Rishi Sunak is set to address his Conservative MPs in the wake of catastrophic local elections that saw his party lose nearly 500 council seats.
e e that in terms of biodiversity and so much else is better than what’s happening in the rest of the UK on biodiversity three times better than England isn’t it about time we got a few Welsh ideas and Welsh leaders to help us clean up our act and our Rivers well that was a good attempt Mr Speaker but I simply cannot disagree with the honorable gentleman more it is this government that has forced the water companies to provide 56 billion pounds towards investment in the storm overflow Network improving water quality across England but in Wales the picture could not be more different the average number of sewage spills per outflow is 38 in England it’s 23 our record speaks for itself chair of the state committee Steven Crown thank you Mr Speaker and firstly thank you for clarifying the sub judicary rules in relation to park prison I think MPS across South Wales were disappointed that the Urgent question was declined yesterday but we understand why and we will continue to seek answers and to scrutinize the minister over the deeply distressing events that have been happening right now and the way that prison is being run on the subject of pollution um thousands of P residents continue to have their lives blighted by air pollution and fears about water pollution from the withy Hedge landfill site given that the ministers in Wales responsible for overseeing the public health and the environmental regulatory response both voted last week to block an independent investigation into the financial dealings between the owner of that site and the first Minister how on Earth can my constituents have confidence that their concerns will be addressed addressed impartially and the problems resolved here thank you Mr Speaker my right honorable friend lives this issue on a daily basis and I commend him for highlighting the plight of his constituents who have to endure the impact of this devastating environmental pollution Mr Speaker any way you look at it this donation stinks and I think it is shameful that the Welsh government are evading scrutiny on this issue it is simply his constituents can have no confidence that this matter will be investigated there is no independent scrutiny here and I think labor members opposite should explain why they are scared of scrutiny on this please twist question three Mr Speaker with your permission Mr Speaker I’ll answer questions 38 and 12 together the UK government fully recognizes the challenges posed by cost of living pressures that have come about as a result of covid and the in invasion of Ukraine which is why it is committed to the triple lock on pensions for this Parliament increased the minimum the living wage benefiting 140,000 people in Wales and put an average of 7 £100 back into the pocket of a typical worker in Welles through National Insurance cut this twist well Mr Speaker the trussle trust says that 1if of people in Wales have cut back on or skipped meals in the last 12 months what conversations is the minister having with supermarkets about holding down the cost of food for customers well Mr Speaker I know that many supermarkets are indeed supporting food banks within their local areas and the UK government have certainly wanted to support those with the lease by making sure that pensions the benefits at the minimum wage all go up in line with inflation and to make extra payments on top to pensioners to those on benefits and to households where there is disability but if the honorable lady is truly concerned about cost of living pressures in Wales perhaps she ought to be asking her colleagues in the Welsh labor government why on this very day Welsh labor ministers are supporting a plan to create dozens of extra Senate members at a cost of £120 million all money which could be far that spent on supporting those with the least David is the Secretary of State aware of a study by a citizen’s advice C which indicates that over half a million people in Wales are struggling to make ends meet if he’s aware about what’s he doing about it well Mr Speaker I’ve already outlined the extra payments that are being made to pensioners the benefits to those on disability the fact that pensions benefits and and the minimum wage have all gone up in line with infl and on top of that the UK government have been delivering Five Towns funds four growth deals three rounds of leveling up funding two investment zones two free ports an electric art furnace in South Wales an electrified rail line in North Wales and what are we getting from the wal labor government Mr Speaker we’re getting 120 million pounds being spent on extra Senate members while we level up the economy they want to level up the number of politicians in Cardiff Bay Patrick ready Mr Speaker he mentioned Ukraine and Co as contributing factors to the cost of living crisis he forgot to mention men brexit or is he going to try to argue that brexit has somehow improved things and made goods and services cheaper for people in Wales Mr Speaker I’d be only too delighted to mention brexit which was voted for by a majority in the United Kingdom and a majority in Wales and point out to The Honorable gentleman that since brexit the UK has actually grown faster than France and Germany I could also go on to mention Mr Speaker wasting money on Scottish embassies all around the world trying to build fairies that haven’t yet been floated anywhere raising taxes and trying to shut down the oil and gas industry in Scotland as measures which are unlikely to support cost of living pressures in Scotland D the bank of Wales was supposed to be aiding businesses through cost of living pressures does my right honorable friend agree that it’s unacceptable that one company received 400,000 from the bank was then able to give the first minister of Wales £200,000 well Mr speaker Mr Speaker The Honorable lady raises a very interesting point here the Development Bank of Wales which is owned ultimately by the wal taxpayers should be there to support businesses through cost of living pressures it was able to make a £400,000 loan to a company which was then able to turn round and hand £200,000 back in a political donation to enable the first minister to win the Wales election campaign Mr Speaker it’s a very good question it’s not a question for me it’s one that should be answered by the shadow front bench but on this matter Mr Speaker they have been very silent indeed I CS thank you uh Mr Speaker small businesses particularly those in retail and Hospitality are directly affected by cost of living challenges that come from the outcome of covid and the energy price uh uh Spike uh from the Ukraine uh conflict therefore the chancellor has introduced a 75% business rate relief scheme in England that is supporting businesses in England does he share my concern that that funding is not being used to the same degree in Wales and the business rates in Wales are only being relieved to rate of 40% and are paying more in tax Mr Speaker the right honorable gentleman is absolutely right the UK government made certain that the money for the business rate discount was passed on to the Welsh labor government and instead of passing it on to the pubs and restaurants and small businesses that are so vital to communities in Wales they decided to spend it on other matters such as they’re voting on today and as a result of that Mr Speaker the average Pub in Wales is paying thousands more in business rates than a pub just across the border in England it is absolutely scandalous and I would urge the world labor government to think about where their priorities are thanks Mr Speaker no Contrition then in any of those answers from the secretary state whose party has piled on average 960 extra on the tax bills of around 400,000 pensioners in Wales by freezing tax threshold the Prime Minister has now made a totally unfunded 46 billion promise to scrap National Insurance so will the minister tell us how in Earth they’re going to pay for it and will he rule out an AP rise in income tax or scrapping winter fuel payments to do so well Mr Speaker we made it very clear that we want to keep the triple lock to continue to to ensure that pensions increase in line with inflation and we’re going to afford to do that Mr Speaker by making sure we get growth in the economy which is why we wanted to end the double taxation system of making those in work pay uh extra money through national insurance tax we’ve also made very clear Mr Speaker that we will only make tax cuts when we afford them because on this side of the house Mr Speaker we don’t believe in making unfunded promises in order to try and buy votes let’s S Roberts more than one in four children in Wales lives in poverty Devolution has the capacity to transform people’s lives but the current first minister is distracted with questions about his integrity deleting messages and taking dodgy donations 25 years since the start of devolution does the Secretary of State agree with me that governments at both ends of the N4 need to recommit to integrity and transparency yeah yeah speak I can absolutely assure The Honorable lady that this government and this political party are completely committed towards integrity and I think it’s time Mr Speaker Mr Speaker Mr Speaker They’re laughing Mr Speaker their own first minister to £200,000 from a convicted criminal a a convicted criminal would receive £400,000 from a bank for which he was responsible went in front of the covid committee and said that all the messages on his phone had been accidentally deleted by the IT department but now we see a screenshot where he urges people to delete their messages so they can’t be foi and they have the audacity to sit there laughing when people ask questions about standards say The Honorable lady I said The Honorable lady makes a very good point let’s C the Coalition and stop supporting the well labor government and then we can get a decent government with decent values running whales Roberts my party seeks to make a difference in the lives of the people of Wales but when it comes to the Secretary of State’s judgments in relation to the first first Minister yes we are for once in agreement but this screams hypocrisy the Tores in the Senate voted against a Ply Cy motion to set a cap on political donations his party has still not returned a 10 million donation from a man who made racist and misogynist remarks in that Spirit of open democracy will the Secretary of State support a cap on donations to political parties well Mr Speaker I’m not going to uh sit here and start making up policy on the hoof but what I would say to The Honorable lady and I think she’d agree with this is that I would not have taken hundreds of thousands of pounds in donations from somebody who’d been convicted twice of environmental offenses and if the labor party are happy with that that is a matter for them Mr Speaker look down four sir thank you Mr Speaker firstly can I thank my right honorable friend for his work as chair of the environmental audit committee the UK government’s River y action plan will halt ongo goinging decline of the river y to preserve and restore this treasured River to the rating of favorable condition as The Minister’s already said the environment is a devolved matter but nobody seems to have told The River Why which rises in Wales and uh and crosses the border to to emerge into the river 7 in England I very much welcome the riverwi action plan which defra has announced recently has my honorable friend seen any action taken by the Welsh government to match the UK government’s commitment to clean up the polluted river wide in the interest of time Mr Speaker I’ll give you a very short answer no the Welsh government has failed to come to the table time and time again on this issue which is close to my heart as uh a constituent C MP for the river y itself that has been the missing piece of the puzzle and that is why we are seeing no action in Wales freil the fight Please Mr Speaker Mr Speaker Healthcare is devolved to the Welsh government who have received record levels of funding to deliver on all their devolved responsibilities receiving 20% more funding per person than in England sure so many people in Wales are waiting longer for NHS care than they are in England and in a 12 month period 40,000 people had to go from Wales to England for elective care doesn’t it show