Speeches by MacNae.

“This is on flooding again, I am afraid. My constituency has suffered greatly from flooding in recent years. Our steep valleys and wide moorland catchments make us particularly vulnerable. I massively welcome the Government’s commitment to a record £2.65 billion of funding for flood defences. We have a number of key sch…”

“I thank the hon. Member for that intervention. That is a hugely important point. Connectivity and accessibility of local facilities are vital. That is the point I am making about small towns that feel cut off—not only do they not have the facilities themselves, but they are unable to get to facilities in the towns near…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered community sport facilities. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Jeremy. I am grateful for the Minister’s attendance today, and for all the work that she and the Government are doing to champion community sports facilities. I and many colleagues believe th…”

“I absolutely agree. Of course, communities know best. Communities know what works; local people know what works, and empowering them to get involved in their local sports facilities is a hugely beneficial approach. I will highlight the Sunderland Community Action Group’s “Night Riders” initiative, which specifically ta…”

“Thank you, Chair. When I met my constituent Travis Frain, who was a victim of the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017, he talked to me about his experience following that, and I was pretty shocked. I thought that as a state we would have the backs of people injured in terrorist attacks on our soil. However, what I …”

“It could work. The alternative would be 22 May which is the anniversary of the Manchester arena bombing, or 7/7. I think it would make sense to combine it with an anniversary and obviously we would like to bring victim groups down here for the debate.”

“Absolutely. That is one of the reasons why we felt that the anniversary of the Westminster bridge attack was particularly poignant because, of course, there was a police officer who lost his life defending this place. It will be very much about him, as well as the civilian survivors.”

“I enthusiastically welcome the statement, and the great quality of consultation and ambition behind it. I particularly welcome what it means for Lancashire. We have been left behind for far too long, so it is wonderful to see the Government prioritising our great county. Full devolution with a mayor, along with local g…”

“I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Andrew Pakes) for securing this important debate. In the interest of time, I will focus on one issue: the awareness of apprenticeship opportunities, particularly among school leavers. When I go around my Rossendale and Darwen constituency, I am inspired by the range o…”

“This week, I met a constituent, Bradley Price, who has recently taken up a degree apprenticeship with Nuclear Transport Solutions. We talked about the excellent transferable skills he is gaining and the great career options open to him. There is no doubt that high-quality apprenticeships like that can be the right rout…”

“I very much appreciate you allowing me to speak, Ms Jardine, given that I was late to the debate. I thank the hon. Member for Chester South and Eddisbury (Aphra Brandreth) for securing it. I have not prepared, so I will just make some broad points. I acknowledge everything that has been said today, and I would like to …”

“Will the hon. Member give way?”

“Q9. As you well know, Mr Speaker, Lancashire is a wonderful county, full of great businesses and hard-working people, yet for too long we have been held back by an outdated two-tier council system. The Government’s English devolution Bill is a massive opportunity for us to get back in the fast lane and catch up with th…”

“Will the hon. Member give way?”

“In the interests of time, I will just endorse so many of the comments made today. It is fantastic to see the passion and commitment of so many Members here, as well as the passion and commitment that the Government have shown since day one of our coming into office. In the interests of time, I will focus down on just o…”

“Seemingly unending roadworks in Rossendale and Darwen are causing massive disruption to residents and businesses. Lane rental schemes, in which companies are charged for the time that their works occupy the road, can be a game changer, yet highways authorities such as Lancashire seem to be unwilling to use the powers a…”

“I associate myself with the excellent remarks of my Lancashire colleague, my hon. Friend the Member for South Ribble (Mr Foster), and I thank the Minister for recognising the massive opportunity that reorganisation and devolution presents for Lancashire. It has been held back for many years by our inability to come tog…”

“With the new year comes the new year’s honours list. Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating my friend and constituent Barry Hyde on being awarded the British empire medal for his exceptional voluntary contribution to our community in Rossendale and Darwen? Barry, and thousands of volunteers like him, are a…”

“I agree entirely. Again, it is devastating for communities to raise those issues repeatedly, stridently and sometimes desperately, yet feel that they are not being heard. The message they get back is, in effect, “We have to wait for someone to get killed before we do anything”, which is surely is not the message our co…”

“Absolutely. That is the essence of what we are talking about. Given that average speed data is a blunt tool anyway, we should ask ourselves who knows best: the people who live on that road and experience it every single day, or someone sitting looking at an algorithm in county hall far away? As politicians and represen…”