Freddie van Mierlo
MP for Henley and Thame · Liberal Democrat · United Kingdom
“In my constituency of Henley and Thame, Greener Henley has already sprung into action and is seeking community champions to organise street by street. What action will the Government take to support community organisations to improve resilience not just on a household basis, but at street level?”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Vote Leave told the Treasury Committee that farmers would get paid “at least as much as they get now” and the former Tory Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a former holder of my seat in Henley, said that he could “100% guarantee” that farmers’ subsidies would continue or increase after Brexit.”
House of Commons21 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“He told me that it is an “appalling way to treat farmers and how they can care for the farmed environment.” Another, Jack Burchmore, who leads the Henley young farmers group, said that they did not even know what time the window was going to open, so they sat there waiting for it. This is not a serious way to treat people, is it?”
House of Commons21 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron) for opening this debate. In introducing the motion, he was right to speak about the chaotic handling of SFI by this Labour Government, and also to outline the catastrophic mismanagement by the Conservatives post Brexit.”
House of Commons21 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Secondly, there should be priority for those farmers whose existing SFI or mid-tier agreements are ending. Failure to do so quickly will mean farmers ripping up their environmental areas in the spring and planting crops instead. Thirdly, there should be a better application process than fastest finger first.”
House of Commons21 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Diamond Light Source facility and ISIS Neutron and Muon Source facility neighbour my constituency of Henley and Thame. They are on the frontline of cuts to the Science and Technology Facilities Council, and now there are concerns that further savings may be required.”
House of Commons15 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
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“The Ridgeway passes through the Chinnor Hill and Oakley Hill nature reserves. Failure to recognise the paths’ interconnectedness with other nature means that BBOWT has reported damage to the surrounding nature due to ill-thought-through diversions or people straying from the paths, but without recognition of the surrounding nature, there is no allocation for renewal and maintenance. The second main problem is funding. Considering how many economic benefits national trails bring, they have not received a meaningful funding increase since 2013.”
House of Commons9 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Since that legislation, however, the legal status and protections of those routes have deteriorated. Although national parks and national landscapes have what is known as a statutory purpose, national trails do not. They are therefore not sufficiently protected by or referenced in key legislation alongside parks and landscapes, giving them a lower status. That lower level of protection puts people’s access to the outdoors at risk. Furthermore, the current designation of national trails is mostly limited to the width of the path, which is particularly worrying given that they neighbour vast biodiversity. The Thames Path, in my constituency, runs along the edge of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust’s Hartslock nature reserve, which is one of the two remaining UK sites to have the monkey orchid.”
House of Commons9 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“From just those two examples in my constituency, we begin to get an idea of how important protected national trails are for nature and our history. After speaking with representatives from National Trails UK, the Thames Path and the Ridgeway, I know that stark action is needed. There are three main problems preventing the maintenance of national trails: legal status, underfunding and bureaucracy. National trails were originally designated by the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The main goal was to provide public access to the countryside and establish protected landscapes. Trails, parks and landscapes were considered under that legislation. It gave powers to Natural England to survey, plan and propose long-distance routes that would subsequently be maintained.”
House of Commons9 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is amazing to think that when we walk the Ridgeway, we are striking our feet on the same earth as our ancestors all those years ago. The Ridgeway is also well known for the internationally renowned Uffington white horse, carved into chalk, but such chalk is vulnerable to damage and parts of the Ridgeway are classified as byway, meaning they are legally open to motorised traffic. The Ridgeway therefore suffers damage from recreational vehicles and off-road motorcycles. Local authorities and National Trails UK find it difficult to justify the regular repairs needed to maintain the trail to the correct standard. Ian, the project’s trail officer, is fighting to prohibit recreational motorised vehicles from the trail so that road users are limited to Trampers, off-road wheelchairs and road-legal pedal electric bicycles.”
House of Commons9 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I continue to have conversations with the Environment Agency to ensure that repairs move forward. I am grateful to the Minister for Water for her engagement on that issue, but there is a long way to go, including to find the estimated £2.5 million needed to actually implement the repair. Further north in my constituency, the Ridgeway national trail carves an impressive path from the iconic Goring Gap, through the village of Nuffield and the idyllic town of Watlington, before crossing the border into Buckinghamshire just after Chinnor. The Ridgeway is known as Britain’s oldest road. It is believed to have been in use over 5,000 years ago as a trading route. We know how important connection to our history and cultural heritage is.”
