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Showing every spoken contribution, including 12,832 under 12 words. Hide short remarks

1. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Ms Julie Minns

   Road Traffic Collision Reporting: Cats

   One of the petitioners is my constituent Hallee, whose cat sadly was killed by a vehicle overnight—probably not an untypical story. The cat was found on the pavement the next morning, apparently moved there by the driver. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that moving to a point where cats are treated in the same way as dogs would at least give some comfort to cat owners who are left grieving and without an explanation about what happened in those final moments?

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2. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Ms Julie Minns

   Illegal Use of Electric Bikes and Scooters: Policing

   Cumbria police do really good work tackling the use of illegal e-bikes, but with ever-growing numbers of them hitting our streets every single week, Cumbria’s police, fire and crime commissioner and I believe that the single biggest help that we could give the police would be to ban the sale of illegal e-bikes, as my ten-minute rule Bill proposes. What discussions has the Minister had with colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade about regulation to achieve that?

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3. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Ms Julie Minns

   Performance of Royal Mail

   Will my hon. Friend give way?

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4. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Ms Abena Oppong-Asare

   Rough Sleeping and Good Growth Funds

   I warmly welcome the Minister’s statement. I had the opportunity to attend the summit, and I agree that prevention is the key to ending rough sleeping. I ask the Minister to implement all the Committee recommendations from the rough sleeping inquiry—I know the Government have implemented some of them. I have a specific further question: what assessment have the Government made on identifying people likely to become at risk of homelessness if the local housing allowance remains frozen at this Wednesday’s Budget?

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5. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Mr Clive Betts

   Civil Service Pensions

   As the Public Accounts Committee Chair said, we have had Capita before the Committee on many occasions. In all my time in the House, I do not think I have seen a worse example of incompetence, failure to deliver to deadlines, and a company seemingly just not caring about its effects on people and the distress it is causing. Every time Capita’s representatives come along, I simply do not believe a word they say. Does the Minister really have any confidence, even with all the guardrails that she is putting in place and all the connections to the Cabinet Office, that Capita is capable of delivering a scheme that actually works and delivers pensions on time? Secondly, I congratulate the Minister on what she said about looking into bringing the scheme in house; it is a pity the previous Government did not think about that before they let the contract. Will she commit to updating the House regularly on how far she is progressing with those possibilities? In the end, bringing the contract back in house may be the only option for giving pensioners a proper scheme, given Capita’s failures.

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6. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Melanie Onn

   Small Boat Crossings: Removal of Arrivals

   Up to June this year, the returns rate was 35% higher than it had been in the 12 months previously. Does the Home Secretary agree that this is in part due to the improved co-operative relationships that this Government have managed to forge with other countries around the world? Should that not give our constituents greater confidence that this Government take the issue of small boat crossings seriously?

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7. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Melanie Onn

   Performance of Royal Mail

   My hon. Friend is making an excellent contribution to this important debate. Does he agree that this seems to be a deep cultural issue within Royal Mail? Not only is it in denial, as far as I can tell, that there is a problem with the service, but when Members of Parliament visit their local delivery offices, it cleans house from top to bottom to present as if there is no problem, only for us to then subsequently discover that there continue to be serious issues with the service to our constituents.

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8. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Maureen Burke

   Performance of Royal Mail

   Royal Mail was once widely respected and trusted, but it is now too often a cause of frustration and anger for our constituents. Year after year, Royal Mail is falling short of the targets it must meet by law, and the public’s patience is wearing thin. The danger is that at some point the business can no longer survive. While I have no desire to see that happen, we cannot keep making excuses or dismissing what my constituents are going through. They are missing appointments, receiving important news late, and being let down by a system that cannot be relied on to get the basics right. Just over a year ago, the Scottish Affairs Committee, of which I am a member, held a session with Royal Mail, Ofcom and consumer groups. We were told then that work was under way to improve the service, but it is hard to see any sign of that on the ground. This year again, in most of Royal Mail’s Scottish postcode areas, it has missed its targets, and constituents continue to write to me about the problems they face. A late birthday card can be forgiven, but too often delivery delays affect more important mail. Royal Mail assured our Committee that a new NHS barcode would allow NHS letters to be picked out and given priority, yet NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has told me that it cannot use the barcode because it does not work with the Royal Mail system that is used for most of its letters. Royal Mail presented the barcode system as an answer, but it is not working in practice. That has real consequences for my constituents. A disabled constituent recently told me that they no longer have the strength to complain. They have already been on to the sorting office and have seen no improvement. Right now, they are waiting on a letter about a home flu jab. Their post is so unreliable that they believe the letter will arrive late. Another constituent told me how they only realised that they had missed an NHS appointment when they spoke with the hospital directly. When they visited the sorting office, their letters were waiting there, still to be delivered, including one telling them about that appointment.

