Business of the House

Chris Vince Excerpts

Thursday 19th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I join my hon. Friend in congratulating those at Eccles RFC and Boothstown FC on all the great work that they do. Grassroots sport is often raised at business questions, so I am sure that it would make a popular topic for debate. We are committed to the “This Girl Can” campaign. I am sure that girls’ grassroots sport would also be a popular topic for debate.

[Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)]

I want to thank a teacher called Chris—[Laughter.] No, not this one! Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Chris Leeding of Newhall primary academy in Harlow on achieving a Pearson teacher of the year silver award for his clear dedication and passion for supporting children in Harlow, both in classroom teaching and in encouraging them to write to their local MP?

[Lucy Powell]

I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Chris from Harlow—not him, but the teacher he mentions. As we have heard, teachers do amazing work for all our young people, and we send our gratitude to them daily.

Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme

Chris Vince Excerpts

Monday 16th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

The establishment of the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme, known as the ICGS—the first scheme of its kind in any legislature in the world— was an important step forward in tackling inappropriate behaviour in Parliament. Its establishment was agreed in 2018 with cross-party support.

The ICGS provides a dedicated, independent mechanism for handling complaints of bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct in both Houses. It deals with those complaints assiduously and anonymously, with a professional, well-resourced team, and has a range of appropriate sanctions and mechanisms at its disposal. The ICGS works alongside the independent expert panel, which determines appeals and sanctions for cases that have been brought against Members of Parliament. These arrangements ensure complaints are investigated fairly, objectively and to a high standard.

The ICGS has been an important driver in establishing higher standards and improved culture in Parliament and we should all support it. I thank the ICGS for its continued work, and in particular the contribution of its director, Thea Walton, who will be stepping down from her role later this year.

Last year, Parliament published the findings of an independent review into the effectiveness of the ICGS, conducted by Paul Kernaghan. The review broadly praised the ICGS’s performance, with Kernaghan being clear the ICGS is making a difference to standards in Parliament, and has demonstrated its ability to hold people to account for unacceptable behaviour. He said that the ICGS is something

“the parliamentary community should take pride in”.

The review found that the scheme has continued to take positive steps to improve timeliness and the quality of its service. Of course there is always more work to be done. It should rightly have the ambition to be the gold standard in workplace grievance schemes. In total, the review made 26 recommendations. Of those, eight have already been delivered, and a further eight will be taken forward should the motion before the House be agreed. Work on the remaining recommendations is under way. These are recommendations from an independent review of the independent grievance scheme of this House: they really should not be contentious.

Kernaghan’s first recommendation is to consolidate the various policy and procedure documents into one policy document and one procedure document, and that the existing ICGS assurance group should become a permanent ICGS assurance board.

[Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)]

I am looking through the document and the Opposition’s amendments. Two of the amendments that they have put forward talk about the size of the ICGS assurance board and, in particular, adding two members. Is it the feeling, from the evaluation of the independent process, that the board is actually the right size and that we do not need those amendments?

[Lucy Powell]

I certainly do not think that we need the amendments. The assurance board is made up of representatives of both Houses, the HR department and other appropriate people, which is as it should be. It also includes a Member of this House, who I think will be contributing shortly and who is also a member of the House of Commons Commission. The make-up of the assurance board as proposed is right.

--- Later in debate ---

[Marie Goldman (Chelmsford) (LD)]

I am pleased to support this motion, which, as the Leader of the House says, has come about as a result of the Kernaghan review, an independent review of the ICGS published just last year. The review’s recommendations included the creation of an ICGS policy framework, and the formalisation of the ICGS assurance group into an assurance board with responsibility for the creation of and future changes to an ICGS processes document. The motion is designed to implement those recommendations, and I am happy to support it.

The public are understandably fed up with what many perceive as accepted poor behaviour from those elected to represent them. The ICGS is designed to help restore trust by ensuring that poor behaviour is dealt with swiftly and appropriately, but that cannot happen if MPs are constantly marking their own homework. If it is thought that there are attempts to manipulate the system, or to wriggle out of tight spots for political gain, we will have no chance of regaining the trust that has been eroded, particularly over recent years. That is why I am so disappointed to see the amendments that have been tabled. After so many years of trust being eroded, we need to find a way to win that trust back, and that is what this scheme does.

Let me go through the amendments to explain what I mean. Amendment (a) would, among other things, remove the right to make collective complaints, making it harder for complainants with the same issue to support each other in coming forward. It would also prevent the ICGS from accepting a person’s complaint if it was substantially the same as a complaint they had previously withdrawn. That would worry me, as I do not find it hard to imagine a scenario in which a complainant is—how shall I put this?—encouraged to withdraw their complaint, perhaps following promises of improved behaviour, but then feels the need, and has the courage, to raise the issue again. That amendment would prevent them from being able to come forward again.

