Speeches by Dixon.

“Martin, on mobile and broadband, I wondered if you had a view. This comes from my personal experience of my parents, who are 85 years old, although I would not call them vulnerable. They have had automatic renewals. They have had a huge exit fee when moving house, even though the provider could not provide services to …”

“We touched a bit in relation to the other two sectors on levels of debt and repayment plans, but I want to push a little on the levels in water, which are still very low, with only 26% of households with water debt on a repayment plan. That seems very low. Forgive me if you feel you have already sufficiently answered t…”

“It is good to hear that you have been working on the issue of affordability, but is there any guidance if people are indebted on their water bills, council tax and energy bills? Is accumulated debt considered when agreeing a repayment plan and assessing affordability? Tim, you are nodding.”

“What I seem to be hearing in general is a lack of proactivity—a lack of clear communication. We heard that from the previous panel: bits of information hidden at the bottom of bills, people not being told what they are and are not able to access. Melanie, how confident are you where you have these voluntary agreements …”

“Would that be guidance in terms of bailiffs and debt collectors?”

“Melanie, I think you were saying earlier that levels of debt in the mobile and broadband sector are generally lower, but from the pre-panel we were hearing that there is currently no statutory advice service or debt counselling service for broadband and mobile customers, in the way there is the CCW and Citizens Advice …”

“It is perhaps clearer here than in either of the other two sectors—although I may put this point to Tim as well—that the most engaged customers, switchers, are the ones who get the advantage. There is the idea that, for different reasons, some people—they may not be in vulnerable circumstances, and it might not be fina…”

“In the spirit of naming and shaming, if 26% is the average across the sector, what are the good and bad companies when it comes to repayment plans? What is the highest and lowest percentage you have?”

“Okay. That would be very useful. Obviously, Tim, it is a little higher in the energy sector, at 40%, but I presume that you are not being complacent and that you are ensuring the energy companies are not either. In terms of some of the customers on repayment plans, one of my constituents just had no hope of ever repayi…”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“11. What steps she is taking with her international counterparts to help tackle violence against women and girls.”

“I was moved to hear about Jo Cox’s life and the impact of her work on women globally in last week’s debate. She was a strong advocate for women’s rights and overseas development aid. Will the Secretary of State assure me that recent cuts to aid will not have an adverse impact on projects such as those I saw in Zimbabwe…”

“I am so moved by my hon. Friend’s words about her sister. I commend her for her amazing bravery and courage in stepping into her sister’s shoes and being an amazing MP for Batley and Spen. I thank her for her words. As some hon. Members may know, I was a contemporary of Jo’s at university; I am just sorry that although…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Wishart. In Bradford, our new Reform-led council wants to scrap the clean air zone. I believe that would be a serious mistake that future generations of Bradfordians would pay for. Our city has long had one of the highest levels of respiratory illness in Yorkshire, wit…”

“I think you need to explain this test and learn, because those representing claimants who gave us evidence did not really understand why everybody was not being processed in an orderly fashion. Obviously, my constituent is living and got infected with Hep C in the 1980s, and was also already proven and in receipt of th…”

“I have a small supplementary question on the infected blood compensation. Again, we have received data that fewer than 500 people have been paid compensation since January. It seems there are significant delays and little progress. One of my constituents is suggesting to me that if the process is delayed, there is also…”

“I want to come back to some of the points about the experience for those claiming, particularly for the LGBT veterans scheme. In response to questions from the Chair, we heard about the difficulties of finding people, but there have been problems even with those who have been identified and who have submitted evidence.…”

“I may want to follow this up in writing, because I do think there is some unfairness in the system, with prior compensation being deducted under the new scheme. I do not feel that I have quite had a full answer to that, but I do not want to take up any more of the panel’s time.”

“Can I clarify: there is no legal support, is there?”

“Given that and the reverse burden of proof, I do not think that reflects the experience of all veterans. They feel they still have to provide proof, often many years and sometimes decades after the incident. Can I come back to the point you made about management information? You said you have up-to-date information. Th…”