Jeff Smith: As a direct result of the Conservative Government’s decision to cut the “green crap” in 2015, every household’s bill is hundreds of pounds higher. Does the Minister regret that mistake, and is it not long past time to reform planning laws and to get on with building the quickest, cheapest, cleanest forms of power, such as onshore wind and solar, which would increase our energy...
Jeff Smith: What steps his Department is taking to improve the recruitment and retention of teachers.
Jeff Smith: That sounds very rosy, but teacher vacancies have gone up 240% since 2011. According to the latest National Education Union poll, 44% of England’s state school teachers plan to quit by 2027—22% of them in the next two years. Things are particularly difficult because experienced teachers—who may have 20 years’ experience—are leaving the profession. What steps is the Minister taking...
Jeff Smith: I am grateful to my constituency neighbour for giving way, and I would just like to echo his thanks for the work of Fallowfield & Withington food bank, which does a fantastic job in my constituency as well. We obviously need to tackle energy prices and bills now, but does he agree with me that the long-term strategy needs to be a massive programme of retrofitting houses to make them insulated...
Jeff Smith: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way again. May I add to his comments the example of the Arrowfield Road estate in Chorlton in my constituency, where Southway Housing is, alongside a new heat pumps programme, retrofitting the houses on the estate? That will make a significant difference to the bills and warmth for those houses.
Jeff Smith: I congratulate the hon. Member and my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford South (Judith Cummins) on securing this debate. There is a crisis in south Manchester and across the country in trying to access NHS dentists. There are highly trained dentists from abroad who can help. I have some constituents who were trained at the dental faculty of the University of Hong Kong, which is among the...
Jeff Smith: Pavement parking is a massive problem in south Manchester and a difficult one to solve. We need the power that London has to introduce a default ban. Last week the Secretary of State for Transport—who, happily, has just joined the Front Bench—said it was a priority for her and she would bring forward the legislation as soon as parliamentary time allowed. I ask the Leader of the House to...
Jeff Smith: My constituents in south Manchester were really shocked by the scenes that we saw on the video. With the greatest respect to the Minister, who I like a lot, we need not an explanation, but condemnation of that behaviour. I understand that he has to couch things in diplomatic terms, but as a matter of principle, if it was the case that senior officials of a foreign consulate were involved in...
Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the funding arrangements will be for the Future of Women’s Football review.
Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what civil service capacity will be allocated to the Future of Women’s Football review.
Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how the terms of reference for the Future of Women’s Football review were decided.
Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Government’s response to the independent review of Destination Management Organisations, how she plans to measure the success of the planned regional pilot of a tiering model for DMOs.
Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in relation to the Government’s response to the independent review of Destination Management Organisations, what criteria will be used to select which region will be funded to pilot a tiering model for DMOs.
Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Government’s response to the independent review of Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), when the Government plans to launch a regional pilot of a tiering model for DMOs.
Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department plans to publish the Creative Industries Sector Vision.
Jeff Smith: What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of Channel 4 privatisation on the television production industry in Scotland.
Jeff Smith: Channel 4 is a key commissioner for Scottish independent production companies. It spends about £20 million a year on Scottish productions, supporting about 400 jobs in Scotland. Analysis from Ernst & Young says that privatisation could result in £1 billion being lost from the UK’s nations and regions, so for the sake of Scotland’s creative economy, will the Secretary of State make...
Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government will respond to the further consultation on the introduction of a deposit return scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which closed in June 2021.
Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government plans to respond to the consultation on managed pavement parking, which closed in November 2020.
Jeff Smith: Who, specifically, will be responsible for measuring and determining local consent for fracking?
