State Pensioners: Personal Allowance
You have read my mind.
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State Pensioners: Personal Allowance
Order. You are chuntering from a sedentary position, Minister.
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State Pensioners: Personal Allowance
Your time is near.
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State Pensioners: Personal Allowance
Order. I am not sure that this is entirely appropriate—
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Local Plans
In Suffolk, many villages need new affordable houses, so what can be done to make the rural exception sites more attractive to developers?
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Defence Investment Plan
We are talking of spending, but modern warfare, like warfare since time immemorial, depends on the bravery of our fighting men and our fighting women. We also need a nimble and effective industrial base, for we used to have arrows, then there were bullets and shells, and now there are drones and tech. How can we be best prepared for the next war and support small and medium-sized enterprises in places such as Suffolk?
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NHS Dentistry
The question before us this evening is quite simple: are we prepared to rebuild NHS dentistry as a genuine public service? My constituents, and people across the country, demand and deserve NHS dental services that are accessible and available. I commend the campaign Toothless in Suffolk, which has been a tireless advocate, and many of my parliamentary colleagues who are in the Chamber this evening, who have spoken about their very own dental deserts. Families should not have to choose between going private and going without. The Americans talk about English teeth—wonky and yellow. That myth was dispelled, but sadly it is returning; children being admitted to hospitals with dental abscess and decay was once rare, but it is now familiar. Before the election, I spoke of the decay of the nation’s teeth as a metaphor for the decay of the nation—what an outrage! NHS dentistry disappeared in plain sight when the contracts were changed. The dentists simply switched their practice to private and informed their patients—it was not really a choice. This happened to me and, I expect, to many other Members. I was an ear, nose and throat surgeon in the NHS. I was paid to work at the hospital, not per case, but as part of a team tasked with providing a service to the population. The incentive was to work hard to benefit the greatest number of patients; nobody ever said to me that I could switch all my patients to strictly private operations in the hospital and charge a fee per case, yet that is what happened to NHS dentists. Surprise, surprise—private practice became very popular. There are plenty of dentists, although it is true that we could do with more. I welcome the new dental school at the UEA and commend the vice chancellor and his team for their work on it. I welcome the plans to increase the number of overseas dentists by increasing places for the General Dental Council qualifying exam, as there are many dentists who would like to work here. I also welcome the emergency dental appointments now widely available using the underspend in the NHS dental contract to provide sessional dental appointments. I definitely welcome the emphasis on prevention and the toothbrush campaigns.
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NHS Dentistry
I thank my neighbour for his intervention. I agree that there is much that dental hygienists and dental nurses can do, especially in check-up work. There are many positive steps, and I commend our excellent Minister on everything he has done, but we urgently need the new contract and incentives and rewards for NHS dentistry. This debate is to ask the Government when that will happen, and what barriers are preventing that. The teeth of the nation depend on it.
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National Planning Policy Framework: Proposed Health Inequality Duty
4. What assessment he has made of the potential merits of adding a health inequality duty to the national planning policy framework.
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National Planning Policy Framework: Proposed Health Inequality Duty
Health inequalities are driven by social determinants such as access to green spaces, which is directly associated with higher life expectancy. In my constituency of Worthing West, we have the lowest amount of green space per person in the country—less than a snooker table. Could the Minister set out how the Department is working across Government to ensure that this essential health determinant is being secured and increased across all areas of our country?
