Speeches by Race.

“T2. The south-west has a huge number of innovative start-up and scale-up businesses, but we attract only about 3% of private equity and venture capital funding per year. What is the Department doing to ensure that foreign direct investors are aware of, and have access to, the fantastic business infrastructure opportuni…”

“It is less about the south-west and more about not London and the south-east.”

“As a final note on that, I want to touch on the British Business Bank. Of the enterprise capital funds, 60.6% is invested in London and the south-east, for example. How can the bank better support regional capital?”

“Do you think it is just marketing? Is a lot of it about vibes?”

“Duncan, staying on angel investors and venture capital investment outside London, which we touched on earlier, when we talked to Dame Angela, the chief scientific adviser, she said she has a joke with some northern and other universities that the best thing you can do is invest in a few helicopters to get people out of…”

“Are there enough angel investors for science and innovation outside London?”

“Do you think they are flexible enough to identify and support the future sectors that we might not know about at the moment? Are they flexible enough for people to be able to access them?”

“The LIFTS and tax credits seem to focus quite a lot on the life sciences sector. Are we over-indexing on life sciences? Are we not doing quite enough for various other sectors?”

“Do you have a view on what it sounds likely that it will be doing? Do you think it is going to be doing the right thing, or do you want to see some change? Does it sound positive to you?”

“Duncan, how do you think they are working at the moment?”

“What does that mean in terms of how we need to change?”

“I want to touch on some of the initiatives—the long-term investment for technology and science and the national wealth fund—and the extent to which both of you think those have improved access to finance for the science and research centre.”

“Even more on top of everything you’ve got already.”

“Isn’t Milton Keynes getting into the Oxford/Cambridge arc—”

“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…”

“Are they showing willing?”

“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…”