Speeches by Perkins.

“The Minister is absolutely right that we are all here to respond to petitions that hundreds of thousands of people have signed. Does he think, as I do, that given the huge public interest in this matter, it is absolutely extraordinary that one person has turned up to speak from the main Opposition party, and that that …”

“I am really pleased with the way my hon. Friend is presenting the debate. Many of us agree with what he says about how the immigration debate is being utilised and weaponised, but also believe that the level of legal migration is too high and support the Government in getting a grip on it. We want to ensure that those …”

“In terms of the approach that you would take to your role if you were providing this advice to Government, and you heard the Government Aviation Minister saying, “Well, actually, we don’t believe demand management should be part of our plan”, what would you say to him?”

“What about the embodied carbon within the construction of homes? I read evidence that said 50% of the carbon attached to a new home in the first 25 years would have been in its construction. Do you think we take embodied carbon seriously enough and, if not, what should we be doing?”

“In terms of the cancellation of the public sector decarbonisation scheme, what signal did you think that sent? Was it a good decision?”

“Finally, the DESNZ Committee made a recommendation around the need for a one-stop shop on retrofit advice. Is that a recommendation that you would support?”

“You were speaking, Mr Topping, about public support. We have seen evidence that while there is public support for action on climate change, it can drift away if it requires people to spend money themselves, if they feel that the expectation is on them. Does that undermine the ability of Government to get us to do what …”

“What role does the CCC have in getting the general public into a more receptive place to accept changes, even if they might cost them money?”

“Are we missing a trick possibly on electric vehicles? A lot of the focus with Government policy has been on new electric vehicle sales, but one of the things that undermines people’s interest in buying electric vehicles is the massive drop-off in prices a year, two years down the line. The price of second-hand electric…”

“Thank you very much, Chair. The Climate Change Committee said in the June 2025 progress report on the subject of aviation that the Government should help manage growth in aviation demand in line with net zero. You spoke about the fact that the low-carbon technologies were all at an early stage. We had the Aviation Mini…”

“How well do you think we are performing in Britain in terms of decarbonising domestic buildings?”

“I share the Secretary of State’s despair at the fact that the consensus on these matters appears to be dissipating. Does he agree that this is incredibly damaging for investment in the sector? Investors really need to see that whoever is in government, and whatever happens in elections, they have a Government who are c…”

“I am very grateful to my right hon. Friend for the fact she has listened this week, but she knows that many disabled people watching our proceedings today will remain very worried. She is absolutely right that the existing system is not working. Can she say more about the Minister for Social Security and Disability’s r…”

“My hon. Friend raises an important point. It is not one that I was planning to refer to, but I am sure that the Minister will respond to it because my hon. Friend is absolutely right. To an extent, we have taken for granted over the years the contribution that farmers and others play. They need to be compensated for it…”

“My hon. Friend raises a very important point about the importance of plans and the issue of ensuring that children feel supported. The Minister and I are both former shadow Education Ministers, and we know there is no end to the number of things that people think should be on the school curriculum, but that is somethin…”

“The hon. Gentleman is right that we need a holistic approach; I look forward to hearing what the Minister has to say on that. Whichever community they are in, flood victims do not just lose irreplaceable possessions or even replaceable furniture and fittings; they lose the peace of mind that most of us take for granted…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the matter of improving flood defences in Chesterfield. I am grateful for the opportunity to introduce the debate. Flooding is a critical issue for my constituents in Chesterfield and a problem impacting people right across the country. I have seen at first hand the appalli…”

“One of the most important things we can do to support the health of the elderly is to ensure that they can get to see their local doctor. It is great to hear the Health Secretary talk about the improved access to appointments—we are seeing that in Chesterfield—but he is also right to say that it is the first step back …”

“I absolutely recognise that my hon. Friend is coming from the right place on her amendment. I totally agree with her that a reform is needed, and she has raised some very powerful cases. She describes this as a very narrow change, but in actual fact she is asking us to ensure not just that in such cases the police shou…”

“I have been down to the local Co-op in Chesterfield and met one of the shop workers, who faced a terrible attack. Luckily, the people were jailed, but in so many cases there is a sense that shoplifters are able to walk out the door without anything being done. The traumatic effect that this has on shop workers has to b…”