Speeches by Pakes.

“That is an answer to a different question. The question I asked was whether you, as a senior British business leader, are comfortable receiving a bonus payment based on criteria that do not reflect the environmental performance of sewage, which is one of the major products and anger points. You are personally, as an in…”

“With respect, the frustration is that you describe it like you are being successful on this, but you are taking record levels out in bonuses. In 2022, your total package went up 11%, which I imagine is more than what your staff got in a pay deal, unless I am wrong. I imagine not many people were getting 11% at that poi…”

“The total package was 11%, including the bonus increase.”

“I have a couple of questions for you. I might pass the baton back to our Welsh colleague as well at some point, so be nice to him. Thank you for the candour and the level of detail you have given us. I am going to ask you a couple of things and hope to get the same level of candour in terms of the challenges you are fa…”

“Welsh Water was penalised under the ODI, the outcome delivery incentive. I have trouble saying it so I had to write it down because I always want to say ODA, which would be a different thing for you. In terms of the outcome delivery incentive leading to a loss in revenues and contributing to a negative return on some o…”

“Forgive me, I represent a Midlands seat in England. Do Natural Resource Wales and the Welsh Government give you a greater level of scrutiny than perhaps companies this side of the border would face?”

“I am really interested in that because we often have conversations about how we get more granular scrutiny. In Anglian Water, which is my area, we do not have a similar devolved structure, and we should not because we do not have the identity that Wales has to do that. I have another question around Moody’s and its dow…”

“I think it is clarity between Moody’s resighting for the final price determination versus the previous draft.”

“Just one quick, hot pursuit because I heard some things in your answer that are actually different words than colleagues in other water companies have said about the structure of the bonus, the low start, in effect base-load package. Would you be in a position to write to us and explain what the structure of that model…”

“Chair, it might be useful to understand what best practice would be in a remuneration model.”

“It is nice to have some—to have some more would be quite good. Whereas we have had William Morris and John Ruskin, some colleagues seem to have been getting speechwriting advice from Lewis Carroll, because some of the speeches from Opposition Members have been through the looking glass in their description of the probl…”

“It is utterly heartbreaking to see the desecration of hostages’ bodies, and to see men, women and children returning to Gaza to try to rebuild their lives among the rubble. I welcome the Government’s efforts on humanitarian aid during this fragile ceasefire, which is becoming more fragile as tanks roll into the west ba…”

“The hon. Member and I share a county, and he will be aware that in a place such as mine, we have seen the decimation of level 2 and 3 apprenticeships. Does he not recognise that the biggest concern I hear from employers is that the current system is centralised and letting down working-class families in seats like mine…”

“Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?”

“12. What steps he is taking to help tackle the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”

“I am worried that I might damn the right hon. Gentleman with faint praise because when he cited the numbers from when he was the Minister, one of the determinants of his success was the involvement of trade unions in the sector skills council and the partnership. While we have talked lots about employers, he was an adv…”

“It is an honour to follow such a passionate speech about apprenticeships from my hon. Friend the Member for Worcester (Tom Collins). I was going to thank the right hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Sir John Hayes) for raising John Ruskin and William Morris in the Chamber—I certainly think they should be m…”

“I commend the Minister and the Government for their work on the steel strategy so far, but these are anxious times. British steel is a byword for British pride in our communities, jobs and the products we produce. I am worried not just about the exports, but about some of the steel dumping, on which we have had convers…”

“I agree with the hon. Lady. That is why I welcome the announcement in September last year by my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Education Secretary of a new growth and skills levy to replace the existing apprenticeship levy, and include new foundation apprenticeships. That will give young people a route into …”

“I agree 100% with my hon. Friend. As we have discussed previously, we both want to make sure that jobs in theatre, the arts and creative industries are open to young people in our constituencies and across the country. We were the first country to pass a national apprenticeship Act when the Tudor Parliament enacted the…”