Speeches by Wheeler.

“Does the Minister agree that, far from being a skeletal Bill, this legislation provides an adaptable framework for product regulation and consumer safety?”

“I begin by offering my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has taken part in this debate and offered their professional and powerful personal experiences. I said in my maiden speech that we must never be afraid to learn from those around us, and I certainly have learned an awful lot today. I know from experience that poor…”

“Our predecessor Committee was understandably very sympathetic, during the pandemic, as to the difficulties it posed the Department in terms of responding to WPQs, but why do you think it has taken so long since the pandemic for performance to recover to the strong pre-pandemic levels?”

“You mentioned the NHS England changes. In his letter to us last September, the Secretary of State set out that NHS England had introduced a new system—I think you might have mentioned this earlier—to track and monitor named day responses. How will the reabsorption of NHS England by the Department affect work on WPQs? W…”

“Good afternoon. I understand that one of the concerns raised with our predecessor Committee about the introduction of elections in the first place was that introducing that mildly partisan element might undermine the cohesion and strong working relationships between the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker team. In your expe…”

“Good afternoon. I understand that one of the concerns raised with our predecessor Committee about the introduction of elections in the first place was that introducing that mildly partisan element might undermine the cohesion and strong working relationships between the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker team. In your expe…”

“If I might, I want to really press this in case it becomes an issue. I might agree that we should and we might, but in terms of a practical impact on the Chamber and the real psychology of our colleagues, do you not think there would be less willingness to take interventions?”

“I want to press this, as someone who has occasionally found myself towards the bottom of the non-existent list in a debate, despite being not an incredibly frequent speaker. It is fair to say that it is a real and apparent problem when people are donating time to colleagues who are ahead of you. I agree with your asses…”

“I understand that one of the concerns raised with our predecessor Committee was that elections for Deputy Speakers might introduce a partisan element of friction within the Speaker and Deputy Speaker team. In your opinion, from your extensive experience, was there any hangover from competitive elections? Was there any …”

“There was not any potential friction, as a hangover from a competitive election?”

“If I might, I want to really press this in case it becomes an issue. I might agree that we should and we might, but in terms of a practical impact on the Chamber and the real psychology of our colleagues, do you not think there would be less willingness to take interventions?”

“I want to press this, as someone who has occasionally found myself towards the bottom of the non-existent list in a debate, despite being not an incredibly frequent speaker. It is fair to say that it is a real and apparent problem when people are donating time to colleagues who are ahead of you. I agree with your asses…”

“I understand that one of the concerns raised with our predecessor Committee was that elections for Deputy Speakers might introduce a partisan element of friction within the Speaker and Deputy Speaker team. In your opinion, from your extensive experience, was there any hangover from competitive elections? Was there any …”

“There was not any potential friction, as a hangover from a competitive election?”

“I feel as though I should declare an interest, as I am the proud dad of a little boy who is literally taking his first steps as our Government take these important steps in a critical area. I welcome the statement and all the Secretary of State’s work in this area. I particularly welcome the fact that St Stephen’s in m…”

“If the system we have in place was working, we would not be here debating this, and we would not see these shoddy products on sale or these fires. The only explanation is either that the system does not work or the last Government failed in their duty to the people of this country. As I was saying, this has left Britis…”

“Having heard these comments several times, I wonder whether the hon. Member will accept that wisdom is not necessarily proportional to the amount of time spent in the Chamber.”

“I thank the hon. Lady for giving way. As a fellow member of the Procedure Committee, I do enjoy a good procedural debate, but I wonder whether she will get to the meat of the Bill at any point. Will we be talking about Brexit bogeymen, or will we be talking about consumer safety, representing those we are here to repre…”

“I disagree that the issue is “purely” around enforcement. Obviously, there are elements of enforcement, but separating out one part of a package—a regulatory framework that will future-proof us from other issues—is not a coherent argument. To conclude, it is vital that we create a product safety, regulatory and metrolo…”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that intervention. We are dealing with a regulatory black hole that was left behind, and the absence of a framework is letting down the consumers and people of this country—[Interruption.] I was about to say that I am sure we would all agree on that, but that is potentially a stretch…”