David Chadwick
MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe · Liberal Democrat · United Kingdom
“It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. I am here today to speak on behalf of the 217 people in my constituency who have signed this petition, as well as those who have taken the time to write to me and those I met from Breconshire Friends of Prostate Cymru.”
House of Commons26 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Instead, he and his family have had to come to terms with a terminal diagnosis. I pay tribute to Mr Morris for his courage in sharing his experience and using an incredibly difficult personal situation to campaign for change that could save the lives of others.”
House of Commons26 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Young people are the future of the armed forces, and that is why cadet groups are so important. In England, schools receive £360 a year for every child from an armed forces family, helping them to provide extra support.”
House of Commons19 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Those demographic statistics are alarming. In Powys, there are high average occupancy rates for nursing beds across community hospitals—91% in Llandrindod Wells and 82% in Ystradgynlais—yet Powys teaching health board is consulting on potentially cutting the number of community hospital beds from 160 to 60.”
House of Commons15 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“At the same time, in order to save money, the same health board has been slowing down treatment times for patients awaiting surgery in neighbouring health boards and trusts in Shropshire and Herefordshire.”
House of Commons14 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Powys teaching health board is currently running a consultation called “Better Together”, which proposes that the number of hospital beds be slashed from 146 to as few as 60, with further cuts made to minor injuries units, mental health services and X-ray units.”
House of Commons14 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
The complete record
458 held · 451 searchable for David Chadwick. The searchable lines are below in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 10.
This is not an official version of UK Parliament proceedings. It reproduces the published record and links to it; the official version is the one UK Parliament publishes.
“Threats do not arise solely from formally hostile states, but also from jurisdictions where hostile cyber-actors operate at scale, using digital infrastructure to target UK systems and citizens. We have seen that in countries such as India and Nigeria, where organised cyber-criminal networks have run sophisticated international operations against the UK, exploiting cloud services and telecommunications infrastructure. In India, law enforcement has dismantled major cyber-crime hubs linked to international targeting, including operations specifically affecting large numbers of British victims.”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We have seen data from the Cabinet Office last week indicating that the Government plan to drastically reduce the integrated security fund spending on domestic cyber and tech to counter cyber-attacks. It will be cut from £113.3 million to £95 million by 2028-29, which is a reduction of 16%. Domestic spending to counter Russian threats in the same period will incur a drop of more than 20%. Those reductions leave us dangerously exposed and are in direct opposition to the Government’s promises to support the UK’s national security priorities. New clause 2 offers the chance to identify and monitor state actors that pose a threat to UK cyber-security. The register must also reflect the evolving nature of cyber-risk.”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In our previous sitting, the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge set out clearly the cyber-threat posed by China, and argued that, through new clause 2, China should be explicitly recognised as a foreign power presenting a significant risk to the United Kingdom. He rightly highlighted the precedent in UK legislation for maintaining registers of hostile or high-risk state actors to protect national security. I agree that Parliament should be unequivocal in recognising the Chinese Communist party as a strategic cyber-threat, particularly given evidence of state-linked cyber-espionage, infrastructure compromise and the targeting of critical national infrastructure.”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Laws work only if the people enforcing them have the time, money, expertise and systems to do so properly. The scale of the challenge is already clear. Research from ISC2 shows that 88% of organisations that have suffered cyber-incidents link those breaches directly to skills shortages. If regulators themselves face similar skills or operational shortages, enforcement will be slow, inconsistent and ultimately ineffective, and may leave businesses facing uncertainty about what is required of them. The new clause would help to ensure that issues are identified early and addressed proactively, rather than after a major cyber-security incident exposes weaknesses in our regulatory system. For this legislation to work, it requires fully funded and effective regulators. That is why I will press the new clause to a vote.”