Speeches by Darling.

“You are not saying what they are doing different to before. What management changes are they doing that you are confident that it is not just going to be the same old, same old and a potential Charge of the Light Brigade?”

“I am just worried that you are in the weeds straight away. What I want to understand is what strategic management you, as the top dog, are driving on that agenda. How are you driving that culture change? It just feels like it is more of the same from one of the most challenged Government Departments. What culture chang…”

“DWP is a massive organisation. It feels as if you are almost like a general at a Battle of Waterloo where you have so many moving parts going on at the same time. I would like to focus on Carer’s Allowance and the situation where we are at the moment. Are you confident that this time next year you will be in a position…”

“The Minister will recall our many happy hours together in Committee on the Pension Schemes Bill. One of the issues that the Liberal Democrats raised was the need for an MOT for people as they approach pension age, to see how their pension is going and test its adequacy. Does the Minister accept that putting these stark…”

“Values and principles—”

“Thank you. My supplementary is about being trauma informed. Sir Peter, what trauma-informed training have you undertaken? I understand that work coach colleagues undertake a trauma-informed approach. What outcome is the “so what” question? What did you learn from it, assuming that hopefully you have undertaken trauma-i…”

“I first wanted to alert colleagues because I know a couple are interested in question 12 as well. I am not going to touch the supplementary and I will go on a different angle. I also want to put on record that I have visited Jobcentre Plus in Torquay on a couple of occasions since becoming a Member of Parliament and I …”

“Thank you. That is really helpful.”

“I am trying to understand.”

“How was the 26,000 figure arrived at?”

“Trump and Putin both respect strength; neither of them respects international law. In the light of that, I welcome the work undertaken by the Prime Minister and leaders from Canada and Europe on the coalition of the willing. The Secretary of State has outlined what we are doing to strengthen our capabilities and those …”

“The hon. Member is making very good points. My guide dog Jennie is not bothered by fireworks—she seems to enjoy them—but Pepsi, my wife’s guide dog, is terrified of them. That is not only awful for the dog, but it means that at firework time, my wife cannot go out and socialise or conduct her business as a local counci…”

“My hon. Friend is spot on. We need the Government to wake up, smell the coffee and recognise the challenges that our hospitality industry faces. Some national chains, such as Wetherspoons, use their buying power to drive down the cost of a pint—many customers reflect on prices when they cross the threshold of a venue. …”

“I will happily give way to my Devon colleague.”

“I will focus on Liberal Democrat new clause 9, which would require an assessment of the cumulative impact of the proposals on the hospitality industry. One must bear in mind that, after a medley of challenges, our hospitality industry fears the future—it is in crisis mode—so it is not prepared to invest or take a chanc…”

“I do not know those venues, but I suspect some of them may well be on the high street. We, as Liberal Democrats, know that our constituents see our high streets as the beating heart of our communities. By backing our hospitality industry, we are backing our high streets. Anthony from Otto in Torquay shared with me how …”

“Can the Minister explain why there are £300 million-worth of cuts in Devon this year to our NHS—to hospital trusts, our partnership trust that looks after mental health and our integrated care board?”

“With Donald Trump taking a leaf out of the Putin playbook and becoming an international gangster in the Americas, what assurance can the Secretary of State give the Chamber that the coalition of the willing to protect Ukraine will become the coalition of the capable to defend Ukraine?”

“The issue that we face in Torbay is a significant shrinkage in the number of available commercial routes, whether for bus pass users or other bus users. Does the hon. and learned Gentleman agree that we need sustained investment in bus services to drive a better service for all our communities?”

“What we see here is the tune remaining the same from the Budget, but perhaps the words changing a little. We see short-term gain for the taxman and long-term pain for the taxpayer, and particularly for those who wish to save for their pensions. The Minister was right to highlight how we need to be driving more people t…”