Questions & Answers
Q1
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The right hon. Gentleman is concerned about the over-capacity of incinerators and their contribution to pollution.
Burning waste is as polluting as burning coal, and our incinerators are already over-capacity. When will this Government renew the previous Government’s pause on new incinerators, end perverse deliver-or-pay contracts with incinerator companies, and deliver an incineration tax, such as the landfill tax, to encourage waste reduction, reuse and recycling?
The right hon. Gentleman is very experienced. He knows that on energy, our country’s future is in renewables, and that is why we are investing in them. He should listen carefully to what the Prime Minister has to say at COP. The Chancellor will have heard the right hon. Gentleman’s observations about further taxes; he will have to wait until the end of the month to see what happens.
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Q2
Partial Answer
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The hon. Member is concerned about the impact of raising the national minimum wage for young people.
Since this Government massively boosted the national minimum wage for young people, my Erewash constituents earn far more than the £3.40 an hour that I was paid in my first job just 17 years ago. What is the Deputy Prime Minister’s response to the people, including Conservative and Reform Members, who claim that £10 an hour is too high a wage for young workers? Does he happen to know whether any of the Reform leader’s dozen extra jobs pays him less than £10 an hour?
I was looking at the entry of the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage) in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. He is making quite a lot out of gold bullion. One has to ask: why does he want to cut the minimum wage for people who are not making even 1% of what he makes? The Labour party is on the side of young people, boosting their wages and delivering the youth guarantee to help everyone realise their potential. I hope that young people recognise what those two other parties want from their records.
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Q3
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The hon. Member is concerned about the co-ordination of road, rail, and utility works causing delays.
People across the country are fed up with extensive and needless delays caused by road, rail and utility works happening at the same time because of a failure to co-ordinate. My Transport (Duty to Cooperate) Bill would fix that and cut disruption, supporting communities and the economy. I understand that the Government are looking for ways to support the economy—apparently—so will the Deputy Prime Minister pass on my proposal to the Chancellor and back my Bill?
I will certainly pass it on to the Chancellor.
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Q4
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The hon. Member is concerned about access to NHS dentistry in his constituency.
Seeing dentists is crucial not just for people’s dental health but for their broader health and wellbeing, but access to NHS dentistry has been a growing problem for a number of years. In my constituency, only two out of 10 dentists are taking on new adult NHS patients—the number is the same for children. Will the Deputy Prime Minister set out what the Government are doing to improve access to NHS dentistry and put healthy smiles on my constituents’ faces?
My hon. Friend is right to raise that issue, which is important up and down the country. We are taking action to address the appalling inheritance we received by rolling out extra urgent and emergency appointments across the country. We are also reforming the dental contract, recruiting more dentists and ensuring that they work in the national health service for a minimum of three years.
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Q5
Direct Answer
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In the past 15 years, there have been 170 cases of matricide; in 86% of these incidents, women were killed by their sons. Child-to-parent abuse often involves complex mental health issues and can lead to physical harm.
There have been 170 cases of matricide in the past 15 years, with more women being killed by their sons than strangers. In a meeting earlier this year, I met Laura and Ian who are living in constant fear of physical harm from their son, despite supporting him through his rehabilitation after serving time in prison. They illustrate the complex mental health issues often linked to child-to-parent abuse. Will you support my request for a meeting with the relevant Minister to discuss the impact of child-to-parent abuse?
Matricide is a horrific crime, and we are committed to tackling it through our violence against women and girls strategy which aims to halve domestic violence against women over the next decade. I will arrange for the relevant Minister to meet my hon. Friend.
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Q6
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The Lindsey oil refinery in the hon. Member's constituency faces potential closure, threatening hundreds of jobs. Expressions of interest for taking over the site have been shown.
Lindsey oil refinery is under threat of closure with hundreds of job losses at stake. Given there are several expressions of interest from potential buyers interested in acquiring the whole site, can you provide an assurance that the Government will support and facilitate a continuation of operations at the refinery if one of these interested parties passes due diligence?
I cannot give an assurance from the Dispatch Box, but I will ensure that the relevant Minister meets my hon. Friend to discuss this matter further.
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Assessment & feedback
Cannot provide a direct assurance without due diligence process completion.
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