Sonia Kumar MP: speeches

Speeches

• 22 Apr 2026 · Osteoporosis and Bone Health · Hansard source

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  I believe that we should be rolling those services out across the entire country, and I will come on to that in the rest of my speech. I am sure that the Minister will also comment on that.

• 22 Apr 2026 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  In 2022, my constituent Masi Sibanda dropped her 14-month-old son Noah off at nursery, like any other day. Tragically, it would be the last time Masi would see her son alive. A staff member at the Fairytales nursery tried to get him to sleep. When Noah resisted, she covered his face with a thick blanket and used her leg to pin him down. The pressure applied to his tiny body was so extreme that it ruptured his colon. No parent should have to endure such unimaginable loss. The sentencing has taken place. Will the PM meet Masi to discuss how we can ensure that tragedies like this never happen again?

• 16 Apr 2026 · Youth Centres: Dudley · Hansard source

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  8. What steps she is taking to support youth centres in Dudley.

• 16 Apr 2026 · Youth Centres: Dudley · Hansard source

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  Youth centres such as High Oak in Dudley, run by Angela Edwards, are finding it harder each year to stay open because of insecure funding, despite Dudley having some of the highest levels of young people not in education, employment or training. More youth centres and more secure long-term funding are desperately needed. What support can my right hon. Friend provide to these youth centres to ensure that the youth of today and of the future are supported?

• 16 Apr 2026 · Women’s Health Strategy · Hansard source

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  I warmly welcome the women’s health strategy. I recently visited the Navigating Our Womanhood Together bus in Dudley, which supports women’s health from menstruation to menopause, and I look forward to more such initiatives being delivered as part of the strategy in my constituency. Will the Minister set out how the strategy will harness allied health professionals, including specialist physiotherapists, to support pelvic health, such as incontinence, prolapse and post-natal care?

• 13 Apr 2026 · Pride in Place: Community Spaces · Hansard source

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  The Pride in Place funding in Dudley is being divided between two constituencies, risking the dilution of its impact. Given the high levels of deprivation among many of my constituents, what steps will my right hon. Friend take to ensure that communities in Dudley fully feel the transformational benefits of the investment and see tangible improvements? Will he meet me to discuss how we can crowd in funding?

• 13 Apr 2026 · Middle East · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Prime Minister’s statement and commend his leadership in steering the UK clear of the Iran conflict and blockade. During this war, healthcare centres, hospitals and ambulances have been attacked. The Iranians now face acute shortages of care and medicines. What action is the Prime Minister taking to press all parties to comply with international humanitarian law and end the attack on healthcare infrastructure?

• 26 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I had the pleasure of visiting the newly opened Pens Meadow SEND school in Dudley. That fantastic and long-awaited school has transformed opportunities for local children, families and staff, and stands as a testament to the vision of the headteacher, Marie Hunter. Will the Leader of the House join me in welcoming the school and thanking Marie and her team, and will he grant time for a debate on improving SEND provision in the Black Country?

• 26 Mar 2026 · Transport Connectivity: Dudley · Hansard source

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  For far too long, communities across the Black Country have had to put up with poor transport links. That is why the long-awaited opening of the metro station later this year is such welcome news for people and businesses in Dudley, even after delays. This key investment will help bring visitors to Dudley High Street and drive the renewal of our town centre, but our area desires one more project. What further investment will the Department for Transport commit to bringing to Dudley? Will the Secretary of State commit to attending the opening of the metro? I am happy to treat her to some orange chips from Dudley.

• 26 Mar 2026 · Transport Connectivity: Dudley · Hansard source

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  14. What steps she is taking to improve transport connectivity in Dudley.

• 24 Mar 2026 · Household Energy Bills · Hansard source

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  Given that around one in five households in Dudley are in fuel poverty and that electricity levies fall disproportionately on low-income families, I welcome the Chancellor’s decision to remove some social and environmental levies from electricity bills. That has helped to shield some of my constituents from the impact of the war in the middle east. Does my right hon. Friend agree that rebalancing these levies can both support households and accelerate cleaner heating?

• 24 Mar 2026 · Household Energy Bills · Hansard source

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  3. What steps he is taking to help prevent increases in energy bills for households.

