Speeches by Mathew.

“High streets in market towns such as Melksham, Devizes and Bradford-on-Avon in my constituency suffer from a lack of footfall, which is exacerbated by poor public transport connections. Does my hon. Friend agree that improving bus and train services, as well as providing safe cycle lanes, is crucial for business develo…”

“Leading on from that, does Palladium subcontract its work or has it contracted from the FCDO to other organisations?”

“Leading on from that, how do you ensure that your subcontractors adhere to FCDO’s value for money and MEL requirements?”

“Sinead, back to you. How well does the FCDO and its partners heed lessons learned from the experiences of its contractors?”

“So the institutional memory with the partners should be there from the start, but is that something that gets evaluated?”

“The institutional memory that is there.”

“Following directly on from that, the institutional memory is important, but do you actually evaluate that?”

“What would you see as the most critical components of an effective MEL system?”

“Alex, what is an example of a strong monitoring, evaluation and learning system from a development actor, and what makes a good example?”

“No, Governments being the Governments you are working with.”

“Going back to my previous theme about institutional memory and Governments, are you saying that there is no need for further engagement with Governments and that it is absolutely tickety-boo at the moment?”

“Lastly from me, where could learning opportunities be enhanced?”

“I have two follow-ups. First, is knowledge sharing compatible with competitive tendering and confidentiality?”

“Related to that, do you see that with the Governments concerned as well?”

“When it is all said and done, it is the Government who will remain and we will be a distant memory, which is why these things are so important to have embedded. I am just thinking that is maybe something that should be thought about in future contracts.”

“Are there ways in which that essential institutional memory side of things with the Government partners are being monitored so that you know the learning is not just happening within your organisations, but within the Government’s concern and that it is kept up to date?”

“Thank you. Do you estimate that the reduction of ODA to 0.3% will have an impact on the work you are able to carry out?”

“Internationally, but not here.”

“Given that 80% of your UK work is with FCDO, what would happen if that were to go?”

“Right. Related to that, is Palladium reliant on a continued relationship with the FCDO to remain operational?”