Speeches by Aquarone.

“I feel we ought to give you the opportunity to respond to this. In the written evidence from the DIA there was a suggestion that there were DVSA personnel selling test slots in closed social media groups. We asked them for more details. We are not able to validate their evidence at this stage. I want to put it to you f…”

“Of course, but what are we going to do? It still does not answer how we are going to change the course of the river.”

“Okay, so it really is that baked into the civil service pay structures.”

“Sorry to interrupt you, but when Government prioritise nursing recruitment they say they are going to pay nurses more. Surely, the Government could just say, “We’re going to pay driving test examiners more.””

“It sounds like the debrief should at least take place back at base rather than when you are sitting next to each other in the car. I am struggling to work out what the big change is that needs to happen. You have talked very eloquently about the tech being okay, the pay banding being okay and retention rates being okay…”

“This may sound like a stupid question. I am extremely sorry to hear of the accounts you have given. Standing back and reflecting on everything that has been said so far, is the test just too cheap? Is that part of the problem? I am conscious that it is extremely expensive to learn to drive, but is there an economic fac…”

“Since the changes to national insurance were announced in the Budget, I have been contacted by constituents from a whole load of different sectors who have said how worried they are about the changes. I have had deeply concerned GPs tell me about the impact the changes will have on their already overstretched budgets. …”

“I can only speak for North Norfolk, but a green energy future is exciting for our local economy, especially at Bacton. Just along the coast, villages like Happisburgh are suffering from being part of the fastest eroding coastline in Europe. The Secretary of State touched on coastal erosion in answer to my hon. Friend t…”

“What steps is the Minister taking to tackle crime in rural areas?”

“I agree with both of my hon. Friend’s points, and I will speak about them in a moment. My hope is that by solving the issue of joined-up working in Norfolk, we can transport that model to his constituency and elsewhere. A key motivation of mine in securing a debate on this issue at this time was the important public me…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered flood preparedness in Norfolk. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Christopher. I am delighted to have secured this important debate on flood preparedness in Norfolk, and I am pleased to see colleagues from across the county and across the parties. The ho…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. In my experience as a county councillor over the past seven years, I have seen changing attitudes in the farming community, with farmers having moved from wanting to get the water off their land and into the river system as soon as possible, to wanting to build attenuation m…”

“I totally agree. Lots of money is already there, not to mention the stuff that is missing, but we have to use it in a more joined-up and strategic way. I could go on, but I will return to my speech. The projects that need to be undertaken to make a real difference will take time, but they will have a huge payoff. Being…”

“I thank the hon. Member for his work on flood prevention, and I absolutely echo his sentiments. I will be quoting Henry Cator in just a moment. He was on the panel I mentioned, and I pledged to him and others that I would support them in tackling all of this. That meeting allowed the agencies to hear directly from loca…”

“I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests: I am a member of Norfolk county council. I am pleased that £15 million of the new funding will be heading to Norfolk to support our rural bus services, but the model for running buses in Norfolk is broken. We need a service that works for ev…”

“I am very pleased that Horning post office in my constituency will reopen later this month, following months of hard work by the local community. That shows that there is an important future for our local post offices in rural North Norfolk, and that future includes supporting bank hubs in our market towns. The people …”

“I and residents and visitors alike love North Norfolk. However, we have to be honest about the challenges that rural areas like mine face, and about the changes and support that we need to tackle them. Ten days ago, I had the pleasure of chairing a public meeting in the village of Hickling about the flooding issues fac…”

“I commend those who have made their maiden speeches, and I commend Members for their collegiate and warm response. People in North Norfolk will welcome aspects of this Budget, such as the promise of greater spending on our national health service, but for all that welcome stability, they have several significant concer…”

“My hon. Friend mentioned bedrocks. As she may know, the North Norfolk coast is a perfect place for oyster beds. We have a number of flourishing businesses in the sector. I am sure she is also aware that oysters are excellent at sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and can play their own special part in tackling the …”

“Residents in North Norfolk are worried about the impact of flooding as we enter the winter months, and I welcome the general debate planned for 11 November. Tomorrow, I am holding a meeting of key agencies with responsibility for water management and almost 200 of my constituents. The Broadland Futures Initiative is li…”