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9. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Maureen Burke

   Performance of Royal Mail

   I agree with my hon. Friend and thank him for his contribution. Those are just two dreadful examples that show the heart of the problem. People are losing faith in the Royal Mail because it is letting them down when they need the service most. I know the postal world has changed. We keep in touch differently now, sending fewer letters and more emails around the world. Postal services are changing, but I do not believe that we want to end up in a situation like Denmark, where PostNord has stopped delivering letters altogether. I believe that the public want Royal Mail to have a future, but for that to be possible, management must take responsibility rather than just blame changes in how people use the service, or put the blame on posties. People are being priced out, and Royal Mail is adding to their anger by putting up stamp prices. How can we expect people to use a service when research from Citizens Advice suggests that one in three adults would struggle to afford a book of first-class stamps? Equally, it will not be possible for the Royal Mail to meet standards with fewer staff, who feel undervalued, as the Communication Workers Union has said. When the previous board brought in lower wages, longer hours and poorer conditions for new staff, it made Royal Mail a less attractive place to work, with up to half of new staff leaving within the first year. Its owners must show that they understand what went wrong, or risk bringing the service closer to collapse. I would like to sum up by saying this. I wish Royal Mail well and I pay tribute to Britain’s hard-working posties. Royal Mail is an institution and for many of my constituents it is a lifeline. That is why I hope that the promise from management to meet targets by early next year is signed for and delivered on time.

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10. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Matt Western

    Prostate Cancer Screening

    I thank all my constituents who signed the petition. I start by paying tribute to my constituent, Graham Fulford, for the phenomenal work that his charitable trust has done to promote awareness and improve testing across the United Kingdom. Since 2004, it has been running tests, delivering more than 470,000 and finding around 4,000 cancers. The trust estimates that that has collectively added more than 32,000 years of life. Prostate cancer is the most common kind of cancer among men, with around 12,000 dying from it every year. As we have heard, black men are more than twice as likely to die from cancer as white men. My request to the Minister for wider and more expansive targeted screening will come as no surprise. Last week, having had a conversation with Graham Fulford and his trust to see if they would be willing to provide support, I wrote to Mr Speaker, encouraging him to consider an annual screening programme here in Parliament to raise awareness of that need. Minister, the trust would be delighted to run it, if that is of interest. Finally, I wish to mention my constituent, Nigel Higgins, who lost his life to prostate cancer last year. Nigel was a friend of mine and was known to many in Warwick and Leamington. I promised him I would continue his campaign in his memory.

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11. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Matt Rodda

    Civil Service Pensions

    I declare an interest, as I hold a civil service pension. I thank the Minister for her statement. Like other Members of the House, I have a number of constituents who provided years of service in the civil service. They have retired yet have had to wait months to be paid. Could the Minister say more about the pressure she is putting on Capita and the options for taking the whole matter in-house?

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12. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Mary Creagh

    Antisocial Behaviour

    I thank my hon. Friend the Policing Minister for her visit to Coventry last month to see the brilliant work done by the Labour council’s trading standards officers, in partnership with Coventry police, to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour on Foleshill Road, and the public spaces protection order for Edgwick Park, which has cleared that park, which is next to a school, of the drug dealers who used to blight it. Will she say what more respect orders can do to tackle this level of low but persistent antisocial behaviour that blights our streets?

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13. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Mark Sewards

    Performance of Royal Mail

    The hon. Member has laid out a couple of options on the table. What does she make of the assessment that no regulator will solve the problem and the service has to be brought back into public control? Is that something she would consider?

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14. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Luke Myer

    Performance of Royal Mail

    I thank my hon. Friend for the passionate speech he is making. I have heard similar issues from my constituents about delays from Royal Mail. One elderly lady, who is 96 years old, has been waiting for three weeks to get a replacement PIN from her bank. These are stories of real people across the country who are being let down by Royal Mail. Does he agree that its representatives need to come to Parliament and answer questions from MPs?

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15. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Luke Murphy

    Prostate Cancer Screening

    I have met many men and their families in Basingstoke who have been affected by prostate cancer. Although many of them welcome the targeted screening programme, we need reassurance from the Government. As more evidence comes to light from the fantastic Transform programme, does my hon. Friend agree that the Government should commit to expanding it as the evidence allows?

