Oral Answers to Questions

Mary Kelly Foy Excerpts

Thursday 15th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Ian Murray]

As I said in answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Poole (Neil Duncan-Jordan), there will be an update to Parliament on 18 March, as provided for by the Data (Use and Access) Act. This is an incredibly serious issue, but what we really need to do is make sure that the Online Safety Act 2023 is completely implemented. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology made it very clear from the Dispatch Box this week that the Government will have an absolutely no-tolerance approach to what has been happening with AI and Grok. Ofcom must do its job. It must do it quickly, it must do it soon, and it must take the greatest possible action it can against the perpetrators of the disgusting and abhorrent ways in which AI is operating on some platforms.

[Mary Kelly Foy (City of Durham) (Lab)]

7. What steps she is taking to help increase access to sports facilities.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

Order. The hon. Lady is testing the Chair by sitting in a part of the Chamber where she does not normally sit.

[Mary Kelly Foy]

I thought I would sit where the Chamber looks really packed. [Laughter.]

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stephanie Peacock)]

The Government understand the importance of high-quality grassroots sports facilities in helping people to be active, which is why we are committing £400 million to improving facilities over the next four years. We are investing £98 million this year through the multi-sport grassroots facilities programme, which includes removing barriers to participation for women and girls, people with disabilities and those from ethnic minority communities.

[Mary Kelly Foy]

Durham United football club kicked off this season in the northern league. It is the first time in decades that the city has had a men’s team playing at this level, yet they do not have a permanent ground. At the same time, local authorities are finding it harder and harder to maintain their playing pitch stock to a reasonable standard, meaning that high-quality pitches are harder to access despite more football being played than ever. What can the Minister do to encourage local authorities to transfer these assets into the hands of well-established grassroots clubs, such as Durham United, to give them security and access to larger grants, thereby improving the maintenance of these vital community assets?

[Stephanie Peacock]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that important point. Sport England invests over £250 million of Exchequer and lottery funding each year, and offers guidance and support to grassroots clubs looking to take control of their local sports pitches through its community asset transfer toolkit, which it is currently updating. I would be very happy to set up a meeting for my hon. Friend with Sport England, which can offer further advice if that is helpful.

Oral Answers to Questions

Mary Kelly Foy Excerpts

Thursday 17th October 2024 Commons Chamber

The hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, was asked—

[Mary Kelly Foy (City of Durham) (Lab)]

9. Whether the Commission is taking steps to increase access to period products on the parliamentary estate.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)]

May I say how glad I am to give my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Marsha De Cordova) a break this morning? I also praise the former Chair of the Administration Committee, Sir Charles Walker; he has been a great friend and a great champion for this House.

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for City of Durham (Mary Kelly Foy) for asking this important question. The House of Commons Administration is committed to providing period products for emergency use; they are available free of charge in selected toilets across the parliamentary estate. No one should be put in an uncomfortable situation due to lack of access to emergency period products.

[Mary Kelly Foy]

May I say how glad I am to be asking this question today, so that my hon. Friend can also earn his pay? Free period products in the workplace are essential items, but in far too many places of work they are seen as optional. I know there are a few places around the parliamentary estate where free period products can be accessed, but more places are required and we cannot leave out our constituency offices. Will he ensure that more period products are made available both here and in constituency offices around the country?

[Nick Smith]

My hon. Friend makes a great point. The House service was asked a year ago to provide period products for emergency use, and it engages with groups, such as our workplace equality networks, to ensure accessible products throughout our House. On constituency offices, as Members of Parliament we are responsible for our staff, and away from this estate I would expect a Member, as an employer, to decide on what provision to arrange for their teams. However, I am happy to take that point back to the Administration Committee for further consideration of take-up and distribution, and I will contact my hon. Friend in good time on the matter.