Speeches by Young.

“I wrote to the Secretary of State in November concerned about the impact on local authorities, such as South Gloucestershire, that are at an advanced stage of bringing forward plans to deliver much-needed homes. I welcome the extension of the transitional period, but I remain concerned that areas whose figures have inc…”

“One concern is that many children end up being out of education because they are not getting the support that they need in school. Does she agree that it is an outrage that, in that situation, some parents face prosecution? Does she also agree that we need to provide support for children to receive an education, whethe…”

“Last week, the Government stated that they would move away from SEND safety valve agreements, which have seen many local authorities across the country enter short-term funding deals with the Department for Education. Although that is welcome news, it has left those in existing arrangements —including my local authorit…”

“Q2. The people of Thornbury have been promised a new health facility for more than 20 years, but they have seen every proposal fall by the wayside. That is why it was a great relief to residents when the Minister for Secondary Care) confirmed to me in writing that the funding to rebuild the centre would be made availab…”

“You have possibly partly answered my next question, but what decisions do we need from Government now to build up the capacity for green hydrogen production to meet our net zero targets?”

“I have two further questions with hopefully fairly quick answers. Do we need to limit our future use of blue hydrogen given that that would mean continued exposure to international gas prices, and the risk of methane leakage?”

“You would not set a limit at this point and say, “This is what the limit should be at this point in time”?”

“Do you agree with the Climate Change Committee that from 2025 the Government should prohibit new buildings from connecting to the gas grid?”

“Turning to the question of demand flexibility, the Government have a current target of 75% of homes and 69% of small businesses having smart meters by the end of 2025. Do you think that is enough for demand flexibility to grow by four to five times current levels, which you say we need by 2030?”

“If you are looking for that sort of innovation in the consumer retail market, what regulatory changes do you think you will need? You talk about customers needing to be rewarded. What regulatory changes would you need for that to happen so they can be passed to consumers in the form of lower electricity bills?”

“Could you be a bit more specific about what the regulatory changes are? What are you asking Government to change about the regulations to make this happen? You sort of talked around what might be possible and how it is possible to construct something, but not what the changes are.”

“Finally, “Future Energy Scenarios 2024” identifies several key actions needed to realise the potential of vehicle-to-grid technology. Given that 2030 is only five years away, which of those are the highest priority?”

“Last week we asked questions of the Minister about the future role of hydrogen. “Future Energy Scenarios 2024” envisaged a range of possible uses of hydrogen by 2050. When do you think we need to make choices and prioritise between those different possible uses?”

“You have run through the different options, but would you not agree that at some point you have to take a strategic overview of those options? There will be a finite amount of green hydrogen that we can produce, so don’t we need at some point to make a choice and say, “We are prioritising the use of hydrogen for this, …”

“The emergency closure of the A432 motorway overbridge has had a massive impact on the local road network in my constituency. It is a good example of how national infrastructure projects can have damaging impacts on local residents and businesses. Does my hon. Friend agree that we need investment in national infrastruct…”

“Storm Darragh is the second serious storm to hit my Thornbury and Yate constituency in recent weeks; it came soon after Storm Bert, which caused serious flooding disruption. I thank everyone involved in the response. These storms are not going away; owing to the impacts of climate change, they are likely to get worse. …”

“What did I say? [Hon. Members: “You said ‘you’”.] Did I? Sorry! The Minister mentioned infrastructure. We have seen significant delays on the line from the west country in the last few weeks owing to flooding. In particular, trains are having to divert between Bristol Parkway and Swindon and having to go via Bath and C…”

“I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke) for securing this debate. Our public transport services have been run down for years because of the previous Conservative Government, and many rural communities across my Thornbury and Yate constituency have seen their vital bus services disapp…”

“You mentioned infrastructure—”

“I welcome the proposals. I was talking to a constituent earlier today who feels that the family courts are not only enabling her ex-partner to continue abusing her, including following and harassing her, but are undermining the criminal case against her former partner. Will the Minister commit to looking at the role of…”