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16. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Luke Murphy

    Performance of Royal Mail

    I congratulate my hon. Friends the Members for Redditch (Chris Bloore) and for Lichfield (Dave Robertson) on securing the debate and on their valiant campaigning in this area. Since my election, constituents across Basingstoke and the villages I represent have contacted me with stories similar to those we have heard from many hon. Members—stories in which residents, businesses and public services have been affected. One constituent reported no letter deliveries to their road for over two weeks and items not delivered, including, as many others have said, a hospital appointment letter and a credit card. Another constituent reported that some Basingstoke postcodes were experiencing gaps of between 11 days and some weeks between deliveries. Another constituent informed us that they had only received two deliveries in a month, with first-class items taking up to two weeks to arrive. They also raised concerns about Royal Mail’s complaints handling, which we have now raised with Ofcom’s as the regulatory oversight body, alongside those concerns about local delivery delays. As many other Members have said, this is not a trivial issue. Earlier today, I received an email from a constituent in Oakley, a village that I represent. In his words, “Residents in the village are not receiving their post in a timely manner—not receiving doctor’s appointments, HMRC tax details, documents from the DVLA about road tax, bank and credit card statements. This is a total disgrace.” I know that Members across the House agree. Indeed, he highlighted the fact that he recently purchased a new car but had to wait over 10 days because the document he needed was sat in the sorting office. As many other Members have said, this situation is not the fault of our posties locally or across the country, who work exceptionally hard to get mail out to residents. They see themselves, rightly, as an important public service, and they—more than anyone—want Royal Mail to succeed. It is clear that what constituents in Basingstoke are experiencing is not a mere local blip, but part of a consistent national pattern that includes missed targets on first-class and second-class deliveries, and an estimated 220 million letters delivered late every year, according to Ofcom, which has fined Royal Mail £5.6 million for its performance in 2022-23, £10.5 million for 2023-24 and £21 million for 2024-25—successive years of failure. In June, Ofcom opened a fourth consecutive investigation, this time into performance during 2025-26.

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17. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Luke Murphy

    Performance of Royal Mail

    Indeed, I was going to say that I would like to see the Government press Ofcom and Royal Mail to deliver much more granular data on delivery targets. That is really important, because the national performance —woeful as it is—does not represent the even worse performance that we are seeing locally. Indeed, Royal Mail has been set lower targets nationally, but it is not even meeting them. And behind these figures and statistics are the streets and lanes, like those in my constituency, where the post simply does not come. Members across this House recognise this; it is a cross-party concern about a service that the whole country depends on. The Communication Workers Union has highlighted this over and again: persistent delivery failures; a growing recruitment and retention crisis; and an unevenly regulated postal market which threatens the future of the universal service that we have heard so many Members speak about so passionately tonight. Royal Mail has told all of us, I think, that it recognises the problem and is committed and is making promises for change but, frankly, all of us in this House and my constituents have heard these promises before. The test of any plan will not be what it says on paper; it will be whether hospital letters start to arrive before appointments. I welcome the Government’s clear stance in response. Ministers have told Royal Mail’s leadership that its service has been unacceptable for too long and the pace of improvement must increase. The public deserve a reliable postal service and are right to expect better, and I welcome the Government’s commitment to keep holding Royal Mail to account. I hope the Minister will continue applying that pressure. In particular, I hope she will consider whether Ofcom is currently really up to the job of regulating Royal Mail and look closely at how Royal Mail handles complaints. As many Members have said this evening, our constituents find the way in which it deals with those complaints totally inadequate. The Government must also press for greater transparency on local performance, as we have just discussed, and look seriously at the recommendations of the Business and Trade Committee’s May 2026 report on the regulation of postal services and the proposals, as other Members have mentioned, from the CWU, including on a level playing field for the sector, a new regulatory framework and building on the Government’s golden share. Royal Mail remains a vital national institution providing an essential universal service. We all have a stake in ensuring it succeeds, not least my constituents in Basingstoke, who have every right to expect better.

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18. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Luke Murphy

    Performance of Royal Mail

    The shadow Minister points to the figures since 2024-25 and refers specifically to the last 18 months, but Royal Mail was fined £5.6 million in 2023 and nearly double that amount in 2024. Does he not recognise that the Conservative Government failed to grip this issue?

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19. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Lizzi Collinge

    Topical Questions

    T7. Between 2023 and 2025, we saw an 82% drop in net migration. This week, the Chancellor will lay out his Budget and there will be lots of chatter about headroom, tax take and fiscal rules. Given that Government estimates show that the entire 2022-23 skilled worker visa cohort will make a net positive lifetime contribution of approximately £47 billion, what assessment has the Home Secretary made of the economic impact on tax take and other measures of the reduction in net migration and the proposed changes to legal migration policy?

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20. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Lizzi Collinge

    Civil Service Pensions

    I have taken up 11 constituency cases about the civil service pension this year alone, and only three have been resolved. I was pleased to hear the Minister’s strong statement, because my constituents are fed up of being told by Capita that things are improving when they are simply not. The most heartbreaking case is that of a gentleman I started helping at the beginning of the year, who has since died. His widow is now having to fight Capita, and I am doing everything I can to fight alongside her—I am sure she will be glad to know that the Minister is with her too. What can the Minister say to give my constituents confidence that the situation will finally improve?

