Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 24 Oct 2019 The Economy
"It is an honour to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Bury North (James Frith); his passion and resolve to highlight the injustice of what happened to his town’s football club must be commended by us all in this House.
That this House has considered regulation of animal rescue homes.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Robertson. I thank the Minister for attending this debate, on an issue of great importance to our constituencies.
"I will come on to the Government consultation later; smaller charities and those who do this work voluntarily, without the shelter of a larger organisation, do have concerns, and legislation is about supporting those people as well. The hon. Gentleman makes an important point.
"I absolutely agree. There is an issue of understanding what we are dealing with—how many people are opening up as refuge centres and sanctuaries, and how many are doing that voluntarily. There are people who are probably not getting the support they need to look after vulnerable animals.
"I am sure that my hon. Friend shares my concern that there is no statutory regulation of animal rescue centres in the UK. Since local authorities do not collect that information, I submitted a freedom of information request to every local authority in England and found that only 18% of …..." Jo Platt - View Speech
"Rail connectivity between towns and cities represents the tool by which our local economies prosper, our businesses thrive, our young people travel for employment and educational opportunities, our skills gaps narrow, social isolation can be tackled and leisure facilities accessed, and, most importantly, social mobility is enhanced.
"My hon. Friend is absolutely right. This is not just about my area; it is about connections to all our towns and cities, particularly in the north.
It is outrageous that the Government have only given TfN the powers to prepare a strategy and provide advice, and no power to …..." Jo Platt - View Speech
"My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We are naming transport as one of the key indicators for social mobility. There are obviously many others, but transport connectivity is much needed.
Infrastructure is letting down the young people of Leigh. Despite their dedication and hard work, they are struggling to gain …..." Jo Platt - View Speech
"The Minister talks about connecting to HS2, but it will take more than an hour for some of my constituents in Mosley Common to travel into Wigan by public transport. How will they access HS2 in good time? It will take passengers less time to travel from Wigan to Birmingham...." Jo Platt - View Speech