Chris Vince MP: speeches 2024

86 published records · newest first.

Speeches

21 Oct 2024 · Taxi Licensing: Deregulation Act 2015 · Hansard source
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My hon. Friend is right; covid hit tax drivers in my constituency very hard, and we should do what we can to support them. Repealing some of the legislation would help to do that. I am on my final paragraph, you will be pleased to know, Madam Deputy Speaker. This is not just about needless red tape but—
21 Oct 2024 · Taxi Licensing: Deregulation Act 2015 · Hansard source
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I will carry on with this bit of my speech. This situation erodes trust in industry at a time when we should champion local businesses. Instead, we are creating obstacles for them. How can I or anyone in this Chamber look our local taxi drivers in the eye and tell them that we are truly on their side? Right now, I cannot, but by addressing these issues head on, we can change that narrative.
21 Oct 2024 · Taxi Licensing: Deregulation Act 2015 · Hansard source
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I give my sincere thanks to the Minister for taking time to engage in this crucial debate. Taxi licensing is not merely a technical matter; it strikes at the heart of issues of fairness and safety, and affects the livelihoods of hard-working taxi drivers in my constituency, in Harlow and surrounding villages such as Lower Nazeing. Although this issue is of nationwide concern, as I hope is evidenced by the many MPs who will speak tonight, I will focus primarily on experiences in Harlow. I am not here to rehash arguments surrounding the Deregulation Act 2015, which was introduced with the best intentions, but we cannot ignore reality and the unintended consequences of that legislation, which have left taxi drivers vulnerable, passengers at risk, and the integrity of local oversight severely compromised.
21 Oct 2024 · Taxi Licensing: Deregulation Act 2015 · Hansard source
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I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. I am sure that the Minister will address those concerns in his closing remarks. I have sought this debate to bring attention to the growing dangers fostered under the current system. The 2015 Act has opened a loophole, allowing private hire drivers to license their vehicle in district authorities far from where they operate. In practice, this means that drivers are no longer bound by local standards. Instead, they can shop around for the cheapest licence anywhere in the country, then return to work wherever they choose. Harlow has long had the gold standard for its taxi services—standards that our local drivers proudly meet. Why is that? It is because they know, as I do, that nothing is more important than the safety of their passengers.
21 Oct 2024 · Taxi Licensing: Deregulation Act 2015 · Hansard source
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I agree. We are talking about passenger safety. If somehow we could set aside the issue of safety—I believe we cannot—there are other grave consequences of the legislation. It is undermining the livelihood of our taxi drivers. Drivers operating under cross-border licences often lack the local knowledge necessary to provide the level of service that passengers expect.
21 Oct 2024 · Taxi Licensing: Deregulation Act 2015 · Hansard source
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I am going to make some progress. I have heard first-hand accounts from Harlow’s taxi drivers. Will the Minister commit to take action? Will he consider reforming the law to introduce national minimum standards, empower councils to enforce regulations across borders and ensure that private hire journeys either start or finish within the licensed area? These steps are critical not just to restore fairness in the industry but to safeguard the public.
21 Oct 2024 · Taxi Licensing: Deregulation Act 2015 · Hansard source
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I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend that the principle should be that drivers should be licensed by the local authority for the area in which they are operating. Cross-border hiring is undermining high standards, and it strips councils like Harlow of the power to oversee and enforce proper regulations. A driver who loses their licence in one district can simply apply for a licence elsewhere and continue operating with little or no scrutiny. Local authorities lack the enforcement powers to police out-of-town drivers, and that leaves a gaping hole in our public safety framework. How can we claim to protect our constituents, when such fundamental weaknesses exist in our system?
21 Oct 2024 · Taxi Licensing: Deregulation Act 2015 · Hansard source
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I agree—that is part of what I am talking about. We want to support our local taxi drivers.
21 Oct 2024 · Taxi Licensing: Deregulation Act 2015 · Hansard source
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My hon. Friend is right; this is not just a bureaucratic oversight, but a public safety crisis waiting to happen. Vehicles are not being inspected regularly enough and drivers are not being vetted thoroughly enough. Passengers, who trust that any taxi they step into is safe, are the ones left exposed. Taxis often serve the most vulnerable members of our community. Can we truly say that we are doing our duty to protect them under these conditions? The inconsistency in signage requirements across different districts only deepens the confusion. In Harlow, we enforce clear and visible signage—a rooftop box for taxis and door signs for private hire vehicles. Not every district requires that and, as a result, passengers are left guessing whether the vehicle they are entering is legitimate and safe, and local councils are forced to battle through bureaucratic layers just to verify the safety and legality of those vehicles. That is unacceptable. This deregulation has not just lowered standards but put lives at risk. We cannot wait for an accident or tragedy to spur us into action. We must be proactive, not reactive. We need legislation that reflects the pace of modern life and the demands of today’s safety standards. We cannot fall behind.
