Speeches by Law.

“Does the hon. Member recognise that the potential devolution of the Crown Estate in Wales could cause no end of issues for the fair distribution of supply chain and economic benefits in communities, alongside their Celtic neighbour in Cornwall, for example?”

“I recognise that it might not be the place of statute to outline some of the specifics brought up by the amendment, but does the Minister agree that the spirit of the amendment is well in keeping with the mission of this Government and, moreover, that of regional economic development in particular, which spreads to all…”

“This Government have unlocked £2 billion in the funding settlement for local services across the country. Despite what we might hear from the Conservatives in Lys Kernow about £5 million here or there, or grumblings about burning the Prime Minister’s turkey dinner, that is a very welcome boost to Cornwall. What steps i…”

“Moving on, Minister, do you measure the impact of your hunger-related programmes on people with disabilities?”

“We have talked in the past about cross-departmental working and your role in women and equalities. Can you perhaps elaborate a little bit more on how that collaboration works with Minister Timms’ Department?”

“My constituency faces high levels of economic vulnerability: 4.4% of my constituents are not in education, employment or training, and, worse, one in 10 are either NEET or unaccounted for. What action is the Minister taking to ensure that they are helped into both employment and skills development?”

“Both the right hon. Member for New Forest West (Sir Desmond Swayne) and the hon. Member for Thornbury and Yate (Claire Young) raise important points about the imperfections in all systems, and about being mindful that coalition building is a feature of all systems. In St Austell and Newquay, my constituents are as dive…”

“The right hon. Gentleman raises an interesting point about the nature of coalition building, which takes place in both systems.”

“As the Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay, I represent a constituency that exemplifies the rich diversity and complexity of political identity in Britain. I will use it as a geographical case study for today’s debate. From the fishing communities of Mevagissey and the supposed surfers’ paradise of Newquay,…”

“Does the hon. Lady agree that apprenticeships are a critical feature of any mobility scheme, as the hon. Member for South Devon (Caroline Voaden) suggested? We need to ensure not only that the businesses that the hon. Lady describes get the staff they need in specific sectors, but that the scheme is not an elitist one.”

“Will my hon. Friend give way?”

“I thank you for your chairship, Dr Allin-Khan, and I thank the hon. Member for Newton Abbot (Martin Wrigley) for securing the debate. The need to improve rail services across the south-west—particularly in Cornwall, which is at the sharp end of our problems—cannot be overstated. Connectivity is the backbone of our econ…”

“This weekend, grassroots campaigners in Newquay will meet to oppose the privatisation of car park charge enforcement in Newquay and Cornwall more widely. Will the Secretary of State and colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government meet me to discuss how councils can retain more of that profit…”

“Will the Chief Secretary outline the steps that this Government have already taken to fix the fiscal foundations and put this country on a stronger footing for growth?”

“I welcome the debate secured by my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing Southall (Deirdre Costigan) on this important topic. The warm homes plan currently being rolled out by the Government is particularly welcome for those of us in Cornwall with poor energy-efficient homes. Can the Minister outline the steps that she is …”

“Moving to another big topic with a big number attached, for the UK to meet our £11.6 billion International Climate Finance commitments, the Government need to deliver £3.4 billion in 2025-26 alone. Is the FCDO currently on track to deliver this?”

“We can touch briefly on that again. This question is to Nick and Corin, I think. You are the ODA spender of last resort, so do you think that this hinders the Department’s ability to formulate and deliver long‑term development programmes?”

“Do you think those in-donor refugee costs—was it 27.9% in 2023 of ODA?—are an effective way of addressing the sustainable development goals?”

“This is probably something that the public are quite concerned about as well. I certainly receive a lot of correspondence about this number. Am I correct in understanding what you are saying? This is something of a fungible number, rather than a standalone commitment. It is very much being met via commitments made else…”

“Which areas of ODA spend do you think have to be de-prioritised for us to meet those commitments? I will press you on this. I know that you said that they are so very linked but, ultimately, this is a standalone fund or commitment that we are making. If it is detracting, perhaps, from ODA as a whole, what has to give?”