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Cyber-resilience cannot be achieved through legislation alone, poor and weak though this piece of legislation is; it must be delivered by regulators with properly trained staff, clear guidance and sustained investment in enforcement and oversight. Without that foundation, even the strongest legal framework risks becoming ineffective. The new clause would create a vital statutory reality check. It would require the Secretary of State within one year of the Act coming into force to consult with regulators and regulated organisations, and report to Parliament on whether the regulatory system is equipped to function under the new rules. The new clause asks a simple but essential question: do the bodies responsible for protecting our critical digital infrastructure have the people, funding, tools and skills that they need to succeed?”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time. The purpose of new clause 10 is to ensure that regulatory authorities and regulated persons have adequate resources and capabilities to carry out their responsibilities. Fundamentally, this is a question of state capacity. Surely it is hard to disagree with that statement. We can pass legislation in this House, but if the regulators tasked with enforcing that legislation lack the resources and capabilities to fulfil their duties, and if the businesses subject to the new requirements lack clarity about what is required of them, the Bill will remain little more than words on a page.”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In fact, those professionals from within the industry told us that they desperately need this to happen to make sure that they can do the job that the Government are asking of them. ISACA, an organisation that I remember looking up to when I was working in cyber-security, has said that it supports both our new clauses.”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“New clauses 16 and 17 work in tandem to align the Bill with best practice among our European neighbours, introducing measures that would strengthen ongoing oversight and enhance preparation, therefore improving the UK’s cyber-resilience before incidents occur. New clause 16 would make cyber-resilience a core responsibility of organisational leadership. It would require boards to oversee security arrangements, approve risk management approaches, satisfy themselves that protections are working on an ongoing basis and, importantly, be accountable. Numerous witnesses that we have spoken to over the past month told us that cyber-security deserves the most senior level of oversight.”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The European Union’s NIS2 framework explicitly places cyber accountability at senior management level, and makes the same demands of board oversight in these areas. That is why it is confusing again to see the Government diverging from that framework without a clear explanation of why. It is not clear why the UK should be settling for less. Why have the Government taken that out?”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“All we are saying with our new clause is that boards need to be held accountable for the cyber-risk that they pose, and that making boards responsible for that obligation helps the cyber-security professionals responsible for securing those organisations to do their jobs properly. ISACA has 8,000 members. They are the people who will be carrying out this work. Surely, we should listen to them when they tell us that this is what they need. It was not just one organisation that told us that either. Boards have an obligation to oversee financial risk, for which they need financial literacy. Cyber-risk deserves the same treatment. Importantly, this would bring the UK into line with international best practice.”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“One of the measures that the new clause would introduce is a requirement for board members to receive education. Clearly, it is necessary for boards to understand cyber-security risk, and the new clause is about putting that into legislation. Board accountability is the cornerstone of corporate governance. Corporate governance is one of the reasons for the Bill. We have seen drastic failures in corporate governance across the UK in numerous sectors. Financial services, historically, is one sector that corporate governance has completely failed in, yet the Conservatives continued to support it with tax cuts.”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I think this once more comes down to state capacity and how we see the state’s role. Clearly there needs to be an expansion of the state’s powers—that is why the Bill was introduced—to mandate in writing various requirements of the companies that provide the critical infrastructure upon which our country relies. The hon. Member will remember the numerous witnesses who told us that board accountability was crucial. Some told us that in public and some in private. They are the people who are doing this job, and whom the Government are asking to do this job. That is why we should listen to them and why we will press the new clauses to a vote.”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Is the Minister aware that the financial services industry is required to conduct regular testing of its systems, and that sectors like aviation and nuclear have designated individuals in their security organisations who are responsible for overseeing those sorts of practices?”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“During the evidence sessions, numerous very knowledgeable witnesses called for these new clauses, so I will push them both to a vote. Question put , That the clause be read a Second time.”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend will be aware that we are in the week of St David’s day, which is a terribly important day for all of us in Wales. In terms of accountability, she will be very aware of the long-standing stance that the Liberal Democrats have taken on the Crown Estate, which in Wales regrettably still has not been devolved. Its powers and funding have been devolved to Scotland, but not—”
