Speeches by Reader.

“What further measures could you put in place to reduce the risk of firms going bust and that cost being placed at the feet of consumers?”

“You have recognised that the costs have largely come down, but there was a big spike in standing charges, particularly through the supplier of last resort scheme. What steps have you taken to try to recoup some of the cost from the shareholders and owners of those companies that went bankrupt? Could you set out the leg…”

“You might have answered my question, so I will frame it slightly differently. You picked up on the point that as we have a reducing number of people using the gas network, the cost of maintaining—I know you talked about decommissioning—will sit on fewer and fewer consumers. The Government’s drive towards heat pumps is …”

“That is something you are already working on. There is a function or a team in Ofgem who are looking at this specifically now, to get ahead of this, rather than waiting for the policy decision before taking action to protect consumers.”

“If firms are still not compliant by March, what steps will you take?”

“What does being compliant mean?”

“We are going to talk about failing energy firms and the cost to consumers. I have a very quick question to begin with. Are you satisfied that all suppliers in the retail market are operating on a sustainable footing?”

“Your report says that it is a 91% increase in the last two years, so it has much more than doubled.”

“Current debt levels, as per your December report, are £3.82 billion. What level does debt need to get to before Government need to make a more serious intervention? We are tinkering with some ideas, but at some point there has to be a much more serious intervention to protect consumers. At what point is that going to c…”

“On that point, while you recognise that Government set the policy and you help deliver it, you do say on your website, “Where we think there are important policy gaps that affect consumers, we can call this out”. Can you give us some examples of how you have called that out?”

“Does that give confidence to my constituents now that they are going to see their energy bills reducing? They have heard for years from Government that things will get better in the future. We are now talking about 2030 as the next milestone, but people are seeing their debt and costs continuing to rise. Can they trust…”

“I am looking forward to my hon. Friend’s Bill—a much-needed piece of legislation. The British Beer and Pub Association backs this change to the law because it knows that the industry needs it. And as a proud member, along with others in the House, of the all-party parliamentary beer group and the all-party parliamentar…”

“Northampton has a fantastic and varied hospitality sector, and this Bill will support local businesses across Northampton South. There are over 30 pubs in my constituency alone, and they employ nearly 1,500 people. I have been very fortunate to visit a number of them over the years, and I have now visited many on const…”

“Thank you for your time today. This is my first ever question at a Select Committee.”

“It is probably a question for Jeremy, though, so I do apologise, Ed. I am interested in the spending review. How much work are you doing to make sure that there is a cross-Government view on achieving net zero and other goals? As I think has been raised, you cannot achieve climate resilience without DEFRA being brought…”

“I note for the record my interest in this area, because I am a landlord. As the Member of Parliament for Northampton South, I come to the Chamber today to speak strongly in support of the Bill and many of the amendments. The private and social rented sectors account for around a third of all households in my constituen…”

“Can the Minister set out how today’s announcement will help our small and medium-sized enterprise house builder market and bring forward more sites suitable for SMEs to develop?”

“Last week, the University of Northampton published its economic impact assessment, which showed that for every £1 of income it receives, it generates £4 in my local economy, and that 54% of graduates entered full-time jobs in the health and education sectors, compared with 38% nationally. Will the Leader of the House j…”

“As the House has heard today, a major incident has been declared in Northamptonshire: there is a risk to life in my constituency and that of my constituency neighbour, the hon. Member for South Northamptonshire (Sarah Bool). Over 1,000 people have been evacuated from the Billing aquadrome, and we have seen hundreds of …”

“Tomorrow night at 6 pm, hundreds of people will take to the streets in Northampton for our Reclaim the Night march. Marches of this type take place across the country, and show the national support for this Government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls. Will the Leader of the House assure me and campai…”