Speeches by Fookes.

“Will my hon. Friend give way?”

““Gwnewch y pethau bychain,” were the famous words of St David, meaning, “Do the little things.” I do hope I have not mangled the pronunciation too much; dw i’n dysgu Cymraeg—I am learning Welsh—so I am getting there. That is the message that many of my colleagues have talked about today: take those compassionate daily …”

“My hon. Friend mentioned her new railway stations. She used to be the MP for part of my constituency, and I want to pay tribute to her. Will she join me in welcoming the new Magor and Undy railway station? I want to say a big thank you to her for all the work she has done with the Magor Action Group on Rail to make tha…”

“Does the hon. Member not agree that we have the green shoots of recovery already in the economy? We have interest rates going down and retail sales up. The recent massive £14 billion investment in rail will help every single small business and every single person across Wales.”

“I thank the Secretary of State for announcing a big investment in local energy. He mentioned the fantastic example of the Geraint Thomas national velodrome in Newport, in my neighbouring constituency, with its 2,000 solar panels. This shows the value of community energy projects, which will cut bills, tackle climate ch…”

“7. What steps he is taking to improve support for veterans.”

“Veterans in my constituency benefit from the stellar Monmouthshire veterans support hub in Abergavenny. Such organisations, and the volunteers who keep them running, are invaluable to our communities. We also have excellent branches of the Royal British Legion, and a veterans-informed GP service in Monmouth. As the Gov…”

“Recently I met with employees and union reps from SYNLAB, a thriving pathology laboratory in Abergavenny. It has been taken over, and now more than 30 jobs are at risk, meaning that these highly skilled opportunities in science, technology, engineering and maths could move out of my constituency. I thank the Under-Secr…”

“I thank the hon. Member for securing this really important debate. My broadband survey in Monmouthshire shows that communities such as Trellech, Llangwm and Mamhilad have really big issues with broadband. Will the hon. Member address the issues for people personally, not just for business? A man from my constituency go…”

“Our White Paper, published today, deals with the reform of Ofwat, so hopefully we will see an end to that kind of behaviour. In fact, I was just about to say that a total of £9.7 million was paid out in executive bonuses and benefits to water and sewage company executives between 2022 and 2023. The Act will stop bonuse…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Allin-Khan. Cleaning up our rivers is one of my top priorities, and I am delighted that the Government agree and have introduced more legislation and action on enforcement in 18 months than the previous Government did in 14 years. I was incredibly pleased to serve on t…”

“I have had the privilege over the last 18 months of visiting many beautiful historic places of worship in Monmouthshire, including St James’s, Llangua; Bettws Newydd church; St Mary’s priory; and St Tewdric’s, which dates back to 600 AD. The listed places scheme is a lifeline for volunteers and charities, such as the a…”

“2. What recent discussions the Church of England has had with the Government on the future of the listed places of worship grant scheme.”

“A train station serving Magor and Undy will take cars off the badly congested M4 and open doors to new opportunities for local people. It is also excellent value for money, because the track and so much infrastructure is already there. I am delighted that the Government made funding available for the long-awaited Burns…”

“The £370 million for the Northern Ireland Executive in this year’s Budget, which the Secretary of State mentioned, and the £505 million for Wales, on top of the settlements announced at the spending review, show that this Government take supporting the devolved nations seriously. Does the Secretary of State agree that …”

“10. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the autumn Budget 2025 on Northern Ireland.”

“9. What steps she is taking through the visa and immigration system to support refugees from Ukraine.”

“Blwyddyn newydd dda, Mr Speaker. Monmouthshire hosts more than 400 refugees from Ukraine. Most of the adults work locally, and some have started businesses; their children are settled in schools, and they contribute hugely to our community. However, Ukrainians in Abergavenny—a proud town of sanctuary—as well as in our …”

“T6. I am sure that Members from all parts of the House will join me in sending their best wishes to residents across Monmouthshire who have been severely affected by floods this weekend, particularly residents of Monmouth. One has told me that a tidal wave came down Drybridge Street at 1.30 am—in the middle of the nigh…”

“My constituents regularly tell me how frustrating it is to try to take work video-calls from home: they get the circle of doom. I know they are not exaggerating, because it happens to me too, especially when my kids are at home. Can the Minister update my constituents and me on Project Gigabit’s progress and plans for …”