House of Commons9 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend is right to point out the importance of services along these well-loved routes. He is also right to highlight that national trails are accessible from urban areas, which makes them particularly special compared with national parks and landscapes. Walkers are currently forced to deviate from the Thames Path at both Benson and Henley. While the weir project is progressing in Benson, the Marsh Lock horse bridge between Henley and Shiplake has been closed for over three years. The current diversion requires crossing the dangerous A4155 twice and takes the walker well away from the water. Since coming into office, I have been campaigning to reopen Marsh Lock bridge. With the help of an 11-year-old Brownie, Claudia, and her petition, access to a pot of £500,000 has been secured to begin plans for repairs.”
House of Commons9 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Thirdly, the Government should communicate with agencies, such as the EA, that have responsibilities that interact with national trails to ensure that they produce assessments in a timely manner and are given the resources that they need to maintain assets, such as the Marsh Lock horse bridge and Benson weir. Without that, national trails are in danger of falling below the quality standard. In 2023, the Disabled Ramblers’ condition monitoring report revealed that nearly 80% of the 50 miles surveyed along the Ridgeway did not meet the established standards. The Government have previously recognised the vital role that national trails play in rural tourism, promoting the cultural assets of England and the health of the population.”
House of Commons9 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“With a statutory purpose would come the duty to protect and enhance people’s access to the outdoor and to experience the national trails. It would give national trails a proper place in the planning system, and would help to stop the loss of trails to development, as has already happened to the new King Charles III trail. Changes to the national planning policy framework, such as making it clear that changes to national trails require the consent of the Secretary of State, would further protect their status. Automatically, with small cost-free changes, we can better protect national trails for future generations. Secondly, the Government should invest in national trails properly, or at least restore their funding in line with inflation from the 2013 benchmark. Further, those funding settlements should be made three years long.”
House of Commons9 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“For work to be carried out adjacent to the River Thames, there is a need for a flood risk activity permit, but there is currently a four-month delay from the EA in issuing these. In addition, for some of the year, such as in winter when the river is flowing fast or in flood, work cannot be carried out, but funding is still given year by year. That leaves an extremely short window for work to be done, if there is any opportunity at all, and funds often cannot be used in time. Although I have painted a bleak picture so far, some simple changes could improve the future of national trails. I make three recommendations to Government. First, they should support a statutory purpose for national trails, including them in the group with national parks and national landscapes.”
House of Commons9 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In anticipation, national trails are preparing to identify winter routes and diversions to avoid flooding, but without the funding, groups are worried that that they will find it difficult to tackle these new challenges. Staff work day and night to support national trails. Hannah, who takes care of the Thames Path in Oxfordshire, says that they have consistently doubled any match funding that they receive. Despite their hard work year on year, a lack of funding coupled with inflation pressures has caused them to make some difficult decisions, cutting funding for improvement projects, engagement activities, information provision and volunteer programmes to stay afloat. With rising costs, there may soon be nothing left to cut. A third issue facing national trails is bureaucracy.”
House of Commons9 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“National trails are facing a range of new challenges that funding is not keeping up with. When speaking with Wendy and Ian, representatives from the two trails in my constituency, they both noted the changing weather patterns as a barrier to the trails’ protection. In Oxfordshire, rainfall was 300% above average in September 2024, but dry weather in the summer has worn away the grass on the riverbank in popular areas of the Thames Path, leaving bare soil exposed. The combination of bare soil and high rainfall means that there is an increased likelihood of erosion, with banks washing into the river. In Goring, part of the river path had to be closed last year precisely because of that issue. Flooding presents an additional challenge.”
House of Commons9 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend’s intervention speaks exactly to my point around the closed Marsh Lock horse bridge, which has resulted in a direct loss of hospitality revenue in the local economy because of people avoiding the path due to the long diversion. As I said, there are many economic benefits to national trails, but they have not received a meaningful increase in funding since 2013. That is despite the fact that the national trail network has increased in size over the last decade, and will double in size by the end of 2025 with the addition of the King Charles III England Coast Path and the Coast to Coast Path. Increasing the workload while stagnating the funding is a recipe for decline; the Ridgeway’s funding now stands at just £1 per mile to cover all revenue, staffing costs and maintenance.”
House of Commons9 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Nursery fees are crippling, running to thousands of pounds per child per month after the expansion of funded hours. Parents are making reproductive choices solely on the basis of the cost of childcare—is it any wonder that the total fertility rate in this country has plummeted? Does the Minister consider this to be “job done”, or will he commit to radically reducing the cost of childcare?”
