Speeches by Dickson.

“I thank the Secretary of State for his statement, and I echo his words and those of other Members about the tragic loss of two young lives to meningitis as a result of this outbreak. Many Dartford residents remain understandably concerned, and I therefore welcome his assurance and those of the UKHSA that the outbreak i…”

“Chair, it looks like we have a two-all draw on that.”

“The last Budget was beset by leaks, speculation, public comment about what might be in the Budget and what the OBR might be saying about what the parameters were. Everyone agrees that was not good practice and led to volatility externally, which was not good for the UK economy or the Government. What would be the probl…”

“Does anyone else have a view?”

“I warmly welcome the Government’s reforms, which will ensure same-day access for GPs in urgent cases and will also make it easier to get an appointment online, finally moving towards ending the 8 am scramble. I recently visited Swanscombe health centre, where the brilliant team is under significant pressure because of …”

“It has been a really big step forward to see the statutory levy on gambling operators up and running since April last year, with the money raised from it ringfenced for much-needed gambling-related harms research, prevention and treatment. However, with only three weeks until the new financial year, I am concerned that…”

“I have a couple of questions about student finance, which is very topical at the moment. We all know that graduates on plan 5 repayment plans are struggling and that, potentially, they are going to have those debts deep into their middle age and beyond, into retirement. That has been exacerbated, potentially, by the de…”

“On the spending side, I want to ask a question about the SEND budget. Obviously, the Government have made a policy decision to increase departmental spending on SEND by about £4 billion a year from ’28-29 onwards. Does that decision since the last Budget ease the pressure on the SEND forecast? Will the policy decisions…”

“It has been said that there has been an under-appreciation of the extent to which receipts are likely to come in on the upside. Do you have a forecast for whether you are getting it right, in terms of the likely trajectory of receipts going forward, and whether that will make a difference to whether the numbers we have…”

“On the subject of public finances and net borrowing going forward, and the current state of play, I think that when you last came before us, you said that net borrowing was stuck at about 5% of GDP for the past few years, and that we needed somehow to break free of that. Clearly, the numbers in the spring statement rei…”

“I think most people would absolutely regard the additional funding for the proposals in the White Paper as a big step forward, as you say, for providing for the needs of special educational needs pupils in the school, with well-resourced teaching and facilities in the school. However, have you thought about whether tha…”

“Is that something you would be modelling going forward, in order to understand whether the Government have made sufficient provision for SEND? There may be incentives for spend ahead of the reforms as, for instance, parents try to get their children on to EHCPs, which might be more expensive and bring spending forward.”

“I have a quick follow-up. In ’29-30, there is a requirement for the Departments to fund something like £5.6 billion-worth of SEND requirement, and that, in turn, is giving you £5.6 billion extra headroom in the overall Budget. Is that just accounting sleight of hand to increase your headroom?”

“So it is possible that the Secretary of State will come forward with some changes to the student loan system, because of the unfairnesses that we are seeing and that are being highlighted.”

“Thank you for that answer. The Education Secretary is clearly concerned, as are others in the Government, that there might need to be reforms to the financing system. I think she said that she wants a fairer system and her Department is in talks with the Treasury. What options are you considering, to make the student l…”

“I thank the Chancellor for her statement. It is vital for residents in Dartford and across the country that they know the Government have their back when it comes to fuel bills going forward. Does she agree that the economic stability she set out last week in the spring statement means that the economy and consumers ar…”

“Dartford’s brilliant Wentworth primary school—whose notable former pupils include the wonderful Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, as well as UK gold medal-winning sprinter Adam Gemili—turns 75 next month. Will the Leader of the House join me in wishing the school, the headteacher Mr Pollock and its wonderful staff, g…”

“I thank the Minister for his statement and for all the work that he and the Government are doing to help UK citizens get home if they wish to. One of my constituents is in Dubai with friends. She is a type 1 diabetic but is running out of insulin and is anxious to return home. Can he offer any guidance on whether she m…”

“That is helpful—working with a credit union to refer people, which can be helpful.”

“One of the barriers that is suggested by consumers, particularly those on low incomes, is that you do not always have the products they need—for instance, small-sum loans for people in emergency situations who need a loan quickly because of a life event. It could be something seemingly small but major for the individua…”