Speeches by Blackman.

“There are obviously national and international events on the 27th, so if it is not held then, it will have to be on the 20th or around the date. The most important thing is that there is a debate; the exact date is a matter of negotiation.”

“Coming up on 27 January is the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. This is the last real occasion where many of the survivors will be with us for a major commemoration. Over the last 20 years, we have had a debate in Parliament almost every year, sometimes in Backbench Business time and sometimes …”

“I congratulate the Lord Commissioner of His Majesty's Treasury, the hon. Member for Redcar (Anna Turley), on finally getting her voice heard in this Chamber. In addition to the three Front-Bench speakers, we have had 18 Back-Bench speakers, which demonstrates the importance of this type of debate, where Members can rai…”

“The Minister might like to welcome the fact that the Israeli air force is systematically destroying chemical weapons, rather than relying on the word of terrorists. Will she comment on the largest occupation anywhere in the middle east, namely that of Turkey in Syria, and on the pro-western Kurdish fighters who are bei…”

“Merry Christmas, Mr Speaker. St Luke’s Hospice in my constituency covers the whole of Brent and Harrow. I helped to form it back in the 1980s. The staff tell me that the biggest problem they face is that, every time there is an increase in nurses or doctors’ pay, it is never passed on to them, so they have to find the …”

“In addition to the business that the Leader of the House announced on Backbench Business days, we are trying to find a date for the debate delayed from last Thursday because the Government put on three statements and squeezed the agenda so that it could not be heard. That debate is on the performance of the Medicines a…”

“As someone who has consistently and regularly called for more shipbuilding to take place in the UK rather than be exported, today’s statement is good news, and I congratulate the Secretary of State on announcing this decision. He has clearly said that further orders have been added as a result of this deal. What furthe…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered matters to be raised before the forthcoming adjournment. It seems like only a few days ago that we were having the pre-conference recess debate, yet here we are in the final days of 2024. What a busy year it has been for all of us. We have had general elections, mayoral ele…”

“This is the one!”

“The Minister is trying to say that nothing has changed on this deal, yet media reports suggest that the new Prime Minister of Mauritius believes that the deal is not good enough, and the Minister is now saying that it is the same deal. Clearly, there is something that we are not being told in this House. Either the amo…”

“The Minister has alluded to one of the challenges with planning permissions—namely that, on any one day, there are something like 1 million unbuilt permissions for new housing. Developers ration the supply in order to keep the price high, so will he consider, as I think he did in opposition, the principle of “use it or…”

“Your wish is my command. In addition to the business that the Leader of the House has announced, on Tuesday 7 January, with your permission, Mr Speaker, there will be a debate in Westminster Hall on pay gaps in the workplace, and on Thursday 9 January, provided that that date is provided for us, there will be two debat…”

“We all welcome the fall of Assad and look forward to him, and his accomplices, being dragged before the criminal courts to face justice for crimes against humanity. However, the Home Secretary will know that the current situation in Syria is very complex, with a number of proscribed organisations involved. We understan…”

“7. What steps she is taking to help ensure that prisoners are prepared for life outside of prison before they are released.”

“The Minister will know that prison governors have a statutory duty to ensure that prisoners are prepared for life outside prison before their release. One of the main issues for released prisoners is finding a secure home, so that they can have somewhere secure to live rather than going back to the place where they wer…”

“In addition to the business announced by the Leader of the House, next Thursday in Westminster Hall there will be debates on Disability History Month and the opportunities for floating offshore wind power in the Celtic sea. On Tuesday 17 December, with your permission, Mr Speaker, there will be a debate on the impact o…”

“The FCA has been completely defensive in response to the report. Since the historical elements quoted by the FCA, 13 major scandals have erupted. I will not intrude on your time, Mr Speaker, because I am sure that you would not want me to list them all, but Woodford Equity, car finance and others have come to light sin…”

“4. If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the APPG for investment fraud and fairer financial services’ publication entitled “Report on the Call for Evidence about The Financial Conduct Authority”, published on 26 November 2024.”

“That covers the condition of housing that people are put in, but does not actually deal with the overall numbers—huge numbers of people. Presumably, there are an awful lot of people who have slipped through the net here, who have not even been provided with temporary accommodation.”

“Our original estimate was 300,000 people sofa surfing every single day, irrespective of those who were actually homeless. I will follow up that with a different issue. We know the numbers. During covid, we actually got everyone in, under the Everyone In programme. What changed from Everyone In to now, where we are seei…”