Lorraine Beavers MP: speeches

Speeches

• 26 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  At Jameson Road landfill site, the stink is only getting worse. It is making the lives of my constituents unbearable, yet the crooks responsible at Transwaste still have not gone back to Yorkshire, and have set up a new company called Transwaste NW, presumably to hide their dodgy activities. Will the Leader of the House assure me that this Government will not allow firms like Transwaste to evade accountability for their crimes?

• 25 Mar 2026 · Waste Crime: Knowsley · Hansard source

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  Fleetwood stinks again today, but the Jameson Road landfill site still has not been closed. After 14 years of Conservative cuts to all our public services, bodies such as the Environment Agency are on their knees. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Environment Agency desperately needs more boots on the ground to take on the criminals who care nothing for our communities or our planet?

• 25 Mar 2026 · Victims and Courts Bill · Hansard source

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  I welcome the progress that has been made on this Bill. It is right that we are taking steps to rebuild trust in a system that for too long has left victims feeling invisible and unheard. The measures to compel offenders to attend their sentencing hearings are welcome. No family should be denied the chance to see justice simply because an offender refuses to face what they have done. The protections for children, especially in cases of sexual violence, are long overdue. I will speak specifically about Lords amendments 5 and 6, and about my constituent Katie Brett. Katie’s little sister, Sasha Marsden, was just 16 years old when she was brutally murdered, raped and set on fire. The sheer horror of that crime is beyond words. The pain her family lives with every single day is unimaginable to most of us, yet after enduring the traumatic trial and the devastation of their loss, Katie and her family were faced with another injustice: they had 28 days to challenge the sentence that they believed did not reflect the severity of the crime. What is worse, they were not even told that they had this right. For the family of a victim, the trial of the perpetrator is always traumatising, but in such a case—Sasha’s family heard the brutal details of her murder for the first time at the trial—most of us would not be emotionally ready to fight another fight and to understand the complex legal processes within 28 days of hearing the sentence. That is 28 days to grieve, 28 days to understand the complex legal system and 28 days to find the strength to fight once more. This is not a meaningful right; this is a barrier. Katie has shown extraordinary courage in turning her grief into action. Through her campaign for Sasha’s law, she is asking for something perfectly reasonable: more time for victims’ families to seek a review of sentences that they believe are unduly lenient. The Government are absolutely right to be looking at ways to improve communications with victims’ families to ensure that they know their right to appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme, but I must make this point to the Minister: 28 days is not enough, even if people are informed of their right to appeal. The period of 28 days is how long someone has to return a T-shirt. The families deserve longer to consider whether they wish to appeal. I understand the Government’s concern that an end date must still be placed on this longer deadline, which is why Lords amendments 5 and 6 cannot be supported, but I urge them to listen to Katie and the many other families who have suffered at the hands of the status quo, and to ensure that the issue is revisited as the Bill continues its progress. Offenders are afforded multiple opportunities to appeal, and they are given time, process and support. However, victims’ families are given just one chance, with very limited time for it. This cannot be right. It does not reflect the values that we say our justice system is built on and the values that the Labour Government were elected to put into action. If we are serious about putting victims at the heart of the justice system, we must ensure that their rights are real. The Bill takes important steps forward, but it must not be the end of the conversation. It must be the beginning of doing better for Katie and Sasha, and for every family forced to navigate grief and injustice at the same time. Let us make sure that our justice system delivers not just outcomes, but humanity, fairness and the time that victims need to truly seek justice.

• 19 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My constituents in Thornton-Cleveleys have been shocked to learn that their homes are at high risk of contamination due to the presence of the forever chemical PFOA. Will the Leader of the House make time for a debate on the need to ensure that polluters pay for the clean-ups needed in cases like this?

• 19 Mar 2026 · Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme · Hansard source

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  3. What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

• 19 Mar 2026 · Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the Solicitor General for her meeting with me on Monday about the failures of the unduly lenient sentence scheme. It is not enough simply to ensure that families are informed of their rights; they should have longer than the current 28 days to use those rights. For families who have been put through traumatic trials, that is just not long enough. Will the Solicitor General update the House on what plans she has to ensure that families and victims have every chance to see justice done?

• 11 Mar 2026 · Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation · Hansard source

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  I am a proud member of the CWU. Posties in my constituency are clear that the problems at Royal Mail are the previous board’s financial mismanagement, along with lower wages, longer hours and poorer conditions. The Conservatives and the Lib Dems were warned that that would happen, but they privatised Royal Mail anyway. Will the Government commit to ensuring that the new owners stick to the agreement with the CWU and the Government, meet the universal service obligation and ensure that my constituents get the service that they deserve?

