Speeches by Pakes.

“As a member of a party that often debates clause IV, I welcome today’s news about clause 5, which I think addresses many of the concerns that hon. Members across the House, particularly on the Government Benches, have raised. There is an urgency to moving forward with the Bill and with change. Today’s system is broken.…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for making an important point. I would, if possible, give my right hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security and Disability Duracell batteries to turbocharge his work in this area.”

“I will give way.”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dame Siobhain. I think this is my second Westminster Hall debate, so I am still learning the ropes. Let me put on the record my GMB membership and the support that it has given me; and my previous role, before the election, as deputy general secretary of the Prospect trad…”

“The Government are doing really important work on social justice and the environment, but my constituency is similar to my hon. Friend’s in terms of fuel poverty. Is he aware that, of the £300 million spent on the boiler upgrade scheme over the past few years, only 3% of grants in Cambridgeshire went to Peterborough, t…”

“Q13. In the spending review last week, the Government backed Peterborough with support for our new pool and a sports quarter in the city. That commitment has the power to turn years of campaigning into a reality, but that is not all: the Government have also recently approved the business case for our new station and h…”

“Can I ask you one final question, because I am conscious of the time, building on the theme? As a Committee, we believe that greater powers to vet or veto owners of companies may be necessary because this is a critical national infrastructure, even though that is slightly different in terms of security. What assessment…”

“Can I ask you another question about what risks you think are posed by significant levels of overseas ownership of our water companies?”

“My question is slightly different. I worry that your report so far, because it starts from the point you have described today as well, in the private model, does not give due regard to how other models could be accepted or provide alternative routes. It is about the purpose point of the sector.”

“There is a challenge within that. I fully understand that you want to get from where we are. The starting point you have inherited is a private model that has largely failed on a range of measures. We can pick individual metrics where different companies are league tabled, but the water system is failing. It is failing…”

“That picks up the point I was trying to raise with more focus, in the way the Chair can do it. I think there is a risk. Do you accept that there could be a risk that we have a report that is tinkering, given the dominance in the market of private regulated, whether it is listed or unlisted?”

“No, it is useful to hear your thinking. One criticism of the work you have done so far is that it focuses too much on the regulated, privatised model. I can see some elements of that on first reading. I ask it as an open question, but I can see where some of that criticism is coming from. It feels like, to some extent,…”

“I have a couple of questions to help tease out some of your thinking around ownership. With our work we have been doing, I very much agree that we have opened the box and seen that there is lots out there. One recurring theme that comes up a lot is around ownership of the water companies and what that means in terms of…”

“I welcome the statement and the absolute determination of Baroness Casey and this Government to hold to account perpetrators and those who may have been involved in cover-ups. One of the report’s recommendations is about the confusion between different agencies, and a particular element of that is about taxi licensing …”

“rose—”

“I did use the facilities, Madam Deputy Speaker; I apologise for that. I am a gentleman of an age. [Laughter.] I thank my hon. Friend for taking an intervention. We are about to reach the 80th anniversary of the landslide 1945 Labour Government, which set the NHS in train, and the 77th anniversary of the NHS. Fundamenta…”

“indicated assent.”

“As the proud son of a dinner lady, I warmly welcome the Minister’s statement. I also pay tribute to the Minister for Employment at his side, who is a tribune in the Government and the House against child poverty. With nearly one in two children in my constituency in poverty—a stain left by the last Government—this will…”

“I welcome the Minister’s update to the House, but he will know that we see not only the horror and inhumane violence of the Israeli Government in Gaza, but aggression on the west bank. I welcome the Government’s condemnation of the 22 new settlements, and look forward to hearing words about the forced transfer from Pal…”

“It is a huge honour and privilege to follow the hon. Member for Caerfyrddin (Ann Davies) and the many others who have shared personal family stories as well as stories about what is happening in their constituency. I truly welcome this debate and thank the hon. Member for South Devon (Caroline Voaden) for securing it. …”