PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE
Business of the House - 4 September 2025 (Commons/Commons Chamber)

Will the Leader of the House give the forthcoming business?

The business for the week commencing 8 September will include:

Monday 8 September—Consideration of Lords amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill.

Tuesday 9 September—Second Reading of the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill.

Wednesday 10 September—Remaining stages of the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords].

Thursday 11 September—General debate on regional transport inequality, followed by general debate on suicide prevention. The subjects for these debates were determined by the Backbench Business Committee.

Friday 12 September—The House will not be sitting.

The provisional business for the week commencing 15 September includes:

Monday 15 September—Consideration of Lords amendments to the Employment Rights Bill.

Tuesday 16 September—Second Reading of the Sentencing Bill.

The House will rise for the conference recess at the conclusion of business on Tuesday 16 September and return on Monday 13 October.

Hon. Members will also wish to note the written statement made this week confirming that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor will deliver her Budget statement on Wednesday 26 November.

I call the shadow Leader of the House.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I hope you and everyone in this Chamber had a very good summer break, with just the right proportions of sun, sleep and family.

If I may, let me start with a double round of congratulations: first, to the Prime Minister on his 63rd birthday this week, putting him squarely in the prime of life; and secondly, to my brilliant colleague, my hon. Friend the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont), who has just been appointed to the giddy heights of shadow Deputy Leader of the House. That is the reshuffle that really matters. As befits a former lawyer at Freshfields, he will bring his forensic intellect to scrutinising the Government.

I had been planning to talk about the Government’s performance over the summer, taking into account the escalating union demands for pay, the rise in inflation, unemployment and gilt yields, and the record number of small boat crossings in the first half of the year. I think it is fair to say that the past few weeks have been a total shambles for the Government. Little wonder that the Prime Minister has undertaken yet another of his performative Government resets to distract the media and the general public. He insists that everything is absolutely fine, which is doubtless why it is all being changed round yet again. They cannot blame these things on the previous Government, though doubtless the Leader of the House will try.

There can, however, be only one topic today, and that is tax. In the real world, it seems that those of us poor souls who actually do pay tax are about to be confronted with a massive tax-raising Budget, perhaps with a particular focus, it has been rumoured in the media—or kites have been flown—on property taxes. Last year, the Chancellor increased spending by £70 billion, funding half of that through taxes and half through increased borrowing.

Of course, it seems that the only person who will not be paying more tax is the Deputy Prime Minister. I like and rather admire the Deputy Prime Minister—uniquely among the Government, she at least has a policy of trying to reduce taxes. We just heard the Solicitor General talk about Government taking a strict line on fraud; I did not hear so much about taking a strict line on tax fraud—[Interruption.] Or potential tax fraud, but we now have a situation in which the Deputy Prime has tried to dodge paying £40,000 in tax on her third home after demanding that previous Ministers should resign over tax scandals. It appears that she failed even to look at His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs guidance on the internet as to whether higher rate stamp duty was payable. That guidance is readily available and is straightforward. It is hard to imagine that any qualified tax adviser—let alone any individual seeking to question their own tax arrangements—would not have taken a look or know about it.

The Deputy Prime Minister signed a deed for what appears to be an off-the-shelf trust scheme from Shoosmiths, the solicitors. Was that crafted to avoid tax? We need to know more about what disclosures she made to the civil service about her three homes, what review was carried out and what advice she was offered. I hope the Prime Minister’s adviser will look at those issues, in addition to all the other issues he is looking at.

Does the Leader of the House believe that Cabinet Ministers—let alone the Deputy Prime Minister of this country—should be using schemes to dodge tax? Should the Secretary of State responsible for housing be flipping her own main residence to avoid paying tax due on it? Does she concede that there is the appearance of very serious impropriety about these proceedings? Does she see how difficult they have made the situation for her colleague, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who is planning to put a Budget in front of this House that will include tax-raising measures, many of which will likely be focused on property? Above all, Labour—and every Labour Member stood by this—made a solemn commitment to maintain the “highest standards” in office in its own general election manifesto. Does the Leader of the House accept that this conduct by the Deputy Prime Minister massively falls short of that, and that it discredits both the Prime Minister and the Government as a whole?

I call the Leader of the House.

Welcome back to you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and all the House staff. I join the shadow Leader of the House in wishing the Prime Minister a happy birthday for earlier this week.

This summer has been marked by some happy personal events here in the House—no, I am not talking about Taylor Swift’s engagement to Travis Kelce, although I am sure we will all want to wish them a happy engagement. We have our very own power couples: my hon. Friends the Members for North East Derbyshire (Louise Sandher-Jones) and for Loughborough (Dr Sandher), who got married to each other over the summer recess. There are also my hon. Friend the Member for Leigh and Atherton (Jo Platt), who married her long-term partner Ian, and my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff South and Penarth (Stephen Doughty), who married Kristiam this recess.

The happy news does not stop there. My hon. Friend the Member for Southampton Test (Satvir Kaur) had her beautiful baby daughter. I am thrilled for her and also for my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester East (Shivani Raja) on the arrival of her new baby, too. There are new dads in the House as well: my hon. Friends the Members for Wirral West (Matthew Patrick) and for York Outer (Mr Charters), so that is dispatches for this week. We are very much more a family-friendly Parliament these days, and I am determined that modernisation will continue that trend.

I join the shadow Leader of the House in welcoming the new shadow deputy Leader of the House, the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont), to his place. I hope that he will still on occasion ask me some questions and invite me to his constituency from the Back Benches, which I am always happy to accept as he knows.

I am also pleased to announce that this first bumper Session of Parliament under the Labour Government will last until spring 2026. By any measure, our legislative programme in this first Session is highly ambitious, delivering on the promises that we made in our manifesto and shifting power and opportunity to working people. There are a few highlights, which I know that shadow Leader of the House is always happy to hear about. We are giving the biggest boost to workers’ rights in a generation, finally ending no-fault evictions, stopping water bosses’ bonuses, setting up Great British Energy to get bills down, bringing back rail into public ownership, saving British Steel jobs, seizing and crushing dangerous off-road vehicles, finally recriminalising shoplifting, ensuring that buses are affordable and serve their communities, and protecting our much-loved football clubs. We are taking on the vested interests that hold this country back, and we still have much more to do in the rest of this Session.

In contrast, the Conservatives really have shown on whose side they stand in this Session: on the side of landlords against the Renters’ Rights Bill; on the side of criminal gangs in voting against our Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill; for the few, not the many, in education; and, as ever, dying in a ditch to save the hereditary peers in the other place. We know whose side they are on.

The shadow Leader of the House chose to have another go on the issue of tax and property, which was, I noticed, the subject of one of the Conservatives’ Opposition Day debates yesterday. They could not muster enough speakers for that debate to go the full three hours, so he is having another go today. I repeat that the Deputy Prime Minister has given a full account of her family circumstances and living arrangements. She made it clear that she is now rectifying her mistake. She has referred herself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards, who is now looking into it. I will not say any more on that matter because he is looking into it.

Suffice it to say that the Deputy Prime Minister is a huge, huge asset to this Government. She is an incredibly effective Minister and she has been delivering, whether on our record investment in social housing, the flagship Employment Rights Bill, the biggest settlement for local government in many years, major planning reforms to get more homes built, or the delivery of devolution and community empowerment, among much more. The Conservatives have a go at her because she is so bloody good at her job.

Yet again, the shadow Leader of the House comes here and talks about the economy and the Budget, but another year has gone by and we have still had no apology from him or his Front-Bench colleagues for the state they left the country’s finances in. Let us just remind ourselves about that. They left a huge black hole in public spending, high levels of debt and borrowing, and living standards that had, for the first time in history, fallen during a Parliament. He is always very selective in his use of statistics; he did not mention that the British economy has grown faster than all other G7 countries in the first half of this year, or that mortgages are now at a five-year low. After a decade and a half of poor productivity because of a lack of investment, we are now powering up this country and investing in the new jobs of the future around the country, with jobs coming every day. The Chancellor will set out the Budget in the usual way, but she has made clear that most of the speculation is quite honestly damaging rubbish.

Let us not forget that we are now coming up to the three-year anniversary of the disastrous Liz Truss mini-Budget. I think I remember that the shadow Leader of the House being the Financial Secretary to the Treasury at that Budget. When Governments lose confidence and take irresponsible decisions, the poorest in society pay the heaviest price when the economy crashes. We will take absolutely no lectures from the Conservatives.

The shadow Leader of the House wanted to talk about the performance of the Government over the summer, but he did not. Let us be honest: the Leader of the Opposition does not need a reset but a full-blown resuscitation—her party spent most of the summer checking whether she had a pulse or not. The truth is that her leadership, like the future of the Conservative party, is, quite frankly, at death’s door.

The SNP-led Glasgow city council is proposing to introduce a car tax on East Renfrewshire motorists, so that every time my constituents enter Glasgow city, they would have to pay a fee. Could she make time for a debate on the enormous levels of waste by the SNP Government on things like Barlinnie Prison, which is 10 times over budget, or the ferries that went nowhere, so that we can tell the SNP to stop wasting our money and get out of the pockets of East Renfrewshire motorists?

