Speeches by Eshalomi.

“Does my hon. Friend agree that by getting this right and ensuring that we have bus stops that are accessible for everybody, including partially sighted people and disabled people, we will encourage more people to use public transport, because they will feel that it is safe and accessible for them?”

“I thank the Minister for his response to the urgent question, but I concur with some of the comments from my hon. Friend the Member for Walthamstow (Ms Creasy) about people being arrested, including my constituents, some of whom were protesting peacefully. I want to come back to the issue of the impact on frontline pol…”

“I thank the Minister for outlining the Government’s work to maintain vital collection services for residents, who want to see their city cleaned up rather than another summer of this, given the recent heatwave. Strike action has now passed the six-month mark. As the Minister just outlined, it is important that we consi…”

“But you might have seen that the number of starts is quite low. We are not building those houses quickly enough, so we will see more people, more children, in poverty. We cannot build our way out of this crisis, so in the interim, what more can the Government do to help alleviate that poverty?”

“You will recall that the last time we met, I asked you about the Government’s decision to freeze the local housing allowance. Coming back to the issue of child poverty, this is an area that is keeping many children and their families in poverty: they cannot afford the rent. Recent data from the Local Government Associa…”

“As you may be aware, one of the issues is that a number of landlords, including local authorities, are saying that they are struggling with the funding and enforcement to carry out the necessary checks. We know that the courts have a backlog of residents bringing forward those cases. Prime Minister, as a lawyer, you kn…”

“Prime Minister, you mentioned that child poverty is central. For every child to be lifted out of poverty, do you agree that they need to live in a safe, warm and secure home? We remember the tragic case of Awaab Ishak, the two-year-old who died in Rochdale in frankly unsuitable and uninhabitable conditions of damp and …”

“On that point, Prime Minister, every homeless child means a child missing school, a child missing out on the vital and welcome breakfast clubs that your Government have committed to, and a child or adult missing out on the extra hospital appointments because they do not have a safe and secure home to go to. We are seei…”

“—for the homeless. Everyone is chasing the same ones.”

“So are those families, Prime Minister— The Prime Minister—there is no desire in Government for this to take any longer than it needs to take to be done effectively and properly.”

“That’s good. It would be good to know when we can expect to see some of those changes and the extra investment.”

“I want to gently point out to the Foreign Secretary that the reason so many of us are here is that we have been waiting a long time for this statement. With the situation unfolding, as many colleagues have said, our constituents continue to write to us. Last week, Save the Children held a photo exhibition in Parliament…”

“I thank the Minister for the written statement and for her work behind the scenes. We should welcome the opportunity for more people to be enfranchised. We should be very clear that one person losing the right to vote at the ballot box is one person too many. It is really important that we look at the issues around vot…”

“On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is really important that Members of Parliament are accurate in our statements, and I just want some clarity. The hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Richard Tice) mentioned bags of postal votes, but you will be aware, Madam Deputy Speaker, that under the Elections Act 2022…”

“indicated assent.”

“This afternoon, I visited Centrepoint, where I spoke to young people living in self-contained flats and met the staff who are working to support those young people. The Secretary of State will be aware that a coalition of 150 charities supporting young people are calling for a specific youth-focused section in the endi…”

“I welcome my right hon. Friend’s announcement. This will make a big difference for many families in my constituency. An issue of which the Secretary of State is aware is the SEND override and the problems that it is causing local authorities. Second only to temporary accommodation and adult social care, SEND is the key…”

“I thank the Secretary of State for this really ambitious and bold plan to make sure our NHS is fit for the future. He will be aware that Professor Ian Abbs, the chief executive of St Thomas’ hospital in my constituency, will step down later this year. I want to thank him for his dedication and compassion in leading St …”

“I thank the Secretary of State for her commitment to bring forward a stronger Bill, working with colleagues across the House. The reality is that any one of us in this House could become disabled—disability does not discriminate. It is important for us to recognise the network of informal care that keeps our social car…”

“I thank the Minister and the 15 Members from across the country who have taken part in the debate, which shows the value we place on our local authorities. For far too long, our local councils have not always got the recognition they deserve, but they are the first line of defence for all our constituents, and it is ri…”