Daniel Francis MP: speeches

Speeches

• 4 Nov 2025 · Houses in Multiple Occupation: Planning Consent · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for bringing forward this debate and for the recommendations he has made. In the London borough of Bexley, we have an article 4 direction, but we are beginning to see landlords setting up charities and housing associations that do not appear to comply with the ethos of such organisations, simply to get around the rules. They do not then require planning permission, as we have recently seen in Highfield Avenue in Northumberland Heath. Does my hon. Friend agree that we also need to look at landlords setting up those organisations to get around the rules?

• 4 Nov 2025 · Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for securing the debate. That situation has occurred at Bexleyheath sorting office in my constituency, and Royal Mail asked whether I could help advertise its vacancies. Should Royal Mail do more to try to fill vacancies on routes that are not filled?

• 4 Nov 2025 · Welfare Spending · Hansard source

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  Will the hon. Lady give way?

• 30 Oct 2025 · Property Service Charges · Hansard source

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  I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Reigate (Rebecca Paul) for securing today’s debate and setting out the deep concerns about property service charges that many of us hear about from our constituents. Since being elected, I have received countless emails from constituents across Bexleyheath, Crayford and Slade Green who are struggling with rising service charges, lack of transparency and poor communication from managing agents. In the words of a constituent who lives in a development where the service charge has increased from £1,800 a year to £3,200 a year: “We honestly don’t have a clue what we are paying for.” Others describe themselves as “cash cows” and speak of “financial hardship to those trapped in their clutches”. One constituent, a pensioner, had to borrow money from her adult children, and she is now considering selling her car if another unexpected bill arrives. Another, who asked to spread an additional bill over monthly payments, was told that she would be charged £60 for the trouble. I have been holding public meetings with residents across my constituency this year to discuss these issues. The meetings have seen large turnouts and residents understandably at the end of their tether. I accept that some increases in service charges can be explained by rising insurance costs, building safety costs and other economic factors, but other items on service charge bills beggar belief: £1,000 a year for CCTV, when there is no CCTV; service charges for a gym that had not been built; service charges for a 24/7 concierge service that operates from 7 am to 7 pm; and £5,000 a year to empty one dog bin that members of the public, living outside of the estate, are using on a communal open space. Despite those costs, maintenance oftens remains poor. I will focus on one example: the Eastside Quarter development in Bexleyheath, on the site of our former council or civic offices built a few years ago. The development was originally managed by DJC, which was then bought by FirstPort, which has been relieved of its duties and replaced by a new managing agent. The directors of the management company took action to remove FirstPort in 2024 due to concerns about performance levels and a lack of financial transparency, which was raised by residents. FirstPort was responsible for producing audited accounts for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024, but in the most recent correspondence I have received it failed to do so. As a result, the developer is legally pursuing those accounts at their cost. FirstPort was unable to provide any funds on account to the new managing agent. In correspondence to me, the new managing agent stated that the service charge bank account was empty and that many suppliers were owed substantial sums, with many of them having withdrawn services as a result. Continuing management on the estate was possible only because the developer provided substantial funding to the new managing agent to enable it to pay suppliers. I have seen similar issues on Talehangers Close in Bexleyheath. At Vickers Green in Crayford, where FirstPort has attended a public meeting and where I believe we are making some progress, I have seen that some of the fault lies—in my view—with the local authority, which agreed a planning development back in 2009 in which residents took on responsibility for the roads, the lighting and the public space, which is then costed back to the residents. I welcome the Government’s consultation on plans to strengthen protections over charges and services and hope that they will bring forward measures to support my constituents. I was proud to sponsor the Managing Agents (Regulation) Bill of my hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Danny Beales), and I support calls from across the Chamber for the need for clear managing agent standards and regulation. I welcome the Minister’s comments on these matters and the measures to be brought forward in secondary legislation. I support the Government’s work in this area, but I will continue to press for further action to empower residents and deal with service charges to protect residents across the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.

