Speeches by Stephenson.

“So the ANPS needs to be published before a decision can be taken because it needs to be considered by the planning process.”

“Minister, would you consider everything to be on time in terms of preparation of the ANPS?”

“Fine.”

“Yes. The central point of my questioning is to get to the heart of how vocal you might be as a new chair in holding the Government to account. As an overarching comment, how vocal would you expect to be? How interventionist would you expect to be in holding the Government to account?”

“Do you think that that will just happen, or what do you need to do to make sure that you can influence that?”

“Yes. What kind of access to the Net Zero Mission Board would you expect to have, and how would you expect to work with that board to influence progress?”

“Would it be fair to say that you are expecting to continue to scrutinise the Government in the way that it has been done in past years, but you just continue to make the points? If there is something that the Government are not delivering, is there something that the Committee and you as chair could do differently to e…”

“In your role as chair, how would you see yourself and the Committee scrutinising Government and holding their feet to the fire to deliver the expectations?”

“I suspect you are familiar with the Committee’s 2025 progress report. Could you walk us through your thoughts on the Government’s response to that report, please?”

“Q7. Government plans for English devolution and NHS reform suggest that integrated care boards should align with new strategic authorities. The Government’s plan for Bedfordshire will not currently achieve that, so what assurances can the Prime Minister provide that local NHS reorganisation will be good value for money…”

“I am sympathetic to the point, but I will get on to how unjust and unfair it is to expect other families to pay for those situations, and the fiscal stability and security we need as a country.”

“I absolutely agree. It is important that we get people into work so that they can look after their families and make the right decisions for them. Shifting the financial responsibility of children on to the state risks not only entrenching inequality, but opening the floodgates to unsustainable dependency, encouraging …”

“We must have a fair welfare system—one that provides vital support to those who need it but does not create a barrier to finding work. We need a financially sustainable system that delivers fairness for the taxpayer and does not entrench dependency. The Government’s Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bi…”

“I will happily give way—the hon. Lady has been trying for some time.”

“T7. The latest central estimate from the Office for Budget Responsibility puts the cost of achieving net zero by 2050 at £803 billion, with half that cost attributed to lost fuel duties. Does the Secretary of State accept that the Government will need to increase duties elsewhere, including on renewables, which could p…”

“I certainly accept that there are many ways to raise taxes, but my constituents and businesses in my constituency are paying far too much tax as it is. We cannot continue to squeeze corporations, businesses and hard-working people further to achieve the hon. Gentleman’s aims. The Government have lost control of public …”

“The NAO Report found that people with more complex needs may struggle to access Government services that are designed with the “average” user in mind. What work is being done to make sure that people with more complex needs can still easily access good Government services?”

“Many of us were astonished to learn that there were 290,000 civil servants in this category of public servants. With increasing pressure on resources, how is this capability going to help Departments deliver good services into the future?”

“My initial questions are scene-setting, really, Sir Peter. First of all, could you please explain why operational delivery capability is so important for Government?”

“I think you have answered my first question in part by describing the funding model for upgrading or maintaining the estate. Could you expand a little on why the FCDO’s overseas estate is in such a poor condition?”