• 5 Mar 2026 · Government Shared Services · Hansard source

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  Last week, I heard that the Government have made Capita the preferred bidder for a £700 million contract for shared services across Departments. Are they having a laugh? Given Capita’s appalling performance in administrating the civil service pension scheme, which has affected hundreds of my constituents, will the Minister urgently review the procurement process for this contract? Will he commit to bringing this work back in-house to ensure that Capita does not mess this contract up as well?

• 5 Mar 2026 · Government Shared Services · Hansard source

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  9. What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the procurement of the business process services element of the Synergy programme in the context of shared services across Government.

• 4 Mar 2026 · Child Poverty · Hansard source

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  5. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle child poverty in Wales.

• 4 Mar 2026 · Child Poverty · Hansard source

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  Our UK Labour Government’s decision to scrap the wicked Conservative two-child cap will benefit 1,700 children in my constituency, and 69,000 children in Wales. Does the Secretary of State agree with me that the Conservative and Reform desire to reintroduce the cap is unjustifiably cruel and will drag children back into poverty?

• 3 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T5. My eight-year-old grandson Ronnie, along with his mum and dad, spent Sunday night on the bathroom floor at RAF Akrotiri until they got the all-clear at 3 o’clock in the morning. Will the Foreign Secretary assure me that this country will not be dragged into another illegal war by the Americans, putting the lives of British servicemen and women, and millions of innocent civilians, in danger?

• 24 Feb 2026 · Gaza Healthcare System · Hansard source

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  Thank you, Sir Jeremy. It is an honour to serve under your chairship. Today’s debate concerns healthcare in Gaza, but the truth is this: there is almost no healthcare left. Hospitals have been bombed. Doctors and nurses have been killed. Children are having limbs amputated without proper pain relief. Babies are being born in tents, into hunger and into fear. There is not a functioning healthcare system; it has collapsed, and it is children who are paying the highest price. Thousands of children have been killed. Many more have been injured. Gaza now has an entire generation of children living with life-changing disabilities. Imagine being a child who survives a bomb, loses a leg and then cannot get a wheelchair or even basic medicine. Imagine being a parent who knows that their child needs treatment, but cannot get them out. A Palestinian child died on Sunday. Nidal had been granted medical referral documents 14 months ago, but he died waiting for Israel to grant him permission to leave Gaza. More children will die waiting if we do not fight. Children are sleeping on the bare ground in the cold. They are drinking dirty water. They are dying from illnesses that we know how to treat. Almost every child is now carrying deep psychological trauma from what they have seen and lost. The view of many experts is that we are witnessing a genocide. We have a moral duty to do everything in our power to put an end to this horror, because it is not inevitable, but aid is being blocked. Israel has revoked the licences of 37 international NGOs. That is outrageous. Without doubt, it will add to the suffering, the trauma and the deaths of more Palestinian children. Medical supplies are still not getting in at the scale needed. Humanitarian organisations are still being prevented from doing their work. This country cannot fix everything, but we are not powerless. We are not doing enough. We must push for crossings to be fully opened, so that medicine, fuel and food can get in. We must fund medical equipment, rehabilitation and mental healthcare for children whose lives have been shattered. We must stand up for humanitarian agencies so that they can operate freely and safely. We must make it clear that hospitals and healthcare workers must never be the targets. This debate is not about politics. It is about whether a child who survives a bomb is then allowed to live. Right now, too many children are not. We owe them more than our sympathy. We owe them action.

• 5 Feb 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T3. My constituents have had to put up with over two years of toxic stench because of Transwaste’s disgraceful activity at the Jameson Road landfill site. Residents are weary of the endless enforcement orders issued by the Environment Agency. It is not complicated: the toxic stink has to stop. Will the Minister work with me to ensure that the Environment Agency has the powers to shut down these cowboys once and for all?

• 4 Feb 2026 · AI: Impact on Employment · Hansard source

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  History shows that workers’ voices must be heard to ensure that advances in technology provide better living and working conditions. Will the Secretary of State tell me what conversations she has had with the trade unions about ensuring that working-class people gain from the innovation in artificial intelligence?

• 4 Feb 2026 · AI: Impact on Employment · Hansard source

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  1. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of AI on trends in the level of employment.

