Business of the House

Question

Following reports of significant gains by Russian forces in Pokrovsk and intensified missile and drone attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure, my brilliant Friend has called for a Backbench Business Committee debate on 4 December to discuss renewed strategic co-ordination among Ukraine’s allies. The hon. Member urges the Leader of the House to commit to keeping back that date.

Question

The hon. Member's 100-strong workforce at ASG show why we are proud of our city’s makers, but a recent cyber attack has left them on the edge without certainty of work. Does my right hon. Friend recognise the importance of companies like ASG across supply chains and agree that everything must be done to prevent such attacks?

Question

Will my right hon. Friend encourage the Health Secretary to break off from his leadership bid to come to the House and explain progress on ensuring Knutsford gets its new medical centre, which health professionals, the public, and I believe is essential?

Question

I welcome the words from my right hon. Friend on the covid memorial response. May I encourage him to hold a statement today so that this House can remember the names and lives of those who are lost, and explore with the relevant Minister how aspirations set out today can be translated into memorials across the country?

Question

Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People, based in my constituency and supporting nationwide partners, is now on day three of a wind down after entering administration. The NHS agreed to buy the building but will not use it immediately. Another charity offers an alternative to keep operating, but its hands are tied by PPF. Does my right hon. Friend agree that urgent plans must be set out to save this essential service for disabled people and meet in the next week?

Question

Families in Bolsover and across Derbyshire with special educational needs are let down by our dire education services that were ruined by the Tories and now failed by Reform. I met families earlier this year who shared heartbreaking stories of being ignored by the council. Does my right hon. Friend agree that Reform Derbyshire must improve its SEN services and deliver for children?

Question

I thank my right hon. Friend the shadow Leader of the House and others for pressing the case for a Backbench Business debate on Ukraine. May I just emphasise the importance of having a motion on the Order Paper that raises particular issues such as the missing children, the atrocities, the need for long-range weaponry and the need for increased sanctions?

Question

Last week I had the privilege of visiting Hitchin boys’ school to listen to pupils across the year groups debating how we could do more to protect them from online harm. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating the pupils on having such a fantastic discussion, and could we have a debate here about what more the Government can do to protect young people right across the country?

Question

We are in a farming emergency with the family farm tax, the early cutting off of the sustainable farming incentive and the watering down of measures to prevent equipment theft from farms. Will the Leader of the House look at extending DEFRA questions to a full hour so that rural communities are not left behind?

Question

Last week during International Trade Week, my dear and hon. Friend the Member for Newport East and I jointly hosted a regional export trade seminar for businesses from across south Wales. Will the Leader of the House join us in thanking DBT colleagues, Ministers and the businesses that attended for their commitment to ensuring that the UK is front and centre of global trade markets?

Question

Sixteen years of Conservative mismanagement of Shropshire council combined with successive Governments’ failures to understand the needs of rural local authorities have left Shropshire council with a dire financial emergency and in need of exceptional financial support. Can the Leader of the House assist me in arranging a meeting with the relevant Secretary of State and MPs for Shropshire so that we can press the Secretary of State to ensure that Shropshire receives that support?

Question

My right hon. Friend will be aware of the appalling environmental pollution incident at Camber Sands in East Sussex last week. A few days later, we also had huge sewage dumps in the seas around my constituency, leaving beaches in Ramsgate and Broadstairs effectively unusable. Will my right hon. Friend consider having a debate in Government time on the economic impact of water quality—poor water quality in particular—on our coastal towns and seaside resorts?

Question

Residents of Northpoint in Bromley have suffered eight years of disruption and uncertainty due to work to replace cladding on their building. There is a case of serious water ingress, and they have now been waiting four months for a response from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to see if any subsequent work can be funded by the aluminium composite material remediation fund. Can we have a debate on how we can protect leaseholders and ensure that they do not suffer disruption like my residents in Bromley?

Question

Women and girls living with endometriosis are waiting on average nine years for a full diagnosis. That is almost a decade of pain, uncertainty and endurance before they receive the targeted support that they need. Would the Leader of the House agree that the soon-to-be-renewed women’s health strategy must get a grip of these appalling wait times and ensure that all women affected are heard and finally prioritised?

