Julie Minns MP: speeches

Speeches

• 9 Dec 2025 · Net Zero Transition: Consumer-led Flexibility · Hansard source

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  The hon. Member makes a point about a modern solution. I have felt for some time that our supermarkets, with the installation of bi-directional chargers, could offer consumers the opportunity to bring their mobile energy source—their EV—as a power supply during peak times for supermarkets; in return, consumers could be offered a discount on their shopping for that hour. When the Minister makes his comments, I would welcome his thoughts on whether we need to go further with bi-directional chargers in supermarkets.

• 4 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Tomorrow marks the 10-year anniversary of Storm Desmond and the flooding of the city of Carlisle that forced thousands of my constituents from their homes. As we remember the horror of 2015, we also celebrate the incredible people of Carlisle who came together to support their friends and neighbours at that time. One group, in particular, went on to form the North Cumbria Search and Rescue team, whose work continues to be funded entirely by donations to this day. I invite the Leader of the House to thank North Cumbria Search and Rescue for its continued work to keep communities across north Cumbria safe.

• 19 Nov 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q14. Over the summer, large quantities of illegal cigarettes were seized in shops in my constituency. However, many of those shops were reopened the very next day. Does the Prime Minister agree that we have to make it easier to shut these shops down permanently so that we put these criminal networks out of business forever?

• 18 Nov 2025 · Flood Risk and Flood Defence Infrastructure: North-west England · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend touches on an important point about early warning. My constituency experienced devastating flooding in 2005 and 2015. Last week, despite flood warnings, we mercifully escaped—though parts of the city were affected —when what had been forecast was not what transpired. The Environment Agency appears to lack access to accurate radar forecasting. Does she agree that we must equip the EA with exactly that type of early warning?

• 18 Nov 2025 · UNESCO: 80th Anniversary · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend and I share not only Gilsland but Hadrian’s wall. Members may not be aware that it is only in the last eight years that Hadrian’s wall has yielded its long-kept secret that the largest structure is to be found at Carlisle cricket club, thanks to a fantastic dig that is going on there. Does my hon. Friend agree that, as we mark 80 years of UNESCO, we definitely need a further 80 years to understand what we can learn from our shared heritage?

• 13 Nov 2025 · Rogue Builders · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for securing this important debate. One of my constituents was ripped off to the tune of £19,000 when the builder walked off the job part-way through. However, when they went to trading standards and the police, they were told that, because the work had begun, it was a civil and not a criminal matter. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that more needs to be done to protect our constituents who are caught by that loophole?

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

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  I am sure that Members from across the House will want to thank volunteers and members of the Royal British Legion for their exemplary work in recent weeks. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking Keith Richardson, and members of the Carlisle and Stanwix branch of the Royal British Legion, for organising an inspiring number of events in my Carlisle constituency, including, frankly, with respect to the Royal Albert Hall, the best festival of remembrance?

• 12 Nov 2025 · Independent Football Regulator · Hansard source

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  Does the Secretary of State agree that rather than obstructing and delaying the work of the Independent Football Regulator, the Opposition need to do right by the fans and let David Kogan get on with the job? May I also request—slightly selfishly, as a Carlisle United fan—that one of the first things he does is press the English Football League to lift the limit on the number of places for promotion from the national league?

• 11 Nov 2025 · Prisoner Releases in Error · Hansard source

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  Our constituents deserve a prison system that they can have confidence in, yet prisoner releases in error increased every year since 2021. Despite that, there was no call for an investigation and there were no reforms. Can the Justice Secretary therefore reassure my Carlisle constituents that it is this Government who will implement the findings of Dame Lynne Owens’s investigation and restore the confidence that was eroded under the previous Government?

• 5 Nov 2025 · Violence against Women and Girls · Hansard source

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  Over the past year, my office and I have supported a depressing number of constituents who have been failed—failed by the police and social services for not listening to reports of coercive control; failed by the family court for not recognising who the victim is; and failed by the Crown Prosecution Service for not proceeding to prosecute cases of domestic abuse because it does not believe the victim to be credible. What steps is the Minister taking with colleagues from across Government to ensure that women are believed and listened to?