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Russian Shadow Fleet
With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will update the House on UK operational activity against the Russian shadow fleet. Before I begin, I wish to take this opportunity to pay tribute to my right hon. Friend the Member for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough (John Healey), who led the Department through a period of growing instability with clarity of purpose and sure judgment. I thank him sincerely for all that he did as Secretary of State. He leaves office safe in the knowledge that our armed forces are better prepared and better supported than when he assumed it. This is my first appearance in the House since my appointment as Secretary of State for Defence. It is a privilege and a responsibility beyond all measure, not least because this is a moment of challenge for our nation, and it is my job to make sure that we rise to meet that moment. It has been some time since I left the armed forces, and the tactics, technology and threats have changed beyond recognition. What have remained constant, however, are the professionalism, courage and extraordinary skill of our servicemen and women. Those virtues were exemplified in full yesterday in the English channel. In the early hours of the morning, 25 miles south of the Isle of Wight, Royal Marine commandos fast-roped under the cover of darkness on to the deck of the Smyrtos, a 244-metre oil tanker, which at the time of interception was travelling at 10 knots. Within a matter of minutes, our Marines had seized control of the vessel without resistance. They worked closely in this operation with specialist officers from the National Crime Agency and were supported by aircraft from the maritime air group, including Chinooks, Merlin Mk4 and Wildcat helicopters, an RAF P-8, Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland and minehunter HMS Ledbury. I take this opportunity to recognise the vital contribution of the Home Office’s border security command maritime teams. This was a highly complex operation that was executed with remarkable precision. Lasting six hours, this Royal Navy-led interdiction was the first of its kind for UK forces, and was the result of careful and meticulous planning across multiple Government Departments and agencies. All military and law enforcement personnel are safely accounted for. I know that the whole House will join me in expressing the deepest respect and sincere thanks to the hundreds of people who were involved. The vessel is now secured outside of port limits at Weymouth anchorage. A 38-year-old Indian national has been arrested on suspicion of sanctions offences. All other 24 crew members remain on board and are assisting the NCA. This is a live criminal investigation, and further updates will be provided at the appropriate moment. In the days leading up to this interdiction, UK armed forces, supported by our allies, including France, to whom I am very grateful, closely tracked and monitored the vessel on the grounds that it was suspected of using a false flag. This was a vessel that was sanctioned by the UK, sailing without nationality and transporting sanctioned Russian oil. I can confirm to the House that this operation was conducted in accordance with international law, including the United Nations convention on the law of the sea, and the relevant domestic legislation. Yesterday’s operation follows the support that the UK has provided the US and France in the interdiction of several shadow fleet ships this year. In March, my right hon. and learned Friend the Prime Minister made clear our intention to interdict shadow fleet vessels at a time and place of our choosing. This had a clear deterrent effect, with many vessels taking longer and more costly routes to evade action taken by the UK and our allies. Let me expand on why this operation matters. We know who benefits from the shadow fleet: over 700 vessels are used to move around 40% of Russian oil. And we know who suffers from the shadow fleet: sanctioned oil is bankrolling Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine. Every barrel sold helps fund the missiles and drones used to kill Ukrainians in their homes, destroy their infrastructure and break their will. This operation deals another blow to Putin. We are clear with Russia about our intentions and our basis to act. We do not seek escalation, but we will always take the necessary steps to enforce UK sanctions. The UK has sanctioned over 550 Russian shadow fleet vessels. That has had a material impact. Nearly 200 have been forced to anchor because of the action of the UK and our partners. Yesterday’s operation sends a clear signal to Russia that the UK and its allies can, and will, act against the Russian war machine. We will use every measure available to prevent the trade in sanctioned goods that funds Putin’s illegal war. Yesterday’s operation demonstrates that the UK’s commitment to securing a just and lasting peace for Ukraine is absolute. I know that President Zelensky thanked the UK following the interdiction, yet we should remember that it is us who owe the Ukrainian people. They have now resisted Putin’s full-scale invasion for more than four years and suffered under the pain of occupation for more than 12 years, and still they fight—for their security and for ours; for their values and for ours. Yesterday I spoke to the Ukrainian Defence Minister to assure him that although there has been a change in leadership in UK defence, there has been no change in our position: the UK will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. On Thursday I will be at the NATO headquarters to co-chair the next meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group and secure the arms and ammunition that Ukraine’s forces need to fight Putin’s war machine. Let me end by saying something that I have always believed: the defence of our nation is a shared endeavour. It falls to those of us who step forward to protect the country in and out of uniform. We owe a debt of gratitude to all those people who exposed themselves to risk yesterday and to those who will do so tonight, tomorrow and in the future. I have a responsibility now to them to ensure that they get what they need, and I am determined to fulfil those duties. I commend this statement to the House.