Mary Kelly Foy MP: speeches

Speeches

• 8 Jun 2026 · Violence against Women and Girls Strategy: Implementation · Hansard source

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  16. What recent progress her Department has made in implementing the violence against women and girls strategy.

• 8 Jun 2026 · Violence against Women and Girls Strategy: Implementation · Hansard source

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  At my recent market stall at Durham Pride, local Labour members and I spoke to many people about the Government’s VAWG strategy. The message we received was clear: it is strongly welcomed but long overdue. The clock is ticking, and there is still no published timetable. When will the Government action the plan and the necessary grassroots consultation? How will progress be publicly reported so that women and girls in Durham and beyond feel reassured that this Government take seriously the effort to stamp out violence against women and girls?

• 13 Apr 2026 · Disclosure and Safeguarding: At-risk Children · Hansard source

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  I wholeheartedly agree; that was about to be my next point. Of course, the information must be shared with the relevant agencies, and whenever concerns are brought to those agencies they must also be raised with family members. None of this is a reason to reject the principle; it is a reason to do the work properly. The Government have to act on what Maya’s family are saying. They must recognise that, while the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill may improve information sharing, that is not the same as proactively identifying risk and acting before harm occurs. This debate is a tribute to Maya’s family. What they have done in turning unimaginable personal tragedy into a campaign to improve the lives of other children across the country reflects a level of bravery and compassion that we should all be in awe of. Having met Gemma and Rachael several times, I know that I am. But we cannot let this be the end of it. This debate alone does not protect one more child—now we need action. Never forget: Maya should still be here. The least we owe her, her family and every child like her is a system that does not just collect information but proactively uses it to keep children safe.

• 23 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I congratulate Maya’s law campaigners, particularly Maya’s great-aunts Gemma and Rachael, on their passion and tenacity in lobbying MPs to support their campaign to improve child protection laws in the UK. Does the Minister agree with me that it is unforgiveable for someone who is supposed to look after a child to hurt them instead? Will the Minister ensure that the debate that my hon. Friend the Member for Blaydon and Consett (Liz Twist) has secured on Maya’s law receives the full support of the Government?

• 23 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

• 23 Mar 2026 · Antisocial Behaviour · Hansard source

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  20. What plans her Department has to help tackle antisocial behaviour.

• 20 Jan 2026 · County Durham: Cultural Opportunities · Hansard source

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  As my hon. Friend knows, I had the privilege of listening to someone from the history group in your constituency—

• 15 Jan 2026 · Access to Sports Facilities · Hansard source

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  7. What steps she is taking to help increase access to sports facilities.

• 15 Jan 2026 · Access to Sports Facilities · Hansard source

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  I thought I would sit where the Chamber looks really packed. [ Laughter. ]

• 18 Nov 2025 · Warm Home Discount: Fuel Poverty · Hansard source

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  8. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of extending the warm home discount on levels of fuel poverty.

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

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  I thank my hon. Friend for securing this important debate. Maya’s tragic story has touched many people across the north-east. I am pleased to support the family’s campaign. As my hon. Friend mentioned, one key ask from the family is the disclosure of information about wider caregivers. The recurring theme of serious case reviews into child deaths is that agencies have not worked together as they should. Does she agree that, for this law to be effective, there needs to be a laser focus on ensuring that statutory agencies genuinely work together?

• 11 Sept 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  My constituents have been very vocal about their opposition to the LNER timetable changes from December, including the removal of the 8.22 am commuter service from Durham to Newcastle on weekdays. LNER assured me that it would replace it with a similar service, but reports this week suggest that the service will now take an extra 10 minutes, arriving at 8.44. That is not an equivalent service. Will the Minister meet me and LNER to ensure that commuters leaving Durham are provided with an equivalent service?

• 16 Jul 2025 · Commemoration of Matchgirls’ Strike · Hansard source

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  This is an important debate, and I thank my hon. Friend so much for securing it. The matchgirls’ strike played a really important part in the whole of labour history and the struggles of women. In Durham, we had the Durham Women Against Pit Closures, who sustained the miners in their strike. They joined the picket lines and were key figures in their areas, and they are still around today—we saw them last week at the gala. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is so important that the struggles of women of the past are remembered, and that they empower women of the future?