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12,868 spoken contributions under 12 words (interjections such as “Will the hon. Member give way?”) are hidden. Show them

1. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·SNP·Seamus Logan

   Fishing and Seafood Sector Strategy

   It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Roger. I say a special thanks to the hon. Member for Cambridge (Daniel Zeichner) for securing this debate. His excellent speech reflects the contribution he made as a Minister and in leading, with others, the development of the action plan. As a vice-chair of the APPG on fisheries, I welcome this debate. I support the proposed action plan, while acknowledging that many of these matters are largely devolved to the Scottish Government. That said, it is incumbent on me to highlight once again the importance of the Scottish fishing industry in the context of the UK. Scottish fisheries represent 60% of the UK fishing industry, contribute 60% of the UK’s seafood exports and land 75% of all quota species. That may not be big in UK terms, but it is certainly big in Scottish terms, and it is very big in my constituency, as the Minister knows, with ports such as Buckie, Fraserburgh and Peterhead. The Minister has previously signalled his willingness—nay, desire—to work in partnership with the Scottish Government on a strategy that involves all four nations. I encourage him in that regard. Might he be willing to revisit the UK Government approach to the fishing and coastal growth fund, as the hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Torcuil Crichton) mentioned? The fund was brought in to ameliorate the damaging outcome of EU negotiations under a former Prime Minister, and the unprecedented 12-year access to our waters. On the upside, the Scottish Government have dedicated £16.6 million in their marine fund Scotland, recognising the importance of the sector to our economy and our coastal communities. Since 2021, it has awarded £86 million to support 499 projects. This year’s funding allocation is revealing: £14.5 million, topped up with only £2.1 million from the fishing and coastal growth fund. Our freedom of information requests have shown that it was indeed a political decision to Barnettise the devolved fund. Scottish fisheries deserve far better than being used to score political points in this way. In the notes the House of Commons Library provided for this debate, it is highlighted how a report from the Cambridge Industrial Innovation Policy group showed that sector strategies that support economic growth do best if policies are tailored to the needs of different industries, based on detailed evidence, and developed in consultation with the industry. That brings me to the matter of skills shortages, which has already been referred to. The processing sector has made great strides forward in encouraging a domestic workforce with work incentives, but gaps in the labour market remain, and those gaps are holding back production and economic growth. That is where a bespoke Scottish visa for international workers would make such a difference to companies in the north-east that can neither grow nor innovate with the staff they have in place. It has been done before, in 2003, under none other than Jack McConnell, the former Scottish Labour leader and the last Labour First Minister of Scotland—or, as he is known these days, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale.

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2. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·SNP·Seamus Logan

   Fishing and Seafood Sector Strategy

   I am glad the hon. Member asked that question. The problem does not lie in Scotland; it lies here in Westminster. That is what I have been trying to highlight. On the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement, it is no secret that I and my party think that Brexit was a catastrophic disaster. The cold hard estimate for the seafood industry revealed that Brexit led to a 30% increase in the cost of transporting products and a 50%9 increase in the cost of packaging.

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3. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·SNP·Seamus Logan

   Fishing and Seafood Sector Strategy

   I thank the hon. Member for intervening on that point because I am very happy to put on record that, despite what he says, neither I nor my party wish to go back into the common fisheries policy. I remind the hon. Member that it was his Prime Minister and the previous Government who negotiated the Brexit deal that led us to this position.

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4. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·SNP·Seamus Logan

   Fishing and Seafood Sector Strategy

   No, I have taken enough interventions; I am running out of time. As we head towards the UK-EU summit on 20 November, I understand that the Scottish White Fish Producers Association is concerned that the worst elements of the common fisheries policy could reappear when the SPS is agreed. I hope that the SPS agreement will instead deliver faster, more streamlined export processes, because without that, the benefits will not be felt by fishermen, processors or coastal communities that rely on trade with the European Union. Scotland needs a seat at the negotiating and decision-making table to ensure that the voice of our fishing and coastal communities is represented, heard and taken on board. Otherwise, a strategy made in Westminster, far from the reality of my constituency in the north-east, will be in danger of failing in its core mission, as the Minister knows.

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5. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·SNP·Kirsty Blackman

   Financial Services and Markets Bill [Lords]

   The financial inclusion strategy does indeed highlight the problems and areas where improvements could be made. However, the actual strategies for doing that, and the things that actually need to be put in place to ensure better access to credit across the board, for example, are not quite solid enough. Could the Chancellor commit to looking again at how to improve fair access to credit for everybody?