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21. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Lisa Nandy

    The Enterprise Act 2002 (Specification of Additional Section 58 Consideration) Order 2026

    I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the Enterprise Act 2002 (Specification of Additional Section 58 Consideration) Order 2026 (S.I., 2026, No. 1075). The order was laid before the House on 12 October. Colleagues will know that on Monday 5 October 2026, BT Group plc announced that it had acquired TalkTalk Telecom Group out of administration. As has been widely reported, TalkTalk had been seeking a buyer for its consumer and wholesale businesses for some time, but no deal was reached. TalkTalk has been responsible for, among other things, running telecare services to vulnerable customers. This created potential risk to life, in addition to potentially serious disruption to the continuity and stability of our telecommunications supply, with impacts on livelihoods, the wider economy and national security. That is why, following the announcement that BT and TalkTalk were to merge, I intervened to ensure that the Government act proactively to prevent any sudden disruption to these vital broadband and phone services, affecting millions of people. On 5 October, I issued a public interest intervention notice under the Enterprise Act 2002. This begins a process in which the Competition and Markets Authority investigates the sale and reports back to me on the effects of that sale on competition. I can then weigh up those considerations against other considerations, specified in the public interest intervention notice, before deciding whether the merger must be considered further or can proceed. The considerations that I specified in the public interest intervention notice of 5 October were, first, the need to maintain in the United Kingdom the capability to combat and to mitigate the effects of public health emergencies and, secondly, the need to maintain in the United Kingdom continuity of the supply of telecommunications services, for the purposes of preventing disruption to the economy and society of the United Kingdom, including, in particular, disruption to public services, critical national infrastructure and supply to customers who are or may be vulnerable. The first of those, relating to public health emergencies, is already specified in section 58 of the 2002 Act, whereas the second, relating to the need to maintain continuity of the supply of telecommunications services, is a new consideration, which I believe ought to be specified in the Act. If Parliament agrees, this will allow me to consider, alongside the effect on competition, the impact on society and the economy of widespread or significant prolonged disruption to connectivity. I believe it is right to consider the potential for disruption that would affect businesses, work and Government services and result in significant difficulties across the country. I also believe that Government must be able to fully consider the impact on vulnerable people, such as those who rely on telecare services, people with disabilities and health conditions, older people and people dependent on communication services to access emergency assistance. I believe that our legislative framework should reflect the importance of telecommunications in society and allow us to guard against the serious consequences that widespread disruption of this kind could have. In this age above all, the resilience of the public services that we all rely on, on which lives, livelihoods and critical national infrastructure depend, must be taken seriously by Governments across the world, and we intend to live up to that responsibility. The Competition and Markets Authority has now reported to me with an assessment of competition considerations and a summary of representations received on public interest considerations. In the coming days, I will consider its report alongside wider evidence on the public interest considerations, and on the basis of that evidence I will then decide whether to refer the case for a more detailed investigation on competition or public interest grounds, or both, or to clear the transaction without further investigation. The Government are committed to promoting competition in the broadband market as a route to protecting customers and driving investment. However, we also believe it is right to ensure that we have the ability to protect the public by stepping in in circumstances in which we believe it is necessary to prevent disruption to vital public services. By taking seriously our responsibility to safeguard the infrastructure that we depend on to keep us connected, we are enabling people to live their lives and keep working, and protecting our families, our communities and our country. I commend the order to the Committee.

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22. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Lisa Nandy

    The Enterprise Act 2002 (Specification of Additional Section 58 Consideration) Order 2026

