Speeches by Roome.

“I agree with my hon. Friend that more people could benefit from the scheme. I am sure the Minister will take note of that in his response. As I said, the scheme benefits around 125,000 local residents and many visitors across the UK, including the remote parts of the Scottish islands, Cumbria, Northumberland, North Yor…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the Rural Fuel Duty Relief scheme. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Furniss. I am pleased to have the opportunity to introduce this debate, especially in the new year at a time when many people across the country will be watching the pennies closely. As ho…”

“I know there are various apps that do that. There should be more awareness of them among members of the public. Fuel duty is only part of the expense of running a vehicle, but many who fill up in areas impacted by the scheme have simply no transport alternatives. In my constituency, the households that benefit are 20 m…”

“Many of my rural constituents are relieved that the Government have partly seen sense on this issue. Given the track record of U-turns from this Government, when I meet with a group of local farmers next week, what reassurance can I give them that the Government will not change course on this policy again in the near f…”

“As an ex-council leader, I welcome the multi-year settlement and am glad that the Government have listened; I have campaigned for it for many years, so thank you. I welcome the remoteness element. In my constituency of North Devon, we have North Devon council and also the wider Devon county council. Could the Minister …”

“While you are in that discussion with the Secretary of State, could you ask him to be very courteous and ensure that Parliament gets to know about the defence investment plan before the newspapers do? They do not have a very good record of that.”

“Can I ask you about other capabilities? We gifted at least 60 AS90s, that we know of, to Ukraine. How has gifting a lot of our capabilities to Ukraine left the UK’s readiness to be an effective deterrent?”

“Also, within the defence investment plan, are you aware of any cuts that may be happening, and any increases in budget that might take effect?”

“Chair, it might be worth informing Mr Pearce that for CPD—professional development—the Committee has done an inquiry into defence reform. We had a one-off evidence session with experts. Please get that information, because culture was one of the biggest things that came out.”

“I went to the unveiling of Boxer at the Army expo in Edinburgh. There was music surrounding it as it came out.”

“Yes, it is impressive. However, there have been some issues with the Boxer in the time it has taken to come. The Boxer schedule was reporting green on the IPA’s 2022 annual report, but amber in 2024 and again in November this year. The report also noted that vehicle production and delivery has been delayed due to “glob…”

“I left the Royal Air Force in Germany to be posted back to the UK in 1989, which signified the end of the cold war with the coming down of the Berlin wall. Fast forward to today, and we are told that the threat of war to the United Kingdom is at its highest level since that time. Given that threat, are we sufficiently …”

“General, you are in the position of having procured a lot of equipment, and you know a lot about the programmes. What is your take on that question?”

“We have received a lot of whistleblowing information about Ajax. We are saying that we put our people first, as we should, but are we listening to our people? We have received a multitude of evidence that Ajax is not fit for purpose—on the fact that it will be much harder mechanically to fit rubber tracks rather than m…”

“General Reilly, I want to ask you about the other capabilities and some of the gaps and issues with them. Can you assure us that there are no other issues with Challenger 3 or Boxer?”

“Mr Pearce, given your two months in position and fantastic portfolio, which was the reason for your being given the job—you are obviously a very intelligent man—what has been your greatest challenge to date?”

“The strategic defence review states that we need a 30% increase in cadet forces, from 140,000 to 180,000. However, I am informed that there is a severe shortage of adult instructors. What is the Minister going to do to address that problem?”

“We were told that the defence investment plan would be available before the Christmas recess. What day this week will it be announced?”

“I agree. Disabled access is absolutely necessary at all stations, particularly in rural areas. My hon. Friend is a big advocate for accessibility for disabled people in Yeovil who need it. As the network and operator are brought together, we need joined-up planning for increased capacity, and against bad weather. My pa…”

“As the Government move to create a publicly owned Great British Railways, I want to speak on behalf of several thousand rail passengers in my constituency, and to say what they have suffered in recent weeks. We all want a rail network that delivers a fantastic service, supports the economy and protects the environment.…”