Freddie van Mierlo MP: speeches

Speeches

• 3 Sept 2025 · Pavement Parking · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of meeting many people with disabilities, including those with sight loss or mobility aids, in my surgeries. For them, another person’s choice to park on the pavement means either risking moving into the road to avoid the obstruction or taking long detours, if it is possible to do so. People with disabilities already face unenviable access barriers, and pavement parking only adds to their struggle. Pavement parking also impacts parents with pushchairs, prams and buggies. It prevents children on scooters and balance bikes from riding next to their parents. It can also force dog walkers—especially those who have nasty dogs like mine—into the road to avoid facing another dog. In short, it is an all-round nuisance. The Government have so far ignored the issue. In a recent written question, my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Dr Pinkerton) asked the Government what steps they are taking to reduce street obstacles. Their response was that things should be placed “in a way that does not create obstructions for disabled people.” That is not enlightening, is it? The Government are trying to pass the blame to local authorities, which are poorly equipped to deal with pavement parking. My local authority, Oxfordshire county council, has raised this with me. I fully support the council and my hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) in pressing the Government to provide further powers to tackle pavement parking.

• 2 Sept 2025 · English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill · Hansard source

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  If the Deputy Prime Minister feels that elections for mayoral authorities should have a supplementary vote as that gives them sufficient authority, why does she not feel the same for Members of this House?

• 2 Sept 2025 · English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill · Hansard source

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  Does my hon. Friend share my concern that the Bill could make it more difficult for residents to access services, because where authorities that currently deliver services on a county-wide basis are split into multiple authorities, it will create borders within counties?

• 2 Sept 2025 · Gaza: Ceasefire · Hansard source

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  It is clear that the stated war goals of many elements of the Israeli Government are not a ceasefire and a lasting peace between two communities living side by side in peace, but ethnically cleansing Gaza and preventing a viable state in the west bank. Will the Secretary of State therefore commit to sanctioning the head of the Israeli Government, Benjamin Netanyahu?

• 22 Jul 2025 · Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to follow my constituency neighbour the hon. Member for Reading Central (Matt Rodda). I can confirm that Reading is an excellent place to do shopping; it is a vibrant city with excellent restaurants and an important regional hospital. I am disappointed that the hospital will not be rebuilt until the 2040s, but we will, like all constituency MPs who circle the Royal Berkshire hospital, continue to advocate for it. It has been a pleasure to represent over the past year my constituents of Henley and Thame. It has been pleasing to back some local campaigns, but also to learn some of the national significance that those campaigns have, and I would like to speak to two of them. In my hometown of Henley, I have been campaigning to get Marsh Lock horse bridge reopened since it closed over three years ago. There had been a record of inaction, and when I became the MP, I immediately wrote to Ministers, the Environment Agency, Thames Path national trail and many other organisations—basically, anyone who would listen. I am pleased that that work has made progress. In doing that work, I have discovered a lot more about the state of our infrastructure on our rivers—that is, locks, weirs and bridges. We all know the state of infrastructure when it comes to education, health and our roads, but lesser known is the poor state of our locks, weirs and bridges. They are essential infrastructure for river navigation and safety on the river, and if we did not have them, my hometown of Henley pretty much would not exist and would not have a river running through it—or at least there would not be any water in it. I would like to highlight that situation and call on Ministers to continue looking at how additional funding can be raised for the Environment Agency and its vital work there. The second campaign I have been focusing on is the Thame to Haddenham greenway. Thame and the village of Haddenham are just three miles apart. Haddenham has the train station, and Thame is the major town with shops, schools and many facilities. The two are not connected by an off-road greenway capable of taking active travel. I have been campaigning alongside residents to get that going. That is why I introduced an amendment on compulsory purchase orders to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. As we know, compulsory purchase orders are readily used for road projects, but they are difficult to use for active travel projects. That is why I called for Government guidance on that. Unfortunately, my amendment was not successful, but I am pleased that Active Travel England will bring forward guidance, including two case studies on how other councils have successfully used CPOs. I am grateful to the Government for pushing that forward. A cycleway between Goring and Wallingford would also benefit my community. Again, I hope that the Government will continue to invest in active travel. I will touch briefly on another issue that I have been campaigning on: the lack of ADHD services in Oxfordshire. With no adult service commissioned for annual reviews by a specialist, once someone with ADHD who is well controlled on medication reaches the one-year limit, as required by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, GPs are removing prescriptions from them. That is an absolutely scandalous and very dangerous situation for people with ADHD. I urge the Government to move quickly in their task of implementing the recommendations of the forthcoming taskforce publication, to ensure that we are properly treating and looking after people with ADHD. In my remaining time, I will mention some of the excellent organisations that I have had the pleasure of meeting, including the Men’s Shed in Peppard; the Sharing Life Trust in Thame, which does excellent work as a food bank; the River Thame Conservation Trust; the Riverside Counselling Service; and the Henley YMCA. Like many first-time MPs who spent their summer recruiting officers and doing a lot of admin, I am very much looking forward to this recess, as I am sure all Members are. But rest assured that I and my Lib Dem colleagues will be back in September to continue holding the Government and the official Opposition to account, and I look forward—

