theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
debates/debates2025-06-18e conversation_19
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-06-18e conversation_19

Chris Kane:In Scotland, over 10,000 children are stuck in temporary accommodation, including many in my constituency. Too many families face soaring rents, long waiting lists and dwindling options. It is just one of so many policy failings—we are all losing count and losing patience—as public confidence in the SNP’s ability to govern collapses. What advice does the Deputy Prime Minister have for the SNP Government as they continue to preside over a chronic failure to invest in the social and affordable housing that Scotland desperately needs? \p Angela Rayner: My hon. Friend is right. Homelessness levels are far too high, which have a devastating impact on those affected. Under the SNP, 10,000 children in Scotland—a record high—shamefully have no fixed home to call their own. Our decisions have given Scotland a record settlement—the largest since devolution. We saw in Hamilton how Scots are fed up with the SNP’s excuses. The SNP has been in power for nearly two decades and has nowhere left to hide from its failure.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-06-18e conversation_20

Ann Davies:Diolch, Mr Llefarydd. Welsh farmers are taking hit after hit, from Tory trade deals to Labour taxes. Now, on top of that, bluetongue restrictions affecting Wales and England will hamper cross-border trade. Over 550 farms on the border and key livestock markets rely on summer trading. Once-in-a-year opportunities like the Royal Welsh Show are crucial, and the disruption will be devastating. Will the Deputy Prime Minister commit to working with the Welsh Government on a scheme to compensate the losses? \p Angela Rayner: I gently say to the hon. Member that you do not deliver for Wales by voting against an extra £1.6 billion for public services like Plaid did in the Senedd. We will ensure that we support Wales and Welsh farmers and will continue to do that as a UK Government.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-06-18e conversation_21

Andrew Pakes:In the spending review last week, the Government backed Peterborough with support for our new pool and a sports quarter in the city. That commitment has the power to turn years of campaigning into a reality, but that is not all: the Government have also recently approved the business case for our new station and have given us new police. Does the Deputy Prime Minister agree that this is just the start and that places like Peterborough that were forgotten for too long by the Conservatives are now at the top of this Labour Government’s agenda? \p Angela Rayner: I thank my hon. Friend for his comments. I am flanked by the two ladies—the Chancellor and the Home Secretary—who have ensured that those things happen. The Chancellor has guaranteed funding to accelerate projects like Peterborough’s new sports quarter, which will include a new Olympic-sized  swimming pool. I can also confirm today that, subject to the business case approval, we will provide nearly £48 million of funding for a new city centre quarter and a refurbished eastern station building.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

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Susan Murray:If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities. \p Liz Kendall: I am delighted to join the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. This is a crucial area for our country, providing  opportunities for jobs and work, and to improve our public services. As Secretary of State, I am getting to work straight away. As I said on Monday, I have strengthened the law to add further protections from dangerous self-harm material online. Social media companies now have to take action to not just remove that material but prevent it from coming up in the first place, so that the internet can live up to its real potential as a place of opportunity where everyone can learn, connect and be creative, free from fear. \p Susan Murray: I, too, welcome the right hon. Member to her place. Her predecessor, the right hon. Member for Hove and Portslade (Peter Kyle), warned that losing control of artificial general intelligence would be catastrophic, yet he failed to deliver legislation to protect the public. Will the new Secretary of State deliver on an artificial intelligence Bill, and ensure that the British people benefit from the advantages of AI, without becoming its victims? \p Liz Kendall: I want to ensure that people, businesses and creatives throughout the country can benefit from the huge opportunities that technological developments in AI promise, and that people are protected, too. It is early days in this job, and I am listening carefully to all those involved, but wherever action is required, I will take it.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

