Speeches by Brandreth.

“My constituent Paul cycles more than 1,000 km a month all across the country, but he tells me that Cheshire’s roads are among the worst. Poor roads are dangerous for all road users, so does the Minister agree that national guidance for pothole repair policy must properly reflect the needs of cyclists alongside motorist…”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We have seen examples where regulators have not intervened quickly or robustly enough, and where systemic issues went unnoticed or unaddressed for far too long. We need to strengthen the remit and ensure that the CQC is properly equipped and held to the high standards that we expect …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Vickers. I rise to speak in strong support of new clause 13, tabled by the shadow Minister. The new clause would place a duty on the Secretary of State to review the functions and effectiveness of the regulatory authority, which is currently the Care Quality Commiss…”

“Is there a requirement for them to notify us?”

“Is there a separate lease document for Diego Garcia or is that the treaty itself—is it included in the information that we already have?”

“I understand you are saying it will operate as it always has, but in the future—not necessarily as it always has done—does it mean that we will have to comply with treaties and laws that Mauritius has signed up to?”

“I understand that we are not a party to that. I am asking, given that Mauritius has sovereignty over all the islands, whether that means that those laws take precedence in Diego Garcia.”

“Before we move on to some questions relating to the Chagossian people, I wanted to follow up on a couple of questions on the points we have been talking about relating to the base. To clarify your answers to the questions that Sir John Whittingdale asked, can you confirm: does this mean that treaties that Mauritius has…”

“I understand that, but I am asking specifically about the ones Mauritius has signed up to.”

“Thank you.”

“Outside of the 12-nautical-mile limit around Diego Garcia, is Mauritius permitted to have security or military forces? Would they need to notify us, as we would need to notify them, and could they potentially have military advisers or observers from countries other than Mauritius?”

“Just to be clear, am I right in understanding that essentially, because we have ceded control, under the resettlement agreement that we have, it is possible that people of no kind of Chagossian descent or link to the islands could resettle, while at the same time, potentially, British Chagossians could not?”

“So we do not know if they will or not?”

“But only if Mauritius allows that to be the case.”

“To clarify, do you think it is right that the British Chagossians have no right to return?”

“Thinking about the Chagossian community in the UK, why does the treaty not include explicit guarantees for their right to return, particularly those who were either born in exile or are descendants of the displaced population?”

“You mentioned the Chagossian trust fund. You noted earlier that you hoped that the British Chagossians will be given a say in how that £40 million trust fund is spent. Why did you not agree a joint governance model for that, which would have meant that you were not relying on hope alone?”

“I wanted to ask a couple of questions on the Chagossian people. I have met with British Chagossians who have shared with me that they feel excluded from the negotiations on this agreement. You are probably aware of that. How would you respond to the concerns that the Government did not provide adequate opportunities fo…”

“And any military observers?”

“I understand that, but it has been signed under this Government, so I am just trying to clarify whether you think it is right that British Chagossians potentially won’t be able to resettle there, whereas people without any link to the islands can.”