Speeches by Darling.

“Torbay hospital is the third oldest estate that celebrates being part of the NHS. In heatwave conditions, the tower block is like an oven and that has a massive impact on patients, staff and even equipment. Does the Minister think it is time to acknowledge that buildings are time-expired, and that in the light of that …”

“7. What plans his Department has to increase the level of resilience of NHS buildings to extreme heat.”

“Torbay council is the most deprived local authority in the south-west of England. I would welcome the Minister’s assurances that rearranging the deckchairs with this local reorganisation will not detract from regeneration, which is a core driver for that local authority. The new Prime Minister is set to move No. 10 a f…”

“The hon. Member makes a valuable point. Resuscitation Council UK highlights that if there is an intervention within three to five minutes, the chances of survival are between 50% and 70%. It really is all about timing and how we can significantly impact that. A survey that the all-party parliamentary group for defibril…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered defibrillators in police vehicles. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I am delighted to have secured this debate on defibrillators in the back of police vehicles. I have been pushing for this for some time, and it is helpful that the debate is taki…”

“In my discussions with coastguards in Torbay, they have shared the full spectrum of their activities. One of the most disturbing and harrowing is the recovery of dead bodies—not only where humans or pets may have gone over the edge of a cliff, but where people have died from drowning. That may be an accident or a suici…”

“The police are so often the first on the scene. It ends up being a postcode lottery, whether it is because of communities are rural, coastal or more deprived. I say to the Minister that by getting defibrillators in the back of police response vehicles, we will remove some of that postcode lottery from the system, becau…”

“I thank the Minister for allowing me to quiz her further. Can she expand on that point? Is the pushback from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, from lower levels within policing or from Government Ministers? Anyone can use a defibrillator, because it walks them through it. This is not about additional training on how…”

“I have raised that very issue with Devon and Cornwall constabulary. Following an awful incident, a grieving mother is trying to ensure that we have stab kits across the United Kingdom. As I am sure my hon. Friend has done, I have corresponded with Avon and Somerset police on this issue. Bleed kits can save lives. I hav…”

“I know timescales are tricky, but can the Minister provide some rough timescales on the different steps? I understand that the new national police force and procurement are a bit more distant, but can she tell us what timescales she is working to, at least on the first steps she alluded to?”

“Growing the economy is one of the essential duties of the Government, and the levy is a key part of ensuring that productivity is part of that agenda. The levy gives the opportunity to grow core industries and infrastructure, and to change our economy so that we become more environmentally sound, tackle climate change …”

“Thank you all for coming today. It is really helpful. There are two areas I just wanted to cover. I just wondered whether anybody else wanted to unpack areas where there are gaps in the strategy. Also, I would just welcome some reflections on targets for levels of child poverty reduction and whether you feel that shoul…”

“There are 96,000 civil servants working for the DWP; it is very much a leviathan. Most of those that I have come across are incredibly committed individuals who are professional and want to do the best for their community. What a sad thing it is that it feels like they are lions led by donkeys. When the Work and Pensio…”

“I welcome the Government’s acceptance of a finding from the Liz Sayce review of carer’s allowance overpayments in respect of the underuse of waivers, given that the households concerned are often the most vulnerable in society. Has a review of the use of waivers been undertaken, and what changes have been made for fron…”

“In deprived coastal communities such as Torbay, the NHS and the Department for Work and Pensions can make up a significant part of the job offer, including entry-level jobs for young people. It was therefore disturbing to hear last week that almost 5,500 jobs could be moved or be at risk of redundancy across the United…”

“Thank you very much for attending, Secretary of State. In respect of the second Pensions Commission, is pensions adequacy the next stage? What are your reflections on that?”

“Would you support the basic adequacy standards for low earners? That feels to me a very big nut to crack, but are there any others to crack? One that leaps to my mind is that women are often left behind because of caring commitments, and their ability to save into pensions is significantly hampered as a result.”

“How do you see the balance between people’s expectations of the state pension and where it should be for them, and private pension allowances? Do you have any reflections or core principles on that?”

“One of the tools that people in large organisations can use to get under the skin of challenges for people is a degree of professional curiosity. How do you foster that in the organisation? Do you have any training around professional curiosity?”

“I am also very much alive to the Liz Sayce review. She identified that sometimes when things go wrong, managers then manage down a sense of not having to worry to the people operating the system. This goes back to what you have been talking about so far—culture. How do you develop more of an aviation culture, where whe…”