Gill Furniss MP: speeches

Speeches

• 29 Apr 2025 · Antisocial Behaviour: Dudley · Hansard source

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  I will call Sonia Kumar to move the motion and then the Minister to respond. I remind other Members that they may make only a very short speech with the prior permission of the Member in charge and the Minister. There will not be an opportunity for the Member in charge to wind up, as is the convention for a 30-minute debate.

• 29 Apr 2025 · Staffordshire: Cultural Contribution · Hansard source

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  I call the Opposition spokesperson.

• 29 Apr 2025 · Staffordshire: Cultural Contribution · Hansard source

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  I will have to limit speeches to three minutes, as so many Members have asked to speak.

• 29 Apr 2025 · Staffordshire: Cultural Contribution · Hansard source

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  I remind Members that they should bob if they wish to be called in the debate.

• 29 Apr 2025 · Staffordshire: Cultural Contribution · Hansard source

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  Order. I call the Minister to respond to the debate.

• 29 Apr 2025 · Staffordshire: Cultural Contribution · Hansard source

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  I will now limit speeches to two and a half minutes.

• 27 Mar 2025 · Hughes Report: First Anniversary · Hansard source

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  After the next speaker, we will limit speeches to three minutes. That means that your microphone will be cut off at that time, so I would appreciate it if you looked at the clock while speaking.

• 27 Mar 2025 · Hughes Report: First Anniversary · Hansard source

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  I remind Members that they should bob if they wish to be called in the debate. At this stage, there are a lot of you to get in, so we are limiting speeches to four minutes.

• 5 Feb 2025 · Closure of High Street Services: Rural Areas · Hansard source

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  There are still many of you wishing to speak, so I will restrict you each to two minutes because we want to hear a response from the Minister and the spokespeople. I call Alison Hume.

• 5 Feb 2025 · Closure of High Street Services: Rural Areas · Hansard source

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  We have quite a lot of speakers, so I will limit speeches to three minutes each so that everyone will get an opportunity to get in the debate. I reiterate that interventions should be brief so that colleagues get the opportunities that they are here for.

• 5 Feb 2025 · Closure of High Street Services: Rural Areas · Hansard source

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  Order. I ask Members to keep strictly to three minutes. You are going over that limit and speaking other people out. If you cannot keep to the limit, we will have to put the timer on, and you will be cut short.

• 5 Feb 2025 · Closure of High Street Services: Rural Areas · Hansard source

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  Order. I remind Members that they should bob if they wish to be called in the debate. I also remind them that interventions are meant to be very brief if we are to allow everyone to speak in this big debate.

• 15 Jan 2025 · Endometriosis: Women in the Workplace · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right—that is what we are talking about. For many years, the APPG was chaired by our dear friend David Amess. David campaigned tirelessly for improvements to endometriosis care, and he will forever remain on our minds as we continue his legacy.

• 15 Jan 2025 · Endometriosis: Women in the Workplace · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend. The average length of time taken is now eight years, which is not good. Many women feel unable to speak openly about endometriosis as they would other conditions, as if it were something to be ashamed of. Research shows that 23% of women take time off work because of period health issues while 80% lie about reasons for absence if they are related to periods. Having said that, endometriosis is not just about periods; it is a whole-body complaint. I do not think there is an organ in the body up to the chest that has not been found to be affected by what is a crippling disease.

• 15 Jan 2025 · Endometriosis: Women in the Workplace · Hansard source

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  Absolutely, and I will come to that shortly. That leaves women feeling dismissed, ignored and belittled by the very people who should be helping them. The result is that it takes almost nine years on average to get a diagnosis of endometriosis in the UK. I therefore look forward to hearing from the Minister on the steps she is taking to promote better awareness.

• 15 Jan 2025 · Endometriosis: Women in the Workplace · Hansard source

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  I thank the right hon. Member for that intervention, and I absolutely agree. I pay tribute to you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and to the right hon. Member for the efforts he has put in over many years. Stigma and a lack of awareness by employers means that reproductive health conditions can have a significant effect on women’s experiences at work. It is almost impossible to remain at work when suffering from chronic pain and the mental toll that these conditions cause.

• 15 Jan 2025 · Endometriosis: Women in the Workplace · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for that point. The issue has been known about for a long time. The women’s health strategy, published in 2022, painted a picture of what workplaces should be like over the next 10 years, arguing that women should “feel able to speak openly about their health and to be confident that they will be supported by their employer and workplace colleagues, with an end to taboos” and that “women experiencing women’s health issues such as period problems, endometriosis, fertility treatment, miscarriage and menopause” must “feel well supported in their workplaces.” This is a far cry from the reality facing women in the workplace today.

• 14 Jan 2025 · Coastguard Helicopter Services · Hansard source

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  Yes.

• 14 Jan 2025 · Parking: Town Centres · Hansard source

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  I will call Sonia Kumar, and then I will call the Minister to respond. There will not be an opportunity for the Member in charge to wind up, as is the convention for 30-minute debates.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.