Melanie Ward Portrait

Melanie Ward

Labour - Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy

7,248 (17.8%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 4th July 2024


Melanie Ward is not a member of any APPGs
Melanie Ward has no previous appointments


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Melanie Ward has voted in 18 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
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Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
David Lammy (Labour)
Foreign Secretary
(3 debate interactions)
Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op))
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
(3 debate interactions)
Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op))
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
(2 debate interactions)
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Department Debates
Home Office
(2 debate contributions)
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Legislation Debates
Melanie Ward has not made any spoken contributions to legislative debate
View all Melanie Ward's debates

Latest EDMs signed by Melanie Ward

Melanie Ward has not signed any Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Melanie Ward, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Melanie Ward has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Melanie Ward has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

Melanie Ward has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Melanie Ward has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 16 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
17th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what proportion of households spent more than 10 percent of their household income on energy bills in Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy constituency in each of the last 10 years.

DESNZ has responsibility for the measurement of fuel poverty in England. The latest

estimates of fuel poverty in England are available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics

Fuel poverty is a devolved matter and different metrics of fuel poverty are used in the Devolved Administrations.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
23rd Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to take steps to agree a reciprocal arrangement for (a) pilot and (b) engineer licenses with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

This Government is committed to resetting the relationship and seeking to deepen ties with our European friends, neighbours and allies. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) allows for potential cooperation on aviation safety in a number of areas, including on personnel licencing. The UK will continue to seek expansions in the aviation safety chapter of the TCA where appropriate.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was spent on maternity pay in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Outturn for Maternity Pay consists of both Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance, and is published by country in the Expenditure by country and region tables, last updated following Autumn Statement 2023.

Outturn for Scotland in the last five years available is as below

(Expenditure £ million, nominal terms)

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

Statutory Maternity Pay Scotland

191.0

175.0

187.9

206.9

206.3

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

Maternity Allowance Scotland

29.8

27.8

25.9

21.6

19.1

Maternity Allowance expenditure figures for Scotland are estimates using national and regional breakdowns from Official Statistics on Maternity Allowance benefit caseload and average amounts of benefit paid, applied to GB outturn expenditure totals.

Statutory Maternity Pay Expenditure figures for Scotland are estimates using national and regional breakdown of amounts of SMP paid to employees, applied to GB outturn expenditure totals.

Please note, these figures may change with the next publication of data, following Autumn Budget 2024.

We are not expecting to publish breakdowns of MA in Autumn 2024 as a new operational system to record MA cases is currently being developed. As such, Maternity Allowance statistics will be suspended from the quarterly statistics release on 13 August 2024 until data can be extracted from the new system. (Maternity Allowance: quarterly statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)).

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will undertake a review of the Child Maintenance Service.

A consultation on proposed reforms to the CMS was published by the previous Government on 8 May 2024. The consultation includes exploration of removing Direct Pay and managing all CMS cases in one service to allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster. The consultation also explores how victims and survivors of domestic abuse can be better supported.

The Government extended the consultation to the 30 September 2024 to ensure full stakeholder engagement can take place, we will then consider the next steps for CMS.

Andrew Western
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
17th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were living in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty in Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Statistics for the total number of people living in relative and absolute poverty are not available at a constituency level.

Statistics on the total number of people in living in relative and absolute poverty both before and after housing costs at regional level are published annually in the Households Below Average Income statistics Households below average income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Statistics on the number of Children living in absolute and relative poverty per constituency are published annually in the “Children in low income families: local area statistics” publication and can be found in tabs “5_Relative_ParlC” and “6_Absolute_ParlC”. These are only produced on a before housing cost basis.

A link to these statistics can be found here: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Alison McGovern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
17th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average disposable income was in Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy constituency in each of the last 10 years.

The Department for Work and Pensions produces household income statistics on both a before housing costs and after housing costs basis, published in its Households Below Average Income publication. However, these are not available at constituency level: Households below average income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Office for National Statistics produces household disposable income statistics. However, these are also not available at constituency level. The latest regional gross disposable household income statistics can be found here: Regional gross disposable household income, UK - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

Alison McGovern
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle the national supply shortage of Methylphenidate.

The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information is not collected on a local level.

The Department has been working hard with industry and NHS England to help resolve supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of intensive work, some issues have been resolved and all strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available.

We are continuing to work to resolve supply issues where they remain, for methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets. We are engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. We anticipate intermittent regional supply disruptions to continue, and we expect supply to improve in the UK from October 2024.

In parallel, the Department has worked with specialist clinicians, including those within the National Health Service, to develop management advice for NHS clinicians to consider prescribing available alternative brands of methylphenidate prolonged release tablets or available alternative ADHD medicines. We would expect ADHD service providers and specialists to follow our guidance, which includes offering rapid response to primary care teams seeking urgent advice or opinion for the management of patients, including those known to be at a higher risk of adverse impact because of these shortages.

To aid ADHD service providers and prescribers further we have widely disseminated our communications, and continually update a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website, helping ensure that those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients.

Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
2nd Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS hospitals are required to record the number of occasions on which instrumental delivery of a baby creates lasting health problems for the mother.

The Department recognises the significant physical and psychological consequences of birth trauma and the devastating impact this has on women. The Government remains fully committed to improving the quality and consistency of care for women throughout pregnancy, birth, and the critical months that follow. National Health Service trusts in England submit data through the Maternity Services Data Set from the booking appointment through to discharge from maternity services, which is usually approximately 10 days after birth. This includes data on instrumental delivery complications including post-partum haemorrhage and severe perineal tears but, due to the time period covered by the data, does not capture lasting health problems arising from birth.

Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the possibility of arms supplied from the UK to Israel being used to be used to (a) commit and (b) facilitate serious violations of International humanitarian law in (i) the West Bank and (ii) Lebanon.

The UK's robust export licensing criteria state that the Government will not issue export licences if there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law. Following the Government's decision on 2 September to suspend certain arms export licences to Israel for use in Gaza, there are currently no extant licences that we assess are for use in Lebanon or the West Bank, apart from the licences for the F-35 components which were exempted. We are clear that International Humanitarian Law must be upheld, and civilians protected.

Hamish Falconer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to develop a new national strategy on atrocity prevention

The FCDO supports a comprehensive approach to mass atrocity prevention. However, we have no plans to develop a new national strategy at this time. Since 2022, the FCDO's conflict directorate has been strengthening monitoring capabilities to identify and escalate atrocity risks before they occur. We will continue to develop our capacity to respond to atrocity risks, drawing on expertise across HMG and beyond, including from civil society, academia and cooperation with bilateral partners and multilateral organisations.

Anneliese Dodds
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
18th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British-registered charities working in Gaza have experienced (a) staff or volunteers being (i) killed and (ii) injured and (b) buildings or other infrastructure being destroyed or damaged in Gaza in the last 10 months; and how many (A) staff have been (1) killed and (2) injured and (B) incidents there have been of buildings being destroyed or damaged in Gaza in the last 10 months, by each registered charity.

The UK Government does not hold this data directly. However, we are extremely concerned about the number of casualties amongst the humanitarian sector community, including our own UK nationals. International Humanitarian Law provides for the protection of non-combatants. Whilst in Israel, the Foreign Secretary pressed Prime Minister Netanyahu to implement improved deconfliction processes to protect aid workers. I will continue to raise with my Israeli counterparts the incidents that affect the delivery of vital humanitarian work.

Israel must take concrete steps to protect civilians and aid workers in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. This includes deconfliction between military and humanitarian operations, and supporting the minimum operating requirements of the UN agencies. The World Central Kitchen (WCK) deaths on 2 April, including the death of three British Nationals, were an appalling example of Israel's failure to provide an effective deconfliction mechanism to keep humanitarian operations safe from military operations.

Hamish Falconer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
18th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish risk assessments of the likelihood of atrocity crimes being committed in Gaza and the West Bank that his Department has made in the last 10 months.

It is our policy that any FCDO monitoring and assessment of atrocity risks is confidential and therefore we have no plans to publish. However, we continue to monitor risks closely and will continue to update the House on the ongoing situation in Gaza. We do not have access to the advice provided to the previous Government.

Hamish Falconer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
4th Oct 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 30 July 2024 to Question 1887 on Tax Avoidance, when she plans to provide an update on her policy on the loan charge.

I know that the loan charge is an extremely important issue for many members and their constituents.

I have met with campaigners to discuss the loan charge, and the Chancellor and I are considering this matter further. We will provide an update in due course.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
30th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to commission a lessons learned review with local authorities following the late arrival of postal votes in the 2024 General Election.

The Electoral Commission is the independent electoral regulator and will be reporting on the administration of the May elections and the recent General Election. This will include the proportion of individuals turned away for lack of accepted identification. We anticipate publication of their initial findings on voter ID later this month and their full election report later in the year.

In line with our manifesto commitments, we will carefully review the voter ID rules and evaluate how they impacted citizens during the General Election before bringing forward firm proposals for reform in due course. This will of course include full consideration of the Electoral Commission’s findings.

With regard to postal voting at the 2024 General Election, I refer my Hon Friend to the answer given to Question UIN 199 on 26 July 2024.

Alex Norris
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
27th Aug 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will continue after March 2025.

The Government is committed to delivering economic growth across the country and is considering how to best fund long-term local funding in line with wider fiscal and economic priorities.

Post-March 2025 funding is a decision for the Budget.

Alex Norris
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
30th Jul 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the future of the Shared Prosperity Fund.

I regularly talk to the Chancellor and her team to discuss many aspects of funding, across all the departments’ business and my officials work closely with those in the Treasury. The future of any departmental programme will be agreed as part of the budget and next fiscal event in light of those discussions.

The Government is committed to delivering economic growth across the country, and is considering how to best fund long-term local funding in line with wider fiscal and economic priorities.

Alex Norris
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)