Jim Dickson MP: speeches

Speeches

• 12 Jan 2026 · Call for General Election · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Huq. I welcome this debate. My comments tonight will be directed at everyone in Dartford who signed the petition and all others in my wonderful constituency that I have the privilege of serving in this place. Ahead of the election in July 2024, this country was crying out for change, and Dartford was no different. I recognise that there is now an expectation of that change being delivered as quickly as possible. We know that delivering real change is not easy—it takes time—but in my view, when I look around my constituency, it is happening. With around three years likely left until a general election, I want to use this moment briefly to take stock of what I said in Dartford that I would prioritise before the 2024 election and where progress is being made. Dartford is one of the fastest growing towns in the UK, with lots of new homes being built. I very much welcome the new families who are making a great contribution to Dartford alongside our wonderful, hard-working existing communities, but they know that although the population has expanded over the last 15 years, very little has been spent on increasing the local infrastructure—the roads, the health provision—to meet the growing population. That really should not have come as a surprise to representatives of local government or national Government. On NHS provision, I promised, in partnership with the Government, that we would make progress, and since the election we have been seeing that. We see it in the expanded community diagnostic centre at the Livingstone community hospital site and in the funding for a new intensive care unit at Darent Valley hospital, which will add crucial capacity elsewhere on the site. Waiting lists are coming down, but we have much more to do—that is what I say to Dartford residents who signed the petition—in particular on GP capacity across Swanscombe and Ebbsfleet, where pressure on appointments is most acute. I recently visited Swanscombe health centre, which is among the busiest in Kent. It has added 11,000 patients to its roll in the last five years as a result of our growing community, and it desperately needs infrastructure investment to meet that growing need. Despite the fact that community infrastructure levy money is being spent on increased provision, that part of my constituency would be ideal for one of the new wave of neighbourhood health centres being planned by Ministers in the Department of Health and Social Care. I hope to make that case robustly in the months ahead. If we have a general election, it will be difficult to do that. Another key issue for Dartford on which I stood at the last election is that the town is regularly gridlocked by terrible traffic. My plan, which I put before residents at the election, was to get Dartford moving again—again, in partnership with the Government. We said we would invest in infrastructure, and we have had some hugely positive news on the lower Thames crossing, which will reduce congestion at the Dartford crossing and make Dartford residents’ lives freer from terrible air and the congestion that they see every day. Government funding is now in place, and planning consent has been given for the lower Thames crossing. We are now at the start of a procurement process for the machinery needed to dig under the River Thames and create the new crossing. I am eagerly awaiting news from the Government on the next steps on the private finance package that needs to be put in place to make the scheme work. I am anxious to see spades in the ground in the near future, under this Government. One of the crucial projects to get Dartford moving again is the repair of Galley Hill Road, which collapsed in early 2023—almost three years ago—cutting a crucial route between my constituency and that of my hon. Friend the Member for Gravesham (Dr Sullivan). That road closure has led to an increase in traffic and, in particular, an increase in heavy good vehicles passing through roads in Swanscombe that cannot accommodate them. It has been a disaster for the community. I am pleased that it was a visit to that site by Transport Ministers after the 2024 general election that inspired the Government to create the structures fund announced in the spending review last year. The fund is designed specifically to repair rundown transport infrastructure such as Galley Hill Road. I have no doubt that had the last general election result been different, such a fund would not be in place. With details on the fund to come in the months ahead, it will be on Kent county council to put in a bid to the fund that has the best possible chance of finally getting Galley Hill Road fixed and once and for all ending the chaos on Swanscombe’s roads and for its communities. The final topic that I campaigned hard on at the general election and that I believe the Government are making a significant difference on is the restoration of neighbourhood policing. Each neighbourhood across Dartford is unique, and it is crucial that we rebuild relationships between communities and the police officers there to keep them safe. The neighbourhood policing guarantee, a key item in the 2024 manifesto and introduced by the Government last year, will put that into action alongside the 13,000 additional police officers, PCSOs and special constables that we are putting into neighbourhood policing roles. We are already seeing more police in Dartford.

• 6 Jan 2026 · Less Survivable Cancers · Hansard source

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  I congratulate the hon. Member on securing this debate and the excellent speech he is making. He mentioned that the Government have said they will shortly publish the national cancer plan, which will include details of how they will improve outcomes for patients, speed up diagnosis and treatment, ensure that patients have access to new treatments and technology, and above all, improve cancer survival rates. Does he agree that it is critical that the plan also features key measures to address less survivable cancers, including supporting the roll-out of innovative detection tests and evaluating their use, supporting campaigns to raise awareness of symptoms, and producing a strategy for earlier and faster diagnosis?

