Business of the House
Debate between Michelle Welsh and Lucy Powell(1 day, 7 hours ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Lucy Powell
The hon. Member raises the really important matter of the different delivery costs for rural communities such as his, who often need those deliveries the most. I shall certainly raise it with Ministers and get a full response for him.
Michelle Welsh (Sherwood Forest) (Lab)
In just over a week’s time, the independent review of maternity services at Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust is due to close to new cases. It is the largest review of maternity services in NHS history, with more than 2,300 families now involved. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking Donna Ockenden, her team and the affected families, and encourage anyone else who can to come forward before 31 May? I am the third person to raise this matter in business questions today. I would like, as would the affected families, a debate in this House in Government time on the future of maternity services, as the issue becomes more and more pressing.
Lucy Powell
I join my hon. Friend in thanking Donna Ockenden for all the tremendous work she is doing on the independent review of maternity services at Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust. As she says, a number of people have raised the future and quality of maternity services with me today. I will, when I leave the Chamber, speak to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and encourage him to make time to update the House and ensure that Members are well informed about the progress of the review.
Business of the House
Debate between Michelle Welsh and Lucy Powell(4 months, 1 week ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Lucy Powell
I thank the hon. Member for that question. As she said, a debate did take place yesterday, and there are many mechanisms for debates to be brought forward in the Chamber or Westminster Hall. I know it is of great disappointment to people that the Government have taken this decision, which was quite a specific one about that report. Many women were communicated with over that time, and an apology was issued, but we did not feel that the compensation being proposed was proportionate or would be a fair use of public funds at this time.
Michelle Welsh (Sherwood Forest) (Lab)
We have a housing crisis across the UK, and I am pleased that the Government have announced a plan to build 1.5 million more homes. Does the Leader of the House agree that councils have an important part to play in fixing this crisis by updating their local plans and delivering the homes that are so desperately needed, including social housing and affordable homes? Without these plans, our green-belt spaces are at risk, such as Whyburn Farm in my constituency, which Ashfield Independents on the district council are failing to protect by having no plan. Does she agree that it is vital that councils use their local plans to meet the needs of communities, while also protecting our green-belt spaces?
Lucy Powell
My hon. Friend is absolutely right: this country faces a housing crisis. That is why this Government have an incredibly ambitious target to build 1.5 million homes over the course of this Parliament, and we are changing the national planning policy framework to ensure that local councils have ambitious targets for their own local areas in order to meet that target.