that labor claims to be better for the NHS are completely false my right honorable friend is entirely right the NHS is not safe under Labor’s hands and we have living proof of that in Wales I think it is a great shame that when the Secretary of State for health in England offered the support of the in the NHS in England to alleviate pressures on waiting times in Wales the Welsh Health secretary turned that down that is Labor’s record on the NHS Mr Christopher B thank you Mr Speaker one of the problems a lot of my constituents have raised with me is that when they do get a letter calling them for an appointment including ones where they’ve been waiting for some time the letter arrives after the appointment date because the Royal Mail is now delivering such an appalling service isn’t it time we really had a strong words to make sure that people who are being called for appointments get a chance to turn up to them because they’ve actually had the letter time Mark the right honorable gentleman makes a good point one which I will certainly investigate with colleagues but I think the problem lies with the mismanagement of the well shed HS for which his party must take responsibility John question s Mr speaker thank you Mr Speaker the UK government recognizes the importance of victims having access to the support they need to recover from the impact of crime that is why we are quadrupling funding for victim Services up from £41 million in 2010 John Mr Speaker is a recent victim of crime the impact on the victim makes you reflect on uh the impact on the victim but also on how many crimes remain unresolved latest figures show that nine in 10 crimes in Wales went unsolved in the last 6 months so what can the minister say to the victims of the 82,000 reported crimes that went uncharged last year can I firstly say how sorry I am to to learn that The Honorable lady has been a victim of crime I know the experience she’s gone through and I I personally sended my my huge sympathies this government has a proud record in delivering on victims of crime whether that’s new pieces of legislation or the records headcount of police officers unfortunately it was the Welsh government that chose to reduce the numbers of police community support offices last year which is having an impact on victims of crime Jones you Mr Speaker does my honorable friend agree that we are all victims when senior labor politicians make false and misleading statements of public inquiries yeah my right honorable friend is absolutely right it is deeply concerning that a first Minister should reveal himself to have acted in such a way which appears to be entirely contrary um I look forward to Welsh labor members looking for further scrutiny on that issue Matt West stay Mr Speaker with your permission I will answer questions 10 and 11 together I have regular discussions with cabinet colleagues on a range of subjects including steel making in Wales the government is investing 500 million pound to retain steel making at Port talber and not only in Port talber actually but other T sites including sanw and Shon protecting 5,000 jobs and thousands more in the supply chain whilst increasing our economic security and at the same time the government have put aside 80 million pounds for the transition board to spend supporting anyone who loses their job in Port tarbet and The Wider community Matt Weston thank you Mr Speaker whether it be the transm transmission pylons and lines to upgrade our power grid as demanded by The Windsor report or the prospect of building steel-based offshore wind platforms the Welsh steel industry can and should be Central to our transition to a net zero Nation when historic Investments are being made by European competitors in green steel does the minister recognize that it is the government’s lack of ambition for Britain that has let thousands of skilled workers down well Mr Speaker The Honorable gentleman makes a good point about the importance of making sure there’s a grid connection to enable an electric AR furnace to work properly and I’ve raised this issue with National Grid and they’ve assured me that the grid connection can be made on time he makes a second reasonable point about the importance of being able to use steel produced in Port talber for floating off your window turbines that is not the case at the moment because as some of his shadow front Benes seem to be unaware of the steel made in Port tarbet is coil which is too thin to make floating offal wind turbines The Honorable gentleman will be pleased to know that there are discussions going on with one major investor to try and ensure that the steel produced from the art furnace can be uh made in a way that could support floating offshore wind structures Lins thank you Mr Speaker the sustainability of domestic Automotive manufacturing is vital to the Future Pro it of luton’s local economy so what discussions has the minister had with the UK’s automotive industry about the effect of losing our Sovereign virgin Ste production on their supply chain costs well Mr Speaker I’ve had a number of discussions Mr Speaker I have regular discussions with the automotive industry I’ve also had regular discussions with the steel industry across the United Kingdom 90% of the grades that UR L produced by Port tber can be produced using an electric AR furnace and there is work going on to ensure that the other 10% can be but can I just remind The Honorable lady that we actually have a plan for p tarbor when TARTA came to us they were looking to close down P tarbor to pull out of the United Kingdom and it’s a move that would have cost 8,000 jobs and 125,000 in The Wider supply chain as a result of that the UK conservative government stepped forward with half a billion pounds of investment to support an electric AR furnace and a further £80 million to support retraining workers and to support infrastructure improvements in Port talber and we have had not one single penny from the Welsh labor government who instead have decided today to prioritize spending 1220 million on more senate members more senate members or support for steel workers I know what my priority is Mr Speaker we now come to questions to prime minister Kiren Oswell question one please Mr Speaker