Contributions
1,563 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFlooding: Rural CommunitiesI am very happy to do that. Apologies; I normally listen out for the coughing that comes— [ Interruption. ] And there we have it! In conclusion, the Government are committed to…18 Mar 2026HANSARDFlooding: Rural CommunitiesI will not make this about Somerset, I promise, but we had a very good conversation with the Environment Agency, the internal drainage boards and members of the council during…18 Mar 2026HANSARDFlooding: Rural CommunitiesActually, I had a conversation about the hon. Gentleman earlier on. In my meeting with him, we spoke about the local response to the flooding, and about how we can bring things…18 Mar 2026HANSARDFlooding: Rural CommunitiesIt is a pleasure to respond to the debate. I thank the hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford (Alicia Kearns) for initiating it, and for giving me an opportunity to outline the…18 Mar 2026HANSARDFlood Defences: InvestmentStorm Chandra brought heavy rain and flooding to the UK in January. I want to again acknowledge the vital work of local authorities which were badly impacted by the flooding, such…17 Mar 2026HANSARDWaterSureI am announcing proposed reforms to the affordability support scheme WaterSure—the first significant update to the scheme since 1999. This Government are committed to a fair,…09 Mar 2026HANSARDStorm Chandra and FloodingStorm Chandra brought heavy rain to the UK on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 January. This was the seventh named storm overall to hit the UK so far for the 2025-26 storm season starting…23 Feb 2026HANSARD Storm Chandra FloodingYesterday, in the meeting we had with the internal drainage boards and the Environment Agency, the EA, recognising the importance of that issue, said that it would look at the…11 Feb 2026HANSARD Storm Chandra FloodingI think the best answer to that is for me to get the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which is responsible for that policy, to give the hon. Gentleman a full…11 Feb 2026HANSARD Storm Chandra FloodingThe challenge that the hon. Lady sets out is the next step. For me, the first step is to see what the response to the consultation says and then we can continue the conversations.…11 Feb 2026HANSARD Storm Chandra FloodingWe are taking that decisive action to halt the steady decline in the condition of flood defences under the previous Government by shifting an extra £108 million into the…11 Feb 2026HANSARD Storm Chandra FloodingI thank the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke) for calling this debate, and for providing an opportunity for us to hear and discuss the steps that this…11 Feb 2026HANSARDIndependent Water Commission: Final ReportAbsolutely—evidence and expertise. We are yet to work this out. As I said, the composition will depend on the catchment. In the White Paper, we referred to “community voices”,…10 Feb 2026HANSARDIndependent Water Commission: Final ReportWith respect to the hon. Lady, I do not believe that she was in this debate from the start.10 Feb 2026HANSARDIndependent Water Commission: Final ReportIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Jeremy. I thank the hon. Member for West Dorset (Edward Morello) for securing this debate, and I am grateful to everybody…10 Feb 2026HANSARDIndependent Water Commission: Final ReportI will, but I would like to say— I hope this is felt by all Members across the House—that I am extremely accessible as a Minister and always willing to meet people, so I do not…10 Feb 2026HANSARDIndependent Water Commission: Final ReportI turn now to regulation and the case for establishing a new single water regulator. As mentioned, that has to go alongside continuing what we have at the moment. Fundamental…10 Feb 2026HANSARDIndependent Water Commission: Final ReportThank you. Where was I? We are putting customers first. We want to end the steep, huge hikes that we have seen in bills and make sure that that never happens again. We have…10 Feb 2026HANSARDWater Company Executives: Undisclosed PaymentsThe Conservative Government allowed millions of pounds to be diverted from essential investment and used for unjustified bonuses. We are clear that executive pay must reflect…05 Feb 2026HANSARDWater BillsI share my hon. Friend’s concern about the ability of so many people in both our constituencies to afford water bills. That is why, over the next five years, water companies are…05 Feb 2026