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12,942 spoken contributions under 12 words (interjections such as “Will the hon. Member give way?”) are hidden. Show them

1. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Clive Jones

   National Lung Cancer Screening Programme

   I would just like to mention a few of the things that hon. Members have spoken about. The hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) was absolutely right to pay tribute to the Government for their work on lung cancer screening. That is an outstanding success, but screening still needs more support from the Government because, as he says, screening saves lives. My hon. Friend the Member for Didcot and Wantage (Olly Glover) talked about lung cancer being horrific and deadly, and he spoke about his constituent John, who probably thought, when he got his diagnosis, “This is going to be horrific and deadly for me.” Because of the lung cancer screening programme, it looks like he might have a few good years ahead of him, so that is really good. My hon. Friend also talked about the speed and quality of treatment, and how important it is that we are quick with our diagnoses, that we are quick with our treatment and that our cancer patients have the support of specialist nurses. The hon. Member for Hinckley and Bosworth (Dr Evans) is absolutely right that early detection is crucial in lung cancer treatment, as he knows from being a junior doctor once upon a time. He is also right to say that the origin of the screening programme was under the Conservatives in 2023, and he is right to join other Members in asking for lung screening to be spread out to all parts of the United Kingdom. I thank the Minister for coming to the debate today and for answering an awful lot of the questions that we asked him. I know that he is here on behalf of the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the hon. Member for Washington and Gateshead South (Mrs Hodgson), who is, I know, a real champion for improving cancer care in this country. I think it is great that the Government are committing £650 million for lung cancer screening in England to be spent by 2030, but what about Scotland and Northern Ireland? Is the Minister able to make a commitment that the Department will speak to the devolved Governments of Scotland and Northern Ireland to try to get them to implement what has been done so well in England, or does he need to speak to the Under-Secretary of State? We did not get a guarantee that lung cancer—

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2. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Clive Jones

   National Lung Cancer Screening Programme

   Thank you for your intervention, Minister, and your clarification. But you did not need to intervene because I am sure—

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3. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Clive Jones

   National Lung Cancer Screening Programme

   I apologise, Sir Alec. The Minister did not need to intervene. I am sure he will take that message back to his colleague. What we would like to see, which was not mentioned in the Minister’s speech, is a guarantee that lung cancer screening funding will be ringfenced and used only for lung cancer screening. There was no comment on the changes in the integrated care boards and NHS England or on what safeguards are in place to ensure continuity of leadership, data management and programme oversight during the organisational changes. I am sure the Minister and other Ministers know that is a big concern for a lot of charities. There was no mention of expanding radiology. A lot of people who talk about cancer, including Members of Parliament and cancer charities, know that there has to be a big expansion of radiography sooner rather than later. Finally, I would like to thank you for chairing the meeting, Sir Alec, and for pulling me up on my mistake. I shall endeavour to do better next time. Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered the national lung cancer screening programme.

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4. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Clive Jones

   Public Procurement: SMEs

   Public procurement must do more to support SMEs in Wokingham and across the UK who are doing their best to grow, despite what many see as a lack of help from the Government. In defence, only 5% of the procurement budget is allocated to SMEs. How will the Government change public procurement to benefit SMEs and the economy?

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5. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Clive Jones

   Business of the House

   Pubs are the lifeblood of our local communities. In Wokingham, we are very lucky to have so many great pubs. To try to help them, I ran my “Wokingham’s Best Pub” competition, recognising the value of pubs and their staff. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating The Two Poplars, which won the best pub competition last Friday, and, as I know he likes to support local pubs, will he consider joining me for a pint in The Two Poplars, where he will find good beer and good food?

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6. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Claire Young

   Business of the House

   Freeholders on private estates currently face unregulated service charges and have no meaningful recourse if managing agents are incompetent. In January, the Minister of State for Housing committed to tackling these so-called fleecehold schemes by the end of this Parliament. However, with a new Prime Minister likely to reset the legislative agenda, affected constituents will be worried that that promise will be quietly dropped. Will the Leader of the House request a written statement on delivery from the Minister?

