Lucy Powell MP: speeches

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Speeches

14 Nov 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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Fly-tipping is regularly raised in this place, and we all know what a significant problem it can cause. I suggest that my hon. Friend applies for a Westminster Hall debate, which I am sure would be well attended.
14 Nov 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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It is clear for all to see that there are serious questions for the Post Office to answer about how it runs its business, as serious change is needed. I am sorry to hear about the franchise branch in Basingstoke, because local post offices are critical to their communities and to supporting banking hubs. I will support every effort to secure a debate on this matter.
14 Nov 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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I hope Anglian Water has heard my hon. Friend’s comments. If not, I will raise his comments directly with Anglian Water, because this needs to be resolved swiftly. I am sure the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will want to help, too.
14 Nov 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Newcastle and Stafford college. Getting an “outstanding” rating twice in a row is some achievement for a further education college, and she should be very proud to represent it. We have inherited a really terrible situation in further education. I was pleased that the recent budget invested an extra £300 million as a down payment, but it will take us some time to get further education back in a fit state.
14 Nov 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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My hon. Friend can hear the agreement, which suggests this might be a topic that has cross-party support. This Government take food security incredibly seriously because it is an issue of national security. We are committed to increasing solar energy as part of our mission to become a clean energy superpower by 2030, but we must strike a balance. That is why it is so important that we hear from local MPs about these decisions.
14 Nov 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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As the hon. Gentleman says, these issues are devolved and we allocate the money as part of other consequentials to the Scottish Government to consider those matters, but I will ensure that the issue he raises is noticed by the Minister. I will ask for a full reply about that road to be given to him.
14 Nov 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that question. I took some time in my opening remarks to explain these matters, and I recognise and understand people’s concerns. As I said, a Second Reading debate lasting five hours would be longer than that of many substantial Bills. The Second Reading debate on the Online Safety Bill, which was huge and long anticipated for five years, was reduced to just over two hours, because of earlier statements and so on. Five hours is a good amount of time for Second Reading, notwithstanding the points that he raised. On Committee selection, the right hon. Gentleman is right that, should the Bill pass Second Reading, it will be for the sponsoring Member to put forward names for that Committee. He is right that the guidance on nominating those Members states that that must reflect the party balance in the House, and it should also reflect the balance of views on the Bill. As I said, the Bill would then return to the full House for remaining stages, including Report and Third Reading, which would all have time for debate and a vote.
14 Nov 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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The money absolutely was not there in this case. We are ensuring that we can take forward all these rail plans with confidence.
14 Nov 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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I am very sorry to hear about what happened in my hon. Friend’s constituency. This topic comes up regularly in business questions. We will soon be updating the strategic framework for road safety—the first time that has been done in more than a decade—and I will ensure that the Transport Secretary comes to the House to update us first on these matters, but in the meantime my hon. Friend may want to apply for a fuller debate.
14 Nov 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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What an important topic, which is very close to my heart as a woman STEM graduate. It is shocking that so many years after I graduated—well, maybe only a few—we still face such a disparity in the number of women and girls, and the number of men, studying STEM subjects and pursuing the careers that come thereafter. My hon. Friend might want to raise these important matters with the Science Secretary in questions next week.
6 Nov 2024 · Engagements · Hansard source
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On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Does the Leader of the Opposition want to correct the record, as she said in Prime Minister’s questions that the Chancellor did not mention defence spending in her Budget, yet the Chancellor mentioned it many, many times, including its allocation of £2.9 billion, which far exceeds our commitment?
31 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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International Men’s Day is an important opportunity for us all to celebrate the contribution men make to our society. It might not be quite as much as the contribution of women—no, I am joking. Men make a very important contribution, and, as my hon. Friend says, the day highlights mental health issues. Suicide is still the biggest killer of men in this country, and we should all be very conscious of that. International Men’s Day would make an excellent subject for a Backbench Business debate—the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee and I were discussing such debates only yesterday—so I encourage my hon. Friend to make an application to the Committee.
31 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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I thank my hon. Friend for that very powerful question and contribution. I am really sorry to hear about the suffering that his constituent Rod Wainwright continues to suffer, having been in attendance at the Grenfell tower tragedy. The Prime Minister has made it clear that he still feels that survivors and the bereaved have been let down badly before, during and after, and that includes those who attended as fire officers and others. There will be another debate on the Grenfell inquiry report in due course and I will make sure he is aware of that when it happens.
31 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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The hon. Gentleman raises a good point about the A180 in his constituency. He will be aware that in yesterday’s Budget a significant increase in investment in our roads was announced. There are also significant growth deals and devolution plans to ensure that local people are delivering the local transport needs of their area. I am sure he can raise these issues at Transport questions or in the forthcoming Budget debates.
