Lee Dillon MP: speeches

Speeches

• 14 Jan 2026 · Horse and Rider Road Safety · Hansard source

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  rose—

• 14 Jan 2026 · Horse and Rider Road Safety · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. Councils are responsible for maintaining bridleways, but unfortunately their funding has been cut over numerous years and they do not have the money to do so. That forces more riders to use the roads because other routes are not available. Indeed, I was contacted this morning by a lady who said that they do not have any bridleways where she rides, only pavements, so she always has to be on the carriageway. She asked whether we would consider allowing horses to use public pavements in that instance.

• 14 Jan 2026 · Horse and Rider Road Safety · Hansard source

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  Thank you for that guidance, Mr Dowd. I will move on. I want to talk about some excellent examples of best practice that are already in place. In Leicestershire and Rutland, the rural policing team, alongside Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, have been delivering the “Virtual Insanity Experience” through the Hazard Express van. That involves a mounted volunteer riding on a bike, and if drivers pass dangerously, they are invited to experience that situation through VR headsets. The scheme is focused on education, not punishment, and it could be rolled out nationally for people coming across horses so that motorists understand the experience of a horse rider when a vehicle passes too quickly or closely. I urge the Minister to look at the wider adoption of that scheme. Before Christmas, the Minister raised the Government’s desire to re-publicise the 2022 highway code changes. Despite £2.4 million being spent on advertising, a YouGov poll in January 2023 found that 25% of adults were unaware of those changes. Mary from south Derbyshire told me: “The Highway Code revisions made in January 2022 have not really enhanced our safety when using the roads.”

• 14 Jan 2026 · Horse and Rider Road Safety · Hansard source

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  I absolutely do, and I will come to that later in my speech and also highlight some of the good work happening in police forces across the country on driver awareness, once drivers have been caught going too close to a horse. Turning to my own constituency, in Lambourn the horseracing industry contributes over £22 million to the local economy each year and supports approximately one in three jobs in the area. It is not just an emotional issue; it is a financial one, too. That concentration of equestrian activity also means there is a higher number of horse-related incidents in my constituency. Unfortunately, Laura from Essex’s story is not an isolated one. Last May, I had the honour of joining the Project EDWARD—Every Day Without A Road Death—equestrian road safety awareness ride out from Lambourn to Windsor. It is held in memory of a racehorse named Knockalla, a two-year-old racehorse that was killed on a road in my constituency. Heavy rainfall caused flooding and standing water and a local driver who was familiar with the road was proceeding slowly down the centre of the carriageway to avoid aquaplaning. But horses are flight animals and as they approached from the opposite direction a splash of water startled Knockalla, causing her to move into the road. In that split second, Knockalla was struck and suffered injuries so severe that she had to be euthanised. Importantly, this case was not about speeding or reckless driving but was rather a tragic accident, and it demonstrates that even when motorists act cautiously, horses and riders remain extremely vulnerable, as horses are flight animals that can react unexpectedly. Eighty-one per cent of incidents involving horses and vehicles occur because drivers pass too closely or too quickly. That is why I have consistently campaigned for stronger protections for horses and riders.

• 14 Jan 2026 · Horse and Rider Road Safety · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention, and I ask him to pass on my best wishes to his constituent. That shows why the debate is so important, because this is a daily reality on our national highways. Behind all the figures we talk about, there is a rider, a family and a community affected by trauma and loss. I was contacted by many people from across the country when they heard about this debate. Laura from Essex experienced a devastating accident while riding her horse, Angel. The pair were struck by a car travelling at 53 mph. Laura was extremely fortunate to survive, but tragically Angel, who was just three years old, did not. That incident starkly illustrates the life-threatening dangers that riders face when sharing the road with fast-moving vehicles, and the heartbreaking consequences that can follow.

• 14 Jan 2026 · Horse and Rider Road Safety · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. The Forestry Commission looks after our forests. They should be open for us to be able to enjoy, and the Forestry Commission should work with all relevant groups to make open access as easy as possible. The road safety strategy also announces the establishment of a new road safety board. Given that horses and riders are among the most vulnerable of road users, will the Minister commit to ensuring that an equestrian representative organisation, such as the British Horse Society, is included on that board? I know that horse-related bodies have been on previous safety advisory boards.

