Wendy Chamberlain MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 18 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The child maintenance system presents a number of challenges for MPs. The fact that the Minister for the CMS is in the other place is one of those challenges, and it means that we have not debated the child maintenance system in Government time for some time. It is also a challenge from a Scottish perspective, because it does not seem to work properly with the Scottish process of sequestration, and there is no power to compel needed information. I have a constituent who is currently owed £40,000, despite the CMS’s involvement over five years. I commend the work of Fife Gingerbread and Fife Young Carers to promote awareness of the fact that, in Scotland, children themselves can apply for child maintenance support, which takes out some of the challenges in the system that we sometimes see. Given the challenges that I have outlined, will the Leader of the House schedule a debate in Government time so that we can talk about something that causes such sadness at Christmas, no matter what side of the parental divide people are on?

• 18 Dec 2025 · Jane Austen · Hansard source

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  I congratulate the hon. Member for Basingstoke (Luke Murphy) on securing this debate. I am the Liberal Democrats’ Chief Whip, so I am not given to making speeches as a Liberal Democrat spokesperson, but I have chosen to speak in this debate because my degree is in English language and literature and—as other Members have already said—I am a Jane Austen fan. As the MP for North East Fife, I cannot claim that my constituency has any relationship to Jane Austen. If she had come to North East Fife, she might have wanted to bathe in the sea off the East Neuk, but she would have found it rather chilly. As the hon. Member for East Thanet (Ms Billington), whose constituency includes Ramsgate, just pointed out, going to the seaside was not necessarily a safe thing for Austen’s characters to do. Many of them came to harm by the sea. Clearly, the streets and the quirks of neighbours captured in Austen’s writing are one of the reasons why we have had such a varied debate today. Walter Scott, the 250th anniversary of whose birth we celebrated in 2021, was a Jane Austen fan and described her as having “the exquisite touch, which renders ordinary commonplace things and characters interesting, from the truth of the description and the sentiment”. I want to put Jane Austen into her historical context. Many Members have already done that in this debate, but the Napoleonic wars have not been mentioned so far. I recommend Jenny Uglow’s “In These Times: Living in Britain Through Napoleon’s Wars, 1793-1815”, which is available in the House of Commons Library. If we map Austen’s life on to that period of time, we see that the Napoleonic wars started as she turned 18 and concluded only two years before her untimely death. There has been some criticism of the letters that Austen wrote and of her attitudes towards death. There is a particular letter in which she comments on the stillbirth of a woman known to her by basically suggesting that the stillbirth was caused by the woman being “frighted” at seeing the face of her husband. Consequently, some people have suggested that there is a cruelness to Austen, but I would argue that that was the reality of her times: women died in childbirth; these things happened. We see Austen’s perspective on war in many ways in her books. We see the Redcoats that Lydia Bennet encounters in Meryton, and naval officers such as Captain Wentworth and his colleagues in “Persuasion”. There were troops everywhere in Britain during that time. War was a fact of life, but it was also a fact of life that, because the war continued for so long, it became part of people’s day-to-day lives so it did not intrude on their consciousness in a way that an event of shorter duration might have done. War is part of Austen’s novels, but it is not at the centre of them. As has been said already, Jane had brothers in the Navy. She was heavily invested in their careers and understood the peril that families felt about a loved one serving overseas. What is interesting about Austen’s writing is that it not only resonated with her contemporaries but has continued to resonate with many different generations across the ensuing 250 years. In 1918, as part of efforts to boost morale in the trenches, two of her works, “Persuasion” and “Northanger Abbey”, were selected by the War Office for the Forces book club and printed in a size that could fit in a soldier’s pocket. That does not suggest that Austen produced “chick-lit”. Indeed, a hospital worker in 1915 wrote an article in The Times about their efforts to find appropriate reading to calm the nerves of those suffering from shellshock: “It happened that a tired soldier found her”— that is, Austen— “just what he wanted…We found ourselves…wishing that the dear lady had written at greater length…as the last page of ‘sense and sensibility’ came.” The other thing I will say about war is also about empire. One of the things that we do not necessarily recognise in “Mansfield Park”, for example, is that it is quite clear that the Bertram family are profiting