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Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 07 Sep 2026
Surrogacy Law and Legal Parenthood

"I thank the Minister for making a very thoughtful summing-up speech, as ever. Has she had any conversations with her colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions about providing clarity on whether the expenses that surrogate mothers receive should count towards their benefits? Under legacy benefits, they did, but …..."
Rebecca Smith - View Speech

View all Rebecca Smith (Con - South West Devon) contributions to the debate on: Surrogacy Law and Legal Parenthood

Division Vote (Commons)
7 Sep 2026 - Health Bill - View Vote Context
Rebecca Smith (Con) voted Aye - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 84 Conservative Aye votes vs 0 Conservative No votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 170 Noes - 316
Written Question
Parking: Fees and Charges
Monday 7th September 2026

Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of local authority parking charges based on vehicle dimensions on the uptake of electric vehicles.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department has not made such an assessment. Local traffic authorities are responsible for developing parking policies that balance the needs of different road users.


Written Question
Airports: Construction and Planning Permission
Monday 7th September 2026

Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2026 to Question 13566, if she will publish a list of legislative and statutory requirements that apply to the planning and construction of airports.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government does not maintain, and does not plan to publish, a single consolidated list of all legislative and statutory requirements that apply to the planning and construction of airports.

Doing so would be disproportionate and would duplicate information already available through legislation.gov.uk.


Written Question
Airports: Freight
Monday 7th September 2026

Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of access to slots at coordinated UK airports for operators of dedicated air freight and cargo services; and whether she plans to take steps to improve access to slots for those operators.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The government recognises the crucial role air freight plays in transporting goods to and from the UK, which benefits consumers and businesses and facilitates growth in large parts of the economy beyond aviation.

An independent slot coordinator is responsible for allocating slots at the UK’s slot coordinated airports. The UK Government is not involved in slot allocation and has no power to intervene in this process.


Written Question
Children: Maintenance
Monday 7th September 2026

Asked by: Rebecca Smith (Conservative - South West Devon)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many parents in receipt of Universal Credit received child maintenance at the latest date for which figures are available; how many such parents were (a) in employment and (b) not in employment; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The information requested is not readily available.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) does not routinely collect or record information on whether a receiving parent is in receipt of Universal Credit or their employment status. While the Department holds information relating to Universal Credit and child maintenance separately, identifying the number of parents in receipt of Universal Credit who received child maintenance, and then further breaking this down by employment status, would require the matching and interrogation of records across different departmental systems.

The information could therefore only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The Government recognises the important role that child maintenance plays in supporting children and families. Child maintenance payments are fully disregarded in Universal Credit calculations, ensuring that children benefit from the maintenance intended for them.


Scheduled Event - Friday 4th September - Add to calendar
View Source
Commons - Private Members' Bills - Main Chamber
Ponds (Permitted Development) Bill 2026-27
MP: Rebecca Smith
Division Vote (Commons)
4 Sep 2026 - House of Commons - View Vote Context
Rebecca Smith (Con) voted No - in line with the party majority and in line with the House
One of 19 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 1 Noes - 79
Speech in Commons Chamber - Fri 04 Sep 2026
Infants, Parents and Carers Bill

"I join many others today in congratulating my right hon. Friend the Member for New Forest West (Sir Desmond Swayne) on securing this debate and on his choice of topic. There does seem to be an enormous amount of agreement in the Chamber today, and I know that he has …..."
Rebecca Smith - View Speech

View all Rebecca Smith (Con - South West Devon) contributions to the debate on: Infants, Parents and Carers Bill

Speech in Commons Chamber - Fri 04 Sep 2026
Infants, Parents and Carers Bill

"I thank the hon. Member for that contribution. Of course, if we are going to do this properly, we have to make sure that the funding is there, which I think is the entire point of the Bill. I agree with that, but the great thing about family hubs is …..."
Rebecca Smith - View Speech

View all Rebecca Smith (Con - South West Devon) contributions to the debate on: Infants, Parents and Carers Bill