Speeches by Savage.

“Have you had any clarity from the Government on the timeline for the marine spatial prioritisation programme?”

“Natalie is shaking her head on that, okay. Thank you. We are also seeing delays with the land use framework.”

“Welcome; it is lovely to see you again, Dame Glenys. My questions relate to a couple of areas that I feel very passionate about: ocean governance and land use. The Committee’s report on ocean governance noted the importance of spatial planning. How effective do you think the Government’s marine spatial prioritisation p…”

“Yes. How interconnected do you see those challenges as being between use of space, use of land, in those two different contexts of marine and relatively dry land? Are there cross-cutting issues and lessons that can be transferred from one of those domains to the other?”

“Dame Glenys, we have a mutual friend in Dame Fiona Reynolds, and she and I have been talking a lot about land use. She is particularly advocating for the principle of multi-purposing land and how we can get more bang for the buck in the way that we use land. I wonder if that is a principle that you have been exploring …”

“Thank you. May I ask a supplementary question, please, Chair?”

“There are many fine pubs in the South Cotswolds, such as the Old George Inn in South Cerney and the Rattlebone Inn in Sherston. For many of our small rural communities, these are the only freely available spaces where people—faith leaders and football fans alike—can meet, yet many pubs are really struggling. Although I…”

“Woods for Learning sounds marvellous. We know that time spent in nature punches above its weight in terms of psychological and physical benefits for children, so I absolutely agree.”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered e-petition 729440 relating to play in the key stage 1 curriculum. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Barker, and a real privilege to present this important debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee. Before I turn to the detail, I want to set out three key …”

“I absolutely agree. I have encountered similar challenges in my constituency of South Cotswolds when playgrounds are not well maintained, or when developers, having promised to provide them, shove them off into a muddy corner of a field that is entirely inappropriate for children’s play. It is essential for the sake of…”

“I wholeheartedly agree. The evidence is incontrovertible: free play benefits students, teachers and parents. The two forms of play are complementary, but not interchangeable; a truly child-centred system must value and protect both. Neuroscience helps explain why that matters so profoundly. Play activates almost every …”

“I again thank the amazing petitioners and all my colleagues who have contributed to this important debate. I echo the request already made, that the Minister go back to her Department to reconsider this issue. I feel passionately about it; I have spoken with many educators over the last few weeks in preparation for thi…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for reiterating that point. I hope that I speak for the entire Chamber when I urge the Minister, one final time, to convey this message to the rest of her Department. Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered e-petition 729440 relating to play in the key stage 1 cur…”

“Thank you all for coming in today. Richard, thank you for all your sage guidance on the Climate and Nature Bill. Ruth, thank you very much for your kind remarks about the annual climate and nature statement. Livi, apologies but my questions are directed to the other two panellists, so you can relax for a while. Richard…”

“Thank you very much. I feel that you have more or less answered the next question, so with the Chair’s permission I will skip that one and move on. The housing and sustainability report that we produced highlighted key gaps in the green workforce, especially ecologists. How much of a problem do you think that will be i…”

“Thanks very much, Richard. Ruth, can I come to you with that same question about resource pinch points?”

“I thank my hon. Friend for his impassioned speech on this very important subject. My constituents in the South Cotswolds will be deeply disappointed by this White Paper. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Government need to get literally upstream of this question, and address the question of water company ownership? Wh…”

“The farmers of the South Cotswolds warmly welcome this increase in the threshold—better late than never—but does my hon. Friend agree that this Government need to move beyond not punishing our farmers and instead actively support them in being the stewards of our countryside and protecting our future food security?”

“I thank my hon. Friend for her determined and dedicated advocacy on behalf of the farming community, especially around mental health. Although my farmers and I welcome this U-turn, I wonder how much damage has been done, not just to the farming sector directly but to the many businesses that surround the farming sector…”

“The wording of the motion seems to imply that the Conservatives are against any and all renewables in the countryside, but even the most ardent opponents of an oversized industrial-scale solar farm in my constituency of the South Cotswolds would still support rooftop solar. Could the hon. Member please clarify whether …”