Live Debate: Commons Chamber

Urgent Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care if he will make a statement on the adequacy of Jhoots as a pharmacy provider

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shortly. To Admiral.

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Thank you, Madam. Deputy Speaker, to ask. The Minister. Whether. He will make a statement on the

12:45

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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12:48

Edward Morello MP (West Dorset, Liberal Democrat)

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Miss Morello. speaker for granting this Urgent Question. I thank the Minister for his response. The collapse of service provision in some places, the constant closure in others, and general governance at its pharmacy, which operates 150 branches across England, does demand immediate ministerial intervention. In West Dorset. Dukes branches in Lyme Regis and Bridport have closed for months, leaving thousands without access to essential medication and placing huge strain on overstretched neighbouring pharmacies. Staff have gone months without pay despite payslips being issued, tax deductions made and pension contributions not deposited.

I have been contacted only this morning by staff who have not been paid for the third month. Many are unable to buy food, pay rent and are relying on food banks and the amazing communities that have stepped up to support them. There have been reports of staff recruited by skilled workers, visas being left without income or resource. I have also been made aware of deeply troubling reports of controlled drugs being removed without proper documentation or process, which, if proven true, may constitute a breach of the Misuse of Drugs Act.

I have raised my concerns with the General Pharmaceutical Council, HMRC, NHS, BHA, the ICB and Minister Kinnock who I thank for his response. And while I understand that processes must be followed, this situation requires immediate action. Staff are not being paid. People across the country do not have access to vital medicine. Can the Minister please confirm what steps are being taken to ensure that all staff are paid without delay? What discussions have taken place with the NHS, BHA, the General Pharmaceutical Council and other regulators about whose business practices? And finally, will the government commit to urgently reviewing its suitability as an NHS pharmacy provider? Outline what safeguards will be introduced to prevent this from happening again, and review the pharmacy funding model.

12:50

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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Yeah.

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Well, I thank the honourable gentleman for his words and I agree with absolutely everything he's just with absolutely everything he's just said. It is completely and utterly unacceptable. If a business such as unacceptable. If a business such as Jutes is not paying its staff, if indeed there are these reports that indeed there are these reports that control drugs are not being handled properly, I would strongly recommend that any mishandling of drugs be reported to the General Pharmaceutical Council, who regulate pharmacy professionals and premises pharmacy professionals and premises so that appropriate action can be taken.

Regarding his question on taken. Regarding his question on paying staff, pharmacy staff are paying staff, pharmacy staff are vitally important parts of our NHS in terms of the NHS, part of what in terms of the NHS, part of what pharmacy does, they provide vital services to our communities and should be paid according to their should be paid according to their contracts. Any failure to do so is completely unacceptable. Of course, pharmacy staff are not employed by pharmacy staff are not employed by the NHS, but by those businesses that they work for.

Therefore, any dispute between staff and a pharmacy business should be raised with the advisory, conciliation and arbitration service Acas. But I am arbitration service Acas. But I am also in touch with the DEA, the Pharmacy Defence Association, and I know they're doing important work in terms of representing their members, and I will be meeting soon with them as well. But we do we have, of course, responsibility for the NHS part of the work, but it is up to individual businesses to ensure that their employees are treated fairly.

In terms of the review of suitability to operate. As he rightly points out, we are looking at this now across the board in terms of what is the role of the General Pharmaceutical Council, what role is what's taking place in terms of ICB taking contract action, where

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there is no sign of improvement and the pharmacies continue. To be in breach? The next escalation for that is

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The next escalation for that is that they be struck off the pharmaceutical register. That takes some time because certain pharmacies some time because certain pharmacies I'm not going to name names, but I'm sure the honourable gentleman can imagine who are trying every single imagine who are trying every single thing they can to appeal, to push back, to stop some of the actions back, to stop some of the actions that we're seeking to take that is elongating the time that that this elongating the time that that this all takes.

But I want to be clear that if there is clear breach and that action is not taken to remedy

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that action is not taken to remedy that breach, then pharmacies will be struck off the pharmaceutical register. Very own pharmacist Sadik

12:53

Sadik Al-Hassan MP (North Somerset, Labour)

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Al-Hassan. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. And as a pharmacist for nearly 20 And as a pharmacist for nearly 20 years an MP of North Somerset, I have the dubious pleasure of having. Two Cahoots pharmacies in the town of Portishead in my constituency. Now, I can't say operating because they shuttered their doors. I with reports of them not having paid their bills, not having paid their rent, not having paid their staff. Now.

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As a as. A pharmacist, I know that this

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A pharmacist, I know that this affects the perception and view of community pharmacy up and down the community pharmacy up and down the country. Can I ask the minister what efforts he and the department are efforts he and the department are planning to mean that bad actors in the pharmacy space, such as, in my

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the pharmacy space, such as, in my opinion, cahoots, seem to be. Obviously one.

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Obviously one. I are going to be dealt with more quickly and more effectively under new legislation.

12:54

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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new legislation. Should not be statements, Minister. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Well, I thank my hon. Friend and I pay tribute to his direct professional expertise and experience as a pharmacist. He is right to point to the fact that the regulatory framework is clearly not as strong as it needs to be. The behaviour I've spoken with officials in my department who've worked in the pharmacy sector for many, many years. They haven't seen anything like this before.

It is quite unprecedented. But nevertheless, I think what it is doing is shining a light on the fact that we don't have a strong enough regulatory framework. We need to look at the way that business owners are regulated. There is strong regulation in terms of pharmacists and pharmacy staff, technicians, etc, but business owners are not being regulated as strongly as they could and should be. He's right. That speed is also very important. That's why we need to look at ways of fast tracking, particular cases where there is clear breach, because sometimes the appeal process can be very slow indeed.

We are looking at all of this in the round, and I have commissioned urgent advice from my officials to see how we can beef up the regulatory framework. Evans.

12:55

Dr Luke Evans MP (Hinckley and Bosworth, Conservative)

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Thank you. weekend, said he's concerned that reports of Cahoots Pharmacy branches across England failing patients risks damaging community pharmacies reputation and could imperil its ability to secure a good 20 2627 funding settlement across the country. Communities have been left without functioning pharmacies, doors locked without notice, patients arriving to find no pharmacist, no prescriptions, no stock, staff on staff threatened with being sacked. Cahoots pharmacy faces allegations of not paying wages, repossessed premises and serious regulatory breaches.

The General Pharmaceutical Council has already intervened several times, yet for many patients, it's too late. They simply can't get their medicines. This is not an isolated business failure. It exposes a deeper fragility in the community pharmacy network, one that local people depend on for basics and often life saving care. So I have three four. Questions for the minister. Number one, when was the NHS England first made aware of these closures? And has the Minister met with the Cahoots leadership? If not, why not? And if he did, what was the outcome? Number two has the department assessed how many people have been left without local pharmacy? Access? Is the result of Cahoots actions, and what is the minister doing to remedy this considering it's across the country? He mentioned ICBMs, but there are several involved.

Number three, what mechanisms exist to ensure continuity of care when a contractor collapses or walks away? Again? He mentioned ICBMs, but is there a national contingency plan? And finally, will the government now review whether the current model with chains and expanding rapidly through acquisition and debt, is fit to safeguard community pharmacy in the long term? And linked to this, can the Minister definitively confirm the funding settlement is not compromised? The ten year NHS plan states it wants to move more care into the community, yet it's completely missing a delivery chapter on how to achieve it.

At the same time, we have issues like cahoots, so I hope the minister will be taking steps to investigate this issue in its entirety. Taking actions to safeguard against the type of incident happening again, and spelling out the delivery aspect of the ten.

12:57

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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Year plan. for his for his questions. In terms of first awareness of what was happening with Jude's, he will know that they entered the market through the purchase of a number of Lloyds pharmacies that were no longer going concern, and that took place in 2023. So in terms of the question about the due diligence on Jukes as an operator, that's probably a question he should be asking. One of my predecessors from his party that were in power at the time, since they purchased the, they have expanded rapidly.

And that has been where we've seen then the question marks around their ability to operate and serious downgrading of services. I have not met with the management of boots. We are looking at a whole range of legal and. Regulatory enforcement procedures, and the decision we have therefore taken is that it is better not to interfere in any way in those processes, but I will. I am certainly monitoring that very closely. And if we have legal advice that suggests such a meeting would be a good idea, then I'm of course open to that idea.

But the current legal position the advice we've received is, is that it would not be appropriate at this time in terms of local pharmacy access. Integrated care boards are, of course, have a statutory responsibility to ensure adequate pharmacy provision. So some ICBMs, for example, have allowed dispensing GP practices to provide dispensing services to affected patients, whilst others have worked with local GP practices to advise patients to nominate alternative nearby pharmacies for their prescriptions. We've looked at the impact geographically in terms of where juice is placed and in most cases, our view is that there is an alternative pharmacy provision within striking distance.

But there are, I think, 4 or 5 areas of the country where that's not the case, including the honourable gentleman who secured this Urgent Question in his constituency. I'm very conscious of that. And then extra provision needs to be made through the ice OBS and through GPS to ensure perhaps it might be through distance selling or other means to ensure that patients are getting access to their pharmaceutical needs. He asks about continuity of care and national contingency. I this is a very challenging situation because, as I mentioned in my remarks and as officials have said, we haven't seen this level of decline in service so rapidly.

And so we are working at pace to strengthen the regulatory framework and looking at contingency plans. I don't see any reason why the overall funding settlement for pharmacy should be undermined, and we will continue to protect community pharmacy as a crucially important part of our NHS. Hamilton.

13:01

Paulette Hamilton MP (Birmingham Erdington, Labour)

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Thank you.

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I would like to thank the Minister for his response. The role

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Minister for his response. The role of community pharmacies like pharmacy. My area called large pharmacy very common.

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It's absolutely. Vital and this is why. Sorry, but

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Vital and this is why. Sorry, but also I'd like to. Sorry I've lost track, but they offer community track, but they offer community pharmacies are offer an excellent service and this is why I'm service and this is why I'm concerned with places like jute pharmacy closing and folding or pharmacy closing and folding or maybe folding. The question I'd like to ask. Coming up to the winter to ask. Coming up to the winter months, I have been passionate about winter measures.

How are we going to ensure that our pharmacies are going to be able to offer the winter vaccines that are needed this year? vaccines that are needed this year? If we lose large chains like Jukes Jukes, pharmacy. Sorry about that.

13:02

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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Jukes, pharmacy. Sorry about that. Yeah right. Minister. I thank my friend and pay tribute to her work on the Select Committee. to her work on the Select Committee. NHS England is assessing the situation and preparing contingency plans in case Jutes does become insolvent. Such plans involve working with other local pharmacies and dispensing GP practices to ensure that patients continue to have access to medicines. Continuity of care, as she rightly points out, has to be at the heart of our response to this and we are working at pace to ensure that continuity of care is protected.

13:02

Helen Morgan MP (North Shropshire, Liberal Democrat)

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Select Committee forgive me. Liberal Democrat spokesperson Helen Morgan. Thank you very much. Madam Deputy Speaker, can I first thank my hon. Friend the member for West Dorset for raising this appalling issue. Pharmacists are at the heart of our communities, and they are relied upon by millions, and they are under increasing pressure right across the country where we're seeing irregular opening hours and, and, and forecast closures for families living in communities that rely on Cahoots pharmacies, like those in the constituency of my hon.

Friend and many other parts of the country will be deeply concerned that they and their loved ones are about to be left without medicines, potentially, that they desperately need, while their staff have been placed in an intolerable situation. The National Pharmacy Association Chief Executive has said. As we've heard, that Cahoots risks damaging the reputation of community pharmacies. The government urgently needs to grip this issue and ensure that patients and the staff of these pharmacies are not being let down. So will the Minister and the Secretary of State agree to meet with all the members in this place whose communities are being affected by potential closures? Will he update the House at the earliest opportunity as to what steps he's taking to stabilise the crisis in community pharmacy across the country, and is he confident that ICI bees, who are distracted by 50% cuts to their budgets, a top down reorganisation, that they have the capacity to deal with this urgent situation as they head into a planning for the next winter crisis?

13:04

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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Sir. with honourable members who have Jutes in their constituency and are affected by this. I will absolutely update the House. We are taking action on looking at strengthening the regulation, but there is also. A some constraints on what I can say because so much of this is now going through legal process. As I say, there are there is pushback. We don't want to do anything to jeopardise the legal action that we are taking through the appeal process, and I'll have to be relatively circumspect in, in, in what I say.

But I'm happy to have those discussions and to update the House. I am confident that Icbc's can take this forward. As I said, in most cases across the country, based on our assessment, there is a pharmacy within striking distance of a duty, but certainly in those areas where there isn't, that may require particular follow up action, and my officials and I will be following up with those ICBMs to ensure that the appropriate action has been taken.

13:05

Melanie Onn MP (Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, Labour)

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Melanie Onn. Speaker. Five members of staff have been to see me from the Lacy Road Pharmacy. They've been going into work but haven't been paid since July. It is absolutely appalling. Can the Minister set out what pressure he and the Department can

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bring to bear on this chain, which has now unfortunately closed its doors for good? You.

13:05

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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You. I thank Honourable friend for that question. I agree with absolutely every word of what she's just said. It is completely unacceptable that people are coming into work doing an honest day's work and not being receiving an honest day's pay for that work. Unfortunately, there's a limit to what we can do because pharmacies are private businesses and each employer is required to fulfil their legal obligations in terms of paying their staff, I would recommend that the members of staff that she mentions contact Acas and they should also, if they're not already in touch with the PDA, their trade union.

If they are members of that union, I would strongly recommend that joining a trade union and seeking legal advice from a trade union is a vitally important part of what trade unions do. They need to take action on this and to force Jutes to do the right thing.

13:06

Simon Hoare MP (North Dorset, Conservative)

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Simon Hall.

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Thank you very much indeed. Madam Speaker. I want to thank my friend and Labour for West Dorset for and Labour for West Dorset for introducing this Urgent Question. I have exactly the same problem as he and the honourable member for North and the honourable member for North Somerset, but in Shaftesbury in my constituency, I want to thank the staff at boots who are picking up such a huge amount of slack because the checkouts are, isn't there? There's a danger to the one member of staff who is on duty because they were prescribed drugs on the premises, and she's the only person there, and I do worry for her there, and I do worry for her safety.

I wonder what additional support the department can give to those existing providers, like boots, who are picking up the slack, particularly during the winter peak, with regards to advice to patient with regards to advice to patient and also administering vaccines. This is a clear breach of contract, but I'm told by ICB it doesn't fall but I'm told by ICB it doesn't fall within contract law. The regulations are moot on this point because the are moot on this point because the circumstances that are a huge find itself in was never envisaged when the regulations were written.

That's the problem which the Minister has identified. There does seem to be some timidity amongst officials and others with regards to the others with regards to the overhanging threat of a judicial review, where the government to act review, where the government to act in extremis to introduce an urgency to it. I would urge the Minister to take that risk on behalf of our of all of our constituents. And I certainly welcome and look forward to his offer to the suggestion of the Honourable lady from North Shropshire that all Members of Parliament with constituents affected by this dire problem, will be involved in meeting so that we can provide timely advice and update and support to our constituents who are, of course, rightly worried.

13:08

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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Minister.

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I thank him for his question and I pay tribute to the employees in the boots, which is close by. The the boots, which is close by. The Jutes that is not providing the service that's required. And we service that's required. And we really do appreciate that. I can assure him that absolutely nothing is off the table. He has rightly is off the table. He has rightly identified the problem, which is that the regulatory framework is that the regulatory framework is strong on pharmacists, strong and pharmacist premises strong and pharmacy staff.

But it seems that pharmacy staff. But it seems that there is something of a gap when it comes to regulating pharmacy business owners. That is a gap that business owners. That is a gap that has been identified. I have asked a commission, my officials, I've commissioned my officials to work on

13:08

Naushabah Khan MP (Gillingham and Rainham, Labour)

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that at pace, and I would happily keep him updated on that work. Naushabah Khan thank you. Madam Deputy Speaker, and I thank

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Madam Deputy Speaker, and I thank the Minister for the context he has provided in the responses he has provided so far. Jutes in my constituency of Gillian and Rainham constituency of Gillian and Rainham have provided an incredibly poor service not paying staff, not dispensing vital medicine and often not opening on time. However, any replacement pharmacy or provider is not able to come in because at the moment the pharmaceutical needs assessment locally suggest that the provision is functioning. Will the Minister consider a review of the criteria surrounding PaaS so that not only do they let those pharmacies that are available, but also look at failures such as the ones that we are seeing reduced and are able to recognise that so other providers can take their place if need to be.

13:09

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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Minister.

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I thank my hon. Friend and she's also put her finger on an issue within all of this, which is if within all of this, which is if you're looking to bring in other pharmacies to open up to replace pharmacies to open up to replace Jutes, or indeed to take over a jute store, you can't do that. In the latter case, until such time as there is an insolvency and that business is no longer a going business is no longer a going concern.

And if you want to bring in, there is a process for opening new pharmacies as set out in new pharmacies as set out in legislation. Potential new pharmacy contractors can apply to open in the area and evidence how a new pharmacy area and evidence how a new pharmacy can provide benefits for patients. It is, however, a challenge for new contractors to make such a case. If contractors to make such a case. If a pharmacy is still listed as open and providing services in the area. and providing services in the area.

So it's something of a catch 22 situation, we first of all have to resolve the issue with jute and take

13:10

Layla Moran MP (Oxford West and Abingdon, Liberal Democrat)

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the necessary action, and then we see where we are in terms of potential gaps in the market. Select Committee Chair Layla from.

