Business of the House

Danny Chambers Excerpts

Thursday 26th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important matter and for how he has done so. I am sure the whole House will join me in recognising Cassie and Ryan’s campaign for this change after such a devastating experience. I understand that the General Register Office is considering options for registering births and deaths over the telephone or online to minimise the burden on bereaved families, but I will make sure that Ministers in the Home Office have heard my hon. Friend’s question and that he gets an update.

[Dr Danny Chambers (Winchester) (LD)]

I will bring up one more time the state of our roads, particularly in Hampshire. I was a horse vet before I was elected, so there is probably not a single road I have not driven down. Thankfully I had a 4x4, because I genuinely needed that for the roads, not just the farm tracks. Where I live in Shawford, they are not just potholes, but craters; it is like driving on the surface of the moon. Hampshire county council, run by the Conservatives, is saying that it has no money to fix the potholes. I know that council budgets are not the remit of central Government, but potholes have become such a problem. Is there the opportunity to have a debate or a review, so that we can have some emergency funding to fix these roads? It is not fair that our constituents need to pay for financial mismanagement.

[Sir Alan Campbell]

We are investing £24 billion in maintaining and improving motorways and local roads across the country, and a record £7.3 billion for councils over the next four years, but in some cases questions need to be directed towards councils on how they are using that money. As I said previously, the Secretary of State is very keen that it is spent in the right way, but I appreciate the concern of the hon. Gentleman’s constituents and, indeed, of the farmers he previously worked with. I am quite sure that they will all be keen to learn about the action we are taking not only to tackle potholes, but to tackle vets’ bills.

Business of the House

Danny Chambers Excerpts

Thursday 18th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

First of all, I extend my sympathies to my hon. Friend and his family. I am pleased that the news is getting brighter. I absolutely join him in thanking staff at West Midlands ambulance service and Walsall Manor hospital, and all our NHS staff for their lifesaving work over the holiday season at what is, with the flu outbreak, a particularly difficult time.

[Dr Danny Chambers (Winchester) (LD)]

Merry Christmas to you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

One of the biggest issues I am contacted about in Winchester, by parents, schoolteachers, paediatricians and campaign groups, is children’s mental health, with particular reference to smartphones and social media. An emerging problem is the increased use of chatbots for mental health advice, especially by children who think that a chatbot is their friend or a cartoon character. That is causing some very dangerous outcomes.

The US has just brought forward the GUARD Act—Guidelines for User Age-verification and Responsible Dialogue Act of 2025—to regulate chatbots. Given that this is an emerging and urgent problem, will the Leader of the House consider providing Government time for a debate on the specific issue of chatbots? One third of adults have already used chatbots for mental health advice and therapy.

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The hon. Gentleman and the House will know that the Government take the matter of mental health, in particular children’s mental health, very seriously indeed, which is why we are looking to ensure that there is professional help in schools for them. He raises an issue and a specific point over which there is considerable debate. I suggest that I should arrange a meeting for him with Ministers, so he can expand on the points he has made. Following that, if the House seeks a debate we will see what we can accommodate.