Speeches by Baker.

“The primes are given targets for what they should do with SMEs. I do not think that any of us believe that the way the targets work at the moment is fit for purpose. How would you like those targets to work in terms of the MoD mandating primes? How should that work going forward?”

“Cash is key, so we have been thinking a lot about how we get finance to our defence sector. Obviously, the one thing the primes can do is on their payment terms, and some of the work I have been doing with my colleague Luke Charters is looking at what we can do to encourage the industry to work better. We found some SM…”

“Dr Johnson, it is interesting that you just mentioned the idea of a rearmament bank. This Committee is interested in that, and I have been looking particularly at the opportunity for a multilateral bank. I just wondered whether you could talk about what the opportunities are to work with our allies and to co-operate to…”

“The majority of UK defence funding for SMEs comes through prime contractors. How symbiotic are these relationships and could they be improved?”

“Have you come across any of the banking issues, with SMEs struggling to get bank accounts? Is that something that you have seen feature in the sector?”

“In general, are companies getting their VC in this country or are they going elsewhere?”

“My colleagues and I have been doing a lot of work around barriers to defence finance. I have been looking at some of the barriers for SMEs in getting banking facilities to get the finance they need. I have talked to various SMEs who are not even bothering to go through the process of getting VC in this country, and are…”

“If the Government could make one intervention to move us forward, what would you like that to be?”

“Obviously we have had a new Government over the last nine months. In the conversations you have had with that new Government, do they get that agenda?”

“I agree with everything that you have said, but some of that is very long-term, big vision stuff. We have a space strategy that is about what we can deliver by 2030. That gives us five years. What do you think is achievable by 2030?”

“The Government have recognised that there is a skills challenge facing the space sector, though obviously that is not exclusive to the space sector. Some plans have been put in place to address these issues: skills feature in the national space strategy and in the space industrial plan. Have we seen any material differ…”

“I am proud to speak in this debate on behalf of the home of the British Army. In Aldershot and Farnborough, VE Day and VJ Day are woven into the very fabric of our community. My words today have been shaped by constituents who have shared with me their memories and specialist knowledge, including Iris Munro, who told m…”

“We will start by focusing on the integrated air and missile defence piece. I have a starter to kick us off. What exactly is integrated air and missile defence?”

“We will go on to talk about how we sort this out, but I would like to finish by asking why you think we have not managed to get our act together on this. There has been more of a recognition over the past decade about those sorts of threats, but what has stopped us getting ourselves into a better place?”

“Lockheed Martin, in its written evidence to this Committee, wrote: “European and NATO Allies currently lack the capability and mass for Ground Based Air Defence…effectors, particularly ballistic missiles and counter-hypersonics. Whilst some Eastern European countries are making a substantial effort to enhance” these “c…”

“Following on from that, to be clear, what is the scope of the current threat that these sorts of systems address? How has that threat changed in recent years?”

“Aldershot Town football club are going to Wembley. The FA trophy final on 11 May will be the first time in the club’s history that the red and blue army have played under the arch, with over 17,000 fans there to spectate. That club is also the first football club in the country to achieve the armed forces covenant gold…”

“I thank my hon. and gallant Friend for representing the Defence Committee. Labour’s commitment to fully enshrine the armed forces covenant in law is a vital step in recognising the sacrifices made by our service members and their families. However, our report examines some significant gaps in coverage. In particular, I…”

“Dr de Hoop Scheffer, what could it mean in terms of improving capacity and capabilities in Europe?”

“Based on everything you have both said, one of the fundamental things that we need to sort out if we are going to make progress is how we finance our defence capabilities and how Europe does this. There has been a lot of talk about this in recent months. My colleague Luke Charters MP and I are leading a campaign lookin…”