Business of the House

Gurinder Singh Josan Excerpts

Thursday 13th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

First, let me say that I have brought up with Ministers the issue that the right hon. Gentleman raised with me last week about the Hughes report. I hope that he and I will get a full reply on that. He yet again raises an important matter, and I congratulate him on securing a Westminster Hall debate on it this afternoon. HIV testing is very important. I was so proud that ours was the first Prime Minister to take a public HIV test; that will encourage others to do so. The right hon. Gentleman will know that it is our mission to end new transmissions of HIV in England by 2030. He raises important matters to do with the Global Fund. We support funding for it, and I will ensure that he is updated on how we will continue with that.

[Gurinder Singh Josan (Smethwick) (Lab)]

As an officer of the all-party parliamentary group on semiconductors, it was a pleasure to join colleagues in welcoming academics, industrialists, researchers and manufacturers to a reception in the Palace this week to celebrate semiconductors. The UK has very real strength in this area. Our research base is the best in the world. Our manufacturing base, too, is world-beating, and we have semiconductor clusters across the UK, securing us high-quality employment in the compound semiconductor field. However, at the event, we were told that the industrial strategy mentions semiconductors only once. Will the Leader of the House ensure that Ministers are aware that a reliable supply chain for the high-quality semiconductor industry is important for our drive to become more self-sufficient in green energy, defence and other sectors, and for our growth agenda?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend is right to raise the issue of the vital role for semiconductors in future technologies and in our current industry. We are a world leader in this space, particularly in his region. Semiconductors are covered in our industrial strategy; we have a new one for the first time in many years, and academia, business and others rightly welcome it. This is also about our economic security—making sure that we have these home-grown technologies and all that is needed to support them. I will ensure that he gets a full reply.

Business of the House

Gurinder Singh Josan Excerpts

Thursday 6th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

First of all, I thank the hon. Lady for raising the issue of police community support officers in Essex last week. I am sure that she and many colleagues across Essex will be pleased with the news, subsequent to her raising the issue last week—I am sure that is not unrelated—that those PCSOs have been saved from the axe. In fact, last Friday the Government doubled the money available for neighbourhood policing.

The hon. Lady raised the elections that are now not going to happen in Essex. We set a very high bar for the postponement of any elections this year. This is a one-year postponement. In the case of Essex, it is so that the greater Essex mayoral authority can be established. The intention is for elections for that mayoral authority to take place in May 2026. I know that these changes take time and can cause difficulties in local areas, but the devolution revolution that is coming her way through those changes will bring extra jobs, growth, better services, better transport and more power to her communities in Essex. I hope she will welcome that.

[Gurinder Singh Josan (Smethwick) (Lab)]

I welcome the Prime Minister’s recent comments about supporting and enabling the expansion of nuclear power stations in the UK through small modular reactors. The science and technology is well proven but other aspects must be developed alongside, including the provision of appropriate grade nuclear fuel and a permanent solution for nuclear waste. In recent days, I have met representatives of Urenco, a specialist provider of uranium enrichment and fuel and nuclear waste services, which is developing plans for the UK’s first geological disposal facility. Will the Leader of the House make time for a debate on all aspects of the nuclear jigsaw, to ensure a joined-up and sustainable energy future?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising the nuclear industry and nuclear waste disposal. We need to put some rocket boosters under nuclear power in this country. It is vital to our future energy security. He is right that we have to do that alongside rigorous safety standards for waste disposal and other matters. I will ensure that he and the House are kept updated on these important matters.

Business of the House

Gurinder Singh Josan Excerpts

Thursday 19th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

The issue of SEND often comes up in these sessions. I gently remind the hon. Lady that the SEND system that this Government inherited was in crisis, with spiralling costs getting higher and higher, and outcomes getting worse and worse. There is no question but that special educational needs provision in this country is in need of serious investment and serious reform, which is what this Government intend to deliver.

[Gurinder Singh Josan (Smethwick) (Lab)]

Mr Speaker, I wish you and everybody across the estate a very merry Christmas and a happy new year, particularly those who will be working over the holiday period.

I recently had the privilege of attending a conference organised by Sikh Women’s Aid, at which it launched its report on its comprehensive survey, which looked into domestic abuse, sexual abuse, faith-based and spiritual abuse, and barriers facing victims and survivors. The report details a number of recommendations, including ringfencing funding streams for by-and-for support services, the inclusion of Sikh Punjabi women’s experiences in policy advocacy, a legal definition of “spiritual abuse”, and a co-ordinated and joined-up response to Sikh Punjabi victims and survivors. Will the Leader of the House join me in welcoming the important work done by Sikh Women’s Aid, particularly in view of the threats, intimidation and violence that its trustees and staff have faced, and will she make time for a debate on the importance of by-and-for support organisations?

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Can you help each other? We have a lot on this afternoon, and I want to try to get everybody in. We need to try to be a bit shorter in asking the questions.