Speeches by Shanker.

“It is our understanding that the Department will be consulting on the railway Bill that will establish Great British Railways, headquartered obviously in the brilliant city of Derby. What will the consultation involve, who will be consulted and what are the timescales involved?”

“The shadow Minister speaks about a tax on aspiration, but what is his problem with having aspiration for all children in all our schools?”

“Keith Williams’s plan was over four years ago and my question was about timescales. Do you think that the Bill will be brought in this Parliament? Can you give us a bit more detail on when?”

“The shadow Secretary of State made an important point about the health and wellbeing of our farmers. As operation waiting times were almost three times higher when she was Health Secretary than they were in 2010, does she not welcome the investment that this Government are putting into our NHS? [Interruption.]”

“How has the test backlog impacted new learner driver behaviour?”

“We heard in the first panel—you were in the room listening to it—the trade union rep from the PCS making statements like, “The situation is not being taken seriously enough.” “There’s not enough collaboration.” “People just don’t seem to be concerned with making improvements that are needed.” What is your response to t…”

“Are you prepared to take that away and look at it, or is it completely not your perception at all?”

“We have all spoken to constituents who have paid massive amounts of money to third parties, and the Minister indicated that in her introduction. None of the external reviews of the DVSA’s bot mitigation methodology has suggested a change in approach. Would you tell us who did those reviews? Do you think the current sys…”

“You mentioned ticketing websites and resellers. They have managed to make massive strides in this area. I know that you are aware of that. Are there lessons that could be learnt? Are there conversations being had with their advisers and technical people?”

“Ultimately, I suppose this is for you, Minister. Is it something that you would be prepared to legislate against if the problem is not resolved?”

“Thank you for allowing me to speak under your chairmanship, Sir Roger. British farmers play a significant role in keeping the nation fed, and they are the custodians of our beautiful countryside. In recognition of their vital role, the Budget is steadfast in its commitment to supporting them. More than £5 billion will …”

“You have the “Ready to pass?” campaign. Are you saying that it has not been too successful?”

“It is a pleasure to contribute to this important debate under your chairship, Ms Vaz. I congratulate the hon. Member for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East (Seamus Logan) on securing it. As a few Members have highlighted, and as I continually hear on the doorsteps and during surgeries in my Derby South constituency, th…”

“Are there any timings around that?”

“I was reading something at the weekend about unfair prosecutions over fare evasion. Can you tell us what we are doing about that?”

“The UK plays a leading role in aerospace and aviation. Linking that with the industrial strategy, how do we invest but protect manufacturing jobs? We have spoken about decarbonisation. How do we maintain a lead in the sector?”

“Another area that I am sure you have had lots of meetings and discussions about, Secretary of State, is HS2. What is the Government’s latest strategy on value for money if the line does not proceed further north than Handsacre?”

“Yes, building on that a bit more, if that is okay, Secretary of State, what confidence can you give the public as to the benefit of bringing these rail operators into public ownership?”

“16. What progress he has made on achieving clean power by 2030.”

“Last week a report published by the National Energy System Operator noted that although the programme to roll out new small modular reactors was being developed for the mid-2030s, a 2030 roll-out date would in fact be possible. Given that SMR technologies hold exciting and significant potential for investment in jobs a…”