Speeches by Mather.

“I thank the shadow Minister and the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for their comments. I also commend the work of businesses in Mid Buckinghamshire constituency, and thank the hon. Gentleman for his support of the draft regulations. I have taken into account both the points raised on regulatory equivalence, and we have …”

“I thank the hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire and the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage for their contributions to this debate. The hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire said that he supports defending the need to ensure that our regulatory regime in the maritime space is as modern as it can be, both to facilitate UK …”

“Throughout the legislative process, both before and since Brexit, we have always worked hard on a departmental basis to engage with a broad range of stakeholders. We do so through this process as with any other, but if the hon. Member wishes to designate this as a Brexit success, I certainly will not stand in his way. …”

“I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Merchant Shipping (Marine Equipment) Regulations 2025. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Western. The draft regulations were laid before the House on 14 October, and their purpose is to simplify marine equipment legislation by consolidating …”

“I thank the official Opposition spokesperson and the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage for their contributions. I will take each of their points in turn. I recognise and agree that we are seeking to avoid excessive revenue and the unfortunate conduct that is perpetrated by some private providers of car parking spaces.…”

“I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (Definition of Relevant Land) (Amendment) Order 2025. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Jeremy. The draft order was laid before the House on Monday 8 September. Railway operators currently use a combination o…”

“No piece of legislation can deal with all the emissions that we are facing through challenges in the aviation sector. That is why we have this comprehensive package of measures to make decarbonising aviation while allowing passengers to fly at an affordable rate a reality. The hon. Member for Alloa and Grangemouth (Bri…”

“The hon. Member raises a very important point. We need to ensure that the benefits of the Act are felt across the length and breadth of our United Kingdom, and that includes engaging with our colleagues in the Northern Ireland Assembly. I turn to new clause 2. We do not anticipate a substantial impact on SAF production…”

“Before I turn to the amendments before us, I would like to thank the many hon. Members who have made considered and helpful contributions. This legislation has been long in the making, and few have been more central in bringing it to fruition than my predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Wythenshawe and Sale East …”

“My hon. Friend’s point is very well made. What has struck me throughout this debate is the access opportunities for the constituents of every Member in the room. Members have also pointed to the importance of modal shift and the impact on freight and our decarbonisation ambitions. We have also heard about the impact on…”

“I think the Conservative spokesperson, the hon. Member for Broadland and Fakenham, was right to say that competitive practices, where they work, should be encouraged, and that has been the focus of this debate. But the broader perspective, which came out in the debate around the Government in 2015 selling their stake i…”

“Of course there is open access ability through these international rail links, which is an important thing to point to. What I find challenging about the assertions that the hon. Member made in his winding-up speech is the notion that some sort of perfect free market competition existed in our rail system prior to the …”

“Well, I think it is important to note that this Government are not fixated on ideological dogmatism in this space. Where competition works and can offer tangible benefits to local people in Kent and across the United Kingdom, we will of course proceed with it.”

“Please forgive me. I learn something new every day in this role. The hon. Gentleman is right to mention how many debates have landed on some of these themes over the years as we have wrangled with these questions. It is earnestly hoped, from the Government’s perspective, that facilitating competition and greater access…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Hastings and Rye (Helena Dollimore) for securing this important debate. I commend her for her thoughtful remarks and continued advocacy on behalf of her constituents and the south-east more widely. She argued powerfull…”

“As it stands, the NPS document does stress that, wherever possible, with increased development you should look for opportunities to improve modal shift. That is with a particular emphasis on the issues raised by Mr Glover about congestion on the road network, so I believe it is sufficiently clear in that regard. That d…”

“I heard the extensive debate yesterday on the question of forecasts. I found it quite interesting. On the question of granularity, it is a very difficult balance to strike, because the forecasts implicitly account for realistic modal shares. They do not show major shifts, because the data shows that they are not likely…”

“What I would say is that, through port masterplanning, you get the opportunity to do genuine community engagement from the very earliest stages. It means that you can work through the mitigation hierarchy from the outset, pre-empt justified objections and work through them in relation to different projects. There is a …”

“There is a broader point around the Government’s growth ambitions, whereby designation of offshore wind as a CNP shows support for that form of primary development. That calls for development of the requisite port infrastructure to support it, so, in a sense, these two things dovetail together already.”

“Ports are clearly an absolutely integral part of the supply chain in the construction, operation and maintenance of offshore wind. In earlier questions, we have covered how our ambitions for those things need to dovetail with one another and sit within a unified strategic programme. The revised NPS makes it clear that …”