Speeches by Pollard.

“It is a very fair question. The defence investment plan will be looking not just at kit and equipment, as the old equipment plan did. That effectively loaded the attention on kit and equipment and did not load it on infrastructure at all, and our people. The defence investment plan is designed to be broader in its appr…”

“Good morning. Yes, NATO first is an absolute golden thread throughout the strategic defence review, and deliberately so. It has been very clear that we are focusing on the Euro-Atlantic as our primary area of concern, and that is why the SDR rightly contains a lot of NATO. You will note that it also contains a commitme…”

“I will give the headline and then I will ask the AVM to come in. Setting the ambition and the clear direction in the SDR is a really important part of signalling to the entire system, and to our people, that a career at NATO is going to be more valued than it has been in the past. As part of that, as we look at impleme…”

“If I recall, the PQ that I replied to on that matter—I think it was yours—said that it was 8.6% or something like that.”

“It certainly does, and that is why it is important to have the 80 and the 8.6% alongside each other. That demonstrates that the vast majority of our NATO roles are filled. I looked at the breakdown and at just how many roles have been gapped for some time. If a role has been gapped for five years, that is not a proper,…”

“No, absolutely not. The point I am trying to make is that we are making a clear statement that, to succeed to the highest levels in the Ministry of Defence and in military roles in the future, we have now set an expectation about roles. Over time, that should help people at early stages in their career inform the caree…”

“As part of our model, we expect to continue to fill those vacancies.”

“No, we will continue to make an effort to fill those vacancies as we go through.”

“The intention is that we have all our vacancies filled, but we know that there is a challenge in overcoming some of the issues that I just mentioned, in relation to the previous question, about the offer that some of those roles—”

“In the NATO-first approach that this Government will have, we aim to fill more vacancies and make service in NATO roles more attractive to people—especially European NATO roles, where we know there are some obstacles. If you compare the UK participation and fill rates with those of some of our comparable NATO allies, w…”

“Yes, I am happy doing that. I am aware that the Government evidence on this was submitted six months ago and the world has changed quite considerably in the last six months, as has Government policy. I am happy to receive that and I will undertake to get a good response back to you.”

“Securing our national security is a job of everybody. It is absolutely right that those industries, big and small, that contribute to our national security in these heightened-risk times are supported and valued by the whole of society. Knowing Supacat—it is involved in the production of the Jackal 3, which is built in…”

“Across the board, we have been clear right from the start that we want to reduce payment terms for SMEs. That was an early announcement that the Treasury made in the first few weeks after we came into office. That needs to be implemented. I want to see clearer, easier payment terms that support SMEs. I know that Maria …”

“I agree with the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire) that we should arm the commissioner with the right tools on day one. That is precisely why I do not want to accept an amendment that would restrict those tools and provide weaker protections for people raising whistleblowing concerns via a proposed route,…”

“I beg to move, That this House insists on Commons amendment 2A, to which the Lords have disagreed, and disagrees with the Lords in Lords amendments 2B and 2C proposed in lieu of that amendment. Before I start, I place on record my thanks to all those right hon. and hon. Members who supported Armed Forces Day events at …”

“I thank my hon. Friend for placing on the record the military events in his constituency. It is so important that we recognise the links and ties that so many of our military units have with the localities from which they recruit, where they are based and where they serve. I agree with his broader point; the time is ri…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention, and for the work he has been undertaking with my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth North (Amanda Martin). The Armed Forces Commissioner was a key manifesto promise made at the general election, and made with the deliberate intent of providing an independent voice—an inde…”

“That is a genuinely fair question. The Bill is drafted in such a way that there is no obligation or requirement for any commissioner who is appointed to resource according to a Government position. It is for the Armed Forces Commissioner to decide the allocation of resources and energy. However, the German armed forces…”

“I refer the hon. Gentleman to all the debates that I called on the future of the Royal Marines under the last Government, when I was sitting on the Opposition Benches, to make the case that the Royal Marines have a bright future. We have a strong commitment to the future of the Royal Marines and to amphibiocity. He wil…”

“Oh, go on then.”