Speeches by Thomas.

“For somewhere like Aberdeen where there is currently a large cluster of energy-based jobs, are you confident that, on a like-for-like basis, Aberdeen would be able to retain a similar number of clean energy-related jobs as it has today to support fossil fuels?”

“Would you expect those to be based in Aberdeen?”

“Do you believe that the current timeframe to make the power grid 95% carbon neutral by 2030 is encouraging the Government to import more tech, including from China? And do you think a slowing of that pace would be beneficial for us in the long term, not just in upskilling our own workforce but in bolstering our domesti…”

“So many disabled members of society are unable to demonstrate the minimum academic requirements to get on to many courses, or to secure employment. What steps are the Government taking to support those people, so that they can demonstrate vocational and non-academic competencies, and get the jobs that they deserve?”

“This is a particularly poignant debate for me to attend today, because this morning I attended the funeral of Betty Webb, a 101-year-old former Bletchley Park codebreaker who epitomised the very best of this great generation. Will the Minister join me in paying tribute to and thanking Betty, as we lay her to rest, for …”

“Welcome, Tom and Leah. I have a couple of questions for you both. To what extent do you think that existing market signals and incentives will drive demand versus, say, a local authority-led programme to catalyse retrofit? If there were a large programme in the local authority sector, to what extent do you think that w…”

“My question to you both: to what extent do you think that the natural activity in the market and the incentives there will drive demand for those seeking to upscale and transition, versus, say, opportunities that arise from being catalysed by a public sector or local authority approach? Would a large-scale public secto…”

“Welcome, Tom and Leah. I have a couple of questions for you both. To what extent do you think that existing market signals and incentives will drive demand versus, say, a local authority-led programme to catalyse retrofit? If there were a large programme in the local authority sector, to what extent do you think that w…”

“My question to you both: to what extent do you think that the natural activity in the market and the incentives there will drive demand for those seeking to upscale and transition, versus, say, opportunities that arise from being catalysed by a public sector or local authority approach? Would a large-scale public secto…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms McVey. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Hornchurch and Upminster (Julia Lopez) for securing this important debate, about which I have had much communication from constituents, particularly those who operate their own health and beauty businesses in my constitue…”

“Which legacy is the Minister most proud of: rubbish and rats in Birmingham, or Labour’s breach of its promise to the electorate to freeze council tax?”

“This fund is really important to so many vulnerable children and their families. Although it is disappointing that many families and children have been left in limbo for a good few months, I welcome the Government’s announcement of the extension of funding. I would like to raise two points. First, will the Minister out…”

“Chelworth Road in my constituency is a road of two halves: on one half of the road, which is in the Wythall division of Worcestershire, the rubbish is collected; on the other side, which falls under Labour-led Birmingham city council, the rubbish is piling high, council tax is going up by 21% and a major incident is be…”

“Q8. Acorns children’s hospice provides compassionate care to very young cancer patients and their families across Bromsgrove and the villages, yet it faces a staggering £416,000 increase in national insurance contributions as a result of choices made by this Government. With no exemption for hospices and no uplift in n…”

“If the Government are going to build 1.5 million homes over the course of this Parliament, and we are nine months into the first year of this Parliament, by my calculation they should have built 225,000 by now. Will the Secretary of State confirm how many homes have been built?”

“The Deputy Prime Minister makes an important point about the access to energy that all our communities require. Particularly prominent in all our minds, at a time when we recognise that food security is national security, is the displacement of high-quality agricultural land and, in effect, energy becoming a new cash c…”

“In any modern economy, it is clear that the resilience of critical national infrastructure faces many risks and threats, and that resilience goes hand in hand with our national security. Does the Secretary of State agree that the incident and other risks we face demonstrate that the role of the Prime Minister’s nationa…”

“Does my hon. Friend agree that with regard to good-quality design, not only society but particularly the Government in their relationship with developers have to shift their mindset away from seeing design as a cost to instead seeing it as an investment that will reap benefits in the form of better-quality placemaking …”

“The hon. Member makes a very good point, with which I do not disagree. We have to strike a better balance—that is the point I am making. That leads me to my second point, which is around infrastructure. Bromsgrove has suffered from a lot of development in recent years, and it has not had the infrastructure to go with i…”

“I will make a little progress, and then I will give way. Linked to urban densification is a pertinent importance to focus on the quality and aesthetic of the development that is taking place. I have long been a fervent advocate for design codes and the role that locally led placemaking principles can play in determinin…”