• 14 Jan 2026 · Horse and Rider Road Safety · Hansard source

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  I agree that body-worn cameras can help to produce evidence to bring drivers to account when they are causing horses or people to suffer injury or death. Fifty-eight horses lost their lives in 2024 and a further 97 were injured.

• 14 Jan 2026 · Horse and Rider Road Safety · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Lady for her intervention, which shows that this is not a party political issue; rather, it is about the safety of riders. I am sure that the Minister, too, will take the hon. Lady’s views onboard. I welcome the commitment to publish the national guidance on road safety education training and publicity, but I urge the Government to align that work with the measures in my Bill and in particular the need for stronger education in the driving test for new drivers.

• 13 Jan 2026 · Finance (No. 2) Bill · Hansard source

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  Under this Government, we also have the situation whereby champagne in France is taxed at 40% less than sparkling wine is taxed in this country. If we are levelling the playing field, does the hon. Gentleman believe that the Government should also level the playing field for English sparkling wine so that it can compete with champagne?

• 13 Jan 2026 · Finance (No. 2) Bill · Hansard source

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  If this debate had taken place before Christmas, I would have had to declare an interest, but my father has now sold his majority share in our local pub in our home town, which I think goes to the core of today’s debate: publicans are leaving the sector. My hon. Friend has been talking about the importance of hospitality. My father’s pub used to host bingo nights on Thursdays and bingo on Sunday afternoons, and on those occasions we would see people there who would never go at other times of the week. Does my hon. Friend agree that the sense of community that pubs build is crucial, and is under threat from this Labour Government?

• 12 Jan 2026 · New Homes · Hansard source

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  The Secretary of State talked about increasing the pace of build-out, but as we strive to achieve the target of 1.5 million new homes, quality is important too. Will the Secretary of State say whether he will use the powers in the Building Safety Act 2022 to make the New Homes Ombudsman Service mandatory, because only 60% of developers are currently signed up to that scheme?

• 5 Jan 2026 · Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief · Hansard source

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  Happy new year, Madam Deputy Speaker. In the last 14 months, constituents in Newbury, which I am proud to represent, have really felt the burden of the unfair family farm tax. I have hosted farmers here in Parliament and invited all parliamentarians to come and meet them, and I am proud that Members—predominantly from the Opposition Benches—have made that effort, and the Government have started to listen. But I have family farms in my constituency that will still have to pay £600,000, and they will have to sell off their farms to pay those tax bills. When the Government table their amendment, will they publish an assessment of those remaining farms and whether it is likely that they will need to be sold off to fit Labour’s tax bills?

• 24 Nov 2025 · Gaza: Humanitarian Obligations · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady touches on the burden that women and children are facing. Does she agree that, with 123,000 pregnant women across the west bank and Gaza living with severe malnutrition, inadequate medical care and soaring risks to themselves and their babies, it is incumbent on the Government to provide as much aid as possible so that those 123,000 pregnant women are supported?

• 24 Nov 2025 · Social and Affordable Housing: South Shields · Hansard source

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  The Government’s affordable homes programme will contribute 180,000 social homes over the 10-year period, but Shelter has called for 900,000 homes over that period. Could the Secretary of State tell the House how much he expects social providers to provide on top of the 180,000 to be provided by the affordable homes plan?

• 18 Nov 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T2. More than 3,600 families in my constituency are living in fuel poverty. While I welcome the warm home discount that will help with bills, it is really the warm homes plan that we need to see rolled out. Can the Minister give any assurance to my constituents about when they will be able to see that investment?

• 3 Nov 2025 · Armed Forces Families: Housing · Hansard source

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  I welcome the £9 billion investment in military housing, but can the Secretary of State reassure Members, those serving and their families that responsive repairs will not be put on hold in the hope of a new bathroom, kitchen or heating system?

