Liz Twist MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 17 Dec 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q5. In 2020, my constituents John and Karen Rowlands lost their son Andrew in a road collision. He was just 18 years old and a passenger. Like too many others, the driver of the car should never have been on the road. He was under age, unlicensed and uninsured, and he bought the car on social media using cash. Can the Prime Minister tell me how bereaved families like the Rowlands can have a meaningful say on our road safety strategy to ensure that the right checks are in place to prevent future tragedies?

• 11 Dec 2025 · Fairtrade Certification · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for securing this debate. Through their pioneering work, the Fairtrade movement and other organisations, such as Transform Trade, have demonstrated that we can have a real impact on human rights abuses and working conditions abroad by upholding standards in our own supply chains. Does he agree that we should work with big companies to incentivise best practice and transparency, protecting small and ethical businesses in the process?

• 11 Dec 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Earlier this year, 150,000 workers across the north-east benefited from the increase in the national minimum wage, with another increase due in April as a result of the Budget. However, it is important that these increases are actually applied, so the Minister set out what steps she is taking to ensure that employers comply?

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

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  Right across my constituency, the decorations are up, the lights have been switched on and Christmas fairs have been in full swing. As we head towards Christmas, I would like to thank all the staff and volunteers who make these festivities happen and keep our communities thriving throughout the season. May we have a debate in Government time on what we can do as a House to recognise the value of their huge contribution?

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

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  It has been five years since the Cumberlege report shone a light on a shocking patient safety scandal. Last year, the Hughes report set out redress options for those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. Many of the affected individuals have faced complex, lifelong challenges, which have been compounded by the delays they have faced in getting support. Can we have a debate in Government time about what steps we can take to put the findings into action and provide the recognition and compensation that patients need?

• 4 Dec 2025 · Acquired Brain Injury Action Plan · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Dame Siobhain. I congratulate the right hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Sir John Hayes) on his opening remarks. We have served together on the all-party parliamentary group for acquired brain injury for a number of years. He gave a very effective summary of the impact of brain injury. I thank Chloe Hayward and everyone at the United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum and its constituent organisations for all the work and campaigning they do to improve services for people with acquired brain injuries. There are so many aspects of this issue, including sport, other conditions and the justice system, but I will focus on children. I thank the Child Brain Injury Trust for its long-standing support in my constituency. A few weeks ago, its representatives accompanied me on a visit to Chopwell primary school, as they have come to other schools in past years, during GloWeek, which is always a big hit with children in Blaydon and Consett. It turns out that road safety is even more memorable if there are high-vis armbands and a visiting police car and fire engine. The purpose is not just entertainment; it is to say to children, “Be seen and be safe,” because so many acquired brain injuries in children are from road traffic accidents. It is entertaining, but it has a very serious message: “Let’s avoid those brain injuries in the first place.” UKABIF and N-ABLES—the National ABI in Learning and Education Syndicate, a young people’s group—point out that acquired brain injury is an under-recognised and often hidden condition that can affect every aspect of a person’s life. About 40,000 children and young people report to hospital with an