Catherine Fookes MP: speeches

Speeches

• 30 Jun 2026 · Department for Work and Pensions · Hansard source

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  I pay huge tribute to our two new Members of Parliament, the hon. Members for Aberdeen South (Douglas Lumsden) and for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry (Lara Bird), for their maiden speeches. I will talk about something that makes up a relatively small part of the DWP’s operations and its spending, but that has an enormous impact on children’s lives. One of the four core aims for the Department set out by the Secretary of State, and clearly stated in the main estimates, is to “Tackle child poverty and hardship, ensuring financial security for all”. The Child Maintenance Service exists to ensure that separated parents have enough money for their children, but all too often it does not manage to do that. Being a child of divorced parents myself, I know how upsetting and difficult the issue of maintenance can be and how it can be scarring for children, making the separation of parents even harder. That is why I back the Government’s plans to improve the service, so that it does a better job of bringing children out of poverty. The Government have promised to move everyone from direct pay to collect and pay, as well as to cut the fees on collect and pay, allowing more families to transition to a system in which a third party ensures that the parent who looks after the child actually gets the money. Stronger enforcement on non-payment and better systems to accurately assess income, including when the paying parent is self-employed, would save the Government money. The changes that the Government want to make require minimal funding, but would lift 20,000 children out of poverty. That would help us to make meaningful progress on two of the Government’s core commitments: tackling violence against women and girls and ending child poverty.

• 24 Jun 2026 · Farming Road Map and Profitability Review · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for the excellent farming road map that she has laid out. I am really glad to see that supply chain fairness is at front and centre of the new road map, and I welcome the moving of the Groceries Code Adjudicator from the Department for Business and Trade to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as this will make things more joined up. Farmers in Monmouthshire have raised with me so many times the issue of unfair practices; in fact, five dairy farms there—yes, five—have recently had their milk contracts cancelled. Does the Secretary of State agree that processors and supermarkets have far too much power, and that that power imbalance must be remedied?

• 17 Jun 2026 · Steel Tariffs · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for recently meeting me to discuss my two brilliant downstream steelmaking companies in Monmouthshire, CMF and STAPPERT. Can I ask him to look at their cases again? If he is meeting my hon. Friend the Member for Newport East (Jessica Morden)—my constituency neighbour—at Llanwern, perhaps he could consult these two companies and hear exactly what their issues are.

• 17 Jun 2026 · Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  Monmouthshire’s high streets welcome the £1.5 million Pride in Place funding, especially Monmouth, after November’s devastating floods. I recently wrote to the landlord of 20 Monnow Street—more commonly known as the “pigeon-poop building”—as part of my campaign to fill empty shops. But we need deeds, not words. The commissions and the taskforce that Plaid says it is planning will not cut it, so will the Secretary of State make representations to the Welsh Government? They need to act on our high streets as soon as possible, not just establish quangos.

• 17 Jun 2026 · Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  6. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support economic growth in Wales.

• 11 Jun 2026 · Legacy of Jo Cox · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for her amazing speech. I also have sisters, and I cannot imagine standing here and doing what she is doing, so I thank her for her bravery. I never met Jo, but her legacy absolutely lives on through my hon. Friend. Some of our opponents would have it that Britain is broken, that we are at war and that people do not care for one another any more, but my hon. Friend is showing that there is a huge swathe of people across the United Kingdom—including in Wales, where I am from, and in my seat of Monmouthshire—who care for and constantly look out for one another and support people, and who do not want the worst for our country. Does my hon. Friend agree that the idea of coming together and community is alive and well in our community and that we must all celebrate it?

• 11 Jun 2026 · Legacy of Jo Cox · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for her incredibly moving speech. Does she agree that we must dial down the rhetoric in this place? Only last week, a male colleague of ours was punched in the face out on the street. I believe that is directly as a result of people using inflammatory language and being incredibly toxic. In this place we do not work in the cross-party way that I think we should. Last week I visited the Swedish Parliament, which has a semi-circular chamber in which the members sit by region rather than by party. They were saying how that makes a big difference, and I was thinking, as I sit here listening to all the incredible speeches about the wonderful Jo Cox, that would it not be an incredible legacy if we did politics in a much more consensual and cross-party way?

• 8 Jun 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I welcome my hon. Friend the Minister to her place. Surviving Economic Abuse estimates that around 750,000 women are trapped in a joint mortgage with an abusive partner or ex-partner, with the only way out often being to let their home be repossessed, as abusers refuse to contribute their share of repayments or prevent the sale of the property. I welcome the fact that the Government want to explore solutions, including what could be done through the Financial Services and Markets Bill, but what steps will the Government take to stop joint mortgage abuse as part of their wider commitment to halving violence against women and girls?