I know the whole house will join me in congratul ating John swinny on becoming s SMP leader and Scottish first Minister I look forward to working constructively with him to deliver for the people of Scotland Mr Speaker this morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others in addition to my duties in this house I shall have further such meetings later today kiry thank you Mr Speaker uh last week’s prime minister’s questions I highlighted the shocking rise in the number of teenagers trying vaping and asked the Prime Minister if he would take decisive action to stop Vape advertising on football strips he declined to do that since then I have had an exchange with the Scottish chief medical officer Professor sir Gregor Smith during a session of the tobacco and Vapes Bill committee and he said where I become very uncomfortable and am not supportive is where the massive attraction of sports companies is used in a way that promotes behaviors that are known to be unsafe or unhealthy can I ask the prime min Minister again does he still think that it is right that Vape companies should sponsor foot bullets Mr Speaker I’m glad the honorable lady agrees with me and the government that we should do more to tackle youth vaping and that’s why we are bringing forward measures in the new bill to restrict the availability and appeal of Vapes to Children specifically whether that’s flavors or or indeed marketing as she knows advertising of Vapes is already heavily restricted by UK regulations including a ban on advertising on television and radio and most online now we’ve seen football take positive voluntary action in the past on issues such as this but I will say to her that the government will respond to the honorable lady specific amendment in the usual way thank you Mr Speaker I deare that my daughter is a serving officer in the armed forces in recent weeks Mr Speaker my right honorable friend has announced plans to control welfare and get people back to work to increase defense spending to 2 and a half% of GDP and pass legislation to get flights off to Rwanda does he agree with me that these are all issues that real people like my constituents in southeast cor will care about and that the leader of the opposition should do the right thing and back them well Mr we my honorable friend is a fantastic Champion for her local area and can I also thank her daughter for her service in the armed forces and she’s right I’m not surprised that the labor party don’t back our plans to stop the votes I’m not surprised they don’t back our plans to get people into work and reform welfare but I do think that they should do the right thing when it comes to the security of our nation and that’s back our plans to increase defense spending and give our brained Armed Forces Personnel the resources they need to keep us safe we don’t come to the opposition k Mr Speaker can I warmly welcome the new member for black Paul South after the representation that fine town has had recently it’s good to know they’ve got a proper Champion back at last can I also warmly welcome the new labor MP for DOA to these Benes Mr Speaker if one week a Tori MP who’s also a doctor says the Prime Minister can’t be trusted with the NHS and joins labor and the next week the Tori MP for DOA on the front line of the small bootes crisis says the prim Minister cannot be trusted with our borders and joins labor what is the point of this failed government staggering on well Mr Speaker can I actually join him in welcoming his newest MP for Blackpool I must say he looks a lot happier than the member who was sitting there last week uh but let me let let me also let me also join with him and let me join with him in congratulating all new and paying tribute to all former councilors pccc’s and Mayors across the country I I hope his I hope his new ones do him as proud as I am of all of mine Mr Speaker great leaders great leaders like Andy Street great leaders like Andy Street who leave behind a strong Legacy of more homes more jobs and more investment in sharp cont to the Legacy left by the last Labor government which was a letter joking that there was no money left Mr Speaker in addition to losing two Tor MPS in two weeks the prime minister’s been on the receiving end of some of the biggest B elction swings in history he’s also lost 1500 Tory counselors half of his party’s Mayors and a leadership election to a lece how many more times to the public his own MPS need to reject him before he takes the hint well Mr Speaker this time last year I reminded him of uh some advice actually from his own Mentor Tony Blair who had said who had said at the time he can be as cocky as he likes about local elections but come a general election it’s policy that counts Mr speaker now what one one year on one year on from that advice one year you’re on from that advice what has he managed 28 billion of tax Rises 70 new business regulations 30 u-turns and a deputy leader under a police investigation well I’m surprised he brought up a police investig think his record is played one Lo no actually two the seat belt as well played two lost two in relation to police investigation but it it’s the same the public keep telling him the voters tell him it’s not good enough instead of listening he keeps telling everything’s fine if only realize his greatness he just doesn’t get it but at least after Thursday night Mr Speaker he can go to the many places that he calls home and enjoy the fruits of his success in Southampton or Downing Street he’s got great labor councils at his mansion in Richmond he can enjoy a brand new labor mayor of North Yorkshire and of these p in Kensington he can celebrate a historic third term for the mayor of London now that he too can enjoy the benefits of this change labor party is he really still in such a hurry to get back to California well Mr Speaker I must say I was I was of course surprised uh to see The Honorable gentleman in North Yorkshire but probably although probably probably not as surprised probably not as surprised as he was when he realized he couldn’t take the Cube there Mr Speaker but I can tell him that the people of North Yorkshire the people of North Yorkshire believe in hard work secure borders lower taxes and