Speeches by Bedford.

“I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. Several Mid Leicestershire villages such as Glenfield, Birstall and Braunstone town are extremely anxious at the prospect of being forced into a large city unitary as a result of the English devolution Bill. Will the Minister agre…”

“Q3. Age UK Leicestershire has done a sterling job over the last few months in supporting pensioners who have lost the winter fuel payment as a result of the Government’s Budget. It now faces a staggering £400,000 increase in its costs as a result of the increase in national insurance. What advice can the Prime Minister…”

“Thank you, Ms Vaz. Who would be there to care for them if something terrible were to happen? Most importantly, for my constituents, who is there to stop these prisoners getting out of the prison grounds? We could have a situation whereby, within a short journey of Mid Leicestershire, hundreds of inmates are on the run.…”

“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.”

“Does my hon. Friend agree that it would have been better and more efficient for the Bill to come before the House in a more final version, which may have put at ease many of us with concerns about the cracks that may still exist?”

“Held by my arguments and the arguments put forward by hon. Members, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the motion. Clause, by leave, withdrawn. New Clause 4 Non-disclosure agreements: harassment “(1) Any provision in an agreement to which this section applies is void insofar as it purports to preclude the worker from makin…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Vaz. Why am I moving a new clause tabled in the name of the right hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell)? I asked myself that question. I believe that it is important that the Committee hear and debate in full every proposed amendment to this truly aw…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. There are a few points about the creation of the agency that I would like the Minister to address. I am broadly supportive of synergies and of the rationalisation of public bodies, particularly to ensure that the taxpayer is getting value for money, but hav…”

“It is good to see you in the Chair, Sir Christopher. To follow up on the point that my hon. Friend the Member for Bridgwater makes about the advisory board, what is the Minister’s view of ministerial accountability? Will there be transparency on the board’s recommendations and on being held to account for decisions? Ov…”

“Does my hon. Friend agree that the phrasing in the clause is perhaps a little too ambiguous and could lead to the mission creep he mentions? If that were to happen, it could result in abuse of power.”

“What do we know about the use of the winter fuel payment in terms of how pensioners are using it?”

“Finally from me, some of the panel mentioned that a lot of this support is in the community by charities, which you do not get Government support for. What could Government be doing to help you guys deliver some of the reforms that are needed, particularly around recruiting people to pension credit and the winter fuel …”

“One of my frustrations is siloed thinking by Government Departments, where one Department makes a decision that has an impact on another. What do you see as the knock-on effect of this on other Departments—for example, on healthcare or social care?”

“The last panel said—I think the quote was—the policy came in too quick, too soon. Do you have anything to say about that? Clearly before the election, none of the main parties mentioned this in the policy.”

“Does anyone else have anything to add?”

“On the back of Amanda’s questions, Caroline, I recently met Tony Donovan of Age UK Leicestershire. He was telling me about all the work they do in Leicestershire to help recruit pensioners to the winter fuel payment, pension credit and those associated benefits. He was saying to me he was very concerned about the Budge…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. On the point about the hospitality and pubs sector, on which I held a debate in Westminster Hall a few weeks ago, there is real concern about this part of legislation, in particular about freedom of expression and freedom of speech. Does my hon. Friend agre…”

“The hon. Member mentions reasonable steps being taken by small businesses. Does he accept that an impact assessment on the consequences of bringing in this kind of legislation for these businesses should be conducted up front, so that businesses can at least understand how much time and money it will cost them and how …”

“Research shows that money habits are instilled in young people from the age of seven. What are the Government doing to improve financial education in schools, particularly in England, where that is not currently on the national curriculum?”

“The one thing that businesses do not like is uncertainty. Unfortunately, there are so many gaps that need filling in the Bill that it makes it very difficult for businesses to plan for the future—for example, about how many people they will employ, what risks they will take on, and how to budget. Does the Minister acce…”