Business of the House

Debate between Alan Campbell and Jayne Kirkham

Thursday 27th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I certainly join my hon. Friend in congratulating the Natalie Couper Dance Academy on its growth and thanking it for everything it does. I am frankly not surprised that he has been recognised as a man of the left, because he has been proclaiming it for such a long time. Local businesses like dance academies can add so much to a local community, and I am pleased to hear that it is expanding its business again.

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

I recently presented a petition to restore Falmouth’s pool, which we lost three years ago. It got 5,754 wet signatures—over a quarter of the population of the town. We have a very active community interest company and private business support, and the mayor has just swum the length of the channel—in a different pool a 40-minute drive away—to raise money. Will the Leader of the House ask the relevant Minister to meet the mayor and me as part of the response to our petition and grant Government time for a debate on Government support for pools?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend is a fierce campaigner for her constituency, and I commend her for that. I understand that she has raised this issue with the Department before. We are committed to ensuring that communities can benefit from high-quality sports facilities, and we are investing £400 million in new and upgraded grassroots sports facilities, including swimming pools, across the UK. I will ensure that she gets the meeting she requests from the Minister.

Business of the House

Debate between Alan Campbell and Jayne Kirkham

Thursday 16th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

These are always distressing situations. I will draw this case to the attention of the Department, and hopefully my hon. Friend will get the meeting that he seeks.

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

My constituency is lucky to have good school libraries such as the one at King Charles school, run by talented librarians like Emma Seager, who can get anyone reading. They also provide calm, supervised spaces for students. I was delighted to hear the Chancellor’s commitment at our conference to having a library in every primary school. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate on the benefits of school libraries or a statement to confirm the steps in the process that can enable primary schools, like mine in Flushing, that want to create a school library to do so?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

Reading is transformative, and every child should have access to a library space. That is why we have committed to providing £10 million to guarantee a library in all primary schools by the end of this Parliament. I invite my hon. Friend to seek a debate on how that investment can best be used.

Business of the House

Debate between Alan Campbell and Jayne Kirkham

Thursday 11th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I do not have any canals in my constituency for pretty obvious reasons, but I love them and I think they are fantastic. Local waterways are so important; they do not just link communities but bring them together. I am pleased to offer my congratulations and again point to the fact that community organisations are the absolute backbone of our constituencies and I wish them well going forward.

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

I congratulate Cornwall on being in wave one of the Government’s innovative roll-out of the neighbourhood health services. We are one of 43 areas making that shift and we have provided services locally, such as community health and wellbeing workers, which have been very well received and which make a difference. May we have a debate in Government time on that shift to community care, with the recognition that urgent and emergency care is an area where Cornwall, like others, has struggled, so alternative services should always be in place as we make that switch?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend will know that the NHS is one of our priorities. She will also know that we are beginning to invest more and to turn the NHS round, but that it is a considerable challenge given the state that we found it in 15 months ago. I urge her to seek a debate on these matters, so that local communities can raise their own specific concerns, which are real and tangible. The Government have very optimistic plans for what can happen with regard to services. It is important that people are treated close to home and indeed, in some cases, at home. That is a considerable challenge, but it is one that we intend to meet.