House of Commons24 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Likewise, the attack on Gloucester city council cost the taxpayer more than £1 million and put at risk some of the most sensitive information held on UK residents, particularly if one considers the nature of employment in Gloucestershire. The reporting from those attacks showed that local authorities, which are cash-strapped and struggling to make do as they are, had to divert staffing resources into addressing those incidents.”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Members of the Committee who have served on local authorities will be well aware that a cyber-attack hitting a local authority creates problems with welfare payments, housing services, processing benefits payments, accessing social care for the most vulnerable in our society and collecting bins. Those are crucial activities in the day-to-day life of our society and our democracy. A cyber-attack can leave families without support, vulnerable children without protection and elderly residents without care, yet the Minister has suggested that these services are not necessary to the day-to-day functioning of society. I disagree with that. We have already seen the consequences at Tewkesbury borough council, where a cyber-attack was so severe that it triggered a major incident and crippled core services.”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“New clauses 8 and 9 would close a dangerous gap at the heart of the Government’s cyber-security strategy. Right now, the Bill creates a two-tier system. Private companies running critical national infrastructure face strict legal duties, enforcement and oversight, yet the very public institutions that hold our democracy together and protect our most vulnerable citizens are left outside statutory protection. Nowhere is that more alarming than with our local authorities. Indeed, that is where the Government’s approach diverges from some EU member states. For example, the Netherlands is applying its equivalent legislation to local authorities. When a council suffers a cyber-attack, it is not just an IT inconvenience; it means real life grinding to halt.”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Minister will be aware that the ramifications of the JLR attack were felt across south Wales because of the link to the steel industry supply chain. Our neighbours in the European Union already recognise this issue through the NIS2 framework, which covers food production and transport manufacturing as essential sectors. The new clauses simply ask the Government to match that seriousness. At their heart, our new clauses are about ending the two-tier approach. We seek the Government’s recognition that councils, political parties, electoral infrastructure and core supply chains are just as critical to national resilience as power stations and data centres. A country is not secure if its public services, at any level, are exposed. Its elections are vulnerable, and its economy can be brought to a standstill by a single cyber-attack.”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“An attack does not need to change an electoral result to be devastating; it need only cast doubt on the integrity of the count or prevent legitimate voters from casting their ballots. We know that trust, once lost, is extraordinarily hard to rebuild. The security of our elections is too important to be left to secondary legislation made at some future date. Finally, our new clauses would require the Government to bring critical manufacturing, food production and large-scale retail distribution into scope. When British companies such as JLR lose billions to cyber-incidents, or when national retailers such as Marks & Spencer are paralysed, it is not just a private commercial issue, but a blow to national economic security, and there is no economic security without cyber-security.”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. We cannot allow these services to be interrupted. He will be well aware of the impact that bins not being collected has on our streets. Councils are being targeted because they hold sensitive personal data and provide much-needed services to the most vulnerable in society, yet they are being left as soft targets, without statutory requirements and the ringfenced resources that accompany them. We cannot claim to be building a cyber-secure Britain while leaving the frontline of public services unprotected. Resilience must extend beyond councils. Our new clauses also ask that our political parties and electoral infrastructure are properly protected, because we know that hostile states and non-state actors are actively seeking to undermine democratic systems.”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I beg to move amendment 26, in clause 40, page 63, line 7, leave out “5” and insert “3”. This amendment would increase the frequency of the reports that must be published under Clause 40, from every five years to every three years.”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That is a pragmatic timeline, which allows the Government to identify gaps and close them before they are exploited. The EU’s NIS2 directive explicitly mandates a review by the Commission every three years, and it is not clear why the Government have decided to diverge from that standard. Is it because they believe that the cyber-threat here is considerably less than the one facing European member states? It is simply not clear, which adds to the general sense of bewilderment about this provision. If our European neighbours are reviewing their cyber-security approach every three years, why are the UK Government content to wait for five?”