Speeches by Riddell-Carpenter.

“Over the weekend, a drone attack was launched targeting a number of regions, including Kyiv and Odesa, which I had the privilege of visiting earlier this year. It is reported to be the biggest drone strike since Putin’s illegal invasion began. Does the Secretary of State agree with me that more must be done to secure a…”

“I appreciate that we need to be concise because time is running away with us, but I assume that this “at least” 10-year plan is a consequence of record-breaking financial results going in the wrong direction and therefore you are going to have to elongate your investment plan over at least 10 years. Where is the hit on…”

“What within the five-year view is being kicked into the long grass to a 10-year investment programme as a consequence of today’s annual report announcements?”

“Understood. Finally, the big news today was first your annual report, secondly the Committee, but thirdly that you have announced a hosepipe ban. You have also had too much rain. In the annual report you talk about an increase in pollution incidents because there has been too much rain, but equally there is a hosepipe …”

“I do not mean to go back to the remuneration but just briefly, you said that the pocket of money does not come out of customer bills, it comes out of a separate revenue stream that effectively could be written off under certain circumstances. If you are re-nationalised, are you saying that your bonuses are being paid o…”

“Let us call it the retention plan.”

“Thank you, Chair. I need to put on record that in 2021 Thames Water was a client of mine; I supported it through the chaos of the London flooding. At that time, trust in the company was appalling. It has since been considerably worse. How do you think today has gone? Do you think you have gone any way to restoring that…”

“I would put it to you that you fundamentally misunderstand the public concerns about Thames Water. During the discussion we have just heard about remuneration, about investment, about which pots your retention bonuses are paid from, and about how you make decisions in committees involving the chief executive; it has be…”

“We can talk about that. This morning you have released your annual report, and in that annual report you put out a press release saying that Thames Water has a 10-year plan for recovery.”

“In Suffolk Coastal, the housing crisis is no less severe than in other rural areas across the country, and my constituents are keen that future development builds in for nature. Will the Minister comment on what plans the Government have to ensure that we build in for nature, and specifically on the prospect of, and ap…”

“I thank the Chair of the Select Committee for his incredibly thorough and interesting report, which I look forward to reading. Will he comment on an amendment that I tabled to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill? It is often said that Suffolk Coastal may be hosting up to 20% of the UK’s future energy or transporting t…”

“I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland (Sam Rushworth) not just for securing this debate, but for his excellent speech at the outset. It was so good that he inspired the right hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Sir John Hayes) to cross the Floor—very briefly. As the Member for Suffolk Coasta…”

“They say that it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a Labour Government to give every child the best start in life. I warmly thank the Secretary of State for her announcement. As she may well know, in Suffolk not a penny is spent on family hubs at the moment. She said that this announcement was a game chang…”

“I thank the Secretary of State for listening to the concerns of Back Benchers and for making some real and meaningful improvements based on the concerns that we have been raising privately. I also thank her for confirming explicitly, a moment ago, that my constituents who are reassessed post November 2026 will be reass…”

“It is a privilege to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Western. I start by thanking the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Steff Aquarone) for bringing forward this important debate. I would like to celebrate the success of Orford General Store, which, just 45 minutes ago in the House of Lords, was highly commended in the …”

“I understand that, and I understand and appreciate the recommendations that you will be making around senior managers regime. There needs to be some recognition and acknowledgement that, in a sector that prioritises bonuses, it therefore attracts a certain talent pool and certain people who have left other industries, …”

“Yes, understood. I will move on. The last thing I will say on that is that, if the recruitment committee asks about experience, that experience of the water industry is so often built and based on debt management, rather than water management, because that is how the water industry has been set up to operate, effective…”

“Can I pick you up on the point that you have mentioned? I understand that you are not going to touch on specific water companies. We of course have and will. What is your comment on the overall balance so far that the sector has? Do you think that the balance is out of kilter and can you comment on that? While you hesi…”

“We need to talk about bonuses, which has been a big theme publicly and caused lots of concern. The CEO of United Utilities, which caused more raw sewage spills than anyone else in 2024, received a bonus of £440,000. The Severn Trent CEO received £584,000. All these figures are last year. For Yorkshire Water it was £371…”

“I thank the Secretary of State for her comments about the need to address the topic of SEND with great sensitivity, as we risk stigmatising entire families and generations who are affected so adversely by this issue. In rural constituencies like Suffolk Coastal, the SEND crisis is incredibly severe and acute for many r…”