Speeches by Dean.

“13. What assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department's long-term resilience planning for climate change.”

“The Office for Budget Responsibility fiscal report, out today, highlights some of the long-term risks of climate damage to the UK’s finances. Unlike other OBR reports at formal fiscal events, there are no implications for the Government; they do not have to make any adjustments to their current financial planning. If h…”

“I am pleased to hear the Government accept that part of the issue here is successive Governments’ obsession with outsourcing by default. I ask the Minister for some reassurance that, when assessing the merits of insourcing this particular contract, they will not do so in isolation, but will also take into account the w…”

“I join the whole House in congratulating the England team, in particular Tottenham Hotspur academy product Harry Kane for his heroics last night. I am also grateful to the Conservatives for their lecture on sanctimony, though I note that self-awareness was never their strongest trait. This week my community was rocked …”

“We have already covered ground on enforcement, particularly at HMRC, being low and actually lower than it was prior to the pandemic. Can I also ask you about the Insolvency Service, which I read disqualified just seven directors for phoenixism over a five-year period? What more needs to be done with respect to the Inso…”

“They can opt out. Which businesses do you think are most likely to want to opt out?”

“Mr Townsend, I wanted to raise with you the prospect of reforms in the areas of business rates. This Committee has heard lots of evidence about different reforms out there. One of them—a proportional property tax or a commercial landowner levy—would put all the liability on to the property owner going forward. There ar…”

“Leaving aside all those other elements, because we are not going to work that out in today’s session, and assuming that they could maintain some sort of local revenue link for authorities, specifically on the tax evasion measure, would that create the right level of incentive for the landlords to have responsible tenan…”

“Mr Monaghan, you have talked about the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act needing an opportunity to be able to bite. When I have been looking at this, it feels like there is still some feet‑dragging going on. We might need further secondary legislation over verifying directors. On the abridged accounts issue…”

“To deliver on this review’s recommendations in full will require serious capital investment. Just last week, we heard that St Helier, the hospital in my constituency, was considering closing its maternity unit altogether due to potentially unsafe pipework. Will the Government commit to reviewing the phasing of the new …”

“Given what you just said, it sounds to me that we are going to end up in the worst of all worlds, which is adding on to the compliance cost for businesses that are trying to do the right thing. They are all going to go ahead and do what they think they are supposed to. All the ones that we are trying to catch out are g…”

“I join the Leader of the House in his comments about Venezuela, Edinburgh, Bedford and our armed forces. I acknowledge his comments about the summer of saving, but ask him: a summer of saving who? Paternity leave has been a joy. I know it will not make me popular with new parents, but mercifully my daughter has been sl…”

“I hold a different view on it. Ms Concha made a point earlier about consumers being able to take responsibility if they have good information, and that if they get bad information, that is where the harm is being done. I will not open that whole can of worms, but I want to reflect on where we have gotten to and the lat…”

“So you think the priority for most consumers is that they get their money back in a timely fashion? There are two sides of the debate, as you said: some motor firms—not some of the bigger finance providers, but some of the firms—are challenging, as is a consumer group on the basis that they can get more money from the …”

“Ms Concha, I can see you want to come back in. Do you think there has been a change since the change in Government, or at least since the Chancellor stated her intention to get the boot of the regulators off the necks of industry? Do you think there has been a stark change in the FCA’s attitude from that moment, or has…”

“A delay in justice.”

“The FCA recently released its strategy, which includes a section about helping consumers. It has stated some priorities about access to credit, debt support and redress. I just wondered what you made of the strategy and priorities and whether anything is missing.”

“It sounds a bit like they are talking the talk, but you are worried about whether they will be able to walk the walk. Ms Concha, I think it was you who made the point earlier about where the consumer duty sets the bar versus where they are missing it. Nikhil Rathi has said to the Committee that part of the reason the F…”

“Mr Daley, I see that you want to come in on that. Could you also reflect on how you think things have changed since the consumer duty has come in? Has the FCA’s behaviour changed, or are we still waiting for that change to happen?”

“Mr Daley, did you want to come in?”