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Peter Lamb:What  conversations have taken place with UK Research and Innovation on the support and development of new sustainable transport technologies, and on how they might benefit constituencies such as mine, Crawley? \p Liz Kendall: My hon. Friend will know that the UK is a world leader in research and innovation. Over the spending review period, we are delivering £86 billion for research and development—a record amount. UKRI invests more than £300 million a year in transport innovation, and sustainability is a key focus. Projects include work to develop new aviation fuel production technologies that could reduce emissions by up to 80%. There is more that we can do. I know he is passionate about this issue, and either I or my Ministers will be very happy to meet him to talk more about what we can do. \p Lindsay Hoyle: We now come to the shadow Secretary of State. I welcome her to her new position. \p Julia Lopez: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I welcome the new Secretary of State to her place and, of course, I welcome her stellar team. The Minister of State, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South (Ian Murray), is so hot that he snared two jobs from the guy who just fired him. The Tech Secretary replaces the Ozempic of Whitehall, the right hon. Member for Hove and Portslade (Peter Kyle), who claimed that his digital plan would shear £45 billion of fat from the Government. By how much did it cut the civil service? \p Liz Kendall: I believe that using tech and AI to modernise our public services enables the people who work in the public sector to spend more time on the things they want to spend time on—serving the users of  public services—and less time on red tape and bureaucracy, much of which was put in place by the hon. Lady’s Government. \p Julia Lopez: I fully agree with the right hon. Lady, but the number of civil servants has risen to a 20-year high under Labour. If somebody in the private sector led a reverse efficiency drive, they would get sacked; Labour made the person responsible Business Secretary. For a welfare meltdown, you get to be the Minister for the future, but while AI is screaming for cheap electricity, the Prime Minister cannot sack his failing Energy Secretary. Why should the tech sector believe that this is a Government of delivery? \p Liz Kendall: Because this Government believe that science, technology and innovation are how this country will seize the opportunities of the future. Unlike Opposition Members, we are determined to deliver that change for people in every part of the country, no matter where they live, because our people are our best asset. We want to grow the economy, transform our public services, and sort out the mess left by Opposition Members.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-09-10e conversation_7

Dave Robertson:Too  many of my constituents in Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages are struggling with appalling mobile signal. It is a problem we see across the country, and it is often worse in rural areas. What steps are the ministerial team taking to ensure that the Government’s review of the mobile market leads to a faster roll-out of 5G? \p Liz Kendall: We cannot ensure that everybody in this country benefits from being online and from developments unless everybody is joined up to fast broadband. We have put £1.8 billion over the spending review period into making connectivity work. I am working closely with Building Digital UK; if my hon. Friend has concerns about his constituents, he should come and meet me and Building Digital UK to get them online, because that is how they will seize the opportunities of the future. \p UNKNOWN: The Prime Minister was asked—
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-09-10e conversation_11

Josh Newbury:My constituent Connor Edwards lives with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and craniocervical instability, which, in his words, means his head is slowly falling off his body. Having once enjoyed fishing and mountain biking, at the age of 30 Connor is now largely bed-bound and says his condition has destroyed his quality of life. He is having to crowdfund for treatment in Spain because the NHS cannot give him the help he needs. Will the Prime Minister ensure that I, Connor and EDS charities have a meeting with the Minister to discuss what more we can do to give thousands of people like Connor their freedom back? \p Keir Starmer: I have read through the details of Connor’s case, which has just been summarised. It is heartbreaking. I thank my hon. Friend for consistently campaigning and championing all those affected. I will make sure that he gets the meetings he needs so that we can hear from Connor and others and learn from their experience. \p Stephen Flynn: Gaza is a graveyard. Yet rather than end arms sales, extend sanctions and stand by international law, the Prime Minister will today welcome into his home—a home entrusted to him by the people of these isles—the man who called for the collective punishment of the Palestinian people  and who signed the artillery shells that destroyed their homes, their families and their friends; a man who will ignore every word the Prime Minister says. Would he invite Vladimir Putin into No. 10? Would he invite Benjamin Netanyahu into No. 10? What does it say of this Prime Minister that he will harbour this man while children starve? \p Keir Starmer: For the record, we have suspended arms that could be used in Gaza, we have sanctioned extremists and we have suspended trade talks. The point the right hon. Gentleman raises is a very serious one. We all want an outcome that ensures that there is peace, that the hostages get out, that aid gets in and that there is a two-state outcome. It is the only way we will get peace in a region that has suffered conflict for a very, very long time. I will not give up on diplomacy—that is the politics of students.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-09-10e conversation_12

Bill Esterson:Let’s talk about fracking. It contaminates the water table, it causes air pollution and the test drilling in Lancashire led to earthquakes. Will the Prime Minister stand up to the climate deniers? Will he ban fracking once and for all? Does he agree that those who are backing it are supporting fracking stupid reform? \p Keir Starmer: We will ban fracking for good, and let us be absolutely clear that the biggest risk to energy prices is staying hooked on volatile international fossil fuel markets. In stark contrast, Reform is ignoring local communities, putting green jobs and investment at risk and committing to higher bills by warning renewable companies not to invest. That is shocking.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-09-10e conversation_13

