Speeches by Dean.

“Mr Noakes, if I could put the question in a slightly different way, is there a part of the strategy that you think will be particularly difficult for industry to deliver? In the early conversations with the Government, was there anything you felt had to be ruled out because it simply was not going to be deliverable?”

“Just to be clear, when you talk about their role, you think they could play a greater role.”

“Just to be clear, I think it concluded that many customers were not getting fair value. It said it was possible that there are costs associated with introducing monthly payments, but that in many cases people were being overcharged—just to be clear.”

“Why, then, did APRs almost immediately reduce when they started to do this investigation by 4.1 percentage points and, for the firms that were directly challenged, by 7 percentage points? It seems coincidental at least.”

“Ms Rayner, would transparency on the costs be part of the solution—separating the cost of providing the finance from the premium costs—so that there can be proper competition between people?”

“Mr Noakes, what do you see as the main causes of financial exclusion, and what is your evaluation of the Government’s strategy so far?”

“Since when has that been the case? Is it now the industry standard?”

“Mr Singh, you said to start thinking about it. Are there things missing that the Government need to start thinking about sooner?”

“Just to push you on what the FCA said about the premium finance market study, it concluded that customers were not getting fair value. As soon as the FCA started commissioning this research, there was an impact on pricing, and you started to see firms adjust, probably because they feared there might be further action c…”

“My second question—both can come in with answers if you have them—is whether anything has changed in the Government’s approach since the start of the conversation around this strategy because of input from industry. Can you point to an example of a way that the Government have changed the outcome of the strategy from w…”

“That’s what I said, yes.”

“I do agree with my hon. Friend. I will come on to the new hospitals programme, as my constituency stands to benefit from it, too—if it comes soon enough. In the meantime, as she says, we are paying twice to pay for the repairs and patchwork, and never keeping up with the investment we need. Ageing diagnostic equipment …”

“We have two panels today, so can you answer the questions from your perspectives as a bank and building society? This is a broad one to kick off. I will start with you, Mr Singh. What do you view as the main causes of financial exclusion for your sector? Can you tell us what you think of the Government’s strategy?”

“I agree with the hon. Gentleman, and I am sure that, like me, he hears constituents say that they do not want to attend their local A&E because they do not trust that they will be seen in time. I am sure that the figures he is describing are an undercount of the people who should be in there. Like me, he will have …”

“The Chancellor must be concerned that none of the good news she has shared with us today is being felt by people in the real world. Inflation is down, but she will know that that does not suddenly make things more affordable, and interest rates are down, but she will know that millions will lock into higher-rate deals …”

“I join the Leader of the House in his comments about Ukraine. It is clear that Vladimir Putin underestimated Ukrainians’ resilience and Europe’s willingness to stand by Ukraine. He will find out that we will all stand by Ukraine right to the end of this war. The cost of living has been piling pressure on people for yea…”

“There seems to be great confusion in the Chamber, even though the Liberal Democrats have time and again set out our proposals quite clearly in different places. I find it fascinating that the official Opposition accuse us of politicking when they probably agree with the substance of our proposals. They are contorting t…”

“The hon. Lady is making an excellent speech. Should one of those principles be related not only to content but to the addictive nature of these platforms? One of the changes I have witnessed on social media over time is algorithmic addiction. The greatest minds in the world are now working out the circuitry of our brai…”

“The events of recent weeks have substantially diminished people’s faith in politics, when it was already at an all- time low. It has confirmed the worst of people’s suspicions about how everything works and punctured the optimism of those who believed in better. At the centre of all this are the victims, and their brav…”

“Over the last few weeks, there has been a national debate raging that, so far, this place has been pretty silent on. It is on the matter of student loans. I know what some on the Government Benches may be thinking, but I am not prepared to duck difficult subjects. Let us face it: the student loans system has changed be…”