Speeches by Hatton.

“ Do you think it is accurate? It seems incredibly small to me.”

“ Do you worry, then, that you do not have anywhere near enough of the information required to have any idea what an accurate estimate of the offshore tax gap would be?”

“ With a figure as tiny as that, you cannot help but walk away thinking that your estimates are not based on accurate information.”

“ I have two quick questions on something Sarah rightly raised. Those numbers are quite appalling reading, collapsing from 691 investigations down to 344. First, why are you not using all the extra resources that you have already told us you have to increase the number of criminal prosecutions? Secondly—our constit…”

“ You need a tough deterrent, surely? People will get away with avoiding tax if they do not think anyone is going to come after them. If the numbers have collapsed drastically from 691 to 344, the deterrent disappears altogether.”

“ Okay. I think a lot of people across the country would question that reasoning and would want to see those who deliberately avoid tax face prosecution. I will move on to the impact of policy changes around corporation tax and research and development relief schemes. There are two key questions I would like to und…”

“ Could you explain in a bit more detail how you reached that estimate of 17.6%?”

“ That is quite a worrying statistic: it suggests that fraud and error is quite commonplace when it comes to these relief schemes. Going back to my first question, do you think there is concrete evidence that this relief scheme is providing good value for money? Does this scheme, much like many others, provide poor…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for making such an eloquent speech. The point he makes is really important: in rural and coastal communities, testing services and public health awareness can often feel particularly remote. Looking at how we use primary care, particularly community hospitals and GP surgeries, will be essential t…”

“I want to wind up the debate by thanking the many Members on both sides of the House for their thoughtful and constructive contributions. I thank the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Richard Tice), my hon. Friend the Member for Kensington and Bayswater (Joe Powell), the hon. Member for Tiverton and Minehead (Rachel…”

“I beg to move, That this House recognises the impact of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) on the publication of stories in the public interest; acknowledges that most cases of SLAPPs do not reach the courts, but are blocked or changed at an earlier, unseen stage; further recognises the importance…”

“One of the points that stuck out for me in the NAO Report was around this idea of insufficient capacity. It does go on to talk about what is being done to grow the number of places and the number of standalone schools as well. Would you be able to perhaps set out in a bit more detail what is actually going on to build …”

“That would be very helpful, because if that is one of the things that is stopping us getting schools open and additional places, it is quite a minor barrier. I do not expect you to have at your fingertips the specific example I referred to of the Osprey Quay school, but the note given to me said it was about a lease, a…”

“It is just that point around how we make sure that the small barriers do not get in the way of a much bigger piece of delivery.”

“Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for calling me to speak during today’s important debate. I wish to begin by taking the opportunity to thank my constituents for choosing change and putting their trust in me at the ballot box this summer. This was indeed a “change” election. The last time that a Labour MP for South Dors…”

“Q2. Members have raised their concerns about a range of damaging policies pursued by the Leader of the Opposition. This includes voting against critical investment for our NHS, stating that maternity pay is excessive and the minimum wage a burden, and even backing harmful fracking when last in government. Is the Prime …”

“Thank you. I will give a little bit of background as this can sometimes feel like a technical and somewhat dry subject area—although I assure you that it is not. The debate is on SLAPPs, or strategic lawsuits against public participation, and the colloquial term used by journalists is “lawfare”. This is essentially whe…”

“Q2. I welcome the Home Office’s decision to close the Bibby Stockholm barge in my constituency. We all know that barge is a gimmick. First, it arrived late; secondly, it cost the taxpayer a fortune; third, it was laden with fire and disease risks; and fourthly, it likely contributed to the death of a 27-year-old asylum…”

“A builder living on Portland, a B&B owner in Weymouth and a shopkeeper on Swanage high street all pay their fair share of tax, yet some individuals take advantage of offshore tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands to avoid paying their fair share. My constituents play by the rules; we ought to know a bit mor…”

“T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.”