Contributions
67 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDMental Health Services21. What steps he is taking to ensure the long-term provision of adequate mental health services.18 Jun 2019HANSARDMental Health ServicesI recently met representatives from Somerset’s NHS trust and its child and adolescent mental health services to look at young people’s mental health services and I heard some…18 Jun 2019HANSARD Pension Funds: Financial and Ethical InvestmentsIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Howarth. I join others in congratulating the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Sir Edward Davey) for his efforts…22 May 2019HANSARD Rivers Authorities and Land Drainage BillI am very glad to hear it. As we experienced just this week with Storm Gareth, which brought high winds and heavy rainfall, we are powerless to control the weather, but that is…15 Mar 2019HANSARD Rivers Authorities and Land Drainage BillI am grateful for that important intervention. It is important to note that, while the Bill nominally allows for new rivers authorities to be set up, with local support and after…15 Mar 2019HANSARD Rivers Authorities and Land Drainage BillYes, there was a pun there. I thank all those who have made this possible, particularly those who joined in the Committee stage, and I am grateful for the cross-party consensus…15 Mar 2019HANSARD Rivers Authorities and Land Drainage BillI beg to move, that the Bill be now read the Third time. Before I talk about the Bill, I would like to associate myself with the comments from across the House about the appalling…15 Mar 2019HANSARD Rivers Authorities and Land Drainage BillI am no expert on water tables or the flooding of cellars, but that is exactly the kind of work that our internal drainage boards and other risk management authorities manage…15 Mar 2019HANSARD Rivers Authorities and Land Drainage BillI am grateful to my hon. Friend for that intervention, because it is important to clarify this. The Somerset Rivers Authority is already paid for by local council tax payers, to…15 Mar 2019HANSARD Rivers Authorities and Land Drainage BillWith the leave of the House, I should like to say that I am enormously grateful for the support that I have received for the Bill from across the House. I am grateful to the…15 Mar 2019HANSARDRivers Authorities and Land Drainage Bill (First sitting)I am very grateful to colleagues who gave up their time on such a busy week, and to the shadow Minister and Opposition Members for their support. I am immensely grateful to all…11 Mar 2019HANSARDRivers Authorities and Land Drainage Bill (First sitting)Yes, the spectacle and the ride. I thank the Clerks very much for their superb and invaluable guidance, the Whips from all parties, the team from the Department for Environment,…11 Mar 2019HANSARDRivers Authorities and Land Drainage Bill (First sitting)It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Bailey. I thank all hon. Members for joining the Committee to discuss this important issue on this rather busy week. I…11 Mar 2019HANSARDRivers Authorities and Land Drainage Bill (First sitting)I absolutely agree. The point of the rivers authority is the central co-ordination of risk management authorities, which will ensure that people are not operating in separate…11 Mar 2019HANSARDRivers Authorities and Land Drainage Bill (First sitting)My hon. Friend is precisely right. It is about planning for the future, and sustainability in the Somerset Rivers Authority. At the moment, it lives from hand to mouth and the…11 Mar 2019HANSARDRivers Authorities and Land Drainage Bill (First sitting)The Government have increased investment in flood risk mitigation enormously. Between 2016 and 2021, the Government are investing £2.6 billion in building 1,500 new flood defence…11 Mar 2019HANSARDRivers Authorities and Land Drainage Bill (First sitting)I am grateful to the shadow Minister and the Opposition for their support, and to the Minister for her support throughout this process and for fending off those questions with…11 Mar 2019HANSARDRivers Authorities and Land Drainage Bill (First sitting)We move on to the second part of the Bill. Hon. Members will be pleased to hear that I will endeavour to be briefer in my comments about these clauses. Another important body…11 Mar 2019HANSARDRivers Authorities and Land Drainage Bill (First sitting)I am grateful in many ways to my hon. Friend for his exceptionally important intervention. He is absolutely right that the drainage boards do tremendous work and are vital. We are…11 Mar 2019HANSARDRivers Authorities and Land Drainage Bill (First sitting)Before speaking to clause 3, I need to address amendment 1—which I was just about to do, obviously. Since I introduced the Bill, new data protection legislation—the Data…11 Mar 2019