Speeches by Roome.

“Taking you back, Minister, many Afghans complained about the self-checker. Apparently, they were complaining that it gave over-generalised statements; it did not give them any detail. That just added to the panic and concern that they had, because the self-checker was too generalised. What do you say to that?”

“Thousands of Afghans were found eligible under the ARAP scheme, but they have yet to be brought to the UK. For some of them, their relocation has been delayed by administrative failures—most obviously with the Triples—or because priorities shifted after the breach. What is the essence of your message to those people to…”

“In a statement to the House last July, the Secretary of State announced that the MOD had established a “dedicated Information Services Centre” for anyone who may have been affected. Yet representatives of Afghans have told us that that has failed to materialise; in practice, it offered only a very limited call-handling…”

“Minister, we have heard some pretty damning evidence from some witnesses who gave testimony earlier in our inquiry. One of them suggested that when the super-injunction was lifted, they had no communication at all. In fact, person A, who gave evidence to the Committee, said that their mobile phone had 5,000 WhatsApp me…”

“There is nothing that you could have learned from the processes we have gone through?”

“In conclusion, taking it back to my original question, what could we have done better, once the super-injunction had been lifted, to communicate this to other agencies—either voluntary or other agencies—that were working on the ground in Afghanistan, to make sure that that communication got through to those who were af…”

“Professor Blagden, earlier this year, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper visited Norway and Finland. She said that it is critical to protecting Britain and NATO, and called on NATO to step up its work in the Arctic. She said that the UK is at the forefront of Arctic security. As climate change turns the region into a hots…”

“Professor Zysk, we visited Finland and Estonia recently. From your perspective and your research, how do Britain’s Arctic allies view the threat from Russia in the region?”

“Professor Blagden, I do not know whether you have ever heard of a chap called James Gray, but in his book, “The Arctic: What Next?”, Russians he spoke to were proud of and relatively open about their plans to reactivate or build from scratch, at enormous expense, 64 bases along the Arctic coast from Murmansk to Wrangel…”

“One of my constituents in North Devon is a Royal Marines veteran who was just awarded over £2,700 in backdated universal credit, after the DWP failed to disregard his war pension from his monthly income. What can be done to ensure DWP staff understand armed forces pensions? Will the Minister assure hon. Members that th…”

“Did the pace or sequencing of the work place any constraints on the evidence that you were able to gather or test?”

“What are your thoughts on the commissioning? The Daily Mail reported that in an answer to an FOI request, the MOD stated that you were commissioned on 23 January 2025, before the policy review had been formally endorsed by the Secretary of State. It suggested that this new information meant that the MOD had misled the …”

“Given your vast experience and what you brought to the inquiry, looking back, is there anything that you would have done differently?”

“Carrying on with the theme of commissioning the review, when did the bulk of your work take place and when did you submit your report?”

“I wish to press new clause 3 to a vote. Question put, That the clause be read a Second time.”

“The new clause would create a deadline and shorten the timeframe. The Minister has just said that some complicated cases can take up to three months, but it is probably those cases that need the urgency of a 28-day timeframe. I know that in future it may all go digital, but at the moment we cannot confirm that, and I g…”

“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Efford. New clause 3 would place a statutory duty on the Secretary of State to ensure that all service personnel leaving the military receive a complete copy of their medical records within one month of their dis…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Efford. Amendment 1 would introduce an exemption from recall to former service personnel who have been discharged due to physical or mental health reasons, to ensure that, even as the Bill seeks to make it easier to recall reservists in times of urgent need, those w…”

“I put it on record that I am a holder of a veterans railcard. Many of my constituents have veterans railcards and, with the cost of living crisis, they find it a great way to move about. Does the hon. Member agree that we really need to continue with the veterans railcard?”

“In the words of Lord Robertson, we are underprepared, underinsured and under attack. We are not safe. Britain’s national security and safety is in peril. I have asked over six times when the defence investment plan will be published. I now know the answer: “We are working flat out”. Will the Minister give me a timefram…”