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from. The. This case is clearly hugely unfortunate, given the incredible. Work that.

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Work that. Community pharmacies do up. And down the country for our constituents. I am pleased to hear the Minister say that this case won't negatively affect the funding settlement, but we also know this is in the backdrop of a very precarious sector where actors, we want to do good by our communities, who want to do a high quality job, often find they simply can't make ends meet at the end of the day, and bad actors find a way to move in.

When the committee looked last at this workforce was a key plank to why this sector was not sustainable. What update can the Minister give us on the inclusion of pharmacists in the workforce plan?

13:11

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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Minister. pay tribute to her work as Chair of the Select Committee. I'm very proud of the fact that we delivered a £500 million uplift to pharmacy, 19% across the two year period. That is the highest uplift of any sector, not just of my portfolio, but of the entire NHS. I'm also very proud of the fact that we're taking forward hub and spoke legislation to enable pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to operate at the top of their licence, and we have also just yes, the day before yesterday signed off on an Si for improving the ability of technicians on dispensing and to do more in that area as well.

So we're looking to empower the workforce, enable them to operate at the top of the licence. And that is a fundamental part of the shift from hospital to community. That is at the heart of our ten year plan. the heart of our ten year plan.

13:12

Cat Smith MP (Lancaster and Wyre, Labour)

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Cat Smith thank you. Second and. long before constituents were getting in touch with me, explaining that they couldn't access their prescriptions because the pharmacies were. Closed and it was very unreliable. However, we do have a very good Over Wyre Medical Centre which has dispensing rights. However, they're. Restrained by the one mile rule, which means they can't dispense. Prescriptions within one mile of where a pharmacy is, regardless of whether or not it's open or closed. So I feel like we're in a catch 22 situation here.

What help can the Minister give my constituents to ensure that those constituents who are within the one mile of the pharmacy that's never open, can access their prescriptions from the dispensing over why a medical practice. Minister.

13:12

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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I thank her for that question. She has absolutely rightly put her finger on the catch 22 situation in which we find ourselves. It is patently absurd that a pharmacy that isn't operating as she just described at the Jukes isn't operating, is blocking the ability of others to step in and fill the gap. That is something we have to resolve. It's part of the work that I've commissioned urgently. We've clearly got gaps in the regulatory framework. This is an unprecedented situation.

We're working at pace to address it. But she's absolutely rightly put a finger on the catch 22 that needs to be resolved. We need to move one piece out of the way so that we can deal adequately with this situation. this situation.

13:13

Bradley Thomas MP (Bromsgrove, Conservative)

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Bradley Thomas thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

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suppliers. As well, and they're failing communities who desperately rely on them.

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them. The government is planning to introduce a health bill at some will.

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will. See the abolition of NHS England. Can the Minister update the House on when that. Bill will come forwards, and what provision it will contain

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and what provision it will contain within it to strengthen accountability for delivery of community pharmacy provision? Thank you sir.

13:14

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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Thank you sir. I thank him. I know that my colleague, the Minister of State for colleague, the Minister of State for health, is working hard on the drafting process for that bill. I can't give him the exact date of its introduction, but I'd be very happy to write right to him with confirmation of the expected introduction date.

13:14

Jonathan Davies. Yes, thank you. pleased this question has been tabled today because I've written to the Minister about this company, and I'm also very grateful to my honourable friend from North Somerset, who has given me advice in this matter. I'm pleased the government is taking regulatory action in respect of the quality, safety and availability of the service. But I was horrified to hear that several of my constituents working for this company have gone unpaid for several weeks, so please could I ask him to reach out to the relevant minister within the Department for Business and Trade, just to see if there's anything else that we can do for those people, because it's just simply not right

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that they're out of pocket. So I thank my honourable friend for that. That's an excellent suggestion. I will do that if there

13:15

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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suggestion. I will do that if there is clear evidence of breach of employment law. And we're hearing colleague after colleague saying that staff are not being paid, we absolutely need to look to that. Look at that. And I will follow up on his suggestion.

13:15

Richard Foord MP (Honiton and Sidmouth, Liberal Democrat)

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Richard Foord. the line from the Minister that pharmacy staff are not employed by the NHS, but by pharmacy businesses, and this is just a dispute between staff and the pharmacy business that should be raised in the first

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instance with Acas. Holly Froggatt, a. Former member.

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Former member. writes. Staff have emailed. Them begging for their wages.

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Them begging for their wages. As they have empty bank accounts. In normal. Circumstances, the government likes to lean on pharmacies to take likes to lean on pharmacies to take the pressure off GPS with such schemes as pharmacy first. So how can the minister simply wash his

13:16

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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can the minister simply wash his hands of the situation when staff have gone three months without pay?

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Minister well, I thank him for that. I don't think that's an accurate characterisation of what accurate characterisation of what I'm saying. I am saying that we are taking action against Jutes from the taking action against Jutes from the regulatory point of view, and there is clearly a very glaring issue is clearly a very glaring issue around the payment of their staff that needs to be taken forward through the industrial relations process, both through Acas and through the PDA. We will absolutely through the PDA.

We will absolutely give all the support we can to both of those in terms of ensuring that

13:16

Lizzi Collinge MP (Morecambe and Lunesdale, Labour)

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of those in terms of ensuring that that is held to account. Lizzi Collinge thank you. Madam Deputy Speaker. My constituents. In. Sedbergh.

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Sedbergh. Which is a rural market town, have also suffered greatly from the terrible pharmacy provision from terrible pharmacy provision from Jutes, you know, medicines unavailable, often being closed, staff and locum pharmacists going unpaid. Yet pace looks being issued so it's very hard for them to claim benefits. I've written to the minister, as he knows I've met with the ICB and doctors and neighbouring pharmacists and when I say neighbouring, this is Westmorland, so that's a 40 minute drive away to the neighbouring pharmacists have stepped in to help and of course as, as has the parish council.

So the, the minister outline for me what action he's taking nationally to force duties to provide a better service for my constituents.

13:17

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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Minister.

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I thank her for that. And we are actively working with integrated actively working with integrated care boards, with NHS England, with the GPC, the General Pharmaceutical the GPC, the General Pharmaceutical Council and indeed trade unions to ensure that all of these issues are being taken forward and given the urgency that they require. Sadly, as I have pointed out, the regulatory I have pointed out, the regulatory framework is not adequate. It is very focussed on pharmacists and pharmacy premises and in inadequately and insufficiently focussed on business owners.

That is

13:18

Mike Wood MP (Kingswinford and South Staffordshire, Conservative)

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focussed on business owners. That is clearly something that must be addressed as a matter of urgency and we are working on it at pace. Mike Wood.

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Mike Wood. Thank you, Madam Speaker. The failure of. June is. Putting unsustainable.

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Putting unsustainable. Pressure on other alternative. Pharmacies around Kingswinford and South Staffordshire.

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But talks haven't even. Begun on. Pharmacy funding beyond March of next year.

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So given. The urgent situation with tubes, will the Minister review the

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timescale for those talks so that our pharmacies that are having to pick up this extra work. Can have.

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Can have. Some certainty about future funding? Mr. I thank him for that question. This is absolutely urgent, as he rightly says, I have commissioned rightly says, I have commissioned officials to work on this matter at pace. We clearly see that this is a matter of national significance, matter of national significance, just. Simply by the number of colleagues in the chamber today talking about this issue. So I can absolutely give him that assurance, and I'd be happy to update him once I've got a better sense of exactly I've got a better sense of exactly the time frame, the deadlines, and we will be insisting that things happen as a matter of urgency.

happen as a matter of urgency.

13:19

James Naish MP (Rushcliffe, Labour)

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James Naish thank you, Madam.

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Two pharmacies in my Ruscote constituency over recess, and they were clear with me that despite improved funding, they are still improved funding, they are still struggling with overly complex funding formulas, delay payments, high energy prices and drug high energy prices and drug shortages, among other challenges. However, the positive initiatives are pharmacy First and the are pharmacy First and the Independent Prescribing Pathfinder programme offer a ray of hope. So I wondered if the Minister could wondered if the Minister could commit to continuing to invest time and energy in expanding those programmes, and maybe meet with my

13:19

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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programmes, and maybe meet with my pharmacies from Rushcliffe to discuss them further. Minister. I thank him. We remain absolutely committed to the independent prescribing Service, and we are working on the plans and strategy to make that a reality. Pharmacy first, we continue to support, sadly take up on pharmacy first has not been as good as we would have liked it to be. I think the way in which it was structured and incentivised has not enabled it to realise its full potential, and we are working on that as well, because I think a number of areas were taken by the premiums made by the previous government, which didn't set pharmacy first up to succeed to the extent that it should have been.

13:20

Sarah Dyke MP (Glastonbury and Somerton, Liberal Democrat)

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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Jude's pharmacies revealed.

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community pharmacies. The towns. home. To fantastic independent

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To fantastic independent pharmacies continuing to serve their communities, despite more than half of. Pharmacy owners. Losing money. Last year.

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Last year. So how will the government ensure that the regulatory framework is that the regulatory framework is robust so that community pharmacy services in rural areas can remain resilient and accessible?

13:20

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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resilient and accessible? Minister. I think and she's absolutely right, this is about making the right, this is about making the regulatory framework more robust. As I've pointed out, it is robust on pharmacists, on technicians and on pharmacy premises. It is simply not strong enough when it comes to pharmacy business owners. And this unprecedented case of juice is throwing that into sharp relief. That is what we are working on at pace, and I'd be very happy to update her once we've got some clear progress on what the plan and strategy is to ensure that we are beefing up the regulatory framework to ensure that this kind of thing can never happen again.

13:21

Josh Dean MP (Hertford and Stortford, Labour)

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Josh Dean.

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I met last week with. Staff from Duke's Pharmacy in. Thorley and was shocked. When they told me that they'd

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When they told me that they'd working. With. Some struggling. afford.

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afford. Food for their children's school lunches. But their. Concern was for their residents, many elderly.

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many elderly. And vulnerable. Who have been left without essential medication because of stock issues and unexpected closures. These are good, decent people who want to provide a people who want to provide a community service for our residents. So can the Minister assure my constituents directly that the department will look at all options possible, and that they will work across government, where relevant, to ensure that the situation allowed to ensure that the situation allowed this to become a problem and to address the specific situation affecting my constituents now will

13:22

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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be addressed. I thank him and I pay tribute to his constituents, who are clearly going through an extremely difficult and challenging time. I would strongly recommend that they contact Acas and also the PDA or another trade union if they happen to be a member of another trade union. I think the key point he's made is around how we ensure that this doesn't happen again. You know, the GP, the General Pharmaceutical Council, is taking enforcement action against individual pharmacies, and we have to wait for the outcome of those actions.

Some of those are going through appeal processes. I think as soon as one of those actions has concluded, that will greatly facilitate and catalyse the process for going after any pharmacy that is not delivering to expect.

13:23

James Wild MP (North West Norfolk, Conservative)

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James Wild thank you. Pharmacy in South Wootton in north west Norfolk, have been let down, going months without pay, no communication from management or stock and the pharmacies left after non-payment. And when I raised the issues with the company, they simply refused to respond. The minister has referred to regulatory changes in the future, but given this pattern is repeated across the country, what urgent steps is the Minister taking to work with Icbc's collectively to ensure that staff get the money they're owed, that services that have been commissioned are delivered and will not rule out taking action against individual directors.

13:23

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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Minister. say, we are in constant dialogue with ICBC, with the GPC and we need to I absolutely get it. We need to speed it up. It needs to be faster. It needs to be more urgent. I am absolutely clear about that. And we are taking this forward as a matter of priority in terms of taking action against individual directors. Nothing is off the table, but as I say, the regulatory framework as things stand doesn't facilitate that.

So we've got to look at other options. But there are views in the GPC which suggest perhaps that there are some ways of looking at interpreting regulations and legislation that could potentially facilitate more immediate action. So that's that is on the menu of actions that we're looking at.

13:24

Steff Aquarone MP (North Norfolk, Liberal Democrat)

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Steff Aquarone thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

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suffering from completely unacceptable service from our local. Branch of Cahoots. Shortages of drugs, shortages of pharmacists, issues. With paying staff and a litany of other issues have caused chaos, including one resident sent by NHS 111.

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resident sent by NHS 111. To secure. Emergency antibiotics, only to find themselves standing in the rain

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outside a closed pharmacy, fearful they would end up in A&E. Can the minister tell people in. Sheringham and the surrounding.

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Sheringham and the surrounding. Villages what protection there will be for services, if Cahoots are no longer seen fit to. Provide them? How taxpayers money is being

13:25

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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How taxpayers money is being protected from being lost here. But most importantly, how on earth was it allowed to get this bad in the first place?

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Minister. I thank him for that question. In

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I thank him for that question. In terms of the replacement for acute services, that is where we are in this catch 22 situation because until they have been a pharmacy that's not providing a service, let's say, has it been moved out of the way, it's not possible to move in and replace that service with another. So the first step in all of this is to take action against those pharmacies that are not delivering to requisite service standards. As soon as we can get that process moving, we can start to commission and bring in alternative providers.

I share his frustration. I share the impatience of his constituents, and I can assure him that we're taking issues.

13:26

Jim Shannon MP (Strangford, Democratic Unionist Party)

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Final question Jim Shannon.

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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Can I thank the Minister very. Much for strong answers and as to

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restore confidence as well? Will the Minister acknowledge that pressure on the NHS, especially coming into the winter months, means coming into the winter months, means that pharmacies will be playing a bigger role in preparing basic help and advice, and not being unable to rely on a pharmacy cannot be sustained. And can the minister outline, please, the professional standards that are expected of pharmaceutical chains throughout the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

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United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and how these private companies can be held to their public obligations. Thank you Minister.

13:26

Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) (Aberafan Maesteg, Labour)

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Thank you Minister. I thank him, and I agree absolutely that the vital role that absolutely that the vital role that community pharmacy plays now and going into the future, and we want that role to continue and to be strengthened and indeed expanded. If you look at our ten year plan, the shift from hospital to community, while community pharmacy at the heart of that, but also the shift from sickness to prevention, the vital work that community pharmacy plays in terms of delivering vaccines and a whole range of other services that really will support the prevention agenda.

So community pharmacy is at the heart of our plan. The standards are as set out by the General Pharmaceutical Council. They are robust standards. It requires a certain level of service to be provided, certain levels of expertise and experience that is all very robustly regulated. What we clearly now need to do is upgrade the way that we regulate pharmacy business owners. And that is something that my, my officials

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and I are working on as a matter of urgency. That concludes the urgent. Question on pharmacy.

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Question on pharmacy. I'll give the frontbenchers a few moments to shuffle over, and we will moments to shuffle over, and we will

13:28

13:40

Rt Hon Priti Patel MP (Witham, Conservative)

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13:46

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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Foreign Secretary. Can I welcome the shadow Foreign Secretary's response and very glad to be facing her. Back across the despatch. Boxes again, I think she I probably missed each other. And this is a very new experience for both of us to be standing opposite each other at the dispatch boxes and actually agreeing on some things compared to the. The last time round I did actually check was the last time that she and I were opposite each other in the standing opposite as an oversight of the despatch box, and I think it was the 5th of September, and it was the day, in fact, that Liz Truss was confirmed as Prime Minister.

Perhaps not quite such a good day for the shadow Foreign Secretary, who at that time as Home Secretary, then lost her place on the frontbench, but also not such a good time for the country either as well. But it was interestingly, that day the after we had had our. Exchanges that day, the next discussion that day was a discussion on Ukraine, and

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that was at 2022. And my right hon. Friend, the current Defence Secretary, speaking the. Benches opposite to that day.

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Benches opposite to that day. Began with his remarks by observing that it was day 194 of a war that Vladimir Putin had expected to be over inside a week, and he saluted the bravery of the Ukrainian

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saluted the bravery of the Ukrainian resistance and pledged the Labour Party's full. Backing for. Every aspect of what her government was then doing at the time. So now here we are. Or not on time. So now here we are. Or not on day 194, but day 1330, and still all of us in this House, full of of us in this House, full of admiration and respect for the Ukrainian resistance, still all of us determined to support Ukraine in the face of the continuing Russian onslaught.

So I welcome the shadow onslaught. So I welcome the shadow Foreign Secretary's continuation of that cross-party support for the that cross-party support for the Ukrainian people and for the actions that we need to continue to take to that we need to continue to take to support Ukraine, both in its defence and also in the pressure that we need. So I can assure her that we need. So I can assure her that we will continue to support Ukraine's defences and continue to look at defences and continue to look at what more we can do.

And the Defence Secretary has also set out new partnerships. Particularly working with Ukraine on developing new drone technology, both learning from their technological experiences and also helping them with production as well. She also raised the issues about third countries, including. She raised countries including China and India and Turkey, and also other European countries that have continued to be involved in purchasing things from Russia. What I can tell her is that we want as wide as possible, a consensus on economic pressure on Russia over Ukraine, and I am continuing to raise this with very many different countries, including some of those that that she referred to.

And also we are working both. We are also including as part of our sanctions packages, sanctions against entities operating in third countries now as well, because we need to continue to do so. We also need to be clear that the ability to target the Russian sovereign assets needs to be about mobilising the assets themselves and going further and finding ensuring that there is an effective way to do so. We do believe that there is an effective way to do so, and that we have been working with the EU to do so and will continue to put considerable pressure on as many countries as possible to join us in taking Russian sovereign assets.