• 5 Jan 2026 · Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief · Hansard source

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  Happy new year to you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister for his answer. I was pleased to meet NFU representatives for Dartford and for Kent in late 2024 and January 2025. Following those meetings, I passed on the view to Treasury Ministers that it was right for the Government to close the inheritance tax loophole and stop the price of farmland from being inflated by people purchasing that land to avoid inheritance tax, but that the threshold should be set at a significantly higher level to reduce the risk of smaller family businesses being affected by the changes. Does the Minister agree that the reliefs are now fairer to family farms but will still achieve their purpose of reducing tax sheltering and raising vital revenue for public services?

• 17 Dec 2025 · National Insurance Contributions (Employer Pensions Contributions) Bill · Hansard source

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  The Chancellor’s Budget, delivered at the end of November, enables the Government to deliver on the priorities that we set out clearly in our manifesto last year. I pay tribute to the work that the Chancellor and the Ministers on the Front Bench tonight and across the Treasury team have done on that. As the Minister said, this is a very straightforward Bill. It means that from April 2029, there will be limits to NICs relief that higher earners can take advantage of through salary sacrifice. Importantly, it protects lower earners with a £2,000 threshold. It is always a challenge for any Government to find the right balance in their policies. This change ensures fairness in a system where we could otherwise have seen the costs of salary sacrifice schemes triple between 2017 and the end of the decade. That would undermine vital public service and investment priorities, such as the armed services, the NHS, SEND, our prison system and a vast number of other public services that everyone in this House would want to see properly funded. The greatest burden in this change is therefore being borne by those with the broadest shoulders. It is right that we have kept our manifesto pledges on tax, and it should only be in the most challenging of circumstances that we step back from those commitments. This change has enabled us to keep those pledges. It is good to see the Government getting on with delivering the change we promised, with inflation coming down; a sixth cut in interest rates coming soon, we hope; gilt prices moving in the right direction; and growth forecast to rise next year. As a Member of the Treasury Committee, I have not had a chance to speak in the Chamber since the Budget. With your indulgence, Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to welcome the lifting of the two-child benefit cap. It was clear from the evidence we heard on the Committee that this change will transform thousands of young lives—

• 17 Dec 2025 · National Insurance Contributions (Employer Pensions Contributions) Bill · Hansard source

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  Thank you for your guidance, Madam Deputy Speaker. I will conclude simply by saying that when the Chancellor appeared before our Committee last week, she was clear that this was a Budget of necessary and fair choices on tax—of which the Bill is one—so that we can deliver on the public’s priorities of rebuilt public services and fair growth. This change enables us to do that.

• 16 Dec 2025 · Electoral Resilience · Hansard source

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  May I, like others, thank the Secretary of State for his robust defence of elections and our democracy through his statement? On the Gill case, he may be aware that the Reform UK board member Gawain Towler is on record saying that he realised very quickly that Nathan Gill was raising pro-Russia questions about Ukraine in 2018. After confronting Gill, Towler simply “accepted his explanation at face value” and was, by his own admission, “foolish”. Does the Secretary of State agree that it cannot be good enough for any political party to simply accept the peddling of pro-Russian propaganda? Can he assure me that this review will examine all and every link with Russia without fear or favour?

• 16 Dec 2025 · Planning Reform · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for his statement. In my constituency, many new homes have been built in places such as Ebbsfleet and Stone, and I am glad to announce that there are plans for many more, but it is fair to say that local infrastructure—including GP surgeries, Darent Valley hospital and local schools—has struggled to keep pace, and there have not been enough affordable homes. Can the Minister outline how new, clear policies on where and how we build will ensure that development is sustainable and linked to jobs and infrastructure, and that we have enough affordable homes?

• 15 Dec 2025 · NHS: Winter Preparedness · Hansard source

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  Last week, I met leaders from Darent Valley hospital in my constituency. Apart from discussing progress made on the new intensive care unit that the Government are investing in at the hospital, which is a sure sign that the Government are starting to turn the NHS around, it was clear from the conversation that the rise in flu admissions is already having a big impact on A&E waiting times and that care is having to be administered in corridors. Does the Secretary of State agree with the message that the hospital leadership team wanted to amplify: anyone who wants to help the NHS should go to their GP or their local pharmacy and get a vaccination as soon as possible, if they have not already done so?

• 10 Dec 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q9. Before May’s election, Reform in Kent promised that it would improve services and cut taxes. Instead, vital services for older people and those with mental health conditions, provided by great organisations such as Imago and Involve Kent, are to be cut, and taxes are going up. Does the Prime Minister agree with me on two things: that given the additional money provided to the county through the fair funding review, it is beyond belief that Kent is cutting services on which vulnerable people rely, and that Reform’s so-called DOGE unit, which we were told would eliminate waste, actually stands for “deluded, overconfident, gormless and embarrassing”?

