Speeches by Hobhouse.

“The Minister just acknowledged that the fund was closed, although I am not sure whether all the money was spent. We all agree that the fund provided and delivered a very important human dignity facility, as we have all talked about. Can she please explain why a fund that provided for human dignity was cut?”

“12. What steps her Department is taking to help tackle the use of illegal and non-compliant e-bikes.”

“It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir Alec. I congratulate the hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Daniel Francis) on securing this very important debate, and I thank him for sharing his personal story. Lived experience is always most moving and powerful, but it is often difficult to share, because…”

“I understand the money argument, but will the Minister acknowledge that local authorities are stuck when it comes to providing mandatory services? They have to provide children’s and adult social care, but public toilets are optional. That is the dilemma. Local authorities cannot make that money available, as we have d…”

“One of my constituents was nearly knocked over on a dedicated cycle path by an illegal e-bike. Riders in the gig economy in particular ride fast and dangerously. What steps are being taken to tackle the demands of illegal bikes in the gig economy?”

“Dorothy House runs spaces called bereavement help points, where people who are grieving can meet others who are grieving. The service relies entirely on volunteers. The trauma of baby loss can last a lifetime, and a charity like Dorothy House cannot cover all the need. Does the Minister agree that this service should b…”

“The high street organised crime unit is a welcome step to take illegal vapes off our high street, but organised crime gangs are then moving with impunity online, where enforcement is a lot less rigid. What is the Home Office doing to stop making it so easy to move from illegal trading on our high street to illegal trad…”

“We have quite a lot of members of the public in the Gallery; it is lovely to have you. You have been through the experiences and are affected by the topic of the debate. However, as is convention, I encourage Members to speak into the Chamber and through me as Chair and not turn round to the Gallery. That is not to be …”

“I work with a wonderful charity in Bath called Voices, which supports women through their trauma, and helps them to cope with a complex and often unsympathetic court system. What are the Government doing to make it easier for survivors of abuse to cope with a system that often seems to add insult to injury?”

“Order. I encourage Members to speak into their microphones; it is quite difficult even for me to hear the debate, so it must be even more difficult for the people sitting in the Public Gallery. Please direct your remarks into the Chamber. I know there is a great temptation to direct it to our guests—we know they are he…”

“Order. I remind Members that they should bob if they wish to be called. I intend to call the Front Benchers at 3.58 pm. I am currently not imposing a time limit, but I suggest that Members keep their speeches to a maximum of eight minutes especially if they intervene on others.”

“I just want to make a very quick remark on this wonderful summer of sport. It is not just football that is potentially coming home—what about tennis coming home? The amazing Arthur Fery’s performance at Wimbledon was an absolute joy to watch. Bath’s Royal United Hospital has supported promising early-stage research to …”

“I would like to add to the list of our glorious racecourses. Bath racecourse is Britain’s highest flat racecourse, and it adds so much to the community. We have plenty of races, but we also have family and big sporting events. It was also an important centre for the vaccination programme. It is not just horseracing; th…”

“Does my hon. Friend agree that, with good intentions, the Government wanted to do something about gambling addiction, but so much gambling is now done on the black market? We should look at gambling addiction as a public health issue and look at other reforms to support the horseracing industry.”

“British horseracing gets significantly lower returns from the gambling industry than our neighbours France and Ireland. Does the right hon. Lady not agree that it is disappointing that betting levy reform did not deliver better support for the industry?”

“The Energy Security and Net Zero Committee report on community energy, which I am sure the Minister has read, has raised concerns that community energy projects are at risk of being left behind unless there is clear guidance from the Government on how and when the necessary reforms will be implemented. Will the energy …”

“T3. Hundreds of women are secretly filmed on nights out. The clips are then put online, accompanied by horrible, misogynistic comments. They are viewed millions of times, often to make a profit. What steps is the Department taking to close the current gaps in legislation and stop this vile of abuse of women on nights o…”

“We should add that water shortages are a real cause of conflict. Many communities will be displaced. Anybody who is worried about migration now should be deeply worried about migration in the future, because people will simply be displaced—”

“I recently hosted a roundtable with leading organisations in the VAWG sector to discuss the vile trend of men filming degrading videos of women enjoying a night out, and accompanying the videos with absolutely awful captions. Before she resigned, the former Minister, the hon. Member for Pontypridd (Alex Davies-Jones), …”

“They will come, and you will shut the borders, but we will have wars over water shortages. We absolutely will. It sounds alarmist, but we can do something about it. We should not put our heads in the sand. Does my hon. Friend agree?”