Sam Carling
MP for North West Cambridgeshire · Labour · United Kingdom
“This is a monumental waste of our constituents’ money, which we could be redirecting both towards our public services and to tackle violence against women and girls at the same time.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That comes alongside the news that the IMF forecasts that we are set to deliver a bigger reduction in borrowing over the next few years than any other G20 country. We are one of only two G7 countries to cut our deficit this year, despite all the global headwinds that we face.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I will turn briefly to another area I would have liked to see more work on, and something I hope the Government might consider taking forward in the spending review, which is gift aid and the tax exemptions given to charities.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The measures provide support for those most in need: the families, and particularly the children, in poverty in North West Cambridgeshire and across the country.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That fact damages the whole sector and those within it who do such good work. In July 2025, The Guardian reported that the Kasner Charitable Trust transferred £5.7 million to support an illegal settlement in the occupied west bank.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“High energy costs are one of the biggest issues facing both my constituents and the small businesses that our economy needs to thrive, so I am delighted that the Chancellor announced that gas standing charges—which we all know are not fair—will be removed.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
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“This issue also disproportionately affects those from minority ethnic backgrounds, with 16% missing essential items, compared with 7% of white British people.”
House of Commons6 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Upsettingly, seven in 10 people surveyed who also had long-term conditions or disabilities said that living in furniture poverty made their condition worse. For those coming from homelessness, it is especially difficult. In my region of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, I know of a resident who was finally offered a flat, after living in her car for months. Although that was a relief, not having anywhere to sleep in the unfurnished flat significantly undercut the benefits, as did the lack of other essential items. As many as 9% of UK adults are missing at least one essential item, and more than 1 million are living in deep furniture poverty, which is defined as missing three or more essential items, while 1.2 million children are in furniture poverty.”
House of Commons6 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am going to mention End Furniture Poverty later in my speech. It is an excellent organisation that is doing good work, particularly with Liverpool city council in my hon. Friend’s constituency. She makes her point well. Furniture poverty has a huge impact on both physical and mental health. According to a National Centre for Social Research survey of people experiencing furniture poverty, six in 10 reported that it caused them physical pain, while nine in 10 felt stressed or anxious living without essential items and, crucially, worried that they would not be able to replace items should they break. The anxiety is constant. Seven in 10 reported feeling ashamed or embarrassed by their own home, reflecting a social stigma around furniture poverty that leads those suffering to invite family and friends around less, increasing isolation.”
House of Commons6 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“End Furniture Poverty has worked with councils up and down the country, including Liverpool city council; in Liverpool more than 50% of social landlords have pledged to start a scheme to tackle furniture poverty. It has also worked with Cambridgeshire county council. Next week at its parliamentary event, I look forward to the presentation of End Furniture Poverty’s work and to hearing how that will affect my constituents in North West Cambridgeshire. However, although charities do good work, they cannot do it all and they have been impacted by the difficulties in local government finances under the last Government.”
House of Commons6 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Private renters spend on average more than the recommended maximum of 30% of their wages on rent, which can make it difficult to buy or replace costly items. It is also possible that replacement furniture items are required more often in the private sector, due to mould and damp, given that a higher proportion of homes in the sector do not meet the decent homes standard compared with other forms of tenure. I welcome the fact that the Government have already taken steps to address that situation in the Renters’ Rights Bill. I want to highlight some of the work done by charities and local authorities. End Furniture Poverty, a charity based in Liverpool, is the leader on research in this area and I have drawn on its useful statistics throughout my speech today.”
House of Commons6 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We have unfair trading regulations that should protect tenants but, when landlords are able to define “furnished” however they please, and with many not providing inventories of properties until a lease agreement has been signed and a tenant has been locked in, tenants cannot use those regulations effectively to challenge misleading practices. Other countries already have a legal definition—France, for example—so it would not be an unusual step. There are ample opportunities for us to do it, either through the decent homes standard, as we review it, or in secondary legislation arising from the Renters’ Rights Bill. Other problems in the sector can exacerbate furniture poverty, with the sheer levels of rent people pay in the private sector being a major one.”