• 28 Oct 2025 · Organised Immigration Crime · Hansard source

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  9. What diplomatic steps her Department is taking with international partners to help tackle organised immigration crime.

• 28 Oct 2025 · Organised Immigration Crime · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for his answer; I know this is an issue of great concern to my constituents across Bexleyheath and Crayford. Following last week’s west Balkans summit, could he provide an update on the measures that are being taken to reduce the number of illegal migrants being brought to the UK via the western Balkans?

• 27 Oct 2025 · Statutory Maternity and Paternity Pay · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Hobhouse. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Burton and Uttoxeter (Jacob Collier) for his introduction to this debate. I know from my own mailbag the importance of statutory maternity and paternity pay across Bexleyheath and Crayford. My constituents have pointed out to me that the evidence shows that the current situation with both leave and pay for new parents is bad for everyone—mums, dads, kids and society as a whole. I will briefly say again what I said last year: I accept that we have moved forward since my twins were born 12 years ago, but my experience of my children being born nine weeks early, my wife having a C-section, one of my children being diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 12 days old, and me working through the whole six weeks of them being in special care because I was not entitled to a day of paternity pay, continues to live with me. We have seen neonatal care benefit and some benefit in paternity pay. But we must continue to battle for better rights for parents. One in three dads do not take their paternity leave because they cannot afford to. The system is complicated and we do not always give people the support that they need. We must modernise to deliver for today’s families. A survey undertaken by Maternity Action has shown that of 1,000 new mothers, the majority have had to resort to credit cards or loans to finance their maternity leave. Over half have said that they have had to return to work early, as it is impossible to support themselves and their new baby. It is therefore vital that we ensure that new mothers have access to the support they need. They should all be supported to focus on their own wellbeing and their baby’s health, both during pregnancy and after birth.

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

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  I declare an interest as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for wheelchair users. The group has recently received extensive evidence that there is a clear need for independent oversight of wheelchair providers, and for verifiable data from the sector. Many service users are not provided with a wheelchair within a suitable timeframe, and many have little choice but to go private to access equipment. Will the Leader of the House allocate Government time for a debate on wheelchair provision, and the need for sector reform to ensure that wheelchair users are provided with the equipment that they need?

• 22 Oct 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q7. This summer, I visited every road across the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, reporting potholes to ensure that the £895,000 given by this Labour Government to the Conservative-controlled council in the London Borough of Bexley is spent. However, the Conservative council cabinet member responsible for roads wrote to our local newspaper, News Shopper , asking that I stop reporting potholes because it was causing work for the council. Will the Prime Minister join me in urging my Conservative council to get on and spend that money to make roads, such as Mayplace Road East, safe to drive on?

• 13 Oct 2025 · Education Committee · Hansard source

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  For the record, my wife is employed as a local authority SENCO. In my local authority, the London borough of Bexley, we have not only a safety valve but an Ofsted judgment of systemic failings, one of which was around health services. From having rewritten my own daughter’s EHCP on three occasions to make sure it is legally compliant, and from my constituents, I know of those real issues with health provision. Paragraphs 289 and 290 of the report contain recommendations about the involvement of health services in EHCPs and in SEND provision. Could my hon. Friend elaborate on those recommendations and what we can do to make that provision fit for purpose?