from the slave trade in the Caribbean. In relation to Bath and my hon. Friend the Member for Bath (Wera Hobhouse), I was at the Topping & Company bookshop in St Andrews in my constituency last week and people there were talking about how popular the celebrations in Bath for Austen’s birthday had been. It is truly remarkable that a woman who in her lifetime earned only £631 from writing—the equivalent of £45,000 today—has gone on to create a multimillion-pound industry. I want to talk a bit about the literature—how did Austen capture so many hearts and minds? I will suggest a second book to Members: John Mullan’s “What Matters in Jane Austen?” is a set of 20 essays that really track her literary genius. It is a book that I come back to on a regular basis, though not quite as regularly as I come back to the books themselves. John Mullan argues that Austen was a trailblazer in literary ingenuity: “She did things with fiction…with characterisation, with dialogue…that had never been done before.” We take free indirect style in English fiction for granted, so we underestimate how revolutionary Austen’s style was. Because she filtered her plots through the consciousness of her characters, we really saw real people. That is one reason that her art has endured. It was the little things that mattered—the smallest of details. One chapter of Mullan’s book talks about blushing. That seems such a small, inconsequential thing in some ways but Emma Woodhouse—the one Austen character who is very secure in her opinions, her confidence and her sense of self—blushes when she is reprimanded by Mr Knightley for her treatment of Miss Bates on Box Hill. That is the first sign that that woman, Emma, who has been so confident in her opinions until now, has got things wrong and does not truly know herself. Austen’s plotting of who keeps silent in “Emma” turns the book into a detective novel. That is one reason why so many people can return to her books: you find something new every time. All of that shows how crafted Austen’s work was, and that craft has allowed her work to be remade again and again. I am a woman of a certain age, so 1995 was quite important for me, whether it was “Clueless”, “Persuasion”—I entirely agree with the hon. Member for Carlisle (Ms Minns) about that production—or the very well known “Pride and Prejudice” adaptation. I have unfortunately been unable to get to the “Austenmania!” exhibition, but that would have been very popular with me. As the hon. Member for Basingstoke mentioned, the careers of some of our greatest stars, and maybe even our Prime Minister, may have been launched through such things. What inspires so deep a devotion to Austen’s work, even in the inattentive reader? I would argue it is the way she captures human follies and scruples with genuine affection and humour. My hon. Friend the Member for Winchester (Dr Chambers) referenced what Mr Bennet said about how we make “sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn”. On Mr Bennet, I have to say that the 1995 production fooled us all. Mr Bennet is a pretty neglectful dad, isn’t he? How did he end up with five daughters and be unable to provide for them on £2,000 a year? I think he has a bit to answer for. Towards the end of that story, Elizabeth reflects that Darcy “had yet to learn to be laughed at”. We, the readers, understand that under her tutelage he will learn that. We also learn to laugh at Darcy a little ourselves. Austen’s ironies attract us still, but her balance and poise often elude imitators. But while laughing at foolishness is a good way to get by, it is not ultimately the salve that brought comfort to the soldier in the trenches or to an admiral’s family. To quote Beatrice Scudeler, “if her novels prove that moral corruption is ubiquitous, they also make the case that, despite our corrupted nature, we’re not unsalvageable: forgiveness and redemption are always within reach of humankind.” From Emma to Anne Elliot to Mr Darcy, confronting their mistakes is a powerful factor in how Austen’s characters grow. Fanny Price is one of the least popular of Austen’s characters because she is always good and always right, and although that is a very nice way for someone to live, it sometimes makes them slightly insufferable to live with. I agree with the hon. Member for Carlisle—Anne Elliot is my favourite character and her failing is that she has not been headstrong enough, which is not often a problem for the other heroines of Austen. Austen’s most powerful innovation was to realise that a lack of self-knowledge is the very voice of narration. Her dialogue is king of her works. The comic characters are monologists whereas our heroes—such as Emma and Mr Knightley—are supreme in their dialogue. We should also look out for the significant characters who we never hear from—they do not actually speak—because they are interesting too. To conclude, in an age where it is less and less common to call on our neighbours and know their follies and scruples, and where the ridiculousness of Miss Bates would have potentially meant that Emma’s hot takes went viral on social media, it does us good as politicians to be reminded that community requires compassion.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Support for Dairy Farmers · Hansard source

