Phil Brickell
Main Page: Phil Brickell (Labour - Bolton West)Department Debates - View all Phil Brickell's debates with the Leader of the House
(1 month ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Lucy Powell
May I thank the right hon. Gentleman for agreeing with the Government that we should not exploit fracking? That was in our manifesto and we are committed to not doing fracking. I will ensure that Ministers update him on those matters, as they have been doing, coming regularly to the House. We have had a number of statements from Ministers from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, who are keen to update the House as and when. However, I will ensure the right hon. Gentleman is updated on that particular issue.
Phil Brickell (Bolton West) (Lab)
The prolonged time that the Disclosure and Barring Service takes to check the many applicants for work in vital public services in education, health and social care is impacting tens of thousands of people across the UK. Indeed, many applicants have had offers of work retracted due to the significant delays they have experienced. Will the Leader of the House allow a debate in Government time to address that critical issue?
Lucy Powell
DBS checks are an important part of many public service jobs, and it is disappointing to hear of the delays that my hon. Friend’s constituents have faced. In fact, those delays have been raised with me previously. Ministers are keen to hold the DBS to account where standards are not being met, so I will raise the matter with Ministers. My hon. Friend should be aware that, in some circumstances, his constituents can request a hardship escalation where the delay is affecting job applications.