Speeches by Powell.

“I am sorry to hear about the difficulties faced by the university in the hon. Member’s constituency. As he will have heard me say earlier, these are not decisions that any Government want to come in and make, but we have had to deal with the inheritance we found ourselves with and ensure that we get vital investment in…”

“As usual, the hon. Member raises an important issue, this time in relation to Algeria. I am sure he will be reassured to know that the British ambassador regularly raises these matters with his counterparts in Algeria, including having recently met the Minister of Religious Affairs on 10 February.”

“I join the hon. Gentleman in thanking Helen, James and all the foster parents in his constituency and all our constituencies. It sounds like Lizzie has found a great home to live in, which is what we want for every family. The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that those who put themselves forward for fostering are so…”

“I join my hon. Friend in thanking Parkinson’s UK for its work. He is absolutely right. I am sure that every single one of us will, as constituency MPs, recognise the challenges for PIP assessors in properly assessing those with fluctuating and chronic illnesses. It is vital that those assessing access to benefits have …”

“The right hon. Member will know that we saw an 81% increase in claims, and the latest statistics show a 64% increase in successful pension credit applications, which I am sure is something she will welcome. We have deployed an additional 500 staff to process applications, and there has been a huge increase there, which…”

“I am sure my hon. Friend appreciates that I take the scrutiny of Government trade deals and other Government action incredibly seriously. I hope he is aware that the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 made provision for statutory consultation and scrutiny by Parliament of these sorts of measures. However, as…”

“I am sorry to hear what is happening to the Consett Empire in my hon. Friend’s constituency. I agree with her that music venues and cultural hubs like that are vital to our high streets, communities and the cultural offer that we all want to see. The Government are committed to ensuring that we maintain such assets, bu…”

“I am sorry to hear that the hon. Lady is disappointed with the Government action in this area. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland believes that the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 needs reform and replacement, and he has been working closely with all the parties in Northern Irela…”

“I strongly hear what the right hon. Member says about the impending deadline, and I am sorry if this House has not been kept as up to date as it should have been. I will make inquiries and ensure that he and the rest of the House are kept updated.”

“That sounds like a really disgraceful decision, and one that I am sure my hon. Friend and the rest of the House will stand up against. That is why we need the Employment Rights Bill—I am glad that it has now passed its Commons stages. We want to end fire and rehire for good, and I am surprised that the Conservative par…”

“Absolutely. We all support the amazing work of our emergency services—fire, police, ambulance and many others—and I will absolutely join my hon. Friend in thanking them.”

“I will absolutely join my hon. Friend in wishing all Muslims in Britain Ramadan Mubarak. I think every single one of us remembers the incredible work that the Almanaar Muslim cultural centre did in the wake of the Grenfell fire. When many others stepped aside, it filled the space, and we pay tribute to it for its conti…”

“My hon. Friend has previously raised with me the importance of Cumbernauld theatre, which obviously is truly loved by her community. She will know that Creative Scotland and the cultural funds that it deploys are a devolved matter, and this is a shocking decision by the Scottish Government, for which they should be acc…”

“This Government are committed to new nuclear energy and have recently made announcements on that endeavour. However, I will ensure that the hon. Lady gets an update on the nuclear proposals in her constituency, and that the House is also updated.”

“I think we were all touched by this tragic case last November. Following it, we updated our travel advice, and we continue to press the local authorities for a full investigation so that we can prevent contaminated alcohol from being sold in this way in the future. Since November, the Foreign Office has been communicat…”

“Absolutely. I have read the tributes to Auntie Madge, as I think she was known, and I absolutely support my hon. Friend in sending our condolences, best wishes and thanks to her and her family for all her dedicated work.”

“I absolutely recognise what my hon. Friend describes. I recently met the Canal & River Trust. I am not sure whether there is a canal that connects her constituency to mine, but I could definitely get on a barge and go from my constituency to hers—”

“DBS checks are an important part of many public service jobs, and it is disappointing to hear of the delays that my hon. Friend’s constituents have faced. In fact, those delays have been raised with me previously. Ministers are keen to hold the DBS to account where standards are not being met, so I will raise the matte…”

“May I thank the right hon. Gentleman for agreeing with the Government that we should not exploit fracking? That was in our manifesto and we are committed to not doing fracking. I will ensure that Ministers update him on those matters, as they have been doing, coming regularly to the House. We have had a number of state…”

“I join my hon. Friend in thanking all those who run the Pebble Brook Community Cafe and all the vital work that they do. Perinatal mental health is a really important issue that people have come to know about more in recent years. I am a long-standing supporter of the first 1,001 days campaign and the importance that t…”