Speeches by Edwards.

“If we have an issue with the speed, how are we going to move that along? What does that look like? If we look at other more successful pension ecosystems, it has taken them 20 years to get to this point. We are potentially on a very long-term path. The Sterling 20 is a good initiative that was announced at the regional…”

“If I could just pick up on this issue around the pipeline, the Government need to be managing and incentivising this and working on it with different Departments. For example, I met with Border to Coast, who is one of the local government pension schemes. Once they have consolidated, they are probably going to be the l…”

“I have been quite interested in the conversation that we have had so far because I am not sure it has reflected a lot of the conversations that we have had with businesses up and down the country. I want to move on to the focus that this Government are having, rightly, on pension investment and where that money is. I a…”

“Will my hon. Friend give way?”

“My constituents have also raised concerns, particularly around cyber-security. One of my constituents was told by the DWP that they were defrauding the child benefit system when they were not, because they had had data stolen. I am concerned that our Government systems need to be far better, so that if such a thing hap…”

“Just picking up on the point that you made in the beginning—I will start with you, Nick, and then come to the other panellists, because I know that they will have something to add here—we know that we need partnerships between everybody to work, because you can get more things achieved. You have already mentioned that …”

“It is the Tamworth Tap. They have done brilliantly well. They have used heritage as their USP. They are right in the town centre and they are right on a high street. However, they are not immune. They have talked to me about many of the issues that we have just talked about. My biggest bugbear, which the Committee and …”

“Picking up on some of what we have been talking about, I will start, Josh, with your view, because you indicated this earlier. What are the main problems for you as an SME trying to access the skills you need, whether that is across the system or actually just the workforce? Can you give us some colour?”

“I will give you a minor positive note before we go back into the gloom. My constituency had the best pub in the country in 2023 and 2024. They are going for it for a third time, so I am rooting for them.”

“Jon, you also gave an example of where you have amalgamated, so do you have any thoughts to share on that point as well?”

“Yes—or not.”

“That is really positive to hear. I guess the next question would be that, if we can shorten, curtail and get that right to get some of the churn going, which is what needs to happen, we also need to retain people and train them to the next skill level. As you say, there will be heritage buildings and complex, different…”

“Brilliant. Tim, what do you think? You have a knowledge of these and quite a number have been going up around the country.”

“It is linking with a site that is already up and running, so they are on site. It is shortening that period of being in the classroom, which, for many, may not suit them, so they drop out, because they do not like it.”

“Moving on a little bit from that, I chair the SME house builder APPG. I did a visit a couple of months ago to the National House Building Council in Lichfield. It has a new training site there where it is shortening the process, removing some of the stuff that is nice to know but not need to know, and saying, “If we ne…”

“Thank you for that answer. Thinking about our partners and perhaps the pressure that we, you and others are trying to bring about: what do our partners feel about the interpretation that we are making of some of the licences? They have taken a different view and may have slightly different process. What is their view? …”

“Minister Falconer, I want to pick up on some of what we have been talking about. We have heard a lot about technical language—quite rightly so, obviously—and the interpretation and article 7, but globally people are watching with horror. Our constituents are watching with horror and what they want to know is this: what…”

“I commend my hon. Friend for the work that he has done and that the Department continues to do on this. One of the interesting things about this provision is that, in 2013, the Conservatives changed the period from 12 months to 24 months. They increased the amount of time that people were in an insecure position in the…”

“I thank the hon. Lady for her fantastic speech. In Staffordshire, I met representatives of one of my local specialist schools, who said that it receives 200 applications for just 20 places. On top of that, many of our state schools and those who wish to provide support to students with special educational needs are str…”

“I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Amendments made: 105, in clause 38, page 43, line 7, at end insert— “(and for that purpose, a provision of the trust deed or rules of the scheme is ‘in conflict’ with provision under this section so far as the former does not allow for the as…”