Speeches by Chope.

“Why is it not possible to estimate that now? You are talking about a 2019 estimate; why can’t that be updated?”

“Governments have continually pushed back the date for delivery on all this. Do you think that has added to the costs?”

“Do you think suppliers are adequately incentivised to minimise the costs of their smart meter roll-out while maintaining quality customer service?”

“These questions are based on research at Oregon State University, which says that smart meters are ideal targets for hackers because they provide a means for malicious actors to gain access to and destabilise the power transmission grid. Penny Brown, do you think that you are doing enough to guard against cyber-attacks…”

“What about Denmark?”

“Some individual consumers do not want smart meters because they are worried about various threats, of one sort or another, and they would like to be able to take responsibility for making their own judgments. As you have just said, that sort of cyber-threat cannot be eliminated 100%. In Denmark, do people have the free…”

“So there is no risk from hackers. We are pretty safe from hackers, are we?”

“What about rogue installers? It is difficult to control the engineers who put in these meters. They are obviously trained and subject to some scrutiny, but they could be a weak link in the whole system, could they not?”

“Are there any other safety risks associated with smart meters?”

“I think that this evidence has shown that this is a really important and very complicated subject, and we are in danger of making it even more complicated. My questions basically arise from something that Matt Copeland said: that for most people the best help is reducing the bills instead of other sorts of assistance. …”

“The 20,000 people in Christchurch who have lost their winter fuel payment do.”

“As long as they are simple. My concern is that this is getting more and more complicated. The Government have announced that they would reduce household fuel bills by £300 and they are well short of doing that. The suggestion I put forward would reduce the average bill by £269 and it could be done with a stroke of the …”

“But should the fuel-poor be paying for those levies?”

“But should the fuel-poor be paying for those levies?”

“The 20,000 people in Christchurch who have lost their winter fuel payment do.”

“I think that this evidence has shown that this is a really important and very complicated subject, and we are in danger of making it even more complicated. My questions basically arise from something that Matt Copeland said: that for most people the best help is reducing the bills instead of other sorts of assistance. …”

“As long as they are simple. My concern is that this is getting more and more complicated. The Government have announced that they would reduce household fuel bills by £300 and they are well short of doing that. The suggestion I put forward would reduce the average bill by £269 and it could be done with a stroke of the …”

“May we have an early debate on the refusal of the Bank of England to comply with its 2% inflation target? Also, will the Leader of the House facilitate a meeting between me and Treasury Ministers to see whether the Government are willing to support my Bank of England (Inflation Targets) Bill, due for Second Reading on …”

“On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am on record as having expressed my appreciation to the Leader of the House for her insistence that Ministers should give accurate and timely responses to parliamentary questions. I am sure she will therefore share my disappointment that in answering my question earlier she …”

“I will not just at the moment, but I may do later. This whole issue is a test case for the credibility of the new Labour Government’s promises about increasing access to GP services. In August 2024, after the general election, no one in government or in the NHS, including Dorset ICB, was suggesting that a GP surgery in…”