Nesil Caliskan

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Parliament's party history for this member: Labour (4 Jul 2024 – present).

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Latest on this tracker 175

1. 29 Oct 2026·Parliament·Nesil Caliskan

   Social Housing Bill (Fourth sitting)

   My hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip has put the points I was going to make very eloquently, but I want <span id="167" class="column-number" data-column-number="167"></span>to take the opportunity to say, as the Member of Parliament for Barking, that a high proportion of my constituents are from different heritage backgrounds. The truth is that constituents who have secured indefinite leave to remain have lived in this country for a number of years and have made a significant contribution to our society, not least through the taxes that they have paid as they have worked here legally. The very argument that we should be fairer in our approach to allocating social housing is reflected in our system, which allows those who have paid their taxes and secured indefinite leave to remain to then access social housing when in need. Those who have no recourse to public funds cannot access the social housing in the first place. I appreciate the argument that we must have a fair approach to allocating resources. I accept that, and my constituents in Barking also want a fair approach, but what is fair about not recognising that many people cannot afford to apply to become a British citizen but do have indefinite leave to remain and have contributed by paying their taxes, so they should be able to access the same rights as everybody else? This is a divisive and unnecessary new clause. I do not think that it speaks to the spirit of the debate we have heard so far. It will do nothing to contribute to the additional social homes that we need in this country.

   Hansard source
2. 29 Oct 2026·Parliament·Nesil Caliskan

   Social Housing Bill (Fourth sitting)

   That is an interesting question. I would happily have a conversation about welfare and where we draw the line, but the Bill is about social housing. It feels very unfair to draw the line in a way that fails to recognise that once a person has indefinite leave to remain, they have contributed through taxes, through being here a long time and through having legal status. I do not accept that the new clause does anything other than cause division. I do not think that it makes a positive contribution to the net increase of social houses that we desperately need. There are better ways to improve a piece of legislation without creating division and hostility, which my constituency of Barking feels the brunt of when debates like this happen. I urge Members to reject the new clause and recognise that while there is a lot to do to provide additional social housing, targeting groups of my constituents—who would be disadvantaged by this new clause—is not the best way to go about improving the pressures on social housing in this country.

   Hansard source
3. 27 Oct 2026·Parliament·Nesil Caliskan

   West Bank: Illegal Settlements

   <Question HRSContentId="{2EEB81F6-CC82-4693-B350-BE52FEE42287}">9. <QuestionText HRSContentId="{C0EC03C5-F99E-44D0-90C0-ECB15218EEDB}">What steps his Department is taking to oppose the expansion of illegal settlements in the west bank.</QuestionText> </Question>

   Hansard source
4. 27 Oct 2026·Parliament·Nesil Caliskan

   West Bank: Illegal Settlements

   Thank you, Mr Speaker. I welcome the Government’s new sanctions to address illegal settlement expansion in the west bank. We have all watched in great horror as Palestinians face injustice and ethnic cleansing. Indeed, a Human Rights Watch report found that Israeli forces had committed war crimes in the west bank. Will the Secretary of State stand by his words to this House, as I am sure that he will, not only to call out injustice and suffering, but to act? With that in mind, will the Government sanction Israeli Defence Minister Katz and Major General Bluth, who are implicated in these crimes?

   Hansard source
5. 15 Oct 2026·Parliament·Nesil Caliskan

   National Care Service

   As I listened with great interest to the Minister’s statement on our country’s care sector, which has persistent vacancies, I was thinking about the one in six young people in my constituency who are out of employment and not in education. With that in mind, does she agree that building a national care service means that we can improve care for older people but also create rewarding career pathways for young people in my constituency through training and better care in the care sector?

   Hansard source
6. 14 Sep 2026·Parliament·Nesil Caliskan

   Local Authority SEND Services

   <Question HRSContentId="{19BBA023-9485-4C9C-AE14-AD253871650B}">15. <QuestionText HRSContentId="{31F993F9-7F36-4944-A189-30224147E7B2}">What support her Department provides to councils for SEND services. </QuestionText></Question>

   Hansard source
7. 14 Sep 2026·Parliament·Nesil Caliskan

   Local Authority SEND Services

   Creating additional SEND spaces is critical for my constituency as we have had a 100% increase in education, health and care plans and an extra 1,000 students now need special educational needs support. Will the Minister reassure us that when the schools Bill comes through, as part of the proposals there will be additional support for mainstream teachers to get the training they need so that there is support in mainstream schools?

   Hansard source
8. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Nesil Caliskan

   Social Housing Bill [Lords]

   Safe and secure housing is the foundation of a good life, and the availability of social and affordable housing plays an important part in the provision of housing in this country, in what should be a mixed housing picture. I would like to begin by talking about the right to buy. Between 2012 and 2024, 124,000 right-to-buy sales took place, but fewer than 50,000 of those properties were replaced in the same period. The maths alone demonstrate what is happening to social housing. I therefore particularly welcome the Government’s commitment to reforming right to buy, including measures to exempt newly built affordable and social housing from sale under the right-to-buy scheme for 35 years. I also welcome 100% of right-to-buy receipts being left to <span id="1266" class="column-number" data-column-number="1266"></span>local authorities. As an ex-council leader, I recall the frustration I felt about being unable to plough that money back into affordable homes. Councils will now be able to combine that money with developer contributions and grant funding; it will mean that councils that are committed to affordable and social housing can build more.

   Hansard source
9. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Nesil Caliskan

   Social Housing Bill [Lords]

   There were a number of reasons hindering us from delivering affordable homes. The Conservatives’ measure did not go as far as the proposals that the Government are setting out today. The other reasons included record interest rates, which completely decimated housing revenue accounts for councils up and down the country. In my constituency of Barking, rising rents and bills take a bigger piece of people’s household spending each month. That is the result of a housing crisis in this country that has got progressively worse because building simply is not keeping up with demand. Every week, I speak to constituents who tell me about their experience of the housing crisis, which leaves them with anxiety that they may be left without a roof over their head at any moment—and that is in a local authority that is building at a record rate. I would also like to speak about the new powers to support domestic violence victims. Like many Members in this place, I speak to constituents who tell me about their fear of being left homeless, should they speak out and leave their secure home. I very much welcome the changes in the Bill, which will mean that women and children can sleep safer.

   Hansard source
10. 10 Sep 2026·Parliament·Nesil Caliskan

    Social Housing Bill [Lords]

    There are excellent examples up and down the country of local authorities doing very good work. With the backing of a Labour Government, we can see real progress in supporting women who are the victims of domestic violence, and their children. Part 2 of the Bill requires the Secretary of State to conduct and publish a review of the operation and effectiveness of shared ownership. Barking has a significant number of shared ownership properties, and I speak to constituents who tell me that a move that was full of hope is quickly turning into a nightmare. Many constituents have told me about the increase in their charges, in some cases from £2,000 to £4,000, and some are paying up to £6,000 in charges for a three-bedroom property. Simply <span id="1267" class="column-number" data-column-number="1267"></span>put, a shared ownership property that is categorised as affordable has become unaffordable for many of my constituents. I welcome the Government’s commitment to reviewing this, to ensure that affordable means affordable. Where charges mean that properties become unaffordable, my constituents should not feel as though they are trapped in them. Housing and the provision of decent homes, including social and affordable housing, were the reason why I ran for public office. I am delighted to support the Government’s Bill. We need to build more social and affordable homes, we need to protect them, and we need to invest in them, so that they are fit for the future. I welcome the Bill and look forward to it being rolled out, so that my constituents in Barking can benefit.

    Hansard source

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