Speeches by Carling.

“My hon. Friend is citing some shocking evidence, and I will be sure to listen to the Committee session later. On her comments about Meta not believing that its platforms are addictive, does she agree that the problem goes more broadly than just children? Lots of adults have issues with social media addiction, and a soc…”

“Does the right hon. Lady not recognise that action and a ban will not necessarily be the same thing? This is a really nuanced policy area. Quite recently, there was a huge online joint letter published by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the Molly Rose Foundation, the Internet Watch Found…”

“I have a couple of questions on what you said there. You mentioned the EIC not taking on casework. What is your perspective on the risk that potentially without that direct exposure to the issues that are coming up within the standards regime daily the EIC could have a bit of a limited perspective on some issues, and t…”

“That is a useful way of looking at that. Of course the EIC has also been tasked with advising public authorities on the development of clear codes of conduct that will complement the new requirement from the Public Office (Accountability) Bill. What is the Government’s vision for how the EIC will carry out that respons…”

“Do we have a sense of when the Public Office (Accountability) Bill will complete its passage through Parliament?”

“On that topic of the network it has, the EIC is currently running an inquiry into the UK’s ombudsman sector and its different strands. When you were setting up the EIC, was it the Government’s intention for it to have that broader remit and look at public service effectiveness and efficiency as well as integrity? Is th…”

“Again, I am following up on what has been discussed around the lobbying landscape. I appreciate waiting for the responses to a lot of the work the EIC is doing, but at the moment do the Government have a particular view on the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists and whether that has the powers it needs, or …”

“Sorry, I was quoting. The EIC has been tasked with examining “current concerns about the standards of conduct of all public office holders, and report annually to the Prime Minister on the health of standards in public life”.”

“It is useful to know that work is going on. The EIC has been tasked with examining “current concerns about standards of conduct of all public office holders, and report annually to the Prime Minister on the health of standards in public life”, which will be done in the form of an annual letter, which we discussed a lit…”

“Thank you. That leads on to what I was going to ask about. First, why do you think it is more appropriate for the EIC not to do casework? Are you able to expand on that a bit?”

“That network and those links, are they strong enough to mitigate the risk that, without the direct exposure to the types of issues that are coming up—either regularly or just those that are more topical based on the kind of current political situation or whatever it may be—the EIC could almost have a bit of a specific …”

“That leads me on to ask: is there a space, or a requirement almost, then, for Parliament to do more of their inquiry tracking type work, and looking at what you have recommended and what the Government have implemented and trying to dot the i’s and cross the t’s? Yes, that way around. I have your terms of reference her…”

“To return to some of the topics we discussed earlier around the other bodies that the EIC interacts with, I just have a few more questions around the network and the way that that is working. First of all, the network of ethics bodies has been formalised now with the formation of the EIC from the CSPL. What change woul…”

“That is useful. Just one final question then for now. The Government have a broader agenda to try and reduce the number of public bodies and to streamline and have a more efficient and effective system. Of the regulators and standards bodies that we have, the one that always stands out to me quite a bit is the Registra…”

“That is useful. How do you approach considering wider issues where they are primarily within a particular body’s remit? As an example, there is a lot of concern sometimes around the appointment process to the House of Lords and whether that is working, whether there are enough independent Members coming through the HOL…”

“That is a useful perspective. I noticed on the EIC website that the terms of reference that set it up are very short, but also very broad. I suppose that gives you a lot of space. Do you think that gives you the flexibility to examine different issues or does it create a problem in focus?”

“On those inquiries, given the status that we have just talked about and the EIC’s positioning, how are you able to make sure that recommendations are implemented? What mechanisms are available to the EIC to follow up, to track progress, and to challenge where the Government are not implementing recommendations? Where a…”

“On Sunday, there was a horrific attack in my constituency; a 16-year-old boy was fatally stabbed in Orton. My thoughts—and those of the House, I am sure—are with his family. I welcome the Government’s ambition to halve knife crime. How will that help to tackle the issue in Peterborough and across Cambridgeshire? What w…”

“That is really helpful. Do you think there is scope for a wider range of bodies to be included in that network or is it about where it needs to be?”

“Would my hon. Friend join me in commemorating the life and legacy of Alan Dowson? Until very recently, he was a councillor in my constituency. He was first elected in 1971, and served as a Labour councillor for most of the intervening years. He was 19 years old when he was on Christmas Island, and he was one of the vet…”