Speeches by Bedford.

“I turn 40 next week. I hope that does not render me too old to highlight the realities faced by some of our young people. They feel let down and some even speak of intergenerational unfairness. The facts are stark: youth unemployment is rising, home ownership feels out of reach, NEET levels are at unprecedented highs, …”

“A new report by the Prosperity Institute is highly critical of the Government’s net zero policies and their adverse impact on the broader economy, and my constituents’ fuel bills continue to soar because of the Government’s reluctance to use more traditional sources of fuel. Will the Minister commit to raising that wit…”

“As a result of this Government’s economic vandalism, unemployment continues to rise, particularly among young people and those with disabilities. Now more than ever, it is crucial that we support people back into work, but the Access to Work scheme is overly bureaucratic and faces significant delays. Indeed, at the wee…”

“The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority, another quango I had not heard of before, rated the Synergy programme as “red”, which means it is off track. I am keen to know what you are going to do to bring it back on track because clearly we need to ensure that public money is being spent as effici…”

“Just before I hand over to a colleague who has some more questions on this, when we are talking about ensuring we have the right skills in the Department—and I get that on page 140 you commit to ensuring you have the right talent, training and so forth—historically there has been a propensity across both the private an…”

“I turn now to the broader remit of the Department. Clearly, you are a high spending Department. You have the second highest number of headcount. In terms of being set up to deliver the various things you need to deliver, including the new skills brief that you are under, on page 140 of your annual report and accounts y…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the potential merits of referendums on local government re-organisation. It is, as usual, a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms McVey. Before I begin, I would like to ask the House a simple question: who truly understands the challenges and intricacies of local li…”

“Do you envisage the apprenticeships to increase beyond what they were before? There were 5,000 the year before. Do you see that number increasing back up to that level and beyond?”

“We will raise it again next time.”

“A lot can be learned from previous Governments of all different colours, and I ask the Minister to look at history and not repeat any mistakes that may have been made in the past. Local identity, democratic consent and keeping council tax low are all at the forefront of my constituents’ concerns. First, there is growin…”

“As I said to the hon. Members who intervened earlier, this Government should definitely learn from the mistakes of previous Governments. That is particularly true in relation to the example the hon. Gentleman just gave of local government reform being introduced against the wishes of local people, resulting in an adver…”

“I am conscious of time but I would not want to miss out on the answer.”

“I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. As I said to the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Tom Gordon) earlier, this Government should reflect on the mistakes that previous Governments of different colours have made and ensure that the views of local people are always taken on board before any decisions are …”

“I absolutely agree: council services should be accessible to all. One of the concerns that my constituents have—particularly those in rural areas—is that if they are absorbed into a city unitary authority, they will have less access to be able to get their views and thoughts across. I share the sentiment that the hon. …”

“I think all the residents who would be impacted by any changes should be consulted in a referendum. All the constituents who would be part of a potential new authority should be consulted as part of that referendum—that is how I see it working. Of course, there are different models, and the Government could explain and…”

“What are you doing specifically to bring it back on track?”

“The hon. Gentleman makes a passionate point about his constituency. I know that he has been working on this issue for many years and I hope the Minister will take heed of what he just said. I know he will continue to champion those causes. My constituents have watched Leicester itself decline while the county continues…”

“Do you see a bit of a contradiction between delivering those priorities and then the Department still heavily sponsoring the skilled worker visas for, say, executive officer level positions in the Department? If you as a Department are going abroad to get people to fill vacancies but then as a Department you are also d…”

“I thank all Members from across the House for contributing to the debate. There is clearly passion across the House about our local areas and constituencies. Local decision making matters so much to our residents. I ask the Minister to reconsider the Government’s approach, particularly in the light of my point that loc…”

“Q3. Unlike many of his parliamentary colleagues, I actually do not think that the Prime Minister should resign. But at the start of a new year, it is time to reflect—reset, detox, if you will—on his Government’s appalling economic policies and tax rises, particularly business rates and the impact they are having on the…”