Speeches by Race.

“I want to challenge Duncan a little bit on his penultimate answer in that section. There are certain things. We know that in my region—my specialist subject—2.7% of all private equity and venture capital invested in the country goes to the south-west region. The south-west has Bristol University, Airbus and various oth…”

“In 2020, Lorraine Cox was brutally murdered in Exeter. Her murderer dismembered her body, and as a result her family have never been able to fully lay Lorraine to rest. Her father, Tony Cox, has been campaigning for the implementation of Helen’s law 2, meaning that desecrating or concealing a body would become a separa…”

“Q6. I am supporting many parents in Exeter who are struggling to get the support they need for their children within the special educational needs and disabilities system run by Devon county council. One parent told me that their child was excelling, but after undergoing major surgery she needed additional support to g…”

“Across the UK, including in Exeter, where we have a very large and welcome Hongkonger community, we have seen rising threats from state actors who seek to influence and intimidate peaceful dissidents. Will the Minister update the House on how the foreign influence registration scheme will help to tackle these threats?”

“Q12. Yesterday I returned from Ukraine, having spent four days with a cross-party delegation of parliamentarians. The Ukrainians we met from across society had one simple message: they were deeply thankful for our partnership, and they wanted us to know that they can overcome the Russian invasion because they must. Doe…”

“As the Secretary of State knows, the south-west peninsula already contributes significantly to the UK economy, including through life sciences and climate tech. We are, however, held back from reaching our full potential by under-investment in transport connectivity, which is made worse by upcoming works at Old Oak Com…”

“Does the Minister agree that although we have a cross-party consensus here today and I accept the words of the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Dr Johnson) at face value, the history of HIV action in this country over the last 10 to 15 years paints rather a different picture? We might be closer to eradicatin…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship for the first time, Dr Allin-Khan. I congratulate my good friend the right hon. Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell) on securing this debate. The world is a difficult place for many in the LGBT+ community today, at a time when solidarity is ne…”

“How do you pick what goes in? What is the process? Is it picking winners, or do companies and sectors come to you?”

“You mentioned the 3:1 crowding-in of private investment for public investment, but in 2021-22 UKRI spending was 1.7% in Wales and 6.7% in the south-west, for example; and 52.8% in the south-east. Public spending is not equally shared around the country. Can you explain what your role is and how you see that going in th…”

“If the private sector investment into innovation, start-ups, and so on, largely follows the public funding, we simply will not be able to rebalance the economy if we do not make a better attempt at making sure that where we have the innovation, like in Exeter or Manchester, we properly support it rather than focusing o…”

“I am sorry you didn’t mention Exeter in your tour of the country, which means that we need you to visit to see everything that is going on.”

“On the Oxford-Cambridge arc, you are the champion of that while also being the science Minister for the whole country. Should there be a ministerial champion for the Liverpool-Manchester-Leeds corridor and the Plymouth-Exeter-Bristol arc? It feels like we might be in danger of gilding a lily that, as you acknowledge, i…”

“Great, thank you. Just a final question from me on regional inequalities in funding. When we look at venture capital and private equity, in the south-west we get about 2.7% of all that private funding. Dame Angela at a recent Committee hearing said that she had joked to a few people that universities should buy some he…”

“London gets about £1,350 per head spending on transport infrastructure. The south-west gets a quarter of that. To what extent is your role also to talk to other Departments to make sure that the infrastructure is there to get opportunities off the ground in other places outside the greater south-east?”

“Thank you. In terms of the RIO and how it has been set up, what are the regulatory barriers that we hope it is going to overcome? What role does it play in the development of the industrial strategy?”

“James do you have anything to add on that?”

“The consultation says that some R&D funding might be made available to support new tools to encourage greater transparency. Do you think that is necessary? Do you think that is a necessary part of what might be a new ecosystem, or do you feel like you are doing it already and that that is unnecessary, and that there is…”

“That is a good segue into my next question. What do you think might need to be changed in the regulatory underpinning to encourage this?”

“A final question for me is on consistency in transparency. Vinous, consistency is probably key to start-ups and scale-ups understanding what they are supposed to be doing. Where do you think that the Government can come in to avoid unnecessary complexity and to give people a clear steer on what they are supposed to be …”