Speeches by Bedford.

“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?”

“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 …”

“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?”

“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…”

“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?”

“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…”

“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?”

“Leicestershire is home to some superb hospices, such as Rainbows and LOROS, both of which are set to be massively impacted by the hike in national insurance contributions. Given the important work that these hospices do, particularly for people at the end of their lives, will the Minister urge the Chancellor to reverse…”

“I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Broadland and Fakenham (Jerome Mayhew) for bringing this immensely important debate before the House. I am sure that hon. Members will have seen the Barclays bank television advert explaining how money habits and behaviours are formed in young people by the age of seven, but Govern…”

“As a proud cat dad to two cats, one of which was beaten to the title of Purr Minister by Attlee, Mr Speaker’s cat, it has amazed me to find out that the 2018 regulations on animal breeding focus merely on dogs and not cat breeding. Can the Minister therefore assure me that he will look at updating the regulations to in…”

“6. Whether he plans to regulate the breeding of cats.”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I draw Members’ attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests; I serve in the British-American Parliamentary Group. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Dumfries and Galloway (John Cooper) for securing this important debate. As Presid…”

“Does the Minister agree that whatever steps her Department is taking to get people into work are being immediately undermined by the anti-growth, anti-jobs and anti-business measures included in the Government’s Employment Rights Bill?”

“I would like to echo many of the points raised by the shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Helen Whately). Like her, I am a conditional supporter of the Bill. While I welcome its intent, I would like to raise a few questions regarding its implementation …”

“I absolutely agree with all the sentiments my hon. Friend has expressed. Getting a job is the best route out of poverty, and it is the best route to ensuring that we have a more socially mobile society. Secondly, my instinctive belief in personal liberty means that I believe provisions allowing access to individual ban…”

“14. What steps she is taking to increase public confidence in the justice system.”

“Jason Hoganson was wrongly released under the Government’s early release scheme. Last week, he was convicted of assaulting his ex-partner just a day after he was freed under that botched scheme. Does the Secretary of State agree that this shocking case, and cases like it, continue to undermine the public’s trust and co…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I put on record my thanks to my hon. Friend the Member for Windsor (Jack Rankin) for securing this important debate. Illegal migration, an often overlooked issue in the country, was frequently raised on the doorsteps of Mid Leicestershire during the recent ge…”

“Does my hon. Friend agree that it is disappointing that there are no Members from the Government Benches here to take part in this debate?”