Commons Chamber

Thursday 27th March 2025

(began 4 days, 3 hours ago)

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09:34
None Portrait Q1. What steps she is taking to help ensure that the transport system supports economic growth. (903409)
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Order, we Order, we start Order, we start with Order, we start with questions.
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None Portrait Q4. What steps she is taking to promote active travel. (903412)
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Question four Mr Speaker.
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None Portrait Q8. What steps she is taking to improve local bus services. (903416)
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delivery riders follow the Highway Code, despite the time pressure they are sometimes operating under.
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None Portrait Topical questions: Transport
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Question one please Mr Speaker.
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Stephen Timms Portrait Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP, The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (East Ham, Labour)
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I am grateful to the honourable member for his question. The pathways to work Green Papers sets out our plan to fix a broken system, providing proper employment support for those who can work and a strong and sustainable safety net for everybody who needs it. We will change Personal Independence Payment to focus support on those in the greatest need. That change will be in primary legislation for debate and scrutiny in Parliament. The cost of personal and is increased by £2 billion above inflation in each of the last five years, and those increases are carrying on because that is not sustainable.

We are consulting with how best to support those affected by the changes with transitional protection for those no longer eligible and the entitlement linked to it, including carers allowance referenced in the honourable members question and the carer element as well. That is an increasingly important part of the picture. The changes will be implemented from November next year. They will apply to new claimants at the award review after that date. Those with severe conditions will be protected, but I do want to pay tribute to the millions of unpaid carers across the country.

We recognise and value their vital contribution providing care and continuity of support including many people with disabilities which indicates around 5 million people in England and doing some unpaid care. We are delivering the biggest ever cash increase in the earnings threshold for carers allowance, increasing it by £45 a week to hand £96, benefiting more than 60,000 carers by 2029/30. Reforms will build a system that is fairer and more sustainable so it will always be there for those with the greatest needs to live with the dignity and the support that they are entitled to.

to.
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Stephen Timms Portrait Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP, The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (East Ham, Labour)
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Well, I am grateful. I very much agree with him that this all needs to be done in a managed and compassionate way. That is exactly how we are doing it. I don't agree with him that it is being rushed. As I've said already, the changes won't happen for over 18 months until happen for over 18 months until November 2026, and they won't affect current recipients of Personal Independence Payment until the first reward review after 2026, and typically, review periods are three years, so this is definitely not being rushed.

It will happen in a properly planned and staged and cared for way. He referred to losing £12,000. I think you must be referring thereto instances, and there are some instances, of people who themselves receive Personal Independence Payment, and also receive carers allowance for caring for their spouse, and there are couples where that happens both ways. And the transitional arrangements that we are consulting on that are referred to in the Green Papers you need to take account of that incident, but what I say to him is that it is absolutely the right thing to do to make sure that Personal Independence Payment continues in the long-term, that it is a sustainable benefit system.

We do have to make some reductions, and I think he acknowledged that, and if there is another idea about how it can be done, I would be interested to know what that is. I concentrating on those whose impairments are the most severe, which is what the proposed changes will do, we will be able to ensure the benefit is therefore long-term and make sure it is sustainable. and make sure it is sustainable.
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Danny Kruger Portrait Danny Kruger MP (East Wiltshire, Conservative)
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My congratulations to the member for bringing this question to us. In government, my party supported carers. We increased carers allowance by £1500. With the support of the Liberal Democrats, we increased carers leave and we are united again today in dismay at what this government is doing. They had 14 years to prepare their welfare reforms. We had nothing for eight months and then all in a rush, because the Chancellor crashed the because the Chancellor crashed the Growth this year cut in half, inflation rising further, debt interest soaring and records tax burden.

People being pushed into absolute poverty by the government's measures. They have had an emergency budget with cuts to benefits for disabled people. Perhaps if they weren't in such a rush they would have realised that these crude reforms also impact carers. 150,000 people who gave up income to look after a loved one. To rely on Carer's Allowance to make ends meet and will now lose it. They are balancing the books on the backs of the people least able to take the weight. That is labour, making other people pay for the fiasco of their budget.

First they came for the farmers, then they came for the pensioners, and now it is the carers. The most important people in our society doing the most important job a human being can do. Not for the money, not for the love. It is least the government can do to give support. It is what we did in government so why won't they? Can the Minister confirm whether Carer's Allowance was a deliberate target of their reforms, or do they not realise the impact of what they were doing to PIP because of the rush? Do they think taking £500 million from carers or giving above inflation pay awards to the trade unions is the right priority? Does he share the view of the Chief Secretary that cutting support for carers and disabled people is like taking pocket money from children? Is that what he believes Carer's Allowance is, pocket money? is, pocket money?
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None Portrait Urgent question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade if he will make a statement on the future of Scunthorpe Steelworks
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over. We now come on to the Urgent Question on the future of Scunthorpe Steelworks.
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Sarah Jones Portrait Sarah Jones MP, Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Croydon West, Labour)
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Firstly Madam Deputy Speaker I think my thoughts and the thoughts of all this house today will be with British Steel's workers and their families, following the company's announcement of plans to close the glass furnaces and other steelmaking things at Scunthorpe and its commercial decision to consult on redundancies. This is not what we wanted. And I know how worrying this will be for all those involved. I am grateful to the member for Scunthorpe who is in his constituency today engaging directly with his local community.

In the immediate term, we must support the people who work at British Steel. Our contingency plans have kicked in to ensure all possible support is made available to Richard steel's workforce. Both the DWP and the DfE will have teams on the ground shortly to engage with employees for as long as necessary. Indeed we have asked Richard steel officials and given direct access to British Steel sides to bring their support as close as possible to affected workers. This government inherited a steel sector in crisis.

And resolving the long-standing uncertainty around the future of Scunthorpe has been a priority from our first days in office. That is why when we committed up to 2.5 £2.5 million of investment to support our steel industry earmarked substantial funding to support British Steel. In addition to the funding allocated to a new and improved deal with Tata Steel. I can confirm today that we have taken another significant step forward. On Monday the Business and Trade Secretary made a generous conditional offer of financial support for British Steel, and offer designed to deliver a sustainable future for the workforce industry and local communities.

In light of the challenging fiscal context, this speaks volumes about our commitment to the steel industry. This offer follows months of intensive engagement with British Steel to reach a deal that meets our public accountability and legal requirements, works for local people and taxpayers, and safeguard as many jobs as possible, and ensures the company's long-term commercial viability. The offer we have made is conditional on British Steel meeting these key tests, which is consistent with our approach to similar investment deals. The company must provide commitments we need, and which taxpayers would quite rightly expect in exchange for substantial public funding.

It is regrettable that they have not yet done so or accepted our offer. Therefore I call on the company to reconsider their plans to announce early closures, except our conditions, and accept our generous offer which remains on the table. I want to assure the house we are working tirelessly to find a solution. We believe there is a bright future for steelmaking in the UK, and we call on British Steel to work in partnership with the government that cares deeply about the steel sector.

To put the business on a sustainable footing

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for the future. And an end to years of uncertainty. Martin Vickers.
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Sarah Jones Portrait Sarah Jones MP, Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Croydon West, Labour)
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Can I thank the gentleman for the manner in which he is presenting his constituency today and which we have engaged previously. I can confirm on that point of clarity that we would rather the blast furnaces remained open. He knows that if you close them before securing a supply of steel, that is a very significant thing to do and quite hard in terms of customer confidence and what will happen to that customer base. I can also confirm, on his point about defence, there was, as he was talking in the select committee yesterday, there was a reason why the Russians bombed the blast furnaces in Ukraine first.

You need your steelmaking capacity not just for defence itself but for building the structures that we need and construction and all of that. So he's right on that front. I met with the council this morning, and talked about the plans for us to work together both on British Steel itself but also the wider question of what else can we do in the region and how can government support that. There is a small ministerial team that has been coming together and thinking about these things as possibilities as well.

On his final possibilities as well. On his final point, as he knows, the amount of money that we are talking about to develop new infrastructure is very significant, our preferred approach by far is that British Steel come back to the table with us talk about the offer on the table and that we have the private sector investment in the future. Of course we keep all options open.
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Greg Smith Portrait Greg Smith MP (Mid Buckinghamshire, Conservative)
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The news from Scunthorpe is deeply concerning. Jobs are at risk, and our thoughts are with all of those who now face uncertainty. The world is becoming more dangerous. And we need to bolster our defence industry. Without the ability to produce our own primary steel, those efforts could be put in jeopardy. So my first question is what impact the Minister believes the news will have on Britain's defence industry. And what impact she believes closure would have on our national security.

It takes a special something to be able to offer someone £500 million and for them to reject it. But whatever it is, I guess the Business Secretary has it. Whenever labour negotiates, Britain loses. Whether with Mauritius, AstraZeneca, now British Steel, the government are confirming it. And so far at least, that appears to be the case with the United States. The government pretends as if tariffs on steel are inevitable, which as we showed in government is simply not the case.

Therefore, can the Minister update the House on United States trade negotiations, in particular in relation to steel? And can the Minister confirmed that the Business Secretary has engaged further with Changi since they rejected him? But tariffs are just one challenge facing the industry. Alongside the jobs tax and the employment Bill, the steel industry is being choked by the government's ideological green targets. So can the Minister tell the House what concerns British Steel have expressed about those net zero targets? And finally, as I said at the beginning, this news will be deeply concerning the steel workers in Scunthorpe.

Has the Minister or the Secretary of State spoken with them about this news? And if so, what support are they being offered? what support are they being offered? what support are they being offered?
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Sarah Jones Portrait Sarah Jones MP, Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Croydon West, Labour)
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Thank you. I do not want to insult this House by suggesting there was any kind of deal on the table under the previous government and that anything happened on steel other than a halving of production over the last decade, a halving. Lots of things shut down and closed during that period, not just in the steel industry but in many others. I'm looking at my honourable friend the Member for Redcar for proof of that. Whether it steel, shipbuilding, the automotive sector, we inherited a situation where the previous government had neglected or kicked the can down the road the major decisions that hadn't been taken, and we inherited were a series of industrial crises which we are now trying to solve.

We delivered a better deal with Port Talbot than had been negotiated under the previous government, and we are still in talks with British Steel, and we are hoping that we can come to a resolution, not just because of the very many very highly skilled workers in Scunthorpe who we respect and honour and want to make sure stay in their jobs. So I have nothing more to say on that front. From his contribution. In terms of tariffs, and the situation with the US, we are in a good position in this country and that the relationship that our Prime Minister has built up with Donald Trump, the president and his team means that we are in active conversations about a potential trade deal.

This is a good positive thing, and we are carrying on having those conversations. I right honourable friend the Secretary of State has been talking regularly with our American counterparts as you would expect. We will have cool heads in this space. We will navigate our way through, and we are talking daily with British Steel, our officials are talking daily with British Steel. We are talking with the trade unions, we are talking with all the players to try and make sure in this difficult landscape globally that we find ourselves in, we are doing right by the people of Scunthorpe.
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None Portrait Business Statement: Business Questions to the Leader of the House
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question. I will give a few moments
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Lucy Powell Portrait Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP, Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Manchester Central, Labour )
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Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming

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business? The business for the week

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The business for the week includes March 31, consideration of Lords messages to the nondomestic ratings and public schools Bill and ratings and public schools Bill and ratings and public schools Bill and by remaining stages of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education Transfer of Functions Bill. Tuesday, April 1, consideration of Lords messages followed by the Meteorology Bill, followed by the Meteorology Bill, Consideration of Lords messages followed by motion to approve the draft infrastructure planning, onshore wind and solar generation order, 2025, followed by motion to improve the draft driving amendment number two regulation is 2025, followed by a motion to approve the whiplash injury recommendations, 2025.

April 3, general debate on the impact of general platforms logically democracy followed by a debate on access to sport in schools and the subject determined by the backbench business committee. April 4, the house will not be sitting. The week commencing April 7 includes general debates, subject to be confirmed, April 8, general debate on the potential merits of a pastor must Victoria Cross being awarded, following by a general debate before the forthcoming adjournment and the subjects of these debates were determined by the backbench business committee.

The House bill rise for Easter recess at the conclusion of business on April 8, returning on business on April 8, returning on
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Jesse Norman Portrait Rt Hon Jesse Norman MP (Hereford and South Herefordshire, Conservative)
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I hope I may start by thanking the whole House for their wonderful messages and condolences on the last business questions. I can be more rightful and I particularly singled out the leader for her very gracious remarks. If I may turn from fathers to mothers, of course this Sunday is Mother's Day, the infant shadow leaders have been instructed, not that they needed it, as to how to manage the moment and the occasion. I'm sure the whole House will join me in celebrating mothers on the weekend and will want to express themselves in all kinds of ways to thank our mothers and the mothers we have amongst us for the work they do.

This has been the week of the Spring Statement. And the House will recall the October budget in November of last year. As it was described, a once in a generation budget with no tax rises to follow. What we've seen this week is that the Chancellor's own growth forecast just four months later has been halved. She has increased cuts to welfare benefits. That follows the interesting strategy of abolishing the NHS England just having fired all the team running it.

The tax burden is on track to hit a record high in 27/28. Now we should give credit where credit is due. The Chancellor has protected capital investment, that's a great decision and the correct one. But there have also been reasons, I'm sorry to say she has somewhat pulled the wool over the OBR's eyes in relation to housing growth. Housing growth has been the government's new get out of jail free card. And already downgraded from 1.5 million houses to 1.3, but very unlikely it will happen in any case, even those levels because of the people in local government that is being planned.

Meanwhile the immensely damaging Employment Rights Bill goes entirely and scored, entirely and scored economically by the OBR. We will see what the OBR's is next time around about that particular piece of legislation. The brutal fact is that the government has claimed to prioritise growth but growth has halved since it came to power. It's talked about little else but even its own forecasts do not show growth getting even back to 2% by the end of the decade. And every major independent expert forecast of the economy's future growth is lower than that of the OBR.

If we look more closely, what do we see? Spring Statement isn't really about work at all. It's really about moving people from welfare into lower pay welfare. The cut Universal Credit announced last week has been followed by a freezing of Universal Credit. Why as it appears to hit the Chancellor's own fiscal headroom point to the decimal point? Last week we had all the rhetoric of the moral case of nudging people back into work but now it appears this is an accounting exercise and the policy rationale, the whole more and it can be justification for the policy seems to have been lost sight of.

The second point is the question of whether artificial intelligence, which the government has greatly emphasised, will naturally have the effect of increasing growth? The Chancellor suggested that this idea was somehow obvious and conventional wisdom but actually it's very far from the truth. The Nobel prizewinner Bob Zola economist famously said the effects of it -- revolution can be seen anywhere except the economic numbers. Other countries are scaling and deploying it with massive speed. Many experts believe AI could increase unemployment and inequality and raise costs of retraining and reintegrating people into the workforce.

Far from creating economic growth therefore, the advent of AI could actually end up forcing a government, possibly this Government into even more spending than it presently contemplates. And finally you get this much vexed and discussed issue of so-called fiscal headroom or to use a more technical phase, the goolies in a vice problem. The suggestion has been that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing expecting different results. So far we've seen minimal fiscal adjustment at the statement, and meanwhile the Chancellor has managed to recreate just the same constraining conditions that existed beforehand.

That's a situation entirely the government's own making. It was the Chancellor's decision to choose these fiscal rules and it was her decision then to take measures that undermined economic growth. And she states her own credibility and that of the government on those decisions. The result is that we will now have endless uncertainty and avoidable speculation about the fiscal position every week through the Comprehensive Spending Review and into the Autumn Budget. The Chancellor has refused to rule out making more cuts to spending.

She may have to impose tax rises even so, and of course those could come even sooner than anticipated if the US decides to go ahead with the tariff as suggested. So my question is what will the leader feel inherent hard, what will she say to her own Cabinet colleagues over the next few weeks as the full effects of these terribly damaging decisions become clear? become clear?
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Lucy Powell Portrait Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP, Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Manchester Central, Labour )
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Thank you. And can I also joined the honourable gentleman? Really heartwarming to hear so many tributes made to his father in last week's session and I thought it was really the House at its best in these moments, and I thank him for bringing the eulogy to the floor of the House. And can I also join him and looking forward to Mothering Sunday? A day, maybe I will get some rest, but we will see. But the first will have to pay visit to my own mum, who I want to pay tribute to as well, and her very favourite phrase which sticks with me throughout my life, which is them who does nowt, does nowt wrong.

And I believe that with a few colleagues. That's one lingering there. But as he says, yesterday, we did hear the Spring Statement. We heard that this Labour government is taking on the unprecedented long-term challenges that this country faces. And you know the honourable gentleman and those opposite don't want to acknowledge it, but that is the reality I'm afraid. Because these problems we face to run deep. There is huge global uncertainty as he knows. There are years of underinvestment in infrastructure and in people, leading to low productivity and low growth.

The effects of COVID, to which we were particularly exposed and his government did not address, leaving a generation of working age adults consigned to benefits, and one million young people not in education, training or work. And our economy in the long shadow of Liz Truss who destroyed fiscal confidence, leaving high and costly debt, interest rates high and ordinary people paying the price. And I'm afraid that's the legacy which we are trying to address. And we are facing up to these realities.

And taking this country on a path to improved living standards, secure work, and an NHS back on its feet. Affordable homes to living and security through defence and our global leadership. And this is going to take time, and there is no denying that. But the forecast published yesterday, and he took a selected few of those, they do show the green shoots of recovery. You might not want to hear it, but as the OBR said yesterday, after this year, the growth forecast, because as a result of our policies, those growth forecasts have been upgraded with now Britain set to be the second fastest growing economy in the G7 this year and next year.

And I'm glad that he is welcoming the boost in capital investment. After years and years of underinvestment and downward trajectory in capital spending by his government. And that's led to another £2 billion extra earmarked for defence, another £2 billion more for affordable and £2 billion more for affordable and social housing, and a transformation fund that will help reform our public services and deliver those better outcomes. And after his government, I'm afraid it is what they did, left millions languishing in the aftermath of COVID, we have got a plan to get people back to work.

And we are making sure that the welfare safety net is sustainable for the long-term, and that's a far cry I'm afraid from his government. And that also includes a pay rise for the lowest earners coming in next week. The Employment Rights Bill, which I'm afraid we are very proud of on this side of the House, giving dignity and security House, giving dignity and security in work. Protections for the most in need. And the biggest back to work program in a generation.

And even in the long shadow of Liz Truss, and it's a very long shadow. That looms large over our fiscal credibility. Interest rates are coming down, inflation is now under control, and stability is restored. And he asks me about the headroom. But I will just gently remind him that the headroom the Chancellor set out yesterday as 50% more than the headroom she inherited from her predecessor. And I will tell you, one of the most shocking aspects of what we inherited was the eye watering costs of servicing our enormous debt.

100 £100 million a enormous debt. 100 £100 million a year we now spend servicing debt. And that's more than we spend on defence, justice and the Home Office combined. And that's what we inherited from the party opposite. But even in the face of these challenges, the Labour Chancellor announced yesterday that governments day-to-day spending will be going up above inflation each year for this forecast, and that will help restore our public services and giving support to those who need it the most.

And I have to say, that's what Labour values in practice, making different choices for this country in the interest of working people. That's what Labour values are all about. about.
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Lucy Powell Portrait Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP, Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Manchester Central, Labour )
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I thank the honourable lady for the question, as ever. On the carers allowance and reforms to welfare that have been set out to this House in a number of statements and urgent questions, our guiding principles are to ensure that the safety net is there for the most in need and that there is better support for those who can work getting back into work and that the welfare system and payments like PIP and the associated carers allowance and things that sit alongside it are there for the long term and the situation as it stands today, aspects of that are not sustainable in the long term because, for example, we are seeing over 1000 new people at the being awarded PIP and that is not sustainable.

I agree with the honourable lady that this needs to be done carefully and with compassion and in a managed way and we must consider all aspects, especially in relation to what bait be considered passport it benefits as well and there will be legislation coming forward on these issues shortly and it will be fully debated on the floor of the House and I'm sure members will take time to consider members. As she raises questions about ICB and the changes we are making to the NHS and NHS England, the intention and aim is to get more money back into frontline services, having less being spent on management and duplication in the back office systems and some of these aspects will need Marie legislation and will be brought forward and therefore impact assessments and other things will come to light at that time.

come to light at that time.
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Adam Jogee Portrait Adam Jogee MP (Newcastle-under-Lyme, Labour)
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granting the time and the chipper. The cross-party support is testament to the close bond between the UK and Ireland and this is an Ireland and this is an acknowledgement of the place of Northern Ireland in the UK. I refer members to my declaration of members to my declaration of interest as I serve on the Northern interest as I serve on the Northern Ireland Select Committee and I am particularly grateful to the team that support the work of the committee. They are excellent committee.

