Business of the House

Peter Fortune Excerpts

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend raises a very important matter which will echo the concerns of families in many constituencies. Delays arise in particular where applications are incomplete or require further information, but to improve waiting times His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service has invested in additional staff, in system and process improvements and in an upskilling programme, but I will undertake to give the Lord Chancellor sight of my hon. Friend’s words on this issue and see what more can be done.

[Peter Fortune (Bromley and Biggin Hill) (Con)]

I recently visited the Demelza hospice, which cares for children with life-limiting conditions and supports families across Bromley and elsewhere. It is simply extraordinary. Some 84% of its funding comes from charitable donations and it has been hit particularly hard, as have other hospices, by the Government’s changes to national insurance contributions, which will lead to the loss of specialist nursing provision. May we have a debate in Government time on the taxation and funding of hospices?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

First, let me join the hon. Gentleman in commending hospices across the country, which do a fantastic job. This issue has been raised previously in light of changes that took place at a previous Budget. I do not know what will be in the Budget next Wednesday, but it sounds to me like the sort of issue that he might want to raise directly in the four days of debate.