Speeches by Nandy.

“Yes, we are talking to the industry and companies. It is an issue that they have raised with me and Minister Bryant. We are considering that at the moment as part of the curriculum review. I was also very interested in what Damian said earlier about T-levels. We need to look at GCSEs, T-levels and A-levels together to …”

“We see video games as one of the absolutely central planks of the industrial strategy and of our growth story. There are some amazing success stories, as you know. My nine-year-old does not really like sports and he does not watch a lot of TV. Like a lot of kids he is on YouTube most of the time. However, when he and h…”

“Absolutely, I will give you that commitment. One of the threads that runs through what we are trying to do is to make sure that people, young people in particular, have opportunities wherever they live. I am acutely aware that if you live in outer London, those institutions can feel as remote to you as for a child grow…”

“So, it plays a really significant role in our national life. I think that it handles difficult issues, including the light and shade in our past, in a very thoughtful way. I can certainly take the issue of slavery away and have a look at it, but I would also say that one of the things that I have really prioritised in …”

“I have had a number of meetings with the British Museum since I was appointed to this post. It is one of Britain’s most valuable institutions and I am a strong supporter of it. It is the most visited attraction for people who visit Britain; I think one in eight people visit the British Museum.”

“Yes, I think we are. Thank you for your question and thank you for the opportunity to talk with you more about this important area. We have a very strong ministerial team. We have Chris Bryant and Stephanie Peacock, both of whom held those positions in shadow form in the last Parliament so have a lot of experience. Chr…”

“I have had a full briefing on the risks that currently exist, as well as the issues that you mentioned. I have had meetings with all those institutions that you mentioned in order to make sure that they are really gripping this and that the Department is providing what they need. We run a risk register. We look across …”

“The point of the risk register is that we make sure that it does not because we are ahead of these things and we can predict where problems are likely to arise and make sure that we address them early.”

“One of the things that we have done as the new Government is to come in and have a look at the way in which we are delivering to get the right outcomes. For example, we intend to start a review of the Arts Council shortly. We have taken a bit of time to consider how that review should work, particularly around the term…”

“I have not had a formal approach. I read the papers like everybody else and I read the reports over the weekend. We have not started that process officially yet. We are aware, though, that money is tight and until we can get the economy growing we will be in a challenging set of circumstances. We are also very aware th…”

“For example, with the youth budget, one of the things that we have done is to allocate £100 million of dormant asset funding to youth to make sure that young people are not losing out from the tough financial circumstances that we find ourselves in. I do not know if it would be helpful for Susannah to say something abo…”

“Crikey. I very much share your view that longevity is a good thing. I suppose the first thing I would say is that I did a mixture of roles in opposition, including levelling up for quite some time. It is because of that and because over the last 14 years I have had the incredible privilege to represent Wigan in Parliam…”

“Well, the gaffer picks the team, as I have discovered to my cost on many occasions over the last 14 years. I can honestly say to you hand on heart if I was offered the choice of any role in the Cabinet, this would absolutely be it.”

“We know that those industries play an enormously important role in the economy; there is no question about that. What the Department for Business and Trade did when it developed the industrial strategy is it worked with all Government Departments to look at those industries that we think have the greatest potential for…”

“To take the example that you gave around tourism, the Minister, Chris Bryant, is doing an enormous amount of work at the moment on tourism, working with colleagues at MHCLG around the towns strategy. There are many coastal and seaside towns in every part of Britain that have great potential for tourism. I recently visi…”

“Susannah might want to add something about this, but I think that it is challenging when you get a new Government, especially after 14 years. That is a long time in which civil servants have been working to one set of priorities. What has helped us, though, is that we are a mission-led Government and our Department in …”

“Very much so. I have met the major unions in the field and most of the key industry bodies as well. This is something that I am particularly concerned about and want to get right. You will have seen over the last few months there have been a number of things that have been very prominent in the public debate and in the…”

“I will absolutely take that away and feed that into the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and make sure that it is part of our make work pay consultation.”

“We are concerned about the closure of live music venues. In my town in Wigan we produced The Verve, who started out life at a local college and then went on to play at a whole series of music venues around the town. Not a single one of those music venues now exists, and we are seeing closures at a rate that is genuinel…”

“Well, that is astonishing because the BBC is one of the organisations that is supporting CIISA. I think that points to the fact that we have a job of work to do to make sure that organisations and senior people in organisations are aware of this. There are a number of streamers as well that are supportive, but I agree …”