straight talking Common Sense Mr Speaker they’re not going to get any of that from a virtue signaling lawyer from North London well it was great to be a North Alon where the just voted to reject the prime minister’s proposition Mr Speaker he’s finally found something in common with the British public no matter where he calls home all his neighbors are backing this change labor party and they keep rejecting him because they have sused him out they know there’s nothing behind the boasts the gimmicks the smug smile he’s a dodgy salesman desperate to sell them a dud now Mr Speaker 16 days ago when he held a press conference claiming Victory on Rwanda he said the next few weeks will be about action people want Deeds not words so let’s test that how many Small Boat Crossings have there been since he said that 16 days ago Mr Speaker Mr Speaker actually just before we go on to that he talked about a change he talked about he talked about a change labor party that’s important because he talked about a change labor party he talks about it a lot but just this morning and he also talked about his new mayor in London so just this morning we’ve learned that the labor mayor in London believes and I quote that there is an equivalence between the brutal terrorist attack of Hamas and Israel defending itself and let me be Crystal Clear there is absolutely no equivalence between a terrorist group and a democratic state so can I ask him now will he take this opportunity to demonstrate to demonstrate that that labor party has changed and will he condemn those comments from the labor mayor well I know that was the last run out before the general election but he’s getting ahead of himself in asking me questions but he [Applause] he Mr Speaker I noticed he didn’t even attempt to answer the question he knows the answer since he claimed Victory 16 days ago there have been a staggering 2,400 small vote CR 2,400 that’s a gimmick not a deterent and those 2,400 will be added to the tourist Asylum Perma backlog which is forecast to rise to 100,000 by the end of this year now the Prime Minister pretends he will remove them all to Rwanda but Rwanda can only take a few hundred a year at that rate the prime minister’s grand plan would take over 300 years to remove them all Mr Speaker that’s tens of thousands of people with their claims going unprocessed who are going to be here for their entire lifetime living in hotels at the taxpayers expense it is absurd to call that anything other than an amnesty handed to them by the Tory party isn’t it well Mr Speaker he had the opportunity to condemn the comments of his mayor a May who said that there is an equivalence between Hamas and Israel he did not do that and everyone will see what that is that is the change labor party Mr Speaker right there but since I became prime minister Small Boat Crossings are down by a third that’s because we’ve doubled NCA funding increased enforcement rates closed bank accounts to port to 24,000 people process more claims and Mr Speaker when it comes to border control there is a crucial difference between us we want secure borders he’s happy with open borders Mr Speaker the whole country knows that removing less than 1% of Asylum Seekers isn’t stopping the boats it’s granting an amnesty a Tory amnesty but if he thinks the voters are wrong if he thinks his own MPS joining the labor party are wrong if he thinks anyone believes any of the nonsense that he spouts why doesn’t he put it to the test and call a general election Minister Mr Speaker he talks about removing people this is a person who campaigned who person who campaigned to stop the deportation of foreign National offenders Mr Speaker it shows how out of touch his values are with the British people but Mr Speaker it’s yet another week where we hear nothing about his plan to do anything on the issues that matter to the country Meanwhile we’re getting on reforming welfare and getting people into work he opposes it we’re controlling migration legal and illegal he opposes it and as we heard Mr Speaker we are boosting defense spending to strengthen our country he opposes it and that’s the difference he Snipes from the sidelines the conservatives are building a brighter [Music] [Applause] future when it comes to Small Boat Crossings there’s a lot of talk of Human Rights but surely the only human right and life that matters is the life of children who are being taken across the channel in this respect will the Govern government now do the only thing that will actually be a real deterence and that is to arrest and detain all those who land illegally on our Shores and then offshore them promptly so that once and for all we can save lives of an endless cruel and callous trade well Mr Speaker my rable friend is right that these Crossings are incredibly dangerous and they risk people’s lives just weeks ago a 7-year-old girl died attempting the crossing and that’s why as a matter of basic compassion we must do everything we can to break the cycle of the criminal gangs and that’s why Mr Speaker you need a deterrent that’s what the National Crime agencies say that’s how we dealt with illegal migrants from Albania because it’s only by removing people who shouldn’t be here that we remove the reason for them to come in the first place and that is how we’ll control our borders and it’s clear that it’s only this party that not only has a plan to stop the boats but has a to stop the tragic loss of life in the channel too SMP leader Steven Flynn thank you Mr Speaker may I begin by also congratulating the Fantastic John swinny on becoming Scotland’s first Minister our opponent should be careful very careful what they wish for Mr Speaker as we await the eminent Israeli incursion into Rafa where 1.2 million people are sh in including 600,000 children it’s been reported that the United States has paused an armed shipment to Israel the UK will now follow suit won’t it well Mr Speaker that there are gentlemen may not realize but the UK government doesn’t itself directly provide arms or ship arms to Israel and when it comes when it comes to the situation in Rafa I’ve been very clear that we are deeply concerned about a full military incursion of Rafa given the devastating humanitarian impact I’ve made that