• 27 Oct 2025 · Pension Age Increase: Institute for Fiscal Studies Report · Hansard source

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  1. What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies entitled, “How do people already out of employment fare when the state pension age rises”, published on 17 September 2025.

• 27 Oct 2025 · Pension Age Increase: Institute for Fiscal Studies Report · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Secretary of State to his new position. In my seat of Newbury, over 5,200 women have been unfairly affected by changes to the state pension age. Those women were wronged through no fault of their own, and they deserve justice. With a High Court hearing due in December, this could be a crucial moment for the Government—a moment to finally do the right thing. Will the Secretary of State now listen to the ombudsman’s recommendations and commit to providing compensation to women of the Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign?

• 21 Oct 2025 · Social Housing: South Cotswolds · Hansard source

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  Apologies. Can the Minister give an indication of how many of those 1.5 million homes will be for social rent?

• 21 Oct 2025 · Social Housing: South Cotswolds · Hansard source

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  I support the Government’s ambition to build 1.5 million homes. This debate refers more to social housing and I wonder whether you could give an indication from the Dispatch Box—

• 14 Oct 2025 · Middle East · Hansard source

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  I add my support for yesterday’s ceasefire and the first tentative steps on the journey to peace. President Trump has spoken about a board of peace, and one of the names that has been floated for membership of that board is our former Prime Minister, Sir Tony Blair. Could the Prime Minister confirm whether Sir Tony Blair, if he were to take a seat on the board, would do so as a private citizen or as a representative of His Majesty’s Government, and what role can this House play in scrutinising any future appointment and the progress of that board?

• 15 Sept 2025 · Neighbourhood Policing · Hansard source

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  I was contacted by constituents yesterday from the Pound Street mosque and Riverside Community Centre mosque who had heard comments from the Unite the Kingdom rally about Islam not being welcome in this country or in Europe. How can neighbourhood policing help to reassure my constituents and the 3.9 million practising Muslims in this country that they have the right to practise their faith without fear?

• 4 Sept 2025 · Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund · Hansard source

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  There are 40,000 children in care every year—more than 100 children a day enter care. Does my hon. Friend agree that without a long-term funding commitment, that number could rise?

• 4 Sept 2025 · Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund · Hansard source

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  It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Lewell. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Sussex (Alison Bennett) on securing the debate and on her speech. It brought a tear to my eye when she mentioned the child and their pocket money. That is the one thing that should stay with us in this debate: how important this fund is to those young people. The funding is crucial for the roughly 55,000 adoptive families across the UK. It ensures that both children and their guardians receive the care and support they need. It is estimated that around 80% of adopted children suffer abuse, neglect or violence prior to adoption, with the average child spending 15 months in care and often moving through several foster placements. That instability is traumatic for anyone, but especially for young children, so it is essential that the right level of support is provided to these children, as well as to the families who care for them every day. I was recently contacted by a constituent who adopted three children in 2007. Post-adoption, all three were diagnosed with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, autistic spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and early-life trauma. Now young adults, they have had involvement with CAMHS and some support from the adult mental health services. The parents have fought tirelessly for the help that their children need, often resorting to self-funding therapies and education. In May 2023, their middle daughter requested life story work, which is critical for her development, but that has been halted due to the changes in the ASGSF. A very vulnerable, disabled, brain-injured young woman has therefore been left without the therapy she needs to navigate an incredibly difficult stage of her life. Their youngest child’s specialist occupational therapy has also been affected by the funding changes, but thankfully her therapists were able to adjust the package to fewer sessions to bring it under the £3,000 cap—although that is far from ideal. We need a clear commitment from the Government to fund that support not just next year but in perpetuity. Families need the reassurance of a long-term plan; without it, we risk more children going into long-term care without the support that they should have.

• 4 Sept 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T8. We are joined in the Gallery by farmers from my constituency of Newbury. It is the fifth time they have come to the House with the intent of lobbying individual Labour MPs to try to stop the family farm tax. Will the Secretary of State agree to meet the farmers from my constituency or to attend the Berkshire county show in just a couple of weeks’ time, so that he can explain to them directly why the Government believe that having an inheritance tax on farms is the right way forward, rather than protecting the rural economy?