House of Commons4 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Government have so far ignored the issue. In a recent written question, my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Dr Pinkerton) asked the Government what steps they are taking to reduce street obstacles. Their response was that things should be placed “in a way that does not create obstructions for disabled people.” That is not enlightening, is it? The Government are trying to pass the blame to local authorities, which are poorly equipped to deal with pavement parking. My local authority, Oxfordshire county council, has raised this with me. I fully support the council and my hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) in pressing the Government to provide further powers to tackle pavement parking.”
House of Commons3 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of meeting many people with disabilities, including those with sight loss or mobility aids, in my surgeries. For them, another person’s choice to park on the pavement means either risking moving into the road to avoid the obstruction or taking long detours, if it is possible to do so. People with disabilities already face unenviable access barriers, and pavement parking only adds to their struggle. Pavement parking also impacts parents with pushchairs, prams and buggies. It prevents children on scooters and balance bikes from riding next to their parents. It can also force dog walkers—especially those who have nasty dogs like mine—into the road to avoid facing another dog. In short, it is an all-round nuisance.”
House of Commons3 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“What is not speculation is that the largest rise in property taxes happened under the Conservatives, when Liz Truss crashed the economy and increased interest rates for everyone in my constituency. Will the Minister speak to the fact that house prices are different in different parts of the country, and that must be reflected in Treasury thinking about tax and the Budget this year?”
House of Commons3 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In my constituency of Henley and Thame, the average house price is £515,000. Does my hon. Friend agree that the property tax described by the Government so far would be a tax on the south-east and London?”
House of Commons3 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is clear that the stated war goals of many elements of the Israeli Government are not a ceasefire and a lasting peace between two communities living side by side in peace, but ethnically cleansing Gaza and preventing a viable state in the west bank. Will the Secretary of State therefore commit to sanctioning the head of the Israeli Government, Benjamin Netanyahu?”
House of Commons2 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“If the Deputy Prime Minister feels that elections for mayoral authorities should have a supplementary vote as that gives them sufficient authority, why does she not feel the same for Members of this House?”
House of Commons2 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Does my hon. Friend share my concern that the Bill could make it more difficult for residents to access services, because where authorities that currently deliver services on a county-wide basis are split into multiple authorities, it will create borders within counties?”
House of Commons2 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In my remaining time, I will mention some of the excellent organisations that I have had the pleasure of meeting, including the Men’s Shed in Peppard; the Sharing Life Trust in Thame, which does excellent work as a food bank; the River Thame Conservation Trust; the Riverside Counselling Service; and the Henley YMCA. Like many first-time MPs who spent their summer recruiting officers and doing a lot of admin, I am very much looking forward to this recess, as I am sure all Members are. But rest assured that I and my Lib Dem colleagues will be back in September to continue holding the Government and the official Opposition to account, and I look forward—”
House of Commons22 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“With no adult service commissioned for annual reviews by a specialist, once someone with ADHD who is well controlled on medication reaches the one-year limit, as required by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, GPs are removing prescriptions from them. That is an absolutely scandalous and very dangerous situation for people with ADHD. I urge the Government to move quickly in their task of implementing the recommendations of the forthcoming taskforce publication, to ensure that we are properly treating and looking after people with ADHD.”
House of Commons22 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That is why I called for Government guidance on that. Unfortunately, my amendment was not successful, but I am pleased that Active Travel England will bring forward guidance, including two case studies on how other councils have successfully used CPOs. I am grateful to the Government for pushing that forward. A cycleway between Goring and Wallingford would also benefit my community. Again, I hope that the Government will continue to invest in active travel. I will touch briefly on another issue that I have been campaigning on: the lack of ADHD services in Oxfordshire.”
House of Commons22 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I would like to highlight that situation and call on Ministers to continue looking at how additional funding can be raised for the Environment Agency and its vital work there. The second campaign I have been focusing on is the Thame to Haddenham greenway. Thame and the village of Haddenham are just three miles apart. Haddenham has the train station, and Thame is the major town with shops, schools and many facilities. The two are not connected by an off-road greenway capable of taking active travel. I have been campaigning alongside residents to get that going. That is why I introduced an amendment on compulsory purchase orders to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. As we know, compulsory purchase orders are readily used for road projects, but they are difficult to use for active travel projects.”
