Speeches by Huq.

“Is the pipeline there with degree courses on estate management and planning and things, are they covering these modules enough?”

“It’s great to have an all-female panel. I want to ask about workforce development issues. I know that we touched on the conservation officer phenomenon. In my own borough, Ealing, we have 29 conservation areas, mostly Victorian and Edwardian, although there is a bit of Georgian as well. That post was vacant from 2018; …”

“Your written evidence, Geoff’s in particular, recommended a reclaim scheme on publicly accessible built sites. How does that fit with the net zero goals as well?”

“It need not be just churches but also synagogues and mosques, which also do those functions.”

“Would other reforms to general taxation make life easier and conservation financially more viable for you?”

“Yes. Architects’ Journal is doing a big campaign on how retrofitting should be the way forward rather than demolition with all its huge carbon emissions. How much overlap do the three of your organisations—National Heritage Lottery, English Heritage and Architectural Heritage Fund—have with the National Churches Trust?…”

“Hi, everyone. Thanks for coming in. My questions are following up from the stuff on Government support. On the deeply unsexy but fascinating subject of VAT and the inconsistency on the different exemptions, I wondered how the current VAT regime impacts your ability to support the repair and reuse of historic buildings.”

“In the build, build, build climate, will it be more likely that these old things do disappear because you can put a much higher structure up on the same space?”

“The other thing that occurred to me is that we had the new council leader put in a conservation officer, but I am still being emailed about things about to be demolished, “Object by 13 November.” So what effect do these positions have, even if you do have them?”

“And for people to update, I suppose—not just the training and it is done.”

“It’s great to have an all-female panel. I want to ask about workforce development issues. I know that we touched on the conservation officer phenomenon. In my own borough, Ealing, we have 29 conservation areas, mostly Victorian and Edwardian, although there is a bit of Georgian as well. That post was vacant from 2018; …”

“Your written evidence, Geoff’s in particular, recommended a reclaim scheme on publicly accessible built sites. How does that fit with the net zero goals as well?”

“Is the pipeline there with degree courses on estate management and planning and things, are they covering these modules enough?”

“Would other reforms to general taxation make life easier and conservation financially more viable for you?”

“It need not be just churches but also synagogues and mosques, which also do those functions.”

“Yes. Architects’ Journal is doing a big campaign on how retrofitting should be the way forward rather than demolition with all its huge carbon emissions. How much overlap do the three of your organisations—National Heritage Lottery, English Heritage and Architectural Heritage Fund—have with the National Churches Trust?…”

“Hi, everyone. Thanks for coming in. My questions are following up from the stuff on Government support. On the deeply unsexy but fascinating subject of VAT and the inconsistency on the different exemptions, I wondered how the current VAT regime impacts your ability to support the repair and reuse of historic buildings.”

“As of tomorrow, the Lending Standards Board will be no more, because its funders—the banks—have pulled out. Will Minister meet me urgently to take forward the good work that the board was doing, particularly on the ethnicity code? That work exposed the fact that only 19% of minority businesses achieve loans, whereas 58…”

“As this is a 30-minute wonder, there will be no time for a concluding speech from Martin Rhodes. I remind other Members present that they cannot make a speech; they can only intervene, with permission from the Member who has the floor.”

“T3. First, we had the VW scandal and now we have Dieselgate 2, with multiple manufacturers accused of faking it and emissions up to 30 times the legal limit. Can Ministers update us on the Department for Transport’s inquiry and promise swift action when it is out?”