Business of the House

Debate between Alan Campbell and Tom Gordon

Thursday 15th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this matter. As she alludes to, it is not new; delays are affecting the lives of constituents right across our country. The DVLA is currently rolling out a new casework system, which is expected to deliver significant improvements to the services provided to drivers with medical conditions, but as I have said before, that is small beer to people who are sitting at home waiting or are unable to take job opportunities. If she gives me the details of the case, I will raise it with Ministers to see what further action we can take.

[Tom Gordon (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (LD)]

One of the greatest privileges I have had in this place so far was sitting on the assisted dying Bill Committee. We have seen in the press today rumours that No. 10 thinks the Bill will not return before the King’s Speech and subsequently would fall. Could the Leader of the House enlighten us on what conversations he is having with his counterpart in the other place and whether the Government will ensure there is adequate time for the Bill to pass, given that the public perception and polling is in support of the Bill, and many people I speak to already think it will come into force? Given that the Prime Minister made a personal promise to Esther Rantzen, will the Leader of the House gently nudge him in the right direction?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

As the hon. Gentleman knows, the Government have always said that this is for Parliament to decide. I would say to those in the other place that they should respect the will of this elected House, which did support the Bill. However, their job of scrutiny is up to them. I urge them to get on with it, so that we can make every effort. I am a supporter of the Bill, and the Prime Minister has made it clear that he is too, but I know there are real concerns about it. I have also made it clear that, should the Bill come back to this place, presumably with amendments made, we will facilitate time here to make that happen. We have to be clear about this: the Lords have a job to do, and they are getting on with it in a particular way. We might not like it, but it is their job to get the Bill into shape. If it does come back here, we will do everything we can to get it on to the statute book, but it is not a Government Bill.

Business of the House

Debate between Alan Campbell and Tom Gordon

Thursday 8th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I join my hon. Friend in thanking everyone involved in this initiative. There is a long way to go, but important progress is being made. Tackling knife crime is a top priority for this Government, although there are still too many cases. Knife crime overall has fallen for the first time in four years, but there is a great deal more to do. The coalition to tackle knife crime has helped to shape key policies, including the ninja sword ban and the online sales review. However, I will draw her remarks to the attention of Home Office Ministers. We are bringing forward further measures in the Crime and Policing Bill to the strengthen legislation on knives.

[Tom Gordon (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (LD)]

I join the Leader of the House in recognising people who were awarded honours in the new year’s list, including those who live and work in Harrogate and Knaresborough such as Simon Roberts, Jane Bayliss, Professor Piers Forster, Miriam and Terence Wilcox, and Master Ali, who was awarded an MBE for services to taekwondo. I have had the pleasure of attending some taekwondo sessions, but fortunately not of participating in them, and I was a guest at one of the contests held locally last year. Martial arts and taekwondo in particular play an important role in health, wellbeing, discipline and providing an opportunity for young people. Will the Leader of the House ask the relevant Minister for further support and promotion of martial arts?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

Local sport plays such an important part in our local communities, and the many volunteers who get involved literally change people’s lives for the better. The hon. Member is right to pay tribute to those involved and to draw to our attention the fact that many of them have quite rightly received an award. I will draw his remarks to the attention of the relevant Minister and see what more we can do, but the Government are ambitious in this regard.

Business of the House

Debate between Alan Campbell and Tom Gordon

Thursday 23rd October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

Yes, we will ensure a full right to equal pay for ethnic minorities in law, and we will introduce mandatory ethnicity pay reporting for larger employers to help close the pay gap and to support my hon. Friend’s campaign.

[Tom Gordon (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (LD)]

Last week I held a drop-in with the Great Start in Life Foundation, which supports health visitors and school nursing services across much of the north of England, helping children and families to get the best start in life. Will the Leader of the House congratulate that organisation on its work and find time for a debate on supporting and strengthening nought-to-19 public health services, which play such a vital role in improving outcomes for children and young people?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I will, of course, congratulate the foundation on its work. The Government are seeking precisely to ensure that everybody gets the best start in life and that the investment is there, because it pays off later.

Business of the House

Debate between Alan Campbell and Tom Gordon

Thursday 16th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I congratulate the choir. When we think about the Welsh valleys, we associate them with male voice choirs, which are an important part of the fabric of those communities. The Government are acutely aware of that, so I would welcome the opportunity to raise these issues through a debate. Where the Government are able to support music and other community activities, they are keen to do so to ensure that support does not go just to certain areas and to certain types of music, but that everyone and every area—particularly community things like male voice choirs—gets its share.

[Tom Gordon (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (LD)]

Rural families across North Yorkshire, including those in villages such as Killinghall and Hampsthwaite in my constituency, have been left stranded by changes to home-to-school transport rules, with children living in the same villages now set to go to different schools and parents facing having to give up work to get them there. Will the Leader of the House make time for a debate on reforming school transport laws so that school transport properly serves areas like North Yorkshire? Will he perhaps pass that on to colleagues in the Department for Education?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I think it is important that the hon. Gentleman seeks a debate on that matter so that he can put together the evidence and bring it to the attention of Ministers, who are acutely aware of the cost of public and school transport. I think that an opportunity to share experiences of that across the House would inform debate.

Business of the House

Debate between Alan Campbell and Tom Gordon

Thursday 11th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I very much congratulate Bournemouth on how it is promoting its town, as well as my hon. Friend on how he is promoting it. I have to say he is stretching it a bit by asking me to say it is the best seaside town since I have Whitley Bay in my constituency, but it should not be a competition. What we need to do is promote seaside and coastal towns. They are fantastic places to live and to visit.

[Tom Gordon (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (LD)]

Last weekend, I met residents of New Park, alongside local Liberal Democrat councillor, Monika Slater. Residents are frustrated about the new Tesco that has been built and its impact on local businesses, with contractors regularly flouting the planning rules to work outside permitted hours. Will the Leader of the House allow for a debate in Government time on local authority enforcement powers and, perhaps, how we can get Tory-run North Yorkshire council to use them?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I am not sure of the detail of this case, but it is not unfamiliar to many of us to see the stress that big developments sometimes cause to residents. Again, this is the sort of thing the hon. Gentleman should seek an Adjournment debate on.