Business of the House

Debate between Alan Campbell and Shockat Adam

Thursday 5th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I am sure, Mr Speaker.

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Stockport (Navendu Mishra) for raising those matters. Should he seek a meeting with a Minister to explain his concerns, I will help him to get that. We have already doubled the number of trainers for examiners and provided more than 120,000 additional tests between June 2025 and January 2026. We will ensure that only learner drivers can book or reschedule tests, and we will stop exploitation by online bots.

[Shockat Adam (Leicester South) (Ind)]

Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem is the third holiest site for over 2 billion Muslims worldwide. Thousands of Brits make a pilgrimage to Masjid al-Aqsa every year, but unfortunately countless are not allowed into the country and many who do make it are not allowed into the compound. A recent survey that I conducted found that 330 out of 390 respondents encountered issues accessing the compound, and some were not allowed in at all, while facing racial abuse at the same time. Despite writing to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office several months ago to discuss these findings, I have had absolutely no response from Ministers. Will the Leader of the House please address this matter with the relevant Department and say what further assurance he can give to all those who go to pray in the Holy Land, so that they can keep safe and pray safely?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I will do that and make sure that the hon. Member gets a response.

Business of the House

Debate between Alan Campbell and Shockat Adam

Thursday 22nd January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The Government, as my hon. Friend knows, are dedicated to ending the housing crisis. We have already delivered 231,000 new homes since the election and our reforms will lead to the highest level in over 40 years. However, that has to be delivered at a local level. I will reach out to the relevant Minister to ensure that my hon. Friend receives the information required on the specific issue that she raises and can discuss what further action can be taken.

[Shockat Adam (Leicester South) (Ind)]

Sadly, on Boxing day Leicester learned that it had lost one of its finest: Councillor Manjula Sood MBE. Manjula Sood had been a Labour councillor for 25 years, worked for countless charities and worked so hard for community cohesion. In 2008, she had the honour of becoming the UK’s first female Asian Lord Mayor, but for me, she will always be known as Mrs Sood, my junior school teacher. Will the Leader of the House commemorate Mrs Sood and also make time in this Chamber for an annual debate where we can commemorate all local champions who truly put the great in Great Britain?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I certainly join the hon. Gentleman in paying tribute to Councillor Sood for her invaluable work, not just for the local community, but in education. I will certainly take away his suggestion of an annual debate so we can mark the contribution of people like Councillor Sood. I will give it some thought.

Business of the House

Debate between Alan Campbell and Shockat Adam

Thursday 11th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I know that my hon. Friend is a great campaigner for her constituency. I can assure her that these are not trivial matters, and I congratulate her on getting developers to take this matter seriously and to provide residents with the grit bins they want. That is not an easy achievement, and she should be commended for it. As she points out, unadopted roads can cause a range of issues for residents, and we are consulting on how to speed up and simplify the process for the adoption of roads. She may wish to raise the matter in an Adjournment debate, but when the Government have something to say on these matters, we will bring forward our findings.

[Shockat Adam (Leicester South) (Ind)]

Earlier this week, Baroness Amos published her interim findings on maternity care in England. Unfortunately, some of the readings are absolutely harrowing, and I apologise for the graphic nature of the following accounts. Women were left for hours to bleed out in toilets, and their concerns about a lack of foetal movement were completely ignored. There is a disturbing trend, which appears to show that women from black and Asian backgrounds receive notably worse care. The investigation into maternity care at Leicester royal infirmary has been postponed, but many mothers have told me that they felt ignored on when and where investigations should take place. May I ask the Leader of the House to please make time for a Back-Bench debate, or a debate in Government time, on the state of maternity care in England?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The situation that the hon. Gentleman describes is by no means acceptable, and systematic failures have been highlighted time and again. Preventable tragedies cannot be ignored, and families show extraordinary courage in bringing forward these matters. In the new year, we are setting up the national maternity and neonatal taskforce to address these issues. It will be chaired by the Health Secretary. I am sure that the matter can be brought before the House for further discussion then.