Education and Local Government

I am glad that the hon. Gentleman is making the point about the cladding in buildings, because th...

Yes, I do. People cannot sell their properties and they cannot get mortgages on them, and this wh...

I very much hope that the hon. Gentleman does stand again to be Chair, because it has been a plea...

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right about that, although perhaps I should call him my hon. Fri...

I call Robert Halfon. If it is easier for you and you wish to remain seated, please feel free to ...

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and many congratulations to you.

I strongly welcome this Quee...

It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon), with whom I often ag...

My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. I fully concur about the lack of investment in educ...

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend.

I will move briefly to climate change. Following La...

Will Members observe the usual courtesies, please? To make his maiden speech, I call David Johnst...

Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker, for letting me give my maiden speech this afternoon. I ha...

A historic moment.

Indeed; another one.

On the far western border we have Shrivenham, which is a place where w...

The maiden speech from the hon. Member for Wantage (David Johnston) was inspirational. I liked wh...

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on his contribution so far. He mentioned the international dime...

I absolutely take that point. When I chaired the Education Committee, we did an inquiry on the im...

Order. I am relying on people who are not making maiden speeches to show courtesy and compassion ...

May I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (David Johnston) on a very good maiden s...

I am delighted to call Rachel Hopkins to make her maiden speech.

3.50 pm

I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for calling me to make my maiden speech during this part of th...

Madam Deputy Speaker, I am delighted to see you in your place. I am also delighted to be able to ...

As the right hon. Gentleman is looking forward to the future, does he welcome the starting again ...

Order. That is a long intervention; did nobody listen to what was said about the maiden speeches?...

I am delighted that the Assembly is back in operation, because that is good news for Northern Ire...

It was not so long ago that I gave my maiden speech, and my hon. Friend the Member for Luton Sout...

I am delighted to call, to make his maiden speech, Tom Hunt.

4.8 pm

Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is an immense privilege to stand before you for the...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Ipswich (Tom Hunt), whom I congratulate on a very ...

I am very pleased to call Ben Everitt to make his maiden speech.

4.24 pm

Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is a genuine honour to rise to give my first speech...

I congratulate the hon. Member for Milton Keynes North (Ben Everitt) on a very good and well bala...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman because his courtesy is not only to the Chair and the Chamber...

Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. My seat of Bury North is made up of the townships of R...

And to play you .

Yes. I have loved cricket since being a young boy, but have not had the talent to match my aspira...

It is a great pleasure to call Wendy Chamberlain to make her maiden speech.

4.54 pm

I begin my maiden speech, perhaps unusually, by congratulating the hon. Member for Bury North (Ja...

I remind the House that my request that speeches should be short applies to those making maiden s...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker—I will do my best to follow your instructions.

I congratula...

I congratulate the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Paul Holmes) on his speech, which gave much laughte...

I now call, to make his maiden speech, Jonathan Gullis.

5.17 pm

“Ay Up Duck” is how I should start, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I hope my hon. Friend the Member fo...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent North (Jonathan Gullis). That was a...

Order. As colleagues will be aware, there is pressure on time, so after the next speaker, I will ...

It is a pleasure to follow my constituency neighbour, the hon. Member for Nottingham North (Alex ...

I congratulate the hon. Member for Gedling (Tom Randall) on his tour de force. I just googled Ged...

The hon. Lady has talked about the PISA rankings. Is it not right to pay tribute to the teachers ...

I could not agree more. Our teachers are heroes. Day in, day out, teachers in secondary and prima...

Order. Before I call the next speaker, I should just say that I should have said the limit was si...

Congratulations on your election, Madam Deputy Speaker—although there was no need for an election...

May I add my congratulations to those who have made maiden speeches? I, too, have loved the geogr...

I spoke about local government after the last Queen’s Speech. The political environment was then ...

My hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow North West (Carol Monaghan) has already focused on the educ...

It is an honour to speak towards the end of the debate. We have heard many incredible speeches to...

This ambitious Queen’s Speech lists a whole series of draft Bills on wide-ranging areas, but it r...

Does my hon. Friend agree that the failure to recognise the difference between a real-terms and c...

My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. The Government should come clean—this is a smoke-and-mir...

Let me echo the comments that have been made by colleagues on both sides of the House about the m...

I have just been reflecting on the fact that 44% of the flights at Teesside rely on Flybe, as do,...

I very much agree with my hon. Friend, but a strategic intervention to address the needs of one c...

Does my hon. Friend agree that the effect of these cuts has fallen particularly on funding and pr...

My hon. Friend makes a really important point. That was one of the issues that we discussed with ...

The hon. Gentleman mentioned the important need to ensure that we tackle mental health issues in ...

All resources diverted to mental health will be welcomed, and on that point, I am happy to conclu...

We have had a good and well-informed debate. Local government matters. Our councils keep our stre...

Yes, we need a resolution, but I think the hon. Member for Sheffield South East (Mr Betts) said t...

Of course, the effect of the general election is that the hon. Gentleman’s party is responsible f...

It is an honour to close this debate, which has been characterised by many impressive maiden spee...

I was just wondering where all the women had gone from the Tory Benches. Maybe they are off at a ...

Absolutely. Unusually, in this Government it is the Secretary of State himself who has chosen to ...

I am grateful for the towns fund, from which Harlow can access up to £25 million. My right hon. F...

Absolutely. My right hon. Friend showed me some of those properties when we visited Harlow last y...

The Secretary of State will know well that there are issues with South Oxfordshire District Counc...

I would be happy to meet the hon. Lady—in fact, I have written to her council leader suggesting t...

On my right hon. Friend’s next step on homes—I appreciate his reference to me—it is an excellent ...

I will consider that a Budget bid and pass it on to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor. We will ...

Will that include proposals to help existing leaseholders as well as future leaseholders?

The draft Bill we intend to publish shortly will be about the future. A second piece of legislati...