• 19 May 2026 · Energy Security · Hansard source

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  I point out to the hon. Lady that it would be helpful if the new Welsh Government could release the £3.8 million of funding that the UK Government have given to the Welsh Government to help people struggling with their heating oil costs. I wonder when that will be distributed.

• 19 May 2026 · Energy Security · Hansard source

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  I am delighted that measures in the King’s Speech will strengthen our economic security, our national security and—what we are debating today—our energy security. While the Tories and Reform want to ditch our net zero policies and our clean power targets, it is a huge relief to people in Monmouthshire and across the UK that Labour is taking clean energy seriously. Anyone hearing the speeches from those on the Conservative and Reform Benches would think that they wanted to take us back to oil lamps and candles, such is their disdain for clean energy and modern ways. I also flag my strong support for the clean water Bill. Rivers such as the Wye and Usk are incredibly important to the people of Monmouthshire. They are polluted, and we must tackle that. I am pleased that we are doing that with the stronger regulation promised by the clean water Bill. People in Monmouthshire are facing the realities of our dependence on global oil and gas markets, and many of us in the countryside rely on heating oil or LPG and have little choice but to pay up when prices spike. Earlier this year, a woman in her 70s wrote to me and told me that her quote for 500 litres of oil had risen by £250 in less than a week. Others are hamstrung as their electricity bill goes up or as their commute gets more expensive. All of that is triggered by international conflict that is out of the UK’s hands. That is why Labour has delivered the biggest-ever investment in home-grown clean power in British history. Part of that is Wylfa in north Wales being included as part of the biggest nuclear building programme in half a century. We also have serious investment in tidal power off the coast of Wales. I must also point out to Ministers that there is great potential in the River Severn, which borders my constituency. It would be an amazing spot for new tidal projects, and I hope that the Minister who winds up the debate will respond to that suggestion. The Climate Change Act 2008 has been emulated throughout the world as a leading framework for us to budget for and plan our emissions, and to hold Governments accountable for pollution. The Tories, who supported the Act years ago, now want to scrap it, while Reform backs fracking and its deputy leader actually calls net zero a “cult”. The energy independence Bill and other legislation set out in the King’s Speech affirm this Labour Government’s commitment to harnessing clean, home-grown power, and I am proud to back a Government who take decisions that protect our natural world, our security and our wallets. Those decisions will benefit not only my generation, but generations to come.

• 28 Apr 2026 · Economic Growth in Wales · Hansard source

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  13. What steps she is taking to support economic growth in Wales.

• 28 Apr 2026 · Economic Growth in Wales · Hansard source

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  The people of Magor and Undy have been celebrating the fact that they are getting a new train station, thanks to two Labour Governments working together to deliver it. It is therefore unbelievable that Reform’s leader in Wales recently said that nobody wants or needs these new stations. Does the Minister agree that new railway stations are essential for economic growth, and does he think that Reform does not listen to what people in Wales want, or that it just does not care?

• 22 Apr 2026 · Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  I was pleased to see the Secretary of State and the First Minister launch the local growth fund in Wales this week, to boost jobs and investment in local economies. That is on top of the local Wales placemaking grant funding and the UK Government’s Pride in Place funding, which will give £1.5 million to my constituency and improve six Monmouthshire towns. Will the Secretary of State update the House on how our two Labour Governments are working together to invest in our Welsh communities?

• 22 Apr 2026 · Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  6. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support economic growth in Wales.

• 14 Apr 2026 · Crime and Policing Bill · Hansard source

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  I support Lords amendment 361 because some women, even after being found not guilty, have investigations that show up on their Disclosure and Barring Service checks, which impacts their life and future careers. That is the reality for a young woman named Becca, whose case I raised in the House a year ago. She was investigated at age 19 after giving birth to her son at 28 weeks, and she says that removing the investigation from her records would help her to be able to move on and live a proper family life. Does the Minister agree that this change will help to bring justice for women like Becca?

• 14 Apr 2026 · Crime and Policing Bill · Hansard source

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  I really welcome the Government’s amendment on image deletion orders, which will ensure that after a conviction, courts are properly mandated to destroy those intimate images and film. They will be able to give prison sentences, too; that is incredibly important. Does the Minister agree that this, coupled with the Government’s new requirements for tech firms to delete this horrifying content when it is found, is a crucial step forward in ensuring that non-consensual intimate imagery victims can finally move forward with their life?

