Speeches by Reed.

“Q It does, thank you. May I open that question up to Maria and Collette—would you like to add any other points? Maria Lyle: I do not believe that I have a specific concern that the ombudsman being rolled into the Armed Forces Commissioner will make things more complex, or worse. Any machinery of government change will …”

“Q Following on from that, are you trained to advise service personnel and families on creating a claim, or are you being advised completely by the chain of command? Abby Dryden: Part of our contract with the Ministry of Defence states that we work closely with the chain of command but are independent of the chain of co…”

“Q Minister, it was clear from Second Reading that there is broad cross-party support for this piece of legislation. From your perspective, how did this Bill come to be? How has it been brought to Parliament so quickly? Who were the dominant voices in forming the nuance of this Bill? We heard from the current Service Co…”

“Q And the process that you have now, do you think it will still be fit for purpose when the commissioner comes in? Abby Dryden: I think it will be a different process, and we will obviously have to consider revising it, but I do not think our viewpoint and our purpose in very many of the issues we deal with will change…”

“I have a close family member who works for one of the charities here today.”

“Q I echo the thanks for all you do for your single services. This Bill proposes a lot of new powers for an Armed Forces Commissioner. If, down the line, after this commissioner comes in, you take umbrage at how they are conducting themselves, is there a clear line of escalation in the Bill through which you would be ab…”

“Q On that point, how do you think the new role will be communicated downward, from a commanding officer to their service personnel? What level of severity do you think would warrant going to see the commissioner, and how do you think that would be communicated to soldiers? Lt General Sir Andrew Gregory: Service people …”

“Q Flipping Terry’s question on its head, could it actually have negative implications in terms of culture in service life and usher in a new wave of complaining? Lt General Sir Nicholas Pope: What we have to be very careful about, in relation to the commissioner’s role, is ensuring that we do not chase demons unnecessa…”

“I thank Angela and Ted for being here today. The title of the role is changing from “ombudsman” to “commissioner”. We previously heard that different perceptions come with those different titles. Do you think that moving to “commissioner” is a good change? If not, where are the limitations? Angela Kitching: I think it …”

“Q Thank you, Mariette, for being with us today. Is it possible to go into the timeline of how we have got to this point? You talked about limited powers, and I completely agree with you. From your perspective, from raising those concerns with the MOD and Ministers, how have we got to this point where we are sitting her…”

“Q Thank you for being with us today. I should imagine that many of the service personnel you deal with might be physically incapacitated or not of sound mind to be able to raise service complaints of their own accord. Would it be possible to explain the current process you have to raise those issues with the ombudsman?…”

“The situation in the middle east is extremely volatile, and the situation that has played out in Syria over recent days only adds to that instability. Has the Foreign Secretary had conversations in recent days with Ministry of Defence colleagues about the potential need to reinforce and bolster security at our sovereig…”

“Q10. My constituents in Exmouth and Exeter East, and our neighbours across the south-west, are understandably concerned about the rail disruption and potential economic damage that the HS2 construction at Old Oak Common will cause to our region for at least the next seven years. Will the Prime Minister please commit to…”

“I thank the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Ben Maguire) for securing this important debate. Many of the points that have been raised this evening are issues we have all experienced, but I have found that South West Water’s communication and engagement with its customers has been atrocious over recent months. What more…”

“I am mindful of time, so building on David’s last question, what sort of principles and areas of focus should guide any future Sudan strategy? If you can give a few broad themes, with time in mind.”

“Fantastic. Thanks, Claire.”

“Dr Eva, was that Sudanese citizens in the west, or western actors?”

“Fantastic. Thanks, Claire.”

“I am mindful of time, so building on David’s last question, what sort of principles and areas of focus should guide any future Sudan strategy? If you can give a few broad themes, with time in mind.”

“On which platforms is this propagating?”