Business of the House

Jayne Kirkham Excerpts

Thursday 25th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend is right to raise this matter during Armed Forces Week. Reservists are an integral part of the effectiveness of our armed forces. They bring experience from defence, strengthen resilience and provide specialist skills that cannot be generated or sustained in regular forces alone. I encourage him to seek a Westminster Hall or Adjournment debate, so that he can make his strong case in greater detail.

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

The UK Parliament’s school outreach worker for the south-west saw 20,000 children and 780 adult learners last year. In rural and coastal areas, that provision is absolutely vital. Some schools in my constituency cannot get to Parliament, and the ones that can are struggling to get places. Students from King Charles primary school have been in London since yesterday, but they could not come to Parliament because there was no space. I would be grateful if the Leader of the House found Government time for a debate on the impact that getting rid of the parliamentary school outreach team will have on rural and coastal areas, people with special education needs, minorities and people with disabilities.

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I understand my hon. Friend’s concerns. I acknowledge the important work of outreach in educating the public about what Parliament does and why it matters. This is, of course, a matter for the House. I know that some Members have raised it directly with the House authorities via oral and written questions, and I am sure that the House authorities have heard her concerns as they weigh up this matter.

Business of the House

Jayne Kirkham Excerpts

Thursday 18th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The right hon. Gentleman will know that the decision to move to a new model was the result of a Court of Appeal judgment that found that the current arrangements could not legally continue. That should not suggest any disrespect for the coastguard service, which is instrumental in keeping people safe around our communities. I represent a coastal community, as he knows, and I am acutely aware of the importance of the coastguard service and of the need to get this right. The matter was raised at Transport questions by a number of colleagues, and the Transport Minister at that point agreed to meet colleagues. If the right hon. Gentleman is suggesting that such a meeting would help him to make his case—and it is a strong case—then I will help to arrange it.

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

Cornwall has organisations like Young People Cornwall that deliver vital services in, frankly, substandard premises, and they are doing brilliant work with limited resources, but they need investment in buildings to expand their impact. I would be grateful if the Leader of the House could ask the relevant Minister to outline the timeline for the next phase of the better youth spaces fund and how the criteria will be changed so that it also benefits rural and coastal areas. At the moment, the criteria are similar to the Pride in Place criteria, which excludes some of those areas.

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend is right to raise the importance of youth services. Our vision is to establish a much more straightforward funding system, to provide young people with opportunities where and when they need them most. We will be providing further details regarding eligibility criteria later this year, but I will ensure that the Secretary of State hears my hon. Friend’s concerns and gives her an update.

Business of the House

Jayne Kirkham Excerpts

Thursday 26th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The hon. Gentleman rightly raises a concerning matter, and if he lets me have further details, I will do everything I can to get him the meeting he seeks.

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

A number of my constituents have been struggling with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, including several type 1 diabetic HGV drivers who have to renew their class 1 licences on a yearly basis. Every year the DVLA takes three to four months to process those applications. Licences expire, and they are relying on section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to continue driving, but many employers will not take drivers on section 88, so they are losing income. The DVLA needs to look at either removing the requirement for annual renewal or speeding up that process, maybe by getting reports from GPs rather than private consultants. Will the Leader of the House facilitate a meeting between me and the relevant Transport Minister, so that we can discuss this further?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend raises an important matter. The DVLA is delivering improvements for customers with medical conditions, including diabetes, but there is still a great deal to be done. Such delays can affect the lives of constituents—not just their ability to drive but their livelihoods—so I will ensure that she gets a meeting with the Minister, to outline her concerns.

Business of the House

Jayne Kirkham Excerpts

Thursday 12th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend raises an important matter. I understand the frustration in his voice, not least because he has raised relevant cases in this area before, as have other Members. The Government recognise the profound financial and psychological impact of SLAPPs on individuals and we are considering all options for reform to ensure that all types of SLAPPs are addressed comprehensively. I will ensure that my hon. Friend gets a response from the Secretary of State for Justice.

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

I have several constituents, including victims of violence against women and girls, who have been waiting a year or more for Devon and Cornwall police to respond to their complaints. Will the Leader of the House facilitate a meeting for me and the Policing Minister to discuss the capacity of Devon and Cornwall police to respond to complaints, and will he allow a debate in Government time on the handling of police complaints?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I thank my hon. Friend for her question. Delays in responding to complaints are frustrating for the public and for MPs, who want to be able to help their constituents. As we set out in our police reform White Paper, we will work with the Independent Office for Police Conduct to improve the police complaints and misconduct system. I will facilitate a meeting with the Policing Minister, as my hon. Friend requests.

Business of the House

Jayne Kirkham Excerpts

Thursday 27th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I certainly join my hon. Friend in congratulating the Natalie Couper Dance Academy on its growth and thanking it for everything it does. I am frankly not surprised that he has been recognised as a man of the left, because he has been proclaiming it for such a long time. Local businesses like dance academies can add so much to a local community, and I am pleased to hear that it is expanding its business again.

