Speeches by Jermy.

“You touched on South East and the Tunbridge Wells incident. I read your 2024 risk notice. There clearly were warnings—as I mentioned in my comments earlier—but I was not clear to what extent that was followed through. Presumably the recommendations were not all implemented. I was not sure if you got to the enforcement …”

“I am pleased to hear that there are good practice examples, but how have you and your organisation worked with those companies that are perhaps not prepared? How have you given advice and supported them to plan for those worst-case scenarios? What role is there for you to try to get them where we want them to be?”

“I think it is fair to say that there are a number of companies that are struggling to prevent supply interruptions and that are probably struggling to respond quickly to outages. In the role that you do, and you have been doing the role for a while, I would imagine you have excellent oversight of the industry as a whol…”

“I am conscious of time, but I did want to go back to what I am sure is on many people’s minds this morning—the point about water emergencies. I am going to dwell on this morning’s session for the rest of the day, I think, to be honest with you.”

“Yes, I want to follow up quickly on the point about future preparedness. Anybody watching this, particularly those who live in the area you serve, will be worried about the future. It seems to me that the risk assessment process worked, because the evidence is clear that you, internally as a company, were fully aware o…”

“On both aspects, the advice you gave on preventing the incident from happening completely was ignored. It also sounds as if your advice on what to do if it were to happen was not acted upon either.”

“What role does DWI play around preventive advice, and how can you advise the industry to prepare for these incidents when they happen?”

“I am conscious of time, but I did want to go back to what I am sure is on many people’s minds this morning—the point about water emergencies. I am going to dwell on this morning’s session for the rest of the day, I think, to be honest with you.”

“The last point that I wanted to make was about the response aspect to the incident. Prior to having this role, I was a county councillor. I sat on the audit committee and we assessed risk. The probability of risk in this circumstance was incredibly high, which is why I was so surprised about the lack of preparedness fo…”

“How likely, and how soon?”

“18. What recent steps her Department has taken to help tackle rural crime.”

“Waste crime—an increasing concern in rural areas—often has links to serious and organised crime. Just last week, the Eastern Daily Press revealed that although there were nearly 1,300 reports of waste crime in Norfolk in a five-year period, just two people have been convicted for such offences in that time. In one case…”

“This is very welcome news, and many farmers in my constituency will be delighted. May I acknowledge the Minister’s engagement on this subject and the many conversations he has had with myself and other Labour party representatives from rural communities? I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk Coastal (J…”

“I am very proud to employ a special educational needs and disabilities specialist caseworker, and I am grateful that Parliament funds that role, which is currently supporting more than 150 families across South West Norfolk—families who are desperate and are navigating a SEND system that we know to be in crisis. Does t…”

“Merry Christmas, Mr Speaker, and I hope you get to enjoy a turkey from Norfolk. Water availability is increasingly important for my farmers, and Conservative austerity and cuts to the Environment Agency made obtaining water abstraction licences and permits painfully slow and often expensive. Can the Minister provide an…”

“I thank the Secretary of State for the update and for engaging with the various animal welfare charities. I am particularly interested in the farmed animals section, given that we have millions of farmed animals in this country. Farmers, I find, are so often the best conservationists, and they want to do even more. Can…”

“I welcome the statement and the leadership that the Secretary of State is showing on this issue. Our democracy is important and requires our active protection. Does he agree that as well as actions that the Government can take, there is far more that individual political parties, particularly Reform UK, can do on due d…”

“I particularly welcome the comments about social and affordable homes in rural communities, and the commitments around swift bricks and chalk streams. In many areas, including in my county of Norfolk, the environment so often is the economy, whether that is through farming or tourism. Does the Minister recognise that o…”

“Which ones?”

“I am aware, Minister, that you chair the Food Strategy Advisory Board. We have heard today how farmers are integral to food security and that animal welfare is very much in people’s minds. Neither farmers nor animal welfare organisations are represented on the Food Strategy Advisory Board. You have the power to appoint…”