    I will try in the short time available to give comprehensive answers to those questions, but I will of course make myself available to all Members of the House to discuss this matter in further detail should they wish to do so. First, the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for North West Norfolk, asked whether the order gives me grounds to overrule the Competition and Markets Authority. It gives me additional considerations that I can take into account when I weigh up the competition issues that may be raised by the Competition and Markets Authority against other public interest considerations. I already have grounds, should I require them, to overrule competition concerns in the public interest, but it is my belief that the considerations that I am allowed to look at are too narrow for this case and potentially for many others in the future. The shadow Minister asked whether this outcome has been predetermined. I want to say to the Committee that it absolutely has not. Not only does the law preclude me from doing that, but, as was set out very well by the Chair of the Select Committee—I know the view will be shared by those on the Opposition Front Bench—there are of course risks of this deal unravelling, but there are also risks of harming the competitiveness of the sector where that competition has helped to drive down bills, protect consumers and drive investment into the industry, and helped protect the resilience of the industry. This is a genuine attempt to make sure that the Government can consider all these considerations in the round and come to a conclusion that is in the interests of the public as a whole. The shadow Minister asked whether we have interrogated to the fullest extent whether existing powers could be used. We absolutely have. The relevant Minister and I, and a specialist team in the Department, have looked at every different power available to us. What we found, having—a bit like the Chair of the Select Committee—had responsibility for this area for only a matter of weeks, was a great big gaping hole in the legislation. The order will not fill it in its entirety, but it will enable us at least to come to a good judgment, whatever that judgment may be, about what is in the public interest when it comes to this particular deal and deals like it. The shadow Minister asked whether we have considered introducing a supplier of last resort, and the hon. Member for Gosport asked a very similar question about whether we would consider new legislation where a provider fails and a new buyer cannot be found. There is nothing that we can find in existing legislation that allows the Government to intervene or to facilitate an intervention in that instance. I believe that is a problem. It is something that I am sure the Select Committee will want to look at, but I would be very happy to discuss it with the shadow Minister and the shadow Secretary of State as well. Telecoms is increasingly important to the way that we live, our national security, our energy infrastructure, and people’s lives and livelihoods. I think we do need a new approach to regulation in this area, not to be overburdensome and certainly not to harm competitiveness, but to make sure that we have the resilience that we need in a critical industry. The shadow Minister asked about the speed of the process, and whether the CMA had sufficient opportunity to consider the matter. I recognise that the speed with which we are doing this is not the way that we would normally seek to legislate. Those across the House who know me will know that I like to give Parliament time to fully consider what we are proposing, and there have been a number of instances when we have changed our approach as a consequence of the views of Members of both Houses, who have pointed out both technical deficiencies and policy issues with some of our original proposals. However, we did discuss this with the CMA. Obviously, it was acutely aware that the timing was very tight, but it felt that the time we gave it was manageable in order to give us a preliminary view that would enable me to proceed to the next stage and make a decision about whether further investigation was warranted. I intend to respond as quickly as possible; I would not have brought the order to the House with the urgency that I have done if I did not believe that we also need to act with urgency. I have to make the right decision, I have to balance all those considerations, and I have to fully consider the impact on the competitiveness of a market that is underpinned by decent competition. I cannot act with haste, but I can act with as much speed as is possible. The Chair of the Select Committee, the hon. Member for Gosport, asked why the existing legislation is deficient. Put simply, it is because in this case there was only one ground on which we could intervene: the public health emergency provisions. That may cover the existing telecare customers, but we do not believe that it would cover customers who are vulnerable and rely on being connected in order to access emergency services outside of that system. In any case, it would not cover the 1.5 million customers, many of whose livelihoods depend on this, or the critical national infrastructure that I talked about. The hon. Lady asked about the overall financial resilience of the sector. I am concerned about the fragility of the sector. Although we have a telecoms industry in this country to be proud of, and we have, over successive Governments, managed to drive investment into it, to retain competitiveness and to keep bills for consumers lower than in many comparable countries, I do think it warrants a fresh look from us all, collectively, as a House, at whether we have the resilience in the sector that we need. On whether we will consider setting out a framework for how this measure is used, I think that framework already exists. I would be happy to discuss that further with the hon. Lady, but I think the framework is already quite tightly defined by the process in the Enterprise Act under which I am required to operate. What are too tightly defined, in my view, are the considerations that a Government can take into account, which would have precluded me from taking into account a number of key areas of public interest and public benefit in this case. The hon. Lady asked what evidence I would need to see in order to intervene further. There are certainly circumstances in which the dominance of one player in a market could have major implications for the viability of that market. In those circumstances, I would need to be satisfied that, if a deal was detrimental to competition, that would not in itself lead to the outcomes that have driven me to bring these additional public interest considerations before the House. I want to be clear— I gave this commitment to the shadow Minister—that this is not in any sense a done deal or a predetermined outcome, but I do think we owe it to the public to ensure that, in coming to that decision, we take into account things that are of great interest and importance to them. On how I will assess competition issues, I will take account of the report handed to me just last week by the Competition and Markets Authority. I should say to the Committee that I have not yet had an opportunity to digest it, because officials are reading through it in technical detail and providing me with advice on it, but I will look at the report in full later this week, along with the advice I have been given, and do my best to come to a decision quickly. The hon. Lady asked about other current cases. I cannot comment on those currently, but I would be very happy to discuss with her the framework as a whole and how we ensure that it is as robust as possible. Finally, I reiterate that the pace with which we have acted is unusual. I do not believe that is an ideal way to legislate in ideal circumstances, but these are not ideal circumstances. We do not have the resilience in the legislation that we need to enable us to live up to our responsibilities, as a Government and as Parliament, to protect people and act in the public interest. The expanded scope will give me the opportunity to look at all these issues in the round and come to the right determination. I sincerely thank the House for its willingness to engage with us over the past couple of weeks since we laid the order to ensure that we have the powers we need to act in the public interest, and I welcome the opportunity to have a much more thorough debate and discussion about how we collectively shape the legislation surrounding this critical industry in the future. Question put and agreed to.

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23. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liam Byrne

    Performance of Royal Mail

    What has gone remarkably unremarked on in this debate is the role of Ofcom, to which we give £222 million a year. It is systematically failing to put in place a plan to improve the service at Royal Mail. The Select Committee has given Ofcom six months, expiring in a month’s time, to show that it is improving performance at Royal Mail. We insisted that at that point Ofcom tells us what new powers it needs to get Royal Mail to deliver, because fining Royal Mail into improvement has failed, and is likely to fail again. Can the Minister tell us what conversations she has had with Ofcom? What powers will she seek to give it if the situation persists?