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  10. What steps she is taking to support dairy farmers.

• 18 Dec 2025 · Support for Dairy Farmers · Hansard source

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  Happy Christmas to you and your staff, Mr Speaker, and to everyone here. Despite the agricultural supply chain adjudicator having a remit over fair dealings for milk prices, it appears that contracts are essentially a one-way street, with milk processors dictating prices. A constituent of mine, a dairy farmer, has recently been notified of a 2p per litre cut, which equates to a loss of £11,000 and makes it unviable for him to continue. What steps is the Minister taking to urgently redress that imbalance? Farmers are scared to speak out because it will have an impact on their contract.

• 16 Dec 2025 · Quarries: Planning Policy · Hansard source

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  The hon. Member is making a very technical speech, but it is bringing to light the challenges in the planning process. Although the situation in Scotland is devolved, I recognise quite a lot of what he is saying. He is talking powerfully about the impact of air quality on people, but it also affects nature and wildlife. In my constituency there is a proposal to extend a quarry at Lucklawhill in Balmullo, and the local community is concerned about the impact on the nature around it. Does the hon. Member agree that there does not seem to be a way to properly recognise that when planning is considered?

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

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  As the hon. Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie) highlighted in his opening remarks, as the MP for North East Fife, I represent St Andrews, so I thought it was important to be here today. St Andrews was the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland until the Reformation, but it was not always a safe harbour for religious leaders. Cardinal Beaton, the last Scottish cardinal prior to the Reformation, was murdered by Fife lairds angered by the execution of Protestant preacher George Wishart. He was stabbed and his body was hung from the window of St Andrews castle. In the last Parliament, The House magazine invited MPs to write about something of particular interest in their constituency. I do not know what it says about me, but I chose to write about the murder of Archbishop Sharp, who was murdered by Covenanters outside St Andrews as his made his way there from Ceres. Indeed, the centrepiece of the annual parade and celebration by the Kate Kennedy Club, which is part of the University of St Andrews and celebrates its centenary next year, is a re-enactment of that murder. Members should definitely come and see it—it is great. I liked the comments made by hon. Members about Charles I. When I give a tour of the Houses of Parliament, I take pleasure in pointing out, “That is where the Fifer was sentenced to death.” As a member of the History of Parliament Trust, I am clear that we should not refer to the English civil war but the war of the three kingdoms, because that whole conflict started in Scotland, with the first bishops’ war. I pay tribute to some of the groups and organisations that work in St Andrews, such as the community hub; the St Andrews community council, which recently hosted the hoolie that marked St Andrew’s day in the town; and the university. [ Official Report , 15 December 2025; Vol. 777, c. 10WC.] (Correction) I was here not that long ago marking the passing of my predecessor-but-one, the right hon. Lord Campbell of Pittenweem, or Ming Campbell, who was the chancellor of the university. I note the debate that is taking place in Westminster Hall. I thank the hon. Member for Glasgow North (Martin Rhodes)—who is not here, but in the other chamber—because he is marking Fairtrade. It is the 20th anniversary of the same group in St Andrews as well. Let me mention the St Andrews Harbour Trust, which is not a normal trust, because it was gifted to the town by James IV. One of the challenges we have post- Storm Babet is that the harbour needs essential funding to maintain the whole coastline, and the trust is struggling to do that. I have written to the Secretary of State for Scotland looking for support because of how critical that infrastructure is. As the MP for St Andrews, I get to be on the board of the Links Trust—my father does not share my politics, but he is a keen golfer, so he is very happy about that. We are known for golf, and the Open returns to St Andrews in 2027. Let me take this opportunity to highlight a recent report by the Links Trust, which demonstrates that St Andrews and the courses there deliver £300 million of economic impact to Scotland’s economy. Visitors and their families support nearly 1,700 full-time jobs in St Andrews and more than 4,000 jobs across Scotland. For every pound that passes through the tills of the St Andrews Links, an additional £3.43 is generated for other