They are excellent people. I am also the chair of the Irish and Britain All-Party Group. Irish and Britain All-Party Group. The issues before the House are close to my part and that anyone will tell you, I've always had an affinity for the good people of Northern Ireland and Republic and a healthy appreciation for St Patrick's Day this year and all yours. We are joined in the gallery by former councillors and North down constituent. We have done more for British and Irish relations than anyone and I will miss him when he returns home later this year.

I have not met anybody who is so easily able to have breakfast with the DUP, lunch with the Liberals, afternoon tea with the Conservatives and dinner with Labour and then get up and do it all again the next day. There I appreciate very much the honourable gentleman and my almost neighbour giving way. I apologise I cannot contribute fully to this debate but I am taking part in the next debate and will prepare for that but I join him in his tributes to Michael who I have just seen in portcullis House and I know he is the building and he's been a stalwart and I know as the vice chair and previously the co-chair of the assembly, just how much work Michael goes to report relations between the UK and Ireland and we

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will miss him very much. I am grateful to the honourable lady for her interest in Northern lady for her interest in Northern Ireland affairs and the commitment and the appropriate tribute to and the appropriate tribute to Michael. St Patrick's Day is a day of celebration, acknowledgement, togetherness. It is a deep and liberal can be described in two liberal can be described in two days, those who are Irish and Northern Irish and those who wish Northern Irish and those who wish they were.

Lord Brennan, a man born to an Irish father and a British mother said he would not consider celebrating St Patrick's Day letter started around March 8 and I told him I was happy to let the big one if St George's Day stayed in April. The city of Chicago famously dyes deliver green to celebrate the milestone. I'm sure we are getting used to the rivers in this country telling the most unusual of colours. Much of this is close to home.

I'm proud of my own family roots in Northern Ireland. I want to note the passing of the last remaining child, my grandmother, who died at the age of hundred and five last week. My own roots to one side, one of the best decisions I've ever made other than being born to a good Staffordshire women in my mother, although I had little influence on raising my wife, my wife is from Northern Ireland and calls my constituency home.

I will happily

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give way to my neighbour. I thank my honourable friend for

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I thank my honourable friend for giving way. My own Labour constituency of Stafford has a small Irish community now but in the 19th Irish community now but in the 19th century, Stafford was the source of refuge to a number of Irish nationals in the area. Some have moved on but the certificate number stayed and put down roots into stayed and put down roots into Staffordshire. With that in mind, will my honourable friend agree that the contributions of the Irish community past and present have enriched Staffordshire's community life? Three I was warned of her timely intervention and could not agree more.

Many people have contributed in these communities to work in the mines and manufacturing industries, bringing with them a sense of culture, new ideas, and, of course, great crack. Many Irish women particularly came to work at the national health service and I want to acknowledge Louise Jones who alongside others has written a wonderful book entitled 'Irish Nurses and the National Health Service' which I read over the weekend. Many businesses and organisations in my constituency would not exist without people from Northern Ireland and many of us are proud to have strong Irish roots.

I think about people who work at the University, my predecessor, the former MP for Newcastle, and I met a number of them in quick succession the other day, and many more. I think about Katherine Jackson, the restaurant manager in this place, to the lovely Betty Thompson in the cafeteria, a strong Irish woman, keeping this place going. Irish heritage described the contribution to British cultural life of the Irish as incalculable. The contribution is beyond doubt.

I will

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give way. He is right to acknowledge the contribution the Irish diaspora has contribution the Irish diaspora has made. For 30 years, they have set up the population in west London and the population in west London and far beyond. Under the current team, it has gone from strength to strength with the culture, community, education program. I count myself lucky that one of the count myself lucky that one of the largest Irish populations are my constituency and all members are welcome at all times.



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I am grateful to my honourable friend. I have visited Hammersmith many times before. He speaks correctly of the contribution they make, not just people of Irish descent but up and down the country and in the centres in Birmingham and other parts of the United Kingdom, other parts of the United Kingdom, too. I congratulate all those at the Hammersmith Irish Centre for their Hammersmith Irish Centre for their work. There are many more including the playwright and they have a achieved great acclaim in the achieved great acclaim in the British and Irish language.

Also, my honourable friend from Southampton, honourable friend from Southampton, and my wife was born and it was not just the amount but also the Ulster Scots who I thank for the folk music movement and they have low popularity across the UK and the world. Also, much loved television programs including Game of. Anyone who has been to Northern Ireland will have seen the natural beauty including the Giants Causeway and of course I must also mention the contribution that Ireland has made to one of our most beloved institutions, the Great British institutions, the Great British Park.

Across the country, including the honourable member's constituency, to Pembrokeshire, Tyneside, and everywhere in between, who does not like a good paint? Whether it is a pint of Guinness, Guinness Zero, or Guinness Lee, otherwise known as water, it is deeply influenced pubs and we are deeply influenced pubs and we are the better for it. Pubs across my constituency, including the pup I was in last Saturday having a cold drink, and many pubs across my part of the world, many now how to pour a It was in Belfast shipyard that the Royal Navy and ship 's were built.

In both world wars Irish volunteers fought with the British Army, the Royal Air Force and the British army. Women from across the island of Ireland helped to build the early tunnels as well as modern works such as the Victoria line which gets me from Euston station when I come down on Monday morning to hear. Many Irish people continued to move to a United Kingdom to work in a national health service, education system, and our public services. I want to take this moment to pay tribute to them for the contributions they make to our country.



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I'm grateful. As my honourable

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I'm grateful. As my honourable friend knows, I represent a constituency in South Cambridgeshire constituency in South Cambridgeshire which is closer to Dublin than to London. Does he agree with me about the importance of maintaining and enhancing trade links, and he will be aware of the ferry from Pembroke be aware of the ferry from Pembroke Dock in my constituency to the port Dock in my constituency to the port of harbour. An importance of enhancing those trade links so we can achieve the government's mission of economic growth?

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I'm grateful to my honourable

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I'm grateful to my honourable friend. I want to congratulate him and his wife on the imminent arrival of their first child in the coming days. We wish him and Poppy well. He makes the important point because internal trade within our United internal trade within our United Kingdom, and with our closest neighbour, the Republic of Ireland, neighbour, the Republic of Ireland, benefits all of us. And the more we do that the better for my constituents and his. I will happily give way.

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give way. Thank you. I am proud to be the

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Thank you. I am proud to be the son of Tipperary man, part of a large Irish family that came over to large Irish family that came over to the UK in the 1950s. Some of the villas that were bombed in the war, and helping to rebuild Britain. and helping to rebuild Britain. Adding to the conclusion he is talking about many Irish people working in the NHS. We also know the working in the NHS. We also know the pain and suffering of Irish people of Irish football.

My foremost experiences missing the 1994 World Cup efforts. I still haven't quite recovered from that. Would my honourable friend join me in wishing the Irish football team every success in the future? But also in commending an Irish and Celtic music band based in Bournemouth who are providing fantastic music and cultural events?

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He's wearing the England colours

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He's wearing the England colours are so happily sent wishes to the Irish football team so long as England send on the pitch. As we England send on the pitch. As we give thanks to those who made a contribution to our country, it is contribution to our country, it is only right that we acknowledge John Paddy Hemingway, a pilot in the Battle of Britain who passed away at Battle of Britain who passed away at age 105. He was a volunteer joined the RAF and was involved in the Battle of Britain, not because of Battle of Britain, not because of where he was from but because of the ties that bind us together.

Whether they be geographical, cultural, or historic. Those values are now shared and are more important than ever. Mr Hemingway was one of 36 Irish private who fought in the Battle of Britain including Wing Commander Paddy from Lucan who was one of the most successful fighters in the war. They are a reminder that Britain did not stand alone against fascism as it rose on the European continent. Despite our often completed shared history, it is a shared history nonetheless was not one that has seen the fates of all people who live across these islands whether it be the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or in the Republic of Ireland bounced together time and time again.

It would not be right to ignore the history of these islands in a debate such as this. Nobody wants to focus on the past, we must be honest that the war, death, division played a significant role in restoring British Irish relations. How lucky are we that times have changed? Northern Ireland all of its political imperfections, we must follow people's jurisdictions but it now has devolved government that is functional. It has access to the UK Internal Market and access to the European Union, and I want to acknowledge the very strong women from both Unionist and nationalist traditions who have politically shown leadership.

I think of the member for South Belfast, Baroness Ritchie, Lady Hayman formally of this parish and alongside the former First Minister Baroness Foster. My mother-in-law as she is watching would be clear that you should never mess with that woman from anywhere on the island of Ireland. Political relations between Ireland and the UK have never been stronger. It was evident in Dublin earlier this week when the Select Committee met a range of stakeholders from the former president and her husband, the former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, and it was clear that ties between Dublin and London are better and stronger.

The Prime Minister deserves much praise for his commitment to the British Irish relationship. Including hosting the first St Patrick's Day representation in Downing Street last week. I want to acknowledge the British ambassador in Dublin and his wife, Nicola. Paul will be returning home later this year's posting comes to an end and it is only fitting to acknowledge his service to our national interest. Today's debate is not about the constitution or just to discuss party critical situation in Northern Ireland.

But we can't forget one of the greatest little to elements in a shared history the Good Friday Agreement. The peace deal and like no other, it remains the gold standard in diplomacy one of the most significant peace processes in Modern European History. After those terrible decades of tragedy and conflict we now have peace on these islands. All sides came together, they compromised, they negotiated. And there lies a lesson for all of us. As the prime minister said on his first visit to Dublin since the election, the relations between our two countries have never reached its full potential and it is time to unlock it.

This new era of cooperation and friendship, that is all the more critical is time that we stand together with our closest allies who share our values. I would like to go back to Mr Hemingway. And quote him on what he feels is the secret to achieving a long life, a secret that members of this house may enjoy full stop he said, " I can't say don't fly aeroplanes, I can't say don't shoot and get shot at. I have done everything and I am an Irishman.

The only advice I can give is to be Irish. " In this case is that we can apply Northern Irish British and everything in between. Since my election as the MP I have made clear my personal affection for the Royal family and particularly her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. On her first historic visit to Ireland in a state banquet in Dublin she began her speech with the words, " President and friends, " the British head of state speaking words in Irish showed how times have changed she went on to say, " Many Jewish families and many Irish families have close family and united kingdom.

They visited each other and have come home to each other over the years. They are the ordinary people, yearn for peace and understanding we have between our nations. And between communities within those two nations, their living testament to how much we have in common. These ties of family friendship and affection are our most precious resource. They are the lifeblood of the partnership across these islands, a golden thread that runs through all our joint successes so far and all we will go on to achieve.

For all the challenges that are made, for all that we have yet to do, family friendship and affection as her late Majesty put it will see us through. Happy St Patrick's Day and here is to Northern Ireland and to the bonds of friendship between the Republic of Ireland and our United Kingdom.

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The question is as on the Order Paper. Seamus Logan.

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Thank you Madame Deputy Speaker. I would like to thank the member for I would like to thank the member for Newcastle-under-Lyme for securing this debate. I feel I must check his register of interests to see if he register of interests to see if he is on the board of Irish tourism or Northern Ireland tourism. A marvellous tour we have so many wonderful places in Ireland. And I want to identify with all of the
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Seamus Logan Portrait Seamus Logan MP (Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, Scottish National Party)
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want to identify with all of the sentiments that he expressed. I do apologise for missing the start of his speech. I think he was referring to Michael from the Irish embassy, so I want to endorse his remarks and to pay tribute to all the embassy staff here in London. I rise as a proud Irishman to speak in this debate about the life and legacy of Saint Patrick. But a number people from the so-called dark ages who might have contributed to the legacy.

There is no doubt that there were Irish monks and missionaries who throughout the period kept Christianity alive. They spread the good news and talked so much to so many through the early versions of what we now call universities. The efforts of Saint Patrick's disciples, half full to this day. Some had such an influence in Scotland, and another local church celebrates. You will have heard of the book of Kells but maybe not the book of Deer. 100 copies of the Gospels written earlier but it is now in the Cayman University library.

It was written in the north-east of Scotland in a local village. I was raised within sight of the slopes, where according to its own account, Patrick spent some six years as a shepherd. He was kidnapped by Irish pirates. They allegedly came from a Scottish kingdom ruled by the MacDonald clan. There is much uncertainty about where Patrick was born. FORSEA Roman? Was he Welsh? Who knows and it doesn't matter. Patrick apparently escaped back home and years later the people of Ireland would calling him to return.

There are many stories about his life in Ireland. One is always appeals as Harry broke the law by lighting a pyre on the slopes of the hills. An privileged reserve at the time, as a fire in that spot could literally be seen for many miles across Ireland. So impressed was the king by Saint Patrick that he allegedly converted on the spot. He is credited with teaching Christianity to the Irish people using Shamrock, and fasting for many days. And earning the right to judge them at the end of time on the day of judgement.

I have the member from Newcastle-under-Lyme may well have secured his future there. His legacy requires little acknowledgement from me other than to credit the many other honourable members who have spoken so eloquently today in this debate. I provision is to briefly recall some personal St Patrick's Day memories from the past 67 years. It was a was a day on which one was released from the usual pledges, service children we had chocolate. Later it became a day on which we would make the pilgrimage to Dublin, not necessarily for the St Patrick's Day parade but for the all Ireland club championships in football which were played at Croke Park.

I'm pleased that my own team contested that final no less than five occasions. An amazing feat for a small village. On other occasions I attended the schools Rugby cup final tradition still carried on to this day. For me it is a matter. There are many other memorable moments on this day but a very special one is sitting in a bar in Bariloche in Argentina, listening to a performance by daughter at the Irish Centre in Camden, London, several thousand miles away.

In conclusion I say to honourable members, let us recognise and celebrate the life, the legend, the legacy of this man, or men, that recall Saint Patrick. Not least because it means so much to the more than half a million people who said they were Irish and living on this island.

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Thank you Madame Deputy Speaker.
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Rachel Hopkins Portrait Rachel Hopkins MP (Luton South and South Bedfordshire, Labour)
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Thank you Madame Deputy Speaker. I congratulate my honourable friend for securing this important debate for securing this important debate today. If I may say two new colleagues, this is always a good debate and I have to say I really enjoyed the one we had last year in celebrating St Patrick's Day and wider Irish diaspora. As a member of Parliament, I am always pleased to recognise and celebrate the strong and proud Irish community in my constituency. Luton is a diverse and vibrant town made up of individuals with global talent from around the world and the Irish connection many old is an intrinsic part of that fabric.

From supporting the economic growth of our town, working in Luton's many factoring industry and building homes churches and schools, to the conservation to arts and culture, the Irish diaspora in Luton has concluded an immense amount and continues to do so today. The post- World War II boom created a huge period of regeneration and building in the UK. Irish immigrants came in their thousands to work on motorway construction and manufacturing jobs. Luton was no exception to the trend and from 1951 until 1961, the Irish population in Luton more than tripled from 2000 up to 7000.

This was primarily due to increased economic opportunity in the town. With Vauxhall Motors expanded in the 1950s creating thousands more jobs. At one stage becoming the single largest employer in the town and employing 22,000 people across Luton and Dunstable by the 1960s. If I may take the opportunity to thank all workers at Vauxhall in Luton, as the final vehicles come of production this week due to the SA closure of There were further job opportunities at Electrolux, and a ball bearing manufacturer, and the Irish population are a core part of our workforce and play a key role in workplace trade unions and I paid tribute to the local representatives in my constituency of Irish descent to continue to advocate for fair pay and working conditions today.

There were also employment opportunities for Irish women and with the creation of the NHS in 1948, many women came to Luton to work at the women came to Luton to work at the hospital. Indeed, the recently released Irish Times bestseller, Irish nurses in the NHS and oral history features the story of three women from the local Irish industry who came to the UK to be nurses, and radiographer who worked at the L&D hospital for over 50 years. I was pleased to attend the launch of the book in February and celebrate the contributions to the town and the wider healthcare system.

As the wider healthcare system. As the Irish community group, so did the social scene, and in my constituency, building the Holy Ghost sent Margaret to name just some of them in our town highlighted the Irish community's desire to contribute something lasting to Luton. And the building of the associated primary schools followed, providing education from 5 to 18 including the high school in my other friends constituency of Luton North. That opened in 1968 and prides itself on being a school of the community dealt by the We talk about the influence of organisations, I can't forget the rightful role played by the forum, a charity promoting Irish identity and heritage.

They also provide a range of support and well-being services to improve the quality-of-life. This includes welfare support, debt advice, housing, mother entitling groups and Irish dance and music groups and Irish dance and music clubs. In November, they held their first branch, bringing together current and long-standing businesses and other local connections to highlight the opportunities with businesses within the Luton Irish forum and its extended network, and as our Labour government plate pays for growth, networks such as these played a vital role on a local level and I look forward to hearing the economy thrive in years to come.

The forum played a key role in Luton's annual and hugely impressive St Patrick's Day festival and I was delighted and enjoyed myself thoroughly when I joined the 26th annual celebration this month, and it was an amazing parade with flags from every county on display, and in Luton style, the parade was also led by a Bhangra mash up with Irish music and dancing and it was a beautiful representation of everything Luton is about, coming together to celebrate everybody's cultures.

And of course, we can't forget soap Bridget, the patron saint of Ireland, and in Luton, we celebrate her annual as well with the forum holding an afternoon tea and celebrating the Irish women in our community, and this year, the theme was wedding traditions which includes the role of the matchmaker, the Claddagh ring, and the bride's handkerchief being kept for her first child's christening bonnet. So, I would like to end as I began, thanking our community for the enormous contribution to our local economy, and their important work to enrich our community, ensuring that connection in Luton remains strong from generation to generation.

And the connections between Luton and Ireland continue, and while it may well have been the ferry before, nowadays it is London Luton airport which provides the main transport link which allows the enduring connection to remain strong so that tying our first, second, third, and even fourth-generation Irish lead Tony and to Dublin, Cork, Kerry, and Belfast to name a few. And allowing those family ties and cultural influences to transcend the distance, and our town is all the

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better for it. May I say it is a pleasure to

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May I say it is a pleasure to follow the honourable lady for Luton South and South Derbyshire, Surrey, South and South Derbyshire, Surrey, Bedfordshire, who has so eloquently spoken with passion about the spoken with passion about the contribution of the Irish dye aspera and particularly her community in and particularly her community in Luton South in south Bedford. A lot Luton South in south Bedford. A lot of South today, we're talking about the south of Ireland today and their contribution to the success of our only country, the UK.

It is like to take part in this bench today, and I thank the member for Newcastle- under-Lyme for proposing a St Patrick's Day debate and talk about Northern Irish affairs, and I would like to commend the years of support he has given to Irish relations. I remember when he was the mayor of Haringey and I remember St Patrick's Day and we flew the Irish flag for St Patrick's Day and celebrated that important occasion in the London Borough, and I thank him for that.

If I can say that the celebration of St Patrick's Day is a great feast day of the year, and that is the time when we must all come together as one great British family to celebrate Saint Patrick who is the patron saint of the island of Ireland who are shared by both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, a very important distinguished to make. As my cufflink shows with the cross of Saint Patrick that I am wearing today, St Patrick is also very much
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Andrew Rosindell Portrait Andrew Rosindell MP (Romford, Conservative)
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the patron St of Northern Ireland as well, and I am also pleased to say that St Patrick's Day is also my that St Patrick's Day is also my birthday. I was very pleased to be born on 17 March, so it is a very special day for me, and I have family connections with Ireland. family connections with Ireland. They run deep on my mothers side, my great-grandparents were Dempsey's great-grandparents were Dempsey's and O'Leary's, although I am very English, but I am proud of my Irish English, but I am proud of my Irish ancestry.

As many of our Ulster members will know, St Patrick was a great saint whom we should aim to emulate fundamentally. This day reminds us of a figure who championed the Christian faith, a steadfast believer who came from the mainland to Ireland in order to cure the souls of natives. His mission, he was a man of solemn sincerity, keeping his promise to God to convert the non-believers. He was also clearly a man of great forgiveness and reconciliation as earlier in his life, he had been enslaved by the Irish, and subsequently, he came with the mission to save their souls for eternity.

