Lucy Powell MP: speeches

Speeches

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend raises an important matter, and recent cases have highlighted some of the difficulties she raises. We want women not only to join the armed forces, but to feel that they can completely and fully contribute and have a long career in the armed forces. Any barrier to that is wrong and needs to be rooted out, and I will certainly ensure that my hon. Friend is updated.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I strongly support any organisation that boosts and supports local libraries, because they are vital to our communities and to the young people in those communities; on World Book Day in particular, we should mark the contribution of our local libraries. I know that Government officials have met officers from Suffolk county council on this matter, but I will ensure that my hon. Friend is updated. She has made her point strongly here today.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  As a regular attender of Glastonbury festival, I have partaken in a bit of Glastonbury cider over the years, and I can confirm that it is excellent cider—although perhaps I could not remember that towards the end of having it. I am not actually aware of the new regulations that she mentions, but I will absolutely ensure that she gets a full response about them.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for raising that. A number of Members have already raised digital literacy with me today and how we can do more to tackle misinformation and disinformation online, especially for our young people. That would make for a very popular topic for a debate, and I will ensure that my hon. Friend gets an update.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for his leadership on the issue of Walleys quarry, which he has raised with me a number of times in business questions. I know that he has had meetings with Ministers, the Environment Agency and others, and I am sure that his leadership on sorting out that terrible situation will be of great comfort to his constituents.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I join my hon. Friend in supporting his constituents—what a great job he does as the MP for Weston-super-Mare in standing up for all the women in his constituency, as well as everybody else.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  This Government absolutely support our valued creative industries. It is a long-standing, prevalent principle of our copyright rules in this country that creatives get payment and have control over the creative content of their work. I will absolutely ensure that the House is kept updated.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Harry Hodgkiss on winning his World Book Day competition and the businesses and others who supported it and provided funds. Today and on many occasions in this House, we can say that it is a bit of “A Squash and a Squeeze”.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I shall. The business for the week commencing 10 March includes: Monday 10 March—Second Reading of the Crime and Policing Bill. Tuesday 11 March—Remaining stages of the Employment Rights Bill, day one. Wednesday 12 March—Remaining stages of the Employment Rights Bill, day two. Thursday 13 March—General debate on the future of farming, followed by a general debate on mental health support in educational settings. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Friday 14 March—Private Members’ Bills. The provisional business for the week commencing 17 March will include: Monday 17 March—Remaining stages of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, day one. Tuesday 18 March—Remaining stages of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, day two. Wednesday 19 March—Consideration of Lords amendments to the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill, followed by Opposition day, first allotted day, second part: debate on a motion in the name of the official Opposition, subject to be announced. Thursday 20 March—General debate on knife crime among children and young people, followed by a general debate on coastal communities. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee. Friday 21 March—The House will not be sitting.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Absolutely. My hon. Friend raises a really important issue. The Government are determined to tackle knife crime. She is right that this is a long-term strategy. It is about prevention and supporting organisations like the one she mentions, and establishing organisations such as Young Futures and the coalition to tackle knife crime, which the Prime Minister brought together, as well as taking the steps we are already taking to ban the sale of knives and to pass other measures that are in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. She will note that there is a debate on this matter in two weeks’ time in the Chamber.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is right to raise the case of Jagtar Singh Johal, which has been raised a number of times in the House. He will know that the Prime Minister has raised this with Prime Minister Modi, and I assure him that we will continue to support Mr Johal through his detention until he is released, which needs to happen urgently. I thank my hon. Friend for raising that and will ensure the House is kept updated.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it is a good day to recognise the valuable work of women’s institutes across the country, including in Burton Leonard. The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that those sorts of voluntary organisations provide a huge service to our communities and deserve a long-term future.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is a great advocate for his constituency on this and other matters. Flooding affects his area, as it does many others. As I have said, this Government are finally turning the oil tanker around when it comes to our flood resilience. I will ensure that the relevant Minister hears his call today. We have had regular statements and debates on flooding, but I will ensure that we continue to have them.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right; the flood assets we inherited were in the poorest condition on record after many years of under-investment. That is why we are putting more money into flood assets and have launched the floods resilience taskforce. I will ensure that my hon. Friend is kept updated on how those things will affect her constituency.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I am sure my hon. Friend can appreciate that I, as a Mancunian, agree with all of Andy Burnham’s suggestions—nearly all of the time, anyway—and this sounds like a very good one. However, she makes the bigger point that the Scottish Government, along with the previous Conservative Government here in Westminster, have failed the Scottish people. That is why people voted overwhelmingly for a fresh start with Labour at the general election, and I am sure that will continue.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman yet again for raising an important matter. He will know that the Government are committed to promoting the rights and safety of religious minorities in Pakistan and elsewhere. The British high commission continues to raise the situation in Parachinar with the Pakistan authorities at the very highest levels.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for raising the case of Jagtar Singh Johal, which I know is of great importance to many Members of this House. We recognise that it is a very difficult case. He will know that the Prime Minister has raised it with Prime Minister Modi, and Ministers continue to raise it on an ongoing basis, making it clear that we want to see faster progress and a full resolution to this case. As part of that, we must see a full and independent investigation into allegations of torture. I will ensure that my hon. Friend and the House are kept updated on this important case.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I know that this issue is of huge importance to my hon. Friend’s constituents in Bolton. He will be aware that the Office for Students is looking into those serious allegations and engaging with the provider, and that the police are involved as well. He will know that the Office for Students has a number of sanctions available to it when allegations of such failures are found to be true. I will ensure that he is kept updated.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Absolutely; the Government are committed to growing the economy and ensuring that businesses such as Mail Solutions can grow and flourish and that red tape and barriers to growth are broken down as best we can.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Absolutely, and I know how important tourism is to my hon. Friend’s constituency. He has been a great advert for it here today, which I am sure will attract many more people.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for organising the estimates days this week, and all the other debates. I am sure he will appreciate that I have been generous, much more than my predecessors on some occasions, in giving him notice both of estimates debates and of slots for Backbench Business. I have heard his plea today for as many of those as possible, and I will look kindly on it, as I have done previously. I am very sorry to hear about what sounded like a serious attack on a visitor to this country from the Indian Parliament. That is unacceptable and not the way in which we want our visitors to be treated, and I will ensure that the hon. Gentleman receives a full response from the Home Secretary.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I absolutely will do so, because these talks are essential. We are determined to take forward cross-party talks on the future of social care, which is so important.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Absolutely. I am familiar with Shrewsbury station, which is beautiful but could perhaps be better used as the interchange of important rail connectivity that it is for my hon. Friend’s constituents. That is why the Government and the Secretary of State are looking at how we can ensure that land use and station development are at the core of our plan for boosting the railways, as well as infrastructure and housing.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Access to cash and banking services is probably the single biggest issue that is raised with me in business questions, so I know that it is of great interest to the House and to the hon. Member’s constituents, and it is vital that we take it seriously. That is why we are bringing in banking hubs—we are committed to opening 350 of them, and we are along the way to do that—but this is not something that the Government alone can deal with; we all need to take more action to ensure that our rural communities can access banking services.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  That is an important matter to do with the frameworks and how that type of investment should be allocated. I will ensure that the House continues to discuss it.