I know what an issue parking charges can be in city centres, such as my own. My hon. Friend is right: that would make a really good topic for a debate. Let us have a look at the performance of the SNP Government in Scotland. They have had the biggest settlement ever in Scotland. What are they doing with that money, and how are they serving the people of Scotland?

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

Yesterday at Prime Minister’s questions, the Prime Minister told the leader of my party, my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Ed Davey), that the situation in Gaza was “horrifying” and “a man-made famine”. We agree. More than 60,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed in the conflict. Just yesterday, five adults and a child were reported to have died of malnutrition, as a direct consequence of the Israeli Government’s man-made famine and illegal restrictions on aid entering the strip. It has been the deadliest war ever for journalists, with at least 192 killed by Israeli forces, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, and 20 Israeli hostages are still thought to be alive and brutally held by Hamas terrorists.

Across the House, we have begged the Government to do more to help end the conflict, to save the lives of the hostages and Gaza’s civilians. Indeed, it is something that constituents write to me and undoubtedly all Members about on a daily basis, yet action has been excruciatingly slow. In July, the Prime Minister set a deadline for further action. He said that

“the UK will recognise the state of Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace”.

That deadline is fast approaching: the UN General Assembly convenes in less than a week. The House should surely have the right to debate and vote on this important step. Recognising that Parliament will break for conference recess in less than two weeks, will the Leader of the House grant a full debate in Government time before then to show the strength of support for the recognition of the state of Palestine in this House?

I welcome the hon. Member back from summer recess and look forward to continuing to work with her on the many Committees on which we both sit. I thank her for raising that very important issue. Let us be under no illusions: the situation in Gaza is unimaginably bleak. It is truly horrific, and the horrifying images and accounts we are seeing daily are seared on all our minds as we go about our business. On top of everything else, after so many civilian deaths and so much destruction, we are now seeing a man-made and wholly avoidable famine and widespread starvation.

The Government are leading international efforts for a peace plan. That involves the release of hostages, a ceasefire and the huge humanitarian response needed to prevent further death and destruction. The recognition of Palestine as a state is an important step towards that, which is why the Prime Minister set out those plans as we approach the UNGA later this month.

I have personally long supported the recognition of Palestine, including last time Parliament was asked to give a view on the matter. On Monday, in a two-hour statement to the House, the Foreign Secretary updated Members on the steps we are taking to recognise the state of Palestine and made clear that unless the Israeli Government take urgent steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza and commit to a long-term peace, we will make that assessment before the leaders meet at the UN in New York. We will, as ever, ensure that the House has a full opportunity to continue to discuss and scrutinise these very important decisions.

In February, my constituent’s son, Paul Holborn, won the men’s section of the 777 world marathon challenge. That is seven marathons in seven continents in seven days. He topped that off by then running the north pole marathon in July, and achieving grand slam status. Paul is now preparing for his next challenge. He plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in January, and then to pull a sled for 293 miles across the Arctic frozen tundra in February. Throughout his journey, Paul has raised thousands for local charities, including £4,000 for Age UK in Sunderland. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Paul on his bravery and determination, and in wishing him the best of luck for his upcoming endeavours, where he will do not just the north-east proud, but the whole UK?

I absolutely join my hon. Friend in congratulating Paul on his extraordinary achievements. Quite honestly, I am exhausted just listening to what he is doing, let alone doing it myself.

I thank the Leader of the House for announcing the Backbench Business for next week. She will know that 50 Back Benchers were frustrated on Monday that they were not able to debate transport inequalities. Obviously there were important statements—we understand that—but will she consider giving that debate protected time next week, so that all those who wish to contribute can do so, rather than being confined to about 30 seconds each if the debate is squeezed in next week?

In addition to business in the Chamber, there will be a debate on the hydrogen supply chain next Tuesday in Westminster Hall. On Thursday 11 September, there will be two debates: one on improving regulations for non-surgical aesthetic and cosmetic treatments, and one on consumer affairs. On behalf of the Backbench Business Committee, I ask for early notice of the business we will be allocated in the week when we come back after the conference season, so that we can allocate time for many of the debates that are waiting.

Next week the London underground network is likely to grind to a halt, as the trade unions are calling out individual sections throughout that week. The last time the unions went on strike, the Labour Mayor of London had to find £30 million to buy them off. The Transport Secretary has long experience, having been Deputy Mayor for Transport in London, but as far as I am aware, she has not uttered a single word about what will happen next week. Will the Leader of the House encourage the Transport Secretary to come to the House and let us know what will happen in London next week if the strike goes ahead? I know we have Transport questions next Thursday, but frankly that is too late.

I welcome the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee back after recess, and thank him for announcing the forthcoming Backbench Business. I recognise the disruption to those who wanted to speak on Monday in the debate on transport inequality, which was sponsored by my hon. Friend the Member for Derby North (Catherine Atkinson), and I am pleased that has been rescheduled for Thursday. I am happy to look at protecting time for that, so that Members can be confident about their contributions in what is obviously a well-subscribed debate.

On the tube strikes, nobody wants to see strike action in London. It is incredibly disruptive for commuters and businesses. As ever, the Government—and, I am sure, the Mayor of London—call on Transport for London and the unions to get back round the table so that those strikes do not go ahead next week.

I am becoming increasingly concerned about the level of fraud facing individuals and businesses in the UK. Fraud accounts for over 40% of all crime, from online and push payment fraud, to phishing, vishing and smishing, to name just a few schemes. I have even seen examples of businesses in my constituency being hit by various Companies House scams. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate in Government time to discuss how we can tackle these challenges moving forward?

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise such issues. Fraud is increasingly prevalent across our country and economy. It is becoming increasingly sophisticated, especially given advances in technology such as AI. That is why the Government continue to focus on those issues. I think it would make a very good topic for a debate.

In a week when the Liberal Democrat-run Arun district council has been found to have the worst possible grading for its social housing provision—including more than half of its homes being without smoke alarms—it is alleged that two senior directors, including one responsible for housing, have left the council with redundancy payments totalling £350,000. Can the Leader of the House advise me on how best to hold the council to account in this place for the benefit of taxpayers in my constituency?

I am sorry to hear about the issues that the hon. Lady has rightly raised on behalf of her constituents. I do not know about those specific allegations, but I assure her that we take standards in local government incredibly seriously, as we take standards across all our politics seriously. We will have further legislation at some stage in this Parliament.

This summer has been busy in Southend. Most importantly, this weekend we hosted City Jam, a jam-packed live street art festival. Will the Leader of the House join me in commending all the organisers who took part in producing such an incredible event, solidifying our flourishing cultural scene, from Lazydays festival and Summer in Nashville to Victory over Japan events in Rochford and Southend, and many more? Artworks from the UK’s largest street art festival, City Jam, will line our streets for a few weeks yet. I invite the whole House to join me in admiring Southend’s culture, and perhaps we can arrange a large ministerial visit to Southend.

That sounds like a great visit. I am pleased to hear that my hon. Friend had such a sunny summer packed full of events in his constituency. I am delighted to join him in congratulating all the organisers.

Starting a family is a huge milestone for any couple but, crucially, it comes with a huge financial hit, as parents must scale back their working lives in order to care for their newborn. Ben Barnes in Keighley, the winner of best butcher across the whole of Yorkshire, has seen at first hand how, despite working extra hours, one of his employees is still worse off, because his partner is on maternity pay. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate on the merits of extending marriage allowance so that claimants can transfer a greater proportion of their personal allowance, in order to help young people take that crucial step of starting a family?

Can I pass on my congratulations to that employee of local butcher Ben Barnes on the birth of his first child? I am really pleased to hear the hon. Gentleman advocate so strongly for stronger maternity and paternity leave and pay; that has not always been what we have heard from the Conservative party and some of his colleagues. We are committed to strengthening rights and supporting pay. Just this week, we brought in the free childcare package, which will be worth £7,500 a year to families that qualify, and we are extending that further. I look forward to working with the hon. Gentleman on strengthening it in the coming months.

More than 80 colleagues are bobbing. Unless Members are short in their contributions, they are denying others the opportunity to get in.

Many parameters of the fair funding review will address social injustices in our communities, but places like York will lose out significantly. It is already the lowest-funded unitary authority in the country, the Lib Dem council previously spent all the reserves and we cannot afford to make further cuts. Will the Leader of the House ensure that local authorities that are going to lose out under the fair funding review can meet the Minister and have discussions before the parameters are published?

I thank the hon. Lady for raising the issues around fair funding. I know this is a really important matter for a number of colleagues. She will be aware that the Deputy Prime Minister has ensured a record local government funding settlement, but the hon. Lady is absolutely right: the devil is in the detail and we need to ensure that funding follows need. I will certainly arrange for her to have a meeting with the Minister.

