Business of the House

John Lamont Excerpts

Thursday 27th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

As constituency MPs, we can absolutely recognise what my hon. Friend has said, and many of us share his anger and frustration at how cowboy outfits operate. They are ripping people off, as he says. We are determined to drive up standards across the sector. A private parking code of practice will be published in due course, and I will ensure that this House is the first to hear about it.

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

Could we have a debate to recognise the important role that GPs and local medical practices play in our communities? Today we are joined in the Public Gallery by the practice manager of Coldstream medical practice, Yvonne Archibald, and the practice’s therapy dog, Hattie. She is a huge part of the practice team and acts as an unofficial therapy pet for both patients and staff. Hattie has already visited No. 10 Downing Street on another trip, and is now enjoying her trip to the House of Commons to see you in action, Madam Deputy Speaker.

[Lucy Powell]

I join the hon. Gentleman in welcoming Yvonne, the practice manager of Coldstream medical practice, and Hattie, the therapy dog. We are all looking at a very cute dog in the Public Gallery. It sounds like Hattie would give anybody some much-needed therapy—perhaps we could all go and stroke her after this session, because I feel like we probably need it. There was a video of Hattie chasing Larry the cat up Downing Street. I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising the important work of therapy dogs like Hattie.

Business of the House

John Lamont Excerpts

Thursday 13th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

That sounds like a really disgraceful decision, and one that I am sure my hon. Friend and the rest of the House will stand up against. That is why we need the Employment Rights Bill—I am glad that it has now passed its Commons stages. We want to end fire and rehire for good, and I am surprised that the Conservative party voted against it.

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

As the Leader of the House knows, there is strong opposition among residents in the Scottish Borders to plans by ScottishPower Energy Networks to build massive pylons along a 94-km route through the Scottish Borders. The regulator, Ofgem, plays a vital role in the decision-making process but, shockingly, is refusing to meet me or the local action group. Can the Leader of the House write to her Cabinet colleagues to try to encourage Ofgem to engage with me, and can she speak to Ofgem on our behalf and try to persuade it to speak to local residents?

[Lucy Powell]

I absolutely will—I am sorry to hear that Ofgem has not got back to the hon. Gentleman, and I will raise the matter with Ministers. As I am sure he appreciates, new infrastructure means difficult decisions in many of our communities, but we are determined to achieve the energy security and lower bills that we need. However, I will ensure that he gets a response.

Business of the House

John Lamont Excerpts

Thursday 6th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We must wish Billy well. He is the greatest convert from rugby union who came to rugby league. Nobody has ever scored tries like Billy Boston.

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

May we have a debate on access to banking services in small towns and rural communities? For years, big banks have treated loyal customers very badly�they have shut branches and reduced services, especially in more rural and remote areas, such as my constituency in the Scottish Borders�and last weekend I had to contact cash machine providers because Selkirk and Eyemouth ran out of cash. Will the Leader of the House back my call so that the residents of small towns and rural communities can get access to the cash and banking services they need?

Business of the House

John Lamont Excerpts

Thursday 27th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

If we keep the questions pithy, I will get everybody in.

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

Will the Leader of the House allow time for a debate about the importance of keeping our roads and highways clear of litter and rubbish? I recently spent time with Ronnie and Darren from Scottish Borders council, who do a tremendous job emptying bins and keeping the A1 in Berwickshire clean and tidy. They are supported by many volunteers, including Candy Philip and Alison Currie from the Berwickshire Anti Litter Group, who spend many hours a week cleaning litter from lay-bys and grass verges. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking Ronnie, Darren and the volunteers who do this important work keeping our countryside clean and tidy?

Business of the House

John Lamont Excerpts

Thursday 13th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

Affordable, reliable, local bus services are of great importance to all our constituents, and clearly to my hon. Friend’s constituents as well. I am sorry to hear of the poor service that they have received. This Government are absolutely committed to delivering more reliable, affordable buses. We have brought forward the Bus Services (No.2) Bill, which, hopefully, will come before the House soon, and we have put in an extra £1 billion of investment. That is only the start. We really need to ensure that communities like my hon. Friend’s are better served with better buses.

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

Will the Leader of the House allow time for us to debate the importance of small businesses to the rural economy? The annual Countryside Alliance awards celebrate rural businesses, communities and individuals who make significant contributions to the countryside. This year, I am delighted to report that there are four finalists from the Scottish Borders: the Gordon Arms, the Allanton Inn, Scott’s of Kelso, and Andersen & Sondergaard Wild Game Charcuterie. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating those businesses on reaching the final, and agree that this is yet another fantastic reason to visit the Scottish Borders?

Business of the House

John Lamont Excerpts

Thursday 6th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue. There are many tall buildings in my constituency of Manchester Central, so I am unfortunately all too familiar with the issues around EWS1 forms and the whole risk-assessment industry that has grown since Grenfell Tower. He can rest assured that the Government take these issues incredibly seriously. We issued a remediation acceleration plan just before Christmas, but I will ensure that there is ample time for the House to debate these matters.

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

Applications for battery storage facilities are flooding into the Scottish Borders. There are also plans for a massive 50-mile route of pylons across our unspoilt landscape. Local residents are concerned about the impact on their communities and on the natural environment. They feel that the Labour and SNP Governments will not protect them. I know that the Leader of the House looks for invitations, so will she visit the Scottish Borders to meet local residents, so that she can see for herself the impact that these developments will have on these communities and the environment?

