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Coastal Towns

I wholeheartedly congratulate the Select Committee on its report. I can say with my hand on my heart that I agree with all its recommendations. As politicians, we are only too well aware of the problems, but it is the solutions by which we are somewhat challenged. Having carefully read the Government’s 33 responses to the Select Committee on Health, or rather the Communities and Local Government Committee—sorry, I am a member of the Health Committee—I am just appalled. I do not know who wrote the Government’s response. Over the years, I have become accustomed to the way in which the Government respond to Select Committee reports, but they normally dress things up a little. In this case, however, their response to the various recommendations has been to say, ““One, no. Two, no. Three, no.”” There is not even any soft language. The only recommendations with which they agree are those in which the Committee does not ask a great deal of them. The Chairman said that the Department for Work and Pensions saw certain matters as historical, but the Government have not even bothered subtly to blame the previous Government for what is wrong. I am delighted that we are discussing the report, and those of us who represent coastal towns owe a great debt of gratitude to whichever member of the Select Committee it was who walked in one morning or afternoon and said, ““Let’s have a report about coastal towns.””