We all deal with Department for Work and Pensions casework through our teams, but in North East Fife we are seeing a transition to universal credit that means that vulnerable constituents—often those with dyslexia or learning disabilities —are really struggling. They are not being offered the enhanced support journey, and all are suffering due to departments not communicating and miscalculations. Can we have a debate in Government time on this issue, which I am sure affects MPs from across the House?

I am sorry to hear about the cases in the hon. Lady’s constituency. I am sure the issues will be familiar to other hon. Members, especially those representing constituencies in Scotland. I am happy to facilitate a response from the Minister, so that we can make sure that the necessary steps are in place to alleviate the situation.

Libraries are vital spaces for learning, inclusion and communities. As Lindley library in my constituency marks 150 years, we celebrate its role in enriching lives and preserving local heritage. I hope the Leader of the House will join me in wishing the library a happy birthday and every success for its open day next week. Can we have a debate in Government time on how we can better support libraries, like the one in Lindley, to grow and adapt for future generations?

Libraries are vital to our communities and high streets, and they provide people with access to knowledge and information, as they have done in decades gone by and will do in decades in the future. I support all my hon. Friend’s efforts to support Lindley library in his constituency.

A month ago, I met Oliver Robinson from the British Trout Association. The association has produced an excellent report on the trout farming industry in the UK, but Oliver is struggling to get engagement from Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Ministers. I tried to ask the Secretary of State about this in DEFRA questions earlier, but it would be much appreciated if the Leader of the House could make representations and try to set up that vital conversation.

I am happy to help facilitate a conversation with the relevant Minister about trout farming.

Under the Conservatives, 53% of buses were cut in my constituency, including the SL1 tram link bus, leaving many of my constituents unable to go to work or school in Sheffield. Thanks to our better buses Bill and the work done by our Labour mayor, Oliver Coppard, our buses are being brought back under public control. Will the Leader of the House advise me how I can work with Ministers, our Labour mayor and Sheffield city council in order to reinstate the vital SL1 tram link bus?

I am sorry to hear that the SL1 route was scrapped under the previous Government. My hon. Friend makes a very strong case for our buses Bill and all the actions that we are taking to ensure that buses serve their local community, and are affordable and reliable. When such powers are used, we see a massive increase in the use of buses.

As I have said many times in this place, at Dounreay we have a highly skilled workforce, a licensed nuclear site and a local population who support the nuclear industry. Rolls-Royce has told me that it is very interested in placing its prototype advanced modular reactor at Dounreay, and yet we know that the Scottish National party Government in Edinburgh will block that with their planning powers. What advice does the Leader of the House have for me? Will she facilitate a meeting with Ministers to try to get rid of this roadblock?

As ever, the hon. Gentleman is a strong advocate for jobs and businesses in his constituency. He knows that this Government are committed to new nuclear power and to the most ambitious nuclear programme in a generation. I am really sorry to hear that the SNP Government are, as ever, likely to set themselves against this new investment and against new job opportunities in Scotland. Frankly, that is a pattern that we are seeing time after time, and I join him in calling on them to look again.

It was a very busy summer recess in Newcastle-under-Lyme, with 70 engagements in 34 days; my office was delighted to put me on the train on Monday. One of the highlights was attending the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Newcastle-under-Lyme branch of the Royal Air Forces Association. Will the Leader of the House join me in paying tribute to the branch, its officers and its volunteers for the care and compassion that they show to our vets and their families, and send them a happy anniversary?

As someone who follows my hon. Friend on social media, I know that he has had a very busy recess, as have many colleagues; I have looked on jealously at many of the visits that people have been doing over the summer recess. I join him in congratulating the Royal Air Forces Association branch in his constituency on all that it does.

I will be short, as I already am. Can we have a debate about delays in obtaining driving tests? There is a growing problem with unscrupulous operators using bots to sweep up months’ worth of tests then selling them back to very frustrated parents and students at a profit. The Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency seems to be in denial about this issue. Can we have a debate in Parliament and try to fix this problem?

As ever, the right hon. Gentleman is a very big presence with his short question. He raises a topic that I know we all get many emails and complaints about. The Secretary of State for Transport has given an update to the House on these issues, and we are delivering 10,000 additional driving tests. The right hon. Gentleman raises an important issue about how bots and others are using technology to secure those tests, and I will ensure that he gets a full response.

Will my right hon. Friend join me in thanking Tina Simpson and her team at the Loco Centre in Netherfield, as well as Nathan Kenney and Mapperley All Stars, for their brilliant work this summer in delivering the holiday activities and food programme in Gedling? Will she also welcome its very much-needed extension for three years by this Labour Government?

That was the hon. Member’s first business question.

That was my hon. Friend’s first business question! I welcome him to the delights of business questions. They are normally followed by a compliment to me and an invitation to the constituency—I was waiting for that before I got up to reply. I will certainly join my hon. Friend in thanking Tina, Nathan and all those who provided such wonderful holiday facilities for children.

Regardless of the fact that there is no legal requirement on the Government of the United Kingdom to transfer ownership of the British Indian Ocean Territories to Mauritius, the Government have challenged the Opposition’s figures about the cost of that exercise. Before the debate on Tuesday, will the Government place in the Library of the House of Commons detailed estimates of the cost to the British taxpayer?

As ever, alongside legislation we publish all the necessary documents, including the costings, which we have been transparent about. I gently say to the right hon. Gentleman that before the election his Government embarked on 11 rounds of negotiations; they knew that the Government needed to resolve this issue in order to protect our defence and security for generations to come. I am pleased that we have managed to get that deal across the line.

Last weekend, a group of volunteers launched a fundraising activity to put on a new annual show hosting a hoedown in Epworth. Will the Leader of the House join me in wishing the rootin’ tootin’ team the best of luck in whip-cracking away on future events to raise loot to put on the first Isle country show in the year-haw 2026?

That is how it is done! My hon. Friend was once the master of Doncaster airport, and he is now the master of business question puns. I absolutely join him in wishing the team the best of luck.

I call Victoria Collins—follow that!

I am afraid I cannot follow that, Madam Deputy Speaker.

I have a growing number of constituents who have reached out with concerns about cancer care, including one family in Berkhamsted in which the father, who has since sadly passed away, struggled to access consistent cancer care support and even found it hard to get hold of his consultant, while the mother-in-law, who lived elsewhere, had access to Macmillan nurses who made a world of difference. Will the Leader of the House help to secure a debate to address this postcode lottery in the national cancer plan?

This is not the first time that we have heard at business questions about the postcode lottery that remains when it comes to cancer care, particularly children’s cancer care. I thank the hon. Lady for raising that issue, and I will raise it with the Secretary of State. We have announced extra funding and will publish the national cancer plan later this year, and I will ensure that the Secretary of State comes to the House to update us.

I wonder whether my right hon. Friend was as shocked as I was that a Member of this House went to another country and, in front of its Parliament, started to run this country down. What is the point of being elected to this place if Members are not prepared to bring these issues to the Floor of the House and have them debated? Will my right hon. Friend write to Members and remind them of the opportunities they have to raise these important issues so that we can scrutinise them in a proper way, rather than scuttle off to another country and act in a totally unpatriotic way? [Hon. Members: “Where are they?”]

Members ask, “Where are they?” I think Reform Members are busy doing each other’s ironing— I do not know whether people have seen that. My hon. Friend is absolutely right. For a Member of Parliament who claims to be acting in the British interest to go to another country to suggest that tariffs on this country are increased and that steps are taken to reduce job opportunities here is not just unpatriotic, but anti-British.

Following on from that question, Reform-led Leicestershire county council and Harborough district council have made a series of highly controversial decisions impacting on the people of Lutterworth and the surrounding villages. Does the Leader of the House agree that Freedom of Information Act requests that are made by constituents to public bodies should be answered, and will she help organise a meeting between me and the relevant Minister to discuss the lack of answers from those public bodies?

I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that issue. We have seen Members of this House from the Reform party going around the world savaging our rights to free speech in this country, yet the councils they run are not prepared to answer questions on free speech. They are blocking local newspapers from scrutinising their work and, as the hon. Gentleman says, they are not opening themselves up to freedom of information requests. I will ensure he gets a ministerial response.

Over the summer recess, I volunteered with the junior Parkrun in Desborough. It was fantastic to see children excited about exercise, and to be there to celebrate Rose and Luna getting their half-marathon wristbands. I was especially struck by the dedication of the volunteers who make it possible every week in Desborough and Kettering and across the whole country. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking Parkrun volunteers around the country, and provide time for a debate on community-led initiatives that promote physical activity?

The Parkrun and junior Parkrun initiatives are fantastic at engaging people in daily activity to keep them healthy and at bringing them together, tackling other issues such as loneliness. I join my hon. Friend in thanking all the organisers for their involvement.

Will the Leader of the House join me in recognising Gretna Green in my constituency as not just the wedding capital of the UK, but the wedding capital of Europe? It is particularly popular with couples from the north-west, and obviously, any MP who is still looking to be wed would be made most welcome there. However, many of the rules and regulations around civil ceremonies are arcane and bureaucratic. While there must always be proper checks, surely simplicity, spontaneity, innovation and joy must also be important. As such, will the Leader of the House bring forward a debate on modernising marriage laws?

