Business of the House

Dave Robertson Excerpts

Thursday 29th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who is a doughty campaigner for her constituents. What she says about parking in the run-up to Christmas will resonate around the country. As she rightly points out, we have given Hastings council record funding, and I suggest that the council listens to what she has said and spends it on her constituents’ priorities.

[Dave Robertson (Lichfield) (Lab)]

Advantage Retirement Homes runs two care homes in my constituency: St Thomas’ Priory near Armitage and Chasewater Mews in Burntwood. Between those two properties, the company is currently owed almost £600,000—a staggering sum—by the local integrated care board. The board is failing to pay out funded nursing care payments, a weekly sum that the NHS should pay to cover the cost of registered nurses in care homes. This has been going on since 2003. Does the Leader of the House agree that this is utterly unacceptable, and will he ask the relevant Minister to meet me to discuss the penalties available for ICBs that fail to make payments that are owed to hard-working companies in our constituencies?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend is right to raise that concerning issue today, and the fact that it goes back to 2003 adds greater urgency to it. We recognise the significant concern that unresolved payment issues can cause for providers, so I am happy to try to facilitate a meeting between him and the relevant Minister, so that he can raise the case further.

Business of the House

Dave Robertson Excerpts

Thursday 10th September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The right hon. Lady has raised housing matters and is right to do so on behalf of her residents. But there is that tension between the feelings often of local residents and their concern where there is green belt, and the need for additional housing. I will take into consideration what she said about the potential for a debate and see what we can do.

[Dave Robertson (Lichfield) (Lab)]

Since 2011, 15 years ago, my constituent John has been forced to use a bucket in his garden in lieu of a toilet because his own toilet pumps raw sewage back into his house. I have raised this on the Floor of the House before, and after my intervention, Severn Trent finally provided a Portaloo and promised a permanent solution. Unfortunately, this week it informed John that the permanent solution will not work and there is no timeline for delivery of a solution to this absolutely shocking failure on its behalf. It is a matter of dignity for John and his neighbours in Hill Ridware. Will the Leader of the House arrange for me to meet the Minister to discuss this shocking case, because it simply cannot go on any longer?

Business of the House

Dave Robertson Excerpts

Thursday 26th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

It certainly sounds that way. Sexual harassment—wherever it takes place and whoever is responsible—is entirely unacceptable. If the hon. Gentleman seeks a meeting with the relevant Minister to address his concerns, I will ensure that he gets it.

[Dave Robertson (Lichfield) (Lab)]

Not for the first time at business questions, I am raising the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership, which is a multi-academy trust in the west midlands that runs six schools in my constituency, and 24 in total. The trust found itself in significant financial distress at the start of this year, leading to nine days of strike action across a number of schools. The new leadership at the trust is working hard to rectify that; it has taken great strides, and the strikes are now paused. The major blockage for the trust now, though, is servicing a debt that was accrued under previous leadership. Will the Leader of the House secure a meeting for me and other affected Members with the Department for Education to discuss what we can do about how that debt is restructured, with the aim of saving up to 23 teachers’ jobs?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to continue to raise these matters on behalf of his constituents. I will do everything I can to ensure that he gets that meeting with the relevant Minister.

Business of the House

Dave Robertson Excerpts

Thursday 12th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I certainly encourage Members to visit their local pubs, because they are an important part of local communities, but I also encourage them to be moderate in their actions, because we might save the pub, but we might not save our marriages.

[Dave Robertson (Lichfield) (Lab)]

Residents of St John’s Grange in Lichfield have serious concerns about the property management company, Remus, that is running their estate. Some residents have submitted formal complaints and had no reply from the company, and a promised meeting between the company and concerned residents has never materialised. I wrote to Remus in October to ask it to meet me but got no reply. I wrote again in November and got no reply. In February, I escalated it to the CEO. He did get back to me and told me that the regional manager would be in touch. A month later, I have heard nothing. Will the Leader of the House join me in calling on Remus to stop dodging residents’ complaints and meet me as a matter of urgency?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

Yes, I will. It is important that Members of Parliament raise matters such as these on behalf of their constituents. Remus and other companies should accept that responsibility and respond in an appropriate way.

Business of the House

Dave Robertson Excerpts

Thursday 5th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I am sorry to hear about the case my hon. Friend raises. Those delays are simply unacceptable. This is not the service that people deserve, and resolving this is a matter of urgency. If my hon. Friend shares the details of this case with me, I will raise it directly with Ministers and ensure that he gets a response.

[Dave Robertson (Lichfield) (Lab)]

My constituents in Burntwood have been waiting for a new GP practice since 2009. Over 16 years of cancellations, missed deadlines and broken promises, people have had to visit their doctor in a temporary facility made out of portacabins in the leisure centre car park. We thought things were going to get better when the town was finally promised that the replacement centre would be open in 2025—yet another deadline missed. It was revealed this week that the planning application for the facility will not be submitted until late July, or possibly August. That is not acceptable. Will the Leader of the House raise this issue with Ministers in the Department of Health and Social Care, and ask what they can do to tell Reform-controlled Staffordshire county council to get its finger out, stop breaking promises to the people of Burntwood, and get this facility built?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend is a tireless campaigner for his constituents, and I commend him for that. The NHS has a statutory duty to ensure sufficient medical provision, including GPs, in each local area. We have confirmed the funding for integrated care boards through to 2030, so that ICBs can plan for the long term, but I join my hon. Friend in urging the Reform-led council to take its responsibilities seriously, and to listen to the points that he has raised so powerfully today.

Business of the House

Dave Robertson Excerpts

Thursday 29th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

Order. Let us aim for much shorter questions and much shorter answers.

