Speeches by Stephenson.

“You mentioned a few things about driving productivity. Could you go into a bit more detail about what you are planning and when we should expect to see improvements? I am particularly interested in the IT; the NAO Report refers to particularly archaic IT systems, with staff having to use multiple systems and copy infor…”

“It sounds like you think the relationship is collaborative.”

“The OEP has noted to us that there are challenges in the co-operation, and I think that has manifested in it being unable to assess some of the trends because of the availability of data. Would you like to reflect again on the levels of collaboration you see between DEFRA and the OEP, and to think about whether improve…”

“I think that is quite surprising. Clearly, eight of the trends could not be assessed because of the availability, or lack of availability, of data. Why is it only now, when we are asking questions, that you are going to take it back and consider the relationship and what you can do better?”

“Secretary of State, do you accept that we are at a make-or-break point for meeting the 2030 targets?”

“That is helpful. Thank you for outlining that. Could you explain what you are doing substantively to improve the quality of the data so that the OEP can do its job?”

“Do you accept that we are way off track?”

“DEFRA, I think, is clearly at odds with the OEP on this point, which is fine, but it is worth being transparent about it. In the areas in which you think more work is required, what is DEFRA doing to scale up work to make much quicker progress?”

“Yes, a natural tension.”

“Secretary of State, thanks for coming along. Could you please start by describing the relationship between DEFRA and the Office for Environmental Protection from your perspective?”

“What is the day-to-day relationship like between DEFRA and the OEP? That is what I am getting at.”

“This is my final question, Chair, and I am at time. Do you believe the OEP has sufficient resources to do its job properly in order to hold the Government to account and stay on track with these targets?”

“The Secretary of State said: “There is a direct link between declining high streets and a sense that the country is going backwards.” I agree with those sentiments. Will he therefore consider encouraging the Chancellor to reduce taxation on high street businesses to support job creation and help them to thrive?”

“I thank the Minister for his statement. I have a constituent who has a 16-year-old daughter in Dubai seeking repatriation to the UK. May I put on the record my thanks to the officials for all the work they are doing? I have heard the Minister today say that the advice now is not to travel by land from Dubai to Oman, bu…”

“Hundreds of public sector bodies, including a number of Departments and arm’s length bodies, are registered to sponsored visas, as the Minister will know. Does she agree that the public sector should lead from the front and sponsor visas by exception only in the cases of hiring truly world-class talent? Can she confirm…”

“8. What guidance his Department issues on civil service sponsorship of visas.”

“I know Lyneham quite well; it is a beautiful part of the world—although of course, Mid Bedfordshire is far more beautiful. I have to agree with the hon. Lady. The situation is deeply concerning for those in rural communities who are struggling to access GPs, and, given the growth and development in our communities, acc…”

“Absolutely. I do join my hon Friend in asking the Minister to respond to that specific point in summing up. I know many MPs who represent rural communities have concerns about the fairer funding formula. In fact, it is not fair, particularly for rural communities. It would be helpful if the Minister were to reflect on …”

“I shall speed through, Dr Huq. I thank the Minister for summing up and covering an awful lot of ground—I am certainly grateful for that. He gave a lot of additional information, so I am sure he will forgive me if I go back to Hansard to look through it and follow up with a letter if anything is unclear. It has been a w…”

“The hon. Lady front-runs entirely a point I will make later, and I thank her for doing so. Unfortunately, that early optimism about neighbourhood healthcare was somewhat tempered by a response I received to a written question, indicating that the Government expect neighbourhoods to have a geography of around 50,000 peo…”