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6. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·SNP·Kirsty Blackman

   Financial Services and Markets Bill [Lords]

   This is quite a wide-ranging Bill, as we can tell from the variety of speeches that we have heard. It focuses not only on financial markets and financial services, but on consumer protection. In some ways, those are opposite ends of the spectrum, and we can talk about anything within that spectrum. I will talk about a few measures in the Bill, but first I want to raise a concern that I have raised before, which is that any piece of legislation that originates in the House of Lords does not take oral evidence. It is immensely frustrating that no oral evidence will be taken regarding this Bill, despite the fact that it is immensely technical and we would really benefit from that. I have been on many Bill Committees, so I know that oral evidence sessions are invaluable for providing information that we can take forward. I urge the Government to have a rethink about whether oral evidence can be taken on House of Lords Bills when they come to the Commons, because it is not fair that we miss out on that evidence. Turning to specific measures in the Bill, part 1 on credit unions is really important, and I agree with widening the membership. I think that the “Fair Banking for All” movement is really positive, and I would be keen to support it, including with access to credit. A number of Members have said things like, “We all rely on banking services”, but some people do not, because they cannot access those banking services because they are so financially excluded. Ensuring that those people who have suffered from economic abuse, for example, have access to those services is really important. I am glad that credit unions will have their common bond widened, but I do wonder about the timeline for the statutory instrument that is coming through to widen the limit of people from 3 million to 10 million. It would be really helpful if the Minister could let us know what is happening with that statutory instrument and when it will progress, because it is happening in parallel to this Bill rather than being included in it. On complaints and consumer redress, I agree with the majority of what the Chair of the Treasury Committee said. I have concerns about the absolute limit of 10 years. I do not think that that is appropriate, and consumer organisations also believe that. I also have concerns about the general principle that consumers should take responsibility for their decisions. As a general principle, that makes sense, but when it comes to specific issues it does not necessarily always work. Consumers can take responsibility in situations where they had the full information and the capacity to understand the information that they were given, but in some cases they will not have been given the full information or had the ability to understand it. They should be able to take responsibility for informed decisions but not have to take responsibility for those in which they were not properly informed. I would appreciate it if the Minister could clarify that before we come to Report stage—it relates to clause 7, which proposes amendments to section 228 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. On payment systems regulation, I absolutely agree that changes that can be made. I feel strongly that it is really important to future-proof the regulation of cryptoassets particularly and the transfer of those cryptoassets in relation to payment systems regulation and fees that are regulated by the FCA. Charities have seen a massive increase from a significant number of banking institutions in the payments that they make. For example, charities that have only a small amount of money and might be taking out a float to run a small event will now be seeing massive fees that they were not seeing before because of changes to charitable banking systems. I am not sure whether that exactly falls within payment systems regulation, but I do not think it is fair that they have to do that. Those changes disproportionately harm smaller charities and those who deal with small amounts of cash. I have a specific question on anti-money laundering supervision. I understand the move away from professional body supervisors so that we can have fewer than 25 organisations doing that supervision, but I am worried about specialisation. For example, if we put the work of the organisation that supervises lawyers and solicitors in Scotland into the FCA as a regulator that supervises lawyers, that may not be appropriate for the legal system in Scotland, and we may end up with only one person—the one who understands Scottish law—having the knowledge and doing that supervision. There, again, we would have a single point of failure, and that is really concerning in a place supervising people who are doing anti-money laundering. Will the Minister confirm that there will be appropriate specialism and understanding of all the different organisations currently supervised by professional bodies as that work is moved into one organisation? I am concerned about potential failure points. In relation to Scottish-specific things, those looking to get a child trust fund unlocked for someone in Scotland who has become an adult and does not have the capacity to manage their own finances has to go to the Office of the Public Guardian. Will the Minister please ensure that any changes in regulation made here do not make the system worse in Scotland? I understand that it is currently better than the system in England—there is no requirement to go through a court process—so will she talk to the people who understand the system in Scotland to ensure that our people will not be disadvantaged? I would love the system in Scotland to be made better, but at the very least it should not be made worse as we move forward here. I believe strongly that we need access to in-person banking services, as have been mentioned. A huge many banks have closed in my constituency—a city constituency—and some people are required to go on public transport for an hour to get to banking facilities. When banks close, they regularly say, “It’s fine, because there’s a post office.” That is not fine, because post offices are run by postmasters and postmistresses, who may get ill and have to step down at short notice, and post offices do not have to consult before they close to ensure that provision will always be there. Therefore, in terms of access to in-person banking services, if a post office is to be relied on as a backstop, that service needs to be better and better regulated, and we need to ensure that that backstop service will continue to be there. On data sharing for consumer credit and ensuring that people have credit agreements, I am concerned that if the data sharing system is to be more flexible than currently, it may be more at risk given the number of hacks we are seeing. I urge the Government to ensure that the National Crime Agency, for example, has looked into that so that people’s data is as safe as possible. I have one very last thing. On Henry VIII powers and the creation of things here, banking services should never have been a delegated authority; that should have been in the Bill. We should also have done the consultation before the legislation.

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7. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·SNP·Kirsty Blackman

   Financial Services and Markets Bill [Lords]

   Is the hon. Gentleman aware that a lot of this data is collected already, and that it would not place a significant additional regulatory burden on banks to have to gather it? It is just not being published.