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Amendment 26, tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Henley and Thame, seeks to ensure that the Bill keeps pace with the reality that it seeks to regulate. In the world of cyber-security, five years is a lifetime. In the past five years, the size and scale of cyber-attacks has continued to advance at pace, and we can expect the next five years to be the same. In that context, waiting five years for the first formal parliamentary review of the Bill seems dangerous. It risks leaving us with a regulatory framework designed for the threats of yesterday and not tomorrow. The cyber-threat is real, evolving and urgent. The NCSC has reported that nationally significant cyber-incidents more than doubled in 2025 alone. That is why the amendment would change the reporting cycle to once every three years.”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment , by leave, withdrawn . Clause 40 ordered to stand part of the Bill . Clause 41 Regulations under section 24 or Chapter 3 Question proposed, That the clause stand part of the Bill.”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I beg to move amendment 27, in clause 43, page 66, line 11, at end insert— “(fa) a requirement to remove, disable or modify hardware, software or other facilities;” This amendment would enable the Secretary of State to issue directions to remove, disable or modify hardware, software or other facilities for national security purposes.”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Amendment 27, which I move on behalf of my hon. Friend the Member for Henley and Thame, would give the Government the ability to remove, disable or modify hardware and software that could be used to infiltrate British national infrastructure, such as the cables underneath the now approved Chinese mega-embassy in Tower Hamlets. The Prime Minister’s greenlighting of the Chinese super-embassy in the heart of London is a grave mistake that presents an open door for the ramping up of Chinese espionage in our country. It sends a regrettable and shameful message to Hongkongers—many of whom have already been targeted, intimidated and coerced by the Chinese Communist party—that trade deals are being prioritised over their safety. The Government must take a robust stance with hostile states such as China.”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Given the reassurances from the Minister, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Clause 43 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 44 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 45 Monitoring by regulatory authorities Question proposed , That the clause stand part of the Bill.”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“T2. Green GEN Cymru was granted an Ofgem licence within days of this Government coming to power. Is the Secretary of State confident in the process that took place, and can he confirm how far it had reached under the previous Government?”
House of Commons10 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Currently, the law requires regulated persons to manage risks to the security of their systems. Amendment 28, tabled by the Liberal Democrats, explicitly inserts “risks arising from fraud” into that duty. It would make it clear that a system cannot be considered secure if it is easily exploited by scammers. Fraud should be considered a national security issue, and there is clearly a relationship between fraud and cyber-security. Scammers across the world are targeting British citizens. Elderly fraud victims in Dyfed-Powys lose £7,900 a day to a tidal wave of scams perpetrated by scammers from many countries across the world, notably Nigeria. UK-wide, in the first half of 2025 alone, criminals stole over £600 million through scams. Surely, we cannot pass a cyber-security and resilience Bill—”
House of Commons5 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I beg to move amendment 25, in clause 8, page 7, line 31, at the end insert— “(1A) In paragraph (1), after ‘risks’ insert ‘, including risks arising from fraud,’”. This amendment would explicitly include fraud as one of the risks to the security of network and information systems relevant digital service providers must identify and manage.”
House of Commons5 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Surely, we cannot pass a cyber-security and resilience Bill that ignores a crime that affects thousands of people. We know that cyber-security criminals across the world attack individuals to enable themselves to get into systems. Families are losing life savings, and small businesses are shutting down because of this epidemic. The Government often treat fraud as a policing issue, but the amendment would establish that it should be regarded as a cyber-security issue that needs action at the national security level. By amending regulation 12(1) of the NIS regulations, we place a legal duty on digital providers to identify these vulnerabilities proactively. If we mandate that providers manage fraud risks before an incident occurs, we will reduce the number of victims and the devastation caused to livelihoods.”
House of Commons5 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The hon. Member is quite right to say that American companies have captured most of the market that he is talking about, particularly the cloud providers. What does he think is stopping British cloud providers from getting a larger share of the market?”