• 5 Nov 2025 · Violence against Women and Girls · Hansard source

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  2. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle violence against women and girls.

• 4 Nov 2025 · Cross-border Healthcare · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship Mr Dowd. I congratulate the hon. Member for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe (David Chadwick) on securing this important debate. As the Member of Parliament for Carlisle and north Cumbria, I represent a region where the realities of geography often challenge the neat lines that we find on maps, and those drawn by policy and practice. For example, earlier this year, during a prolonged power cut that affected the village of Kershopefoot, to the north-east of Carlisle, staff at ScottishPower Energy Networks were somewhat surprised to discover, after I contacted them, that they served customers in England who had a Scottish postcode. When it comes to health, my constituents quite often face more serious issues. For some, their nearest GP might be in Scotland, but the nearest hospital is in England—in my case, the Cumberland infirmary. This can and does lead to issues. I acknowledge the Government’s excellent work to improve healthcare access across the UK and in my constituency. In Carlisle and north Cumbria we have seen real progress: waiting lists have been cut and the urgent dental centre that opened last year is beginning to address many of the challenges we experience with NHS dental care. Those meaningful steps forward were made possible by this Government, but progress must be matched by policy that works for everyone, and especially those who live on the edge of systems, maps and borders. One of my constituents, who lives in the northernmost part of the constituency, found himself facing a deeply troubling situation when he became very ill. He is geographically closer to Scotland and therefore registered with a Scottish GP. However, when he needed hospital care he was told he could not be treated at his local hospital in England—in Carlisle—because he was registered with a Scottish GP. Instead, he was advised to travel to Glasgow, a round trip of over 200 miles, rather than take the 40-mile trip to Carlisle. This is a man who lives in England, pays his taxes here and has his bins collected by an English local authority, and whose nearest hospital is in England, but he was told to travel to Glasgow for care—not because of clinical need or even capacity, but because of outdated guidance. Thankfully, after the intervention of his GP and other dedicated health professionals, he was able to receive the treatment that he needed locally, but his case should not have required such extraordinary effort. It should never have required the negotiation it took and should not have required escalation. It should have been common sense. The English guidance does not adequately cover cross-border scenarios, and I am told the Scottish guidance predates the creation of the integrated care boards altogether. I am very grateful to the Minister for Care for giving me his time a few weeks ago to discuss this issue. I know he recognises that this needs to be urgently resolved. I would welcome any update that I can share from the Minister today on whether the guidance is now to be reviewed and improvements are under way. We must ensure that all relevant healthcare providers are equipped with clear, up-to-date information, because we all want the same thing: a system that works for patients, wherever they live. This is not a question of politics, as we can see from the cross-party presence at this debate—although the absence of the SNP is notable. I am pleased to see my constituency neighbour, the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont), in his place. This is a question of practicality, compassion and, as the hon. Gentleman said, common sense. We must ensure that our healthcare system reflects the lived realities of our constituents, and not the lines on a map. I urge the Minister to take this issue forward with urgency. I stand ready to support any efforts to improve cross-border healthcare.

• 3 Nov 2025 · Public Office (Accountability) Bill · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend makes a very powerful point about the obstruction that families and individuals still face. A family in my constituency have for the last 18 months methodically uncovered failings in the care of their father in hospital. He sadly died, yet the failings that they uncovered were ignored by the medical examiner and in the pathology report, and they were not adequately addressed by the hospital trust. As a result, the family have been unable to secure the accountability that they seek for their father’s death. Does my hon. Friend agree that the duty of candour that this Bill compels will begin to rebalance the relationship between individuals such as my constituents and public bodies?

