PMQs

Question

On National Teaching Assistants Day, will the Prime Minister join me in thanking teachers, teaching assistants and all support staff for their efforts to bring children back into covid-secure schools? Will he update the House on the national tutoring programme's implementation?

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The Prime Minister mentioned his high earning rate but what is the average hourly rate for a care worker in this country? There are issues with testing delays and social care funding running out. Will the Prime Minister commit to providing necessary funds?

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Will the Prime Minister commit today to providing necessary funding for the social care sector facing a winter crisis? The action plan and infection prevention are critical.

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Do all care homes have weekly tests available? The lack of NHS tests in high-infection areas, including my constituency, is a concern.

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I heard what the Prime Minister had to say, but I have to say to him that we were promised weekly testing for staff. That has not been delivered. Time and again, the Government have failed to meet these promises. The latest figures show an average of 62,000 people tested per day, not 500,000 as promised. How does he explain this?

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The Health Secretary yesterday issued new guidance, but under this guidance many birth partners will not be allowed to join until established labour. Will the Prime Minister meet with me and my hon. Friends to ensure that no woman is forced to give birth without support?

Question

Infections are rising. The testing system is collapsing. We have the highest death toll in Europe and we are on course for one of the worst recessions in the developed world. This winter, we are staring down a second wave with no plan. People cannot say goodbye to loved ones; frontline staff cannot get tests they need. What was the top priority for the covid war Cabinet this weekend?

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Will the Prime Minister reassure Members from across the south-west that we will invest in digital and transport infrastructure, turbocharge opportunity and provide growth? To that effect, will he meet a delegation from the south-west to discuss opportunities?

Question

In his previous life as a Daily Telegraph journalist, this Prime Minister wrote: “Devolution is causing all the strains that its opponents predicted, and in allowing the Scots to make their own laws, while free-riding on English taxpayers, it is simply unjust.” So let me ask the Prime Minister two specific questions, which need two specific answers. First, does he still think that devolution in Scotland is unjust? Secondly, where does he believe full spending and decision-making powers over our NHS, education, infrastructure, economic development, culture and sport should be held—is it with Scotland's Parliament or with Westminster?

Question

My goodness, what nonsense. I never once talked about “a once-in-a-generation”, and the Prime Minister should withdraw that. As usual, the Prime Minister is all over the place. He does not remember what he has written, he does not understand his own Brexit deal and he does not even know what is in the Internal Market Bill—I will tell him. Clause 46 allows this Tory Government to bypass Scotland's Parliament and take decisions on the NHS, education, infrastructure, economic development, culture and sport—it is a blatant power grab. We all know what the Tory Back Benchers are saying behind closed doors: that the Prime Minister is incompetent, that he cannot govern and that they want him away before the next election. Scotland's legacy will be in a being a fair, decent, law-abiding, independent nation state. Will the Prime Minister's legacy be leading the UK to break international law and break this failing Union?

Question

Please allow me to push back against what has just been said. The Prime Minister has done a stellar job in fending off economic depression right across the United Kingdom, including Scotland. Now, my worry turns to a psychological depression. Tighter restrictions have forced more businesses to shut in Bolton and, while 13,900 jobs were saved through furlough, more needs to be done. I invite the Prime Minister, when the time is right, to pound the streets of Bolton North East and, before then, to send in the pennies from the Exchequer and more testing kits from Health.

Question

Research by the Disabled Children's Partnership shows that three quarters of families with disabled children had their care support stopped during lockdown. The Coronavirus Act 2020 is partly to blame, as it relaxed the duties to assess and meet the needs of disabled people. As the father of a disabled child and a patron of the Disability Law Service, I have seen legal advice that suggests that the Prime Minister's Government broke international law when the Coronavirus Act reduced the rights of disabled people. So before the House is asked to renew the Coronavirus Act, will he meet me to discuss how we can protect the right to care of disabled people and act lawfully?

Question

The residents of Amber Valley were relieved yesterday when a proposal for a 1,000-strong festival was finally withdrawn, because it had become clear that the council did not have the power to resist it despite the ongoing public health crisis. Will the Prime Minister ensure that, while covid restrictions remain in place, councils can resist such festivals in the interest of public health?

