Speeches by Caliskan.

“Q I thank the panel members. I would like to dig down a bit on local plans, and to build on Ms Hills’s comments on the need for a chief planning officer. There are two parts to my question. The first is: what do you think about the lack of capacity in local authorities at the moment? It is all well and good having a ch…”

“Q And transport. There are good examples across the country where just the prospect of a train station unlocks thousands of homes because the land value means that developers are more interested in that area, but the lead up to granting that permission is so lengthy that it feels like a blockage. Does this Bill address…”

“I was a local councillor until I resigned last May, but I am not sure whether I need to declare that. I am a vice president of the Local Government Association, which will be relevant for the panel this afternoon.”

“Q I was thinking more about areas outside London because the demand in London is so great. James Stevens: That is why the devolution White Paper would give the mayors enhanced powers to do things such as bus franchising, drawing in investment, taking over trains, and increasing passenger numbers. Development of public …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. My constituents tell me over and over again about the poor performance and lack of accountability of residential estate management companies. In this country, the truth is that there is a complex web of operating companies, parent companies and, in some case…”

“I am not trying to be provocative. I am just trying to get a sense of how those things not being in place helps this area.”

“My second question was going to be about what impact that might have, but it is not a helpful direction.”

“I want to ask a little more about the national action plan. You may have already addressed this, but it would be helpful to get a bit more of a sense of your assessment of how well the UK has made progress on human health alongside animal health, food and the environment as a whole. Clive Betts asked earlier whether we…”

“I do not want to be provocative in what I am about to say, but I think it is an important point to make. It goes back to your previous point, Professor Whitty, about the need for the basics to be done better in the healthcare system and the NHS in order to be able to tackle the AMR challenge. Things like beds in corrid…”

“How do you test how prepared the UK is? There might be indicators that the Department is looking at as part of the process of putting it on a risk register and then managing that risk. Could you give the Committee a bit more of an understanding of how you test the UK’s preparedness for a scenario in which something mov…”

“Do you mean the targets to reduce AMR?”

“Are those the local resilience plans?”

“So sewage being dumped in our waterways, rivers, streams and other open water sources is a public health issue.”

“That is really helpful, because one of my sub-questions was about the decision to move something from chronic to acute, and to what extent it is about the prevalence of the disease, if you like, versus its severity on an individual. Millions of people might have something, but that in itself does not give it an acute c…”

“You have answered this, but just for absolute clarity, the Report talks about workshops that were held in 2024 for local resilience forums post some of the covid inquiry work that had been done. We know that the local resilience forums were so important during the covid pandemic, but the exercises that were held in 202…”

“It is not. I am saying that it derives from the WHO’s understanding of what the picture may be.”

“I want to ask about environmental factors that might impact AMR resistance. How worried are you about water companies dumping sewage?”

“My understanding, but correct me because I may be entirely incorrect, is that those targets derive from WHO and UN guidance. They are targets derived from what those two organisations are saying when it comes to the agenda. Therefore, if the Department of Health and Social Care, for example, or the NHS changes the targ…”

“Is that why a lot of the spending is on research rather than treatment?”

“My final question is on the UK’s preparedness for AMR becoming an acute emergency. The Report details that the Cabinet Office currently distinguishes between acute and chronic risks, so will you say a bit about that? The Report also identifies that AMR is one of 26 chronic risk drivers. There is a potential that, altho…”