Speeches by Green.

“How does that compare to what the larger Government Departments do, because you are being held to the same standards by the sounds of it?”

“Does that not happen already?”

“Could you update the Committee with a note on that? I think that would be valuable, as we all have instances that we could reference.”

“May I ask about enforcement? I appreciate that the Environment Agency is not sitting in front of us, but I know there is deep frustration in my constituency. To give one example, there was a major incident in Chalfont St Peter two years ago. Here we are in 2026, and although the Environment Agency has been out to see i…”

“There are authorities, including mine in Buckinghamshire, that are currently in the process of drafting their local plan while meeting the new housing targets that they have been set. I strongly suspect that the timeframe we are talking about will come after they are required to submit their proposal, so this is a live…”

“To pick up on what Rupert was saying, on the transition period we are talking about, you said the plan would be published in the next couple of months. Do you mean before the King’s Speech? What timeframe are you working to, specifically?”

“I am keen to better understand what the future looks like and what you anticipate. This question is for the whole panel. You are right that there are four regulators at the moment, coming into one and filling in the gaps. I am keen to understand how you anticipate that improving not just consumer trust but transparency…”

“I want to ask specifically about asset health, because you mentioned the recruitment of a chief engineer. What difference will that make? You already have engineers, so what difference will having somebody as a head honcho make?”

“So you are cracking on with that anyway?”

“You mentioned there was a large number who had been waiting a long time. What is a long time?”

“It is page 27, paragraph 2.12. Effectively, the NAO had to pull together a sample to try to understand better and dig a little deeper. I am curious to know whether you have a number that you are able to furnish the Committee with for how many people are currently effectively in limbo.”

“Is that today?”

“Moving on to unresolved cases and prolonged delays, the NAO Report showed that more than a third—41%—of asylum cases looked at in its sample were effectively stuck in limbo, with no action taken and no progress made on their claims, and they were not being removed from the UK either. That is a sample size of 5,000. Wha…”

“So it is not those individuals that the NAO is referencing?”

“Can you share one with us in a note?”

“The guidance for complaints in children’s social care was issued 20 years ago and has not been updated since. Those who work in the system say that it is out of date, and the ombudsman echoes their concerns. Will the Minister outline what steps the Department is taking to ensure that the guidance is up to date? Will he…”

“The definition that the Report uses, at the bottom of paragraph 2.12 on page 27, is that the cases “remain open but are not awaiting an appeal decision or the outcome of further submissions to the Home Office. These claims are not being progressed, and the individuals involved have not been removed from the UK.””

“You mentioned earlier the changes that are being introduced, and the new board. How long will it take for those changes to impact that group of people who I would refer to as effectively in limbo? How long will it take for you to unlock some of those cases?”

“I don’t think I asked my question correctly, so I will ask it again in a different way—my apologies. I am keen to understand how that tool, or that data, can be used innovatively. Where best practice or an innovative new way of using that data has been identified by a public body, how can that be scaled up and rectifie…”

“Are you comfortable that, at the present moment, broadly we have the balance right?”