Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Universities and Skills)
Liberal DemocratMP for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire
“Ian Sullum thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Oxford Cambridge Growth Corridor is one of the government's flagship regional growth priorities, with a ministerial champion in Lord Vallance to ensure joined up delivery. Yet if reports of that option…”
“Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I congratulate the member for Runcorn and Helsby for securing this important debate. Madam Deputy Speaker, access to further education is access to opportunity for most young people. And for many adults,…”
“My constituency is in the path of the Oxford-Cambridge arc. I welcome the proposed development at Cambourne; there is also a proposal for a new town just south of the constituency, in Tempsford. Does the honourable Gentleman agree that Fore…”
“A specialist manufacturer in my constituency employs 26 people designing and fabricating foundation tooling systems used in piling and construction across the country. None of the steel it needs can be sourced in the UK. Can the Minister ex…”
“5. What steps she is taking to improve transport links between Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire in the context of the Universal United Kingdom resort.…”
“The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister reminded the House on Monday that he had given 10 updates on the Mandelson affair to Parliament, and, as the Paymaster General reminded us earlier, it will be 11 today. There are more than 1,500 pag…”
“Milburn highlights the need for the cross-departmental working that the Minister has highlighted, but I wonder what structures are in place for that. We have already seen missed opportunities, for example through the English Devolution and …”
“Reducing duplication, streamlining priorities, and getting resources close to frontline care—these are reasonable aims. My concern is that in pursuing simplification the Bill makes a series of choices on patient safety that it is not clear …”
“1. What steps he is taking to improve recruitment and retention in the armed forces.…”
“Yesterday the Prime Minister stood at the Dispatch Box for nearly 2.5 hours and said on at least 12 occasions that appointing Mandelson was an “error of judgment”—his judgment. He apologised and said that he took responsibility for it, but …”
“I, too, welcome the Minister’s statement and his commitment to updating the House regularly on this issue. However, my constituent was infected with hepatitis C in 1993 and is still yet to receive any support because of the scheme’s origina…”
“I beg to move, That this House believes that current legislation is falling short in preventing online harms; and calls on the Government to review whether it is necessary to introduce new legislation that is centred around harm reduction i…”
“Following on from that, St Neots is the fastest growing town in Cambridgeshire, and our community-led festival has attracted 35,000 people in recent years, demonstrating the extraordinary cultural energy of the town. With the UK town of cul…”
“I thank the honourable Gentleman for giving way; I did not cover myself in glory when I responded to his point earlier, and I would like to take another bite of the cherry. The point I was trying to make was that simply basing it on salary …”
“I am grateful to the Opposition for this debate. In the recent Westminster Hall debate on this topic, we heard powerful testimony about the reality that graduates face in making repayments every month and watching their balance grow, with t…”
“According to the Office for National Statistics, 3.8 million people report feeling lonely, with young people consistently among the loneliest groups. Is it any wonder when we have seen youth centres shuttered and libraries boarded up, and t…”
“By any measure, this past week has been an extraordinary one in British public life. Within five days, two people have been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office: one a former member of the royal family, and the other a veter…”
“The Foreign Secretary has talked a lot about military co-operation today, less so about economic security co-operation. She will remember that the Prime Minister abolished the National Security Council sub-committee on economic security. I …”
“I thank the honourable Member for Brent East (Dawn Butler) for securing this debate and for all her hard work on this issue. What she has been doing is impressive. Gambling can be a light-hearted pastime that many would describe as fun and …”
“The Secretary of State will know that the NATO Secretary-General said in September that we must “prevent spreading” NATO forces “too thinly”. Could he provide some reassurance to the House on the implications of this potential deployment fo…”
“At the weekend, Donald Trump invoked the Monroe doctrine. From her statement, the Foreign Secretary seems to accept that in some cases, the UN charter is secondary to great powers’ spheres of influence. What criteria does she use to decide …”
“I am sure my honourable Friends will be relieved to hear that I will be making a very focused speech. My new clauses 7, 8 and 9 address missed opportunities in the skills devolution elements of this Bill. Skills are the foundation of econom…”
“6. What the infrastructure requirements are for supporting the proposed new town at Tempsford.…”
“1. What steps her Department is taking with universities to develop its research and development policies.…”
“3. What steps he is taking to support the Probation Service.…”
“I join the Home Secretary and my constituency neighbour, the honourable Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty), in sending my thoughts to the victims and their families. I pay tribute to Cambridgeshire police, Cambridgeshire fire and rescu…”
“I too thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of her statement. There is far too much in this White Paper to respond to comprehensively in two minutes, so let me focus on three critical issues. The first issue is V-levels. The Secret…”
“I will speak to amendments 24 to 28 and 36 to 38 in my name, which address gaps in crisis provision and accountability for autistic people and people with learning disabilities. On Second Reading, I told this House about Declan Morrison, my…”
“I welcome the Minister to his place. It is incredibly disappointing that MSD has pulled out of this billion-pound investment in the UK, including the loss of more than 100 jobs in important life sciences infrastructure. However, this has be…”
“The Minister has made a number of announcements about skills in the defence industrial strategy, which is much appreciated, but can he explain how they will integrate with existing skills frameworks and whether the industry will be given th…”
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