I think all of us in this House are clear, I hope, or at least the majority of the parties in this House are clear, with some unfortunate and unfortunate exception. But I think the majority of this House is clear that we will need to continue to stand in solidarity with Ukraine, not just now, not just tomorrow, but for future to come. Thank you.

13:50

Rt Hon Emily Thornberry MP (Islington South and Finsbury, Labour)

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Select Committee.

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OK. Can I begin by welcoming. The. Foreign. Secretary to her new post. Publicly.

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Publicly. And to echo the comments that she made about the previous Foreign Secretary, can I also welcome her commitment to finally using the Russian foreign frozen assets? And I hope that the situation will be resolved soon, because they are needed for the defence and reconstruction of Ukraine. I'm reconstruction of Ukraine. I'm pleased to see that she is going to take further advantage of Britain's unique sanctions regime to. Extend unique sanctions regime to. Extend against the Russian individuals and countries, but she knows, countries, but she knows, particularly given her previous experience, perhaps better than most, that that a regime is only as good as its enforcement.

And, you know, there are times when doors know, there are times when doors need to be kicked down. And what worries me is that the Office. Of Financial Sanctions Implementation told the Treasury Committee a year ago that they had only implemented one £15,000 fine against British businesses for engaging a with a businesses for engaging a with a sanctioned individual. So in the time since in the last year, could she please tell us how many British she please tell us how many British businesses have faced financial penalties for direct or indirect breaches of sanctions on Russia or the Russian state? And what has been the value of those fines?

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Foreign Secretary. And can I

13:52

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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welcome the point that the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee has raised, and. Also thank her for her considerable work and expertise

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and the work that her committee. Does in. This area as well. What I think

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This area as well. What I think you will know that the Foreign Office sets out the framework for Office sets out the framework for sanctions and then works with the Treasury as well, around the enforcement. And following the enforcement. And following the publication of the cross-government review on Enforcement in May of this review on Enforcement in May of this year, the government is committing to take stronger action to make compliance easier, but also to deter compliance easier, but also to deter non-compliance and to make sure that there is proper enforcement in there is proper enforcement in place.

Advise that in 2025, the Office of Financial Sanctions implementation so far has totalled penalties of over 900,000, including penalties of over 900,000, including an HMRC 1.1 million compound settlement. And in April, the National Crime Agency has secured National Crime Agency has secured the first convictions for breaches of Russian financial sanctions. But I am happy to work with The

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I am happy to work with The Chancellor to ensure she has any further information that she wants on that topic. Liberal Democrat spokesperson

13:53

James MacCleary MP (Lewes, Liberal Democrat)

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13:56

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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Foreign Secretary. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Can I thank the Liberal Democrat frontbench spokesperson for his questions and also his continued

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support for Ukraine as well? What I can tell him is we. Are determined.

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Are determined. To tighten the restrictions much

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To tighten the restrictions much further on, not simply on the oil and gas companies themselves. Although this is the first time to sanction these major companies, but also the distribution networks and those who continue to profit. So on those who continue to profit. So on the 12th of September, I announced 100 new sanctions, which included 17 100 new sanctions, which included 17 more ships in the Shadow Fleet. Today, I have announced in the second sanctions package that I have second sanctions package that I have announced since being appointed a further sanctions on a further 44 further sanctions on a further 44 Shadow fleet ships as well, because we are clear that that Shadow Fleet we are clear that that Shadow Fleet is otherwise undermining the impact of the sanctions that we have set of the sanctions that we have set out on the Russian sovereign assets.

This is an issue in order to have a proper impact, both in terms of the impact on Russia, but also in terms impact on Russia, but also in terms of the market impact as well. It is right that we should be working alongside partners, but we do welcome as a result of that, the statements from president von der Leyen and the G7 finance ministers, I can tell him that this is a huge priority for me and for The Chancellor, who is pursuing exactly these issues about the timetables and about what final steps we need to take around Russian sovereign assets in Washington today.

I can also tell him that the issue around the proceeds from the sale of the Chelsea Football Club is a priority for me personally as well, ensuring that they can reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine following Russia's illegal full scale invasion. And I am deeply frustrated that has not been possible so far, but we are fully prepared to pursue this matter through the courts if required. While the door for negotiations remain open. And again, this is a matter that I have discussed, not just with The Chancellor, but internationally as well.

13:58

Alex Sobel MP (Leeds Central and Headingley, Labour )

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Alex Sobel.

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Thank you. I want to. Thank the speaker, the speaker's office and the Deputy Speakers for the gracious welcome they gave

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the gracious welcome they gave Ruslan step into the. Speaker. Of the Rada today, and also

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Of the Rada today, and also seeing the Foreign Secretary in Kyiv on her first foreign visit, which is a real fillip to the people in a real fillip to the people in Ukraine. I like to thank for the sanctions package today, but I'd like to ask further questions about like to ask further questions about the siege of Russian assets. I'm pleased that we are ready to progress the seizure of assets. progress the seizure of assets. Announcing work with France and Germany. But I'd like to ask the Germany.

But I'd like to ask the Foreign Secretary whether we are working at pace with our allies to ensure the seizure of Russian ensure the seizure of Russian assets. Ukrainians know that the best chance they have of winning this war is to move from freezing to seizing of the assets, and also want to ask if the United Kingdom will be

13:59

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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providing finance for the proposing.

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The Secretary. Well, can I thank the honourable friend for what I know has been his continued work for know has been his continued work for many years on Ukraine was certainly very good to. See him at the event in Kyiv as well. And what I can in Kyiv as well. And what I can reassure him is that we think that the work that the EU has done on the the work that the EU has done on the provided, drawing up a new mechanism to be able to effectively mobilise to be able to effectively mobilise the assets are that are being held.

We think that mechanism that they have set out is a really important have set out is a really important one. We support that work, and it is on that basis that we believe that we and the EU and other allies we and the EU and other allies should be trying to seek to make as rapid progress now, because rapid progress now, because ultimately the rebuilding of Ukraine, the support for Ukraine

14:00

Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP (Richmond and Northallerton, Conservative)

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Ukraine, the support for Ukraine should be paid for by Russia. Rishi Sunak. Yeah. I welcome the Foreign Secretary

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I welcome the Foreign Secretary to her new role and commend her on a very strong statement. And I welcome the progress that's being made by the progress that's being made by the G7 finance ministers in DC on this issue of seizing Russian state assets as an issue. I first started working on three years ago, and I know that the current Chancellor has continued that work now. Because of that, there is a body of very clear technical analysis that's been done in the Treasury that I think shows

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clearly at this point that firstly, there is a sound legal basis for taking these assets. And using them.

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And using them. Secondly, that there is now a practical way to use them, especially as the bonds have matured especially as the bonds have matured into cash. And thirdly, the by acting in concert with allies, any risk to financial stability can be risk to financial stability can be absolutely minimise. So can I continue to urge the Foreign Secretary to show continued UK leadership on this issue? As I know she is especially sharing that work with our European allies, because I know she will agree with me that

14:01

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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know she will agree with me that this is an urgent issue that requires action. Foreign Secretary. And I am welcome all the points

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And I am welcome all the points the Right Honourable member and former Prime Minister has said, and also pay tribute to the work that I also pay tribute to the work that I know that he did, both as Chancellor and as Prime Minister, to support Ukraine and to support the defence of Ukraine, and particularly also this work around Russian sovereign assets and different ways to ensure that there remains market stability, that we have the proper financial safeguards in place, but that we can make sure that money can get to Ukraine as a result of all of this, I have spoken myself both to colleagues in, in Belgium and France over the last week alone.

As you know, the Prime Minister has discussed this with French and German counterparts in the last week as well. We will continue to press on every avenue to make the progress that he's talking about.

14:02

Johanna Baxter MP (Paisley and Renfrewshire South, Labour)

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Johanna Baxter.

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To our place and welcome the statement that she has made in September the year University September the year University Humanitarian Research Lab revealed that the number of facilities Russia that the number of facilities Russia is using in its forced deportation of Ukrainian children has risen from of Ukrainian children has risen from 53 to 210. That report highlighted that 110 facilities were being used to re-educate children, and that at 39 of those facilities, military 39 of those facilities, military training was being provided to train training was being provided to train Ukrainian children to through the grenades and pilot the drones that are destroying their homes and are destroying their homes and killing their families.

So, could my right hon. Friend outline what right hon. Friend outline what further steps were being taken to relocate, rescue, and return those

14:03

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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children to their families? Foreign Secretary. Can I welcome the point that Ms.

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Can I welcome the point that Ms. Honourable friend has made the forcible deportation, the kidnapping forcible deportation, the kidnapping of almost 20,000 Ukrainian children by Russia is one of the most disturbing aspects of this war. I agree with her with the importance of supporting those families. We have been supporting organisations such as Bring Kids Back, Ewa and Save Ukraine, who are supporting efforts to U-turn return Ukrainian children. And just two weeks ago, Baroness Harman attended the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children event at the UN General Assembly.

We will continue to do all we can to support the return of those children.

14:03

Rt Hon Sir Edward Leigh MP (Gainsborough, Conservative)

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14:04

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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Regime and to end this. War is. As we did with the Soviet. Union. To break them economically. Both. Secretary. Well, I think all of us would

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Well, I think all of us would recognise the challenging jobs for all prime ministers, no matter our all prime ministers, no matter our parties. She will understand that for a coal mining constituency like mine, there were obviously very strong views against the former Prime Minister that the father of the House refers to. But I do also pay tribute to, to his long service in this place that he has also referred to. We. I think there is strong agreement really across this House.

We have to get those assets mobilised, we have to get that investment and that support into Ukraine. And it is right that Russia should pay the price for reconstructing, rebuilding and also defending Ukraine.

14:05

Dame Nia Griffith MP (Llanelli, Labour)

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Dave Nia Griffith. Deputy Speaker. Well, it was really great to see us out of state, out in Ukraine. I know it was very, very much appreciated by the Ukrainian colleagues. And I would obviously my right honourable friend be very, very aware, well aware that foreign investment is absolutely vital to the economy and the reconstruction of Ukraine. So I was wondering what talks she has had with ministerial colleagues and others about. Schemes such as that suggested by the British Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce, which proposes using frozen Russian assets and or Western government guarantees administered by the world Bank to provide greater availability of risk insurance.

For British investors in Ukraine.

14:06

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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Yeah. friends points that we need to she's right. We need to look at different innovative ways of providing the financial support, providing the commitment and investment that Ukraine will need. This is about obviously there are immediate issues around the defence equipment and also the support, like the support for the energy infrastructure that we are providing. But there will also be issues around longer term investment and we should look innovatively at different ways to be able to support that.

14:06

Rt Hon Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP (Chingford and Woodford Green, Conservative)

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So Iain Duncan Smith.

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You, you speaker, I'm chairman, All-Party parliamentary Group on Magnitsky Sanctions, and we've been Magnitsky Sanctions, and we've been encouraging the last government and the present government to be much more aggressive about their sanctions regime. And you look at the numbers of people sanctioned. It doesn't compare to what the United States has done, and many others States has done, and many others are. Number one, I think this whole business of the money from the Chelsea sale, it's long overdue that Chelsea sale, it's long overdue that this was settled, and it just beggars belief that we haven't managed to get that one done.

And managed to get that one done. And the other bit here, and I agree with my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, the ex-Prime Minister, Minister, the ex-Prime Minister, other some of us live in hope. But I other some of us live in hope. But I simply say that the shadow fleets can easily be attacked by can easily be attacked by sanctioning British marine insurers who have insured these ships. Without that insurance, they will not put to sea because they will not put to sea because they will have no financial backing for it.

Why we haven't done that up until now is a complete mystery to me.

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now is a complete mystery to me. That surely is something we should get on with straight away, because we can act on that immediately. Foreign Secretary.

14:07

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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Foreign Secretary. Well, I thank the Right Honourable member for his long Honourable member for his long standing commitment on these issues, both around issues around sanctions, but also around Russia and Ukraine as well. Tell him, is the impact of the sanctions? Is that any company or any UK company or resident that transacts with, as well as trades with those sanctioned bodies, would therefore be covered by the sanctions as well. And we will continue to look at what further we can do to keep increasing the pressure on Russia.

I, I can assure him on the Chelsea Football Club proceeds. I strongly agree that this needs to move as swiftly as possible, and I can also assure him that this has been something that I have focussed on significantly since I arrived in this post as well, and we will continue to do all that we can in these areas to support Ukraine.

14:08

Tulip Siddiq MP (Hampstead and Highgate, Labour)

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Tulip Siddiq. Highgate is a refugee from Ukraine whose home and livelihood was destroyed in Ukraine. She contacted me because of the uncertainty of her visa situation. Her three year visa

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will expire in December, but she can't apply for extension until November, which is stopping. Her from getting.

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Her from getting. A new job and also stopping her from securing a new tenancy agreement. She's at risk of becoming agreement. She's at risk of becoming homeless in the coming weeks. I recognise that my honourable friend is now the Foreign Secretary, but is now the Foreign Secretary, but she knows the Home Office well and I want to know what conversations she's had with colleagues from the Home Office about reviewing the Ukrainian visa scheme so that Ukrainians can actually rebuild

14:09

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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their lives in this country. Can I welcome my honourable

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Can I welcome my honourable friends? Support for refugees, for those who have come on the homes for Ukraine scheme, also from other Ukrainian schemes here, as you will know that the government has extended the visas, has set out provision for the extent of the visas. And I think the point that she is referring to is to do with the timing of the mechanism of the Home Office mechanism, about the timings of when applications can go in. And I will raise that issue with the Home Secretary.

Foord.

14:10

Richard Foord MP (Honiton and Sidmouth, Liberal Democrat)

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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. The Foreign Secretary mentioned that the speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, the Rada, was was here today and was in the gallery. And he also met this morning with members of the Ukraine or party group speaker Stefan Cook made the parallel between Western sanctions packages and versions of the Apple iPhone. It feels like we see a new one every other week, rather than the. Gradual introduction of sanctions on Russia. Will the Foreign Secretary work with the United States administration and other allies to introduce a sanctions package that will really hurt Russian oligarchs in the pocket?

14:10

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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Yeah. possible economic pressure on Russia from every avenue, frankly. And it is an issue that we have discussed extensively with the US. It's an issue that we have discussed. Extensively with Europe. It is an issue that I discuss with my foreign minister colleagues, but also that The Chancellor discusses with her finance minister colleagues as well. We want to see the strongest package. I think we are. However, I do think it is right to continue to introduce new sanctions as soon as we have the evidence ready.

I do not think we should wait until more work can be done, or more agreement can be reached. If we have the evidence to be able to introduce another set of sanctions. Frankly, I think we should get on with it because we need to maximise the economic pressure as rapidly as we possibly can to put pressure on Putins war machine.

14:11

John Slinger MP (Rugby, Labour)

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John Slinger thank you.

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That more must be done to inform not just the British public, but also countries which are equivocal also countries which are equivocal in their support for Ukraine that Russias illegal invasion is particularly egregious in its cynical and cruel. Targeting of cynical and cruel. Targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure. I pay tribute to a member of Russia.

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member of Russia. Of Rugbys Ukrainian committee. Who told me today Russia strikes

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not only the frontline but homes. Hospitals and power plants. Whole regions are left in darkness. After systematic attacks.

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Just recently, a maternity hospital in Sumy was targeted and yet people wake up after night after night of bombardment, go to work, children go to school. The unimaginable has become normal. Thats the true horror. Does she

14:12

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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Thats the true horror. Does she agree that these horrors can only strengthen our resolve. In supporting Ukraine?

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In supporting Ukraine? We must maintain the strongest of resolves in supporting Ukraine. I talked to families, to children who talked to families, to children who have to sleep in the corridor or in underground car parks at night to avoid drone attacks, but still get up for school, get up and carry on with their lives. Each day the Ukrainian people are showing that resilience. We will continue to support them.

14:13

Rt Hon Sir Julian Lewis MP (New Forest East, Conservative)

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So Julian Lewis. State? Admirable statement is the fact that it was made by a British Foreign Secretary, rather than the president of the United States. Given that only a few months ago, President Trump was saying that President Zelensky had few, if any, cards to play, whereas she takes a much more optimistic view of the geopolitical situation as it regards

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the invasion of Ukraine. Has she.

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Identified any signs that the leader of the free world is coming

14:13

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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to a more realistic view of the nature of the killer in the Kremlin? Yeah. Well.

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Well. This is an issue that we have. Discussed considerably.

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Discussed considerably. With. The US, and I welcome the President Trump's decision, for example, to enable NATO allies to example, to enable NATO allies to purchase vital US military equipment for Ukraine's defence, including patriots, for example. And I think what we saw is the President Trump called for a peace process around Ukraine, and President Zelensky was ready to have those peace discussions. But President Putin has done the opposite. And I think there is a growing sense of frustration that everybody can see that President Putin has just ignored the those requests for peace discussions and instead is actually seeking to do the opposite, not just in Ukraine itself, but also those attempts to destabilise NATO airspace as well.

14:14

Derek Twigg MP (Widnes and Halewood, Labour)

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Derek Twigg you, Madam Speaker.

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The NATO. Delegation. Of which the deputy leader, the member for Wetherby and Easingwold, member for Wetherby and Easingwold, he sat on the opposition from the bench, met with the Ukrainian delegation over the weekend and also delegation over the weekend and also had a pleasant Zelensky. Can I say it was a sort of the same line we it was a sort of the same line we heard from him time and time again, is the need for more weapons, equipment and munitions, equipment and munitions, particularly as we know in terms of deep fired missiles, drones, deep fired missiles, drones, munitions.

