Speeches by Witherden.

“You have, Professor. I want very quickly to come back. You elaborated on cost, and I am aware that it may not be an area of expertise, but I thought I would try you anyway. Is the “polluter pays” principle something that we have looked at? I know that some metal mines are very old. I think about the one on our boundary…”

“That leads me on to my final question on this point. How can we—when I say “we”, I mean your MPs, this Committee and expert stakeholders such as you—support the communities that are suffering from contaminated land to make the adjustments to minimise, and ideally eradicate altogether, any impact it may have on quality …”

“Professor Macklin, if I could turn to your research on contaminated soil, a representative on a previous panel told us that there are a number of measures the public can take to mitigate the risk with contaminated soil. Could you provide us with some examples, please?”

“Professor Macklin, Natural Resources Wales, the Mining Remediation Authority and local authorities all have a role to play when it comes to contaminated land. The focus today is on metal mines. In my constituency it is forever chemicals. We had a very big chemical plant for 143 years up to 2010. Do you think that NRW, …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Western. I commend my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds East (Richard Burgon) for the campaigning work he has done over many years on this important issue. As Members of Parliament, we are privileged to be here, but this is a demanding, full-time role. Our time, energy …”

“That leads me on to my next point. The thing that stood out for me was when you said that the best thing to do is to remove yourself from that exposure. The best mitigations would be ones that do not impact too much on people being able to enjoy their gardens and homes. Would it be fair to say that the most appropriate…”

“The patients.”

“One point that I think really needs to be made is that the Committee has just done an excellent survey on this, and 60% of respondents said that they had experienced delays in the healthcare they received due to cross-border problems. Do you feel there is a risk of a disconnect between the JCC’s perception of cross-bor…”

“Stacey Keegan, the chief executive of the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt orthopaedic hospital, or Gobowen orthopaedic, as we call it in the constituency, was supportive of the statement of values and principles having a legal footing. Is that the JCC’s position on this issue? Is it consistent with that of health providers…”

“We should be, but that is not the experience of people on the ground.”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Turner. It was in this Chamber, on 28 January 2025, that I was the only Labour MP to speak out against the Government’s proposed changes to agricultural property relief. I did so in the knowledge that such changes would have been damaging to the livelihoods of huge swa…”

“In January 2025, Stacey Taylor said of cross-border arrangements: “By and large, the arrangements within the current system are effective.” Reflecting on Stacey's statement from more than a year ago, do you agree, Juliet, that cross-border arrangements are effective? I think for someone to think that, they would have t…”

“You have jumped on to what I was going to ask next. The constituency I represent is 35% in the Betsi Cadwaladr area and 65% in the Powys teaching health board area. Do you think patients in the Powys teaching health board area, where there are no district hospitals, would agree that cross-border healthcare arrangements…”

“I have another question for Juliet on the topic of responsibility. One thing that I and many people in Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr think beggars belief is that there is no formalised, legally binding agreement that dictates responsibility and the principles of cross-border healthcare. Do you think that there should be?”

“New clause 16, in my name, aims to establish a dedicated function with a duty to identify opportunities to expand rail services in a cost-effective and efficient way to underserved and unserved areas across the UK. As the Minister pointed out, other avenues exist by which hon. Members and community groups can pursue th…”

“The Bill is a necessary and long-overdue step towards bringing our railways back into public ownership. Great British Railways represents a real opportunity to build a railway that works in the interests of passengers and staff, rather than profiteering companies and distant shareholders. For railway workers, the trans…”

“The hon. Member serves a similarly large and rural constituency to mine. Getting stations open in such areas is incredibly important, and I urge him to work closely with community groups, as I am sure he is already doing, so that what I am trying to do in mid and north Wales might also be done in Cornwall. Great Britis…”

“As chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Cuba, I refer the House to the APPG register. In September in Machynlleth, the Cuban ambassador and a Cuban doctor working in Birmingham addressed my constituents in Montgomeryshire on the medical situation in Cuba. Since September, the situation has become worse, with n…”

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“3. What steps he is taking to ensure the clean energy transition supports people in work.”