House of Commons22 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“There had been a record of inaction, and when I became the MP, I immediately wrote to Ministers, the Environment Agency, Thames Path national trail and many other organisations—basically, anyone who would listen. I am pleased that that work has made progress. In doing that work, I have discovered a lot more about the state of our infrastructure on our rivers—that is, locks, weirs and bridges. We all know the state of infrastructure when it comes to education, health and our roads, but lesser known is the poor state of our locks, weirs and bridges. They are essential infrastructure for river navigation and safety on the river, and if we did not have them, my hometown of Henley pretty much would not exist and would not have a river running through it—or at least there would not be any water in it.”
House of Commons22 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to follow my constituency neighbour the hon. Member for Reading Central (Matt Rodda). I can confirm that Reading is an excellent place to do shopping; it is a vibrant city with excellent restaurants and an important regional hospital. I am disappointed that the hospital will not be rebuilt until the 2040s, but we will, like all constituency MPs who circle the Royal Berkshire hospital, continue to advocate for it. It has been a pleasure to represent over the past year my constituents of Henley and Thame. It has been pleasing to back some local campaigns, but also to learn some of the national significance that those campaigns have, and I would like to speak to two of them. In my hometown of Henley, I have been campaigning to get Marsh Lock horse bridge reopened since it closed over three years ago.”
House of Commons22 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“One of the drivers of child poverty that has come through in my casework is the Child Maintenance Service’s lack of enforcement powers to hold to account parents who refuse their duties. Does the hon. Member agree with me that greater enforcement powers and greater scrutiny of the Child Maintenance Service are essential for reducing child poverty?”
House of Commons16 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“should review its reasons for closing the Post Office. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to take immediate action to reopen Horspath Outreach Post Office. And the petitioners remain, etc.] [P003085]”
House of Commons16 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The petition states: “The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to take immediate action to reopen Horspath Outreach Post Office.” Following is the full text of the petition: [The petition of the residents of the United Kingdom, Declares that Horspath Outreach Post Office should be reopened, further notes that since its closure on 28th March 2025 there has been a significant negative impact on residents who previously used the post office services; further declares that it has impacted elderly people, parents and those with mobility issues or without a car's ability to access services; further declares that local businesses including Horspath Hub and the Senior Residents Club have been impacted; notes that the Outreach Post Office ran alongside successful community events like coffee mornings; and provided a central community for locals; further notes that the two sub Post Offices 3 miles from Horspath are insufficient to deal with the needs of the community; further notes that a Sub-Postmaster has been found to run the Outreach Post Office; further declares that the Post Office Ltd.”
House of Commons16 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It cannot be right that the retirement of a long-serving and dedicated postmaster is used as an excuse to cut services. The Post Office has a duty to residents of Horspath and should fulfil it. I hope that the Government and the Post Office will now take notice of the residents of Horspath and work together with them to ensure that residents can once again access those postal services.”
House of Commons16 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I rise to present a petition about Horspath outreach post office and to urge the Government to take urgent action following its closure in March 2025 and the retirement of the postmaster in nearby Great Milton. The outreach post office served as a vital community hub for residents. Many older and more vulnerable villagers now face significant barriers to accessing essential postal and banking services. Over 600 residents—over half the village—have signed the petition, which shows just how important this is to them. I was happy to join Judy, Rebecca, Sheila, Shelagh and Anna to present this petition to 10 Downing Street. They join Sue and Derek in the Public Gallery today. I thank them, among others, for their hard work and dedication in bringing forward this petition.”
House of Commons16 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The hon. Lady is absolutely right to point out the eye-watering cost of nursery care for parents. Parents in my constituency tell me that, like me, they spend thousands upon thousands a month, when in other countries it costs just hundreds of pounds a month. One of the most recent contributing factors is the rise in national insurance contributions, which for me increased nursery fees by 10%. Does the hon. Lady regret the Government not accepting Lib Dem amendments to exempt nurseries from the extra charges?”
House of Commons9 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“One amendment tabled by the Conservatives seeks to strip foreign nationals of the right to claim benefits. That could mean that some people are left with no support whatsoever, which could include my father, who has been in this country for 40 years and paid into the system. The amendment tabled by the Conservatives is absolutely despicable, and I invite the hon. Member to join me in agreeing with that statement.”
House of Commons9 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“May I add my voice to welcoming the review as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for fatherhood? It is a step in the right direction in correcting a decade of Tory failure on this issue. The Tories thought that giving dads two weeks of paternity leave and allowing them to break it up into one-week chunks was progress. I note that fathers were not in the four objectives announced by the Minister. Does he accept that we cannot achieve those four objectives without better paternity leave and pay? For example, we cannot achieve good physical and mental health of women after birth without addressing the rights of fathers and birthing partners. If he accepts that, will he agree to meet the APPG throughout the review?”
