Point of Order
Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tessa Munt
Tessa Munt (Wells and Mendip Hills) (LD)
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I submitted a written parliamentary question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 28 April. I am awaiting a response. I think I have been pretty patient. Could you give me some advice on exactly what I can do to elicit a response?
Mr Speaker
That is totally unacceptable. Whichever side of the House a Member is on, they are carrying out their duties on behalf of their constituents. I hope that the Government Front Benchers have heard the hon. Lady’s point of order. The message is going out loud and clear. If she does not get a reply very quickly, she should come and see me. There are other ways that we can find out why she has not had an answer. I say it once again: this it is not acceptable.
Bills Presented
Artificial Intelligence (Consent and Misuse) Bill
Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)
Dawn Butler, supported by John McDonnell, Leigh Ingham, Dan Aldridge, Iqbal Mohamed, Dr Simon Opher, Wera Hobhouse, Emily Darlington, Clive Lewis, Lee Barron, Carla Denyer and Margaret Mullane, presented a Bill to make provision about a requirement for consent to generate a likeness of a person using, or with the assistance of, artificial intelligence; to make further provision relating to that requirement; to make provision about civil action in circumstances where that requirement is not met; to make provision about offences relating to the creating or dissemination of such likenesses; to make provision about duties on providers of artificial intelligence technology in relation to misuse of that technology to generate likenesses; and for connected purposes.
Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 27 November, and to be printed (Bill 161).
Utilities (Social Tariff) Bill
Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)
Graham Leadbitter, supported by Kirsty Blackman, Brendan O’Hara, Seamus Logan, Lara Bird, Dave Doogan and Chris Law, presented a Bill to require utility companies to provide social tariffs for energy, broadband and mobile bills to support customers who are disabled, elderly or on a low income; and for connected purposes.
Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 27 November, and to be printed (Bill 162).
Perinatal Mental Health Assessments Bill
Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)
Laura Kyrke-Smith, supported by Dr Danny Chambers, Anna Sabine, Michelle Welsh, Lewis Atkinson, Paulette Hamilton, Maya Ellis, Andy MacNae, Sojan Joseph, Sarah Hall, Dr Simon Opher and Jen Craft, presented a Bill to require the provision of mental health assessments in NHS antenatal care for the purpose of identifying those at risk of perinatal mental health problems and making referrals to appropriate support; and for connected purposes.
Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 13 November, and to be printed (Bill 159).
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tessa Munt(1 month, 2 weeks ago)
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Tessa Munt (Wells and Mendip Hills) (LD)
May I encourage the Church Commissioners to support the Church in facilitating community events? Wells cathedral and Wells bishop’s palace are at the centre of an amazing programme of year-round festivals, fairs and markets, but the Church Commissioners have suddenly served a stop notice on the Phelps’ family at Palace farm in Wells, which for decades has offered—
Mr Speaker
Order. I am sorry, but the original question was about Palestine. What the hon. Member is saying is not relevant to that question. Let us move on.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tessa Munt(4 months ago)
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Tessa Munt
I thank the Secretary of State for her response. Wells Cathedral school is in my constituency, and it has 80 young people who are on the music and dance scheme. It is a fantastic scheme, and I pay tribute to the outgoing headteacher, Alastair Tighe, who has done his very best to ensure that the scheme reaches deep into the community and those from less advantaged backgrounds, including one of our local cleaners—she is able to pay just £200 a year for what is a £50,000 a year education. However, there has been a 10-year drift between inflation and the amount of the money that the scheme receives. Can the Secretary of State have another look at this issue and make it absolutely certain that pupils benefit from better funding—
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tessa Munt(4 months, 1 week ago)
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Tessa Munt (Wells and Mendip Hills) (LD)
My constituent Sophia is 35, has cerebral palsy and numerous other difficulties and spends her life in a wheelchair as a result of poor NHS care when she was born. Her parents have a mobility wheelchair-accessible vehicle and take her to daycare four days a week, 13 miles away, for 48 weeks of the year, clocking up 49,920 miles for daycare alone every five years. She has numerous hospital appointments, which is a trip of 58 miles, and trips to the dentist and other specialists punctuate every single month. Under the Government’s new legislation, Sophia’s parents—her carers—will have to pay 25p for every mile over the new 50,000-mile threshold, which is likely to cost them several thousand pounds. Will the Minister impress on her colleagues the need to adjust that threshold for life in the country—
Mr Speaker
Order. One of us is going to sit down, and it will not be me. As a Whip, the hon. Lady well knows that topical questions are meant to be short and punchy. As important as this is, I am sure the Minister has got the answer ready.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tessa Munt(7 months, 4 weeks ago)
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Tessa Munt
I could talk to him about the whistleblowing Bill and the independent office of the whistleblower. People should be able to reveal what they know and should tell the truth. It is shocking that we have to have legislation to tell people to tell the truth, but all this falls under the same remit: people should be free to declare exactly what they know, papers should be released, and there should be an independent High Court judge—that is what happens at the moment and that is what is in amendment 23—who says what may and may not be released.
Business of the House
Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tessa Munt(2 years, 1 month ago)
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Mr Speaker
I will be running business questions for about another 40 minutes, so to help each other, shorter questions and brief answers might be a way to get everybody in. If people are disappointed, they should look to colleagues who may have taken too long.
Tessa Munt (Wells and Mendip Hills) (LD)
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 introduced the requirement that directors and other individuals verify their identity before being listed at Companies House. I have found company directors whose registered addresses simply do not exist, which at the least means that papers cannot be served, and at the worst enables fraud and other crime. May we have a debate on the progress of two things: the secondary legislation that needs to be passed for those basic checks to take place; and an update on how Companies House’s systems are progressing to allow directors’ identities to be checked?