Speeches by Slade.

“We increasingly rely instead on the extraordinary efforts of volunteers like Denise and her team at Broadstone in Bloom, the Kenways who lead the youth club, and the flag fairies. Yes, we have flag fairies in our town who overnight pop up the lights at Christmas and flags throughout the year so that we wake up to a fes…”

“I pay tribute to the town and parish councils on the Dorset side of my constituency, where people say they cannot imagine not having their town council or parish council. When I suggest that in our part of the area we simply have that giant council across the top, they are horrified. They say, “How does anything actual…”

“Lords amendment 37 recognises that reality. The Government’s amendment to consult parish councils where they exist is not good enough, because if they do not exist, they do not exist. The Lords amendment would go further and help make those organisations exist in the first place. If we are serious about devolution, abo…”

“Can I just clarify the use of the word “should” rather than the word “must”? Where these bodies exist, they must have a right to be included; this is not just a “should”. I worry that the word “should” will allow a mayor or a larger authority to have the power over what is, as my hon. Friend the Member for St Ives (And…”

“I am grateful to the Minister for letting me come back on this, because the missing link is not necessarily that it is a town and parish council structure; it is that 20% of the country has nothing, and there is nothing in place to ensure that those people have something. In the area that I represent, a huge cost has n…”

“2. What steps he is taking to improve his Department’s response times.”

“I am glad that the call answering has speeded up, but, like those of many other Members, my office is constantly dealing with very long delays on the part of the DWP. Back in September 2024, my constituent Jackie appealed against a personal independence payment assessment for her husband, who died a couple of months la…”

“I am really pleased to follow the speech of the hon. Member for Sunderland Central (Lewis Atkinson) with my own story of an early venue. In 2007, I remember visiting the Stage Door in Southampton—a venue above a pub—for one of the very first, intimate gigs of Scouting for Girls. They are now internationally renowned an…”

“I thank the many Members who have spoken in today’s debate, and the shadow Minister and Minister for their comments. I am glad that the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee, the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman), is here, because I can thank him again for allowing this debate—I think that is about the fif…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered reform of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. I am grateful to the Backbench Business Committee for granting time for a debate on a topic that, as I can see from the number of Members present, regularly fills the inboxes of right hon. and hon. Members from across the H…”

“Many across the House will have watched “Dirty Business” last month and been shocked not only by the behaviour of the water companies, but by the deliberate deregulation and defunding of the agencies that are there to protect our environment. When Storm Chandra devastated homes in my constituency, particularly those in…”

“I have a taxi driver in my constituency who is stuck in a similar situation. This is not just about people who want to drive; it is about people who have to drive. As our population is ageing, the scale of this challenge is growing. Last year alone, medical licence reviews increased by 16% to more than 850,000. The nee…”

“I congratulate the hon. Member for Dudley (Sonia Kumar) on securing this important debate and the hon. Member for Thurrock (Jen Craft) for introducing it. During the Easter recess, I was invited to meet the Dorset Younger Onset Parkinson’s group in Wimborne. Two of the people I met, Simon and Julia, had been diagnosed …”

“I thank my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour for his comments. I am afraid the DVLA is certainly in the top three worst departments, and I will come on to some specific cases shortly. When constituents come to my office, they are frustrated but also really anxious. They have followed DVLA guidance by declaring the…”

“I will come to some of those specific issues shortly. Our teams are incredible and work really hard, both here in Westminster and down in our constituencies, but that should not be necessary. People should not only get the help they need when their MP steps in.”

“I can see that the Minister agrees. However, section 88 applies only in limited circumstances. It does not cover cases in which a licence has been revoked, and it creates real uncertainty. It forces people to navigate legal and insurance risks without a sat-nav to assist them. I have a resident who was travelling to Po…”

“That is helpful, thank you.”

“Let me turn to children and young people being moved back into the community—obviously prior to 18 at the end of their sentence, or potentially if they stay with you until 18 and then go on if they have a very short overlap. When we were at Feltham, I was concerned to hear about some children who were being released wi…”

“Can I just ask a quick question on that, which just struck me? If we had schools where the roll was falling, the funding would fall with it. How does your funding work? Is there a risk of reduced funding if you have reduced numbers in your establishments?”

“Before I go on to the community release, in terms of the digital record we know there is quite a seamless transition from YOI, in theory, into the adult population. Is it similar, does the data and other information seamlessly transfer or are there any learnings to be gained?”