Speeches by Roome.

“I would like to start with an article on the Center for Strategic and International Studies website, which states: “If Pillar One was historic, then Pillar Two promises to be revolutionary.” In some of our meetings with the defence industry, they have said that they are looking at what this actually means—what does pil…”

“Following the recent news that Norway will purchase Type 26 frigates, the speculation in the media before the weekend was that the Danish navy might also be about to place a significant order for the Type 31. Will the Secretary of State soon be able to give the UK additional good news?”

“I thank the hon. Member for securing this debate. Does he agree with me about the extra pressures on people living in remote rural coastal communities, such as Ilfracombe in Devon? The life expectancy there is 10 years lower than in other parts of Devon. The integrated care board needs to be funded for the costs of sup…”

“Will the Minister also join the Worshipful Company of Engineers in congratulating Sir Rich Knighton on being the first engineer to become the chief of the Royal Air Force? Being ex-RAF, it is nice to have an engineer who has never been a pilot as the chief of the Royal Air Force.”

“It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Christopher. I thank the hon. Member for Dumfries and Galloway (John Cooper) for bringing this important debate to Westminster Hall. I concur with the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois): the Liberal Democrats also welcome Air Marshal Harv Smyt…”

“I agree with my hon. Friend, and I am sure that the Minister will reply. Unfortunately, Sentry’s intended replacement, the Wedgetail programme, has already been through some major turbulence during its early years, from questions over the fairness of the MOD’s procurement decision in 2018 to a two-year production delay…”

“Does my hon. Friend agree that a reduction in beer duty would help hard-working publicans like Simon and Alison from a micropub in Barnstaple called Beer Matters, who have just won the CAMRA award for North Devon, to continue in business? Not only is it a fantastic micropub, but it serves as a good social hub in the co…”

“I, too, welcome the statement given by the Secretary of State today. As a member of the Defence Committee, I look forward to giving this matter the scrutiny it deserves. I will not go into the detail of the report, but I think it is important to clarify, if the Secretary of State is able to do so, whether the data brea…”

“Q11. In the past few weeks, I have spoken to five people from my rural North Devon constituency who have been forced to remove their own teeth with pliers or with amateur surgical kits bought online because they are unable to find an NHS dentist. What would the Prime Minister say to those people, and when will the Gove…”

“So what steps are being taken to ensure that serving with NATO is seen as an asset for promotion, professional development and leadership, and that it is properly valued in promotion and career progression decisions? There are not so many high-ranking officers in all the services who have spent a great deal of time in …”

“Minister, NATO is mentioned over 180 times throughout the SDR; it is like a golden thread through everything that we are doing. Are we really, truly committed to the principle of NATO first for our personnel? If we are, when will we recognise and actively promote NATO service as a career-enhancing opportunity, rather t…”

“Just to wrap up, the point that I was making was exactly what Mr Twigg was saying: do you think that some of our NATO vacancies are due to people thinking that the roles are going to affect their career progression? How do you propose to make those postings more attractive and prioritise them, so that people know that …”

“Perhaps we should have talked about this first; I am very passionate about it. We can talk about all the capabilities, readiness and everything else, but at the heart of this are our people—the people who serve, and those in the defence industry. That is very important. Last time you appeared before the Committee, in N…”

“Secretary of State, from one Yorkshireman to another—you know how we talk bold—can you be bold in your reply, and tell me the date that the defence industrial strategy will be published? Lots of people and businesses out there want it to say things that will improve the internal workings of the Ministry of Defence, aro…”

“Defence Secretary, you never said that when you were in Wakefield. I know you were born in Wakefield; what would your father have said to you if you came back and said that to him? He would have said, “Hang on, that is not an answer, son.” Would you say before recess or not? Will we get it before recess? Can you be bol…”

“I look forward to getting some data from you—if you could tell us where you are on the statistics—so that when the Secretary of State is back in front of us in future, we have some metrics to work with.”

“The SDR says that people are the essential part and project of defence transformation. It talks about transformation in the SDR. What kinds of skills will the Armed Forces need more of in the decade to come—and what will they need less of?”

“I do not mean how they would see it. I am just asking how we are addressing it in the meantime so we will not be like that in two years’ time.”

“I was not going to ask you a question on that, Secretary of State, but you mentioned it. We offered the RAF engineers something like £15,000 one year and £15,000 the next year to retain them. That is a sticking plaster, isn’t it? Long term, what is the MOD doing so that we can actually retain those skills and attract p…”

“I am really happy to join this debate, which is not only amusing, but very educational. For me, it is a matter of great concern for this country to conserve the water supply we have. Does the hon. Member therefore agree with me that floating solar stops the evaporation of water because it avoids direct sunlight hitting…”