Simon Hoare:A few short weeks ago, a constituent of mine died in a tragic fire at the Lady Bailey residential park in Winterborne Whitechurch. The fire was attended by 50 Dorset and Wiltshire firefighters and others. This summer alone, 900 grassland, woodland and crop fires have equalled the busiest year on record for that fire service, and I extend my thanks to all of them for all that they do. The Prime Minister will be aware that rural funding is always an issue and that the delivery of rural services is always a challenge. Will he arrange for the relevant Minister at the Home Office to meet me and senior officials in that fire service to discuss the needs of our rural area to ensure that my constituents and those across the counties of Dorset and Wiltshire are kept as safe as they possibly can be? \p Keir Starmer: I am very sorry to hear about the case that the hon. Gentleman raises, and I am sure that the thoughts of the whole House will be with the friends and family of the constituent that he referenced. Indeed, our thoughts are with all those affected, particularly farmers, and I want to join him in thanking our firefighters, who have worked tirelessly to keep people safe. We have provided Dorset and Wiltshire fire and rescue authority with an increased budget of almost £75 million, but I will ensure that he gets the meeting he has asked for to ensure that we can properly support our firefighters and protect our farmland.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-09-10e conversation_14

Jon Trickett:This morning, I spoke to the parents of a young man who is unemployed in my constituency. There are  20 people on the dole in my area for every job that is advertised. Unemployment is a personal crisis and a social crisis. Will the Prime Minister join me in reminding the House that unemployment is not a price worth paying, which the Conservatives clearly believe, and will he indicate that he will break with the failed economic orthodoxy that suggests that such a thing is true? \p Keir Starmer: I am pleased that the employment rate is up, that inactivity is down and that we have created over 380,000 jobs since we have been in power. Going further, I know that my hon. Friend, as a proud Yorkshireman, will welcome the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield airport just yesterday, which was made possible by the decisions we have made. That is a Labour mayor working with a Labour Government to create jobs across the country.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-09-10e conversation_15

Carla Denyer:Fifty-one Israeli arms companies are exhibiting at the Defence and Security Equipment International arms fair in London this week, and some of them even boast that their products are battle tested. We all know what that means: that they have been used to kill men, women and children. This Government often ask us what more we expect them to do when it comes to Gaza. Here is one thing: will be Prime Minister stop Israeli arms dealers parading their Gaza-tested weapons on UK soil? \p Keir Starmer: We have very clear and strict rules in relation to this, and we have taken action in relation to arms sales.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-09-10e conversation_16

Ruth Jones:I thank the Prime Minister for his sympathy and words of condolence following the sudden and untimely death of Hefin David, our Welsh Member of the Senedd for Caerphilly. His contributions over the past 18 years as a councillor and as a Member of the Senedd since 2016 were always relevant, witty and incisive, and our thoughts are with his partner and his family.

Drone Evolution, a manufacturer based in Caerphilly, and Airbus in Newport West are just two of the companies that will benefit from Labour’s investment in defence. Can I welcome the new defence industrial strategy and ask the Prime Minister to update the House on how the new defence growth zones will create more jobs across Wales and beyond? \p Keir Starmer: Hefin was a proud Welshman and a champion for Caerphilly. We send our love and support to his partner, Vikki, and his daughters, family and friends.

Wales has a thriving defence sector and I am delighted that it will host one of our new defence growth zones. That is investing £250 million to make defence an engine for jobs and growth across the United Kingdom. That is what we get when we have a Labour Government in both Cardiff and Westminster working together to deliver for Wales.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-09-10e conversation_17

Andrew Rosindell:My local borough commander in Romford tells me how much valuable police time is being wasted investigating trivial social media posts and non-crime hate incidents.  Should the police not be patrolling our streets rather than moderating the internet? Will the Prime Minister commit to urgently updating the Public Order Act 1986 to reflect the realities of the digital age, so that our police are focused on tackling real crime and upholding freedom of speech, rather than suppressing it? \p Keir Starmer: I have been clear on a number of occasions: I do want the police to concentrate on serious crime and on crime that matters most to our communities in each of our constituencies. I have said that before, and I say it again today.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-09-10e conversation_18

