Speeches by Taylor.

“Lewis, you sort of answered the next question I had, which was whether or not the process of bidding has become easier to navigate since the transition to the ISF. Do either of you want to comment on that?”

“Eva, is there anything you want to add to that point?”

“Noting what you have said there about the fund’s strength being that it was catalytic money that was short term and noting the point you made about long term, but just on that short-term funding that is there, at the moment it is being delivered through a cross-Government funding mechanism. It is under review at the mo…”

“Mike, can I have a better answer?”

“That is a good point, Mike, and one I think that a number of us on the Committee worry about. Yes, it is good to see that Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan are potentially going to have their funding protected, but as a long-term Syria watcher, that is my worry, too: that not only there but other places as well might flare up an…”

“Mike, is there anything you want to add to that?”

“Thanks for your answer, Mike. I want to specifically talk about the project that you just mentioned in Syria. Where we expected to see sectarian violence with the fall of Assad, we are thankfully so far not seeing that, notwithstanding the incident on the coast a few months ago. By and large, we are seeing relative cal…”

“On a more positive note, what are the opportunities with the transition to the ISF? Do you see positive innovations coming out of what they are planning to do? It is a question to both of you.”

“Lewis, you sort of answered the next question I had, which was whether or not the process of bidding has become easier to navigate since the transition to the ISF. Do either of you want to comment on that?”

“Eva, is there anything you want to add to that point?”

“Noting what you have said there about the fund’s strength being that it was catalytic money that was short term and noting the point you made about long term, but just on that short-term funding that is there, at the moment it is being delivered through a cross-Government funding mechanism. It is under review at the mo…”

“Mike, can I have a better answer?”

“That is a good point, Mike, and one I think that a number of us on the Committee worry about. Yes, it is good to see that Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan are potentially going to have their funding protected, but as a long-term Syria watcher, that is my worry, too: that not only there but other places as well might flare up an…”

“Mike, is there anything you want to add to that?”

“Thanks for your answer, Mike. I want to specifically talk about the project that you just mentioned in Syria. Where we expected to see sectarian violence with the fall of Assad, we are thankfully so far not seeing that, notwithstanding the incident on the coast a few months ago. By and large, we are seeing relative cal…”

“These funds have been integrated across Government. Could you outline for us the advantages of that approach and perhaps some of the challenges of that approach?”

“I thank the hon. Member for Reigate (Rebecca Paul) for securing this debate, and I join her and my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Adam Jogee) in listing a couple of great community pubs. In Hemel Hempstead, they include the best newcomer pub of the year, the Anchor in Bourne End, and 2025 pub of the y…”

“I agree what a good model that is. Does the right hon. Member agree it is a model the Government could consider using for other things? An international finance facility for education has been released in the last few years. Does she agree that the Government could consider adopting this model across a range of differe…”

“4. What steps his Department is taking to support innovation in Hertfordshire.”

“I was fortunate enough to visit the British Standards Institution in Hemel Hempstead recently to see its work helping businesses to deliver better products and drive towards a more sustainable planet. Its research shows that 78% of UK companies increase turnover and productivity because of the BSI’s standards. What ste…”