Speeches by Jones.

“As I am sure you are all aware, in January every year Open Doors launches its annual “World Watch List”, exploring the top 50 countries where it is hardest to be a Christian. This year, the situation has shown significant worsening in several countries, as well as a handful of improvements. This debate will be an oppor…”

“The special envoy for freedom of religion or belief, or the religious special envoy, is attached to the Foreign Office.”

“Thank you for your advice, Chair, and I will certainly follow that up.”

“Thank you very much. Andy MacNae made representations.”

“T4. In my constituency of Newport West and Islwyn, we have ever-expanding semiconductor facilities and data centres. The primary mission of this Government is growth, but that growth could be stifled if there is not sufficient grid capacity alongside these exciting innovations. What is the Minister doing to make sure t…”

“I welcome the recent announcement on the creation of artificial intelligence growth zones across the UK, which will turbocharge growth and boost living standards. As part of that AI development, Vantage Data Centres has plans to invest over £12 billion across the UK, creating at least 11,000 jobs, including in my const…”

“The hon. Lady is right. It would be good to have clarity today. I appreciate that a statement is coming, but it would be good to have clarity from the Minister this morning. Places of worship contribute immensely to social and economic value, health and wellbeing. The cathedral’s weekly food collections enable 500 chil…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Western. I congratulate the hon. Member for Bromsgrove (Bradley Thomas) on securing this important and timely debate. The strength of feeling on this issue is clear. An answer to my recent written question revealed that between early September and mid-December 2024,…”

“I thank the Minister for her answer and welcome today’s announcement. Given that young people’s experiences of homelessness differ considerably from those of other age groups across all countries in the UK, will the Minister commit to addressing their needs specifically in the homelessness strategy that is coming up?”

“17. What steps her Department is taking to work with the devolved Administrations to support people sleeping rough in winter 2024-25.”

“11. What assessment the Commissioners have made of the effectiveness of the listed places of worship grant scheme.”

“Over the past two years alone, Newport cathedral has reclaimed over £87,000 under the listed places of worship scheme. When it soon becomes necessary to repair the tower, at an estimated cost of £1.1 million, a further £220,000 in tax will be added to that bill, and if that cannot be reclaimed the project will be delay…”

“Thank you, Chair. It is a pleasure to sit in front of the Backbench Business Committee this afternoon. I sit here as the Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, and Ben Lake, from Plaid Cymru, is my honorary deputy. As the Chair has already alluded to, we are here to request a St David’s day debate looking at Wels…”

“The Welsh Affairs Committee recently visited Parc Prison in Wales, where we saw the types of contraband being smuggled into prisons by drones. One of the biggest problems reported to us was multiple drones coming in at the same time; it is difficult for the security team to then bring them down, even though they are us…”

“2. What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for clean energy projects in Wales.”

“The Under-Secretary of State for Wales, my hon. Friend the Member for Llanelli (Dame Nia Griffith), was recently with me in Llandudno at a roundtable with the main stakeholders in floating offshore wind in the Celtic sea. This project is ready to go, and it will bring massive benefits through cheaper, more secure energ…”

“It is an honour and a privilege to speak in the debate and to follow so many hon. Members who have made such powerful contributions. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Spen Valley (Kim Leadbeater)—no longer in her place—for all her work on the Bill; colleagues from across the House who have worked together so colleg…”

“I welcome this new partnership between the Welsh and UK Governments, which represents a real opportunity to share best practice and help to cut NHS waiting lists in England and Wales. Will the Secretary of State expand on how she will ensure that patients on both sides of the border get access to the best healthcare po…”

“6. What discussions she is having with the Welsh Government on collaborative efforts to improve healthcare in England and Wales.”

“Yes. Thank you, Chair; it is a privilege to sit here with my hon. Friend. The debate’s objectives are to raise the awareness across the whole House and to highlight the systemic persecution that is faced by religious minorities at the moment in Pakistan; to review the UK aid and the diplomatic stance; and to promote ac…”