Speeches by McDonald.

“My hon. Friend raises an important point about the scope of the supercharger, which we are going to look at in 2026. He will be aware that some parts of the ceramics supply chain can access the supercharger, but I too am concerned about the impacts of high energy costs on the ceramics sector. I will meet the head of Ce…”

“I am delighted that my first outing at the Dispatch Box is to answer a question from my hon. Friend, and on a topic that we have worked on so much over the past year. We on the Labour side know that net zero is the greatest economic opportunity of our generation. Unlike the previous Conservative Government, which allow…”

“We want to make sure that businesses benefit from our clean energy mission, especially those in vital industries such as brewing. Our forthcoming carbon budget and growth delivery plan and our refreshed industrial decarbonisation strategy will help to provide further clarity for such businesses, including on how we int…”

“I commend Asahi, which I know is an important employer in the hon. Member’s constituency, for its work on decarbonisation and also for being my favourite Japanese beer. In a previous life, I worked as a fitter’s mate in a brewery, and I know how difficult it is to decarbonise the process there. Maybe it is something I …”

“This defence industrial strategy shows that we finally have a Government who take our British defence industry seriously. A foundation of domestic orders enables British businesses to compete effectively for export orders. Can the Minister outline the nature of the support from UK Defence Innovation that our defence an…”

“T8. How will the defence industrial strategy, which is most welcome, ensure that more public money is spent with supply chain businesses in the UK—particularly those in the Teesside defence and innovation cluster in Stockton, Billingham and Norton?”

“My hon. Friend is doing an amazing job of talking about the importance of small hospitality businesses to the local community. Does he agree that that extends beyond economic value to their value more generally? The Golden Smog, a friendly family pub in my constituency, supports an inclusive basketball team and has rai…”

“I thank the right hon. Gentleman for giving way—sorry for treading on his punchline. I was very pleased to hear his new-found enthusiasm for Teesside. That is something we all share, but it seems to stand at odds with the comments he made to my predecessor about the town of Stockton. Does he stand by those terrible com…”

“It would have enhanced the shadow Minister’s response if he had at least acknowledged that this Government are literally picking up the pieces after the chaotic dismemberment of the steel industry on the Conservative party’s watch. I have worked at Stocksbridge and Rotherham, and I pay tribute to the workforce there—bu…”

“The maritime sector offers very rewarding careers, particularly to people like me, who get quite excited by large-scale engineering projects. I think someone in the Department for Transport shares my enthusiasm, because they have awarded funding to set up the Tees maritime cluster, which is training young people in our…”

“A much stronger relationship between the UK and France in this area will require a deepening of our commercial collaborations in our respective industrial bases, particularly in the supply chain. Will the Minister comment on how the Government’s own procurement policies will help to support this collaboration, particul…”

“The Minister may recall that in an earlier armed forces debate, I raised the case of Kate Green, a Royal Military Police veteran who felt compelled to leave the service just before the ban was lifted. Will he join me in highlighting the fact that the impact scheme makes provision for people who felt compelled to leave …”

“In the last 12 months, the Government have invested £5 million in North Tees hospital, £20 million in Billingham town centre and another £20 million in Stockton town centre—with police patrols seven days a week—£1 billion in local transport in Teesside and £4 billion in carbon capture and storage, and have rescued Brit…”

“I agree that accessibility to work is important, both through buildings and transport, as well as Access to Work. It is not just about supporting people to get into work but whether they can physically get into work. To reiterate, people’s lives have equal value regardless of whether they work, and it is our duty to en…”

“In his statement, the Minister mentioned the very low level of take-up of shared parental leave. Would he agree that that is partly due to the gap in pay between men and women, and that if we can normalise paternity leave in our society, that will help to make sure that both mams and dads have equal pay?”

“I was pleased yesterday to hear the Secretary of State acknowledge the anxiety of disabled people in her comments from the Dispatch Box. If we really want to understand why changes such as this cause such anxiety and fear in the disabled population, then just sit and listen to the speech that was completely without emp…”

“I thank the Secretary of State for acknowledging at the Dispatch Box the anxiety of disabled people. I am also grateful for the time of the Disability Minister in listening to my concerns about the PIP assessment process—concerns that I now see reflected in the Timms review. I am sure the Secretary of State will be dis…”

“Coming, as I do, from a constituency in the north-east, let me say that members of our community, of course, served in Northern Ireland for many years, so the issue of Northern Ireland veterans is just as important to those of us on the Government Benches as it is across the whole House. I was in the House on 21 May wh…”

“My border terrier, Jack, always receives a very warm welcome in Stockton North, but too many pet owners are choosing to have their animals put down for fear of sky-high vet bills. I received a positive response from the Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs on 8 May to my request to review the Veterinary Surgeon…”

“I found the Leader of the Opposition incredibly disappointing, so goodness knows what those on her own Benches think. While she is talking Britain down, may I commend the Prime Minister for the leadership he has shown this week? Could he say a little more about how businesses in the defence supply chain, particularly i…”