Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 2:59 pm on 9 October 2024.
Steve Darling
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Work and Pensions)
2:59,
9 October 2024
I refer colleagues to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I welcome this Bill, and want to reflect on my Constituency. The national average proportion of renters in the private sector is 19%; in Torbay, the figure is 26%. That is mostly driven by the fact that we are the 10th worst authority in the country when it comes to the amount of social housing, at 8%, compared with a national average of 17%. Once upon a time, 35% of people in our nation had social rented accommodation. Does my hon. Friend agree that more should be done about the significant issue of absentee landlords?
In a general election, each Constituency chooses an MP to represent them. MPs have a responsibility to represnt the views of the Constituency in the House of Commons. There are 650 Constituencies, and thus 650 MPs. A citizen of a Constituency is known as a Constituent