From the life lessons of St Patrick's sainthood, I believe we can clearly learn a great deal yet there are many things we could in this country do as a can he to mark this very important day with gravitas, the gravitas I believe Saint Patrick's Day deserves. So I would strongly submit that Saint Patrick's Day should be a national bank holiday alongside all the other feast days of our kingdoms patron saints. St Davids Day and St Andrews Day.

Not only with this firmly in line with the position of Anglicanism of the religion but would reinforce the importance of all four corners of our nation. So too with the resurrection of the order of St Patrick which has shamefully been allowed to fall into abeyance for many decades, but I believe remains sovereign order of the United Kingdom, and I hope the Minister will take that back as a consideration for something to be restored. What a wonderful idea that would be if the Royal order of St Patrick could be restored and there are many people worthy of that order should his now decide to restore that order for use within the United Kingdom, and perhaps a wider family of Irish people who have contributed to relations between our two nations.

So I encourage the Minister to give serious consideration to that. The recognition we afford today is not only about dressing in green, donning shamrocks and drinking Guinness. It is about how we value the native people of these islands, their heritage, traditions and culture which must be reflected in all our great British traditions under one caring and one flag. Indeed, it is my view that the Irish Ulster Scots and Anglo Irish are all very much part of our family within our great British Isles.

All the people of these islands are deeply intertwined in every area of life, from blood and history to literature and music, and of course sport. We are fundamentally inseparable, and we should aim not only to embrace our historical connection but enhancing it now and into the future. To this aim, I was immensely proud to chair the Parliamentary assembly for the 2016 to 2022, and followed by my honourable friend and we have worked on that for many years.

But I am pleased to have recently been appointed that the role of the British Irish Parliamentary assembly is fundamental to advancing our shared prosperity economically, culturally and politically, and I will continue to work with colleagues from all legislatures without the Parliamentary assembly area to strengthen bonds between the inseparable nations and of course, the territories of the British the territories of the British Isles. Today, I believe that we must focus more on bringing the four home nations of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland together and reversing the constitutional backsliding that I believe has occurred with the British internal markets, so I have great sympathy with the honourable member for Northampton on this area of policy.

Despite this, the inseparable at a of the mainland and Northern Ireland remains clear in so many facets of national life, blood, culture, and King, but to name only a few. And so, I commend his man the king and queen for their outstandingly successful visit to Ulster recently and praise the good people of Northern Ireland for providing such a heartening welcome and a demonstration of local pride, and I'm sure their majesties will treasure their memories for years to come.

The Crown has also received a wonderful reception in the Republic of Ireland in recent years with her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is most notably visiting Dublin for the state visit in 2011. And speaking Irish to the assembled dignitaries. This was not only a characteristic example of her late Majesty's exemplary good humour and reconciliation nature, but also, the warmth and goodwill between all of our people. The Republic of Ireland are our friends, but we can be much closer, fully realising that we are one family that share a unique group of islands in all spheres of national operation.

Indeed, Ireland could do much more work themselves alongside her British brother and her loyal northern neighbour in recognising that shared heritage, and advancing shared values and goals on the global stage. Ireland would do well to emulate countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. I hope that one day perhaps soon that people of the Republic of Ireland might choose to take their rightful place in the family of the Commonwealth of Nations, taking our deep neighbourly relations to the next level to the benefit of both partners and I believe having a bounteous benefit to global May I also take this opportunity to send greetings to the people in the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat who also celebrate St Patrick's Day.

Saint Patrick is also their patron saint and they have wonderful celebrations on 17 March. Finally, may I say that in my own constituency of Romford, there are many people with heritage connected to the island of Ireland. There are in fact several Roman Catholic churches and community groups in my constituency. And throughout the London Borough of Havering, which continue to cherish and celebrate the history and family connections with Ireland, and celebrate the feast of Saint Patrick's Day as a marker of this proud heritage.

Although I have much sympathy with, and support for, the Anglican Church of Ireland for which I have huge respect, as the Irish member, as the Irishman of the Anglican Communion, it is only right that I acknowledge the wonderful Irish Catholic community in my constituency. I would like to pay special tribute to St Peter's Roman Catholic primary school in Dorset Avenue Romford. And the headmistress this is Jenny Waterfield who I have known for over 20 years. I pay tribute to her for the leadership of this wonderful school in my constituency, and wish her well for what I believe will be her impending retirement later this year.

I would also like to give special note of thanks to the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Edward the Confessor, and especially to Father Dominic Howarth, who has led his parish from strength to strength, most notably with their splendid architectural improvements providing a beautiful space for Welsh worship for the whole of our local community in Romford. In the Romford constituency, we also have the wonderful St Patrick's Roman Catholic primary school, and the church of Corpus Christi, along with the catholic Club.

All of whom serve the amenity in the whole of the North Romford area of my constituency. Saint Patrick's school welcome to be one year for my birthday on 17 March. I was actually thrilled to take part in the St Patrick's Day celebrations. Enter here the children sing Irish songs and watch them take part in traditional Irish tap dancing. In Hornchurch, which is also partly within my constituency, our communities served by St Marys Roman Catholic school, and St Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Hornchurch Road.

I'm always delighted to visit their annual Christmas fair and other celebrations throughout the year. I cannot also forget our Irish club in Hornchurch Road, the Ionian Club, which is was at the heart of social gatherings and a truly welcoming place for members of the whole community. Although I have already mentioned the Anglican Church of Ireland, of which I am a great supporter, it would be remiss not to further underline the great contribution of the Anglo-Irish and Scots in Romford, of whom there are many.

Originally like Saint Patrick they came from mainland Ireland and now they have come home. They remain my steadfast supporters, and are some of my most loyal, some of the most loyal people in the kingdom. Although I have to admit there is limited orange tradition within my constituency, although I'm wearing an orange tie today by no coincidence. I often frequent the popular Orange Establishment, the Orange Tree Public house. To conclude, we must do more to mark Saint Patrick's Day on the mainland, and encourage invigorated nations between all in these British Isles.

Such deeply rooted blood ties between our islands and all that it entails, culturally, politically, we must not let our relations dwindle but rather raise them to new heights. Standing shoulder to shoulder like never before, to greet shared opportunities and challenges alike. A very happy belated Saint

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Patrick's Day to one and all. Dawn Butler.

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Dawn Butler. Thank you Madame Deputy Speaker. I would like to congratulate my honourable friend from Newcastle- under-Lyme for securing this very under-Lyme for securing this very important debate. I am proud to be one of the signatories to this one of the signatories to this debate. Brent East is I think I have the largest Irish constituency in the largest Irish constituency in the whole of the UK so I am very proud of that. Every year I do ensure that I go and have a Guinness no matter where I am.

I don't particularly like Guinness to be honest. Once when I was in Ireland, I asked for blackcurrant in my Guinness and they wanted to throw me out of the pub, it was like a cardinal sin. I learnt my lesson there. I also found out that a castle, I own a little part of that from my family so I hope if anyone is watching in this debate and they
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Dawn Butler Portrait Dawn Butler MP (Brent East, Labour)
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want me to claim part of Kilkenny Castle I will happily come along and Castle I will happily come along and do that. When my father and my mother, when they came to this country, they talked about the country, they talked about the coldness when they arrived. They were not just talking about the were not just talking about the weather. They were talking about some of what they encountered when they went to try and rent property, they went to try and rent property, and signs that said, " No blacks, no Irish, no dogs.

" It was in the face of that kind of injustice that my parents formed very strong links with Irish friends. They were all faced with the same kind of discrimination. And from that, relationships grew. I think that is why, especially in Brent, because I have a large West Indian community too, West Indian community and the Irish community are very very close. They share a love of fairness, they share a love of music, and they share a love of laughter.

The thing is that this year's celebration in Brent was held at the Constant time Centre. The member mentioned Montserrat, it was also celebrated with the Montserrat high commission. It was a celebration that is probably still going on to be honest. They were having such a good time. It does show you that unity is strength, and when we are the majority, and those people that seek to divide us with whatever metric they care to use, then they cannot win.

It is important that we stand together. The Irish concentration in my constituency's around Cricklewood, Kilburn, and Wembley, and we have heard today from other members in the house that lots of the women came in and they worked in the hospitals, they worked on the buses, and they worked in clearing roles. There was no difference to constituency like mine in Brent. And the men, a lot of them worked in the construction industry. In Brent we construction industry. In Brent we have one of the largest merchants, M MP Morgans, they're one of the largest in the world.

And it is a very successful business of which I'm very proud. We have also got other Irish people in Brent that make us very proud. Connor Maloney, who was at the celebration, he was the first Irish mare. We had a good time with him as mayor. He was the only mayor I found it hard to keep up with. We have Mike McGinn, he is that rent Irish advisory director. We have the Irish World Newspaper which is based on my constituency of Brent.

It has been there for many years. We lost a wonderful dismiss man, Tony McGovern, he died last year. And we had a nice visit last year from Ireland former FEMA president, Mary Robinson. Brent is literally the place to be. Our next mayor will be one of our youngest mayors, who is also proud and Irish. Some of my best memories especially in the trade union movement is singing Irish songs that last forever and ever.

Four hours. It is one of the most useful things singing an Irish folk song into the early hours of the morning. One of my mentors, Mary Turner, was an Irish dinner lady in the GMB. And she spent her whole life talking about free school meals and making sure that children do not go hungry in schools. I know that she will be looking down on us and being very proud the Labour government has been able to support and deliver that as well as the Mayor of London.

I just wanted to wish everybody that's admitted today very happy belated Saint Patrick's Day. And for us to all recognise the history of our commonality and what makes us human. And ensure that we continue to be

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united as a society. The chamber seems empty without the member for Stratford. I call the next best.

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next best. Thank you Madame Deputy Speaker.

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Thank you Madame Deputy Speaker. D&I am surprised since this is a debate not just about St Patrick's Day but about Northern Ireland Day but about Northern Ireland Affairs. That I am the only member Affairs. That I am the only member from Northern Ireland in the house from Northern Ireland in the house to participate in this debate. I think that is a poor situation.

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Thank you. I gently put to the

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Thank you. I gently put to the member two things, one member from Aberdeenshire is from Northern Ireland so we ought to correct the words slightly recesses anyone from Northern Ireland for top and a Northern Ireland for top and a number of colleagues have sent apologies, they have had to go home to attend to constituents. But I

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want to put on record that they did. The member is at Westminster

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Hall, he has double booked himself. The member for Strangford is in residence in his second home. I am though the only member representing a Northern Ireland constituency, if that satisfies the honourable member. Of course St Patrick is a very important figure historically. No doubt over the generations he has No doubt over the generations he has
14:13
Jim Allister Portrait Jim Allister KC MP (North Antrim, Traditional Unionist Voice)
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been even more green than he ever was, but I do find it a bit rich in was, but I do find it a bit rich in Ireland that being a Brit that Saint Patrick is celebrated with the Patrick is celebrated with the enthusiasm by the Irish that he achieves. I think it is important in talking about St Patrick to recognise and remember that his recognise and remember that his primary contribution was in terms of primary contribution was in terms of bringing the Christian message.

A message that fallen man needs reconciliation with God, and that can come only through the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ. That was his essential message. To Ireland and elsewhere. It is also right of course that there are many intertwining relationships between the various parts of Ireland and the various parts of Great Britain. One can think of some of the standout indications of that. Not least in the currency of the Second World War.

When the ports of Northern Ireland were so vital to the battle to defending our freedoms. And indeed Northern Ireland welcomed the first American soldiers. To be encamped, and it ran into many thousands. And that the same time, sadly, the Republic of Ireland held to a strategy of noninvolvement and of neutrality. And I think therefore it is was right remember that in Great Britain's greatest hour of need, the United Kingdom's greatest hour of need, it was in fact the people and country of Northern Ireland that came swiftest to their Ireland that came swiftest to their The government formally and quite shockingly expressed regrets at the death of Hitler.

It was from within Northern Ireland that the contribution was made that the then Prime Minister Winston Churchill so generously recognised. But of course, relationships are multifaceted. And it is easy to be cosy and sentimental about those relationships, and there are a place for them. But I do have to say to this house that there is also a dark side to the relationship because with the initiation and the conduct and the carrying forward of the brutal terrorist campaign of the 1970s, 80s and 90s, the undoubted 1970s, 80s and 90s, the undoubted source for much of that was the aid given from the Republic of Ireland.

The historical records show that the provisional IRA was first armed by those associated with government in the Irish Republic. And those are factors that I represent constituents who lost family members that we cannot easily forget. We forget about cooperation and cooperation is good, but it is also a solitary fact that at the peak of those terrorist campaigns we did not have the cooperation we needed. In 1969 and 1981, there were 81 extra applications and terrace deeds committed in Northern Ireland.

81 applications to the Dublin applications to the Dublin authority. Only one was granted. The truth was that many of the terrorist attacks were carried out from the Irish Republic. Some of the most infamous. Out of the greatest loss infamous. Out of the greatest loss of military life. The bomb that killed all those other Regiment soldiers was triggered from the Irish Republic. And that was but a reflection of what happened time and time again, and yet when cooperation time again, and yet when cooperation was sought, it might have been nice words but there was very little action as indicated in the matter of extradition.

So I think we do have to inject into the relationship with reflections upon some of the cold realities that cost lives of British citizens in Northern Ireland, and I think that is something which cannot be written out of our history. And indeed, debating Northern Ireland affairs, it is surely impossible, if we are to do it properly, to ignore the incredible constitutional situation that Northern Ireland is situation that Northern Ireland is now in.

Namely that though I stand in what is called the sovereign Parliament of the United Kingdom, there are 300 areas of law pertaining to Northern Ireland where neither this Parliament nor the devolved parliament can make a loss because those powers have been surrendered to a foreign Parliament that is the European Parliament covering much of our economy. And in pursuit of that, we now have the obscenity of an Irish sea border, shortly to be reinforced with even shortly to be reinforced with even the insult of a border of a telecare without registering it through the process of the border.

That businesses in my constituency, small engineering businesses or crafting businesses that depend upon their businesses that depend upon their supplies to come by parcels of suppliers, that they will now be subject to the demands of the foreign border, that those who send them must be a member at cost of the trusted traders game. They must make a customs declaration. They must record what is moving, where it came record what is moving, where it came from, where it is going.

And yet this is said to be a United Kingdom. It is a United Kingdom petitioned by a border in the Irish Sea, and the point I am coming to is that much of that is at the behest of the authorities in the Irish Republic. It was the shock of the Irish Republic that pushed and cajoled and forced the EU into their irrational demands. The EU at the beginning of protocol initiations was part of the idea of mutual enforcement to control the movement of good who insisted, he saw the opportunity of petitioning the United Kingdom, who insisted on the border being pushed where they could never put it in their 30 years, insisted on it being pushed in the Irish Sea as the Dublin government made those irrational demands and refugee to the very thing that made it unnecessary with mutual enforcement, so yes, lots of Aussie sentiment about how the UK have relations, and in many areas, they are having a reality to the detriment of Northern Ireland.

I may be getting on a bit Ireland. I may be getting on a bit now but I don't recall some of the accusations that he is making about the role of the Irish government and what I wanted to ask him to clarify about the record, is it not the case that many Unionist elected representatives, some in this chamber, there are voters and supporters to vote, do they not?

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They did. That is the fundamental. The question on the paper was you want the United paper was you want the United Kingdom. It was not do you want GB Kingdom. It was not do you want GB to leave, but that is what we got. to leave, but that is what we got. That is what we were left in the single market in the custom code. Custom goods must come through the EU border. That is what the last government left us, and that is what this government seems reluctant, this government seems reluctant, even though it is not.

That seems what they are unprepared to do anything about, so yes, let's celebrate the International relations that you would expect between neighbours, but let's not get so bleary eyed that we do not recognise the realities of the history, and the legacy of the history, and speaking of legacy, we talk about the wonderful relationship from the Irish Republic. Who is taking the United Kingdom to the European to human rights? So, I think that in any relationship, you look for a two-way cooperation.

And you certainly don't look for trying to exploit a look for trying to exploit a situation to achieve an assembly for part of your neighbouring country, and that sadly is what has happened in respect of the Brexit negotiations.

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Thank you. Can I begin by congratulating my honourable friend, congratulating my honourable friend, the member for Newcastle-under-Lyme. This debate and all his efforts in championing for Northern Ireland for championing for Northern Ireland for many years. Happy St Patrick's Day. many years. Happy St Patrick's Day. I want to put on record that it is I want to put on record that it is no longer a day but the season. It starts somewhere in early March, around the time of my birthday and carries on for a full month, and I think today's debate marks the end of it.

I have green fatigue at this stage of the month where I don't want to see any more paraphernalia
14:28
Liam Conlon Portrait Liam Conlon MP (Beckenham and Penge, Labour)
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for quite a while. And it has once again been a fantastic season again been a fantastic season showing the best of the community in Britain and I would like to point to my registry of interest as well. I my registry of interest as well. I am chair of the Irish society and have been for the past five years. have been for the past five years. We represent the community in Britain with strong relationships Britain with strong relationships between Ireland and Britain and Northern Ireland as well, and two Northern Ireland as well, and two years ago, I was very proud to have opened the cinematic arts at Ulster University.

One of many great figures from our party who contributed to that peace agreement which is in the DNA of the Labour Party as well. I'm very proud of that. I know lots of people like Guinness, and Jamieson is also available to people, but it is to toe crisps where we have been educating people about Ireland and There are differences, but in my Maiden speech in this place, I am proud to be London Irish. It is the community I grew up in and the community I want to pay tribute to today.

I'm also proud to represent Beckenham henge, the only place in London with a gay lick place name which means edge of the woods, and we have a fantastic Irish community here. All four of my grandparents are from Ireland. My granny would be very proud I wonder what she would have done. I know she would have gone to the 9 AM mass and then the 10:30 AM mass to make sure that everyone you that her grandson was an MP.

A couple of years ago at the London Irish centre, there was an exhibition curated by the national gallery of Britain with the story of the generations. The London Irish has done as much to build this great city. Irish Navid Doug the underground and construction workers rebuilt our city after the war. Today we have a fantastic industry in London with so many Irish people involved, and we have the founder of the construction network including Sean Daly to watch the debate today.

And as has been touched upon, thousands of young Irish women came to staff our hospitals the birth of the NHS in this country, both women, the angels of mercy, were often overlooked but essential to the NHS, and as someone who spent a lot of time in NHS hospitals as a teenager, especially the Royal London Hospital and the national free hospital, we would offer encounter an Irish nurse and before I could get treated, they had to establish how they knew each other so it will begin with what county are you from, what town, do you know so-and-so, and then you are you know so-and-so, and then you are The Irish in Britain have maintained a relationship with the NHS ever since.

I'm proud that there are more Irish staff in the NHS today than from any other European country. Even if we think more recently to a global health emergency, we think of COVID, there was an Irish woman at Oxford University who codeveloped the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. And it was Margaret Keenan, an Irish woman living in Coventry and a former NHS nurse who became the first person in the world to have the vaccine. So the Irish connection to the NHS is very deep and strong, something that our community is very proud of.

The exhibition also charted the history of how the Irish unity were received here. As has been touched on, that was not always easy. Alongside the windrush generation, and the West Indian community, it is important to remember there is solidarity between those communities, but they were together often treated with suspicion. And subjected to discrimination including signs which read " No blacks, no dogs, no Irish. " London Irish community and the community today is a community transform. It is confident in the contributions it makes to every aspect of life in Britain.

Economic, political, social, cultural. The Irish committee helped to make our country great places to live. I also want to extend that beyond London to the Home Counties as well. My honourable friend the member for Reading Central is here today. He has long been a champion of Irish contribution to Reading football club and to the Reading Irish Centre which does incredible work to support the Irish community in Redding. As well as celebrating the contributions of the Irish people in Britain, I want to talk about the campaign I started in recent weeks which is to secure justice for 13,000 survivors of Ireland's Mother and Baby Homes, living in Britain.

We need to remember the reason why a lot of people left Ireland and decided to come to Britain. The summit was work, for some to be with friends and family but in the case of thousands of women who were sent to these homes for the sin of becoming agate outside of marriage, was to escape these institutions and to escape the stigma that often came with having been in one. There are more than 13,000 survivors living in more than 13,000 survivors living in Britain today, both women and children who were born to them.