• 16 Sept 2025 · London Fashion Week: Cultural Contribution · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Murrison. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Kettering (Rosie Wrighting) for securing this debate. I would like to highlight how adaptive fashion is being promoted at this year’s London Fashion Week. Adaptive fashion enables people who have difficulties in dressing themselves, whether because of physical disabilities, limited mobility or chronic pain, to dress themselves comfortably and confidently. Clothing pieces are often equipped with additional functions such as zips, Velcro and magnetic fastenings, which can help with independent dressing while also providing discreet access for medical ports. As the parent of a child with cerebral palsy, I know how important adaptive clothing is for someone with a physical disability and limited mobility. I pay tribute to fashion labels such as Unhidden, founded by Victoria Jenkins, that aim to make fashion accessible and inclusive for those with disabilities. Victoria’s new collection, which will be unveiled at this year’s London Fashion Week, will be modelled by individuals living with disabilities, chronic conditions or visible differences. I applaud Victoria’s mission, but I am also aware of the need for adaptive clothing on the high street. I visited the Primark branch in Bexleyheath last year, where it was outlined to me how the company has launched an adaptive fashion range that was co-designed with Victoria and is available across 96 of its stores. It was refreshing to see a global brand such as Primark making clothing accessible, both physically and financially, for disabled people on the high street. Primark has joined other high street names, such as Asda and my former employer Marks & Spencer, which have adaptive clothing ranges for adults and children. I welcome the increase of adaptive fashion on the high street and in high-end fashion, but I am aware that more can still be done to ensure that it is not just a phenomenon, but easily accessible and available for every disabled person. As a London MP, I welcome the impact that London Fashion Week has on the economy of our capital. I hope that in future years it will continue to use its role to promote adaptive clothing. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Kettering once again for securing this valuable debate.

• 11 Sept 2025 · Micromobility Vehicles · Hansard source

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  I declare an interest as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for wheelchair users. Does the Minister accept that a wheelchair, whether manual or with power, is a medical device that enables disabled people to maximise their independence and live the life they choose? Does he therefore agree that the terminology of “invalid carriages” in the legislation is discriminatory and outdated and that the regulations on the use of micromobility vehicles require updating urgently?

• 11 Sept 2025 · Micromobility Vehicles · Hansard source

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  16. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to update regulations on the use of micromobility vehicles.

• 10 Sept 2025 · Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for her campaigning on this issue. She knows that, as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for wheelchair users, I share similar concerns for them. We often see that bus ramps are designed to fit in with the bus boarder, but it is then very difficult for the wheelchair user to pivot from the exit of the bus ramp back on to the pavement. Will she join me in continuing to impress upon the Government that we have got to get the design right in order to assist all disabled people, and that disabled people—whether blind or partially sighted, or wheelchair users—must continue to be engaged in this dialogue?

• 9 Sept 2025 · Accessibility of Railway Stations: Dulwich and West Norwood · Hansard source

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  I welcome and support my hon. Friend’s campaign. As the chair of the all-party parliamentary group for wheelchair users, I campaign a lot on these issues. Transport for London has an excellent app that shows which stations are wheelchair accessible and which have lift access, and I believe we should introduce that nationally. We should also introduce a campaign for accessible toilets, as well as for lifts and wheelchair access. Would my hon. Friend welcome expanding the app nationally, as it is currently available only in London?

• 3 Sept 2025 · Pavement Parking · Hansard source

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  As the chair of the all-party parliamentary group for wheelchair users, and in my conversations with Bexley Mencap, I have had many discussions about the impact of pavement parking on disabled people. Crayford is in the London borough of Bexley, but some of its roads are partly in London and partly in the area of Kent county council. Will the Minister look at how the policy will be implemented for roads that are partly in London and partly in a different area?

• 2 Sept 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T3. My constituents Lee and Joanna Woodcock’s daughter Holly was found deceased in France in August last year. They have raised significant concerns regarding the investigation by the French authorities, and some lesser concerns regarding the support they have received from the FCDO. Will the Minister meet Mr and Mrs Woodcock to hear directly about their experience?

• 22 Jul 2025 · Changing Places Toilets · Hansard source

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  Very quickly—you have had your go already. [ Laughter. ]

