Sir Alan Campbell
MP for Tynemouth · Labour · United Kingdom
“I am grateful to her Committee and to her for her work on that Committee as well as more widely. I absolutely agree with her about the importance of protecting Members’ rights. The measures proposed today are about enhancing those rights. As she said, it is about modernising and maintaining integrity.”
“The case was referred to the Committee to consider whether, in seeking to prevent the flow of information to Parliament, the Charity Commission’s action constituted a contempt of this House. As the report outlines, the obstruction of provision of information to Parliament is wholly unacceptable.”
“I have a feeling, but it is no more than that. I obviously hope that these changes will be successful and that when the time comes the House will want to carry them forward. In that case, it would be right for us to review them before that. Finally, I turn to the comments of my hon.”
“(10) The chair of the committee shall resume that function either at the end of the period of leave or after giving at least five sitting days’ notice of their intention to return from a specified date.”
“May I thank all hon. Members for their contributions to the debate? I will briefly respond to them. I am eternally grateful to the Chair of the Privileges Committee, the hon.”
“119 (European Committees) be amended in respect of European Committee C, by leaving out: (a) “Business and Trade” and inserting “Business, Innovation, Science and Trade”; (b) “Culture, Media and Sport” and inserting “Digital, Culture, Media and Sport”; and (c) “Science, Innovation and Technology”. E.”
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“I thank all Members for their contribution to today’s debate. I thank the shadow Minister for her kind words; I agree that the changes are eminently sensible. The Chair of the Procedure Committee does a fantastic job. We work closely with her Committee and the Modernisation Committee. I thank her and all Procedure Committee members for their important work. I welcome the changes to campaigning. I think that Members will be relieved to know that, once we are into the campaigning season, there will be limits to what campaigning can be done. I thank the Procedure Committee Chair for that; it is eminently sensible. The Chair of the Backbench Business Committee asked why different rules applied to his Committee, and suggested that it might have been because of the awkward squad on his side of the House.”
“My hon. Friend has been an assiduous supporter of the White Ribbon accreditation process and has been working on it from the very beginning. I can reconfirm for her that we are committed to making the UK Parliament the first to have White Ribbon accreditation. The House of Commons Commission has established the necessary leads to start accreditation, and an action plan has been drafted and is on track to be launched in the near future.”
“I want to go away and think about that, because from what he has said—and I trust him absolutely on these matters—it does seem somewhat at odds. Were the Government to change those terms, I would expect them to come to this House and do so.”
“235.] The Prime Minister has been very clear that he expects us to make progress as quickly as possible, but as the right hon. and learned Gentleman knows, there are literally mountains of documents to wade through. As for what the ISC was asked to do, I do not believe that that has fundamentally changed. My view, which I have expressed in one of these sessions, is that the Government would be wise to get as much information as possible out as quickly as possible, and to do as little redaction as possible. However, if I have understood him correctly, the right hon. and learned Gentleman raises an interesting question about what the Government have subsequently said about what they might or might not do.”
“First, I place on record our gratitude to the Intelligence and Security Committee for its time and its consideration of the large number of documents that it is reviewing. Further documents have been gathered, and the Government are working at pace to ensure that the ISC has all the relevant documentation as soon as possible. On Tuesday 21 April, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister committed to the House that “we will release that further material shortly, subject to the processes ongoing with the Metropolitan police”— which I know the right hon. and learned Gentleman understands— “and the Intelligence and Security Committee, and we will continue to keep Members updated as we make progress.” —[ Official Report , 21 April 2026; Vol. 784, c.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for his work on these matters, including as a Minister and shadow Minister. He brings valuable insight. I cannot give him a commitment on the fund, but I believe that we need to go further on these issues. As the Government have made clear, communities should, wherever possible, be put in the driving seat in terms of not only their resources and the decisions they have to make, but the assets at their disposal.”
“As I said in announcing the business, there may be an opportunity before the end of this Session to return to the question of the legacy Bill. There will certainly be an opportunity as soon as we come back to return to it. The right hon. Gentleman may wish to make those remarks during those debates. Knowing the Attorney General as I do, I am sure that he approaches these questions in an absolutely correct way. Should a situation arise where he feels that he should recuse himself, I have absolute faith that he would make the right judgment.”
“I thank my hon. Friend not just for his questions, but for his record on this matter. I know that he has a personal interest as someone who was at Hillsborough on that terrible day. As he says, we have tabled the carry-over motion, and I am pleased that he welcomes it. Briefings against anyone are never welcome, wherever they come from. I hope that those who might have briefed hear his words. In terms of keeping him updated, I will certainly draw his remarks to the attention of the relevant Minister.”
“I will draw the hon. Lady’s remarks and concerns to the attention of the appropriate Minister, and see if we can arrange the meeting she requests.”
