Speeches by Baker.

“Does the Minister agree that one of the challenges with previous models of employability support is that they have not been tailored and they have not meet the needs of people for sustained support in that employment? Does she agree that one of the benefits of what my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Erdington (Pa…”

“Does the Minister agree that a workforce with skills honed in the North sea oil and gas sector will have an increasingly vital role in the renewables sector? Given the crucial role for GB Energy, headquartered in Aberdeen, in managing a fair and phased transition, is it not extraordinary that the Conservatives and the …”

“My hon. Friend has focused on the benefits of partnerships. Does she agree that employability partnerships led by third sector organisations have been shown to be more successful than traditional approaches to employability support, because they involve organisations with a wide range of expertise? Similarly, in Scotla…”

“Does the Minister agree that the close collaboration by the UK and Welsh Governments to deliver the industrial strategy is an essential element of this Government’s plans to deliver strong economic growth throughout the UK, and will she explain how this joint working by both Governments will help Welsh industry? Does s…”

“5. What steps she is taking to strengthen the Union.”

“3. What steps he is taking to improve relations with the EU.”

“Does the Minister agree that the arts, musicians and the wider creative sector play a vital role in our economy, which is why working to negotiate a deal with touring artists is so important? Will the Minister confirm that this is still a priority for him?”

“Finally, what do you feel has been the experience of the electoral administrators of Royal Mail’s role in the electoral system? We saw how Royal Mail took significant action to respond to the situation in Scotland, which I know was praised by the Electoral Management Board for Scotland, but clearly there may be differe…”

“10. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to uplift former mineworkers’ pensions.”

“Does my right hon. Friend agree that ending the injustice of the mineworkers’ pension scheme is great news not only for the 849 former mineworkers in my constituency who will benefit, but for the economies of the local communities where they live, which were left behind by the previous Government? Will he and his colle…”

“Just briefly, there were particular issues in Edinburgh city and Fife in terms of delivery of postal votes. As MP for Fife, I am very conscious of that. On the day of the election, some people had still not received their postal votes. You have helpfully provided us with a very clear case study of the problems with the…”

“Those are very good recommendations. I am sure you will agree that it is also important for those responsible for these issues within Scotland to ensure that their supply chain and their contractors can provide what is necessary in terms of the contracts expected to ensure the election can be run smoothly, particularly…”

“Can I throw in my praise to all those officials who do so much work to ensure that elections are well managed and efficient? However, as you know, there were problems at the 2024 general election in relation to postal voting, particularly in some parts of the United Kingdom. We had specific issues with postal voting in…”

“It does seem extraordinary that some people in Scotland were denied their vote because a printer broke down. I absolutely agree that Royal Mail did a great job of getting those packs out, but some people had already gone. On the day of the election itself, some people in my constituency did not have their postal votes.…”

“Do you think these were one-off problems, or are they likely to be repeated and increase given those timescale pressures?”

“How do you ensure consistency around voter expectation and information across the country in terms of when people receive their postal votes and how the system will work in their area?”

“We now have online registration for postal voting and more and more people seeking to vote by post. What do you think are the longer-term challenges in how we facilitate postal voting?”

“A diminishing number of suppliers who can provide a service is an structural problem that we are going to have to address. How can we make it easier for both suppliers and administrators? As you will have seen, the Electoral Commission has come forward with a number of recommendations around the current deadlines for p…”

“Do you think more reforms can be made, in addition to those already recommended by the Electoral Commission?”

“8. What steps the Church has taken to respond to the recommendations set out in the Makin review, published on 18 October 2024.”