Alex McIntyre MP: speeches

Speeches

• 15 Sept 2026 · Civil Service Pension Scheme · Hansard source

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  I have heard from far too many residents in Gloucester who have devoted their lives to public service only to be unable to access their pensions in retirement. In the short time I have, I want to highlight a specific example of one constituent who sadly lost her husband and was trying to get access to his pension. She had to relentlessly battle Capita during one of the most difficult times in her life. In her first email to me, she said that she felt that Capita were waiting for her to die. Her husband served our country, first in the Navy and then for 12 years at GCHQ. In cases like these, widows are being failed by Capita. While suffering immense grief, they face the administrative burden of trying to secure what is rightfully theirs. I am pleased that after support from my office, my constituent has secured a lump sum and is due her husband’s pension this month, but even after my involvement, the communication from Capita has been limited and poor. I know that the Government are working around the clock to improve the situation, with the taskforce of civil servants being deployed. Progress is being made, and I know that the Minister is determined to build on that. I would be grateful if she could outline the steps that the Government are taking to improve the situation.

• 15 Sept 2026 · Youth Offending · Hansard source

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  To break the cycle of offending and reoffending in young people, we need to do more to give young people opportunity and something productive to do. What discussions has the Minister had with Alan Milburn about his review, and how can we ensure that young offenders are put on a more productive pathway?

• 15 Sept 2026 · Youth Offending · Hansard source

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  15. What steps his Department has taken to reduce youth reoffending.

• 10 Sept 2026 · Social Housing Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

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  While we are talking about statistics, between April 2012 and March 2024 there were over 124,000 right-to-buy sales and fewer than 48,000 homes built to replace them. Which party was in charge during that period? [ Interruption. ]

• 10 Sept 2026 · Social Housing Bill [Lords] · Hansard source

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  Housing remains one of the biggest challenges in my inbox, and I meet weekly with constituents who are stuck on a waiting list for social housing. In fact, almost 5,000 families in Gloucester are waiting for somewhere to call home. I am proud to support this Government, who are committed to the biggest increase in social housing in a generation. That is in stark contrast to the record of the Conservatives; rough sleeping went up 165% under their Government, and the number of children living in temporary accommodation more than doubled. Their current plan to add another 100,000 to that list is simply not acceptable—not on our watch. I welcome the Bill. I agree that it is right that we incentivise the building of social homes. We need to build more in Gloucester, and I stand ready to work on a cross-party basis with Gloucester city council, local housing associations and Homes England to deliver this. It is also important that we improve the quality of existing social homes and follow through on the promises made to local residents in Podsmead and Matson, who have been promised regeneration of their areas for far too long without seeing it delivered. Finally, I am pleased to see the work that this Department is doing with other Departments to tackle violence against women and girls. No one should be forced to stay in an unsafe situation because they are worried about becoming homeless. I welcome measures to support survivors and victims of domestic abuse, especially new mechanisms to remove perpetrators from their tenancies, not victims. Alongside our Government’s commitment to offer everyone sleeping rough a roof by Christmas—there is £1.6 million for Gloucester city council to deliver this—we are making a clear argument that everyone deserves a safe, decent place to call home. Those are the foundations that we need to rebuild hope in Gloucester and deliver the better future that my constituents deserve.

• 10 Sept 2026 · Job Support: Public Procurement · Hansard source

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  Procurement matters because, done well, it supports local jobs in Gloucester and in communities like mine. Together Gloucestershire is a local organisation that is an excellent example of how procurement can be done differently. It works with local businesses and the public sector to showcase the talent and skill in our county and provides a procurement portal for organisations to access them. Will the Secretary of State meet me and Together Gloucestershire to discuss how that model can be better supported and developed further?

• 10 Sept 2026 · Job Support: Public Procurement · Hansard source

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  14. What recent steps she has taken to use public procurement to support jobs.

• 8 Sept 2026 · Israel and Palestine · Hansard source

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  I thank the Foreign Secretary for his moral leadership today. Since I came into this House, hundreds of Gloucester residents have told me that the Government could and should be doing more in the light of the atrocities in Gaza and the west bank. That is a point I have made in this House and to Ministers directly, and I would like to thank my right hon. Friend for acknowledging those concerns today and for going further. Does he agree that this shows that the Government are not just going to show warm words in the light of these atrocities, and that they are going to take action to uphold the values that we hold dear?

