Contributions
472 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eighteenth sitting)As a trained mathematician, I fully support the use of data supporting policy and as chair of the Government’s Regulatory Policy Committee, it was my job to ensure that we had…19 Nov 2020HANSARDTrade Agreements: Food and Farming StandardsThe farmers of South Cambridgeshire are some of the most efficient and environmentally friendly in the country, but they have concerns that they might be undermined in any trade…19 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Sixteenth sitting)I want to make a general philosophical point about “mays” and “musts”. We have been talking about this matter a lot over the past couple of weeks. Obviously, our end objectives…17 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Fourteenth sitting)There is a specific issue in terms of plastic and why there is a need to focus on it: it is not biodegradable. It stays permanently in the oceans and is often very difficult to…12 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Fourteenth sitting)I do. Well, I do not subscribe to The Guardian , but I recycle The Times .12 Nov 2020HANSARD Covid-19I will be as brief as I can. I want to start by paying tribute to the people of South Cambridgeshire who have helped us all to get through this pandemic—the care workers, the…11 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Twelfth sitting)The hon. Gentleman makes the valid point that many historical monuments have become part of the landscape. The UK is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.…10 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Twelfth sitting)When we last met we all agreed that the OEP should have as much independence as possible. I fully support that. What I find confusing about the hon. Gentleman’s argument is that…10 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Twelfth sitting)I completely and utterly support that the definition should cover the marine environment. My question to the hon. Member is why he picks on the marine environment as the one point…10 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eleventh sitting)I completely support the OEP’s independence, but I am confused. At the moment, the OEP can decide whether it publishes a report, but the hon. Gentleman’s amendment proposes that…05 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Eleventh sitting)There are many reasons why an organisation such as the OEP might not want to publish a report, other than sloth. As a former journalist, I am all in favour of openness—I think…05 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)I will just make one observation, speaking as somebody who has hired various chief executives for other organisations. On the boards that I have been on, the recruitment processes…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)I have finished, but the hon. Gentleman is welcome to succeed me.03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)I have set up lots of organisations and it is completely standard to go through a process where there is a shadow or interim chief executive and an interim board. There is a…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)I am a member of the Treasury Committee. We do a lot of selection hearings and most of them are agreed through parliamentary processes. We find we end up doing an awful lot of…03 Nov 2020HANSARDEnvironment Bill (Ninth sitting)I used to be the chair of the Regulatory Policy Committee, a non-departmental public body linked to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; I appointed its…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateIn my constituency, the latest figures show an infection rate of just 54 per 100,000—about half the national average and one tenth of the rate in Liverpool—so I think it is…20 Oct 2020HANSARDJet Zero CouncilI echo the sentiments of my colleagues. It is great to be here at your first debate, Mrs Miller. It is also great to be with the Minister of Aviation, newly installed in the…14 Oct 2020HANSARDLord Chancellor’s Oath and the Rule of LawI congratulate the hon. and learned Member for Edinburgh South West (Joanna Cherry) on securing this important debate. I should say at the outset that, like my hon. Friend the…14 Oct 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe Government have quite rightly focused on protecting the NHS, but we also need to keep the NHS serving patients in South Cambridgeshire, which, like other parts of the country,…12 Oct 2020