Former Scottish National Party MP for Lanark and Hamilton East
The Rwanda asylum plan was declared so poor that it threatened the rights of asylum seekers not to be tortured or subjected to inhumane treatment, and it was found incompatible with a host of international conventions. Those were the findings of the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court will inevitably reach the same conclusion. How much taxpayers’ money does the Attorney General estimate...
After 13 years of Tory Government, the Government’s record is pretty dismal. Let us consider it: inflation spiralling out of control; interest rates set to hit 6.5% by the end of the year; energy prices double those in the rest of Europe; food shortages; strikes across the public sector and NHS; and graduates leaving university with mountains of debt and little to no prospect of home...
What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential impact of changes to the student visa route on the competitiveness of the higher education sector.
The Higher Education Statistics Authority has shown that 55% of UK universities recorded a deficit in the last academic year. One of the key sources of revenue for universities is international students, who account for almost one fifth of the income of the UK’s higher education sector, and Scottish institutions are paying the price. Does the Secretary of State recognise that her...
Every day, I meet constituents who are struggling to make ends meet, food banks are barely managing to meet the demand, and households and businesses up and down the country are struggling to meet their energy bills, yet the Bank of England has announced that it is likely once again to increase interest rates, which will affect the poorest the most and hike up mortgage rates again. After 13...
It is no secret that the Attorney General has reservations about the Illegal Migration Bill, and it is also no secret that those on the far right of her party are intent on rebelling to push the Bill further into breaking international law. Will she do the honourable thing today, and confirm that if the Prime Minister concedes on this, she will make a stand and declare the Bill unlawful?
I beg to move, That this House has considered the cost of fuel on rural households and communities. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Betts, and to bring this debate to Westminster Hall this morning. Around 2 million people across the UK are reliant on off-grid gas supplies to heat their homes, including heating oil, liquefied petroleum gas, coal and biomass. According to the...
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of PIP assessments on the mental health of claimants.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that PIP assessments accurately assess claimants with mental health issues.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many PIP claimants have been assessed as unfit for work due to mental health issues in 2024.
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the operation of the rule of law in Rwanda.
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what progress he has made on preparing legislation to transpose into UK law the provisions of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement; and when he plans to ratify that treaty.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce levels of in-work poverty in (a) Lanark and Hamilton East constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department (a) has and (b) plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of micro-transactions in video games on levels of spending among children and young people.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of micro-transactions in video games on gambling behaviours among children and young people.