31 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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I certainly congratulate my hon. Friend’s constituents on the work they are doing to save this local service. She is absolutely right to say that the Scottish National party Government of Scotland have overseen huge mismanagement when it comes to the long-awaited ferry services. They are late and over budget, and they just add to the £5 billion of taxpayers’ money that the Scottish Government have wasted on pet projects.
31 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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I join my hon. Friend in congratulating those remarkable athletes and all those who took part in the Pride of Rossington awards ceremony in his constituency. I am delighted to wish the very best to his five constituents who are taking part in the WKC world championships.
31 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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The hon. Lady will be aware that the debate on the Budget will continue today and next week. If she is asking about farming businesses and the inheritance tax changes—I think she is, tangentially— I will just repeat what I said to her colleagues earlier: this Government are committed to food security and our rural and farming communities, and that is why three quarters of those who currently receive the full relief will still get it after the changes. We are bringing about many other things that will help the farming community, including a settlement that will provide £5 billion over two years for farming and land management, which will help restore stability in the sector.
31 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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Thank you, Mr Speaker. May I, too, join you in paying tribute to Robin James, who has been a Clerk here for over 40 years, most recently on the Committees on Standards and of Privileges, which has certainly put him in the spotlight in recent years. I know he wishes to retire to Wales, with the twin ambitions of learning Welsh and finally learning to drive. I am sure we wish him well with both those endeavours. I also congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for High Peak (Jon Pearce) on the birth of his newborn daughter Connie this week. Finally, I think, the Conservative leadership contest will finish this weekend, and it could be all change on the Opposition Benches. This could be my last exchange with the right hon. Member for Croydon South (Chris Philp). He is well known for his ambition, and perhaps today was another audition for higher office. I am sure he would welcome a promotion, from the detailed discussions we have on restoration and renewal and House procedure, and I am that sure he will be looking forward to that. I thank him for the work that we have done together. If this is our last exchange, I will really miss his—how shall I put it?—boundless enthusiasm, because God loves a trier; let us hope the next Conservative leader does too. As the right hon. Gentleman rightly said, yesterday we saw history made, with the first ever Budget delivered by a female Chancellor. I am so proud of my friend for smashing that glass ceiling. The country voted for change and our Budget lives up to that promise. We have made clear choices. We have chosen responsibility over recklessness, reliable public services over endless crises, putting working people first, investment over decline, a Budget that is now backed by the International Monetary Fund—an unprecedented endorsement of a Budget. In many ways, it is not a Budget that we expected or wanted to make, but we have had to fix the mess left by the Conservative party— [ Interruption. ] I know that Conservative Members do not like to hear it, but they were not straight with people before the election. The Office for Budget Responsibility, which the right hon. Gentleman quoted, has made it clear that, had it known the true state of the public finances in March, its forecast for the previous Government’s plans would have been “materially different.” I do not usually agree with the former Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, but perhaps the right hon. Gentleman should heed his advice today. He said that the situation Labour inherited was “structurally difficult.” In other words, we are clearing up the Conservatives’ mess. I am a little confused, Mr Speaker. Does the right hon. Gentleman now accept that there was a black hole, but disagrees on the amount, or is he still in denial that there was even a black hole at all? It is ironic that the Conservatives spent all week undermining the OBR, but are now trying to hide behind the OBR’s figures. I am not sure—which is it? He will know that there was a huge black hole, even before the pay awards that the Conservatives left sitting on their desk, and for which they set aside no money even though they knew that someone would have to pay for it. We make no apology for the Budget, which is about long-term investment and a decade of national renewal. That is why it is right that we consider the benefits of investment and not just the cost. This country has suffered years of decline and under-investment—we were ranked second lowest for investment in the OECD. We have chosen investment, not further decline under the Tories. We have had to be honest about the difficult choices that we have made in the Budget given what we were left with. I must ask the right hon. Gentleman and other Conservative Members: how would they fix the finances left by their Government? How would they give the NHS the money that it needs? How would they get the long-term investment that the country is crying out for? We have absolutely put working people first, and I am proud of the pay rise that the Budget gives the poorest workers next April. There are many more things to welcome in the Budget, and I am sure that the House, and maybe the right hon. Gentleman, welcomes them. They include one of the biggest ever increases in NHS spending to deal with the record waiting lists that the Conservatives left behind, much-needed funding for special educational needs and disabilities education, a boost for carers for the first time since the 1970s, fixing the schools that the Conservatives left to crumble, more affordable social housing, money to tackle the cladding crisis, ushering in a decade of national renewal, and investing in the jobs of the future in clean energy, tech, aerospace, automotive, transport, life sciences and much more. In particular, and I must say this because it needs underlining, this Government have finally put aside money to pay compensation to the victims of historical injustices, including infected blood and the Post Office Horizon scandal, and to deliver fairness for the mine- workers’ pension scheme. Honestly, the most shameful part of the Conservatives’ recklessness with the country is that they promised many times that victims of those injustices would receive compensation, but they put aside not a single penny—not a single budget line to pay for it—in any of their costings. We cannot in one Budget undo the 14 sorry years of Conservative under-investment, stagnant growth, falling living standards and crumbling public services, but this Budget makes a very good first step forward.