[Dave Robertson (Lichfield) (Lab)]

The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership runs 24 schools in the west midlands, including six in my constituency. It is currently trying to plug a £6 million gap in its finances that was caused by what it characterises as an accounting error. The National Education Union has taken nine days of strike action at Arthur Terry schools this month, with nine more planned for February. The Department for Education’s engagement with my office on this issue yesterday was excellent, but may I ask the Leader of the House to ensure that the relevant Minister meets me and other affected MPs as a matter of urgency to discuss the ongoing dispute?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

This is a difficult situation for children, and indeed families and teachers, in Lichfield and the west midlands in general, so I will help to secure the meeting my hon. Friend asks for.

Business of the House

Dave Robertson Excerpts

Thursday 8th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Dave Robertson (Lichfield) (Lab)]

My constituent Lisa has a severe condition that affects her nerves. She cannot stand, feed herself or use the bathroom unaided, she has a tracheotomy to help her breathe and, without the aid of a wheelchair, she can only leave her house for hospital appointments. In 2024 she was referred to AJM, a company contracted by the NHS in Staffordshire to provide wheelchairs. It took almost a year, and the intervention of my office, even to get her an appointment to be measured for a wheelchair by AJM. She was then told that it would be at least a year more before she gets the wheelchair that she needs. She has finally been given a wheelchair but it is not the correct one, and there is some uncertainty about whether she will ever get the care she needs. Will the Leader of the House ask the Government to publish a written statement on how our new wheelchair quality framework will ensure providers such as AJM are held to much higher standards than Lisa has experienced?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I am sorry to hear of the case that my hon. Friend raises. We understand how important it is that people can access wheelchairs to support them to live independently. As he points out, our wheelchair quality framework sets out quality standards relevant to all suppliers, regardless of Care Quality Commission registration status, and I will ensure that Ministers have heard his concerns and update him on the progress made.

Christmas Adjournment

Dave Robertson Excerpts

Thursday 18th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Dave Robertson (Lichfield) (Lab)]

People across Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages are looking forward to a very merry Christmas. In the run-up to the big day, many will have enjoyed opening Christmas cards from friends and loved ones—well, they would have done if the cards had arrived. For far too many people across my area, the post simply does not arrive.

The Christmas period is a busy time for letters, so let me be clear: this is not a seasonal issue in Lichfield and Burntwood. Residents have been telling me about serious problems with deliveries from Royal Mail for months. Constituents have gone weeks without mail before receiving a huge bundle of delayed letters all at once. Households tell me that they regularly receive mail only once a week or fortnight—and, in some cases, only once every three weeks. Constituents have missed jury service or court hearings because summonses have not come; they have missed hospital and GP appointments because the invitation and reminder arrived three days after the appointment; they have been fined for late payment of credit card bills that they had never received; or they are waiting for vital letters from their banks with debit cards or pin details.

Royal Mail has clear delivery targets: 93% of first-class letters delivered by the next working day, 98.5% of second-class letters delivered in three working days and 99% of delivery routes to be completed six days a week. In my area, those targets are a joke—we are nowhere near that. I have been writing to Royal Mail about these issues for months and working closely with the Communication Workers Union. I want to take this opportunity to make it clear that none of this is the fault of hard-working posties. They are doing a brilliant job and doing as much as they can, and I want to thank them this Christmas. No, this is on Royal Mail.

Royal Mail has been consistently slow in dealing with my requests and, when it has got back to me, it has batted away my concerns and claimed “There’s nothing to see here.” It has finally admitted that there is a problem, but I am eager to know what action it is going to take in the new year to fix it in the long term for the people of Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages.

In my remaining 10 seconds, I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, all the House staff, and every right hon. and hon. Member for their support this year. I wish everybody a very merry Christmas.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

Business of the House

Dave Robertson Excerpts

Thursday 27th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Dave Robertson (Lichfield) (Lab)]

In my constituency, residents living near the B5013 at Blithfield reservoir have raised serious concerns about speeding and dangerous driving. There have been multiple fatalities on this stretch of road, and in August a man in his 20s unfortunately lost his life. May I ask the Leader of the House if we can find Government time for a debate on how we can hold local authorities to account for their responsibilities specifically on rural roads to protect communities such as mine?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I am sorry to hear of that case. These are important matters, and work is under way to deliver an updated strategic framework for road safety—the first in over a decade—to reduce road deaths and injuries. I will ensure that my hon. Friend receives an update on that work. He may wish to look for an Adjournment debate, because I am sure that his concerns will be shared by many hon. Members across the House.

Business of the House

Dave Robertson Excerpts

Thursday 20th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The hon. Lady raises another issue that is constantly in our constituency postbags and inboxes. The CMS is committed to ensuring that separated parents support their children financially. The powers should be used, but that is not happening in too many cases, as she says. If she supplies me with the details of that case in confidence, I will raise it with the appropriate Minister and see whether we can resolve it.

[Dave Robertson (Lichfield) (Lab)]

This weekend, a very special service will leave the station at Chasewater Railway in Burntwood in my constituency. The hospital Santa special trains are a Christmas service for seriously ill children, and are offered completely free of charge. This year, 1,300 kids and their families are expected to attend. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Chasewater Railway, its trustees and its fantastic volunteers on their wonderful work to spread the festive spirit?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I am happy to join my hon. Friend in congratulating Chasewater Railway on spreading joy this holiday season. He says that a huge number of people will be part of it, and I thank Chasewater Railway for that. These initiatives happen thanks to volunteers playing their part, so we thank them—and indeed volunteers across the country.