Speeches by Hoare.

“I do not know how to break this to the Minister: I do not know if he realises this, but when the thousands of farmers come to Westminster, they do not come to thank him or the Secretary of State. Yesterday, we had the sustainable farming incentive announcement. Today, there is an announcement that there is to be no ext…”

“Could you just give us a word or two on your assessment of the progress of the horticulture working group, specifically with regards to trying to resolve outstanding issues in relation to the movement of plants GB to NI?”

“By that, you mean direct mail order.”

“With respect, that is not what I said. I was referring back to what you had said and the direct quote is, “Nothing wrong with what we had before.” Is there just no merit in resting the determination of outstanding issues on the evidential thresholds before either court proceedings and/or an inquest, without having to h…”

“But it could be.”

“Labour Members may speak of their support and passion for small business, but they never speak of their experience of setting up and running one. There is very limited experience of that on the Labour Benches. Does my hon. Friend agree that that is part of the problem? Having never set up and run a business, they have …”

“Q13. I hope the Prime Minister knows that when he travels to Washington to meet the former leader of the free world, he does so with the hopes and prayers of this House and the country; probably no more serious a meeting could be taking place. While the subject of Ukraine will clearly dominate, will he undertake to rai…”

“I appreciate that. I am asking for your views on the principle.”

“Ms Kilpatrick and Mr Holder, I am not entirely sure it is fair or justifiable, in one breath, to welcome a greater degree of engagement from the Government in the evolution of their plans and consultation and then chastise them for not moving quickly enough. You can praise them for one, but do not damn them for the oth…”

“With respect, it was not, because I actually jotted it down verbatim. The record will show that that is what you said.”

“I do not say this flippantly, but I almost fear that we are in danger of discussing how to deal with the legacy of the Troubles for longer than the Troubles actually went on themselves. That points to some of the intractability of some of the issues at hand. Ms Kilpatrick, you said that there was nothing wrong with wha…”

“Almost on that point, Mr Speaker, what an abdication of responsibility and duty it is that not a single member of the Reform party is able to ask a question of the Prime Minister this afternoon on these precious issues of defence and security. They are treated with a very different level of seriousness by Members on th…”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend, because again she enhances and underlines the argument that I have been deploying, and for which colleagues across the House have been kind enough to add their support. I suppose my annoyance is that the people who write the policies, whether they are the regulators or those in the bank…”

“The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. In many respects—[Interruption.] I am beginning to get paranoid; I hear voices. He is absolutely right to make the point that he does. I pay tribute to how the Post Office has stepped up. Very often, in providing that sort of transactional bank service, it has supported the conti…”

“For a second time, of course.”

“We now have the enjoyable prospect of an Adjournment debate lasting an hour and a half, which I know will fill the Minister with joy. I can see the boyish smile on his face—he just cannot contain himself. I do not intend to take an hour and a half, although a number of colleagues from across the House have indicated th…”

“I will, although the hon. Gentleman is neither retired nor elderly.”

“14. What steps she is taking to reduce the number of people living in asylum hotels.”

“I agree. I will certainly come on to what I am asking the Government to consider, but the hon. Gentleman is right to talk about social isolation. We have lost 14 banks in my constituency since 2015. In 440 square miles, we have five banks remaining. We have had a fall of 74%. Across the county of Dorset, which includes…”

“I am afraid that determination will not quite cut it, will it? Pensioners in North Dorset who have been deprived of their winter fuel allowance and farmers who have been hit by and are now facing a massive tax burden will want to know how the Minister will reduce the cost of asylum hotels, which is, as she says, eye-wa…”