acquired brain injury every year, but it is likely that many thousands more have an undetected mild brain injury. UKABIF and N-ABLES also say, however, that even mild injuries can be associated with a range of cognitive, behavioural and emotional symptoms, which can inevitably have an impact on a child’s education and health—indeed, on every aspect of their life, as we have heard. For those with moderate and severe injuries, the effect on all aspects of their life is often profound. The UK’s major trauma centres and advances in healthcare are saving more children’s lives than ever—thank goodness—but investment is needed in the quality of those lives after a brain injury. We hope those children will have a long life, but the support remains desperately poor. It is actually left to families and schools to provide much of that support. Brain injuries are common, but the symptoms often go unrecognised or are mistakenly attributed to conditions such as autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Even with a diagnosis, there is no special educational needs category for acquired brain injury, which forces schools to record affected children under more generic categories. Many teachers say that they have never taught a child with a brain injury, but the evidence suggests that one child in every class will have sustained one by the time they leave school. It is vital that clinicians, teachers and carers consider the question, “Could this be a brain injury?” If that question is not asked, too many will miss out on the specialist support that they need. That is true not just at school but throughout their lives. Rates of brain injury are alarmingly high in our mental health system, in prisons, and among those accessing domestic abuse support services. The risk of suicide is two to three times higher following a brain injury. One in four people report suicidal thoughts within a year of diagnosis, and that risk persists throughout life. Despite that, more than half of people with neurological conditions have not been asked about their mental health in the past three years. Many people experiencing suicidal thoughts might not even be aware that they have a brain injury, particularly survivors of domestic abuse who might have experienced repeated mild injuries rather than one significant event. Research suggests that up to half of survivors have experienced brain injury, yet frontline support workers are rarely aware of that link. This matters because people experiencing mental health issues as a result of their brain injury require specialist neuro-psychiatric support. Often they are excluded from mental health services or told that the services they need do not exist. With fewer than 20 full-time neuro-psychiatrists in the UK, there is a postcode lottery in accessing support, so those most likely to experience high rates of traumatic brain injury and mental illness also face the most significant barriers to accessing healthcare. That includes those who are homeless, those who struggle with substance abuse or those in prison. Some 60% of offenders are thought to have a brain injury, and yet there are no secure services in the UK for women with an acquired brain injury. Given the links between domestic abuse, offending, brain injuries and suicidality, that is particularly concerning. What steps is the Minister taking to improve the integration of mental health and neurological care, and to ensure that clinicians are trained to recognise and respond to the needs of patients with brain injuries? The national service framework for long-term neurological conditions emphasises the need for provision at all levels, delivered through co-ordinated networks of specialist hospital and community rehab services. Having met local professionals in the north-east—in Newcastle and south of the River Tyne—I know that community provision varies significantly by postcode, some receiving none at all and others receiving great support. Without support, patients go on to have poorer outcomes, relying more heavily on other parts of our NHS and the care system. What steps is the Minister taking to ensure that we develop the care pathways we need to give patients the best chance of recovery? I welcome the Government’s commitment to a more focused action plan, and I look forward to hearing the Minister’s thoughts on what steps will be taken to achieve it. If we get this right, we can transform outcomes for thousands of people and build a system that supports them throughout their lives.