House of Commons6 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Some properties are advertised as furnished, only for tenants to arrive and find they do not have a mattress, cooker, fridge or another essential furniture item. I have personal experience of that. When I moved into a new flat in August, I arrived to find there was no mattress to sleep on. I had to order one myself at short notice, but I am lucky to have been able to do that. So many people are not able to deal with significant unexpected expenses like that. I firmly believe that we need to define formally what “furnished” means, to empower tenants to challenge landlords who misleadingly advertise properties as furnished.”
House of Commons6 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Welsh Government recently took the extremely welcome step of requiring social rented homes to provide flooring from the point of let, regardless of whether properties are considered furnished or not. I strongly encourage the Government to follow the lead of our Welsh colleagues by bringing in a similar measure, as we review our own decent homes standard. In the private rented sector, things are better, with 29% of properties let as furnished, which provides tenants with choice. However, there is ambiguity over that figure. It could include serviced flats for those with higher incomes. There is also no legal definition of a furnished property, meaning that what counts as furnished can vary from landlord to landlord and property to property.”
House of Commons6 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That means walking around on cement, wood with nails sticking out, or dirty underlay. That is often because it is ripped up by landlords when previous tenants leave, supposedly because the floor might be dirty. In most cases, perfectly good flooring is removed just because it is the quickest and easiest thing to do. That means that tenants have to put in flooring themselves. Data from May this year show that 83% of residents self-funded floor coverings, with only 1% receiving support from their landlord. Very few charities or local welfare schemes cover flooring, meaning that many just have to make do with nothing. Beyond being a hazard, a lack of carpet or adequate flooring makes a property far colder in winter, increasing heating costs.”
House of Commons6 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend for raising that point. He cites the specific statistics in his constituency; I am sure we will hear more in the Minister’s response about the Government’s plans to address that situation. Starkly, if someone has a disability, they are three times more likely to be in furniture poverty than non-disabled people. The issue is at its worst in the social rented sector. Only 2% of social properties come with any furniture at all, meaning that most people move into an empty box, not a home. That means that more than a quarter of social tenants are in furniture poverty. Landlords also often throw away any furniture that is left when tenants move. That extends, most absurdly, to flooring. Nearly 760,000 adults in the social rented sector are living without flooring.”
House of Commons6 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I appreciate that because this issue is a cross-departmental one, the Minister may not be able to respond to all of my points, in which case I ask her to raise any outstanding points with the relevant Minister and ask them either to write to me or to meet me to discuss them. That would be very helpful. I will end there and defer to colleagues, who I know have lots of valuable contributions to make.”
House of Commons6 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“What will be key is effective regulation of the social and private rented sectors. The statistics from the social rented sector are stark. Social landlords need to provide more of their stock as furnished, and I believe that potential legislative routes to achieve that should be considered. In the private rented sector, the Renters’ Rights Bill does much to tackle the overriding issues that exacerbate furniture poverty for renters and shows how important regulation is. I encourage the Government to consider the small, additional regulatory changes that I have outlined in this speech, which could make a real difference to people in furniture poverty.”
House of Commons6 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“However, budgets for local welfare assistance have dwindled over the past decade, after responsibility for schemes was devolved from central Government to local government and as local authority budgets have been greatly reduced. That is the key point. Devolution is not a bad thing, but it must come with the funding to deal with the new powers. Right now, 36 local authorities have closed their local welfare scheme, meaning that whether people can get the support that they need has become something of a postcode lottery. That is no huge surprise given the perilous state of local government finances after the last Government’s failures. The new Government’s extension to the household support fund in the Budget is very welcome and will be vital to so many people who need it.”
House of Commons6 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In February, three in 10 charities that work with local authorities said that they expected their funding to fall, but even charities that derive no income from local government felt that challenges in local finances would affect them, with 33% of them saying that there would be a knock-on effect for their organisation. What can be done about furniture poverty? There is a case for some work to be done on local welfare assistance. These schemes are an ideal source of support for people who require one or two essential furniture items. They also provide vital assistance for food and fuel, and many of them offer a wide range of other support.”
House of Commons6 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I have been a councillor myself for a number of years, so I am very much aware of the difficulty that local government is facing and I agree that we need to see improvements in that regard. The situation is extremely difficult for the Government, of course, given the horrendous inheritance that we have had from the previous Government on this issue and on the broader economy in general. However, I certainly look ahead, especially to the multi-year settlements that the new Government have pledged to bring forward, which will be incredibly useful for councils.”
