Speeches by Darling.

“I welcome the amendments. Driving our economy to achieve the productivity that we need must be a mission for all of us in this House. The culture in our businesses is really important, and I think the amendments will drive a positive working relationship between workers and bosses, so that we can see productivity enhan…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I wish all colleagues a happy and prosperous new year. I welcome these proposals. Only this weekend, I was speaking with a constituent in Torbay who told me that the unit he worked in had transferred out of the NHS and been taken over by the private sector.…”

“Happy new year, Sir Christopher. I have a small amount of sympathy with the shadow Minister—I understand the cost to business, so I welcome that element of the amendments—but I have great fears. One need only have listened to the radio this morning to have heard about the issues for McDonald’s workers that have not bee…”

“To me, the clause is all about resetting the culture within our employment world, and I welcome the proposals within it. It is about driving the partnership approach that we should have in the workplace. The more we can achieve that, the better for our economy.”

“Bill Committees are here to check for snags in the final construction of legislation. I am pleased that this snag has been picked up and will be sorted out by this amendment.”

“In my constituency, our hospital faces almost 700 sewage leaks, which has an impact on its ability to provide services. That is another pressure. Does my hon. Friend agree that the sooner the Government advise on what investment they will make to enhance services for our hospitals across the UK, the better?”

“This is an outstanding Christmas present for the 1,000 employees from Devon to the Isle of Lewis who will benefit from this decision and the deal that has been pulled off by the Government. In the west country, we have a low-wage economy, and in the Appledore dockyard, which is not too far from my constituency of Torba…”

“We have seen the proliferation of drone warfare in Ukraine as never before. I was struck by how the Minister referred to drones repeatedly in his statement; it is a massive change in how war is waged. With a Trump presidency on the horizon, Europe needs to look to itself and for its strengths. One of our strengths is t…”

“I thank the Minister for sharing his statement in advance. Honest, hard-working people had their lives totally wrecked by this scandal, and it is a great shame that it happened over a number of years, and that there was dither and delay over it for far too many years. I welcome the steps that he has outlined this after…”

“You have already started to pick some of this apart for us. It is really about getting more of the detail of which groups of pensioners find themselves in poverty. In my Torbay constituency, we have a higher number of 80-year-olds, which is more where the country will be in a few years’ time. Also, I am very much alive…”

“I want to take a couple of steps back and reflect on what you said about the attendance allowance and the naming of that. The personal independence payment does what it says on the tin. What reflections have Age UK or others given to what could be a more user-friendly name for attendance allowance?”

“Clearly, pension and independence payment would not work—we already have PIP. The other bit—just briefly, because I know we are running out of time—is that there is conversation about the hotchpotch of opportunities for social tariffs. What would the solution be for that? Is it clearly simplification? Any reflections f…”

“I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Question proposed, That the clause stand part of the Bill.”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Betts. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Tiverton and Minehead (Rachel Gilmour) on securing this important debate. A number of primary care providers, including GPs, dentists, opticians and pharmacists, spoke to Devon MPs a few weeks ago. They shared with…”

“First, and for the record, the Liberal Democrats played a significant part in government in introducing the triple lock for our pensioners—it is important that people acknowledge that. The Government’s decision is nothing short of a betrayal of WASPI women. I know that, as in my constituency of Torbay, across the Unite…”

“I echo the comments from my hon. Friend the Member for Chippenham about the impact of endometriosis on younger women’s lives. It can be extremely incapacitating. A constituent of mine in Torbay shared how her daughter had to give up work because of the impact and the length of time that it was taking her to go through …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I just reflect that when I was a unitary authority leader, we were effectively a hostage client of the private sector, since the previous Conservative authority had set up a joint venture with it. That was far from the land of milk and honey. Well, it was t…”

“I beg to move amendment 162, in clause 26, page 38, line 35, at end insert— “(c) supporting employees who provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need, as defined by the Carer’s Leave Act 2023.” This amendment adds caring to the list of “matters related to gender equality”, on which regulations wi…”

“A report by the National Audit Office last week highlighted how cliff edges in the care allowance system have resulted in 136,000 people owing £250 million. In the light of that, will the Minister ensure that we stop this injustice and stop the demands until a fairer system is introduced?”

“I hope the Secretary of State will join me in congratulating Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell on their victory on “Strictly” this weekend. In the light of that victory, how does she plan to make the Access to Work scheme more fit for purpose, so that it can help more people with disabilities reach their full potenti…”