31 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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As ever, my hon. Friend raises a topical matter, and I know that it frustrates many constituents and Members alike when roadworks are seemingly endless and not co-ordinated. In yesterday’s Budget, the Government provided a huge boost to road maintenance budgets, which I hope will help. Additionally, we are consulting on proposals to increase penalties, and even apply charges, when works overrun.
31 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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My hon. Friend is right to highlight the dire state that NHS dentistry fell into under the previous Government, and the really high levels of poor oral health that many of our children face. Poor child oral health remains one of the main reasons for admission into A&E and other services, and that is why this Government are committed to tackling it. Further work was announced in yesterday’s Budget. My hon. Friend will know that there is a debate next week on fixing the NHS, and I am sure she will want to raise these issues there.
31 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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As I said, this Government are incredibly committed to our farming and rural communities, to ensure food security. We have had to make some difficult decisions in this Budget, but I gently say to the hon. Gentleman that he should be careful in scaremongering about the reality of what is happening. As I said, three quarters of those currently entitled to the full relief will still be entitled to it following the measures in the Budget. He might reflect on one reason why so many rural constituencies chose Labour MPs at the last election: the president of the National Farmers’ Union described decisions by the previous Conservative Government as “morally bankrupt”.
31 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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I join the hon. Lady and the shadow Leader of the House—I meant to do so earlier—in expressing the Government’s condolences to, and support for, those in Spain who have either died or lost all their belongings and their homes in the recent Spanish floods. As she says, we have a general debate in two weeks’ time on flood preparedness, partly in response to so many questions coming forward on that topic during this Session. I thank the hon. Lady for her words about the Budget. There is a lot of good news in the Budget that her party should welcome, given how much campaigning they have done on many of these issues. They should be grateful for some of the measures, particularly the biggest ever cash increase in the earnings thresholds for carer’s allowance, for which her party has campaigned. As the hon. Lady says, we have announced a huge funding boost for the NHS and an extra £600 million for social care. She is absolutely right, though, that these issues will take time to work through, and will need further reform and investment to deal with going forward. The ageing population and the crisis in social care are inextricably linked to the future of our health service.
31 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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I share the hon. Lady’s concerns about nature and the wellness of our nature in this country, and we are committed to those issues. That is why we have brought forward many plans in recent weeks and will continue to do so in future weeks. There were many things in yesterday’s Budget that will work towards that aim. I would have thought she would welcome our drive to being the clean energy superpower that we want to be, and all the benefits that that will bring in the future.
31 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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The business for the week commencing 4 November includes: Monday 4 November—Continuation of the Budget debate. Tuesday 5 November—Continuation of the Budget debate. Wednesday 6 November—Conclusion of the Budget debate. The House will rise for the November recess at the conclusion of business on Wednesday 6 November and return on Monday 11 November. The provisional business for the week commencing 11 November will include: Monday 11 November—General debate on flood preparedness. Tuesday 12 November—Remaining stages of the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill. Wednesday 13 November—Debate on a motion to approve the draft Voter Identification (Amendment of List of Specified Documents) Regulations 2024, followed by a debate on a motion to approve the draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (England) Regulations 2024, followed by a debate on motions to approve the draft Export and Investment Guarantees (Limit on Exports and Insurance Commitments) Order 2024, the draft Export and Investment Guarantees (Limit on Exports and Insurance Commitments) (No. 2) Order 2024, and the draft Export and Investment Guarantees (Limit on Exports and Insurance Commitments) (No. 3) Order 2024. Thursday 14 November—Second Reading of the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill [ Lords ]. Friday 15 November—The House will not be sitting.
31 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source
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I join my hon. Friend in congratulating all those who work at the heritage garden in her constituency, and particularly Terry Docherty—it sounds as if he has does an immense job for her constituents. This topic is raised regularly, and now that the Backbench Business Committee is established, I am sure it would consider an application for a debate on the involvement of local community activists and the importance of volunteering to our communities.

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