Speeches by Roome.

“I was involved with resettling 12 interpreters from Afghanistan on the ARAP scheme. What are your views on the resettlement process? Do you keep in touch with people when they are over in the UK, and how are you finding their experiences?”

“I join my colleagues in saying thank you for giving evidence today; it is really appreciated. I will ask about the impact of the lifting of the super-injunction. On 4 July, John Healey, the Defence Secretary, wrote to the courts to request that the super-injunction be lifted and on 15 July it was lifted, following a de…”

“I concur with you there. Some of the people I helped to resettle were high court judges and a chief of police. They had high-powered jobs in Afghanistan. I find it difficult, because the MoD have placed them on military camps and some of these military camps are out in the sticks. I have got 12 families on a military c…”

“I think I know what your answer will be to the next question, which is: how could the Government have handled this better?”

“I think we are coming on to this later on, so I do not want to pinch anybody else’s questions. In your view, could it have been handled a lot better?”

“What sort of messages were you getting from the Afghans when they learned that the super-injunction had been lifted?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship today, Ms Lewell. Earlier today, I was at the Parkinson’s event in the Palace, and I spoke to a surgeon who treats Parkinson’s patients every week. He told me that if more people were seen earlier, he could ensure better outcomes. Does the hon. Member agree that this ba…”

“Mr Savill, why is Defence reform so challenging?”

“Do you think that changes to the organisational structure are needed? I come back to what Emma Lewell said about the culture within the Ministry, and the aspect of, “This job has always existed and that is where I’m moving to next. That is my line of promotion and progression.” Do you think that sometimes they are prot…”

“There have been four major attempts to reform defence, in 1946, 1958, 1963 and 1984. Then there was Lord Levene’s report, which I know you did an analysis of, Dr Curtis. You talked about worries over poor implementation and particularly about how “the single Services had cherry picked those parts of the recommendations…”

“It is a privilege to be able to say even a few words about the vital contribution our armed forces continue to make to the act of remembrance. Every veteran deserves to have their service recognised, and it is a great credit to communities across the country that people from all walks of life still give generously and …”

“The Conservatives were in government. The election was called. The result was announced that Labour were forming the new Government. What was going through your minds about this particular injunction at the time? Were you thinking that they should have acted quicker?”

“Holly, have you got anything to add about the election period?”

“So much of this debate focuses on high streets under a magnifying glass. In my constituency, one in five people work in the retail or wholesale sector. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that if our shop fronts were a factory or a shipyard, the Government would be framing the challenge very differently?”

“It must be very frustrating for you as journalists not to be able to report this. I want to focus on something you said right at the beginning, Larisa, about the general election period. The Afghan Solidarity Coalition wrote at the time that, “The prolonged duration of the injunction raises serious concerns about polit…”

“Any former Prime Ministers?”

“Given your connections, knowledge and experience, particularly your connections in Afghanistan, were the Government justified in their decision to close the resettlement schemes to new applications in July?”

“I thank my hon. Friend for securing this debate. Does he agree that part of the great tragedy of Sudan has been the way it is unfairly overshadowed by conflicts happening elsewhere in the world, and we should be less squeamish about pointing that out to the public here in the United Kingdom and the rest of the world?”

“Given that, what is your frustration around the MoD not giving you the responses you need now, after all this time?”

“Have you ever been told publicly that the MoD do not now have personnel keeping things on spreadsheets, to ensure that this does not happen again?”