Speeches by McKinnell.

“Just a bit more detail on how they are measured.”

“What is the lifetime?”

“Do you mind just explaining those two a little bit more?”

“Affordability of the project?”

“Could I just ask you to avoid acronyms? I think we had CPO as well, and people watching may not know what these things are.”

“No, that’s fine.”

“Sorry—this is getting into a lot of detail, and it is not really clarifying.”

“Can I slightly go back to the previous question, but in the context of what you are saying there? How do you know whether you are maximising the impact of this without clear targets? It is very hard to measure. Obviously you are saying that lots of good work is going on, with lots of people working hard and lots of sho…”

“It’s okay.”

“Yes, the affordability ratio. The question for members of the public who are watching is: are we prioritising quality over quantity or vice versa? I am interested in hearing a little more detail on the second of the criteria, which I realise I did not scribble down.”

“Okay; the benchmarks are really helpful.”

“That is an incredibly broad set of aims that you are working to. What criteria will you use when you are deciding when or where to issue grants, loans and other financial support to projects?”

“What is the timeframe for that?”

“Okay. Going back to the question of criteria, which do you apply? The reason I am asking is that there are so many complex considerations here that clearly happen when these decisions are made. It would be helpful to understand what criteria are being applied, particularly for the loans and grants that are being given.”

“That is helpful.”

“It is an honour to follow the right hon. Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison). It is clear that when it comes to defence readiness, there is much on which we can all agree. Let me also—before he leaves the Chamber—pay tribute to the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith), an…”

“I did not really understand the explanation of why it is more nuanced for the Treasury than for other Departments.”

“What timescale are you judging that against? This is a long-term transformation. Are you talking short, medium or long-term value for money? How are you judging that?”

“I want to ask you about the detail of the arm’s length bodies and joining service clusters, but in respect of the answer you just gave, to what extent have you looked at international comparisons and how other Governments do this? Internationally, all Governments must be transferring to new digital services. What examp…”

“Okay, that is helpful to understand although it creates some uncertainty as to the original intention and what is now developing. That goes to some of the points raised about how much this is ultimately going to cost and the outcome, given that the parameters seem to be shifting. I appreciate that some of that might be…”