position and point specifically to prime minister Netanyahu whenever we’ve spoken and will continue to urge all sides to focus on the negotiations at hand to bring about a pause in the conflict to release hostages and get more Aid in Steven Flyn Mr Speaker let’s be clear the confidence that Israel has shown in its military Ambitions in in Rafa stems from the silence which has been shown from its allies on the front bench is in this place and indeed elsewhere across the world now we know we all know that UK arms and Tech is supporting Israel’s activities in Gaza and will be used in any attack on Rafa knowing that and the devastation which is going to occur surely the time has come to end our complicity and to Halt our sales to Israel Mr Speaker of course we take our defense export responsibilities extremely seriously and that’s why we operate one of the most robust licensing control regimes anywhere in the world we periodically review advice on Israel’s commitment to International humanitarian law and ministers always act in accordance with that advice and that is crystal clear for the house to understand our position with regard to export licenses following the most recent assessment is unchanged and I know that he will join me in urging all parties to engage in the negotiations that are happening so we can see a pause in fighting to get more Aid in hostages out and then bring about a sustainable ceasefire to this conflict Al bers uh thank you Mr Speaker um my constituents in rural Villages and on the fringes of the Grimsby CLE urban area are very concerned about overdevelopment they recognize that the highway infrastructure and public services are already overloaded could my right from friend consider uh amending planning guidance so that local plans and decisions taken by local planning authorities are not overridden by planning inspectors and uh they’d be greatly encouraged if he would agree to meet uh with me and my colleagues from the neighboring gainsboro and Grimsby constituencies to discuss this further my friend is right that sustainable development must be at the heart of the planning system and that’s why we’re committed to meeting the needs for housing by building the right homes in the right places and protecting the environmental assets that matter most the national planning policy framework is clear that we should be responsive to local stance circumstances I know that the relevant local plan in my unable friends area is due for further consultation later this year and that he’ll engage with that process but I will happily meet with him and colleagues to discuss his his situation further Ed David you Mr Speaker the abuse suffered by 88-year-old an King at the hands of Staff in her care home was captured on a hidden camera the footage is stomach churning an died in October 2022 and it took nearly a year before the CQC launched a criminal investigation now an’s children are working to protect other care home residents from being subjected to such appalling abuse her son came to see me as his MP to ask for my help in their campaign so will the Prime Minister join me in in backing ands law a proposal to include a national register to professionalize the care Workforce and hold those staff who are abusive to account and will he meet with Anne’s family and myself to discuss this idea Mr Speaker can I first of all extend my sympathies to an’s family for what she went through obviously that’s not appropriate and I’ll make sure that the department engages with him and an’s family on the proposed law and he’s right to say we should have high standards across the care industry and we’re working towards more investment to support our Care Home staff making sure that they have training qualifications to development and we have a regime in place that can hold everyone to account for delivering the high standards that we would all expect so done thank you Mr Speaker does my right honorable friend agree with me that one of the greatest things that these back benches bring to Westminster is plain oldfashioned common sense and and it’s gisher Common Sense darbishire common sense that means that the good people of ashborne and surrounding Villages reject the sadik K ules rules and even the 20 mph wells will he join with me and perhaps ask his neighbor if he will pay for the ashborne byyb well Mr Speaker I know my honorable friend has been a dedicated campaigner for the ashborne bypass and the government has committed to invest more in the Midlands particularly investing every penny of the 9.6 billion from hs2 back into the local area uh and she’s right that we will focus on drivers and their priorities not continue the war on motorists which is waged waged by the labor mayor in London but also the labor party in Wales with both us and 20 mph speed limits it’s this party that is unashamedly on the side of the motorist Emma thank you very much Mr Speaker are child of the North Cross party Group found that expectant mothers were terminating wanted pregnancies as they could not afford another mouth to feed recent figures show infant and child death rates have increased in the most deprived areas and 50 children have died alone in unregulated accommodation is this his plan for a brighter Britain in action Mr Speaker obviously what the honorable lady has described as tragedy nobody wants to see children grow up in those circumstances and that’s why I’m proud that the government has overseen a significant fall in poverty but particularly child poverty since 2010 for a range of measures and I’ll make and I’ll make sure that she is aware for her constituents of all the support that is in place both through the Department of Health and through the department of work and pensions and local authorities to provide support to the most vulnerable families in our communities John penr and Mr Speaker w superm is is a growing town so local health services are rightly growing too Western Hospital is treating more patients for a wider variety of problems than before GP surgeries are offering thousands more appointments this year than last and our new Diagnostic Center means faster tests and treatments but there’s a fly in our NHS prescribed ointment Dentistry isn’t fixed yet and new dental recovery