businesses in St Andrews. More than 100,000 visitors made St Andrews Links their destination in 2024, with more than 91% coming from outside Scotland. St Andrews is absolutely vital to the wider Scottish economy as well as the wider North East Fife economy. Earlier this week, I was speaking to the owner of a hotel in my constituency outwith St Andrews, who pointed out how essential St Andrews is to their trade. However, they also pointed out how they are hampered by their rural location, poor footpaths between communities and poor local transport links. With the decision following the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance on a station in St Andrews being turned down, it is important that we get the other recommended transport links, so that we can connect tourists and the local workers who support the industries I mentioned but cannot afford to live in St Andrews. I have aspired to the lofty opening of the hon. Member for Dunfermline and Dollar—he really tried to set the scene—but I will highlight one concern. As a former police officer, I thank my former colleague Martin Gallagher and “Jobs Forgotten” for their work on a particular issue in relation to the McCloud judgment. The McCloud judgment in 2018 and the changes to public sector pensions have been challenging for all Governments, but it seems that the Scottish Government have found it the most challenging. They have missed numerous deadlines, despite knowing since 2022—arguably since 2018, because that is when the judgment happened—that work to ensure remediation for the people affected by the McCloud judgment in relation to their public sector pensions was mitigated. I am concerned to hear reports that retirement statements are apparently not being provided when requested, simply because an individual is yet to submit their intention to retire. Why would somebody make a decision on whether to retire if they do not have the financial information they need? That makes me wonder and be concerned about what the overall liabilities are, particularly given the 8% per year increase in interest rates in relation to those delayed decisions, which are paid for by UK taxpayers. The Chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee may be interested in that, because just recently, on 2 December, the chief executive of the Scottish Public Pensions Authority gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee. He apologised, but he failed to provide information or confidence in the system or to say whether the issue can be totally resolved by 2027. I have here a freedom of information request suggesting that less than 3% of individuals who retired on the grounds of ill health have had their statement in relation to the McCloud judgment. That is very concerning, and I hope the Minister will agree that the Scottish Government should not have got themselves into this situation. It is unacceptable for public sector workers such as firefighters and police officers—some of whom, as I mentioned, retired on the grounds of ill health directly related to their service—to be left in this limbo. In particular, there are concerns that back payments might need to be made and that they might lose money as a result. It is really important that we have the opportunity to debate St Andrew’s day, our patron saint and Scottish affairs in this place, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to do so.

• 11 Dec 2025 · Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  I always appreciate the Minister’s optimism, but I was with my local chamber of commerce a few weeks ago and it did not have the same views on how the Government are doing with growing the economy. I heard from a hospitality business in my constituency that costs for next year will go up by £150,000. They will not make it through next year. I understand and can perhaps predict what the Minister will say, but surely we need to consider some key measures, because we are hearing from across this House that hospitality is in crisis.

• 11 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  My constituent fled Ukraine after Russia’s illegal invasion. She is now 89 and disabled after suffering a stroke here in the UK, and is therefore bed-bound and needs specialist care. She recently applied to renew her visa, but the Home Office told her that her existing documents were no longer recognised, she needed a new passport, and it could not take account of her personal circumstances. That meant that she was required to travel to Edinburgh, but the consulate has no disabled access so she could not enter. She tried to give her signature seven times using her left hand, because she can no longer use her right hand, but she has been told that those documents are unlikely to be accepted. She still does not have a renewed visa. Will the Leader of the House help me to get support for my constituent? Does he agree that we need to have a debate in Government time about the seeming lack of compassion from the Home Office in how it deals with such cases?