House of Commons6 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Minister knows lots of farmers in my constituency—he is a near neighbour of mine—and farmers are grateful for his engagement with them. He knows that farmers’ incomes fell year on year under the Conservative Government. Will he outline what measures there are in this Budget to support farmers in North West Cambridgeshire and help the industry to get back on track?”
House of Commons4 November 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“On the suggestion made by the hon. Member for Bristol Central, the civil penalty income is imposed by a public body as a punishment for breaking the law. There is a point of principle about whether it is right—whether there is a precedent—to give a contribution back to the tenant from that. It feels very unusual to me. I have a brief question for the Minister; it may be that as a new Member of Parliament I am not used to this yet. Is it normal to specify the amount of the fine in primary legislation? Can that cause problems later in respect of needing to uprate it with inflation or anything like that?”
House of Commons31 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It was Labour that created the NHS and it is this Labour Government who will transform it into a service fit for the British people. I am proud of Labour’s first Budget in 14 years. It is a strong step forward in the journey towards national renewal, and it shows our Labour Government’s drive to deliver for everyone across our country.”
House of Commons30 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Kinship carers are family or friends who step in to help support a child when its parents cannot, and they do a tremendous and critical job that too often goes unnoticed. I am pleased to see the Labour Government recognising their contribution, and the greater role that kinship carers can play in our society with the right level of support. This Budget also demonstrates our concrete commitment to the NHS. We are all far too aware of the fragile state of our national health service after 14 years of neglect under the Conservatives. The inability to see a doctor or find a dentist comes up time and time again when I talk to my constituents, and I know that picture is replicated around the country. We are ending that, with much-needed resource for equipment and buildings that will set the foundations for clearing the backlog.”
House of Commons30 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Measures such as the 6.7% increase to the national living wage, the extension of the household support fund, the preservation of the triple lock on pensions, and the increase to the carers’ allowance weekly earnings limit will do so much to ease pressure on those that have been feeling it for too long. The huge boost to childcare will see new and expanded nurseries across the country, easing the pressure on parents, including so many in North West Cambridgeshire who rely heavily on those services. I also welcome the £44 million for kinship and foster carers, as part of a trial. It is a subject close to my heart and to those of my Labour colleagues on Peterborough city council.”
House of Commons30 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“This Government are delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation. I am delighted that education is finally getting the support it needs. Last year we saw school buildings literally crumble, as the extent of the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete scandal became clear. The £1.4 billion rebuilding programme we have announced will be welcomed by schools in my constituency and throughout the country. It is also hugely positive to see an extra £30 million for breakfast club funding, which will make sure that every child starts the day fed and ready to learn. I know how valuable that will be to my constituents. One of the biggest problems over the past few years has been the ever-increasing cost of living.”
House of Commons30 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Social housing was left to rot by the last Government, who ended their time in office with nearly 1.3 million households on waiting lists and, devastatingly, 150,000 children in temporary accommodation. The Budget includes an immediate injection of £500 million extra capital into the affordable homes programme for next year, supporting thousands of new social and affordable homes. That takes overall investment in the housing supply for next year to over £5 billion. Reforms to the right to buy will make the scheme more sustainable, supporting long-standing tenants buying their own homes, but crucially making sure that councils can replace those homes—for which many have been calling for so long. Newly announced housing projects across the country will allow for the delivery of more than 30,000 homes.”
House of Commons30 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Apologies without action, as we saw from the last Government, are not enough, and victims have had to wait for too long. I welcome measures such as the industrial strategy, with more than £20 billion of funding for research and development in growth industries of the future, investment in infrastructure, and in broadband, which will make a real difference to my constituents in North West Cambridgeshire. The cut to duty on draft alcohol will be a welcome boost to local pubs in my constituency—I was delighted to see that after I raised with Ministers the need to support pubs in questions yesterday. Everyone has the right to a safe, comfortable, affordable home, and the housing measures in the Budget will help make that a reality for more people.”
House of Commons30 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Tom Hayes) that the Federation of Small Businesses has welcomed the Budget, due to the support for small businesses that we are bringing in with that allowance increasing. The Budget will fix the foundations of our economy to focus on what matters most: higher living standards and better public services. Those are the things that make a real difference to people’s lives. There are currently five Conservative Members in the Chamber, and I wonder why the others are not here. What is it that they do not want to discuss and hear about? Is it perhaps the Government’s decision finally to set aside funding to compensate the victims of the infected blood scandal, and the sub-postmasters who were so badly affected by one of the worst miscarriages of justice in our history?”