plan is very welcome but when will it mean appointments that estonians can book Mr Speaker our Dentistry recovery plan will make dentist Services uh Dental Services faster simpler and fairer for patients funding around 2 and a half billion more appointments uh and I was pleased to note that access is improving in my honorable friend’s area with almost 10% more children seeing a dentist in June last year than the previous year but we are going further the new patient premium that was announced last year is ensuring that more NHS denry will be provided and since then at the end of January 500 more practices have said that they are now open to new patience Chris law thank you Mr Speaker it’s now been over a month since the Parliamentary Ombudsman delivered a long awaited report on pension injustices yet women born in the 1950s in my constituency of done and indeed every constituency in this house across these islands are still waiting to he the UK government will listen to these recommendations and deliver compensation Mr Speaker I was proud to see the Scottish Parliament support a motion last week calling for compensation to be delivered without delay but utterly dismayed to see members of the conservative party and the labor party obain so can the Prime Minister finally set out when wasby women will receive the compensation they rightly deserve Mr Speaker I understand the strong feelings across the chamber on this topic and the desire for urgency in addressing them however following the ombudsman’s 5year investigation it is imperative that we take the time to thoroughly review the comprehensive findings that have been published an update to the house will be provided once the reports findings have been fully considered uh more broadly we are committed to ensuring pensioners have the dignity and security and retirement that they deserve and most recently increasing the state pension by £900 thanks to the triple lot s Philip Davis thank you very much uh Mr Speaker is the prime minister as appalled as I am at reports of militant uh civil iil servant Trade union political activists seeking to find ways not to implement the Rwanda deportation does he agree with me that if they are not prepared to implement the will of the government an act of Parliament that was passed by both uh Houses of Parliament that they should conclude that being in the civil service is perhaps not for them and maybe they can look for alternative employment at other leftwing organizations that M masquerade as being impartial maybe they could try the BBC or channel for you yeah yeah well Mr Mr Speaker you know my expectation is that civil servants will continue to be committed to supporting our priority of stopping the boats and deliver in accordance with the civil service code he’ll know that we made specific changes to ensure compliance with that code as we push through with our plans uh but I agree with him more broadly that we are the only party that has a plan to stop the vote and we will face down all the obstacles in our way to deliver on this crucial priority for the British people and whoever stands in our way whether it’s the labor party or others we will deliver for this country on this vital issue Mr Mr Speaker China has now hacked the data of Defense Personnel the Electoral commission various other public institutions and has targeted many members of this house and yet Plans by China’s largest wind turbine manufacturer mingyang Smart Energy to build its largest European facility right here in the UK Advance at PACE with the facility set to be built in Scotland given widely shared concerns about the involvement of hostile states such as China in the UK’s critical National energy infrastructure does he not agree that now is the time for this project to be paused to be reviewed by the government on National Security grounds and if not what message does he think that sends well as I’ve said repeatedly China is a country with different values to ours and is acting in a way that is increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad it’s right that we take firm steps to protect ourselves against that particularly in the area of Economic Security which is why this government passed the National Security and investment act precisely so that we can screen transactions without commenting on individual ones of course to protect this country and we have used those Powers not least to block Chinese investment in a sensitive Semiconductor Company uh but also to ensure that the Chinese State nuclear company had no part in the future of our nuclear PL so he can rest assured that we’re alive to the challenges and have passed laws that give us the powers to protect against them shall Le F thank you Mr Speaker 5-year-old Benedict BL was a lovely little boy who attended a primary School in my constituency sadly however he died of aniplexus a severe allergic reaction the coroner’s inquest has not yet reported but speaking generally on average two children in every class have a food allergy and allergic reactions take place more in school than in any other setting outside the home severe allergic reac actions are on the rise and can be fatal yet there is no explicit legal requirement for schools to have allergy medication an allergy policy or other recommended safeguards being made available there is only guidance will the Prime Minister meet with me and Benedict’s parents Helen and Pete so that we can discuss a way forward to ensure the children who suffer from allergies in schools can be more safe including schools having an allergy policy adrenaline pens and staff who know how to use them well firstly can I extend my sympathy to Benedict’s family it’s tragic always to hear about the loss of a child and we fully understand the seriousness of severe allergies and believe that children with medical conditions should be properly supported to enjoy a full education and be safe at school now there is a legal Duty on the governing body of schools to make arrangements for supporting pupils including setting out what needs to be done symptoms treatment uh but I will ensure that my rable friend gets a meeting with the health secretary to discuss how we could further support pupils with serious allergies spell