Business of the House

Jerome Mayhew Excerpts

Thursday 18th July 2024 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I thank my hon. Friend for her question and welcome her back to her rightful place in this House as the new Member for Grimsby. I know that she will do a fantastic job for the town. As she knows, one of our big areas of focus during the election campaign was town centre regeneration, and our planning and infrastructure Bill and other measures announced yesterday will focus on just that. I look forward to working with her on the issue over the coming months.

[Jerome Mayhew (Broadland and Fakenham) (Con)]

The last Conservative Government provided £213 million of funding for the Western Link road to complete the orbital route around Norwich, but during the election campaign I was concerned to hear rumours that Labour might axe it. Can the Leader of the House provide a statement quickly to give reassurance to the people of Broadland and Fakenham, and Norfolk more widely, that this much-needed infrastructure will continue?

[Lucy Powell]

I am sure this is an important matter for the hon. Member’s constituents. I do not have the answer today, but I note that Transport orals will be coming at some point soon. I will therefore get him a response from the Transport Secretary, and if that is not forthcoming, I am sure he will apply for a debate in the usual way.

Business of the House

Jerome Mayhew Excerpts

Thursday 18th April 2024 Commons Chamber

[Penny Mordaunt]

Of course I will do that. If the hon. Lady gives me the details, I will follow it up straight after this session. Those who are injured by vaccines need access to support, healthcare and answers, and we should ensure that they get them.

[Jerome Mayhew (Broadland) (Con)]

The Government are absolutely right to fund the doubling of dental training places over the next five years, because they understand how important access to NHS dentistry is for our constituents. For a person growing up in Broadland, the nearest dentistry training place is currently in Birmingham or London, because the east of England is the only region that does not have a dental training school. May we have a debate on the importance of having a new dental training school in East Anglia, and preferably at the University of East Anglia?

Replacement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer

Jerome Mayhew Excerpts

Monday 17th October 2022 Commons Chamber

[Penny Mordaunt]

I know it is not usually in the nature of the hon. Gentleman to overdramatise a situation, but I do not think there has been a coup. I do, however, agree with him that these are serious matters for our constituents, and I hope that all hon. Members will be able to question the Chancellor and receive the answers that they need for their constituents.

[Jerome Mayhew (Broadland) (Con)]

Fiscal credibility is always the backbone of any growth policy, so I welcome the actions of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, but just as important are pro-growth reforms to back entrepreneurs and businesses. Can the Leader of the House confirm that the Government will continue to review EU-inspired regulations to make them bespoke for the UK economy, deliver pro-growth investment zones right across the country, and boost our energy supply?

[Penny Mordaunt]

I can give my hon. Friend that assurance. This is really important to our communities. We will continue with our programme on EU law and EU retained law, and our enabling regulation that the Department for International Trade is looking at, and also our programme on investment zones, in which there has been an enormous number of expressions of interest.

Business of the House

Jerome Mayhew Excerpts

Thursday 10th February 2022 Commons Chamber

[Mark Spencer]

I know that issue is recognised in the Department for Transport. The hon. Lady will understand that, coming out of a global pandemic, there have been challenges in several Government Departments, where people have been working from home, to process all that information as quickly as it should be delivered. She is right to highlight that and I am sure that she will have an opportunity at Transport questions to question the Secretary of State for Transport on that matter.

[Jerome Mayhew (Broadland) (Con)]

The Government agree that an offshore transmission network is the best way to connect offshore wind to the national grid, but under current plans, an OTN will not be in place until after 2030, when we have had 40 GW from offshore wind by 2030 set out under the green industrial revolution. National Grid ESO estimates that that will cost consumers an extra £6 billion. Is there time for a debate on the need to accelerate the development and installation of the OTN so that it is ready for 2030 and the 40 GW connection, not after it?

[Mark Spencer]

I think there are Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy questions in the week we return from half-term, and I know that my hon. Friend will take the opportunity to question our colleagues in BEIS then. The Government are managing the transition from a carbon-driven energy production system to new tech. I know that he is a keen advocate of that, and I am sure that he will hold us to account as we make that transition.

Business of the House

Jerome Mayhew Excerpts

Thursday 18th June 2020 Commons Chamber

[Mr Rees-Mogg]

I am grateful for the hon. Gentleman’s question. The rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong are something that the Government take deeply seriously, and I hope I can assure the hon. Gentleman that this is a priority for the Government. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has updated the House and, I am sure, will continue to do so. He last did so on 2 June, when he provided a statement on Hong Kong.

The Government are deeply concerned about China’s plan to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong and have urged it to reconsider. Imposition of this law by China would undermine the principle of one country, two systems, under which Hong Kong is guaranteed a high degree of autonomy, and it would be in direct conflict with China’s international obligations under the joint declaration—a UN treaty—which was signed on our behalf by Margaret Thatcher and is something that the Chinese Government ought to be proud of. If China continues down this path, we will look to amend the arrangements of those with British national (overseas) status, to allow them to come to the UK and apply to work and study for extendable periods of 12 months. This House will share the role of ensuring that the Chinese Government are under no misapprehension about the fact that Her Majesty’s Government are very serious about expecting the joint declaration to be observed.

[Jerome Mayhew (Broadland) (Con)]

Will the Leader of the House consider giving time for a debate in which the House can discuss how the Chancellor could best reshape the economy to lead the country out of recession? Could such a debate take place in good time to inform the Chancellor’s deliberations prior to any statement on the economy?

[Mr Rees-Mogg]

My hon. Friend is right to highlight the work of the Chancellor, who has managed an unprecedented crisis with characteristic ableness, crafting a considered and suitably bold approach. Our priority has been to support people, families and businesses through this crisis, but there will be more steps to be taken, and the wisdom of this House will be invaluable in helping the Government to shape policy for the future. As I announced earlier, there will be a debate next Thursday 25 June that will allow the economic circumstances around the pandemic to be discussed in broad terms, and I am sure that Ministers will pay careful attention to that debate.