Speeches by Dyke.

“Responding to my small business survey, a local business in Street said that high employer national insurance contributions is one of the major challenges and that it could force them to cancel some of their investment plans. Does my hon. Friend agree that the measures being proposed do not encourage growth and could i…”

“Ambulance crews strive every day to provide the very best care for their patients, but ambulances are not arriving to the most serious emergencies quickly enough. An 89-year-old Somerton constituent recently had a fall at home and was left lying on the floor in agony for 10 hours. Sadly, that is all too common, as Sout…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for securing this vital and important debate. She talks about inequality, and SEND funding is unequal across the country. Somerset council is part of the f40 group, which includes a number of the most poorly funded councils across the country. It received less than £8,000 in gross dedicated grant…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way and thank the right hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Sir John Hayes) for his comments. We know that it costs more to deliver services in rural areas, yet rural councils are set to receive 41% less central Government funding than urban councils in the local govern…”

“Southern’s sewage spills nearly doubled between 2022 and 2023, to nearly 25,000 in 2023, and 182 storm overflows managed by the firm discharged 60-plus times in 2023. Southern Water has said that 65% of the high rate of spills is due to maintenance assets. You have come under quite sustained criticism for your environm…”

“The hon. Gentleman is making a powerful speech. Langport surgery, in my constituency, is in the all too common position of struggling to attract and retain staff because of stretched budgets that limit its ability to offer attractive terms and conditions to those working in these challenging roles. Does he agree that t…”

“Amendment 2, tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire), would ensure that the commissioner published annual reports to outline what was being done to support minority groups in the armed forces. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the amendment would ensure that the commissioner was an impo…”

“Despite the large fines that you have incurred, there is still a significant number of spills taking place. There were 25,000 back in 2023. What improvements are needed to clear up the mess?”

“Southern Water was issued with £90 million of fines. What impact have those environmental fines had on the financial health of the business?”

“Will that help to prevent so much spillage?”

“To cope with higher rainfall and emergency situations, Southern Water had installed pipes for the pumping of diluted sewage near the River Test and a rare chalk stream. Following protests from residents, rightly, you said the plan was a mistake and it was cancelled. In 2021, the Crown court issued Southern Water with a…”

“Can you explain dry spills?”

“Southern’s sewage spills nearly doubled between 2022 and 2023, to nearly 25,000 in 2023, and 182 storm overflows managed by the firm discharged 60-plus times in 2023. Southern Water has said that 65% of the high rate of spills is due to maintenance assets. You have come under quite sustained criticism for your environm…”

“Yet dividends are still being paid out.”

“Does that give consumer confidence?”

“What about previous years following privatisation?”

“£1 billion was paid out in shareholder dividends in 2023-24. Could you just outline the link between performance and dividends? Do you foresee dividends decreasing following Ofwat’s new regulations?”

“We have outlined that the need for investment in our water infrastructure is clear. We have heard that 20p in the pound goes on water company debts, and 11p in the pound on dividends. The Consumer Council for Water’s survey indicated that about 40% of consumers in England and Wales would struggle to afford the increase…”

“Despite the large fines that you have incurred, there is still a significant number of spills taking place. There were 25,000 back in 2023. What improvements are needed to clear up the mess?”

“Southern Water was issued with £90 million of fines. What impact have those environmental fines had on the financial health of the business?”