Speeches by Powell.

“I thank the hon. Member for that question. As she said, a debate did take place yesterday, and there are many mechanisms for debates to be brought forward in the Chamber or Westminster Hall. I know it is of great disappointment to people that the Government have taken this decision, which was quite a specific one about…”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right: this country faces a housing crisis. That is why this Government have an incredibly ambitious target to build 1.5 million homes over the course of this Parliament, and we are changing the national planning policy framework to ensure that local councils have ambitious targets for thei…”

“I thank the hon. Member for raising this important matter, which I know is of great concern to him and to many other Members across the House. Let us be clear that domestic abuse is abhorrent, we condemn it, and it should not be, or be seen to be, rewarded by any of us. It is completely understandable and appropriate t…”

“Shuttle buses such as the one my hon. Friend describes in his constituency—especially those that go to hospitals and other local services—are vital. For too long, local areas and communities have not had a say in the bus routes they need in their area. That is why we have brought forward the Bus Services Bill, which is…”

“The Government will do whatever it takes to protect farmers from the risk posed by foot and mouth. We have already brought in restrictions on animal products from Germany, and we will not hesitate to add additional countries to that list. I reassure the hon. Lady that there are currently no cases here in the UK. We did…”

“Absolutely. The Renters’ Rights Bill—the Conservatives voted against it this week, shockingly—will see the end of section 21 no-fault evictions, which is an important measure, along with many others, towards ending homelessness in this country and tackling the root causes of it. I strongly support my hon. Friend’s supp…”

“This gets raised with me very often because volunteers do enrich our communities and our society. Without them, we would not have the country and the communities we have. I will very much look at the suggestion of an annual debate to celebrate their contribution to our constituencies.”

“As my hon. Friend will know, I am very sympathetic to the question she asked. It is one of the reasons why I ensured that Members of Parliament could get proxy votes for fertility treatments, which I know many Members will take advantage of. We have the Employment Rights Bill going through Committee at the moment. It w…”

“The Government’s plans to take back our railways into public ownership will improve reliability, investment and the passenger experience, so I assure my hon. Friend that those plans will be of great benefit to her constituents in the way she describes.”

“I thank my hon. Friend for all her campaigning on the important issue of palliative care, which so many in our country rely on at the very worst stage of their lives. I will ensure that the House is constantly updated on these matters, which I know are particularly important to the Secretary of State for Health.”

“It is completely unacceptable that volunteers acting as flood wardens in these difficult times are on the wrong end of abuse from anybody. I will ensure that these matters are raised in government and that we send a strong signal that it will not be tolerated and that action will be taken against the perpetrators.”

“Accessibility on our railways is raised many times with me in these sessions and across the House. Let us be honest: the accessibility of many of our stations, including in my hon. Friend’s constituency, is deeply inadequate for those with buggies, in wheelchairs or whatever else. The Rail Minister is carefully conside…”

“My hon. Friend knows that we inherited a national health service on its knees, as she describes. As part of our mission and our endeavours to turn that around, she will know that getting care back into communities, early intervention, prevention and primary services are critical, and I hope that will better serve her c…”

“The Department of Health and Social Care is working hard with industry and NHS England to help resolve the supply issues with ADHD medicines, which is a global problem. I will ensure that he and the House are updated on any progress.”

“My hon. Friend raises a really important point. Solar panels on new homes will be a vital component in meeting our clean energy superpower ambitions. He will be aware that the previous Government actually pulled back from including solar panels in the new building regulations. Had they done so, we would already have a …”

“The hon. Member raises an important topic, which I know affects many of our constituents. We have seen a number of very high profile cases lately where things have gone terribly wrong in a sector that is completely unregulated, as he says. I know that there have been plans in place for a while to bring forward the meas…”

“My hon. Friend will be aware that, through the Building Safety Act 2022 brought in by the previous Government, we do now have a Building Safety Regulator. It is right, given the context in which that regulator came about following the Grenfell fire, that we ensure that buildings are signed off as safe, and are able to …”

“The hon. Member is right to raise that issue. Core to the conversations that are happening between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is that nature, including the issues of water supply, sewage and so on, is vital when we consider housin…”

“I think we can all identify with the plight of constituents who are experiencing unnecessary and badly co-ordinated roadworks, and all the congestion and disruption they cause. The Government want to see more local authorities introduce lane rental schemes, and I will ensure that the relevant Minister supports my hon. …”

“I thank the hon. Lady for all the brilliant work she does on behalf of our creative industries as Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee. I know that AI and copyright are to the fore among the issues about which the creative industries are concerned. I am happy to apologise on behalf of any Minister who may ha…”