Contributions
1,335 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (First sitting)The hon. Lady says that it was the last Government who allowed the water companies—the undertakers—to mark their own homework. Does she not recall that it was actually the Labour…09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (First sitting)I am pleased to see you in your place, Mr Vickers. I am not going to speak to the Government amendments; I merely repeat the very good arguments put forward by my hon. Friend the…09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting)With respect, that is a separate point, because we are talking about amendments to clause 3, which is about emergency overflows. I accept the point. As with so many of our…09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting)I now rise to talk about amendment 16. My primary objection here is the overarching one: I am not convinced that this is the right technical approach, for the reasons set out in…09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting)I do not want to steal the thunder of the hon. Member for Witney, but he has a good point on the speed of roll-out of the installation of water quality monitors. The 2024 price…09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting)The Minister may be right, but it is important that we get to the bottom of this. From my perspective, the important data is the upstream and downstream of a discharge pipe water…09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting)I understand that this will not be put to a vote, but I want to add my support for nature-based solutions and to draw to the Minister’s attention an experience I had with Anglian…09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting)Will the Minister give way?09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting)I think this is technically now a speech rather than an intervention. I am supportive of the content of the clause, but I have one technical question: if we choose to move a…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRoad MaintenanceI, too, welcome the Secretary of State to her post, and look forward to helping her to do an excellent job. As we can see following the last few days of flooding, changing weather…09 Jan 2025HANSARDRoad MaintenanceI do not know about you, Mr Speaker, but I am not sure whether that was a commitment to match the £8 billion, or whether the Secretary of State considered it to be a fantasy…09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (First sitting)I have expressed my concerns. It would be perfectly possible to achieve the object, which I share, of improving the voice of the customer in water companies, or of improving the…09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting)I will start with the Liberal Democrat amendment to add volume measurers to storm outflows. I hope I made it clear in my earlier intervention that I am sympathetic to the…09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting)I am grateful to the hon. Member for giving way and for the conversation that we had over the lunch recess. One challenge with the measuring of volume is what we are measuring the…09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting)I am grateful to the Minister for giving way; she is being generous with her time. The problem with the position she is taking now is that it is at variance with the Government’s…09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (First sitting)I will speak primarily in support of amendment 6. I pay tribute to the former Member for Ludlow, the right hon. Philip Dunne, who throughout the previous Parliament was the Chair…09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (First sitting)I am not against the principle of this—in fact, I am strongly in favour of it—but I have some practical questions. I wonder whether this would bump up against individuals’ human…09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (First sitting)Will the hon. Member give way?09 Jan 2025HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [ Lords ] (First sitting)I am grateful for that intervention. However, it seems an odd way to proceed if it is recognised that there is a risk to voluntary members who join boards, exposing them to…09 Jan 2025HANSARDOld Oak Common StationIt is good to see you in the Chair, Mr Efford; thank you for chairing this debate. I thank the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Max Wilkinson) for securing the debate. We can see by…17 Dec 2024