Speeches by Kumar.

“Ladies Walk NHS health centre in Sedgley is a vital hub for my constituents, providing essential services such as phlebotomy and diabetic foot care, but owing to the inaction of the Conservative council this much-needed community asset faces closure in 2026, leaving residents without access to critical care. Will my ho…”

“I thank my hon. Friend. That is why I welcomed the Government’s announcement of £200 million for neighbourhood policing as part of the wider £1 billion boost. This investment will reassure communities as they once again see local police officers patrolling our streets. By supporting our local police forces, we will tur…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the matter of anti-social behaviour in Dudley. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Furniss; I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in this important debate on antisocial behaviour in Dudley. Antisocial behaviour strikes at the heart of every community …”

“I agree. Many people have said to me that the smoking of cannabis and drug dealing across the constituency is causing them not to want to go out, and they are really worried about their children. It is also just wrong, and we need better rehabilitation services. A question we should reflect on is why people have such h…”

“I agree. Engagement in all aspects of the community is important, whether we are talking about the church, the gurdwara, the mosque or the synagogue. It does not matter what the community forum is—it could just be the youth centre—but if youth are engaged in that, we should pursue those routes to get them to take a mor…”

“I agree with my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour. We need to ensure that the local council is engaging with residents in community forums and working with local police, and that we have more police on our streets. Car theft is another serious issue. In my area in particular, I am too often told by email about cas…”

“Dudley FC, which is one of the oldest teams in the west midlands, is so important and integral to the community. Does my hon. Friend agree that we need funding through the entire football pyramid, and not just for the elite?”

“UK homes bin 1.7 billion pieces of plastic every week. Thanks to companies such as the British Dudley-based business Iron and Velvet, there are viable alternatives to using plastic in cleaning products. Would my right hon. Friend help encourage others and this place to ditch plastic, and could we have a debate about th…”

“You touched a number of times on the industrial strategy. The industrial strategy will have a clean sector plan. What are you hoping to see and what are your five priorities you are wanting to see from that section?”

“We saw written evidence to the Committee last time we called for it, as well as in the previous Parliament on the ESNZ Committee, that securing domestic supply chains is essential. There are a few areas on which we have had a number of responses in, such as the lack of projects in the pipeline, infrastructure and costs…”

“The UK now produces less steel than our European neighbours Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Austria and Poland, and over the past 30 years, China’s share of global steel production has risen from 13% to 54%. To safeguard the future of the steel industry, we must think about diversification. Does my hon. Friend agree tha…”

“The reduction in funding for our waterways by 5% year on year from 2027 will have a detrimental impact on the operations of the Dudley Canal and Caverns Trust. Will my right hon. Friend commit to a review of the funding of our waterways and reinstate that support?”

“My constituent Darren recently shared the harrowing experience of his father Les, who went to A&E following a fall. An ambulance was called and they were told that it would take an hour to arrive. Unfortunately, it took six and a half hours. This is not an isolated incident, as such delays are becoming all too comm…”

“You have already highlighted that only 4% of contracts are going to SMEs at the moment. Can you tell what support the strategy is going to offer to SMEs, particularly in regions such as the Black Country, where there is a strong manufacturing heritage but historically limited access to major defence contracts? Could yo…”

“How can we keep scrap metal here in the UK?”

“I have done roundtables with my steel manufacturers in Dudley. Time and time again, they say that the UK is being flooded by cheap steel from other countries, which is making UK steel uncompetitive. How do we tackle that?”

“That is correct. There has never been a debate in the Commons Chamber about incontinence. Incontinence affects 14 million people and 33% of women; faecal incontinence affects one in 10 people. I am an NHS physiotherapist by background, with a decade of experience; that is why I am requesting this debate. The first line…”

“I would be happy to add my name.”

“The first line is getting awareness, because we have never discussed it here, but it is also to break the stigma. The issue starts to come into policy when we are discussing it in women’s health hubs, or when we are talking about the long-term strategy for women. It will cover a number of Departments, but the Departmen…”

“I will hang around. As someone who worked in a care home during the pandemic and saw the stress caused by families being kept away from their loved ones, I think this is an important debate to have. Thank you for bringing it forward.”