House of Commons30 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my right hon. Friend the Chancellor for delivering this Budget, which shows the difference that a Labour Government make. It shows a Government who are willing to invest in our country and deliver support for those who need it. That investment will not be built on tax rises for working people. It will be focused on those with the broadest shoulders who can afford to contribute more. Conservative Members have criticised capital gains tax increases, but less than 1% of people pay capital gains tax. They have criticised the increase to employers’ national insurance payments, claiming that it would damage small businesses, but we have just heard from my hon.”
House of Commons30 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“T8. There are over 50 pubs and breweries in my constituency, supporting more than 1,500 jobs and contributing millions of pounds to our economy. Whether it is the Mulberry Tree Farm in Hampton or the Windmill in Orton Waterville, these are valued businesses that have earned their place in our local community. Does the Chancellor agree that they deserve to be supported, and that this Labour Government will give hospitality the tools it needs to thrive?”
House of Commons29 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am very grateful to several Conservative Members for admitting to quite a lot of the mistakes that they made in government. People in my constituency are still paying the price, in their mortgages and rents, for the disastrous Conservative economic record. Is it any wonder that the Conservatives are so desperate to speak about anything other than their disastrous record?”
House of Commons29 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It means an end to rental bidding, to landlord anonymity and to frightening, sudden and unjustifiable section 21 evictions. The Conservatives failed to protect private renters despite promising action for so long, so I am particularly pleased that we are introducing the Bill so soon into our time in office. The Bill’s measures build on the Government’s plan to create a housing sector that works for all, regardless of tenure. Manifesto commitments to make housing more affordable, to support first-time buyers and to prioritise the building of new socially rented homes are exactly what we need, and I look forward to the publication of the Government’s long-term housing strategy, which will set out these objectives in more detail. I know how important this Bill will be for my constituents in North West Cambridgeshire.”
House of Commons9 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The decent homes standard is not applied, and neither is Awaab’s law, which sets clear legal expectations about the timeframes within which landlords must take action to make homes safe where they contain serious hazards. By passing this Bill, we will fix both those loopholes. More than one in five of my constituents in North West Cambridgeshire are private tenants, and the chaos in the sector affects all age groups. The stereotypical renter is often portrayed as younger, but let us not forget the significant proportion of older people and pensioners who rent in the private sector—there are more than 1,000 in North West Cambridgeshire, according to data from the last census. The Bill will tackle the sector’s problems head on. It means strengthened rights to challenge unreasonable rent increases.”
House of Commons9 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“With all this in mind, it is no wonder that housing insecurity in the private rented sector is higher than for other tenures. Renters are more likely to move often, staying in a property for an average of four years, compared with 12 years for those in social housing and 17 for homeowners. That insecurity means a greater risk of homelessness. Nearly a quarter of homeless people, or those most at risk of homelessness, cited the end of a private tenancy as the main cause of their homelessness or risk. Stress from insecure housing affects job prospects and health outcomes. It can lead to mental health problems and difficulty sleeping, and it can contribute to physical illness, too, particularly in children. It is astonishing how under-regulated the private rented sector is.”
House of Commons9 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Some 21% of privately rented properties do not meet the decent homes standard—a far higher proportion than in both owner-occupied and socially rented homes. With no landlord register, there is no way of knowing how well a given landlord treats their tenants and properties. Tenants are expected to leap into the unknown and just hope their property is up to scratch. If they move in and find their property is not up to scratch, the chances are that they would be unlikely to complain because, with section 21 no-fault evictions still in place, they do not have security. They can be kicked out for no reason. The last Government sat idly by on this. Almost a million renters have been given no-fault evictions since the Conservatives first pledged to scrap them. Once they are evicted, the whole frustrating process starts again.”
House of Commons9 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Affordability is a huge issue for private renters. As a nation, we spend more on rent as a proportion of our income than most of Europe. World Health Organisation guidelines state that housing is unaffordable if more than 30% of income is spent on housing costs. Here in the UK, the average renter pays more than that. The private rented sector currently provides the least affordable housing of all tenures, and most renters settle on a place they can just about afford. That is exacerbated by some landlords and agents asking for more than the advertised price, which pits prospective tenants against each other in a bidding war. The tenant who wins out, paying more than expected, then has no way to vet their landlord.”
