Speeches by Egan.

“With our domestic air defences under increased scrutiny, will the Secretary of State update us on the work being done to strengthen them and give assurances that our Government understand that our forces will need the resources available to secure our skies?”

“I appreciate the focus and passion that clearly comes through around the economic activity piece, and I also welcome—you touched on it—that a lot of those answers lie within our communities. As a former local government leader, I know there are local councils that are doing really good things on work programmes. I want…”

“19. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the extension of the household support fund in 2025-26 on low-income households.”

“Because the household support fund is devolved to local councils, there are lots of different examples of how the funding is spent, so how will the Minister ensure that the money from councils goes to the people who really need it?”

“T5. What does the extra funding outlined for children in the Budget mean for the growing number of foster children and children who need foster care?”

“T3. I would like to ask a question that comes out of local government. One of the frustrations that I found after 14 years in local government was that short-term cuts can often end up costing more in the long run—an example that always comes to mind is youth services. What does the Chancellor make of the Local Governm…”

“I thank the Home Secretary for her answer about the criminal gangs. People in Bristol North East also ask me about deterrence. What reassurance can I give them that this action is being backed up with measures to stop illegal working by people who do not have a right to work here?”

“16. What steps her Department is taking to tackle criminal gangs facilitating small boat crossings.”

“9. What progress she has made on increasing economic growth.”

“The delivery of so much of what the Chancellor describes runs through local government. What progress has been made on giving local councils longer-term funding settlements?”

“All of us here want to see an end to the conflict in Gaza and Israel, and that means getting to a lasting peace as soon as possible. There is growing concern that we are seeing rising hostilities in the north of Israel with Hezbollah, with a deadly increase in attacks targeted against civilians. Hezbollah is, of course…”