Speeches by Dixon.

“The customer in this case was the NHS and the DHSC. We know that politicians were involved in putting companies on to the so-called VIP lane. At what point does the over-ordering and overpaying by a customer where there were relationships between politicians and some of the suppliers trigger things that you should be r…”

“But you would suggest that there were some conflicts of interest?”

“You mentioned the modelling being way out—sort of double plus a 20% contingency from any amounts that were ever used. It just mentions an external consultant; who did the modelling? Is that report in the public domain?”

“I thank my hon. Friend and her Committee for the excellent work that they have done in preparation for this Bill. Pensioners who bought retirement flats in Aire Valley Court and Sutton Court in my constituency were hoping for peace of mind; instead, they have had rocketing service charges, poor maintenance and a lack o…”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Melanie, I think you were saying earlier that levels of debt in the mobile and broadband sector are generally lower, but from the pre-panel we were hearing that there is currently no statutory advice service or debt counselling service for broadband and mobile customers, in the way there is the CCW and Citizens Advice …”

“Martin, on mobile and broadband, I wondered if you had a view. This comes from my personal experience of my parents, who are 85 years old, although I would not call them vulnerable. They have had automatic renewals. They have had a huge exit fee when moving house, even though the provider could not provide services to …”

“It is perhaps clearer here than in either of the other two sectors—although I may put this point to Tim as well—that the most engaged customers, switchers, are the ones who get the advantage. There is the idea that, for different reasons, some people—they may not be in vulnerable circumstances, and it might not be fina…”

“We touched a bit in relation to the other two sectors on levels of debt and repayment plans, but I want to push a little on the levels in water, which are still very low, with only 26% of households with water debt on a repayment plan. That seems very low. Forgive me if you feel you have already sufficiently answered t…”

“It is good to hear that you have been working on the issue of affordability, but is there any guidance if people are indebted on their water bills, council tax and energy bills? Is accumulated debt considered when agreeing a repayment plan and assessing affordability? Tim, you are nodding.”

“In the spirit of naming and shaming, if 26% is the average across the sector, what are the good and bad companies when it comes to repayment plans? What is the highest and lowest percentage you have?”

“Okay. That would be very useful. Obviously, Tim, it is a little higher in the energy sector, at 40%, but I presume that you are not being complacent and that you are ensuring the energy companies are not either. In terms of some of the customers on repayment plans, one of my constituents just had no hope of ever repayi…”

“Would that be guidance in terms of bailiffs and debt collectors?”

“What I seem to be hearing in general is a lack of proactivity—a lack of clear communication. We heard that from the previous panel: bits of information hidden at the bottom of bills, people not being told what they are and are not able to access. Melanie, how confident are you where you have these voluntary agreements …”

“I was moved to hear about Jo Cox’s life and the impact of her work on women globally in last week’s debate. She was a strong advocate for women’s rights and overseas development aid. Will the Secretary of State assure me that recent cuts to aid will not have an adverse impact on projects such as those I saw in Zimbabwe…”

“11. What steps she is taking with her international counterparts to help tackle violence against women and girls.”

“I am so moved by my hon. Friend’s words about her sister. I commend her for her amazing bravery and courage in stepping into her sister’s shoes and being an amazing MP for Batley and Spen. I thank her for her words. As some hon. Members may know, I was a contemporary of Jo’s at university; I am just sorry that although…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Wishart. In Bradford, our new Reform-led council wants to scrap the clean air zone. I believe that would be a serious mistake that future generations of Bradfordians would pay for. Our city has long had one of the highest levels of respiratory illness in Yorkshire, wit…”

“I want to come back to some of the points about the experience for those claiming, particularly for the LGBT veterans scheme. In response to questions from the Chair, we heard about the difficulties of finding people, but there have been problems even with those who have been identified and who have submitted evidence.…”

“Given that and the reverse burden of proof, I do not think that reflects the experience of all veterans. They feel they still have to provide proof, often many years and sometimes decades after the incident. Can I come back to the point you made about management information? You said you have up-to-date information. Th…”