Contributions
1,788 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Tenth sitting)I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman, who unfortunately was out of the room this morning during one of my earlier attempts to bait him. He never fails to please. His deft and…03 Mar 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Tenth sitting)That is so disappointing. The Government should have more ambition to do these things. That is why we are pressing and encouraging them. This is such an opportunity; to us, it…03 Mar 2020HANSARD Climate Protests in Cambridge: Police ResponseThe hon. Gentleman is making a thoughtful speech. He and I were briefed at the end of last week, along with other Cambridgeshire MPs. I, too, was outraged by the digging up of the…03 Mar 2020HANSARD Climate Protests in Cambridge: Police ResponseThe hon. Member is making a powerful legalistic argument, but I put it to him that this is actually a political argument. There are many people in my constituency who think we…03 Mar 2020HANSARD Climate Protests in Cambridge: Police ResponseStrong points have been made about the law needing to be enforced, but the Government are continually dragged through the courts for failing to meet their air quality…03 Mar 2020HANSARD Climate Protests in Cambridge: Police ResponseI am flabbergasted. Frankly, the Minister should know that crime has been taking place across the country, with criminals walking into shops and stealing goods, and it has been…03 Mar 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Ninth sitting)It is a pleasure to continue our discussion with you in the Chair, Mr Stringer. I want some clarification from the Minister. The clause is obviously quite apposite, as it will…03 Mar 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Ninth sitting)I am grateful for that explanation. We had quite a discussion of some of these issues last week. Unfortunately, it appears that there is a second policy paper, which I am not sure…03 Mar 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Ninth sitting)But before people start applying cold compresses to their heads, I assure the Committee that I will not subject that document to detailed scrutiny. Some of it would have been…03 Mar 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Ninth sitting)I understand the difficulty, but I think this is a pretty important point. This is a framework Bill, but people are looking for certainty over the next couple of years and will…03 Mar 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Ninth sitting)I beg to move amendment 74, in clause 13, page 11, line 8, leave out subsection (4) and insert— “(4) Regulations under this section shall make provision for circumstances in which…03 Mar 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Ninth sitting)We will do that. Turning to clause 13, de-linking is significant for our farmers and there is a worry around it. The House of Commons Library briefing talks about the effect and…03 Mar 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Ninth sitting)I have listened closely to the Minister’s response. Although I recognise some of the points she makes, she has not addressed our fundamental concerns. All Governments talk of…03 Mar 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Ninth sitting)I am afraid that does not answer the question. I will repeat what the policy document says on page 39: “receiving a delinked payment will not disqualify the recipient from…03 Mar 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Ninth sitting)We believe there are a number of missed opportunities to strengthen clause 17 to provide adequate reports on food insecurity. Very little has been revealed in the Government’s…03 Mar 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Ninth sitting)I beg to move amendment 7, in clause 17, page 14, line 20, leave out “five years” and insert “year”. I am very happy to move this amendment; as keen-eyed Members might notice, it…03 Mar 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Ninth sitting)I agree with my hon. Friend. We need much more clarity. The clause is clearly not strong enough, at a time when food security has the potential to become a major cause of…03 Mar 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Ninth sitting)I beg to move amendment 75, in clause 17, page 14, line 25, at end insert— “(aa) the impact of food production upon global resource sustainability (including global carbon…03 Mar 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Ninth sitting)We will not withdraw these amendments. I hear what the Minister says about the welfare system, but the welfare system is failing. That is why people are hungry. It did not use to…03 Mar 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill (Ninth sitting)Before speaking on the clause, I give the Minister advance notice that I will also say a word on clause 22, on data. I draw attention to paragraph 170 of the explanatory notes to…03 Mar 2020