Speeches by Clifton-Brown.

“Restrictions on aid, fuel, food and even water in Gaza is inhumane and unacceptable. If the Minister cannot get a decision next week to recognise the state of Palestine, will he at least ask for a collective message to be sent to our allies, the Israelis, that these restrictions are unacceptable and that, unless they a…”

“The Secretary of State has set out an ambitious strategic defence review. As soon as possible after the spending review next week, will he set out a defence investment plan in some detail, so that the Public Accounts Committee can examine whether the funds match the equipment that he has talked about today, and whether…”

“As the Minister has mentioned it, as has my predecessor as Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, the hon. Member for Hackney South and Shoreditch (Dame Meg Hillier), it is now over a year since the Public Accounts Committee produced a report on how sensitive scrutiny could be carried out in this House. This is really…”

“I take at face value what the Minister has said today about British Steel having a bright future. However, she did not mention any figures, other than a global figure of £2.5 billion floating around somewhere. Will she tell the House when she expects to publish the accounting officer assessment that is required when pu…”

“Because our prisons are running at about 98% capacity, not only are existing prisoners more likely to reoffend but, sadly, as we allow more prisoners to be released early, more people on probation will do so. Apart from the terrible effect on victims, the Ministry itself estimates that this costs a staggering £18 billi…”

“To follow that up, in our enthusiasm for AI, we have to make sure that it is ethically acceptable too.”

“Good afternoon, Prime Minister. I hope you will not mind me following up on a question on AI that I asked you at the last meeting of this Committee. You have been very clear that AI and digital co-ordination have the potential to significantly boost productivity in the civil service and across the public sector. This w…”

“We had a hearing with the DWP where two bits of AI had to be dropped because they were deemed to be discriminatory against certain claimants. Can we bear that in mind as well?”

“Prime Minister, your welcome announcement on the abolition of NHS England gives a real opportunity to reset the finances of the NHS. Given that in recent years the health budget has gone up by 20%, but the primary care budget has gone up by only 10%, can I test some of your aspirations for local health provision—someth…”

“Very briefly, as you opened it up to dentistry, 24% of five-year-olds have signs of tooth decay at the moment. The major cause of hospital admissions for five to nine-year-olds is dentistry problems. Our recent Committee inquiry found, and was told by a senior health official, that the dental contract is not fit for pu…”

“It is interesting, when sitting in the Chamber, to hear colleagues’ expertise on subjects that we did not know they had expertise in. I wish to draw my hon. Friend back to a slightly different subject, which he was beginning to touch on. Electric vehicles, which of course have batteries, tend to be far heavier than equ…”

“I welcome much of what the Bill will do. It will speeding up the planning system, which as a chartered surveyor who has practised in planning is I know desperately needed if we are to get more houses built. However, the one area of the Bill that I have concerns about is what she has just come on to. If local people fee…”

“On the point about not doing any harm to nature, would the hon. Member’s party support the water companies becoming statutory consultees so that we can ensure that, with any new housing, not a litre of extra sewage goes into our rivers?”

“In recent years, for every 100 servicemen recruited, 130 have left. That is completely unsustainable. What is the Minister doing to ensure that we retain more troops, with not only the package within our armed forces, but competitive packages in the private sector?”

“Q13. Most people would accept that we need more housing in this country, yet so often it is not accompanied by the necessary infrastructure. In my constituency, thousands of houses are proposed, yet without £250 million to upgrade junction 12 of the M5, the inspector is likely to rule our plan unsound. Will the Prime M…”

“The announcement was sneaked out with no notice last night. If the Minister knows anything about farming, he will know that it takes months, if not years, to plan. Farmers had no notice of this. Will he tell us what will replace the SFI, when he will consult, and when it is likely to come into operation?”

“I am sorry to intervene on my deputy, who does an excellent job on the Public Accounts Committee. In the last Parliament, before he joined the Committee, we went to Denmark, where they do precisely what he is talking about: give chemotherapy treatment to people in their homes where they have a history of not reacting t…”

“The hon. Gentleman is exactly right. The NHS employs an enormous number of staff—more than 1 million people, I think—and their conditions of work are really important if we are to retain them. That does mean that their mental health needs close attention, especially when they have problems. If the NHS cannot help with …”

“I thank the Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee for her endorsements of the worthy work that all these individuals have put into the health service. The Department of Health and Social Care is one of the highest spending Departments in the UK, with a total departmental expenditure limit standing at a huge £21…”

“Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for granting us the opportunity to debate this supplementary estimate, which provides an opportunity for all Members of this House to look at the Public Accounts Committee’s report on health and discuss how the money might be spent on different priorities. As the Chair of the Public Acc…”