Oral Answers to Questions

Kirsteen Sullivan Excerpts

Wednesday 21st May 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I am very proud that we have removed over 24,000 people: the highest record for nearly 10 years. We are taking other measures to get back control of our borders, including the Borders Bill, which gives our law enforcement enhanced powers, including terrorism-like powers. What did the hon. Member’s party do? What did he do? He voted against them, and I will tell you why: they do not want to fix this problem, because it benefits them not to fix it. Party before country.

It is very good that the hon. Member is standing in for the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage) today. There was no sign of him yesterday at the EU summit. He was the first through the e-gates to somewhere in the south of France: Nice work if you can get it!

[Kirsteen Sullivan (Bathgate and Linlithgow) (Lab/Co-op)]

Q11. I welcome the Government’s investment of £680 million into mental health support. Meanwhile, in Scotland, many children in my constituency are stuck on an NHS Lothian neurodevelopmental waiting list, which only recently has seen patients referred in March 2022. This delay can lead to poor mental health, with children ending up on a child and adolescent mental health services waiting list too. How will the Prime Minister work with the devolved Governments to ensure faster diagnosis and greater support, so that no child across these isles grows up on a waiting list?

Oral Answers to Questions

Kirsteen Sullivan Excerpts

Wednesday 15th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

We welcome all investment into the United Kingdom. I am very pleased to have had record investment in the time we have been in office, and continue to welcome investors and investment to this country. The right hon. Member is absolutely right that the last Government lost control of immigration, as they lost control of health, the economy, the borders and everything else. Of course, it was the Leader of the Opposition who was championing the driving up of the numbers. We will bring those numbers down, get immigration back under control and encourage investment.

[Kirsteen Sullivan (Bathgate and Linlithgow) (Lab/Co-op)]

Q7. Dental deserts mean that routine dental check-ups and treatment are often unavailable in local communities. In my constituency, we have had a dedicated space for a dental practice in the Blackburn partnership centre since 2018, but NHS Lothian has been unable to secure a dental practice. What steps will the Prime Minister take to work with devolved Governments to improve access to local NHS dentists across the UK?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that issue, which shows the state of public services under the SNP. If you can believe it, Mr Speaker, a third of Scots struggle to access dentistry, and a quarter of Scottish children start primary school with tooth decay—that is really shocking. Clearly, there is much more that the SNP should be doing. [Interruption.] The SNP should be ashamed. When a quarter of children are starting school with tooth decay, that is nothing to crow about; it is something to be ashamed of. Here, we are delivering an additional 700,000 appointments and reforming the contract, and of course we will work with the Scottish Government to improve the health of children in Scotland.