Business of the House

Chris Murray Excerpts

Thursday 12th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

As I have said from this Dispatch Box before, the House of Lords needs to be very much aware and should respect the fact that this House has not just once, but twice supported the assisted dying Bill: on Second Reading and Third Reading. The other place should certainly bear that in mind. I do not happen to be of the view that the Lords’ scrutiny is not important, but the way they go about it is important. If there is a warning behind what the hon. Gentleman says, it might be “be careful what you wish for”; if the Lords go down the route described by the hon. Gentleman, they may open up a wider debate about that House that they would need to take seriously. I commend him and others for continuing to raise these matters. As I have said, the Bill in question is not a Government Bill, but if it comes back, I will find time to see how can progress it. This is a timely warning to their lordships that they need to get on with it.

[Chris Murray (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab)]

Craigmillar is a brilliant area, but it is blighted by fly-tipping. One site just off the high street beside Craigmillar library, owned by Keyworkers Living Ltd, lies waste to litter and abandoned cars, and is a fly-tipping hotspot. In England, the Labour Government are cracking down on fly-tipping, but the SNP Scottish Government have cut the budget for Edinburgh city council so much that it is the lowest funded per head local authority in Scotland. Can we have a debate in Government time about how we can tackle fly-tipping in Craigmillar and get the Scottish Government to fund our council properly?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend raises an important matter. Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities. We are giving councils powers to crush the vehicles of suspected fly-tippers and bringing in new prison sentences of up to five years for those who transport waste illegally. The Scottish Government have been given the biggest funding settlement since devolution, and I suggest they take more seriously the matter raised by my hon. Friend.