House of Commons1 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the hon. Lady for making that point, because I have experienced exactly what she describes on my own street in Henley. We had a problem with street racing—boy racing, if we can call it that—and I phoned the police on several occasions. They said, “We know it’s happening, but we don’t have the resources to come and deal with it.” Eventually they got so many calls that they acted. They put in place some sort of prevention order for antisocial behaviour, but that could be done only once—they could not do it over an extended timeframe. Does she feel that the powers should be strengthened for the police to stop that intimidating and antisocial behaviour?”
House of Commons17 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Even if the Government do not adopt amendment 9, either here—I know that it will not be voted on—or in the other place, it is important for them to monitor the success of the changes that are in the Bill, and, in particular, the number of sex offenders who do, and do not, come forward to comply with the rules. I hope that the Government will monitor developments closely, and will introduce new legislation if the loophole is not closed, as they intend it to be. Child sexual abuse is a wicked and despicable crime, and the Government are right to introduce these measures, as well as the others about which Members have spoken so eloquently. I ask the Government to follow up on the Bill’s implementation, and to monitor that extremely closely, as this matter is important to many Members of this House.”
House of Commons17 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That charity is based on research showing that 90% of child sexual abuse is carried out by persons known to the victim. We are right in the House to focus—as we have in the past—on online abuse and abuse by strangers, but we should not forget that 90% of child sexual abuse is carried out by someone the victim knows. Work by Project 90-10 raises awareness of good safeguarding practices. Emma Jane brought to my attention the loophole that allows sex offenders to change their name and, potentially, continue to offend untraced. Amendment 9 would strengthen the name change provision in the Bill by requiring sex offenders to notify the police of their intention to change their name seven days before submitting an application to do so.”
House of Commons17 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In the time remaining, I will speak to amendment 9, which has been tabled by the hon. Member for Rotherham (Sarah Champion) and is supported by many Members across the House, including myself. I welcome the Government’s provisions to limit sex offenders’ ability to change their name, and I know that many other Members also welcome them. I pay tribute to tireless campaigners such as Della Wright, who have campaigned for such provisions for many years and who I had the privilege of meeting at an event organised by Emma Jane Taylor, another tireless campaigner and a constituent of mine. Emma Jane is a survivor, and has spoken very bravely about the lifelong impact of child sexual abuse. Like many survivors, she has channelled her pain into campaigns such as this one and has set up a charity, Project 90-10.”
House of Commons17 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Labour committed to action when in opposition; now they are in power, I urge the Government to listen to this debate. I would not change my wedding for the world, and Scotland now has a very special place in my heart, but would it not be lovely if a legacy of this Government was that such special memories can be made in England and Wales too?”
House of Commons12 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is worth noting that the couple who had the first same-sex marriage in England and Wales, Peter McGraith and David Cabreza, are humanists and said they would have liked a humanist wedding. Legal recognition of humanist marriage would especially benefit and support same-sex couples. LGBTQ people are significantly more likely to identify as non-religious, and many religious groups still do not allow same-sex marriages. Humanists UK tracks whether the ceremonies its celebrants do are for opposite sex or same-sex couples; as a result, we know that every year since 2013 more same-sex couples have chosen to have a humanist wedding without legal recognition than have had a religious same- sex marriage with legal recognition. That which there is clear demand.”
House of Commons12 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“To finish my tour of the home nations, the Welsh Government have repeatedly written to the UK Government over the years asking for a humanist marriage order to be laid or, failing that, for marriage law to be devolved to Wales. I am proud that my party has been committed to that for many years, and that it was a commitment in the last Liberal Democrat manifesto. I am also proud that the Liberal Democrats were in government in Scotland when humanist marriages were introduced there. The Liberal Democrats of course have a very good record on marriage reform. We can debate the merits of the coalition—as I am sure we will again and again—but one of the standout achievements was same-sex marriage.”
House of Commons12 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“When Scotland passed the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014, the decision was made to update marriage law to put humanist marriages on a proper statutory footing. The first two same-sex marriages in Scotland were both humanist, and humanist marriages have only continued to grow in popularity since. It is not just Scotland that has left England behind. In 2017, Laura Lacole and Eunan O’Kane applied to the Registrar General in Northern Ireland to ask for their marriage to be a humanist one. They asked for the law to be read similarly to the way it was read in Scotland. This was declined, but a court later found in their favour. As in Scotland, humanist marriages have since exploded in popularity in Northern Ireland.”
