Speeches by Powell.

“I am really sorry to hear that Staffordshire county council has fallen short in its communications and dealings with families and parents of those with SEND. This is always a difficult, challenging time for families, so councils should be much more sensitive about how they deal with the barriers that people face.”

“I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Valley Thai boxing club and its fantastic haul of medals. It is great to highlight that growing sport in his constituency to a wider audience.”

“I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Pat and wishing him a fantastic and happy retirement. He deserves a good pat on the back.”

“Absolutely. Water companies and infrastructure in this country have not been working and have not been fit for purpose for a long time. We have passed the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, which will begin to turn this around. Further measures will come forward as we look more broadly at the water companies.”

“I thank the hon. and learned Member for his question. As he will be aware, we are committed to the Windsor framework and to working through the types of issue that he raises. Those conversations are ongoing, and I will ensure that he is updated on where they are up to before 1 May.”

“I will not go that far, because hopefully I will be spending Mothering Sunday watching City win and progress to the next round, but I certainly join him in congratulating the women’s football teams in his constituency on beating the boys and winning the tournament.”

“I am really sorry to hear about what happened to Darren’s father Les. The waiting time that they endured is frankly unacceptable. The ambulance and emergency care wait times that my hon. Friend described are a symptom of the chronic state of our national health service, which we and the country inherited. We are determ…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for raising that important matter for many colleagues across the House. He will be aware that the Bill’s Committee stage ended this week. It has been considerably amended: I think that the Committee accepted more than 100 amendments from those on both sides of the debate. The Government are commi…”

“The Government are clear that it is not acceptable that my hon. Friend’s constituent has not been able to get the care and support that she needs to deal with premature ovarian insufficiency. My hon. Friend has raised this matter on the Floor of the House; I will ensure that this particular case is looked at, but the w…”

“My hon. Friend is right that families with children with SEND face real barriers to getting the support that they need. We have a broken system that does not give great outcomes or work for families. We are looking at reforming SEND, and I will ensure that she and the House are kept updated.”

“I am really sorry to hear of the experience of Ben and Melanie. I hope that the energy provider that he highlighted has heard this case and will quickly sort it out. The Government are working with Ofgem to reinforce our expectation that if rules are not complied with, it will enforce them. I will ensure that Ministers…”

“This matter gets raised with me all the time, which is why one of my favourite pieces of legislation is the Crime and Policing Bill, which will give police the powers to seize such vehicles and crush them—crucially, get rid of them. My hon. Friend is absolutely right that they are a blight on our communities. We will h…”

“My hon. Friend raises an excellent question. She is absolutely right that rural communities such as those in South East Cornwall deserve to be better connected and integrated, and that should not come at a heavy cost to residents in her constituency. I will ensure that she gets a full reply. This is something that I am…”

“Absolutely. I will not repeat all the clubs that my hon. Friend mentioned, but he is right that grassroots sports clubs are at the heart of our community. In nearly all cases they are run by fantastic volunteers who give their life to them. They really do provide great opportunities for young people and others to keep …”

“I know that brewing heritage is a particular interest for my hon. Friend and his constituents. I thought that he was going to invite me for a taste, but perhaps I can assist him in getting the brewery reopened first, and then we can enjoy some of its fine fare.”

“I join my hon. Friend in wishing the Dartford Sharks all the very best. I think we have a debate coming up soon on supporting such measures. The Government are committed to grassroots sports facilities like the ones he describes. I hope the Dartford Sharks will be able to make use of them soon.”

“The hon. Member has attended every single business question that I have answered as Leader of the House. I congratulate him on his 70th birthday, which was on Tuesday—I think he deserves a special mention for that. Yet again, I thank him for raising the important matter of freedom of religion and belief for all. I will…”

“I will join my hon. Friend in supporting David’s fundraising efforts for Lily, who suffers from MLD; I thank him for raising that today. Hopefully, people will give to David’s efforts.”

“Absolutely. I am sorry to hear that local people are having to fundraise for such an issue, but my hon. Friend is right that football pitches are at the heart of our communities. In England, we have a football Bill going through the House, which will support grassroots funding. The Scottish Government have a very good …”

“I thank the hon. Member for bringing Harry Brown into Parliament yesterday and for talking to him at great length about his experiences. He is absolutely right: we need a balance between ensuring that we have specialist care, which is often centred in certain places, and ensuring that there is care in the community. Th…”