Speeches by Brandreth.

“I know that we are going to come onto more questions on misinformation, so that is really useful. We have talked a lot about funding models, and there have been cuts to funding of language services. I just wanted to understand what your observations have been, particularly on the ground, about what these kinds of cuts …”

“I was really interested in your response earlier about digital and news spread through outrage. How do you see the World Service staying a widely consumed source of news on the ground, especially in places where you have been ambassador and where people are increasingly looking at different formats in terms of where th…”

“That is the challenge. Professor Scott spoke very passionately about ways of funding. Dr Westcott, you have spoken before about the World Service being overwhelmingly trusted, so I wondered what, in your view, would be the most appropriate funding model to secure its survival while maintaining trust in its impartiality…”

“Given that that is the way things have gone—obviously, it has increased substantially—I just wonder what your thoughts are about the impact on projects promoting British soft power abroad if we are focusing on spending on asylum and refugee support.”

“Both you and Richard have covered them now.”

“I have another question around themes of spending. Between 2019 and 2023, ODA spending on support for asylum seekers and refugees looked to rise by about 24.8% to a total of £4.3 billion. I wanted to get your thoughts on whether that is a good use of ODA finances.”

“When you look into it, it is on page 10 of the report. It would be great to hear more about that.”

“I have a couple of follow-up questions on ODA, and specifically what it is spent on. The National Audit Office’s 2023-24 report found that 7.7% of the ODA budget was being spent on projects or in countries that did not meet the criteria for ODA spending. Can you elaborate on these cases? Given that those projects fall …”

“I am grateful to have secured a debate on the vital and pertinent issue of mental health in farming and agricultural communities. It is sadly no exaggeration to say that we have a mental health crisis in our rural and agricultural communities. In January 2021, the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution launched a la…”

“I appreciate the Minister’s constructive comments, and some of the policies he mentioned that he put in place. As I noted, I want to raise the importance of the impact on young people in the farming industry, so will he meet me and Cheshire Young Farmers’ Clubs, so that young farmers can hear at first hand from the Min…”

“I thank the hon. Member for sharing that. The impact of APR will be felt across the community. Unfortunately, in a community that is struggling with mental health, it is an extra blow. Later, I will offer some thoughts on how we might better prevent mental health problems, but I will briefly mention a few other reasons…”

“Absolutely; we know that mental health issues have an impact on people across the community. It is not just the individual who is directly affected, but those around that person. The RABI survey found that women aged 24 to 35 had the worst mental health scores across the sample, so I ask the Minister to think about how…”

“I am grateful to the hon. Member for mentioning those excellent organisations; I will note others later in my speech. For all those reasons, this debate and the actions and commitments from the Minister are important. Women are an often overlooked group when we talk about rural mental health, particularly young women. …”

“I appreciate the hon. Member’s comments, and I am sorry to hear about the tragic instances in his constituency. We very much need to be collaborative to improve things for the farming community.”

“I thank my hon. Friend for raising that issue. The sector faces a wide range of challenges, and of course, the decisions that the Government are making will contribute in part to some of those challenges. Some are outside the control of all of us, the weather being one example. I represent Chester South and Eddisbury, …”

“The hon. Member makes an important point: this issue impacts every part of our Union. I will refer to the impact on young people later in my speech. To go back to the RABI survey, the report found that the farming community has lower than average mental wellbeing compared with the wider UK population. A point of concer…”

“The hon. Member, who is an excellent champion for farmers in her community, makes an important point on physical health.”

“My right hon. Friend always makes such pertinent points. I know the importance he places on issues surrounding food security: he works extremely hard to highlight the challenges that farmers face all around them, and to ensure that they get a fair price from suppliers. Mental health problems are also more prevalent in …”

“Just two months ago, Paul Reeves, a well respected farmer and agricultural business owner in my constituency, took his own life. Sadly, his story is all too common, with the many challenges that the industry often faces contributing to poor mental health. Farming families like Paul’s are the bedrock of our country. Wit…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Huq. I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Gordon and Buchan (Harriet Cross) for securing this debate on agricultural property relief and business property relief. Like her, I represent a constituency with a large rural community of many farms and agricultu…”