Adam Jogee

Thank you, Mr Vickers, for calling me to speak again. I am grateful to the Minister for her response to this debate and to the points that a number of colleagues raised. I note that the Chamber is now much fuller than it was at the beginning of this debate, so I encourage all colleagues who are now present to join our campaign to get Walleys Quarry closed, capped, and safely and securely restored. The Minister used the word “justice” in her response, which I think is very important indeed, because my constituents in Newcastle-under-Lyme want exactly that—justice. I would like to press the point about what we can do to make sure that the Environment Agency uses the money that it secures from fines to help to pay for the mistakes that its inaction has caused. I will also address a few points that were made in the debate. First, I will touch on what the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore), said. Although he was very nice about me and my family, there were some things he said that I think it is important we note, given that he once had a ministerial job in this area. He said that the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme should not pay, and I agree; for far too long, they have paid and in far too many difficult ways. But I urge him to speak to his Conservative colleagues on Newcastle-under-Lyme borough council who, since the general election on 4 July, believe that the Government should pay for the mistakes and the restoration plan that is required. In my view, it should be the Environment Agency that pays or indeed the people who caused the mess. I look forward to that message being communicated to the Conservative group on Newcastle-under-Lyme borough council. There was also mention of Lord Prescott and how he signed off planning permission. I studied history at university, but it is not difficult to find out that the legislation that he had to approve went through at the end of the previous Government. As the shadow Minister will know— as he has been a Minister; I have never been a Minister and probably never will be—when officials make suggestions, Ministers must make decisions based on what is put before them, as no doubt he did in discussions about Walleys Quarry. Let us focus on the facts and not play partisan games, because it is my constituents who are paying the price for the recent failures. My hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell)—he is not the Member for Stoke-on-Trent North, as the Liberal Democrat spokesperson called him—made several important points. He will know, having been a councillor in Silverdale, just how important this issue is to my constituents, and I know that it is important to him, too. I add my support to the “Don’t be an IDIOT” campaign, which I think is an example of how in north Staffordshire we say it how it is. My hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent South (Dr Gardner), who is my other constituency neighbour, talked about the health implications of toxic gas and fumes, particularly those we are getting from Walleys Quarry, and the impact on her constituency. I thank her for doing so. My hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth (Rachel Taylor) made a really important point about the role that police and crime commissioners can have in ensuring that we hold these offenders to account and help to support our constituents. It is also worth noting, once again, the Lichfield litter pickers—[Interruption.] I mean the Lichfield Litter Legends—the alliteration is the point—for what they do. My hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Sarah Edwards) also raised the issue of supporting communities. This has been an important debate. I will not stop going on about Walleys Quarry until we get the site closed, capped and properly restored. I am glad that the shadow Minister now agrees with me that it should not be my constituents who pay for that but the Environment Agency and the people who caused the mess in the first place. Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered waste crime in Staffordshire.