I am always pleased to welcome constituents and local schools and groups to Westminster. Many constituents, school groups and community organisations have visited The Houses of Parliament since I was elected in 2005.
The Palace of Westminster is a truly stunning building with a very rich history. Official parliamentary tours offer an enjoyable and highly informative way to see this wonderful building.
If you are a constituent, a school in my constituency or a local community organisation and would like to arrange a visit to The Houses of Parliament please contact my office.
The paragraph listed contains the introductory text to the speech. For the full text, plus the context in which the speech was made, simply follow the link at the end of the paragraph.
July
24 2007
Petitions:
Inland Waterways Peter Soulsby:
I wish to present a petition with more than 600 signatures of
constituents of Leicester, South and other users of Britain's
inland waterways. It expresses widespread concern about the
future of those waterways-a concern that I share. More...
July
23 2007
Written
Answers - Duchy of Lancaster: East Midlands Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Minister for the Olympics what support is available
for local authorities in the east midlands to develop their
strategies and policies for London 2012.More...
July
9 2007
Estimates,
2007-08: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Peter Soulsby:
I am sure that my hon. Friend recalls that Accenture's contract
was worth something in the region of £54 million, and
that when it gave evidence to the Committee, despite having
been paid such a large sum and apparently being at the heart
of the project.More...
July
9 2006
Estimates,
2007-08: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Peter Soulsby:
Does my hon. Friend agree that it is most unfortunate that
the Government's response to this important report and the
criticism within it was not made available to the Committee
in good time? More...
July
9 2007
Estimates,
2007-08: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Peter Soulsby:
The Government's response to the Select Committee's report on
the Rural Payments Agency has not yet been reported to the House,
so we cannot refer to it in detail. Were the Government in that
response to seek to hide behind the argument that Select Committees
ought not to act as disciplinary tribunals on matters relating
to officials... More...
July
5 2007
Commons
debate - Business of the House Peter Soulsby:
May I join the chorus of welcomes to the new Leader of the House?
Is she aware of the recent collapse of First Solution Money
Transfer Ltd? The company specialised in taking remittances
from Bangladeshis to Bangladesh, but its collapse means that
some 20,000 people have lost money... More...
June
27 2007
Written
Answers - Communities and Local Government: Local Government
Finance Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
how many local authority population estimates used in the calculations
to inform the 2007-08 local government funding settlement have
been more than 5,000 people lower than official estimates of
the population in those authorities. More...
June
25 2007
Written
Answers - Work and Pensions: Industrial Accidents: Construction
Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage
of workplace deaths in the construction industry resulted
in (a) prosecution and (b) conviction in each of the last
five years. More...
June
25 2007
Written
Answers - Work and Pensions: Industrial Accidents Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage
of workplace deaths resulted in (a) prosecution and (b) conviction
in each of the last five years. More...
June
25 2007
Work and Pensions: Health and Safety Executive: Freedom of Information Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many
Freedom of Information requests were submitted to the Health
and Safety Executive in the last 12 months; how many were refused;
and on what basis each was refused. More...
June
11 2007
Written
Answers - Transport: Driving: Mobile Phones Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department
is taking to deter drivers from using mobile phones when driving.
More...
May
22 2007
Orders
of the Day: 'Part 13A - Entities controlled etc by local authorities Peter Soulsby:
Listening to the hon. Member for North-East Bedfordshire (Alistair
Burt), it is hard to recall now how much scepticism the Opposition
expressed about the Bill when it first came beforethe House.
More...
May
22 2007
Orders
of the Day: New Clause 36 - Schemes for elections Peter Soulsby: Let
us be clear. Is the Minister saying that unitary authorities
that were formerly metropolitan district authorities can revert
to elections by thirds if they held such elections at some point
since the 1973-74 reorganisation? More...
May
18 2007
Orders
of the Day: Clause 1 - Exemption of House of Commons and House
of Lords Peter Soulsby:
The Minister opened by saying that she doubts whether any Members'
views have been changed by the debate. I attended it perfectly
prepared to hear evidence of the need for the Bill-to hear examples
of the danger, which the Minister has just referred to...More...