So can I say this to the Foreign Secretary and welcome our statement is that a lot is being statement is that a lot is being said today about the need to unfreeze Russian assets and to use the full value. And she's made comments about work is being done. There are numerous occasions in this, in this House when we've seen this, in this House when we've seen things happen quickly. I think things need to move up pace to ensure that the industrial capacity that they still have free in Ukraine, that can make these things is used by funding us as quickly as possible.

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possible. Foreign Secretary. Can I welcome my Honourable friends point, because

14:15

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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my Honourable friends point, because we do want to see progress made as rapidly as possible. He will know that the UK has stepped up support for Ukraine this year. The military support that we directly provide, including providing £4.5 billion of military support, which is more than ever before, including thousands of air defence missiles and drones. We want to go further with the Russian

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remind. Colleagues that we have another. Statement of business later on? The questions. Do.

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Do. Not require a preamble that should be sharpened to the point. Stephen Gethins Deputy Speaker. Can I.

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Congratulate the Foreign Secretary on her appointment and welcome her remarks that the consensus that we have around the consensus that we have around the war in Ukraine has held across well, the vast majority of this chamber. the vast majority of this chamber. Can I ask her? She's got a fresh set of eyes. Can she look at the efficiency of some of the aid that efficiency of some of the aid that we're going to? Can we work more closely with organisations like the Come Back Alive Foundation, or can more work be done in Ukraine? I think the UK is doing a good job on this, but a fresh set of eyes is always welcome.

Thank you.

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always welcome. Thank you. Well, we always want to ensure that the whether the aid we provide, the defence support we provide, that the defence support we provide, that all of that is done in the most effective way, but crucially in partnership with Ukraine, because partnership with Ukraine, because Ukraine themselves, who know where their greatest need lies as a sovereign nation. That is what we

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support. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I welcome. The missions that. Being. Announced. Today.

14:17

Harpreet Uppal MP (Huddersfield, Labour)

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Today. revenues. This comes as Russia continues. To target Ukrainian energy infrastructure, including Ukrainian state run power plant last night. So how is the government. Supporting Ukrainian homes to keep warm.

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Over winter? And will you join me as I will she join me in paying tribute to the

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she join me in paying tribute to the Huddersfield Ukrainian Club, who. Continue. To support Ukrainians who. Have arrived in Huddersfield. Since the conflict? Ukraine?

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Ukraine? And can I. Welcome the. Support she's providing in her constituency and that her community

14:17

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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is supporting as well? We've seen. That happen right across the this. The.

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The. Impact on families, because Russia is deliberately. Trying to target the heating, the lighting for families across Ukraine as they go into winter by targeting their infrastructure. We have just announced and I announced that in Kyiv, £42 million energy support package, which is exactly to provide support to keep homes warm, to support the resilience of the Ukrainian people through the winter.

14:18

Sir Bernard Jenkin MP (Harwich and North Essex, Conservative)

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So Bernard Jenkin.

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Time is the most precious commodity in war, and as Eliza. Manningham Buller, the former head Manningham Buller, the former head of MI5, said, Britain may already be at war with Russia. Why have we at war with Russia. Why have we allowed Russia so much time, for example, to build up a stock of. 155 shells.

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shells. Three times. The. Quantity of the entire

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European and American stock of 155 shells? How long has. Ukraine now got to hold out

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Ukraine now got to hold out against Russia? Who has mobilised. Their entire. Economy onto. A war footing.

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To win this war at almost any cost to themselves? Don't we have to up our long range weapon support and

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up our long range weapon support and our other military support to. Help. Ukraine finish this war and win this war?

14:19

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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this war? So as I just set out, the UK has

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So as I just set out, the UK has stepped up support for Ukraine this year, providing the 4.5 billion of military support we will need to military support we will need to continue to provide military support to Ukraine, but we also need to encourage as many other allies to do so as well. And it was striking for me in Kyiv, meeting the Prime Minister and president how much they saw the UK as a leading ally, but also recognise the need for this international partnership and support.

We need to continue to escalate the support. That's why we also need this pressure on the economic side as well as on the defence side, because it's only by that combined concerted effort will we be able to affect the course of this war.

14:20

Luke Myer MP (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Labour)

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Maia thank you, speaker. Is a privilege today to meet with the Chair of the Rada of Ukraine, add my voice to the shared commitment across this House to stand with Ukraine and in defence of our democratic values. In order to increase economic pressure on Russia, we must look to sanction Russian linked companies operating in third countries, including in the energy sector. So can the Foreign Secretary assure the House that she will apply maximum pressure on such companies, even when based outside Russia itself?

14:20

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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Well. tell him that we have increasingly now, as part of the sanctions packages both in September and this month, sanction packages are now increasingly looking at entities in third countries, which are continuing to heavily support the transit. The exports of Russian oil and gas in order to make sure that those sanctions can really bite.

14:21

Helen Maguire MP (Epsom and Ewell, Liberal Democrat)

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Helen Maguire speaker I. and the emergency services are facing in dealing with unexploded ordnance and their impact when visiting the heroic.

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Patients at superhumans. The prosthetic Super Super Centre in the Vive. In Ukraine, there are over.

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In Ukraine, there are over. 60,000 amputees. From the war. The need is immense. So will. The minister. Consider further strengthening

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Consider further strengthening the Strategic Health Alliance for Ukraine Trauma Recovery? With additional funding over and above

14:21

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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the. 1.2 million already pledged. Well, we will continue to look

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Well, we will continue to look alongside all of our allies at the different forms and the different ways in which our support can be ways in which our support can be provided. That's why we particularly had highlighted the energy infrastructure and the support for homes. But she is right to highlight the really the resilience and determination of the Ukrainian emergency services, those who have to respond every morning to see where strikes have taken place, we have to respond in the middle of the night when the drones arrive, and we should all pay tribute to their bravery and strength.

14:22

David Burton-Sampson MP (Southend West and Leigh, Labour)

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David Burton-Sampson thank you, Madam Speaker. I think.

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Have visited Ukraine. people. And despite being bombarded night

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And despite being bombarded night after night, they continue to rebuild, often supported. By UK. Businesses and individuals and others around the.

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others around the. Around the European Union. But does she agree with me that we must

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does she agree with me that we must do more to continue to encourage businesses. And individuals to.

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And individuals to. Support Ukraine in any way they possibly can, but. Ultimately. It's Putin's.

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It's Putin's. Responsibility to pay for the damage he has caused to the country

14:22

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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and his responsibility only. I agree, we do expect Putin to pay and the Russian Russian to pay for the damage that they are doing by. This invasion, this unprovoked aggression in Ukraine. We will continue to support Ukraine and encourage everybody else to do so. But ultimately we need Russia to pay for the damage they've done.

14:23

Lisa Smart MP (Hazel Grove, Liberal Democrat)

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Lisa Smart thank you, speaker.

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I welcome many of the measures that the Foreign Secretary has outlined today. Like her, I visited Ukraine and seen the impact of the attacks from Putin and his flunkies. And like her, I've seen the And like her, I've seen the resilience from the Ukrainian people. I also believe, as we all do in this chamber today, that Putin in this chamber today, that Putin and his flunkies must pay for their crimes. Could the Foreign Secretary confirm if the UK government would

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support pursuing legally through International Criminal Court, those crimes? Yeah.

14:23

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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Yeah. Well, as you know, we continue to support international law and support international law and international court processes as well. But she's also right to say that the Russia ultimately needs to pay the price and to be held accountable for the damage they are doing. And I hope she would also agree. One incredibly beautiful city, Kyiv, is and how much they so many people are going about their daily lives in exactly the same way, undeterred and determined. In fact, not to let Russia win.

14:24

Mark Sewards MP (Leeds South West and Morley, Labour)

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So yes.

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Civilians, soldiers that. I spoke to last month in. Kia. Were unambiguous when asked, what

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Were unambiguous when asked, what is the best thing the UK could do to help them win the war? The hundreds. Of billions.

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Of billions. Of frozen Russian assets. That they currently. Can't deploy can. Help them.

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Help them. Bolster their military and swing. The war. Decisively in their favour. So, on their behalf, can I ask the

14:24

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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on their behalf, can I ask the Foreign Secretary to use every power available to her to unlock these assets and put them in the service

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of the people of Ukraine? Can I welcome his support for unlocking the Russian sovereign unlocking the Russian sovereign assets? It is something that The Chancellor is raising in Washington with international partners,

14:24

Jim Shannon MP (Strangford, Democratic Unionist Party)

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with international partners, probably pretty much as we speak. Jim Shannon among them. For you.

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For you. welcome. The. Second step to your place? I know the experience that you bring from the experience that you bring from the administration will will benefit it all, not just her, but all of us in this House. And thank you for all of our answers. With Putin having watched carefully to the Israeli Gaza problem, he will know that all eyes are turning to Russia to end that unnecessary conflict. So. So what further steps in cooperation with our American allies can be taken to seize this opportunity to end bloodshed, restore education and hope for Ukrainian children, and thereby ensure that Putin realises he has no other option other than the cessation of Russian aggression.

Thank you.

14:25

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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So much.

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And can I thank the member for his kind words. And I agree with him that ultimately there must be no other option for Putin than to cease

14:25

Joe Powell MP (Kensington and Bayswater, Labour)

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this aggression. And this is ultimately about hope for Ukrainian children. Joe Powell. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Can I strongly. Welcome the sanctions targeting the $108. Billion in oil revenue that the.

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Billion in oil revenue that the. Kremlin still received last year, and also the. Progress on the $350 billion in

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Progress on the $350 billion in frozen Russian sovereign assets, and appalled the Foreign Secretary and The Chancellor for their efforts in

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The Chancellor for their efforts in others. To. Move from using the interest. Payments to the capital. And does she agree.

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With. Me that. This recent. Breakthrough shows that. Legally, this money should be treated as a down payment on the reparations for the horrific harm that Russia has caused? But we know they will do everything to.

14:26

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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Avoid paying. work that the EU has set out about linking the issues around assets to reparation payments as well. We welcome that work, and we believe that there is a strong basis to go forward. We need to do so in an coordinated way, but we just need to recognise the importance of supporting Ukraine with Scotland. government's.

14:26

Chris Coghlan MP (Dorking and Horley, Liberal Democrat)

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Progress on.

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The. Frozen Russian assets. However, it is disappointing that they as of yet are only allocated to recovery

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yet are only allocated to recovery and not military. Capability because Russia is spending. $40 billion.

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More on the war in Ukraine than Ukraine and her Western allies. While the. Courage the. Ukrainian forces have fought.

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Ukrainian forces have fought. Russia to a standstill, does the Foreign Secretary. Agree that if those frozen assets were used today to close and exceed

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were used today to close and exceed that military. Spending gap, and Ukraine would have a path not just to stop Russia, but to win?

14:27

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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OK. Well, what I would say is we're already increasing the military already increasing the military support from the UK. We do want to see that to happen across the board as well. But I just think the way to put the greatest pressure on Russia is always going to be through a mix of different measures. It's going to be through that direct defence support. It's also going to be through support for the resilience of the Ukrainian people, for example, just their basic energy infrastructure, making sure that they can keep going and keep their communities going, and also establishing the strong economic pressure on Russia so that they are put in a position where they have to change force.

We're going to need all of those things to happen at once in order to be able to have a significant impact on the way that Putin is behaving.

14:28

Laurence Turner MP (Birmingham Northfield, Labour)

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Turner.

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Secretary for her statement today and the decision that she made as Home Secretary recently in respect of Ukraine permission extension of Ukraine permission extension scheme? Does she agree that when Putin probes weakness, we must respond by demonstrating strength? respond by demonstrating strength? And does she further agree that the post-war development of Ukraine's own significant energy resources, which may require British technical expertise, would serve the dual expertise, would serve the dual purpose of helping to reconstruct Ukraine's own shattered economy and increasing Europe's own security of

14:28

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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increasing Europe's own security of energy supply. I agree with my friend that Ukraine security is Europe's Ukraine security is Europe's security in so many different ways in defence terms, but also in energy fields as well. And that is why it is so important that we should continue to, to support Ukraine and also to continue to support Ukrainians who are here in the UK, who came at the beginning of the war to find safety. Danny Chambers deputy. deputy.

14:29

Dr Danny Chambers MP (Winchester, Liberal Democrat)

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Speaker earlier this year joined. refurbished ambulances to Ukraine full of medical supplies. And while we were there, we happened to bump into another organisation called Fire Aid, who are taking refurbished fire engines to Ukraine from the UK. Not only is this equipment vital for the war effort, but the Ukrainians we met said it is such a morale boost to know not only the British government are behind their war efforts, but also the British public are too. But the Foreign Secretary join me in thanking all the volunteers from the UK who drive equipment to Ukraine to help with that war effort.

14:29

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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Don't remember? It's a really important point about the strength of support there is across the country from communities, civil society that is really important for Ukraine, for Ukrainians to hear at a time when they are showing such resilience and strength, to know that people across the UK have huge respect for what they're doing and will continue to support it. And I do welcome the work of different organisations to raise funds and to be able to provide support for Ukraine.

14:30

Martin Wrigley MP (Newton Abbot, Liberal Democrat)

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Final question Martin Wrigley.

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May I thank. The Foreign Secretary for, in her previous role, extending the homes for Ukraine scheme by two years and

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for Ukraine scheme by two years and morning. The. Chair of the Rada, speaking to

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Chair of the Rada, speaking to the parliamentary group, also talked of how. Russian. Manufacturers are. Now. Using advanced electronics.

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From white goods to build their drones. What will the Foreign Secretary. Do to prevent such vital Secretary. Do to prevent such vital equipment going to them? Through the export of seemingly harmless white goods?

14:30

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, Labour)

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Yeah. The members right to raise issues about broader technology. And it's why we need to ensure that our sanctions regime is continually updating and continually responding as well. I think what we've also seen there is immense improvements in Ukrainian technology on different responses, particularly around drone technology and countering drone technology as well. So I think we need to recognise the expertise and the strength of the Ukrainian people of the country, of Ukraine and continue to show our support at statement.

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On Ukraine and allow the front benches a few moments. To shuffle over.

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As we prepare for the. Second statement.

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Second statement.

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Which I just. The you do not cross the front

14:31

Ministerial statement: Pride in Place

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The you do not cross the front bench even to take a short cut. It's not on not on. Second statement pride.

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Second statement pride. In place to call the minister Miatta Fahnbulleh. To.

14:32

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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To. With permission. Madam Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a statement on the action we are taking to on the action we are taking to restore pride in place. Britain's renewal is driving is a driving mission of this Labour government and we know that this must be seen, felt and heard in every single neighbourhood. Our identity, sense of patriotism and feeling of belonging can all depend on the condition of our local area and the view from our doorstep.

Our neighbourhoods are the nation's barometer for whether all of us in this House are doing our jobs. And under 14 years of Conservative failure, the needle of that barometer has increasingly pointed in the wrong direction. The effect of this decline in pride and place has been corrosive. It has eroded people's trust in politics and the state. It has created a sense of unfairness that some places have fared better than others, and has opened the door to the plastic patriots in the Reform Party, who say there is a simple answer.

So let me say from the start that we are under no illusions that both the causes and the answers to this decline are complex. The failure of the party opposite to properly fund local government, to the shock transition away from industry, and the broken Tory promises of levelling up, must shoulder part of the blame. And we cannot, and we will not pretend either, to the legacies of any of those issues can be reversed overnight. But what we can be confident of, as both a Labour government and a Parliament, is the way we restore pride in place, lies not in this chamber or in the corridors of Whitehall.

The

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answer is in the communities we each represent. Yes.

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Our job is to give our constituents the investment and the powers they need so they can deliver powers they need so they can deliver the change that they want to see in their communities. That, Madam Deputy Speaker, is why we have Deputy Speaker, is why we have announced the Pride in Place programme, backed up by £5 billion. programme, backed up by £5 billion. This is a priority for the Prime Minister choosing renewal over Minister choosing renewal over decline, unity over division.

This is our plan for change in action, giving power and pride back to the giving power and pride back to the people who make Britain great. There are two categories of investment. The first, the main programme, is a flagship pride in place programme flagship pride in place programme that will provide up to £20 million of funding and support to each area over the course of a decade, over the course of a decade, focussed on specific neighbourhoods. Communities will need to decide how this funding is spent.

We establish this funding is spent. We establish a neighbourhood board in every place made up of local people, residents, business owners, community leaders business owners, community leaders will come together alongside their Member of Parliament to come up with a ten year plan for this investment. They could choose to bring a derelict pub back into use for the community, transform a boarded up shop into a wellbeing hub, improve local transport links, create a new playground or roll out a community level service to help with the cost of living.

Local people know best what change is needed. Yeah, this programme is about local communities taking back control. As long as the plan provides value for money, the board will have our full support to deliver the change the community needs. We are taking inspiration from the New Deal for communities which under the last Labour government, put local communities in charge of renewing their neighbourhoods. But we are also adapting to the world as we find it today, and learning the lessons of what did and did not work last time round.

The second programme, the Pride and Place Impact Fund, will provide a short term injection of 1.5 million per place. This will be delivered by local authorities for the most immediate results in three spaces community spaces, public spaces and high streets and town centre revitalisation. Despite the shorter time frame of the fund, there is still an important emphasis on local collaboration. We will ask local communities to work closely with MPs and local authority to ensure investment decisions, reflect local priorities and community needs.

