Speeches by Martin.

“Although we—and, I think, service personnel—recognise the right hon. Gentleman’s concerns about pensions in relation to those specific incidents, I will make three points if I may. First, the amendment states that “A ‘general service welfare matter’ may include issues relating to the provision of pensions”. That would …”

“Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?”

“My understanding is that the last time that the defence budget was at 2.5% was under a Labour Government, and that in the 14 years under the Conservatives there was not a 2.5% budget.”

“Sorry.”

“You say that your amendment does not tell the commissioner that they should make the appointment, but it states: “The Commissioner’s staff must include a King’s Counsel”. Since there is a “must”, what you just said is not correct. If we agree to this amendment, we are saying that the commissioner, who we want to be ind…”

“I will come to it afterwards.”

“I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make provision about sentencing for theft in relation to the theft of tools of trade; and for connected purposes. Over recent years, there has been a sharp increase in the theft of tradespeople’s tools, usually from vehicles. One in 10 tradespeople can expect to …”

“The Conservatives should be absolutely ashamed of their asylum and immigration policy, of their inactivity and of the complete mess in which they left Britain and our borders. [Interruption.] The anger and frustration they are showing is shared by my constituents in Portsmouth North on the small boat arrivals—their fru…”

“Q Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for your time this afternoon. All three of you will have seen much during your working lives and in the roles you have now, and had extensive conversations with service personnel. We are aware that there is an attrition rate from the service, low morale, dissatisfaction with th…”

“Q We have heard about the erosion of the contract and that the same issues are raised time and time again. On top of that, the MOD has already produced several independent although non-binding reports to Parliament—Haythornthwaite, Kerslake, Sheldon, Etherton, Atherton. What makes this different? How and why will this …”

“Q You touched on this, Sir Andrew, when you talked about the size of the job and the role. Do you think that the proposals for resourcing the commissioner’s office are adequate to fulfil those functions? You talked a lot about trust and transparency, and others have spoken about impact. To either of you, is there anyth…”

“Q Thank you for your service and for doing what seems to be a great job in the circumstances. You alluded to the fact that this has been a long time coming, that you have been pushing for this and that there had previously been no backlog. The aim of the new Bill is to improve service licence conditions for service per…”

“Q One of the biggest changes is made by clause 3, which allows people outside the armed forces to make a complaint or raise a concern. Do you think that will be a good thing? Mariette Hughes: I think it absolutely will be a good thing. The Bill pitches it right: such individuals will be able to raise concerns but, as I…”

“My son is in the Navy.”

“We are in a housing crisis. Last year, the number of planning permissions granted was the lowest in a decade. What work is the Minister undertaking to turn the page on the failure of the last Government, so that we can build the social housing that is desperately needed in places such as Portsmouth, where viability and…”

“3. What steps she is taking to improve teacher recruitment and retention in Portsmouth North constituency.”

“At a recent local public meeting in Paulsgrove, Portsmouth, parents raised concerns about school provision and the learning environment. As a local authority, we sit in the bottom three in the league tables. What steps is the Secretary of State taking not only to improve recruitment and retention in specialist subjects…”

“The IFS has estimated that it would cost the Government about £400 million to sustain 16 to 19 education funding in its current level per student but in the recent Budget £300 million was allocated for further education. What are the likely consequences of this shortfall for the sector?”

“On that note, at least 8,000 of my constituents in Portsmouth North work in freight and logistics, and it has been highlighted to me that freight crime has really discouraged female drivers from entering and remaining in the industry. The International Transport Workers’ Federation found that a lack of secure parking f…”

“Residents in Portsmouth North have loved ones and family members in Bangladesh and, like this House, are concerned about their safety and security. Does the Minister agree that we need to see a peaceful pathway to an inclusive and democratic future for Bangladesh, and can she give us and Portsmouth North constituents i…”