To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential economic impact of the M5 Junction 9 and A46 (Ashchurch) Transport Scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential economic impact of the M5 Junction 9 and A46 (Ashchurch) Transport Scheme.

What an invitation! I am grateful for the invite to join the medieval festival, but if I wanted to see a load of people stuck in the past and fighting each other, I would probably go to the next meeting of the shadow Cabinet. I will consider it—thank you.

What an invitation! I am grateful for the invite to join the medieval festival, but if I wanted to see a load of people stuck in the past and fighting each other, I would probably go to the next meeting of the shadow Cabinet. I will consider it—thank you.

Q14

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Cameron Thomas (Tewkesbury) (LD):

Following a week of internal conflict, the Prime Minister will be well prepared if he wants to join me this weekend at the Tewkesbury medieval festival, which includes Europe’s largest re-enactment, or perhaps next weekend he will don his leather jacket and turn it up to 11 at the Tewkesbury Live music festival hosted by hospitality venues across the town. Regardless of that, will he join me in thanking the volunteers and the hospitality venues that make Tewkesbury the unsung nucleus of Gloucestershire’s culture?

Q14

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Cameron Thomas (Tewkesbury) (LD):

Following a week of internal conflict, the Prime Minister will be well prepared if he wants to join me this weekend at the Tewkesbury medieval festival, which includes Europe’s largest re-enactment, or perhaps next weekend he will don his leather jacket and turn it up to 11 at the Tewkesbury Live music festival hosted by hospitality venues across the town. Regardless of that, will he join me in thanking the volunteers and the hospitality venues that make Tewkesbury the unsung nucleus of Gloucestershire’s culture?

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to promote women’s sport in Tewkesbury constituency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to promote women’s sport in Tewkesbury constituency.

I will certainly meet the hon. Gentleman to discuss this matter.

I will certainly meet the hon. Gentleman to discuss this matter.

As well as being home to both GCHQ and NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps headquarters, Gloucestershire has the largest concentration of cyber-tech businesses and aerospace engineering firms outside London, but the county, and particularly Tewkesbury, is subject to slow, unreliable and grossly outdated rail services. It is also underserved by road transport links eastward. The Government recently announced that they will develop a silicon valley between Milton Keynes—

As well as being home to both GCHQ and NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps headquarters, Gloucestershire has the largest concentration of cyber-tech businesses and aerospace engineering firms outside London, but the county, and particularly Tewkesbury, is subject to slow, unreliable and grossly outdated rail services. It is also underserved by road transport links eastward. The Government recently announced that they will develop a silicon valley between Milton Keynes—

Motion that this House has considered the matter of flooding. Agreed to on question.

Motion that this House has considered the matter of flooding. Agreed to on question.

I beg to move,

That this House has considered the matter of flooding.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Sharma. In 2007, Tewkesbury and many other areas of the country suffered the worst floods we can remember. Some areas that had previously never flooded were overcome by water...

I beg to move,

That this House has considered the matter of flooding.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Sharma. In 2007, Tewkesbury and many other areas of the country suffered the worst floods we can remember. Some areas that had previously never flooded were overcome by water...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for introducing the debate. He is right to outline the issues. He said the last time there was a massive flood was 17 years ago. In my constituency, floods that are supposed to happen every 100 years now happen every 10. Does he agree that...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for introducing the debate. He is right to outline the issues. He said the last time there was a massive flood was 17 years ago. In my constituency, floods that are supposed to happen every 100 years now happen every 10. Does he agree that...

I am going to say why it is important to have both national and local strategies.

I am going to say why it is important to have both national and local strategies.

I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate. To his point, in my part of Mid Norfolk, where the clue is in the name—it is not on the coast—we have seen in the past 10 years an extremely high rate of flooding. In 2020, 200 houses were flooded with...

I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate. To his point, in my part of Mid Norfolk, where the clue is in the name—it is not on the coast—we have seen in the past 10 years an extremely high rate of flooding. In 2020, 200 houses were flooded with...

My hon. Friend is right, and makes a good point I will touch on. Although some flooding is occasionally inevitable, we can take action to avoid some of the worst excesses. Since 2007, a number of schemes

have been implemented in my area, at Deerhurst, Longlevens and Westbury, and some...

My hon. Friend is right, and makes a good point I will touch on. Although some flooding is occasionally inevitable, we can take action to avoid some of the worst excesses. Since 2007, a number of schemes

have been implemented in my area, at Deerhurst, Longlevens and Westbury, and some...

I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this important debate. Does he agree that, in places where farmland regularly floods, there is a case for saying that farmers should be paid for storing water on behalf of the state?

I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this important debate. Does he agree that, in places where farmland regularly floods, there is a case for saying that farmers should be paid for storing water on behalf of the state?

Yes. My right hon. Friend has anticipated a point that I am about to make, so I thank him for that intervention.

As I said, schemes have been put in place and grants have been made available to people who have been flooded—homeowners, businesses and farmers—and that is welcome, as is...

Yes. My right hon. Friend has anticipated a point that I am about to make, so I thank him for that intervention.

As I said, schemes have been put in place and grants have been made available to people who have been flooded—homeowners, businesses and farmers—and that is welcome, as is...

I congratulate the hon. Member for Tewkesbury on securing this important debate. Flood victims across the country have been affected by Storm Henk, but none more so than people in Frome in my constituency. So far, they have been unable to access some of the property flood resilience repair grants,...

I congratulate the hon. Member for Tewkesbury on securing this important debate. Flood victims across the country have been affected by Storm Henk, but none more so than people in Frome in my constituency. So far, they have been unable to access some of the property flood resilience repair grants,...

I entirely agree. That is a very good point. Making it available is one thing; enabling people to access it is something else. I entirely agree with the hon. Lady.

I entirely agree. That is a very good point. Making it available is one thing; enabling people to access it is something else. I entirely agree with the hon. Lady.

Will the hon. Member give way?

Will the hon. Member give way?

By all means.

By all means.