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Last week the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland said that the UK Internal Market Bill would breach our obligations under international law. Yesterday the Advocate General for Scotland said that the Secretary of State was wrong to say that. Today the Secretary of State says that the Advocate General was wrong to say that he was wrong. It is of course possible that they are both right in saying that the other is wrong, but surely an important matter such as this requires clarity. For that reason, will the Prime Minister now undertake to publish the advice he has had from all his Law Officers so that the House can make an informed decision on the question of legality, come Monday?

Question

My right hon. Friend has always highlighted the importance of gigabit connectivity, and digital infrastructure has been vital in keeping us connected throughout the pandemic. Could he update the House on the Government's progress towards the roll-out of gigabit broadband across the country, and in particular whether the £5 billion of Government funding is being used to connect hard-to-reach areas like those in my North Devon constituency?

Question

The figures released this week by the Trussell Trust forecast that we will give out six emergency food parcels every minute this winter. Will the Prime Minister commit to two urgent measures to tackle this humanitarian disaster, which is happening in all our communities? First, will he commit to an additional £250 million investment in local welfare assistance schemes to bring England in line with the rest of the UK, as requested by the Children's Trust and the Trussell Trust; and, secondly, will he meet me and partner organisations as a matter of urgency to discuss bringing the right to food into UK law?

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Does my right hon. Friend agree that this Government's Internal Market Bill will protect our United Kingdom, strengthen our mission to level up and back our negotiators?

Question

In the week in which the Prime Minister announced the Government's new strategy on obesity, the eating disorder charity Beat experienced a 165% increase in the number of people contacting its support services. I am pleased that the Prime Minister is focused on obesity, but as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on eating disorders, I have been contacted by many who suffer from eating disorders who have approached me with concerns about certain aspects of his obesity strategy and the adverse effects it would have on them. Will the Prime Minister take these concerns seriously and commit to a meeting between sufferers of an eating disorder, myself and the relevant Minister in his Health team?

Question

Regional airports are going to play a crucial role in our recovery from the pandemic and in levelling up our country, but many of them, such as Cornwall Airport Newquay, have been very hard hit not only because of the lockdown, but because of the demise of Flybe. There is a very real concern that if our smaller airports close at this time, they may never open again, which will make the Government's levelling-up agenda even harder to deliver. So could my right hon. Friend please ensure that our regional airports get all the help that they need, whether that be through grants or the Government backing more public sector obligation routes, and would he carefully look at reducing air passenger duty, particularly on domestic flights?

Question

The Prime Minister holds the power to save jobs or sacrifice the livelihoods of my constituents. Currently, 17,700 people living in my constituency of York Central are furloughed; their future rests in his hands. Next month, 22% of my constituents could lose their jobs and futures unless furlough is extended. Reformed, yes; more flexible, a must; targeted, absolutely. Extend and review is the only way forward. My question is: will the Prime Minister do that?

Question

I recently visited the Micklefield Hall wedding venue in Sarratt, run by Anna and Jamie Rankin. They expressed concerns about the blanket limit of 30 attendees for weddings. Would the Prime Minister consider changing this rule to allow venues to hold a percentage—say, 50%—of their usual licenced activity?

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I have received serious concerns about testing issues in my constituency. These originate not in Wales but with the UK's testing and online systems leading to rationing, chaos, and confusion, while the virus spreads further. The Prime Minister's friend Cummings reportedly had a 'seeing room'. When will he get control of this?

Question

Residents in Bishop Auckland contact me daily regarding crime concerns. My own history includes learning about violent crime in a way I never wished to learn about it. The first duty of any Government is public protection, but our criminal justice system has fallen short. Will the Government take all steps necessary to keep criminals off streets and crack down on crime?

Question

Given the ruling against 1950s-born women at the Court of Appeal yesterday, any restitution requires political action. Will the Prime Minister honour his words from last year to return to this issue with fresh vigour and see what he can do to sort it out?