Speeches by Milne.

“Okay, thank you. There is a lot of emphasis now on safeguarding within DWP’s culture—a culture shift. Are conditionality and sanctions not slightly uneasy bedfellows with that new culture?”

“I have a few questions about the sanctions regime, but don’t worry, I am not talking about the Israeli far-right Ministers; you have not stumbled into the wrong Committee. We have heard a lot of evidence about work coach appointments being undermined by the threat of sanctions, which are having a negative impact. Do yo…”

“What changes can we anticipate seeing to the regular 10-minute appointments?”

“Thank you very much; I welcome that. The DWP is running a trial—I think you referred to it earlier—in which work coaches choose the communication channels for appointments. Just to play devil’s advocate, do you think that giving coaches that flexibility could also lead to a danger of a lack of consistency in service de…”

“I have one last quick question. A predecessor Committee, I think in 2019, recommended a yellow card system—like a warning, if you are not familiar with football—before you get the sanction, so before you are sent off.”

“In evidence to the Public Accounts Committee, the DWP Permanent Secretary said that reducing the initial work coach appointment from 50 minutes to 30 minutes does not seem to have made a lot of difference, which is concerning. Do you think that suggests they are asking the wrong questions? Is it too formulaic? What do …”

“Yes. How does the thinking that the culture in the DWP has perhaps been too performative and punitive, and should place more emphasis on safeguarding, sit with maintaining sanctions and conditionality? Are they not somewhat in conflict?”

“So you are not seeing the need to intervene or make changes to the sanctions regime as it stands?”

“I take it that you support sanctions; what sort of sanctions? For example, do you think the threshold for financial sanctions is set too low and that we jump to the threshold too quickly?”

“I welcome the Government’s decision to widen access to free school meals—a long-standing Liberal Democrat policy—but Castlewood primary school in my constituency tells me that it is currently losing 56p for every single meal it provides. Will the Chancellor undertake to fully fund school meals, or else is she asking sc…”

“I wish to speak about my new clauses 46 to 48. The Bill concentrates entirely on removing perceived barriers to development. Unfortunately, in the Government’s view those turn out to be nature and the general public, and to that end the Bill proposes a huge reduction in the ability of local residents and councillors to…”

“I thank the Minister for her response and all right hon. and hon. Members for their contributions. Wherever we stand on renewable energy, we can all agree that we must have the highest possible safety standards—that is an absolute given. From the conversations I have had with industry, clear national guidance would be …”

“The issue of site choice is closely associated with grid capacity, so that is a factor. That is why some of these sites are ending up in otherwise somewhat improbable and very un-industrial settings. Rules around the pollution of watercourses are one of the most important measures to be brought in, and a wider discussi…”

“The hon. Gentleman is better acquainted than I am with the way that devolution works, but yes, I hope that the Minister will be able to set out whatever course of action is required to get to that point. It is essential that we build battery energy storage sites to proper safety standards so that we do not find ourselv…”

“I beg to move, That this House recognises the unique challenges posed by lithium-ion fires in battery energy storage sites; and calls on the Government to bring forward enforceable national regulations for their design and construction. I have asked for this debate in order to highlight important issues associated with…”

“I appreciate the right hon. Gentleman’s intervention. I agree that such sites can be in remote locations where there are fewer resources. As I will say later in my remarks, fire officer training is very much part of what I am recommending. There is a strong case for mandating water-based suppression systems, off-gas de…”

“Good morning. We know that the Government are looking again at eligibility criteria for winter fuel payment. What main groups that are currently missing out do you think you would most like to be able to include again if possible?”

“Yes, or signposting and so on, all of those things—talking to people and giving them guidance. Pound for pound, that basically delivers much more than just a straight handout. You are obviously not familiar with that argument. Do you think there is a greater role?”

“It has been suggested to us, for instance by Hertfordshire Money Advice, that guidance would actually be more effective than just a straight award. It is argued that it might be, pound for pound, 15 times more effective.”

“As a local councillor myself I very much agree.”