Engagements — House of Commons, 2018-09-05
Topic: Housing
Questions: Anti- semitism has no place in British public life. Will my right hon. Friend assure the House that she will always work to ensure that this remains the case?; The Prime Minister will be aware of the campaign to extend the Borders railway from Tweedbank to Hawick and Newcastleton, and on to Carlisle. That will provide a huge boost to the local economy and will help demonstrate what Scotland’s two Governments can do for my region. So what will the Prime Minister do to ensure there is sufficient resource in the Borderlands growth deal to allow this project to move forward?; Walsall Manor Hospital serves many of my constituents, and it desperately needs a new and extended accident and emergency department. With other hospitals in the Black country supporting its bid, will the Prime Minister assure me that some of the £20 billion additional funding for the NHS is coming to Walsall to improve A&E provision?; Rural Scotland, including my Argyll and Bute constituency, is facing a depopulation crisis that will be exacerbated by Brexit. Last week, Cleland Sneddon, the chief executive of Argyll and Bute Council, added his name to those calling for a more flexible, devolved and regional immigration policy and offered Argyll and Bute as a pilot area to test it. Will the Prime Minister agree to meet me and the chief executive to discuss the merits of such a proposal?; The opening of the V&A museum of design next week in my city of Dundee is already attracting worldwide attention, is expected to have up to 500,000 visitors in its first year and will drive millions of pounds into the local economy. The Prime Minister will be aware that an announcement to confirm funding for the Tay cities deal is imminent, and improved connectivity is key to driving the prosperity of the region. As an air link to Dundee was part of Heathrow’s successful bid for the third runway, will the Prime Minister express her firm commitment to the introduction of a new direct air service to Dundee by 2021 and the associated investment required to secure it?; The Prime Minister and I both represent seats around Heathrow airport, and we both campaigned for years against its damaging effects on our constituents and against its expansion. But when it came to the third runway vote, she shifted. If I can understand her change of heart—because new facts emerge and it was not the same proposal as it was years ago—can she not apply the same logic and allow the electorate the final say on the final Brexit deal?; Will the Prime Minister commit to securing and simplifying the future for people up and down the UK and pledge to protect the pensions dashboard?; Because of funding pressures, many schools are cutting short the school week, so what is the Prime Minister’s message to parents whose children will be out of school for half a day a week?; According to the patients’ group End Our Pain, there has been a near total refusal of NHS trusts to back applications for medical cannabis. The Home Secretary has only paid lip service to two high-profile cases and has not proposed a workable solution for other desperate children and adults across the UK. The Prime Minister could show real leadership and solve this for hundreds of families—but will she?; Last year, Bedford’s maternity unit closed its doors six times due to capacity and staffing issues. This is disgraceful. Will the Prime Minister admit now that starving our NHS of funds has had very devastating consequences? Will she reinstate the nursing bursaries to address the shameful national shortage of 3,500 midwives and fund our NHS properly?; Does the Prime Minister agree with the chief constable of Greater Manchester when he says that, after losing 2,000 officers in eight years, the public have to accept that without more resources, it is impossible for the police to respond to crimes like car break-ins, antisocial behaviour and even property theft? Is that just the reality of policing under this Government, or will the Prime Minister commit to give our police the funding they need?; Twenty-five thousand jobs and 30 million passengers depend on Manchester airport, which is in my constituency, but with no World Trade Organisation fall-back position after Brexit, can the Prime Minister explain why the Government have downgraded the possibility of an aviation sector deal?; It has been reported this morning that the Treasury and No. 10 are blocking plans for legally binding three-year tenancies for private renters. This is of great concern to private renters in my constituency, including many families sending their children back to school this week who do not know where they will be living this time next year. Will the Prime Minister make a clear promise to private tenants that they will be entitled to three-year tenancies in law?
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): We are keen to support tenants to access longer, more secure tenancies, while also obviously ensuring that landlords are able to recover their property when needed. The consultation on overcoming the barriers to longer tenancies in the private rented sector closed on 26 August. It considered the various barriers to longer tenancies and how to overcome them, and it did propose a new three-year tenancy model with a six-month break clause. We asked for views on the viability of that and how it could be implemented. We are now analysing those responses, and we will provide information on the next steps once we have done that.