House of Commons9 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Friend the Member for Lowestoft (Jess Asato) mentioned earlier, in our region there is a particular problem with education, health and care plans not being issued within statutory guidelines. Nationally, around 50% are; in our region, the figure is much lower so we have a particular regional issue. Demand for support is currently outstripping supply and, as a result, many children with SEND have been forced to leave school altogether. In a SEND debate in March, the issue of non-elective home education was highlighted: parents feel they have no choice but to take their children out of school to meet their needs.”
House of Commons8 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure, Sir Mark, to have you in the Chair today. Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities make up well over one in 10 of all pupils, and that number is growing. In the east, nearly 34,000 children have complex disabilities. Most of those pupils are in mainstream schools, and they need support in mainstream schools. One of my greatest frustrations with the constant discussions from Opposition Members about our policy of VAT on private schools is this: the majority of children with SEND are not in private schools but mainstream schools. That is where the support is needed. It is not fair in any way to expect parents to send children with a special educational need or disability to a private school, and pay all of the fees associated with that. It is completely unacceptable. As my hon.”
House of Commons8 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That right has been gutted by previous Governments, but we will clean up the mess that has been made and restore certainty and trust in SEND provision, to make education accessible for all.”
House of Commons8 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Family Voice Peterborough, a charity in my constituency that seeks to improve services for young people with disabilities, is having particular problems—it is not just the crisis within the sector, but the crisis around the economy, that is worsening things in many ways. It is having problems with energy bills, for example; it paid about £8,000 before the pandemic, and the figure is now about £40,000. Its work is impacted by the damage there. The needs of such charities are so important for understanding the needs of local areas. Family Voice has revealed concerning SEND trends in Peterborough, a large part of which I represent, with increased strain on the system and a more difficult experience for parent carers. Like all children, those with SEND have the right to an education provided by the state.”
House of Commons8 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. I am about to mention a charity in my own constituency that is doing amazing work in this space and encountering some difficulties. We need to support them. I was speaking about non-elective home education. For years, the Education Committee has criticised the lack of clarity on the numbers of parents taking their children out of school for this reason, or indeed on the number of home-educated children overall. I therefore welcome the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, announced in the King’s Speech, that includes provisions to require local authorities to set up and maintain “children not in school” registers. Knowing the scale of the challenge will be critical to addressing it and allow us to provide much needed support to parents.”
House of Commons8 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Is the shadow Minister suggesting that it is fair that parents who have children with special educational needs or a disability should have to send their children to a private school and pay all the associated fees? Is that really the best solution we can come up with?”
House of Commons8 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Does my hon. Friend agree that one of the very serious consequences of the issues he is outlining is the problem of non-elective home education, where parents feel forced to take their children out of school entirely and feel they have no option other than to educate them at home? Does he, like me, welcome the measures in the proposed children’s wellbeing Bill that will require local authorities to set up and maintain registers of children not in school so that we get a better sense of the problem?”
House of Commons5 September 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Addressing it will require a deftness, competency and compassion that we have not seen for 14 years. But the Government have started well, and I have every confidence that the east, and those in my constituency of North West Cambridgeshire, will benefit from this Labour Government’s approach and see a better experience for staff and patients alike.”
House of Commons3 September 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Some in our eastern region have championed innovative methods to tackle that, such as models using virtual beds—of which there are 190 in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; feedback has been really positive there. We need to support that kind of innovation to make our NHS fit for the future, as I know the Government will. However, the issues in healthcare seem never ending: RAAC-ridden hospitals are having to be replaced; GPs and NHS workers are burnt out; recruitment and retention are difficult yet, simultaneously, some cannot find work; access to dental care is non-existent for some; healthcare inequalities persist; and patient demand is growing and growing. Dealing with all of that is a huge undertaking, and the Government have been left with a terrible inheritance.”
House of Commons3 September 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In my maiden speech, I highlighted the dental desert that we face in Peterborough; others have mentioned their areas. Some people have to travel as far as Stevenage and Kettering to receive treatment because, in our city, there are no adult dental clinics accepting new NHS patients. The British Dental Association has warned that unmet need for NHS dentistry in the UK is at an all-time high, and the Government will need our support to bring that down. Of course healthcare is a joined-up issue affected by several other policy areas. The crisis in social care, for example, has exacerbated many of the issues faced by the health sector.”
