Speeches by Lamont.

“My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech and he is right to highlight the important role that local authorities have. However, speaking as a former commercial property lawyer, I think part of the problem is that, when buying a new home, the purchaser is forced to take a contract package that is geared in favour of …”

“The hon. Member is making an excellent point—it is a rare moment of unity between him and me. I agree that the compensation is not enough. Does he agree that part of the problem is that the developer—in our case, Scottish Power Energy Networks, which is building the pylons across my constituency—assumes that it will ge…”

“My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. Many aspects of the Bill will affect Scotland and make things much more difficult for local residents to oppose certain types of application, including those in my constituency who are fighting hard against a 94 km pylon route and battery storage plants. For me, democratic …”

“T3. Last week, it was announced that the SNP Government are sending more shipbuilding contracts abroad. Seven CalMac ferries that could be constructed on the Clyde will instead be built in Poland. Will the Minister share how many warships the United Kingdom Government are currently building in Scotland?”

“I have a small point to clarify. The 12,000 civil servants who you said volunteered—are they redeployed from their existing civil service position, or are they paid in the same way as other people who work in polling stations?”

“Good morning. The Electoral Commission’s assessment of the election last July was that it was well run. I wonder if the Government shares the Electoral Commission’s conclusion.”

“I think we are going to come back to some of those issues later in the session, but how close did we come to something significantly going wrong in the election? I know there was reference to some particular challenges at one or two counts, which I will come on to a bit more broadly. As a Department, were you confident…”

“Thank you. We are going to come back to that, but in relation to the count at Wandsworth, which I have raised previously, you will know the wrong result was declared and the revised result did not change anything. However, in that constituency it could have done previously, given how close it has been. Are there any ot…”

“You are keeping an eye on that. Is that sufficient? For somebody who has been through the election process, as most of us around this table have, do you think keeping an eye on it is sufficient when such a significant error has been made?”

“Minister, do you think UK election law is too complex?”

“Going back to my earlier question on reforming the law and making it simpler, do you look at other international comparisons to see how other countries do it, to see if there is any better practice that we could adopt here?”

“Just to be clear are you saying that that longer piece of work has started but will take longer to do, or that it has not yet started?”

“It is not quite volunteering in the way that it initially sounded. They are getting paid to do that and they are taking a day’s leave.”

“It is important to clarify.”

“Will the hon. Lady give way?”

“Will the hon. Lady give way on that point?”

“The importance of farming cannot be overstated. It is vital not only for farmers, but for all our communities, our economy and our national security. Farming allows us to keep food prices as low as possible in shops and supermarkets. Farming is the foundation of the rural economy. It supports tens of thousands of jobs …”

“The hon. Gentleman is making an excellent speech, but does he agree as a fellow Scottish MP that our farmers are facing a double whammy? Not only do we have to deal with the vindictive family farm tax being imposed by the Government opposite, but we face the hostile environment that the Scottish National party Governme…”

“As the Leader of the House knows, there is strong opposition among residents in the Scottish Borders to plans by ScottishPower Energy Networks to build massive pylons along a 94-km route through the Scottish Borders. The regulator, Ofgem, plays a vital role in the decision-making process but, shockingly, is refusing to…”

“Last Friday, I spent the day visiting local shopkeepers in Kelso, many of whom employ their staff on the national minimum wage and the national living wage. Their biggest pressure just now is dealing with this Labour Government’s national insurance hike. They are facing a very difficult choice about whether they contin…”