• 8 Sept 2026 · Online Safety · Hansard source

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  As a parent, I can understand the anxiety that Gloucester parents have about keeping their children safe online, so I thank the Secretary of State for today’s announcement. Given the financial resources that the tech companies have and the innovative, brilliant minds that they have working for them, will she reassure the House that she will not accept any argument that it is too expensive or too difficult to stop children being able to take nude images and send them to people?

• 8 Sept 2026 · Regional Funding · Hansard source

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  5. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to regional funding arrangements on the economies of local communities which either are not part of a combined authority or do not have a metro mayor.

• 8 Sept 2026 · Regional Funding · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for her answer. I fully support the Government’s exciting agenda of devolution, which takes power out of Whitehall and puts it into the hands of residents and communities like mine. However, my constituency of Gloucester does not have a metro mayor, and we are not part of a combined authority. I am determined to ensure that Gloucester is not left behind and is included in these important plans going forward. Can the Minister confirm how we can work together to ensure that Gloucester feels the benefits and investment from the Government’s devolution agenda?

• 7 Sept 2026 · Urban Housing: Densification · Hansard source

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  The gate streets in Gloucester city centre are in urgent need of regeneration. Does the Minister agree that one way to breathe more life into our city centre is to convert the empty upper floors of shops into good-quality housing? What steps are the Government taking to unlock those opportunities?

• 7 Sept 2026 · Local Government Reorganisation · Hansard source

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  Most Gloucester residents are not interested in the detail of who is running what services. What is important to them is: will their services improve, will we feel the benefits of devolution, and will we reverse the years of cuts under the previous Government? Can the Secretary of State confirm that taking time to get this decision right will achieve those three aims?

• 1 Sept 2026 · Criminal Justice Reform · Hansard source

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  I thank the Lord Chancellor for the focus on victims in his statement. Some of the most harrowing conversations I have had as an MP have been with victims and survivors. The failures in the tagging system have had a great impact on them, retraumatising them again and again. Can he explain to my constituents what the impact of the new restriction zones will have on them and their experience of the criminal justice system going forward?

• 16 Jun 2026 · West Bank: Settler Activity · Hansard source

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  19. What diplomatic steps her Department is taking in response to settler activity in the west bank.

• 16 Jun 2026 · West Bank: Settler Activity · Hansard source

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  Last week I signed a letter to the Foreign Secretary, along with 140 colleagues, asking the Government to take further action in response to settler violence and the rhetoric used by two far-right Israeli Government Ministers. Over the last two years, I have heard from hundreds of my constituents expressing their deep concern about the Israeli Government’s actions in the west bank. Will the Secretary of State commit today to banning all trade with illegal settlements, and if not, why not?

• 2 Jun 2026 · Milburn Review: Interim Report · Hansard source

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  I welcome the report and my hon. Friend’s commitment to cross-departmental working, but I want to raise one area that his Department could put its weight behind. The Health and Social Care Committee has suggested an amendment to the Health Bill that would put the mental health investment standard into statute, so that we could increase investment in our mental health services, bring down the backlog of people waiting for mental health treatment and get more young people in Gloucester into work.

• 2 Jun 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  The River Severn holds incredible potential for tidal energy, with the Severn Estuary Commission finding that it has the potential to generate up to 7% of the UK’s electricity. Will my right hon. Friend meet me to discuss how the Government plan to take that forward, and how we can ensure that some of the resulting good-quality green jobs come to Gloucester?

