Julie Minns MP: speeches

Speeches

• 2 Jul 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  The owner of Palace Cycles recently told me that while explaining to a customer that he would not service the illegally modified e-bike that had been brought into his shop, the bike shot across the shop of its own accord. When will the Government regulate to ban the sale of dodgy, illegal, unsafe e-bikes and the kits that create them?

• 24 Jun 2026 · Conversion Practices Ban · Hansard source

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  4. What steps she is taking to ban conversion practices.

• 24 Jun 2026 · Conversion Practices Ban · Hansard source

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  The work of Cumbria Pride and Pride in North Cumbria in supporting people to feel accepted and confident in their sexuality stands in stark contrast to those who peddle cruel and abusive conversion practices. The last Conservative Government failed multiple times to introduce a ban on these practices. Will the Minister please confirm that this Government will legislate, and will she set out the steps that the Government are taking to do this?

• 18 Jun 2026 · Polling Stations: Blind and Visually Impaired Voters · Hansard source

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  1. What recent assessment the commission has made of the adequacy of polling station provision for blind and visually impaired voters.

• 17 Jun 2026 · Rural Pubs: Fiscal Support · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman makes an extremely important point about the wonderful charitable work that many of our rural pubs do. I would like to place on record my gratitude to the Black Lion in my constituency and also the Crossings Inn. The Black Lion does wonderful charity work, and the Crossings is the hub whenever there is a power cut in that particular area of Cumbria, which is sadly quite prone to them. On that point, I congratulate the Countryside Alliance on its “Rural Oscars”—both the Crossings and the Black Lion were northern finalists, and I am delighted to say that the Black Lion, as the winning pub for the north, is through to the finals. Will the hon. Gentleman share my congratulations to the Black Lion and all the other finalists on the excellent work that they do, and wish them the best of luck in the “Rural Oscars”?

• 8 Jun 2026 · Digital Safety: Children · Hansard source

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  It has been more than 20 years since I was one of half a dozen people who co-wrote the world’s first code of practice to protect minors from age-inappropriate content. One of the biggest challenges we faced then was age verification. Will the Minister assure us that the technology and the devices are now there and in place so that under-18s can verify their age?

• 13 May 2026 · Debate on the Address · Hansard source

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  I agree with much of what the hon. Lady is saying, but I would like to highlight a little glimmer of hope. Last week I visited RSPB Geltsdale in my constituency, which has successfully rewiggled and restored an ancient landscape—it is wonderful to see it blooming. Does she agree that while it is difficult, it is not impossible to reverse many of the changes to our rural landscapes?

• 16 Apr 2026 · British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme · Hansard source

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  The Carlisle of my childhood was a thriving industrial hub of textiles, engineering and food manufacturing sectors, which were all sadly decimated by successive Conservative Governments. We do, however, remain home to the world’s oldest biscuit factory and the UK’s last tyre manufacturing facility in Pirelli. Can the Secretary of State set out how the scheme announced today will ensure that those businesses that remain in Carlisle and across the UK will continue to be able to export their products abroad?

• 15 Apr 2026 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q10. In the last week alone, two Scottish pensioners have been hospitalised following a collision with an illegal e-bike and a 10-year-old boy in Grimsby has been injured by another. The new Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 gives Government the power to define these bikes as unsafe and ban them from sale. Will the Prime Minister reassure my Carlisle constituents that the Government will use these new powers to rid our streets of the menace of illegal e-bikes?

• 26 Mar 2026 · National Savings & Investments · Hansard source

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  Sadly, I have administered the wills of two relatives in the past year, both of whom held NS&I accounts, so I know acutely how difficult and emotional that time can be. I have two questions for the Minister in that regard. Can he assure my Carlisle constituents that any moneys owed to them and their families will definitely be paid, and can he give an assurance that NS&I will handle these cases very sensitively, taking into account the distress that many families will be experiencing?

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  Carlisle and north Cumbria has around 7,000 off-grid households, so I thank the Minister for his statement, which I know will be welcomed by heating oil and LPG households in my constituency. Will he reassure us that, in tackling the under-regulation left by the previous Government, this Government’s action will regulate the heating oil and LPG markets?

