 Jan 2025 · Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Bill · Hansard source

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  I absolutely agree. This democratic deficit really needs to be addressed. It is very important that that is done before the next Senedd and Scottish elections in 2026. As other Members have said, there are real public transport challenges in largely rural constituencies such as mine. We also suffer a lot, would you believe, with bad weather, so having the options of postal votes and proxy votes is very important. We also have the university in Bangor and, as my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow North also said, having different options for students and young people is particularly important. There are very many reasons to make it easier for people to vote by proxy and by post. As I said, it is urgent. I hope all Members see that and back the progression of the Bill.

• 17 Jan 2025 · Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Bill · Hansard source

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  I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh North and Leith (Tracy Gilbert) on bringing forward this important Bill. The inconsistency that currently exists between elections in England, Wales and Scotland is confusing and makes no sense—either for voters or for anybody else. As Labour Members have said, we all have a duty to do everything we can to encourage participation in our democracy, particularly at a time of alienation and when trust is low. The figures shared by my hon. Friend about the number of people who registered to vote online before the general election illustrate that point. There is clearly a demand. People want to use digital systems, just as my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow North (Martin Rhodes) said. People are used to interacting with systems and processes in that way, so that makes it very important.

• 17 Jan 2025 · New Homes (Solar Generation) Bill · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Max Wilkinson) for bringing this sunshine to the Chamber today. The horrific wildfires raging in California and the recent flooding that we saw provide yet more reminders that urgent action is needed to tackle the climate and nature emergency. I am proud that, under this Labour Government, the UK is once again showing climate leadership. We know that we cannot tackle the housing crisis without tackling the climate crisis. Nor can we achieve our core growth mission or increase living standards without acknowledging the huge impact of climate change. The built environment is responsible for 40% of emissions, and decarbonising our housing stock is essential. As a member of the all-party parliamentary group on ClimateTech, which is chaired by my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Steve Race), I was pleased to attend a recent event in Parliament, where we met start-ups working on innovative solutions to decarbonise the built environment. The Government’s steadfast commitment to this agenda and to policies such as Great British Energy and the warm homes plan were warmly welcomed by the businesses I met. Turning to my constituency, I want to share an example of how a local business can use the expansion of rooftop solar and of low-carbon heating and energy generation to help our Government achieve their mission of stimulating economic growth and raising living standards in all parts of the country. I recently visited a former Marks and Spencer on Mostyn street in Llandudno, which the owners are transforming into a massive indoor entertainment centre. That is exactly the kind of development that places such as Llandudno need. The owners have installed a huge solar array, which will save the business £32,000 a year and about 25 tonnes of carbon. For me, the most exciting part of that development is that the installation was part-funded by the local authority and done by a local business. We do not want just the cleaner, cheaper energy that rooftop solar will provide; we also want the jobs.

• 17 Jan 2025 · New Homes (Solar Generation) Bill · Hansard source

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  I absolutely agree, and that is why we need to get this right, not just on rooftop solar but on the skills for retrofitting and in low-carbon heating in general. A lot of work needs to be done to ensure that businesses have the skills so that we can expand and do what we need with this whole agenda. We need to ensure that local businesses benefit from the jobs and supply chain opportunities that the expansion of low-carbon heating and rooftop solar would provide, because tackling climate change and increasing living standards go hand in hand. It is critical that we get this right across the piece.

• 15 Jan 2025 · Foot and Mouth Disease · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for his responses. It is very reassuring that the seriousness of the situation is felt across the House and across the country. He talked about working with the devolved Administrations. Will he say more about how he will work with the Welsh Government in particular to address this issue?

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Parents in my constituency are deeply worried about the prevalence of ketamine in our communities, and staff at my local hospital tell me that an increasing number of young people are presenting with serious harm caused by the drug, including life-lasting bladder damage. Use of ketamine by young people in the UK is estimated to have tripled since 2016, so I was pleased this week to read that the Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention has sought advice on upgrading ketamine from a category C to a category B drug. Will the Leader of the House join me in condemning criminals who peddle drugs such as ketamine to children, and grant a debate on the important issue of tackling drug use in young people?

• 7 Jan 2025 · Crown Estate Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

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  Devolving the Crown Estate would needlessly jeopardise the role it is playing now to deliver good clean energy and jobs, which are needed across Wales, including in the hon. Member’s constituency, which neighbours mine. These jobs are much needed across north Wales, as she well knows. The hon. Member is a great champion for her constituency, but does she really want a delay in delivering the jobs in clean energy projects that are needed so much across Wales?