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7. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Christine Jardine

   Ports and Port Connectivity

   I remind Members that they should bob if they wish to speak, even in this heat, although jackets can be removed.

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8. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Christine Jardine

   Ports and Port Connectivity

   Although only a few hon. Members want to speak, I wonder if we could limit speeches to around five minutes to get everybody in.

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9. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Christine Jardine

   Ports and Port Connectivity

   I am sorry, but to get everyone in I will have to move on to the Front Benchers at 4 pm. Could you please stick to a formal time limit of four minutes each?

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10. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Christine Jardine

    Draft Conversion Practices Bill

    I congratulate the Minister on the Bill, which has been a long time coming. I was in the Chamber in 2018 to hear the then Prime Minister, Theresa May, promise that there would be a conversion ban. It seems that it was almost impossible for the Conservative party to live up to that promise, and at last we have it coming from a Labour Government. The timing is important, reflecting what the Minister said about sending a clear message to the LGBTQ+ community that they will be respected and protected, but does she agree that the Bill sends a message to those in this place and beyond who seem determined not to protect the rights of the LGBTQ+ community? It makes it absolutely clear that Parliament will do everything it can to ensure that they are free to live the lives that they want, as the people they are.

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11. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Calum Miller

    Sudan

    I respect the Minister, but I regret the gap between his words and the actions of this Government. He said that the world has failed Sudan, but the UK has also failed Sudan. He said that the Government believe that we need those responsible to be held to account, but the Government are not doing that. It is widely known that the United Arab Emirates is arming the RSF. Will the Minister tell the House which UAE leader the Foreign Secretary spoke with and what was said? Will he agree today to suspend arms exports to the UAE? Finally, will he summon the ambassador to insist that the UAE takes every step to arrest the RSF’s approach to El Obeid?

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12. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Calum Miller

    Business of the House

    On 20 May at Prime Minister’s questions, I raised the fears of my constituents, like Leigh, about the exceptionally high levels of forever chemicals in watercourses near the former RAF Upper Heyford airbase. Without hesitation, the Prime Minister agreed to ask the Environment and Health Secretaries to meet my constituents and me. Five weeks later, the two Secretaries of State have repeatedly refused a meeting; instead, the Minister for Water’s office has offered 15 minutes for an “initial discussion” before recess. My constituents are deeply worried and desperate for the Government to take a grip. I ask the Leader of the House to help me to secure the meeting that the Prime Minister promised without delay.

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13. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Brian Mathew

    Sudan

    Trade with the UAE appears to have been the reason for the lack of robust action in the past to hold back the RSF, which murdered 60,000 in El Fasher last November. A softly, softly approach has clearly not worked, and now it is time for the UK, as UN penholder for Sudan, to find its moral compass and a backbone and stand up for what it believes. Will the Government empower their excellent civil servants with an atrocity prevention Act by which they can hold themselves, and indeed Ministers, accountable when their actions fall short of what we as a nation expect not only of ourselves, but of all those who would call themselves our allies?

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14. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Bobby Dean

    Business of the House

    I join the Leader of the House in his comments about Venezuela, Edinburgh, Bedford and our armed forces. I acknowledge his comments about the summer of saving, but ask him: a summer of saving who? Paternity leave has been a joy. I know it will not make me popular with new parents, but mercifully my daughter has been sleeping pretty well, so far—[Interruption.] Mum is doing well too. As hon. Members may know, our journey to this point has not been straightforward. I shared our story of miscarriage in the baby loss debate last year. Telling that story was the start of hearing from thousands of women across the country about their experiences, which was truly humbling. It connected me with organisations such as Tommy’s, which is proposing a new model for graded levels of care for miscarriage. Shockingly, at the moment, those who go through a miscarriage experience are not offered support—they have to wait until their third miscarriage to get support. Tommy’s is campaigning for access to graduated support from day one. I note that the hon. Member for Southgate and Wood Green (Bambos Charalambous) has written a cross-party letter to the Government about this, which I support. We received information about maternity services in Nottingham yesterday, but we still await the final report on the national maternity and neonatal investigation, led by Baroness Amos. She gave interim findings earlier this year, from which we discovered that lots of women feel as if they are not listened to, that there is a postcode lottery for services and that many women are being treated in inadequate buildings. Will the Leader of the House confirm when that report will be published? We were told last August that there would a rapid investigation, so I hope it will be published this side of the summer recess.

