Speeches by Roome.

“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 hope they have changed it as well, but I am wondering if anything has gone out there publicly about this.”

“No, I am asking whether you have been told that they are not using this system of Excel spreadsheets now, so that this same issue could not happen again.”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I thank the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith) for securing this important debate on the 75th anniversary of the Korean war. The Liberal Democrats pay tribute to the tens of thousands of British veterans who served in t…”

“I would like to make a point about that, because the relationship between MoD and DSIT, and how they work together in future, has come up at other Committees. Particularly for your industry and your members, it is an issue. Andrew, do you have anything to add?”

“Back in March 2024, when the joint statement came out, it referenced the AUKUS trilateral collaboration between Australia, the US and the United Kingdom. I would like to ask this to each of you: what has been your experience of working with US and Australian industry partners on AUKUS? What advantages have there been, …”

“On that point in particular, what have been the difficulties with the alignment process?”

“I could come back on some questions, but I know my colleagues have their own questions about what you have said. Thank you. Steve, do you have anything to add?”

“Could I ask whoever wants to answer the question: what would you recommend? How can we overcome the problem? With your years of experience in industry, what needs to be done to alleviate that challenge for the benefit of the programme?”

“Has it helped between the three different companies you represent? Has it brought you closer together in your working relationship?”

“We have heard about the Prime Minister appointing Sir Stephen Lovegrove, who directly reports to the Prime Minister or the Secretary of State in his absence. We have heard from techUK members, who have said it is not clear to members who owns responsibility for the delivery of AUKUS pillar 2. ADS has also called for ac…”

“Are you picking up any differences between the three Governments in the timeframe it takes to get those clearances?”

“I have visited many schools in North Devon, and many are facing the dilemma of whether to fund essential maintenance or to lay off teaching assistants. What is the Minister doing to ensure that adequate funding reaches rural schools so that they do not have to cut teaching staff in order to balance the books?”

“I know that 48 hours seems a long time to some Ministers, but does he agree that having a shift cancelled at short notice would be bad news for many workers across the country? This Bill should be amended to specify an acceptable notice period.”

“There is no standard requirement for most companies to have a whistleblowing policy. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Bill would be a good opportunity to put in place real protections for whistleblowers who try to highlight crime, danger and malpractice in the workplace?”

“Given the time, I will go straight into my next area, which is a quote from a member of techUK, who argued, “Despite broad agreement on what needs attention, the how, when and who remain vague”. We have heard that pillar 2 is rapidly losing a bit of credibility due to a lack of tangible progress. Do you agree? What sho…”

“I think we will come to that a bit more. You said earlier that AUKUS is about giving us a long-term strategic advantage. Do you think it will give us an advantage over China and its capabilities?”

“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…”

“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…”