Speeches by Dickson.

“May I express my support for the Government’s handling of the events this weekend? I am grateful for the Prime Minister’s clarity today that international law is paramount and that priority is being given to the safety of UK citizens. Does he agree with me, however, that this will end only when Iran, the US and allies …”

“I have a couple of questions about the speculation prior to the November Budget. I think most observers saw it as being more speculated about than many past Budgets. Indeed, you wrote a letter to Dame Meg just before the Budget in which you talked about the “unusual volume of speculation” around the pre-measures proces…”

“Sir Robert, there was speculation back in the day when you were chairing the OBR, though perhaps not to the same extent as we saw in November. What was your sense of what happened with speculation prior to the Budget, and how did you manage it? Do you have any suggestions for how we can make sure it is reduced and mana…”

“Do you think that speculation generally is a symptom of the way in which the pre-measures forecast process works? Are there some lessons that you would look for us to learn about the interaction that the pre-measures forecast represents, and how to do it better so that we do not get some of this speculation, which is c…”

“It is good to see the arrival of the new version of the Green Book. A previous criticism was of an over-reliance on benefit-cost ratios as a pass or fail, rather than taking a more rounded view. The Chancellor said that she thinks the new Green Book may well unlock billions in investment for the north. What would succe…”

“Would you see that resulting in a geographical shift in the pattern of investment, as a result of changing, effectively, the criteria by which investment gets approved in the Treasury?”

“Something that significantly affects the Kent economy, and therefore my constituents, is transport across the county. I understand from London St Pancras High Speed—the railway that runs from London, across Kent and over to France and beyond—that its rateable value is increasing from £25 million to £75 million from Apr…”

“Great to hear.”

“Just quickly, I believe this Government have a very good record of putting investment into infrastructure, and it would be a shame if some of the consequences of that around the ability to use that infrastructure prevented it from contributing to economic growth in the way that the Government would wish it to, as we mi…”

“Do we expect that to significantly increase affordability for the young people who really need to get that step on to the housing ladder soon, if possible?”

“Obviously, the dream of home ownership for young people has receded over the last 15 years or so. We have seen house prices consistently rise faster than incomes. As the Chair has said, Minister Pennycook, you have been on record recently in the Financial Times saying that, as more units and homes are built, you think …”

“Thank you. That is very helpful.”

“It will potentially be this year.”

“Since the big fee hike back in 2022, businesses and consumers have been paying an estimated £150 million to £200 million a year in additional charges. They are quite impatient to see this resolved. Do you have any thoughts about what the timescale for the permanent cap might be, based on all the variables that you have…”

“On the substantive issue itself, you were going to impose an interim cap and then we had the litigation. You then decided to drop the idea of the interim cap. Was that as a result of the litigation or did you reconsider the way that you want to take the whole issue forward in any event?”

“Thank you, Dame Meg. We have noted the High Court judgment from last month. Can I just ask you two questions on that? First, how much time and resource have you, as the PSR, spent on the litigation? Secondly, being part of the FCA, will assistance be given to you and will it be an easier process to challenge big compan…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for securing this debate. We can see by the numbers here how serious it is. I have heard from a number of constituents, as she has, in the situation she describes. Heartbreakingly, one constituent, Collette Reeves, retired at the end of last year to care for her husband who has been diagnosed wit…”

“I pay tribute to the hon. Member for securing the debate and for the great speech she is making. She mentioned the role of buses. There tends to be an assumption made by people outside the south-east that we all have bus networks similar to those in London, but they would not have to go very far from London—to my const…”

“There has been some criticism in the US that some of the Community Reinvestment Act activity is a little bit tick-box, rather than really looking at outcomes for communities. Clearly, we would need to avoid that, would we not?”

“Just to unpack that a little bit more, what sort of metrics would we be looking to apply to a fair banking Act, to understand whether banks were succeeding and whether we are making real inroads into, for instance, unbanked customers or citizens or other signs of financial inclusion?”