• 26 Mar 2026 · Driving Test Waiting Times · Hansard source

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  I, too, have heard lots of stories from learners in my constituency about their long wait for driving tests, and waits for medical driving licences are also going up. I am delighted that this Government are taking the driving test backlog seriously. Monmouthshire residents will be relieved to know that I have heard that a new examiner is being trained up in Monmouth test centre as we speak, with another joining in Abergavenny soon. Will the Minister update me on what further steps the Department is taking to ensure that examiners are recruited, trained and out doing driving tests as soon as possible?

• 23 Mar 2026 · Violence against Women and Girls · Hansard source

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  Survivors in Monmouthshire tell me that economic abuse not only featured in their relationships, but stopped them rebuilding their lives long after they left. For some, the separation compromised their business. Others face continued control through child maintenance disputes. In what measurable ways will the VAWG strategy tackle economic abuse, and how will progress on that be reported to the House and elsewhere?

• 23 Mar 2026 · Violence against Women and Girls · Hansard source

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  15. What steps she is taking to help tackle violence against women and girls.

• 18 Mar 2026 · Fuel Duty · Hansard source

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  The Government are not just talking about it—we have put £53 million into supporting the cost of heating oil. That is doing something about it. When the Conservatives were in government, they took 200 days to do that.

• 18 Mar 2026 · Fuel Duty · Hansard source

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  In Wales, it is fantastic news that the Welsh Labour Government have put in place a £1 cap on bus fares for young people and a £3 fare for all people over 18. Does the hon. Lady agree that that is a fantastic use of funding by the Welsh Labour Government?

• 17 Mar 2026 · Child Maintenance Service · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for securing this debate. As a child of divorced parents way before the CMS came into existence, I know that the whole issue of how much the paying parent should pay and getting them to pay on time is extremely stressful—for the children as well. My hon. Friend raised good points about child maintenance being routinely weaponised. Collect and pay may help lots of families by making it harder for abusers to withhold payment, but I know from my caseload that many parents say that income is being hidden and that the CMS is allowing that income to be hidden—if a parent is self-employed or becomes a “director”, for example. Does she agree that the CMS must be equipped to find that hidden income?

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  I welcome the £3.8 million commitment, which will help Welsh households with rising costs. A 70-year-old woman in my constituency saw a quote for 500 litres of oil rise by £250 in less than a week. Farmers will also be hit hard: they will face increased red diesel prices and an exponential rise in fertiliser costs. Will the Minister share what support may be given to farmers?

• 11 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T2. According to Surviving Economic Abuse, an economic abuse victim loses her life every 19 days, with more than 50% of domestic homicide reviews involving that form of abuse by a partner. What steps is the Minister taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle it, both through the Government’s violence against women and girls strategy and by improving understanding within relevant agencies?

• 10 Mar 2026 · Courts and Tribunals Bill · Hansard source

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  I rise to speak in favour of the Bill, but first I want to remind the House why these reforms matter to victims. When the powerful wave of the MeToo movement washed over us in 2017, almost 10 years after the incredible Tarana Burke began the MeToo programme in US schools and women began to share their stories, I froze when I heard on the radio what Harvey Weinstein had been doing in plain sight. I spent the rest of the day scrolling through courageous women’s stories online, and despite my horror at each of their experiences, I felt relief and hope. I felt relief that we could share our stories of experiences that I know every woman in this Chamber and, unfortunately, every woman and girl in the UK, has at some level had to endure. And I felt hope that this would be a watershed moment and that there would be no more Harvey Weinsteins. Recently, however, we have come to learn of the monstrous abuses committed by Jeffrey Epstein and his associates, reminding us that this fight is by no means over. Regardless of whether a victim has survived a high-profile repeat offender or abuse from someone they knew and trusted at home or at work, they deserve justice. The Tories utterly failed victims in their 14 years. They ran up a huge backlog. Some women victims have said recently that they have waited 10 years, and that is a 10-year sentence for them. We cannot accept these delays. Over 90% of all criminal cases are already heard fairly without a jury by magistrates. Clause 8 of the Bill puts restrictions on evidence or questions about a survivor’s sexual history. That should never have been part of the trial in the first place. Clause 17 will mean that courts will no longer have to start from the presumption that parental involvement will always be in the interests of a child. Women’s Aid has called this “a significant shift in the ‘pro-contact’ culture” that puts children at risk. This change will be incredibly encouraging for one of my constituents whose ex-partner was convicted of child sex offences and who has seen her children’s wellbeing massively impacted. I pay tribute to the campaigners here today, who have worked so hard to make this happen. Today we can move the dial towards a system that does not unfairly advantage perpetrators and does not retraumatise victims.