Speeches by Smith.

“It is a pleasure to speak in this debate, which my neighbour, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Torridge and Tavistock (Sir Geoffrey Cox), introduced . Some farms that were once in his constituency are now in mine, so he may well recognise some of the stories that I will tell. He has done me a favour—I am…”

“3. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed increase in employer national insurance contributions on public sector organisations.”

“I welcome the Government’s commitment to continue our work to address issues with the current leasehold system. However, where we are building new towns, such as Sherford in my constituency, residents, like others in new builds, face council tax and service charges, with no likelihood of that changing. What plans does …”

“Young Devon provides essential services for young people across Devon, including supported accommodation and mental health provision. When I met Young Devon staff on Friday, they told me the increased employers’ national insurance contributions will cost the charity at least £90,000 just to stand still—that means 100 f…”

“Last Thursday, the Prime Minister implied that the new wind energy project in Hull would result in lower energy bills for my constituents, but he refused to say by when. When can my constituents and others across the country expect to see the £300 reduction in their bills that the Labour party promised?”

“Given the Prime Minister’s optimism on his return from COP29, can he tell the House how the deals that he signed there will uphold his promise to cut energy bills by £300 for constituents such as mine, and when can they expect to see that promise become a reality?”

“While it is deeply disappointing to hear the decisions around Devonport’s surface fleet today, in particular as the MP for a proud home to the Royal Marines and 42 Commando, it does provide, as has been alluded to by some colleagues on the Labour Benches, an opportunity to raise again the need for a Devonport deal, and…”

“In 2013, the previous Government introduced a rebate of £50 per household on the water bills of customers in the far south-west. With 3% of the country’s population paying to keep a third of our bathing beaches clean on lower-than-average salaries, will the Secretary of State please reconsider the decision to scrap tha…”

“This is potentially a bit granular, but it keeps coming up and has sat with me for a number of years. I have done a lot of work in planning in the past. We obviously want to encourage as many people as possible to use electric vehicles. I do not know what my colleagues found, but over the election period I found that m…”

“You previously stated that the Government would invest “unprecedented levels of funding” in active travel. When do you anticipate that unprecedented funding being allocated, and how? For example, I am interested in whether there will be a focus on plugging the gaps that exist at the moment, where funding has often come…”

“Secretary of State, the Department’s 2024 annual report states that there have been “challenging” workforce capacity pressures and staff turnover has been “significantly higher” than 10 years ago. How do you plan to address those issues facing your Department?”

“How much of the previous Government’s work on rail reform, which had got as far as publishing a draft Bill, are you able to repurpose, or are you starting from scratch?”

“Obviously linked to the HS2 development is the impact on Old Oak Common. Changes to journey times from the south-west start this weekend. The Rail Minister heard quite strongly earlier this week that that has not been communicated to enough passengers in the south-west, but that is an aside. What thinking has been done…”

“That answers my supplementary question as well.”

“I have two questions. One is shorter than the other, so I will do the short one first. Obviously, this is the biggest transformation we have seen of the railways. How long do you anticipate that taking, particularly in terms of what the public are going to see? Are we going to see change in the next five years, or is i…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Vickers. I congratulate the hon. Member for Honiton and Sidmouth (Richard Foord) on securing this vital debate about NHS dentistry in the south-west. My constituents know the issues with access to NHS dentists only too well. Since 2020, the number of dentists in the…”

“Ninety-seven-year-old Joyce from my constituency was worried about losing her winter fuel payment, so she contacted my office. It sounds like the Minister has had a similar experience. Fortunately, my team was able to assist Joyce. We ran a full benefits check, and helped her to secure pension credit, and therefore her…”

“It has recently been brought to my attention that in Great Western Railway, which serves my constituency in Devon, drivers do not have contracts that ensure a seven-day-a-week service—the contracts do not include Sundays, so trains are regularly cancelled. In fact, four trains were cancelled yesterday, so one lady had …”

“21. If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the eligibility criteria for the winter fuel payment on trends in the level of pensioner poverty.”

“Given that secure housing on release has a proven positive impact on the recidivism rate of ex-offenders, which is something we all welcome, how many prisoners released early by this Government are being housed in hotels?”