Adam Jogee:People in Crackley and Bradwell and right across Newcastle-under-Lyme are sick and tired of antisocial behaviour going untackled. I welcome the Government’s commitment to taking back our streets, but we need action. Will the Prime Minister join me in urging the Conservative police commissioner in Staffordshire to use the resources that he has been given to support our local police and finally get a grip, so that my constituents can live their lives free of hassle and, most importantly, safely? \p Keir Starmer: The Conservatives decimated neighbourhood policing. People should feel safe in their communities, and that is exactly why we have committed to putting 13,000 additional police personnel back in our town centres and communities. That means there will be a named police officer in every community, armed with tough new respect orders to break up antisocial behaviour. These powers are contained in our Crime and Policing Bill, which the Conservatives and Reform voted against. \p Mark Pritchard: His Majesty’s Prison Stoke Heath in Shropshire has seen six deaths in custody in less than two years. That is above the national average. Will the Prime Minister join me in calling on the Ministry of Justice to ensure that there are enough resources and that the right governance is in place at Stoke Heath? \p Keir Starmer: The Secretary of State for Justice will look into the matter and take up the suggestion, and I will arrange for a meeting as soon as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-09-10e conversation_19

Simon Opher:Vaccinations were invented in Berkeley in my constituency 230 years ago and, as a GP, I have jabbed literally thousands of children and adults. Will the Prime Minister update the House about our new roll-out of chickenpox vaccinations, which will further protect our children? Will he also join me in condemning other political parties that give a platform to people who spread false rumours about vaccination? \p Keir Starmer: My hon. Friend speaks with great authority, and I am proud that Labour is protecting 500,000 children by rolling out chickenpox vaccines. In stark contrast, the man who wrote Reform’s health policy has made shocking and baseless claims that vaccines are linked to cancer, and that has been endorsed by the Reform leader, the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage)—[Interruption.] They laugh at it. These dangerous conspiracies cost lives, and this shows that Reform cannot be trusted with our NHS. \p Charlotte Cane: Sunnica solar farm, which runs through my constituency, was given permission by this Government, and there are more solar farm applications in the pipeline. My constituents are concerned that these applications are being made without a land use framework, which would have provided reassurance that the competing demands for land are balanced effectively. Will the Prime Minister commit to giving the land use framework statutory weight to ensure that land is used strategically to get the best out of it for new clean, renewable energy that genuinely benefits communities and for farmers, nature, water and housing? \p Keir Starmer: It is important that we move to renewables in order to have energy independence and to keep our bills down, and this will benefit lots of communities, including the hon. Member’s. I want to reassure her constituents that we will of course follow process and that they will always have a say in any decisions that we make.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-09-10e conversation_20

David Pinto-Duschinsky:The leasehold system is fundamentally broken. Thousands of leaseholders in Hendon are getting a raw deal, paying ever-rising service charges for ever-poorer service. That is why I welcome the Government’s commitment to ending the feudal system of leasehold once and for all. Will the Prime Minister share with the House what actions the Government are taking to help leaseholders and bring in a system of commonhold? \p Keir Starmer: The previous Government shattered the dream of home ownership. We are reforming the outdated system so that leaseholders receive stronger rights, powers and protections. We will bring to an end the feudal leasehold system, reinvigorate commonhold and deliver the biggest boost to social affordable housing in a generation. \p Al Pinkerton: Since May, my constituent Sue has received thousands of pounds-worth of fines after a criminal gang in London cloned her number plate and went on a rampage through the capital. In an age of increasingly sophisticated digital security, the number registration system seems like a remarkably analogue anachronism—it is ripe for abuse and it is failing drivers. Will the Prime Minister look at and pick up my Vehicle Registration Marks (Misuse and Offences) Bill, which I presented last week, to strengthen the legislation and ensure that police services have the tools they require to tackle that growing crime and protect law-abiding motorists? \p Keir Starmer: I am sorry to hear about the hon. Gentleman’s constituent. That is an awful situation for anyone to find themselves in. I will of course look at his Bill.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-11-27d conversation_2

