Lucy Powell MP: speeches

Speeches

• 16 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The hon. Member raises an important topic, which I know affects many of our constituents. We have seen a number of very high-profile cases lately where things have gone terribly wrong in a sector that is completely unregulated, as he says. I know that there have been plans in place for a while to bring forward the measures he describes. I will ensure that the House is updated when those measures are ready, and that, in the meantime, he gets a ministerial response.

• 16 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend will be aware that, through the Building Safety Act 2022 brought in by the previous Government, we do now have a Building Safety Regulator. It is right, given the context in which that regulator came about following the Grenfell fire, that we ensure that buildings are signed off as safe, and are able to be signed off as safe, before they can be occupied and sold. I am happy to look into this particular case to see why it has taken so long for that to happen.

• 16 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Lady for all the brilliant work she does on behalf of our creative industries as Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee. I know that AI and copyright are to the fore among the issues about which the creative industries are concerned. I am happy to apologise on behalf of any Minister who may have inadvertently not used the appropriate tone. I know that the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology respects the hon. Lady greatly, and I am sure he did not mean to cause any offence. I am sure it was meant humorously, which is obviously not how it has been taken. I will ensure that the hon. Lady’s comments are passed back.

• 16 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I, too, am sure that the whole House will welcome the developments between Israel and Gaza over the past hours and days, with a long-overdue ceasefire and the release of hostages now looking like a real possibility, although that is still to be confirmed. This will hopefully now lead to much-needed aid getting in, the end of the killing, the hostages being released, and, I hope, what will be the beginning of a long-term political solution for the region. We will hear shortly from the Foreign Secretary with further details on that. First, I will explain one of the pieces of business I have just announced, and set out why the Government will table a money resolution relating to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill next week. In order for a Bill Committee to consider any clauses that could have spending implications, the Government must first table a money resolution. That is not the Government agreeing to fund the measures in a Bill; it is purely to enable the Bill to be debated in Committee. In the case of this Bill, this relates to one small component that is yet to be debated and agreed. Without the motion being agreed to, that debate could not happen and that component could not remain in the Bill. The Government have taken the view that that would act against our commitment to remain neutral on the Bill. The House should debate and decide on these matters for itself. I hope that, as with Second Reading, colleagues will focus on the substance and not the processes of this sensitive private Member’s Bill. It really has been quite incredible to watch the collective display of amnesia on the Conservative Benches over recent weeks—it is like the past 14 years did not happen. I see that the Leader of the Opposition is out today in what has been briefed as her finally telling the truth about the Conservatives’ record: they did not have a plan for growth, they were not honest with the British people, and they negotiated a bad Brexit deal. However, it sounds like the right hon. Member for Hereford and South Herefordshire (Jesse Norman) did not quite get that memo. It sounds like the right hon. Gentleman did not get the memo about the Conservatives needing to be honest about their record on standards either. If he wants to compare the previous Government’s record on losing Ministers, I am quite happy to do so. Boris Johnson had 36 of his own Ministers resign in 24 hours—the highest number on modern record. Even the very nice right hon. Member for Richmond and Northallerton (Rishi Sunak) lost four of his senior Ministers in his first few months, including his party chairman and Deputy Prime Minister, for breaking the ministerial code. Even when there were investigations on Ministers, they were often ignored. This Government have strengthened the ministerial code and now have an adviser who is able to initiate investigations. We have brought in new rules for Members of Parliament on outside interests, and we will go further. The right hon. Gentleman obviously did not get the memo on the Conservatives’ record on the economy, and is instead trying to attack our plans. The Leader of the Opposition, his party leader, is now telling the country that they did not have a plan for growth. That is the truth of the situation, isn’t it? The Conservatives had 14 years to do something about the fundamental weaknesses in our economy, and they did nothing. In fact, they made those weaknesses even worse: stagnant growth, low productivity, low wages, low skills, high mortgages, high debt, poor health, poor housing, woeful transport, deep-seated inequalities, and no ambition under the previous Government to gain the jobs of the future. We are beginning to tackle those deep-rooted weaknesses, and that is the truth that he and his party leader should be telling the country.

• 16 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The Government will do whatever it takes to protect farmers from the risk posed by foot and mouth. We have already brought in restrictions on animal products from Germany, and we will not hesitate to add additional countries to that list. I reassure the hon. Lady that there are currently no cases here in the UK. We did have an urgent question on this matter yesterday, but I will ensure that the House is constantly updated on any further developments.

• 16 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  This gets raised with me very often because volunteers do enrich our communities and our society. Without them, we would not have the country and the communities we have. I will very much look at the suggestion of an annual debate to celebrate their contribution to our constituencies.

• 16 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise the issue of congestion in Bolsover, and I congratulate her on doing so today. She will know that this is one of a number of issues the Government are seeking to tackle through their transport and roads strategies.

• 16 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising such an important issue, and for giving me notice that he was going to do so. The Ministry of Justice is working with the Victims’ Commissioner and others in the sector to explore how families in the situation he has described can be better supported with the information and financial assistance they need. I will ensure that the hon. Gentleman is updated on that work.