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

I recently presented a petition to restore Falmouth’s pool, which we lost three years ago. It got 5,754 wet signatures—over a quarter of the population of the town. We have a very active community interest company and private business support, and the mayor has just swum the length of the channel—in a different pool a 40-minute drive away—to raise money. Will the Leader of the House ask the relevant Minister to meet the mayor and me as part of the response to our petition and grant Government time for a debate on Government support for pools?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend is a fierce campaigner for her constituency, and I commend her for that. I understand that she has raised this issue with the Department before. We are committed to ensuring that communities can benefit from high-quality sports facilities, and we are investing £400 million in new and upgraded grassroots sports facilities, including swimming pools, across the UK. I will ensure that she gets the meeting she requests from the Minister.

Business of the House

Jayne Kirkham Excerpts

Thursday 30th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

We need super-short questions. I will try to get everybody in.

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

We have fantastic further education providers in Cornwall, and I welcome the Government’s recent announcement. However, one of our challenges is the cost and availability of public transport to get learners to and from their college and workplace. Will the Leader of the House arrange for colleagues in the Department for Transport to meet me to ensure that students in coastal areas can get to college?

Business of the House

Jayne Kirkham Excerpts

Thursday 16th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

These are always distressing situations. I will draw this case to the attention of the Department, and hopefully my hon. Friend will get the meeting that he seeks.

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

My constituency is lucky to have good school libraries such as the one at King Charles school, run by talented librarians like Emma Seager, who can get anyone reading. They also provide calm, supervised spaces for students. I was delighted to hear the Chancellor’s commitment at our conference to having a library in every primary school. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate on the benefits of school libraries or a statement to confirm the steps in the process that can enable primary schools, like mine in Flushing, that want to create a school library to do so?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

Reading is transformative, and every child should have access to a library space. That is why we have committed to providing £10 million to guarantee a library in all primary schools by the end of this Parliament. I invite my hon. Friend to seek a debate on how that investment can best be used.

Business of the House

Jayne Kirkham Excerpts

Thursday 11th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I do not have any canals in my constituency for pretty obvious reasons, but I love them and I think they are fantastic. Local waterways are so important; they do not just link communities but bring them together. I am pleased to offer my congratulations and again point to the fact that community organisations are the absolute backbone of our constituencies and I wish them well going forward.

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

I congratulate Cornwall on being in wave one of the Government’s innovative roll-out of the neighbourhood health services. We are one of 43 areas making that shift and we have provided services locally, such as community health and wellbeing workers, which have been very well received and which make a difference. May we have a debate in Government time on that shift to community care, with the recognition that urgent and emergency care is an area where Cornwall, like others, has struggled, so alternative services should always be in place as we make that switch?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend will know that the NHS is one of our priorities. She will also know that we are beginning to invest more and to turn the NHS round, but that it is a considerable challenge given the state that we found it in 15 months ago. I urge her to seek a debate on these matters, so that local communities can raise their own specific concerns, which are real and tangible. The Government have very optimistic plans for what can happen with regard to services. It is important that people are treated close to home and indeed, in some cases, at home. That is a considerable challenge, but it is one that we intend to meet.

Business of the House

Jayne Kirkham Excerpts

Thursday 3rd July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I am really sorry to hear about my hon. Friend’s constituent’s experience, especially at the point in her life of leaving someone abusing her at home. I know the Safeguarding Minister is focused on these matters, and I will ensure that she updates him.

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

Falmouth, a densely populated area on a peninsula, lost its swimming pool in 2022, when the Conservative council allowed the contractors to close it for financial reasons, and schools in Falmouth are struggling to arrange swimming lessons elsewhere. Tregony school football pitch needs resurfacing. Can the Leader of the House confirm that the fund for grassroots sports and major events will cover projects from the scale of Falmouth’s pool down to Tregony’s football pitch, and will she consider holding a debate in Government time on Government support for grassroots sport?

[Lucy Powell]

I am sorry to hear that my hon. Friend’s leisure centre swimming pool has closed. This Government have not only put additional resources into such grassroots sports facilities but given local government one of the biggest settlements it has had in many years. I will ensure that a Minister talks to her about the availability of such funds for her constituents.

Business of the House

Jayne Kirkham Excerpts

Thursday 19th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

Falmouth is a thriving town in my constituency, but it is struggling with a deployable neighbourhood policing team that is at only 44% of the minimum recommended capacity. Tregony has just had its police office shut—the only one in a large rural area. This Government have invested heavily in our neighbourhood policing guarantee, but I am concerned that that funding is not flowing through our police and crime commissioner to the places that need it. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate in Government time on the progress of the improvement in neighbourhood policing?

[Lucy Powell]

I am sorry to hear of the crime and antisocial behaviour in Falmouth and across my hon. Friend’s constituency. She is absolutely right that we are committed to our neighbourhood policing guarantee, which will put 13,000 more police officers into our neighbourhood policing areas. I am sorry to hear that the funding is not being directed in the way she would want, and I will ensure that the Minister gets back to her about it.