• 30 Oct 2025 · Property Service Charges · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for Reigate (Rebecca Paul) for securing the debate and enabling Members across the House to give voice to our constituents, like mine in Carlisle, who are, quite frankly, fed up. They are fed up with being charged hundreds of pounds a year in estate management fees for services that are either not delivered or delivered poorly; they are fed up with asking for transparency and getting vague spreadsheets, instead of receipts for the services that they are told have been delivered; and they are fed up with being told that they have no choice, no voice and no way to challenge that. One of my first pieces of casework, after my election last year, concerned FirstPort, and one of the more recent cases concerned another estate management company, Gateway. They are different companies, but there was the same problem with charges for things like grass cutting, street cleaning and lighting maintenance. One might say that those charges are to be expected, but too often they are levied while the grass becomes overgrown, the rubbish is not picked up and the roads remain unlit. Quite rightly, residents then ask for proof of where their money has been going and, quite consistently, they are given a list of costs, not invoices—no evidence and no accountability. In some cases, the same service appears more than once under different names. It is confusing, opaque and unfair. I acknowledge the work done by the last Government and continued by our Government. I was pleased to see swift action in the early months of this Government to implement key provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. I welcome the Government’s wider programme of reform, removing the threat of forfeiture, tackling abuse by managing agents and implementing the Law Commission’s recommendations on right to manage, but we must go further, especially as we build new homes. The Government’s house building agenda is ambitious, and rightly so. We need more homes and we need them quickly, but we also need to ensure that when people move into those homes, they are not being ripped off by management companies they did not choose. It is not enough just to get the bricks and mortar down; we need to ensure that the regulation around property charges is constructed properly too. We need enforceable standards for transparency. If a company charges for a service, they must be required to show that it was delivered and provide proof of what it cost. If the grass becomes overgrown, the litter piles up and the roads remain unlit, residents should not be expected to pay. We also need a clear route to redress. At the moment, too many people feel trapped by being tied to a management company that they did not choose, with no meaningful way to hold it to account. Asking for reform is not about undermining the sector; it is about fairness, restoring trust and ensuring that when people buy a home, they are not buying into a system that takes advantage of them. We have made a start, but if we are serious about protecting homeowners, we need to finish the job and to bring cowboy estate management companies to heel.

• 30 Oct 2025 · Ageing and End-of-life Care · Hansard source

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  I spoke earlier to the hon. Gentleman to ask if he would take an intervention. When earlier this year my mum was placed on end-of-life care—she was put into the local hospital to receive that care—I had to repeatedly ask hospital staff to transfer her to our local, excellent Eden Valley hospice. It took three days for that request to be actioned. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that one change we could make is that, when someone in our hospitals is placed on end-of-life care, their families could be immediately apprised of the alternative provision that exists in our communities?

• 23 Oct 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T2. Storm Benjamin is mercifully not forecast to affect my Carlisle constituency today. However, when storms do land, storm-related power cuts can last hours, and quite often days, in north Cumbria and can include the loss of power to mobile phone masts. Fixed telecoms operators are under a licence obligation to ensure that they have power back at their key infrastructure points, but no such obligation applies to the mobile operators. What assessment has been made of the resilience of mobile networks in the event of a prolonged power cut?

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

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  Today marks the start of the Carlisle beer and cider festival, a fantastic celebration of local independent brewers, including those just over the border in Scotland, who now benefit from the guest beer agreement, making it easier for them to get their product into local pubs. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating the organisers of the festival and will he arrange for a Business Minister to make a statement on the outcome of the Government’s market access review of the barriers faced by small brewers?

• 23 Oct 2025 · Black History Month · Hansard source

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  In 1835, John Kent became the first black police officer not just in the Carlisle constabulary, but in any police force in Britain. I recently approached Historic England to ask that John Kent be commemorated with a blue plaque in Carlisle. Does the Minister agree that John Kent’s plaque should be just one of hundreds that Historic England should add to commemorate and celebrate the contribution of black Britons?

• 22 Oct 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q14. December will mark the 10th anniversary of the Storm Desmond floods that devastated my constituency and forced thousands of people from their homes. Despite promising us new flood defences, previous Conservative Governments left them unfinished. With climate-related rainfall forecast to increase in the north-west over the next decade, does the Prime Minister agree that the climate change-sceptic policies peddled by some Opposition parties are both reckless and dangerous, and will he assure the people of Carlisle that this Labour Government will defend our great border city?

