Speeches by Hobhouse.

“4. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of reductions in council tax revenue from student houses in multiple occupation on local authorities.”

“In 2013, my Bath council received £31 million through the revenue support grant. This year, it is just around £1 million. Students, who are exempt from council tax, are not being counted. Will the Minister ensure that, through the fair funding review, the issue is urgently addressed, and that councils such as Bath and …”

“Research from the University of Bath has uncovered serious violations of the pharmaceutical code of practice by Novo Nordisk, one of the companies behind new weight loss drugs. The company covertly paid millions of pounds to healthcare groups and charities to promote its drugs. In the light of the Government’s active s…”

“Yesterday, I met members of the Spanish Senate, with whom I discussed energy security and how to bring down energy bills for our residents on either side of the channel. It is clear that energy trading between the EU and the UK does not work properly. What can we do, and what progress has been made, to improve the inte…”

“I am fascinated by what I am hearing today. I met Tony Bury, my Bath constituent, who is working with the Centre for Social Justice on improving outcomes for boys—I encourage everybody who is interested in this issue to read its latest report, “Lost Boys”. Does the hon. Member agree that we need a national strategy to …”

“Eight out of nine men in prison report that they were excluded from school. I was a secondary school teacher before I entered Parliament, and the attainment gap was a big worry, but my biggest worry was that we do not respond properly to or cater for people who are neurodiverse. About 20% of our young people, including…”

“We have just heard how important it is that we get community support for infrastructure. The Committee supports the presumption of consent for low-carbon infrastructure with critical national priority status. However, the Committee sets out in the report serious concerns about the potential impact on biodiversity and t…”

“UK households and businesses pay almost the highest energy costs compared with other European countries. As has already been said many times, although it is worth repeating, that is because the cost of electricity is coupled to the cost of gas. I absolutely share the Secretary of State’s ambition to rapidly reduce our …”

“T6. I recently met Ruby Hamill—a young activist who nearly died in a Government-run prison when her severe eating disorder was ignored. Ruby is not a constituent; she wanted to talk to me because I chair the eating disorders all-party parliamentary group. Will the Minister meet me and Ruby’s family to ensure that there…”

“Only 34% of disadvantaged pupils in Bath met the required standards for reading, writing or maths in 2021-22, which was well below the national average. It is always surprising that Bath, which is a prosperous city, has very deep pockets of deprivation. The Language for Life programme in my constituency has made a big …”

“Would you say that it is currently a bit confused, as a concept, from the Government?”

“Professor Walker, you have anticipated my question. What steps could the Government take to provide clearer and more accessible information? You are saying that they should talk about the things that are relevant to those households. What form should that be in? What would you suggest is the best way it can be communic…”

“On a very simple scale from one to 10, how aware do you think households are, including vulnerable households, if one is not at all and 10 is very aware?”

“That is obviously an inherent problem, is it not? People who want to sell you things are advising on the best tariffs. Is there any way around that?”

“Maria Booker, what practical steps could suppliers take to rebuild consumer trust? As you say, there is already an inherent problem.”

“Almost asking the question again, through what channels would that be? Some people prefer face to face and some people prefer a leaflet, so there is no one-size-fits-all. Would you agree with that?”

“Thank you for coming and getting straight into the heart of things. The private rented sector has been raised as a concern in this Committee and elsewhere, and private renters absolutely do not have control over it. Some sort of scheme that actually addresses people in the private sector is probably very important. Let…”

“To come back to what you said about France in the 1980s—and I asked the previous panel the same question—are the Government very honest or clear about the cost of the transition and where that cost is divvied up and lands? Is that for industry, the consumer or the taxpayer? Do you think the Government are very clear an…”

“Would you say that it is currently a bit confused, as a concept, from the Government?”

“Upgrades.”