Oral Answers to Questions

Barry Sheerman Excerpts

Wednesday 8th May 2024 Commons Chamber

[David T. C. Davies]

I remind the hon. Lady that we just got more votes than the Labour party in my constituency of Monmouth in the police and crime commissioner elections. What people in Wales want is public services, waiting lists and education standards that match what is being delivered by this Conservative Government in England, and standards in public life that reflect what we expect from Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom. That is not what we are getting under the Welsh Labour Government.

[Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)]

2. What discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the biodiversity of Welsh rivers and streams.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Fay Jones)]

Water is a devolved matter in Wales, and therefore rivers and streams in Wales are the responsibility of the Welsh Government. The UK Government recognise that rivers are an essential part of our natural environment. That is why we are working on the UK national biodiversity strategy and action plan.

[Mr Sheerman]

Will the Minister fess up to the fact that the real scandal in Wales is that the UK Government keep denigrating a good Welsh Government that in terms of biodiversity and so much else are better than the rest of the UK? On biodiversity, they are three times better than England. Is it not about time that we got a few Welsh ideas and Welsh leaders to help us clean up our act and our rivers?

[Fay Jones]

That was a good attempt, but I simply cannot disagree with the hon. Gentleman more. It is this Government who forced water companies to provide £56 million towards investment in the storm overflow network, improving water quality across England. In Wales, the picture could not be more different. The average number of sewage spills per outflow is 38; in England, it is 23. Our record speaks for itself.

Oral Answers to Questions

Barry Sheerman Excerpts

Wednesday 13th December 2017 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I am very happy to join my hon. Friend in congratulating community foundations across the UK. I was very pleased to be able to have a meeting with the chief executive of the Berkshire Community Foundation just a couple of weeks ago to hear about the excellent work it is undertaking in Berkshire. I know from what my hon. Friend has said that, across communities across the country, these are an important contributor to and an example of the shared society, as he says.

I understand the dormant accounts scheme has already distributed over £362 million for the benefit of good causes. There has been a report on possibly expanding the scheme, which would have the potential to build significantly on the success of the current scheme. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will be looking at this and will respond in due course.

[Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)]

Q10. May I remind the Prime Minister of 2 June 1997, when I heard her make a very confident maiden speech in which she stressed the importance of vocational and practical education for so many young people in our country? Is she aware that there is now a crisis for apprenticeships, with a 62% fall in apprenticeship starts, many excellent independent trainers going out of business and further education colleges in dire financial straits? Will she break a few heads, crack a few eggs and get this sorted?

[The Prime Minister]

We are seeing a growing number of young people going into apprenticeships, we are introducing the T-levels and we are putting £500 million into technical education to ensure that, for the first time, this country has first-class technical education. I called for it in 1997; in 2017, I am delivering.

Oral Answers to Questions

Barry Sheerman Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd February 2011 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend makes a very good point. We want to see strong private sector pension provision. The history of that provision over the past 13 years has been depressing, because so much money has been taken out of the pension system, not least by the pensions tax that happened year after year, and which was probably proposed by the two people who now run the Labour party. We want to see stronger private pension provision so that people can have independence and dignity in their old age.

[Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)]

Two hundred years ago, the privileged people in this country managed to steal the English common land from the English common people. Why are the Government returning to such activity by taking the forests and woods of our country from the ordinary people?

[The Prime Minister]

This Government are taking a completely different approach from the previous Government, who sold off forestry with no guarantees of access, no guarantees that it was free and no guarantees about habitat. I am, of course, listening to all the arguments that are being put on this matter. However, I ask whether there are organisations, such as the Woodland Trust and the National Trust, that could do a better job than the Forestry Commission. I believe that there are. Is there a problem with the Forestry Commission—[Interruption.]