• 21 Oct 2025 · Sentencing Bill · Hansard source

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  It is nevertheless a suspended sentence. By passing new clause 1, we are saying that serious offences—whether the sentence is served behind bars or under conditions in the community—carry consequences, including the possibility of removal from the UK.

• 21 Oct 2025 · Sentencing Bill · Hansard source

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  I am not going to pretend to be an expert in the judiciary or the actions of individual judges. Nevertheless, it is important that we recognise that a suspended sentence and a sentence that places an individual in prison are both sentences of punishment. We are talking, in our discussion on new clause 1, about how that relates to whether a foreign criminal should be removed from the country. The new clause is a targeted, proportionate and principled amendment. It does not expand the scope of deportation arbitrarily. It simply ensures that those who commit serious crimes are not shielded from deportation by technicalities. I urge colleagues from across the House to support it.

• 21 Oct 2025 · Sentencing Bill · Hansard source

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  I am going to speak in favour of Government new clause 1, but I first want to take the opportunity to mention the Conservatives party’s record in government. A lot has been made during this debate about the prisons that were built during the last Government, so let us place it on record that, between 2010 and 2024, there was a net addition of 482 prison places. If that is a record that the Conservatives are proud to stand on, I will happily give it to them. Secondly, a lot has been said about lefty lawyers. I would like to draw to the Chamber’s attention that, almost two years ago to the day, the then Conservative Lord Chancellor—presumably a well-known lefty lawyer—spoke about suspended sentences. Of reoffending rates, he said: “The fact is that more than 50% of people who leave prison after serving less than 12 months go on to commit further crimes…However, the figure for those who are on suspended sentence orders with conditions is 22%.” —[ Official Report , 16 October 2023; Vol. 738, c. 60.] It is important that we understand what we are talking about when we are talking about suspended sentences. That point is relevant to the hon. Member for Wimbledon (Mr Kohler) as well.

• 21 Oct 2025 · Sentencing Bill · Hansard source

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  I think the hon. Gentleman is making a correction to the former Lord Chancellor, because those were his words. I am sorry that the Conservative party has moved so far in two years that you wish to disown the work of a Lord Chancellor who stood in this Chamber just two years ago.

• 21 Oct 2025 · Sentencing Bill · Hansard source

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  I really do apologise, Ms Ghani. Moving on, I support new clause 1. It would strengthen our approach to the deportation of foreign criminals by amending the definition of “period of imprisonment” in two key pieces of legislation: the UK Borders Act 2007 and the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. The amendment is about ensuring that the law reflects the seriousness of the sentence handed down by the courts, whether it is immediate or suspended. Currently, a suspended sentence of 12 months or more does not count towards the definition of a foreign criminal for deportation purposes. This creates a loophole that risks undermining confidence in our immigration and justice systems. I have met the Minister for Border Security and Asylum to discuss the deportation of foreign criminals with suspended sentences, and I very much welcome the closure of this loophole. It is not an abstract policy change; it is a necessary correction to a real and pressing issue. New clause 1 ensures that suspended sentences of 12 months or more are treated with the gravity they deserve when considering deportation. It sends a clear message that serious criminal behaviour will not be overlooked simply because the sentence was suspended, and it strengthens our ability to protect communities, uphold justice and maintain public confidence in our immigration system. Let us be clear: a suspended sentence is still a sentence of imprisonment. It is imposed by a judge who has determined that the offence is serious enough to warrant custody. The fact that the sentence is suspended does not diminish the gravity of the crime.

• 21 Oct 2025 · Rape Gangs: National Statutory Inquiry · Hansard source

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  In 2012, a Bangladeshi national was sentenced in my Carlisle constituency for attempting to recruit four girls, aged 12 to 16, into prostitution. In his summing up, the judge described how the man’s conduct had corroded “the foundations of decency and respect by which all right-thinking people live their lives whatever their ethnic or religious background.” Will the Minister take the opportunity to again reassure all right-thinking people that this inquiry will look at everything to find answers, including the role of ethnicity?