Speeches by Shanker.

“That is helpful in setting the scene, but what levers will you have at your disposal? What will it look like to the public in practice?”

“Will the ORR have sufficient powers to enforce GBR’s compliance with its licence?”

“We know, and we have heard this afternoon and evening, that Palestinian children have paid the heaviest price in this devastating conflict. Many children in Gaza City and the surrounding areas are severely malnourished. Does my hon. Friend agree that Israel and the international community must do whatever they can to e…”

“For years, Derby residents have felt the full force of Tory austerity, with many services at breaking point. Does the Minister agree that Derby deserves better, and what can the Government do to ensure that the fair funding review delivers for communities such as Derby?”

“Andrew, you are an operator that operates in different areas.”

“As soon as you allow discretion do you then start to drift away from national standards?”

“That leads us on nicely to the next question. Should there be a statutory definition for “fit and proper” when it comes to drivers and, if so, what should that include?”

“Okay. Opening up to the rest of the panel, what do you think is the impact of this from a safety perspective?”

“To Councillor Shah first, many passengers would reasonably assume that a DBS check on a driver would—I will not say guarantee—ensure their safety a lot better, but evidence from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust shows that there are cases where individuals with offending histories have still been licensed. Can you explain why th…”

“Finally, I know we are all talking about the need for national standards and their benefits, but does anybody have any drawbacks of having national standards?”

“Briefly then, hearing what you are saying, does where you license and the variation affect your decision making on which area you would go to license your operations?”

“You mentioned earlier, James, the work being done in Wales to get to some agreed standards. Are there any lessons that could be learned from the work already done in Wales?”

“In what you have said so far you have all already joined the widespread calls for the implementation of a national standard for taxis and private hire vehicles. James Button has given a pretty comprehensive list in his previous answer, but for the rest of you, what other elements should be included in that standard?”

“Just concentrating on licensing standards for a moment, there are 263 or 270-odd officers and 230 different sets of licensing conditions across England. This has been described to us as a mess. What impact does that level of variation have on you as operators?”

“You do not avoid any areas or prefer any areas?”

“When they talk about joint enforcement, some authorities insist there have to be two people there, one from the licensing authority and one from where they are operating. However, if the standards were the same, would it not be better if any person could do the enforcement because they would be enforcing to the right s…”

“Will my hon. Friend give way?”

“Initiatives such as Derby County Community Trust’s Parkinson’s walking football programme are doing fantastic work to boost physical health and build a community for people with Parkinson’s. Does my hon. Friend agree that, by coupling investment in the Parkinson’s support workforce with such community initiatives, we c…”

“ASG’s 100-strong Derby workforce show exactly why we are a proud city of makers, but the Jaguar Land Rover cyber-attack has left them on a cliff edge with no certainty of work. Does my right hon. Friend recognise the vital importance of companies such as ASG across the supply chain, and does he agree that we must do as…”

“Driving tests are an issue that affects my constituents, and constituents everywhere. Back in December we heard about the seven-point plan, 450 new examiners who are going to be recruited, a review of the booking process, cracking down on bots and resellers, and the Ready to Pass campaign. All of this would drive the l…”