Business of the House

Sally Jameson Excerpts

Thursday 23rd January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I am sorry to hear of the closure of a police station, but the right hon. Lady will know that we are absolutely strengthening neighbourhood policing. We are putting 13,000 extra neighbourhood police officers on the frontline. Part of the way we are funding that is by ensuring that we are delivering services efficiently and effectively in local areas. I will get her a response on that, and I look forward to her raising in future the local battery storage unit in her constituency.

[Sally Jameson (Doncaster Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

This weekend, I will be taking part in a run with people from Active Fusion—[Interruption.] Don’t sound so surprised. Active Fusion is a charity in my constituency that works with education, charity and community providers to help deliver physical education activities for young people across Doncaster. Will the Leader of the House join me in celebrating the fantastic work done by Active Fusion, and will she make time for a debate on how the Government can better support charities and organisations to deliver mental and physical health activities for young people who so desperately need it?

[Lucy Powell]

I wish my hon. Friend luck on her run—I am glad that she did not ask me to join her, because that is not something the public are quite ready for yet. She is absolutely right that it is the many voluntary organisations such as Active Fusion that do the vital work of making sure that young people and others remain active, fit and healthy, and that they are given fun ways to do that. That is vital for the future health of the nation. And these organisations often do all of this work as volunteers, or for free.

Business of the House

Sally Jameson Excerpts

Thursday 9th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I thank the hon. Lady for raising this important matter. Indeed, it was raised in stark terms at Prime Minister’s questions yesterday by one of her colleagues. What she describes happening in our community pharmacies as well as in other parts of the broader healthcare sector is a crisis. We are dealing with difficult circumstances that we inherited followed 14 years of under-investment, industrial action and other problems in the health service. She will know that this Government are committed to extra investment. That is why the Budget, which many Conservative Members have opposed, allocated record levels of investment to our national health service. Part of that is about ensuring that we have early intervention services in the community, and our community pharmacies are central to that drive. That is why the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will continue to support our pharmacies and help turn around the terrible situation they face.

[Sally Jameson (Doncaster Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

A recent report stated that there was an increased risk to life at Doncaster’s hospitals if a fire were to occur. There is also a risk of electrical failure due to the age and condition of the infrastructure. Despite much fanfare and promise, the previous Government did nothing to improve the condition of Doncaster royal infirmary. Added to that, we have one of the biggest repair backlogs in the country. Can the Leader of the House ensure that a Health Minister meets me and other Doncaster MPs urgently to ensure that our constituents have access to safe secondary care?

[Lucy Powell]

Yet again, my hon. Friend raises the important matter of Doncaster royal infirmary in her constituency. I know that she is doing great work to highlight the problems that it faces. She will be aware that the so-called new hospital programme—the previous Government’s capital investment programme—was a work of fiction. The programme did not have the funds our hospitals needed, but I will ensure that she gets a meeting with a Minister, because the circumstances that she describes are unacceptable.

Business of the House

Sally Jameson Excerpts

Thursday 10th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

The hon. Member raises an important matter about a public appointment, the specifics of which I will not get into now, as to do so would not be appropriate. Home Office questions will be on 21 October, but I will ensure that she gets a response from a Minister long before then.

[Sally Jameson (Doncaster Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

Despite warm words and promises from Ministers and indeed Prime Ministers in the last Government, Doncaster royal infirmary, for reasons that to this day are still unclear, was left off the new hospitals programme, which we now know was not even funded. Will the Leader of the House allow time for a debate on Doncaster’s need for a new hospital and our extensive repair backlog, as well as the urgent need to transfer all patient records from paper to digital so that people in my constituency can have the healthcare that they deserve?

[Lucy Powell]

My hon. Friend describes a familiar story. The woeful state of the infrastructure within our NHS and the capital and digital assets are matters of huge importance and great urgency. As I said in answer to an earlier question, unfortunately the last Government’s new hospital building programme was a work of fiction, and we are working at pace to put that right. I understand that Doncaster and Bassetlaw teaching hospitals NHS foundation trust is due to receive its critical infrastructure risk funding soon, but I will ensure that she gets a full response about the future of her hospital.