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I am grateful to the shadow Secretary of State for his welcome. I was pleased to have the opportunity to speak to him on Friday evening. I do want to work constructively with him and colleagues on both sides of the House. I said in my opening remarks that I believe very strongly that the defence of our nation should be a shared endeavour. That is always the approach I have taken in this House, and I very much hope that it is the approach that we can continue with. I am also grateful to him for his support for yesterday’s action, as well as the cross-party consensus that I am, as I am sure he is, genuinely proud of with regard to Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine. I understand why the hon. Member asked about the timing of the operation, but I can say to him—and he will know this from his own time as a Minister in the Department—that the activity that was brilliantly and bravely executed yesterday was the result of weeks of military and operational planning. I know that he will understand very well that the UK has played a critical role in the interdiction of a number of shadow fleet ships in recent months, including through close co-operation with our US and French counterparts. The Prime Minister, as he mentioned, made clear back in March our intention to interdict shadow fleet vessels at a time and place of our choosing, and that is what we chose to do. The shadow Defence Secretary mentioned the former Minister for the Armed Forces, my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Selly Oak (Al Carns). I was saving him up, not least because he is someone that I hold in the very highest of regard. He is an honourable and gallant Member, and it is very widely recognised that he has provided outstanding service to our country in the most difficult circumstances that anyone could ever imagine. I am beyond proud that he sits on this side of the House, and I look forward to listening to him and working closely with him in the future. Entirely reasonably, the shadow Secretary of State asked about the defence investment plan. I hope, in what I intend to be the spirit of constructive consensus, that he recognises that this Government have spent over £11 billion more this year on defence than the Conservatives spent in their last year of government. I hope he will also understand that colleagues across Government have been working on the defence investment plan for many, many months. It is a hugely important piece of work. It is the first line-by-line defence budget in 20 years. I fully appreciate the desire of the shadow Defence Secretary to see the contents of the plan published as soon as possible, and I absolutely share that desire. Since being appointed Defence Secretary just a couple of days ago, I have worked very closely with my Department and colleagues across Government to ensure that we progress this work as an absolute priority. The Prime Minister has said that we will publish it before the NATO summit next month, and we will.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I am grateful to my hon. Friend, not least because she has been a doughty champion of the garrison town that is Aldershot. She speaks with great passion and knowledge about these matters. She is right to raise concerns about the threat that we face from Russia; it is a threat that I have spent the last two years dealing with. She is also right about the need for a whole-of-Government approach. I championed that approach in my previous role across the Home Office and Cabinet Office. Now, within the Ministry of Defence, I look forward to working with my colleagues across Government to ensure we have the appropriate defences to guard against the threats that we undoubtedly face from Russia.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for the very constructive tone of his comments, and I am keen to work with him and his Liberal Democrat colleagues on these matters. He is absolutely right to raise the deterrent effect. The Prime Minister’s announcement back in March has been extremely helpful in that regard. I understand and agree with the sentiment of the hon. Gentleman’s points. He will understand that because there is an ongoing, live criminal investigation, I am not able to say anything more about the specifics regarding this vessel and the oil contained within it. The hon. Gentleman made important points about sanctions and the need to ensure that we are working across Government. I can give him the assurances that he seeks. That absolutely will be our approach. It is very important that we as a Department work very closely with our colleagues in the Treasury, and I am very pleased to be joined on the Front Bench today by the Chancellor. I also discussed these matters with the Foreign Secretary earlier on today.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who has an important and close constituency interest in these matters, for his comments. I give him the assurances that he seeks. He raised a number of important points. Given his close interest in these matters, I suggest that he has a briefing from the Minister for the Armed Forces, who has just made that offer to him. We look forward to working closely with him on this.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman, as I always am, for his sage counsel on these matters; he has been talking about them for very many years. He referenced the presence of the Chancellor on the Front Bench. The Chancellor is someone who cares very deeply about our national security; that is why she is here—to lend that support. The right hon. Gentleman understandably raised a very important point about the risk and threat of retaliatory action from Russia. He will know, because he and I have discussed it on many occasions, that I have spent the last two years thinking very carefully about that particular point. Of course, we take every measure and use all the tools at our disposal to guard against that, but I think he will agree that, ultimately, the activity we saw in the English channel yesterday was the right one. We have to stand together against Russia in support of Ukraine, and that is what this Government will do.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his reference to 42 Commando. He has been a long-standing supporter of Ukraine, and I hope he heard in my earlier remarks that my first international call as Secretary of State was with my counterpart in Ukraine, who I will meet on Thursday. His point about the FCDO licences was well made, and the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has arrived right on cue.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, not least as a fellow veteran and someone who has served on the Intelligence and Security Committee, and he speaks with authority about these matters. He has made an important point, and I have been given assurances by the Minister for Trade, my hon. Friend the Member for Rhondda and Ogmore (Chris Bryant), that we keep these things under close review.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