• 9 Dec 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T7. There is agreement across the House on the importance of access to cash, as well as on the importance of access to banking services, which are critical for high streets in areas such as Cupar and Letham in my constituency. When will the Government agree to have the Financial Conduct Authority review the criteria for access to banking services? There are to be 350 banking hubs, but that is a meaningless number if communities continue to lose face-to-face services.

• 4 Dec 2025 · Devolved Administrations · Hansard source

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  Despite the Government’s assurances, they and the Scottish Government fail to communicate in many ways. As a Scottish MP, I am used to the frustrating process of being sent from one to another, with nobody taking responsibility. Access for All is a great example. The new ramp at Leuchars station, which serves St Andrews, could provide effective step-free access, but nobody knows when the new scheme is coming and how it will be administered in Scotland. Can I get an assurance that conversations are taking place about the scheme?

• 4 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  As part of the visa process, academics and researchers coming to our universities from other countries to do research in sensitive fields rightly have to go through extra security checks. This is known as the academic technology approval scheme. I have been supporting a constituent who had to apply for his visa to be extended, and the checks had to be done again. We had the usual delays, but sadly the gentleman’s father died. We tried to get the process expedited, but unfortunately it has been a frustrating process. The ATAS process is run and overseen by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, but everyone we spoke to there said they had never heard of it and referred us back to the Home Office, which has no power over it at all. Will the Leader of the House ensure that there is an urgent review of the oversight of the scheme, including how MPs engage with it, and update the House at his earliest convenience?

• 4 Dec 2025 · Acquired Brain Injury Action Plan · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is right to congratulate Headway Bath. These local groups are so important in providing support within our constituencies and are sometimes used by us to signpost people on. I highlight Graham Geddes, who set up Headway North East Fife in my constituency and has been nominated as volunteer of the year. Does my hon. Friend agree that we need to support this vital charity?

• 2 Dec 2025 · Catapults and Antisocial Behaviour · Hansard source

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  I recognise what the hon. and gallant Member says about the strength and power of catapults. As a police officer, probably my easiest investigation was in relation to thousands of pounds-worth of damage being caused to the plate glass windows of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. The open window took me to the culprit, but I saw the power of that catapult to cause that level of damage. Does he agree that we need to look at how that technology has developed?

