Speeches by Aquarone.

“I am pleased to wind up this debate on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, and I congratulate the hon. Member for Southampton Itchen (Darren Paffey) for securing it. As others have said, this debate is incredibly timely, as this week is National Drowning Prevention Week. There have been a number of excellent contributions…”

“On that note, having seen the hon. Gentleman in his place, I will give way to him.”

“I think the point the hon. Gentleman is making is that many in Fakenham, as well as the nearby villages in my constituency, are delighted by the news and thrilled with the hard work that has gone into securing it. Liberal Democrats also want to end the closure of swimming pools by designating them as critical health in…”

“I have a few different questions around transparency and certainty. I will talk about the control period in a moment. Neil, you have already given some answers as to what you would like to see changed. Let me put a challenge to you. The two big questions are about whether there are the people to do the work if the Gove…”

“That is interesting. You are answering a lot of my other questions as we go along.”

“Do you think the Government take into account workforce considerations when announcing enhancement projects?”

“Do you want to build on that, Jonathan?”

“Does the stop-start actually make it more expensive, or is it just suppressing investment appetite and creating capacity problems?”

“Thinking back to the control period and the data that you mentioned, Lydia—Neil talked earlier about some of the changes you would want to see—are there any other pet changes to the control periods that we have not heard so far that might help to address some of these issues?”

“I can definitely relate to local projects with high-value impact on communities, from a place where I stood in a previous election. It is no longer relevant to me, but it is still relevant to them. Lydia, are there any other pet things that you want to see done to the control period?”

“Sure. That affects workforce, concrete demand and all that sort of stuff. It is very interesting. My last question goes back to that pdf that sits on the Government website. In the very short term, what difference would it make just to update that? Is that enough to give us a bit more certainty? What is the role of the…”

“I agree, and I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving me the perfect platform to remind the House of my support for a coastal communities Minister—but that is outside the scope of this particular debate. This issue requires not only strategic vision and leadership from the top, but empowerment and resources on the ground;…”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for her intervention, and I am grateful to that business in her constituency for providing such a great product, which I have sampled. It is mostly breweries in North Norfolk, so I think I will be safe. I totally agree with my hon. Friend: devolution is a great opportunity. Whatever peop…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered Government support for businesses in rural areas. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Western, and I am delighted to secure this important debate. We need growth. It is a key part of the Government’s agenda and it is a fact agreed across the House: our econom…”

“I wholeheartedly agree. It is not just the reduction in social isolation and the improved access to healthcare, but the access to training and development, and the ability of customers to get to places to spend their money in the local economy, that make the case for improvement in public transport such a compelling on…”

“I am relieved that my hon. Friend asked that question, because much as funding is welcome in all forms—I know that many of my constituency businesses and their supporters have applied for funds, received them and been part of schemes—we need long-term settlements, long-term funding and local accountability. We cannot j…”

“I agree entirely—if only there was a buses Bill before the House. We are also going to get the Transport Committee’s report on buses connecting rural communities, and I would be interested in his thoughts on that in due course. Meanwhile, rural residents see the Chancellor and the Business Secretary courting the banks …”

“I just reflect on the fact that this debate, far from being a game of constituency bingo, has seen hon. Members from across the House bring forward genuinely new issues and new ideas, for which I am deeply grateful. I will end on a reminder of the importance of skills and the trade strategy. Just this morning, we were …”

“I totally agree. We are developing a bit of a wine theme here, but let me return to a subject that Members might have heard Liberal Democrats talk about a lot, which is care. We are proud to have the oldest demographic in the country in North Norfolk. We should not be afraid of the fact that we have a care industry, wh…”

“We have started the list, so let me reinforce and add my support to that ask. I hope it is something the Minister might be able to discuss with colleagues in DESNZ, to see whether some joined-up thinking might happen. I have spoken much about challenges and struggles, but I also want to talk about the huge opportunitie…”