House of Commons12 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am today wearing the same tie that I got married in four years ago. Our humanist celebrant, Lesley, was absolutely wonderful. She guided us through the whole thing perfectly and even offered us a bit of advice on the snow gates in Braemar in December. Everyone in England and Wales should have the same opportunity that has existed in Scotland for 20 years. Twenty years ago, Humanist Society Scotland wrote to the Registrar General and asked them to read the law as relates to religious marriages as also providing for humanist marriages. They were persuaded that, from a human rights perspective, given freedom of religion or belief, that had to happen, so they reinterpreted the law in exactly that way. No legislation was required, and so, on 18 June 2005, Karen Watts and Martin Reijns were married by a humanist celebrant at Edinburgh zoo.”
House of Commons12 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The words someone needs to say at a church wedding just did not ring true for me, and the last thing I wanted to do on my wedding day was to lie. The words we say on such a day are special and should be meaningful. The alternative to a religious marriage, in a place that is wanted, is therefore to have a registry office marriage with a celebration after, but I wanted the celebration to be the marriage—to combine, as religious ceremonies do, the legal act of marriage as defined by law and the deep and meaningful declarations of love made on the day. That is why we decided to get married in Scotland. As my name suggests, I do not have ancestral connections to Scotland, but I often wear a tartan tie in this place because I am now so fond of the country in which I got married.”
House of Commons12 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dame Siobhain. I am delighted to co-lead this debate. Many problems that face this country and indeed the world are difficult to solve, but marriage equality for humanist weddings—as the right hon. Member for Oxford East (Anneliese Dodds), my constituency neighbour, pointed out—is something we can fix simply with the stroke of a pen. I therefore urge the Government to do so. I will reflect on my own marriage, which was a humanist marriage. I am not religious, but I was raised going to church on Sundays and I went to a Catholic school, so I am familiar with the Catholic faith and have great respect for it. When it came down to it, however, a religious marriage did not feel right for me or my wife.”
House of Commons12 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. I have been engaging with the Oxford NHS trust, which is not yet providing givinostat to boys in Oxfordshire. Its own business case suggests that it would cost less than £2,000 per boy and £66,000 in total for the 35 boys. Clearly, as a country, we should be able to afford such a sum. Does he agree that a hospital that wants to be world-leading should be providing it? Does he further agree that this is exactly the sort of thing we need Government intervention on, so that these boys can get treatment as soon as possible?”
House of Commons12 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I beg to move, That this House has considered support for people with ADHD. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine, and I thank the Minister for being here for the debate. Allow me to take Members through what ADHD diagnosis and treatment looks like in Oxfordshire. Say a 14 or 15-year-old boy is exhibiting symptoms of ADHD. They find themselves easily distracted at school. Their high energy levels are coming through in all the wrong ways; they talk noisily through class and find it hard to sit still.”
House of Commons10 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“After her case was escalated to Oxford Health, it was negotiated with her GP that primary care would continue to prescribe until her next review was due. I had hoped that would buy us enough time to find a solution. In February, I was told by the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West integrated care board that it would decide on reopening waiting lists for young people aged 18 to 25 in March. That would allow reviews for that cohort to take place again.”
House of Commons10 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is no wonder the list is closed and has become meaningless. But suppose you are one of the lucky ones with a diagnosis and a treatment plan: guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence dictate that there should be an annual review of your condition. Your GP is told to continue to prescribe controlled medication, but then says they will do so only until your next annual review by a specialist. However, specialist reviews are not a commissioned service in Oxfordshire, so once someone hits this limit, their GP stops prescribing and their symptoms immediately worsen. In July 2024, I started working on such a case—one of the first in my inbox. A constituent warned me that she was leaving CAMHS and would have no access to care.”
House of Commons10 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend has been a fantastic advocate for people with neurodiverse conditions and I wholeheartedly endorse his suggestion. Imagine a young girl who works hard to mask her symptoms just to get through the day. Her GP refers her to child and adolescent mental health services, but the waiting list is so long that the service is functionally irrelevant. She knows that by the time she gets seen, she will be 18 and so kicked out of CAMHS and into adult mental health services. But since February 2024, Oxford Health’s waiting list for adult assessment has been closed. It is a dead end—there is no service. For all intents and purposes, the NHS does not exist. In Oxfordshire, there were 2,385 on the waiting list in March, while capacity is 26 assessments a month. That means the waiting list is seven and a half years long.”
House of Commons10 June 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