Speeches by Stone.

“I trust that this evening’s debate has given a flavour of what life on the Petitions Committee is like—it brings its challenges and informative debate. I want to thank all those who have spoken; they have done so with sincerity. Opinions differ, but there is no doubt that hon. Members feel very strongly about the issue…”

“I thank the hon. Member for her intervention, but she will understand that it is my job as Chairman of the Petitions Committee to present a fair description of both sides of the discussion, which is what I hope to do. James Esses, who started the petition, is a psychotherapist, and he impressed on me the benefit that g…”

“But Prime Minister, Rosebank remains an enormous strategic resource. I started my working life in the oil and gas sector. There are thousands of people out there who have made their livelihoods through this. What would be your message to be those people? Are we with them?”

“Finally, you have been talking about the nuclear industry. Surely, strategically, a network of small modular reactors all over the UK makes sense, including Scotland. It seems to me an utter nonsense that the Scottish Government can stop this. Can you reassure me that every tool at your disposal—at the Government’s dis…”

“Good afternoon, Prime Minister. Apropos of what you have just been talking about, out in the North sea, we have the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields, which are huge resources of oil and gas. They are massive and hugely important to this country. Can I suggest to you that we can achieve net zero simultaneously with utilising…”

“I note the sincerity with which the hon. Gentleman makes his remarks. There is the legal and ethical question of whether a child can ever truly consent to something like this.”

“I note what the Leader of the House said about the forthcoming consultation exercise. I urge right hon. and hon. Members to take part. The shadow Leader of the House has touched on the activities in recent months of Russian spy ships and submarines off the coast of my constituency, taking a peer at our undersea cables …”

“A few days ago, I had a clinic in Aultbea, and a gentleman came to see me about the state of the potholes. As I drove home between Dundonnell and Corrieshalloch, bang—I had a flat tyre, and I put on record my gratitude to Mr Nigel Shaddick for helping me change my wheel. I know all about potholes. In late 2023, I had a…”

“I thank the right hon. Member for his customarily incisive intervention. Local elections surely ensure that decisions are subject to scrutiny and renewal. The expectation that electors will have an opportunity to choose their representatives at predictable intervals is surely fundamental to public confidence. Independe…”

“As you know, Mr Mundell, I am somewhat long in the tooth, as we say north of the border. I was just doing a wee sum here on a piece of paper—I have contested 11 elections, and I would say that my wife and children do not always greet the prospect of another election with huge enthusiasm, but I know what I am talking ab…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered e-petition 747234 relating to the Secretary of State’s power to cancel local elections. It is a great pleasure to serve under your Caledonian chairmanship, Mr Mundell. We are old friends from the past. As Chair of the Petitions Committee, I believe I speak for all its membe…”

“I mentioned killing hooded crows in an earlier intervention, and I think one way that we could boost the industry that the hon. Member is talking about is by eating more game. I am not for one instant advocating eating hooded crows, or cormorants, which I am told they eat in Iceland—although I do not fancy one myself. …”

“I think it is only fair that I offer an abject apology to the hon. Member, and a large refreshment will be his later today.”

“As Chair of the Petitions Committee, I can say that the hon. Gentleman is doing a damn good job of opening the debate. The Father of the House referred to farmers needing shotguns to control vermin. The crofters in my constituency have huge trouble with hooded crows, who come to peck out the eyes of lambs—no wonder the…”

“The hon. Gentleman is talking about the benefits. At the moment, the United Kingdom has a stable system; he mentioned people thinking about taking up shooting, and we have a system whereby people are taught correctly, from the word go, to point their gun at the sky or at the ground and, when they finish shooting, to cl…”

“The hon. Gentleman is making a very sincere speech, and I am listening to it with great interest. He talks about youngsters’ confidence. One of the great industries that was run down during the Conservatives’ years of rule was the nuclear industry, but I believe it will be great again one day. Dounreay in my constituen…”

“I have twice, in interventions, mentioned the spy ships and the problems around the coast of my constituency. Let us cut to the chase: does the hon. Gentleman agree that we do not have enough Royal Navy surface ships, never mind submarines? I have not seen a single Royal Navy ship anywhere around the coast of my consti…”

“The right hon. Lady is making an excellent speech. Only yesterday, Sven Sakkov, the Estonian ambassador, spoke in Aberdeen. Similar to what the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland (Luke Myer) said about Moldova, he said, “Look, we’re a border country with Russia. You may think you’re far away, but it…”

“The hon. Member is making a good speech. The Russian ship he mentioned was off the coast of my constituency among others, which caused grave local concern. It strikes me that to defend our democracy, be it Welsh, Scottish or national, protections should be extended to local authorities, because a council such as the Hi…”

“It is an absolute pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. Representing the biggest and most remote mainland British constituency, I know that my constituents understand the challenges faced by Royal Mail, including inclement weather and huge distances. I want to give one example of an issue that infuria…”