I am not sure whether any of the couples I mentioned at the beginning of this questions session got married in Gretna Green—maybe they can declare it if they did—but we are all of course very familiar with it as the iconic place for weddings in this country. The right hon. Gentleman makes an important point about simplifying some of the bureaucracy and making sure we remember what marriage is all about. I will get in touch with the relevant Minister on his behalf and see what we can do.

Next Wednesday is World Suicide Prevention Day. People can be nervous of talking about suicide, but it affects so many people in our communities. This year, Samaritans is sharing this message:

“If you think someone might be suicidal, take action, interrupt their thoughts and show them you care.”

There are events taking place across Parliament next week, but will the Leader of the House join me in encouraging Members to participate in next Thursday’s debate on suicide prevention, which has been announced today by the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee, the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman)?

My hon. Friend is a passionate and long-standing campaigner around those issues, and she has raised them with me many times. I thank her for all the work she does raising the issues around suicide and suicide prevention. It is often an uncomfortable and difficult issue to talk about, and she leads from the front in making sure that people feel that they can do so. I certainly join her in encouraging Members to participate.

Charlie Dodds from Driffield in my constituency is just one year old and suffers from a rare mitochondrial condition. Will the Leader of the House join me in paying tribute to his parents, Harrison and Ellie, for the £35,000 they have raised for research into this condition? Will she commit Government time to a debate on NHS funding for rare conditions?

I certainly join the hon. Member in congratulating and thanking the parents of Charlie—Harrison and Ellie—for their phenomenal fundraising efforts. Rare diseases such as the one he describes are so difficult to tackle. That is why we need focus on them and extra funding and research, and I will ensure that he gets a full response.

The Leader of the House might remember that back in March I informed the House about the search for funding and support for an incredible young man from Beckenham, Lucas De Gouveia. At just 14, he is already representing Great Britain in wheelchair tennis. I am delighted to update the House today that, working together, we have secured sponsorship for Lucas from companies including easyJet to help him with the additional costs of competing internationally. Together, we met the Sports Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley South (Stephanie Peacock), to raise the profile of wheelchair tennis and para-sport. Yesterday, Lucas won the quarter-final in the US Open wheelchair singles. He is the youngest competitor in the tournament. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking the Lawn Tennis Association and everyone who has supported Lucas, and wish him the very best of luck in the semi-final?

What a wonderful story. I know that raising that issue in business questions helped the hon. Gentleman to secure that funding and that sponsorship, so that Lucas could go to the US Open and compete. What fantastic news that he won his quarter-final and will now be in the semi-finals. I join the hon. Gentleman in thanking the Lawn Tennis Association, easyJet and all those who have made it possible.

The Government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action has caused a growing legal, political and policing crisis. A judicial review has been granted. The police are struggling to deal with the sheer volume of people being arrested, and the UK’s reputation has been seriously harmed. Does the Leader of the House recognise that this rushed proscription, and the cynical decision to bundle it together with two other clearly terrorist organisations, is bad politics and bad process? We should have a chance to revisit the decision, learn from this debacle and seriously consider the important human rights implications.

There is an extremely high bar for proscribing any organisation, and that decision was not taken lightly. It was taken on very strong advice about the activities of Palestine Action. Those activities were increasingly severe and, with increasing frequency, incredibly damaging. That is not to say that people cannot peacefully protest in support of Palestine or in support of many other organisations that support the Palestinian cause. As I said earlier, I strongly support recognition of Palestine and support the Palestinian cause, but that is not to say that we should support organisations that seek to cause real problems in this country.

The return to school in Bury North has seen the Derby and the Elton high schools introduce smartphone bans. I congratulate the principals Helen Hubert and Jonathan Wilton on their leadership in doing so. Like many of my Labour colleagues, through my smartphone-free schools campaign I have heard from hundreds of parents, teachers and pupils. Their overwhelming view is that smartphone use damages learning, concentration and behaviour while piling pressure on children to be permanently online. Will my right hon. Friend grant time to debate Government plans to help schools manage smartphones, so that every child can learn free from distraction and in a happier state?

I thank my hon. Friend and a number of other colleagues for continuing to campaign on and raise these important issues. As parents and constituency MPs, we all see the damage that social media and unmitigated use of smartphones can cause to teenagers. He is absolutely right to highlight that schools already have the power to confiscate smartphones, and I am really pleased to hear that a couple of schools in his constituency have done so. We will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the guidance that we have issued, but I implore schools and parents to take a much more proactive approach in monitoring what children are up to on their smartphones.

Order. May I urge colleagues to keep their questions short, and the Leader of the House to keep her answers just as short?

The Leader of the House will be aware of the outrage across the country regarding illegal immigration, asylum hotels and now the huge increase in the number of houses in multiple occupation. This is happening on a large scale in Romford, with a massive boom in HMOs. My constituents want to see an end to illegal immigration and the housing of asylum seekers in local hotels. However, transferring the problem to roads and neighbourhoods, and putting families and children at risk in residential streets, is not acceptable. Will the Leader of the House allow for a debate on the Floor of the House on the need to adopt an urgent strategy to end the use of hotels and HMOs for this purpose?

I share the frustration, concern and indeed anger in many parts about the huge use of asylum hotels, and now HMOs, in dealing with the asylum backlog, which was left by the hon. Gentleman’s party after it was in power. Indeed, I remember the shadow Home Secretary and the shadow Justice Secretary going round the country opening these hotels and allowing this to happen. They left us with a huge backlog. We need to take all necessary steps to bring down illegal migration, deal with these issues and close the hotels. That is what we want to do, but as the hon. Gentleman says, we cannot just make the problem dissipate into other parts of the community. That is why we are working to tackle it.

Does my right hon. Friend agree that whereas the leader of Reform, the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage), was yet again in the United States—speaking perhaps a little too freely about freedom of speech in this country, and doing Britain down—this Government, led by the Prime Minister, were building Britain up, including through a very welcome £10 billion deal to supply Norway with five Type 26 frigates? Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating the supply chain that will support it, including BAE Systems in Scotland, which will build the ships, and GE Vernova in Rugby, which will supply the hybrid-electric propulsion systems, meaning quality jobs all across our great country?

My hon. Friend reminds us that the effects of the huge contract with Norway to build frigates in this country will be dissipated right through our economy and into constituencies such as my hon. Friend’s across the country. We should be celebrating the international agreements that we have, not going abroad and doing this country down.

I was disappointed that the Leader of the House, when she was celebrating summer moments, did not mention our Lionesses’ amazing victory in defending their European title.

In a less positive moment over the summer, the Metropolitan police announced the closure of Twickenham police station’s front counter as part of plans to close half of London’s police counters and reduce hours at many others. This comes despite Sadiq Khan’s 2024 manifesto commitment to maintain a 24-hour police counter in every borough, and Richmond borough will now be left without one. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate in Government time on the Met police’s funding for the forthcoming year and beyond, especially as the closures come on the back of the slashing of the Royal Parks police and our school police liaison officers?

I thank the hon. Lady for reminding me about the brilliant Lionesses’ triumph in the Euros earlier in the summer. I take this opportunity to congratulate them on that.

The hon. Lady raises the important issue of neighbourhood policing. Community policing has been hugely diminished over the last 10 to 15 years, and we are determined to fix it. The nature of how policing is done has changed, but we are providing the funding and the additional police officers for community and neighbourhood policing to flourish in constituencies like hers.

Madam Deputy Speaker, I congratulate you on your very successful ice cream-inspired tour of your constituency during the recess.

I recently met a constituent of mine, Lou, who was part of a group that developed Turning Point and Learning Disability England’s information pack on “Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation”. We know from LeDeR—learning disabilities mortality review—reports and other sources that too many learning disabled and autistic people die with a “do not resuscitate” order in place. Will the Leader of the House please arrange for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to make a statement on the actions that have been taken to ensure that learning disabled people and their families are fully involved in and fully informed of any DNR decision?

My hon. Friend rightly raises a really important issue, which she has explained better than I could, about the challenges of DNRs, particularly for vulnerable people, and I hope that those involved will have listened to her question. I will ensure that she gets a full ministerial response and that the issue is looked at.

In December 2021, part of the roof of Kirkham baths was blown off during storm conditions, leaving Kirkham and all the surrounding rural areas without access to public baths. Since the operator was unable to fund the repairs, Fylde council has recently stepped in to purchase the baths for £1 and is embarking on a project to refurbish them. I am very grateful that the Leader of the House has agreed to come to Fylde to have an ice cream and look at projects in the St Annes area. I know I would be testing her generosity too far if I invited her to Fylde for a swim together, so could we instead have a debate in Government time on how the £400 million of grassroots funding that the Government have announced can be used to support swimming baths in rural areas?

I am very happy to have an ice cream, but I am not sure that the hon. Member’s constituents are quite ready to see me in a swimming costume just yet. I am pleased to hear that Kirkham baths has been saved and will now be refurbished. That is exactly why we have put the money into grassroots sport, but it is also why we have given local government such a big settlement, because things such as Kirkham baths are so important to our communities.

