Speeches by Grady.

“I am obliged to my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh North and Leith (Tracy Gilbert) for introducing this important piece of legislation. For hon. Members who do not know Edinburgh North and Leith, the word “and” is very important in the name of that constituency: Leith is quite separate from Edinburgh—it is a separ…”

“That is a very good point, and I suggest that the Chair of PACAC picks it up with the Chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee. There are learnings from what happens in Scotland that we can apply in the rest of our family of nations, and vice versa—although I would say that there are no learnings that we can draw from t…”

“I do apologise, Madam Deputy Speaker. I was just coming to the point that this Bill is so important because voters need to be able to exercise their right to vote to express their views on the management of councils and the Government in Scotland, and the Bill enables people to do so. I apologise for appearing to stray…”

“Will the hon. Gentleman give way?”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for his kind words. Having spent a lot of time with him on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill Committee, I know that the charming way in which he presents his submissions would enhance people’s trust in politics, including those voting at Calton Parkhead parish church hall. I am obliged.”

“I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time. I will start with a short summary of the Bill. Which will amend two sections of the Space Industry Act 2018 to provide legal certainty that all spaceflight operator licences must include a limit on the amount of the operator’s liability to the Government under se…”

“Yes. The UK Government have invested in Orbex, in Forres in the north of Scotland. It remains important to give grants to earlier-stage companies because they cannot get the equity and debt funding that more advanced companies can, so I welcome that important investment. The space sector and satellites are central to a…”

“My hon. Friend makes an important point. The UK Government have committed to investing in defence and in advances in tech defence. As we develop defence, investing in space is utterly critical and central to that. It is a matter of some regret that Scottish companies that invest in military matters are not funded by th…”

“My hon. Friend makes an excellent point, as she does regularly. The space sector creates enthusiasm for young people. When I met young students at the University of Strathclyde, I could see that it had engendered excitement about the future, and that is a good thing.”

“I will keep my remarks short. I thank all Members for their support today, on Second Reading and in Committee. I also thank the Department for Transport civil servants who assisted me. The Clerk of Private Members’ Bills puts in a lot of work to help us all with our Private Members’ Bills, and I give thanks to them as …”

“Does the hon. Member agree that it is most appropriate that Madam Deputy Speaker, who is Member of Parliament for Bradford, is in the Chair for this Bill’s Third Reading? David Hockney, one of Bradford’s most famous sons, is a wonderful painter of dogs.”

“Will you focus on space, which is important for Glasgow and various other places?”

“This is the stage where I make my every-hearing plea for short answers, Mr Flint. We have four strategic priority areas: clean energy, digital tech, advanced manufacturing and transport. The Chancellor’s statement also says that you should support investments in dual use. Do you think that there would have been a benef…”

“What about more frontier technologies such as nuclear fusion?”

“Presumably, it would have to reach a certain kind of technology readiness level to be investable and be more for you, as opposed to one of the other institutions.”

“Looking at your statement of intent, you mentioned various wider sectors: life sciences, creative industries, water, waste and the circular economy and natural capital. The National Wealth Fund has limited funds and limits on its sector expertise, which is why you see investment funds and trusts focusing on sectors, an…”

“Someone might say on the other side that the particular problem may come from a politician saying something is a particular problem. We are a small trading nation off the north coast of Europe, so we are better off focusing on a few priority areas and getting growth in those areas. What would you say to that counterarg…”

“On the strategic priorities, the sectors are clean energy, digital technologies, advanced manufacturing and transport. We are in a very different world now. Would there have been benefits to defence being one of the strategic priorities?”

“Given the changing world that we are in, is it likely that defence will be included as a separate sector over the next two years, or at least kept under review? Time is marching on, so we need short answers.”

“Will the National Wealth Fund have a focus on space, which is important for the Scottish economy?”