May
17 2007
Orders
of the Day: New Clause 29 - Reduction of regulatory burdens Peter Soulsby:
I want to comment briefly on four amendments. First, I welcome
the amendments in the name of my right hon. Friend the Member
for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford) that recognise the
role of registered social landlords. More...
May
17 2007
Business
of the House: Post Office Review Peter Soulsby:
I too am deeply concerned about the proposal of Post Office
Ltd to close 70 Crown post offices and replace them with inadequate
alternatives-in Leicester's case... More...
May
17 2007
Oral
Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
Carbon Emissions Peter Soulsby:
Does the Minister agree that the key to individuals' action
on these issues is individuals' understanding of them, and that
the concepts of carbon footprints and carbon emissions are quite
difficult for many people to comprehend? More...
May
10 2007
Commons
debate - Business of the House Peter Soulsby:
I think that the Leader of the House is aware of the proposals
of Post Office Ltd to close 70 of its Crown post offices in
our town and city centres and also of the proposal to replace
them with outposts in nearby branches of WH Smith, and in the
case of Leicester. More...
May
10 2007
Written
Answers - Education and Skills: Asperger's Syndrome Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many
children diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome have statements
of special educational needs. More...
May
10 2007
Written
Answers - Education and Skills: Asperger's Syndrome Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which
local education authorities in England have specialist units
for Asperger's syndrome. More...
May
9 2007
Written
Answers - Education and Skills: Asperger's Syndrome Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what
recent discussions he has had on the provision of specialist
education for children with Asperger's syndrome; and what steps
his Department is taking to improve such provision. More...
May
1 2007
Written
Answers - Education and Skills: Higher Education: Health and
Safety Inspections Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what
assessment he has made of the adequacy of the frequency of health
and safety inspections in higher education. More...
April
25 2007
Point
of Order: Crossrail Bill [Instruction] (No. 5) Peter Soulsby:
I hope that London Members will forgive me if I begin with an
admission. When I was elected two years ago, I had not given
a great deal of thought to Crossrail. I have to say that it
is not a subject that comes up often on the doorsteps in Leicester,
South, nor does it often feature in the columns of the Leicester
Mercury. More...
April
25 2007
Westminster
Hall debates - British Waterways Peter Soulsby:
I congratulate the hon. Member for Lichfield (Michael Fabricant)
on obtaining the third debate on this issue in Westminster
Hall. I suspect that it may not be the last before the campaign
is finished, but I congratulate him none the less on bringing
us back here to debate this most vital issue. More...
April
24 2007
Point
of Order: Local Government Peter Soulsby:
The hon. Lady is making a case against the restructuring of
local government. If it is, indeed, as mistaken as she suggests,
will she explain why almost half the councils seeking restructuring
are Conservative-controlled? More...
April
24 2007
Point
of Order: Local Government Peter Soulsby:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to speak, albeit rather
briefly, at the end of the debate. I was not intending to contribute,
but three elements of the speech by the hon. Member for Meriden
(Mrs. Spelman) prompted me to do so. More...
April
24 2007
Written
Answers - Health: Multiple Sclerosis: Charities Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she
has made of the effects of fees for annual inspections from
the Health Care Commission on charitable not-for-profit multiple
sclerosis therapy centres. More...
April
16 2007
Written
Answers - Health: HC1 Form Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) people
aged under 25 years and (b) higher education students applied
for assistance with their health costs through the HC1 form
in 2005; and how many people from each category received such
help. More...
March
27 2007
Westminster
Hall debates - Inland Waterways (West Midlands) Peter Soulsby:
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the most significant areas
of waterway on which British Waterways is not able to operate
are those that are managed by the Environment Agency? More...
March
27 2007
Westminster
Hall debates - Inland Waterways (West Midlands) Peter Soulsby:
I join other hon. Members in congratulating my hon. Friend on
securing this debate, which is on a vital issue. She says that
she does not want to say much today about the question of departmental
responsibility... More...
March
27 2007
Oral
Answers to Questions-Communities and Local Government: Local
Democracy Peter Soulsby:
What steps her Department is taking to encourage people to
stand for election as councillors. More...
