Oral Answers to Questions

Ben Spencer Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd November 2022 Commons Chamber

[The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Dr Thérèse Coffey)]

As I just said to the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Matthew Pennycook), I will have to get the detail and write to him. I will share the same letter.

[Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)]

T5. This year, I have met pupils at Sayes Court and Manorcroft primary schools who wrote to me about the environment. Does my right hon. Friend agree that alongside the big—the Glasgow pact—the small such as local environmental activism is critical to protecting our environment and join me in being proud of the pupils we have in Runnymede and Weybridge?

[Dr Coffey]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to commend the children at Sayes Court and Manorcroft schools. It is the children who are genuinely the future, and leading by example in what they do is an element in reducing waste. Nature-based solutions are fundamental to tackling climate change and, as we embrace them through programmes such as Eco-Schools, they must be the way forward for his schoolchildren and indeed our country.

Health and Social Care Update

Ben Spencer Excerpts

Thursday 22nd September 2022 Commons Chamber

[Dr Coffey]

I hear what the hon. Lady says, but I will not go specifically into more data. I have set out the approach we will take—particularly looking at the local NHS with local councils—to make sure we discharge more effectively.

[Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)]

I welcome my right hon. Friend’s announcement today. Healthcare providers in Runnymede and Weybridge tell me that the biggest challenge they face is recruitment and retention. Driving that is the fact that staff are being poached by London. London can offer London weighting, but we face equal, if not sometimes higher, living costs. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the NHS needs more flexibility when setting staff remuneration, and will that form part of the measures she will announce in the upcoming plan on expanding the workforce?

[Dr Coffey]

I am conscious that there is London weighting, but it is up to the local NHS, including NHS trusts, to make decisions about how they reward people and encourage them to work in their hospitals.

Tributes to Her Late Majesty The Queen

Ben Spencer Excerpts

Friday 9th September 2022 Commons Chamber

[Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)]

I rise to speak on behalf of my constituents in Runnymede and Weybridge as we and the nation mourn. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was an inspirational figure who embodied selfless service. She provided stability, support and succour in challenging times.

Runnymede and Weybridge has the privilege of being a neighbour to her home in Windsor, and my constituency is adorned with plaques inscribed with her name. We have a statue of Her Majesty at the Runnymede pleasure grounds, unveiled at the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, which shows just how far we have come in Runnymede since 1215. Her first public visit following lockdown in March 2021 was to Runnymede and Weybridge, where she attended the centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force at the Air Forces Memorial, which she had opened in 1953. That is a fitting example of her commitment to duty and service throughout her reign.

I saw at the recent jubilee what the Queen meant to my constituents; there were all the celebrations, garden and street parties, and the lighting of the Chertsey beacon. One of the highlights of the jubilee for me was my school visits, on which I saw countless portraits of the Queen created by local schoolchildren. They were mostly da Vincis; there were some Picassos. Every one of them represented Her late Majesty. As we mourn her passing, the scale of the impact on all of us, the UK and the Commonwealth is clear.

If we all aspired to have even a fraction of the compassion, integrity and dedication that the Queen displayed for the world, we would be in a much better place. I hope that part of her legacy will be that each and every one of us uses this time to reflect on her example and what it can teach us. In the long tradition of the monarchy, her attributes will live on in the reign of our new king, Charles III. Runnymede and Weybridge sends its love, thoughts and prayers to His Majesty the King and all the royal family. If our grief is raw, I cannot imagine the pain that the Queen’s family are feeling. Our Queen was loved throughout the world; her legacy lives on. God save the King.

Oral Answers to Questions

Ben Spencer Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd March 2022 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)]

1. What steps his Department is taking to support an investigation into potential war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine.

[Damien Moore (Southport) (Con)]

7. What steps his Department is taking to support an investigation into potential war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine.

--- Later in debate ---

[Dr Spencer]

I associate myself with my right hon. Friend’s remarks regarding PC Palmer. What steps has he taken to ensure that the mechanisms are in place so that the evidence of war crimes can be confidently collected by the International Criminal Court?

[Dominic Raab]

We are doing two things in particular. First, I have convened a cross-Whitehall group, which we have done in the past, to ensure that we can provide whatever support may be needed for everything from witness protection services to the gathering of evidence and information co-operation. Secondly, I have been to The Hague and I will be going back this week. I am working with a coalition of countries that also have unique expertise in that area to provide the support that the Court needs.

Covid-19 Update

Ben Spencer Excerpts

Wednesday 5th January 2022 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I agree completely with the hon. Lady about GPs: they have been particular heroes of the vaccine rollout. We have 1,300 more GPs this year than last year. We need to do more—that is why we have put £250 million into supporting GPs now.

[Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)]

I thank my right hon. Friend for holding firm on plan B and for rolling back travel restrictions, which will relieve many of my constituents. I also welcome the increased use of lateral flow tests for diagnostic testing. For clarity, is it the case at the moment that that is only for asymptomatic testing—for people who do not have symptoms—and that if people have symptoms, they will still be required to get a PCR test? If so, can I urge him to look further into using lateral flow tests for that purpose, because if people with symptoms have to trundle over to a PCR testing centre, wait 24 hours to get the results and self-isolate until negative, we will not be living with the virus?

[The Prime Minister]

That is right. We will encourage people to do so, but it will not be compulsory.

COP26

Ben Spencer Excerpts

Monday 15th November 2021 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Because we have not. What we are doing is continuing—[Interruption.] Opposition Members must really retract this, because what we are doing is not only committing £11.6 billion, which I announced and which was a doubling of the previous commitment, but adding, as soon as we can, as soon as the numbers will allow us, another £1 billion, taking it to £12.6 billion. That is one of the biggest commitments to tackling climate change around the world of any country in the world and the hon. Member should be proud of it.

[Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)]

I congratulate the Prime Minister and the COP President on the incredible achievements at the COP summit. Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is science, technology, research and development that will get us through this mess, but that that is going to need a huge workforce skilled in STEM? Could he update the House on the work the Government are doing not only to improve and enhance careers and training in STEM, but to break down barriers for women and people from marginalised backgrounds to taking on those careers?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is making a very important point. We have not only to train more people up in STEM—and we are investing hugely in skills— but to make sure that people with existing skills in hydrocarbon-intensive means of propulsion are trained to work with EVs and other low-carbon technologies. That is what we are doing as well.

Oral Answers to Questions

Ben Spencer Excerpts

Wednesday 16th June 2021 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

We have not lost opportunities to Europe’s markets through Brexit.

[Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)]

In 2014, Runnymede and Weybridge was hit by devastating floods, and my constituents live under the fear of flooding. Last week, the Government signed off the outline business case for the River Thames flooding alleviation scheme, which will allow the detailed design and planning for this scheme to begin in earnest. It is fantastic news and a monumental milestone, and it will massively improve our protection from flooding. Will the Prime Minister join me in celebrating and thanking everyone who has got us to where we are, and does he agree that we need to keep the momentum going?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is completely right. The £1 million River Thames scheme will reduce the flood risk for 11,000 homes and 16,000 businesses, and I thank him for raising it with me today.

Covid-19 Update

Ben Spencer Excerpts

Wednesday 12th May 2021 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

That is a misunderstanding, I believe. We have been vaccinating and continue to vaccinate at a steady rate and as fast as we possibly can. We are secure in our supply, but obviously we do not want to get to the stage where we run out. We are confident that we will be able to offer everybody in this country—every adult in this country—a vaccination before the end of July.

[Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)]

I congratulate and thank my right hon. Friend for the success of the vaccination programme and the road map, which has provided certainty and stability, especially to those planning for the easing of restrictions. My constituents often ask me what the new normal will be like beyond 21 June. Of course, much depends on the outcome of the reviews—those into social distancing and others—which will have a far-ranging impact on what our society will be like for months to come. While we eagerly await their conclusions, can my right hon. Friend assure me that we will have a chance to debate the recommendations before they are implemented?

[The Prime Minister]

Yes, indeed I can.

Oral Answers to Questions

Ben Spencer Excerpts

Wednesday 21st April 2021 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I repeat what I have said about that practice. If the hon. Lady would be kind enough to send me details about the case that she raises, I will be happy to take it up.

[Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)]

Access to superfast broadband is critical in today’s society but many people living in Runnymede and Weybridge cannot access it. While this question is essential viewing, my constituents may struggle to watch it streaming at home this evening if someone else is catching up on the “MasterChef” final. Does my right hon. Friend share my ambition that everyone in Runnymede and Weybridge should have access to superfast broadband just as every house should have access to water and electricity?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is entirely right. That is why we have massively accelerated the roll-out of superfast broadband and gigabit broadband. Coverage of reliable gigabit broadband was just 9% when this Government took over; it will be 60% by the end of this year. We are driving it up across the whole country, uniting and levelling up and unleashing the potential of the entire UK.

Covid-19

Ben Spencer Excerpts

Wednesday 6th January 2021 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Gentleman will of course know what the Government are doing to roll out gigabit broadband across the whole country to give every part of the country access to superfast broadband. In terms of the needs of people who do not have access to broadband yet, he will have heard what we have said about the mobile phone and internet providers coming together today to provide cut-price access for those who need it across the country. I think that is the right thing to do.

[Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)]

Once we have vaccinated the high-risk groups, so that the vast majority of people who are at risk of death from covid are protected, what will be the metrics in decisions made on moving areas down the tiers and reopening schools?

[The Prime Minister]

The metrics will be exactly the same as they were under the previous tiering system. We look at the rate of reproduction of the disease, pressure on the NHS and the other factors that my hon. Friend would expect.