April 2026

My hon. Friend is right. We have fought for the amendment consistently because rural communities are indeed overlooked too often, and it would put them at the heart of the Bill. As I was saying, we support Government amendment (a) to Lords amendment 2, which adds coastal communities to the list of strategic competences, so I am grateful to the Secretary of State for tabling it. Together, the changes ensure that rural and coastal areas are explicitly recognised in the framework of strategic autho

The Liberal Democrats welcome the Government’s decision not to insist on their disagreement with Lords amendment 2, which proposes the inclusion of rural affairs in the list of competences for strategic authorities.

I start by saying how proud I am of the Government in bringing forth a momentous Bill. Its Committee was only the second Bill Committee that I cut my teeth on, and it is a Bill of a generation. It breaks down so many of the barriers that were built up under the inaction of the previous Government. I really welcome what this Government are doing. I very much welcome Government amendment 38K. Last July, I asked the Prime Minister in this Chamber what action he would take to keep young people safe

I thank the Minister for this and previous answers on the CMS. I hear the Government saying “when time allows”, but this really is important for the families who have suffered for too many years. My constituent, for example, has successfully appealed at tribunal, with both the judge and the Child Maintenance Service agreeing that the parent’s declared income did not reflect their true earnings, and arrears were awarded. Yet after receiving a substantial redundancy payment and despite holding sig

The Government made their decision on this case on 29 January 2026, after giving the PHSO’s report careful consideration. The detailed reasons for our decision were set out in our response, which has been placed in the Library of the House.

Our declining healthy life expectancy, as underlined in today’s Health Foundation report, is a real worry, but as Professor Sir Michael Marmot has shown, that is no surprise after 14 years of austerity and its impact on our public services. There is the potential for a significant knock-on effect on Department for Work and Pensions spending. What conversations has my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State had with the Health Secretary on this issue, and is it being considered in the Timms revi

8. If his Department will review the adequacy of the treatment of redundancy payments by the Child Maintenance Service.

May I take this opportunity to congratulate my right hon. Friend and Lord Nash on a hard-fought but important campaign? We now have a commitment in principle from the Government that they will ban the use of social media by under-16s, which will be welcomed across the country by concerned parents. Can she reassure me and the House that all that fighting was worth it?

One of my constituents in North Devon is a Royal Marines veteran who was just awarded over £2,700 in backdated universal credit, after the DWP failed to disregard his war pension from his monthly income. What can be done to ensure DWP staff understand armed forces pensions? Will the Minister assure hon. Members that this is not happening to other veterans across the country?

Parliamentary appearance by Ian Byrne

2. What steps he is taking to improve his Department’s response times.

David Chadwick voted NO on 'English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: motion to disagree with Lords Amendments 89B and 89C' (273-167, passed)

Katie Lam voted NO on 'English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: motion to disagree with Lords Amendments 89B and 89C' (273-167, passed)

Helen Maguire voted NO on 'English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: motion to disagree with Lords Amendments 89B and 89C' (273-167, passed)

Anna Sabine voted NO on 'English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: motion to disagree with Lords Amendments 89B and 89C' (273-167, passed)

It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell) for securing the debate, and I thank the petitioners and campaigners who have brought the issue before Parliament. Many of them are my City of Durham constituents, and I am pleased to represent them today. We often talk in this place about giving people a voice, but today we also provide one to other sentient beings. This debate ought to be about not just mo

The Minister says they may be lower. I believe it is said that they are significantly lower.

I declare an interest: I have not smoked for more than a decade, and I vape. Does the Minister agree that we have to be careful that the language we use does not discourage people from changing from smoking to vaping? Vaping has been shown to be successful in getting many people to stop smoking. The health benefits are there. None of us wants young people to vape, but vaping is successful in getting long-term smokers to move off smoking.

It appears to me that the only two organisations that agree with immunity from prosecution are the terrorists and the Conservative party.

rose—