I call Apsana Begum. Take your time.

In asking my question, I will update the House on the extraordinary situation that I continue to face in relation to my safety and security. It is just over a year since my ex-husband stood against me at the general election, after he was expelled from the Labour party last year for his treatment of me in a campaign of ongoing post-separation harassment and abuse—excuse me—with his stated aim of exposing who I really was and getting even with me. I continue to endure this on an ongoing basis, alongside the relentless attempts to unjustly remove me as an MP by a clique of his associates, who are still active and are seeking to stand for office at next year’s elections. The impact of all this is devastating and the wall of institutional gaslighting is incredibly chilling.

Will the Leader of the House grant a debate on domestic abuse and public life to enable us to explore the duty of care that should be placed on employers and political parties to ensure that survivors of domestic abuse are not exposed to further harassment in their roles, including those of us undertaking public service? I have been working with MPs from all political parties to call for this. Thank you.

I thank the hon. Member once again for her bravery and her powerful testimony. I know many of us continue to be appalled by the experiences she has had over a number of years in the campaign brought by her abusive ex-husband and what he has tried to do in undermining her capacity to be an effective Member of Parliament, which she continues to be. I hear her calls today for the steps that need to be taken to ensure that this cannot happen again, and particularly that it cannot happen again to her. We have an elections Bill coming to the House soon, which will look at issues such as the suitability of candidates and their behaviour towards other candidates, and I am sure there will be ample opportunity for us all to support her in raising some of these issues during the passage of that Bill.

May I express my sympathy? No woman in this place will not feel deeply horrified and touched by what we have just heard.

I will not invite the Leader of the House to visit Portals paper mill in my constituency, although she should because it is an amazing company that is 300 years old and manufactures security-grade paper. It produces passports for countries across the world, but absurdly not our own, which are produced by a French company abroad. May we have a statement from the Home Office on the security implications if future contracts do not require primary production and personalisation of UK passports to take place here in the UK?

I think we all remember when the previous Government gave the contract for our passport production to a French company in the post-Brexit era. We all found it rather strange at the time. This Government are committed to buying British and to British procurement, and we will bring forward legislation and other means of ensuring that that can better happen.

Over the summer recess, two older Sikh taxi drivers were attacked outside Wolverhampton train station, one of whom is a constituent of mine. Although I commend British Transport police for making arrests quickly, meeting me and acknowledging that the attacks were racially motivated, many people, including me, were shocked and horrified by the nature of the attacks, which have made the local community feel vulnerable, particularly in light of the far-right rhetoric that has recently been spreading. Will the Leader of the House arrange a meeting with the relevant Minister so that I can reassure my constituents that the Government treat hate crime with the utmost seriousness and will do all in their power to tackle racial prejudice and discrimination?

Absolutely, and I thank my hon. Friend for raising that awful case today. As he says, the Government take hate crime incredibly seriously. No one should ever be a victim of hatred because of their race or religion. We need to combat and stand up to rhetoric and campaigns that can make people feel insecure in their communities, and I look forward to working with him to that end.

In December, I asked the Leader of the House for a debate on the Environment Agency’s failure to adequately dredge Somerset’s rivers and maintain our drainage network. The EA has now announced that it will withdraw entirely from main river maintenance in Somerset. My constituents are concerned that without proper maintenance we may see a repeat of the devastating 2013-14 floods. May I repeat my request to her to find Government time for a debate on the Environment Agency’s failure to fulfil its duties?

I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising the issue again. It is not the first time that I have heard of problems in the Environment Agency and about its not following through on the commitments that it has given. I will ensure that he gets a ministerial response, but we are determined that the Environment Agency and others should be held to account for the actions they take, and that they should take more responsibility for prevention.

The passage of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 into law is a great achievement of the Government’s first year, and the completion of the Employment Rights Bill will be another. As we get into the business of taking the private rail franchises and their employees back into the public sector, it is vital that the transfer of undertakings process fully engages trade unions, fully protects employment rights and, as we bring in private franchises with varying terms, levels those up to a national gold standard. May we have a statement on how the Government are preparing for that transition?

My hon. Friend is right to say that bringing rail back into public ownership and our Employment Rights Bill are flagship policies of this Government, and I am particularly proud of them. We will ensure that as we take rail back into public ownership, it is done in the best interests of passengers and ensures that staff are well looked after and do not take industrial action, as they did under the previous Government.

Diolch yn fawr, Madam Dirprwy Lefarydd. After the insolvency of Allied Steel and Wire, money that workers paid into their pension schemes before April 1997 was not fully inflation-proofed through the financial assistance scheme. The previous Work and Pensions Committee recommended that the UK Government legislate to provide pre-1997 indexation. I have tabled two amendments to the Pension Schemes Bill to do exactly that. Can the Leader of the House allow Government time to update the House on actions to rectify that scandal and others, such as the British Coal staff superannuation scheme scandal?

I thank the hon. Lady for raising another important issue on behalf of her constituents. That Bill is currently on the Committee corridor; when it returns to this Chamber, she will be able to raise those important matters. In the meantime, I will ensure that she gets a ministerial response.

British passenger railway turns 200 this month, so let us give it the proper birthday present it deserves: European rail in the north. Can we have a debate on using disused High Speed 2 land for a Leeds to Lille line, which could transform the visitor economies in Leeds, Manchester, York and beyond?

First, I congratulate my hon. Friend on becoming a new dad earlier this summer. I thank him once again for being such a brilliant champion for proper investment in our northern rail and connectivity, which is absolutely vital to the rebirth of our regions.

Sea Palling in my constituency has little mobile signal, and its emergency sirens were removed 16 years ago. Ahead of the weekend’s emergency alert test, I asked the Cabinet Office what it would do for communities such as Sea Palling. We went back and forth three times, and I am really frustrated that the answer was to knock on doors—in a rural, isolated community that is susceptible to rapid tidal flooding. Will the Leader of the House convey to the Cabinet Office the sense from people in Sea Palling that in communities such as theirs, the Government just do not get it?

I am sorry to hear about the response the hon. Gentleman has had. We are working with telecommunications companies to reduce poor mobile signal—particularly in rural areas, which is not an easy task—and we have the shared rural network deal. However, I will ensure that he gets a better ministerial response to his questions.

My constituents—like yours, I am sure, Madam Deputy Speaker—want to have ready access to cash and banking facilities, but when the Lloyds bank in Stoke town closes its doors later this year, the town will have no banking facilities. The Link assessment has determined that the three sub-post offices just under a mile from the town centre are sufficient to provide services. May we have a debate in Government time, or a statement from the relevant Minister, on the criteria for access to banking hubs so that, as the Government roll out more, we can ensure that they hit urban communities as well as rural ones?

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important issue, which is raised with me all the time in business questions. I know that there is nothing more concerning to a local community than the closure of a bank or post office on the high street or in the town centre, knowing what that will mean for accessing cash. I will ensure that my she gets a full response about the roll-out of banking hubs.

Over the summer, a constituent who is a mortgage adviser came to me with concerns about so-called conditional selling by estate agents, where prospective home buyers feel pressurised to take the estate agent’s in-house mortgage rather than risk losing out on a house. This practice breaches the Estate Agents Act 1979. It has been raised in investigations by the Financial Times and “Panorama”, which suggested that the practice is common. Could the Leader of the House point me to the Minister responsible so that we can have a discussion? Perhaps we could have a debate on this matter in Government time.

I will certainly ensure that the hon. Lady gets a discussion with the relevant Minister on the issue of conditional selling, which sounds like something that should concern us all.

This Labour Government have committed £13 million to tackling food poverty, supported by an expansion of free school meals and a drive to get fresh produce from farms to families’ tables. After 14 years of Tory economic failure, too many families are still struggling and food banks remain indispensable. In Leyton and Wanstead, a much-loved food bank, PL84U, recently faced eviction, but thanks to the swift action of Waltham Forest council, especially Councillors Grace Williams and Ahsan Khan, it has a new home—I am sure my hon. Friend the Member for Walthamstow (Ms Creasy) will be pleased to invite the Leader of the House to visit Saira and her team. Will the Leader of the House make time for a debate on how we support food banks and community aid to secure premises while this Government get on with the work to tackle the Tory failures that mean they must remain?

Order. We need much shorter questions, please.

Food poverty remains a huge blight on our country. This Government are absolutely committed to tackling it, which is why we have extended free breakfast clubs and introduced this huge expansion in free school meals, which is something I am sure we can all be proud of. I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue.

In the month of August alone, across our country mosques as well as women, children and families have been subjected to unacceptable levels of Islamophobic abuse and attacks—from a young Muslim mother with her young child being abused in a park in Yorkshire for simply wearing a niqab, to a young autistic man in Manchester being threatened to have his throat slit and told to go to his mosque. Does the Leader of the House agree that some language and rhetoric used by some Members both in this Chamber and in some media outlets fuel this hatred on the streets? Given the ever-increasing number of attacks, will she remind Members of our responsibility in our use of language, and will she urge the Government to expediate the ongoing consultation and urgently adopt a robust definition of Islamophobia?