Now, our economic situation means that we are not in a position to cover everywhere that would benefit from this programme. We have therefore prioritised places with the highest level of need, those places that have been left behind and let down, communities that were hollowed out over 14 years of Conservative austerity, for which the party opposite should hang their heads in shame. But let me say this it is important to this Labour government that every community has the power to renew their area.

And so, alongside this investment, we have published the Pride in Place strategy. The purpose of the strategy is to promote the same principle of community power across the entire country, and it centres on three aims the first, building stronger communities means bringing people together, which we see as the foundation for greater sense of belonging and local pride. When people spend time with each other in their community, including those from different backgrounds, they see that they have more in common than separates them.

This sense, a shared endeavour, means communities are more likely to take steps to improve their local area. As part of this, we will fund locally led interventions to build community resilience, encouraging volunteers to co-produce policies and tackle loneliness. We recognise that these can also. This can only be delivered by a whole of government approach. So this section of the strategy includes policies from the Department of Digital, culture, Media and Sports and the Home Office. The second aim, creating thriving places, is how we promote pride and place in the most direct sense by improving how the public realm looks as a government, we see a direct link between the declining appearance of our local neighbourhoods and how people feel not just about their immediate area,

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but also about the country and the world around them. Yeah.

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Yeah. Of course, we acknowledge that the performance of the public realm is often a reflection of the economy and the work of local authorities, and the work of local authorities, which is why we are focussed on growth and fixing the foundations of local government. But even in times where the economy has been strong and local government was funded properly, the effects have not properly, the effects have not always been felt in the public realm. Fixing that disconnect is the inspiration for policies to inspiration for policies to encourage the application of front shop front design guides, as well as shop front design guides, as well as the use of clean up powers.

What links all of these policies in this section of the paper is that they are empowering our communities to create thriving places. This is not an attempt to micromanage change an attempt to micromanage change from Whitehall. The final strand helping communities to take back control of their own lives and control of their own lives and areas, sets out our plan to give people a stronger voice in what matters to them. Each of us in this matters to them. Each of us in this House will have spoken to constituents who talk of helplessness when the place they helplessness when the place they live in is changing ways they did not ask for and feel they have no control over.

Sometimes its control over. Sometimes its anti-social behaviour on their estate, other times it's a shop being lost from the high street. People want to be in control of their surroundings, but that is such a distant concept. What? You don't feel safe going out at night or when you do not have a say over how your town centre looks. A lot of these feelings again stem from the effects of the Conservative government's 14 years of austerity, which took libraries and leisure centres from some of the most deprived and disadvantaged communities.

And when combined with the closure of pubs, sports clubs, social clubs for much of the country, there are fewer and fewer places for people to come together and take pride in. We are therefore introducing a community right to buy to give local residents new powers to save treasured assets, giving more people a say in the local economy by creating a new co-operative development unit in my department, and requiring all authorities in England to establish effective neighbourhood governance. Madam speaker, this Labour government's Pride in Place programme is an investment in the UK's future, backing the true patriots who build up our communities across every country corner of the country.

Alongside our strategy, it aims to spark a new way of governing where power and resources is more readily shared with our communities. But like devolution, this needs to mark the start of a process rather than a single event. We have specifically designed both investment programmes with a guaranteed role for local Members of Parliament. So I want to finish by encouraging members from across the House to get involved at a time when trust is low and the demand for change is high, this is an opportunity for all of us to make a real, tangible difference to our communities by giving people power

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to those, by giving real power to those we are elected to serve. Here.

14:41

David Simmonds MP (Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, Conservative)

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14:45

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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attrition, by the failure to say sorry of the honourable member. They presided over 14 years of failure in which, over a period of austerity, local government and local civic institutions were denuded, where communities who were deprived were hollowed out. He says that we are funding areas with deprivation because we actually care about funding areas of deprivation. So candidly, if I was sitting on the record of the last government, I would not be standing there giving us lectures. So let me pick up the specific questions that he asked.

Firstly, why are we tying this up in places? There is no process, but we have said communities should be in charge. The difference between this scheme and the things done by the last government is that we want to put communities in the driving seat and give them power. So absolutely, we want local authorities to enable them to facilitate, but we absolutely need our community leaders. Members across the House will know them. The people who are network, the people who are champion, the people who are making change happen.

We want them round the table driving the change of their community needs. Yeah. On the methodology, we, unlike the party opposite who obviously did some fiddling. We do not do that. We have focussed on two metrics the metric of multiple deprivation and community needs. That is, putting investment in the areas that most need it because they are both deprived but critically have low social infrastructure and social capital. That is why we are funding the areas that we are funding. We all remember their last Prime Minister saying that they actively diverted funding away from areas of deprivation.

That is something that this side will not do and has not done. And then finally, in terms of funding profile, we are desperate to move with momentum. We want to get the investment out. It is a ten year commitment that is absolutely a game changer. And we know that to say to communities, come up with an investment plan and we will fund you. Over a decade, no government has done that. We think that is game changing for communities on the ground, but we are not going to wait.

So already in places that were in the phase one, if this is 75 places, we are already giving them capital investment in order to start the work at kick starting that programme and then their funding will flow next year in the new tranche of phase two, capital and capacity investment will be going into them from next year and then following in the year after. We are very, very clear about the opportunity for our communities. This isn't about party politics. I'm incredibly disappointed by the other side.

This is an opportunity to support parts of our country that have been absolutely hollowed out. I'd expect a bit more to contrition, a bit more contrition because of your record, because you sacked, because you are an.

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Order, Minister, because of your record. My record because of you.

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record. My record because of you. Mine. That's temporary language. Lower the temperature. Continue. Apologies, Madam Deputy Speaker.

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Apologies, Madam Deputy Speaker. Because of their record, I would expect a little bit more contrition. Now we are focussed on the task ahead, which is the opportunity to drive change in our communities. And

14:48

Navendu Mishra MP (Stockport, Labour)

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drive change in our communities. And I hope members across the House can join us in that endeavour. Is nav. Mishra.

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Mishra. Madam speaker. The £5 billion. Investment in Pride in Place

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Investment in Pride in Place programme means that Bridlington and Stockport will. Benefit from a £20 million

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Benefit from a £20 million investment. I wonder if what the minister thinks of the former government's slogan levelling up, government's slogan levelling up, levelling up slogan, which in reality was a levelling down agenda in terms of opportunity, ambition and trust. and trust.

14:49

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Madam Deputy Speaker, my hon. Friend is completely right. Levelling up was a hollow slogan we've seen from the records that there was no substance behind it, unlike the party opposite. We are doing the job of investing in our communities, putting them in the

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driving seat and in constituencies like my honourable friends, that will be a game changer. Labour general, that spokesperson

14:49

Mr Will Forster MP (Woking, Liberal Democrat)

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Labour general, that spokesperson Gideon Amos. Yes. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Liberal Democrats, I welcome the

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Liberal Democrats, I welcome the Minister to her place and Liberal Democrats welcome. The government's. Commitment to.

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Investing in high streets and communities. Making our local. Centres thrive. Is a cause that we.

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Is a cause that we. All share across this House. But the strategy. Despite talking. About empowerment and. The. Government previously

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The. Government previously system. Consolidate grants. This strategy does the opposite.

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This strategy does the opposite. certain. Areas. Small ring. Fenced grants. With. Strict rules on. How local.

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How local. Authorities can spend that funding. But what is perhaps. As important. Is what goes unsaid in the

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Is what goes unsaid in the strategy. The importance of community assets like libraries and swimming pools is acknowledged and lamenting of their loss is included in the strategy. However, the strategy neglects to mention the deeper causes of those sell offs local authorities face ever growing crises in funding statutory services they have to fund according to government rules, particularly social care and special educational needs and disabilities, and are forced to sell assets to keep those services going.

This year alone, £1.3 billion of public assets have been sold off almost three times the annual funding announced today in Taunton and Wellington and Somerset. Taunton and Wellington and Somerset. In my constituency, over two thirds of council tax payers go. Payments go towards funding care for children and adults. Last year, the county successfully plugged a £55 million shortfall. But that feat is going to get harder and harder every year. Pride in place will struggle to Pride in place will struggle to succeed unless the government fixes the care crisis.

Council taxpayers should not be bailing out the government's due to provide a care and send system that works. and send system that works. Investment in high streets is welcome, but is no substitute for giving local authorities the means to protect their services and assets to protect their services and assets into the future. So will the minister set out what plans the government has to relieve the care government has to relieve the care funding crisis at a local level, so that communities can keep and maintain the services and assets they most value? they most value?

14:52

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Madam speaker, thank you to the honourable gentleman. So let me take each of those points in turn. This is about empowerment. We are driving through the biggest boost to devolution that we have seen. We believe in the generation and there are three strands to that. Absolutely. It is about putting communities at the very heart of this, and the reason why we have designed this in a way that doesn't just mean that local authorities are in the driving seat, is because we think it's really critical that we put community leaders at the heart of this.

This is an opportunity for us to galvanise our communities, to get people from diverse backgrounds around the table and then critically, to build momentum, to drive the change that people want to see. And we don't resile from that. And we think that is absolutely the right approach. Alongside that, though, we are giving more power to local authorities. So whether that is multi-year funding, whether that is consolidating the local government finance system so that they have greater flexibility, we see local authorities as a key partner in driving change on the ground.

And then alongside that, the biggest tranche of devolution to our city, region and county region mayors that we have seen as we create strategic authority. So alongside each other, we think this is fundamentally shifting and transferring power from the centre through to places so that we can deliver the change that people want. There has been a huge sell off of assets, Madam Deputy Speaker, and that is the legacy of the last 14 years, and it's a tragedy for our communities. This is why we have introduced the community Right to Buy.

So the communities have the ability to say assets of community value, and they have the ability to buy those. And with support, for example, from pride in place, there's the opportunity to put the investment behind that. And then finally, on the critical issue of funding of local government, we on this side of the House absolutely understand the pressure that local government is under. There's been 14 years of austerity driven by the party opposite, and local authorities are having to deal with a very difficult context.

That's why we've moved towards multiyear funding settlement. That's why we gave a huge boost to local government financing last year. And over the course of this spending review, there will be a real terms increase in local government spending power. It is tight, but we are doing our part as government to make sure that local government can deliver for our communities. And my colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care are driving through critical reforms that will address some of the pressures that we know exist in our social care system.

14:54

Paula Barker MP (Liverpool Wavertree, Labour)

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Paula Barker. I welcome this. constituency of Liverpool Wavertree, who were ignored by the conservatives. Does the Minister agree with me that it's crucial that this programme is not just new money, but also new powers for local people to decide how it's spent? And will the Minister confirm, for the avoidance of doubts, that the money should not be used to deliver core council services?

14:54

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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If thank you to my hon. Friend, absolutely. Let me put it on record. We want communities to be in the driving seat of this. This is why it differs from other programs that have been done under the last government. And if we get that right, it has a huge galvanising potential. And the thing that we absolutely want to mitigate against is that this just goes towards business as usual. I think if we can get it right and if we can organise and bring people around the table from communities and get them to invest in the things that matter to them, but also can generate

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community wealth, this potentially is a game changer. Sir Andrew. Mitchell Thank you. Madam Deputy.

14:55

Rt Hon Sir Andrew Mitchell MP (Sutton Coldfield, Conservative)

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Madam Deputy. Speaker. honourable. Lady on.

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Lady on. Her new role and. Perhaps strike a slightly more consensual approach in Sutton Coldfield? We welcome this initiative. It's good that it builds

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on the. Towns fund set up by. The. Last government.

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The. Last government. We're very pleased in the royal term to be part of this. Can I tell. The Honourable lady that. We are.

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We are. Undertaking extensive community consultation, led by the leader of the Royal Sutton Coldfield Town

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the Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council, Simon Ward. And the Council, and that our. Local board, under the

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Local board, under the chairmanship of Doug Rights, MBA, is forging ahead and is already making forging ahead and is already making very considerable progress. And can I invite her as I did. Her I invite her as I did. Her predecessor, to pay a state visit to the royal town of Sutton Coldfield, where she can see how we are going

14:56

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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where she can see how we are going to use this money to the best possible advantage. Man, the speech. We thank you to

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Man, the speech. We thank you to the honourable gentleman for showing us and telling us about the progress in his patch. It is incredibly encouraging to see the work that is already being done, whether that is through the local authority, whether that is existing boards, whether that's community leaders coming together. And the thing I would ask all members is where there is good example of where this is working. Well, to reach out to other members across the House so that that example can be shared.

And I look forward to travelling across the country and seeing pride in place in practice.

14:56

Laurence Turner MP (Birmingham Northfield, Labour)

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Laurence Turner. welcome the 20 million pride in Place funding for the Hawksley estates in my constituency. It stands in stark contrast to the hopes and expectations who are allowed to be built under the last government for the second round bid for the levelling up fund. £11 million for Northfield High Street, which was cruelly dashed when not one penny was allocated to the city of Birmingham. Does she agree that this won't be and can't be some lengthy bureaucratic process? Of course, our councils must be essential partners, but the priorities will be set in the communities themselves.

14:57

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Thank you to my Honourable friend. Absolutely. We are trying to make this as permissive as possible, and we want communities to generally choose the schemes and the projects that work in their area. So we are very, very clear. As long as the community represented in the Neighbourhood board are behind an area, as long as they are confident it delivers value for money for the community, we will step aside and let them get on with it and that is absolutely the right approach.

14:58

Dame Caroline Dinenage MP (Gosport, Conservative)

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Dan Caroline Dinenage. delighted to hear that they had been chosen for Pride of Place funding, but they're now a little bit worried, and I'm hoping that the Minister can help us, that instead of this money being spent in projects that will meaningfully change lives in Rauner, that our local Liberal Democrat Council will attempt to siphon some of this money off to bankroll one of their vanity projects, namely the criterion, which is a dilapidated former bingo hall. Now, while I'm really pleased that this funding comes with some flexibility, what protections is the Minister going to put in place to stop this money being frittered away on white elephants by unscrupulous local councils?

14:58

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Thank you. can't.

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Council. What I will say is that we are very, very clear that local very, very clear that local communities should be in the driving seat. The funding is flowing through the councils because they have the councils because they have accounting officer responsibility, but the decision needs to be made by the Neighbourhood board. My plea to the Neighbourhood board. My plea to members across the House is get the neighbourhood board up and running. The recruitment of the Chair is absolutely key, and that is a joint endeavour between the local authority and the MPs, and the MPs authority and the MPs, and the MPs must be consulted and must have a final say in who the Chair is.

And the Chair can make sure that the right voices are sitting around the table and ultimately the funding will go to back an investment and will go to back an investment and regeneration plan that the board will develop. So it makes it very hard for particular projects that have been long standing to be the projects that are funded. It has to be part of a plan that is supported

14:59

Gerald Jones MP (Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare, Labour)

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by that neighbourhood board, and the investment will flow to that. Gerald Jones. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I, along with others, welcome

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and I, along with others, welcome this investment, particularly in Merthyr Tydfil. Initially and latterly in run the current Taff.

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Which covers the. Aberdare part of my. Constituency. Will make a real. Difference to.

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Difference to. The community and I am sure the Minister would agree that it is crucial, in fact, critical, that real engagement takes place with communities and how this money is spent. But could I ask the Minister if she could say a little bit about any discussions that are taking place with the replacement for the Shared Prosperity Fund, which is in place up until March of next year?

15:00

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Yeah. the Shared Prosperity Fund will come to an end in March next year. We will be setting out details of a local growth fund, which will be geared towards the areas of the country we think need it the most, so will be geared towards our mayoral authorities in the North and in the Midlands, and we will be course.

15:00

Rt Hon David Mundell MP (Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, Conservative)

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David Mundell. launched by the former government, fully funded, supported now by the Honourable Ladies Department, the Scottish Government, the Scotland Office here at Westminster. It's designed to meet all the objectives she set out in the south of Scotland, Cumbria and Northumberland. But for some reason only a very, very small proportion of the money has gone out the door. So can the Honourable Lady, in conjunction with the Scotland Office, do a fool drains up to understand why the money is not getting to the community projects.

It's designed.

15:01

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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To support.

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Yes. Thank you to the honourable gentleman for raising that issue. gentleman for raising that issue. I'm very happy to take that away and work with the Scottish Office to understand why that that has been blocked. We're really keen to move blocked. We're really keen to move at pace. We want to get investment into our communities, we want things to start happening, so if we can

15:01

Justin Madders MP (Ellesmere Port and Bromborough, Labour)

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15:02

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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And thank you to my hon. Friend, he's absolutely right to point out the difference in approach, both in the difference in approach, both in allocation but also in the power that we're generally trying to give communities between this government and the last government. We are very clear that communities are in the driving seat. The party opposite pointed out that the things were being made complex, so I don't think they're being made complex. What we're saying is that we are creating a route by which communities can be absolutely in the driving seat.

We've designed the programme with that intent. We've got community delivery units that will be working in places on the ground, working alongside Members of Parliament to make sure that we generally have communities driving and shaping this, and we can unlock the huge potential to change our places.

15:03

Steve Darling MP (Torbay, Liberal Democrat)

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15:04

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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have only less than half the national average? Thank you to the honourable

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Thank you to the honourable member for raising the critical issue of housing, and I am incredibly proud that it is this government that is putting record levels of investment into social affordable housing. 39 billion, because we absolutely recognise that if we to are tackle poverty, if we are to tackle deprivation, we must get to the root cause of the housing crisis. And we have to make sure that affordable housing, that people in our communities can afford to have a roof over their head is an absolute right.

It's not something that is a distant dream for so many.