They were subjected to some of the most horrific mistreatment and abuse. Women will be used as unpaid labour, their children were often forcibly adopted. I have named this law Philomene is Law after Philomena Lee who I felt put that story to a global audience in the film " Philomena" where she is portrayed by Dame Judi Dench. We had an evening two nights ago where survivors came and told their stories. It was very powerful to hear from them the impact it was having on their many years later.

And I hope the government will listen to proposals we are putting forward because, at the moment, if they accept the compensation payment they have been awarded from the Irish Government, but they are in receipt of means tested benefits, they will lose that compensation. In hearing from survivors this week, it has become an additional burden for many of these women now often in their 80s and 90s, some of them very vulnerable. Back to the Irish in Britain, I wanted to say that the pride of that second-generation Irish community of which I am one today, and the growth of Irish culture, right across Britain.

We see that in the growth of the Gaelic Athletic Association. This is not just people Irish heritage get involved were people from all communities and backgrounds who are participating in this. In language as well, the Irish language, people adopting Irish names. My cousin and his partner had a baby a couple of weeks ago and a little girl, and they have named her 'Fear' which is Irish for Wilde. I think this is very common now. People are proud of their heritage after several generations.

We see it in Irish music, Irish culture, for years where the Irish community were subjected to discrimination. You can turn the TV on on a Friday night and watched Graham Norton on BBC1 and Derry Girls on Channel 4. That is a representation of how far the Irish committee has come. Trade unions and the labour movement we see it, there was a period a year or two go and the general secretary of every single main trade union in this country was a first or second generation Irish.

And there is no more visible transmission of the confidence of the London Irish community than in the growth of the Mayor of London's St Patrick's Day celebrations. I was proud to take part in that without their Sadiq Khan this month when over 50,000 people joined that parade and participated. And London was awash. What makes the Irish community so special for me is that it is an inclusive and welcoming community. The entrance to the exhibition at the London Irish centre two years ago, there was a plaque that read " In the shelter of each other at the people live.

" It is something which sums up what makes a community in Britain so special and sums up neatly the Irish conservation to making our country a great place it is to live. Thank you again to my honourable friend for securing this debate and to everyone who has taken part.

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Front Benches and I come to the Liberal Democrat spokesperson. Thank you Madame Deputy Speaker. I would also like to thank other I would also like to thank other honourable members for thanking the Honourable member for Newcastle- under-Lyme for what has been a under-Lyme for what has been a lovely debate. I would like to start by saying this is my first time by saying this is my first time participating in this debate and I've been quite surprised how genuinely lovely it has been at the outpouring of love for the Irish outpouring of love for the Irish community both across these aisles and in the Republic of Ireland as well.

It has been lovely to hear. I well. It has been lovely to hear. I was slightly concerned that we would be able to get through the debate without mentioning anything about Irish music and so when the honourable member for Brent East started talking about Irish music, I was frankly relieved because music was such a big part of my growing up, and when I discovered Irish music I would set largely in a bar in France, over many late nights, when I was living there for a while, and it was Irish music that went on late, or should I say early, it was sometimes 3 AM when it finished.

The sound of the fiddle, the joyful music was really amazing, and I have kept up that love of Irish music. So I think Ireland in particular for giving us that. I was however slightly concerned, not just because of the lack of descriptive music, but because I was slightly concerned that this is a debate about Northern Irish affairs as well as thinking about St Patrick's Day and Guinness. But the honourable member spoke up
14:39
Marie Goldman Portrait Marie Goldman MP (Chelmsford, Liberal Democrat)
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and started saying that, something I and started saying that, something I wanted to say that, whilst there are some amazing things about Ireland and our relationship with Ireland, there are things that are not there are things that are not working as good as they could. I think in a debate about northern Irish affairs we should also be Irish affairs we should also be acknowledging that. In that spirit, acknowledging that. In that spirit, that wishing to take away some of the loveliness of this debate, I have a few things to say along those lines I hope honourable members will forgive me for that.

I think it is important to raise. I want to start by talking about something current which is something that happened earlier on this week. I want to pay tribute to the police and schools for their swift and professional response to a hoax that enforced, forced nine schools to close in Northern Ireland this week. Teachers, parents, and pupils who could faintly do without the disruption and the anxiety caused by such a hoax situation, and they have other things they really need to concentrate on, and the importance of education must never go amiss.

So I'm glad that things were able to return to normal quickly. Northern Ireland did not vote to leave the EU. 56% of its publishing wanted to stay. Yet the decisions taken by the Conservative government in its implementation have caused nothing but problems. Whether that be along the border, inside Stormont, or with trade. And whilst Northern Ireland enjoys access to United Kingdom and the EU to markets, the Conservatives botched Brexit deal has been a disaster for the economy hitting small businesses, farmers, and fishers badly.

While we welcome the agreement of the Windsor Framework, that deal is just a sticking plaster. It only exists to fix problems caused by the Conservative party. What is really needed something much more competitive and stronger. Northern Ireland, as for Scotland, Wales, and England, a close relationship with their European allies will bring nothing but positives, but the Labour government is failing to take a pragmatic approach in our opinion to the U.K.'s relationship with the EU. An easy step forward would be alignment on sanitary and standards and securing a veterinary agreement the Liberal Democrats are calling from as part of our plan to fix we believe is the U.K.'s broken relationship with Europe.

We are calling on the UK government to take the following two steps. Number one, use the provisions with the UK-EU agreement to enshrine a veterinary agreement and to enshrine alignment within domestic law. The EU has two written agreements in place will stop and with New Zealand and one in Switzerland for this is not particularly novel and not impossible to achieve. So it is difficult to understand what is holding the Labour government back in this regard. Fixing our relationship with Europe's most important way to boost our economy and provide funding to fix public services.

Yet Labour continues to rule out even simple steps like those outlined above. Or indeed Youth Mobility Scheme, which is not, as the Prime Minister has recently suggested, a return to free movement, a way to support our young people to develop the skills and expenses they need to help grow the UK economy as a whole. Ulster University's economic policy Centre has published a report which looks at what future skills employers will need and potential supply gaps. Northern Ireland needs more than 5000 additional workers each year in order to grow the economy.

The Youth Mobility Scheme between the UK and EU is the perfect way to fix this. These proposals will go a very long way to reducing the friction caused by the Brexit deal. In a world where the Labour government talks endlessly about the tough choices they need to take, Youth Mobility Scheme feels like an open goal. We just need Labour to lace up their just need Labour to lace up their boots and kick the ball into it. But we are also calling on the government to negotiate a new trade deal with the EU, with a new customs union at its heart.

This will tear down red tape and boost our economy. Boosting the economy of both Northern Ireland and the whole of the UK means more revenue to fix public services which desperately needed. Especially in the context of power-sharing only being restored just over a year ago following two is without a functioning executive cost-of-living crisis. Liberal Democrats roadmap priser part of the UK to rebuild its ties and trust with the European neighbours. Ultimately, the Democrats want to see the UK back at the heart of Europe once more.

Setting the agenda from within rather than battling the constraints from without. Turning now to the welfare cuts announced last week, it is hard to overstate how strongly opposed to these cuts we are on these benches. And importantly how concerned we are for what they mean practically for those impacted. Yes, we agree we have to bring the welfare bill down, and support more people into work. It is what is right for people and our economy. But the emphasis should be on supporting people into work.

We won't achieve that by slashing support for disabled people, some of whom will never be able to work while others need PIP precisely so they can continue to work. These cuts will have disproportionate impact on Northern Ireland, particularly on those still living with the legacy of the troubled including victims with catastrophic injuries and those suffering from trauma -related mental health issues. My honourable friend has been highly vocal on this issue in describing these cuts as cruel and cowardly. Highlighting that balancing the books should not come at the expense of the most vulnerable.

Limiting eligibility for these people does nothing to get more people into employment. Liberal Democrats have long said the best way to bring down benefit spending is to fix health and social care. And to fix it quickly. This involves investing in preventative health measures by properly fundamental help support especially for young people and reforming social care, surely this should be the priority. But the spanner in the works regarding healthcare reform in Northern Ireland remains political incivility. Since devolution began its most recent form 25 years ago, Stormont has been without a functioning government for almost 40% of the time.

Stormont has had prolonged collapses in 2000, from 2002 until 2007, from 2017 until 2020. And most recently the last couple of years. It is the people of Northern Ireland, the Ratima community there from bear the brunt malfunctioning government. This never-ending cycle prevents the transformative action necessary to get Northern Ireland's public services and finances in order. Similarly the cost of maintaining a divided society, estimated in 2016 to be at least £833 million annually stems from duplicating services additional policing and security These costs are a drain on the budget and can be better used to improve healthcare, ease the cost of living and investing services.

My friend held a debate earlier this year where she outlines the ways in which reforming these institutions will allow Northern Ireland to become more prosperous. Addressing the financial burden could unlock substantial funding public funding. We echo her calls for an updated assessment for division and for all parties to move to the cost of division. By doing so, we can make sure that money is spent rated needs most and deliver a more united and integrated community for everyone. Northern Ireland cannot afford to keep paying for divided system where essential services struggle.

In closing, I would like to underline that the Lib Dems are entirely committed to fairness, sustainability and a shared future for Northern Ireland. We called for real action on welfare support, movement back to neighbours and tackling political institutions to boost public spending. I will end by saying that on these benches, we have a positive vision for a more inclusive and forward-looking Northern Ireland, one which I hope all members of the house will share, regardless of their views of how to

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get there. It has been an enjoyable debate.

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It has been an enjoyable debate. I start off by paying tribute to the honourable member for Newcastle- under-Lyme. From our side, he is one under-Lyme. From our side, he is one of a new wave into this place, but of a new wave into this place, but he has marked himself out as being one to watch, and he produced a tour to force of a wide-ranging review of to force of a wide-ranging review of the ties between the nations of the the ties between the nations of the British Isles.

Then the member for Aberdeenshire North gave us more than I was able to find in my search in preparation for this debate, and then the honourable member for Luton South, a proud trade unionist herself, and linking the strong connection between people of Irish descent and the trade union movement so it has not all been good but some of it has been. And then my honourable friend the member for Romford calling with great force my submission for a bank holiday to celebrate St Patrick, and were the member for Newcastle-under-Lyme put forward a proposal to celebrate Saint Patrick and St George as bank holidays, I would be one of the 1st to support him.

He also mentioned the now-defunct order of St Patrick and his campaign to reinstate it. And made reference to the green of St Patrick which from my research on Wikipedia, I learned that actually, St Patrick's colour was blue and not green, and this has been a development in the most recent centuries, so we might have to do a bit of work on that one. Then moving on to the member from Brent East who celebrates or boasted of the largest Irish diaster of any UK constituency and highlighted the huge contribution that people of Irish descent have made the local economy and the community.

I will skip to the honourable member for Can-Am and Penge who spoke of the potato diaster at and celebrated the London Irish community and made an eloquent plea for support for his campaign. Then I returned to the honourable member for North Antrim who rightly described the contribution of Northern Ireland in this nations fight for freedom in the Second World War, but also went on to recognise some darker aspects of the relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and the East-West relationship, and I don't think he was wrong to do that because if we are to have a ritual relationship built on trust
14:51
Jerome Mayhew Portrait Jerome Mayhew MP (Broadland and Fakenham, Conservative)
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and respect, then we need to recognise each other's weaknesses as well as the sentimental together of well as the sentimental together of our shared history, so we should be our shared history, so we should be clear eyed. We should recognise failings in others as well as failings in others as well as failings in ourselves and our shared history, so whilst I don't agree with absolutely everything, there with absolutely everything, there are aspects where I think yes, we should be clear eyed in this.

That should be clear eyed in this. That takes me to think Patrick himself. His day in my family has forever been that of my father who was himself half Irish and it was a red letter day in the calendar. Wherever we were, we would ring up or get in touch to wish him a happy St Patrick's Day, but in preparation for this debate, I learned that St Patrick himself was in fact a Briton. What I didn't know was that he was captured by Irish pirates and taken forcefully as a slave to Ireland, whatever his experience, he can't of hated it too much because he voluntarily returned to bring Christianity to Ireland and to drive out the snakes, so it is an example of cross-border mixing and one that has gone both ways to our mutual benefit because they are now suggesting that there are more than 400,000 Irish born who live in the UK.

They are our closest neighbour by geography, by culture, by family connection and of course my friendship. And this leads to a historic interlinking of economies which can be developed further. As of 2023, some £78 billion of trade flow between our nations. The UK is the largest trading part now for the United Kingdom, but I cannot pretend that there are not continuing economic and political challenges between countries, so I do welcome between countries, so I do welcome the close political cooperation, east and west and north and south that we have the moment, and from a personal perspective, I recognise some of the comments that the honourable member for Antrim mentioned about the difficulties of dealing with the Irish state back in the 1980s because in those days, I well recall the general exposing frustration for applications being refused for typing errors and grammatical inconsistencies.

But that is what I wanted to add to his account. We had a summit on 6 March this year and it was noticeable that we make greatest progress when we produce peace and prosperity on this island. I am confident that today marks a new chapter in the British Irish relationship and that is what this is powerfully supporting, bringing together a focus in recognition of our shared history and future, and may St Patrick inspire us all to further friendship and cooperation across these British Isles.
14:54
Fleur Anderson Portrait Fleur Anderson MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office) (Putney, Labour)
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It is my pleasure to respond to this debate establishing that St Patrick's Day is indeed a season that goes on beyond the day of Saint Patrick's Day. I thank the Backbench Business Committee for recognising the importance of allocating time to debate Saint Patrick's Day and Northern Ireland affairs and congratulate the member for Ealing Southall and the honourable member for Newcastle-under-Lyme who was on the committee with a tort for speech, has relatives for Northern Ireland, and I thank them both for securing this debate.

Like them, and so many people from across the United Kingdom, I have routes on the island is to have my grandparents are from Northern Ireland and I'm married to a London Irishman. Not only that, I represent 2 1/2 thousand Irish born constituents and over 3000 passport holders in Putney. The link is in St Patrick's life as well. There is a stained glass window of St Patrick outside the chamber as he is the patron saint for Ireland and Northern Ireland, but he came from Wales or could have had Scottish MPs claiming that St Patrick came from Scotland as we did in the latest debate.

The good news that we bought to the island 1500 years ago is celebrated by so many people from all communities across the island around the world who are celebrating the contribution of people from Northern Ireland to their communities all around the world as well. I would like to thank the honourable members of this House who have spoken this afternoon and highlighted the contribution of people from the island of Ireland to so many constituencies and the work of many Irish centres as well.

Work of the Luton Irish Centre, Reading Irish centre, and the personal memories that people have of Saint Patrick's Day past, the order of Saint Patrick's Day, I will take that away, and the contribution by nurses. The book begins with a nurse coming from Ireland and going to Putney where she received a warm welcome and began her nursing career, the contribution that so many people from the island have 10 from hospitality and business. Like many honourable members, I attended many events across London and Belfast this month including the Anglo-Irish event, Parliament, and the debate organised by the honourable member last Tuesday.

I also attended the St Patrick's Day celebration in Trafalgar Square which saw thousands of people taking to the streets and whatever their background becoming Irish for a day. I would like to thank the mayor for putting this on. Meanwhile, the Secretary of State was championing Northern Ireland to Congress, as well as with the wider Irish America. Not only that, we are America. Not only that, we are taking this forward by the voluntary taking this forward by the voluntary sector, arts.

I have had the pleasure would be mixing business with pleasure because my appointment hasn't packed as much as possible into my trips I've clocked up 26 visits and over 140 engagements since July last year. And what I have seen on every visit is that this reinforces for me the sense that Northern Ireland is exciting and thriving, that through its small and businesses, its work class education, active community sector, thriving hospitality and tourism businesses, it is leading the way for the UK in so many ways.

Key to supporting businesses and communities in Northern Ireland is our relationship with the Irish government which the Secretary of State and I have prioritised. Ireland is our closest neighbour and our sixth largest trading partner. This commitment can be no more Kelly defined by the UK island summit which took place in Liverpool earlier this year. The first of its kind. Building on our coat guarantor trip, the summit establish new areas of cooperation on trade, security, climate and technology.

Which will benefit people across the island right up to 2030. And also started a new UK island youth forum. And I look forward to continuing engagement through other Good Friday Agreement forums including the British Irish conference, the council, and the Parliamentary assembly which has also been mentioned this afternoon. I can think of no better example of our family ties working to best effect on accommodation of shared UK and Irish efforts in 1998 with the signing of the Good Friday agreement.

In these times of conflict around the world, the success of the Good Friday Agreement remains a globally respected agreement of conflict resolution. Ceasefires can be negotiated, peace can be one and a route to maintaining that peace through politics can be found. Political courage and public support for that courage is essential. Although there remains more to be done, I am pleased to say that since the signing of the agreement, Northern Ireland has become and is becoming a And the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State and myself are committed to safeguarding political turbidity in Northern Ireland.

Many across the chamber know all too well the importance of having a stable devolved government in Northern Ireland. The 'Safeguarding the Union' Command Paper we are delivering on UK promises in respect of Northern Ireland, we are implement in the Windsor Framework and working towards an SPS veterinary agreement as raised by the member for Chelmsford. Most recently we have established Intertrade UK, and the East-West Council is meeting shortly. We digitised the Belfast newsletter and rolled out a new lot of training materials for civil servants to ensure they have a full understanding of the significance of the Good Friday Agreement and successor agreements.

Secretary of state and I will continue to deliver this work with all of the community. Transforming public services as a priority for our work with the Northern Ireland Executive. We have recently announced £129 million of public service transformation funding to be spent predominantly on health but also special educational needs and other projects. Sharing expertise, best practice success stories, it is that work beyond funding where we can work together as governments to ensure that the executive ceases all of the opportunities to transform public services.

Legacy is also a priority. It is a strongly felt issue which touches the lives of so many. UK government considers cooperation with the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government to be essential in finding an agreed way forward. Northern Ireland is a unique and very special place. The warmth of its people, the creativity of its youth, the prestige of its industry, the charm of its landscape, the potential of its economy knows no bounds. It is a privilege to be the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of state for Northern Ireland.

And this government and I will continue doing all we can to best improve the lives of each and every person who calls Northern Ireland home, from all over the country, thank you.

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I now come to Adam to wind up. Thank you Madame Deputy Speaker.

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Thank you Madame Deputy Speaker. I'm grateful to all colleagues who have taken part in this debate have taken part in this debate particularly members from Hammersmith, Stafford, Pembroke and Hammersmith, Stafford, Pembroke and other places. I'm grateful to the honourable Member for taking part, I'm sorry did not like my speech I I'm sorry did not like my speech I have been called " Fuzzy, bleary have been called " Fuzzy, bleary eyed postgrad but I have not been called warm as well take that.

He gave a speech in this period he tends to. I want to pay tribute to my friend from Aberdeenshire who gave a good speech with stories and I suspect there are others we will hear some other time. Your noble Lady from Luton, who showed herself to be that tenacious champion that we know that she is. The honourable we know that she is. The honourable member for Romford, to talking about blood being thicker than water. He made a case for the restoration of the order of Saint Patrick and auditioned to be its recipient.

My father shares a birthday with him at 17 March so we will be friends. The honourable Lady from Brent gave a very good speech, sharing the story of the Irish in her possible. She said that rent is where it is at. I don't think she has been to Newcastle-under-Lyme. I thank the Shadow Minister for his contribution. And for putting the target on my back was what a great way to get my colleagues to be my friends but thank you, and I pay tribute to his late father who was of course the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

I thank the Minister for her remarks and your lady from the Liberal Democrats who gave the contribution that we welcome. This has been an excellent debate and I look forward to all colleagues coming together in March 2026 for a similar one as we celebrate Northern Ireland and the relationship between our United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

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The question is as on the Order Paper. As many are of that opinion say, "Aye". And of the contrary, "No". The ayes have it. The ayes "No". The ayes have it. The ayes have it. I will give the Frontbench have it. I will give the Frontbench a moment to swap over as you move onto the next Backbench Business onto the next Backbench Business onto the next Backbench Business debate. We now come to the backbench debate on the 10th anniversary of

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debate on the 10th anniversary of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. I call Dame Karen Bradley to move. Thank you Madame Deputy Speaker.

