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1,787 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDInheritance Tax Relief: FarmsIn 2012, my right hon. Friend the Member for Goole and Pocklington (David Davis) and I opposed the then Chancellor’s proposal to impose VAT on static caravans, as it was clearly…10 Feb 2025HANSARDGreat British Energy: Regional OfficesWe heard from the chief executive officer of Great British Energy the other day. He said that it was not in his brief to cut bills by £300. What is Great British Energy for, then?…04 Feb 2025HANSARD Water (Special Measures) Bill [Lords]I am extremely grateful to the Minister for giving way. She will know that just 7% of outfalls were monitored when Labour last left office. I am pleased to say that that figure is…28 Jan 2025HANSARD Water (Special Measures) Bill [Lords]To follow up the point made by our right hon. Friend the Member for New Forest West (Sir Desmond Swayne), that money will ultimately come from water bill payers. It will be…28 Jan 2025HANSARD Water (Special Measures) Bill [Lords]The hon. Gentleman paints a beautiful picture. How much does he think it would cost to implement and how much would that cost impact on bill payers?28 Jan 2025HANSARD Water (Special Measures) Bill [Lords]Doubtless the behaviour of the privatised firms should be looked at closely, but one of the fundamentals of having a state-run system for such long-term assets was that they were…28 Jan 2025HANSARDGreat British EnergyThere are no clear plans for Great British Energy, but there are very clear plans to end new licences for oil and gas in the North sea. Gary Smith of the GMB has said that…22 Jan 2025HANSARDDraft Heat Networks (Market Framework) (Great Britain) Regulations 2025Like the Minister, I have visited heat networks around the country and I think they have a significant part to play. She has told us what she expects the heat network contribution…22 Jan 2025HANSARDDraft Heat Networks (Market Framework) (Great Britain) Regulations 2025I appreciate the Minister’s enthusiasm. Can she put any kind of number on her expectation for this year and for the coming years until 2030? The year 2050 is a long way off, so I…22 Jan 2025HANSARDAffordable HousingWe need a steady supply of affordable homes as well as homes in the private rented sector. Further to the question by my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Buckinghamshire (Greg…20 Jan 2025HANSARDBusiness of the HouseIt is nearly three years since the passing of the Down Syndrome Act 2022, yet the guidance that would bring it to life has not been implemented. People with Down’s syndrome really…16 Jan 2025HANSARDMiddle EastMay I thank the Foreign Secretary for his statement, and express hope that the ceasefire is agreed and implemented and that the humanitarian aid we want to see follows on from it?…16 Jan 2025HANSARDHigher Education Regulatory ApproachThis screeching U-turn is welcome and I hope that, as the shadow Secretary of State says, it heralds a new period of humility and further change by the Government. The Secretary…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Agricultural and Business Property ReliefI had better make some progress. The hon. Member for Penrith and Solway may have been scolded behind closed doors for doing that, but he will have regained the trust of voters who…14 Jan 2025HANSARD Agricultural and Business Property ReliefI will have to press on. Sweden ended up with even, I think, the communists voting to abolish it entirely. Since Sweden scrapped inheritance tax in 2004, entrepreneurship has…14 Jan 2025HANSARD Agricultural and Business Property ReliefI do. Someone only has to meet farmers to know that farming is already quite a lonely profession, with a high level of suicide anyway and high rates of depression. Combining that…14 Jan 2025HANSARD Agricultural and Business Property ReliefMy right hon. Friend is right. That is why I appeal to the Minister: if the Government do not care at all—in fact, if the Government see farmers as some sort of class enemy—it…14 Jan 2025HANSARD Agricultural and Business Property ReliefMy hon. Friend is right. I say to the Minister that rather than looking at the issue through a fairness lens or an “attack wealth” lens, it must be in terms of incentives.…14 Jan 2025HANSARDRenters’ Rights BillMy hon. Friend is making a powerful speech. Does she agree that, fundamentally, the only way to secure the rights of tenants is to ensure the buoyant rental market that she is…14 Jan 2025HANSARD Agricultural and Business Property ReliefAt the very least, as my right hon. Friend says and as a colleague touched on earlier, tweaks could be made to this policy to stop the most egregious negative impact of it on…14 Jan 2025