Patricia Ferguson MP: speeches

Speeches

• 18 Jun 2026 · Grooming Gangs: Independent Inquiry · Hansard source

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  Does the Minister believe that the inquiry has the appropriate powers and flexibility to allow it to follow the evidence, wherever it leads, so that the recommendations can drive lasting improvements in safeguarding and child protection? Is she in dialogue with the Scottish Government on these matters?

• 10 Jun 2026 · Scottish Independence · Hansard source

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  Does the Scottish Secretary agree that given the incoming Scottish Government have a whole list of issues and problems on their plate, the last thing they should be concerning themselves with is another divisive referendum?

• 26 Feb 2026 · Christian Communities in Palestine · Hansard source

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  The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pizzaballa, recently said of Palestine: “Peace and reconciliation are beautiful concepts, but they risk remaining mere slogans if they are not accompanied today by concrete actions, gestures and testimonies that physically demonstrate the possibility of rebuilding trust.” Does the commissioner agree with me that Christian Churches are ideally placed to work with other faith communities to lead that rebuilding of trust?

• 2 Feb 2026 · Indefinite Leave to Remain · Hansard source

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  Will the Minister give way?

• 13 Jan 2026 · Storm Goretti · Hansard source

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  My constituency is rather a long way away from Cornwall and the Scilly Isles, but I do live in a part of the country that is not immune to major storms. The Scottish Affairs Committee, which I chair, has undertaken an inquiry into connectivity, particularly in the islands and in rural areas. It has been reported to us that, after a recent storm, islanders on the isle of Tiree were without any connection to even the 999 service for six days. That is clearly unacceptable and should not be happening anywhere on these islands. The point made to us already in the early part of our inquiry is that people want resilience, and resilience is difficult when connectivity is very poor to begin with. Will the Minister look at the issue of resilience, so that people across the country have some assurance about future activity?

• 5 Jan 2026 · Venezuela · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s statement. I agree with her that Maduro was a corrupt dictator, who frankly cared nothing for the lives of his own people. I welcome her comments about the importance of upholding international law, so does she agree that if we believe in a world order with clear rules about sovereignty, we cannot pick and choose when those rules do and do not apply? Otherwise, what is to stop others with further bad intentions from taking advantage of that situation and following suit?

• 11 Dec 2025 · St Andrew’s Day and Scottish Affairs · Hansard source

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  rose—

• 12 Nov 2025 · Nolan Principles · Hansard source

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  Will the hon. Member take an intervention?

• 5 Nov 2025 · Drug-related Deaths · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my hon. Friend for taking an intervention, and indeed for bringing forward this debate. As she has referenced, the Scottish Affairs Committee has done some work on this issue and has visited the safer drug consumption room in Glasgow, but it has also looked at facilities in Norway and Lisbon. The disappointment we have is that at the moment the Thistle operates under the prosecutorial discretion of the Lord Advocate in Scotland and that could continue indefinitely—she has made that clear—as could her permission for other centres to open. We need a change in the legislation that would allow such centres to be set up across the country if necessary. There is going to be a three-year assessment of the Thistle, and if that assessment comes up with the results that we think it might, then surely that evidence should be used to inform Government policy. Our particular disappointment is that the Government seem not to think that is relevant.

• 4 Nov 2025 · Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford East (Anneliese Dodds) for raising the issue of the barcodes. Royal Mail representatives came before the Scottish Affairs Committee when we wanted to discuss with them the problem of deliveries in rural and highland areas. They were particularly proud to talk about the barcode idea, but seemed to be concerned that perhaps in Scotland there was not the same alacrity in adopting that sensible suggestion. Given the Minister’s knowledge of the geography of Scotland, which is at least as good as mine, is that a point he might want to take up with colleagues in the Scottish Government?

• 27 Oct 2025 · Youth Guarantee Trailblazer Scheme · Hansard source

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  14. What recent progress he has made on establishing the youth guarantee trailblazer scheme.

• 13 Oct 2025 · Glasgow Safer Drug Consumption Facility · Hansard source

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  To be perfectly frank, I cannot answer the hon. Member’s question because we did not take evidence on the situation elsewhere in the UK and were particularly focused on Scotland, as one would expect of the Scottish Affairs Committee. It may be that the prosecutorial discretion that the Lord Advocate has offered is something that others wish to look to, but whether or not the law in England and Wales would allow that is not for me to say because I genuinely do not know.

• 13 Oct 2025 · Glasgow Safer Drug Consumption Facility · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. Many reports have been done on international facilities, which he might want to bring to the attention of his colleagues in Belfast. He is absolutely right that it is not just Glasgow or Scotland that have these problems, although Scotland seems to be suffering particularly badly. There are other models. In Lisbon, we saw a mobile model that accompanied the fixed facility. That seemed to be popular; a queue of people was waiting to use it when we were there—a small queue, but a queue. There are other ways of addressing the issue, and he may wish to consider those.

• 13 Oct 2025 · Glasgow Safer Drug Consumption Facility · Hansard source

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  I hope that my hon. Friend will forgive me, as the impartial Chair of the Committee, for not criticising or commenting on the failings or otherwise of the SNP, whose Members are not, as he points out, here this evening. He is absolutely right that this is not an either/or. It is important that the provision is part of a range of options offered. If any of those options can help to reduce the drug death numbers in Scotland, they must be considered seriously, and that is what we suggest.

• 13 Oct 2025 · Glasgow Safer Drug Consumption Facility · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for that question. She is absolutely right: it cannot be one thing or another. A holistic attitude must be taken towards eradicating drug misuse. Given Scotland’s particular situation, we have to be open to considering any and all options. But recovery facilities are certainly vital.

• 13 Oct 2025 · Glasgow Safer Drug Consumption Facility · Hansard source

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  I hope the hon. Lady does not mind if I call her my hon. Friend. I thank her for her question. I think it fair to say that the issues we looked at challenged us all. Many of us were considering issues that we had never reflected upon before, so it was a challenge, and I perfectly understand that we will have disagreements about how to go forward. The thing about inhalation that was highlighted to us is that for many people, inhalation is safer than injecting, which has all sorts of risks attached—infected wounds and blood-borne viruses, for example. Inhalation does not have those problems, and is becoming increasingly popular as a method of using drugs, so it seemed to the Committee that we could encourage its consideration. We are not suggesting that there should be further injection spaces at this time—we think it is important to see what the evaluation says, and that any decisions should be based on that particular finding—but we are aware that other places in Scotland are looking at the Thistle with interest, and may well make those applications, although that is not the gist of the report.