Speeches by Newbury.

“I start by congratulating the hon. Member for Mid Leicestershire (Mr Bedford) on securing this debate on an important but often overlooked issue. Having known him for many years before we took up our new roles, I can say with authority that his constituents will be well served in this House, particularly because they, …”

“Sometimes, it is a matter of proactive communication as well. I am on the priority services register because we have a two month-old baby. I am also a Member of Parliament. I did not have any proactive contact from the water company in that instance. So, I think it is not just a case of acting on complaints; it is also…”

“A couple of follow-ups on that. It sounds like a great picture going forward, but if we are saying that the rate of investment is going up massively and the rates of return will reduce or keep track with inflation, does that not suggest that over past price reviews the level of investment has been way too low and the r…”

“The Consumer Council for Water suggested that around 40% of consumers will struggle to afford the proposed increases. How do you balance the need for that vital investment with the need to protect the consumers at the same time?”

“Given that those ringfences are about to be put in to protect money for investment, do you think that consumers in the past have been offered good value for money by water companies?”

“Lastly, as we often do see, some commentators in the sector say that the draft determinations will limit the ability of companies to improve infrastructure and secure investment. How do you respond to that?”

“Clearly leveraging private investment, as you said earlier, will be key to keeping bills down but also maximising investment. Sarah touched earlier on the 3.72% return on investment. Are there other ways other than the pure return on investment that we can make the sector an attractive investment prospect? I am thinkin…”

“I would like to come back briefly to the point about support for vulnerable consumers, which Helena touched on. I had an incident recently in my constituency, less extreme than some of the other examples we have had, but several thousand customers were affected by a burst water main. One of the things that concerned me…”

“David, you mentioned at the top of the session that across several price reviews since privatisation, that process has saved consumers money, but we know that at this point, we cannot continue with below-inflation price increases. We can see from the draft determinations that all of our constituents are likely to face …”

“A couple of follow-ups on that. It sounds like a great picture going forward, but if we are saying that the rate of investment is going up massively and the rates of return will reduce or keep track with inflation, does that not suggest that over past price reviews the level of investment has been way too low and the r…”

“The Consumer Council for Water suggested that around 40% of consumers will struggle to afford the proposed increases. How do you balance the need for that vital investment with the need to protect the consumers at the same time?”

“Given that those ringfences are about to be put in to protect money for investment, do you think that consumers in the past have been offered good value for money by water companies?”

“Lastly, as we often do see, some commentators in the sector say that the draft determinations will limit the ability of companies to improve infrastructure and secure investment. How do you respond to that?”

“Clearly leveraging private investment, as you said earlier, will be key to keeping bills down but also maximising investment. Sarah touched earlier on the 3.72% return on investment. Are there other ways other than the pure return on investment that we can make the sector an attractive investment prospect? I am thinkin…”

“I would like to come back briefly to the point about support for vulnerable consumers, which Helena touched on. I had an incident recently in my constituency, less extreme than some of the other examples we have had, but several thousand customers were affected by a burst water main. One of the things that concerned me…”

“Sometimes, it is a matter of proactive communication as well. I am on the priority services register because we have a two month-old baby. I am also a Member of Parliament. I did not have any proactive contact from the water company in that instance. So, I think it is not just a case of acting on complaints; it is also…”

“David, you mentioned at the top of the session that across several price reviews since privatisation, that process has saved consumers money, but we know that at this point, we cannot continue with below-inflation price increases. We can see from the draft determinations that all of our constituents are likely to face …”

“I appreciate it, Chair. I would like to move on to fairness in the food supply chain, which I think affects all our communities. Post the Budget, lots of supermarkets—Sainsbury’s, for example—have said that particularly the increases in employer’s national insurance and the minimum wage could lead to increased food pri…”

“Will guidance be issued to public sector procurers on how to make sure that local producers are benefiting and that we are looking at things like fairness in the food supply chain? You talked about how in the past and currently, some supermarkets have not treated farmers fairly. How will we make sure that that is not r…”

“I welcome what you said about that. You talked earlier about the proposed changes to public procurement—leveraging the power of the public purse in supporting British producers—but how will you make sure that not just wholesalers but farmers benefit from that, and particularly smaller farmers? I came from the NHS befor…”