House of Commons5 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Welsh Water’s chief executive has one of the highest paid jobs in Wales at almost £900,000 a year, and the company is hiking basic pay to get around the Government’s crackdown on executive bonuses, despite being a not-for-profit. That is even though Welsh Water presides over some of the worst sewage dumping and leaks in the UK and sky-high price rises. Will the Minister look into companies trying to bypass the new regulations in that way and ensure that those loopholes are closed?”
House of Commons5 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The hon. Lady is making an excellent speech, and we are all grateful for the opportunity to raise these cases. I have been contacted by a constituent who left the civil service in 1992 and, more than 30 years later, has still not received the pension that she is owed, despite providing proof of service from HMRC and making repeated transfer requests. Despite the fact that the civil service later located her superannuation file, the scheme continued to insist that no record existed. Does the hon. Lady agree that such cases show that the failure is not just delay but deep-rooted maladministration within our state, and that the Government must commit to ensuring people are paid the pensions that they are legally entitled to?”
House of Commons4 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“For many of my constituents, Evri’s failures have meant money lost, ruined Christmases, wasted time and a growing sense that rural communities are once again expected to put up with worse service. Rural Wales deserves reliability, respect and accountability, not excuses. I urge Ministers to take this issue seriously, and ensure that parcel delivery works for every part of the country, not just the easiest ones to serve.”
House of Commons4 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“When a parcel company performs badly, consumers are simply stuck with the consequences. Consumer bodies back that up, and companies like Evri consistently rank bottom for customer satisfaction, yet too often nothing seems to change. That is where regulation matters. There must be clear, enforceable service standards for parcel deliveries, including in rural areas, on safe delivery practices, accurate tracking and proper access to customer support when things go wrong. Consumers who have no choice over their courier should not be left navigating automated systems or vague updates when a parcel is lost or delayed. If companies repeatedly fail customers, especially in rural and hard-to-serve areas, there must be consequences—not just guidance or warm words, but real accountability.”
House of Commons4 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I want to be clear that, in my opinion, those problems stem from the corporate leadership of Evri. The problem is a systemic one within their business model, and rural areas are feeling the consequences first and hardest. Constituents of mine in the Teme valley tell me that their experience with Evri was awful. One constituent told me that they “have never received a single Evri parcel on time, most never ever arrive, and those that do are weeks or months late.” My constituents tell me that they often pay extra for faster shipping, but they then have to spend significant time processing refunds and working with credit card companies to recover some of the lost money. A frustration for customers is that they often cannot choose their delivery company. It is chosen for them by the retailer they are buying from.”
House of Commons4 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I commend the hon. Member for South Shropshire (Stuart Anderson) on securing this debate, and on his excellent speech. Last year, postal services became a source of real frustration, anxiety and, frankly, anger in Radnorshire. Across Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, and right across rural Wales, we saw serious problems in the run-up to Christmas. Parcels were marked as delivered but never arrived, items were left at farm gates, on main roads or in full view of passers-by, Christmas presents went missing, and essential items were delayed for days or even weeks, and then marked as lost. When things went wrong, people found it almost impossible to speak to a real human being to sort it out.”
House of Commons4 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Britain faces a once-in-a-generation threat to our national security, as Putin’s war continues in Europe and uncertainty grows about the future reliability of the United States. Will the Secretary of State therefore take up the Liberal Democrats’ proposal that we issue time-limited defence bonds? That would allow the public to invest directly in modernising our armed forces, raise billions for new equipment, and ensure strong parliamentary oversight of how the money is spent.”
House of Commons2 February 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That is why I hold the Conservatives and Reform in complete contempt, because they do not believe in our state. They have spent the last 40 years bashing and cutting the state; they attack it over and over again, spreading their cynical poison that a small state is desirable. Well, a small state will end up endangering our nation’s children. It is essential that these services are funded properly and well to keep our children safe. That is why I am proud to be a Liberal Democrat, and I am proud of what Powys county council has achieved over the past few years.”
