Speeches by Forster.

“Thank you, Chair; I will try to do that. Please can you state what you think the key factors were that led to the summer riots, and how can grievances that communities hold against each other and us be prevented to stop outbreaks of violence in the future?”

“I have two follow-ups, if I may. Dame Sara, could you give some more information about what comments you think politicians have made, which you worry that potential future rioters might have in their head to justify their actions? To the whole panel: the Children’s Commissioner—who I have worked with a fair bit—said re…”

“Will Forster, Liberal Democrat MP for Woking in Surrey.”

“Will Forster, Woking.”

“When the Chancellor gave her spending review statement, I was very disappointed that she did not use the words “local authority” or “council” once. Worse still, she granted the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government a tiny increase that we all know does not meet the challenge. It is an unfair deal to tho…”

“I am MP for Woking.”

“As the MP for Woking, I represent the most bankrupt and indebted local authority in the country. I was very disappointed, therefore, that it appeared that the Chancellor did not mention councils or local government once in her statement. I am more disappointed, having listened to the detail of the statement, that the G…”

“Thank you, Chair. I want to follow up, Joanna, on your answer to the Chair. Could you tell us how many times default notices have been given? I thought that was quite an interesting answer. You said that the contractors respond differently. Most of the time, do they up their game rather than you going into a formal dis…”

“Do you have targets for reducing the overseas aid spending?”

“Thank you, Minister. I am pleased that they are implied, but why are they implied and not actual targets that would focus minds? If we fell over outside this building, we would go to hospital. There are clear waiting time targets and other health targets on this fundamental finance issue, but also for some of the most …”

“I think the Committee would find that helpful, or I certainly would. If you do not have the full details in front of you, which I completely understand, do you think there is a general trend of the disputes going up or going down, or has it been static for some time?”

“I welcome this Government’s U-turn. Countless pensioners in Woking suffered last winter, so I am pleased that that will not continue. The Minister stated that £36,000 is the threshold that he and the Government have chosen because it is the average earnings. Will the Government commit to increasing that threshold going…”

“My constituency is home to a growing number of people from Hong Kong who have been forced to flee their homeland as a result of actions by China. I appreciate what the Minister says about this being a quasi-legal matter, and the fact that a Foreign Office Minister is sat next to him speaks volumes about how this is not…”

“With a third of customers’ bills going to service Thames Water’s debt, my constituents are fed up of paying higher bills for Thames Water’s mistakes. Will the Government agree to put Thames Water into special measures to save my constituents and bill payers money? It is only a matter of time for Thames Water; will the …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. First, I want to thank—genuinely, from the bottom of my heart—the hon. Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire South (Johanna Baxter) for her leadership on this deeply distressing issue. Her introductory speech was emotional, powerful and passionate; there were …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I start by thanking the hon. Member for Rotherham (Sarah Champion) for securing this really important debate so that we can collectively put pressure on the Government. Times are hard. Things cost more and people are genuinely unhappy. What we do not want …”

“My constituents in Woking, particularly those of Indian and Pakistani descent, welcome the ceasefire. Will the Foreign Secretary urge both countries to accept that the solution to the Kashmir question is self-determination, not further violence?”

“My constituency has a proud and long history of supporting those fleeing persecution. It was home to the Ockenden Venture, a trailblazing charity founded in the 1950s to help resettle refugees from post-war Europe, Vietnam and beyond. Humfrey Malins, the former Conservative MP for Woking even set up a national immigrat…”

“My heart goes out to the families of the 26 tourists who were killed last month, but my heart also goes out to the 26 civilians and children who were killed in Pakistan last night. I urge the Government to do all they can to de-escalate the situation. Will the Minister confirm when our Prime Minister will speak to the …”

“Thank you. I will talk about communication escalation routes. What has been your experience of working with the Home Office and its providers to resolve issues with asylum accommodation and make improvements to the system? Alex, you described asylum seekers experiencing inadequate and inconsistent communication from pr…”