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8. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·SNP·Chris Law

   China: Breach of UK Parliamentarians’ Data

   While it is unacceptable that Members of this Parliament are under constant hostile threat from foreign states, it is also unacceptable that this Government are unwilling to offer protection by taking appropriate action against China. Despite the CCP sanctioning, spying on and now accessing the phone and financial records of parliamentarians, the Government still refuse to publish the China audit in full or to publish any strategy on how to deal with this threat. Why, given all the evidence, have the Government not finally added China to the enhanced tier of FIRS? I draw attention to the fact that the Minister has dodged that question up to now. Given that the revelations we are talking about today happened in 2021, can he confirm whether a full UK investigation, alongside the FBI investigation, is now taking place?

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9. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·SNP·Brendan O'Hara

   Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

   We are told that one of the core areas of discussion at last week’s meeting was climate resilience. Given that building climate resilience is now absolutely critical, particularly for small countries in the global south, could the Minister tell the House how he explained to them his Government’s decision to cut overseas aid by more than £1 billion last year? Could he share with the House what impact he was told that cut has had on many of our Commonwealth partners, many of which are having to live with and mitigate the worst effects of climate change, despite having contributed virtually nothing to creating the problem in the first place?

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10. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Reform·Sarah Pochin

    Topical Questions

    T4. Two months ago, I wrote to the Secretary of State asking him to confirm how many prisoners will be released under the Government’s early release scheme untagged because they cited homelessness or mental health issues. I got a reply from his Minister saying that she could not answer the question because the scheme did not start till 1 October, but her letter was dated 4 November—five weeks later. Will Secretary of State tell me today how many have been released early untagged for those reasons?

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11. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Reform·Robert Jenrick

    Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

    The only thing that is exceptional about Britain’s record on slavery is that we were the first country in the world to abolish it. We are the country of William Wilberforce. We are the country of the West Africa Squadron. Why are we entertaining this performative far-left nonsense? Why does the Prime Minister not just focus on what the British people actually want, which is to cut the cost of living and do something that helps our own constituents? [Interruption.] Government Members can groan as much as they want, but I wager this: what I am saying is more in tune with the people of this country than anything that we have heard from them today.

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12. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Reform·Richard Tice

    Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

    What was noticeable about the Minister’s statement was that there was no reference to discussions that the Prime Minister had with the Prime Ministers of Nigeria or Mauritius. Did he raise the issue of the more than 4,000 Christians killed in Nigeria this year? Did he raise the fact that my constituents, and the vast majority of the millions of people in this country, do not want to surrender the Chagos islands?

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13. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Reform·Lee Anderson

    Antisocial Behaviour

    It is indeed a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Butler. I thank the hon. Member for Birmingham Perry Barr (Ayoub Khan) for securing this debate, and I thank his students for coming to witness it. I suspect that if they come back in 10 years’ time, we will still be debating antisocial behaviour because nothing ever gets done in this place. Antisocial behaviour destroys families, communities and, ultimately, the country. About four years ago, I went to Singapore with the Home Affairs Committee—I am sure the Minister was on a similar flight. I noticed that there was no graffiti, antisocial behaviour or crime. I also did not see a police car or officer all week. Does anybody know why? It is because the consequences of antisocial behaviour in Singapore are a little bit more severe than in this country. My town centre, Sutton-in-Ashfield, is full of yobs, drunkards and people on drugs. The police do turn up, but they do absolutely nothing because they think it is a waste of time. They move the people on, and then they come back the following day. One of my solutions for the Minister is this: if those yobs who keep returning are living on state benefits, we should stop the benefits. It is the same with social housing. People in some of my council estates are creating all sorts of problems for their neighbours. If they are living in social housing and living a life on benefits, and causing problems in my community, why do we not just kick them out of their social housing, stop the benefits and create some real repercussions? A lot of my residents think it is a waste of time to report antisocial behaviour to the police and the council, especially when my Ashfield district council—people have probably seen it in the news recently—is being run by criminals like Councillor Tom Hollis, who has a string of convictions, including lots of antisocial behaviour, under his belt. The solutions are simple. Stop the benefits for these people who are causing problems in our town centre. If they live in social housing, kick them out of the houses. Minister, this is really simple stuff—simple.

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14. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Reform·Lee Anderson

    Antisocial Behaviour

    Does the hon. Member agree that one reason we have seen an increase in antisocial behaviour in our country is the amount of illegal migrants who are being dumped in hotels and HMOs?

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15. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Reform·Lee Anderson

    Antisocial Behaviour

    I thank the hon. Member for giving way. I am not worried about losing my job here; I have a GB News job that pays very handsomely. On his point about me trying to make people homeless, if there is a feral family living next door to me, my friends, my relatives or my constituents, I have absolutely no problem at all with kicking them out and letting other residents have a peaceful life.