The rise in Islamophobia, which we have all seen in our constituencies—I know I have seen it in mine—is absolutely unacceptable. Hate crime itself is unacceptable, and we need to call it out and root it out. We have the independent working group, which is soon to advise Ministers on the definition of Islamophobia, and we have a wider action plan to tackle the issues. The hon. Member is right to say that we should all be mindful of the language we use and the impact it might have.

At the peak of summer this year, at the height of tourism season, beaches in Kinghorn and Burntisland were closed because sewage spills made the water unsafe to enter. My constituents have been let down by the SNP Government’s failure to invest in our sewerage network and by publicly owned Scottish Water, whose chief executive said—astonishingly—that concerns should not be overblown. Does the Leader of the House agree that clean water is the least that the people of Fife deserve, and will she make time for a debate on this subject?

I am really sorry to hear that the beaches in the hon. Member’s constituency have been closed. It is unacceptable that sewage has been flowing into the sea around her constituency. As she says, the Scottish Government are responsible for Scottish Water. They should get their act together and follow what we have been doing in England.

Yet again this summer the stunning Dorset heathlands in my constituency were devastated by a fire at Holt Heath. The National Fire Chiefs Council said that before this and the devastating North York moors fire, this year’s numbers were 668% higher than last year, and 33% higher than the highest year. I have written to all 17 fire services that came to our aid. We cannot carry on like this, so will the Leader of the House agree to a debate in Government time on emergency resilience against climate-related crises?

The hon. Member is right to highlight that, as the climate changes rapidly, unfortunately we are going to see more wildfires in the summer and more flooding in the winter. We are funding a national resilience wildfire adviser and looking at how we can work with stakeholders and everybody else to tackle this issue and build our resilience.

For 16 years, people in Burntwood in my constituency have had to visit their GP in portacabins in the car park of a leisure centre. The site was closed in March 2024, but there was no replacement and 5,000 patients were distributed to other surgeries. No one agreed with that decision, but we were told that all would be well because the Conservative-controlled county council would have a replacement built and ready to operate by the end of this year. That council failed, and now the Reform-controlled county council is failing too. It has not even submitted a planning application, and there is no chance that it will keep its promise to the people of Burntwood and open the centre this year. Will you join me in telling that council to get their thumb out and get this done?

No, I will not be joining you. Obviously you mean the Leader of the House.

I am happy to join my hon. Friend in telling Staffordshire county council—which I hear a lot of complaints about in business questions, I have to say—to get its act together and get this new GP surgery open so it can serve his constituents.

The people of Whitchurch in my constituency will be quite pleased to see the response to my written question regarding the Access for All railway fund, which shows that £280 million has been allocated for the spending review period, but they will be really keen to know when we are getting step-free access at Whitchurch station. May we have a statement from the Secretary of State for Transport to outline how this money will be spent and, critically, where and when? If the Leader of the House would like to come to Whitchurch from her own constituency, she could experience the footbridge and lack of step-free access herself.

I thank the hon. Member for raising the issue of step-free access at her local station—this issue is raised with me all the time at business questions. I am sure that a debate on the topic would be very well subscribed, if she wanted one, but I will ensure that she gets a ministerial response. I am pleased to hear about her written question.

It was fantastic to see Derby buzzing over the summer when over three days 40,000 visitors were in the city visiting The Greatest Gathering as we brought together the world’s largest ever collection of historical and modern rolling stock. Will my right hon. Friend join me in acknowledging the huge effort made by volunteers not just from Derby but from all over the UK to pull off that spectacular event? Does she agree that, with the arrival of Great British Railways’ headquarters in Derby, we can build on this great heritage and look for a bright future in rail manufacturing?

It might not be quite an Oasis concert, but I am sure that the railway gathering in Derby that my hon. Friend describes was a fantastic event to champion the rail industry in his constituency. I am really pleased that Great British Railways will be based in Derby so that we can continue to provide the jobs of the future.

Last Sunday I visited the River Snail, a chalk stream in my constituency, and was horrified to see not a river but a dried and cracked river bed. Our chalk streams, which are a really important part of our biodiversity, are under increasing threat from climate change. Could the Leader of the House make Government time available for a debate on how we will protect our precious chalk streams?

I know how important chalk streams are to our biodiversity and to many of our rural communities. We will bring forward further plans about how we can secure our waterways in all their forms, and I will ensure that the hon. Member gets an update from the relevant Minister.

Whether they are about the much needed eastern link road, the rail link to Milton Keynes or the many traffic hotspots, so many of the conversations I have with my residents come back to the same issue of our poor infrastructure and the impact it has on people’s quality of life. The Government’s announcement this week of £1.4 million of investment into transport funding for Buckinghamshire is therefore hugely welcome, opening up the potential to decrease congestion, improve pedestrian safety and much more. Will the Leader of the House join me in welcoming that funding? Will she urge Buckinghamshire council to use it to give Aylesbury the boost we need?

I join my hon. Friend in welcoming that extra funding for Buckinghamshire and in her calls for the council to use it wisely to decrease congestion and support commuters in her constituency.

During recess, at an event to promote the new Avon and Somerset victim service, concerns were raised with me about the delay in publishing a new hate crime action plan for England and Wales to replace the one that expired in 2020. Will the Leader of the House tell us when a new plan will be published? If not, will she agree to raise that with the Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention as a matter of urgency?

We are determined to tackle all forms of hatred and division and to take action on hate crime. It has been a topic for much discussion in our Crime and Policing Bill, but I will ensure that the hon. Member gets a ministerial response about the timeliness of the new action plan.

Over the summer recess, I met the Shore collective: a group of hospitality businesses in my constituency that have come together—it includes Tapa, which recently won the best local restaurant award in The Scotsman’s 2025 scran awards. Many businesses like Tapa are struggling with rising energy and raw ingredient costs. Will the Leader of the House join me in going to Tapa—obviously—and congratulating it? Will she outline what work Ministers are doing together across the Government to support such businesses?

I certainly join my hon. Friend in congratulating that collective in her constituency, and I am always happy to get an invitation to a hospitality venue. I am well aware of the challenges for the hospitality sector relating to rising costs, access to staff, still dealing with covid repayments and so on. That is why the Government are supporting hospitality by taking action on business rates and on skills as well as in many other ways. I am sure that would make a good topic for a debate.

The Environment Agency has issued notice of its permanent withdrawal from main river maintenance to riparian owners in Somerset and North Somerset. The Leader of the House and Ministers in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will recall the devastation caused by flooding in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Regular maintenance is essential to allow floodwater to escape from what is a man-made landscape in the Somerset levels and moors. Will she ask the DEFRA Secretary to insist that the Environment Agency rescinds its withdrawal notices until such a time as locally all the flood risk management groups, the internal drainage board, the South West Association of Drainage Authorities and every interested party has a chance at least to meet, discuss and plan a sustainable and funded solution for the future, and that, importantly, it carries on maintaining the main rivers in the meantime? Winter is coming, and rainfall with it.

This is about the third complaint about the Environment Agency in today’s session, so perhaps colleagues should get together to try and get a broader debate on those issues. We have announced the largest programme on flooding in history, and we have our flood resilience taskforce, but the hon. Lady is right to say that all partners need to play their part. I will ensure she receives a proper response.

Over the course of the summer, like many in the House, I have had a chance to meet so many of the volunteers across my constituency, from organisations such as North Tyneside Disability Forum, Seghill Food Hub, Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland, Age UK and Forward Assist, every one of them improving and changing lives every single day. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking them, and may we have a debate in Government time to recognise the importance of volunteers and the difference that they make?

I know how busy my hon. Friend has been over the recess, meeting many of her constituents and celebrating the volunteers and the communities that she represents. I join her in doing that this morning.

Over the summer, elderly and frail constituents in villages across my North Cornwall constituency raised with me how difficult it is to travel to their nearest district hospital. They rely on infrequent public transport and can face journeys of more than three hours to Treliske, three and a half hours to Derriford and up to six hours to Barnstaple hospital. Will the Leader of the House please commit to a debate in Government time on establishing more district hospitals in areas, such as Bodmin, that really need them?

The hon. Gentleman raises an issue about not only health services and where they are located, but access in constituencies such as his to affordable and reliable buses and transportation. This Government are tackling both of those after years of devastation in our health services and our buses. After 14 years of the Conservatives, I hope that his constituents will start to feel the benefit soon.

I pay tribute to the firefighters, farmers, volunteers and all the businesses, such as Woodsmith, that have come together to tackle the fires in North Yorkshire. Will the Leader of the House join me in giving thanks to everyone who has come out to tackle those blazes? What support can be provided to those who have come together to do so?

I join my hon. Friend in thanking all those who have come together to tackle the wildfires in Yorkshire that we have all been hearing about. As our climate changes every day, we will see more wildfires and more flooding. That is why we have set up the national resilience wildfire adviser and will take further steps on that. I look forward to working with my hon. Friend in the coming months.

