Speeches by Hobhouse.

“That is interesting to clarify: so the shared ownership model then suddenly changes the game, but most community energy projects are the small things that are ultimately just serving the local area and therefore do not need the big transmission grids.”

“We have already heard quite a lot about designation and the question whether there should be grid space designated for community energy. My first question is whether community energy projects all need the big transmission network, or whether they can stay local. That is for me also somewhat the essence of community ene…”

“So far, I can only buy a battery with solar panels, but I am wondering whether technically I could just have the battery because I do not have a roof. I could, but you say it is a cost—”

“I have a very quick question. I now have solar panels and a battery, so my battery can actually store something. I could run my washing machine in the middle of the night, because I have five kilowatts in my battery. Could consumers not simply buy a battery and get the electricity during the day and then run their wash…”

“Bath college offers more than 1,000 courses up to degree level and is home to 10,000 learners. Its alumni include gold medal winner Jason Gardener and drum and bass producer Danny Byrd. I heard the Secretary of State speaking this morning about the vital importance of vocational training. What can the Government do to …”

“Less than 1% of the high seas are fully protected; there could not be a more important time for this treaty. It is the world’s only viable pathway to meet the global biodiversity goal of protecting at least 30% of the world’s ocean before 2030. Along with my Liberal Democrat colleagues, I welcome the fact that the Gove…”

“I am just wondering whether the hon. Member finds himself in the wrong debate?”

“I thank the right hon. Member for giving me an opportunity to say sorry to the shadow Minister for misunderstanding, when I intervened earlier, why he thought it was so important to mention the Chagos islands. I hope he will accept my apology.”

“A couple of weeks ago, I spent a fabulous day at the races at Bath racecourse. For centuries, horseracing has been part of our national sporting history, and it is part of our DNA, yet across the industry people are deeply concerned about the threat that harmonising tax rates will have on the sustainability of the spor…”

“Voices—a domestic abuse charity in Bath—has created a guide to family court proceedings to support survivors to navigate the family courts without legal representation. The pilot was rolled out in the south-west and in Yorkshire. Will the Government work with Voices to roll it out nationally?”

“The right hon. Member has rightly pointed out Lord Mandelson’s murky attitude towards money, but does this not also shine a terrible light on his attitude towards women, which, by contrast, does not look good for the Government?”

“One of my constituents wrote to me this week about the difficulties she is facing rebooking her driving test. The nearest slot that she could find was in Swansea, two hours away from Bath. When she tried the 6 am rush, she faced a queue of 22,000, and when she finally reached the front, the site failed. Alongside test …”

“I too welcome the Leader of the House to his place. Just three days ago, the BBC revealed how effortlessly an illegal vape laced with Spice can be purchased through Snapchat. One in six confiscated vapes in schools now contains Spice, which is described as a zombie drug—a prison drug. That is potentially condemning you…”

“I want to try to get towards the bottom of it. It is fair enough that you do not want to make any recommendations, or to say whether certain tests or other things are necessary, but do you have any recommendation on sequencing the permissions differently to avoid duplication?”

“But you are talking as a small nuclear developer. What about the size of Sizewell? Are you looking genuinely beyond the existing identified sites?”

“Are you genuinely looking beyond the old EN-6 sites?”

“But if there are relatively few, or fewer, options for the big gigawatt sites, do you think that ultimately Wylfa should be ringfenced for a big nuclear site?”

“Okay, but what does it depend on that would mean you could do both and there is no competition?”

“May I bring the discussion back from that high-level question of whether we should have more or less nuclear to the old sites under EN? I understand that we should not look at the whole issue as a matter of small versus big nuclear. You have also already explained, through the previous questions, why the existing and a…”

“I am glad the hon. Member clarified that. He also made a point about mixing hydrogen. Hydrogen is possibly not the end destination for heating in this country, but it will be extremely important to continue looking into it as a transition and to ensure that the Government do not miss an opportunity. In a recent meeting…”