Callum Anderson:What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on funding for youth services in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. \p Stephanie Peacock: We regularly engage with colleagues across Government on issues that affect young people, especially through the development of our national youth strategy. This year alone we are investing over £145 million to deliver projects that reflect young people’s priorities across our country. \p Callum Anderson: Bletchley youth centre has been a trusted hub for our town for over 60 years, supporting 400 young people in the town every week by providing affordable activities and outreach to prevent antisocial behaviour, but that service has been stretched due to years of underfunding by the previous Government. There is hope, however, with the new Labour Government and their youth strategy. Will the Minister set out what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Bletchley youth centre and others like it receive the support that they need to help our young people? \p Stephanie Peacock: Our national youth strategy focuses on rebuilding youth services so that young people have access to people who care, something to do and places to go. A key aspect of our forthcoming youth strategy will be to ensure that funding goes to grassroots organisations such as Bletchley youth centre, and I would be delighted to visit when my diary allows.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-11-27d conversation_3

David Mundell:What recent progress the Future of TV Distribution stakeholder forum has made on its work. \p Ian Murray: The stakeholder forum has made significant progress in its work to support the decision on the future of terrestrial television beyond 2034. The forum  has gathered and presented evidence on many aspects of this very complex issue. The work of the forum will be vital in ensuring that we arrive at the best decision for both UK households and the television industry itself. A decision that maintains both universal television access, which is important, and the sustainable public service broadcaster ecosystem is what we are aiming for. \p Martin Vickers: The Minister will be aware of a recent survey that shows that there is very little knowledge among the public of the future changes, but those who are aware are concerned about not only obtaining the service but its cost. What guarantees can the Minister give that the costs will not be too heavy? \p Ian Murray: Those are all considerations for the working group. It has met four times already and is due to meet again in December. I have met the group to discuss these issues since I have been in post. Digital inclusion and connectivity, as well as the cost, are all active concerns and they will be weighed by Government when we make the decision, but let us not forget that this is a decision from 2034 onwards—nothing will change before that. \p David Mundell: Older people and those in rural constituencies such as mine, which unfortunately still have unreliable broadband, rely on terrestrial television. The excellent Westminster Hall debate that I led demonstrated cross-party concern about this issue. Will the Minister meet me and other concerned MPs to discuss how we can safeguard terrestrial television? \p Ian Murray: I thank the right hon. Gentleman for the way in which he has taken this issue forward. The Westminster Hall debate was very engaging and interesting, with contributions from across this House. I read the transcript of the debate just yesterday. As the stakeholder forum nears the end of its work and completes that process, I would be very happy to meet him. When the assessment is complete, my office will be in touch. It is always a pleasure to meet the right hon. Gentleman, and for the record, when we next meet, it is his round.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-11-27d conversation_4

Tan Dhesi:What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on funding for youth services. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government are taking a new approach to youth services, rebuilding the landscape and improving local co-ordination. We regularly engage with colleagues across Government to drive this shift through the development of our national youth strategy that is co-produced with young people. \p Tan Dhesi: Under the previous Conservative Government, youth services suffered the most devastating and deepest cuts in modern times: over £1 billion was slashed, more than 1,000 youth centres shut and young people were left without safe spaces, driving up crime and harming attainment. What exactly are this Government doing to give hope to young people in Slough, the youth capital of Britain, by properly investing in youth services? \p Lindsay Hoyle: Have a youth zone. \p Stephanie Peacock: Indeed, Mr Speaker; we have a brilliant one opening in Barnsley very shortly. My hon. Friend makes an incredibly powerful point. This Government are taking a new approach to youth services, which is why we will be launching our national youth services strategy shortly. \p Shockat Adam: Many youth services and clubs in my constituency rely on indoor sports facilities in the winter, but due to poorly maintained and financed buildings and decades of chronic underfunding, those youth buildings are now unsafe to use. For example, on St Matthew’s estate, the youth have been left without any community sports hall, after the only facility was forced to shut down due to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. What is the Department doing to ensure that provisions and services for our youth get support, so that our children can play during the cold winter months? \p Stephanie Peacock: The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right and makes an important point. Youth services are vital for giving young people safe, healthy and fulfilling lives. Under the last Government, 1,200 youth centres closed their doors and 4,500 youth workers lost their jobs. That is why this Government are taking a different approach.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-11-27d conversation_5

Greg Smith:What steps she is taking to help support small and medium-sized music recording studios. \p Ian Murray: It is of course important to support our music industry, including studios, and that is at the heart of what we are trying to do through the music growth fund, which has £30 million in it. The music levy goes straight into grassroots music, supporting studios. \p Lindsay Hoyle: I call Greg Smith. \p Greg Smith: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and apologies for making it just in time. Chiltern Railways are entirely to blame.

