Speeches by Kirkham.

“You’ll be working until you are 80, won’t you?”

“To follow up on that, the age limit is going to be set at 65. Do you think that is about right, or should it follow the state retirement age?”

“That is interesting to know, because it will affect the Covenant and how it is enforced if you know how many veterans there are.”

“A number of my constituents have been struggling with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, including several type 1 diabetic HGV drivers who have to renew their class 1 licences on a yearly basis. Every year the DVLA takes three to four months to process those applications. Licences expire, and they are relying on …”

“I am so pleased that schools furthest from Westminster are going to be prioritised and given time to apply for parliamentary trips. It takes at least six hours to get here from Cornish schools, which means they have to take a number of days in London. That is why their visits are rare and often in the summer term, when…”

“9. What assessment the Commission has made of the potential merits of prioritising schools that are furthest from Westminster for education visits to Parliament.”

“I am thinking about partners, specifically ones who are separated, because that happens quite a lot in the military, and making sure that you hoover up all those people.”

“No, sorry. I realise that I interrupted and I apologise.”

“What about families?”

“You have covered most of the things I wanted to ask, because my question was going to be about the practical differences this will make. For example, if you are a woman getting divorced from someone in the services and you apply for universal credit, how would that be different with the extended duty? You talked about …”

“Thank you, Chair. People have issues when they go and speak to people in health—whether it is primary, secondary or social care—as they have to retell their story a number of times. How can you make it so that people have to tell it only once? I know new digital records are coming up in the NHS, and I am hoping that pr…”

“I am thinking particularly about families and support at school, and about things such as being encouraged to apply for the pupil premium or SEND support, so that you are looking across not only local authorities but multi-academy trusts. Have you found that to be an area where there is a large discrepancy in the way i…”

“Thank you very much for being here. Forces families face a lot of challenges: they have to move regularly; they often face periods when one member is not there, as they have left or may have died; and they face lots of issues that other families do not. Bearing in mind all the aspects of life—whether that is health, ed…”

“This Government have already invested millions in the future of Cornish industries but they are held back by poor transport links. Our rail link is struggling, and our airport is fragile. Will the Secretary of State confirm that she is committed to transport improvement in Cornwall through Devon?”

“The SPS is a really positive development and an opportunity for us. If the suggested timescales do come off, it will be impressively quick, but with such fast timescales come the risks mentioned in the report. Does the Chair agree that it is important to not only maintain our higher welfare standards but ensure that ou…”

“I agree. Although mobile providers are a category 2 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 framework, they do not have the duties, responsibilities and powers that, say, National Grid or water companies do. There is a strong argument for changing that. Furthermore, the storm exposed the fact that most mobile …”

“Mobile coverage in my constituency is not good at the best of times. Although we are frequently told by the big four mobile network providers that they have 99% 4G coverage in the UK, including in my constituency, that does not ring true to anyone who, like me, is from Cornwall, and therefore knows what it is like to s…”

“I have several constituents, including victims of violence against women and girls, who have been waiting a year or more for Devon and Cornwall police to respond to their complaints. Will the Leader of the House facilitate a meeting for me and the Policing Minister to discuss the capacity of Devon and Cornwall police t…”

“In Cornwall, after our groundbreaking critical minerals strategy, there is the possibility that floating offshore wind could power critical minerals processing plants. This is a fantastic opportunity. Will the Minister look closely at the proposals and see how the Department can help something like that to happen?”

“Is it not the case that in recent years public sector pay has fallen hugely behind private sector pay, so there is an awful lot of catching up to do?”