Speeches by German.

“Thank you. That is more power to my elbow to make the case for it, so thank you very much.”

“Do you think there is scope to develop this kind of cross-border mini-region? I have spoken with colleagues in the north-west before about how we feel we are perhaps missing a trick.”

“First, I agree wholeheartedly with the comments that have been made regarding income adequacy and what that means for pension adequacy. Indeed, issues such as just getting through the week and often putting your children first and just managing through your day-to-day life and what is going on with your pension—even if…”

“I would like to move on to how we promote the different regions in Wales. My constituency is in north Wales; what does north Wales have to offer, particularly in respect of its proximity to the north-west and to international airports? How do we make sure that we drill down to the exact things that Wales offers, beyond…”

“I see you shaking your head, Nan.”

“Do you feel that is well enough understood out there? Is there more we could be doing?”

“I am delighted to hear my right hon. Friend announce additional investment in high quality, tailored and personalised support to help people on a pathway to work and the recognition that for so many it is indeed a pathway, not just a series of referrals that merely lead back to square one. Can my right hon. Friend assu…”

“Thank you. I could talk to you all day, but I am conscious that we need to move on.”

“Thank you for joining us today. It has already been incredibly helpful to hear a business take on this work. The “Get Britain Working” White Paper talks about how there is currently insufficient adjustment for local market trends and local labour markets. We have touched on this a little. What do you think about how jo…”

“Do you feel that it would be helpful for local organisations, within the jobcentre or perhaps working with external partners, to undertake something like a mapping exercise of what is in the local area? Sometimes it seems that there is not always an understanding of what work is available in the local area specific to …”

“Great. Let me push a little on what you think could be done better. Jane, you talked about there being a really good start with the work that is going on with the chambers of commerce. Can you see any next steps in that work that we could start taking forward?”

“In a nutshell, greater partnership working between employers and jobcentres, and making that match so it has some longevity.”

“Thank you both for attending and for your written evidence, which has been incredibly helpful. I want to ask a little bit about a term that Elizabeth used in her written evidence: a “Jobcentre Plus-centric understanding of employment support”. I am really interested in what you mean by that term and what the impact has…”

“Ramesh, that seems to touch on your comment about a CV-writing service, and how the NCS is seen as a means to an end to get people through the system. Would that be your take?”

“Is it safe to say that you welcome the move away from that “work first” ethos that is coming through from the White Paper that the Government have put forward?”

“The obvious next question is: what would a non-Jobcentre Plus-centric model look like? I think that touches on that—and using the external organisations that you represent, Elizabeth, to get through the very complicated journey from long-term unemployment back into work. What would you love to see at the end of this jo…”

“Where do you see the careers service fitting into a new model of how to do things?”

“Rather than ticking the box.”

“Does my hon. Friend welcome, as I do, the additional £20 million announced by the Welsh Government last week to improve education standards, on top of the £262 million extra in total for education in Wales? Is she as perplexed as I am as to why the Conservatives and Plaid Cymru voted against extra money for education i…”

“I need no excuse to wax lyrical about Wales—particularly the mighty Gogledd, or north Wales, which I am proud to call home—but I am delighted to have the opportunity to do so here in this House as part of my first debate to mark St David’s Day. In my teaching days, I would have spent St David’s Day organising paintings…”