Speeches by Cox.

“Thank you, we would appreciate that.”

“My interests are as declared on the register.”

“Going back to the secure schools issue, we have had secure schools of various kinds since the 1850s. They have had various names, such as industrial schools, approved schools, reformatory schools, community homes with education and so on. There is lots of evidence around how they have worked in the past. There is a sug…”

“A final question from me. When will legislation be brought forward to implement the two outstanding Wade review recommendations on statutory aggravating factors for murder involving strangulation and those connected with the end of a relationship?”

“On the question of timing, do you think six months is enough time to deliver a “landmark” review, as it has been described?”

“Will the right hon. Member give way?”

“The Committees are not comparable, are they? The American system of Select Committees is so different from ours that we are talking about apples and pears.”

“I want to make a point about the wording of the amendment, which reads: “The Commissioner shall operate independently from”. Reviews that I have conducted of the powers of other commissioners do not explicitly state that. There are many special interest commissioners these days, so this would be an unusual provision in…”

“Down the road from Norwich is the University of Essex, which is based in Colchester and already offers degrees in oral science. I think a collaboration between the two universities is really important, and I would be very happy to facilitate it. The University of Essex degree is not a dentistry degree, but an oral heal…”

“Q But referrals to other ombudsmen or commissioners has not traditionally been part of your role? Abby Dryden: Not usually, no. Not in my experience. Examination of Witnesses Colonel Darren Doherty, Mandy Harding and Air Commodore Simon Harper gave evidence.”

“Q You may know that from a previous life I have an unusual, and possibly unhealthy, interest in comparing the powers of commissioners and ombudsmen. Why are we creating a new commissioner when we might have upped the powers of the existing ombudsman? Luke Pollard: You could argue that we are doing both. The SCOAF funct…”

“Q I have one brief follow-up. I note your comments about refreshing the contract between the nation and those who serve. Given that, why have you not included a duty for the MOD to respond to the commissioner’s reports? Luke Pollard: I think I picked that up in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and…”

“Q Thank you for joining us. The Ombudsman Association has questioned the use of the term “commissioner” in relation to this role, on the grounds that it is usually used for bodies with less influence. What are your views on that? Mariette Hughes: I am also a board member of the Ombudsman Association. You will not be su…”

“Q What is your view of the comparison between the broad powers of an ombudsman and a commissioner in this scenario? Mariette Hughes: The Cabinet Office guidance simply says that if you do not meet the standards for independence, impartiality, integrity and fairness, you cannot use the term “ombudsman”. There is an inhe…”

“Q Thank you for joining us today. I recognise much of what you say about the challenges of service life through my experience in the armed forces parliamentary scheme and representing a garrison city, Colchester. We all hope that the Armed Forces Commissioner will help to address those challenges. We talked about how w…”

“Q Apologies for the interruption earlier. I want to refer back to an answer you gave my colleague David Reed when you suggested that you had not had to forward any issues to the ombudsman as previously constituted. Have you ever forwarded issues to other agencies on behalf of serving personnel or their families? What k…”

“Q Thank you for joining us this afternoon. One of the key functions of the new commissioner will be to promote “the welfare of persons subject to service law and”— this is a key phrase—“relevant family members”. That is left deliberately broad. What is your view on how a relevant family member might be defined? Collett…”

“Thank you for joining us, Director. You mentioned that your highest priority is to reduce delay. We have been talking about mechanisms that might help with that. We know that outdated or lack of technology contributes to delay, so, if I may, I will focus my questions on that area. The CPS had a Budget allocation of £49…”

“I am Pam Cox, and my interests are as declared on the register, but there is nothing pertinent to this Committee.”

“Thank you very much for that. My colleague will be relieved to hear about the jury bundles, which we were talking about earlier. In terms of the common platform, is that the seven-year programme that you referred to, or were you referring to something else?”