Speeches by Dewhirst.

“Yes. If you will indulge me in the festive spirit, Chair, I will just go back a second, Minister. Thank you for coming in today. It is no secret that you have had the Batters review for a few days at least, or two weeks, maybe.”

“Exactly, so it is no secret. Why is it going to be snuck out on the last day before Christmas?”

“First, I congratulate the hon. Member for Lewes (James MacCleary) on securing today’s very important and timely debate. We live in unprecedented times, in which those who wish to undermine this great nation are doing so daily, and on multiple fronts. The need to co-operate more closely with our global allies is as stro…”

“Just going back a step towards the education piece around bringing meat and dairy products into this country. This Committee went to Brussels for meetings there on the Eurostar, and on the way back you can freely buy a ham sandwich in the Eurostar terminal, hop on the train and come back, and there is no signage or ann…”

“In March, you told us that Ministers were supportive of a new Act. We have heard today from the Minister that support remains. Can I just ask what progress has been made towards bringing forward the legislation?”

“The east coast main line is a fantastic example of where privatisation has worked. Open access operators such as Hull Trains, Lumo and Grand Central are competing with the franchisee and keeping prices down and service levels up. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the Bill does nothing to protect open access operator…”

“As you bring those consultees together, what are your priorities in terms of what you want to see in that legislation?”

“I am just going back to expand on the technicians and the role of nurses. I get a lot of feedback locally, particularly from, say, pig specialists and so on. There is a huge amount of frustration because the veterinary surgeons are required to undertake so much of the work that the technicians could do. Is your vision …”

“Just on that point, one of the biggest issues is that these illegal meat imports are largely coming from countries where ASF may be rampant and they are unable to export, which obviously encourages that illegal exportation. But when it gets to this country and is seized at, say, Dover, they just take it, dispose of it …”

“It is a shame, having put all that work in to train for many years, to then give it up. Are they going abroad, or are they giving up the practice completely?”

“That would be very welcome. Finally, in terms of that wider piece about retention in the industry, or attracting people into it and then retaining them, what is your vision?”

“Is the Minister aware of any representations made by UEFA in advance of this fixture?”

“Tomorrow will mark a year to the day since the Government launched the plan for change, to great fanfare, with its milestones, its mission boards, and its dashboards that never materialised. We have now found out that the five mission boards have been deleted from the latest list of Cabinet Committees. Has there been a…”

“Does the Minister agree that excellent local titles such as the Bridlington Echo, the Driffield & Wolds Weekly and The Holderness & Hornsey Gazette need support? We need to ensure that the income stream from local authority statutory notices continues, so that such thriving local titles continue into the future…”

“The Chancellor’s announcements in yesterday’s Budget in relation to gambling duty could cost the industry up to 16,000 jobs, largely in the high- tech part of that industry, and move £6 billion of gambling stakes into the black market. I know that the Secretary of State is a very reasonable individual—she would make an…”

“11. What discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on gambling duties.”

“I thank the Leader of the House for that answer, and please can he pass my best wishes on to the Second Church Estates Commissioner? In my area, 26 churches are covered by just five priests, and only three of those priests are paid, so I hope that the Leader of the House will join me in thanking all the regular churchg…”

“5. What steps the Church of England is taking to increase the number of vicars in rural parishes.”

“The whole House recognises the challenge posed by football hooliganism, but anyone with the slightest knowledge of football would accept that this hooliganism is restricted to a very small minority of fans of clubs and countries across the world. Will the Minister work with colleagues in the Home Office and police forc…”

“In the light of this recent escalation, what specific and immediate steps is the Minister taking to ensure that UK armed forces are equipped both to protect critical underwater infrastructure and to respond rapidly and effectively to direct threats from Russia and others?”