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Thank you Madame Deputy Speaker.
15:06
None Portrait Backbench Business: General Debate on the tenth anniversary of the Modern Slavery Act 2015
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It is an honour to open this debate, I beg to move that this house is considered the 10th anniversary of
15:06
Karen Bradley Portrait Rt Hon Dame Karen Bradley MP (Staffordshire Moorlands, Conservative)
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the Modern Slavery Act 2015. I want to thank the Backbench Business Committee for granting this debate and for all those honourable and right honourable members and friends right honourable members and friends who supported the application. I also want to put on record my thanks also want to put on record my thanks and gratitude to the many parliamentarians and former parliamentarians who got us to the parliamentarians who got us to the point where we were able to have a Modern Slavery Act 2015. First and foremost noble Baroness May, without foremost noble Baroness May, without his leadership we simply would not have achieved what we did.

She did have achieved what we did. She did this on the back of support from so many parliamentarians that had gone before her. Starting of course with Anthony Steen, as a special adviser, and the driving force behind the human trafficking foundation has been ever an omnipresent in this field. He was very ably supported by Peter Bone who set up the first all party policy group for modern slavery which I'm proud to co-chair together with the noble Baroness Butler-Sloss a true legend in this area.

We also pay tribute to Frank Field who was a wonderful advocate for this. And who I worked with so incredibly closely both as a minister and then when I came to the backbenches again. He was somebody who led in fat pulmonary efforts because it was the first chair of the speaker's advisory committee on Modern Slavery Act and how we implemented here in Parliament. In addition, can I pay tribute to noble Lord Randall who supported Anthony Steele and others are now chairs the human trafficking foundation.

An Maria Miller who worked on the review of the Modern Slavery Act along with Baroness Butler-Sloss and Frank Field. The Lord Coaker who chaired the Select Committee before me, and my right honourable friend from Chigwell who was also through the social justice work and advocate for this work. The final person I want to pay tribute to who is so sadly no longer with us is James Brokenshire, my predecessor as a modern slavery minister and who did start the work to get us to the point where we had Modern Slavery Act.

I can't quite believe it is 10 years ago. I think I might be the only person in the chamber who was here at that time. 26th of March 2015, which was 10 years ago to the day, it was a Thursday, was the very last day before Parliament prorogued for the 2015 election. We have been working on the Modern Slavery Act which had gone through every proper sense of scrutiny. He was a real example of how legislation should be done, it had pre-legislative scrutiny, there was a draft act, there was work done with the select committee and others and it was really something that had cross- party support.

But, as was the case with any piece of legislation, there were areas where changes were looked at. There was quite a lot of ping- pong between this place and the other place. I spent far more time in the other place than I ever expected to standing at the bar and hoping that by being there I could convince the lordships to support the government's position. We had to real sticking points, once on the treatment of those in the United Kingdom who were on an overseas domestic worker visa and the other sticking point was the issue of whether every child victim should have independent child trafficking advocate.

And with great negotiation, and I want to pay tribute to the noble Lord Bates, and his powers of diplomacy and skill in navigating the other place are legendary. He got us to the point where we were the very final piece of legislation to get Royal assent in the Parliament. I member being in one of the offices in Martial Street and we sat with bated breath because although we knew we had got through it, nobody quite believed it until it was finally announced, and the Modern Slavery Act 2015 came an act of Parliament.

As well as all those parliamentarians, I want to pay tribute to all of the officials in the Home Office who worked so hard on this. It was a real mission for them and it would not have been possible without it being an incredible team effort. So thank you to everyone who got us there. It is still not believable to me that 10 years on I'm still asked the question what is modern slavery? I sometimes feel slightly cross that we are having to explain this still but I think it is important that we do keep reflecting what this is.

It is slavery. It is very plain and simple. We all understand what slavery is. It is slavery happening today. And it is a financial cry. It is invariably for financial gain. It is the exportation of one human being by another human being for financial gain. It is that coercive crime. And it is something that is happening globally. Estimated to be 50 million victims globally and estimated to be over 100,000 victims here in the UK. I can assure you Madam Deputy Speaker and I had to say this but it will be happening in your towns and your villages and your cities, it will be round the corner stop there will be people you will come across in your everyday life, and I just urge everybody listening and everybody who is here because they care about this, and I'm grateful to all of you, to educate where ever we can.

One of my proudest things is the posters that I'm afraid many members here because the amount may not see, but if, as a woman, you going to the toilet in an airport or a station, there may well be a poster which says, "Are you a victim of slavery? " We came up with this in Home Office because we realised if you are a victim of slavery and you will with your perpetrator, and you were in the queue at the immigration line at the airport, there was nowhere for you to go to get help apart from the ladies lavatory where your perpetrator would not be following you in there.

Because the perpetrators are very often male although, as we heard on our session that we held on Tuesday in the Select Committee, there is always at least one woman on every indictment. Women are perpetrators as well. We need to find somewhere we can get those willing to have the support they need. It is a crime that is happening everywhere. I have to make the point it is not a migration crime. There is a laziness around the language around trafficking particularly media commentators who talk about human trafficking with a mean people smuggling.

People smuggling is a consensual crime. Those star victims are victims of a crime but victims almost a bigger fraud rather than coerced into doing something against their will. The analogy I would give it is the difference between someone who gets sick from taking drugs that has been put in their drink after drink has been spiked against their knowledge, as opposed to someone who has gone and bought illegal drugs and taken them and the sick. There's a policy response to each of those cases.

But the policy response has to be different. And so the policy response for victims of trafficking cannot be confused with the policy response for those that are victims of a crime of people smuggling. It is a crime, it is that we need to tackle, it is right that governments control their borders. But we must separate the two out. That should be done at law enforcement it needs to be done at the Home Office and other policy departments. These two issues cannot be confused.

So what did the act do? I have got a copy of the act. The first time I've looked through the act for quite some time. There's a bit of me getting goosebumps and a bit of me feeling slightly nauseous as to what we went through to get there. I'm very proud of it. It has introduced the new offence of trafficking in exportation, canopy tribute here to the KC who came and went to the committee on Tuesday and helped to write those offences.

The offences were carefully drafted to ensure we could get the maximum number of prosecutions. They were written with a view to juries being able to understand them. I know there is a push at the moment is to try and include, to change the trafficking definition do not include movement. The reason that we have an exportation offence and a trafficking offence is that a jury will think of trafficking involving movement, and that is why the exportation offence does not involve movement is there, so prosecutors can get successful prosecutions.

So I'm not sure that changes necessary. There are additional protections for victims, I should say that the offences carry life imprisonment which is a very important thing. The maximum sentence previous you was 14 years and is now life in prison. Protections for victims are improved, we put in a statutory defence is an incredible important thing to ensure that victims are prepared to come forward. Civil Protection orders were introduced, there were measures to enable law enforcement to more easily access the financial assets are perpetrators including reparation orders.

The anyway will break this crime is to break the business model. There were new duties on public agencies. It introduced the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner. An independent child trafficking advocates are improved although it took time to get them there. The other piece of landmark legislation included was the transparency and supply chains measure section 54 which was not in the first bill, it was not when I stood at the Dispatch Box and close the second reading debate, but it was introduced in the passage of the bill because it was the thing that actually everyone wanted to see included.

It is important so it was not a stand-alone measure, it was part of the modern slavery strategy that had been published the year before. It was based on the four Ps The legislation was landmark but it was only a very small part of what was being done. Now, at the time that the Modern Slavery Act was enacted, it was world leading. We were the first country to have a consolidated Modern Slavery Act, the first country to have transparency of supply legislation and the first country that had this as a priority for government.

But the world moved on and I'm afraid as we all know, criminals always move more quickly than the legislation, so when we bought the legislation in, the offences in the act of very appropriate for victims of county lime and the perpetrator, the protections for victims and some of the other measures simply do not fit for the crimes perpetrated in county limes. Small boats was not a phenomenon. It simply wasn't there when we bought the actin, and I want to be clear that we have tested this on the Select Committee and with others, that there is very little evidence that the people travelling on small boats are victims of trafficking.

They are victims of the crime people smuggling, but the problem with small boats is that the measures taken to stop small boats have a chilling effect on those that are genuine victims of the coercive crime and that can mean that they don't come forward, they don't allow themselves to give evidence needed to stop perpetrators, and actually, we are making the crime harder to detect. It is a real opportunity, so opportunities may have paid people smugglers to travel over, they get the UK, they can't work, they can't find the support they need, they are in debt, and that indebtedness and the lack of being able to work legally means they become victim of traffickers, so as I say, that was traffickers, so as I say, that was not a phenomenon we used.

Orphanage tracking is something we are only just getting to grips with because it is not an issue that we feel has affected us, but over 5 million children are currently living in orphanages who are not orphans. They are living in orphanages that have been setup to raise money to has tourists visiting them, to have gap year students going and working there, so the financial gain of those that have setup these orphanages which are simply not orphanages. Australia has led the way and Linda Reynolds is standing down from Parliament in the next few days, but she has been a real leader on this, and at the union, she has passed resolutions which have been adopted, and I hope the Minister will look favourably on amendments that I might bring forward to the crime and policing Bill or other bills or a Private Member's Bill that tries to get the issue of orphanage tracking into our legislation because these, the people who want to support the orphanages are doing so with the best of intentions.

They want to help the children, but they are actually, it is a fraud. These children are not orphans and it is over 5 million children in Southeast Asia and South America who are being taken away from their families and being used to raise money for fake organisations. And also on supply chains, when we brought in the section 54 transparency on supply chains measure, it was the first of its kind that a national government had introduced it. And it was a very light touch piece of regulation, quite deliberately, something that we had to prove woodwork and was effective, but the time has come for it to be tightened, and I am disappointed that we couldn't get the amendment through on the use of labour in the supplied for solar panels et cetera.

The US has got the prevention act 2021, and this means that items cannot even enter the US market unless the importer can prove that there was no saviour in the supplied. I would out the government to look at what we can do on those measures because I do think these are simple wins that the government could have that would improve the situation and make it clear that we do not stand for slavery. We are not going to become green in our energy production on the backs of the poorest and those being exploited.

So what am I looking for the Minister to answer today? The first is when will there be a new strategy? The last one is 11 years old. Will she commit to strengthening supplied measures? It has been a big disappointment to me that many kings and queens beaches, have been promises on supply chains that have never come forward, so will she commit to that? The fair work agency in the employment rights Bill is something that I have concern about because it takes the licensing abuse authority and puts it into a new agency that will not sit underneath the Home Office, and it is really vital that the work that the licensing authority which is really important work was brought in for the disaster, we need to make sure there is proper Home Office oversight of that agency and that it focuses on exploitation, not on employment rights.

Protection for victims, I urged the Minister we cannot continue with two classes of victims that we have at the moment. We need to make sure that everyone who is a victim can access the support they need. And could the Minister look to review the national mechanism? I welcome the extra caseworkers but 831 days for a decision is not good enough. She knows that, I know that, so I urge her to do whatever she can to make sure, and I will support her any step of the way to make it clear that the national referral mechanism needs to get those decisions made more quickly.

We had great evidence about this on Tuesday in the Select Committee when we met, and I will support her every step of the way. So, to conclude, we have a duty to put victims front and centre of everything we do in response to this crime. If we do not make the victim the heart of our policy response in the heart of everything we do, we will simply fail to address this issue. But we also need to leave the global efforts. The time has come to get back there.

People are desperate for the UK to lead on this. They know what we have done in the past and they absolutely want us to do it again which means working in multilateral organisations where 8.7 is something that needs to be enacted around the world. And finally, can I ask the Minister to make this one of the priorities because the government has its mission. Without that support from leadership from the very top, this matter will not get the urgency needs to be looked at in the way it needs to.

It is the biggest human rights abuse locally. It is happening everywhere, including the UK, and the highest number of victims are UK nationals. It is not a migration crime, and we need to make sure that we have support and the thrust behind it from the leadership that the Minister can give us, we need to make sure the government does that.

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I will be joining this in bringing response to what is sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party for highlighting slave labour in supply chains. The question is in supply chains. The question is only Order Paper. I now call Blair

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McDougall. I congratulate the lady for

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I congratulate the lady for executing the debate although I don't thank her for that familiar feeling of dread that you often get feeling of dread that you often get in that place when the speaker makes identical points to those you wish. So maybe my speech gets shorter. I draw the house to the attention of the chair of the APPG. We are having this debate towards the end of the holy month of Ramadan, and across the region, they will be imprisoned for observing the fast.

When they
15:26
Blair McDougall Portrait Blair McDougall MP (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
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are imprisoned, they will be forced are imprisoned, they will be forced to eat pork, to drink alcohol, and to eat pork, to drink alcohol, and they may still have to find those holy places which are now piles of rubble. I have lost count of the number of times we have spoken about number of times we have spoken about these crimes of humanity in this place, but we made a really important point that these crimes exist outside of financial crime.

They suffer because the profiting of suffering is profitable. It makes the Chinese regime a lot of money, and so when we see the women being sterilised and we see the children being stolen, the millions of people in labour camps, we can never separate that from the mass slave labour which is going on there. Earlier this week in this chamber, we were discussing the role of slave labour within the green energy sector. I think it is really important that we note that it is far from limited to that sector.

We spoke a lot in that chamber earlier in the week about the proportion of solar materials that infect slave labour, and it is also true of electric vehicles. It is true of cotton. We all remember the remarkable scenes of the elect committee recently where we were unable to get convincing answers about whether products contained slave labour from the region, and increasingly, it is also clear that the agricultural sector has been exposed to this, particularly tomatoes and peppers.

We see companies, household names like L'Oreal implicated in the use of agricultural products which we believe have been made with forced labour. And this week's debate around solar energy and slave labour has a sense of dejt vu for those working on the issue of slave labour, and we can also look back and the last government to the health and social care bill where the government was also under similar pressure and we will continue to have that debate every time issues of public procurement are raised in this house until we fix our modern slavery legislation.

As the lady was talking about legislation, I was thinking that the legislation is similar to 10 years ago how it was fresh and now it is may be tired and showing its age. We have to find a way, and thank you for the nose in the house. We have to find a way to update the modern slavery legislation, not least because much of the rest of the world inspired by what we did has moved to update protections against slave labour goods.

We mentioned the Labour act and the due diligence directive and the forced labour regulations there. But with regards to goods of labour coming into the UK, it is simply not designed for that bill. We spoke about the things that have changed in the last decade. Few of us would have imagined that the level of industrial slavery, millions of people involved in it, something that is a relic of the 19th or earlier 20th century would have become so prevalent in the experience of Muslims and also to envisage how difficult it would become to do any sort of due diligence at all which I think is why so many of us have led to the argument that you have to have a presumption of goods from that part of the world to contain modern We know the Modern Slavery Act isn't working because of the Uyghurs.

Almost every day, a flight, a cargo flight will arrive into this country from the ground zero of slave labour for Uyghurs. And looking to specifics within the act, I know that section 54 of the act requires companies with a turnover of over 36 million should produce a statement on slave labour, but I think looking back at the last 10 years, the lack of any sort of penalty for companies that don't do that is one of its major failings with about one in 10 companies I think choosing not to do it without any consequence.

And we also talk about the issue of justice. We know that the workers justice. We know that the workers who are exploited in places like Xinjiang are not going to find justice on their own jurisdictions. But under the Modern Slavery Act they also can't find justice here. And think it's time that we say if a company operates in the UK, it's implicated in such human rights abuses within its supply chain, there should be an opening for the victims of that to seek justice in the courts in the UK.

Those who have tried to do that, and some are alive so I won't raise them, it's taken them years and real legal struggle to get the case heard. And it needs to be easier if it's going to be an incentive for companies or rather a disincentive for companies to do the wrong thing. When talking about the behaviour of companies that operate within the UK, I do have to say I think after the behaviour, the spectacle of the evidence that was given by shin to the committee within this place, I think it would be unthinkable if we were to allow them to register in the stock exchange here because it would send a signal that this is an economy which is willing to be based on the competitive advantage that comes from not paying workers.

I also on the subject of justice want to mention the organisation hope for justice, particularly my constituents Ewan Fraser who has been a source of real help and advice to me since I was elected. It makes a point to me that it's back in 2018 the government did its last study of the economic and social impact of modern slavery within the UK. Back then it was costed at £4.3 billion, but I wonder if the Minister might be able to refresh that and give us a new insight into that.

But I also wonder whether she might be willing to meet with hope for justice to discuss their proposals for independent modern slavery advocates, individuals who can work with survivors, ensure they have the legal rights and entitlements that they have are actually realised. Not just on things like getting justice on slavery, but also housing immigration, but also importantly on compensation again so there is more of a disincentive for companies for that. As the right honourable lady said just in conclusion, we are trying to rebuild the British economy, but we cannot do that at the cost of being complicit and the destruction of an entire people.

And it's in this 10th anniversary high time to modernise the Modern Slavery Act. Act.
15:34
Paul Kohler Portrait Mr Paul Kohler MP (Wimbledon, Liberal Democrat)
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Thank you. I thank the right honourable member for securing this important debate. As members we are all united by this as much as we can to tackle the scourge of modern slavery. Constituency Wimbledon is known for many things but perhaps known for many things but perhaps less known is its connection to the abolition of slavery. Over 200 years ago William Wilberforce, champion for the abolition of the Trans Atlantic slave trade lived in Wimbledon. Just as Wilberforce rejected humanity in his time, we must renew our commitment to eradicate this injustice in ours.

And though his efforts were huge, we stand here on the 10th anniversary of the Modern Slavery Act aware that the fight is far from over. Whether in the form of human traffic in, criminal. Sexual labour or domestic servitude, modern slavery pervades our society, treating people as commodities for criminal gain. The introduction of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 was a watershed moment, hailed as innovative and world leading, echoing the U.K.'s leadership of abolishing transatlantic slave trade in the 19th century. Was designed to take victims, prosecute offenders and prevent exploitation at its roots.

Of the nearly £50 make 50 million people trapped in slavery, many are thought to be resident in the UK. 90,000 victims of modern slavery were referred to the Home Office through the National referral mechanism committed to an increase from the previous year. 31% for referrals last year were children. The act introduced several key measures, including section 42, to establish the role of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner to encourage best practice in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of modern slavery and support victims.

However, a staggering 18 months, 322 and 23, whilst we had three Conservative Prime Minister is, we had no Anti- Slavery Commissioner. During this time, engagement between the make modern slavery unit and key NGOs declined. The governance key strategy groups once critical to tackle modern slavery were disbanded. It's for this reason the Lib Dems advocate for the pollen to have the power to appoint an Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner should the post remain unfilled for three months. But we need to do more than simply ensure the role is not left vacant.

Challenges still persist and the effectiveness of the Anti-Slavery Commissioner between adequate resources and limited capacity, despite the current commissioners efforts since, " Inheriting a dormant office", the Department remains underfunded and under resourced. Without appropriate funding resources, the commissioner's ability to fulfil its legal obligations is quite clearly compromised. The Modern Slavery Act was praised for introducing provisions aimed at transparency and promoting supply chains with the goal of protecting workers in large organisations to eliminate modern slavery from their operations.

Requires companies with a turnover of 36 million or more supplying goods or services operating in the UK to introduce an annual slavery human statement. Although welcomed, section 54 only mandates businesses to report on their efforts to address. Labour in supply chains, does not require them to act in facsimile reporting no action seems to be all they need to do to imply -- comply with the act. Whilst active states seek conjunctions and non-compliance organisations, none have been issued. In 2022, between 9% of organisations failed to submit a modern slavery statement.

Additionally the number of statements recalled the following year dropped by almost 50%, indicating the businesses are de- prioritising the compliance. And while previous governors have expressed their intentions to strengthen section 54, by introducing mandatory reporting requirements and specific penalties for non-compliance, no charges have been... No changes have been permitted to date. Too often victims are hidden in plain sight. It's sobering to think many of us have encountered them without even realising it. As an example the care sector has become a focal point for modern slavery.

The inclusion of care workers and home carers and the shortage occupation list eligible for the health and care visa. From 2022 to 23, the number of healthcare visas granted skyrocketed, reflecting the sectors increased reliance on foreign workers, but alongside the growth can be a disturbing increase in exploitation. With over 600% more care sector modern slavery cases reported. Evidence given to the Modern Slavery Act committed last year reported at the end of 2023 and alarming 21% of 13 NHS supplies were identified as being at high risk of modern slavery.

