Speeches by Gilbert.

“Yes—that cross-departmental work and the notions of that.”

“You have both given us quite a lot of reassurance today in terms of your personal commitments, but we have heard some criticisms about token mainstreaming that has to be done out of compliance, levelled at both the MOD and FCDO. How would you respond to those criticisms?”

“Obviously, if we are looking at mainstreaming it, it is very important that we keep that knowledge and expertise in the Department.”

“You mentioned earlier that there has been a lot of engagement with the staff team. When we spoke to the PCS, they were not saying that—they said they were still waiting to see the workforce plan. When are you planning to share that with the staff reps?”

“Once all this information lands in the workplace—you have done the review, you have your directors, and they have looked at their team and say, “We need these people”—are you in a position to go back to the Minister and say, “We can’t make any of these rational cuts, although we understand the process. We have looked a…”

“That being the case, do you have the ability to say that although 28% looks inflated, we need it?”

“I have more of a fundamental question. When we started this conversation and Sam Rushworth asked you about the rationale, you said that the number of staff had inflated by 28% over the 10-year period. If the cuts to the budget had not happened, would the restructuring of the Department still have happened? Is it financ…”

“Will those be shared, the details of the analysis of the impact assessments?”

“My understanding is that there has not been a comprehensive impact assessment beyond the equalities consideration. What plans do each of you have to expand that analysis?”

“On how it will work across all departments, in terms of the staff and people’s expertise—what will the impacts be across each of the staff, with their skills and backgrounds as individuals, and in terms of specialist areas and how the departments will function?”

“What assessments have been conducted of the restructuring’s impact on lost expertise, particularly in the mainstreaming of the rights of women and girls?”

“Coming back to the skills that we were speaking about just a moment ago, without knowing what that restructuring is going to look like, how can you map out what skills are going to be required on an ongoing basis? How can you do that in a way that is fair and transparent to the team that you have, when you do not know …”

“Coming back to the restructuring, if the workforce plan is not available, can you be assured that the process is going to be fair and transparent to the workforce?”

“Okay.”

“The workforce plan is obviously fundamental to people being consulted, so that they can see how to support colleagues and what that mapping out looks like. Is there an intention to share that with the trade unions and other representatives? If so, when will that be?”

“We are approaching the end of the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence as I rise to present this petition. I am very pleased that I am not alone in this place in calling for reform of pornography legislation, as we have seen an explosion in the availability of increasingly graphic pornography—content that …”

“The changes that the report proposes to the law suggest that the active period ceases at the point of the verdict or guilty plea. Why were those thresholds taken, rather than continuing until sentence has been handed down?”

“I think that the appeals process is due to be covered in part 2 of the Law Commission’s report. Do you think that the threshold for contempt should be lower on appeals, given that the risk to them is lower, as they are often based on a point of law rather than on the facts, and they are heard before more senior members…”

“I think that the appeals process is due to be covered in part 2 of the Law Commission’s report. Do you think that the threshold for contempt should be lower on appeals, given that the risk to them is lower, as they are often based on a point of law rather than on the facts, and they are heard before more senior members…”

“The changes that the report proposes to the law suggest that the active period ceases at the point of the verdict or guilty plea. Why were those thresholds taken, rather than continuing until sentence has been handed down?”