Speeches by Caliskan.

“I thank the Secretary of State for her statement. As a member of the Public Accounts Committee, I have recently heard details about the shocking state of disrepair in our courts in recent years. The most recent report identified the Nightingale courts set up under the previous Government as a way to deal with the covid…”

“May I take this opportunity to thank the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, the hon. Member for North Cotswolds (Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown), for his work, as well as other Members who I sit on the Committee with? The financial sustainability of our national health service will have an impact on patients now and i…”

“9. What steps she is taking to help ensure value for money in public spending.”

“I thank the Minister for his answer. As a member of the Public Accounts Committee, I see on a weekly basis the waste that existed under the previous Government, from the billions spent on badly procured covid contracts to a Rwanda scheme that delivered nothing. What steps will the Minister be taking to make sure that w…”

“Is that not precisely the point? Our state system does not have the capacity or the means to support children with special educational needs. The additional £1 billion investment, which in part will be raised by getting rid of the VAT exemption, will help deliver not only 6,500 new teachers but the additional support f…”

“I will make some progress and conclude in a moment. Politics is full of choices. The Government have to balance the books and take a decision to ensure that we close the black hole, so the choices they have made feel like the fairest ones. A long-term commitment to ensuring that we have stability in the energy markets,…”

“Ministers have provided an assurance of their assessment, and they do not believe that will be the case. The Government are taking a rounded approach to energy that, alongside our commitments to GB Energy and to a transfer to more renewable energy, will allow there to be a more mission-led approach. I take the right ho…”

“I absolutely support the principle of being able to use a mechanism to intervene in a market that is not working, and I think the Government’s approach is right. There is an immediate issue with high pricing, certainly, but the truth is that the Government have to be able to take decisions for the long run. I am consci…”

“The Government’s commitment on investment, whether through the wealth fund or the private sector combination of GB Energy, brings stability to the sector in the long term. The truth is there is an energy crisis that affects my constituents and people across the country. At this moment, efforts have to be taken to ensur…”

“I want to thank the Members who have spoken so far. I have great enthusiasm for the Finance Bill, and I thank the hon. Member for North West Norfolk (James Wild) for his contributions, alongside the Minister at the time, over the several days I sat through the Bill’s Committee stage. I speak in favour of the Finance Bi…”

“Thousands of my constituents are still dealing with the cost of living crisis, finding themselves in debt because energy prices hit record levels under the previous Government. Energy prices continuing to go up makes those constituents’ lives more difficult, so I welcome the Minister’s statement. Will she, however, pro…”

“It is my first time at the Committee, so here we go. The Chair of our Committee sends his apologies; he is on a pre-planned visit, as is the vice-Chair, so I am presenting the application for the debate. It is in the context of the Department of Health and Social Care being one of the high-spending Departments, as Memb…”

“Yes, certainly; I think so. The challenges around the NHS, and particularly spending, will not disappear. I would stress, however, that this is a real moment of opportunity to input into what will be important reforms, following the Darzi report. I urge the Committee to consider that with great interest.”

“Parents and teachers in my constituency will welcome the statement, as will, in particular, Monteagle and Richard Alibon primary schools, which are part of the early roll-out. The Secretary of State referred briefly to the evidence-based relationship between those who attend breakfast clubs and attainment; that is part…”

“It is beyond just rectifying issues. There were additional things—”

“Which is what the additional £300,000 is delivering.”

“Has there been a further cost to that?”

“It is just an addition to the sound in the room. I want to probe a bit more about the relationship with PwC. In February 2023, DCMS appointed PwC to develop the data collection, as you have outlined, and a storage solution for loan management. Then, during 2023, you decided to increase the scope of PwC’s work. It is no…”

“On Mr Betts’ point, you went with PwC knowing that they are consultants and are not experts in this field. I understand the point that, as things progress, as senior officials you may want the scope of the work to widen. But is it not reasonable that you could have anticipated that the scope of that work would widen? T…”

“You are comfortable with the additional £1 million it cost?”