Amendments (b), (c) and (d) appear to be a rather blatant attempt to stack the membership of the assurance board, so that it can be politically manipulated. Amendment (e) trashes the recommendation from the Kernaghan review that the ICGS assurance board should be able to approve ICGS procedures. The Kernaghan review clearly recommends that the assurance board should be able to create and make changes to ICGS procedures. That is to speed up a process that the Kernaghan review found to be unduly cumbersome and impacted by political considerations.

[Chris Vince]

I am just trying to get my head around the amendments. Is the hon. Member suggesting that we avoid these amendments, because we want to ensure that there cannot be political influence over the decisions being made, such that, as she says, those who have committed these terrible acts somehow get away with it?

[Marie Goldman]

Indeed. I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention, because I completely agree. Unfortunately, what he suggests is what some of these amendments are designed to do, and that is why I cannot support them. They are an attack on, and a blatant attempt to manipulate, the system, and that is totally wrong. In short, I fully support this motion and do not support any of the amendments. I encourage Members from all parts of the House to do the same.

Government Announcements

Chris Vince Excerpts

Monday 2nd June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I am certainly sorry if members of the media have been given sight of the SDR ahead of Members of this House. My understanding is that it is being published for the first time in this House today. As I said earlier, we have put on a statement; that was always our intention. We were always going to have a major statement today on the SDR and that is indeed what we have done. Even though there is other important business today, MPs from across the House will have ample opportunity—I am sure they will take that opportunity—to scrutinise the Defence Secretary not only today but on future occasions via Select Committees and elsewhere.

[Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)]

I declare an interest, as a member of the Modernisation Committee. I thank you, Mr Speaker, for standing up for us Back Benchers and for granting so many urgent questions—I say that as someone who speaks in most of them on behalf of the people of Harlow. Does the Leader of the House agree that part of the Government’s remit is to modernise and to bring back trust in politics? Will she outline what she has been doing to that end and the work that the Committee has been doing to make this place more accessible?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for all the work he does on the Modernisation Committee. He will know that one of the remits we have set out for the Committee is to ensure more time for Back Benchers to scrutinise Government business. That is a key part of modernising Parliament, and it will ensure that this Chamber is, and will be in the future, the real crucible of national debate that we want it to be. I am sure we will see that today and on other days.

Business of the House

Chris Vince Excerpts

Thursday 24th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

For the final question, I call Chris Vince.

[Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)]

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker—and congratulations to you on that. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating the players, staff and volunteers of a team often known as the “non-league Man City”, Harlow Town football club, on its promotion from the Thurlow Nunn first division? And as I have time, will she also wish the club luck to do the double in two weeks’ time in the league cup final?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend may be last, but certainly not least. I certainly join him in congratulating Harlow Town football club—maybe they have a Haaland as well, if they are bit like Man City—on its promotion and wish it the very best of luck in the league cup final in two weeks’ time.

Business of the House

Chris Vince Excerpts

Thursday 13th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I am sorry that the right hon. Gentleman has not yet been successful in applying for an Adjournment debate, but the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman), who chairs the Backbench Business Committee, and Mr Speaker are both in their places and have, I am sure, heard his plea. The future of the UK Health Security Agency, which does great work, is of national importance. I will ensure that he gets an update at the earliest opportunity.

[Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)]

I am honoured to be called after the right hon. Member for Salisbury (John Glen). I thank the Leader of the House for mentioning Young Carers Action Day, which was yesterday. The hon. Member for Mid Sussex (Alison Bennett) and I took an open-top bus tour with some young carers and got hailed on. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating my constituent Danielle, who won a prize in the national Show Racism the Red Card poetry competition for her poem “Like a Butterfly”, and does my right hon. Friend recognise the importance of creative writing in breaking down barriers and challenging division?

[Lucy Powell]

Absolutely, I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Danielle on writing an award-winning poem and all the young carers in his constituency and beyond. I heard on the radio this morning that AI thinks it can now do creative writing for all of us, but I am sure it cannot beat Danielle and the creative writing endeavours of young people.

Business of the House

Chris Vince Excerpts

Thursday 6th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that. A number of Members have already raised digital literacy with me today and how we can do more to tackle misinformation and disinformation online, especially for our young people. That would make for a very popular topic for a debate, and I will ensure that my hon. Friend gets an update.

[Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)]

Will the Leader of the House join me in paying tribute to the longest serving leader and second-ever chair of Harlow council, Tom Farr, who passed away on Tuesday? Tom devoted so much of his life to serving the community of Harlow as both a councillor and a secondary school teacher, and also as the chair of Harlow primary health trust.