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15. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Andrew George

    Home Ownership Affordability

    It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend. I declare an interest as the former chief executive of a registered provider, the Cornwall Community Land Trust. I am now a volunteer on its board. I have therefore worked in the sector for some time. First, I congratulate my hon. Friend and his Committee on an excellent report, and I hope the Government will take heed of it. Secondly, I was very fortunate, as you were, Sir Alec, to come high in the private Members’ Bill stakes, and I have opted to advance an affordable housing Bill on Friday 13 November. There is an opportunity over the next five months to draw together a range of options and clauses, which I hope will help the Government to deliver the laudable objectives that they have established to address housing need. I think they need further tools to do so. In relation to that, there is a concern that the planning system is still weak. The provision for affordable homes is often used as a Trojan horse by wily private developers, whose intention is to provide not affordable but unaffordable homes. That Trojan horse is often exploited. There is also a need for stronger ingredients to ensure that we can genuinely deliver affordable homes, particularly for the in-perpetuity community benefit, and a range of measures could be taken to advance that aim. I repeat that the Second Reading of the Bill will be on 13 November. It is in gestation at the moment. I hope that the Committee, and indeed the Minister, will be prepared to work constructively with me in the coming months to look at ways in which we can strengthen and advance the cause, because it is quite clear that the Government are going to struggle to deliver what we all agree needs to be delivered to address the desperate need for more affordable homes in this country.

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16. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Andrew George

    Natural Disasters: Community Resilience

    4. What steps he is taking through national policy to help improve the resilience of communities affected by natural disasters.

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17. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Andrew George

    Natural Disasters: Community Resilience

    Nearly six months ago, my west Cornwall and Isles of Scilly constituency bore the brunt of Storm Goretti, which caused death and destruction across the area. Will Ministers work with local MPs in Cornwall and on the Isles of Scilly to review resilience plans to improve co-ordination on the resilience of nationally regulated utilities and telecom providers, including by reviewing the current timetable for the January 2027 digital switchover?

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18. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Julian Smith

    Steel Trade Measure

    The Minister spoke about monitoring this policy from day one, but there will not be a review for 12 months. What will the monitoring comprise, and what happens if that monitoring reveals problems very early on? Will he have to wait until the review after 12 months, or will he be able to implement impacts and analysis from the monitoring?

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19. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Julian Lewis

    Neuropsychiatric Conditions: PANS and PANDAS

    The hon. Lady mentioned the all-important fact that early diagnosis, coupled with the prescribing of a quite common antibiotic —I believe amoxicillin is one of them—can make a crucial difference. In May last year, I asked in a written question whether the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care would take steps to facilitate the circulation of material to general practitioners, advising them on how to recognise PANS and PANDAS, and treat them with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications. The response that I got from the Minister for Care was that this is all a matter for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which is an independent body. The Minister said that NICE has “no plans to issue guidance on paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcus (PANDAS)”. He also said, “should the evidence base develop further, we would look to the NICE to update clinical policy.” It seems that the early use of antibiotics is not yet accepted by the medical establishment. Does the hon. Lady know whether there is hard evidence to show that the medical establishment needs to get its act together on the matter?

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20. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Julian Lewis

    Neuropsychiatric Conditions: PANS and PANDAS

    I am sorry if I did not express myself clearly enough. It is not so much a question of the non-recognition of PANS and PANDAS, but whether it has been recognised that early treatment with antibiotics can make all the difference.

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21. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Julian Lewis

    Neuropsychiatric Conditions: PANS and PANDAS

    At the risk of labouring the same single point I want to make again and again, there really does seem to be no downside to telling all GPs that if there is any question at all that a child might have PANS or PANDAS, the GP should prescribe them one of the basic antibiotics, because they could benefit from it tremendously, and there is no risk of harm.