yesterday his Chancellor confirmed that his government policy to abolish National Insurance a 46 billion annual cost and no indication of where the money’s coming from so the Prime Minister rule out further freezes on tax allowances or an 8p increase in income tax to pay for it well Mr Speaker it’s total nonsense and of course I rule that out and let me just close up Mr Speaker there there is no unfunded policy what we have said is that we have a long-term ambition to keep cutting National Insurance to end the unfairness of the double taxation on work we’ll make progress towards that goal in the next Parliament just as we already have in this by cutting National Insurance by a third in six months delivering a900 tax cut at the same time is increasing investment in the NHS and increasing the state pension but it’s increasingly clear what this reveals is that the labor party opposes tax cuts for working people Angela Richardson thank you empowering local pharmacies is a key part of this government’s plan to cut waiting lists in Guilford we recently lost two neighbor ing pharmacies but good news Mr Speaker I’m pleased to report that by working diligently with local pharmacists concerned residents the minister and the ICB I have helped to secure a new Pharmacy in bord will my right honorable friend join me in welcoming this new Pharmacy and does he agree that it is vital residents should have access to a good efficient and above all local pharmacy well Mr Speaker I care deeply about the future of our community pharmacies I’m very pleased to hear about marable friend success and securing a new Pharmacy for her constituents joining the 10 a half thousand others across the country and she’s now right about the important role that our local pharmacies can play that’s why we’re backing them with £645 million of additional funding through Pharmacy first so that you can now go straight to your pharmacist receive treatment for seven of the most common elements saving you time and ensuring that patients get the care they need quicker and closer to home Mr Speaker last Friday the guardian reported uh major structural deficiencies at stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport stepping Hill’s major outpatients building the radiology department and the critical care unit have all been condemned in March I met with senior officials at Stockport NHS trust they were very clear that a sustained lack of capital investment is the root cause of problems at my local hospital Mr Speaker does does the Prime Minister believe that our hospitals quite literally crumbling is the price worth paying for the 14 years of successive conservative failure Mr Speaker we fully recognize the need to invest in health infrastructure across the country including at stepping Hill hospital and that’s why we are currently spending around 4 billion PS a year for trust to spend on necessary maintenance and repairs on top of the 20 billion pound new hospital program and the additional funding that was put aside to deal with rack maintenance but he talks about a legacy of the NHS all he needs to do is look at the party his party’s record in Wales where people currently are experiencing the worst A&E performance and the longest wait times anywhere in Great Britain thank you Mr Speaker Mr Speaker Nottingham City Council is expecting to fall short of its housing Target by 6,000 new homes last time this happened rushcliffe as a neighboring Authority was forced to take thousands of homes on top of its own housing Target which led to huge pressures on our green spaces and public services so can my right honorable friend reassure me and my constituents that the changes we’ve made to the planning system will mean that this time we will be protected from Labor’s failure in Nottingham my honorable friend makes an important point and why on this while on this side of the house a conservatives Bill believe in building the right homes in the right places with local people having a say all labor would do is impose top- down housing Targets on areas decimating our precious Countryside and in Nottingham sure she says you can see the difference Mr Speaker between the well-run conservative County Council compared to the bankrupt Nottingham Council which has left residents to pick up the bill from their pracy Caroline Lucas thank you very much Mr Speaker untreated sewage was pumped into English waterways for more than 3.6 million hours last year year and into the sea of Sussex beaches three times in the last 24 hours alone yet since privatization the water companies have been allowed to rack up debts of over 64 billion and their shareholders to pocket 78 billion in dividends the majority of the public including 58% of conservative and 80% of Labor supporters want to Turf out the profiteering polluters they want water brought back into public hands when is he going to listen to to them and end the legalized scam of privatization well Mr Speaker our plans have gone to tackle this have gone further than any other previous government in fact we now monitor 100% of overflows up from just 7% under the labor party we’re investing a record 56 billion into all water infrastructure and we’ve enshrined in-law strict targets and introduce unlimited fines for water companies holding them and their bosses to account so it’s Crystal Clear that the record shows that there’s only one party who has a clear plan to tackle this issue for the environment and it’s the conservative party final question mat Vickers thank you Mr Speaker everybody knows that Stockton is a great place with great people and a great football team my right honorable friend recently visited the mighty Stockton town to see the incredible work that they do in the local community and heard about their promotion battle I’m sure he’ll want to Jo me in congratulating Mickey dwell and the mighty anchors on their promotion well uh Mr Speaker it was fantastic to visit sown FC with my honorable friend who was a brilliant Champion for his local community which I see firsthand on a weekly basis and let me join him in congratulating everyone at the club on their well-deserved promotion and I hope some of their good luck rubs off on Southampton in the coming weeks that completes Prim