Speeches by Green.

“Was that not happening before?”

“I would like to speak about the service level agreements that were mentioned earlier. The NAO Report clearly states that all four recommendations were implemented. I am keen to understand how they are working in practice. General Overton, what do they look like at this point in time, and how could they be improved?”

“Understood.”

“Turning to you, General Gordon, the other thing that the NAO Report said was that “The MoD told us that it had also asked the Council to carry out a ‘zero-based review’ of all RFCA activity, including DRM, to identify areas where savings might be made.” Have you identified any of those savings yet?”

“I am keen to understand that account management better, because you said that it has been a huge success, and that is clear from the numbers. The NAO Report says that “Increasing numbers of employers signing up meant that each DRM account manager had around 180 accounts on average, approximately 10 times as many as the…”

“I would like to turn to employer engagement. The NAO Report acknowledges that the Ministry of Defence “agreed a new operating model” for defence relationship management back in October. At the time that the NAO was drafting its Report, that was in the process of being rolled out. General Overton, I am keen to hear how …”

“If the service level agreements are as detailed as you say, does that mean there is a very good understanding from the RFCAs’ point of view of what exactly they are being asked to provide and what services are required of them?”

“I put on the record the fact that I am a participant in the armed forces parliamentary scheme. This weekend, I really enjoyed meeting some of the Air Cadets and Army Cadets at the Chesham carnival, who were a fantastic advert for what we are talking about today. I want to ask about the implementation of the Sullivan re…”

“I thank the Minister for his response. He will know that some projects are waiting up to 15 years to connect to the grid, and the Secretary of State earlier referred to the zombie waiting list. Could I push him further and ask precisely what concrete steps the Department is taking to drastically cut that waiting list?”

“4. What steps he is taking to increase grid capacity.”

“Only 9% went to the water restoration fund. Dame Tamara Finkelstein: That was a recent conversation, and £11 million went, but it is an ongoing conversation.”

“David Black and Philip Duffy, we have ended up in a situation where the performance of every wastewater company is so poor that both Ofwat and the Environment Agency have taken enforcement action against them. How have we got to that place, and is our wastewater system fit for purpose?”

“Do you have the powers to do that? Do you have the powers you need to keep on top of them?”

“Can I ask a question about where the money from penalties goes? The NAO Report details that, between 2019 and 2024, “water companies paid over £430 million in penalties as a result of enforcement action” by both agencies and that, of the fines imposed by the Environment Agency, 84% went to the Treasury and, when it cam…”

“Do you not have that power at the moment?”

“Following on from George’s questions, I am keen to hear from your experience about the extent to which UKRI is a modern, joined-up organisation that functions as well as we would expect it to.”

“I would like to turn to fraud and to address my question to you, Siobhan. The Report is clear that UKRI is not currently in full compliance with the Government’s standards for countering fraud, but it also acknowledges that action and work is already happening to address that. It is very explicit that you expect to see…”

“Apart from those legacy systems that are still on that journey, are there any other areas apart from the data side of things? You said they are not there yet; what other areas would you identify?”

“In the last five years, 11 bank branches have closed in my constituency, leaving most towns without traditional banking facilities. For example, two years ago the closure of Barclays in Chalfont St Peter triggered the assessment for a formal banking hub. While I recognise that alternative provision is now delivered by …”

“My constituent was subject to financial, physical and emotional abuse by her ex. She was also cyber-stalked; her social media accounts were hacked for details of her location, and for information about their children. Despite being granted a non-molestation order and a prohibited steps order, she was unable to compile …”