My right hon. Friend makes an important point, and there is widespread agreement for it. She will know that I spent much of the past two years doing exactly what she describes, and I look forward to working closely with my predecessor to ensure that we prosecute Russia’s proxies, and counter its illegal activity wherever it raises its ugly head.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman, not least for the experience that he brings to these matters. He knows the huge regard that I have for his constituents, not least because of their long-standing support for the armed forces. He is right to praise them and to reference the importance of their reputation. The reputation of our armed forces is something we can all be proud of, and it goes right around the world. I hope, however, that he will understand that the purpose of my appearance today is to give an operational update on the activity that took place in the English channel yesterday, and that a couple of days into the job I am not in a position to provide a further update on the matter he raises. He knows how seriously I take those matters, and I will work on them closely with colleagues in other Departments, including the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. No doubt we will both have more to say about it soon.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
My hon. Friend is exactly right to raise those points in the way he does. I am joined on the Front Bench by the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff South and Penarth (Stephen Doughty), who takes such matters incredibly seriously, and there is huge activity right across Government. It is also important to highlight the continued support for Ukraine, not least the UK’s largest ever drone package for Ukraine, which delivered 120,000 drones this year. So, yes, we must squeeze the Russian economy, and support our Ukrainian partners to ensure that they can stay in the fight and win it.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
The sound that the hon. Member described at the beginning of her remarks is one that I am very familiar with—it is one that still, to this day, makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I know she has a long-standing interest in these matters, and she raised an important point. I give her the assurance that we will work collaboratively across Government to maximise the deterrent effect on Russia and its illegal activities. Wherever we can seek to do more to prosecute those activities, we will absolutely do so.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
My hon. Friend is right to draw attention to the meticulous planning that these complex military operations involve. There are lots of moving parts. Risk is carried by those brave enough to undertake such operations, and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. The other huge debt of gratitude that we owe is to the family members of those who step forward, of whom I know my hon. Friend is proudly one.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I am genuinely grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his comments, because he has spoken with real authority on these matters for many years. I hope that he understands that at this particular moment—as we seek to ensure that the DIP does precisely what I think all of us want it to do—I am not going to delve into the specifics of precisely what might be contained in it, but that this Government are very clear that we will always back British shipbuilding.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his comments, and I share the sentiment he expressed at the beginning of his question. I anticipated that he might seek to draw reference to the hugely important industrial activity that takes place in and around his constituency in South Yorkshire. This Department and this Government believe strongly that defence is an engine for growth, and I am acutely aware of the economic opportunities that exist in his part of the world. He is right to reference the fact that this is the first type of activity of its kind. It will sow the seeds of doubt in our adversary’s mind. He will understand that I am not going to speculate about what we might do in future, but the simple act of the Prime Minister’s commitment back in March has had a significant deterrent effect, as will the activities of yesterday morning.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
The hon. Gentleman, I have to say, is a constant source of disappointment to me, not least because I believe he has the potential to be the statesperson of his party.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
It would be very mean of me to say that it is a low bar, so I will not say that. The hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Richard Tice) is unfair to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor. I think it is important that she took the opportunity to be here; that was a demonstration of her commitment to this important piece of work, and I for one am very grateful for that.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I completely agree with my hon. Friend, who makes an important point. She referenced the abhorrent attacks that we have seen in recent times. She will not expect me to get into the detail of all that but what I can say is that, as I saw very clearly in my previous role, our counter-terrorism police and our operational partners in the security services are extraordinarily dedicated in their work. All of that is done in the shadows, and we should be very grateful for their efforts. I give her and the House an assurance that we take the threat that she describes incredibly seriously and will always guard against it.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