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16. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Plaid Cymru·Liz Saville Roberts

    Prisons: Rehabilitative Programmes

    Diolch yn fawr iawn, Lefarydd. Tackling reoffending requires rehabilitation, but the Wales Governance Centre’s latest report shows that that is not happening well enough in Wales. Recall numbers are up 27%; rough sleeping on release is becoming the norm; and the rate of death by drug poisoning while under community supervision is considerably higher than in England. Addressing those issues requires a holistic approach, which is impossible when Westminster controls the levers when it comes to justice. Following the Secretary of State’s meeting with Welsh Government Ministers yesterday, does he agree that devolving justice is key to making justice work in Wales?

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17. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Plaid Cymru·Ben Lake

    Topical Questions

    Will the Minister meet me to discuss the possible addition of assault in cases of grievous bodily harm to schedule 5 to the Criminal Justice Act 2003? That seems to be the only pathway to justice for a constituent of mine who, despite being the victim of a brutal attack, saw the case against their alleged assailant withdrawn just days before trial because of the erroneous decision of the Crown Prosecution Service not to offer any evidence in support of prosecution.

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18. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Vikki Slade

    Topical Questions

    Last week the Justice Committee heard harrowing testimony about the tragic deaths of 14-year-old Ruth Szymankiewicz, 15-year-old Gabriel Santer and 23-year-old Matthew Caseby from their parents. These are all utterly tragic cases, but only one of them led to a prevention of future deaths case, and even then there is no enforcement of them. Will the Minister commit to reviewing the situation so that when the words “lessons learned” are said, families actually believe them?

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19. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Vikki Slade

    Mobile Phones in Schools

    On the conversation about exclusions, may I make the case for young carers not to be excluded from the freedom to learn because of the distraction of what might be going on at home? That is why I have been calling—in conjunction with MYTIME Young Carers, a wonderful local charity—for a young carers champion in every school. I have written to the Minister to ask for a meeting to discuss that. Will he now agree to meet me to see how we can protect young carers not just in having a single point of contact, but in everything we do for them in our schools?

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20. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Vikki Slade

    Financial Services and Markets Bill [Lords]

    I am grateful to the Chancellor for talking about consumer protection, but one group of consumers is missing from the Bill: people who have been victims of economic abuse. They are trapped with financial products through no market failure or fault of their own, even if they want to move to something that is cheaper and therefore a smaller risk to their joint borrower. The Bill does not do anything for those people. Will the Chancellor consider some amendments to help them?

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21. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Tom Morrison

    Stepping Hill Hospital

    Stepping Hill hospital sits in my constituency. It is one of the busiest hospitals in the region, with over 91,000 patient admissions each year. It serves Stockport, parts of Greater Manchester and parts of Derbyshire. I have raised the issues faced by the staff and patients there many times in the House and been told repeatedly that the Government are working with Stockport NHS foundation trust and the integrated care board to solve them, but time and again we are let down by the lack of real action. On Friday I visited the hospital with my hon. Friend the Member for Hazel Grove (Lisa Smart), and we met senior teams, clinicians, nurses and operational staff.

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22. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Tom Morrison

    Stepping Hill Hospital

    I absolutely respect that intervention, and I do wish the hon. Gentleman’s mother a happy birthday. If it were possible, we would all do a rendition of “Happy Birthday”, but we will leave that for another time. This was not my first visit to the hospital—I have been there several times, both as an elected representative and as a patient—but it was the angriest and most emotional I have ever been while visiting it. On our visit, I saw staff and patients’ dignity taken away from them, I saw a building completely and utterly unfit for purpose, and I saw a health system that was left to rot, quite literally, over the years of Conservative neglect now being given only plasters by the current Government. I am not exaggerating when I say that the visit was harrowing. To see staff and patients suffer in buildings that leaked, surrounded by walls that were rotting and floors that were sinking, was truly awful. It painted a stark and terrible picture of the way our health service is being treated by decision makers in Whitehall, with £120 million being spent each year just on mitigating the damage being caused by the hospital’s crumbling estate. This is an incredibly expensive sticking plaster that does not solve the underlying problems, but instead makes things worse. A comprehensive repair of Stepping Hill’s estate would cost just over £134 million, and the Government must commit to providing that amount to get the hospital back on its feet. It would save money in the long term and mitigate the huge risks the estate poses.

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23. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Tom Morrison