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22. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Julian Lewis

    Neuropsychiatric Conditions: PANS and PANDAS

    I detected that the Minister was moving towards her conclusion, so I thought I would intervene before she did. She has a fine record, before she became a Minister, of campaigning on mesh-damaged women. That was an occasion where something simple was done that led to very complicated problems. Here, we have a complicated condition, but it is thought that something simple could be done—namely, guidance should be given to all GPs that if this condition is even suspected, a simple course of antibiotics should be given. I have not yet heard anything in what she has said as to whether the research backs that up. If the research has not been done, will she undertake to make sure it gets done and that general practitioners are advised accordingly?

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23. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Iain Duncan Smith

    Sudan

    It seems that whoever comes into government, the Foreign Office’s weak policy on the UAE persists. I remind the hon. Gentleman that the UAE has incarcerated a British citizen for more than 19 years—illegally, according to the UN. The UAE provides the rebels with significant amounts of arms and weaponry, without which they would never be able to continue this brutal war, with so many dead and wounded as a consequence. Surely it is time for a British Government to stand up and say that enough is enough, and that we are going to sanction all those individuals responsible for decision making in the UAE and in other countries providing arms to the rebels. If we do not do that, all the talk is worthless.

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24. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Ashley Fox

    Public Procurement: SMEs

    Will the Minister confirm whether these reforms will apply to the provision of services to prisons? This year, the Ministry of Justice will commission 25% fewer hours of education and training in our prisons, not because of a cut in the budget, but because of an increase in the unit price. The Ministry of Justice requires providers to offer a very large minimum number of hours in order to bid for contracts. If he allowed small businesses to bid to provide education and training in just one prison, the Ministry would get a lot more value for money.

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25. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Ashley Fox

    Houses in Multiple Occupation

    I thank the hon. Lady for obtaining the debate. In the town of Bridgwater, we have had an increasing number of HMOs being developed. It leads to an enormous number of vehicles trying to park on a single road, it changes the nature of an area, and the council seems powerless to stop it. Does she agree that local authorities need additional powers to restrict the number of HMOs in any particular area, and furthermore, that permission should be required for HMOs with fewer than five people?

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26. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Ashley Fox

    Houses in Multiple Occupation

    I suspect the answer to the hon. Lady’s question is “very few indeed.” The issue in my Bridgwater constituency is that Hinkley Point C—a nuclear power station—is being constructed a few miles away. Many thousands of good workers have come to the town—their number will peak at around 12,000 in the next couple of years. The local council needs the power to restrict the number of HMOs in any particular street or district. Clearly, there is a housing need, so one understands why landlords convert those houses, but the resulting economic pressures bring a change upon the nature of certain areas. Councils need the power to restrict the concentration of HMOs.

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27. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Ashley Fox

    Houses in Multiple Occupation

    I am grateful to the Minister for being so generous with his time. One reason why so many HMOs are required is the lack of social housing, certainly around Bridgwater. I have had developers approach me who have completed a private scheme, and they want housing associations or a charity to take those social houses off their hands, but they have not got the funds to do it. I have raised this with the Minister before, and he told me that he set up a register to match housing associations with developers who have social housing to effectively dispose of the units. Could he update us on how successful that register has been?

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28. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Alec Shelbrooke

    Home Ownership Affordability

    We begin with the Select Committee statement. Will Forster will speak on the publication of the second report of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, “Affordability of Home Ownership”, for up to 10 minutes, during which no interventions may be taken. At the conclusion of his statement, I will call Members to put questions on the subject of the statement and call Will Forster to respond to those in turn. Questions should be brief and Members may ask only one question. I remind Members that they should bob if they wish to be called. I call Will Forster on behalf of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee.

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29. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Alec Shelbrooke

    National Lung Cancer Screening Programme

    Order. The hon. Gentleman has been here for quite a while now and knows that I am not responsible for anything. Please address the Minister through the Chair.