Question

Many of my constituents use the Warburton toll bridge to get to work, visit family and go about their everyday lives. However, residents in Irlam and Cadishead have been arbitrarily excluded from the local resident discount scheme, meaning that they have to pay the full price while many who live further from the bridge receive a 50% discount. To date, Peel Ports has not responded to inquiries I have made on constituents’ behalf. Will the Leader of the House consider a debate in Government time on the need to ensure that where essential infrastructure is in private hands, appropriate oversight is in place and local needs are properly considered?

Question

The Meriden gap is a vital route for migrating wildlife, and it is under huge threat from the Government’s planning agenda and the dubiously vague definition of grey belt. My constituents in villages such as Balsall Common and Berkswell have already made huge sacrifices for projects like HS2. Now villages such as Hockley Heath, Dorridge, Knowle, Marston Green and Meriden are all under significant threat. Will the Leader of the House please write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and try to figure out how we can protect vital routes like the Meriden gap and while not increasing the housing burden when my constituents have already made significant sacrifices?

Question

During Remembrance Week we rightly honour the service and sacrifice of our armed forces and their families. Children from armed forces families often face unique challenges in education and mobility, yet data on their outcomes and experiences remains limited. There is a need for better recognition of service children in education policy, for improved national data collection and for sustained funding for the professionals supporting them. Will the Leader of the House allocate time for a debate on ensuring that service children receive whole-person, whole-journey support and evidence-based investment to help them thrive?

Question

In June, I met the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice (Emma Hardy), to press the Government to adopt the measures in my Chalk Streams (Sewerage Investment) Bill. I was delighted by her commitments, namely that she would investigate whether Ministers already had the powers to instruct water companies to prioritise pipe upgrades in chalk streams and, in any event, would write to those water companies and ask them to do so. Will the Leader of the House please ask the Minister to produce a written statement to update the House on that work?

Question

When the last Government allowed the sale of Royal Mail to billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s company, they maintained a golden share, which I now ask Government to use. Services are less frequent, outsourced workers are handling parcels and postal workers feel devalued, with their traditional Christmas stamps downgraded to second class. Will the Leader of the House ask the Business Secretary to make a statement on Royal Mail, a service that should be renationalised, and ensure that our postal workers get their first-class stamps because they are simply first class?

Question

The Northern Ireland Troubles Bill is in the business statement. Does the Leader of the House accept that that will cause concern for many members of the armed forces and the veterans community, who are worried that in years to come they may be judged by the standards of the day rather than the standards that applied when they were engaged in doing the state’s business? Does he further recognise that there is good evidence now that people are leaving the armed forces, and certain parts of the armed forces in particular, because of those concerns? Will he also ensure that adequate time is provided on Second Reading and in Committee to assure the House that steps are being taken to remove that threat to national security?

Question

It is the time of year when people are saving for Christmas, which is a reminder that, years ago, thousands of savers lost tens of millions of pounds when the Christmas savings scheme Farepak collapsed, highlighting a big gap in consumer protection. May we have an opportunity in this House to highlight how finally, under this Government, new regulations will come in from January 2026 due in no small part to my constituent, the former Farepak agent Deb Harvey, working with the former Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough (Justin Madders)? They have been campaigning for years. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking them for helping to ensure that something like that does not happen again?

Question

My constituent was informed that his chosen provider’s funding had been cut by the ICP. With his GP’s help, he was able to transfer to a different provider, whose funding has also been cut, and his application is now on hold, with no timetable for a resolution. Given the current NHS waiting times for autism assessment, can we have a debate in Government time on the steps being taken to ensure that children get the reviews they need?

Question

Will the Leader of the House consider setting aside Government time for a debate on regenerating coastal communities, so that we can properly consider issues facing towns like Sandown on the Isle of Wight?

Question

Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating all those involved in delivering that fantastic project, and will he find time for a debate on how we can continue to improve mental health provision across the country, particularly for adults requiring acute care?

Question

Will the Leader of the House urgently make time for a debate on the subject, so that we can finally improve outcomes for those residents in Chichester and across the country?

Question

Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking Keith Richardson, and members of the Carlisle and Stanwix branch of the Royal British Legion, for organizing an inspiring number of events in my Carlisle constituency?

Question

May we have a debate on how we can hold councils to account when they cancel Government-funded infrastructure projects without offering an alternative for local people?

Question

Will the Leader of the House agree to an urgent debate on the subject in Government time, and ask the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to conduct an urgent investigation?

Question

Can we have a debate on the need for estate agents to verify the names and addresses of people introduced to new properties?