I thank the Minister for that answer, however a couple of weeks ago I met my constituent Dom, who runs a small music studio. The cost pressures on the music industry coming from this Government are unsustainable at the moment, not least from business rates—even after yesterday’s announcement—employer national insurance and the minimum wage. With so many small music studios having closed in recent years in this country, how will the Government ensure that our music industry has a solid future? \p Ian Murray: The creative industries sector plan is right at the heart of this Government’s industrial strategy, and music plays a key part in that. We will have the music 10-point plan shortly, and the £30 million music growth fund will support grassroots music, including those kinds of studio. I was at Co-op Live in Manchester just last month launching Discover! Creative Careers. It has a studio there, and it is trying to open up to the  public. This is about access to studios and also about supporting them. I hope that the ticket levy, which we hope to get to 50% of all shows next year, can support studios, as well as the other growth projects we have in place.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

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Richard Baker:What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a cap on the resale of concert tickets. \p Lisa Nandy: For too long, fans have been exploited by touts seeking to profiteer from the UK’s booming live events industry. Last week, we announced that time is up for ticket touts and that change is coming, by introducing a cap on the price that tickets can be resold for. We estimate that this will save fans over £100 million a year. \p Richard Baker: This summer, thousands of music fans in Scotland were dismayed at having to pay hugely inflated prices to see their favourite bands, including Oasis, so my right hon. Friend’s announcement on capping the resale price of tickets will be welcome news for all those fans. Will she consider what further measures can be taken to ensure a fair deal on ticket prices for concert-goers across the UK? \p Lisa Nandy: I can update my hon. Friend. Among the measures that we announced recently, we have introduced resale volume limits, which will prevent people from reselling more tickets than they were entitled to buy in the primary sale. Alongside the price cap, the Competition and Markets Authority will be able to fine non-compliant platforms up to 10% of their annual turnover, which could mean multimillion-pound fines for rogue firms if they target UK consumers.

In the case of Oasis, as many in this House will know, one of the great challenges was that many of the fans going into that queue did not know that the surge pricing model was being used, so they did not realise that they would paying vastly inflated prices by the time they got to the front of the queue. The CMA has looked  at this and is taking steps to ensure that consumers have the full range of information that they need to prevent that from happening in future. \p Jim Shannon: I am aware of tickets for the Belsonic event at the Boucher Road playing fields in Belfast previously appearing on secondary sites at more than four times their original price within minutes of going on sale, so I welcome the news from the Secretary of State. What progress has been made on perhaps introducing a 5% to 10% cap on the resale of concert tickets? \p Lisa Nandy: In terms of the resale of concert tickets, we have taken a decision after a long period of consultation to cap the resale at the original price. The hon. Gentleman mentions some examples, and there are others; just recently, I looked at some Radiohead tickets that were on sale originally for £100 and were being resold on one of these platforms for more than £1,000. That is an absolute rip-off for fans and has gone on in plain sight for far too long, which is why we have announced that tickets will be resold for the original price. Time is up for the ticket touts. \p Lindsay Hoyle: What did you pay for your Oasis tickets, Jim?
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

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Harpreet Uppal:Huddersfield contemporary music festival is the UK’s largest international festival dedicated to new music, and the programme this year has more than 30 world and UK premieres. Will the Minister join me in paying tribute to this festival, which brings national and international musicians to Huddersfield every November, and will he set out what the Government are doing to ensure we invest in culture in towns like mine? \p Ian Murray: I highly commend the festival in Huddersfield. As an Edinburgh MP who is always championing festivals, the more music festivals and other arts festivals we have across the country, the better. I encourage everyone to go.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-11-27d conversation_13

