Speeches by Hobhouse.

“I am very much enjoying the hon. Member’s speech, and I am wondering why she therefore cannot support our motion this evening.”

“Across the country, the dangerous synthetic drug Spice is being brazenly marketed to children over social media. Many vulnerable young people believe that they are buying the less harmful, though still illegal, drug THC only to discover, too late, that what they have been sold is a far more potent and unpredictable sub…”

“I do not know where the Minister has been, but my inbox has been inundated by families and parents who are calling for action. We are responding to the request of our constituents to take action. Do the Government not see the urgency with which we need to take action?”

“Children with special educational needs, particularly neurodiverse learners, thrive in creative subjects, but over the past decade, music, drama and art have been severely cut from the curriculum. How will the White Paper ensure that we broaden our curriculum to bring back the power of creative subjects?”

“These sharp practices are not down to just one management company—a lot of companies are at it. A leaseholder constituent wrote to me to say he feels “abandoned and angry”. His property is leaking, but the freeholder is not interested in helping, and his ground rent will double in 2030. Can the Secretary of State reass…”

“Bath’s hospitality sector depends heavily on weekend services, but Sunday services on Great Western Railway continue to be extremely unreliable, with long delays, packed trains and cancellations. The previous Transport Secretary, the right hon. Member for Sheffield Heeley (Louise Haigh), rightly said that we should not…”

“Should we not be a little more honest with the public about the up-front cost of the energy transition? Yes, it is going to be a substantial cost, but energy will become cheaper in the future. Is that not a more honest way of looking at it—that the cost now is high, but it will be lower in the future? Is that not the n…”

“I return to the exchange of questions in the Chamber yesterday. First of all, I welcome the local power plan; community energy is a fantastic way of getting communities and people on board. What is still missing is a clear definition of what community energy actually is. Now is, in some ways, a good opportunity to come…”

“Thank you. Could that also include something like local supply licences and ideas on how we can get over the regulatory hurdles? All those discussions are still out there, is that correct?”

“T5. The environmental impact assessment for the Rosebank oil field shows that its emissions will be enormous—equivalent to 70% of the UK’s annual total emissions. However, the developer claims that the environmental impact is not significant. The Minister may not wish to comment on Rosebank specifically, but will he se…”

“I welcome the publication of the local power plan and I honestly recognise the Government’s commitment to community energy. However, I think there is still a piece missing—namely that properties in the vicinity of a community energy generator can ultimately benefit by being directly supplied, rather than being supplied…”

“Around one in eight women were victims of sexual assault, domestic abuse and stalking in the year to March 2025. Victim Support is concerned that there is not enough focus in the strategy and, in particular, that funding is not matching increasing demand. What assurances can the Minister give victims of stalking in Bat…”

“Nearly four years on from the outbreak of the war, our Ukrainian friends have formed ever closer bonds with our communities. Last week I was at the opening ceremony of Bath’s Ukrainian education hub, which is part of a global network of 84 such hubs. The hubs are places for classes and courses, but they also provide sp…”

“Should the Government be more proactive in linking it to climate change, rather than saying, “There’s a heatwave, so please do something”? We need to protect people’s health, but is there also a political message to say, “If we don’t do anything about climate change, these risks increase”? Should the Government, the NH…”

“Should some specific health metrics become mandatory and be published by the Government or the NHS, to highlight the risks?”

“You mentioned sectors and groups that are particularly exposed. What about regions, or is the data not specific enough?”

“We now come to the climate impacts on workforce health and productivity. Dr Romanello, how exposed is the UK population to climate-related health and productivity risks?”

“Could you spell out the most notable health co-benefits of transitioning to low-carbon technologies?”

“Should the Government be more proactive in linking it to climate change, rather than saying, “There’s a heatwave, so please do something”? We need to protect people’s health, but is there also a political message to say, “If we don’t do anything about climate change, these risks increase”? Should the Government, the NH…”

“Should some specific health metrics become mandatory and be published by the Government or the NHS, to highlight the risks?”