Speeches by Slade.

“I welcome the deepening of the relationship with the EU and the measures on late payments, but the elephant in the room is that while the jobs tax exists, and the Government do not make the most of business rate changes in retail, hospitality and leisure, the benefit to small businesses is more than outweighed by the e…”

“I will go on to a couple of other bits, but I am still extremely bothered about magistrates, and I do not feel that reassured by what you have said. You have just said, Mr Goodwin, that there are lots of really experienced magistrates out there and that they are the ones who are most likely to come and take those cases…”

“Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service’s core spending power is going up over the three years only because of the increase in local taxpayers. The actual amount being provided is going down, not just in real terms but in actual cash terms. We simply do not have enough money to keep our fire stations open. Will th…”

“Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has a similar deficit of £1.5 million. I do not think this is about party politics, because a fire authority can only work with what it has got. Does the hon. Member agree that we need to work across parties to encourage the Government to properly fund all our fire services …”

“But he said that they are supposed to be done in tandem.”

“On that broader piece, the maintenance of the court estate obviously has an impact on the ability to sit—if the roof is falling in or it is full of asbestos or whatever. Sir Brian highlighted that that is a particular barrier to efficiency and suggested that long-term, stable funding needs to be directed towards the es…”

“Are you seriously saying that someone could spend two years of their life in prison after a four-hour trial? That same trial, at the moment, is taking days in a Crown court. That cannot be just because of juries—it just is not.”

“There are also defendants who need justice.”

“Apart from an AI listing system, what other efficiencies are actually happening within the court system at the moment? Obviously, you must have read part 2, and there are 180 recommendations. Why would you not get on with some of them? We have all visited courts where people are sitting twiddling their thumbs because t…”

“I am Vikki Slade, MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole. My interests are as per the register, but I have none relevant to this Committee.”

“Those are other questions. This question is about efficiency.”

“I remain to be convinced—I just cannot see it. Sir Brian Leveson said that the 180 recommendations of part 1 and 2 need to be progressed “in tandem”. Can you give us an update on the progress on the efficiency recommendations to change the system?”

“I was going to ask that question. Is that in train? Are you making much progress?”

“Finally, you talk about those specific courts, but is the vision for fewer, bigger, more modern courts? Obviously, Tessa Munt and I are both from the south-west, and we have already lost the majority of our courts. People have to travel a long way to access justice. Is there a vision to maintain the existing spread of …”

“2. What steps he is taking to improve his Department’s response times.”

“I am glad that the call answering has speeded up, but, like those of many other Members, my office is constantly dealing with very long delays on the part of the DWP. Back in September 2024, my constituent Jackie appealed against a personal independence payment assessment for her husband, who died a couple of months la…”

“Lords amendment 37 recognises that reality. The Government’s amendment to consult parish councils where they exist is not good enough, because if they do not exist, they do not exist. The Lords amendment would go further and help make those organisations exist in the first place. If we are serious about devolution, abo…”

“We increasingly rely instead on the extraordinary efforts of volunteers like Denise and her team at Broadstone in Bloom, the Kenways who lead the youth club, and the flag fairies. Yes, we have flag fairies in our town who overnight pop up the lights at Christmas and flags throughout the year so that we wake up to a fes…”

“I pay tribute to the town and parish councils on the Dorset side of my constituency, where people say they cannot imagine not having their town council or parish council. When I suggest that in our part of the area we simply have that giant council across the top, they are horrified. They say, “How does anything actual…”

“Can I just clarify the use of the word “should” rather than the word “must”? Where these bodies exist, they must have a right to be included; this is not just a “should”. I worry that the word “should” will allow a mayor or a larger authority to have the power over what is, as my hon. Friend the Member for St Ives (And…”