15:04

Natasha Irons MP (Croydon East, Labour)

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Natasha Irons deputy.

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Previous government, it is refreshing to see that under this Labour government. Communities like New Addington in my constituency

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come first. So can. I. Welcome the. £20 million long term investment

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£20 million long term investment that this government is making a new Addington in its people and its future. So does the Minister agree with me that it is vital that it is with me that it is vital that it is local people who get to decide how this money is spent, and can she outline what new powers will be

15:05

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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given to local people in New Addington, so that this money is spent on their priorities?

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Thank you to my friend. She is absolutely right that at the heart of this must be the community. This of this must be the community. This is why we have made the Neighbourhood Board absolutely critical, and I think there is a huge job for Members of Parliament huge job for Members of Parliament across the House to help in that job organising, convening, bringing together our community leaders that together our community leaders that can populate that board. We are then very clear that the regeneration plans are driven by that board.

And then critically, that is part of then critically, that is part of that. The community shows that not just the board has been in the driving seat, but the big swathes of the community have been engaged and they have had a voice in to say in what this looks like. Alongside that, we're making sure that the that, we're making sure that the community, for example, has the community right to buy that I've already spoken about so that they can be in the driving seat. On can be in the driving seat.

On taking on community assets of value. So together there is a huge So together there is a huge opportunity, but it does require our Members of Parliament. It does require local government to play an

15:06

Rt Hon Dr Andrew Murrison MP (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)

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require local government to play an enabling role so that we can put communities in the driving seat for the first time. To Andrew Murrison. The Future.

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To Andrew Murrison. The Future. High Street Fund worked well because to get any funding, you had because to get any funding, you had to demonstrate that you had a plan and you had to demonstrate that the money would be used effectively in accordance with local priorities. This is structured in a very different way, whilst I whilst I accept that the intent of the Minister is to ensure that redundant premises are repurposed and reuse, which is really good. As chairman of

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the Trowbridge Place Partnership, I. Certainly welcome that. How is she going to ensure that

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How is she going to ensure that the whole thing isn't just bunged up with endless legal challenges? Her unelected boards make diktats which

15:07

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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unelected boards make diktats which are going to be subject of endless review.

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I mean, what I would say to the honourable gentleman is two things. So there is the pride in place in Pat fund. So that's 1.5 million that will be going to particularly local authorities across the country in order to do some of that high street regeneration. But alongside that, regeneration. But alongside that, there is this program. Now, we are unapologetic about the fact that we do want communities in the driving seat. It is a different approach for seat. It is a different approach for a government.

We know this, but we think it is the right approach because fundamentally we cannot and we will not address the huge amounts of distrust, the huge amounts of anger and frustration that we are seeing in our deprived communities. seeing in our deprived communities. Unless we give people power and agency to shape and drive the change, they want to see what we change, they want to see what we will do as a department to enable that is, I've talked about the community delivery units. They will work alongside areas to make sure work alongside areas to make sure we're providing that capacity building support, to make sure that we're providing that enabling support to ensure the investment support to ensure the investment that is chosen works not just for the community in the short term, but fundamentally builds community

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wealth. Members can see how many. Colleagues wish. To contribute, so unless.

15:08

Shaun Davies MP (Telford, Labour)

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They keep their. Contributions short, they're denying their fellow members the opportunity to speak. Show us how it's done.

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it's done. declare. I refer. I refer members to my. Declaration of interest. I warmly.

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Welcome the £20. Million investment in Telford, which has been matched funded by Telford and Wrekin Council, Labour Council. Being £3 million a year each and every year for the next each and every year for the next decade will be going into Woodside, Brookside and Sutton Hill. Will the Minister confirm when that money will be coming to the community will be coming to the community front line, and will she also challenge government agencies and government departments right across

15:08

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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government departments right across the. Scheme. Making sure that the communities are in charge? And those cries. Yes.

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Yes. Thank you to my honourable friend. So we will start investing. So phase one places will be So phase one places will be receiving are already receiving capacity, funding and the 2 million will be flowing from next year. Phase two places. So that's the places we recently announced will be receiving capacity funding from next year, with full funding flowing from the year after. I think that this is potentially a way in which we revolutionise the way the government works.

So one of the things that we are very keen to do is to work with departments across Whitehall to say if we are investing in communities here is a way of doing it that generally puts the communities in the driving seat and hopefully see.

15:09

Ben Maguire MP (North Cornwall, Liberal Democrat)

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McGuire.

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some of the most deprived towns in the country, Cornwall will not receive a penny of. The pride in. Place funding.

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Place funding. I am also concerned to hear, at a time when our shared. Prosperity funding. Is looking. To stop, that.

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To stop, that. and. The Midlands receiving that funding. I hope she clears that up. But will. The Minister.

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The Minister. Meet. With me and my constituent, Finn Irwin, who. Has really. Exciting plans for Bodmin Forth

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Exciting plans for Bodmin Forth Street in my constituency, which could be a great pilot for social. Housing opportunities for small prove. The.

15:10

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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The. Government wants regional growth everywhere. Thank you. Thank you to the honourable

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Thank you to the honourable gentleman. We aren't able to fund all areas. I wish we were able to. all areas. I wish we were able to. So we have focussed on particular areas of deprivation that also have that also score high on the Community needs index. But we have also made sure that we're putting in place a whole set of powers and provisions so that every area is able to take control of their high streets, take control of their local areas, use the community right by.

I'm very happy to meet him and other colleagues across Cornwall to talk about how we can ensure that that again.

15:10

Dr Lauren Sullivan MP (Gravesham, Labour)

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Doctor Lauren Sullivan.

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Show us how it's done. Thank you very much. Let's do her place. I'd like to. Thank.

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Thank. The Minister for Grayson's share of the Pride in Place impact fund. £1.5 million over two years is a

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£1.5 million over two years is a really great investment. To. Restart building communities. And place. With. New possibilities to be imagined. These priorities that have imagined. These priorities that have been neglected over many, many years. Will the Minister agree with me that this impact fund will make a real difference to Gravesham.

15:11

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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real difference to Gravesham. Care here? I will, I think it is a huge opportunity and if we get it right,

15:11

Nick Timothy MP (West Suffolk, Conservative)

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opportunity and if we get it right, we will see tangible benefits. In my Honourable friends constituency.

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Speaker I. Welcome the Minister. To her new position. I enjoyed shadowing her. On the.

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On the. Energy brief. I really. Welcome the. Inclusion of Lakenheath. In. forward.

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To. Working with her. And with residents and. Councillors on making sure that the funds are well spent. I want to the funds are well spent. I want to ask her about how we build pride in place by improving local economies. So as her department contemplates its plans for the future development of Cambridge, my constituency is very affected by that development. With rising demand for new housing, so I'd appreciate it if I could meet her or one of her colleagues to discuss how we integrate new housing and transport connections, in particular from Cambridge to Haverhill in West Suffolk.

15:12

Ms Julie Minns MP (Carlisle, Labour)

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Thank you to the honourable member. Very happy to meet him. I warmly welcome the government's investment of £20 million in the Raffles and Morton neighbourhoods in my Carlisle constituency. As I am very fond of reminding colleagues, Carlisle is the most northerly city in England, 120 miles north of Manchester, and a very, very long way from this place. Does the Minister for therefore agree with me that what is truly transformative about this program isn't simply the money, it's the fact that it puts the decisions about how it will be spent into the hands of local people, and not politicians and civil servants in, as we in Carlisle call it that, London.

15:12

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Climate that. You see, my honourable friend, is completely right. That is what is game changing if we get it right, putting local people, communities in charge, I think it will lead to better decisions. I think it will lead to impact in places in a way that matters to people. But there is a big collective onus on all of us to get that right, because the instincts to hold power at the centre and the instincts to want to control are strong, and we all have to work to make sure that we put our communities in the driving.

the.

15:13

Pete Wishart MP (Perth and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party)

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Colleagues.

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Who have secured funding and despite police settlement. But once again, Perth and Kinross has been

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again, Perth and Kinross has been totally and utterly ignored. We didn't receive. One penny in. Levelling up funding from the Tories and we have.

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Tories and we have. To thrive. Nothing from this Labour government. Worse than that, they actually took £5. Million away from.

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Million away from. Perth and Kinross. That we conservatives. The people of.

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The people of. Perth and Kinross are sick and tired of being ignored, and this merry go round of. Pork.

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Barrel politics. share? And just. What has. The. UK government got against

15:14

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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The. UK government got against the people of Perth and Kinross?

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the people of Perth and Kinross? Madam Deputy Speaker So we have allocated local growth funding to Scotland, which will be announcing Scotland, which will be announcing in due course. And in addition to that, the Scottish component of pride in place. We're working with the Scottish Government, with the Scottish Office on allocation. I the thing I would say is that this Labour government is investing in Scotland. It is investing in our communities. The Scottish Government is in charge. And the record, if our communities are struggling in Scotland, sits with the SNP.

15:14

Paul Waugh MP (Rochdale, Labour )

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Oh well, we won't want to let me

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down after this earlier infraction. But Madam Secretary, the. Speaker Thank you, Madam Speaker. In in. Rochdale, we warmly welcome this

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Rochdale, we warmly welcome this £20 million investment in Small Bridge and Stead and it's much overdue. I'm the Labour and

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overdue. I'm the Labour and Co-operative MP for Rochdale and know. More than anywhere. What the power is of when local

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What the power is of when local people come together and set their own priorities and take back control. So does she agree with me

15:15

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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that this is not just overdue investment because of the years of neglect by the party opposite and by Whitehall, but it's also a vote of

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confidence in local people. Yeah. My hon. Friend is completely

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My hon. Friend is completely right. Like him, I am a Co-operative MP. I think the values of our co-operative movement is running co-operative movement is running through this programme. It is putting local people in charge, but it's also saying if we give local it's also saying if we give local people a stake, if we give them ownership, if we allow them to generate community wealth, that is how we make our places prosperous.

15:15

Gregory Stafford MP (Farnham and Bordon, Conservative)

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how we make our places prosperous. Gregory Stafford thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. The Minister described those receiving the money described those receiving the money as true patriots, but in my constituency we have not received a single penny of this funding. Are my constituents not true patriots? There are plenty of places in the north of Farnham and important potentially, that could really do with using this money. So I invite the minister. She can come to my constituency, I can show you the places that need the money and the amazing job that others are doing already.

15:16

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Madam Deputy Speaker, we would have loved to have had funding for every part of the country. Sadly, because of the inheritance. I mean, he has encouraged me to raise it up again. 14 years in which public finances were decimated, 14 years in which they crashed the economy. We are having to navigate through that. But what we are doing is alongside the investment in the places that have been chosen because of deprivation, we are giving all places, the tools, the levers to be able to reclaim their high street and invest in their.

15:16

Rosie Wrighting MP (Kettering, Labour)

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Places is the right thing.

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Thank you, Madam Speaker. It's a. Damning legacy. Of the Tories. Kettering.

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Kettering. Rather than three minutes down the road, means your opportunities are less. You face more health inequalities and under the last government you were told to accept decline. This £20 million funding decline. This £20 million funding shows that this government believes no matter where you are born, you deserve to have pride in your deserve to have pride in your community. Whilst continue to seek division. Can my right hon. Friend outline how having pride in your

15:17

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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outline how having pride in your home and bringing communities together is a real example of true patriotism. Yeah.

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Yeah. My honourable friend is completely right and put it incredibly eloquently. If we bring incredibly eloquently. If we bring our communities together and give them the tools and agency to change their place, that they have pride, that is how we change the country. This side of the House is on the side of unity, bringing communities

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together in order to drive renewal. I note that there are no MPs. From the reform.

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From the reform. Side who are on the side of dividing, and on simple slogans and

15:17

Munira Wilson MP (Twickenham, Liberal Democrat)

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15:18

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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And grant transitional funding. Madam Deputy Speaker, we are consulting, we've closed the consulting, we've closed the consultation. We're looking through the responses of the consultation at the moment. We have had representation from authorities across the country, including London. What this Labour government is very clear about is that we will continue investing in our local areas and continue investing in our communities. There is the need to rebalance, but we will do that in a fair way, which does not impact communities that are deprived.

15:18

Antonia Bance MP (Tipton and Wednesbury, Labour)

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Of Speaker. Last week I went to the toddler.

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Heaven Church in Friar Park. The mums there told me there's nothing. To do for. Young people.

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Young people. On Friar Park. No playground, no youth club. Does she agree with me

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youth club. Does she agree with me that £20 million is going to make the most massive difference to Friar. Park. Especially given it's local

15:19

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Especially given it's local people like those mums who will. Decide how. It spend?

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It spend? My honourable friend is completely right and the opportunity to invest in community, local to invest in community, local services and youth services is absolutely huge. To this, and putting local mums in the driving seat is always a good thing.

15:19

Sir Ashley Fox MP (Bridgwater, Conservative)

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Yes sir.

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Deputy Speaker, I welcome. included. In this programme and these funds

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In this programme and these funds come on top of the £23 million allocated to Bridgwater. government.

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government. Yeah. Now, there are parts of Highbridge in my. Constituency that. Are equally. Deserving of funding.

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Deserving of funding. So can the minister advise. Whether there will be any. Further. Rounds of allocating funding in

15:20

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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this Parliament? Madam Deputy Speaker, thank you

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Madam Deputy Speaker, thank you to the honourable gentleman. I think he's asking me to do the Chancellor's job, which I shan't be able to do. What I would say is we think that this is an exciting way of investing in our communities. We think there's a huge opportunity for us to leverage in additional investment. So one of the things that we are very keen to do is to talk to social impact investors, to talk to philanthropists, to think about how we can invest.

There is also a lot of interest around amongst the business community, so local businesses bids in order to bring this together. If we get this right, the funding that's in place leverages additional funding, and we show that this is a way of operating that we could then roll out across the country.

15:20

Jon Trickett MP (Normanton and Hemsworth, Labour)

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Don't cricket.

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And the Featherston. People have got great pride in their place. But. They're shrewd.

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As well. And they know that the Tories deal with austerity. Trickle down economics. service.

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service. So this announcement today will. Be very. Welcomed by the people of

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Welcomed by the people of Minister. Just a little. Bit. Further on this question. Of a new economic model, because

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Of a new economic model, because top down economics has failed. Treasury mandarins don't. Understand what's happening in.

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Understand what's happening in. Featherston. People do. Do you see this as a way. Of community wealth.

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Of community wealth. Building from the. Bottom up, rather. Than economics made from. The top down? Yeah.

15:21

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Yeah. Thank you to my Honourable friend. Absolutely. So the Prime Minister spoke about grass roots growth, and that is growth that is rooted in our communities, not places where we build community wealth. And that fundamentally changes and rewires the economic model and the economic settlement. We are very, very deliberate in the fact that we want to put communities at the heart of both driving change, but also driving wealth and economic opportunity. And that's how we drive up living standards.

up living standards.

15:22

Llinos Medi MP (Ynys Môn, Plaid Cymru)

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Llinos Medi the government is presenting the Pride in Place program as a win for communities across the UK. But the focus of this particular scheme is on neighbourhoods of around ten 000 people. On this mode, only one town even meets that population threshold. This isn't unique for my constituency alone, but is the case across Wales. Can the minister explain why rural communities are excluded by this sign from the excluded by this sign from the specific programme?

15:22

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Madam Deputy Speaker, we are investing in rural communities, whether it's Somerset or Wiltshire, we've used very clear metrics, so we've used deprivation and we've used the community needs index and therefore focusing this on the areas that need it the most. But as I've said, this is not we recognise that this is part of a bigger strategy and whether that is giving communities the power to reclaim their high streets, whether that's the investment that we're trying to do through local government or critically, the world that we are, the job that we are doing with our regional mayors in order to fundamentally drive economic prosperity.

There is a bigger plan in order to invest in all parts of the country. the country.

15:23

Catherine Atkinson MP (Derby North, Labour)

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That concern.

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This kind of long term investment investment that the fantastic community of Chatham student. community of Chatham student. take. recover.

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recover. From the 14. Years of. Neglect that these. Communities like Charles, have experienced.

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And I would like every chat reticent with ideas of how they can get. involved.

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involved. agree. That. It is key that local people have

15:23

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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It is key that local people have a say in how. That. Money is spent? Yeah. Minister. My hon. Friend is completely

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My hon. Friend is completely right. I think this is a huge opportunity to bring the community opportunity to bring the community together for them to be in the driving seat and therefore reaching out to all parts of the community, I think, is one of the most powerful things that our Members of Parliament can do. I have an organising background. This is an organising moment because it's the ability to bring people who are not normally around the table and who can't normally shape their places, to bring them round the table and give them voice, power and agency.

15:24

Sorcha Eastwood MP (Lagan Valley, Alliance)

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Sorcha Eastwood thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Minister. The statement makes reference to engaging with the Northern Ireland

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Executive. Can you tell me what discussions you've had with my colleagues in the Northern Ireland Executive? Because what is not, can. You.

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You. Tell me, can the Minister tell you? Yes. Quick. Thank you. Madam Deputy Speaker, can the Minister please tell me what can the Minister please tell me what discussions you've had with my colleagues in the Northern Ireland Executive? And also you'll be aware of the fact that the Shared of the fact that the Shared Prosperity Fund that other members have referenced is not being replaced. Local growth is already jeopardising jobs in Northern Ireland. And can you make any

15:24

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Ireland. And can you make any comment on that, Minister. Thank you. Correction twice. Can you make a comment please? Make sure we get our

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comment please? Make sure we get our words right next. Time around. Minister. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. So we are working very closely with the Northern Ireland Office that are in constant contact with the Northern Ireland Executive. So both in terms of pride in place and community investment, but more widely local growth investment, we will be working closely with them and making sure that we are both engaging, but also trying to design this with the Northern Ireland Executive's Chris Webb.

