Results 21–40 of 600 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Derek Thomas

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (18 Sep 2023)

Derek Thomas: May I start by thanking Mr Speaker for permitting me to bring this debate to the House? Sites of special scientific interest make an important contribution to the Government’s statutory targets and international commitments to halt biodiversity decline by 2030, and to meeting the goal of the 25-year environment plan to be the “first generation to leave that environment in a better state...

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (18 Sep 2023)

Derek Thomas: I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention, which I welcome. To be clear, the West Penwith moors SSSI was and is welcome; the problem is how Natural England has gone about it by including good farming land that risks the viability of farms without robust evidence of any real harm to the rough land, as we would describe the moorland. My experience from engaging with the Department is that...

Railway Ticket Offices — [Philip Davies in the Chair] (13 Sep 2023)

Derek Thomas: I congratulate my good friend the Member for West Dorset (Chris Loder) on securing the debate. My constituents do not have to use the train. They choose to, to avoid congestion; to avoid high parking charges when they arrive anywhere by car; to reduce their carbon footprint; because it is easier; because they enjoy the journey—anyone would, coming down to west Cornwall; and because we like...

Veterans: Handforth ( 6 Sep 2023)

Derek Thomas: My right hon. Friend raised the armed forces covenant. She is right to raise those concerns, which will be relevant to all armed forces veterans. In my constituency, despite the armed forces covenant, individuals in MOD accommodation find that, when they come to the end of their service, the time allowed to move to other accommodation, in a place where it is difficult to get housing, is far...

Planning and Solar Farms — [Caroline Nokes in the Chair] (19 Jul 2023)

Derek Thomas: I might come across as taking a slightly different view, but that is absolutely not why I am here. I represent a beautiful part of the world. There is not a massive amount of housing going on in my part of the world, and there is not a huge population. There is a huge amount of countryside. There is lots of farmland, and it is very productive land. Natural England—God bless it—has just...

Planning and Solar Farms — [Caroline Nokes in the Chair] (19 Jul 2023)

Derek Thomas: My hon. Friend is exactly right. I wanted to come to that, which is why I was hesitant about appearing to take a view different from the rest of the room. That is the thing: it is not just the suppliers that drive out the smaller-scale solar installations but the planning process. I am told that the cost of going down the NSIP route to get permission could be £10 million. If someone is...

Planning and Solar Farms — [Caroline Nokes in the Chair] (19 Jul 2023)

Derek Thomas: I hear that. We were and perhaps still are hopeful that the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill will address some of the opportunities relating to the inspector. The call for proper reform and understanding of where solar fits into the whole of land use planning is key. I absolutely agree that we need a proper plan for how land is used and what kind of land is available for what kind of...

Planning and Solar Farms — [Caroline Nokes in the Chair] (19 Jul 2023)

Derek Thomas: I hear that, and I do not have an answer—thankfully, I am not the Minister.

Planning and Solar Farms — [Caroline Nokes in the Chair] (19 Jul 2023)

Derek Thomas: I hope not. I am arguing that there is a real danger—as happened with onshore wind, and I do not object to onshore wind in the right place—that we create a situation where these things cannot happen at all. We would then hinder the right kind of development and movement in the right direction. In Cornwall, we have the opportunity provided by the Celtic sea, with a huge amount of offshore...

Freehold and Leasehold Reform — [Mr Virendra Sharma in the Chair] ( 5 Jul 2023)

Derek Thomas: I certainly find little to disagree with in the speech made by the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston (Justin Madders) and I commend my hon. Friend the Member for Dartford (Gareth Johnson) for bringing this issue to the House. The problem is prevalent. Many of my constituents are stuck in this time warp of managing their leasehold property, which they never expected to have to do. As...

NHS Dentists: South-West England — [Julie Elliott in the Chair] (24 May 2023)

Derek Thomas: I thank my hon. Friend the Member for West Dorset (Chris Loder) for introducing this debate. Nearly a year ago, I introduced a debate in this place on the same subject. The then Minister said it was a priority to increase the number of dentists in specific parts of the country, and she mentioned our loved area, the south-west. At the same time and soon after, contract changes were...

Short-term Holiday Lets: Planning — [Dame Caroline Dinenage in the Chair] (23 May 2023)

Derek Thomas: I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Torbay (Kevin Foster) for securing the debate and ensuring that a Minister from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will respond. My hon. Friend has comprehensively set out why this debate is needed. Tourism is vital for my constituency, as it is for his. I have discussed the impact of holiday lets with the Tourism Minister, but...

Energy Security and Net Zero: Fixed-term Energy Contracts: Hospitality Industry (23 May 2023)

Derek Thomas: No hotel, pub or guesthouse can do its job without the support of the laundry sector, which is feeling the pain of high energy bills, often fixed at the wrong time. I hear what the Minister says about the commercial element, but will she arrange a meeting with the energy efficiency unit and the laundry sector to see what can be done to reduce demand and get better deals from energy suppliers?

Water Quality: Sewage Discharge (25 Apr 2023)

Derek Thomas: We all care about this issue. I am a Cornish MP and know more than anyone how difficult the issue is for constituents who really care not just about the quality of the water in which they swim, but about marine life and the importance of our rivers for supporting really good ecological systems. We often refer in this place to the responsibilities of the water companies, but we do not talk...

Health and Social Care: Health Inequalities (25 Apr 2023)

Derek Thomas: It is becoming clear that in Cornwall the only way to get dental care is to go to a private dentist. In a deprived area, of which there are many across Cornwall, that is just not an option for people on low incomes. What can the Secretary of State do to increase the accessibility of NHS dentistry?

Farming on Dartmoor — [Stewart Hosie in the Chair] (18 Apr 2023)

Derek Thomas: I credit my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Torridge and West Devon (Sir Geoffrey Cox) for securing the debate. It raises questions about the role of Government organisations such as Natural England, which operate under the extraordinary powers in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The Act and Natural England demonstrate a lack of understanding of the significant...

Prime Minister: Engagements (15 Mar 2023)

Derek Thomas: Five years ago, £40 million of public funds were set aside for brain tumour research, but recent Government figures suggest that as little as a quarter of that money has been deployed to researchers. The mechanism to distribute research funding effectively is broken. As a result, the brain tumour community has not seen the breakthroughs in treatment and survival rates that many of us believe...

Brain Tumour Research Funding ( 9 Mar 2023)

Derek Thomas: I have noticed that Peter and his daughter Maria, who introduced that first petition all those years ago in 2015, are here. I am sure that if they were to do it again, they would get a lot more than 120,000 people signing the next petition. The nature of debate in this place can be very toxic, but not today. I thank the right hon. Members for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn) and for Hayes and...

Brain Tumour Research Funding ( 9 Mar 2023)

Derek Thomas: I beg to move, That this House has considered brain tumour research funding. I am hopeful that we will have nodding heads on both sides of the House for this debate this afternoon. I thank you for the opportunity to speak, Mr Deputy Speaker, and thank the Backbench Business Committee for making time for this debate. I pay particular tribute to those families around the UK who are living with...

Brain Tumour Research Funding ( 9 Mar 2023)

Derek Thomas: Of course, I agree with the right hon. Gentleman. Actually, I want the Government to go further and make brain tumour research the priority of all cancer research, because we have not seen the progress that we should have in that time.


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