• 22 Jul 2025 · Changing Places Toilets · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend. I am happy to work with her and her local authority to bring sites forward. I will now talk about my own family’s experience and, in particular, about education. I fully accept that not every disability is visible. Many people who may appear not to have a disability do require a Changing Places toilet, for instance if they have a colostomy bag and require extra space for toileting. For those who need a Changing Places toilet, the current system can be very frustrating. The main way of finding where one is located is through the excellent search location tool and map—this was just referred to—on the Changing Places website. There is a separate app, but it is not run by Changing Places—it is run by a third party—and so is not as up to date. The information on the Changing Places website can only be up to date if the provider of the toilet advises of any changes in availability. I could give a litany of experiences, as could my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Jen Craft), of where things have sadly not worked. One of our daughters has quadriplegic cerebral palsy. She is a wheelchair user. She is unable to tell you when she needs the toilet and is still in nappies at almost 12 years of age. Given her height and weight, a changing bed is essential to change her with dignity. Before we were aware of the Changing Places website, we sadly had the indignity of changing her in a variety of places, such as on a bench or behind a bush to try to give her some dignity. Our fallback today remains the floor of our wheelchair-accessible van, which I can assure you is a backbreaker. Since we have been aware of the Changing Places map facility, we plan our days out, trips and travel arrangements around it and where we believe there will be a toilet. It has been a life changer for our family and, as we have heard, for other families. There are occasions where, because the information has not been updated or because of a lack of training on what Changing Places toilets are, we have had some experiences that have been not so great: finding that the only Changing Places toilet in the place you are visiting has been closed because it is vandalised; finding that the Changing Places toilet in a building is not available, as it is being used as a storage cupboard; having a council staff member refuse someone, who clearly cannot walk and is clearly in nappies, access to the Changing Places toilet on the grounds that they are a child and should therefore use a baby changing table, even when it is clear that their height, and particularly their weight, would break the table; finding, because it is winter, that the council has closed the toilet entirely or, when visiting a busy coastal city, that it closes at 4 pm—because clearly disabled people do not need to use the toilet after 4 pm! I have seen some terrible training of staff in train stations and in public buildings, where they do not understand what a Changing Places toilet is. On numerous occasions, I have been told that because my daughter is a wheelchair user she should use the standard disabled toilet, with no understanding that she cannot stand and there is no hoist in a standard disabled toilet, and that if someone uses nappies, you might need a bed to change them. There was one occasion in a central London train station when a toilet attendant made everyone, regardless of which toilet they required, join one queue because their objective was reducing the queue length, rather than ensuring that the people who were able to use the only toilet available to them, did so. As we stood patiently at about number 50 in the queue, 49 people in front of us who did not need the Changing Places toilet were, in turn, directed to it. There are, however, some fantastic instances of staff ensuring that those trying to use these toilets as a baby changing room—which happens a lot—do not do so, and examples of fantastic signage explaining what a Changing Places toilet is intended for. Along with the people who believe a Changing Places toilet is, in fact, a large baby changing facility, one other issue that can cause problems is the easy availability of RADAR keys, which are often purchased on the internet or in high street shops. I am afraid that some people do buy them as a way of skipping toilet queues. In a number of places, including in Bexleyheath town centre in my constituency, the use of a RADAR key has led to people sleeping on the changing bed, and someone moving themselves and all their belongings into the toilet. My council took the decision to close the toilet because of the repeated damage caused by the person who kept moving into it, although I would argue that the council was clearly not maintaining it adequately, given that someone had been living in it for several weeks before my own wife discovered that they were living there. Those issues persist, and we therefore need to have a conversation about training, about spreading best practice on signage and about different entry systems, which a number of Changing Places toilets now have. Those things would greatly reduce the stress for those who genuinely need a Changing Places toilet.

• 22 Jul 2025 · Changing Places Toilets · Hansard source

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  I am grateful for the opportunity to open this debate on a subject that I care deeply about. Last Saturday, 19 July, was Changing Places Awareness Day. It is therefore an honour to have secured this debate and to be able to pay tribute to the campaign organisation Changing Places in its 20th year, and in a week when it has worked to remind the nation of the importance of its campaign. During this time, it has worked relentlessly to seek provision for the quarter of a million people in the UK who have for so long had no public access to accessible toilet facilities, and for their families and carers. Changing Places toilets enable anyone, regardless of their disability, to go to the shops, attend hospital appointments, enjoy community life, socialise and travel. Many of us in this place and, indeed, across the UK take this basic necessity and right for granted every day.