John Whittingdale:Yesterday I had a roundtable meeting with a number of UK-based AI firms that have reached licensing agreements with owners of rights in the creative industries and publishing industries. Rather than just talking to big tech, will she and the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology meet those UK-based companies that are trying to do the right thing? \p Lisa Nandy: Yes, of course, and in fact we already are. The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and I have convened a series of roundtables, and we are not just talking to big tech companies, but a full range of tech companies, hearing a range of views. For the first time, we are bringing together creators and tech companies. Many of them, as the right hon. Gentleman alludes to, are starting to create their own deals, which we encourage. We do not believe that that negates the need for licensing or the transparency in the legislation that we promised here and in the other place, but I am happy to continue that conversation with them and with him.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-11-27d conversation_14

Martin Rhodes:What assessment has the Secretary of State made of how hosting UEFA Euro 2028 will benefit communities across the UK, particularly through its social impact programme? \p Stephanie Peacock: This Government know that football reaches people like nothing else, and in the summer of 2028 it will bring people together across the whole of the UK. I was pleased to chair a meeting of sport Ministers a few weeks ago to discuss  the tournament and its legacy. Glasgow is of course due to host five matches at the tournament, which will bring significant benefits.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-11-27d conversation_15

Greg Smith:Much of Buckinghamshire’s tourist economy is under- pinned by walkers coming to enjoy our countryside and the beautiful Chilterns, but on top of the tourism tax, the industry is threatened by the Secretary of State’s Government threatening to plaster Buckinghamshire with solar panels, which will drive the walkers away. What representations is she making to her colleague the Energy Secretary to protect tourism in Buckinghamshire? \p Lisa Nandy: Obviously I speak regularly to the Energy Secretary, and I am happy to do so, but the hon. Gentleman should know that I share my right hon. Friend’s commitment to turning this country into a clean energy powerhouse and ensuring that the hon. Gentleman’s constituents and mine receive the benefits in the form of lower bills and better energy security.

The point of the visitor levy is that it gives powers to local areas to raise their own funds and decide how they are spent. I would have thought that everybody in this House should be able to support that.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-11-27d conversation_16

Joe Powell:At every resident meeting I host, I hear horror stories about the misuse of short-term lets, including illegal sub-letting, breaching London’s 90-day cap, late-night parties, and conditions that violate building insurance and fire safety. When will the hugely welcome mandatory register for short-term lets come online, and what difference will it make to ensuring that homes are not hotels? \p Stephanie Peacock: My hon. Friend makes an important point. This Government are committed to ensuring that short-term lets actively benefit our local communities, and we will implement a short-term lets registration scheme in England in 2026. I know that this issue is of significant interest to Members from across the House, and I would be delighted to meet him to discuss it further. \p Joe Robertson: The Isle of Wight Youth Trust is set to lose £200,000-worth of funding by the end of the financial year. Early support hubs will lose funding across the country, and up to half the 24 surveyed said that they may close services. Will the Secretary of State speak to cross-departmental colleagues to ensure that bridge funding is put in place, so that no young person loses out? \p Lisa Nandy: Our forthcoming national youth strategy will meet our pledge to ensure that there is no reduction in youth funding and that every pound is spent better, with a particular focus on rebuilding those places and spaces that have been allowed to fall into disrepair or have been lost. On the particular issue that the hon. Gentleman raises, I appreciate that it is urgent. I am happy to take it away with the Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley South (Stephanie Peacock), and to ensure that we get the hon. Gentleman a proper reply.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-11-27d conversation_17

Dave Robertson:Mohamed Fayed, the former owner of Harrods, sexually abused hundreds of female employees over decades. Reporters  tried to reveal his crimes, but it was only after his death that the true extent of the scandal began to emerge, because of media fears about strategic lawsuits against public participation. What steps will the Department take to ensure that rich and powerful men like Fayed cannot use SLAPPs to silence their critics in the media? \p Lisa Nandy: I can hear from those on the other side of the House that a lot of hon. Members feel very strongly about this issue, and they have made representations on it over a long period of time. My hon. Friend will know that new measures are coming into force in June to address SLAPPs in relation to cases of economic crime. That was started under the previous Government and has continued under this one. It is my belief that we should take sexual harassment and abuse every bit as seriously as economic crime, and this is an area where action is long overdue. I am happy to work with the media Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh South (Ian Murray), to achieve that. \p Several hon. Members: rose— \p Lindsay Hoyle: Sorry, folks, but we have run out of time. We really do need an hour for Culture, Media and Sport questions, and I know the Secretary of State agrees with me. It would be much more wonderful. \p UNKNOWN: The hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, was asked—
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-11-27d conversation_18

