Business of the House
Mark Sewards Excerpts(5 days, 17 hours ago)
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Lucy Powell
My hon. Friend is right to say that broadband is now a vital utility, as important as electricity, water and all the other things on which people rely, especially in rural communities like hers. I empathise with her on the battle for broadband bandwidth at home. I am afraid that this Government inherited quite a slow roll-out of full-fibre gigabit broadband. We need to accelerate the programme to make sure that rural communities like hers have the broadband access that they need, so that they can download a few more recipes, and maybe win the bake-off competition that the House is looking forward to.
Mr Mark Sewards (Leeds South West and Morley) (Lab)
My constituent Nicola Holdsworth sadly lost her mum a few years ago and struggled with grief. She was told that it would take eight months to see a grief counsellor, so she set up the Morley Grief Group. The organisation has gone from strength to strength in helping people in our community, and it now has more than 800 members. Local GPs refer people to it, and it recently won the community award at the BBC Radio Leeds “Make a Difference” awards. Will the Leader of the House join me in paying tribute to Nicola and the Morley Grief Group, and will she allow Government time for a debate on the need for more grief counsellors—and, of course, the need to support volunteer organisations like Nicola’s?
Lucy Powell
I thank Nicola for setting up the Morley Grief Group at what must have been a very difficult time. She turned her grief into an award-winning voluntary group that supports others. My hon. Friend is right to raise the importance of grief counselling. Provision of these services is too slow, which is why many people rely on voluntary and charity organisations. I am sure that this would make a very good topic for a debate.
Business of the House
Mark Sewards Excerpts(1 week, 5 days ago)
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Lucy Powell
I join my hon. Friend in congratulating and thanking the charity in his constituency for all the work that it does to end homelessness in Rugby. He points out the vital role that volunteers play in supporting our communities, and also the reward and recognition that their volunteering endeavours bring them. I am sure that would make a really good topic for a debate.
Mr Mark Sewards (Leeds South West and Morley) (Lab)
One of my constituents, Nikki Allan-Dan, has been attending Leeds United games for more than 60 years. Nikki is disabled and uses one of the seven blue badge coaches that Leeds provides to get to away games. However, Nikki tells me that no matter what the league, access for disabled fans across the country is shocking; provision is not being made for them. She gave me a few stories at my surgery in Lofthouse. She told me that she has been dropped off half a mile from the stadium, and has had to make her way to the stadium through traffic in her wheelchair. She has also been told that she had eight minutes to leave the stadium and get to her coach, which was not even parked in the correct place. Given that Nikki tells me that these experiences are typical for disabled fans up and down the country, please can we have a debate in Government time on meeting the essential needs of all disabled fans, so that they can access and enjoy the beautiful game?
Lucy Powell
In the interest of transparency, and as we were talking about league tables earlier, I just want to put record that apart from the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon), my hon. Friend is my top attender at business questions. He is here every week, raising really important issues on behalf of his constituents. I am really appalled to hear of the treatment of the Leeds fan in his constituency. He will know that our Football Governance Bill is about putting fans back at the heart of football, and ensuring that clubs such as Leeds United make sure that disabled fans and every other kind of fans can access their games.
Business of the House
Mark Sewards Excerpts(2 weeks, 5 days ago)
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Lucy Powell
My hon. Friend is right to raise this issue. Those working in adult social care have, for too long, been seen as Cinderella care workers and have not been given the support, status and training they need to carry out their work. That is why this Government are bringing forward a range of measures to upskill those working in adult social care to ensure they have the status and training they need.
Mr Mark Sewards (Leeds South West and Morley) (Lab)
My constituency is well served by The Yorkshire Post and the Yorkshire Evening Post, but we have lost hyper-local publications such as the Morley Observer, which ceased in 2019. In their place, local enthusiasts and journalists have popped up with new platforms such as the West Leeds Dispatch, which covers Farnley and Wortley in my constituency. Although these publications provide excellent local journalism, they struggle for viability and they struggle to produce content. Will the Leader of the House grant a debate in Government time on the importance of supporting the survival of hyper-local journalism?
Lucy Powell
I agree that local and hyper-local journalism is vital to combating misinformation and disinformation, which are spreading quickly in many of our communities. That is why the Culture Secretary recently announced the Government’s intention to develop a local media strategy. My hon. Friend may want to raise this directly with her at questions next week.
Business of the House
Mark Sewards Excerpts(1 month ago)
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Lucy Powell
It seems that a number of issues for the Environment Secretary are being raised this morning; I will make sure that he is aware of them all, including the important point from the hon. Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones). He rightly points out that the farming community and farmers in this country were really let down by the previous Government as a result of the botched Brexit deal and other matters. This Government are working at pace to ensure that we put food security and the future of our farmers back on the front foot.
Mr Mark Sewards (Leeds South West and Morley) (Lab)
I recently met business leaders at the excellent White Rose business park in my constituency. They told me that one of their key priorities as they expand is recruiting well trained, well skilled and well educated staff. We welcome their expansion. Will my right hon. Friend make Government time for a debate on the need to work with councils, mayors and, crucially, businesses to deliver a stronger, upskilled workforce?
Lucy Powell
I congratulate White Rose business park, in my hon. Friend’s constituency, on its excellent work. This Government will ensure that we have a skilled workforce for the future. We are pursuing a range of measures, such as setting up Skills England, as announced in yesterday’s Budget. There is more money for further education, which is vital, and we are reforming the apprenticeship levy. As he describes, devolving these areas to local councils and mayors will ensure that local skills provision is available for all.
