Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jayne Kirkham and Lindsay Hoyle

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Commons Chamber

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

4. What steps the Commission is taking to help reduce levels of use of single-use plastics on the parliamentary estate.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Leader of the House. No—I call Nick Smith.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am happy to give my right hon. Friend a whiff, as we say in the valleys.

Parliament is taking action to reduce single-use plastics across our estate. This includes removing plastic bottles of water from sale, eliminating about 120,000 of them each year. We have also replaced plastic straws and cutlery with more sustainable alternatives, and increased the use of reusable and recyclable products. Parliament has also introduced a packaging sustainability policy for our procurement, which incentivises suppliers to reduce single-use plastics. We continue to look at further opportunities to reduce plastic consumption across our estate.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jayne Kirkham and Lindsay Hoyle

Thursday 25th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Absolutely.

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

As a previous chair of a local government pension scheme, I was really pleased to hear that the Government are going to bring catering, security, cleaning staff, porters and repair people back into Government Departments. Does the Minister agree that that is the right thing to do and is beneficial for those workers, particularly given the situation with their pensions and the other things that they should have had access to in the first place?

Business of the House

Debate between Jayne Kirkham and Lindsay Hoyle

Thursday 5th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Let us help each other. I call Jayne Kirkham.

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

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can the Leader of the House grant a debate in Government time on a more robust range of censure and sanction options for serious breaches of the local government members’ code of conduct, including suspension and removal of councillors? I know of recent incidents in which, despite egregious behaviour by councillors elected unopposed, those councillors remain in post, regardless of the wishes of their community and their council.