Speeches by Kumar.

“As we await the outcome of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, which must be rooted in the voices and needs of the Ukrainian people, access to healthcare is essential to rebuilding the nation. What steps is my right hon. Friend taking to ensure UK-backed reconstruction strengthens rehabilitation and healthcare infr…”

“Red Hall primary school in Lower Gornal is sited on either side of a busy road, connected by a zebra crossing. Children are put at risk each day as they cross between the sites, as there is no patrolling and frequent unsafe driving. I have urged the council to act. What work is my right hon. Friend doing with the Secre…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for his response. In the past year, nearly 4 million people in the UK have been victims of some sort of domestic violence. This is a national crisis. In light of that, will my hon. Friend and the Commission he serves consider taking steps to improve the messaging for MPs’ staff around domestic vi…”

“3. Whether the Commission is taking steps to create a domestic abuse policy for the House of Commons.”

“Do you mean in the SME strategy?”

“I have seen at first hand how severe musculoskeletal conditions such as lower back pain can devastate someone’s ability to work, have relationships and sleep, as well as their overall wellbeing. The education of more than 1 million children is disrupted by MSK conditions due to missed schooling and fragmented, hard-to-…”

“Quite a lot of women have microbusinesses. How are you going to support women in expanding those? What support mechanisms are you putting in place to encourage more women to open businesses?”

“I am going to do two lines of inquiry. Some 20% of businesses in the UK are run by females. There is no mention of women in the SME strategy. Why is that?”

“Who leads on this? So many constituents of mine say to me, “Crime is a big problem on the high street”, but they are not sure who they should be reporting it to. Which body is the main body for reporting this? I know that it is multi-agency and multiple people need to come into it, but who is overseeing this? Secondly,…”

“Where would it be in terms of your priorities?”

“Coming back to you, Sal, you said that there are thousands of businesses up and down the country that are trading illegally. Where is this in your priority list? If I were to do a pie chart, where would high street crime be on that pie chart?”

“The Bill seeks to confront one of the most urgent and entrenched inequalities in our economy: the persistent barriers that women in business continue to face. Despite the entrepreneurial spirit and innovation demonstrated by women across the United Kingdom, they remain significantly under-represented among recipients o…”

“I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require the Secretary of State to prepare and publish a report on access to finance for women in business; to make provision about the publication of data relating to access to finance for women in business; and for connected purposes. The Bill seeks to confront—…”

“What measures is the Home Secretary taking to dismantle the criminal gangs that are exploiting both legitimate and illegitimate businesses to facilitate illegal channel crossings? Can she give us details of the regulatory action that is being taken to prevent the use of assets such as shops on our high streets, and to …”

“I welcome the Labour Government’s progress on policing, including Dudley town centre’s new police station, which will open this year, and the new police officers being redeployed to Dudley borough in April. Given the urgent need for police reform, will the Minister go one step further and commit to reviewing the west m…”

“T8. What support can the Minister offer the Dudley Canal and Tunnel Trust, which seeks to open up canal access to the hidden gem at Wren’s Nest, which is part of the UNESCO geopark? That would help boost sustainable tourism, give access to residents, and highlight the site’s international geological significance.”

“Just to follow up on that, there are 18-year-olds who would love to open a business. How do we make sure that they can go and deliver in a different way and open their own business without needing to go into employment or work for somebody? I feel that this is a massive gap. Whenever I have done roundtables in my const…”

“Would you be open to putting out data looking at where procurement and SMEs are for women and ethnic minorities? We know that it is quite stark.”

“Dudley College will be one of the new construction colleges to skill up the new generation of electricians and all sorts of others in the economy. However, the Department has had no role in the skills White Paper. How can employers now be confident that the skills system will be adequately reflective of the needs of th…”

“Women-led businesses launch with 53% less capital, and only 2% of venture capital goes to women, compared with men. How will you close the gap so that those stark inequalities are reduced?”