“My hon. Friend is a champion on this matter for her constituents and, indeed, more widely. I thank her for her work as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. I do agree with her, but more importantly, the Government more widely agree with her that such community-based support is vital, and in raising this matter in the House today, she has highlighted the case even more.”
“As I have said, there may well be such an opportunity after the King’s Speech, when the Government will have more time for general debates, and I will certainly consider the hon. Gentleman’s request.”
“I certainly join my hon. Friend in congratulating Scarborough RUFC on its success. Not only that club, but rugby clubs across our country are so important in local sports. Very often, they are at the heart of our local communities because, moving beyond the sport they play, they get involved in all sorts of other things, and I thank rugby clubs for everything they do.”
“If the hon. Lady lets me have the details of that case immediately after this session, I will see what we can do. While I am on my feet, let me wish her well for her run on Sunday.”
“My hon. Friend is right to draw attention to that decision by Northumberland county council. It cannot be right, even after 14 years of under-investment by successive Tory Administrations, that less well-off households in his area are being asked to pay more. This Government are taking action so we can keep costs down for everyone and provide support for those who need it more. But the lesson that people need to learn, unfortunately by experience, in areas such as his is this: do not vote for a Tory or a Reform council.”
“The hon. Gentleman raises an issue that has been raised many times during these sessions. As I mentioned earlier in my remarks, one effect of that was that a Minister did come to the House to give a statement on Capita. I am sure that they will continue to do so. If this situation continues, as we return after the King’s Speech, he is certainly making a good case for us to find time to have a debate on this issue.”
“We certainly do not. I understand my hon. Friend’s concerns and the concerns of Uber drivers. Of course, we would want to see companies consult with their employees and hopefully give them reassurance going forward, but I will take up his concerns directly with Ministers to ensure that we are doing everything we can to get ahead of this particular game.”
“We are also keeping under review the cost of red diesel, which I know will be more important in some areas, in particular rural areas, than it might be in others. We have also taken action on heating oil, which again is probably more of a prevalent concern in areas like hers than it is in some urban areas. To respond to what the hon. Lady said about the money that the Chancellor is meant to be getting in through taxation as a result of rising fuel prices. That is false economics; it does not exist. It may be that the receipts are coming in through one door, but they are going out through another because costs to Government rise, too. We should not try to—I know she is not trying to—kid people that somehow this is a benefit to the Chancellor. The Chancellor does not want this to happen and it is not as straightforward as the hon.”
“The hon. Lady is right to draw attention to the concerns about the possible economic fallout from the current situation in the middle east. As she points out, we are already taking action. We had already extended the 5p cut in fuel duty until September. We are also working at pace with our International Energy Agency partners on a co-ordinated release of oil stocks to the market, with the UK contributing 13.5 million barrels. The Chancellor and the Energy Secretary have met the petrol retail industry to make clear that drivers must get a fair deal, whether they are haulage drivers or domestic drivers. We need to make sure that competition is kept open and that the competition watchdog is vigilant on price gouging. As the Chancellor and the Prime Minister have both said, we are keeping the situation under review.”
“My hon. Friend is right to champion the good work of the cadets and the impact on young people. We are committed to the joint Department for Education and Ministry of Defence cadet expansion programme, complementing our national youth strategy. I encourage my hon. Friend to perhaps apply for an Adjournment debate to hear directly from Ministers about not only the work we are undertaking to support the cadets, but what plans there are for the future.”
“We are all frustrated when there is no connectivity, particularly when travelling, but there is a wider and more important point here, which is the economic cost, particularly in rural areas but also across the country. I am not aware of what those providers are saying, but I will draw the hon. Gentleman’s remarks and concerns to the attention of the relevant Ministers to ensure that they are sighted of this, as I am sure they are. I will get him an update on these matters.”
“My hon. Friend raises a very disturbing story, and I wish Milly well. We have heard time and again in these sessions that when Reform is in local government, it overpromises and underdelivers. I strongly encourage Lancashire county council to listen to my hon. Friend’s contribution and to do the right thing by Milly and people across his community and put this right.”
“The previous Government should never have allowed the water sector to get into this state, with record levels of sewage spills and ageing infrastructure, and this Government are determined to put it right both through legislation and by encouraging and resourcing the Environment Agency. I will give consideration to what the hon. Member says about this matter, and she may wish to draw it directly to the attention of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. I understand the concerns about the Environment Agency when such things happen, but a lot of Environment Agency staff are doing a really good and really tough job, day in and day out, and we should send them our support.”
“I join my hon. Friend in thanking all those who contributed to the inquiry, and I thank the members of the APPG for all their work on this vital issue. I join my hon. Friend in inviting all those in the sector to read the report when it is published, and I will draw her remarks directly to the attention of Ministers.”
