Speeches by Slade.

“I align myself with the stories that everybody has told. Constituents in Sturminster Marshall received two postal deliveries in the whole of January, and then Royal Mail tried to blame letters not being delivered on the flooding, which happened at the beginning of February, so I do not trust anything it says. I am conc…”

“That is really helpful. Thank you very much.”

“Given that you are coming in at the end of a process and you have been really clear about your priorities being access to justice, systemic change and transformative performance, if that is at risk, how do you see your ability to be able to achieve your outcomes? A 12.1% increase in what they are paying is quite a lot …”

“You mentioned that the budget is going to take up a fair amount of time. Do you think it is likely to be approved? If you are not sure it is going to be approved, how are you likely to be able to respond to that? What is plan B?”

“A bit of a tick-box.”

“Can I touch on something you said earlier about social housing complaints? They have an outcome, and then they come to the ombudsman, whereas you were saying that, in this area, a lot of the cases do not have a final outcome. What do you think the relationship is between the complainant and the sector? How is that diff…”

“You have already talked to some degree about tensions and your relationships with some of the regulatory bodies. You have been really clear about the importance of stakeholder engagement, but can you share more about the “how”? How do you plan on engaging specifically with the legal sector, which has this tension, and …”

“I am Vikki Slade, Member of Parliament for Mid Dorset and North Poole. My interests are as per the register; none are related to this Committee.”

“Q13. Two weeks ago it was confirmed that no extra time would be provided in the other place to allow the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to complete its course. If the will of this democratically elected House is blocked, it will be a travesty for democracy and, more importantly, a tragedy for all those who ar…”

“There is absolutely no doubt that long delays in criminal court shake public confidence, and I can only imagine the distress of victims forced to wait years for justice. In my role as an MP, I have supported those who have experienced repeat offences as they wait for stalkers to face justice. It is tragic that cases co…”

“Can the Chief Secretary tell us what happens if the 100-person panel concludes that the scheme will not have the trust, confidence and support of people? Can he confirm that digital efficiencies such as using emails, not letters, and automatically chasing up medicals in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will not …”

“Alongside last week’s announcements was the most welcome announcement that BNO passport holders will not be required to hold B2 language qualifications, but Hongkongers resident in Wimborne are really concerned about the income threshold. Can the Minister confirm whether that is also being exempted?”

“MYTIME Young Carers in Dorset works to identify and support young people with caring responsibilities, as without information on their whereabouts, it is hard to target them for initiatives. In a recent national youth voice survey, one in three young carers aged 16 to 18 reported that they were not in education, employ…”

“Does the Chair of the Defence Committee share my concern that our continued reduction in numbers in the armed forces potentially undermines our ability to maintain our NATO commitments? Does he also share my concern about the huge numbers of people interested in joining the armed forces and the significant time lag in …”

“T10. Last week, the BBC reported the death of Palestinian child Jad Jadallah, shot in a west bank refugee camp while Israeli soldiers watched him bleed to death. Violence against children is increasing around the world, including in Ukraine, Sudan and now Iran. What diplomatic action is the Foreign Secretary taking to …”

“I want to go back to the original attacks. Last year, Trump told us that he was attacking Iran to destroy any possibility of it getting a nuclear weapon, and told us afterwards that he had “obliterated” the threat for years to come. Given that was the justification for the attacks last week, and now that Israel has sai…”

“Unlike maintained schools, independent special educational needs settings are not required to respond to consultation requests from local authorities, leading to long delays, children being out of school for extended periods, and conflict when parents believe that their children are not in the right setting. What assur…”

“I welcome the language of “belonging”, particularly as the parent of a SEND child who once said to me, “They don’t want me here, do they, mum?” before he was put in specialist provision. We cannot have a broader and more inclusive curriculum if schools are facing cuts, and two of my local schools—Queen Elizabeth and Co…”

“I want to follow on from the hon. Member for Bournemouth East (Tom Hayes) in asking the Policing Minister again: would you agree that it is about time we got—”

“I can only apologise, Madam Chair. Would my hon. Friend agree that the Policing Minister is long overdue in replying to the calls from Dorset MPs and the police and crime commissioner in November last year to look at the seasonality issue, because we simply cannot go on?”