    Stepping Hill Hospital

    I thank my hon. Friend for bringing that idea forward. Yes, absolutely; I will talk later about how a new site in Stockport could alleviate the stress on Stepping Hill and save the Government a lot of money. Stockport NHS foundation trust is clear that the £134 million would be over and above any Government funding already allocated. The trust simply cannot make the efficiency savings being asked of it when it is firefighting each day. I want to tell the House what this looks like and how this firefighting impacts the day-to-day lives of the staff and the patients they look after. On our visit, nurses told me of the huge issues they face regarding infection control. There are genuine concerns that the outdated and inefficient building makes infection control even harder. Beds are too close to each other and people are unable to move around within a safe distance of each other. Parts of the site predate the NHS and, as such, the corridors are so small that two wheelchairs or trolleys cannot go past each other. Shockingly, the hospital has only around 20% of the side rooms it needs to isolate infectious patients, and in the electrocardiography zone there are no handwashing facilities. The nurses told me that during covid, they had to create massive one-way systems through the wards, making care and movement even more complex. That was a logistical challenge at a time when the NHS was already being tested to breaking point. The building itself is also dangerous. On the visit, I was shown the relentless water damage and leaks across the estate. When it rains, staff race around the hospital putting out buckets to catch the water dripping through the ceiling, sometimes on to vital equipment. Ward and shower rooms have become completely unusable because of leaks, which have further reduced capacity. I have seen wards where sewage comes up through the drains, meaning that nurses have to clean up rather than look after the patients they should be tending to. The glass windows in the cardiology unit are at a huge risk of falling out, posing a serious safety risk. Clay pipework from 1905 is still in use and leaking, meaning that escaping steam is rotting the floors beneath. Some floors are now physically sinking. As I entered the building, I saw that the hospital’s café was closed for that very reason—I could actually see where the floor was beginning to slope down. Scaffolding is literally holding up the glass ceiling in the main entrance— a worrying welcome for patients entering the building.

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24. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Tom Morrison

    Stepping Hill Hospital

    Many of the hospital’s wards are Nightingale wards, which cannot support contemporary care. As I have already mentioned, these wards do not have enough side rooms. That poses a massive risk in terms of infection control, but it also poses challenges when providing patients with the privacy and dignity they need. When patients are receiving end-of-life care, the hospital cannot always provide a separate room, and instead beds are curtained off to give families the privacy they need. To ensure that people are aware, staff place a candle on the ward entrance to tell others that someone is having their last moments with their friends and family. That was the hardest thing to see on our visit. It makes me so angry and ashamed that families in my constituency are saying goodbye to their loved ones in this way. It is not just the physical infrastructure that needs addressing. Some staff talked me through how outdated computer software and internet connections mean that they have to use memory sticks to take images from one computer to another. Some of the images are for time-critical operations, in which every second counts, yet clinicians, doctors and nurses had no option but to walk memory sticks from one computer to another, wasting precious time. Finally, let me talk about the conditions the staff work in. The ward designs in the older buildings make staffing a serious challenge. Staff-to-patient ratios mean that nurses must look after no more than eight patients, but some wards have 14 beds, meaning that two nurses are required, despite one of those nurses being underutilised. The staff rooms are also completely inadequate; I saw one room that could fit only two people comfortably, despite there being 12 people on that ward, while the staff room on the cardiology unit, which serves 30 people, has only one toilet.

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25. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Tom Morrison

    Stepping Hill Hospital

    I respect the hon. Gentleman a lot; we all work well together as Stockport MPs. Although we should never say no to money coming into the hospital, even the NHS trust is saying that this money does not touch the sides, as I have said. We need more investment, and the £134 million repair bill needs to be sorted. We can discuss the need for a different site another time; I am fully behind Stockport needing a new hospital site. I was talking about the staff room for the cardiology unit, which serves 30 people but has only one toilet. That is not to mention the fact that the toilet windows are not frosted over, so there is a massive privacy issue for the staff. I was also told about one member of staff who works in reception in one unit and who uses an electric wheelchair. Horrifyingly, their work environment is completely inadequate, not only because the doors to the unit are not suitable for wheelchairs to go through, but because they cannot access an accessible toilet and so are forced to leave the building in which they work to go to another a few minutes away. Often they have to go out in the rain just to use a facility that they should have the right to use. That is simply a disgrace, and I cannot believe it is happening in 2026. I asked why that person still felt the need to work there even with such basic accessibility requirements not being met. I was told that it was because they cared so much about the hospital, about Stepping Hill and about the job they do that they would not leave. That was a running theme through our visit. Despite all the issues and problems I have laid out, the staff across Stepping Hill maintain excellent standards in conditions that are working against them. They continue to provide an unbelievably caring and wonderful service. They are a credit to the NHS and to Stockport. They never complain or down tools because of the conditions; instead, they get on with the job. My partner Lou and I sadly needed to spend time at Stepping Hill recently. Despite the awful reasons we were there, we felt protected, supported and cared for. I want to take this moment to say thank you to the staff for everything they did for us, for keeping us safe and for looking out for us. I promise here that I will always have their back and will never stop campaigning to get them the hospital they deserve. So what is the solution? The Government announce bits of support every now and then, and they often announce the same pots of money time and again in the hope that it looks like support is there, but that does not help. We need a fully funded strategy for how Stepping Hill will be saved. There were plans for a new hospital in Stockport that were originally rejected by the previous Conservative Government. The plans would have enabled some relief for Stepping Hill and helped free up much-needed space on the estate. The plans also had backing from the trust and the council, which partnered to develop them, and the integrated care board. They pushed as much as they could. Sadly, it does not appear that the hon. Member for Stockport (Navendu Mishra) supported them, but we will talk about that another time. Whatever the solution, the fact is that action is now desperately needed. We cannot go on with more debates, more questions to Ministers and the Prime Minister, more letters to the Department of Health and Social Care and more meetings with officials—the Government have to act now. For over a decade the Conservative Government left Stepping Hill hospital to rot. This Government cannot do the same, and the Minister should not allow that to happen. I want to end with a number of questions for the Minister. First, it is clear what help is needed and required, so why have the Government failed to act so far? Secondly, is it appropriate for 30 NHS staff members to share one toilet and that an NHS worker who uses a wheelchair has to go out in the rain to access the nearest accessible toilet? Thirdly, is it fair that patients at the end of their life cannot share their final moments with friends and family in privacy and with dignity? Finally, will the Minister come to Stepping Hill hospital along with the Prime Minister, who often talks about Stockport and the work he did there, so that they can see at first hand what happens when those in Westminster and Whitehall take our hospitals for granted?