The type of expectation varies, but one common theme is the charging of illegal recruitment fees. Victims often. As much as £30,000 for these applications and suppose it training courses. Amounts so large that workers have no choice but to stay trapped in abusive conditions. The care sector continues to grapple with systemic issues such as low pay and poor working conditions, exacerbated by fragmented regulatory oversight. Spread across agencies like the Care Quality Commission and employment agencies expect Inspectorate. The lack of coordination hampers effective enforcement.

The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority holds modern slavery investigation powers in England and Wales and receives referrals from the CQC. This room is not specifically covering the care sector. Despite prioritising the sector, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority struggled with the insufficient funding and low inspector to work ratio. Falling below international standards. As a result, proactive inspections are rare. Whilst many workers fear reporting exploitation due to potential reprisals. The organisation for Security and cooperation in Europe, special representatives 2022 report highlighted the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority effectiveness in preventing and investigating labour exploitation and protecting vulnerable workers but stressed the need for greater financial support to fully realise its capacity.

Whilst the Liberal Democrats have consistently called for a powerful new worker protection enforcement authority, to safeguard those precarious work through intelligence led enforcement, and a firewall that separates labour standards enforcement from -- border control. The UK immigration system exacerbates this. The previous home affairs committee described a deep prioritisation of human traffic in favour of potential new immigration of the governance policies. I've only acknowledge the fact that the current Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill seeks to repeal much of the Illegal Migration Act provisions on modern slavery.

In concluding, I'd like to return to where I began. Today we inherit not only the legacy but responsibility. Modern slavery may adopt new forms but its cruelty remains the same. It thrives in the shadows of all our communities and a -- exploiting the vulnerable. It's pledged any not to celebrate how far we've come to redouble our efforts as they are still far to go. For remembering the endeavours, we must shape the future

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slavery. As a child, I was taught that 200 years ago we abolished the years ago we abolished the transatlantic slave trade. As a young adult, I learned that this had young adult, I learned that this had not marked the end but the modern slavery was a booming global industry. And then, as it became a industry. And then, as it became a young father, I learned through the excellent work that there were slaves right here in the UK, hidden even within my own city.

And learned that many of those slaves were
15:43
Tom Collins Portrait Tom Collins MP (Worcester, Labour)
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that many of those slaves were children not unlike my own. I felt a hint of the desperation that I would feel if one of my children had been trafficked into slavery. How I would pray that there would be someone to rescue them, someone who would not rest until slaves had been found and released, to realise that for somebody else's child, I had to be that someone. Fortunately, I was not alone. And 10 years ago, this place once again passed legislation to end slavery in our nation.

It recognised our duty to eliminate slavery from our supply chains and in policing, it introduced a key revelation. That someone presenting as a perpetrator might in reality be a victim. But the world has continued to change. Our protections have weakened and the challenge has grown. It's estimated there are 122,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK. Yet less than 20,000 were referred to the national thorough mechanism last year. Detecting modern slavery is hard. It is a crime in which the victim is intrinsically hidden the policing challenges unique.

Furthermore, victims of modern slavery are often. Break the law or they are camouflaged amongst legitimate yet exploited workers, themselves insecure, transient and unrepresented. We are combating highly organised and effective International Criminal Court works, agile opportunistic and embedded in our communities. And our system is vulnerable. It has been too easy for children to disappear. Sided public services are too ineffective in recognising and responding to potential cases. Our systems are divided, and the traffickers have conquered. Yet there is hope.

We have seen the local authorities once they are trained in what to look for do begin to identify victims. Working together with partners, they can disrupt this crime. And with clearly defined and resourced roles, empowered to work across multiple organisations and departments, these complex crimes that intersect with multiple agencies can be detected. Victims can become survivors, and perpetrators can be convicted. We need to work across government to deliver this. To eliminate slavery must no longer tolerate exploitation of any kind.

This covenant has made great steps in improving workers rights and this must continue. We must be responsive and fast, keeping up with the highest international standards in law and human rights and Europe's Convention on action against trafficking in human beings provides a framework that could be adopted broadly. Certainly we must give businesses the requirements to audit. The Modern Slavery Act gave as Mrs requirement to report details of what action they are taking to tackle in their supply chains and we now need checks and balances to keep now need checks and balances to keep Late survivors of stocking -- stalking and sexual abuse, this should be embedded a one with further support.

We should minimise further harm and re-exploitation. We cannot deal with this is if it is business as usual. The world is becoming increasingly unstable and unpredictable with international conflicts and climate pressures creating more vulnerable people and creating perfect conditions for people smugglers. It is visible in the Channel but this is the tip of the iceberg and what is hidden are tens of thousands of lives of victims living in the fear and despair of slavery in our own towns and cities and rural areas.

We are taking firm and decisive action to protect the borders and clear the backlog of immigration cases and I recognise the points being made by the honourable member about the distinction between people smuggling and human trafficking and those sectors overlap and this is a good start and I recognise the impressive impact the Minister has already made, we are smashing the iceberg above the surface and we need a response to match the scale of the hidden challenge. Modern slavery cuts across all aspects of society and the response must match it and cut across the whole of government and I would like to put it to the House that we perhaps have a golden opportunity.

The government has committed to a fresh approach of governing, one of partnership and agility but we are taking on an ambitious program of local government organisation and devolution of power into the regions. We have seen programs tested and proven which provide a model that can be deployed throughout government. Local authorities have appointed a designated coordinator and they will deploy training and improve partnership working, increase the quality of referrals to support and deliver strategies. The work of the coordinators has been remarkable.

I will give way.

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I'm intervening so I can put on record I'm a trustee of the Human record I'm a trustee of the Human Trafficking Foundation and I did not Trafficking Foundation and I did not bring that up in my opening

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bring that up in my opening statement and I am a trustee and I support the work they are doing. From the 280 authorities of mid referrals -- that mid referrals, referrals -- that mid referrals, nine authorities made up 18% of all the adult referrals and this rose to 20% in 2024. They train thousands of partners and raised the referral rates are close to 19%, critically leading to prosecution. We can learn from this and devolution is the right opportunity to deploy it.

It seems to me because no longer delegate to a single department but we have to build strength in every area. The response must saturate our work at national and local level and alongside the collective duty, dedicated roles with cross- organisation links and clear ownership are key. A national strategy focusing on local partnership responses would be transformative. Examples can be seen in the devolved decision-making pilots where teams make decisions for children. This approach was over four times faster than the home office in making decisions.

This encouraged information sharing across agencies and partnership working to keep children safe. The success of the devolved decision- making panels demonstrates the effectiveness of coordinating efforts under national framework and their welcome the commitment under the recently announced action plan. Local authorities have duties to disrupt modern slavery with the clear, crosscutting approach facilitated by clear and dedicated local leadership ducts we can start to build real immunity into our communities. We have embraced the mission to deliver a decade of national renewal.

I decade of the Modern Slavery Act has allowed us to begin abolishing modern slavery. We have the tools but must not rest. Rather, we should recommit to the most ambitious goal of ending slavery in the nation and supply chains. We can see what needs to be done. We have begun. Now, we must deliver the collaboration, commitment, and resources to do it. There are people in our country who are hidden, isolated, fearful, hopeless. They are not alone. Today I urge all of this House to recommit with me not to rest but to forage on and do what it takes and do what evidence has taught us to prosecute the perpetrators, break the networks, March or until every person is seen and slavery is

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finished. Thank you very much, Madam Deputy

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Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. I warmly welcome the fact we are having the debate and I thank the Member for Staffordshire the Member for Staffordshire moorlands for securing it, opening moorlands for securing it, opening it, and her work on the topic. We've
15:52
Ellie Chowns Portrait Ellie Chowns MP (North Herefordshire, Green Party)
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heard from members from all sides and there is something to celebrate in the fact the work is getting done but there is more to be done to eliminate entirely and I want to take this opportunity to raise two particular issues with the Minister. Areas where I feel there is work to be done that could strengthen modern slavery actions and policies. The first issue is in relation to checks and balances, review processes, for any administrative process.

It's important that there is an opportunity for decisions to be reviewed by people with expertise. In December 2022, Suella Braverman, then the Home Secretary, disbanded the assurance panels which played a crucial role and together people with expertise, policy and operational expertise, lack of a modern slavery, to review cases in which applicants had been rejected in order to ensure that the cases were sound. I was shocked and surprised to read in the briefing that perhaps members across the House have had from dozens of coalitions working on modern slavery to read that 70% of reconsidered decisions were overturned and there is clearly an issue with the process of decision-making and the need for improvements in the multiagency panels to check the decisions are sound.

I wonder whether the government will consider reinstating the important panels. The second point I would like to raise is in relation to temporary work visas and the vulnerability that creates for people on those visas to potential labour exploitation because the key is to prevent it in the first place and this relates particularly to people on Overseas Domestic Worker visas and in the care sector which has been growing and agricultural seasonal workers ducts all those three sectors in particular.

To me, it seems that the core is when the temporary work visas attached to the employer there is strong disincentive for the employee to come forward and to speak out and report if there is labour exploitation because they will suffer the punishment for doing so. And so that means that these problems remain hidden and makes it more difficult for people to come forward and I think some sensible reforms have been proposed by those working in the sector concerned with this area that could tackle that.

The first is if the workpieces were The first is if the workpieces were renewable, so long as employment continued, we could have security. -- The work visas. That has to go alongside the provision under which the employer is subject to an enforcement mechanism for exploitation, that the employee is able to remain here and is provided with the opportunity to seek alternative employment and sponsorship for the Visa and I understand this is being done in Australia now and the mechanism allows bridging visas to be provided so there is justice for those subjected to exploitation to escape that and find new employment with a non-exploitative employer.

Those are issues I would like to bring to the attention of the Minister and I look forward to hearing her response.

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Thank you to the right honourable member for Staffordshire and More land for bringing the debate. 19,000, in excess of 19,000 victims in the country were referred to the in the country were referred to the national mechanism in the last year alone. My constituency is in a alone. My constituency is in a beautiful area and most of it has a low crime rate by the national standard but the problem is so widespread it will be occurring in my constituency because it is occurring everywhere and 122,000 people is roughly 1.5 times the number of people in my constituency, a significant number of people.

We often talk about violence against women and girls in the chamber and it is important and I will talk about it in this context but of those referred to the mechanism last
15:58
Sarah Russell Portrait Mrs Sarah Russell MP (Congleton, Labour)
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year, 72% were men with the most common nationality referred being UK common nationality referred being UK nationals and children constituting 31% and 48% of those were for 31% and 48% of those were for criminal exploitation and again, 78% of those referred were boys. It is of those referred were boys. It is crucial that we keep up the pressure to reduce violence against women and to reduce violence against women and girls but it is critical that we also are aware of how much violence also are aware of how much violence there is in society for boys and men.

There are lots of different ways in which modern slavery SEN the ways in which modern slavery SEN the UK and the diversity makes it difficult -- modern slavery occurs in the UK. The veracity makes it difficult. It is sectors like agriculture, building, and also in to cubbies where the growth means the large numbers are operating from warehouses in which workers are on scene and many of them are earning incredibly little and so if you can order a takeaway for less money than kicking it at home, the chances are that is how it has come about.

that is how it has come about.

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I thank the honourable Eddie for giving way. She is making a good point about ticket ways. There has point about ticket ways. There has been a pilot working at the regulations local authorities can put in place in it to give the industry to enter premises and see what is taking place. It's interesting to draw that to her attention.

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attention. Thank you for drawing that to my attention and I'm interested and I'm pleased to report the overwhelming majority in my constituency remain physical premises that operate as restaurants but I'm aware that is not necessarily the case for the whole local authority area and certainly not for the whole country and in terms of children being referred in large numbers of boys referred in this instance, I was shocked when I found out about how this is how.

Often, gang members, older gang members, are finding vulnerable young boys, some as young as 10 or 11 and asking them to look after drugs for a little bit, "Just hold them for me very briefly." And then they will arrange for them to be viciously beaten up and told that they have lost the drugs and that they know all the gang member a lot of money. -- owe. They will then be put to work from an incredibly young age.

It is horrific as a means of exploiting young boys and particularly vulnerable children and we must be as aware of at us we are the way that grooming gangs operate I would then move on to how this particularly affects women and young girls. I really wish that men, and its pin only men, but stop using prostitutes. Could you just stop? Because the number of women who are being brought to the UK under false pretenses, believing they are going to do a different form of work and then put the sex work against their will, having had...

Kept in physical confined situations which they are not allowed to leave and having had their passports taken away from them is really really significant. The other thing that happens is that some women who come here knowing that might be an element of their work if they then complain about it or want to stop are told that their children back home will be harmed if they do. So they are unable to go to the police when they are being systematically raped. So please, please, men, stop using prostitutes.

I know that Cheshire police are taking all of these issues very seriously and doing their best, but of course the best way to stop having a market for criminal activity is for people to stop buying criminally traded goods, whether that is vapes, tobacco, drugs, or women. The final element of human traffic I'd like to talk about today is in the care sector, and many people in this room have heard me talk about this topic before. So I don't want over labour it, but the GLA a licensing scheme, the gang licence scheme does not extend to the care sector's agencies and sponsors are seizing opportunities to exploit other people for their own financial gain.

There are lots of people who receive care in my community, either paid for via the local authority and therefore optimally the taxpayer paid for with people's life savings. They would be absolutely horrified if they realised the number of people doing that work who had been trafficked here in the first place. Other honourable members have mentioned various different organisations working in this area, but one of them is unseen, and they talk about regularly seeing members of the care... Speaking on the helpline to members of the care profession who have paid somewhere between 11 and £30,000 to get here when they should not be paying anything other than their own travel expenses.

4% of victims who have been threatened with either direct personal harm or harm to their family members, actual physical harm was reported in 2% of the cases that came to their helpline. And nearly half of victims describe confinement or restricted movement. The list of things that has gone on is genuinely absolutely horrendous. So I will just very much like to suggest that when we have the Fair Work Agency taking over GLA responsibilities, that we make sure that licensing is brought into this sector or be otherwise look at how the region can be changed so people can transfer between employers and how we can generally stamp out A-level of exploitation within the care sector.

So I'd like to thank everyone who has participated in this debate. I know there is a lot of across the House a lot of strong feeling that we can do a lot better and we should be doing a lot better for vulnerable people in this country. Thank you. people in this country. Thank you.
16:04
Chris Murray Portrait Chris Murray MP (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Labour)
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Thank you. And can I begin by paying tribute to the right honourable member for Staffordshire more is that both securing this debate and her legacy in this field, and as chair of the Home Affairs Committee, her oncoming commitment to this issue is palpable, and I look forward to working with her in the years ahead on this. It's 10 years on from the Modern Slavery Act and while I'm not in the habit of praising the Home Office under the previous Conservative government, I'm also not so nakedly partisan that I can't break this habit on this occasion because it's true that the UK Modern Slavery Act was a world leading act, and I would also say that its Scottish counterpart, the human traffic and expectation Scotland Act which is also 10 years old this year was the bully groundbreaking.

-- Equally groundbreaking. -- Equally groundbreaking. But we also must admit that while the act took us two steps forward, we have undoubtedly gone one step back. The terms modern slavery and human strike fear into our hearts, and they capture our attention. It sounds like the stuff of a TV drama, and frequently it does involve the most horrific vivid crimes in society and the worst of humanity. But we must not let that fall us into thinking that this only happens at the extreme or only in the big metropolitan city far from us.

It happens everywhere. In every community in every constituency. It affects as we've heard from several honourable members today, men as well as women. It's victims are children as well as adults. It affects British people as much as indeed more than foreign nationals. And its labour exploitation as much

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as it is sexual exploitation. Just on your point about it happening everywhere, my happening everywhere, my constituency of Carlisle is the most northerly city in England. And on 3 northerly city in England. And on 3 October And on 3 October 2018, October And on 3 October 2018, officers from Cumbria police, the NCA and investigators from the gang and labour abuse authority free the and labour abuse authority free the man who had -- freed a man who had been kept in captivity on the outskirts of Carlisle for 40 years.

He was vulnerable because of his learning disability, had variously lived, been kept in a horse box in a disused caravan and when he was found in a damp rotten garden shed, with neither heating nor lighting, the window didn't close, water hose through the door and his makeshift door was congealed with four. Does my honourable friend agree with me that someone could be kept for 40 years on the outskirts of one of England's cities should shame us all, and should, we should recommit ourselves to ensuring that every single person who might still be in that circumstance is found and freed in the same way that that gentleman was.



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I thank her for making that really important point. I remember reading about that case, and it's reading about that case, and it's one of the most terrific ones. I have to say there are 70 horrific cases of modern slavery on every cases of modern slavery on every High Street in Britain taking place, and we have to be completely vigilant about finding it vigilant about finding it everywhere. I want to talk today about the public policy response to this appalling crime. As officially this appalling crime.

As officially as a dramatic wicked crime. We have the blandly named National Referral Mechanism as at all. And we have to be honest, it's currently all but broken down. In the words of the Home Secretary when she came to the Home Affairs Committee before Christmas, the NRM has become, " Kind of stuck." There are huge delays in victims getting a decision on the National Referral Mechanism. We heard evidence this week that the mean waiting time is 831 days. That is beyond unacceptable.

It is systemic dysfunction. And to be clear, that is not just a number. It has a real cost. The real-world implication of that is re- trafficking. Women who are trafficked for sex who then come to the state for help end up back in the hands of their traffickers because of our delays. Children who are locked in houses and forced to farm cannabis in appalling conditions who managed to escape, who come for us to help, then because of our sheer incompetence end up back with their torturers.

We should not be congratulating ourselves today on the passage of historic legislation. We should be hanging our heads in shame at what is happening under our watch. So I hope the Minister would today set out a clear plan to clear that backlog. And also will recognise that clearing the backlog is not some huge step of progress. It's actually just getting us back to the baseline we should be out. In order to achieve that, can I draw the houses attention to the child trafficking pilot that has been running for the last five years? And am so glad my honourable friend from Worcester reference to this.

I should probably declare an interest. I was involved in setting the pilot up, and it's the Scottish iteration, but it's worth our attention because what it does is devolve decision- making in the NRM to a panel of local stakeholders. People from social work, from education, the police, psychologists and others who know the child's case. And it empowers them to adjudicate where that child is a victim or not. Decisions are taking more quickly and with higher quality because the people who know their child's case are better placed to make a decision than an official in Whitehall.

And before coming here I worked on preventing human traffic for five years and I know that the issue is complex and difficult. But I also encountered some of the most effective public servants I've seen in my time, like Tara, led by Bruno Andrew in Glasgow which cares for women trafficked into Scotland for commercial sexual exploitation and joy Gillespie who advocates for survivors in Scotland. But the most impressive program I've seen in five years of antitrafficking is this pile in Glasgow.

The Minister and I have corresponded on this previously so I strongly encourage the government to look at rolling it out more broadly. Can I make two finer points about the steps the new government is taking on modern slavery? Firstly on labour exploitation. The Employment Rights Bill which is a landmark piece of legislation that I couldn't be prouder to support scraps the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority and establishes the Fair Work Agency as many have said. That's all to the good, but the Fair Work Agency has a mammoth task enforcing the minimum wage and deployment rights across the whole workforce.

I'll be sure it will have the focus and resource to tackle modern slavery too? And will have the right relationships with the police? Because that will be critical to ensure enforcement. Remember this crime is everywhere, in every community. And moreover, where it is up and running, the Home Office will lose sponsorship of the GLAA and will be subsumed into the Department of business and trade. Is that the right place for modern slavery responsibilities? I remember from my experience, the GLAA was significantly under resourced in order to inspect all of Scotland's agriculture and farming had only one inspector.

That clearly wasn't enough. We have more now? So I'd like to hear from the government what plans they have in place to ensure modern slavery is indeed prioritised. Secondly, on the panoply of new developments that we have had, the new government has hit the ground running, there's been some I've been particularly pleased to see. Not just a new Fair Work Agency but also that cuckooing will be made a specific offence. That grooming will be an aggravating factor and child sex offender prosecutions, and a new range of measures to halve violence against women and girls.

I could not welcome the steps more. But is there a coherent strategy to ensure there being fully deployed to tackle modern slavery? Are we marshaling the power of government to tackle, to target these new measures at the perpetrators of these crimes? Can I ask the Minister, when can we expect to see that robust modern slavery strategy? I ask this because this issue needs ministerial group. Without clear ministerial direction, law enforcement cannot put resources into it. Without law enforcement prioritising the resources, there are no investigations.

