Speeches by Dewhirst.

“Going forward, were there to be an incursion of a major notifiable disease—and fingers crossed that there is not—one would suggest that, looking back, having offered Dover only 20% of operational coverage, were that disease incursion to come via that port, it would look poorly on authorities at any future public inquir…”

“The £3.1 million for the coming financial year offers them 20% operational coverage. Is 20% sufficient?”

“Would you accept that, going forward, that is not really the best way to operate, working with them in partnership? That money is paying for human resource to stop things at the border. If they do not have that guarantee of funding in the future, they do not know how many staff they can employ, et cetera, and what thei…”

“We have talked specifically about Dover. My first question is in relation to the funding of the port health authority. Why did that funding settlement come so late in the day and not allow Dover to prepare ahead of the new financial year?”

“You would refute the FSA’s claim that there are gaps in the data?”

“This current consultation followed one that was almost a year before, which was rejected under Mark Spencer when he was farming Minister. I worked on some of the industry roundtables on that. It was a very rare subject that managed to unite the entire food supply chain, from farmer to retailer, because farmers rightly …”

“Yes, I am talking about data related to the BTOM and the monitoring of the BTOM.”

“The FSA report into the BTOM in March stated, “The number of checks completed and issues identified under the BTOM cannot be accurately reported due to limitations in data availability and quality”. Conversely to that, we have had answers to parliamentary questions and the Minister himself has stated that data is not b…”

“In terms of the importance of Dover and the threat that we know of from illegal meat imports, the fact is that, as we have just discussed, these are often not personal imports in the sense that someone has accidentally brought a sausage into the country, but are organised crime operations. I know that we are going come…”

“Would you perhaps be willing to shed some light on why that communication broke down between Dover Port Health Authority and DEFRA?”

“Is it therefore DEFRA’s intention in the future, once you have ironed out these issues around data, to produce public performance data? It is not going to risk any security issues in relation to checks, but to give us and the public confidence that the BTOM is working, and that the risk-based percentages are being deli…”

“Driving around my beautiful constituency, it is hard to tell that the area played such a pivotal role in the second world war. Only one active military base remains on the site of the old RAF Driffield at Kelleythorpe, which is now used by cadets and occasionally for other training. Back in the 1940s, the countryside o…”

“6. What steps he is taking to support the hospitality industry.”

“In my constituency, 115 pubs and five breweries contribute £40 million to the local economy and support 1,500 jobs. As highlighted by the British Beer and Pub Association, the sector faces a disproportionate business rates burden, with pubs paying a higher share relative to their turnover, so will the Government commit…”

“At the London marathon last weekend, my constituent Angus Leckonby from Octon near Driffield broke not one but two world records: he became the youngest and fastest man with an intellectual disability to complete a marathon—and he raised £11,000 for the Special Olympics in doing so. Will the Leader of the House join me…”

“The Minister has told the House that the Government would not impose any new costs on the ceramics industry, but we know that they are going to increase carbon taxes, which will kill off energy-intensive industries. Does she not see that this is a totally incoherent policy position?”

“Those of us who support a club that was previously owned by Ken Bates and Massimo Cellino have had our fair share of rough ownership over the years. Coming back to the wider landscape and who should regulate, above the Football Association, EFL and EPL we have UEFA and FIFA as international bodies representing the glob…”

“The hon. Member raises a very good point. FIFA’s recent history is not a proud one, but we do not have time to go into that. There is an important point about the way in which UEFA and FIFA operate within the landscape. There is a danger that measures including parachute payments, which affect competition tools and str…”

“No, I will make some progress on this point, if the hon. Gentleman does not mind. As a former employee of a football club, Hull City, and as someone who has worked for a national governing body of a sport at the Rugby Football Union, and for a national elite sport funding body at UK Sport, I have some experience of thi…”

“I disagree on the ideological level—on the ideological point about who should regulate football. I will come on to that in a second, but I do not believe it is the Government’s job. I believe that the football landscape already provides for regulation.”