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30. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Alec Shelbrooke

    UK-EU Relations

    The negotiations for the new relationship with the EU have been the body of the Minister’s work, so what pitch will he make to the right hon. Member for Makerfield (Andy Burnham) about how important it is that he carries on doing this work, or will he give up so that he does not have to be involved in the right hon. Member’s flip-flopping?

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31. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Alec Shelbrooke

    Topical Questions

    If I may, I will build on the question from the hon. Member for Bournemouth West (Jessica Toale). Many of my constituents have contacted me about the problems they have been having with digital verification on gov.uk websites, and especially with facial recognition. What routes do people have if they are unable to use digital verification to access services?

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32. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Alec Shelbrooke

    Sudan

    Many Members will be aware of just how reluctant the FCDO always is to take action against any country. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran is a very good example—just look at how long that took. I know the Minister personally. I know his character; I know he is a good man. He has heard from parties across the House that something has to change. With the change in leadership coming in the Government, may I ask that he takes a step back from what the mandarins in the FCDO are saying to him and makes representations on behalf of this House to whoever is put into whichever position in the new Government? Will he reflect the comments he has heard, as a Minister listening to this House, about the UAE and the flow of money and arms, and override what often is a theoretical intellectual argument made by the mandarins in the FCDO?

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33. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Alec Shelbrooke

    Points of Order

    I merely confirm that I have been made aware of the same information that my hon. Friend the Member for Weald of Kent (Katie Lam) has just put forward to you.

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34. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Sir Alec Shelbrooke

    Business of the House

    In the past hour and a half, I have received several emails and telephone calls. Let me read one of the emails: “I am writing this email as I have been reliably informed that bidding has commenced for turning Linton-on-Ouse RAF base into an immigration detention centre. I am deeply concerned as this proposal was put forward four years ago and caused great stress and turmoil to our local community. I would also like to know why the local community was not informed of this decision before the decision was made to use the base for something that was deemed unsuitable years ago.” May I ask the Leader of the House whether we might have a statement before the end of today’s business so that some of these questions may be put directly to the Minister before we break for the weekend?

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35. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Rebecca Smith

    UK-EU Relations

    11. What recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the future EU-UK relationship.

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36. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Rebecca Smith

    UK-EU Relations

    I was recently in Washington DC. On several occasions, our American counterparts raised concerns about the future of the EU-UK relationship and realignment. What discussions has the Paymaster General had with his US counterparts, as well as with EU counterparts?

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37. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Rebecca Smith

    Business of the House

    I thank the Leader of the House for his recent reply to my letter offering my support for the “regulating for growth” Bill, which was announced in the King’s Speech. However, while he was effusive in his gratitude for my interest in the Bill, he definitely ignored my question about its timetabling in the House. The Bill is vital for the marine autonomy sector, based in my constituency. The sector is very keen to hear when the Bill will come forward. Given the comments of the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee, my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman), about how light Government business is at the moment, may I urge the Leader of the House to think about starting the process before the summer, so that scrutiny can be carried out by businesses, and by people like me, ready for the September sitting?

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38. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Rebecca Paul

    Lord Mandelson Humble Address: Government Response

    12. What recent progress he has made on implementing the Humble Address agreed by this House on 4 February 2026.

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39. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Rebecca Paul

    Lord Mandelson Humble Address: Government Response

    I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that answer. Can he explain why his Department was apparently willing to appoint Mandelson as ambassador, and provide him with access to classified briefings, without conducting any security vetting, given that his close links with Russia and China were already public knowledge before his appointment?

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40. 25 Jun 2026·Parliament·Conservative·Rebecca Paul

    Draft Conversion Practices Bill

    I am concerned about the Bill’s impact on families, which the Minister has touched upon, and I am worried that positive, healthy interactions within a family could potentially fall in scope of the Bill. It is good to hear that she does not think the Bill will cover such interactions, but it is written quite broadly and I am sure that we will have further conversations about that. If a child wants to transition and to participate in the Pathways clinical trial, but their parents do not consent, will that be an abusive conversion practice under this legislation?

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