• 8 Dec 2025 · Child Poverty Strategy · Hansard source

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  I congratulate the Secretary of State on the child poverty strategy, which will take 2,500 children in Dartford out of poverty by the end of this Parliament. As has been said, growing up in poverty hugely increases the likelihood of poor mental and physical health, and hugely reduces the chance of holding down a better paid job or going into further and higher education, so does she agree that the strategy is not just about reducing the numbers in poverty, but about making an investment in the UK’s future and that of its people?

• 2 Dec 2025 · Catapults and Antisocial Behaviour · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Desmond. I congratulate the hon. and gallant Member for Spelthorne (Lincoln Jopp) on securing this very important debate, on his eloquent speech setting out the dimensions of the problem, and on his incredible detective work to out the mystery participants in the Home Office meeting of a month ago—well done on that. However, to be serious, shocking incidents involving catapults, of the sort that he outlined and we have all seen, have been on the rise in my constituency. Just over a year ago, I began to receive reports of catapults being used at Darenth Village Park, with both wildlife and property targeted, which I passed on to the police. Early this year, I received worried emails and Facebook posts from people living around St Clements Lakes in Greenhithe reporting numerous incidents of catapult use to hurt or kill birds at the lake. In March, I undertook a walkabout around the area with local police, who told me that they knew where this was taking place but felt they lacked the necessary powers to tackle it properly. The situation escalated further, with a disturbing incident in which a woman and her young children were threatened with catapults after challenging a group of teenagers targeting wildlife at the lakes—there was widespread local media coverage of the incident. I have also seen—I would not recommend that anyone looks them up—videos taken from TikTok showing predominantly young men, sometimes being encouraged by older men, using catapults to kill wildlife, birds, rabbits and squirrels. The videos are then posted on social media. There is clearly a disturbing trend of growing cruelty towards defenceless wildlife, and sometimes there is a link to social media. As other Members have said, make no mistake that people are at risk too. King’s College hospital maxillofacial surgeon, Jonas Osher, said that he has recently treated serious injuries to patients inflicted by catapults. He sees catapult victims who have lost their vision as a result of a projectile lodging in their eye socket, and says that “if you’re unlucky, it could hit you in the thinnest part of your skull…and cause a brain haemorrhage.” Recognising the problem, I applaud the initiative taken by Kent police over the summer to send a letter to schools across Kent asking them to work with parents to stop their children leaving home with a catapult, but that is not enough. Through my work on this issue, I have had a chance to meet Carly Ahlen, a local wildlife expert, and her fellow campaigners Christopher and Joelle, who shared evidence they have collated on how widespread the issue is. I am grateful to them for their tenacious work cataloguing incidents and patrolling parks to try to deter them. I recently organised a local residents’ meeting to discuss policing in Darenth—a general meeting to discuss anything that residents were concerned about. They reported their increasing fear of catapult crime specifically, including damage to cars and other property, and worry that they personally would be hit by a projectile. I hope that on the strength of the mounting evidence that catapult use is a serious risk in Dartford and many other communities in different parts of the country, the Home Office will look carefully at opportunities to strengthen the ability of police to confiscate catapults, in particular from under-18s. The suggestion that catapults should be added to the list of offensive weapons is sensible, because it would enable police to do that while ensuring that the small number of legitimate uses—such as in the sport of angling and recreational use—are protected. I thank the Minister for meeting me and my hon. Friend the Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey (Kevin McKenna) earlier in the autumn to discuss the issue. I am sure that she will have noted the concern expressed in this debate from across the country—from Northern Ireland, Scotland, London and the south-east, including Kent, Surrey and Hampshire—and the reports of similar problems in Warwickshire. Let us take forward the action we need to address this rising source of cruelty and fear in our communities.

• 2 Dec 2025 · Gambling: Regulatory Reform · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for giving way and for the excellent and knowledgeable speech she is making. One other important piece of context in all this is the men’s health strategy, which I know was widely welcomed across the House and was published two weeks ago, and which identified gambling harms as a key element that it needed to tackle. Most of us have welcomed the introduction of the remote gambling tax; that fits very well within the men’s health strategy, because it seeks to disincentivise the most harmful forms of gambling. Does she agree that, while the tax was very welcome, we need to make sure that the money coming in via the levy is as well spent as possible to tackle the harms caused by gambling?

• 2 Dec 2025 · Ukraine · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for her answer and, in particular, the UK Government’s continued excellent work to marshal the coalition of the willing in support of Ukraine. Does she agree that in any future peace agreement key Ukrainian red lines need to be defended: the preservation of Ukraine; that key parts of the Donbas are not under Russian control; that there are no Russian-imposed limits on Ukrainian armed forces; and freedom of Ukraine to join NATO?