March
19 2007
Written
Answers — Work and Pensions: Pensioners: Leicester Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many
pensioners live in the Leicester local authority area; how many
are in receipt of council tax benefit; and what percentage this
is of the total number of pensioners living in the local authority
area. More...
March
14 2007
Written
Answers — Health: Lung Cancer Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration
she has given to (a) mandating and (b) building into the commissioning
process a requirement on NHS trusts to submit data to the National
Lung Cancer Audit. More...
March
14 2007
Written
Answers — Health: Lung Cancer Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancer centres
in England participated in the recent National Lung Cancer Audit;
and what percentage of centres this represents. More...
March
13 2007
Written
Answers — Work and Pensions: Poverty: Leicester Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many
(a) pensioners and (b) children in Leicester have been lifted
out of poverty since 1997. More...
March
8 2007
Written
Answers — Communities and Local Government: Olympic Games:
Leicester Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Communities and Local Government what discussions her Department
has had with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on
the potential role of Leicester in the Olympic Games.
More...
March
8 2007
Written
Answers — Education and Skills: Schools: Leicester Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Education and Skills how many schools in Leicester (a) collect
and (b) store biometric data on their students; and if he will
make a statement. More...
March
8 2007
Written
Answers — Environment Food and Rural Affairs: Carbon Dioxide:
Pollution Control Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department
is proposing to publish on the off-setting of carbon emissions.
More...
March
7 2007
Written
Answers — Culture Media and Sport : Olympic Games :
Leicester Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department
has had about projects in the Leicester area linked to the
Olympic Games. More...
March
7 2007
Written
Answers — Culture Media and Sport : Olympic Games : Leicester Peter Soulsby: Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary
of State for Culture, Media and Sport what opportunities there
are for businesses in (a) Leicester and
(b) the East Midlands region to exploit the commercial opportunities
of the 2012 Olympic Games. More...
March
7 2007
Written
Answers — Culture Media and Sport: Digital Television Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the
number of households which will qualifyfor assistance in switching
over to digital television in (a) Leicestershire, (b) Warwickshire
and (c) Northamptonshire, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
More...
March
2 2007
Written
Answers — Health: Multiple Sclerosis: Charities Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Health what assessment she has made of the merits of exempting
not-for-profit charities which run multiple sclerosis therapy
centres from inspection fees by the Healthcare Commission. More...
February
28 2007
Written
Answers — Home Department: Highly Skilled Migrant Programme Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect
of the recent changes to the highly skilled migrant programme
on people who had been granted leave under the previous rules;
and what estimate he has made of the numbers of people who will
not be able to extend this leave. More...
February
26 2007
Written
Answers — Health: University Hospitals of Leicester Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Health what assessment has been made of the potential impact
on the professional development of staff at the university hospitals
of Leicester of reductions in the training budget. More...
February
22 2007
Written
Answers — Treasury - Shari'a Finance Peter Soulsby: To ask the Chancellor of the
Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with financial
institutions on the provision of Shari'a bank accounts, savings
accounts and mortgages. More...
February
21 2007
Written
Answers — Treasury - Taxation: Biofuels Peter Soulsby: To ask the Chancellor of the
Exchequer what measures he has considered to promote greater
use of the fuel E85. More...
February
19 2007
Written
Answers — Home Department - Asylum: Work Permits Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for the Home Department how many asylum seekers who have been
waiting 12 months or more for a decision on their case have
applied for permission for the right to work; and how many of
these applications have been successful.More...
Written Answers — Defence -
Armed Forces: Recruitment Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Defence what steps he is taking to increase recruitment
into the armed forces from minority ethnic communities. More...
Written Answers — Transport
- Biofuels Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Transport in which locations in each county E85 is sold.
More...
February
7 2007
Written
Answers — Communities and Local Government Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Communities and Local Government which local authorities
have officially indicated their intention to explore seeking
unitary status following the publication of the Local Government
White Paper.
More...
