"My hon. Friend is making a really important point about local identity and about how important it is that Ministers listen. We have a Minister here today listening. I want to talk about the local government reorganisation in Kent, an area that has an incredibly strong historic identity. It is …..." Helen Whately - View Speech
"We have had a few days of hot weather, and yet again we have had water outages in my constituency and across Kent, on top of what we saw earlier this year and last year. Residents, businesses and livestock owners are frustrated, but they are also really worried, because getting …..." Helen Whately - View Speech
"I am grateful to you, Mr Speaker, for granting the urgent question. It is a shame that the Minister had to be dragged here. Last week, the Secretary of State was only too eager to talk about this report on the telly. Where is he today? Why so quiet now? …..." Helen Whately - View Speech
"(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to make a statement on the publication of the Milburn report on young people and work...." Helen Whately - View Speech
"I hate to tell the hon. Gentleman, but Labour is in charge now. It has had nearly two years and nothing is changing.
You do not have to take my word for it, Madam Deputy Speaker; here are the numbers. Over 8 million people are claiming universal credit, almost 4 …..." Helen Whately - View Speech
"I respect the Secretary of State. He has talked at some length about what is wrong with the welfare system, but the fact is that there is no welfare Bill in the King’s Speech. I reckon he is stuck between a rock and a hard place: he knows the benefits …..." Helen Whately - View Speech
"Oh dear; what a shame. There were no ideas for savings there at all. If the hon. Gentleman thinks that will get him a job under the next Labour leader, I am afraid that he will have to keep trying.
"Let me begin by welcoming the Minister back to his place—we missed him last night, and it is good to see him back in the Chamber.
Throughout our many debates, we have broadly agreed on the policy intent behind most of the Bill, but as I have said time and …..." Helen Whately - View Speech
"First, may I thank the hon. Gentleman for opening this evening’s debate, and for setting out the latest Government amendments, in place of the Pensions Minister? These ping-pong sessions with the hon. Member for Swansea West (Torsten Bell) have become a regular in my diary, and I will miss him …..." Helen Whately - View Speech