Speeches by Lam.

“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…”

“T8. Fifty-nine Israeli hostages are being held by Hamas in Gaza, having been kidnapped in the Hamas terrorist attack of 7 October 2023. Only 24 are thought to be still alive, and we know from released hostages that they have been starved and tortured, chained in tunnels. They have not seen sunlight for 543 days. What a…”

“In at least 50 of our towns, gangs of men have groomed and then sexually tortured little girls, with astonishing depravity. Still, not one person has been convicted for covering up these institutionalised rapes. Local inquiries cannot summon witnesses, are being refused by local authorities, and cannot address national…”

“On Tuesday 8 July 2014, the then Home Secretary and later Prime Minister, and now the right honourable Baroness May of Maidenhead, stood at the Dispatch Box to present the Modern Slavery Bill, as it was then, on its Second Reading. She spoke powerfully of those “tricked and coerced into a horrendous life of servitude a…”

“We have heard in a few sessions over the weeks about the challenges of planning effectively in the current funding timeframe context. How does the lack of a multi-year funding stream affect the ability of enhanced partnerships to deliver long-term improvements?”

“If you are subsidising anyway, subsidising a franchise is “potato, potahto”.”

“Lastly, we have touched on rural areas in a few questions. I just wanted to come back to that. I represent a rural patch of the Kentish countryside. Our written evidence was pretty consensual that franchising is broadly not appropriate for rural areas. I came to this session today assuming that it would not be the righ…”

“Are there any other indicators? It is difficult to measure performance for something that does not already exist, but is there anything else that local authorities or central Government could use to assess the track record and decide whether or not an area was appropriate for franchising?”

“On that note about resourcing, the risks of franchising are not just financial; they are also about the capacity and capability to do the work of running the bus services. Mr Vidler, the Confederation of Passenger Transport highlighted that risk in its evidence. What risks do you see in devolving funding to areas that …”

“Was that similarly mostly locally funded?”

“Where did that money come from?”

“Just coming back to financial risks, several local authorities and councils have told us they simply could not afford to take on the franchising model. The up-front costs are very high and there is an ongoing financial risk if passenger numbers are lower than forecast. Could those of you who have implemented the model …”

“The right hon. Lady talks of financial responsibility, but will she please tell us when Government bond yields hit their highest levels since the global financial crisis, and who was the Chancellor of the Exchequer then? If she needs a clue, we can bring her a mirror.”

“On 22 May 2017, Islamist extremist Salman Abedi carried out a sickening attack on the Manchester arena following a concert. This barbaric act of terrorism killed 22 people and injured more than 1,000 others, many of them children. It was the deadliest act of terrorism in this country since the 7/7 bombings in 2005. Wha…”

“Thank you, Sir Jeremy. I would add, though, that the very funds that the Church Commissioners might supply, for example, for chancel repairs, may be the same funds that have been allocated to Project Spire. The underlying money that we are talking about for these Measures is all the same, and therefore I do believe tha…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Jeremy. The Church of England has been at the heart of our national life for centuries. It is our national Church and it plays an important role in many of the great ceremonies and occasions that bring our country together. Even in an age of increasing secularisati…”

“In December, the Government announced proposals for mayoral strategic authorities to be able to approve their own lane rental schemes, rather than waiting for the DFT. Do the panellists have any thoughts on whether that is a good idea? Does it go far enough?”

“Thank you. That is really interesting. Do any of the other panellists have experience of a lane rental scheme?”

“Sorry to interrupt you. Can I pick up on that point? Some of the utility companies have expressed concern that it would be used as a revenue generator. The way you are talking about it sounds like the inverse.”

“Or unplanned interruption, the definition of unplanned interruption.”