Contributions
478 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Rural Broadband: InstallationI thank the hon. Lady for raising that point, and I agree with her. That is why I started my speech with a reference to electricity being rolled out to the last few villages in…27 Jan 2026HANSARD Rural Broadband: InstallationI referred to Openreach’s comments to me. It said that it did not believe there is sufficient funding in the spending review for the Government to meet their target of 99% by…27 Jan 2026HANSARD Rural Broadband: InstallationI think the word “shambles” is harsh; I would say that “patchy” is a more accurate description. Going from 6% in 2018 to 78% today is an achievement, and the hon. Lady should give…27 Jan 2026HANSARD Rural Broadband: InstallationI am grateful to the hon. Lady for raising that point. The lack of reliable broadband discourages innovation and investment, and pushes people towards cities and towns—not because…27 Jan 2026HANSARD Rural Broadband: InstallationI beg to move, That this House has considered the impact of the time taken to install gigabit capable broadband on rural communities. It is a pleasure to serve under your…27 Jan 2026HANSARD Rural Broadband: InstallationYes, I agree. We are waiting for the Government to respond to a consultation. I will now make some progress so that the Minister has time to respond. The objective of the previous…27 Jan 2026HANSARDYouth HubsI wish the Secretary of State well with this initiative, but does he share my concern that as his Department seeks to reduce youth unemployment, the Chancellor is doing everything…26 Jan 2026HANSARD Police Reform White PaperMy constituents are already concerned that Avon and Somerset constabulary is dominated by Bristol and that far too few resources are devoted to Somerset’s smaller towns and…26 Jan 2026HANSARDNational Insurance Contributions (Employer Pensions Contributions) BillCan the Minister explain what is pragmatic about withdrawing a 2p in the pound tax relief from a higher rate taxpayer without a student loan, while withdrawing a 17p in the pound…21 Jan 2026HANSARDPublic Office (Accountability) BillI thank the Minister for her statement, and ask her for two points of clarification. Does she believe that it is appropriate for the heads of the intelligence services to…19 Jan 2026HANSARD Business of the HouseMay I agree with the point raised by the hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Rachel Blake)? In the village of Cossington, there is a small housing estate that had…15 Jan 2026HANSARD Digital IDMy constituents are opposed to digital ID, and I welcome the Minister’s U-turn—I look forward to him being given responsibility for jury trials as well. The problem is that…15 Jan 2026HANSARD Offshore WindThe Secretary of State is going to pay a floating wind farm £216 per megawatt-hour. Can he explain how that will lower fuel prices for my constituents?14 Jan 2026HANSARDFinance (No. 2) BillDoes the shadow Minister agree that the overall thrust of these clauses is to discourage saving and enterprise, and to hit the people who do the right thing, all to fund more…12 Jan 2026HANSARDFinance (No. 2) Billrose —12 Jan 2026HANSARDFinance (No. 2) BillDoes the hon. Gentleman believe that increasing taxation on dividends will result in more entrepreneurs taking risks, employing people and growing the economy, or fewer?12 Jan 2026HANSARDFinance (No. 2) BillA Budget is the most important set of choices that a Government can make, and introducing clause 10 is a choice by this Government. I oppose clause 10 because it extends the…12 Jan 2026HANSARDFinance (No. 2) BillMy hon. Friend makes a valuable point, which anticipates my next point. Teachers in my constituency have written to me saying that they will be pushed into the higher rate tax…12 Jan 2026HANSARDFinance (No. 2) BillI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving way a second time. Is he seriously saying that increasing the rate of tax on dividends will result in more investment in this…12 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsIn my experience, staff absence is normally the result of poor management. I suspect that the Ministry of Justice is managing its staff significantly worse than the rest of the…07 Jan 2026