21 Oct 2024 · Taxi Licensing: Deregulation Act 2015 · Hansard source
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No, I am going to finish. This is about essential regulation that protects lives and livelihoods. The hard-working taxi drivers, on whom so many of us depend, deserve a level playing field. Above all, passengers deserve to know that when they step into a taxi, they are safe. I urge the Minister to consider these proposals so that we can create a safer, fairer and more consistent taxi trade for all.
21 Oct 2024 · Neighbourhood Policing · Hansard source
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4. What steps her Department is taking to improve neighbourhood policing.
21 Oct 2024 · Neighbourhood Policing · Hansard source
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I welcome the Home Secretary to her place. My community in Harlow has been let down by the lack of neighbourhood policing. What will the Home Secretary do to address this issue, both through police on the streets and through the resources they have?
16 Oct 2024 · Carer’s Allowance · Hansard source
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As I have already mentioned a few times in this place, carers played a significant role in my journey to this Chamber. I worked at first hand with young carers for two and a half years until I was elected. I really welcome the use of the term “family carers” in this debate, because the charity I worked for was called Action for Family Carers. I always welcome an opportunity to speak on this issue. I recognise that young carers are not eligible for the allowances that we are talking about, but I beg this Chamber’s permission to mention the subject in this debate and at every opportunity. In my job supporting specifically young carers, I saw every day the toll that caring takes in day-to-day life. I recognise that all carers have been given a raw deal, pushed to their limits—their breaking point—in looking after people they care about and love. Since I was elected to this place, I have heard from carers who have suffered a massive amount of anxiety due to the pressure put on them because of the overpayments scandal—people whose lives have changed, who have given up careers to become carers for their loved ones, and of course young people who do not even consider going on to higher education because of the anxiety leaving their cared ones behind would cause. This cannot go on. The situation is not only untenable but unworkable, and above all it is damaging to those who we rely on in our most vulnerable moments. That is why I welcome wholeheartedly the Government’s announcement today that they will launch an independent review of the carer’s allowance overpayments, led by an expert in the matter. This review will cut through the mistakes made under the last Government, lay bare what we can learn and help us to avoid these mistakes in the future. There is no simple solution to improving the situation for unpaid carers, but this announcement shows a clear commitment to finding the best way to improve it for as many as possible for as long as possible. I will say it again: carers are unsung heroes, and we owe it to these unsung heroes, whose contribution is often understated and unappreciated, to do this. Carers are the backbone of our society, and this review is an important step in repaying our debt to them.
16 Oct 2024 · Carer’s Allowance · Hansard source
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I hope that the right hon. Gentleman will take this as a friendly intervention, as he knows what I am going to say. He talks about family carers and mentioned teenagers who support loved ones, which is important, but does he agree that we should recognise the role of young carers? Having worked with them, I know that they can be as young as five years old and supporting a loved one or family member.
15 Oct 2024 · House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill · Hansard source
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Will the Minister update the House on the wider reforms that our Government are seeking to introduce to the House of Lords, and why these reforms should not be delayed by this specific Bill that, as the right hon. Member for Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge (Sir Gavin Williamson) said, was widely supported by the electorate?
9 Oct 2024 · Renters’ Rights Bill · Hansard source
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I will.
9 Oct 2024 · Renters’ Rights Bill · Hansard source
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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to contribute to this important debate and speak in favour of this Bill. Before I do so, let me take the opportunity to thank my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven (Chris Ward) for his excellent speech. As the Member for Harlow, I live in a town full of Spurs supporters, so he is not overly popular at the moment, but my chief of staff is a fellow Seagull, so he will be pleased to show my hon. Friend support. This is a really important debate to me, because Harlow constituency has nearly 6,000 households in the private rented sector and suffered from the previous Government’s ill-thought-out permitted development legislation. However, like many people who have already spoken, this debate also has personal resonance for me as somebody who worked for two years at a homelessness charity in Harlow called Streets2Homes. My role was generally to go out, sometimes into woodland and industrial areas, to find reported rough sleepers, get them registered with our charity and help get them off the street and, quite often, into the rented sector. That is why I personally welcome this legislation, which rejects the concept of no-fault evictions, and am looking forward to voting for it later. The experience of working for a homelessness charity can often be challenging, but sometimes it can be baffling as well. It is unbelievable to me that in my previous role, I found it easier to house someone with an alcohol or drug addiction than someone with a dog. That includes guide dogs—we had one in this Chamber earlier—as well as emotional support dogs and assistance dogs. Those are animals who help people cope with and manage medical conditions, so that is not the kind of barrier that people with those conditions should be facing. It is like saying that we will not allow people with an inhaler for their asthma to have a house. While at conference this year, I had the opportunity to visit the Guide Dogs stall and talk to the wonderful people who support that wonderful charity. They highlighted this issue to me, and I was appalled by the lack of awareness of it. It is an issue faced every day by people who are already at a disadvantage; we should be making their journey into a home easier, not putting up walls and barriers against them. As a dog owner myself—I am not sure I am going to introduce my dog to Jennie just yet, because he might get a bit carried away—I emphasise how important having a pet is to a family, and the emotional bond that they create. Being pushed to choose between a roof over your head and your family is not a choice anyone should have to make. Here is a statistic—
9 Oct 2024 · Renters’ Rights Bill · Hansard source
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Does the Minister agree that this legislation will help not only the many people in the private rented sector, but charities, such as the one I worked for in Harlow, which helps people who are homeless to get into the private rented sector? Would he also agree that this legislation could have come much sooner?
