Speeches by Poynton.

“Apologies—I meant that, once a claimant comes in, there are binding timeframes for each stage of the process.”

“Those who go for the fixed sum can see the process play out, but those who are going through a process and, as the Chair said, restarting, do not understand where they are in that process. They need some light at the end of the tunnel so that, as they go through that process, they know where they sit within it and what…”

“Mr Chesher, you said you are looking to increase the offer, not downplay it. In our last session, James Hartley at Freeths told us that 27% of first offers made to his clients were for less than half of what they initially claimed. That sounds like you are trying to write down offers. Are you?”

“Following on from Antonia Bance’s question, in terms of motivation, do you see it as your job to reduce the cost of the claims?”

“We have touched quite a lot on England and Wales, so I thought I would touch a little bit on Scotland and Northern Ireland. How are you working with the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Department of Justice to ensure swift justice for the sub-postmasters?”

“Is there consistency in how that is being rolled out and in how people are being dealt with as a consequence?”

“Great. From what you have seen, do you have any specific concerns about what is happening in Scotland or Northern Ireland?”

“This Committee recommended to the last Government that there should be binding timeframes for each stage of the process. I would be keen to get your take on that. What are the virtues and pitfalls? We have been talking a lot today about getting swift justice, and timeframes would allow for swift justice and for claiman…”

“Last week I commended the Secretary of State’s introduction of this Bill as a promise made and a promise fulfilled. It delivers on the Government’s manifesto commitment to strengthen support for our armed forces communities. As a Scottish Labour Member of Parliament, I am proud to speak in support of it today. The Bill…”

“Before the election, Labour set out plans to grow the mutual sector in our “Financing Growth” report, which was welcomed across the sector. In fact, my local credit union, the Caledonian Credit Union, welcomed the report—I declare an interest, because I am now a member of that credit union after I visited. I welcome th…”

“Over the past month, my office has been inundated with reports from specific areas of the Livingston constituency regarding the inappropriate use of fireworks, which is causing misery to many communities. I pay tribute to Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and West Lothian council for doing whatever …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Pritchard. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Tony Vaughan) on securing this important debate. University is great, but it is not for everyone. We need to have alternatives of equal status, value and quality. West Lothian college in m…”

“I welcome the Secretary of State’s recent announcement of the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill—a promise made and a promise being kept—but does he agree that this is just one part of the puzzle when it comes to showing that we can support our troops as they work to keep us safe?”

“Mr Lewis, we are going to look at the administration and structure of the redress schemes, but it is important to hear the human story before we start, so I would be keen to hear your story and the impact that that has had on you.”

“Mr Lewis, you mentioned that the problems seemed to start when the upgrade came in. I would be interested to hear what you were seeing in that period and whether you had any communication with the Post Office about the problems you were seeing.”

“Dr Hudgell and Mr Enright, as of September our understanding is that 1,030 Horizon-related convictions have been identified and quashed by the legislation, yet it is also our understanding that only 335 of those eligible claimants have been contacted. I am keen to get your take on that. What can be done to inform those…”

“You have talked about picking up the musket and getting to work. Are any data sources available? Is it just that they have not chosen to rigorously pursue that data, to find who these people are, where they are and get communication out to them, so they can begin to be part of this process?”

“You could tell there was something going wrong, but they were not really helping. They were not trying to get to the bottom of it on a good-faith basis, and then suddenly there was an investigator banging on your door, asking for the money back. At that point, you had mentioned that you were looking to find a solution.…”

“Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to speak in today’s debate. First, I pay tribute to my hon. Friends the Members for Worcester (Tom Collins), and for Dagenham and Rainham (Margaret Mullane), who have proudly shown the best of their constituencies in their maiden speeches today. I pay tribu…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Pritchard, and to speak as a father of two small boys. In fact, I was lucky enough with both my children to receive paid paternity leave, but frankly that was because I was in a white-collar job that allowed it. With my second child, I would not have qualified for t…”