Speeches by Hinchliff.

“It is an honour to serve with you in the Chair, Ms Barker. I congratulate the hon. Member for South Cotswolds (Dr Savage) on her excellent speech—although the “productive struggle” she referred to sounded rather like a slogan from my trade union days. I wholeheartedly support the petition, and I thank all the campaigne…”

“There are two particularly important conclusions in the Select Committee’s inquiry: first, that reducing energy costs for everyone should be the top priority; and secondly, that there is no shortage of money in the wider energy system. Does the Chair of the Select Committee agree with me that GB Energy is an important …”

“Liberal Democrat-run Hertfordshire county council has been looking at closing several village schools in my constituency, with a decision due soon on Albury primary school. I will not ask the Leader of the House to comment on a particular cases, but from speaking to parents and local communities, it is absolutely clear…”

“Brilliant. Thank you very much.”

“Do you have anything further to add, Dr Mitchell?”

“Given that, as we have mentioned, we do not often talk about these jobs as much as we should do, do you feel that apprenticeships and other workplace policies are designed effectively for your industry? Is there a recommendation that you think the Committee should make to the Government about apprenticeships or other p…”

“Brilliant, thank you. Mr Lines and Dr Mitchell, from a land-based skills perspective, it is obvious that if we are to deliver on the hedgerow restoration targets, we will need a lot more hedge layers—a highly skilled, rewarding job. How can we, as Government, work with farmers and the farming community to open up more …”

“It is certainly a frustration of mine that we hear so much about the job potential of tackling net zero, but there is an equally massive job potential for nature recovery and that does not seem to get the same attention. Would you say the easiest immediate step the Government could take would be to reconstitute the boa…”

“The hon. Member is making a powerful speech about an incredibly important subject. It affects my constituency, too, where we have 1,500 people living with dementia. On top of that, as she was referring to, around a third of the people currently living with dementia do not have a diagnosis and, staggeringly, the NHS doe…”

“You called earlier for a workforce strategy on ecological skills, which this Committee heard a lot about during our housing and sustainability inquiry. What do you think the Government mechanisms should be for supporting that workforce strategy? Which Department should lead? Who should be involved?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you; that is helpful in respect of the milestones and the funding in particular. Do you feel it is slightly cynical? Is it a facet of the way this works, as you described, when a new Government comes in and has to reassess the situation? Or do you feel there is a slightly more cynical situation where the targets …”

“Ms Hayns, could you unpack your organisation’s position that the revised EIP has a pattern of pushing deadlines beyond 2028, which risks undermining the credibility of the 2030 legal targets? Do we have a situation here where we are giving with one hand and taking away with the other?”

“I am pleased that the Government have dropped the plans for mandatory digital ID; it was always clear that the British public would heavily reject that idea, and it is our duty as Members to jealously guard our constituents’ civil liberties. Will the Minister convey the lessons learned from this decision to his colleag…”

“The Government’s determination to deliver a new generation of new towns, with everything residents will need for a thriving and fulfilling life, offers a much more hopeful solution to the housing crisis in this country than the proliferation of overpriced and characterless bolt-on estates thrown up by profiteering deve…”

“4. What discussions the Church of England has had with the Government on when the evaluation report of the listed places of worship grant scheme will be published.”

“Whatever one’s faith, the historic churches in North East Hertfordshire are an incredible part of our local heritage. They are places of peace and beauty, ever-present reminders of centuries of our history and a focal point for village life, providing space for social activities and community life in what feels like an…”

“1. What steps she is taking to help reduce rail fares.”

“As I have previously discussed with the Minister, the A505 is one of the deadliest roads in the country, and the stretch between Baldock and Royston in particular has seen tragedy after tragedy in my constituency. Will the Minister set out how the road safety strategy will empower local highways authorities to take the…”

“The fact that this Labour Government have frozen rail fares for the first time in 30 years is hugely welcome, but for many of my constituents, recent years have felt like death by a thousand costs, and they desperately need to see rail fares come down even further. Would the Secretary of State meet me to discuss the am…”