Business of the House
Andrew Snowden Excerpts(2 weeks, 6 days ago)
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Mr Andrew Snowden (Fylde) (Con)
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I echo my support for the issue raised hon. Member for Rochdale (Paul Waugh)—my sister had epilepsy and required lifesaving brain surgery when she was young, so I know the impact it has on families and individuals.
The Leader of the House will know that I previously asked her about the Typhoon assembly line at the Wharton site. Since then, I have asked questions of Defence Ministers in Ukraine statements; I have requested a meeting with the Secretary of State for Defence; I have met the unions; and I have submitted a written question to see whether the order for 24 Typhoon jets for the RAF is included in the Budget. It is not, and we have since heard rumours that the RAF may wish to have American-produced F-35s instead of British-produced Typhoon fighters.
I then submitted a further written question to ask what the plans are to support businesses such as BAE Systems to maintain the workforce that they need for the global combat air programme, and I have received an absolute word salad of an answer talking about partnership working and future procurement strategies. Can we have a statement from the Ministry of Defence on its plans for this important area for sovereign defence capabilities and for jobs in Fylde and across Lancashire?
Lucy Powell
It sounds like the hon. Gentleman has been incredibly diligent and innovative in all the different ways that he has tried to get a straight answer. I will look into the examples that he has given that have not been quite what he expected. He is in my region, and he is right that the Typhoon is an important part of the north-west defence industry. I will ensure that the Secretary of State has heard his full question and I will ask that, at the very least, he gets a full reply, if not a statement to the House.
Business of the House
Andrew Snowden Excerpts(1 month ago)
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Lucy Powell
What a lovely tribute to Margaret, a councillor in my hon. Friend’s constituency. I am sure that an Adjournment debate on the topics that she has raised would also be a fitting tribute.
Mr Andrew Snowden (Fylde) (Con)
Following the Post Office’s announcement of its transformation programme, Poulton-le-Fylde’s central post office is threatened with closure. A petition that we started just last night has already received 1,600 signatures in less than 24 hours, which shows the strength of feeling in the community and its support for that vital service. May I echo the call from the hon. Member for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green (Florence Eshalomi) for a proper debate on both the importance of post offices and the transformation programme itself, so that Members can raise their concerns about the impact on their local communities in a constructive and cross-party manner, as I will happily do with the hon. Member for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green?
Lucy Powell
The hon. Member is absolutely right to raise this issue. As I said earlier, Crown post offices provide a vital lifeline for many communities and local economies. They process big parcel orders and provide a range of other services, and they are also a key part of our ambition to have financial hubs in every community. It is right for constituency Members to come together to raise such issues, and the hon. Gentleman has just demonstrated that kind of cross-party support. It was exactly the sort of demonstration that should be brought to the Backbench Business Committee, and I am sure its Chairman has heard that call today.
Business of the House
Andrew Snowden Excerpts(3 months, 1 week ago)
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Lucy Powell
All of us, and many of our constituents, are familiar with the 8 am scramble for a GP appointment. It is no way to access our primary healthcare system, which is why my right hon. Friend the Health Secretary and the Government are committed to the creation of 40,000 more GP appointments each week over the current Parliament. My right hon. Friend is dedicating a large amount of his time to delivering that, and I am sure he has heard what my hon. Friend has said today. However, my hon. Friend may wish to raise the matter again during Health questions after the conference recess.
Mr Andrew Snowden (Fylde) (Con)
Let me first thank the Leader of the House for the correspondence following my question about the cable corridor in my constituency, which is causing great concern to residents. I appreciated the quick response.
Will the Leader of the House ask the Cabinet Office to send a Minister to the House to make a statement on whether Sir Laurie Magnus is still the Prime Minister’s special adviser on ministerial interests, and, if not, whether a new appointment timeline can be arranged, and to confirm that the Prime Minister will abide by any rulings on the part of that special adviser?
Lucy Powell
Sir Laurie Magnus is very much still the Government’s adviser on such matters. It is not our intention to mess around and make political appointments of that kind. We will take this very seriously, much more seriously than the last Government, who—let us be honest—ignored many of the recommendations and findings of their own adviser in this regard. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that the Prime Minister takes behaviour and standards extremely seriously, and has zero tolerance when misdemeanours are identified.
Business of the House
Andrew Snowden Excerpts(5 months ago)
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Lucy Powell
I thank my hon. Friend for her question and welcome her back to her place. I look forward to continuing to work closely with her, as I have done in recent years. She always raises incredibly pertinent matters in this House. I do not have the answer to her question, but the Home Secretary will come to the House for a number of reasons in the coming weeks, when my hon. Friend might want to raise this matter. On Tuesday we have the immigration and home affairs debate on the King’s Speech, and Home Office oral questions are on Monday 29 July. If she does not get a reply at either of those, I will raise the matter directly for her.
Mr Andrew Snowden (Fylde) (Con)
As one proud Lancastrian MP to another, congratulations on your unanimous re-election to the Chair, Mr Speaker.
Planning on the green belt is a huge concern in my constituency of Fylde—housing is part of it, but there are also the Morgan and Morecambe wind farm proposals. Most residents back the new renewable energy being built off the Fylde coast, but there are concerns about the cabling and substation route, which appears to take the route of least resistance. It will see miles of farmland and countryside dug up, and substations built in inappropriate locations. We seem to be unable to get answers from the company on why that has been chosen as the preferred route, when other far more appropriate routes for cabling and substations exist. Will the Leader of the House assure me that the Government will work with us to get answers from the company and clarity about the other routes that could be used for the cabling, and to ensure that it works with me, local campaigners and the council to get the most appropriate route?
Mr Speaker
Order. This issue is so important that I think the hon. Gentleman ought to think about having an Adjournment debate on it—although he nearly had one just then.