9 Oct 2024 · Renters’ Rights Bill · Hansard source
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Ultimately, I want to do what I can to support people who have pets in their home, and my hon. Friend is right to say that we do not want people to face the anxiety of potentially being in a situation where a pet could be forced out of their home. As I was about to say, 62% of homeowners in the UK have a pet, and as was mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes North (Chris Curtis), we are a nation of pet lovers. Let us be very clear: this is not about punishing landlords, and never has been; this is about protecting tenants’ basic rights. There needs to be clear guidance on what reasonable pet ownership means, and I am glad that the Bill recognises that. Furthermore, 57,340 households were threatened with homelessness due to the end of an assured shorthold tenancy, which is an increase of 4.6% on 2022-23. People cannot be treated with such a dismissal. Some 21% of renters live in what we refer to as non-decent homes—homes that are not fit for living in—and this is somehow allowed. Renters are not and should not be treated in a lesser way than homeowners. They should be entitled to the same security in their lives as homeowners.
8 Oct 2024 · Farming and Food Security · Hansard source
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I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way on the point of farmers’ mental health. As my constituency neighbour, will he join me in championing YANA—You Are Not Alone—a local charity that is now stretching into Essex, and supports the mental health of farmers and rural workers?
8 Oct 2024 · Climate Change: International Work · Hansard source
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18. What steps he is taking with his international counterparts to tackle climate change.
8 Oct 2024 · Climate Change: International Work · Hansard source
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Thank you Mr Speaker—I’ve done the training. I welcome the Secretary of State’s warm words about our leadership on international climate issues, which is in stark contrast to the previous Government’s failings. I also publicly welcome his recent visit to Harlow college—less said about the racing game, which he won, the better. Does he agree that it is only thanks to the commitment shown by the new Government to drastically deliver on climate change issues that we can lead on a world stage?
8 Oct 2024 · VAT: Independent Schools · Hansard source
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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to speak in this debate. I find it incredible that, after 14 years and an abysmal record on education, Conservative Members want a debate on education, but somehow I am not surprised. I often joked that, if they had the opportunity, they would blame teachers for the sinking of the Titanic—although I was told that they had actually done so recently. As a former teacher, I saw the Conservative Government’s abysmal record on education at first hand. In fact, I am standing here in this House because of it. When the former Member for Surrey Heath declared that the majority of teachers were letting down the children that they teach, I saw red. I knew that only those people who donned the red rosette could fix the mess created by 14 years of ideological cuts. Between 2010 and 2020, spending per pupil in England fell by 9% in real terms. One in eight schools were in deficit by the end of 2023, and two out of three local authorities are struggling to find funding for SEND provision in their schools. In 2022, 40% of trainee teachers failed to qualify and left because of the unmanageably high workload. Having recently spoken to several teachers in Essex, I know the profound impact that 14 years of Tory mismanagement has had on their mental health. But it is worse than that. In 2012, Essex county council first raised with the Government the issue of RAAC in our schools, and the Government said that there was no money to fix it. Now, in 2024, the failure to properly tackle this issue has been borne out. Last week I visited Jerounds primary school, one of the many brilliant primary schools in Harlow, which is currently unable to provide hot food to its children because its kitchen is still closed due to RAAC. Sir Frederick Gibberd school in Harlow cost £29 million to build, and because of the failure of the last Government is having to be pulled down. The education system is broken, and it is broken by Tory design. Labour has a plan to fix the education system, but it requires difficult decisions. Removing the tax exemption on private schools is not the politics of envy, but it is a necessary action, which will generate between £1.3 billion and £1.5 billion for the UK Government—to invest in our schools, to invest in our teachers, and to provide the people of Harlow, of Essex and across our country with the best possible education. I will take no lectures from the Conservative party about education.
12 Sept 2024 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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What action will the Secretary of State and his Department take to support farmers in addressing rural crime, which is a huge issue for farmers in my constituency and across Essex?
9 Sept 2024 · Government Policy on Health · Hansard source
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The Conservative party appointed a party donor, Wol Kolade, who wants to change how the NHS is funded, to the board of NHS England. In January, the right hon. Member for Louth and Horncastle (Victoria Atkins) held a meeting with his private equity firm, Livingbridge, less than one month after he gave her party £50,000, so is it not the shadow Health Secretary who ought to be answering questions about cronyism?

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