Recently, I have had meetings with AI technology companies and medical professionals, seeing how AI can help speed up cancer diagnosis and make the NHS workforce much more efficient, ultimately saving lives. However, hospital systems and staff are not yet ready to start utilising new AI systems in diagnostics, so will the Leader of the House allow a debate in Government time so we can discuss a framework that hospital managers can adopt to implement AI diagnosis effectively and help save lives?

The hon. Gentleman is right to highlight the huge opportunity that AI and technology present, especially in terms of diagnostics and healthcare services. He is also right to highlight that the real challenge to that is adoption and diffusion through our health system. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is committed to delivering that by working across Government, and I am sure he will continue to keep the House updated.

I recently met Vicki Quarton from Touchstones child bereavement services in Cookhill in my constituency and heard about the incredible work that she and her team are doing to support young people who have lost a loved one—often a parent. Will the Leader of the House consider a debate in Government time on how we can ensure that local groups such as Touchstones get the support they need to continue to help children affected by loss, especially when so many fall victim to violence against women and girls?

I join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to Touchstones and all its work for bereaved children and especially those who are bereaved due to domestic violence. Its work is vital in supporting children through probably the most difficult time of their lives and I thank him for raising that.

I sit on the Joint Committee on Human Rights. One of the issues concerning me is what scrutiny and accountability the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s new code of practice and guidance will have from this House. My understanding is that it will be laid before the House as a negative statutory instrument, meaning that unless the Leader of the Opposition pushes for time and scrutiny, there may be none. Will the Leader of the House outline what opportunities Members will get to scrutinise that guidance when it is published?

I know the new guidance from the EHRC is of great interest to many Members across this House; it is something that I get many emails and correspondence about myself. A parliamentary process will sit alongside that, but I will absolutely ensure that there is appropriate time to debate and discuss these issues, which I know are important to the House.

Local community councillors in Cathcart have long campaigned for step-free access to Cathcart train station. I welcome the investment in the spending review, but I would like to see some of that money come to Cathcart station. Does the Leader of the House agree that we should have a debate on train station accessibility, and would she help facilitate a meeting with the Minister?

Train station accessibility is an important issue to many Members. I am sure that if he joins together with some of the Opposition Members who have raised that issue with me today, it would attract the interest of the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee, the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman).

I wish to raise concerning reports of an increase in Taliban crackdowns on women in Afghanistan. Those include widespread instances of violent beatings, arbitrary arrests for so-called non-compliance with extreme dress codes, total bans on women’s education and the forced closure of women- led businesses. Will the Leader of the House urge the Minister responsible to make a statement outlining what concrete steps the Government are taking to ensure the lifting of restrictions on Afghan women and girls and their human rights?

I welcome back the hon. Gentleman after the recess. He has not missed one of my business questions. I noticed that he has spoken the most in Parliament of any Member—apart from me, actually. I now have a new title, which is that I have spoken more than the hon. Member for Strangford—long may that continue. He raises an important issue around the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan, and this Government continue to condemn the appalling actions there. We will do all we can to ensure that our views are heard.

Churches across the country are struggling to manage their estates, with many buildings going up for sale. Last Sunday, I attended a service of union, with the Bo’ness Old Kirk and St Andrew’s parish church uniting to form the new Bo’ness parish church. While there can be sadness at leaving a church behind, there is much hope and faith as the parishioners move forward together. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating the congregation and the ministers, wishing them the very best in this new chapter?

I know how hard it is for people to see churches go in their area and to transition to going to a new church. She raises an important issue, and I will ensure that she gets a response.

The Sycamore adventure centre in Upper Gornal has been a lifeline for children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, for over 15 years. Yet despite pledging funding for it for five years in April in a public Q&A, the Conservative-led council is now forcing it to be privatised, with uncapped entry costs, reduced play areas and hours, and no proper consultation. Children face losing vital access to this centre. Does the Leader of the House share my outrage and will she grant time for a debate on protecting community assets?

I am sorry to hear of the action of her Conservative council in her area in relation to the Sycamore adventure centre. We had the Second Reading of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill this week, and we will give more local communities like hers the power to take over such provision as she describes.

Last month, I joined the staff and students of Worden academy in Leyland as the GCSE results were announced. Ten years ago, that school faced a challenging future. This year, it just delivered its best ever set of GCSE results, giving those young people the best possible start in life. Will the Leader of the House join me in sending our heartfelt congratulations to the headmaster Mr Alan Hammersley, the chair of governors Mrs Maureen Woodall, and all its staff and students? They should be supremely proud of what they have all achieved.

I join my hon. Friend in congratulating all those who got their GCSE results this summer, in his constituency and around the country, on all their hard work, particularly those at Worden academy. The headteacher and leadership team there have turned that school around and are getting fantastic results this year.

Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Rabi Maharajan and his team at Dé Buddha restaurant in my constituency on their incredible achievement of “best dining experience” at the Scottish hospitality awards? I urge Members across the House to come and sample the excellent Nepalese cuisine at Dé Buddha in Johnstone.

Dé Buddha sounds like a fantastic restaurant. I congratulate its staff on winning the “best dining experience” award. Maybe an invitation will follow.

As the Leader of the House well knows, Rossendale is the only local authority area in the north without a commuter rail link. Rossendale council’s city-to-valley proposal would have finally addressed that by linking us up with Manchester. The idea was repeatedly shot down by the previous Government, but this Government’s increased regional transport fund means that we finally have a chance to get a fair hearing. However, challenges remain in getting the project delivered into the investment pipeline, particularly as it crosses local authority borders. Will she agree to a debate on how we can get vital projects such as Rossendale’s city-to-valley rail over the line?

As ever, my hon. Friend raises the issue of connectivity and transport in his Rossendale and Darwen constituency. As a nearby MP, I know all too well the real need for a rail link between Rossendale, Darwen and Manchester, and I look forward to working with him to ensure that this Labour Government deliver on that.

I join my hon. Friend in that call. When post offices close, especially at short notice, it causes huge consternation in local communities. I call on him and other Members of Parliament to stand up against the Post Office on those decisions and get the best for their constituents.

I am aware that my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House enjoys a tipple on occasion, so she will be pleased to know that the 46th Peterborough beer festival, which is entirely run by volunteers, was held last month. Over 21,000 visitors came to the festival this year, and over 58,000 pints of cask ale were served. I was pleased that Green Devil, by our very own Oakham Ales, was crowned the Campaign for Real Ale beer of the festival. Will she join me in thanking Mike Lane for organising his 39th beer festival in the city, as well as all the other volunteers, and will she make time in the House for a debate on the importance of volunteers to such community festivals?

In the interests of setting the record straight, I must say to the House that I am a complete lightweight these days and much prefer zero-alcohol beer over anything else. I am sure that there were some fantastic zero beers at the festival in my hon. Friend’s constituency. I join him in congratulating Mike Lane and all the others on serving 58,000 pints there.

Over the summer, hundreds of Telford residents joined me in demanding that the Conservative police and crime commissioner scrap his 8 pm cap on police community support officers patrolling the streets of Telford. Will the Leader of the House arrange a debate on the importance of neighbourhood policing so that we can send the commissioner a clear message: “The Government are providing you with money for community policing, so you should keep police officers and PCSOs on the streets of Telford”?

I join my hon. Friend in that call. We want more neighbourhood police officers patrolling our streets, particularly at the times of day when crime is most likely to be committed and people want to feel safe.

I recently met grassroots football teams, including King Park Dynamos, Generation Elite Academy, Queens Park ladies and the AFC Bournemouth community sports trust Minikickers. They want more football pitches in Bournemouth, and Kings park would be the perfect place, but the athletics track needs fixing, the master plan updating and the playground enhancing, and Kings park nursery should be brought into use again. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate in Government time on access to grassroots sport?

I join my hon. Friend in saying that Bournemouth needs more football pitches. That is why we are investing more in grassroots sport and have given more money to local government. It is vital that those sorts of facilities are there for communities and young people to keep healthy and fit.

A book by investigative journalist Nick Davies is out today. It reveals the true scale of the deletion of millions of emails and evidence essential to Parliament, the police and the courts in uncovering the truth about phone hacking by Rupert Murdoch employees. Might we have a debate on the reality of two-tier justice—cover-up, corruption and contempt of law—in which oligarchs place themselves above scrutiny?

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that important issue. I am aware that that book is out today, but I have not had a chance to look at it. I am clear that Parliament needs to play its role in scrutinising those types of institutions, and any attempt to silence Members of Parliament is completely unacceptable. I look forward to working with her and other Members on taking that forward.

Residents of Overseal in my constituency woke up over the August bank holiday weekend to find a Traveller site being constructed behind their homes without planning permission and with complete disregard for due process, ignoring a stop order that had been secured by local councillor Amy Wheelton and officers of the council. That presents Derbyshire district council with a potentially costly and lengthy legal process, and denies local people any opportunity for consultation and comment. A member of my team has met residents, and I will meet them this weekend at my earliest opportunity. Will the Leader of the House make a statement on the measures that we can take in this place to help constituents such as mine?

