Speeches by Milne.

“Thank you very much; I welcome that. The DWP is running a trial—I think you referred to it earlier—in which work coaches choose the communication channels for appointments. Just to play devil’s advocate, do you think that giving coaches that flexibility could also lead to a danger of a lack of consistency in service de…”

“I welcome the Government’s decision to widen access to free school meals—a long-standing Liberal Democrat policy—but Castlewood primary school in my constituency tells me that it is currently losing 56p for every single meal it provides. Will the Chancellor undertake to fully fund school meals, or else is she asking sc…”

“I wish to speak about my new clauses 46 to 48. The Bill concentrates entirely on removing perceived barriers to development. Unfortunately, in the Government’s view those turn out to be nature and the general public, and to that end the Bill proposes a huge reduction in the ability of local residents and councillors to…”

“The issue of site choice is closely associated with grid capacity, so that is a factor. That is why some of these sites are ending up in otherwise somewhat improbable and very un-industrial settings. Rules around the pollution of watercourses are one of the most important measures to be brought in, and a wider discussi…”

“I thank the Minister for her response and all right hon. and hon. Members for their contributions. Wherever we stand on renewable energy, we can all agree that we must have the highest possible safety standards—that is an absolute given. From the conversations I have had with industry, clear national guidance would be …”

“The hon. Gentleman is better acquainted than I am with the way that devolution works, but yes, I hope that the Minister will be able to set out whatever course of action is required to get to that point. It is essential that we build battery energy storage sites to proper safety standards so that we do not find ourselv…”

“I appreciate the right hon. Gentleman’s intervention. I agree that such sites can be in remote locations where there are fewer resources. As I will say later in my remarks, fire officer training is very much part of what I am recommending. There is a strong case for mandating water-based suppression systems, off-gas de…”

“I beg to move, That this House recognises the unique challenges posed by lithium-ion fires in battery energy storage sites; and calls on the Government to bring forward enforceable national regulations for their design and construction. I have asked for this debate in order to highlight important issues associated with…”

“As a local councillor myself I very much agree.”

“Good morning. We know that the Government are looking again at eligibility criteria for winter fuel payment. What main groups that are currently missing out do you think you would most like to be able to include again if possible?”

“In your replies so far you have already made it clear that you are not in favour of restoring universal access. Those who argue in favour of it say, “Yes, it has misses—it goes to some people who have no need of it—but on the other hand it gets all the hits. It is 100% guaranteed to reach all the people who do need it.…”

“Anecdotally, a lot of people who say that they do not need it say that they gave it to charity or some other use.”

“Moving on slightly, one of the suggested changes for the criteria is through the tax system. What work have you done with HMRC to assess the practicality of recouping the payment from higher rate taxpayers, as happens with child benefit?”

“Danny has just asked most of the questions I was about to ask. Going back to the taper question you were answering, I know you do not want to say in advance what you will do, but could you lay out for us perhaps what the pro and cons are, the arguments for and against, without saying which side of the equation you will…”

“That was useful. Thank you.”

“We were talking about the household support fund a little earlier and variable allocations across the country. Do you have any data on how effectively the fund was used to target people needing support, for example people just above the pension credit threshold?”

“Thank you. That is reasonable. Looking ahead, what role do you see for the support fund from April 2026? We have had seven rounds. Are you committed to continuing or is ending the fund under consideration?”

“Yes, or signposting and so on, all of those things—talking to people and giving them guidance. Pound for pound, that basically delivers much more than just a straight handout. You are obviously not familiar with that argument. Do you think there is a greater role?”

“It has been suggested to us, for instance by Hertfordshire Money Advice, that guidance would actually be more effective than just a straight award. It is argued that it might be, pound for pound, 15 times more effective.”

“You have answered one of my questions about certainty in the future.”