• 1 Dec 2025 · Budget Resolutions · Hansard source

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  I spent the weeks before the Budget talking to constituents about what they wanted to see, and I spoke to them over the weekend. I have to say that when I met them, there was sadness and a degree of anger, because they know that last week’s Budget was a missed opportunity. Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent, and there is nothing like the start of the Christmas period to focus our minds on what really matters at home—as well as on what we need to buy. But this time is also about our communities. Every Christmas advert shows a buzzing high street, a glowing local pub and happy families safe together in their home. The Budget was the antithesis of that ideal. Our high streets have been caught in a perfect storm between increased national insurance contributions, increased energy costs and consumers with less money in their pockets to spend. Those main streets are vital because they give jobs, bring us together and create our communities. It is why so many of us across this House stand up in this place to bemoan the loss of banks and post offices. They are important for our local communities. They are the foundation of the high streets that bring people into our towns and make it easy for small businesses to operate, and I continue to be incredibly disappointed that this Government say that they are not minded to revisit the criteria for introducing more banking hubs. I know that my English colleagues have concerns about business rates going up next April, and there has been the ending of the 40% pandemic relief, but things were already worse for businesses in Scotland, where the relief was never passed on by the Scottish Government. The 5% discount to the multiplier announced last week could indeed ease the burden for pubs, shops and cafés in Leven, Cupar and St Andrews, so I am a bit disappointed that we no longer have any SNP Members here, and cannot get answers from them about whether the Scottish Government will do something to help Scottish hospitality in their own Budget. The energy company obligation is a short-term help to households, but if there is no replacement measure to tackle fuel poverty, energy costs will continue to soar over the long term. I have to tell the Government that scrapping ECO is not a solution to the complaints of poor workmanship—in some cases, homes were ruined—that we repeatedly heard about in relation to ECO4. All those homes still need resource—as yet unannounced—for remedial work, and the retrofitting and home improvement sector will improve only when there is long-term investment in its future. Yesterday was St Andrews day, and I am sure that people had a dram yesterday to celebrate it. I am the MP for St Andrews, and whisky is a vital employer in my constituency; over 41,000 people are directly employed in the industry. In North East Fife, we are acutely aware of the fragility of the industry, as one of our distilleries, Eden Mill, went into administration just last month. I am hugely relieved that job losses have been avoided in that case, but this Budget has failed to offer any support to prevent similar closures in the months ahead. To close, I do not know how the Government can justify reducing the digital services tax for people like Elon Musk while taking more tax from working people. Most importantly, we could have protected the personal allowance—that small but important amount that people can earn that is theirs to keep entirely—and we would not be asking young people dipping their first toe into the world of work, or those at the end of their careers who rely on the state pension, to pay tax. My party leader, my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Ed Davey), spoke about the measure not mentioned in the Budget that would really create growth, and that is a renegotiated customs union with the EU. We have been left with what my hon. Friend the Member for Bicester and Woodstock (Calum Miller) quite rightly described last week as a hopeless Budget for too many.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Unpaid Carers: Inequalities · Hansard source

