Speeches by Vickers.

“Ben, as this is sadly so topical at the moment, don’t you think that an earlier debate in Westminster Hall would at least flag up genuine concerns and perhaps an approach that the Government may be considering? You could follow that up by getting in the queue for a major debate in the Chamber, as Bob said, probably in …”

“The Chief Secretary said that he wanted economic growth to spread to every town, city and community—something we can all agree with. I have been campaigning for many years to restore the direct train service between Cleethorpes, Grimsby and King’s Cross. That would boost the local economy and is supported by the Hull a…”

“Like my right hon. Friend the Member for Wetherby and Easingwold (Sir Alec Shelbrooke) and others, I want to focus on the role of our regional airports. Surely the Minister would agree that the expansion of some of them could help the Government’s growth agenda and provide a boost to local economies. With improved rail…”

“I remind hon. Members that they should bob—as indeed they are doing—if they wished to be called to speak.”

“Order. Interventions should be brief— I was very generous.”

“I am pleased to contribute to this important debate. I thank those individuals and organisations that work throughout the year to ensure that Holocaust Memorial Day is commemorated, and that our young people in particular are reminded of the horrors of the past and encouraged to work towards the peace that all right-th…”

“Absolutely, yes. I know there is an open-access operator application at the moment for the west country, and we have had constant complaints in the Chamber over the years about Avanti on the west coast. Some competition for them, in the same way as LNER have had, and Virgin and various other operators before them, is a…”

“Perhaps I should make a declaration of interest. I do not know whether it is relevant, but I am chair of the all-party parliamentary group on rail. This is a national issue, and a local one for Melanie and me. On the east coast, open-access operators compete with the main operator, which is LNER. Members who are famili…”

“Yes.”

“T6. In Grimsby, we are fortunate enough to have a new youth zone under construction, which is good news for many of my constituents, but those in the rural part of the constituency face challenges in accessing it. How do the Government plan to help young people in rural areas access sport and leisure facilities?”

“T6. In Grimsby, we are fortunate enough to have a new youth zone under construction, which is good news for many of my constituents, but those in the rural part of the constituency face challenges in accessing it. How do the Government plan to help young people in rural areas access sport and leisure facilities?”

“Yesterday, along with Members from across the House, I attended the launch of the latest report from the charity Open Doors, which highlights Christian persecution in many countries. Many of the countries on that charity’s watchlist are countries that the UK has close relations with. Could the Leader of the House find …”

“As the Minister will know, in Lincolnshire, where there are two unitaries as well as the county council, the three top-tier authorities have agreed on a package to go unitary. There are complications, because there is a ward boundary review going on in north-east Lincolnshire at the moment. Would the Minister consider …”

“But it is not the Government’s position.”

“It has been reported that the Chancellor was going to meet the owners of British Steel in China. Many of my constituents work at the Scunthorpe steelworks. While I appreciate that Ministers may not have reached a final decision on the steelworks, is she able to give reassurance to my constituents that she has had const…”

“I met a farmer a couple of weeks ago in my constituency who is 80 years old and has made arrangements for passing his farm on to the next generation. However, the seven-year rule is unlikely to affect someone of that age. Does my right hon. Friend agree that a modest compromise could be made by the Government to allow …”

“Sarah, you just said that you have support across the House, but there were no Conservative Members listed. Do you think that is a weakness?”

“You do actually say, under “Reasons for the debate”, that “The governing party has formally recognised that First Past the Post is…flawed”. Is that—”

“First, I congratulate the hon. Member for Wimbledon (Mr Kohler) on securing this debate. As a member of the Backbench Business Committee, I can tell him he made a very convincing argument for this debate. Like others, I suspect, one of my aims this evening is to praise my local hospices, Lindsey Lodge in Scunthorpe and…”

“Last Saturday morning, a constituent came to my surgery to discuss the situation in Gaza. She reminded me that she had previously visited my surgery exactly a year ago to discuss the situation. I recognise that the Minister was critical of the previous Administration; to some extent, that is justified, but the reality …”