House of Commons28 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Staff report feeling supported and proud to work in the service, and Powys social workers and safeguarding professionals have been recognised at regional awards for their work protecting children and involving young people directly in shaping services. No one is pretending that the job is finished. Pressures remain, particularly around funding and placements, but the direction of travel is clear and welcome. Powys has moved from a service once described as putting children at risk to one independently judged to be safe and improving. That is what sustained leadership looks like, and it is a positive example that this House should be willing to recognise. The overlying point is that vulnerable children need a strong state to look after them, and functioning children’s services that keep them safe are essential.”
House of Commons28 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Since 2022, under Liberal Democrat leadership of Powys county council, there has been a focus on rebuilding children’s services from the ground up—strengthening leadership, supporting the workforce and putting children’s safety back at the centre of decision making. That work is now being recognised independently. A recent external assurance review concluded that Powys children’s services are safe and improving, with no serious failings identified. The reviewer specifically highlighted stable leadership, strong advocacy for children through independent reviewing officers, and high-quality performance reporting—precisely those areas that were found wanting in 2017.”
House of Commons28 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Western. For obvious reasons, we often hear in this House about failure, notably in the tragic case raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Woking (Mr Forster)—I congratulate him on securing this important debate—but I will focus on a local authority that has been able to turn its children’s services around. In 2017, a BBC report warned that children in Powys were being put at risk because of serious failings in the council’s children’s services. Inspectors found missed safeguarding opportunities, weak oversight and poor follow-up—concerns so serious that Welsh Government intervention was actively discussed. That history matters, because it gives context to the progress that is now being made.”
House of Commons28 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Access to Work is meant to help disabled people to stay in employment, yet numerous constituents tell me they have been waiting more than nine months for an assessment, and a year or more for changes of circumstances. Those delays are putting jobs and incomes at risk. How many people has the Department assessed as losing work because of the delays and what urgent action is being taken to clear that backlog?”
House of Commons26 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Secretary of State has been highly critical of the legitimate concerns that my constituents have raised about the numerous wind farm proposals across mid-Wales. Now the Ministry of Defence has raised its concerns that at least one of the proposed wind farms has the potential to form a physical obstruction to air traffic movements and military activities at the Sennybridge training area. If the Labour Government will not listen to the concerns raised by my residents, will they at least listen to their own military?”
House of Commons21 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Over the past year, I have spoken to hundreds of children in schools across my constituency as part of my safer screens tour. It has been very distressing to hear from them about the material that they have been exposed to, and to hear that social media companies have not come back to them when they have reported this harmful content. If the Secretary of State agrees that there should be a ban on children accessing harmful social media platforms, will the default age for accessing them be 16?”
House of Commons20 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“To say the very least, Donald Trump’s actions in Greenland and the related sanctions on the UK are not befitting of a trustworthy ally. Does the Foreign Secretary now accept that President Trump does not respond to weakness, and that, as Canada has shown, we must stand firm against this bullying behaviour and, as the Liberal Democrats have argued for months, work more closely with our EU allies?”
House of Commons19 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Today, a single consignment of lamb can require export health certificates, official veterinary approval, customs declarations and SPS checks at EU border posts. Every step adds cost, delay and risk, especially for a perishable, time-sensitive product.”
House of Commons7 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“As a result, exporters remain subject to many of the same requirements introduced after Brexit, and those requirements are having real consequences on the ground. Right now, there is only an intention to negotiate a framework for talks and announcements about what might happen in the future. But intentions do not move meat across borders, announcements do not pay veterinary bills, and frameworks do not stop lorries being delayed. That is what Welsh farmers are struggling with right now. Before Brexit, exporting Welsh lamb to Europe was straightforward: there were no export health certificates, no mandatory veterinary sign-off and no routine border control checks. Welsh lamb moved freely into its natural markets, allowing farmers to plan, invest and grow with confidence. Since Brexit, that has changed completely.”
House of Commons7 January 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