15:25

Chris Webb MP (Blackpool South, Labour)

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Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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In my area, of course, the main legacy of the Tories. deprived. Borough in. The country.

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The country. And high streets. Such in the south shore of Bond Street, Waterloo. Road.

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And live and road have been left to ruin. So can the Minister. Outline. How the 1.5. Million. That can.

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Be used to restore our high. Streets can be used quickly and. Efficiently in South Shore. And mostly. Join me in Blackpool to meet

15:25

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Join me in Blackpool to meet residents and businesses in South Shore and get some fish and chips along the way. In Leinster.

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In Leinster. Thank you to my honourable friend. I would love to join him and I'd love some fish and chips. The 1.5 million. We're getting out the 1.5 million. We're getting out the first tranche this this autumn, so places will already be getting the investment we are already signing memorandum of Understanding in order to show that we can move quickly. I think there is a really critical role for Members of Parliament working with the community to make sure that the investment is going wants.

15:26

Lisa Smart MP (Hazel Grove, Liberal Democrat)

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Lisa Smart thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. More money and power going into communities is, of course, a good thing, and it would be only right and proper for me to welcome some money going into my neighbouring area that represented by my neighbour, the member for Stockport. But I want to come back to a point raised by my hon. Friend the member for Taunton and Wellington, about the broader questions of funding for local government. Stockport Council, which covers my patch three in every £4 Stockport Council spends, goes on adults and children's social care.

That is not sustainable. Taking three years to do a social care review is a long time. Could the minister explain what conversation she's having with colleagues in health and social care to shorten that time frame so we can crack on?

15:26

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Can you.

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Madam Deputy Speaker, we're working very closely with the Department of Health and Social Department of Health and Social Care. We understand the pressures that the social care system and the failures of the social care system, failures of the social care system, which again, we have to let the door of the party opposite is having on local government and local government finance, we are doing what we can in order to give local government the flexibility to government the flexibility to respond to that in order to increase the funding envelope.

But there is a fundamental question about social care reform, which is difficult and care reform, which is difficult and complex and has been kicked into the long grass, and we are determined to take that. But we have to do it

15:27

Lizzi Collinge MP (Morecambe and Lunesdale, Labour)

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take that. But we have to do it carefully, and we have to do it well so that it delivers the impact that we all want to see across the House.

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speaker. The £20. Million pint placed. Into the West end of Morecambe

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Into the West end of Morecambe shows that this Labour government is really trusting local people to spend money locally without lots of bureaucratic hurdles, and I really welcome that. Whether it's

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welcome that. Whether it's Smartening up, Yorkshire Street or Regent Road, or getting. Under the bonnet and helping people with their health problems. So in Morecambe.

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So in Morecambe. We're ready to go. So can the Minister tell me how, If we can work together to get

15:27

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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If we can work together to get this going as quickly as possible and speed up those proud. In place timescales? Yeah, Minister.

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Yeah, Minister. My honourable friend is completely right. We want pace, we want momentum. We want to get on with investing in our communities. Our community delivery unit will be working really closely with communities. And I if places wants to run, it's our job to work alongside them so that we can run. Are you Tom?

15:28

Ayoub Khan MP (Birmingham Perry Barr, Independent)

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Thank you.

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I welcome this. New funding package? Certainly in the city of Birmingham. We. Received 160.

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Received 160. Million over the next ten years. But my constituency. Birmingham Perry Barr. Which has.

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Which has. Been in the media recently, has undoubtedly some. Of the highest levels of unemployment, highest levels of unemployment, highest levels of child poverty, highest level of deprivation, and some of the highest

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deprivation, and some of the highest level of health inequalities. And so. That constituency. Enabled. Hasn't received any of the

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Hasn't received any of the funding. So can I invite the minister, please, if we can meet so I can seek to persuade you that

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I can seek to persuade you that persuade the Minister that we need some more. Funding. neighbourhoods.

15:29

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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In Birmingham. Are patches which unfortunately have Labour MPs. Minister.

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Minister. Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'm very happy to meet with the very happy to meet with the honourable member. What I would say is we know that there is deprivation across the country and everything that the government is trying to do, whether it is our strategy to drive growth across the country, whether is the work that my colleagues in other departments are doing on child poverty, there is action that we're trying to take across the piece to tackle this.

We will we have focussed in on certain communities, but we know that there is work that communities.

15:29

Grahame Morris MP (Easington, Labour)

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Grahame Morris thank you. Madam Deputy Speaker. Peterlee is the place to be. And interesting. Peter

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Lee is the only town in the country named after a trade union leader. It'll be. Great celebration. I welcome the Labour government's

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I welcome the Labour government's £20 million. Investment from the pride in. From the. Pride in place. In Peterlee.

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In Peterlee. This money is going. To make a. Real difference to people in my constituency who were ignored by the

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constituency who were ignored by the previous Conservative government. But once again, does. The Minister agree with me? It's

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important to note that this programme is not just new money, but also gives new powers. To.

15:30

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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To. Local people to decide how it's spent. Minister, my hon. Friend is

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Minister, my hon. Friend is completely right. The thing, in my view, that is game changing is putting local people and communities putting local people and communities in the driving seat and giving them powers to actually decide where they want to put the money that will deliver impact. But critically, it will bring our communities together, it will bridge, and it will create a sense of pride and a sense of community. Paulette Hamilton thank you. I welcome the Labour Government's 20 million investment Government's 20 million investment in Kingstanding in Birmingham.

15:30

Paulette Hamilton MP (Birmingham Erdington, Labour)

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For 14 years. My constituency of.

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Erdington, Birmingham was repeatedly overlooked and even denied. Levelling up on on two occasions.

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Levelling up on on two occasions. Can the minister assure me that going forward, local residents will.

15:31

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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going forward, local residents will. Come first? After 14 years of Conservative neglect? Yes.

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Yes. My hon. Friend is completely right. The approach that we are taking on this side of the House, taking on this side of the House, the approach of this Labour Government is taking, is to put local residents first, is to put communities first. We will all have examples of communities that have been hollowed out. We will all know that sense of despair and distrust, and we absolutely need to turn that around. And we are committed to turn that around.

15:31

Andrew Pakes MP (Peterborough, Labour )

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Andrew Pakes thank you, Madam Speaker. Can I warmly welcome the £20 million coming to Paston,

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Scunthorpe and the Welland. Area for Peterborough. Pride in. Place being delivered by my right

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Place being delivered by my right hon. Friend, the Pride of Peckham, and can. I thank.

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I thank. As a co-op? As a proud co-op MP, I'm also deeply proud development unit as part of this strategy last,

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earlier this week, I visited Honey Hills Childcare Centre with Peppa Pig and the Education sector, which. Is a.

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Is a. Family hub in the centre of the area which will receive this funding. Can Right Honourable Right honourable friend confirm to me that this money won't just be about bricks and mortar, it will also be about changing lives and facilities about changing lives and facilities such as family hubs will be at the centre of how we can give children the best start in life. But we can

15:32

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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the best start in life. But we can use this investment to change things for the long term. In Peterborough. Minister Madam Deputy Speaker, my

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Minister Madam Deputy Speaker, my honourable friend is completely right. If we get this right, it's not just about the investment in the next ten years is about how we create momentum around that. It's about how we catalyse greater community wealth and critically, how we invest in our communities for the long term. As a proud co-operative MP, I think there is a huge opportunity for us to ensure that communities have a genuine sake at stake, ensure that communities are benefiting from wealth that is being generated in a way that has long term impacts.

Rachel Taylor.

15:33

Rachel Taylor MP (North Warwickshire and Bedworth, Labour)

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Madam speaker, the party opposite

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hollowed out our communities. Reform are exploiting it. And yet. This government are helping communities like.

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Mine to thrive. We have already had. The announcement of our £20 million.

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announcement of our £20 million. In the Towns Fund, and we've set up our believe in Bedworth board. up our believe in Bedworth board. Because our local residents believe in their town. The Chair of that board has said that he feels energised to have a hand in shaping the future of his home town. We've already had thousands of responses already had thousands of responses to our survey, and we're organising a family fun day on the 25th of a family fun day on the 25th of October, which will be delighted if the Minister would join us.

But also the Minister would join us. But also could she outline how the £1.5 million of impact funding can help to turbocharge the groundbreaking to turbocharge the groundbreaking work already being done by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council in bringing empty properties back into use.

15:33

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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use. Minister. Thank you to my hon. Friend, for setting out the huge Friend, for setting out the huge amounts of work and progress that her community are doing. I think that is exactly the sorts of example of how this works, and this works really well. And I think there is a huge opportunity with the Impact Fund to build on that, where we've got neighbourhood boards and governance structures that are already established, where you've done a huge amount of where the Honourable friends has done huge amounts of engagement with the community, we should actually be thinking about putting more investment and leveraging that in.

15:34

Mrs Sureena Brackenridge MP (Wolverhampton North East, Labour)

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Sureena Brackenridge.

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calling for better investment. In disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

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In disadvantaged neighbourhoods. So I'm. Delighted that my court was heard and welcome the £20 million heard and welcome the £20 million for Low Hill and an additional £1.5 million of pride in place. Impact funding.

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Yes. So does the Minister agree that the people who live in my communities, who know.

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Their. Strengths. They know. Their their struggles and their solutions, they must be at the heart of deciding what this money is spent on, not investment done to them, but

15:35

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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on, not investment done to them, but investment by. Them and with them. Minister. Madam Deputy Speaker, I just want

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Madam Deputy Speaker, I just want to put on record a thank you to my hon. Friend, for the huge amounts of hon. Friend, for the huge amounts of work that she has done to champion this agenda and to come up with ideas about how we tackle deprivation. And she is completely right. Communities in charge driving change, change not driven and done

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on them, but them in the driving seat. And can I just remind members. To. Keep the.

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To. Keep the. Questions short. So we can. Get try and get everybody in? Because I wouldn't want. Members to

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miss out on the opportunity of speaking about. Their. members. Taking so long. Clerk Seward. Thank you.

15:35

Mark Sewards MP (Leeds South West and Morley, Labour)

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Thank you. Madam Deputy Speaker, can I warmly welcome £20 million for Old Farnley? But now is the time for action. Hundreds of people have already completed my survey. I hover over 100 volunteers for the neighbourhood board alone. It won't be that big. And we have plenty of ideas as well that we want to spend the money on. Given that we're ready to deliver and we're impatient to do so, will the Minister empower my residents to crack on, spend this money, and deliver the change that we know they deserve? Minister.

15:36

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Can I congratulate my honourable friend on the huge work in progress that he has made, both in reaching out across this community but also convening and galvanising people to join his neighbourhood board. We want communities to run. We want pace, we want impact, and we are committed to working alongside him and his community to drive the change that they want, he sees. Tom Collins.

15:36

Tom Collins MP (Worcester, Labour)

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Thank you.

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The people of London in Worcester feel immense pride in their identity, but they also know that

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identity, but they also know that for far too long they have been unheard, let down and left behind. This commitment of £20. Million.

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Million. To Walden could be transformative, especially as it's long term. Funding over ten years. But more than money being spent,

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But more than money being spent, the people of want and need to be heard, respected and empowered. So can the minister assure the people

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can the minister assure the people determination. That the power, the decisions and the money are in.

15:37

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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the money are in. Their hands? Mr. Madam Deputy Speaker, my hon. Friend put it completely, eloquently and right. Absolutely. Power will be in their hands and is our job to ensure that this is the way that it plays out.

15:37

Amanda Martin MP (Portsmouth North, Labour)

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Amanda Martin thank. the.

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People of Portsmouth, I'm. Delighted to oversee £41.5 million under Labour's Pride of Place impact programmes. £20 million Place impact programmes. £20 million of this is supported growth. A place very close to my heart, Madam Deputy Speaker, is a place that is proud Speaker, is a place that is proud and resilient. But it was really neglected, ignored by 14 years of the government, which has meant as pubs and shops and facilities, clothes are volunteers and our community champions, Madam Deputy Speaker, have been running them very Speaker, have been running them very much out of their own pocket to keep the part of the city going.

So can the Minister confirm that the community of Paul's Grove will now be able to have a say and put into

15:38

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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action what their community want and need, with real investment from the pockets.

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So my hon. I think highlights the Patriots that I talked about the Patriots that I talked about the people in our community that have been holding things together despite all the damage done by the party all the damage done by the party opposite, and we are very clear that they are the ones that we must champion. We are very clear that the

15:38

Michelle Scrogham MP (Barrow and Furness, Labour)

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champion. We are very clear that the ones that we must put at the driving seat of this. Michelle Scrogham. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker,

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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to welcome the pride in place funding announcement and in particular, the £20 million that's particular, the £20 million that's been allocated to central Ward in Barrow and Furness. It's one of the most deprived in the whole country, and it's refreshing to see that under this Labour government, we are delivering to those that were left behind by our predecessors. Would she agree with me that not only is it the people that live there that know the opportunities and the barriers, but they're the people that understand where we need to spend the money to put things right Mr.

15:39

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Madam Deputy Speaker. My hon. Friend is 100% right. Understanding what is needed is a thing that I think is game changing, and making

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sure that we can act on that understanding is the thing that I hope this programme will deliver. Alex MacDonald.

15:39

Alice Macdonald MP (Norwich North, Labour )

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Alex MacDonald. Thanks very much. Speaker. The Labour government's. 20 million investment for heart, Seeds and Pilling.

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Seeds and Pilling. Park in my constituency. Will be transformative. For. Two of our communities have had stuff done to them, not with them. stuff done to them, not with them. And this model will help change that. Which he joined me in encouraging all people who live in these areas to get involved. Does

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she agree with. Me that it's important that people from all. Ages, all backgrounds, people who've never perhaps thought about.

15:39

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Doing something. Before like this. Get involved? Yeah. Minister. My hon. Friend is completely

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My hon. Friend is completely right. I think this is a huge opportunity for our communities to be able to get involved. As I've said, I think there is a really said, I think there is a really powerful role that our Members of Parliament can play in putting out the clarion call. And I would encourage anyone, particularly those that have felt politics and decisions on their lives have felt remote. This is their chance to get around the table, to shape their place, and to make sure that they drive this change that they want to see.

15:40

Lorraine Beavers MP (Blackpool North and Fleetwood, Labour)

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Lorraine Beavers thank you.

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After 14 years of Tory neglect, the town of. Fleetwood has been. Buzzing with. The ideas about how to make the

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The ideas about how to make the most of this fantastic pride of place forms. My community. Is ready to hit the ground running.

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running. investment. We so badly need. Can the Minister assure me that

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Can the Minister assure me that will. Get the. Resources we. Need to begin the work at the earliest possible opportunity?

15:40

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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earliest possible opportunity? We cannot afford to wait any longer here. Minister.

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Minister. I completely agree with my hon. Friend, that we need pace and we need urgency. Communities have been need urgency. Communities have been let down and held back for far too long, and this is our chance to act and act with purpose, but also act with speed. So we want to stand behind communities so that they can crack on, and they can make the change that they want to see.

15:41

Mrs Elsie Blundell MP (Heywood and Middleton North, Labour)

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Elsie Blundell. absolutely transformative for my constituency. Of Heywood and Middleton North. I would like to thank the Minister for working with me, and for giving a voice to. Urban areas like Middleton, urban areas. A former Conservative Prime Minister.

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Previously bragged. About diverting funds away from. I was delighted to convene a meeting

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I was delighted to convene a meeting recently. Middleton. Were decisive. What steps,

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Were decisive. What steps, therefore, are being taken to ensure that places with the most acute needs, like Middleton, are given.

15:41

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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needs, like Middleton, are given. areas? Yes, Minister. My hon. Friend is completely

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My hon. Friend is completely right to remind us of the fact that deliberately resources were taken deliberately resources were taken away from some of our most deprived communities under the last government, which I think is just a shameful, shameful record. We are very, very clear that this is an opportunity to invest our communities. We want local authorities to make sure that they are working alongside our communities, enabling them, and that the money and the resources are

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going into the places that the community believes needed the investment. Jonathan Brash.

15:42

Mr Jonathan Brash MP (Hartlepool, Labour)

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Jonathan Brash. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I warmly. Welcome the.

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Welcome the. £21.5 million of Prime Place. Investment for. Hartlepool that will go directly into our neighbourhoods. It comes on into our neighbourhoods. It comes on the back of the biggest deal in Hartlepool's history. £6 billion for new nuclear, 2500 jobs and a brilliant Labour council delivering £150 million of capital investment in our town. Does the Minister agree with me that after years have been left behind? This shows that the people of Hartlepool, I've got a government and an MP that is on their side.

their side.

15:42

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Madam 100%. My hon. Friend is completely right. In that example is exactly the difference that a Labour government can make. A Labour government working with the Labour Council. We have inherited a decade and a half of decline and neglect. It is now our job. The member opposite is he's saying, I think he should be far more ashamed about his record. It is our job to turn around, to turn around their failure and their neglect.

15:43

Kevin McKenna MP (Sittingbourne and Sheppey, Labour)

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Kevin McKenna.

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Thank you, Madam Speaker. Since the announcement of this £20 million worth of funding for the

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£20 million worth of funding for the East of Sheppey. My constituents are fizzing with excitement. I'm getting loads of. Responses. From my. Online surveys to coffee Morning.