• 4 Feb 2026 · Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration · Hansard source

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  I apologise, Ms Lewell. The scheme cannot even say how many people are still waiting for their first pension payout. From what we are hearing, it is clearly thousands. Behind those failures are real people. I want to share some examples of constituents who have agreed that their cases may be raised. John was a prison officer for 25 years. He has been receiving just a fraction of his pension for several months. He was left on hold for two hours in December, only to be told that there was nothing Capita could do about it. Robert emailed to tell me that while the loan system is seen as a lifeline by many, Capita seems to be completely unequipped to deal with it. He says that some of his former colleagues are even being directed to charities and Citizens Advice.

• 4 Feb 2026 · Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration · Hansard source

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  I agree. To deal with hardship, the Cabinet Office has announced interest-free loans of up to £10,000. That may help in the short term, but it is wrong that pensioners are being asked to borrow money that already belongs to them. That should never have been needed. What is more, those affected have been left in limbo and have no information about the operation of these loans. Given the mismanagement of the scheme, how can members have any confidence that Capita will know who is facing hardship and is therefore eligible for a loan? PCS has made it clear that many of these cases should have been completed before the hand-over, but were not. The Cabinet Office has accepted that more retirements late last year, and more this year, have made the backlog worse. Without a clear and well-resourced recovery plan, normal service could take many months to return. That is why Capita must urgently prioritise the cases of retirees, as over the coming months many could remain without any income whatever. It must increase staffing capacity and, ultimately, devote every resource to clearing the backlog. It is welcome that the Cabinet Office has now brought in about 150 civil servants, mainly from HMRC, to help fix the problem, but it raises a simple question: if so many civil servants are needed, why is the work not being done inside the civil service? Are the Government billing Capita for the work that those civil servants are having to do?

• 4 Feb 2026 · Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration · Hansard source

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  I agree.

• 4 Feb 2026 · Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That this House has considered administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I am grateful to my colleagues for attending this morning’s debate. After reading many emails from constituents, it is clear that the issue before us today is not just an admin problem. It has caused real worry, stress and financial hardship to people who spent decades serving the public, trusting that their pension would be paid properly and on time. The scale of the problem is now very large and affects people across the country. Since Capita took over running the scheme on 1 December 2025, the Public and Commercial Services Union has been flooded with complaints. Members report long delays, mixed messages and very poor service. This is happening while there is a large backlog of cases passed on from the previous provider, MyCSP. Thousands of people are now stuck waiting. The result is stress, uncertainty and real financial hardship, which is not acceptable. The seriousness of it has been accepted at the highest level. Last week Cat Little, permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office, wrote to civil servants to admit that the service being provided falls short of what members should expect.

• 4 Feb 2026 · Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration · Hansard source

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  I absolutely do agree with you. The move to Capita was meant to modernise the system and improve services. Instead, it has exposed poor planning and weak control. Since the transfer, the scheme has struggled to work properly. There have been late pension payments, missing lump sums, lost records, broken systems and long delays in answering calls.

• 4 Feb 2026 · Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration · Hansard source

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  I agree. Peter reached state pension age and gave plenty of notice, but heard nothing. After waiting three hours on the phone, he was told that nothing had been done. He retired in good faith, but the system let him down. Such cases are not rare. PCS has heard from people who cannot pay their rent or mortgages, who have missed bill payments, who have been charged fees by banks, who are borrowing money or relying on family, and who are suffering serious stress. Some widows or widowers wait months for their late partner’s pension. This is a human crisis. PCS has said that up to 8,500 people may have retired without receiving their pension. For many, this pension is their only income and, when it does not arrive, the impact is immediate and severe. This is a failure on a huge scale. I also want to mention retired prison officers such as my constituent John, whose cases have been raised by the POA. They have worked in tough and dangerous jobs, and many now face delayed pensions and missing lump sums. The POA is right to call for urgent action, clear timescales and fair compensation.

• 4 Feb 2026 · Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration · Hansard source

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  I agree with the hon. Gentleman. The seriousness of it has been accepted at the highest level. As I was saying, Cat Little, permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office, wrote to the civil servants to admit that the service falls short of what members should expect. That alone should worry us all. We have also seen reports that some former civil servants have been left without any pension income at all because payments have not been made since Capita took over.

• 4 Feb 2026 · Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration · Hansard source

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  I do agree with you; it is completely unacceptable.

• 4 Feb 2026 · Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration · Hansard source

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  I agree. Some retirees have had to borrow money just to pay bills because their expected pension payments or lump sums have not arrived, and no clear timescale has been given for when they will. This is not a one-off mistake; it is part of a longer pattern. The Public Accounts Committee has made it clear that successive Governments have failed for years to manage the outsourced contract properly.