The right hon. Gentleman is right to draw attention to the horror of the continued attacks on civilians in Ukraine. It is beyond abhorrent, and we must continue to remind ourselves of the totally reckless nature of Putin’s illegal war. As a Government, we have an absolute responsibility to use all means at our disposal to make it as practically difficult for Russia as we possibly can. I am extremely grateful for the efforts of the Ministers from the FCDO and the Department for Business and Trade, who are sat alongside me on the Front Bench, and their work to combat this particular threat; they all take the work incredibly seriously and I look forward to working closely with them in that endeavour.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I have known my hon. Friend for a very long time; he proudly represents a constituency with a long track record of sending young men and women off to serve in our armed forces, and he is a great champion of them and all those who serve. He is completely right to raise the important point about international co-operation. I have spent much of the weekend talking to allies, and on Wednesday I will be heading to Brussels to co-chair the Ukraine Defence Contact Group with my German counterpart. The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff South and Penarth, who has joined me on the Front Bench, also works tirelessly on these matters to make sure that we collaborate closely with our international partners in order to tighten the screw on Russia.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I join the hon. Gentleman in paying warm tribute to the Royal Marines. I should probably confess that I have not spent all my adult life paying tribute to the Royal Marines, but I am proud to be able to do so now. On his second point, let me just say to him: there is no link.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising the Royal Marine reserves, as it is very important that we pay tribute to all those who serve in the reserves. I am constantly inspired by those who are able to balance civilian life, family life and service life; we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. On her substantive point, I absolutely give her the assurances she seeks. I spent much of the weekend talking to allies, and I will be in Brussels on Thursday to co-chair the next meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, working with our partners in order to ensure that Ukraine’s forces get the support they need to fight Putin’s war machine.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I am genuinely sorry that the hon. Lady will not be shadowing me any more, but I know that she will continue to make constructive contributions. The figure she seeks does not sit in my Department; I think it sits in the Department for Transport, but I will correct the record if I have got that wrong. I hope she understands that there has been very close collaboration across Government. A huge amount of planning went into launching this operation. There was a truly joined-up approach across Government, with important contributions made by the Department for Transport and the Department for Business and Trade.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
My hon. Friend is right to highlight the importance of international co-operation. The words I would use are “robust action”. When it comes to the war in Ukraine, the stakes are so high that we absolutely owe it to the people of not just that country but this country to take the robust action that we saw yesterday. He is right to make the point about the amount of preparation and planning that goes into these activities. It was an absolute privilege to be very closely sighted on the deployment of our troops this weekend. They performed a very difficult and complex task in an exemplary way, and I know that my hon. Friend, like all of us, is very proud of them.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
The hon. Lady raises a very important point. I have already engaged with colleagues in industry, and the Minister for Trade has said that he is very happy to meet her.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise the point about the importance of the safety and security of those at sea. She also made an important point about flags of convenience. She will understand that because of the ongoing investigation, I cannot get into the specifics of this case, but the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff South and Penarth (Stephen Doughty), has just given me an assurance that we are working very closely with our allies on the point she that she raises.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his welcome. That seemed a little bit different from some of the reported comments I heard over the weekend. I will leave that to one side for now, not least because I think he has extended me an invitation to go out for a run in the morning. [Interruption.] He seems to be backtracking on that invitation. I understand why he raises his point in the way that he does, and I hope that he will understand my determination to make progress. He will understand that I have had a limited amount of time to get into the detail of all this, but doing so is my absolute priority, and I will return to the Department to do that very shortly. I hope that he will give us a little bit of time; in the end, it will be for him to take a view on where we get to with this work.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I am grateful to my Yorkshire neighbour for his welcome, and for the tribute he has paid to the Royal Marines. Let me emphasise the support that he offered for the National Crime Agency. I was privileged to work very closely with it over the past two years; it does extraordinary work in the shadows, and we should be hugely grateful to it. I can give my hon. Friend the assurances that he seeks about close co-operation with our international allies. I am joined on the Front Bench by the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff South and Penarth (Stephen Doughty), who works incredibly hard to ensure that we are joined up in the best way, and working most closely with our allies. We take that very seriously, and understand the benefits of doing so.
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Russian Shadow Fleet
I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for the point he has raised, and for the way in which he raised it. He will understand that I am not able to talk about the availability of submarines and the activity that they undertake—
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Russian Shadow Fleet
The right hon. Gentleman on the Opposition Front Bench questions why. I am quite certain that he would not have done that when he was in government, and I am not going to do it, either. What I will do is pay tribute to those who serve on submarines for their outstanding service.