Speeches by Martin.

“On a point of order, Mr Speaker.”

“It is linked to the comments of the Liberal spokesperson, the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire). In her question to the Minister, she noted that the winter fuel payment had been scrapped. This is simply not true. The winter fuel payment has not been scrapped, it has been means-tested, and to say otherwise…”

“Early years is another strand of education that was decimated by the last Government. Although those on the Conservative Benches have not valued this sector, as a former teacher, a mum and now an MP, I know its value for children and families in our communities. Although in Portsmouth we do not have one of the 300 nurs…”

“I agree 100%. It is important that public bodies routinely identify veterans to ensure that they receive the support they need. Veterans deserve proper housing, adequate welfare support, and fair and timely treatment when it comes to military compensation. It is vital that, as Members of Parliament, our doors are alway…”

“I thank the hon. Member for Hinckley and Bosworth (Dr Evans) for securing the debate. In Portsmouth, the home of the Royal Navy, we know all too well the sacrifices made by our service personnel past and present. Our city has been at the heart of British naval history for centuries, and with that comes a deep understan…”

“Today’s defence announcement by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor is fantastic news for my city. It delivers security for working people across the country and cements Portsmouth’s reputation as not just the historic home but the future home of the Royal Navy. After 14 years in which the Conservative party decimated …”

“It beggars belief that the Conservatives have the gall to question the actions we have taken as a Government in clearing up the mess they left behind, because they simply stopped doing anything other than wasting £9 billion of taxpayers’ money. We have returned 19,000 people with no right to be here, we have increased …”

“On behalf of so many of my constituents, builders and construction companies in Portsmouth North who are desperately waiting for the chance to have a home and build those homes, I rise today to express my wholehearted support for this Planning and Infrastructure Bill. It is both timely and essential for providing the a…”

“rose—”

“15. What steps he is taking to ensure small and medium enterprises are able to participate in defence procurement contracts.”

“Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I thank my hon. Friend for securing this debate. We have heard that male mental health is an issue that deserves our full attention. In my constituency of Portsmouth, suicide is the leading cause of death among males aged between 20 to 49. Each year 24 people in Portsmouth take thei…”

“Last week, as part of the armed forces parliamentary scheme, I had the privilege of visiting His Majesty’s Royal Naval Base in Portsmouth, to meet personnel and see equipment used by our armed forces that is made by Accuracy International and SIG Sauer, an SME firearms manufacturer in my constituency. Accuracy Internat…”

“Yes.”

“Brilliant, thank you. One final one from me. The Employment Rights Bill does not include any measures to strengthen employment rights for kinship carers, such as paid kinship leave. Why is this? Do you intend to introduce this in the future?”

“We have heard concerns about parents of disabled children undergoing assessment processes, focusing on child protection concerns when engaging with children’s social care, even when there is no evidence of neglect or abuse. Will you take forward the Law Commission’s recommendations, while keeping children safe, on impr…”

“How do we feed into her work?”

“An additional question linked to that: we have heard calls to harmonise the patchwork of educational support so that support such as pupil premium plus and priority admissions is available to children in all types of kinship care. Will the Department be looking to do this?”

“I get to talk about another fantastic group of people, which is kinship carers. It is mentioned a number of times and it is something really close to my own heart, because there is a great set of people in my city working with children in kinship care. First is just a straight question: when will the kinship allowance …”

“Thank you. Transparency and fairness have been really key in your answers there, but introducing a profit cap by regulation would reduce the detailed parliamentary scrutiny of the proposals. Will you commit to consulting this Committee on any draft regulations before they are laid before Parliament?”

“There have been concerns around the implementation of a profit cap in restricting the supply of children’s homes. How will we mitigate the risk of implementing the profit cap, including the risk of restricting the supply of homes, places and the possibility of larger companies being able to avoid a cap?”