Speeches by Midgley.

“You have said, as you said in answer to the last question, that there will be a big role for trade unions in GB Energy. That is very welcome, but there is little detail about what it means. Would you take this opportunity to briefly set out what that means, and maybe write to us in more detail about it?”

“I am made up at today’s statement, especially as someone with a music industry background and as a big fan. Dynamic pricing made headlines last summer when Oasis’s fans were hit by prices that were two, three, or even four times the face value of the tickets after they had queued for hours and hours. When they got to t…”

“Okay, thanks. I shoved a lot of questions into that one question. I have one more that I want to finish on, which is basically from the session I referred to earlier, in December, that we held on retrofitting homes for net zero. We heard evidence from the GMB. You talked about working with the unions. They said, and it…”

“Thanks. I appreciate that you are not skills specialists, but I want to dig into that a bit more. You assessed the number of trained heat pump installers and heat pump installations as “significantly off track”. In 2023, there were 4,000 to 5,000 heat pump installers, and the previous Government’s target of July 2023 w…”

“Thanks very much, both, for coming, and congratulations on your new job, Emma. I want to go a bit into workforce, skills and jobs. I know that you have referred to these issues throughout this evidence session. In the report, you recommended a skills strategy. You have both mentioned, peppered through this session, key…”

“I have a similar question about the health and safety of your workforce and of the community. We have already seen budget cuts leading to workforce reductions, raising concerns about shutdowns and operations not going as smoothly as they could. How would the potential reductions have an impact on the rigorous health an…”

“I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests; I am a member of Unite and the GMB. I want to talk a bit about the workforce and the growth of the nuclear sector. You are facing a shortage of the right people with the right skills. In your introduction, you said that you believed that there were th…”

“Could you go a bit more into some of the specific and proactive steps that you are taking to address the risks of that skills shortage? I want to understand a bit about how it works, in terms of the majority of the NDA Group being subject to public sector pay and spending. Are you buying in skills from third parties? H…”

“That is helpful. From looking at the NAO report, it seems that you have had a change in approach on return to the workforce and prioritising the workforce over the last couple of years, over the needs of Treasury budget commitments. How is that going?”

“I am very pleased to hear that you have a valued and collaborative relationship with the trade unions, in terms of working on the wellbeing of the workforce in general, but the GMB has highlighted concerns about the future of the NDA’s budget and its impact on Sellafield, the workers and the local community. You have g…”

“Your SSEP proposes a more co-ordinated approach to how the UK uses land for infrastructure. Could you give us more detail on how these plans will work alongside local and regional plans to promote growth, especially in the light of the Government’s devolution revolution? Kayte O’Neill: As we have put together the gover…”

“Given the volume of transmission infrastructure needed, coupled with the supply chain and workforce pressures, is the higher target of 50 GW from the further flex pathway achievable? You have already described the lower offshore wind target of 43 GW as “challenging”. Kayte O’Neill: We believe, from the research and the…”

“How do you reconcile the investment needed to meet recommended renewable deployment targets with your continued support for zonal pricing?”

“Could you talk a bit more about that? One of the areas in the clean power report, which does not go into too much detail, although you have just touched on it, is the issue of procurement and supply chains. We know that there is a global shortage of power cables and an imminent shortage of wind components as well. Afte…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I refer the Committee to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and my membership of the GMB and Unite. I want to bring this debate into reality—after all, the Bill seeks to affect real people’s lives and make their life at work better—an…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. About a year ago, one of my constituents in Knowsley was told that she needed IVF. She went to her employer to let them know that she was going to start treatment, and a few days later she was sacked. She was a few weeks short of having worked two years fo…”

“In my constituency there is no A-level provision. Some students have told me that they have to travel for hours just to study, and others consider this a barrier to continuing at school at all. Will my hon. Friend work with me to bring A-levels back to Knowsley?”

“Can I clarify whether the shadow Minister believes that workers should shoulder all the burden, and that businesses should bear no responsibility?”

“I refer Members to my declaration of interests. I am also a member of Unite and the GMB. It was said in an evidence session last week that in hospitality—a sector that we are very focused on improving in the Bill— “employers bring in too many workers for shifts and say: ‘Sorry, we do not need you any more. Go home.’ Th…”

“I am sorry for referring to the shadow Minister as “you” earlier, Mr Stringer; I was not suggesting that you needed to clarify whether you thought workers should shoulder all of the burden. I want to remind hon. Members of some evidence that we were given last week in support of the right to reasonable notice of a shif…”