• 16 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for that question. As she said, a debate did take place yesterday, and there are many mechanisms for debates to be brought forward in the Chamber or Westminster Hall. I know it is of great disappointment to people that the Government have taken this decision, which was quite a specific one about that report. Many women were communicated with over that time, and an apology was issued, but we did not feel that the compensation being proposed was proportionate or would be a fair use of public funds at this time.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Jubilee 2025 is a great campaign. The hon. Gentleman may wish to raise those issues with the Foreign Secretary and his team at Foreign Office questions next week. The matter would make an excellent Backbench Business debate, and I know that the Backbench Business Committee has granted debates on it before. While I am at it, I encourage colleagues to apply to the Backbench Business Committee for debates.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I will relay my hon. Friend’s concerns about what Hillingdon council is proposing for special educational needs and support for schools. This Government have allocated an extra £1 billion for special educational needs. We have also allocated significant extra money for local councils. There really is no excuse for Hillingdon council to behave in this way.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I absolutely join my hon. Friend in saying that we want a society where every person with a disease such as Parkinson’s receives the high-quality care that they need and that they can afford. That is why we are taking steps to reform and invest in our social care sector. It will take some time and will not be easy to do, but I will ensure that this House is updated at every stage.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I will pick up on a couple of the Backbench Business issues. I put on record my thanks to the Chair of the Committee; it is great that he announces some of those debates. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency debate next week, which I am pleased we have found further time for, will come after a statutory instrument debate that will be limited to 90 minutes. As things stand, I am confident that the debate will get enough time. Should the situation change, I will of course look into ensuring that it has sufficient time on that date. On a Holocaust Memorial Day debate, while I am unable to confirm the date of 27 January for the hon. Gentleman right now, I recognise the importance of the issue and how time sensitive it is, this year of all years. If he bears with me, I am sure we can continue to have that conversation outside the Chamber. On the issue of the United Arab Emirates proscribing individuals, he knows that we are close allies and work very closely with that country. I will ensure that there is a ministerial response on the matter and on the subsequent action that the Government are taking regarding those individuals.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I know that my hon. Friend’s question will be welcomed by the Sikh community across the UK. He raises very important issues relating to transnational aggression, and I will certainly ensure that Ministers have heard what he has said and that the House is updated in due course.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I am sure that the whole House will take a moment, 95 years on, to remember all those who were killed in the Glen cinema tragedy, as my hon. Friend reminds us on behalf of her constituents. She will be aware that things have moved on, and in recent years we have learned the lessons and ensured that our public places are safe. Although Martyn’s law, which is going through the other place at the moment, is focused on terrorism, it will also support action against fire and other hazards in our public spaces.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend raises a very good point about those who were excluded and those who were left in great difficulty as a result of the pandemic, which was a huge shock to the economy at the time. Treasury questions are coming up in a couple of weeks; my hon. Friend might want to raise that issue then.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I will absolutely join my hon. Friend in congratulating Barry Hyde on all his work. We hear time and again in business questions about the crucial role that our community volunteers play in making our constituencies great places to live and work.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I congratulate Emma, and all those involved at the school, on highlighting these issues. As my hon. Friend is aware, votes at 16 is a Government manifesto commitment. We will bring forward legislation to make that a reality when parliamentary time allows—likely in a future Session. I am sure that he will want to report that back to his school.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I hear what the hon. Member says. To reiterate what I said earlier, the Minister for Local Government has set out some very clear criteria that must be met in relation to any requests for postponing elections, and one of the things he will be looking for is support across the area for that decision. However, I will certainly listen to requests for a broader debate on this issue.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I am really sorry to hear that Jacob has yet again been affected by flooding. As my hon. Friend will be aware, flooding incidents are becoming more extreme and occurring more often. The flood defences that we inherited were pretty shocking, but we are turning that around. We have the flood resilience taskforce and extra money going in, but I will ensure that this House is kept updated about our plans on flooding, as it has been this week.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady raises an important point. As was set out in that statement, our White Paper contains major reforms to deliver on the devolution agenda and put power back into communities, which we said we would do. There have been knock-on consequences, but I assure her that we will consider postponing elections only where doing so would help to deliver reorganisation and devolution in the most ambitious possible timeframe. She makes a good case for a general debate to discuss those issues more broadly, and I am sure that such a debate would be well attended.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I am sorry to hear of the delays that Tara and Keith have suffered from poor bus services in the hon. Member’s constituency. Obviously in Greater Manchester we have suddenly got great buses, but apart from us, I think that people can recognise the situation he describes, especially in our rural communities. That is why we have brought forward the bus service reform Bill, which is currently in the House of Lords, and it is why we are putting extra investment into buses—so that local communities such as his, can have a reliable and affordable bus service.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for raising those issues. He will be aware that we have the most ambitious plans in a generation to improve animal welfare, and I have absolutely heard his call to look at that when parliamentary time allows.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Lady for raising this important matter. Indeed, it was raised in stark terms at Prime Minister’s questions yesterday by one of her colleagues. What she describes happening in our community pharmacies as well as in other parts of the broader healthcare sector is a crisis. We are dealing with difficult circumstances that we inherited followed 14 years of under-investment, industrial action and other problems in the health service. She will know that this Government are committed to extra investment. That is why the Budget, which many Conservative Members have opposed, allocated record levels of investment to our national health service. Part of that is about ensuring that we have early intervention services in the community, and our community pharmacies are central to that drive. That is why the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will continue to support our pharmacies and help turn around the terrible situation they face.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I know that this matter is of great importance to the Sikh community across the UK, so my hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise it today and to continue to do so on behalf of the Sikh community and others. We need to get to the bottom of what happened, and I will ensure that the Ministers responsible are in touch with him to discuss the matter further.