Speeches by Dickson.

“There has been some criticism in the US that some of the Community Reinvestment Act activity is a little bit tick-box, rather than really looking at outcomes for communities. Clearly, we would need to avoid that, would we not?”

“Just to unpack that a little bit more, what sort of metrics would we be looking to apply to a fair banking Act, to understand whether banks were succeeding and whether we are making real inroads into, for instance, unbanked customers or citizens or other signs of financial inclusion?”

“I pay tribute to the hon. Member for securing the debate and for the great speech she is making. She mentioned the role of buses. There tends to be an assumption made by people outside the south-east that we all have bus networks similar to those in London, but they would not have to go very far from London—to my const…”

“I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for South East Cornwall (Anna Gelderd) on her great speech and on securing this debate. On the Government’s spend on transport infrastructure, those present and the Minister may know that I remain a very strong supporter of the lower Thames crossing project, which will, when bui…”

“Chair, I should add that I am also a member of the Co-op Party.”

“I am a member of a credit union in south London.”

“In my constituency and across Kent we are pleased to be one of the trailblazer areas for the Connect to Work programme, which started under this Government, not the last Government. It gives people personalised support to stay in work and to get jobs in the first place, ensuring that they have a long-term future in the…”

“Obviously, it is a national investment, but these will be quite significant extra elements of investment for a credit union that may be relatively small. Is there enough business acumen in the sector? Mr Glen reminded us that previous efforts did not always go as well as they should have. Can we have certainty or certa…”

“I have a final quick question: was there anything that was not in the Financial Inclusion Strategy, which you would like to see in it, that we should we question the Government on? Are there things that would have supported the building society or the credit union sector that you still wish to see?”

“On the same theme, the Financial Inclusion Strategy says that the community finance sector can serve underserved communities. In my area, I have an excellent credit union, Greenwich and Bexley, which, despite its name, covers Dartford, my constituency. Since its formation, it has helped 17,000 residents. Currently, onl…”

“I welcome the statement and the Minister’s great work. Leaseholders and freeholders across my constituency, in places like Greenhithe, Ebbsfleet and Stone, will hugely welcome the cap on ground rents and the rest of the detail on the draft Bill. May I impress on the Minister the need for us to go further on supporting …”

“I thank the Minister for his statement. The pubs in my constituency, from the Growler Stop and Ivy Leaf in Dartford to the Bull in Stone and the Spring River in Ebbsfleet, are the heart of our community. Does the Minister agree that it is crucial that we find ways to protect them as places for people to come together a…”

“Communities in Kent are pleased to see that funding for police next year will be 20% higher than in the final year of the previous Government, with a target for 43 new neighbourhood police officers across the county to police our streets and rebuild community policing after years of neglect. Does the Home Secretary agr…”

“T8. Residents in Dartford regularly tell me that they want every pound of public spending used to best effect. Will the Minister update the House on the progress that is being made on cracking down on fraudsters and ensuring that UK taxpayers get back the money they are owed?”

“I want to ask a couple of questions about loan-to-income flow limits. As you will know, you have recently increased the threshold for mortgage lenders from £100 million to £150 million. Is that enough? Does that really support growth and competitiveness in the marketplace? It only increases the number of lenders by abo…”

“Is there a world in which reduction in demand for US Government debt could be helpful because it might increase the demand for UK Government debt and therefore shore up the price of gilts?”

“I have a quick question on pension regulation. We are now coming up to the three-year anniversary of the FPC recommending that The Pensions Regulator should include financial stability considerations in the way it supervises the industry. Thus far, this has not happened, and it is not implementing the recommendation. C…”

“Just returning to the US for a second, we talked about political instability in the US and how things like that leading to issues around tariffs and trade could potentially pose a risk to us. On the aspect of public debt rising that we see in the US, how do you assess that risk to the UK? For instance, is there a possi…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for his great speech and for the excellent way in which he is taking all the interventions. As someone who lives with a cat—I hesitate to say that I own one; it usually seems the other way round—I can see for myself, and from the emails I have had from Dartford residents concerned about their…”

“T8. As in many communities across the country, in Dartford there is a real need to improve access to places and spaces where people, especially children, can be physically active, including through play and sport. What plans are there to increase the use of facilities on school sites, including through enrichment and i…”