Speeches by Lam.

“We have heard that demand-responsive transport can be difficult to scale. We have demand-responsive transport in Kent called Kent Karrier, but in the survey I mentioned earlier only one in five people had even heard of it. As you think about rolling these things out, how are you thinking about both the scaling piece an…”

“I know, and we have heard from various people, that the Department is currently evaluating demand-responsive transport. What role do you think it could and should play in the national bus network?”

“I sent out a transport survey to every home in Weald of Kent, my constituency, and asked about buses. A third of people who use buses do so as part of a longer journey. One of the top requests that people had was to match them up better with train times. I appreciate that that is not always possible because there are, …”

“You mentioned your wish to move to a long-term, multi-year funding settlement, which I know will be music to the ears of lots of people who have spoken to us. Notwithstanding pleasing the gods of the spending review, how would five years, say, sound to you? What kind of timeframe are we looking at?”

“And Kent.”

“If it were a blunt yes or no on whether you think franchising works in rural areas, some of the witnesses have basically said no, but it sounds like you are saying yes, or maybe or sometimes.”

“We have heard different views from people on the viability of rural franchising. What are your thoughts on rural franchising, and what are the main challenges that you anticipate?”

“It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair this afternoon, Mr Stringer. It is a basic moral requirement of Governments to act in their country’s interest. They do that at home and abroad, overtly and covertly. Unsurprisingly, the interests of different countries are not always the same, so to protect our national …”

“Many members of the grooming and rape gangs that systematically abused white working class girls have never faced justice, and neither have the councillors, officials and police officers suspected of collusion and cover-up. Can we have a debate on the need for a national inquiry into these disgusting crimes? Will the L…”

“Over the past 50 years, abattoirs have rapidly vanished. More than 90% of them have closed. Across the country, family farms that once relied on local slaughterhouses now face round trips of over 100 miles just to kill a handful of animals to provide the meat for our tables. That drives up costs and, ironically, increa…”

“When we are thinking about permits and fines, one thing that I hear very often from my constituents and from local councillors in Kent is that, while it is possible to fine up to £10,000 a day for overrunning works, that is only in very specific circumstances and the fines are often in the region of £200 or £250. If th…”

“On a related note to that, Street Rates UK, some local authorities and a couple of the other people that we have heard evidence from have called for performance-based fines. If you are a repeat offender, it essentially ratchets up. That seems to me a relatively sensible proposal and might go towards the more structural…”

“Ideally, we would not get to the point of fines at all.”

“Maybe I can ask the question more simply. Is the current fine system working well and provides an effective deterrent in the backstop scenarios that you are talking about?”

“That is quite unusual, though.”

“It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Vickers. In 2024 alone, across England and Wales, more than 50,000 recorded crimes involved a knife or a sharp instrument, and more than 200 of those crimes resulted in a death, representing more than half of homicides over the same period. Such crimes are devastating…”

“I thank the Minister for advance sight of her statement. In January, the Home Secretary said that the Government would conduct five local inquiries into the rape gangs who have terrorised so many innocent children. More than three months since the Government announced those local inquiries, Tom Crowther KC, a barrister…”

“Demand for housing is greatest in London, which is where the economy most needs new homes. Building in London means less pressure on commuting infrastructure and house prices in places like rural Kent, but the housing targets for London have been cut. The Government justify that by saying that London has “the biggest p…”

“3. What steps she plans to take to support house building in London.”

“The funds that have been committed to projects via the Church of England’s reparations project are in fact for the upkeep of parish churches and the provision of salaries for the clergy. I know that the Second Church Estates Commissioner is dedicated to our parish churches and would not support anything unlawful, so wi…”