• 1 Jun 2026 · Health Bill · Hansard source

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  Since the general election, there are 10,000 fewer people stuck on NHS waiting lists in my constituency of Gloucester, we have the green light for two new NHS dental practices, and a new GP surgery is being built in Hucclecote. But now is not the time to pat ourselves on the back and say, “Job well done.” It is not even job half done. We must go further and start to deliver change at the pace that my constituents expect. Too many people in my city still struggle to see their GP or dentist when they need to, are placed on excruciatingly long waiting lists—particularly for mental health—and have to battle just to get a diagnosis. We have to go further. I am pleased to see the creation of the single patient record. I hear time and again from constituents who are fed up with having to explain their story several times to different medical practitioners. Keeping records that do not speak to each other just does not make sense in the digital world in which we now live. It is inconvenient, frustrating and, most of all, it threatens patient safety. I am also grateful to the Government for taking the bold decision to abolish NHS England. It is clear that the model has not worked and does not provide the value for money that Gloucester residents deserve. We are facing a health crisis in the UK, with significant gaps in life expectancy across the country. Someone from Gloucester who, like me, lives in Abbeymead is likely to live a whole decade longer than someone who lives just 3 miles down the road in Kingsholm. That is just not acceptable, and it highlights the entrenched health inequalities found in constituencies like mine up and down the country. Deprivation, poverty and a lack of adequate healthcare are harming life chances in every part of our United Kingdom. I therefore urge Ministers to meet the charity Health Equals, and to consider its proposal to strengthen the requirement for the Secretary of State to tackle health inequalities. The Bill should also introduce a duty requiring all Ministers across Government to consider the impact of major policy decisions on health inequalities. Speaking of cross-governmental missions, I read with interest the report by Alan Milburn last week about young people not in education, employment or training. He sets out in damning detail the impact of the failure of the Conservative Governments to properly invest in mental health services. Today, mental health conditions account for 20% of all ill health in UK, but only 9% of NHS spending. Our Heath Committee has recommended making the mental health investment standard a statutory requirement, and the Government should make such a change. I also ask the Government to consider amendments that confirm our commitment to tackling the obesity epidemic. I and several other Committee Members were concerned to read press reports that the Government are considering scrapping measures included in the 10-year plan to tackle the obesity crisis. Will the Minister confirm at the Dispatch Box that the Department of Health will not bow to pressure from the supermarkets and large food manufacturers to scrap our important work on obesity? We spend billions of pounds every year on tackling obesity-related illnesses, while food manufacturers and supermarkets lobby to avoid scrutiny. Of course we need to do more to tackle the cost of living, but the food lobby’s argument that we must choose between the cost of the weekly shop and tackling the fact that one in three children are overweight or obese is disingenuous at best. This Bill is great, but there is more we can do to tackle mental health waiting lists, to tackle obesity and to tackle health inequalities in places like Gloucester.

• 1 Jun 2026 · Defence Procurement: SMEs · Hansard source

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  May I associate myself with the remarks of the Secretary of State about Romania? Last week I visited Romania through the armed forces parliamentary scheme, and met armed forces personnel who are part of the NATO air policing mission. The Russian drone incident showed how important that mission is, and demonstrated the good work that our armed forces personnel are doing in Romania as we speak. I recently visited Permali and Cherry & White in my constituency, two local SMEs that are working in the defence industry and doing an excellent job. Both are important local employers, and are keen to expand their businesses. Does my hon. Friend agree that we should be doing everything we can to support such British SMEs through defence procurement, and will he agree to visit Gloucester and meet representatives of those brilliant businesses?

• 1 Jun 2026 · Defence Procurement: SMEs · Hansard source

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  11. What steps he is taking to ensure that defence procurement supports SMEs.

• 19 May 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T2. Last Friday I met a constituent whose child was fatally stabbed five years ago. As a parent myself, I cannot begin to imagine what the family have gone through and the trauma they have faced since. Concerningly, the killer of that child has repeatedly accessed social media while in prison to cruelly taunt the victim’s family. I have spoken with other constituents and their families who have unfortunately had similar experiences. Does my right hon. Friend agree that this is completely unacceptable, and will he look at my constituent’s case so that we can ensure that violent offenders cannot continue to taunt victims from behind bars?

• 14 May 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The fantastic Flowers Band from my Gloucester constituency recently won the prestigious European brass band championships. It was their first time at the tournament, and they are the first English band to win it since 2015. I will not name all the members of the band this morning, but I got to go to their open rehearsal, where I saw their fantastic hard work, dedication and unbelievable talent. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating them on their success, and the success of all young musicians in Gloucester?

• 29 Apr 2026 · Special Educational Needs Support · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Government’s commitment to making sure that every child with SEND in Gloucester gets the support they need at the earliest stage of their education. I also welcome the £4.6 million investment in the Experts at Hand service in Gloucestershire coming for the next academic year. Can the Minister update the House on the discussions she is having with the Department of Health on its workforce plan to make sure we have the workers needed to deliver that support in Gloucester?

• 21 Apr 2026 · Courts and Tribunals Bill (Seventh sitting) · Hansard source

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  I remember the discussion the shadow Minister spoke about; we discussed MPs swapping political constituencies at the same time. The Institute for Government was very clear that the biggest constraint is the workforce, so is my hon. Friend saying that the Institute for Government has got it wrong?