Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Quigley Excerpts

Wednesday 29th April 2026 Commons Chamber

The Minister for Women and Equalities was asked—

[Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) (Lab)]

1. What assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the adequacy of support available to survivors of sexual assault on the Isle of Wight.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Alex Davies-Jones)]

No one, regardless of where they live, should ever experience such heinous crimes. The Government are absolutely committed to supporting all victims and survivors. My Department, through the Hampshire police and crime commissioner, provides my hon. Friend’s local area with core grant funding to support victims of all crime types, including sexual assault. In addition, we provide ringfenced funding for domestic and sexual abuse services.

[Richard Quigley]

I thank the Minister for her answer. On the Isle of Wight, the absence of a sexual assault referral centre means that survivors of rape and sexual assault are often required to make a long ferry journey to Portsmouth or Southampton—sometimes in the very clothes they were assaulted in—to access the specialist support they need. Will the Minister meet me to discuss how we can finally address and overcome that injustice faced by women and girls on the Isle of Wight?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

My hon. Friend is a tireless champion for tackling violence against women and girls. Ensuring that victims receive the right, timely support is central to the Government’s strategy to tackle these heinous crimes. I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend to discuss that. I will ensure that we have a joined-up approach with the Department of Health and Social Care to better understand the experiences of women and girls on the Isle of Wight who need help.

Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Quigley Excerpts

Thursday 23rd April 2026 Commons Chamber

[Darren Jones]

A number of documents are still being worked through by the Intelligence and Security Committee. In line with the process that I have set out, we want that to conclude before the documents are published to the House.

[Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) (Lab)]

21. What steps his Department is taking to improve cross-departmental working.

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Darren Jones)]

In January I announced that I was giving Government Departments more freedom, hand in hand with greater accountability, to take the initiative to move fast and fix things. Project Reset went live this month, slashing the number of central approval processes to streamline decision making across Government. We will also shortly announce the first delivery taskforces to break down departmental silos and accelerate delivery of the Prime Minister’s priorities.

[Richard Quigley]

Happy St George’s day, Mr Speaker. My right hon. Friend may have heard me say what a fantastic place the Isle of Wight is to live, work and learn. Does he agree that our island is uniquely well placed to test exciting new policies and initiatives across all Departments to speed up national roll-out, as evidenced in an article this week in Computer Weekly by James Findlay, and that rather than being left behind, as we were under the previous Conservative Government, it is now time for the Isle of Wight to be a leader in building the better country that this Government want and that we all deserve?

[Darren Jones]

I congratulate my hon. Friend on being such a champion for his constituency. I am sure that he will agree with me, and certainly with those of us on the Government Benches, that the previous Conservative Government failed the Isle of Wight, as well as the whole country, during their 14 years in office. This Administration have launched a “test, learn and grow” programme so that the Government can work more closely with local partners to test and innovate on the design of public services more locally in the places where people need them. Given my hon. Friend’s keen interest in those approaches, I will arrange for him to engage with the TLG network within my Department and will be in touch in due course.

Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Quigley Excerpts

Wednesday 11th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Bridget Phillipson]

I welcome the hon. Lady’s interest in this issue. Good progress has been made on developing the policy, and we will publish the Government’s response as soon as we can, as well as setting out next steps in respect of legislation that we will present. This was a key manifesto commitment, and we will deliver on it.

[Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) (Lab)]

T3. The wage gap between the Isle of Wight and the rest of the UK—[Interruption.] I know that Conservative Members love the Isle of Wight, but they did nothing about it when they were in power. The wage gap between the Isle of Wight and the rest of the UK leaves full-time island employees about £5,500 a year worse off in comparison with the national average, while female islanders are about £8,000 worse off. Will the Minister work with Cabinet colleagues as a matter of urgency to address the island wage gap, particularly for women, and does she agree that closing that gap is good for women, good for communities and good for growth?

[The Minister for Equalities (Seema Malhotra)]

I firmly agree that women’s equality and economic growth go hand in hand. That is why I was pleased to join the Minister for Women and Equalities in formally launching the action plans last week, so that large employers will be encouraged to set out the steps that they are taking to narrow their gender pay gap. This will ensure that women are able to thrive in the workplace across the country, including on the Isle of Wight.

Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Quigley Excerpts

Wednesday 19th November 2025 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Mr Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) (Lab)]

1. What steps he is taking to improve collaboration between community groups in Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Matthew Patrick)]

I am proud that this Government are investing £1 million into the connect fund to strengthen collaboration between communities across the UK. Mr Speaker, I know that as a dedicated supporter of our veterans you will be pleased to hear that I recently visited Castle Community Trust in Belfast, which through this funding is bringing together veterans in Belfast and Shrewsbury to overcome social isolation. Whatever part of the United Kingdom people are in, they have our support to tackle shared challenges.

[Mr Quigley]

As an MP who represents an island that has a significant veteran community, with one in 10 homes in Isle of Wight West home to a veteran, I know how crucial and effective community relations funding is. Will the Minister commit to working with Cabinet colleagues to explore adapting successful Northern Ireland-GB initiatives such as the excellent connect funding, so that similar tailored support can be delivered on the Isle of Wight to ensure that our veterans receive the recognition and assistance that they deserve?

[Matthew Patrick]

I am happy to speak to colleagues about the success of the connect fund and how it works. My hon. Friend should know that applications are open to anyone across the United Kingdom, provided that they are working with a group in Northern Ireland. I would be delighted to see applications from his constituents if they wish to do that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Quigley Excerpts

Wednesday 12th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I am grateful to the hon. Member for raising that, and I will look at the particular example he has raised. As he will know, we are rolling out hubs. Some of those are already in place and there are more to come, and I will happily update him on where they are likely to be.

[Mr Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) (Lab)]

Following the work of the eating disorders all-party group, I was horrified to hear that 19-year-old Lilly Cliff, who suffers from anorexia, has been placed on an end-of-life care pathway, after Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS foundation trust obtained a Court of Protection ruling to withdraw her treatment. The decision directly contradicts guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and the statement from the Minister for Care in September that eating disorders are not a terminal illness. Will the Prime Minister urgently review that case to ensure that Lilly and her family receive the support they need, and that Lilly is given every possible chance to recover and live, and remind all integrated care boards, the NHS and hospitals, that suffering from an eating disorder is not a terminal illness?

Defence and Security

Richard Quigley Excerpts

Tuesday 25th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The right hon. Lady is right to raise the importance of overseas development—I have said that from the Dispatch Box a number of times—but this is a moment when we have to step up and increase our defence spending. Of course, everybody in this House would wish that was not the situation. We have had a peace dividend for many years, but that has come to an end. We have to step up and our first duty is to keep the country safe, which requires a credible plan. I accept that it is a difficult plan—this is not a decision that I wanted to make—but it is a credible plan for the defence and security of our country and of Europe.

[Mr Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) (Lab)]

I welcome the Prime Minister’s statement. I agree with him that it is the beginning, not the end, of the process, but does he agree that it is not just how much money we spend, but how well we spend it? Will he join me in thanking all our armed forces personnel for the commitment they show day in, day out to defending our nation?

[The Prime Minister]

I agree with both those propositions, and about what we spend and how we spend it. Speaking for myself, the Government and, I am sure, the whole House, we thank our armed services for what they do on our behalf, day in, day out.