Claire Hughes

Business of the House

Wales’s oldest city, Bangor, celebrates its 1,500th anniversary this year. I would like to invite everyone to the Bangor day that I am holding in Parliament next week, to meet some of the people shaping the future of that amazing city; and I hope the Leader of the House will consider popping in for five minutes after business questions.

Grooming Gangs

The Conservatives failed to implement a single recommendation from the report of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, despite holding more than 20 meetings, events and roundtables on the issue. Alexis Jay herself spoke of the huge disappointment and anger at their response. What work are the Government doing to implement these recommendations and those from the Casey review?

Independent Water Commission

My constituents have been hit by a massive rise in bills, which is a real kick in the teeth given that thousands of them were without water after a major burst earlier this year. I warmly welcome the Secretary of State’s commitment to devolving the economic regulation of water to Wales, which will allow the Welsh Government to move forward with the commission’s recommendation on having an independent economic regulator in Wales. Does he agree that that demonstrates the value of two Labour Govern

Global Plastics Treaty

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. Community groups across the country, whether in Wales, Scotland or England, all play a vital role in raising awareness and cleaning up beaches. That is really important for wildlife, which is often the victim of plastic pollution. A piece of research published by Bangor University this year showed that the combined effect of ocean warming and microplastics pollution could severely damage marine ecosystems in particular, with significant consequences not ju

Global Plastics Treaty

I agree. Perhaps the Minister could address that issue when he responds to the debate.

Global Plastics Treaty

I thank the right hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael) for bringing forward this important debate. Plastic pollution is a global problem that requires international co-ordination, and I think everyone in this House is agreed on that. It is a serious issue and, as is the case with many Members, it is one that my constituents really care about, particularly young people, who have contacted me about this issue over recent weeks. This UK Government have already set out plans to end ou

Business of the House

This week I joined the Youth Futures Foundation for the launch of a new report, which reveals the root causes of declining mental health among young people. The report identified four key factors: not just social media and smartphone use, but financial insecurity, declining sleep quality and cuts to youth services. Given the urgent need to address this crisis among young people, including the links with unemployment, would the Leader of the House grant a debate in Government time, after recess,