Speeches by Baker.

“Do you think I will be able to go back to the companies in my constituency and say to them that there is a commitment to have a clear strategy, so that they will be really clear how they can operate, do business and meet our defence needs?”

“Will it be your recommendation that the Government need to make those changes?”

“Once you have the recommendations for the SDR, if there is a substantial change in that, will the Government commit to changing, for example, the defence industrial strategy or the DBT’s industrial strategy to fit in line with that?”

“Every new Government loves a review and it would appear that this Government is no exception. At the moment we have the AUKUS review going on, the resilience review, the China audit, the global impact review and the economic diplomacy review, to name just a few. How do your team go about engaging with all these other o…”

“We have specific shortages around medical roles. I was pleased to see the expanding of the fast-track process around cyber engineer roles. We have shortages of radiographers, dental nurses and mental health nurses. Is there an opportunity for a fast-track process around those sorts of roles?”

“Could we not get additional flexibility and try to take more Commonwealth soldiers as quickly as possible?”

“From everything we know and everything you have told us today, the current threat is quite sobering. In your opening piece you touched on some of the work you are doing to make sure that Parliament understands the situation we are in. What is your plan in terms of having that conversation with the Great British public?”

“One of the areas where we are losing recruits is in respect of Commonwealth soldiers, because we put a 15% limit on the number of recruits we take per cap badge. With 36,000 Commonwealth soldiers in the pipeline, are we not missing a trick?”

“Q9. There are only seven places in England, according to the House Library, where school funding per pupil is lower than in Aldershot and Farnborough. Does the Deputy Prime Minister agree that something has gone badly wrong when teachers are forced to pay out of their own pocket for basic school supplies, while many ot…”

“7. What comparative assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the roll-out of 5G in (a) the UK and (b) other countries.”

“Access to 5G data is a real issue in Aldershot. According to Ofcom, a third of our households cannot connect to 5G—nearly three times the national average. What are the Government doing to give residents in Aldershot and Farnborough the same data access as the rest of the country, and will the Minister make that work a…”

“My constituent Brendan lost his left leg while serving with the British Army in 1979. Decades later, he discovered that he had been infected with hepatitis C during the operation that saved his life. I know having talked to Brendan that, while he is pleased that the Government have committed to providing compensation, …”

“My constituency is home to many small and medium-sized enterprises that contribute to our UK defence sector. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that submissions from SMEs to the strategic defence review are given equal weighting and consideration compared with submissions from prime contractors, in order to…”

“Establishing an Armed Forces Commissioner will make a real difference to the military families I represent in the home of the British Army, so I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak in this debate and welcome this important legislation. We have heard from across of the House about the tremendous debt we owe ou…”

“Q5. Many families across Aldershot and Farnborough have struggled for years to get their children with special educational needs the help that they need. It is therefore shameful to read the misguided claims made by the Leader of the Opposition that autistic people“may well get better treatment”and receive economic pri…”

“Q5. Many families across Aldershot and Farnborough have struggled for years to get their children with special educational needs the help that they need. It is therefore shameful to read the misguided claims made by the Leader of the Opposition that autistic people“may well get better treatment”and receive economic pri…”

“Yes. Across all the elements that we have talked about, the private sector is intrinsically linked with the MOD in delivering on those areas, but sometimes it seems that there is a slightly adversarial relationship between the private sector and the MOD. Do you feel that? Could more be done to develop the right relatio…”

“The Budget delivered a game-changing announcement for my community: the news that Frimley Park hospital will be rebuilt, as it is one of the seven hospitals severely affected by RAAC. That is such welcome news and will make a real difference in Aldershot and Farnborough in the years ahead. Frimley is my local hospital.…”

“Leaving aside the equipment plan, which we will come on to, what wider economic and social developments could impact other areas of defence spending such as personnel, infrastructure and training costs?”

“I want to ask about the lack of a road map and how much that is felt in our armed forces community on the on the ground. How much is that contributing to poor morale?”