Speeches by Hoare.

“Leonardo is an important company for Somerset, Dorset and the wider south-west. The Minister will know that corporate decisions are competitive, and his Department plays a key part in shaping what those decisions will be. The defence investment plan is now long overdue. I appreciate that he probably cannot give us a sp…”

“Correct me if I am wrong, but the Leader of the Opposition responded to the Budget and opposed it. The Liberal Democrat spokesman would have spoken later down the list, so I beg to differ from the hon. Gentleman. The Conservative party was the first party to oppose this proposal, not the Liberal Democrats.”

“I agree, but I think those on our Front Bench go one step further, which is to get rid of the whole damn thing in the first instance, as that solves the problem at a stroke. I urge the Government to do what they did slightly with the family farm tax. There seem to be noises off from the Treasury, the Department for Bus…”

“Go on then.”

“I will not, if the hon. Member will forgive me. My second point is for the Government to please restore the listed places of worship scheme, which is vital for our rural churches. I echo the point that has been made: it is daft to merge sections 1 and 2 with regards to shotgun licensing—I declare an interest as a holde…”

“Given the time available, I want to read into the record, if I may, some key suggestions for the Government on this important issue. I welcome the fact that we have secured a debate on rural communities. In passing, it is interesting that we have been told in the media over the past few days that Reform UK is the party…”

“I am grateful to my neighbour for giving way. I share her support for a reduction in VAT for our rural hospitality sector, but does she get the irony that such a reduction would be illegal if we were still a member of the European Union?”

“Will the hon. Lady give way?”

“Does my hon. Friend share my concern that if the argument that runs is, “It is about expert lawyers arguing their case to an expert judge”, the next way of trying to speed up the jury process or modernise our legal process will be a further erosion of our rights by reducing the rights of appeal, because of that use of …”

“Mr Norris, do you want to say a word or two on this?”

“While that is possibly understandable, it is slightly disappointing that it needs the impetus of the deal to bring other partners together to maximise what the city deal initiatives have initiated. Surely to heaven, there must be some people who just say, “Right. This has done this. We do not need some instruction from…”

“You mentioned the joint funding between Westminster and the Executive. Could we briefly explore the effectiveness of the joint working between the Government and the Executive? Is Westminster complementing and bolstering the Executive’s sub-regional development plan?”

“I want to pose a few questions on the city and growth deals. What are your individual assessments on how effective city and growth deals are in supporting the growth of the Northern Ireland economy?”

“The essay question is not whether Mr Maduro was a good man, which is a clear no-brainer, but whether, as others have asked, the actions of the US President were legal. America cannot be expected to mark her own homework, so I have two questions for the Foreign Secretary. First, what body or bodies would she identify as…”

“I thank the Minister and her officials for their work—it is the most painful task to have to pull all this together and they are all to be commended. I agree with her that multi-year settlements should lead to smarter commissioning, which should then deliver greater return on the money. She will know that the cost of d…”

“In his white shirt and red tie, the Minister is doing a very good impression of Santa making an early visit. The announcements that he has made this afternoon are—I think—to be warmly welcomed, and he is to be personally congratulated on the good faith and patience that he has shown in his conversations with Maroš Šefč…”

“As a former elections Minister, I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement. I wonder if he would reflect on two points, together with his hon. Friend the Security Minister, with regard to the defending democracy taskforce. First, the Electoral Commission has plenty of influence, but it possibly needs more financial r…”

“Of resident doctors. That doesn’t suggest that they give a fig about that, does it?”

“Prime Minister, on a scale of one to 10, how gutted are you by the BMA’s latest strike action vote?”

“Good afternoon, Prime Minister. Public trust is pivotal if the governance of this country and our public life is to be supported and trusted, but the public’s trust in what we do and why we do it seems to be a value that is declining. Before my Committee last week, Baroness Deech said it is quite interesting how partie…”