Business of the House
Charlie Dewhirst Excerpts(1 week, 1 day ago)
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Sir Alan Campbell
I encourage the hon. Gentleman to apply for an Adjournment debate, to hear from the Minister directly. I expect he would find that the Government share his ambition for contracts and work to go to British companies. That is at the heart of our industrial strategy.
Charlie Dewhirst (Bridlington and The Wolds) (Con)
My right hon. Friend the Member for Hereford and South Herefordshire (Jesse Norman) mentioned PFI contracts earlier—a particularly pertinent subject as many of them come to an end. That is impacting a number of schools in my constituency, where work is suddenly not being done and costs are going up. One school has carried out a survey that says it will cost £3.5 million to bring the school back up to a safe standard, but it is concerned that the company that should be doing the work will declare itself bankrupt, leaving the school and the local authority with the bill. I suspect that that is not an isolated case and that Members across the House will be aware of similar issues. Can we have a debate in Government time on PFI contracts and their impact on public services?
Sir Alan Campbell
As the hon. Gentleman has just heard, that concern is shared across the House. I invite him to apply for a Westminster Hall debate or an Adjournment debate, so that he and colleagues on both sides of the House can raise those concerns.
Business of the House
Charlie Dewhirst Excerpts(2 weeks, 1 day ago)
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Sir Alan Campbell
As my hon. Friend said, we are looking again at the decision regarding WASPI women. I know that this is an issue of serious concern to many of our constituents, and we want to resolve the matter as soon as we can. The Secretary of State is absolutely committed to updating the House on this decision. I cannot give a date for that, but as soon as a conclusion is reached, I expect that he will want to inform the House.
Charlie Dewhirst (Bridlington and The Wolds) (Con)
Local rugby clubs such as Bridlington, Driffield and Hornsea do an enormous amount to engage young men and women in sport, and 2026 is Driffield rugby club’s centenary. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Driffield on its first 100 years? Can I tempt him to don his kit when the Commons and Lords rugby team play Driffield in a charity match for the Injured Players Foundation at Twickenham in March?
Sir Alan Campbell
I certainly join the hon. Gentleman in paying tribute to the importance of rugby clubs in our communities; they do a fantastic job. Driffield rugby club’s centenary is absolutely fantastic news. He will see that I am not desperately keen to take up his offer. Should I join the parliamentary team, I would be in danger of dangerous tackles not only from the other side, but probably from our side.
Business of the House
Charlie Dewhirst Excerpts(4 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Lucy Powell
My hon. Friend is a passionate and long-standing campaigner around those issues, and she has raised them with me many times. I thank her for all the work she does raising the issues around suicide and suicide prevention. It is often an uncomfortable and difficult issue to talk about, and she leads from the front in making sure that people feel that they can do so. I certainly join her in encouraging Members to participate.
Charlie Dewhirst (Bridlington and The Wolds) (Con)
Charlie Dodds from Driffield in my constituency is just one year old and suffers from a rare mitochondrial condition. Will the Leader of the House join me in paying tribute to his parents, Harrison and Ellie, for the £35,000 they have raised for research into this condition? Will she commit Government time to a debate on NHS funding for rare conditions?
Lucy Powell
I certainly join the hon. Member in congratulating and thanking the parents of Charlie—Harrison and Ellie—for their phenomenal fundraising efforts. Rare diseases such as the one he describes are so difficult to tackle. That is why we need focus on them and extra funding and research, and I will ensure that he gets a full response.
Business of the House
Charlie Dewhirst Excerpts(8 months, 4 weeks ago)
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Charlie Dewhirst (Bridlington and The Wolds) (Con)
At the London marathon last weekend, my constituent Angus Leckonby from Octon near Driffield broke not one but two world records: he became the youngest and fastest man with an intellectual disability to complete a marathon—and he raised £11,000 for the Special Olympics in doing so. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Angus on his incredible achievement, and ensure a debate in Government time on the future of disability sport in the United Kingdom?
Lucy Powell
I am delighted to join the hon. Member in congratulating Angus on breaking two records—what a remarkable achievement—and on raising so much money for disability sports, and raising awareness, too. There was a reception in Parliament about this last week. The Government are committed to ensuring that sport is accessible to all, and that we have flourishing and fantastic disability and Paralympic sports in this country.