Speeches by Caliskan.

“But there has been a long-standing issue. It was exacerbated by covid, but there is a view that there was a longer-standing issue. If you don’t agree with that, that is fine; I am just trying to understand.”

“Okay. The reason I ask is that there is a strong view from barristers that by not including or acknowledging the pre-covid figures, there is a false economy—I think that is the phrase they use—so we must recognise the pre-covid trend of the backlog. There was a Guardian article in 2019 and a further article in 2020. Ba…”

“Nick, did you want to add anything?”

“But they are all interlinked, aren’t they?”

“But the trajectory was going up pre-covid. I ask that because £477 million was given to the Department to deal with the covid backlog, and I want to probe that a bit more. I want to understand whether it was just for the covid backlog or whether it was also to tackle an increasing number of cases pre-covid.”

“So there is an acceptance that there was already a trend in train.”

“I guess what I am asking is: are you happy with the approach and the formula that you take when you are commissioning this additional capacity? Fundamentally, it has not worked, has it? There is still a backlog, and you are commissioning them, so while there might be value for money, it is fair to ask: if you were give…”

“Thank you for setting the scene. We know that the backlog in 2019 was just under 40,000 and that it rose by 60% by June 2021. That is pre-covid, so there was already a rise in the backlog of cases.”

“And that is: is that judgment correct, given that we still have a backlog?”

“You can’t have that blank cheque, though.”

“So, fundamentally, the way you do things is broken. You are saying that even if there were not an increase in the number of cases coming through, you would still see an increase in the backlog because of the nature of the cases, which are complicated and take longer.”

“With all due respect, that is what I am asking you and what I am probing—”

“3. What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of patient access to primary care services.”

“I thank the Secretary of State for his answer on the critical issue of access to GPs in primary healthcare. My constituency of Barking is woefully under-served by primary healthcare, and especially by GPs. On average, each GP looks after 2,000 patients; the national average is 1,600. In particular, the area of Barking …”

“Just before Christmas, I met care workers in my constituency, who told me about the day-to-day work that they do supporting the most vulnerable people in our community. Does the Secretary of State agree that just as access to GPs helps to relieve pressure on hospitals and A&E departments, an adequate number of adul…”

“But do you accept that if carbon capture is a key component of the Government’s commitment to reducing carbon, and over a 25-year period technology changes and gets better, which inevitably it will, there may be a cost associated with that, and therefore there is a risk that is difficult to calculate and build into the…”

“One in four Barking households is privately renting, which is higher than the national average, and 40% of residents are homeowners, which is 20% below the national average. The number of people in temporary accommodation is through the roof because of the housing crisis. My constituents will welcome the Government’s s…”

“Over time, but initially they may be more expensive, and 25 years is not a long period of time for evolving technology.”

“So the five projects are the pipeline that you refer to over 25 years.”

“And I have a supplementary question about the technology.”