Speeches by Stephenson.

“I thank everyone who has contributed to this wide-ranging and interesting debate. I am afraid that I do not have time to reflect on each contribution, but I thoroughly appreciate Members coming and providing their thoughts on this important subject. I thank the Minister for answering my many written parliamentary quest…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the matter of improving the UK visa system. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. Immigration is one of the defining policy challenges of our time. It determines who our neighbours are and with whom we share our country, our culture, our values, our …”

“I agree that we have a thriving university sector, and we must maintain it. However, the reality is that many students arriving in the UK are doing so to attend poorly performing universities, and not just the best ones. That is doing long-term harm to our country and our economy. We must close down that route by estab…”

“Sorry, but to build on that, is the independence issue one that needs to be resolved in all examples? Is that a fundamental issue in the establishment and the set-up of these compensation schemes?”

“Sir Alan, in response to a previous question you said that perhaps the state should not be involved and that that would be one way to improve these schemes. In a perfect world, how would these compensation schemes be designed without the involvement of the state, the civil servants and the bureaucracy?”

“Shaila, could you please walk us through how Departments can better encourage and support claimants to come forward to claim for compensation they think they are entitled to?”

“Kate, my original question was about the positive outcomes that have been achieved. Could you comment on those for your scheme?”

“Building on that independence issue, in the earlier panel we heard about the LGBT financial recognition scheme, which is administered by the MOD. So that is a similar situation. Those potential claimants are really difficult to find. I guess there is potentially a similarity there with the Windrush claims—I do not know…”

“There are six or seven months left for veterans to claim, which is not a lot of time, and you touched on that in some of your earlier remarks. What more needs to be done by Government, or any body, to ensure that the gap between those who are caught and those who miss out is as small as possible before the end of the y…”

“To what extent have the schemes been successful in achieving positive outcomes for the individuals who have been affected?”

“Sorry to stop you mid-flow, but is part of the problem, in some cases, the lack of independence? In this case, the Home Office, which essentially caused the original harm, is very much involved in the compensation process.”

“My questions are for Peter and Kate in relation to the LGBT financial recognition scheme and the infected blood compensation scheme respectively. We have heard a lot of the issues and challenges from the other schemes. It would be really helpful for me if each of you could unpack the comparisons and compare and contras…”

“Given the scale and significance of the Mandelson files due to be released, why does the Minister not accept that the review of those files over the Whitsun recess would be a good use of everyone’s time, with questions to Ministers being put after 1 June when we return? Is it because Ministers intend to limit scrutiny …”

“The UK is on track to meet only three of 23 global biodiversity framework targets by 2030—which is obviously terrible, unless the targets are also terrible. How do you think that the UK should reconcile the strong national security language in this report with the reality that we are so far off track with many of our d…”

“I am thinking about two things that have happened domestically in the last couple of years. This picks up on Sammy’s earlier questions. One is the land use framework. There are competing demands on how we use our land. The other is the insatiable demand to build homes, with targets going up in the countryside but down …”

“My final question is about the TFFF and the forest risk commodities provisions, which have not been implemented in the Environment Act. Based on your previous response, your recommendation to Government would be to get on with those things. We have heard warm words but seen nothing. Off the back of this report, it woul…”

“I know we are pressed for time, Chair.”

“I will speak to Lords amendments 5C and 6B. Before I do so, may I thank the Minister for working in a collaborative and cross-party way on this issue? I congratulate hon. Members who spoke before me so passionately on behalf of their constituents. I pay tribute to my constituent Tracey Hanson, who is watching this deba…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for securing this very important debate. There are issues with people who rely on super off-peak tickets, particularly at the weekends. Contactless has been introduced to Harlington in Mid Bedfordshire. It is valuable for commuters, but there are families who rely on the super off-peak fares, par…”

“Wixams retirement village in Mid Bedfordshire is a wonderful, integrated retirement community, but I understand from the sector and the industry that that business model is under threat from the Government’s leasehold reforms. Given the important role that these communities can play in reducing social care costs for ou…”