Speeches by Morello.

“Will that be a published report? Is that something that you will come back and speak to the Committee about?”

“How do you marry the state of an existing asset, or the envisaged ongoing maintenance cost, with either the strategic priorities or the changing priorities of the Government in order to make a decision on where should be retained, where should be divested and what should be invested in?”

“To come back to Dan’s point about the fact that other Departments are stripping out overseas staff, that feeds into this process as well. You can argue that if you have a half-empty trade office, that does not necessarily reflect what might be achievable with that country, but it reflects the fact that DBT have chosen …”

“I do not disagree. I am trying to understand the scale of rationalisation that is going to be envisaged. I take your point that there is a difference between the front of the shop, which might need to be retained, and the rest of the 6,000 footprint, but the numbers are pretty stark. The Public Accounts Committee says …”

“When one of your predecessors was in front of the Foreign Affairs Committee speaking to the sale of the Bangkok embassy, they said that that the £400 million would be used to clear the backlog of maintenance. We are now in 2025 and the backlog is £450 million. The refurbishment of the Washington embassy ran 12 months o…”

“In terms of the rainforest fund, was the decision not to provide a guarantee in that case directly linked to the fact we had already topped out the amount we were willing to—”

“Are there any caveats to that pause? If Ukraine comes requiring additional funding for the 12 months ahead, would that be a Government Minister-level decision?”

“Out of interest, since the switch to more of a guarantee-based model, what has been the uptick? With that £8.2 billion, is 90% achieved over the last five years?”

“So I am clear, that is effectively a pause in our support for Ukraine?”

“The budget outlines plans to rationalise the overseas estate. What and where are we losing?”

“Before we move on, on the point about guarantees, is the FCDO writing cheques on behalf of UK plc? If so, what level of exposure do we have there? Is a decision made on the risk profile of each guarantee, or do you have a total cap on what you are allowed to commit on behalf of UK plc?”

“So I am clear, while the pause is in place, over whatever defined period you decide you need to pause it for, would any additional guarantees be a Minister or Prime Minister-level decision, in order to say we are willing to exceed that cap, on a project-by-project basis?”

“I agree 100%. I very much hope that the Bill will give us the opportunity to improve that level of service. End-of-the-line stopping services should not be defined by graffiti, broken heating, limited seating and high fares. What we want are modern trains with reliable wi-fi, working toilets, clear visual and audio inf…”

“T6. The cost of delivering public services in rural Britain is higher than in urban areas. The cost to access services is higher for communities in rural places like West Dorset than it is for those in urban Britain. Will the Treasury commit to reviewing the funding formula, so that local government, integrated care bo…”

“I am looking forward to serving on the Public Bill Committee, because this Bill is a long-awaited opportunity to reshape our rail network for the better. It is an opportunity to deliver real value, reliability and affordability for passengers across the whole of the country, but especially in underserved rural communit…”

“My hon. Friend talks about water abstraction and using water in the right places. The Independent Water Commission’s recommendation 10 suggested using pre-pipe solutions. Does he agree that mandatory rainwater harvesting on new homes and major renovations would allow us to capture water and use it at source, reducing p…”

“Will the hon. Member give way?”

“I thank the hon. Member for giving us an opportunity to talk about this incredibly important issue. I agree 100% with the recommendations that he is making. I also point to the important work that hospices do. A lot of hospices, such as Weldmar and Julia’s House in West Dorset, provide mental health-led hospice service…”

“The constant consolidation of local newspapers into large news corporations risks a difficult balance between their need to make money and the audience size. We have lost papers in Lyme Regis, and Sherborne is now covered by Somerset’s Western Gazette as almost an afterthought. Does my hon. Friend agree that, while we …”

“I thank my hon. Friend for speaking to this important new clause, which relates to the fundamental fact that pensions are about planning for the future, and climate change is about making sure that we have a future for all. Having pension funds supporting anything that undermines the outlook for future generations shou…”