About investigations, there is no justice. Think of the women who came to the British state and asked for help only for our administrative incompetence to mean she is back in the hands of her traffickers, being pimped out to be raped every day. Multiple times a day. We have failed her once already. We need a strategy to ensure we do not do it again. Will the strategy take account of new development in modern slavery in the last 10 years? And pleased the honourable member for women and others mentioned the care sector in exploitation in those pieces but we are also seeing it in student visas, the EU Settlement Scheme and others.

Will the new white paper on migration, legal migration be fully modern slavery proofed so we don't allow new routes to open up? And I also note that the Scottish government has finally got around to refreshing its human traffic strategy a long overdue step I would argue, but that's also a good opportunity to ensure we get clearance across the whole of the UK. So as we mark 10 years since the Modern Slavery Act was passed, it's clear we still have our work cut out for us.

I for one and willing to work with anyone inside the chamber and outside it to get it done.

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It's an honour to follow honourable friends and honourable members, all of whom have given such powerful speeches today. Just two powerful speeches today. Just two days ago it was 218 years since William Wilberforce cajoled this Parliament into leading the way in combating slavery. The abolition of the slave trade act was passed to a standing ovation on March 25, 1807. standing ovation on March 25, 1807. The act made it illegal to trade in enslaved people across the then British Empire.

25 years later British Empire. 25 years later another groundbreaking piece of legislation, the 1833 abolition of slavery act and the use of enslaved
16:15
Tom Hayes Portrait Tom Hayes MP (Bournemouth East, Labour)
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labour. But clearly, slavery didn't stop. That's why we are talking about it today. Modern slavery is about it today. Modern slavery is just that, modern. It's a modern version of the slavery we've always version of the slavery we've always known. Slavery is right here, right now. It doesn't belong to some distant past or some far away country. As we were just hearing, the majority of people who are referred into the National Referral referred into the National Referral Mechanism are British. They are men.

Mechanism are British. They are men. As a parliament, we have to recommit to tackling slavery. Slavery spreads tentacles worldwide into many aspects of our life. It is believed there are 50 million estimated victims worldwide and 122,000 of them are in our country. That is the size of Blackpool, Cambridge, 122,000 people. We have got to renew leadership to tackle modern slavery. In Bournemouth East, my constituency, women are working in nail bars who are enslaved, men on building sites, women working in people's homes as domestic slaves.

There will be many other types of servitude going on. The figures reported at the tip of the iceberg and these people are hiding in plain sight and we have to get the message out that this is a priority for this government, parliament, country. I am saying this because I have worked in my professional life before becoming an MP to support victims and to find the terms where they are and get them to safety quickly and I was the chairman of a network for five years and led a charity for children are pioneering an independent advisory role that got support to survivors and I was working alongside fantastic colleagues on a report into the nature and extent in Oxford was used methodology beyond typical reporting of statistics from the police force and worked in a case-based way as well as providing support to find out where in a period of five years that were told that there were 123 recorded modern slavery claims in the Thames Valley area and there were between 319 and 442 cases in the voluntary sector believed to be cases of modern slavery showing what is reported is not always a reflection of what's happening and these organisations and networks are so important in tackling modern slavery and supporting victims and it is worth saying that they need to tackle it has never been greater and this is a decade that marks, an anniversary that marks one decade of the act but it is the case that we have seen a decade or more of austerity and I say that because some of the people enslaved will be people who have grown up in austerity and seen youth centres cut and schools able to provide less and and schools able to provide less and less and insecure work and low pay and 0-hours contracts for parents and who are living in homes not properly regulated and so it is a significant vulnerability and when people grew up with that, I have seen it with my own eyes, they are susceptible to enslavement and so we have to look at renters reform and reform of employment rights and making sure we have investment in public services and repairing public services saw no young person falls victim to modern slavery and in my own part of town in Dorset, we have seen the number of cases reported going up in the last nine years and going up in the last nine years and going up in the last nine years and in 3033, 65, 2024, 108.

I will bring the voices of some victims into this debate because I want to talk about three cases involving my office where we have been supporting victims. With one case, a person was identified as a potential victim of human trafficking I was entered into the referral mechanism and my colleague from Edinburgh was saying that as a brand name for a planned service and you could not have described it better because the NRM is broken and this case is waiting

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for a conclusive decision and that is no wonder when the weight to get those decisions is so long. Does my honourable friend agree

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Does my honourable friend agree we have to extend time limits for we have to extend time limits for lodging decisions because 30 days is not long enough to get legal aid and not long enough to get legal aid and the lawyer to help you given the lack of funding?

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My honourable friend makes a good point and in the short term, as it is hard to get a grip on the delay, is hard to get a grip on the delay, that could be helpful temporary measure to remove some of the difficulties the victim would encounter trying to get more support. The individual I was talking about was promised they would be able to work but were refused a visa and became homeless after three months and experienced depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and they are currently receiving treatment.

They have been warned not to return home by an agent that they money to. A second case of a former constituent trafficked into the UK while pregnant and forced into prostitution and she's been very of modern slavery and granted asylum and another female constituent sought help and is taking accommodation after escaping from another abusive marriage and she is living in a shelter provided for women is keeping modern slavery. I mention these three people, not just because there are voices deserve to be heard but because all of us as MPs will have contact with victims and survivors of modern slavery and we will know from first-hand experience about the pressures and difficulties in the system and bring that into improving the system and that is important for the public to know because often I do not think they know about the case working aspect of what we do and how that informs what we do to bring forward legislative change.

I mentioned the project Liberty run by a fantastic organisation working across PCP in my constituency, Bournemouth East. They provide support to potential survivors in the recovery period and I plead to the Minister that, like many organisations, they provide trauma informed, person-centred approaches. Having funds for organisations to work alongside victims who have gone through the worst experience of their lives so they don't have a requirement to tick boxes rather than listing people and help people work in the way that they need to reach the point in their life that they want with it is training or education is critical and I want to ask for additional support in propping them up and I know that my right honourable friend, they are a firm advocate for victim support from a lifetime of working in the sector.

I close by talking about the infection of goods that come into the country with slavery picking up on the comment by my honourable friend. I think I will refer to him as the beautiful honourable member as he referred to himself. I think Madam Deputy Speaker was not in the chair for that, which explains why shouldn't surprise. We are seeing the airport in Bournemouth being a the airport in Bournemouth being a place where goods made by forced labour, particularly in China, are coming into the country and we must get a grip on that and I commend the reporting of the 'Daily Echo' which has shown a light on this and I want to commend the work of those who are trying to expose this horrible activity.

We must stop the infection of goods and slavery coming into the country. In coming into office nine months ago, the government have done a fantastic amount of good work and I mentioned reforms to the sector and the reform of employment rights and the investment in public services which will reduce vulnerability to enslavement but I commend the commitment to cuckooing as a specific offence and the creation of the Fair Work Agency and the dealing with the backlog of decisions and the processing of modern slavery cases and ensuring the portfolio is under the Minister the portfolio is under the Minister Was Safeguarding Violence against Women.

I want to close if I may by talking about a really important contributor to the fight against modern slavery which is the Co- Operative Movement and I do that by going back in time slightly. In 1864, Manchester was the biggest industrial city in the world based on cotton with 90% of UK cotton coming from the Confederacy. At that time, there was a civil war happening and it was in 1864 that the Lancashire famine was happening and people were dying on the streets but some wrote to Abraham Lincoln and said they were on his side and supported his fight against slavery at a time when they were working 1- 2-day working week.

That is why there is a statue of Abraham Lincoln there might because he wrote back to the people in Manchester and thank them for heroism and that was unknown in any country. People in Manchester in 1864 bonded together to fight slavery, despite the cost of their own lives. This country has been a compassionate and kind country working hard within communities and as a governmental and parliamentary level to tackle modern slavery but we are at an inflection point.

We've heard from colleagues that the risks of Modern Slavery Act river, the world is more unstable, and we have to tackle this with UK leadership on the world stage. I thank the noble Baroness who, 10 years ago, did so much to lead the way on this matter and I want to commend the work of the government, who I know are committed to leading the world on this matter, too. Thank you. too. Thank you.
16:27
Josh Babarinde Portrait Josh Babarinde MP (Eastbourne, Liberal Democrat)
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That brings us to the front bench contributions.

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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I thank the right honourable member for securing the debate and all the work that she did in government to work that she did in government to give us the Modern Slavery Act to commemorate and build on today. It means a lot to contribute towards this debate on what is a landmark piece of legislation that affirmed the commitment of our country to eradicating this cruel and insidious eradicating this cruel and insidious crime. Slavery is one of the greatest affronts to the fundamental British principle of individual liberty - the principal that no human being should be enslaved.

It is sad that we have to have a debate today to remind ourselves of things like that and sad that some of my ancestors, my Nigerian ancestors, might have thought that debates about the nature and extent of slavery would never have to happen again. It is sad we are having them in the modern world. It is sad that at least 120,000 people in the UK as we have discussed are victims and survivors of modern slavery.

It is hopeful that Parliament committed with this act and in other ways to committing the shocking reality that slavery had not been consigned to the history books after all and it is hopeful that Parliament has acknowledged the moral duty to protect the most vulnerable in society and those who are coerced, manipulative, abused, in conditions that no human being should ever endure. Hopeful that Parliament set out clear definitions to strengthen the capabilities of law enforcement and they have demanded corporate transparency and action and I'm hopeful that since the passage of the act, many victims and survivors have been identified and have been supported and we have been supported by greater coordination with Armed Forces, NGOs, local authorities, the voluntary sector, and more.

It is hopeful that we have seen multiple convictions of traffickers and that more survivors have been given a voice, a chance to rebuild their lives with dignity and with hope. We should be so proud of all of those who have played a role in that hope. Proud of politicians like the right honourable member and Baroness May and many others proto-statutory authorities like Sussex Police in my local authority and release across the country for the role that they play in combating modern slavery.

Proud of the civil servants who work behind the scenes across government to make Britain a leader in the fight against modern slavery. There is one civil servant I know particularly well who I will not embarrass or compromise by naming but I know is watching and I hope the likes of her, that her backstage efforts are just as critical as the work done by those who are front and I'm also proud of our voluntary sector for their very direct role in helping victims and survivors of modern slavery to rebuild their lives with dignity and hope too.

In particular I'd like to pay tribute to Eastbourne's brand the bakehouse, led by the amazing Lucy but, which uses the medium of baking to empower women survivors of modern slavery to rebuild their confidence, develop their skills and take a step towards a more fulfilling future. But most importantly, I would like to pay tribute to the resilience of those victims and survivors of modern slavery who the Modern Slavery Act is fighting for and who all of us who are gathered here in this chamber and I know many others who can't be here are committed to fighting for today.

And I'm particularly inspired to read about I should, not her real name, but that someone who Lucy and her team -- supported. She is a victim of human traffic and she subsequently lived in a safe House. And she said of that time, every day, you just wait in the safe House. Days turn into months. You can't work and it's really isolating. I felt really sad and I had no purpose. But when round the bakehouse -- Rambler offered her a place, wanting to see the best in this, she was deeply suspicious about why anybody would pay for her to get on a train and go and bake, but her support worker encouraged her to.

She gave it a go and she felt like it was a big deal, she had to get there on time, had her ticket. She suddenly felt independent and that she was getting away from it all. I've never baked before, but I realise that I could do this. I could actually make something that looked and tasted amazing. It was therapy without therapy. And throughout the program, she spent time identifying her future goals, practising interviews and in particular remembers discussing how to see her weaknesses and strengths.

In several years on. I'm delighted to say that I -- Asia enjoyed it and she supports campaigning against modern slavery, giving a survivors perspective and campaigning for change, and I'm sure the whole House would join me in paying tribute to her and everyone whose stories I share represent. So we go into the likes of her however, to redouble our ambition a decade on from the passing of the act to root out modern slavery and ask yourselves, is what we are doing now enough? And based on what every single member has in this debate so far, we know in our heart of hearts that the answer to the question is no.

What we are doing now is not enough, and we must do more. In particular, Liberal Democrats believe that we must reverse the challenges to modern slavery protections that were represented by the Illegal Migration Act that I know the government is making progress on and ensure that all the legislation is compatible with the U.K.'s international law obligations, including Council of Europe convention on action against trafficking in human beings. We must create more safe and legal routes to sanctuary in the UK, taking the power out of the hands of the people smugglers who go on to as the right honourable member said, for so many of those who survived the dangerous crossings into lives of servitude.

We must ensure that county lines exportation is properly recognised as a form of modern slavery. Before coming to this House, I dedicated my career to supporting young people who were involved in gangs and crime. I saw this kind of stuff up close, but according to Unseen, one in five people have never heard of county lines exportation, compared to only 2%...

**** Possible New Speaker ****

He's making a really important point there about county lines. Last week I visited Vita Nova in Moscow week I visited Vita Nova in Moscow to see a performance about county lines which they've been taking into schools in order to raise awareness schools in order to raise awareness in children about the risks and what it looks like. Does he agree with me that we could be rolling out more education about county lines's discourse that the schools and children are better prepared to resist it?

**** Possible New Speaker ****

resist it? I couldn't agree more. It's critical that we educate not just children about what risk factors and children about what risk factors and what things to look out for, but also folks who are spending time supporting those children, whether it's parents, guardians, carers, with its teachers and whether it is others to better identify this and then be able to tackle it before it escalates into something that is completely irreversible. What we must also do is ensure that our rightful pursuit of a low carbon economy is not done on the backs of the slave labour of the Uyghurs.

And this call echoes the very powerful call of my constituent who survived the Holocaust. She has written to the Prime Minister talking about how her father was sent to Siberia for slave labour. And never returned. Doris since committed to spending her time saying never again. And we must fight to ensure that that is the case -- and this debate will help us get there.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

On Tuesday, 8 July 2014, the then Home Secretary data Prime Minister Home Secretary data Prime Minister and now The Right Honourable Baroness May stood at that despatch box to present the modern slavery box to present the modern slavery bill as it was then through its second reading. She spoke powerfully second reading. She spoke powerfully of those tricked and coerced into a horrendous life of servitude and abuse. Women forced into prostitution, raped repeatedly and denied their liberty. Children
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Katie Lam Portrait Katie Lam MP (Weald of Kent, Conservative)
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denied their liberty. Children groomed and sexually exploited for profit, vulnerable men can't interbreed to and inhumane work in fields, in factories and on shipping vessels. People forced into a life of crime. She talked of sexual violence, beatings, humiliation, hunger and mental torture. This is The Right Honourable Baroness May rightly said that day, modern slavery is an affront not just to those it affects back to the collective human dignity of all of us. The way some people treat and exploit their fellow human beings, is sadly nothing short of disgusting.

And such behaviour has no place in Britain. But those were not just words. She acted too, bringing forward this legislation, the first of its kind in Europe, which received Royal assent a decade and a day ago today. I would like to congratulate and thank my right honourable friend the Member for Staffordshire Moorlands for securing this debate today. She has a long and proud history of campaigning on this issue, indeed she was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Home Office for preventing abuses, exploitation and crime at the time of the passage of this bill.

And has done considerable work including with the Commonwealth Parliamentary authority on stamping out this revolting practice. Now of course she continues to put her expertise and dedication to protecting the vulnerable to excellent use as chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee. She makes some powerful points about the need to keep this legislation world leading, as she has done repeatedly in this House and elsewhere. She speaks for example of orphanage trafficking and the work that has been done in Australia to tackle it.

It's horrifying that an estimated 80% of children living in the world's orphanages have at least one living parent but have been , sometimes forcibly to be exploited and used to raise money for corrupt orphanage directors. I imagine the Minister who is also known for her commitment to the victims of the sorts of appalling crimes will want to work with her to ensure our laws protect the vulnerable as well as they possibly can. I would like to pay tribute to The Right Honourable Baroness May, and my right honourable friend the Member for Staffordshire Moorlands, and to former members of this House who campaigned on this issue, including but not limited to Anthony Steen, now Baron Randall and the late Frank Field.

And I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the debate we have had here today. The honourable member East Renfrewshire spoke authoritatively and movingly about the deeply upsetting plight of the Uighur people and the role slavery shamefully plays on that. I am happy to take this opportunity to reassure him that he is neither tired nor showing his age, but the points he makes about the need to keep our laws up-to-date are well made. The honourable member for Wimbledon does great credit to the proud history of his constituency and fighting the evil of slavery.

He is right to speak of the complexities of the British state and the challenges this poses in tackling modern slavery. The honourable member Forster is also right to mention in the same vein the need for coordination across government and the role local authority empowerment and responsibly compliant. The honourable member for North Herefordshire, who I hope will not mind if I take a moment now to admire her jacket, asked about decision reviews and Visa flexibility. She and I think have somewhat different views on those subjects but I'm sure the Minister will address questions.

The honourable member for conducting spoke of the shocking role the file drugs trade can have in trapping our young people into cycles of vicious exploitation. And the horrors of enforced prostitution, a form of institutionalised rape. The institutionalised rape. The honourable member Edinburgh East was very gracious in his acknowledgement of the hard work of my right honourable friend the Member for Staffordshire moorlands and the previous government and should be proud of the work is done to prevent human, including child trafficking.

Finally the honourable member Bournemouth East touched on several of the points with her this afternoon, including the expectation of young boys and rightly reminded us again of our long history of kindness as a country. And we must as we reflect on the Modern Slavery Act and its impact, ensure that that national compassion and generosity is not exploited by the cynical and sinister. As my right honourable friend the Member for Croydon South has said, the Modern Slavery Act noble intentions are sometimes sadly abused by foreign criminals who rely on suspect claims under this act to avoid deportation.

My right honourable friend has talked of cases he witnessed at the Home Office of immigration lawyers submitting, " Copy and paste claims for different clients." With no attempt made to change the details and discussed how in many incidents very little proof is needed, allowing illegal migrants and criminals to avoid evidence. This applies even in cases where migrants have explicitly denied they were victims of modern slavery. A number of modern slavery claims has gone from around 3,000 in 2015 to over 19,020 25, of whom three quarters are not UK citizens.

The most frequent referral for modern slavery claims is now through the immigration system, and by the end of 2022, of those migrants who arrived illegally in the UK by small boat and was subsequently detained for return, somewhere between half and three quarters each year were claiming to be victims of modern slavery. In 2023, it was reported that 1068 Albanian convicts living in Britain were awaiting deportation, amongst them sexual predators, finance -- violent thugs. The abuse of the Modern Slavery Act where it does happen is not just the perversion of the acts noble intentions but also an insult to this countries compassion and a deplorable diversion of vital resources from Rio for M's.

We must set an appropriate threshold for supporting evidence to ensure the system rightly prioritises the true victims rather than struggling under the weight of claims designed to frustrate immigration proceedings. Many of the claims made and the Modern Slavery Act are genuine pleas for help from those in the most frightening and shocking situations of abuse. We must ensure the act is kept up-to-date to protect them.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Thank you. I will begin by congratulating commander should call congratulating commander should call her now, my right honourable friend. For Staffordshire moorlands. For securing this debate. I don't wish for anyone to think she has walked for anyone to think she has walked the floor, she is just my honourable friend. For securing this debate on this topic, and it's, as has been this topic, and it's, as has been commented very close to my heart as it is to hers.

Her passion and insight come through very clearly as she spoke, and I'm very grateful to her and everybody who has contributed. Like the right honourable lady, I have a long- standing interest in these issues, and they have been a feature of my work since before I came to this House and in fact I spent many hours in meetings in Marsham Street as somebody running one of the support services in preparation for the bill. So it's truly something to be celebrated. When the Modern Slavery Act was passed, it was a hugely significant step.

I commend the right honourable lady for her role in making that happen. Alongside the then Home Secretary, now Baroness May of Maidenhead as well as all of the parliamentarians you have been mentioned today. I'm not a politician who generally gets carried away about legislation. Its outcomes I care about rather than words written on a page. But this really was a landmark moment. As much for the message it sent about our determination to fight modern slavery and exploitation at home and abroad as for the measures that it abroad as for the measures that it The 10th anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on progress made and the significant challenges that remain.

The UK was once at the forefront of the fight against modern slavery and I would very much like to see us in that role again. Before I come onto how we make that happen, many have talked about victims in their own constituencies and also some of the misconceptions that people think about victims of modern slavery. To tell a story, like many, I support many victims of modern slavery in my constituency and I was taking my son out to an event and I've invited a young woman had been a victim of sexual exploitation and modern slavery to come along with us to this particular event because she was having a particularly downtime.