House of Commons3 September 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That makes me even more pleased and proud that this new Government are taking immediate steps to address the situation, with a 7.4% increase to the global funding sum for GP practices announced for 2024-25. We will fix this mess, but it is going to take time. Healthcare needs have become greater over time. This is particularly acute in the east, the fastest-growing region in the UK in the 2010s, where the population grew by 8.1% between 2011 and 2021. Like much of the UK, the east is ageing. As people live longer, their healthcare needs become more complex and challenging, and a thriving workforce is needed to address those appropriately. If those needs are left unaddressed, NHS England warns of a shortfall of between 260,000 and 360,000 staff by 2036-37, with patient demand increasing across the board.”
House of Commons3 September 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, it is 12.5%, or one in eight, with many more on the edge. These contracts are held by private companies whose loyalties lie with their shareholders. The stealth privatisation of our regional services is an appalling legacy of the last Government’s 14 years of failure. Not only are these private contracts bad for patients, with continuity of care poorer due to a higher proportion of locum staff employed, but they are far more expensive for the taxpayer. I know of one practice in the region that is being given £40 of additional funding per patient under an APMS contract, when ironically even half of that extra funding added to the GMS contract they handed back would probably have solved the problem.”
House of Commons3 September 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Member for South Cambridgeshire mentioned, but urban settings with younger patients, despite significant health needs in those areas. I represent a significant part of urban Peterborough, which last year was ranked as the least healthy place in the entirety of Britain. This must be seriously examined, with changes made. GMS contracts are held by practices in perpetuity, but a number have had to hand back their contracts to local NHS commissioners, which leads to their practices being put under time-limited commercial contracts called APMS contracts—alternative provider medical services contracts. That occurs when practices just cannot cope financially any more, and the rate in our region is truly shocking. Nationally, around 1% of GP practices are on APMS contracts.”
House of Commons3 September 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Local practices simply do not have the funding to hire more GPs, so we find ourselves looking at a ridiculous situation where we invest as a nation in world-class training for new GPs, through six years of medical school followed by foundation years and more, but once they qualify they often cannot find work. It is not just about putting more funding into the system as a whole; allocation is not working fairly either. As the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Pippa Heylings) just mentioned, the funding formula used for the general medical services contracts, under which most GP surgeries operate, is based in part on data originating before 2000. Leading GPs I have spoken to expressed a firm view that it discriminates against not just some of the areas the hon.”
House of Commons3 September 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich South (Clive Lewis) for securing this important debate. Following the election, some of the earliest emails I received were from NHS staff from a variety of disciplines who feel deeply undervalued, under-appreciated and overworked. In May of this year, GPs in Cambridgeshire carried out 547,804 appointments, 62.5% of which were face to face. That is the equivalent of 64% of the county in just one month. There are more patients per fully qualified GP in the east of England than the ratio for England as a whole. It is the same for my region of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and in my constituency of North West Cambridgeshire there are fewer fully qualified GPs than in 2017.”
House of Commons3 September 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Chancellor for her honesty on the incredibly serious situation that she has just outlined. Does she agree that the above-inflation pay deals agreed by this Government with our public sector staff will begin the process of rebuilding trust between them and our Government and will benefit the public purse by reducing strike action?”
House of Commons29 July 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I have highlighted just some of the issues that my constituents in North West Cambridgeshire face, but of course there are so many more that I do not have time to go into. A lack of affordable housing. Insufficient and unreliable public transport. The dental desert that we face in Peterborough, with no adult dental clinics accepting new patients, and people having to travel as far as Stevenage and Kettering. The list goes on, but I will end this speech by reaffirming my commitment to doing all that I can to address these issues, both in my constituency and more broadly, through delivering with colleagues the change that we were elected to bring.”
House of Commons24 July 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“While just outside the boundaries of my constituency, it is delivering a huge amount for residents in the communities I represent, as, prior to its delivery, Peterborough was the largest city in our country that lacked a university, as I understand it. I am proud that a Labour combined authority has made expansion and development of that university a real priority, and I look forward to championing that cause in this place. That is a real example of how devolution works. Having served as a councillor and council cabinet member, I hope to be an ally and champion of local government and the insight that councillors and other locally elected representatives have into local communities.”
House of Commons24 July 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