Speeches by Pakes.

“But the general public in my constituency do not have that opportunity in their own areas, so it is a special relationship. So when we talk of 30 years and 75,000 figures, that is a really wide canvas for us to understand without understanding assumptions.”

“An actual breakdown at that level so we understand how many are farms with couples?”

“I will just come in on a couple of questions. First, Tom, I hope you hear how much respect, as a Committee, we have for you and farmers, which is why we are holding this inquiry. We want to be able to look at it and shine a light on it from different angles. All of us on the Committee have the commitment to do that, an…”

“Absolutely. I said that because when the CLA came to see me before the Budget, and this was on the table, the CLA position given to me was that no change whatsoever was necessary. Now we seem to be discussing it differently, where change could be necessary.”

“My question was: you accept some change could happen, but not the changes proposed?”

“If the Government were here, they would be saying this is about how all sectors need to contribute, and they have tried to do it fairly. They would say all sectors need to contribute, because they are trying to repair public services. Have you done any modelling? Do you have any data you could share for us about what t…”

“I was more interested in whether you have identified other routes that would raise money to put into public services in rural areas, if it was not this.”

“I certainly recognise from door-knocking in rural communities and talking to rural workers that food poverty has gone up in my constituency. People have found it harder to get a bus to go and work on a farm, and people working on farms are struggling with the result of Liz Truss’s mini-Budget, which crashed our economy…”

“Will the hon. Lady give way?”

“There is a lot of talk from the Opposition, who are getting very excited by this debate, about farms, but we have to remember that farms rely on farm workers. In the name of accuracy, could my hon. Friend put on the record a reminder of which Opposition parties, including the Lib Dems, voted for the abolition of the Ag…”

“That was quicker than I expected, Madam Deputy Speaker, so thank you. It is a privilege to speak in the debate. Nothing goes to the heart of the health, wellbeing and prosperity of a nation more than being able to feed and look after ourselves. Britain’s farmers and our farming workforce are part of the essential infra…”

“I thank the right hon. Member for being a champion in this House of skills and trade unions, which are sadly too rarely championed by Conservative Members. I recognise his points on our common wealth and the work that goes into looking after and protecting our land, but I also recognise the impact of the last Governmen…”

“I think there is an unwritten rule in this House that whoever asks the last question gets to be top of the pilot list. Given its beautiful cathedral and wonderful diversity, Peterborough city centre is the jewel in Cambridgeshire’s crown, as I am sure that county colleagues present will agree, but we are being let down…”

“Therefore, what we could see is a phoenix from the ashes. Could we see a new Thames Water come through a special admin process, being launched for investment?”

“Do you think that it is acceptable, given that you measure performance and the expectations of companies, to say that some of those expectations should be about a bonus for having met them, whereas for most of us doing our job is the expectation?”

“No, that was a very good line. In most other walks of life, having a criminal conviction would get you sacked, not just losing your bonus. Do you think that the public will accept the verdict that you are giving, that it is just about bonuses?”

“Would it be better, given the recent history of playing off bonuses and others, just for directors to be paid a salary for the job that they do?”

“You talked about some of the powers that the new Bill would give you. In what circumstances should water companies be able to pay large salaries and bonuses to its executives, and do you think that any companies are meeting those standards?”

“I have a couple of questions on that. First, Thames Water’s boss took a £195,000 bonus for three months’ work at the end of March. Do you understand why the public is angry?”

“Therefore, what we could see is a phoenix from the ashes. Could we see a new Thames Water come through a special admin process, being launched for investment?”