Speeches by Osborne.

“I declare an interest as a former member of Medway council, which has made a submission as part of this inquiry. Eighty-four per cent of children’s homes are privately owned, and one third of those are owned by private equity firms, which have significantly high levels of debt. I know the Government have recently looke…”

“I am conscious of time, but in Scotland at the moment they are considering stopping profit-making entirely in the sector, and in Wales, as part of the Health and Social Care (Wales) Act, they are also looking to make profit in children’s homes and fostering. Do you feel that we should be following that approach?”

“I will be asking specifically about the cost implications of vulnerabilities. We know that three quarters of children going into care homes—including registered and unregistered homes—have an SEN or an EHC need. In my local area, the cost to the local council alone has gone up by £4.1 million in one year, and the cost …”

“The top 15 providers, which provide a significant proportion of care, are making a profit of 22.6%, and they take a significant chunk of SEN and EHC funding, which also suggests that there is price gouging. On future provision and recommendations for the short term, obviously you are building extra capacity, but what m…”

“Ninety-three per cent of homes in the private sector claim to cater for complex needs. In specific terms, how are we focusing with the registration process? We heard that it takes 18 months to register some homes. Can you give us an average wait time for someone looking to register a home for special, complex needs?”

“10. What steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates in cases of violence against women and girls.”

“Prosecutions and convictions for domestic abuse dramatically fell under the last Government, which impacted constituents across all of our areas, including in Chatham and Aylesford. What steps are the Government taking to increase the level of prosecutions and convictions for this heinous crime?”

“Q4. The leader of my local council, Kent county council, has said that they are a “shop window” for Reform UK. With councillors facing criminal charges, inappropriate conduct and behaviour, a defection, five expulsions, a failed DOGE-inspired cost-cutting drive and an authoritarian leader who shouts and swears at colle…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. As my hon. Friend the Member for Mansfield (Steve Yemm) has said, we should be looking to create streets in which our residents can live, work and thrive together. However, it is indeed the case that the in-boxes of Members in this Chamber are full of messages…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. I thank the Minister for stepping in and for reviewing the outstanding contributions of previous Environment Ministers. I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice for her work, and my hon. Friend the Member for Putne…”

“Can I follow up on one point? I understand that 57% took this up initially and it is now being rolled out. You mentioned that the initial 57% might have chosen to use it to allow their staff to cope with demand. Were particular locations or demographics picked up in that initial 57%? That is to say, were they in more s…”

“Will the transition plan be presented to the Work and Pensions Committee as per its request? Also, there were some questions about how the £55 million in the Budget was allocated and whether it has been spent.”

“You might be aware that the Minister has spoken to the Work and Pensions Committee about the merger of NCS and Jobcentre. Some concerns have been raised in that Committee and I want to give you a chance to enunciate, broadly speaking, the detailed strategy of that, and your plans for the merger. I think that you are re…”

“Sorry, I am new to the Committee.”

“Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Sir Peter, for your contributions. I am new, so forgive me if you have previously answered some of these questions. I have done some research and I have a few quick questions about your responses to my colleague. Are the 200 change staff you mentioned specifically focused on change in t…”

““It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement, the greatest source of visual beauty, the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living”—wise words by David Attenborough. They are words that everyone can relate to, whethe…”

“Is the hon. Gentleman aware that Mauritius was one of the early signatories to the UN global ocean treaty? If so, I am not sure what his point is.”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Efford. I thank the right hon. and learned Member for Kenilworth and Southam (Sir Jeremy Wright) for this debate. He will be aware that there have been a number of debates on this salient issue here and in the other place. Nationally, the court backlog across Englan…”

“14. What steps he is taking to reduce the length of waiting times in the Crown court.”

“Every single one of us is here because we want to deliver justice for every one of our constituents. As a former police officer, it has been really welcome to hear of the lived experiences of barristers, criminal prosecutors and people who have worked in our Prison Service, because it is their expertise that makes this…”