• 2 Dec 2025 · Ukraine · Hansard source

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  18. What steps her Department is taking to support Ukraine.

• 1 Dec 2025 · Office for Budget Responsibility Forecasts · Hansard source

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  As others have said, given that the “Economic and fiscal outlook” contains highly sensitive information on which billions of pounds can be traded, and given that the investigation report makes it clear that this was not the first time that confidential information had been released before a fiscal event, does the Minister agree that there might be a role for the National Crime Agency, alongside the National Cyber Security Centre, in looking into whether something untoward has taken place?

• 1 Dec 2025 · Child Poverty Strategy · Hansard source

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  3. What recent progress the child poverty taskforce has made on publishing a child poverty strategy.

• 1 Dec 2025 · Child Poverty Strategy · Hansard source

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  The Government’s very welcome decision to end the two-child cap on benefits will, alongside free school meals and breakfast clubs, transform the lives of 2,500 children living in my Dartford constituency, and contribute to our manifesto goal of tackling child poverty. Will the Secretary of State tell the House when more schools in Dartford will be eligible to join the roll-out of free breakfast clubs to primary schools across the country?

• 26 Nov 2025 · Budget Resolutions · Hansard source

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  One of the things the Chancellor was clear about in her speech was the way we need to continue to build capital investment to improve the long-term growth rate of the economy. Does my hon. Friend agree that projects such as the lower Thames crossing, which will hugely reduce congestion and poor air quality in my constituency and create thousands of jobs and new opportunities for business, are great for our economy?

• 25 Nov 2025 · G20 and Ukraine · Hansard source

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  On behalf of my constituents, I congratulate the Prime Minister on demonstrating UK leadership by supporting the Ukrainian Government and President Zelensky in turning the 28-point peace plan, which very much appears to have been authored by Russia, into a much more acceptable 19-point peace plan, which clearly needs to be built on. Does the Prime Minister agree with me, and with the majority of my constituents who contact me, that it is vital that the UK and Europe remain steadfast in their support for Ukraine to achieve a lasting and just peace?

• 24 Nov 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State and the Minister of State for Housing and Planning for visiting Ebbsfleet Garden City in my constituency last week. Does the Minister agree that, with an additional 10,000 homes to be built in Ebbsfleet over the next 10 years, to create great places to live we have got to build schools, medical facilities and green spaces—

• 20 Nov 2025 · International Men’s Day · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for her excellent speech. I have heard her talk glowingly about her boys to me and to others, and she is doing them real justice in her speech. I believe she is absolutely right to welcome the men’s health strategy, which was published yesterday; it is a fantastic document and road map for us. Does my hon. Friend agree—especially given that her boys are still growing up and in early manhood—that young men are particularly prey to the problems of gambling, particularly online gambling and rapid turnover gambling, and that it is really welcome that the men’s health strategy contains proposals to tackle the real problem of men and gambling from the grassroots upwards?

• 17 Nov 2025 · Parkinson’s Disease · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. She mentioned the Parkinson’s group in her constituency. In my constituency, the wonderful Mervyn Dunkley, Jane Hua and their team run brilliant weekly Parkinson’s move and shout classes at the Fairfield leisure centre in Dartford for people living with Parkinson’s disease. Does she agree that every community deserve a Mervyn and Jane and a roll-out of such classes? They are of huge benefit to people suffering from Parkinson’s across the country, and more people could benefit.

• 12 Nov 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q11. I have long thought that you, Mr Speaker, and the Prime Minister would suit a magnificent moustache—and I am sure that you would be capable of growing a better one than mine. Many men, inside and outside this House, are growing our taches out this month to highlight the need for our health system, and men ourselves, to address preventable and treatable conditions to which all men are vulnerable, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health conditions such as depression. Does the Prime Minister agree that the first ever men’s health strategy, which is soon to be published, must lead to a major step change in the way our country helps men to stay well?

• 11 Nov 2025 · BBC Leadership · Hansard source

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  I welcome the statement from the Secretary of State, and particularly her strong support for the BBC as an institution that belongs to us all. With the BBC regularly rated worldwide as one of the most trusted global news sources, does she agree that a strong BBC acts as a bulwark against misinformation not only in this country but across other critical parts of the world where there are few other trusted news sources, and that the delivery of services to those parts of the world must be properly funded?

• 5 Nov 2025 · Fresh and Nutritious Food: Inequality of Access · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is making a passionate speech. In a past life, as a cabinet member for health in a local authority, I was active in promoting a voucher scheme run by the Alexandra Rose charity and the Beacon Project, which offered families in need vouchers they could redeem for fresh fruit and veg at the local market. Does my hon. Friend agree that targeted schemes such as that could make a real impact in increasing access to fresh fruit and veg for families who need it?