Speeches by Bance.

“Having recently run a competition for the best orange chips in Tipton and Wednesbury, I have great experience of sampling the double-battered delicacy—oh yes, we are talking about chips that then return to the batter and are deep-fried a second time. It was very hard to choose a winner for the contest; perhaps the Blac…”

“Was my hon. Friend, like me, pleased to see our West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker’s new growth strategy, which was published yesterday? It explicitly identifies a number of the industrial strategy sectors, particularly the defence sector, as areas of potential growth in the Black Country.”

“Does my hon. Friend agree that commemorating the struggle of workers, particularly women workers, is key to understanding working-class history—our history? Does she also agree that the matchgirls should be commemorated alongside industrial struggles across the country, not least those of the 19 teenage girls who were …”

“My hon. Friend will be unsurprised to hear that I am awaiting that apology, both for that and for the 900,000 more children in poverty under the previous Government. As I was saying, that is a down payment on the child poverty strategy to come. I know that I do not need to urge ambition on my hon. Friends on the Front …”

“Does my hon. Friend agree that his mum and dad did a brilliant job bringing him up; that mums and dads in all sorts of circumstances do their level best, bringing up their kids; that they are proud—as my hon. Friend’s parents no doubt are of him—of the job they have done, and the contribution that their children make; …”

“In the Black Country we work hard, we are proud and we do not lack for personal responsibility, but forces bigger than any individual—deindustrialisation and the cruel 14 years of austerity—mean that good folk earn less, are sicker, and have fewer chances and fewer choices than people elsewhere. As I stand here every d…”

“Just continuing on that thought, Brian and Paul, some people have said that the lack of a pipeline in the industry means that people are taken on for one or two jobs and then they need to go and find another employer. Could you comment on whether it is pipeline or whether it is the employment model? We have seen consid…”

“Moving on to workforce and skills, it is clear that we do not have the workforce we need in this country to deliver on our housing targets. I would appreciate comments from both of you on what we need to do to get, particularly in the SME sector, the workers we need in order to deliver on the housing, refurbishment and…”

“One of the things that I am most worried about, in many of our high streets in particular, but not just, is the move to low-paid self-employment as a substitution for employed status in workplaces, particularly in small businesses. We are going to come on to the hair and beauty industry presently, where it is a really …”

“The Government will shortly publish their small business strategy. What are your priorities for it?”

“Staying with skills and training, our economy is approaching a transition. In my area, there are many small businesses that repair motor vehicles. As we look to the imminent phase-out of internal combustion engines, a different set of skills will be required in those small businesses to ensure that they are able to con…”

“In particular, some small businesses in my constituency have raised with me prepayment meters as being a concern. They are very non-transparent in terms of the amount of money they take. I have had experiences where debts from previous customers have been added on to the bills of the new occupant of the premises. Do yo…”

“This Committee has previously discussed, during its Employment Rights Bill inquiry, the issues around the commitment to the review of employment status. If employment status were to be reviewed, that would be a way into some of the issues that you have flagged, Toby. Would it be worth presuming that everybody is employ…”

“No, it is a collective action problem. It is individually helpful and collectively dreadful.”

“As I welcome the Minister’s announcement, I think of the HGV driver who I met recently who said that he was not able to take time off to be with his partner and their newborn baby. Will the Minister assure me and all my constituents that the new rights will work for working-class people as well as people on higher inco…”

“Following the question asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Derby North (Catherine Atkinson), last week the Casey review showed us yet again that private hire vehicles are a dangerous place for many children and young people. Nationally in 2023, 96% of taxi licences were issued in one local authority—Wolverhampton, o…”

“In the industry more broadly, what has your learning been about this? Is the practice of having a cap widespread across the industry? Is that how other operators work?”

“Many of us in this place are football fans, and we are looking forward to following our teams around Europe in the new season. People in the west midlands will be looking forward to following Villa. My family are going to be following Crystal Palace. Often, when it comes to following your football team abroad, you sudd…”

“Are you prepared to implement those changes voluntarily before being forced to do so by the Government’s response to the CMA report?”

“You have both noted the CMA’s report in February, which found that the infant formula market is not a well-functioning market. It made 11 recommendations, two of which were for retailers. It hopes to start with voluntary pilots. What progress have you made on ensuring that there is clear, accurate and impartial informa…”