Speeches by Aldridge.

“A plea from the SMEs that I have spoken to most recently is to bring back some clarity to the system and then iterate from there. They have told us, “Rather than shiny new things, just do one thing, do it well and iterate it”.”

“My hon. Friend points to a frustration shared by me and lots of campaigners in Weston-super-Mare, where we have seen missed opportunities over and over again to give people the basic dignity of access in travel. I am pleased that we in Weston join the people of Northwich and Alfreton in trying to get that accessible tr…”

“I represent a town called Weston-super-Mare. One of the things that I have noticed is that its reputation maybe belies the opportunities, the entrepreneurial spirit and the small businesses that are making the town thrive and become something very different. Lisa, this question is specifically for you. How do you evalu…”

“The public anchor institutions are not as important for you.”

“Could there be a world where they are? Would you like them to be? Is that a muscle that we should strengthen and flex?”

“Absolutely, yes. I am very excited about that.”

“This question is for you, Andy. You have recently launched your intellectual property-backed finance product. How successful has it been and what role can it play for UK growth?”

“Is there an appetite for it to gain legs and become a significant driver?”

“The only thing that I want to ask—it pricked my attention earlier—was around the potential innovation of combined authorities and those local growth funds. Is the operation of combined authorities in this area useful or not? Is that something that could be a driver? I am thinking about my own constituency that is looki…”

“Manchester has not seen that sort of—”

“Hi, everyone. Thanks for being here. Bearing in mind everything that you have already said, have regulation and market practices pushed us to prioritise low costs over creating value? If so, what might change this direction? Sandra, you were nodding.”

“Could I ask you a bit more on what the characteristics of a sophisticated investment office might look like? That would be useful to know.”

“We know that trust is critical to all of this and to how we move forward as a society. It strikes me that postmasters potentially do not trust the Post Office to administer the Horizon shortfall scheme. Are the Government going to leave the administration of the scheme with that organisation?”

“The Post Office is something that covers all our constituencies, and I think we all take a keen interest in how those who have been harmed are able to access redress. We know there are still claimants across three of the redress schemes who have not yet been paid. What is your Department doing to ensure that remaining …”

“Many of us are really optimistic about the tech prosperity deal and its potential, but for it to deliver on the UK national interest, but also for benefits to be felt across the country in places like Weston-super-Mare, we need serious, proactive attention to detail. What mechanisms, if any, are in place to track the d…”

“Weston-super-Mare and Worle residents are rightly proud of their community, but abandoned commercial waste and rubbish filling its once proud public spaces undermines our town and civic pride, and the burden of cleaning up has been shifted on to cash-strapped councils and volunteers. Will the Leader of the House alloca…”

“I thank the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for securing this debate. It has been a pleasure to see his passion for his community and for the people of Northern Ireland, especially as a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. Care at the end of life and ensuring dignity, compassion and community in e…”

“As my hon. Friend mentioned JLR, it is important to reflect on the necessity for cyber-resilience. Do she and the Minister agree that we cannot progress with such technologies without a national push towards cyber-resilience?”

“The success of automated and autonomous vehicles will depend on infrastructure—not just roads but connectivity, data and mapping systems—but if the infrastructure is upgraded only in big cities, we will have a two-tier system and leave behind towns such as Weston-super-Mare. Does my hon. Friend agree that this should b…”

“I think we will need a longer debate next year. I am hugely positive about our technological future, but I also recognise that we are grappling with serious questions that will define our future. Like it or not—trust it or not—information technology defines our age. There is not an off switch, and it is a dereliction o…”