Speeches by Smith.

“T3. JB Springs in Skipton has been in touch on the issue of quotas. It imports steel and is worried about the cost of steel and the future of the company. Personally, I do not have an issue with many aspects of the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill, but the quota issue is really causing problems. Is there a structu…”

“As the Minister says, it is really important that the collective regime continues—we have a great reputation globally for our opt-out regime. The litigation finance industry is vital to supporting claims from consumers. The Government said last year that they would proceed with a Bill to restore a legal issue following…”

“8. When he plans to publish his Department’s review of and consultation on the opt-out collective actions regime.”

“This is a deeply unhappy and unacceptable situation. It is completely unacceptable, after writing and raising questions informally with officials and the Minister himself, for the Chair and members of the ISC to have to come to this House to pose an urgent question. Will the Minister confirm that if there are any chang…”

“I commend the Committee Chair and the Committee on the report, and I commend the Government on the PFAS plan. I thank him and the Committee for attending the location in my constituency that has suffered from this issue. Realistically, I cannot see this Government or a future Government being able to put in the money n…”

“One of the issues that the hon. Gentleman has not discussed in his excellent speech is governance. The commissioner of the contract is the NHS, and it is also the main oversight body. He has put forward a black-and-white solution—end or maintain the contract—but is there not a case for a more robust governance structur…”

“On the key recommendation of a national conversation to build support and understanding among the population, it is all very well having debates here or in Whitehall, but what conversations are the Government having with the Departments for Education and for Culture, Media and Sport, the BBC and social media providers …”

“The Government are rightly focused on bus services, but can I urge them to also think carefully about safety in bus stations? We have a big problem at Skipton bus station at the moment and there is no CCTV. I encourage the Minister to focus on local authorities and mayors to get obligatory CCTV in our bus stations to k…”

“UKHospitality talks about this tax being “the wrong policy at the worst time”. One of my worries is that entrepreneurs in the tourist industry in North Yorkshire and elsewhere are on their knees due to post-covid issues, national insurance, rates and a whole range of factors. Would my right hon. Friend agree that, what…”

“May I add to the tributes paid to the Table Clerk? Among all the advice he has given in the last 40 years, he gave particularly good advice on the meaningful vote, which left many of us traumatised, but he developed great expertise in that. As we celebrate the Good Friday agreement, may I urge the Secretary of State to…”

“I am a big supporter of the hon. Lady, and I do not want to attack her personally, but we have a big issue in York and North Yorkshire. The Mayor is proposing this tax, which will clobber my constituents’ businesses in North Yorkshire. It may be a benefit for York, but it will cause a massive problem for rural North Yo…”

“I am pleased to hear that answer, because farmers across Skipton and Ripon are really concerned about the fact that, having recently signed mid-tier agreements, they will not be eligible for the new SFI window. If the Secretary of State could push further on that and try to find a way through, farmers in North Yorkshir…”

“Manufacturers and distributors of bullets in the UK are extremely concerned about the decision by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ban lead bullets in 2029. The EU was about to make the same decision, but pulled back from it. Can we have an urgent debate about the impact of the decision on UK s…”

“Two Global Counsel clients benefited from direct Government defence awards and Global Counsel staff flew to Washington parties to join Peter Mandelson. Will the Minister confirm that, either in this bundle or in future documents, there will be a rigorous report to Parliament of the background to those awards and to all…”

“I thank the Secretary of State for his update. I echo the calls for support for business and keeping an eye on the impact of this crisis on business. For areas like mine in North Yorkshire, off-grid gas and oil customers do not have the same protection as many other energy customers. Will he and his team focus have reg…”

“T7. Small businesses across North Yorkshire are under massive pressure from national insurance, the workers’ rights Bill, rates, energy costs—the list goes on. Now that the consultation on the tourist tax has closed, will the Minister put that tax on pause in the interests of job creation for young people? The stats to…”

“I welcome the section on training in the SEND consultation, but much of it is not statutory. Will the Secretary of State confirm her thinking on that? Will she also confirm that autism and profiles of it such as pathological demand avoidance will be at the centre of that training?”

“I accept what the Minister is saying, but I do not understand why the dispute resolution has not worked and why there is still no opportunity for it to work. I should appreciate it if she could clarify that for the House. May I also ask what will be new and different about the next procurement? What needs to be set up?…”

“The Minister and the Secretary of State have said that Peter Mandelson was not involved in the decision on Palantir. However, the issue is not the decision itself but the run-up to it. We know that Peter Mandelson, or executives from Global Counsel, were flown into embassy parties, and we need to understand more about …”

“The Secretary of State will be aware that small businesses across the UK are really struggling with energy costs, particularly in communities in rural areas like North Yorkshire. What can small businesses get from this plan to lower their costs as quickly as possible? What role will the plan play in that?”