• 11 Mar 2026 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Russia’s continued assault on Ukraine has devastated its healthcare system: hospitals are under extreme pressure and there is a critical shortage of specialist staff to treat the injured. That is why I, along with other British physiotherapists, travelled to Ukraine to train clinicians who are working under unimaginable strain. Will the Prime Minister join me in thanking Tanisha Sandhu, Daniel Simm, Kay Joe and Anju Jaggi for their remarkable work? Will he commit to expanding UK-Ukraine clinical training partnerships?

• 10 Mar 2026 · High Street Businesses: Tax Changes · Hansard source

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  Traders like Sukibinder Singh, who owns Little Italy in Dudley, tell me how low footfall, empty shops and shoplifting are putting people off coming to the town centre. Will my hon. Friend set out what action he is taking on business rates and targeted reliefs to help bricks-and-mortar businesses to compete and prosper?

• 5 Mar 2026 · Health and Social Care: IT Systems · Hansard source

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  We have seen the devasting impact of cyber-attacks on British companies and the NHS, and there are serious concerns about the NHS data being entrusted to external firms such as Palantir. What steps is my hon. Friend taking to ensure that new NHS IT systems are secure, ethically governed, protect patient data and public trust, and are British where possible?

• 5 Mar 2026 · Health and Social Care: IT Systems · Hansard source

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  15. Whether his Department has issued guidance to the Department of Health and Social Care on the procurement of secure IT systems infrastructure from British businesses.

• 10 Feb 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  This year Teddy Grays in Dudley celebrates 200 years in business, with five generations of the same family keeping that local sweetshop and mainstay in Dudley. However, as with many small businesses, energy bills are a constant threat to its success. What steps is my right hon. Friend taking to ensure that Teddy Grays can enjoy another 200 years of sweet success, and will he meet me to discuss this further?

• 9 Feb 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  What action is my right hon. Friend taking to disrupt the finances of the organised crime groups facilitating illegal migration to the United Kingdom, and what steps is her Department taking with international partners to prosecute those who are funding those operations, both domestically and internationally?

• 5 Feb 2026 · Human Trafficking · Hansard source

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  Paige, my constituent, a survivor of human trafficking as a 24-year-old, was betrayed not only by her abusers but by the very systems that were meant to protect her. When she reached crisis point and attempted to take her life, she was denied continuous medical and healthcare support, while her advocate was excluded from multi-agency meetings. Will the Solicitor General set out what steps are being taken to increase prosecutions for human trafficking and ensure that victims such as Paige receive consistent therapeutic and legal support, from initial disclosure through to the aftercare that follows court proceedings?

• 5 Feb 2026 · Human Trafficking · Hansard source

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  5. What steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for human trafficking.

• 5 Feb 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Following local closures, residents in the north of Dudley currently have no accessible household waste site, forcing them to make lengthy and costly journeys to the only remaining sites in Stourbridge, which is leading to fly-tipping across the borough. Will my right hon. Friend join me in urging the Conservative council to reinstate Anchor Lane accessible waste disposal services in the north of the borough, and will he agree to a debate on this matter?

• 5 Feb 2026 · Economic Security · Hansard source

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  I thank my right hon. Friend for his work on the Business and Trade Committee, of which I am a proud member. Does he agree that an increasingly competitive and uncertain world defines the UK’s sovereign capabilities, and that supporting them through the national wealth fund is vital to strengthening our industrial resilience and securing our supply chains—including critical minerals—to protect the British economy?

• 5 Feb 2026 · Sudan · Hansard source

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  The situation in Sudan is deplorable. Sadly, as is too common, women and girls are being terrorised and rape is being used as a weapon of war. The United Nations has reported that, horrifically, infants as young as a year old are being raped. This is hell on earth. The Secretary of State has mentioned that she is working with our African partners. Can she discuss what healthcare support will be provided to women and girls, from medical aid to paediatric care for children born from rape?

• 2 Feb 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Many injured service personnel face prolonged recovery journeys, and access to specialist rehabilitation is crucial. How is the Department expanding the role of allied health professionals in the Defence Medical Services to strengthen rehabilitation and provide joined-up care from injury to recovery?

• 20 Jan 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Over 900 doctors have been killed by the Iranian regime since 1979. A leading medical union warns that Iran’s state health system is near collapse and medicines are increasingly scarce, leaving children vulnerable for lack of basic care. Does my right hon. Friend agree that urgent international action is needed to hold the regime to account, particularly for the devastating impact on paediatric care?