Speeches by Chowns.

“Q On the first part of my question, what do you think the purpose of planning should be? Faraz Baber: Planning is there to help, for want of a better phrase, with the placemaking and the delivery, and to ensure that there are guidelines for how plan making should take place. It is there to ensure that the various lever…”

“Q To follow on from that, Mr Ellis, what do you think the purpose of planning should be, and do you think it should be written into the Bill? Hugh Ellis: Since 1947, the greatest absence in all planning reform measures has been that we do not know what the system is for. The current round of reforms raises that questio…”

“Q It says on the front of the Bill that the Secretary of State has determined that “the Bill will not have the effect of reducing the level of environmental protection provided for by any existing environmental law.” You have spoken about how you think that there will be improvements. Are you absolutely confident that …”

“Q Do you feel that the Bill will deliver a sufficiently strategic approach to national infrastructure? Are there elements still missing that you feel would enable that? Sir John Armitt: It is worth saying first that the Government have announced that they intend to publish a 10-year infrastructure strategy later this y…”

“I completely agree. That is precisely the thrust of my argument. Over the last three decades, shareholders have extracted £83 billion in dividends. They have invested effectively less than nothing, because the share capital and retained earnings in those companies are now lower than they were at the time of privatisati…”

“I thank the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron) for bringing this important debate to the House. As the Secretary of State said, we are all in furious agreement that the condition of our rivers, lakes and seas is an absolute scandal. It would be remiss of me not to point out that the problem is not ju…”

“7. What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of policies applying to bail conditions in domestic violence cases.”

“I raise this issue following a meeting with a constituent whose case raises deep concerns that are more widely relevant. First, bail conditions—sometimes weak, sometimes poorly enforced—do not always protect victims of domestic violence from further harassment by their abuser. Secondly, despite the increase in the time…”

“Steel is strategically vital for the UK and the foundation of our industry. We could and should be producing much more of it domestically. Steel is also integral to the green industrial transformation that is essential for our future. Wind turbines, trains, rail tracks and electric vehicles are key elements of the sust…”

“Retrofit?”

“I raised the question of territorial versus consumption-based emission calculations last time you were before the Committee. It is clear that the question is of interest to the Committee. We have a responsibility as legislators—we have a territorial emission-based framework, but consumption-based emissions are a key pa…”

“I would like to move on to some questions about the cost of the transition—I am aware of time. Dr Richardson, your report estimates the net cost of transition to 2050 as roughly £4 billion a year on average—0.2% of GDP. How confident are you in that estimate?”

“My overall reading of your advice is that you are getting increasing certainty about both the costs and the benefits in financial terms of these technologies as we move towards the transition and as technologies come to maturity. Emma, sometimes it is hard for people to translate these costs into real terms. If we tran…”

“From memory, from your reporting, net costs will peak at around £33 billion a year in 2029, but net benefits will be about £33 billion by 2050 and then, as you say, increase way into the future. There are huge benefits to be had from early up-front investment, which will have a big pay-off. That is without even taking …”

“In solidarity, Green party MPs share in the condemnation—which should be fully cross-party—of the Israeli Government’s shameful detention and deportation of our two Labour MP colleagues. In the context of the widespread evidence of war crimes, does the Minister agree that this demonstrates that international scrutiny o…”

“Last night I attended the meeting for worship at Westminster Quaker meeting house. Last Thursday, that place of worship was forcefully raided by 20 police officers, equipped with tasers, and they arrested six women and charged them in relation to planning a peaceful protest. That raises important questions about the cr…”

“It is clear that the UK needs to show some backbone in standing up to the US President’s bullyboy tactics on trade. The Secretary of State says that he is keen to negotiate a deal, but at what cost? What is he putting on the table? Can he assure the House that, in seeking a carve-out from President Trump’s tariffs, he …”

“9. What diplomatic steps he is taking to help advance peace in the middle east.”

“It is often said that actions speak louder than words. The Government have repeatedly condemned what is happening in Gaza and the west bank, yet Israeli settler violence, Israeli settlement expansion, the unlawful demolition of Palestinian homes and violence in Gaza are continuing. Given that UK diplomatic efforts and …”

“I remind the House briefly that all these issues are well investigated and understood, and the House has previously used this mechanism effectively.”