• 12 Mar 2026 · Hospitality Sector · Hansard source

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  For almost a year, the constituents of my friend and neighbour, the right hon. Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell), have enjoyed the benefits of the guest beer agreement. Given that the Society of Independent Brewers believes that a right to buy a guest beer drives customers into pubs, can the Minister update the House on when she expects to announce the results of the beer market review and the merits of introducing a guest beer agreement in England?

• 5 Mar 2026 · World Book Day · Hansard source

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  On that point, I invite my hon. Friend to pay tribute to my constituent Hayley Slack. She wrote the book “Little Coffee Cup”, copies of which are printed entirely on recycled coffee cups. Does my hon. Friend agree that such an innovative approach to book writing and publishing encourages young people not only to read, but to think about sustainability?

• 25 Feb 2026 · Relations with Scottish Government · Hansard source

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  1. What discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the effectiveness of their relationship with the UK Government.

• 25 Feb 2026 · Relations with Scottish Government · Hansard source

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  One example of what might politely be called ineffective relations between the Scottish and UK Governments concerns bovine electronic identification, where instead of agreeing to adopt the same radio frequency as the rest of the UK and Europe, the Scottish Government have chosen to use a high-frequency spectrum. The implications for the UK’s largest auction mart, in my constituency, will be a doubling of costs, as it has to invest in two types of scanner. Will the Secretary of State press the Office for the Internal Market to look in detail at how auction houses and hauliers such as those in my constituency will be placed at a competitive disadvantage thanks to the SNP Government?

• 12 Feb 2026 · Healthy Relationships · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Ribble Valley (Maya Ellis) for securing this excellent debate. One organisation that does really interesting work in this space—which, I am ashamed to say, I did not know much about until last year—is Soroptimist International, which has developed fantastic “Loves me, Loves me not” bookmarks that it takes into schools and colleges. The bookmarks detail the component parts of a healthy relationship, as well as how to detect whether or not someone is in one. Does my hon. Friend agree that more initiatives like that would take us in exactly the direction we need to go in?

• 9 Feb 2026 · Illegal Migrants: Pull Factors · Hansard source

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  8. What steps her Department is taking to reduce pull factors for migrants seeking to arrive in the UK illegally.

• 3 Feb 2026 · Town and City Centre Safety · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend makes the point about people needing to feel safe in their communities. One of the issues that many of us hear from our constituents about is illegal e-bikes speeding through our parks and town centres. Many reputable dealers, such as Bikeseven and Palace Cycles in my constituency, would never sell an illegal e-bike, but they are widely available. Does my hon. Friend agree that the time has come to ban the sale of illegal e-bikes and cut the problem off at source?

• 19 Jan 2026 · Sale of Fireworks · Hansard source

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  My constituents, like those of so many of us, have written to me about this. I want to talk about Jessica, who wrote to describe how the impact that fireworks had on her father reduced him to a near panic attack. She also has a friend who served in multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a dog who is reduced to panting and drooling to the point where she fears that he is going to have a heart attack. At the weekend, the owner of Eden Valley Pet Foods spoke to me because the impact of fireworks on one of his dogs—a gundog—leaves him very traumatised. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that this is not about backing a ban, or banning the bang, but about achieving a solution that balances enjoyment with mitigating the trauma that so many people and animals experience?

• 18 Dec 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Merry Christmas, Mr Speaker. A recent outbreak of avian flu near Wetheral in my constituency affected 43,000 birds and required the culling of the entire flock. Although I welcome the turkey vaccination trial, I am concerned that it will not conclude in time for the vaccine to be rolled out for the next avian flu season. Will the Minister set out what steps she is taking to remove the regulatory barriers that might prevent a roll-out in time for the next avian flu season?

• 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.

• 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?

• 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 · 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?

• 16 Oct 2025 · World Menopause Day · Hansard source

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  I agree entirely. Menopause remains an area where many employers are still failing to support their staff in the way that they need. As my hon. Friend the Member for Neath and Swansea East said, one in 10 women who works during the menopause will leave their job due to their symptoms, and nearly a quarter more will have considered quitting because of its impact on their working lives. That is hundreds of thousands of experienced professionals walking away not because they want to, but because they have not been properly supported or have been made to feel that the workplace is no longer somewhere that they can function.