Speeches by Griffiths.

“There are two sides of the equation: supply and demand. It seems that there is supply. You are bringing in funds from the US and elsewhere? Blair, you have just talked about the millions that you have been able to bring into the five-year strategy, but if we are not getting the uptake, if businesses are not availing th…”

“What exactly are you doing that you are putting this effort into?”

“Is there nothing that we can do to make the pricing to businesses more competitive? That is bringing the supply in, but the point is also about demand. What if the price of the product is too high? Perhaps Lord Stockwood would like to comment on this as well.”

“The first question is what your analysis is. Do you agree with that hypothesis? Secondly, what are the Government doing about it?”

“We have had some of the answers to this, but I am not sure about the whole piece. Some of the problem is demand; some of the problem is supply. This is a question for Blair to start with. Could the problem not simply be that the price of capital in the UK is not compatible with the demand for it?”

“That is a very good point. Do you think the British Business Bank has gone far enough to help businesses outside of London? Are the ambitions outlined in its new five-year plan big enough for the potential you see in your regions?”

“Do you feel like it is not necessarily a lack of ambition on their part, but a lack of connection to your local area?”

“Are there other public finance institutions that you would and could be looking to, other than the BBB?”

“As a slight aside—I do not want to get too far down the rabbit hole—one of the real issues also is that, if you get the capital, do you actually have the skills locally to be able to create the return that you need?”

“Paul, it is the same question to you. What do you see as the role for the BBB in helping to unlock regional equity? Are there other public finance institutions you would look to as well?”

“Oliver, you have already been talking about how you would like to see the British Business Bank lead the market. This is a question to both of you, but let us start with Oliver because he brought it up. What do you see as the role for the British Business Bank in helping to unlock regional equity?”

“It is 51% of the population.”

“Is your perception that, if it is a female product, or a product or service specifically for a female audience, male investors are generally just not that interested? Is that the general message coming through here?”

“I have a question for each of you. What has your personal experience been of seeking investment for your businesses in the UK?”

“Will the Minister give way on that point?”

“There is certainly no mandate for either. If a Government wish to change something as fundamental as how we prove who we are, they need to be up front about it; they need to win consent for it. Attacks on our privacy and personal freedom must be debated in depth, not sneaked in through the back door. Over two thirds of…”

“What does “finding costs in the rest of the energy system” mean?”

“How do we measure you on that? How do we measure the success of that?”

“Secretary of State, it is great to have you here. You have talked already about the words of despair that you have been hearing, but you have also said that you want to make things distributionally fair as you go forwards. I am vice-Chair of the Business and Trade Committee and—I am sure this is the case with many othe…”

“Are you going too fast with this?”