I want my son that she was a victim of modern slavery and human trafficking and to warn him and when she got in the car, after a full day with her, he said that he did not understand because she was British and he did not think you could be a victim of modern slavery if you were British. There are many misconceptions about who is using our services. We have who is using our services. We have to make sure that we are making sure things are right for all of them.

We know that victims are waiting too long for conclusive decisions and we know how detrimental this is to their well being and recovery. That is why I have made clearing the backlog a personal priority and new staff started arriving in December and I give them the task of eradicating the backlog by December 2026. In a few short months, we have hired over 100 new staff and as of last month the backlog is half the size that it was at its worst in 2022 and that is what real effort looks like.

Endless talking and not empty commitments or apathy but concrete and focused action to deliver results for victims and survivors with compassion and care. We have taken meaningful steps to decouple the issue of immigration and modern slavery. I am pleased that modern slavery has returned to my portfolio as the Safeguarding Minister. I confirm that the Border Security Asylum and Immigration Bill would repeal issues linked to the duty to remove the Illegal Migration Act 2023 which would ensure there is no blanket ban on illegal migrants seeking protection.

The point that was made by the shadow minister, that does in no means mean that anybody can claim to be a victim of modern slavery. The system we have in our country for modern slavery, people cannot refer themselves. It is only Border Force, local authorities, the Salvation Army and the police that can refer and it is up to those agencies to make sure that those referrals are done appropriately. The manifesto recognised the need to strengthen the response to serious exploitation and the new offence of shelled criminal exploitation has been included in the Crime and Policing Bill alongside preventative order to provide greater protection to children who are being exploited by criminals.

It will strengthen and streamline domestic labour market enforcement through the fair work agency which will have a more cohesive response and I have heard some concerns about their moving into that area and I can say to members at the moment that by no means does the creation of the Fair Work Agency mean that my responsibility as the Minister for Modern Slavery is reflected by... I thought she wanted me to give way. It will make more work for me.

I understand the concerns about that. The Fair Work Agency will have greater powers and greater resources to do the work many have spoken about and on Monday there is a new set of statutory guidance which is practical for businesses so that they can get faster in the fight against modern slavery. We are collaborating with international partners and I travelled to Romania to strengthen a joint approach and I met a woman who had been trafficked to my constituency while I was there and she had come via Paris and London from Romania and into prostitution.

I very much would like to lend my voice to the call about I wish people would just stop sleeping with prostitutes because that is an exploitation of those women and the stories that those women told me were absolutely harrowing. We are working on a joint action plan with Vietnam and I will be able to share more information in due course. These are all important steps we have tried to take with being in office with an eight month and I understand that there is much more to do.

To support this, we have developed the Modern Slavery Action developed the Modern Slavery Action Plan in collaboration with the NGO sector and criminal justice partners plan sets out the ambitious vision to tackle modern slavery at the route and to reform the whole system. It reinforces our commit to working across government and civil society businesses and international partners to prevent exploitation and protect the terms and pursue those who are responsible for heinous crimes. We will talk about whether
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Jess Phillips Portrait Jess Phillips MP, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Birmingham Yardley, Labour)
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the NRM is stock, not working, this the NRM is stock, not working, this reform soon. Will launch a public consultation on how the government consultation on how the government can improve the process of identifying victims of modern slavery and if I do nothing else, slavery and if I do nothing else, this reform is something I feel this reform is something I feel certain I can commit to it is not working and the system does not work working and the system does not work and to answer some questions that have been asked around the debate, I think, to the honourable leader, NRM reform, yes, please, let's take part in the consultation and do some of that.

The protection for victims being a two-tier system that she has talked about is a reality that I recognise and I have seen directly from my own work. The thing that has been mentioned more than anything else is the transparency in the supply chain and the need to go further. As I have said, we are doing whatever we can in lieu of new legislation. In the meantime, in lieu of new legislation, to ensure that we are making the systems that we have in place better.

And the reporting of that must be better and more transparent. However, I hear the calls very clearly, like the right ability and I have been waiting for a piece of modern slavery legislation that has been promised in every speech, King or Queen, to this House, that has yet to come. And so, there is nothing that I would saying that is currently off the table for the House to work with with regard to People that have been mentioned in this House and the need for us to do something robust, especially while we see other countries advancing forward in this space, to not allow forward in this space, to not allow our country to become a place, a flooded area, but that is like the European Union, with partners in the US advancing in this space.

The honourable member for East Renfrewshire spoke before and you are right. It seems like we all have to be saying that. They have mentioned Hope for Justice, very much part of the core group of those who be take advice from in the depart and he is a member himself that I speak to regularly and I've met with the big sound many people have referred to this and I saw the absolute value of their myself. And, yes, many people also have mentioned devolved decision-making and I am convinced as a policy maker that devolved decision-making in the cases of children is something that we should be seeking to expand.

It is a more preferable situation. To be member for North Herefordshire, with regard to the review, we talked about 70% of decisions, turned-down decisions, not all decisions, are overturned and that somewhat suggests there is not a need for a review because the review system already overturns them. I am not without sympathy for the review panel and it has been raised previously with the group I work with but I will take that away and as for temporary workers for domestic visas, I will say this first.

I am very much alive to the issue of domestic worker visas and how domestic workers have been forced into the NRM potentially unfairly and incorrectly and I am alive to that. I'm also quite alive to the fact that we have a beta system that allows incredibly rich people to bring domestic workers with them. I have got to say that I cook my own dinner and I have got a busy job. I have to say that I think that the whole system of domestic workers servitude is something that, as a feminist, I take a keen eye on.

And so I think that I have mainly answered all of the questions that were asked of me. There is... What pleases me is that, unlike 10 years ago, there is still huge huge enthusiasm in this place to push things forward. -- Like 10 years ago. That will only ever be rivalled by the enthusiasm and the other place and I'm glad I'm not the Minister talking about this debate in there tomorrow because they are fierce for us and I expect progress to be made on this very important issue and I look forward to working with everybody today on these issues and I hope people feel that we are open to suggestions and working together, as I think was the case when we got there in the first place.



**** Possible New Speaker ****

Karen Bradley to windup. I start by referring to my entry in the register of interest and I failed to in my previous speech and failed to in my previous speech and so I have done that now. I also want to pay tribute to you, Madam Deputy Speaker because Madam Deputy Speaker Speaker because Madam Deputy Speaker was a member of the Bill committee and therefore integral part of delivering the legislation and so we delivering the legislation and so we were there together delivering this.

It has been a fantastic debate and I thank everybody who has taken part thank everybody who has taken part and I will briefly try to mention all of you. The honourable member for East Renfrewshire, things of beauty are many and varied but the beauty are many and varied but the jib that he has to the cause of the Uighur people cannot be doubted and I look forward to working with him on this matter. The honourable gentleman from Wimbledon is a member of the Select Committee and he spoke very well about his previous constituent and also he mentioned resources for the Independent Anti- Slavery Commissioner and I pay tribute to all those who held the role including Dame Sarah Thornton who has gone missing.

The honourable gentleman for staff as a member of the APPG and he spoke movingly about the APPG and he spoke movingly about the human part of it and it's important not to take the emotion out of this. The honourable lady for North Herefordshire, points are so important and immigration status is such a vulnerability and we must be careful. The Minister wants to get rid of overseas domestic workers visas, she has an advocate in me. The honourable lady for Congleton, we share many issues and have a partner and those criminals are crossing that order and we must work together and she is an active member of the all-party group and the
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None Portrait
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honourable gentleman for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, another active East and Musselburgh, another active member of the selectivity, he knows what he is talking about and I want what he is talking about and I want to talk to him about the independent child trafficking advocates because we want that ruled that every. The final contribution was from the final contribution was from the honourable member for Bournemouth East and he talked about great East and he talked about great experience. It's wonderful how much experience we have at the House.

I experience we have at the House. I thank everyone for taking part. Voices of victims have come through in the debate and we must never forget that and I want to work cross-party, as we always have on this issue, to keep delivering for those victims because we all them

**** Possible New Speaker ****

The question is as on the order paper. As many as are of that paper. As many as are of that opinion say, "Aye." Of the contrary, "No." I think the ayes have it, the ayes have it.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

ayes have it. I beg to move that this House do now adjourn. The question is that this House

**** Possible New Speaker ****

do now adjourn. Alex Mayer. Thank you. Spring is in the air,

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Thank you. Spring is in the air, and it's almost time that familiar ritual. On Sunday, the clocks will ritual. On Sunday, the clocks will go forward by an hour, and overnight our evenings will become lighter as British Summer Time begins. Frankly, each time the clocks go forward and back it's a bit of a Pfaff. I think we've all looked in confusion at the clock on the car dashboard, trying to remember how on earth we change it. And I understand that across the Parliamentary estate, clock mechanics will be carrying out the task of adjusting the time on over 2,000 clocks, including on Big Ben, no mean feat.

But I have to say, I'm always a lot happier with the spring clock change rather than the autumn one that plunges our communities into long evenings of darkness. But, is this the best time system for the way that we live and work today? I think it's time to talk about time. It was in 1907 that the first serious proposal for Daylight Saving Time was made in Britain. Angry at the lack of use of daylight during the summer mornings, a campaigner by the name of William Willet self published a pamphlet called the waste of daylight.

While he did not live to see his proposal enacted, British Summer Time was first established during World War I. By
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Alex Mayer Portrait Alex Mayer MP (Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard, Labour)
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the summertime act of 1916, a piece of legislation still in place today. of legislation still in place today. But it is the experiment during the Second World War, a British double summertime the tabloid eternity summertime the tabloid eternity today. As Britain faced peril, Winston Churchill took a decision. To move the clocks two hours in advance of Greenwich Mean Time in the summer and one hour in advance the summer and one hour in advance of GMT during the winter months. Why? To save energy.

The crisis at Why? To save energy. The crisis at the time meant that bold ideas were required. We need to think outside of the box. Today we face a different emergency. The climate crisis. But one where the same prescription could really help. I believe that we should learn the lessons of wartime Britain and move to double summertime, one hour ahead of GMT in the winter and two hours ahead in the summer months. We know that we must cut our emissions. We know that we need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

And we have a Labour government that is seizing the moment with Great British Energy, our new publicly owned clean energy company and retrofitting homes to help families save money off their energy bills and reduce emissions as the Warm Homes Plan's accelerate. But another immediate practical and effective way to cut emissions could be to make better use of the daylight that we have. By choosing Churchill time, we can reduce our energy use and lower our carbon footprint. When it's light in the evenings, households and businesses switch on the lights and heating later.

That small shift to spread across millions of homes adds up to a significant difference. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have found an extra daily hour of sunlight in winter evenings could save £485 million each year in electricity bills. They calculated the saving of 6 GW hours of energy per winter day. It would reduce CO2 pollution by at least 447,000 tons each year. That's the equivalent of more than 50,000 cars driving all around the world. And meanwhile evidence from Queen's University Belfast shows that Churchill time Belfast shows that Churchill time would reduce evening peak energy demands by up to 10%.

Offering significant energy costs and emissions reductions. 10% is roughly 5 GW hours of energy taken off the grid during the busiest time of the day. All of that great news for the planet. And lighter evenings mean more time spent outdoors, in parks, on walks, more time visiting cafe's and pubs in our high streets. It gives local businesses particularly in the hospitality and retail sectors and much needed boost. When the sun sets at 4 o'clock, people rush home. They don't linger in our town centres on our high streets.

They don't stop for a coffee. But if the sun sets at five or six, we change the rhythm of our days. We create opportunities for commerce. The connection, the community. That would especially be the case in autumn half term. The British Association of leisure Parks peers and attractions claimed in 2011 that lighter evenings would increase tourism earnings by between 2.5 and £3.5 million. And it would bring increased tax revenues and positive impacts on the U.K.'s balance of savings, particular from overseas visitors.

The Tourism Alliance told me this week they think there is a real case for Churchill time to boost tourism in the so-called shorter seasons, helping visitors enjoy everything our amazing country has to offer all year round. So that means jobs and demeans growth. Now some will say, what about the mornings? Don't we need light in the mornings? And it's a fair question. But here's what the evidence tells us. The cost of dark evenings is higher than the cost of dark mornings. Studies show that road collisions increase by 90% in the two weeks after the clocks go back in October.

The Royal Society for the prevention of accidents point out that during the working week accidents are always higher in the afternoon evening peak than in the morning peak. And for much of the winter, during that most dangerous afternoon evening the accidents, currently around an hour and 1/2 is in darkness, but this move would more than half that. Similarly, the AA estimate that around 100 lives would be saved a year by reducing accidents in the dark evenings. And break, the road safety charity Tommy had of this debate with five people being killed on our roads every day, more strategies that reduce road deaths and injuries can only be positive thing.

Changing to lighter evenings can prevent hundreds of accidents and injuries every year, and that's just not statistics. It's lives protected, hospital beds freed up and families spared tragedy. The result, fewer injuries, less pressure on our emergency services and reduced strain on our National Health Service. And sunshine Cheers Health Service. And sunshine Cheers is up. The NHS says that a lack of sunlight may lead to lower serotonin levels, which is linked to feelings of depression. Getting outside has got many mood boosting benefits.

Surely the health, the refreshment, the happiness of such a gift cannot be overestimated. That's what the honourable member for Blackburn said in this place back in 1916 when debating Daylight Saving Time. And when lamenting the waste of daylight, he did in fact ask your predecessor could there be a more wasteful, more unhygienic, more senseless proceeding? I will not go quite as far as that, but simply put, I believe that we should make the most of what we've got.

So I urge the Minister to consider letting Spring forward to a greener and brighter future.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Thank you. Can I first of all thank the honourable member for thank the honourable member for tabling this debate. I'm grateful for her insights and her remarks on for her insights and her remarks on this important topic, which as she explained impacts on everyone's explained impacts on everyone's lives in some way or another. She did describe it in her opening remarks as a bit of a fast, which I remarks as a bit of a fast, which I think we can all appreciate, but of course went into a lot of detail about many of the reasons why she is advocating this change.

I will in my remarks go on to explain why there are also potential negatives in terms of what's being proposed, but as the honourable member mentioned in terms of the history of this, seasonal clock changes were first proposed in early 1900s to extend daylight hours for recreation and save on lighting costs clocks were set to GMT for early sunrise in the summer and attracted during the war due to the need to conserve coal, leading to the option of changes in 1916.

Manual clock changes have continued since with a brief deviation from the Second World War when British double summertime was introduced and between 1968 and 1972 when the clocks were put forward but not put back as part of an experiment. I think that was also the first four years of my parents marriage and that experiment has frankly lasted much longer than that. It was in the end discontinued though, due to inconclusive results regarding its effect on road casualties. Currently around 70 countries worldwide adopt some form of daylight say.

British Summer Time is the U.K.'s version of European summertime, which follows the same pattern by changing the clocks twice a year by one hour. The synchronisation allows for smooth transactions in trade, travelling communications across Europe. Government is aware that daylight say has at times attracted extensive public and political debate with suggestions to adopt British double summertime commanders have already mentioned, British Summer Time -- double summertime was introduced during the world war for a short time and reduce the need for artificial lighting and thereby conserved fuel.

Introducing British double summertime resulting clocks remaining one hour ahead of
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Justin Madders Portrait Justin Madders MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Ellesmere Port and Bromborough, Labour)
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Greenwich Mean Time in the winter, moving two hours ahead in the summer. By observing British Summer Time from the UK maintains A1 hour Time from the UK maintains A1 hour difference with European countries throughout the year and this would not be the case under British double not be the case under British double summertime. Using Germany as an summertime. Using Germany as an example, the time difference would vary between winter and summer. In winter both the UK and Germany would be one hour ahead of GMT resulting be one hour ahead of GMT resulting in no time difference.

During some of the UK would be one hour ahead of Germany. The government believes the current daylight say arrangements current daylight say arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK. And changing the current arrangements would impact all citizens in the UK and Northern Ireland would require public consultation on assessment of the impact on businesses across all sectors of the economy, and as Mr Higginbotham has mentioned there will of course be a number of benefits to moving to double British Summer Time.

Another dark hours exacerbate mental health conditions, particularly seasonal affective disorder. The shorter days and reduce nitrogen as a result of clock changes can worsen symptoms according to the charity Change Mental Health. We know there is evidence for enforced clock changes affecting sleep especially in a forward direction such as the time which currently occurs in March and indeed will be happening again in three days time. We also know from the British sleep Society the natural daylight in the morning is critical for alignment of our internal body clocks.

Moving to double British Summer Time would cause dark mornings especially in the winter. We are also aware there is some evidence that abolishing clock changes would reduce road accidents as my honourable friend mentioned, and analysis from the RAC foundation shows that between 2012 and 17 was in fact 80% increase in road accidents over the two fortnightly periods when clock changes take place. And in terms of energy usage my honourable friend also mentioned keeping to GMT +1 during the winter months might be expected to reduce overall energy usage as people use less artificial light in the evenings, however the effects are likely to be small in magnitude and may indeed actually be uncertain whether they would have effect at all because the most significant effects would actually be associated with lighting demand as demand switches from the evening to the morning, and whilst there may be some benefits, there would also be a risk in terms of the U.K.'s energy system being affected by the times and choices of neighbouring countries which it trades gas and alleges with, for example time difference between the UK and France means the peak demand staggered means the peak demand staggered across the two countries and allows for interconnectors to play a role in meeting peak demand throughout the year.

This results in lower energy generation required in Great Britain and lower prices for consumers. If the time difference were to change, it could have impacts across the energy system including the benefits assumed from the use of interconnection. There may also be road safety impacts, advancing the clock in spring creates a short-term disruption in sleeping patterns which can cause fatigue. This can be to inattention, poor decision-making and delayed reaction times. All of which are contributing factors to road traffic accident's. Summertime arrangements have led to concerns about the disruptive biorhythms of animals with respect to changing milking and feeding schedules.

Of course these impacts are expected to be reduced due to the deployment of new equipment, artificial lighting, and water my automated technologies first the approach to daylight saving is a very compact area, giving the importance of just-in- time supply chains many industries. And any change would mean sectors and businesses such as the aviation would need considerable notice of any such change. There have been examinations in the past, and following the call for evidence, the House of Lords produced a report called clock changes, is it time for a change? And found the abolition of seasonal changes of time in the UK in any circumstances would require adjustments in a range of sectors and transport energy, and indeed software development.

Such adjustments would bring some transition costs which can be burdensome for industries when scheduling especially internationally which would be a concern for particular aviation one of the examples. In that report, the EU commission concluded it did not receive compelling evidence that the current situation is problematic. While noting the lack of studies on the subject was to moving to double British Summer Time would also create a time border between Ireland and Northern Ireland in a scenario where Ireland maintained its current approach to time.

And this nonalignment could cause problems for transport, particular aviation, tourism and training business in general with high impacts sending a party alignment. This view is not held by UK industries and represented bodies but also reported in EU and non-EU countries responses In the UK, seasonal change leads to reduced late in the winter but it is more pronounced in northern parts of the UK, especially Scotland. If we had British double summer time there would be no daylight in the winter before 10 AM in the north of Scotland and so children would have to travel to and from school in darkness.

It was pointed out by the Scottish government in evidence to the Loch committee that farmers will spend more I was on the road and hours of darkness, further adding to this. In 2012, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills reported a on clock changes and this might have included issues including energy issues and increased accidents. This department will provide support particularly in these areas and we appreciate the concerns raised by the potential impact of clock changes on mental health and road safety and we always welcome views on how to enhance existing measures and initiatives and as we set out in our white paper, the government is committed to expanding access to NHS talking therapies for adults with common mental health conditions like depression and seasonal affective disorder.

I want to make it clear that the government treats road safety with the utmost seriousness safety with the utmost seriousness and is committed to reducing numbers of people killed on the roads. My colleagues at the Department Of Transport are developing the first new road strategy in over a decade and will set out details in due course. I thank the honourable member for securing the bed. I think she's raised interesting points. The evidence is not overwhelming in terms of the case for change.

I take this opportunity to remind everyone that the clocks go forward on Sunday

**** Possible New Speaker ****

and it is also Mother's Day. The question is that this House

**** Possible New Speaker ****

The question is that this House

**** Possible New Speaker ****

The question is that this House do now adjourn. As many as of that opinion, say, "Aye.". I think the opinion, say, "Aye.". I think the ayes have it. The ayes have it.
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