Business of the House
Adam Jogee Excerpts(1 month ago)
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Lucy Powell
I welcome my hon. Friend to her place. She and I were involved in Young Labour together—only a few years ago, I feel—so it is great to see her finally in this place where she belongs. She raises the important matter of NHS dentistry and the difficulty that people have getting an NHS appointment, which is particularly acute in Norfolk. That is why the Government are committed to a rescue plan and to providing another 700,000 NHS dentist appointments, which I hope will relieve that acuteness in Norfolk.
Adam Jogee (Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Lab)
I send my best wishes to John as he approaches his retirement. I first met him in 2009 as a Member of the UK Youth Parliament—now I am here and he is leaving.
Newcastle-under-Lyme is home to many veterans and their families. They are courageous and good people. Can we have a debate on how we can give our veterans the support that they deserve and the appreciation that they have earned?
Lucy Powell
I join my hon. Friend in thanking John again, who has sat through business questions one last time as a Doorkeeper. My hon. Friend raises an important issue about supporting veterans. He will know that the Veterans Minister has moved back into the Ministry of Defence, which has Question Time after recess. I hope he will be able to raise the matter then.
Business of the House
Adam Jogee Excerpts(1 month, 1 week ago)
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Lucy Powell
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. As a former MP for a northern constituency—I think he has travelled some way south since then—he will know that while the previous Government had strong rhetoric on levelling up, the reality was very different. There were small pots of money that were not transforming communities, and one of the biggest issues at the election was that large parts of the country, especially in the midlands and the north, felt that the previous Government had failed on levelling up. This Government will get growth in every part of the country, and we are committed to doing that.
Adam Jogee (Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Lab)
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the warm welcome you have given to me and all the other newbies. It is wonderful to see the Leader of the House in her place on the Government Front Bench.
Walleys Quarry landfill in Newcastle-under-Lyme has blighted the lives of my constituents for far too long. In the early days of this new Government, can we have a debate on the adequacy of the enforcement powers of the Environment Agency and on how we can tackle the worst effects, health-wise and environmental, of landfill sites in Newcastle-under-Lyme and across our country?
Lucy Powell
I welcome my hon. Friend to his place. He raises an issue that I know is of great importance to his constituents, and there are serious questions to be answered as to why such breaches have been allowed to continue without being properly addressed. I understand that criminal investigations are ongoing. We are monitoring the situation closely so that we can put an end to this awful situation. A Labour Government are not going to sit back as the previous one did and let the toxic stench continue to hang over Newcastle-under-Lyme.