Speeches by Blake.

“I beg to move, That this House has considered No Recourse to Public Funds and homelessness. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Murrison. I point hon. Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests for the help I receive from the Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy Project for the w…”

“Yes, it is more challenging to provide support in rural areas, but there is also huge pressure on cities as well. As I mentioned earlier, the financial burden that falls on councils as a result of the policy is huge. Wherever they are in the UK, I think local authorities would say it is a challenge. That is why this ne…”

“Yes, I think that that is a very valuable solution. It is one that we discussed in the last debate we had on children. This is an issue that affects children profoundly; therefore, councils have to pick up that cost, so the Work and Pensions Committee makes a very valid point. I am glad that the commitments in the home…”

“That is a very timely intervention, as we consider our aims to reduce violence against women and girls. As we know, many women are trafficked and suffer sexual abuse and sexual violence as a result. I absolutely agree: the least we could do is make sure they have a safe roof over their heads when they come forward for …”

““Regrettable substitution” is a great phrase, and so is “whack-a-mole”.”

“I will move on with the other panellists. We have heard from some industries that have difficulties with changing their products to not include PFAS, which might be challenging in certain industries. Looking forward, what lessons can be learned, in terms of regulatory approach, about any new classes of chemicals that a…”

“That leads to my next question. How should Governments balance the environmental protection with the economic and societal needs of PFAS? Where would you draw the line?”

“We know that the EU is considering a class-wide restriction on PFAS and allowing only essential uses. How should essential use be defined? You have already answered whether or not this approach might be more effective than regulating one substance at a time, but how preventative action on PFAS is implemented will also …”

“I congratulate the Secretary of State on her statement. Following my debate in June, I welcome the recognition of children with no recourse to public funds as part of the strategy, and its commitment to ensuring that vulnerable migrant children receive the support that they require, regardless of their immigration stat…”

“I place on record my sincere thanks to the Secretary of State and Ministers for the constructive, open and thoughtful way in which they have engaged with me and my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed), as well as local leaders from the council in Sheffield, throughout the passage of the Bill, …”

“I thank the Secretary of State for his clear leadership, which is in stark contrast to the shadow Secretary of State. I was dismayed to hear her comments, which offered a complete dereliction of duty to future generations and followed others’ failures of leadership rather than showing leadership. I warmly welcome the r…”

“I thank the Prime Minister for his statement and actions. If we achieve peace, as we all hope, the efforts to rebuild Ukraine cannot be only about infrastructure. They also have to focus on rebuilding people’s lives, from those who have been devastatingly injured or have lost loved ones, to civil society, which has bee…”

“Yes, we have a broken system, but does the Home Secretary really believe that people having to flee violence, war and persecution means they have won a golden ticket if they are lucky enough to get refugee status here? Does she understand that such rhetoric is deeply offensive and feeds division? Does she accept that s…”

“Just coming back to the governance arrangements, my first question is to Mr Childs and Mr Hunter Jones, but I am happy if you would like to come in as well, Professor. What governance or system‑wide barriers have held back delivery under earlier carbon budgets? How can these be addressed to reduce any delivery risks fo…”

“I have recently taken up the role as chair of the Climate and Nature Crisis Caucus. Zero Hour provides support to help me with this work. It is in my entry in the Register of Members’ Interests, if anyone wants to refer to it.”

“You should all join.”

“Clearly, having credible contingency plans is very important. There are mechanisms such as scrutiny, cross-Department oversight and public reporting. I know that we have spoken about public involvement, but what more can we be doing in Parliament and across Departments in Government to ensure that these plans are reali…”

“That is exceedingly helpful. Just winding back, ownership has come out of all of your answers there. Are there any suggestions that we should be making in our report about how to build ownership across Government Departments, the Bank of England and the rest of it? How do we make sure that there is a continued collecti…”

“Professor Grubb, looking back at earlier carbon budgets, what do you feel worked and did not work in holding Government—and regulators, importantly—to account? How can we use any lessons that are there to make sure that the legal duties are fulfilled and delivered to avoid legal challenge as we go forward within that.”

“I thank the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Committee itself for the report, which I thought was very helpful and insightful. I share the concern that the Chair outlines about the gathering of evidence. I want to ask about media access into the Gaza strip. Is that an area that the Committee could look at…”