Business of the House

Ann Davies Excerpts

Thursday 1st May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I join my hon. Friend in paying respect to and remembering those who served in the second world war. We will be celebrating VE day, as well as VJ Day, next week, in his constituency and right across the country. I thank you, Mr Speaker, for putting on so many events across Parliament next week to ensure that every one of us can pay tribute to those who served this country so well.

[Ann Davies (Caerfyrddin) (PC)]

Property owners in my constituency, including the widowed, the elderly and those with health issues, have been threatened with extensive court costs because permission to enter land on manifestly unfair terms has been declined. The property developer has failed to properly explore cable ploughing, despite that method offering reduced costs, reduced biodiversity loss and a lower carbon footprint. This week’s report from the Institution of Engineering and Technology has evidenced shortcomings: the cost comparisons are incomplete and unreliable. Does the Leader of the House agree that justice, not financial resources, should dictate the outcome of court proceedings, and that the developer in my constituency, Green GEN Cymru, should explore properly project-specific costs for alternatives that carry community acceptance?

[Lucy Powell]

I am really sorry to hear about what the hon. Member’s constituents are going through. She is absolutely right to raise these matters in the House. I am sure that the property developer will have heard her calls. She is right that what many of our constituents want in these circumstances is access to the law and access to justice, which is often denied, especially when it comes to property rights, and in contests, as she described. I will raise the matter with the relevant Minister, and I hope that she gets a full reply.