Speeches by Hardy.

“That depends on what the consultation comes back with on prioritisation.”

“Anything that we do has to be value for money. Ultimately, flood protection is about lives and livelihoods. Of course, you have to look at the numbers of properties protected. I am saying that the numbers of properties protected cannot be the only measurement that we use. To be fair, lots of the big flood defences for …”

“Whatever we decide to do with flood funding has to be about value for money. It cannot be down to my individual thoughts on what is right and wrong. This is why, honestly, the consultation matters so much. Yes, I would like to see more natural flood management. I am quite clear about that. Of course we need to be think…”

“You are right, it is something that we have heard before. The taskforce was looking at this as one of the lessons learnt. We are looking at a common warnings framework and we have created an action group from the taskforce, which is the Environment Agency, the Met Office and some of us to look at this issue. When I tal…”

“Yes, it is difficult because when I have visited people when they have been flooded—and I sadly went to see quite a lot of people after the recent floods—it is the local council that deals with the aftermath of a flooding event, having to rehome people, get social services involved. They have the responsibilities in th…”

“Yes, you are again totally right. One of the lessons learnt was how to protect the most vulnerable from a flooding event. There are lots of different definitions of vulnerable, and some people who are vulnerable in the event of a flooding might not be classified as vulnerable in other ways.”

“Yes. The Cabinet Office led on this, because the taskforce is joint chaired with me and the Minister for Resilience from the Cabinet Office. It has led an initiative to map vulnerable groups and provide a clearer definition of what vulnerable means. It has created an incredible tool, which can be used not just for floo…”

“I hate to give my hon. Friend the parliamentary answer “in due course”, but he will have to forgive me. As illustrated by the two Bills we have taken through the House this morning and the actions we have taken in our first year, we are very committed to animal welfare, which is of huge importance to the country. As we…”

“I am delighted to join my hon. Friend in congratulating Trees for Congleton. Thirty thousand trees is an incredible achievement, and let us hope it keeps going. The number of livestock kept in the UK has nearly doubled since the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 was passed, and there has been a large increase in …”

“I completely agree that it is incredibly unpleasant. As always, it is only a minority of people who fail to take away their dog’s poo. I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow East (John Grady) for the tip on visiting the beautiful print art in Glasgow. I hope that his father-in-law is impressed by his su…”

“It is a privilege to speak on Third Reading. I express my gratitude to the hon. Member for Chester South and Eddisbury (Aphra Brandreth) for taking the Bill through the House. I really was not going to get party political on this day of unity when we were all in so much agreement. However, the shadow Minister, the hon.…”

“I of course join my hon. Friend in thanking everyone involved. It is horrific to think that somebody would wish to attack a veterinary building where they know animals receive treatment and where they live. I hope that whoever has done that will be quickly and firmly brought to justice. As the number of pet owners has …”

“I congratulate the hon. Member for Winchester (Dr Chambers) on championing this Bill and guiding its passage through the House. I have welcomed the expertise he has lent to this debate, as well as his information and the way in which he used it in Committee. I was really fascinated to learn about the “Cut the Crop” cam…”

“Who would have thought that today there would be such unity in the House of Commons? I thank everyone for their support. The draft instrument is an essential tool in our efforts to increase the fairness of the supply chain. It establishes a much-needed scheme that will result in a more open, fair and transparent sheep …”

“I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Sheep Carcase (Classification and Price Reporting) (England) Regulations 2025. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Jeremy. The draft regulations were laid before the House on 2 June 2025. I draw the Committee’s attention to a correction slip …”

“I can also give you an update, Mr Stuart, but I would like to give my hon. Friend an update, too. The EA recently completed the project to refurbish a section of the floodwall on the River Rother that was damaged during Storm Babet, and £75,000 of DEFRA flood defence funding has been allocated to the avenue for the sto…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. My hon. Friend the Member for Chesterfield (Mr Perkins) is right to highlight the mental health impacts that flooding has on communities and individuals; he was also right to say that once someone has been flooded, they are always a flood victim. He discusse…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important issue. The Government are, of course, strongly committed to ensuring a high level of protection for human health and the environment. I am aware that the Environment Agency is investigating this matter, so I would be happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss it in detail.”

“Chalk streams are not only a beautiful and iconic part of our precious natural landscape; they are symbols of our national heritage. The protection and restoration of our cherished chalk streams is a core ambition in our overall programme of reform to the water sector.”

“I thank the hon. Lady, but with respect, the response was in my original answer. As I confirmed, the water restoration fund is continuing as planned. Successful projects have been notified, and money has been announced and given. As I have stated, all the money collected from water fines will be diverted into nature pr…”