Speeches by Naish.

“You were talking about getting more funds down to the ground. Why is it taking so long for that shift in thinking or approach?”

“Why do you think it took so long for that to be realised?”

“How long does it take to dial up a programme like that? Obviously, the situation on the ground is deteriorating rapidly. Are you talking weeks or months to get programmes like that into place?”

“I thank the Foreign Secretary for that update on Jamaica and the diligence of the FCDO in preparing for events there. Tomorrow I am hosting Hong Kong Watch in Parliament as it releases its latest report on the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy. The report highlights how Beijing has increasingly sought to dismantle Hong K…”

“T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.”

“How long does it take to dial up a programme like that? Obviously, the situation on the ground is deteriorating rapidly. Are you talking weeks or months to get programmes like that into place?”

“Why do you think it took so long for that to be realised?”

“You were talking about getting more funds down to the ground. Why is it taking so long for that shift in thinking or approach?”

“That was not what I was angling for, by the way.”

“Specifically thinking about the direct funding of aid groups, NGOs and things that you are referencing, are there plans to increase the level of funding for those groups, first in Sudan itself? Also, I asked you this last time you were here about Sudan: what is the thinking on funding for countries that are hosting the…”

“Are you suggesting that there is a cap on the amount of money and support that we could even provide, because of the very challenging circumstances that we are looking at?”

“I guess the fundamental question is how confident you are that we are currently using the most efficient mechanisms to get UK aid to the organisations and people who need it. Are you confident that that blend you describe is working, or are there areas that you have greater concerns about?”

“At a party conference, I was part of a roundtable, and it was brought to my attention that you do not have a special adviser. Is that still the case?”

“In that case, how can we have confidence that you are able to do everything that you have just described?”

“But it is an extremely complex brief.”

“Thank you, Liz, for coming to give us evidence. As we have just been hearing, the Government have described the crisis in Sudan as a priority for the UK. What would you expect to see from the Government, given that formal commitment?”

“Yes, the next question is on your assessment of how the Government are doing. That is a very sensible list of things that you would expect to see, so I am interested in your assessment of how the Government are performing.”

“Yes. You worked through the first three—the political, the coherent whole-of-Government approach and the region—and you were getting on to the other aspects.”

“Starting to think about learnings from what you have seen, what do you think the UK needs to do and what lessons need to be learned about how it can effectively mobilise and co-ordinate in response to an international situation such as the one in Sudan?”

“How long does it take to dial up a programme like that? Obviously, the situation on the ground is deteriorating rapidly. Are you talking weeks or months to get programmes like that into place?”