I am sorry to hear of the trouble that my hon. Friend is having in her constituency and of the challenges in supporting her council and police to take action. We keep powers under constant review to ensure they are effective in tackling unauthorised encampments. I will keep her updated on that.

Blooming Bairns, a group of community volunteers committed to seeing Falkirk town centre flourish, have put in a marathon effort in service of our community. Their planting on Newmarket Street, Vicar Street and the High Street has breathed new life into our town centre. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking Blooming Bairns for their 1,900-plus hours of community volunteering and congratulate them on their recent one-year anniversary?

I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Blooming Bairns on their community work over the past year.

Yesterday the Tory Mayor of Tees Valley took to social media to claim falsely that Venator, a brilliant company operating in my constituency, had gone into administration, and that UK tax policy was to blame. I spoke to the company yesterday afternoon, and it made it clear that that is not true. The UK operation is solvent and healthy, and nothing that is happening to its international holding company has anything to do with UK tax policy. It is a strong and successful company, and we must work to secure its long-term future. These are people’s jobs; these are people’s lives. My constituents are not political footballs for Ben Houchen to kick around. Will the Leader of the House join me in correcting the record, offering our support to that brilliant Hartlepool company and its workforce, and encouraging the Mayor of Tees Valley to stop playing politics, grow up and apologise?

I am sorry to hear that false claims have been made on social media. My hon. Friend has just outlined how irresponsible that can be and the devastating impact that it can have on jobs and investment in constituencies such as his. I am sure that Mayor Houchen has heard his question and will rectify the situation.

Having recently married—[Hon. Members: “Hear, hear!]— I have elected to change my surname. Despite having been warned in advance, I am horrified by the sheer number of bodies, organisations, Departments and agencies that I need to inform. Will the Leader of the House update us on whether any consideration of digital ID will include making it far easier for people in my position, or who have changed their surname for other reasons, to do so quickly and easily?

I congratulate my hon. Friend on her marriage over recess. She looked absolutely beautiful and incredibly happy on her wedding day. I am sorry to hear of the multifaceted challenge that she faces in changing her name everywhere. I am sure that, were it to be developed, digital ID would address some of those issues. I am happy to ensure that those issues are looked into.

Firefighters tackling the huge blaze on the North York Moors faced incredibly difficult conditions, including exploding munitions from an old tank training base near RAF Fylingdales. Will the Leader of the House join me in commending the bravery and service of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and thank other fire services across the country who are supporting us through national resilience?

Absolutely. We all heard about the incident in my hon. Friend’s constituency and join her in thanking all those who worked with the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and the volunteers who helped to get the situation under control for the bravery they showed. I think we do need more of a debate about future resilience in terms of wildfires.

In January, the sewer on Church Street in Northborough, a village in my constituency, collapsed. After several attempts by Anglian Water, it still has not been fixed eight months later. This means a risk of contamination, and because of road closures, it is causing huge potholes on surrounding roads. Householders on Church Street are even reporting cracks in their homes. Does the Leader of the House agree that we should have a debate in Parliament on significant infrastructure damage by water companies and the impact that that has on residents?

Anglian Water needs to sort out the situation with the sewer in my hon. Friend’s constituency, and I will raise that for him with Ministers at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The SNP Government have awarded public contracts to China, Turkey and Poland to build Scottish ferries and buses. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the SNP Government should accept the offer from the UK Government to rewrite Scottish procurement rules—as they have previously in a range of other areas, including regulation around the sale of vapes and keeping ScotRail in public hands—and that those changes should get on to the statute book as soon as possible, to stop the disadvantaging of local firms, boost the Scottish economy and protect thousands of Scottish jobs?

Absolutely. We are taking steps in England to ensure that local communities have more of a say over their local area—we invest in our high streets and local communities—and I implore the Scottish Government to do the same in Scotland.

The current drafting of national planning policy is allowing developers to ride roughshod over local democracy, imposing completely inappropriate bolt-on estates to market towns such as Buntingford and Royston, while wholly failing to deliver the genuinely affordable housing that we need. It is difficult to imagine a system and state of affairs more likely to erode public support for the Government’s house building ambitions. Can we have a debate in Government time to ensure the presumption in favour of sustainable development achieves what it is intended to, rather than the current farce?

I thank the hon. Member for raising that issue. We are unashamedly pro house building as a Government, but as he says, that does not mean we are pro developers getting away with poor developments. That is why communities need to continue to have a say in what they are doing. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is in the House of Lords at the moment and will come back to this place soon for further debate.

Wales’s oldest city, Bangor, celebrates its 1,500th anniversary this year. I would like to invite everyone to the Bangor day that I am holding in Parliament next week, to meet some of the people shaping the future of that amazing city; and I hope the Leader of the House will consider popping in for five minutes after business questions.

There is no better champion for Bangor than my hon. Friend. It is a fantastic Welsh city. It is almost a Cinderella—a forgotten but brilliant city with huge potential and a great history. I would be delighted to pop along there sometime soon.

In Shrewsbury, we are delighted to see the extra Government investment in our local police force, which has enabled us to reopen our town centre police hub this week. It is essential to keep our town centre safe and reduce response times. Can we have a debate on how important it is to have police hubs in the town centre in places like Shrewsbury?

I am really pleased to hear that the police hub in Shrewsbury has reopened. That is exactly the kind of action we want to see. That is why we are investing so heavily in neighbourhood policing and we have our neighbourhood policing guarantee, and I look forward to hearing more about it in the future.

My constituents in Horwich are gravely concerned about unsuitable family homes being repurposed into houses in multiple occupation with little transparency about who is being housed there and when. To my immense frustration as the local Member of Parliament, I often hear about such proposals on social media, which all too often runs rife with false information. Will the Leader of the House allow Government time for a debate on why companies such as Serco do not proactively tell Members of this House where individuals, including asylum seekers, are being placed, so that instead of conjecture, the truth can prevail.

I know it is of great concern to many Members across the House when they see properties becoming HMOs and they do not have any recourse over that, particularly where they see Government agencies such as Serco going in and undermining the needs of local communities. We are looking at this, and I will ensure the House is kept updated.

Cody Townend and Zoe Ward are two mums from Leeds who tragically lost babies in different circumstances. Cody lost Macie-Mae earlier this year, and Zoe lost Bleu four years ago. They both went to the same funeral director who, to their horror, kept their babies’ bodies in her private home without their consent and did not treat them with the respect and dignity they deserved. The BBC revealed more shocking details about this case last week, which I will not repeat now. Given that the police found nothing actionable in either case because there is no regulation of the funeral industry, meaning that anyone—anyone—can be a funeral director, will the Leader of the House grant an urgent debate in Government time on the need to regulate the funeral industry, so that no one has to experience what Cody and Zoe did ever again?

This is a truly shocking case, and my thoughts are with Cody, Zoe and the many others who have experienced truly appalling actions like this. My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise the regulation of funeral directors; we have seen a number of shocking cases in recent months. I will ensure he gets a ministerial response, but I think this would make an incredibly important and powerful debate in this House.

I am wearing a ribbon to commemorate the life of Norma Symonds, a former Conservative councillor and town mayor of Bishop’s Stortford. Determined, courageous and kind, Norma dedicated her life to supporting those who needed help and serving our community, giving a voice to the voiceless. She set an example to the rest of us that, beyond parties and politics, what matters most is helping others. Will the Leader of the House, and indeed the whole House, join me in paying tribute to the life of a remarkable woman and sending best wishes to her family, friends and colleagues?

What a powerful testimony that my hon. Friend has chosen to raise Norma Symonds, who was a former Conservative councillor in his constituency. She sounds like a remarkable woman, and I thank him for taking the opportunity to raise that today.

Next Saturday, Kielder is hosting the 75th annual leek show in the Kielder Tavern. We are all familiar with leaks in this place, but will the Leader of the House join me in recognising the stellar effort of the Kielder community, and can we have a debate in Government time on community initiatives—particularly in rural areas—which contribute so much to the culture of Northumberland and other rural counties?

As ever, my hon. Friend raises important activities happening in his constituency. He is a powerful advocate for community empowerment in his constituency. I join him in thanking those behind such initiatives, which we will have ample opportunity to discuss in the coming months.

The infected blood scandal has had a devastating impact on families across the country, including my 82-year-old constituent Jean Campbell, who tragically lost her much-loved husband. Spouses who have lost those dearest to them have also, in many cases, lived restricted lives, yet they are still having to fight for compensation. I greatly welcome the announcement in July, but can my right hon. Friend secure time for a statement or debate, to provide reassurance to those like Jean that they will not have to wait years for compensation, particularly given the age of some of the victims of this scandal?

The victims of this scandal, like Jean, have suffered terribly for many years, as my hon. Friend describes. I am sure he will agree that no amount of compensation can make up for that, but that is not to say we should not continue, as this Government have, to ensure compensation is delivered swiftly, fairly and substantively to people like Jean. He will be aware that the Minister for the Cabinet Office updated the House in July. He has been very forthcoming with his updates to the House, and I will make sure my hon. Friend and other colleagues are kept updated on this matter.