Speeches by Edwards.

“T2. There is concern in the hospitality industry that the Government are reviewing funding for some important level 3 and level 4 apprenticeships, such as those used to train chefs. Hospitality is a key means by which we can tackle the challenge for those not in education, employment or training, but to deliver positiv…”

“7. What steps she is taking to clear waterways.”

“I thank the Minister for her response. Earlier this week, I attended a local multi-agency roundtable on tackling violence against women to discuss how we can work together better to support victims, and I have reflected on what I heard from a very brave constituent who shared her story. Will the Minister set out how th…”

“2. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Crown Prosecution Service’s violence against women and girls strategy 2025 to 2030 on outcomes for victims.”

“Thank you, Mr Speaker, and merry Christmas. Will the Minister outline how the Government are delivering a fairer system to clean up waterways such as the River Medway, which runs through my constituency? It saw over 200 sewage outflows in 2024 and the estimates for this year are even higher, while consumers are also fa…”

“Are Government doing a good job of setting out that narrative?”

“Yes, indeed. Even as a Labour MP, being completely transparent, I do not necessarily know whether I could name the vast majority of them.”

“We have talked about the five missions, but the Government have subsequently also announced six milestones and three foundations, as well as quite a few targets.”

“Yes.”

“Just sticking with the spending review, a lot of us noticed that explicit references to the mission were quite absent in the Chancellor’s speech and in some of the accompanying documents. Is it your position that things were happening behind the scenes, but that the Government have not been particularly good at articul…”

“What does that mean, Minister, in terms of how Departments engage with each other, particularly on, for instance, the five priorities that have been set out in mission-led Government?”

“Do they meet monthly or less frequently?”

“Since taking office, the Prime Minister has said that successful mission Government would require nothing less than a “complete rewiring of the British state to deliver bold and ambitious long-term reform”. From your earlier comment, it does not sound like too much progress has been made. What else needs to happen, and…”

“Will it be the case that you are allowing consultation on the broad principles for those people who might have concerns, or is it going to be more of a narrow and technical “how we do it” kind of consultation?”

“How often do these Cabinet Sub-Committees meet? Can you provide an example of where they have driven the kind of delivery that you were just talking about?”

“Good afternoon, Minister. It is fair to say, probably for people outside, but maybe even for some people who are in Westminster, that mission-led Government is a bit of a black box. How do you understand mission Government, and is this still a mission-led Government?”

“Just finally, what is being consulted on? When can we expect to see the results? Do you have a timeframe in mind?”

“Are there any particularly innovative new mechanisms to consult that you want to highlight today?”

“The technical consultation to clarify the details of the digital ID scheme was promised before the end of 2025. We are hearing that it is going to be pushed to the new year. Can you confirm that that is the case, and why the delay?”

“Are you confident that, by the end of the five-year term, presuming that it goes that long, you will have made those big changes to the way in which the civil service operates to deliver that mission-led approach?”