• 25 Nov 2025 · Mental and Physical Health Services · Hansard source

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  2. What steps he is taking to ensure parity of esteem between mental and physical health services.

• 25 Nov 2025 · Mental and Physical Health Services · Hansard source

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  Our mental health system is still suffering from the strain of 14 years of Conservative government. Rethink Mental Illness has reported that 12 times as many people are now waiting for mental health treatment than for physical health treatment. Nearly one third of those surveyed attempted suicide while waiting, and one in five lost their jobs. What are the Government doing to tackle those long waits and offer support to people before they reach crisis point?

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

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  Yesterday evening, I had the privilege of hosting the British Standards Institute at a reception at Speaker’s House to mark the launch of the UK’s first national suicide prevention standard—BS 30480: Suicide and the Workplace. That is a huge step forward in making suicide prevention everybody’s business, and I thank all those involved. Might we have a debate in Government time on how we can support employers and organisations to implement and make the most of that important guidance?

• 20 Nov 2025 · World COPD Day · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to take part in this debate with you as Chair, Mr Efford. I also thank the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for securing this important debate. He and I have worked together on the respiratory health APPG for some years now, and I know how committed he is to tackling this issue. Like in many other places across the north-east, a great number of people—more than 2,500 people, in fact—are living in my constituency with the debilitating symptoms of COPD. In some parts of my constituency, the rate is almost twice the national average, and those are just the people we know about. Almost a quarter of those with COPD wait five years or longer for a diagnosis, and there are many more living with COPD who are undiagnosed and therefore untreated. From the discussions I have with constituents who come to my local surgeries or contact my office, it is clear just how closely this condition tracks health inequalities. Nine in 10 cases are thought to be caused by smoking, which we know is associated with socioeconomic deprivation. Meanwhile, persistent exposure to damp and mould in poor-quality housing further contributes to and exacerbates lung problems. I have received messages from constituents receiving hospital care who are frightened to return to homes that they strongly feel are not safe places for them to be in. I have heard from others who struggle to walk long distances, for whom the reliability of public transport is a serious issue. This condition cuts across many areas of daily life. The town of Consett in my constituency is well known locally for its freezing climate. We have had lots of snow in Consett this week, while I have been down here in Parliament. Although it is great to see people enjoying the snow, I know that such weather conditions make living with a lung condition even more challenging, leading to heightened admissions to hospital, as we heard from the hon. Member for Strangford. This debate is therefore timely and is a good opportunity to remind ourselves of the importance of improving access to diagnosis, treatment and care for people living with COPD. The Government’s 10-year health plan has established the importance of prevention and care within the community. I am pleased with the progress we have made to tackle smoking prevalence through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, and the progress made through Awaab’s law, which requires that problems of mould and damp are responded to quicker in the social housing sector. Locally in the north-east, our ICB performs well nationally for ensuring timely referrals to pulmonary rehabilitation services. However, much more needs to be done nationally to ensure access to rehabilitation services. I know there is much more to do to ensure that all eligible patients have access to that treatment as well as biologic drugs. Both those interventions can make a huge difference to quality of life and reduce hospital admissions. I would be interested to hear the Minister’s views on the potential merits of a dedicated framework to bring those efforts together with work to expand early diagnosis, and on what more we can do to ensure that we catch and treat conditions early. I thank Asthma + Lung UK and the APPG for respiratory health for their work in ensuring that COPD remains firmly on the agenda here in Parliament. My thanks go to constituents who have shared with their experiences with me, not just lately but over a number of years. I know just how devastating this condition can be, and I hope that we continue to work together to address the impact it has on our communities and people.

• 18 Nov 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Polling by National Energy Action has shown that four in 10 adults with prepayment meters have found themselves without credit and unable to access heating or power in the past 12 months. Families often face immense distress as standing charges continue to accrue as a debt that must be cleared before energy can be accessed again. Does the Minister agree that Ofgem must explore practical reforms to ensure that households are not penalised for maintaining access to energy?

• 5 Nov 2025 · Curriculum and Assessment Review · Hansard source

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  I welcome the inclusion of community history and the acknowledgment of its importance. Does the Secretary of State think that projects such as the Addison project, which looks at a category D village in my constituency, help children to develop digital skills, learning and thinking skills and practical skills?

• 5 Nov 2025 · Employment Rights Bill · Hansard source

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  I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. The hon. Gentleman is talking about seasonal work but has he thought about the impact on young people of so-called zero-hours contracts and the pressure that puts on their being able to live a decent life and plan for the future? I was at a conference last week about mental health in the workplace, which Opposition Members are concerned about. Zero-hours contracts and flexible working are really difficult for young people, and we must address their concerns as well.

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

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  Amazing community groups such as The Pickle Palace, Leadgate Salvation Army, Gateshead Youth Initiative and Building Self-Belief have all been nominated by residents in my constituency to receive one of my red kite awards, created to celebrate all the work that our incredible volunteers do across the constituency to ensure that our communities are vibrant and full of support. May we have a debate in Government time on how we can support the voluntary sector at the heart of our communities?

• 29 Oct 2025 · Sentencing Bill · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Minister’s comments on new clause 20 and a possible child protection register. My constituents Gemma Chappell and Rachael Walls have been campaigning for stronger child protection measures after their great-niece, Maya, was murdered by her mother’s abusive partner. Does the Minister agree that measures such as a child protection register and Maya’s law can only help to protect our children—children like Maya, Tony and others? And what steps will he be taking to follow this up?

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

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  The clocks turn back this Sunday and many children will soon go to school in the dark. The Child Brain Injury Trust has a campaign called GloWeek, which promotes high visibility so that young people can be seen in the dark and avoid accidents that can alter their lives forever. Tomorrow I will join pupils at Chopwell primary school as they learn all about it. Can we have a debate in Government time on how we can encourage safety across our community?

