Speeches by Griffiths.

“Businesses in my constituency are not asking for special treatment; they are asking for a Government who stop making it harder to employ people, harder to grow and harder to invest. Right now, too many feel that Labour is taking the country in the wrong direction. Through my business club and regular conversations with…”

“On that point, will the Secretary of State give way?”

“What would be your biggest recommendation?”

“Still thinking about economic dynamism, I just wanted to come back to the triangulation you were talking about before, between DESNZ, DBT and Treasury. The real concern that I continue to have—and I know every business in my constituency continues to have—is around energy costs, and the conflict between the policies th…”

“Can I ask specifically what your engagement is like with DESNZ? We have heard throughout about the impact of energy costs.”

“I think all of us on the Opposition Benches would be keen to understand why, if the Minister is so confident that pension funds will invest, he does not make it a choice rather than a mandate.”

“The House of Lords has identified clear gaps and proposed practical solutions, and has sent improvements back to us. The Lords has acted to put in place clear safeguards, and the Government respond by stripping them out and pressing ahead regardless. Let us take Lords amendment 38. The Lords were clear that they requir…”

“Of what order of magnitude is the level of innovation happening in China relative to the UK or other parts of the world? Is it the education system that is bringing out people who think differently? What are the drivers behind it?”

“How do you both see this changing over the next five to 10 years, just to look to the future? What are the risks, how are businesses approaching them and what is the risk mitigation?”

“Do you think the complexity of the risks is such that you need to be a multinational-type organisation with that level of resource to operate successfully?”

“What about for the CBI and your members?”

“To go back to the earlier conversation around risk-reward, you have talked a lot about innovation in China. We have heard in previous panels from other organisations that the level and quality of innovation and the talent available to deliver that innovation in China is world beating. The question that I have for you i…”

“What do you think those risks are? What do they perceive those risks as being?”

“This flows quite well from what we have just been speaking about. When you are speaking to your members, how do they weigh up the risks and rewards of doing business in China? I would be quite interested to hear what that looks like right now and going forwards into the future, but also how that has changed in recent y…”

“Could I ask each of you to comment on how important China is to the growth of UK financial and professional services? What potential do you see for future growth and indeed what might hamper that? Will deepening the links between the UK and China produce any strategic vulnerabilities?”

“What about e-bikes?”

“In Wick in my constituency, over 1,000 local residents have raised with me their concerns about unfair and confusing parking charges, which are deterring shoppers and damaging local businesses. May we have a statement from the Secretary of State on the delay to the revised private parking code of practice?”

“There is a simple question running through what we are debating today: who is ultimately in control of people’s pension savings? When I speak to residents in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, they assume that the answer is straightforward. They assume that their pension exists to deliver the best possible outcome for the…”

“It is to invite Professor Lawrence to come to my constituency and meet my local council. I would love to put your ideas in front of it.”

“I have not had the chance to ask about the growth prize and what that looks like for the UK, but we have talked about it to some degree. I also wanted to ask Dame Wendy, to your point about China, to talk briefly about the balance of risk as well. On the growth prize, we have talked in quite broad terms from many diffe…”