Speeches by Lockhart.

“The Government recently introduced specific legislation to protect the Islamic community, ignoring the very real and greater threat to Jews in the UK. When will we see specific legislation to protect Jews, and indeed Christian preachers, across the United Kingdom?”

“Often, most of the focus is on munition and defence systems, but what are the Government doing to boost defence numbers and ensure that our military personnel are properly paid for their vital role? For too long, our junior non-commissioned officer ranks have been poorly paid and had poor living and working conditions.…”

“I sincerely hope my hon. Friend is right and that the Government will do the right thing as per the law.”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the first anniversary of the For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers ruling. It is a privilege to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I thank all hon. Members, as well as those in the Public Gallery, for their attendance. On Thursday, we will celebrate one year …”

“I will certainly move on to some examples where there has been a great personal cost to folks who have had to lead the way on this issue. One year later, we still need clarity on workplace regulations. Workplaces are in limbo because the revised code of practice will not even apply to them. One year later, we are still…”

“I thank all hon. Members for their participation. I want to thank the Minister, but she completely avoided the question about Northern Ireland, so I want her to write to me on that to ensure Northern Ireland women are protected in the same way as women in England, Scotland and Wales. I especially thank the hon. Member …”

“I thank the hon. Lady for giving way; we are utterly opposed. Does she agree that the cases involving Jennifer Melle and the Darlington nurses are examples of this very issue? Someone looked like a male standing in the changing room when they were referred to as “Mr”, but these people had to go through the courts to pr…”

“The hon. Member is certainly making a very powerful speech on this issue. On 7 January 2024, Teddy Jason Williamson, aged just seven weeks and from my constituency, died of sudden infant death syndrome. Does the hon. Member agree that more practical support is required? Yes, we need research, but we also need there to …”

“Will my hon. Friend join me in commending Dr Julie Rankin, a consultant in emergency medicine, who has been instrumental in working with the Williamson family from my constituency to create a bereavement suite in Craigavon Area hospital in memory of those little children who have died suddenly in unexplained circumstan…”

“Children deserve protection, not experimentation. In Upper Bann alone, 1,300 people signed the petition—more than twice the number of signatories in any other constituency. Their message is clear and I stand with them. Animal testing on mice and monkeys shows that puberty blockers cause irreversible damage to brain dev…”

“Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that the £53 million is welcome, but that calculates to about £35 a household, which is nothing in the grand scheme of things? Does he agree that fuel duty should be cut, VAT should be removed and the North sea opened up? That should come alongside dealing with fertilisers and red di…”

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“Some 50% of boys aged 11 to 13 have already viewed online pornography. Clearly, frequent exposure to violent sexual content is damaging young people’s minds and their understanding of relationships. Does the Minister agree that, alongside engagement with platforms, the criminal law must be modernised to ban online extr…”

“I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. We have been talking about this issue for many months, and yet there has been no improvement. There are still delays. In one office in my constituency, there is a staffing shortage of 10, so there is a fundamental problem with motivation and staff feeling valued. D…”

“Given that we are nearing the Easter holidays, what discussions has the Secretary of State had with the Minister of Health in Northern Ireland about ensuring that students travelling home are aware of the situation and the need to take precautions?”

“While it would be inappropriate to speak of a live case, I am mindful of the McNally family from my constituency, who are currently sitting through the trial of a man accused of murdering their daughter—truly heartbreaking. There was another murder in County Fermanagh recently. This demonstrates how unsafe society is f…”

“Many small and medium-sized enterprises in my constituency are looking to expand, invest and grow beyond being an SME, but the Bill does not afford them that opportunity. You would forgive businesses in Northern Ireland for feeling deeply disadvantaged. That, on top of the practical daily problems they face as a result…”

“The hon. Member is speaking very powerfully. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland has estimated that 4,500 farms, mainly in the dairy industry, will still be impacted by the set changes. Does he agree that, given the need for food security, we need to protect our farms, not d…”

“My criticism is of Royal Mail’s senior leadership; it is certainly not of our local posties. In Upper Bann, the posties are excellent and so is my liaison officer in Royal Mail, who has gone above and beyond to get information flowing. Staff are at breaking point, there are absences and gaps—we have 10 vacancies in Ban…”

“The Criminal Bar Association says it is “fundamentally opposed” to restricting jury trials, with around 90% of criminal barristers being against these proposals. This was not in Labour’s manifesto, and there has been an admission that the plans are ideological rather than practical. Does the hon. Member agree that weak…”