Speeches by Darling.

“I welcome the further clarity that the amendments offer. Amendment 92 agreed to. Amendments made: 93, in clause 83, page 85, line 11, after “any” insert “other”. This amendment is consequential on amendment 92. Amendment 94, in clause 83, page 85, line 15, leave out subsection (5). This amendment is consequential on NS…”

“I broadly welcome the way forward proposed in these clauses.”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Christopher. On behalf of my residents in Torbay, whether they are employers or workers, a strategy to know how the Government are looking to drive this agenda forward can only be welcomed.”

“Thank you. Sophie, you have nicely cued me up for my next question. I wanted to unpack professional curiosity. I know that when Ofsted is reviewing social care—and although this is not social care it is not a million miles away from dealing with people who face challenges—quite often the lack of professional curiosity …”

“Tim has already slightly touched on this area. I would be grateful if the panel can unpack what they see as the pros and cons of having a clear definition of what “vulnerable” is. Clearly, the DWP does not have that definition at the moment. What are the pros and cons of that? Then I will have a follow-up question afte…”

“You have been helpful already in highlighting some barriers that claimants may face. Are there any barriers that you want to amplify or show to us that you are aware that claimants may be facing, particularly where their vulnerability may be exacerbated by the barriers that they are facing?”

“I have some sympathy with the desire to understand the cost, but to me, the vast majority of the Government proposals before us today are about modernising the system appropriately. I am concerned that this afternoon we have seen the official Opposition one minute say that all in the garden is rosy and there is no need…”

“I am concerned that the hon. Gentleman is taking a Panglossian approach that all in the world is perfect. It is far from perfect, which is why I welcome large tracts of the Bill, as long as we are supporting employers on the journey.”

“Happy new year, Sir Christopher. I have a small amount of sympathy with the shadow Minister—I understand the cost to business, so I welcome that element of the amendments—but I have great fears. One need only have listened to the radio this morning to have heard about the issues for McDonald’s workers that have not bee…”

“To me, the clause is all about resetting the culture within our employment world, and I welcome the proposals within it. It is about driving the partnership approach that we should have in the workplace. The more we can achieve that, the better for our economy.”

“Bill Committees are here to check for snags in the final construction of legislation. I am pleased that this snag has been picked up and will be sorted out by this amendment.”

“I will be concise and echo the shadow Minister’s call for clarity.”

“I welcome the amendments. Driving our economy to achieve the productivity that we need must be a mission for all of us in this House. The culture in our businesses is really important, and I think the amendments will drive a positive working relationship between workers and bosses, so that we can see productivity enhan…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I wish all colleagues a happy and prosperous new year. I welcome these proposals. Only this weekend, I was speaking with a constituent in Torbay who told me that the unit he worked in had transferred out of the NHS and been taken over by the private sector.…”

“I strongly welcome this modernisation of approach. Question put and agreed to. Clause 53 accordingly ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 54 Industrial action ballots: turnout and support thresholds Question proposed, That the clause stand part of the Bill.”

“In my constituency, our hospital faces almost 700 sewage leaks, which has an impact on its ability to provide services. That is another pressure. Does my hon. Friend agree that the sooner the Government advise on what investment they will make to enhance services for our hospitals across the UK, the better?”

“We have seen the proliferation of drone warfare in Ukraine as never before. I was struck by how the Minister referred to drones repeatedly in his statement; it is a massive change in how war is waged. With a Trump presidency on the horizon, Europe needs to look to itself and for its strengths. One of our strengths is t…”

“This is an outstanding Christmas present for the 1,000 employees from Devon to the Isle of Lewis who will benefit from this decision and the deal that has been pulled off by the Government. In the west country, we have a low-wage economy, and in the Appledore dockyard, which is not too far from my constituency of Torba…”

“I thank the Minister for sharing his statement in advance. Honest, hard-working people had their lives totally wrecked by this scandal, and it is a great shame that it happened over a number of years, and that there was dither and delay over it for far too many years. I welcome the steps that he has outlined this after…”

“You have already started to pick some of this apart for us. It is really about getting more of the detail of which groups of pensioners find themselves in poverty. In my Torbay constituency, we have a higher number of 80-year-olds, which is more where the country will be in a few years’ time. Also, I am very much alive…”