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that. One of his previous invitations was to Center Parcs— I might take him up on that one. He does regularly invite me to his constituency. He raises a matter that is very serious to his constituents. We all have to recognise that there is a difficult balance to strike, and difficult issues to face, when it comes to getting the infrastructure that we need to be a clean energy superpower, and to have lower bills, job security and, crucially, energy security. There will be some difficult decisions around the grid, pylons and so on. We have to strike a balance, which is why we are exploring how to ensure that communities that need the infrastructure in their locality can benefit from the lower bills that it will bring.

Business of the House

John Lamont Excerpts

Thursday 23rd January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I think this is my hon. Friend’s first business question, and she is a fantastic new MP for South Derbyshire who is yet again raising an issue of concern for her constituents. She will know that the Government are committed to delivering a package of reform to transition to a circular economy, which will dramatically reduce our reliance on waste incineration. We will back new waste incineration projects only where they meet strict new conditions, which we recently set out. This issue gets raised many times in business questions, and I can see that the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee is still in his place. My hon. Friend should get together with other colleagues and try to secure a broader debate on the matter.

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

Will the Leader of the House allow time for a debate on the importance of volunteering, to celebrate community spirit? Coldstream community council recently hosted a senior citizens’ Christmas party in the town’s community centre. Over 100 local residents enjoyed a belated Christmas meal and entertainment, but it would not have happened had it not been for the hard work of the volunteers. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking Fiona Shepherd, the community council and the team from Presenting Coldstream for making that event happen, and for everything they do to support the Coldstream community?

[Lucy Powell]

I absolutely will join the hon. Gentleman in congratulating those people and organisations from his constituency—Coldstream community council, Fiona Shepherd and others. The Christmas lunch sounds like a wonderful way of bringing people together. The hon. Gentleman attends these sessions regularly, and I am waiting for an invitation to his constituency to see the great things that he often describes. He has highlighted another one today.

Business of the House

John Lamont Excerpts

Thursday 16th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I join my hon. Friend in the efforts to rebrand Blue Monday as Brew Monday. I am sure that is something we can all participate in and support. She is absolutely right to highlight the issues of suicide and mental health support. I know that they are a real personal priority of the Health Secretary, and I am sure that he will keep the House updated on any progress.

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

Center Parcs is planning an exciting new development in my constituency in the Scottish Borders. It will be the first Center Parcs in Scotland, and it will bring £350 million of investment and create 1,200 extra jobs for the area. However, due to under-investment by the SNP Government in Edinburgh, there are concerns about the capacity of the road network, particularly the A7 through Selkirk, to deal with the extra visitors and tourists. Would the Leader of the House allow time for a debate to consider how rural communities can attract greater investment when there are concerns about the adequacy of the transport system and road network?

[Lucy Powell]

Again, I thought I was being invited to Center Parcs. I am very partial to a water slide, should colleagues ever want to invite me to a Center Parcs. The hon. Member raises the serious point that when much-needed investment and great new facilities or services come into a constituency, we need to ensure that we have the infrastructure and roads to support them. The SNP Government in Scotland have just got a record settlement in the Budget, so they have no excuse not to support the road he talks about.

Business of the House

John Lamont Excerpts

Thursday 9th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue, and for writing to me and to the Modernisation Committee about it. I absolutely understand her motivation —to ensure that the House of Commons and, indeed, the wider Parliament is a safe place for people to work, and that our constituents and others can feel safe in their interactions with us. That is why over recent years, we have developed more robust systems around those issues, and we are looking further at them. However, I say gently to my hon. Friend that we need to strike a balance that ensures we can also represent our constituents freely and openly.

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

This week, Scottish Labour announced that it will abstain to allow the SNP Government’s Budget to pass through the Scottish Parliament. This is now typical of Scottish Labour, sitting on the fence and not standing up to the SNP in Scotland. Does the Leader of the House agree that there should be a statement on the UK Government’s priorities for Scotland, considering that her party promised change but is now endorsing the same old SNP tactics?

[Lucy Powell]

I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman’s characterisation. Scottish Labour and the Labour party have done more than most to stand up to the failures of the Scottish Government, of which there are many. That is why we have returned a record number of Labour MPs in Scotland who won seats directly from the Scottish National party. The Scottish National party and the Government there now have a huge amount of extra money thanks to this Government’s Budget. They have the powers to get that money to the frontline, and we want to see the lives of people in Scotland improved, but we believe that that will be done better when people vote for Scottish Labour in the future.

Business of the House

John Lamont Excerpts

Thursday 12th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I join my hon. Friend in congratulating the University of Northampton. It sounds like it has a strong track record. He will know that we have inherited a really difficult situation when it comes to higher education funding in this country, but the Secretary of State for Education is focused on that matter and I know that she will keep the House updated on her plans.

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

Will the Leader of the House allow time for a debate so that we can pay tribute to our young sporting heroes? I am sure that all Members have many examples, but 22-year-old cyclist Oscar Onley from Kelso was recently awarded the title of male rider of the year by Scottish Cycling after becoming the first Scottish-developed rider to start the Tour de France for 31 years. Will she take this opportunity to congratulate Oscar on behalf of us all?

[Lucy Powell]

Absolutely. I join the hon. Member in congratulating Oscar on his fantastic achievement. Oscar was really breaking some ground there—cycling in the Tour de France as a Scottish-developed cyclist.