Lewis Atkinson

16 Jul 2026   Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment

In the last year, Sunderland has shown that it is truly a city on the up. A new hospital, library, bridge, construction skills academy, offices and housing are all open or opening soon—all secured under a Labour council—and there are inves…

16 Jul 2026   Business of the House

Fulwell community library, which is run by a fantastic team of volunteers led by Richard Beck, provides a welcoming space for people to enjoy books and a cuppa, as I did there the other week. In the centre of Sunderland, Culture House, the…

14 Jul 2026   General Practice Partnership Model

The GP patient satisfaction survey results are out, and I am really proud that the Sunderland Central and Sunderland East PCNs show a satisfaction rating of 83%—notably higher than the national average. Will the Minister join me in thankin…

13 Jul 2026   Embodied Carbon: Buildings

I thank the Minister for the point she is making about the role of local government. I think she heard what I said to the hon. Member for North Herefordshire (Dr Chowns) about the National Glass Centre in my constituency. Would she encoura…

13 Jul 2026   Embodied Carbon: Buildings

The hon. Lady is making an excellent speech. In my constituency, we have the National Glass Centre building—a huge building, built 30 years ago, that unfortunately does not seem viable for its current use any longer. Rather than demolishin…

13 Jul 2026   Immigration and Asylum Bill

Asylum and immigration are key concerns for my constituents, and their judgment on the asylum system that this Government inherited is clear and correct: the system was broken, lacked control and cost taxpayers too much. By that, they do n…

9 Jul 2026   Israeli Settlements: Trade Ban

The hon. Member is doing an excellent job of expressing the moral outrage shared by constituents from Herefordshire to Sunderland to Sheffield, but does she agree that if it is possible for international groups to find origin fraud relatin…

9 Jul 2026   Timms Review: Interim Report

I thank the Minister and the steering group for their work. Their findings that disabled people find the assessment process dehumanising and stressful reflect the conversations that my constituents have had with me. Paragraph 64 of the rev…

1 Jul 2026   Engagements

Q9. Too many people are waiting too long for NHS mental health care, with over 6,000 adults waiting up to two years. In Sunderland, grassroots organisations like the wonderful Betsy Jenny café are providing support to our community, but…

22 Jun 2026   Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Newborn Screening Test

I thank the Minister for her remarks. As others have said, she is a diligent Minister, and I know that she will push this carefully with the Department. Would she consider meeting me, Jesy and SMA UK after she has had a chance to push some…

22 Jun 2026   Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Newborn Screening Test

I will make a little progress and finish my point; I can see the time getting away and I want to make sure that other Members can speak. The question is why, when so much of the world has acted, the United Kingdom is moving so slowly. T…

22 Jun 2026   Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Newborn Screening Test

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. This is a matter of pace and of asking, “When?” not “If?” or “How?” because both those questions have already been answered. I turn to the Government’s response. The previous Secretary of State for He…

22 Jun 2026   Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Newborn Screening Test

I thank the hon. Member for making one of his excellent interventions. Clearly health is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and Wales, where screening is also not available, but the hon. Member is absolutely right. It would be difficult…

22 Jun 2026   Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Newborn Screening Test

My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and I will come on to talk about the potential postcode lottery. I do not believe it is a decision for individual ICBs to make, but a national decision that includes the UK National Screening Committee, …

22 Jun 2026   Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Newborn Screening Test

The hon. Lady is entirely right and I have heard a number of those heart-wrenching stories; she does well to speak so movingly on behalf of her constituent. That is a testament to the key intervention of getting a diagnosis as soon after b…

22 Jun 2026   Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Newborn Screening Test

I agree with my hon. Friend, though I think the issue is not mainly financial; I will come on to that in a minute. As other Members have said, the key point is that treatments are dramatically more effective the earlier they are given: …

22 Jun 2026   Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Newborn Screening Test

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right and I will come on to talk about screening in just a minute.

22 Jun 2026   Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Newborn Screening Test

I beg to move, That this House has considered e-petition 755980 relating to spinal muscular atrophy and the newborn screening test. It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Mundell, and a privilege to open the debate as a …

9 Jun 2026   Waiting Lists: Unreported Removals

I commend the Minister for her work in reducing waiting lists for GP referral to first treatment, and they are genuinely coming down. She will be aware, however, that that statistic does not capture the entire picture, particularly for peo…

8 Jun 2026   Progression of Bills through Parliament

All that remains is for me to thank Members for their many contributions today and the spirit in which they were made—the same spirit in which we participated in the Second and Third Reading debates. Those, including the contributions fro…

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