Speeches by Stephenson.

“3. If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the resources available to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to deliver electoral arrangements under the “English Devolution” White Paper.”

“I am being closely supervised by the Whips, as I have been told to keep this speech quite short, so there will be no 25 minutes from me. Hard-working British people are losing their jobs. Is it any wonder when every policy that this Government announce seems designed to make it harder for British people to do the right…”

“I know the hon. Member was about to conclude, but it is notable that she decided not to talk about hospitality, leisure and retail businesses, private schools or all sorts of other industries in her constituency. Businesses talking to me are deeply worried about the policies of this Government. Will she reflect on the …”

“In places such as Maulden in Mid Bedfordshire, we too often see inappropriate or poorly maintained sustainable drainage, which contributes to worsening flooding. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Government’s plans for 1.5 million homes can be considered a success only if they can tackle such problems so that everyone…”

“9. What steps she plans to take to encourage young people to increase their private pension pots.”

“I thank the Minister for that response. Thanks to the introduction of auto-enrolment, millions of young people are now saving for their retirement, but I have heard worrying reports in Mid Bedfordshire that increases in employers’ national insurance, which have resulted in pay freezes, are now causing people to decide …”

“I have time to ask one further question on place making. If there were one or two things that you wanted to see in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill that are not there, but if they were, they would improve place making and the development of communities, not just housing estates, what would you like to see in that B…”

“I have some questions on place making. The broad question is: how do we ensure that social and environmental considerations are embedded and central to the design of developments, and not treated as an add-on? In the interests of time, the second part of the question, about car dependency, is slightly narrower. With cu…”

“Are you arguing that we should have more density in towns and cities around infrastructure, and less building in greenfield sites, which is what your company is doing?”

“Yes, please.”

“Are you saying you think that would be achieved through the current Planning and Infrastructure Bill or that there needs to be change to achieve your brilliant idea?”

“It can be done already if developers want to?”

“5. Whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the interaction between mayors and integrated care boards, in the context of the English devolution White Paper.”

“Funding and delivery of a GP surgery for Wixams in my constituency continues to fall between the cracks of developers, local councils and the local ICB. Does the Minister agree that to break those deadlocks and build the infrastructure that our communities require, new mayors should have the power to direct ICBs, makin…”

“T5. Residents in Mid Bedfordshire are concerned about the standards of maintenance at our two local hospitals. What action are the Government taking to support our hospitals in Luton and Bedford to catch up on maintenance backlogs?”

“Talking of experts in deindustrialisation, over 1,000 jobs at Luton’s Stellantis plant have been lost, impacting my constituents, because this Government did not respond to concerns about energy policy. If the Minister does not agree with us on net zero, does she agree with the general secretary of the GMB, who says th…”

“12. What recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on tariffs.”

“When the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer recently visited Mid Bedfordshire, they will have experienced at first hand the lack of step-free access at Flitwick station. Does the Leader of the House agree that this has been an issue for too many years across the country, impacting not just disabled pass…”

“As the UK’s top export country, the US is a vital partner to many UK businesses, but with Trump now reported to have made the UK a second-order priority to Asia and with the UK possibly on the verge of giving up its Brexit freedoms in favour of EU alignment, how confident is the Secretary of State of achieving a compre…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered planning and development in Bedfordshire. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. Mid Bedfordshire—indeed, all of Bedfordshire —has played its part in delivering new housing. My constituency was once home to the world’s largest brickworks at Stewartb…”