“The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to raise this matter on behalf of businesses in his constituency, and I understand their uncertainty. We are absolutely committed to building a thriving hydrogen sector in the UK through our strategy, as he points out, but I will draw his concerns to the attention of Ministers. If we have the strategy and the energy, we need to get on with it.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for bringing this to the House, and he is absolutely right. Programmes like the UK town of culture have often been transformative experiences, with the impacts on people and places extending well beyond the title year. I hope to see the same transformation in the winning town. I have to be diplomatic in wishing all the communities, including Chorley and Slough, well in their quest to be the town of culture. Even if they are not the outright winner, taking part in the process and being a runner-up is a considerable achievement, and it is often a boost to local people. Before I sit down, Mr Speaker, I also want to mention that North Shields has a very strong case.”
“The Government are clear that we wish to see brownfield sites prioritised wherever possible, but the reality is that we have ambitious targets for housing because the failure of the previous Government to build sufficient housing has left us with a housing crisis. It is true that local voices should be heard in this process, but it is also true that we need to get on and build some more houses. I will draw the hon. Lady’s question to the attention of the Housing Minister, who is doing his very best in that regard. This issue is raised very often, so, should she wish to seek an Adjournment or Westminster Hall debate, I am sure other Members would want to come along and take part.”
“I certainly join my hon. Friend and all those in this House in remembering the life and achievements of Tony Worthington. I knew Tony briefly, and I was certainly aware of the extraordinary campaigning he undertook and his success, not least on asbestos. It is not every MP who at the end of their career can claim success in the way that Tony Worthington could. I share the House’s sympathy and send our condolences to Tony’s family at this time. We remember his life, which was a life well lived.”
“The Government are certainly keen to see local newspapers and local radio continue, because they are so important to the lives of our communities. I will draw the hon. Gentleman’s remarks to the attention of the relevant Minister; if he wants to hear from the Minister directly about what more we can do with the fund, then he might seek an Adjournment debate.”
“My hon. Friend is right to raise these matters. They must be of deep concern to his constituents, who had their hopes built up but nothing has happened. I hope the Co-op has heard what he has said today, because the answer lies largely in its hands. He is right to point out that we are taking action to help high streets, not least through Pride in Place. Should he seek a meeting with Ministers to see if there are any other levers to pull, as he puts it, I will arrange that.”
“The direct answer to the hon. Gentleman is that the Government are seeking to address these matters at pace. We are coming together to ensure, for example, that dental hubs are rolled out where people can see them and the effect can be felt. We have already rolled out 700,000 more urgent dental appointments. We are reforming the dental contract, which is perhaps easy to say and more difficult to do. We have also announced the first sustained expansion of dental training since 2007. Having said that, I hope that in the hon. Gentleman’s local area, by coming together, there is an opportunity to improve access to dentistry. It has been left in a shocking state, but the Government are fully committed to doing something about it.”
“Our new waste crime action plan sets out a zero-tolerance approach in order to prevent waste crime, pursue the criminals responsible and accelerate clean-up, and I think it has been widely welcomed. Should my hon. Friend seek an Adjournment debate on the scourge of fly-tipping in rural areas, I am sure it would be well attended. If she is not successful, I will certainly see if we can find time in Government time to give her the debate that she asks for.”
“I understand the frustration that Members sometimes have when they do not receive full replies or the substantive replies that they seek. If the hon. Lady gives me details of that particular case, I will certainly follow them up. She may also know that the Procedure Committee is undertaking an inquiry into parliamentary questions. The situation is a bit more complicated than it seems, because the number of PQs has gone through the roof and there are all sorts of questions as to why that should be the case. Also, although Members are given the opportunity to ask questions and hold Departments to account, there is a question as to whether the rules that we work to and live by are the right ones for the current situation.”
“I want to reciprocate by wishing my hon. Friend a happy St George’s day. He highlights some of the incredible efforts by Alan Clark and other volunteers from his constituency. As I have said many times before, local volunteers are the golden thread that runs through our constituencies, so I will of course join him in wishing Ryan and his family well, and in thanking the team.”
“I am saddened to hear of the tragic case and will certainly give the hon. Gentleman’s request some consideration. I suspect that a cross-departmental approach needs to be taken here, so if he wishes to give me further details, I will draw his concerns to the attention of Ministers; it is important that they see how these things actually play out in local constituencies and how they affect individuals.”
“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the BSI on 125 years of tireless work. There was a Westminster Hall debate on this very matter recently. I encourage all workplaces and employers to align their work practices with the Government’s suicide prevention strategy, and to consider drawing on BSI standards to help embed suicide prevention in working practices.”
“I join my hon. Friend in recognising Warwickshire day. As I have said previously, community volunteers and events like the one she describes are at the heart of making our local communities the fantastic places they are. This sounds like a great way to celebrate St George’s day. Should she seek a Westminster Hall debate on the issues she raises, then I hope she is successful. If not, then I will give consideration to her request for a debate in Government time.”