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  I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his kind comments. Passing a private Member’s Bill is obviously more straightforward with Government support, which I had, so I am grateful to him and his colleagues.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Unpaid Carers: Inequalities · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure, as always, to serve under your chairship, Ms Vaz. I thank the hon. Member for Shipley (Anna Dixon) for securing this important debate in honour of carers’ day-to-day rights, and for her work in the all-party parliamentary group on carers. I declare an interest as an honorary vice-president of Carers UK and a trustee of the board of Fife Carers Centre; both are incredible organisations. I also want to recognise other organisations that provide support in this area, include Sheffield University’s Centre for Care, the Carers Trust and Fife Young Carers, which provides support to young carers in my North East Fife constituency and beyond. Unpaid care is part of almost all our lives, whether we recognise it or not. I am no exception. When I started campaigning for the Liberal Democrats, and then became an MP under the leadership of my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Ed Davey), who is a carer himself and a prominent activist—in fact, I almost once described him as my carer—I became truly involved with the fight for the rights of unpaid carers. As a newish Back-Bench MP, it was an incredible opportunity, and it was also quite fun and exciting to be able to get a law passed: the private Member’s Bill that became the Carer’s Leave Act 2023. Looking back now, what I remember most is the amazing people I met during that time in North East Fife, and throughout the country—just a handful of the 5.8 million unpaid carers, impressive in their resilience, love and thoughtfulness. I was moved by what was behind that resilience and humour: the tiredness, strain and financial difficulties, as well as the constant worry of thinking about someone else. I intend to use my time to reflect on the 2023 Act and what more needs to be done. It is disheartening that, in the two and a half years since the Act was passed, evidence suggests that things are still getting worse. Research by Carers UK, “State of Caring 2025”, which the hon. Member for Shipley referred to, shows that 49% of carers have had to cut back on essentials; in 2023, that figure was 34%, already elevated from 25% in 2022, and it was just 13% in 2021. This is not the result of bad luck or the same impact from the cost of living crisis as we all see; the rate of poverty among unpaid carers is 50% higher than in the rest of the population. This is clearly the outcome of structural inequalities that the Government need to address. There are some other things that the Government can do immediately to ease the financial burden on unpaid carers, particularly those in receipt of carer’s allowance. I pay tribute to the long work of Baroness Pitkeathley on behalf of unpaid carers, both in the other place and beyond. On Tuesday, she asked the Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions in the House of Lords when we can expect the publication of the independent review into carer’s allowance overpayments. I would be most grateful for some further detail on that from the Minister and colleagues in the DWP, other than “by the end of the year”, given that it is only four weeks until the House rises for Christmas recess. When in that period can we expect the report to be published, and will there be time for parliamentary scrutiny of it? The overpayments scandal has affected thousands of people across the UK. The last thing that unpaid carers, and indeed the MPs representing them, want is a written statement hurriedly published in late afternoon on 18 December. As we are still awaiting publication of the review and the Government’s response to it, I will set out some of the reforms needed to end the financial inequalities experienced by unpaid carers. The carer’s allowance earnings threshold must be pegged to the minimum wage, so that no unpaid carers in work ever find themselves earning “too much”, simply because the Government made it so. The rules on what unpaid carers can earn must be made clearer, and DWP staff must be trained better to prevent future inadvertent overpayments. Of course, the Timms review of personal independence payments must make sure not to disadvantage unpaid carers. I should acknowledge that my constituents in Scotland are now in receipt of the equivalent carer’s support payments. Referring again to the Carer’s Leave Act, last night I attended the carers’ rights event in Parliament, where I was pleased to speak to a number of businesses that are already going above and beyond the provisions in the Act. They are doing that because they believe it makes good business sense. For them, it is about the psychological contract, improving employees’ loyalty and retaining them—staff retention is as important as recruitment. I am pleased that the Government have published their terms of reference for the review of the Act. That has, in some respect, answered what was going to be my first question to the Minister. The bad news is that I have some other reflections on the back of yesterday’s announcement. The terms of reference published yesterday give a timeline for evidence gathering that started over a year ago, in autumn 2024. That is quite a lot of time for the Government to have been doing engagement and commissioned research before coming to Parliament or even announcing the review and what it aims to achieve. Will the Minister update us on what evidence and engagement has been secured to date? There is a formal public consultation of 10 to 12 weeks to seek views. I know that unpaid carers, the networks that represent them and the organisations offering support will want to respond, but most of these structures are manned and run by volunteers or paid staff who are already stretched, and we know that unpaid carers have more than enough to deal with on a day-to-day basis already, and often feel guilty about the admin involved in their lives. Have the Government considered whether the 10-week consultation period will be long enough? What steps will they take to reach people and engage on the ground? On the findings of the review, I have my suspicions, which I have raised with the Government before, that not enough businesses were made aware of the new right under the Act. I fear not enough businesses trained their managers, HR teams and employees about it, and I fear that the Government gave insufficient information to employers and businesses about their obligations. Without adequate communications, not enough unpaid carers knew to see themselves as carers or that they were entitled to the support. If it is going to be a paid leave right, if that is the direction of travel, we need to get better at those things. I want to say in words the Government will understand that I firmly believe paid carer’s leave supports the growth agenda and will help the economy. One thing I have loved about joining the board of Fife Carers is seeing the impact on the local organisation and volunteers. The centre was shortlisted as a finalist for providing outstanding carer service at this year’s inaugural Carers UK awards. That is quite something for an organisation that started with just one part-time worker 30 years ago. The nomination recognised the value of the support the organisation provides, whether its hospital carer self-care kits or its carer support groups. I had the pleasure of attending one in Leven recently and people were not backward in coming forward to talk about the changes they want to see. Whether someone is working and caring or caring full time, they will inevitably be exhausted. The “State of Caring 2025” report says that 74% of carers feel stressed or anxious, and 42% say their physical health has declined. We all need a break sometimes; carers need and deserve it more than most, but how are they to manage that when they have someone relying on them day in, day out? The answer is funded respite care. I am sure my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Sussex (Alison Bennett), my party’s spokesperson for care and carers, will mention that, given that she has a Bill before Parliament to ensure that unpaid carers are offered respite. I support that wholeheartedly. I hope the Minister can give us an update on that, too. I am conscious of time, so I will end my remarks there. Inequalities exist and we have a responsibility here in this place to address them.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Unpaid Carers: Inequalities · Hansard source

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  I want to express my thanks to Baroness Casey, who, although she has been appointed to this commission, is doing other work for the Government. I would not want that to go unrecognised when we are talking about the delays.

