Speeches by Jardine.

“Dame Lesley, do you want to add anything before we go to vote?”

“The 2022 women’s health strategy emphasised the potential benefits to girls and women of femtech apps. Do we need actions in the renewed strategy to better manage the risks that can come with them? If so, what could that action look like?”

“Would directing women and girls towards the correct apps be how you see the NHS, and part of its role would be very much to do that?”

“Sadly, Jagtar Singh Johal’s case is not the only instance in the world of human rights violations against British citizens, and one of our biggest allies has just said that peace is no longer a priority for it. Given that the world is such a dangerous place, and given the threat to the human rights of British citizens …”

“Thank you. If contributors could please keep to the informal time limit, it would be a huge help. After Ruth Jones, I will call Rachael Maskell and then Tom Hayes.”

“Business rates in Scotland are, of course, devolved, but businesses, particularly in the hospitality, leisure and retail sectors, are not immune to the impact of these measures as they spread across the United Kingdom and undermine the economy. Has there been any effort to sit down with Scottish Government Ministers to…”

“I wanted to come here today and say that I was delighted to hear that this scheme will now be voluntary, not mandatory. Frankly, I am completely confused by the farce that we have got here today. The scheme will not be free, because we know it will cost the taxpayer. I do not think we should be saying it is free. We ar…”

“I have been listening to what you have said, and I wanted to ask about safe spaces. Rachel talked about young people going to supermarkets, and Tanya said something about that. We talk about antisocial behaviour in lots of instances; in towns, we see groups of kids gathering in places, and we label it antisocial behavi…”

“That is concerning. Social media platforms and apps are in the news at the moment, and you are seeing that young people are becoming increasingly isolated because of them. We are talking about specific problems with social media, but are we doing enough to address the wider problems and the impact on younger people?”

“Lara and Lucy, are the challenges with improving community cohesion that we are hearing about occurring right across the UK, or are there regional differences? Are there things that you see we could be using to tackle them?”

“I am sorry to go on about this, but do you think we are listening more to what social media think—or want to think—that children want than to the voices of the children?”

“Thank you very much. Tanya, do you think that the level of community cohesion among young people has changed over recent years? To what extent do you think it has been influenced by the impact of covid and the lack of community interaction at that time?”

“I am Christine Jardine, an MP for Edinburgh. Thank you very much for coming to give evidence to this inquiry about youth services and their role in making young people feel part of their communities. Starting with Isabella—if you don’t mind me calling you Isabella—what would you say are the key challenges today that yo…”

“Are you saying that you think legislators need to grasp the nettle and accept that it will be an unpopular decision, but that they have to take drastic action to support young people and help them get over this digital divide and the isolation?”

“A lot has been made of transport links to airports. At Edinburgh airport, we have excellent links—it is the end of the tramline and there are special buses—but if people are being picked up or dropped off, they have to pay £6 for the first 10 minutes and £1 for every minute after that. That is difficult for people on a…”

“The Minister is very artfully avoiding answering the question that my constituents and Hongkongers, Chinese, Muslims and Tibetans all over this country want to know the answer to, and it is not about the planning process. They are concerned about their safety and security, and they are concerned that the redacted photo…”

“Actually, you just touched on the very first thing I was going to ask. We have talked about data and the importance of it and where there might be gaps; are there specific gaps, perhaps in public services or local government, where the data with regard to race and homelessness is not being gathered already that you wou…”

“The interministerial group on homelessness and rough sleeping has said that the strategy is a whole Government effort. There are various Ministers in the group, including MHCLG, Home Office, DFE, DWP, DHSC, MOJ, Treasury, and Cabinet Office. Minister, you mentioned the impact of domestic abuse and the role that it unfo…”

“13. What steps he is taking to support job creation in the renewable energy sector.”

“I appreciate the Minister’s answer. Those 40,000 jobs are vital, but they are still outnumbered by the many thousands of jobs in the oil and gas sector. The rate of job losses there is accelerating, and people are increasingly going abroad, creating a concern that the skills necessary for the green transition will be l…”