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24. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Liam Byrne

    Ward End Fire Station

    I rise to present this petition on behalf of residents of Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North. It insists that Ward End fire station must stay open. The Fire Brigades Union has been warning for the last couple of months that un-thought-through cuts by West Midlands fire service imperil this fire station, yet the wildfires that we had across the constituency over the course of the summer underline how every single second counts and why these plans are wrong, wrong, wrong. They have not been discussed with the mayor; they are precipitate, and they need to be dropped now. The petitioners therefore request “that the House of Commons urge the Government to work with the West Midlands Fire Service and other relevant bodies to keep Ward End Fire Station open. And the petitioners remain, etc.” Following is the full text of the petition: [The petition of residents of Birmingham Hodge Hill & Solihull North. This petition declares that the West Midlands Fire Service must keep Ward End Fire Station open; further that firefighters have warned that the Service is considering the closure and sale of the station; further that such a closure would leave a gap in local fire cover for residents of Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North, with crews having to travel further to reach emergencies; further that fire engines would be moved to the Fire Service headquarters near the city centre and that one vehicle's cover would be reduced from 24 hours a day to daytime-only operation, increasing danger at night; and further that residents fear that closing Ward End Fire Station would place both local people and firefighters at greater risk. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to work with the West Midlands Fire Service and other relevant bodies to keep Ward End Fire Station open. And the petitioners remain, etc.] [P003248]

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25. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Leigh Ingham

    Jobs and Employment: Staffordshire

    Will my hon. Friend give way?

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26. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Leigh Ingham

    Jobs and Employment: Staffordshire

    On the point about Staffordshire county council, I recently held a roundtable to talk about youth services in Stafford—by the way, Staffordshire was the third worst hit part of the country for youth service cuts—and youth service providers told me that Staffordshire county council categorically is not engaging with the Department for Work and Pensions on youth hubs. We are fortunate enough to have one in Stafford, and I am pleased that we also have them in Newcastle-under-Lyme and in Tamworth. Does my hon. Friend agree that if Staffordshire county council does not get its act together and start participating in conversations with services that can wrap around our young people, we will fall behind?

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27. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Leigh Ingham

    Jobs and Employment: Staffordshire

    I held a roundtable—a different one—in Penkside, in Stafford town centre, to talk about the issues people face in getting to and from work, and buses came up as the major issue. The first bus is after 9 o’clock, and the last bus gets home before 3 pm. For someone trying to do a course at college, those times just do not work. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is important that Staffordshire county council uses the money it has been given by this Government to support young people in our areas in getting into work?

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28. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Leigh Ingham

    Jobs and Employment: Staffordshire

    My experience with Staffordshire county council is that funding has been allocated to it to deliver employment programmes, which is great, and we have the DWP jobs hubs as well, but they will not talk to each other, so there is real disengagement. If the Minister could push Staffordshire county council to have conversations with partners, it would really help the rest of us trying to do this work.

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29. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Lee Pitcher

    Rough Sleeping and Good Growth Funds

    Today’s announcement is a hugely important step forward, as is having a Prime Minister who has put ending rough sleeping at front and centre of the political agenda. As a patron of Doncaster Housing for Young People, I see the difference that wraparound support makes to people who are vulnerable to homelessness. Will the Government ensure that we measure success not just by the number of people helped off the streets, but by how many people are able to rebuild their lives and remain in secure accommodation for the longer term?

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30. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Laura Kyrke-Smith

    Topical Questions

    T6. I spoke to one of my constituents, originally from Zimbabwe, about the Government’s proposed immigration reforms. She works two jobs caring for elderly residents while also raising her two kids as a single mum. She does not yet have indefinite leave to remain, and she said to me:“I am a hardworking person but day in, day out I live with anxiety due to not knowing what our future holds.”Can the Minister reassure me that we will do right by people such as my constituent who are working hard, contributing to society, and building their lives and futures here?

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31. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Kirsteen Sullivan

    Abuse of Retail Workers

    4. What steps she is taking to help reduce levels of abuse experienced by retail workers.

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32. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Kirsteen Sullivan

    Abuse of Retail Workers

    In 2021 my colleague Daniel Johnson MSP introduced landmark protections for Scottish shop workers, following a campaign by USDAW and the Co-operative party, but legislation is not enough. Community policing has declined in Scotland, and my constituents in Winchburgh, Armadale and Bathgate report rising retail crime and abuse of shop workers. Ahead of legislation commencing in England, what discussions has the Minister had with the Scottish Government to learn from Scotland’s experience, and what investment has she made in frontline policing to protect shop workers and communities?

