Speeches by Smith.

“I thank the hon. Lady for that intervention; I will address those points in my speech if there are no further interventions. One of the most difficult things for someone with PoTS is to have to sit and stand up repeatedly, so hopefully I will get to the end of my speech. Colleagues have been really helpful in highlight…”

“Absolutely—I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention, and I very much agree with him.”

“Absolutely; that is a very good point. When someone is not believed by medical professionals for so long, it can affect their mental health—I recognise that.”

“There is a particular crisis in London, which I will address later in my speech and which my hon. Friend might be very interested in.”

“I very much agree.”

“I very much agree.”

“I will address that issue in my speech too.”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention; I recognise that a lot of hon. Members are here for this debate, more than I have ever seen for a 30-minute debate before. Hopefully, next time I make an application, I might be granted a bit more time. I am happy to take early interventions from colleagues, if anyone wa…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the matter of support for people with postural tachycardia syndrome. It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair this morning, Sir Desmond. I am grateful for this opportunity to look at a health issue that is often overlooked, misunderstood and under-resourced within our natio…”

“19. What steps he is taking to improve the court estate through restoration and renewal.”

“For six years, Lancaster courthouse has been surrounded by temporary fencing as it awaits maintenance. How much longer will my constituents have to wait?”

“Since 2019 my constituents in Lancaster have had to look at a ring of steel fencing around the Lancaster courthouse in our city centre as it awaits maintenance work to make it more sightly. The fencing has been there since 2019, so how much longer will my constituents have to wait for this maintenance work?”

“I rise to present a petition on behalf of my constituents, specifically those who are members of the University and College Union, Unite and Unison, whose representatives I met recently. In that context, I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. My constituents are concer…”

“I feel very moved to intervene on my hon. Friend because she is making such a powerful speech. As someone who previously represented part of her constituency, I know how much this will mean to her constituents. My grandfather had a Burma Star and he had scars all over his body. He never spoke of it but the long-lasting…”

“I thank all hon. Members for making time to take part in the debate. I am disappointed that there are no plans from the Government at this stage for a national alcohol strategy. I urge the Minister to take a message back to the Department that such a strategy would be an important tool for improving health outcomes and…”

“The hon. Gentleman is right that we should look at the cost to our communities. This debate is specifically about alcohol and cancer, but other costs beyond its scope include the impact on the criminal justice system, productivity in the workplace and violence, particularly against women and girls. Alcohol carries many…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered alcohol and cancer. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stuart. I am grateful to the Backbench Business Committee for granting us the opportunity to debate alcohol and cancer. This issue affects all of us; it affects our constituents, our families and friends…”

“As Chair of the Procedure Committee, I am often asked about how we legislate in this House. Many Members, and members of the public, have approached me about the speed with which the Bill is being pushed through. Moving from Second Reading to Third Reading in eight days does not give Members the time they deserve to sc…”

“Thank you, and I am sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you, Chair. I am applying for a debate on the link between alcohol and cancer. By way of background, alcohol is a group 1 carcinogen and is strongly linked to at least seven types of cancer, including breast and bowel, which are two of the most common cancers in the UK. In addition, a new study published in May t…”