[Lucy Powell]

I absolutely join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to Tom Farr and his life of dedicated service to Harlow and to Harlow council. I also take the opportunity to thank my hon. Friend for joining the Modernisation Committee.

Business of the House

Chris Vince Excerpts

Thursday 9th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

This is not something I am aware of; I have not come across a park home in my constituency, but the hon. Member raises an important point. It would make an extremely good application for an Adjournment debate, but in the meantime, I will ensure he gets a full ministerial response about park homes.

[Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)]

Over the Christmas recess, I was lucky enough to visit South East Harlow Sports and Youth Association, a fantastic grassroots organisation that supports young people in my community to get access to sport and thrive. Can we have a debate in Government time on how we can support such grassroots youth organisations to ensure they survive and thrive and support young people in our communities?

[Lucy Powell]

I join my hon. Friend in congratulating South East Harlow Sports and Youth Association for the great work it does. He is right to raise the vital role of grassroots sport facilities. That is why this Government have set aside budgets for them to continue and flourish. He might want to raise this issue with the Secretary of State in questions next week.

Business of the House

Chris Vince Excerpts

Thursday 12th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for welcoming the appointment of my hon. Friend the Member for North Northumberland (David Smith) as the UK special envoy for freedom of religion or belief. I am only sorry that it was not the hon. Gentleman himself, but I know that he will play a keen and active role in ensuring that my hon. Friend carries out his advocacy role properly, and that the many issues that the hon. Gentleman raises in this House, week after week, are taken up by the Government.

[Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)]

Since the closure of the Harlow Star in 2019, Harlow has not had a town-wide print newspaper, although the online platform Your Harlow has a number of articles that go out town- wide. May I ask for a debate in Government time about the future of print media and, in particular, the requirement in legislation for planning applications to be published in print media, rather than on online platforms.

[Lucy Powell]

I join my hon. Friend in noting the importance of this matter. Local print newspapers, as well as online media, are vital to sharing factual, correct information about what is happening in our communities in an age of social media, misinformation and disinformation, which we have seen time and again recently. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is very committed to these issues, and I will ensure that my hon. Friend and the House are updated.

Business of the House

Chris Vince Excerpts

Thursday 14th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

Fireworks are a big issue that is raised with every Member of Parliament, and I think many people will be asking about this today and in future weeks. We will soon launch a renewed firework safety campaign. My hon. Friend might want to apply for a Backbench Business debate, as I know it would be very well attended.

[Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)]

In 2017, a fire at Newgrange care home tragically caused the deaths of two elderly residents—Ivy Spriggs and Daphne Holloway. Legislation currently going through the House states that new care homes should have sprinkler systems, but it does not recognise the need for this to be applied retrospectively, for which Daphne’s daughter, Claire, has continued to campaign. Will this issue be considered in our upcoming debate on fire safety? Additionally, although I appreciate that care homes fall below the 18-metre height restriction, could they be included on the higher-risk register?

[Lucy Powell]

I send my condolences to the families of Ivy Spriggs and Daphne Holloway. I am very sorry to hear about what happened. My hon. Friend is absolutely right that there will soon be another debate on issues raised by the Grenfell report. Although care homes fall outside the current requirements, he would be right to raise these important matters in that debate.

Business of the House

Chris Vince Excerpts

Thursday 31st October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Chris Vince.

[Chris Vince (Harlow) (Lab/Co-op)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for letting me speak. [Interruption.] Genuinely, thank you very much. It is your job, but I appreciate it.

Two weeks ago, at my surgery, I met medically retired chief fire officer Rod Wainwright. Rod was one of the first attenders at the terrible tragedy of Grenfell seven years ago. Subsequently, he has been medically retired because of post-traumatic stress disorder. He did not get the support he asked for from the fire service and the in-house counselling was not enough, and he has subsequently had issues with his pension. Rod blames himself for not being able to save more people on that terrible evening. Does the Leader of the House agree that it is people like us, in this room, with suits on, who are to blame for the terrible tragedy of Grenfell, not heroes like Rod Wainwright? Does she agree that further debate needs to be had to support heroes like Rod?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for that very powerful question and contribution. I am really sorry to hear about the suffering that his constituent Rod Wainwright continues to suffer, having been in attendance at the Grenfell tower tragedy. The Prime Minister has made it clear that he still feels that survivors and the bereaved have been let down badly before, during and after, and that includes those who attended as fire officers and others. There will be another debate on the Grenfell inquiry report in due course and I will make sure he is aware of that when it happens.