• 22 Jul 2025 · Changing Places Toilets · Hansard source

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  Absolutely. As I will turn to, I know that at first hand as the parent of a child with cerebral palsy. The growth of Changing Places means that it is making an impact, but the fact is that we need more of these toilets across the country.

• 22 Jul 2025 · Changing Places Toilets · Hansard source

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  Absolutely, and I thank the hon. Member. As I will come on to say, we have seen such growth, particularly in central London, but that needs to be replicated across the United Kingdom. Access to a Changing Places toilet allows anyone, regardless of their access needs or disability, to use a toilet with dignity, privacy and hygienically.

• 22 Jul 2025 · Changing Places Toilets · Hansard source

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  I agree absolutely with my hon. Friend. We work very closely together on these issues, as parents of disabled children. I will turn to such training in relation to some of my own horror stories in due course. In May, PAMIS announced that it is updating its Changing Places practical guidance, a resource that helps support the design and management of Changing Places toilets. I think I missed out that there were 799 toilets 10 years ago, so there has been significant growth since that time. I should also note the changes made by the previous Government when they amended the Building Regulations 2010, under which it is now compulsory for some new large buildings to have Changing Places toilets installed in them. In addition, a Changing Places toilets fund of £30.5 million was made available in 2023, which has provided 600 Changing Places across England. I have seen the real impact that that growth has had in London and the home counties as a south-east London MP. I see that now in central London, as compared with 10 years ago, in train stations, at cultural venues, along the South Bank and, very recently, in Oxford Street. The Need2Change campaign, spearheaded by Bromley resident Katrina O’Leary who I worked with before I was elected to this place, has allowed an increase in toilets in parks, hospitals and coastal towns to ensure her family, my family and other families can have the days out that others take for granted.

• 22 Jul 2025 · Changing Places Toilets · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend. I absolutely agree. We have seen that growth, but we need to see more.

• 22 Jul 2025 · Changing Places Toilets · Hansard source

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  I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend, who has one more than me in her constituency. We do need to expand the number that we have. I recently met members of my local Bexley Mencap, who raised with me the need for a Changing Places toilet in one of my borough’s swimming pools. We have three swimming pools in my local authority area, and it can be very difficult for members to change themselves. However, campaigning can work. For many years, I have questioned the rationale of Eurotunnel LeShuttle having a Changing Places toilet in Folkestone but not having one for the very same customers in Calais. I accept that Changing Places toilets are very uncommon in France—in fact, I could count them on one hand. However, after many years of being told that one could not be provided in Calais, I have been advised in the past month that one will be supplied, although Eurotunnel is being vague about the installation date. Those customers will now finally be able to use a Changing Places toilet on both legs of their journey. I know that my hon. Friend the Member for Hyndburn (Sarah Smith) wanted to be here to pay tribute to her constituent Zack Kerr, from Oswaldtwistle, who has been campaigning for additional Changing Places facilities since 2017. Zack has cerebral palsy and, because of his first-hand experience, has been instrumental in the building of 54 new toilets across motorway service stations in England. My hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Anna Dixon) relayed to me that the changing places toilet in Bingley town centre has been a life-changer. It is really well maintained and is cleaned twice a day, which can be important for children with complex conditions who are susceptible to infections. With twice-daily cleaning it is also much less likely that somebody will move in there for several weeks. I continue to aspire to see a national disability travel app that shows accessible train stations and interchanges, and flags up when lifts are out of order and where there is a Changing Places toilet. We must ensure that we do what we can to expand the provision of accessible toilets, particularly Changing Places toilets, to public buildings, parks and community facilities. I am very grateful to hon. Members for their contributions this afternoon. I encourage them to engage with their local authorities and stakeholder groups, and impress on them the importance of Changing Places toilets so that all our constituents can have access to a clean, safe and accessible facility. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I wish you a very happy summer recess.