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33. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Kirsteen Sullivan

    Civil Service Pensions

    I thank the Minister for her update. I appreciate the focus on complex cases—Members across the House are dealing with many of them—but can I ask that she also looks at the paid-for fast-track services? I have a constituent who paid almost £700 for a pension valuation in order to finalise his divorce. It was expected within 10 working days, but it took nine months; the wait cost him several times the original amount. Does the Minister agree that that is entirely unacceptable? What action will she take to ensure that Capita refunds any payments taken for so-called fast-track services that are nothing of the kind?

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34. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Kirsteen Sullivan

    Rough Sleeping and Good Growth Funds

    I thank the Minister for her statement, and indeed this Government for their willingness to grasp the nettle in order to end rough sleeping and homelessness. I am grateful that she mentioned temporary accommodation and the wider impact, particularly on children, of not having somewhere to permanently call home. The number of children living in temporary accommodation in Scotland has risen by 22% since 2022, despite the Scottish Government declaring a housing emergency in 2024. What conversations has she had with the Scottish Government about how, if both Governments are to be successful in meeting their goals of ending child poverty, they are tackling the number of families languishing in temporary accommodation?

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35. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Kirsteen Sullivan

    Securing Scotland’s Future: Defence Skills and Jobs

    I thank my hon. Friend for her statement and her leadership in this wide-ranging inquiry. Our Committee heard from defence companies and, as my hon. Friend mentioned, they spoke of debanking. They also spoke about sites being vandalised resulting in significant costs. They talked about careers fairs being disrupted and sometimes forced to close due to direct action by protesters. Not only does this present barriers to recruitment but it undermines investment in a key sector. Does she agree that this further underlines the need for a national conversation about defence, security and the ever-evolving threats facing our country? Does she also agree that elected representatives and Governments should engage in such a conversation in a responsible way that is fully cognisant of the geopolitical realities that we face?

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36. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Kevin Bonavia

    Road Traffic Collision Reporting: Cats

    It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair today, Mr Vickers. I congratulate the hon. Member for Newton Abbot (Martin Wrigley) on leading today’s important and popular debate. I am particularly grateful to all 190,000 people who signed the petition, including more than 400 of my own Stevenage constituents. For many in my constituency, cats are really important. Many residents love their cats, and all of us—whether we have our own cat or not—had a very special cat in our daily routine: Nala, the Stevenage station cat. Anyone passing through the station will likely remember her perched on the ticket barriers, greeting commuters and keeping a watchful eye on the daily rush. She became a familiar face, bringing a little warmth to thousands of journeys and earning a special place in our town’s heart. Tragically, Nala passed away last year. How much her loss was felt by our community was proven by the overwhelming support given to fund a statue that will be installed outside the station to ensure that her memory lives on. Nala’s story reminds us that cats are not simply pets; they are companions, familiar faces and much-loved members of our families and communities. When they are injured on our roads, we have a responsibility to do what we can to help them. I have heard powerful stories in the debate today, and I have also heard from several of my own constituents who feared the worst while being denied the certainty that would allow them to grieve. They were left not knowing the fate of their feline friends. That is the result of a simple but stark discrepancy in the law that bestows an obligation on drivers to report collisions involving dogs but not cats. To grieving owners, that distinction is deeply difficult to understand. A cat injured on the road cannot call for help, and it cannot tell a passing driver where it lives or how much pain it is in. It depends on someone stopping, showing compassion and seeking help. For a driver, that may mean a few minutes out of their day, but for an injured cat, it could mean the difference between life and death. For the family waiting at home, it could mean the difference between heartbreak and bringing their beloved pet home. I am grateful to welcome my constituents Fern, Anthony and Leo Doyle to the Gallery today. They have experienced the devastating consequences of the current law. Their cat, Buddy, disappeared in November 2024, after climbing out of a bedroom window. For nearly a year, their family searched relentlessly, distributing more than 1,000 leaflets and contacting vets, councils, rescue centres and local Facebook groups. Nearly 11 months later, they finally learned the truth—Buddy had been struck by a vehicle and the driver had left without seeking help. Fern has spoken about the thought that, had the driver stopped, Buddy might have survived and returned home. Explaining his death to Leo was one of the hardest conversations she has ever faced. As Fern said: “They are never ‘just a cat’. They had a soul. They were part of a family. They were deeply loved.” That cuts right the heart of the debate. The loss of a pet is painful enough without the added anguish of wondering whether someone could have helped, or whether a beloved companion suffered alone. Of course, we must get the law right. There are concerns that extending the Road Traffic Act could unfairly expose owners to criminal or civil liability following a collision with a cat. Those concerns deserve proper consideration. However, we have also heard about alternatives. Where there is a will, there is a way, and we have a duty in this place to find that way. We have heard about amending other legislation, such as section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act, which could require drivers to remain with an injured cat and contact the appropriate authorities, or putting the highway code provisions into statute. Whatever we do, the focus must always be on preventing unnecessary suffering. There may be different ways to achieve these aims. I urge the Minister to work with campaigners and animal welfare organisations to find a practical solution. We should also encourage the devolved Governments to follow England’s lead on compulsory cat microchipping. We cannot prevent every collision, but we can expect drivers to stop, where it is safe, check on an injured cat and seek help. Finally, I return to the Doyle family. No change in the law can undo their loss, but we can act to prevent other families from enduring the same uncertainty, and we can give injured cats a better chance of survival. Every cat is important to someone. Our laws should reflect that and ensure that when a cat is hurt on our roads, compassion and responsibility come before simply driving away.