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Online surveys to coffee Morning. I held on Saturday, the first of many that I'm going to be holding. It was really well attended, really It was really well attended, really great ideas from people. What they'd like to feed back to you is two main things. One is to.

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people. At the heart of that. The citizens in each church and warden and lays down and shell ness, all of and lays down and shell ness, all of them, all of them want to be part of this, but they want to make sure it's centred on them.

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it's centred on them. And not from outside voices. The second thing is they really want it to be a catalyst for further change, further investment in the

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change, further investment in the area. So I'd really like to hear the minister's thoughts on that. Oh, and quickly reminder I've. Got three more neighbourhoods in.

15:44

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Got three more neighbourhoods in. The bottom 10% of the country. Just to add that to the list. Minister, thank.

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You to my hon. Friend, and can I congratulate him on the amazing work he is doing reaching out to his communities, getting that engagement, getting the feedback engagement, getting the feedback from people. That is the thing that will drive the change. And thank you for the feedback from his residents and his community. We will take that on board and we completely agree. They need to be in the driving seat. And we also completely agree that this needs to be a catalyst. If we get this right, there is a model that we can go around Whitehall.

There's a model in which we can go to local businesses, there's a model in which we can go to philanthropy and say, this is how we drive change in our communities, continue to go invest in.

15:44

Terry Jermy MP (South West Norfolk, Labour)

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Surrey. Jeremy.

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Speaker, I am. Thrilled that my home town of Thetford, in rural south west Norfolk, is to receive a share of Norfolk, is to receive a share of this funding. And just last week I was at the board meeting where we made our first funding.

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made our first funding. Commitments to increase capacity. church. In. Thetford town centre to turn it into a community space. Does the minister agree that it's projects like this that will bring footfall back into our towns? It's supporting

15:45

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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local businesses and improving our local economies. Minister. Thank you to my honourable friend

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Thank you to my honourable friend for sharing that example 100%. That is an incredibly exciting project, is exactly those sorts of schemes is exactly those sorts of schemes that can have a huge galvanising impact on our local areas. So I look forward to seeing the progress that he and his community are making, and making sure we do our part to support them.

15:45

Dan Aldridge MP (Weston-super-Mare, Labour)

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Dan Aldridge thank.

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You, Madam Deputy Speaker. To their great credit. The Bournville coronation and old Micks and communities have survived Micks and communities have survived in spite of previous Westminster disinterest. Would the Minister million.

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million. Investment in Weston-super-Mare is an endorsement. Of our. Faith in. Every community champion who has kept our most. Vulnerable.

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Vulnerable. Westminster. Looked the other way? Minister. My hon. Friend is completely

15:45

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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My hon. Friend is completely right, sir. Highlight the heroes that helped and held our communities together through 14 years in which together through 14 years in which they were neglected, 14 years in which they faced huge pressure. This pride in place is a vote of confidence in those local heroes, and our job is to give them what they need in order to drive the change that they have been calling for, and that they were absolutely right to call for. right to call for.

15:46

Darren Paffey MP (Southampton Itchen, Labour)

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Terry Jermy. absolutely delighted that this Labour government is investing £20 million into Western and a further

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million and a half into the wider Southampton Itchen constituency. Already the idea is. Of flooding.

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Of flooding. In from a group of people who are just relieved not to be overlooked

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yet again, as they were under the last government. Would the Minister agree with me. That this. Type of investment, long term.

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Type of investment, long term. Stable and most importantly, community led is absolutely the right way of transforming our

15:46

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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right way of transforming our communities like Weston for the better. Make. Mr. My hon. Friend is completely

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My hon. Friend is completely right. Long term, stable investment that is anchored in our communities that puts them in the driving seat that puts them in the driving seat is a game changer. I'm incredibly excited about this program, but it's when I hear examples like the one that he has set out that shows us just how transformative this potentially can be. Speaker.

15:47

Luke Myer MP (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Labour)

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I'm delighted to confirm that the entire community of Park End and

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Backfield will be able to benefit from the £20. Million of investment. In. This government's Pride in

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Place scheme. Can the Minister. be. Spent by the. Council or by any politician, but

15:47

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Council or by any politician, but priorities. That they want. To see? Yeah. Minister, absolutely.

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Minister, absolutely. 100%. Communities in the driving seat, the neighbourhood board with a cross-section of members of the cross-section of members of the community, people who have never sat around the table being around the table, driving the change that they want to see.

15:47

Helena Dollimore MP (Hastings and Rye, Labour )

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Helena Dollimore thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I really welcome the £21.5 million.

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of. Residents have been in touch with their ideas about how to spend it. As the minister said, it's better spent on people's priorities, not wasted like previous schemes under the party opposite, like the. £150,000 wasted on owns in Hastings. Public money was also spent opening

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Public money was also spent opening the Bridge Community Centre in. Awe, which. Has sadly been closed for seven years and so many in Hastings were years and so many in Hastings were shocked to hear that the Parchment Trust, who were given the centre for free, plan to sell it on the open free, plan to sell it on the open market for £650,000. Does the Minister agree with me that the parchment trust should look at how parchment trust should look at how they can return it to public hands and take up the offer of the Charity

15:48

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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and take up the offer of the Charity Commission to meet to discuss this? Minister. Deputy Speaker absolutely, I

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Deputy Speaker absolutely, I think look, I think my hon. Friend gives us the example of how not to do this. And we saw that under the do this. And we saw that under the party opposite. I think that if we get this right and we put communities at the very heart of this, that is how we drive change. And I would commend her on the amazing leadership that she's showing in her community, working with others to bring them round the table to make sure that it is investment that has a long term impact that will drive change in her community.

15:49

Richard Baker MP (Glenrothes and Mid Fife, Labour)

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Richard Baker Madam. neighbourhoods in Fife benefiting from £40 million of pride in place funding should this government once again delivering for the people of the Kingdom of Fife. Given the centralisation of power in Scotland

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under the SNP, how does she believe decision. Making in. Scottish communities,

15:49

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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particularly in areas of deprivation? Minister. Thank you to my friend for raising that really important point. raising that really important point. We believe that communities should be in charge and should be in the driving seat, and that's how we drive transformative long term change. We desperately hope that the Scottish Government will look at what we're doing. Scottish Government that has been hugely centralising, but not always making the decisions that are in the best interest of the communities that we want them to.

We think there is something that they can learn, and we will work with them to share the lessons, but critically to advocate and encourage them to take a similar approach. you.

15:49

Markus Campbell-Savours MP (Penrith and Solway, Labour)

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Madam.

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Deputy Speaker, and. Thank you. To. The. Minister for this fantastic. Funding announcement. I know my constituents in

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I know my constituents in Maryport and Broughton more will make good use of this £20 million investment. Thinking back to the last government's approach to levelling up, I recall that the Public. Accounts Committee criticised the lack of transparency criticised the lack of transparency on how levelling up money was allocated, as. Pork barrel politics and levelling up are two very and levelling up are two very different things. Can the minister reassure us that lessons have been

15:50

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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reassure us that lessons have been transparent? Minister. Thank you to my hon. Friend, for raising that very important point. I raising that very important point. I think it was shocking the sort of power politics that we saw under the last government, I think, at a time where our communities were under huge pressure and we saw such deprivation, it was pretty egregious and unforgivable. That is not something that this side will do. That is not something that this Labour government would do.

We're very clear and transparent about the metrics that we've used. It's all published, it's there. And critically, we are trying to reach the communities that need the greatest help.

15:50

Richard Burgon MP (Leeds East, Labour)

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And the final question. Not only as the Member of Parliament, but as an East Leeds resident, I am absolutely delighted

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that. £20 million. Has been secured. For. C Croft. North and.

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Monks. Wood. That. Really, really needs it. So would the Minister.

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So would the Minister. Agree with me that the ideas and answers on how this vital. Money should be spent. Lies with the local.

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the local. Monks. Wood, who were sadly.

15:51

Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) (Peckham, Labour )

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Left behind and let down by the previous Tory government minister. My honourable friend is

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My honourable friend is completely right. The answers absolutely lie with our local communities, and if we do the job of creating the space for them, if we do the job of empowering them, if we do the job of building their capacity, they have the ability to fundamentally transform lives in our community. That is something that I am determined to support. That is something that we are proud that as a Labour government, we are putting at the heart of our approach. That deliver.

15:52

Points of Order

And that concludes the statement. Thank you. Minister. Point of order, Speaker.

15:52

Liz Twist MP (Blaydon and Consett, Labour)

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Members will be aware that the.

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Hall is this week hosting the Speak Their Name exhibition of suicide memorial. Quilts from.

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Quilts from. Across the UK. This would not. Have been possible without the help of House staff.

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help of House staff. Who have gone way over and. Above to make sure that this

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Above to make sure that this exhibition and last Friday's. Launch of the exhibition. With the baton. Of Hope. Could take place.

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Can I. Ask you, Madam Deputy Speaker. To thank all. Of the staff.

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Of the staff. Involved for their help. And to pass on my appreciation for their help?

15:52

Judith Cummins MP (Bradford South, Labour)

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I thank the honourable member for giving notice of her. Point of order. She is now helpfully placed order. She is now helpfully placed her thanks on the record to those responsible for the exhibition, and I will ensure that Mr Speaker is made aware that gratitude so that it can be passed on to staff. Yeah. Here we now come to the ten minute rule motion Matt Western.

15:53

Matt Western MP (Warwick and Leamington, Labour)

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16:03

Legislation: Remaining stages of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill

hopes to reach 2% by 2025. Yet today, globally, it is just 0.3%. Now, the UK published figure this

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year of 1.29% is better, but nevertheless shows how far we have to go. The Conservative government.

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The Conservative government. Promised back in 2022 to have five commercial UK SAF plants operational by 2025, but there is still only one. It is therefore right that the government has introduced legislation.

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introduced legislation. To attempt to make sure that the latest set of SAF targets. Moved from fantasy to. Realistic, credible and

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Realistic, credible and deliverable plans, although these will ultimately need to serve only as a transition towards development of truly.

16:04

Olly Glover MP (Didcot and Wantage, Liberal Democrat)

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16:08

Brian Leishman MP (Alloa and Grangemouth, Independent)

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16:15

Sarah Olney MP (Richmond Park, Liberal Democrat)

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16:17

Tom Collins MP (Worcester, Labour)

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Context is very important as this bill is a first step in a very long pathway to decarbonising aviation. At the moment, SAF components are blended with existing fossil fuels to create usable aircraft fuel. I'll discuss a little bit more about that in a minute, but I think it's helpful context for us to be aware of the various generations of sustainable aviation fuel that will form a roadmap as we move into the future. First generation aviation fuels use oils as feedstocks.

These are often of biological origin, and they produce a kerosene type fuel that can be blended with our existing jet fuel. Second generation SAF is derived from solid waste, which goes through a digestion process producing alcohols, which can then be formulated into, again, aviation fuel type products. The third generation. Therefore, I will remind members the third generation uses wet mass as feedstock, which again might be biological but is incapable of competing with food crops for production, and it produces an output that is very much like crude oil or bio crude oil.

And this it's important to realise that the outputs of these different processes, as we move through. Generations of sustainable aviation fuel production, are different and are able to slip into different types of the existing. Fuel production supply chain exists today. The fourth generation is derived from gases, maybe even atmospheric gases. Carbon dioxide drawn from the atmosphere is often referred to as power to liquid, and is an entirely non-biological process, and that requires a lot of new technology. It is a it is a future, a future solution.

But we can see it's a very advantageous and attractive solution as it provides us with a purely synthetic fuel. The point I'm trying to illustrate, as

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the Deputy Speaker, is that this is vision. For. Aviation, where sustainable aviation fuel is able to play a progressively larger role, and in the future we may even move to the future we may even move to different fuels altogether. And as Chair of the All-Party parliamentary Group on hydrogen, I'd like to just Group on hydrogen, I'd like to just give a short shout out to its role in the potential long term future of in the potential long term future of power for aviation.

These generations of fuel also interact with the technology in our aircraft. with the technology in our aircraft. Although current blends of sustainable aviation fuel can go into aircraft now as we move to into aircraft now as we move to higher fractions of sustainable components in that fuel, the aircraft will need to be upgraded because some of the aromatic because some of the aromatic components in fossil fuels are not available in these synthetic fuels currently, they're required by some currently, they're required by some of the seals in the engines, and the aircraft will need to move into future generations to accept high future generations to accept high proportions of aviation fuel.

And so all of this is about a. Strategic all of this is about a. Strategic roadmap. This is one step, one vastly enabling piece of legislation vastly enabling piece of legislation that follows a model that is well proven now to help establish new technologies as part of a greener, technologies as part of a greener, sustainable future. We have seen the similar progress in offshore wind,

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for example. It has been utterly transformational beyond anybody's. Expectations. And this vehicle should be able

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And this vehicle should be able to do similar things for the beginning of our journey on decarbonising aviation. But it needs decarbonising aviation. But it needs a long term plan, and that is why there is a really important piece of work to be played out here by the government in the secondary legislation that this enables, and it's very important that that

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legislation takes account of all of. The. Factors that are being discussed through the various proposed amendments to this bill. For that reason, I oppose this amendment reason, I oppose this amendment because we mustn't oversimplify the journey that's before us. In fact, we must allow the government freedom to create a sophisticated, technical, technically led strategy technical, technically led strategy to deploy these different types of sustainable aviation fuel, taking into account all factors, including our existing infrastructure, but our existing infrastructure, but also the production of biomass.

Also, the advancement of aviation Also, the advancement of aviation technology. But if we get it right, and if this game is played while we have the opportunity to start have the opportunity to start successfully and even lead in a journey that will be absolutely transformative and envisage a

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transformative and envisage a thriving, positive and sustainable future for aviation. Yeah. John Cooper.

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Thank you very much. Speaker. For many years I commuted by aircraft from Scotland

16:22

John Cooper MP (Dumfries and Galloway, Conservative)

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16:27

Baggy Shanker MP (Derby South, Labour )

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16:29

Luke Taylor MP (Sutton and Cheam, Liberal Democrat)

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16:38

Sadik Al-Hassan MP (North Somerset, Labour)

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16:44

Iqbal Mohamed MP (Dewsbury and Batley, Independent)

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16:52

Edward Morello MP (West Dorset, Liberal Democrat)

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16:59

Olly Glover MP (Didcot and Wantage, Liberal Democrat)

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clause one to a vote. Yes. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. To begin, I draw members attention to my entry in the Register of Members Financial interests with regard to the synthetic road. Fuel provided to me for a constituency surgery tour last year, that's not strictly relevant to sustainable aviation fuel, but I want to be entirely transparent about it, as I have been throughout the passage of this bill. And can I also begin by welcoming the new minister to his place? He has a very big pair of shoes to fill, and I equally want to commend the honourable member for Wythenshawe and Sale East for the commendable that we didn't always see entirely eye to eye, but the commendable effort and attention he put into getting this bill and his other juices through the House.

So, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will begin with

17:00

Greg Smith MP (Mid Buckinghamshire, Conservative)

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17:19

Keir Mather MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport) (Selby, Labour)

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17:31

Division

18:14

Points of Order

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the ayes have it. The ayes have it. But a point of order, Sir. Bernard Jenkins.

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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. The Prime Minister, in order. The The Prime Minister, in order. The gentleman, the Prime Minister earlier today promised that certain papers would be published as soon as papers would be published as soon as they could be published. But he didn't give a time. Has there been any indication of when these papers will be published? Because we are still waiting for them.

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I thank the honourable gentleman for his point of order. Whilst that is not a matter for. The Chair, I am.

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The Chair, I am. Sure that the Treasury Bench will have heard his.

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have heard his. completed. Third Reading. Now Minister to move Third

18:15

Legislation: Remaining stages of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill

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Now Minister to move Third Reading. We formally the question is Reading. We formally the question is that the bill be now read the third time. The question is that the bill

18:15

Legislation: Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill 3rd reading

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time. The question is that the bill as. I. Of the country. No, I think.

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Of the country. No, I think. The ayes have it. The ayes have it. Just you're not thinking.

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it. Just you're not thinking. Just just tell me you.

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Motion number three retained on retained EU law Minister to move. I beg to move.

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I beg to move. The question is as on the Order Paper. As many as are of that opinion say, "aye" I.

18:16

Remaining Orders of the Day

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say, "aye" I. Of the country. No, I think. The ayes have it. The ayes. Have it. Motion number four on extradition. Minister to move.

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extradition. Minister to move. I beg to move. The question is, as on the Order Paper as many as are of that opinion Paper as many as are of that opinion say, "aye" I. I of the country. No, I think the ayes.

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Have it. The ayes have it. Motion number five on Modernisation Committee.

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Minister to move. I beg to move. The question is as on the Order Paper. As many as are of that opinion

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As many as are of that opinion say, "aye" I. Of the contrary. No, I think. The ayes have it.

18:17

Petitions

18:19

Adjournment: Work in prisons for serving prisoners Catherine Atkinson MP (Derby North, Labour)

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18:38

Jake Richards MP, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Rother Valley, Labour)

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11:00

Oral questions: Northern Ireland

18:56

Jake Richards MP, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Rother Valley, Labour)

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11:01

Oral questions: Northern Ireland

18:56

Jake Richards MP, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Rother Valley, Labour)

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11:01

Oral questions: Northern Ireland

House House of House of Commons House of Commons - House of Commons - 15 House of Commons - 15 October House of Commons - 15 October 2025. House of Commons - 15 October 2025. House House of House of Commons House of Commons - House of Commons - 15 House of Commons - 15 October

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