Speeches by Powell.

“I am sure that the whole House will join my hon. Friend and me in wishing the Lionesses well in defending their title. What joy winning the Euros four years ago brought to us all. I join him in thanking Tracy and Peter for bringing up their daughter and for all the drop-offs and pick-ups, and all the time and energy, t…”

“I am really sorry to hear that Neil Stewart took his own life, with the impact that must have had, and is still having, on his family and friends. To hear of their extraordinary fundraising efforts for RSABI is heartwarming. Mental health and mental health support, whether in rural communities, young people and other a…”

“My hon. Friend gives us a great advert for all that is going on in her constituency. These sorts of events are important for attracting visitors and tourists to her constituency, Yorkshire and beyond.”

“The right hon. Lady is right to raise the issue of dental deserts, which we see across the country, not just in Wales. She will know that the previous Government did not invest in dentistry, and that has had a knock-on effect in Wales. Many colleagues have raised with me the need for more dental schools. I suggest that…”

“Obviously, I cannot comment on specific cases, but this one sounds truly shocking. Clause 48 of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will give the Home Secretary powers to refuse refugee status to those convicted of any sexual offence, even when it does not result in a prison sentence of 12 months or more. …”

“We urgently need to restore public trust in the water sector; that is particularly true of Thames Water, whose performance has been extremely poor over many years. There are lots of concerns about it. As the hon. Gentleman will be aware, we brought in the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, the first step to reforming o…”

“That case in my hon. Friend’s constituency sounds really difficult. As she will be aware, the Secretary of State recently came to the House to explain more deeply the shocking mismanagement of HS2. We are determined to get a grip of that and get delivery back under control. We are reviewing the position on HS2 phase 2 …”

“That sounds like a deeply worrying development in the case, and I am sure the whole House will be shocked to hear it. My hon. Friend has long campaigned for justice and answers to what happened at Orgreave, 41 years ago. He raised the issue with me last week and I will continue to raise it with Ministers on his behalf.…”

“I am really sorry to hear about this case. My hon. Friend is right that five years is unacceptably slow. The performance of the Pensions Ombudsman has been raised with me in previous business questions, and I am happy to take this up directly for her. She is right that such delays are just not acceptable.”

“Water quality has been shocking in recent years, whether in our rivers, seas or lakes. It is a huge public concern and, as the hon. Gentleman rightly points out, it has a number of consequences. That is why one of the Government’s first acts was to bring in the Water (Special Measures) Bill, which is now an Act, and we…”

“I am sorry to hear of Rob Howard’s ill health. My hon. Friend raises a much broader and more important point about the Reform party in local government. Reform is committed to reducing the head- count in local government, and its councillors clearly got the memo and are acting on it; they are resigning in droves.”

“We have all been shocked by these cases; I am sorry to hear about what Liz has suffered. For so many years, those who were gay were not able to be in the armed forces. That they were treated in such appalling ways, getting criminal records and losing the jobs they adored, is truly shocking. I was really pleased that we…”

“The right hon. Lady is right that fly-tipping and waste can blight communities and are a real problem, though I must say that incidents sky-rocketed and prosecutions fell under the previous Government. That is why we are taking steps through the Crime and Policing Bill to give police and local authorities more powers t…”

“My hon. Friend makes a very strong case. She is absolutely right that, after decades of failure under the SNP Government, local people are crying out for change. We gave the Scottish Government the largest budget settlement in their history, and they have no excuse for not using it well.”

“I join the hon. Member in congratulating schools in his constituency on their recent Ofsted ratings. The schools in all our constituencies do an amazing job in not just educating our young people, but giving them that full life experience about how to be good citizens—and good British citizens as well. We thank them fo…”

“Really badly delivered roadworks, which are often unco-ordinated, can be a huge blight on local businesses, town centres and others. I hear what the hon. Member is saying. These are the responsibilities of local councils and we are putting more money into making sure that roads can be put right, but I will definitely e…”

“I join the hon. Gentleman in thanking all those involved in citizenAID in his constituency. It sounds like a great initiative. He is absolutely right: we need more contingency provision and to train people up so they know what to do during these kinds of incidents. When they happen, we always rely on volunteers and vol…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important matter during Armed Forces Week. I am really sorry to hear that there has not been a response forthcoming. She is absolutely right to raise the issue of the mental health trauma suffered by many of our veterans, and the need to do more to support them in the community. …”

“As the hon. Lady is the MP for the Glastonbury festival site—or an area close to the site—may I join her in welcoming all those going to the festival this weekend, where it is likely to be very hot? She raises an important point about the Gypsy/Roma community and the need to support it where we can. This would make a r…”

“I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Joy Watson, and we send our best to her and her husband Tony. Like thousands of others across the country, they live with dementia every day. We thank the carers who support those living with dementia. This Government are committed to dementia services and making sure that we hav…”