Speeches by Owen.

“T5. Despite repeated Government and union engagement, it seems that Luton could be set to lose one of its largest private sector employers, as Stellantis closes its Vauxhall plant, despite our excellent transport connections, skilled work- force and proud industrial heritage. In the light of that devastating blow, does…”

“2. If her Department will provide sixth-form colleges with the funding required to support a 5.5% pay award for teaching staff.”

“I declare an interest, because my husband works at Luton sixth-form college, although this question does not affect him. I am proud to have Luton sixth-form college and Barnfield college in my constituency—places where young people develop not only their education but their ambitions. Excellent sixth forms stay that wa…”

“Q11. In the past few days, Luton has suffered two stabbings. In addition, one woman has been murdered and another seriously injured, and a manhunt for the suspect is currently under way. This January alone, there have been at least 12 recorded violent offences in Luton. After decades of being funded as a rural police f…”

“T3. More than 600 households across Luton are living in temporary accommodation, with families scattered across hotels and bed and breakfasts waiting for homes to become available. The previous Government’s inaction on housing has made that painful wait even longer. It takes nearly a decade for a four-bedroom property …”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Fireworks really affect veterans, and people with PTSD and mental health issues, which is why I am proud that this Bill has been supported by Combat Stress and Help for Heroes, and by the RSPCA, the Dogs Trust, Redwings and the Kennel Club. There could not be a more diverse group of …”

“I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time. It is a pleasure to bring the Bill to the House. We all know that our constituents, whether we live in a town, city or village, are fed up with nuisance loud fireworks. This is no longer something that just happens once or twice a year; it plagues our constituents…”

“Absolutely. I have parents with children with special educational needs. It is particularly distressing in the middle of the night for non-verbal autistic children and young people, and calming down loved ones is really difficult. They say that the sporadic nature of the fireworks causes distress: they cannot plan in a…”

“I wholeheartedly agree. There are some incredibly cool alternatives to loud fireworks, and the general public really like them. A YouGov survey recently said that drones are more popular than fireworks in the UK, and we have seen some fantastic drone displays. There are also low-noise fireworks, but the general public …”

“I will make a little progress. At the times when we want fireworks the most, unlicensed pop-up shops appear. They sell explosives that should be handled by licensed sellers, and that should only be sold to members of the public at the lowest and safest levels.”

“My hon. Friend highlights perfectly the seriousness of this matter. When explosives such as F3 fireworks get into the wrong hands and are used for criminal ends, it has horrendous, life-changing and sometimes life-taking consequences. That is why I want to see an end to the perverse loophole that allows unlicensed sell…”

“I wholeheartedly agree with the hon. Member, who has extensive experience as a vet. Indeed, he supported the previous iterations of the Bill, for exactly the same reasons that he has outlined. The Kennel Club has reported an 81% increase in the number of dogs going missing when fireworks are used, and it changes their …”

“Yes, and that is why I want to talk about why society needs to move on. We can implement all these measures in the criminal justice system to make sure that the right people get the right support when they need it, but ultimately, we need to see the societal changes that the hon. Member outlines to ensure that we are n…”

“6. What steps she is taking to help improve the accessibility of public transport.”

“I thank the Government for providing time for this incredibly important debate. The debate is timely, but unfortunately it is always timely to discuss violence against women and girls, given the issues that we face. I thank the Minister for her opening remarks, and for showing the dedication that she has throughout her…”

“I thank the Minister for his response. Leagrave station in Luton was one of a number granted Access for All funding by the previous Government for long-overdue lifts. However, Network Rail now says that this money was never allocated and that it only qualifies for a business case, despite a feasibility study already be…”

“I want to go a bit further on that data. Does the hon. Member accept that in the 2022 police report on child sexual exploitation, where there were more than two perpetrators, the ethnicity data pointed to 76% of the perpetrators being white, 9% being black and 9% being Asian?”

“UNICEF reports that at least 17,000 children in Gaza are unaccompanied, some so young that they do not even know their names. Continual bombardment from Israeli forces makes family reunification impossible. The brutal reality of injured children in Gaza is that thousands of child amputees have been operated on without …”

“I welcome the Minister’s statement and her robust words, and her outstanding disagreement when it comes to China’s approach to protecting UK people on our soil, in particular those with a bounty on their head or those subject to China’s national security laws. I also welcome her words on HSBC’s disgraceful behaviour in…”

“Merry Christmas, Mr Speaker. Following this summer’s racist riots, the Runnymede Trust reported that Islamophobia is reaching fever pitch, with mosques attacked and threatened, and cars vandalised with Nazi swastikas. All that has left many Muslims feeling unsafe, but it is especially true for women, who have reported …”