• 19 Nov 2025 · Myalgic Encephalomyelitis · Hansard source

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  I am interested in what my hon. Friend says about plans in England, because in my constituency we were privileged to have an incredible ME specialist nurse, Keith Anderson, who helped countless people. Sadly, he passed away two years ago, and since then there has been no specialist support in Fife—indeed, there is no specialist ME doctor or nurse in the whole of Scotland. Does my hon. Friend agree that one of the things any plan needs to consider is training, so that, no matter where someone is in the country, they can get access to a specialist?

• 18 Nov 2025 · ExxonMobil: Mossmorran · Hansard source

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  I agree with the hon. Member for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy (Melanie Ward): this is devastating news for Fife. Although the Mossmorran plant is not in my constituency, I know that I will have constituents who are affected. I note what the Minister said about this decision not being due to a lack of action or will on behalf of the Government, but his statement was pretty silent on the economic circumstances referred to in ExxonMobil’s public statement—in what I saw when this closure was announced, there was certainly an attribution to the UK Government’s failures in that regard. I am a bit disappointed that the first mention of the Scottish Government was at the very end of the statement, in looking forward. The Scottish Government have a responsibility for the economy and jobs, and taking an approach that does not involve the Scottish Government allows the SNP Government to blame the UK Government when such things happen. Although today’s announcement is not a surprise to the Government, will the Minister outline what conversations were being had with the Scottish Government in advance of this decision?

• 17 Nov 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  As a former police officer, I have policed protests, and I know how important they are. On the issue of cumulative disruption, what evidence has the Minister gathered that demonstrates that a protest that is deemed safe as a one-off would become a public safety risk if it were repeated?

• 5 Nov 2025 · Violence against Women and Girls · Hansard source

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  We know—and I have sadly seen through my casework—that coercive control can continue for years after a relationship has ended through the manipulation of child maintenance payments by perpetrators. What steps is the Minister taking with her colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that the systems work to support survivors rather than enabling perpetrators?

• 29 Oct 2025 · Gaza and Hamas · Hansard source

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  Over the past decade there has been a stark absence of diplomatic efforts to address the core issues of the conflict, and the continued advocacy for a two-state solution. Civil society organisations have played a vital role during this time in entering that chasm. Will the Minister outline how the Government are providing help to those organisations? For example, will it be through the recently announced international fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace?

• 28 Oct 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Cuts to spending in Afghanistan inevitably impact women and children disproportionately. They are more likely to be employed by NGOs forced to make cuts and more likely to need assistance. Does the Minister agree that we need to ringfence and protect funding to Afghanistan?

• 23 Oct 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Next month, the UK will be co-hosting the Global Fund replenishment summit with South Africa, but it has been reported that the UK will slash its own funding by 20%. It is estimated that such a cut will cause 82,000 more deaths in Africa and cost over £5 billion to its GDP. Will the Government have a debate on the Global Fund replenishment, so that the House can scrutinise these decisions before they are made?

• 23 Oct 2025 · Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund · Hansard source

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  The East Neuk fishing fleet in my constituency may not be delivering what Shetland does in terms of tonnage, but it is critical, and it faces challenges around spatial mass and recruitment. I associate myself with the remarks of my right hon. Friend the Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael) in relation to how the fund will be distributed. May I query the Minister in relation to the 12-year span of the plan? Obviously it is linked to the EU agreement, but what guarantees can the Minister actually give us that the fund will last for those 12 years? Otherwise, what is proposed becomes meagre.