Speeches by Fookes.

“I am so pleased that the Minister is trying to negotiate a new SPS deal and working to remove the red tape. Would he agree with me that businesses in my constituency, such as Tri-Wall in Monmouthshire, are absolutely desperate to remove that red tape, so they can increase exports again, as they did before the botched B…”

“Does the Minister agree with me that the new fair repayment rate, which caps universal credit deductions at 15%, along with the actions of the Welsh Government to help more than 48,000 young people gain skills and find jobs through the young person’s guarantee scheme will help alleviate poverty in Wales, and therefore …”

“What do you think was the difference in the US? Why did they get it, but the UK did not?”

“To what extent is a lack of diversity among investors and investment panels a barrier to female entrepreneurs getting more investment, and why do you think that is the case?”

“Funnily enough, we had a roundtable in Birmingham last week where we talked about mandating targets. In terms of the British Business Bank, because so much of its funding percentage has gone towards male-led businesses, we could say, “Right, we now need a target for women-led businesses.” The women entrepreneurs in Bir…”

“I have two small follow-ups. Roni, sorry if I missed it at the beginning, but how did you get the funding for your business 15 years ago?”

“Do any of you think—Dr Savage, you might like to respond to this one—that there is merit in mandating a gender balance on investor panels or committees, or at least those that are supported by the British Business Bank? Do you think that might work?”

“It is great to meet you all; you have fantastic CVs. Can I start with Devie, please? What has been your experience of accessing, or trying to access, investment for your business?”

“It is so ironic, is it not? We are 51% of the population, so how can beauty or menopause products or health tech for women be niche? It is certainly not niche.”

“My final question on the diversity of the actual investors is, to what extent do intersectional characteristics—ethnicity, age, disability and so on—make it more difficult to get funding? Izzy might be a good person to answer that.”

“Just to move on a bit: if you are going to a networking event, is it better to be a male and female networking event or a woman-only networking event? This is something that was said in a previous roundtable and there were different views, which is quite interesting. I would love your opinions on that.”

“The conversation around confidence and courage brings me perfectly on to the next bit. Izzy and Roni, I see both your points of view here, but just to reflect back on what you said, at the end of the day, we are where we are. I agree with Izzy: at this point we need to build courage or confidence in our women when they…”

“So, everybody?”

“You are obviously a bit further on in your journey than a lot of the women you might be helping; you are amazing women and I am sure you are reaching down to help other women come up the ladder. Is there enough networking and mentorship out there for women?”

“Does anyone have any ideas on what support you would like to see for female founders with family or caring responsibilities?”

“We have talked a little already about caring and family responsibilities, particularly with you, Roni. But for everyone, to what extent have caring and family responsibilities impacted the running of your business or the businesses of those that you know? Obviously it does not have to be just childcare, but caring for …”

“Does anyone else want to add to any of that?”

“I thank the hon. Lady for securing this debate. I welcome her shedding light on the terrible legacy of 14 years of Conservatives who did nothing to invest in Wylfa, but while this Government get to work on delivering the greatest upgrade to our energy system in decades, I believe Plaid Cymru is playing politics here. I…”

“This week I am privileged to be attending events across the constituency to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE day and the sacrifices of those who fought in the second world war, including veterans such as David Edwards and Tom Griffiths, who have a school named after them in Mondrainville in France, having helped …”

“Thank you; that would be great.”