• 16 Oct 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T6. Communities in my constituency have been devastated by the destruction of Shotley Park, a grade II listed building, in a recent fire. I understand that an investigation is going on into the circumstances, but can the Minister say in more general terms what steps we can take to protect our listed buildings and the memories they represent for local people?

• 16 Oct 2025 · Youth Services: Funding · Hansard source

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  7. What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on levels of funding for youth services.

• 16 Oct 2025 · Youth Services: Funding · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Government’s work on the national youth strategy and their investment in youth services so far. How do they expect the move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to benefit young people from different backgrounds in my constituency and in general?

• 15 Oct 2025 · Point of Order · Hansard source

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  On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Members will be aware that the Upper Waiting Hall is this week hosting the Speak Their Name exhibition of suicide memorial quilts from across the UK. This would not have been possible without the help of House staff who have gone way over and above to ensure that the exhibition and last Friday’s launch with the Baton of Hope could take place. May I ask you, Madam Deputy Speaker, to thank all the staff involved for their help and to pass on my appreciation?

• 14 Oct 2025 · Child Risk Disclosure Scheme · Hansard source

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  I am glad to have my hon. Friend’s support in this campaign. As a police officer in Durham constabulary, Maya’s auntie Gemma is well acquainted with these laws and their pitfalls. That is why she and the family are campaigning for Maya’s law, a child risk disclosure scheme modelled on the existing frameworks of Sarah’s law and Clare’s law, and designed to bridge the gaps between them. The scheme should enable proactive information sharing where a child is deemed at risk owing to a parent or caregiver’s known history, even where current laws do not trigger disclosure. It has long been recognised that information sharing is a serious issue when it comes to child safeguarding. Over 50% of serious case reviews cite communication failure as a primary cause. The independent review of children’s social care in 2022 put it plainly: “Poor multi-agency working...is a perennial issue that has been raised in every recent review that has considered child protection”. Existing legislation has attempted to solve this problem. The Children Act 2004 outlines the statutory safeguarding duties of local authorities and how they must work with the NHS and police in multi-agency safeguarding hubs to protect children in their areas. In practice, however, we know that multi-agency working has been more fractured than it should be. Furthermore, the thresholds for intervention are perceived as extremely high, and with a rising number of section 47 inquiries, existing services have been stretched. The result is that, 25 years on from the Victoria Climbié inquiry, we are still seeing children being harmed where opportunities to intervene have been missed.

• 14 Oct 2025 · Child Risk Disclosure Scheme · Hansard source

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  Clearly, there is a whole lot of activity going on to improve child protection, but we think there are some significant gaps. Would the Minister be prepared to meet me and the family so that we can explain where we think the gaps are and how we could improve the legislation?

• 14 Oct 2025 · Child Risk Disclosure Scheme · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend makes a very good point. It is really important that we keep the focus on protecting our children and taking the steps we have outlined today. Although it is vital that we improve safeguarding mechanisms among professionals, there is still more to do to ensure that families like the Chappell family are empowered to escalate their concerns, and that their concerns are taken seriously. We need greater awareness among the public and professionals of safeguarding risks that fall outside a narrow view of sexual abuse and intimate partner violence, we need to support safeguarding agencies to fulfil their obligations and hold them to account when those obligations are not fulfilled, and we need to close gaps to protect vulnerable children from slipping through the cracks of a fragmented system. What steps is the Minister taking, alongside colleagues in the Department for Education, to ensure that our legislation is watertight? Will he commit to working across Departments to ensure that safeguarding partners work alongside each other to uphold their responsibilities? Will the Department for Education, working alongside the Home Office and others, consider the role of the police in protecting children from a broad range of potential risks? Finally, will the Minister meet me and Maya’s family, who are here today, to hear about their concerns and the changes we believe are necessary to prevent future tragedies? Every loss of this nature causes unbearable pain for loved ones and carers. Maya’s family have worked so hard to get the campaign to this point. Sadly, her death is not the first high-profile case in which more could have been done. Had this debate been longer, I am sure we would have heard testimonies about many more children whose deaths could have been prevented. To put it simply, in each of these cases, reports are produced, and they almost invariably cite lessons learned, as was the case with Maya. The family and I are calling for those lessons to be put into action. As Gemma Chappell says: “Let’s make that phrase mean what it should. Not the end of a case, but the beginning of change.” We should not be here today. Today Maya should be five and a half years old. She should be enjoying her time at school, making friends and going to birthday parties. Her family will not have the opportunity to watch her grow up and see where life would have taken her, but they want to take every opportunity they can to ensure that no family has to endure the pain that they have. I pay tribute to them and hope the Minister can work with me and Maya’s family on that mission.