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26. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Tom Gordon

    Topical Questions

    T7. Last week the Government announced their Visitor Levy (England) Bill, which will create a number of new offences, including a 14-year maximum prison sentence for deliberate evasion of a tourist tax, all while the Government are still releasing prisoners early. Has the Department carried out a justice impact test, and when will the impact assessments be published? What assessment has the Department made of the additional prison spaces that would be needed?

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27. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Tom Gordon

    Mobile Phones in Schools

    I welcome the steps the Minister outlined to ensure phones will no longer be a distraction in the classroom, but for many children they can be a lifeline if they have chronic conditions such as type 1 diabetes. I am pleased to see an acknowledgement about an exemption for medical or disability purposes. My concern is that if there is a supply teacher, or if children are moving year group or moving school and transitioning, how will the information be passed on to ensure we do not end up in a situation where a child needs to use a medical device or app on their phone to monitor their health condition and they end up being denied it?

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28. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Steve Darling

    Antisocial Behaviour

    In Torbay the town centres tend to be a focus for antisocial behaviour, often involving the drugs and alcohol challenges of street-attached people. Does my hon. Friend agree that we need to take a strong enforcement approach and, equally, to ensure that there is wraparound support for those who want to exit that world?

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29. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Munira Wilson

    Mobile Phones in Schools

    I very much welcome this change of heart from the Government. There is no place for phones during the school day, and stronger guidance for schools on mobile phone use is a very welcome step, as is the edtech review. Classrooms should be places of focus and learning, free from the addictive and demanding world of social media that, sadly, so often leads to bullying, but schools need the right equipment and procedures in place. We Liberal Democrats are very clear that it should be up to headteachers to decide how they keep phones out of reach of pupils, but I reiterate the Chair of the Education Committee’s comments that this will come at a cost and that school budgets are already stretched to breaking point. Some schools will ask parents to buy the pouches, but parents are already facing the ever-rising costs of sending children to school. Can the Minister assure me that school leaders across the country will have the necessary funding to implement the guidance effectively? For schools that want to ban smartphones completely—some are going down that route already—one barrier is that some bus companies require bus fares to be paid on an app on a smartphone, and they are not willing to change their ways. Is the Minister looking at these sorts of barriers for schools that want to go a step further? I welcome the clear assurance from the Minister that, for pupils with medical or special educational needs and disabilities, appropriate exemptions and adjustments will be made by schools. This must not be onerous or discriminatory towards individual children. Will he confirm that young carers will be included in such exemptions? Finally, with an increasing number of schools giving children digital devices to do schoolwork on throughout the school day, and then homework at home, can the Minister confirm whether the edtech review will also look at the amount of screen time that children in schools are being exposed to?

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30. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Mr Lee Dillon

    Topical Questions

    Last year the British Horse Society recorded nearly 3,000 road incidents involving horses. However, because horses are classed as property, judges and courts cannot reflect the emotional distress that horse riders have when they lose their animal. Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss how we can change the law to better reflect the needs of victims?

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31. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Mr Angus MacDonald