Peter Prinsley:What steps the Commission has taken to enable more schools to visit the Palace of Westminster. \p Nick Smith: The Commission has taken steps to widen access to schools in terms of both volume and geographic spread, and these changes have led to an increase in the number of schoolchildren able to visit. More than 71,000 are expected to visit this year—an increase of over 20% since 2022—and we expect the numbers to be even higher next year. In 2023, the Commission approved a change to the travel subsidy programme to increase direct funding for schools that are furthest from Westminster, and improvements to the bookings process for schools were also implemented. The Administration Committee recently agreed further proposed improvements to the travel subsidy scheme, and these will shortly be considered by the Commission. \p Peter Prinsley: I thank my hon. Friend for his answer. During a recent visit to the Westgate community primary school in Bury St Edmunds, I was asked by a very bright eight-year-old whether Parliament could pass a law to make it snow more often. I was very struck by this suggestion, which was in some ways much more realistic than the proposals made by certain Members of this House. Does my hon. Friend agree that meaningful engagement between Parliament and our children is essential to safeguard our democracy? \p Nick Smith: My constituency of Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney is 1,200 feet above sea level and we get snow a lot, so “Just be careful what you ask for” might have  been good advice to that lovely eight-year-old. Of course, we need to improve access to this place. Fairer access to Parliament is a good cause, and our education department does good work in this sphere, but if the hon. Gentleman wants to make further inquiries, I am very happy to help him. \p Jim Shannon: It is important that all children of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland get an opportunity to come here, because it broadens their horizons and gives them an idea of how decisions are made here. However, children from Northern Ireland cannot just jump on a coach or a train; they have to go by plane, which costs more. I know that the House makes moneys available to help children come here, but obviously booking a plane for 10, 20 or even 30 children may just be uneconomical. What more can be done to make sure that children from Northern Ireland have the same opportunity as those who live here? \p Nick Smith: The new education booking system is being devised to help with regional equity. The hon. Member has hit on a really important question about transport access to this place, as well as about places to stay overnight. I will look into that further and get back to him. \p UNKNOWN: The hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, was asked—
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: debates/debates2025-11-27d conversation_19

Danny Kruger:What guidance the Church Commissioners have received from the Charity Commission on changes proposed under the draft National Church Governance Measure. \p Alan Campbell: I am sorry that the Second Church Estates Commissioner, my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Marsha De Cordova), is unwell; we wish her a swift recovery. She will be listening, and if my answers fall short, I am sure that she will follow up on them with Members.

In answer to the hon. Gentleman, the Measure is still with the Ecclesiastical Committee—he is a member of it—which is still to update the Church on its decision about the Measure. The national Church institutions have worked closely with the Charity Commission on the draft Measure, and have considered its comments carefully, particularly on the objects of the proposed new charity, Church of England National Services. The commission took a different view from the Church on the remuneration of the chair of CENS. However, amendments were made to the Measure in response to the commission’s concerns, to ensure that the power to remunerate a chair is exercised only when trustees believe it is necessary to do so, considering all relevant factors. \p Danny Kruger: That was a very helpful answer, and I am grateful to the Leader of the House for it. The fact is, however, that the proposed new governance Measure  that the Church is bringing forward substantially alters the charitable objects of the Church Commissioners, which is a body set up by this House to regulate the income of the Church. As he has explained, the Charity Commission differs with the Church Commissioners and the Church hierarchy on the proposed new body. My question is: to what extent does the Second Church Estates Commissioner regard it as necessary to secure the approval of the Charity Commission when Parliament is establishing a body that will have the power to alter its own constitution? A very substantial change is being introduced, and I want to know whether the Charity Commission has approved that, and whether the Church Commissioners think that it should approve that. \p Alan Campbell: It is unusual to be accused of giving helpful answers, but I will take that, and I thank the hon. Gentleman. I refer him to the answer I gave before, which is that the national Church institutions have worked closely with the Charity Commission on the draft Measure and have considered its comments carefully. However, I will take away his comments and draw them to the attention of my hon. Friend the Second Church Estates Commissioner. \p UNKNOWN: The hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, was asked—