Speeches by Bedford.

“Given that there is no binding legal basis for the ceding of the Chagos islands and that the deal will cost the hard-pressed British taxpayer north of £9 billion, £18 billion or possibly £50 billion a year, will the Secretary of State confirm what total financial liabilities will be brought to the UK and whether they w…”

“At the weekend, I was speaking to residents of Braunstone Town, and many, particularly the elderly, were frightened by the use of off-road bikes and similar vehicles given the noises they make and the risk to pedestrians. Will the Secretary of State assure me that the Government are taking the matter seriously and that…”

“Turning now to benefit take-up, what are the costs and benefits for local authorities of investing in benefit take-up campaigns?”

“Someone mentioned earlier some stats around take-up of attendance allowance but, in benefit take-up more broadly, what are the advantages and disadvantages of setting targets for take-up rates?”

“Some of the points you made there tie into my next question around some research done by Loughborough University that said that for every £1 spent, there is a £2 potential saving in health and social care costs. That has a knock-on impact. Would you like to add anything to that discussion?”

“Does my hon. Friend agree that housing targets mean little if the Government do not get a grip on immigration, which is causing massive demand for housing?”

“It is painfully clear that if this Government believe you did not vote for them, they will continue to turn their back on you. That is clear from their treatment of independent schools, small business owners, farmers, and now—and most cruelly—pensioners. Within just weeks of taking office, this shameful Government scra…”

“No, I am not giving way. That small sum of money allowed pensioners to keep the heating on, helping them to make it through those cold winter nights, and supported them in not having to choose between heating and eating. Wherever I go in my constituency of Mid Leicestershire, I have conversations with older people, and…”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The numbers simply do not stack up. In comparison, it was a Conservative Government who introduced the triple lock and increased the state pension by almost £4,000. It was a Conservative Government who reduced the number of pensioners living in absolute poverty by more than 200,000, …”

“It is right that the welfare system supports those with disabilities. However, does the Secretary of State agree that social media influencers who are teaching people to game the Motability system in order to get free vehicles is a disgrace? If so, what does she intend to do about it?”

“Does the Minister agree with me and many of my hon. Friends that policy decisions by unelected non-departmental bodies such as the Sentencing Council are eroding public confidence in our democratic institutions? Will he commit to scrapping such bodies, so that policy is always made by Ministers, who are directly accoun…”

“I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make provision about financial education; and for connected purposes. Without that education, we are collectively creating the greatest financial crisis of our time. The problem, quite simply, is that we as a nation are not living within our means. There was once…”

“I recently wrote to all Departments about the total cost of employee settlement agreements. Although there were some astronomical figures, most Departments have provided me with a response, but the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice have refused to answer that basic question, even rejecting freedom of information …”

“Given that public sector procurement accounts for a third of all public sector spending, what steps is the Minister taking to ensure that it is less siloed, more joined up, and as efficient as the private sector?”

“On that point, it has been widely reported that the Chancellor is planning to slash the amount of cash that savers can save in ISAs from £20,000 to £4,000 a year. Will the Chancellor rule out this punitive measure, which will see savings drop and push even more people into income tax?”

“I just wonder how the Department is going to ensure that that is consistently applied across the country. Often in Government Departments, they do well in a particular region or a particular part of the country. How is the Department going to ensure that that is more broadly, fairly and consistently applied across diff…”

“How far do you believe it is the responsibility of the DWP to inform claimants of the additional support available versus the responsibility of the claimant themselves to find out that information?”

“In doing some research for this Committee, I see there are a lot of different mechanisms of support available, such as the special benefit rules, discretionary housing payments, Universal Credit hardship funds, Universal Credit advances, benefit debt recovery, alternative payment arrangements, and so on. A lot of those…”

“One of the issues I have raised at this Committee quite a few times is my frustration around the siloed approach of Government Departments and agencies. You have your responsibilities; the local authorities have their responsibilities. We have to ensure that all those agencies actually speak to each other and work toge…”

“Turning to work coaches, the Social Security Advisory Committee expressed concerns about the use of discretion by work coaches to mitigate the consequences of DWP policies. Do you agree with those concerns?”