“I am sorry to hear about the case that my hon. Friend raises. It must be a very difficult time for his constituent and her family. I am sure that I speak for the whole House when I extend my deepest sympathies and best wishes to her. If my hon. Friend would like to give me the details after Question Time, I will ensure that he gets a response from the relevant Minister.”
“My hon. Friend is a true champion of businesses not just in her constituency and along the river that we share, but across our region. I pay tribute to her for that work, for which she is widely respected. As I have said, we are committed to building a thriving hydrogen sector in the UK, but we have not been able to move as quickly as possible. We want to renew the hydrogen strategy and see it at work, but we must also give industry the clarity it needs. I hope that work will be completed as soon as possible. Should she wish to make her case to a Minister, I will make the case for a meeting with her and the hon. Member for Brigg and Immingham (Martin Vickers).”
“I thank my hon. Friend for raising the performance—or, should I say, the lack of performance —of Reform councils. We have heard time and again in business questions that when Reform is in local government, it over-promises and under-delivers. There is a real political choice in the coming local elections. He makes a strong case for learning from the example of what it is like to live under a Reform council, and for the benefits of voting Labour.”
“My hon. Friend raises an important matter. We recently announced 19 new technical excellence colleges in England, on top of the 10 confirmed for the construction sector last year. We are expanding the youth guarantee to create further opportunities for young people. However, as she points out, we need to go further and we are committed to doing so. I encourage her to apply for a Westminster Hall debate to explore how we can expand the opportunity to study at university technical colleges. That is, as she points out, so important for our young people and local communities.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for raising that matter. As I said previously, Sir David Attenborough has been instrumental in teaching generations about the importance of the natural world. I am sure that the whole House will join me in celebrating the monumental occasion of Sir David’s 100th birthday, and let us give some thought across the House to how best we can mark that.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for raising the important work of the Cornwall Air Ambulance charity and wholeheartedly join her in commending the vital work of the volunteers who keep these essential services in the sky. I will certainly take up her concerns with my right hon. Friend the Health Secretary to seek the meeting that she wants, but because it may not simply be a matter for the Department of Health and Social Care, let us give some consideration to how else we can resolve this matter at a ministerial level.”
“My hon. Friend is absolutely right to champion the work of the brilliant community groups in his constituency, and I join him in congratulating Erewash Voluntary Action on securing its funding and continuing to support community engagement. There has been a theme this morning, and indeed in other sessions, about the importance of community volunteers, so I will certainly give some thought to his suggestion that we should find a way of discussing these matters further.”
“My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise that matter. As I have said many times, these organisations are the golden thread that runs through our communities. Our social cohesion plan sets out our commitment to bring communities together and restore pride in them, and I encourage him to apply for an Adjournment debate so that he can make his case in more detail.”
“I thank my hon. Friend and everyone who worked to develop the national allergy strategy. Over the coming months the Government will thoroughly review all of the strategy’s recommendations, and carefully consider the feasibility and viability of their implementation. I encourage my hon. Friend to apply for a Westminster Hall debate so that those matters can be discussed in more detail.”
“My hon. Friend is right to raise veterans’ issues and I thank her for doing so. As she knows, Op Valour is our UK-wide veterans’ support system, providing £50 million in funding to better connect charities and local and national services. I will ensure that she gets a response from the Minister for Veterans and People and the update on the issues that she seeks.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for bringing this matter to the House. The Government have set up new rules so that waste incinerators will receive planning approval only if they meet strict new local environmental conditions. I know that this is a matter of concern not only to my hon. Friend’s constituents but to others, and I will draw it to the attention of Ministers.”
“My hon. Friend raises a serious matter. The Government recognise that the cost of travel should not be a barrier to treatment, and the non-emergency patient transport scheme guidance is determined by ICBs and their partners, including local ambulance trusts. I will make sure that the relevant Minister is aware of this case and see what action may be taken.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for raising this incredibly important matter. NHS England previously extended the initial two-year funding term and is providing data to ICBs to support decisions about treatment and care, but I will of course reach out to the relevant Minister to ensure that those responses are issued as a matter of priority.”
“I certainly join my hon. Friend in welcoming the new owners of Harlow Town. I am sure that is welcome news to supporters, because local football clubs are of such importance to our local communities, and I wish them all the best for the new season. May I also wish my hon. Friend all the best for Sunday, when he will be running the London marathon, raising funds for a local hospice? With the House’s indulgence, Madam Deputy Speaker, may I correct the record? In answer to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Ben Maguire), I said that we have already rolled out 700,000 emergency dental appointments. What I should have said is that we have started rolling out 700,000 emergency dental appointments. The work began this month. I want to ensure that when I misspeak, I put the record right at the earliest opportunity.”