Speeches by Robertson.

“On the point about financial risk for local authorities, does my hon. Friend agree there is absolutely nothing in the Bill that local authorities such as mine, the Isle of Wight council, would possibly want to touch when it comes to franchising for buses across my constituency? The risk for small unitary authorities is…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I thank the hon. Member for Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor (Alan Strickland) for securing this debate and for speaking with such knowledge and passion, not only about the Stockton and Darlington railway but about railways more generally and the impact they…”

“Good afternoon. How can you be sure that the 50% cuts that you are requiring from ICBs will not simply translate into fewer clinics, fewer staff and longer waits for patients?”

“You are reducing the operating costs of the commissioners who are responsible for the large majority of commissioned services locally in hospitals. How are they expected to operate on half their previous allocated budget and for that not to be a risk to delivering frontline services?”

“By way of finishing, can I ask you my original question that Glen Burley answered from his perspective? Do you have any concerns about the 50% cuts to operating budgets with ICBs? Do you have any concerns that those could lead to fewer clinics, fewer staff and ultimately longer waiting lists?”

“Talking of local government structures, can you see an endgame where a local devolved mayor area is different to an ICB area and that works? Is the endgame to have a perfect overlap?”

“How are you doing that in areas of England where we do not yet know what the mayoral combined authority area will be?”

“Even with your best intentions, it sounds like English devolution could hold up the final process.”

“Clearly, some ICBs are struggling and in some cases potentially declining to continue with the cost-saving programme due to their belief in the impact that it will have. As the deadline for implementation approaches, how are you working with ICBs to address those concerns? What is the ultimate position that you hold, i…”

“It sounds like merging is the intention behind what you are doing or at least it is inevitably going to happen in some cases. You talk about a population target of 1.5 million. Is there any merging that is too much for you? Is there any population area that a merged ICB might seek to cover that is simply too high? Do y…”

“Would you allow a merger to go bigger than that in pursuit of efficiency savings?”

“What is the consequence ultimately for an ICB that fails to deliver on the savings? What are you ultimately saying to them?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I want to begin by thanking my right hon. Friend the Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell) for bringing us this debate and for speaking so eloquently. It is always good to see colleagues from across the House, particularly my neig…”

“As the Solicitor General knows, I have been campaigning to support victims of spiking. I thank her for meeting me before the recess, but unfortunately the correspondence from her office subsequent to that meeting seems to entirely miss the point and does not follow at all the conversation we had. Given that it quotes h…”

“My hon. Friend referred to the Minister’s representations to the Chancellor, but I think the Minister said he was not going to make any representations to the Chancellor.”

“As I am sure all Members in this place do, I support the principle of devolution and empowerment—two of the words on the face of the Bill—but this Bill is about centralisation and disempowerment. For the Isle of Wight, it is about fusing our island with Hampshire under a combined mayoral authority, where 93% of the pop…”

“How does my right hon. Friend think my constituents on the Isle of Wight feel about being fused under a combined mayoral authority with Hampshire without having a single say?”

“May I invite the Minister to congratulate Isle of Wight band Wet Leg on reaching the top of the albums chart, a particular achievement given that it has beaten Oasis, which I know has personally disappointed my hon. Friend the Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup (Mr French)?”

“The Minister talks about her 10-year health plan, with “Fit for the Future” splashed across the front cover, but really, it is a plan from “Back to the Future”, with no new ideas that have not been discussed since Alan Milburn tried to do this in the year 2000. It will only be successful if the Government deliver, but …”

“Q By the look of it, you have had an easier life than I have had. I have a fairly brief question. This morning, we heard representations that the SAF mandate is enough in that it creates the demand and requirements that the market will adjust to and fulfil, and that the Bill is therefore not needed. I invite your thoug…”