Speeches by Strickland.

“It is apt that the House meets during Armed Forces Week to discuss this important Bill. I strongly welcome it, and commend Ministers past and present for using its passage to not just renew service law, which Parliament is required to do every five years, as hon. Members have said, but genuinely drive wider improvement…”

“I strongly support the change to the law being proposed today, to better protect our nation and our fellow citizens from those working for foreign states that want to disrupt and attack our way of life. While there has been debate today about the timeline, I personally welcome the swift and decisive approach being take…”

“I am pleased to speak in support of the Bill and comment on a number of the amendments. I do so as a Member of this House who represents a proud manufacturing constituency, which includes a number of industries that rely on steel in a variety of ways, from the rail industry and advanced manufacturing to the cluster of …”

“I think of comparisons from local government. When I was a cabinet member in charge of planning, housing and regeneration, we had a number of subsidiary companies as the council, but they had operational independence. We recruited the best people from the relevant sectors and did not interfere in the day-to-day operati…”

“Octric, as the company is now called, has its own board and its own chief executive, recruited from industry, along with industry experts supporting it. It is of course supported by the Ministry of Defence, but it operates as a commercial concern—as a company in which the sole shareholder is the British Government. Tha…”

“I am concerned that, given the importance of steel to defence and to our critical national infrastructure, forcing the publication of the details set out in new clause 5 could compromise our national security, given that we are talking about using steel for such vital purposes. I say respectfully to the hon. Member for…”

“Ministers will speak for themselves, but I think they are seeking the flexibility to act in the national interest and to do so appropriately. My concern is more with some of the clauses that add lots of prerequisites to what needs to happen before Ministers can act. My view is that in the limited, and hopefully rare, c…”

“The Bill deals with serious and crucial issues—not just for our national economy but, as Members have said, for many of the constituencies represented by right hon. and hon. Members present, and it deserves to be taken seriously.”

“I have a broader point about not only the new clause but some of the wider discussion of the Bill. At the heart of new clause 5 sits a slight misunderstanding of what nationalisation means. To give a local example, I was proud to work with the Defence Secretary to secure the nationalisation—or the “strategic acquisitio…”

“Secondly, a number of the amendments seek clarity on transparency or accountability, on which Members rightly want reassurance. I have expressed concerns that the commercial reality of the company operating would mean that some steps just would not be appropriate, reasonable or helpful, and could slow things down. But …”

“Finally, the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Sarah Olney) tabled new clause 3, on jobs and the industrial strategy transition. I will not get into the specifics of the new clause, but it flags up an important point about how Ministers will ensure that any acquisition of a plant will deliver social value, including jobs,…”

“I have been very pleased recently to meet the new apprentices at the semiconductor plant in my constituency that, as I mentioned, was acquired by the Ministry of Defence, and have seen for myself how that Government intervention is delivering wider value to the community. A new apprenticeship programme has been establi…”

“To conclude, I support the Government’s approach to the Bill and have been happy to set out some of my thoughts on the amendments from across the Committee. Given the importance of steel, it is entirely right that the Bill seeks to move us to a more proactive position and to give Ministers more options to act in the na…”

“A modern, dynamic, future-facing steel industry is critical to the Government’s ambitions for industry and modern industry. As we have heard from Members across the Chamber, it is also crucial and central to the ambitions of many of the communities represented in this debate. I commend the Minister, with his significan…”

“The second problem with Reform’s new clause 5 is that it misses the point of the Bill. This Bill is not about a national strategy on steel—one was published, as I have just mentioned. The proposed law before us deals with specific questions of ownership and with Government intervention in specific steel undertakings. M…”

“Before I finish, I have three issues that I would like the Minister to address, if he could, when he responds to the debate. First, we need to bring clarity to what nationalisation would mean in this context. My understanding is that were British Steel to be nationalised, it would effectively remain a private company, …”

“It was a privilege recently to spend a week at Camp Viking with our Royal Marines, seeing at first hand the work they are doing to defend the High North. Does the Minister agree that it is clear strategically that the security of the High North and of the north Atlantic are intrinsically linked because of the sea lanes…”

“T4. Having worked with the Defence Secretary to save the semiconductor plant in Newton Aycliffe in my constituency, I was proud the other week to meet Sam and Evan, two new apprentices who owe their opportunities directly to Government investment—but we want to go further. Can Ministers confirm that the MOD will contin…”

“I met a resident at my surgery at the weekend who has a long-term health condition. They have been sent testing packs by the NHS, which arrive late, and appointment letters have been delayed, which is having a huge impact on their health. When the Minister meets Ofcom later, will he raise the serious impacts of unaccep…”

“Q9. It was a privilege to join fellow north-east MPs at the weekend on the destroyer HMS Duncan, to meet the crew and to be briefed on the exciting plans for the innovative future of the Royal Navy—a future that should be bright, given the £10 billion frigate deal with Norway, and a future that we absolutely want our r…”