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37. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Katrina Murray

    Civil Service Pensions

    I thank my hon. Friend for this statement. Like everybody else, I have cases that I have contacted the Minister about, but today I want to raise something else—something that has been consistent across all the cases that my office has dealt with on a regular basis, which is how my constituents are being treated when they call the Capita helpline. My constituents describe being laughed at and being told that, regardless of what happens in this House, it will be up to Capita to decide when they actually get their pensions. These individuals—people who have served this country well for many years—are getting increasingly desperate, as they have often had no income for up to a year. Nobody should be treated without dignity or respect by anybody acting in the name of this Government. I ask my hon. Friend to engage with her officials to ensure that the message that this is completely unacceptable is driven through to Capita.

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38. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Kate Osborne

    Civil Service Pensions

    Like many other MPs, I am still being contacted by constituents about their civil service pensions and the unacceptable delays. It is deeply concerning that my constituent Julie, who retired from the civil service in February, had her pension finalised only in September, and these delays are causing huge distress and financial hardship. If we are going to pay compensation, should it not be paid by Capita, not from any pension pot, and will that be done without having to navigate any lengthy or tiresome claims process?

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39. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Kate Dearden

    Performance of Royal Mail

    I congratulate my hon. Friends the Members for Redditch (Chris Bloore) and for Lichfield (Dave Robertson) on securing and leading this important debate and for their tireless campaigning on this issue on behalf of their constituents. I also thank all right hon. and hon. Members for their contributions. Even if, as the hon. Member for Horsham (John Milne) suggested, it may at times have been a therapy session, Members have raised extremely important concerns on behalf of their constituents about the quality of service. We discussed this issue at length last week, and the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Bromsgrove (Bradley Thomas), referenced it as an issue that has united the House, and I think we have heard such reflections from all Members across the Chamber. Royal Mail is one of our great national institutions. For generations, it has connected people and communities across our country. It is a lifeline for some of our more vulnerable members of society, our elderly included. For many people, their postie is a regular and friendly face. The public’s affection for Royal Mail is enduring, but patience with its poor service is not. We should not assume that the post matters only to the older generations, because it does not. Citizens Advice research published last week shows that younger adults are using postal services more frequently than older people—to apply for jobs, manage their finances, send letters to healthcare providers for appointments and access Government services. Post is not just part of our history, even though we have heard some very interesting reflections and historical stories. It is still part of people’s everyday lives, which is why it is so important to ensure that we secure a reliable service for the future. Behind that service are our posties, and I too want to put on record my thanks to postal workers up and down the country for everything they do. My grandad proudly served his community as a postie, and I know that many other Members have a personal connection to their postie or a postie. As I did last week, I would like to thank and pay tribute to all the postal workers who work so hard to deliver for their communities, and go above and beyond. I know that, for many of my constituents, they may be the only person they speak to and interact with that day, and the incredible work posties do should not be underestimated. We are all clear that the service failures Members have described are not the result of their postie or of postal workers across the country. Our affection for this national institution, however, must not mean accepting poor performance. I absolutely share the strong concerns expressed today and last week by Members across the House. I will be very clear again: Royal Mail’s performance has been unacceptable for far too long, and it needs urgently to restore service standards to levels that we all expect in our villages, towns and cities. The Prime Minister was similarly clear at this Dispatch Box last week, as was the Secretary of State at the Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee last Tuesday. I hope Royal Mail will be listening to this debate, and will hear the clear message that Parliament is sending. We have heard about the serious consequences associated with late deliveries. Late letters—whether they contain a greeting card for a loved one, important medical correspondence, including hospital appointments, or financial information—are deeply frustrating, but they can also lead to serious consequences. I thank Members for sharing the terrible stories of the real-life impact that they can have, as well the impact on colleagues in this House when carrying out their responsibilities and duties as constituency MPs, for example, sending letters about coffee mornings and surgeries. Hon. Members have raised the vital impact of high-quality and timely postal services on our democracy. We have made clear to Royal Mail the importance of the successful and timely delivery of election-related mail for returning officers and election readiness and performance, and I reassure Members that we will continue to do so.

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40. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Kate Dearden

    Performance of Royal Mail

    I will be raising this issue with Royal Mail, and I will touch on my interactions with the chief executive later in my speech.

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