Written Answers — Education
and Skills - Citizenship Education Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Education and Skills how many schools in (a) Leicester and
(b) Leicestershire employ a teacher with (i) a Citizenship PGCE
and (ii) other citizenship education or citizenship teaching
qualifications. More...
February
5 2007
Written
Answers — Education and Skills - Free School Meals Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Education and Skills what proportion of students on the
Gifted and Talented programme in (a) Leicester and (b) Leicestershire
receive free school meals. More...
February
1 2007
Written
Answers — Work and Pensions - Health and Safety Inspections Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Work and Pensions what meetings he has had with Commissioners
of the Health and Safety Commission to discuss the frequency
of inspections of places of higher education in each of the
last five years. More...
Written Answers — Home Department
- Firework Regulations Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for the Home Department how many fines were issued for breaches
of firework regulations in Leicester in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006.
More...
Written Answers — Health -
University Hospitals of Leicester Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Health for how long she expects the Breast Cancer Family
History Service in the University Hospitals of Leicester to
be suspended. More...
January
31 2007
Written
Answers — Culture Media and Sport - TV Licences Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of television licences
were purchased or renewed (a) at a post office, (b) online,
(c) by phone and (d) by post in (i) 2004, (ii) 2005 and (iii)
2006. More...
January
30 2007
Written
Answers — Communities and Local Government Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Communities and Local Government what discussions have
taken place between her Department and Leicester city council
regarding the local government finance settlement for 2007-08.
More...
January
29 2007
Written
Answers — Transport: Vehicle Registration Databases
Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to synchronise
vehicle registration databases across EU and non-EU nations.
More...
Written
Answers — Work and Pensions: Winter Fuel Payment Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the merits
of increasing the annual winter fuel payment to take account
of increases in energy bills. More...
Written
Answers — Culture Media and Sport: Film Industry Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Culture, Media and Sport what support is available for
companies investing in film production in the East Midlands
region. More...
Written
Answers — Trade and Industry:East Midlands Development
Agency Peter Soulsby: To
ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the
chief executive or senior directors of the East Midlands Development
Agency last received a request for an official meeting with
Leicester city council. More...
Written Answers —
Trade and Industry: Trading Relations Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Trade and Industry what steps are being taken to encourage
business and trade links between the east Midlands and India.
More...
Written
Answers — Home Department: Antisocial Behaviour Orders
and Individual Support Orders Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders
have been issued against people aged (a) under 18, (b) between
18 and 24 and (c) over 25 years in the City of Leicester.
More...
Written
Answers — Home Department: Antisocial Behaviour Orders
and Individual Support Orders Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders
have been (a) enforced and (b) breached in the (i) Eyres Monsell
and (ii) Freemen ward of Leicester. More...
Written
Answers — Home Department: Dog Fighting Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for the Home Department how many (a) arrests were made and
(b) convictions were obtained in (i) Leicester and (ii) Leicestershire
for offences relating to organised dog fighting in each of
the last five years. More...
Written
Answers — Home Department: Trespass: Schools Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for the Home Department how many cases of trespass into school
properties in the city of Leicester were reported in the last
12 months; and how many trespassers caught were aged under
10 years.More...
January
26 2007
Written
Answers — Culture Media and Sport: Celebrity Big Brother Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Culture, Media and Sport when she last met Ofcom to discuss
its complaints procedure.More...
January
23 2007
Written
Answers — Trade and Industry: Energy Efficient Products
Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to support companies
in manufacturing energy efficiency products in the United Kingdom.More...
January
22 2007
Written
Answers — Trade and Industry: Light Bulbs Peter Soulsby: To
ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support
is available to companies manufacturing energy efficient light
bulbs in the United Kingdom.More...
January
18 2007
Written
Answers — Education and Skills: Apprenticeships: Waterways Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Education and Skills whether apprenticeships are available
in (a) canal boat building and (b) canal and inland waterways
maintenance. More...
Written
Answers — Education and Skills: Apprenticeships: Waterways
Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Education and Skills what steps his Department has taken
to boost skills in industries and vocations associated with
canals and inland waterways in each of the last five years.More...
January
15 2007
Written
Answers — Transport: Road Accidents Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Transport how many road accidents were caused by drivers
failing to use headlights when road and weather conditions
required their use in each of the last five years. More...