    Fishing and Seafood Sector Strategy

    Thank you, Sir Roger—I will take about half of that, I hope. I congratulate the hon. Member for Cambridge (Daniel Zeichner) on securing the debate. I also welcome the early visits the Minister made to Scotland and his willingness to engage with the industry, which is so important to my part of Britain. The first point I want to make is that the UK Government are leading the negotiations on fishing opportunities with the EU, and the decisions made over the coming weeks and months will be extremely significant for all our constituents. The economic viability of many remote west highland communities depends on the fishing industry, and particularly fish farming—an issue that has not been discussed so far. The industry supports employment, businesses and entire communities along our coastline. In many of the more remote parts of my constituency, fishing and seafood processing are among the few industries capable of providing skilled, well-paid and relatively secure, all-year-round employment. The fish farming industry is incredibly important to the west highlands and islands. It employs about 2,500 people in a sparsely populated area, with a substantial number more in related services such as processing and transport. The industry is well aware of the need to constantly improve its environmental credentials, and it must. However, the bottom line is that there are fewer and fewer wild fish, so the need for a sustainable fish farming industry will only grow in importance. Should the hugely well-funded, mainly American, anti-fish farming pressure groups succeed in their aim of closing down fish farming, they will also succeed in sounding the death knell of our already struggling coastal communities. That matters enormously when we consider the demographic challenges facing the highlands and islands. We have a serious problem with depopulation, with young people leaving because they cannot find the employment or opportunities they need to build a future in their own communities. We cannot expect those communities to survive if we allow the industries that sustain them to disappear. The fishing industry is therefore not simply an economic asset for the highlands; it is essential to the long-term viability of our coastal communities. It is also worth noting that if the Scottish fish farming industry has its legs taken away from underneath it, that will boost the fish farming industries in Norway, the Faroes, Canada, Chile and so on, which would be only too happy to step in. The second point I want to make is that we face a significant challenge as fish stocks move northwards into cooler waters. For the first nine months of this year, the value of the catch in Scotland was 17% down on the same period last year. That is having a continued impact on our fishing communities and the opportunities available to the fleet. Crab, langoustine and lobster fishing is important in my constituency but, with far reduced catches, it offers a hard and much less lucrative livelihood than a decade ago. One of my many sons is a recreational diver, and he tells me of the destruction caused to the seabed by scallop dredging. Those who hand dive for scallops in our community have the support of the more environmentally aware locals. Will the Minister please update us on his view on the sustainability and environmental impact of scallop dredging? Only 54% of the food we eat is produced in the UK. We can and must do better. Our fishing industry has an important role to play in feeding the nation, but we must maintain high environmental standards and protect our fish stocks. As we have heard, Scotland accounts for 60% to 70% of the UK’s fishing industry, and we have a substantial processing sector and a network of businesses around the coast. However, none of that can survive without a viable fleet bringing fish ashore and securing the best possible opportunities for 2027, particularly for key stocks such as cod. A collapse in remote Scotland’s school rolls and visa restrictions threaten the future workforce that we need so badly. I hope that the Minister will take a pragmatic approach to both. We have good fisheries management in Scotland, but we must strike a balance between protecting the marine environment and sustaining the very fragile coastal communities that depend on it. The fishing industry is vital to the future of the highlands and to the food security and economic prosperity not just of the highlands and Scotland but of the whole of the United Kingdom. I hope that the Government will recognise that and ensure that our fishing communities have the opportunities and support that they need to thrive.

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32. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Mr Alistair Carmichael

    Fishing and Seafood Sector Strategy

    As co-author of the report, the fact that I agree with the hon. Member might possibly qualify as the least surprising news of today—the need for that strategy is becoming more urgent. However, there are other things that could be done much more quickly though. One is to include food and drink in the industrial strategy, which of course is not the Minister’s responsibility—it relates to another Department. If food and drink had been in that industrial strategy, the energy spike that is currently hitting processors would be dealt with by assistance from the Government. Does he agree that a lot of the answers lie with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, but not all of them?

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33. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Mr Alistair Carmichael

    Fishing and Seafood Sector Strategy

    We all know that the use of migrant labour should be a short to medium-term measure until we are able to grow the workforce in our own ports. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that that truth reinforces the importance of the strategy that the hon. Member for Cambridge (Daniel Zeichner) has spoken about, because in order to grow that workforce, signals have to be sent to the industry that the Government have a clear vision of what is expected of them? Unless and until we do that, we will not persuade the next generation to go to sea.

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34. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Mr Alistair Carmichael

    Fishing and Seafood Sector Strategy

    Thank you for the unexpected pleasure and opportunity, Sir Roger. I will say just a few words on the subject, because there are a number of matters that concern me. I want to pick up on a few of the points made by the hon. Member for Rotherham (Sarah Champion). She spoke about the quality of scientific advice, and ICES is the absolute benchmark in these matters. However, she may wish to consider the fact that, last year, the mackerel stock recommendation was for a total closure—in fact, from memory, I think we agreed a 40% cut. This year, on the basis of new advice, it is apparent that the mackerel stock is back at a safe biological level, so there are these occasions when it becomes apparent that the fisheries advice from ICES has to be put into its proper context. On the many occasions when I am told that it is necessary to have a total allowable catch of zero, it is often in answer to the question: what will it take to restore the stock to a safe level within 12 months? The only answer to that question can be a zero TAC, but that then begs another question that nobody ever asks: if we have a zero TAC, will it restore the stock to that safe level? The answer is no, because it will take several years before stocks of white fish, such as cod—we all know the pressures on North sea cod at the moment—can recover. The hon. Member for Rotherham also referenced the healthy level of haddock stock at the moment. For those who are responsible for fisheries management, that highlights the difficulty and complexity of this issue. To put it in its crudest form, haddock swim with cod. If we set a zero or very low TAC for cod, as has been suggested for the northern shelf this year—notwithstanding the fact that we think that there are at least three subspecies of cod in the North sea—there is a danger that it will serve only to present cod as a choke species. That then prevents the white fish industry from targeting the haddock that, as we know, is in a healthy state. I say to the House, and to all those who follow our proceedings, that in this industry there is an infinitely complex scenario, and it really is necessary for everybody to approach this issue with a measure of humility. We must understand that for those communities where fishing matters—the hon. Member for Cambridge (Daniel Zeichner) referred to them in his speech—it matters a great deal. I am concerned when I see the plethora of environmental non-governmental organisations that now enter this debate with a very simplistic analysis. Taken to its logical conclusion, it would deny commercial fishing opportunities to those communities that rely on them most. That is why the hon. Member’s work and that of the APPG, of which I have been a member for 25 years, to bring people together to achieve an in-depth understanding of what is involved for the different stocks and the different communities, is absolutely critical. It feels like there is always some species under pressure in some part of our waters, and I fear that that will always be the case. A few years ago, the different pelagic species were under serious pressure. We understand that pelagic species, such as mackerel and herring, will migrate through British waters into Faroese waters and up into Icelandic waters. That is why the idea that somehow or another one country can take responsibility for fisheries management is simply for the birds—biology defies that sort of simplistic approach. At the end of the day, the people who have the biggest stake in ensuring that there are healthy fish stocks are the people who work in the industry and who will want some day to pass the businesses that they have built up over several generations on to the next generation. These are the people and these are the communities who suffer most when we get it wrong here.