Business of the House
Mark Sewards Excerpts(1 month, 1 week ago)
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Lucy Powell
I am sorry to hear about the closure of Cineworld in the hon. Lady’s constituency. We will have several days of debate on the Budget, starting next week, and I am very confident that business rates will be high on the agenda in those debates, as they always are.
Mr Mark Sewards (Leeds South West and Morley) (Lab)
My constituent David Gold has been in touch to say that a year ago he really struggled to get a GP appointment. He went directly to the hospital to seek advice and eventually got an appointment, and was subsequently diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer. We know how important it is that those with cancer get an early diagnosis. An employee from the GP practice in question told me that in their 35 years of service, they had never seen primary healthcare in such a sorry state. Will the Leader of the House grant an urgent debate in Government time on getting GPs the resources they need to offer appointments quickly?
Lucy Powell
I am really sorry to hear about my hon. Friend’s constituent. The Government are committed to introducing an extra 40,000 appointments per week by the end of this Parliament. That work, led by the Health Secretary, is already under way, and I hope it means that such a situation will not happen again.
Business of the House
Mark Sewards Excerpts(1 month, 2 weeks ago)
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Lucy Powell
I am really sorry to hear about Paul Reeves, and I send the condolences of the whole House to his family and friends. The hon. Lady raises the subject of the mental health of our farming community, and many Members across the House will relate to what she said. That community does an amazing job to keep this country fed and well cared for, and to support nature, among many other things. That issue would make a good topic for a debate, which would be a popular one.
Mr Mark Sewards (Leeds South West and Morley) (Lab)
Two of my constituents, Hayley and Craig Vaughan, sadly lost their son Archie to brain cancer three years ago. On one of his final holidays, they took him to one of his favourite places: a caravan by the seaside. Archie’s parents have channelled their grief by setting up a charity called Archie’s Caravan, which offers free holidays to children in Archie’s position and their families. Will the Leader of the House join me in paying tribute to Archie, to his incredible parents, and to the amazing work that their charity does, and will she make space in Government time for a debate on the care received by children with cancer after their diagnosis?
Lucy Powell
I join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to Archie, his parents and the fantastic work of that charity. The Government are committed to supporting children and young people with cancer. We established a children and young people taskforce earlier this year. I am sure that the Secretary of State will come to the House to update us on that.
Business of the House
Mark Sewards Excerpts(1 month, 3 weeks ago)
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Lucy Powell
My hon. Friend does indeed have a great surname! He is absolutely right that e-bikes can be a blight and a challenge, and there are safety issues. The Government are currently considering these issues, and we have introduced the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill that will consider some of these matters further, so I am sure there will be plenty of debate.
Mr Mark Sewards (Leeds South West and Morley) (Lab)
During the recess, I had the privilege of visiting Elliott Hudson college, an outstanding institution delivering excellent post-16 education in my constituency. The students had some fairly tough questions for me—the future is very bright in Leeds South West and Morley—but my question today is about the decision to pause and review the cancellation of the applied general qualifications, and specifically the impact of that on the ability of colleges such as Elliott Hudson to plan for the future. The review is absolutely the right course of action for the Government to take, but will the Leader of the House provide time for this House to be updated on its progress, so that post-16 education institutions such as of Elliott Hudson can have some clarity on what qualifications they can offer next year?
Lucy Powell
As I know from my own constituency, this matter is raised with Members regularly by further education colleges. The Government have paused the planned defunding of those qualifications, which means that 95 qualifications are again available to learners. The review is taking place as quickly as possible. I hope we will publish it before Christmas, and I can guarantee that there will be a statement to this House at that time.
Business of the House
Mark Sewards Excerpts(2 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Lucy Powell
As the Secretary of State for Health is about to outline in his statement, the truly shocking state of our NHS after 14 years of under-investment and neglect is being laid bare. One of the key priorities he will shortly outline is to ensure that our services move from hospitals to communities, and minor injuries units such as that in Altrincham would be important to that endeavour.
Mr Mark Sewards (Leeds South West and Morley) (Lab)
Antisocial behaviour is ruining lives. In my short time as the MP for Leeds South West and Morley, I have been inundated with residents’ requests for help about persistent antisocial behaviour by neighbours and by repeat offenders in public spaces and parks. Given that the previous Government decimated the services available to councils and the police to deal with the issue, will my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House please grant an urgent debate in Government time to get the police and councils the resources they need to deal with this persistent problem?
Lucy Powell
Tackling antisocial behaviour is a top priority for this Government, which is why we will get thousands more police and police community support officers on our streets, with neighbourhood policing roles back in action. It is also why we will bring in tough new powers and legislate to ensure that they are as effective as possible.
Business of the House
Mark Sewards Excerpts(2 months, 4 weeks ago)
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Mr Mark Sewards (Leeds South West and Morley) (Lab)
Councils up and down the country are still facing impossible financial decisions. In my constituency, Leeds city council is closing Knowle Manor, one of the last care homes in the whole of Leeds. Residents of Morley have made their feelings very clear; over 3,000 have signed a petition to keep the care home open. Does the Leader of the House agree that we need a debate on the introduction of neighbourhood health centres: organisations that bring together doctors, nurses, care workers, physio- therapists and other health professionals? I think Knowle Manor would be a prime candidate.
Lucy Powell
I am really sorry to hear about the closure of my hon. Friend’s local care home. He is absolutely right. Our commitment to neighbourhood health services is how we will begin to tackle these issues. It is a key part of the health mission of this Government to get our health and care service back on its feet.