Written
Answers — Culture Media and Sport: Canals and Inland
Waterways Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Culture, Media and Sport what effect she expects reductions
in the British Waterways grant to have on sport, leisure,
recreation and tourism associated with Britain's canals and
inland waterways. M
ore...
Written
Answers — Communities and Local Government: Leicester
City Council Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Communities and Local Government what meetings she has
had with representatives of Leicester city council in the
last 12 months; and who was present at each such meeting.
More...
January
11 2007
Written
Answers — Work and Pensions: Ministerial Visits Peter
Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
which Ministers in his Department have visited Leicester in
the last year; and where they visited in Leicester.More...
January
8 2007
Written
Answers — Communities and Local Government: Local Government
Finance Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Communities and Local Government which local authorities
have challenged the population estimates used in calculating
the 2007-08 local government funding settlement. More...
Written
Answers — Communities and Local Government: Places of
Worship Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has
made of which constituency has the most places of worship
per head of population. More...
Written Answers —
International Development: Water and Sanitation Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of Statefor
International Development what support his Department has
given to public sector water providers in each of the last
five years; and if he will make a statement. More...
Written Answers - Health:
Prescription Charges Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Health whether the National Union of Students will be
consulted as part of the review into prescription charges;
and what the timescale is for the review. More...
Written Answers - Health: Prescription Charges Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State
for Health how much her Department's revenue was from prescription
charges paid by people (a) under 25 years and (b) over 25
years in the latest year for which figures are available.
More...
January
5 2007
Written
Answers — Health: Prescription Charges Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the National
Union of Students will be consulted as part of the review into
prescription charges; and what the timescale is for the review.
More...
Written
Answers — Health: Prescription Charges Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her
Department's revenue was from prescription charges paid by people
(a) under 25 years and (b) over 25 years in the latest year
for which figures are available.More...
December
12 2006
House
of Commons Commission - Light Bulbs Peter Soulsby:
To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House
of Commons Commission what proportion of light bulbs used on
the House of Commons estate were manufactured in the United
Kingdom. More...
December
11 2006
Written
Answers - Health : Doctors: Leicester Peter
Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health
how many doctors are employed by the Leicester City Primary
Care Trust area; and how many were employed in 1997.
More...
Written
Answers - Health : Nurses : Leicester Peter
Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health
how many nurses are employed by the (a) Leicester Royal Infirmary
Hospital, (b) Glenfield Hospital in Leicester and (c) Leicester
General Hospital; and how many were employed at each in 1997.
More...
December
6 2006
Westminster
Hall debates - British Waterways Peter Soulsby:
...The debate is not about how the Department got itself into
that position, which is a matter for debate elsewhere, but about
the impact of funding cuts on British Waterways and what needs
to be done about that. Read
all the debate...
December
4 2006
Written
Answers - Communities and Local Government: Community Associations Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
how many community associations are (a) formally registered
and (b) incorporated in each of the English regions.More...
November
29 2006
Written
Answers - Culture Media and Sport: Television Licences Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how
many pensioner households in the wards of (a) Aylestone, (b)
Castle, (c) Freemen, (d) Eyres Monsell, (e) Stoneygate, (f)
Spinney Hills and (g) Knighton in Leicester have received a
free television licence. More...
November
27 2006
Written
Answers - Trade and Industry: Community Interest Companies Peter
Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade
and Industry how many community interest companies have been
formally incorporated in the East Midlands region in the last
12 months. More...
November
7 2006
Debate
- Rail Network Peter Soulsby:
"On the question of investment in the railways, does my
hon. Friend agree that there is a lot to be learned from the
success of congestion charging in London and the subsequent
investment in public transport that it has made possible? More...
September
4 2006
Written
Answers — Home Department: Racist Incidents Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department
how many racist incidents were (a) reported in the Leicestershire
Constabulary Central Area and (b) resulted in convictions in
each of the last three years for which figures are available.More...
September
4 2006
Written
Answers — Health: Dentistry Peter Soulsby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have
left the NHS in the East Midlands strategic health authority
in the last three years, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
More...