• 16 Jul 2025 · Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life · Hansard source

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  One of the drivers of child poverty that has come through in my casework is the Child Maintenance Service’s lack of enforcement powers to hold to account parents who refuse their duties. Does the hon. Member agree with me that greater enforcement powers and greater scrutiny of the Child Maintenance Service are essential for reducing child poverty?

• 16 Jul 2025 · Horspath Outreach Post Office · Hansard source

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  I rise to present a petition about Horspath outreach post office and to urge the Government to take urgent action following its closure in March 2025 and the retirement of the postmaster in nearby Great Milton. The outreach post office served as a vital community hub for residents. Many older and more vulnerable villagers now face significant barriers to accessing essential postal and banking services. Over 600 residents—over half the village—have signed the petition, which shows just how important this is to them. I was happy to join Judy, Rebecca, Sheila, Shelagh and Anna to present this petition to 10 Downing Street. They join Sue and Derek in the Public Gallery today. I thank them, among others, for their hard work and dedication in bringing forward this petition. It cannot be right that the retirement of a long-serving and dedicated postmaster is used as an excuse to cut services. The Post Office has a duty to residents of Horspath and should fulfil it. I hope that the Government and the Post Office will now take notice of the residents of Horspath and work together with them to ensure that residents can once again access those postal services. The petition states: “The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to take immediate action to reopen Horspath Outreach Post Office.” Following is the full text of the petition: [The petition of the residents of the United Kingdom, Declares that Horspath Outreach Post Office should be reopened, further notes that since its closure on 28th March 2025 there has been a significant negative impact on residents who previously used the post office services; further declares that it has impacted elderly people, parents and those with mobility issues or without a car's ability to access services; further declares that local businesses including Horspath Hub and the Senior Residents Club have been impacted; notes that the Outreach Post Office ran alongside successful community events like coffee mornings; and provided a central community for locals; further notes that the two sub Post Offices 3 miles from Horspath are insufficient to deal with the needs of the community; further notes that a Sub-Postmaster has been found to run the Outreach Post Office; further declares that the Post Office Ltd. should review its reasons for closing the Post Office. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to take immediate action to reopen Horspath Outreach Post Office. And the petitioners remain, etc.] [P003085]

• 9 Jul 2025 · Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill · Hansard source

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  One amendment tabled by the Conservatives seeks to strip foreign nationals of the right to claim benefits. That could mean that some people are left with no support whatsoever, which could include my father, who has been in this country for 40 years and paid into the system. The amendment tabled by the Conservatives is absolutely despicable, and I invite the hon. Member to join me in agreeing with that statement.

• 9 Jul 2025 · Early Years Providers: Government Support · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady is absolutely right to point out the eye-watering cost of nursery care for parents. Parents in my constituency tell me that, like me, they spend thousands upon thousands a month, when in other countries it costs just hundreds of pounds a month. One of the most recent contributing factors is the rise in national insurance contributions, which for me increased nursery fees by 10%. Does the hon. Lady regret the Government not accepting Lib Dem amendments to exempt nurseries from the extra charges?