Speeches by Cocking.

“Have you ever turned anyone down from joining?”

“What would they have to do to be turned down from joining?”

“When you have your board meetings, no one presents you with an average figure? No one says, “Out of all of the properties we have managed, this year, on average, service charges have gone up £100”? That is nonsense. Are you hearing the answers you are giving us?”

“I am not going to get any answer out of you two. It is very disappointing that you have come here really unprepared. Andrew, lots of people join up to The Property Institute. Do you just take any of these companies, or do you do any checks that any of them are any good?”

“No, that is not what I am asking. I am asking about a specific issue about your company that has made national media in the United Kingdom. Did it cross your desk or not? I am not asking about every specific issue we have raised today, or every specific issue your company faces. This is an example of an issue that has …”

“I do not want you to take any more time, because you are not filling me with confidence that you even know about that issue, and that is shocking considering that you are in charge of the organisation that made national news. One of my colleagues asked you a question, and you both gave answers in percentages that do no…”

“Hang on a minute, one second. You have come in front of a Select Committee of Members of Parliament; you have significant issues, both of you, with your organisations—I have not found one person that is happy with either of you across all of the properties that are managed in my constituency—and you cannot tell us, in …”

“Lewis Cocking, MP for Broxbourne and I am also a leaseholder.”

“But not for customer satisfaction or anything to do with service charges, anything like that at all?”

“My goodness, I do not know where to start, to be honest. I have lots of questions. I am a bit shocked that you have come in front of us today without some of the information that we have been asking for. I do have one question to start with for clarity. I will take you back to the question that was raised by the Chair …”

“Sure? But did it or did it not? This is a significant issue that has been on national news across the country and that is negative for your company. “Sure”, as in it did cross your desk? Did it or did it not cross your desk?”

“My right hon. Friend makes an incredible point, and that is precisely what businesses tell me. As I have said, it comes as no surprise to any of my constituents or businesses in Broxbourne—it is a surprise only to the Chancellor and the Labour party—that if the Government tax jobs more, there will be fewer jobs. The Op…”

“My hon. Friend does not look a day over 30, so it cannot be his 40th birthday coming up. Does my hon. Friend agree that we need to go further? Of course we need economic growth. We need to tax jobs less and let the people outside create that economic growth, but we also need to look at the education system so that we p…”

“I would gently say to the hon. Lady that her party colleagues had 13 years to come up with a plan for government when they were in opposition. That paper should have landed the day after the general election; that is when the Government should have been getting on with it, not 18 months down the line. My message to the…”

“As we have heard, the number of young people not in education, employment or training is at its highest level for more than a decade. Astonishingly, the most recent figures show that 946,000 young people are in that position, which is almost one in every eight young people across the country. We can all agree that this…”

“Of course I am pleased about that target, but anyone can stand at the Dispatch Box, set a target and make it sound good. We want action on the ground. The Government have been in power for 18 months, and when I speak to my constituents, including young people, they say, “We don’t see action.” We need to move faster and…”

“As a leaseholder, I understand the issues that leaseholders face, and I look forward to carrying out pre-legislative scrutiny on the HCLG Committee. The conveyancing process also needs to be looked at, as I am not sure that solicitors and managing agents point out considerations such as historical service charges, whet…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Turner. I welcome the tiny—absolute minuscule—support that the Government are offering in this legislation. We are continually told that most rates will be capped and the changes will not affect most businesses on the high street, but I have not spoken to a single b…”

“Conservative-run Broxbourne borough council wants its elections to go ahead, and the people of Broxbourne should be allowed their choice on 7 May. However, devolution plans could see us merge with Labour-run Stevenage borough council and the Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition-run Welwyn Hatfield borough council, whi…”

“Q8. The world is becoming more dangerous every single day. The Ministry of Defence has said that it needs an extra £28 billion to keep us safe. Well, I know where the Prime Minister can find it: stop this nonsense Chagos islands surrender policy, and spend that money on protecting the United Kingdom. Will the Prime Min…”