• 14 Oct 2025 · Child Risk Disclosure Scheme · Hansard source

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  I know that Gemma, Rachael and the family have been working together with other families who have been affected, including Tony’s family. What happened to him is absolutely tragic. We need to take a number of steps along the way, and today we are arguing for this disclosure arrangement. I am very happy to talk to the hon. Member further about Tony’s case and how it can be improved. The Government have taken vital steps forward with the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill by placing a duty on certain agencies to disclose information to other agencies where they consider it to be relevant to safeguarding or promoting the welfare of children. That is a recognition of the regulatory barriers perceived by practitioners when sharing information, and of the culture change that is required. I am in no doubt that those measures, including the establishment of multi-agency child protection teams and the introduction of a single unique identifier for children, will help to save lives.

• 14 Oct 2025 · Child Risk Disclosure Scheme · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That this House has considered the potential merits of a child risk disclosure scheme. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Efford. The focus of this debate, a child risk disclosure scheme, might sound a bit complicated and dry. In some ways, it is. It is about how our laws, policies and institutions come together to protect some of the most vulnerable children in this country, and about how we close gaps in a complex web involving our police, the NHS, local authorities, our education system and families. Ultimately, however, it is about the children at the heart of those cases and the lives that have been altered forever by the most horrifying abuse. Some we may never know the names of, but their lives were still important, still cherished and still worth protecting. My constituent Gemma Chappell and her sister Rachael know that pain all too well. Their great-niece, Maya Chappell, was cruelly murdered by her mother’s new partner in September 2022, aged just two and a half. The case shocked the community of Consett in my constituency, as well as communities in Shotton Colliery, County Durham and across the north-east. Before I talk more about the case, I want to talk about Maya. If one thing was clear from my conversations with Gemma and her family, it is that Maya was a treasured little girl. She had family, friends and an entire community who loved her and who looked after her. Despite her tender age, she touched the hearts of everyone she met with her huge smile, infectious laugh and friendly nature. She was full of life, mischief and personality. She loved cake, playtime and “Peppa Pig”. Although it is a privilege to remember Maya here in Parliament, it is with a deep sadness that we are here today because this much-loved little girl was failed so terribly by those who were supposed to protect her. Maya was born on 7 March 2020, just before the start of the pandemic. Being born at that time meant that she was not seen by others. Although her mother was not known to statutory services, Maya’s family say there were early red flags, including missed health visits, concerns about drugs being in and around the house, and her parents being involved in controlling or concerning relationships. In summer 2022, Maya’s mother began a relationship with Michael Daymond, and they quickly moved in together. A judge would later conclude that from that moment, Daymond began hurting Maya regularly. She soon began to sustain bruises that were noticed by other people. Relatives flagged these injuries to Maya’s mother, but she did not act. Instead, Maya was kept away from her father, James, and from the staff at her nursery so that they could not see the impact of Daymond’s abuse. In fact, following Maya’s move to Peterlee, members of her family did not even know where she lived. On 28 September, Michael Daymond was being chased for drug debts and was told that his universal credit had been cut off. On that day, he subjected Maya to the most appalling physical violence, leaving her with injuries that were not survivable. She died in hospital two days later, on 30 September 2022. It has now been more than three years since that tragic day, but Maya’s family and the community of Consett have ensured that her name has not been forgotten. I doubt that there is a single person in Consett and active on social media who has not seen Maya’s beaming smile, which is exactly how her family want her to be remembered. They have held local events, reached out to everyone they can think of and grabbed the attention of local and national media. It is thanks to their tenacity that I am here today and it is a tribute to the entire community, who have got behind the campaign in memory of Maya’s life.