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35. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Mr Alistair Carmichael

    Fishing and Seafood Sector Strategy

    I have preached that sermon in this House for the last 25 years. We should also remember that the ICES advice we spoke about earlier is two years out of date—the data is two years from the acquisition to the implementation. Hearing from fishermen and understanding the expertise they employ when they take their nets out to sea must be at the heart of this debate. Respect for people who have, for generations, made a living from this industry—from the seas—must be the starting point. Stick to that and everything else will surely fall into place. I am very grateful to you, Sir Roger, for allowing me the opportunity to speak.

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36. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Monica Harding

    Antisocial Behaviour

    The hon. Member is making a powerful speech. Does he agree that the reason incidents go unreported is that the public do not have faith that they will be dealt with?

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37. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Monica Harding

    Antisocial Behaviour

    I absolutely concur with my hon. Friend that we need more community policing and more visible policing. I have already made the point in the House that we need warranted officers on streets rather than at their desks or in call centres. Does he agree that the more the public report incidents of antisocial behaviour that they do not report at the moment, the more action we will get on it? Perhaps the Minister might think about how we can encourage the public to report the incidents they see.

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38. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Monica Harding

    Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

    It remains crucial that the Government engage wholeheartedly with our friends and partners in the Commonwealth, especially now, in an insecure world, when other partnerships may be fraught. While I am pleased to see CHOGM emphasising the challenge of food insecurity, protecting our oceans and tackling climate change, it added up to warm words but sharp cuts in UK aid to Commonwealth nations. The aid budget to the Commonwealth has been slashed from £546 million in 2024-25 to £131 million in 2028-29, with over half of that going to Nigeria alone. All this is happening while humanitarian crises are continually underfunded and El Niño is already causing havoc around the world and is likely to force many millions more people into acute food insecurity over the next year. The King attended the launch of the Commonwealth nature initiative, but the UK Government failed to make a contribution. These cuts to official development assistance are hurting our partnerships in the Commonwealth, our international understanding and our influence. The Prime Minister has talked about Labour values driving his agenda and not making the mistake of wearing too many Tory clothes. Does the Minister agree that presiding over the deepest aid cuts this century—deeper than Donald Trump’s in America—looks like trying on the last Conservative Government’s clothes, and that Labour values would involve a return to the 0.7% aid target, which has been legislated for by this House? Will the Minister lay out a timeline to do this? I applaud the Foreign Secretary’s desire to take action on development finance and tackle unsustainable debt, but with the G20 fast approaching, will the Minister make a statement on how he will do this, alongside taking action on illicit financial flows and multilateral development bank reform, and with COP31 in Antalya this week, will he reassure the House that the UK will uphold its commitments to tackling the climate crisis?

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39. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Monica Harding

    Mobile Phones in Schools

    I have had over 500 emails from constituents calling for a smartphone-free childhood, so I welcome today’s announcement. However, while restricting access to smartphones, schools are increasingly issuing laptops and tablets that pupils can take home and use beyond the school day. As some independent schools are re-examining the role of screens in education, technology use is expanding across the state school sector. Will the Minister explain how the Government will ensure that one form of screen dependency is not simply being replaced by another? What consideration has been given to the amount of time that children spend using school-issued devices both in and outside the classroom?

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40. 10 Nov 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Mike Martin

    Mobile Phones in Schools

    I am proud to say that we are ahead of the game in Tunbridge Wells. When the Government failed to pass the legislation originally, its secondary schools got together, agreed a shared policy and implemented it. The policy was to have no smartphones on the school grounds, which therefore means pupils will not be taking smartphones on buses either. Dumbphones can be carried for the purposes of safety if necessary, but they have to be switched off during the school day. That was rolled out this September, the feedback is good and it seems very successful. Have the Government considered this as an option?

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