Speeches by Roome.

“I am hearing about failures in the Government process where they have not thought the schemes all the way through. It would be interesting to see what your thoughts are on the practical support to get people into work.”

“Professor, how is your organisation supporting the Afghans in the resettlement process? I ask that question because I have been asked to provide references for Afghans who have come over on the ARAP scheme, who apply for jobs but need references. Who gives them the reference?”

“Our evidence shows that in the early days, the support for people resettling into the United Kingdom was poor, or even non-existent. Would you say that is still the case, or do you think the Government have got better at helping to provide support from the early days, when people have arrived?”

“How do you think the Government could improve the resettlement process? I hear from you, even today, the frustration around the application process and the length of time. What is your understanding of the reasons for those delays?”

“I want to talk about resettlement. For the record, since Operation Pitting we have had the ARAP scheme, the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme and the Afghanistan response route, all brought together into the Afghan resettlement programme in December 2024. Obviously, that has been closed since July. From the Afghan pe…”

“The former First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy, Lord West, who is also a former Labour security Minister, said in the other place that “the Ajax programme, no matter how much one dresses it up, has been a complete and utter disaster.”—[Official Report, House of Lords, 12 December 2022; Vol. 826, c. 452.] Does the Minister…”

“In the year 2000, half of children in poverty lived in workless families, but now almost three quarters of children in poverty are in working families and millions of universal credit recipients have a job but suffer from low wages. Can I ask the Secretary of State how that has shaped the new strategy to end child pove…”

“There is excitement about pillar 2. That is the message that we picked up from the many companies that have assisted us in this inquiry. There is excitement that their company could be involved in a national defence programme, and not just nationally or bilaterally, but trilaterally. We heard that in Australia. At a pa…”

“That would be good because we are on about us not doing enough as a nation to bring civil society along with us on our defence. The more we can be open and transparent with our public, the more we can bring them along to explain why investment in defence is very necessary. That would be really good, Minister, if you co…”

“Particularly on the governance side, we, as a Committee, have been told by Sir Stephen that you have received his report on AUKUS and that there should be a public version of that report. We have been promised last month—I think that that was the original day it was going to be—that there would be a public version of t…”

“We have noted that, since the new formation of the Trump Administration, and in Australia, the three leaders of those countries—the President and Prime Ministers—have not met with reference to AUKUS in person. Sir Stephen was saying that that should happen as soon as possible to reinforce the AUKUS programme. What are …”

“We asked Sir Stephen whether it was a problem that he is not given any executive powers. However, he said that the officials who he has had to deal with are being responsive and he has not found a problem so far. Going forward, do you see it as a problem that his appointment is due to end early next year? He recommends…”

“We found when we were visiting Australia that there would be more resources needed in Australia from our own side as it develops. The one good thing that came out, both in Australia and a little bit in Washington, was the appointment of Stephen Lovegrove as the special representative to the Prime Minister and, in his a…”

“That is the equipment. On the initial reportees—I think it is believed to be about 30 personnel—are they okay? Are there any injuries or anything?”

“What comes with that excitement is the great investment and the talk that we are hearing from Government about investment in SMEs. When they go out to get a product, it is harder to get the funding for them than it is for one of the big primes. How conscious are you of the awareness that what you are asking companies t…”

“Thanks for clarifying.”

“On that point, pillar 2 particularly involves other Government Departments that do not sit under the MoD. We have the Department for Education, with all the students in science and particularly STEM subjects, and also DSIT, which holds the purse strings for innovation, cyber and AI. Minister, what are you doing to make…”

“T4. Forces families sometimes find that a child’s education, health and care plan is not automatically recognised when they are reposted to a new area, leaving children without provision. With the children’s services White Paper due next year, will the Minister ensure that military children specifically are included an…”

“Many parents are concerned about how schools address the sensitive issues of consent and sexual violence. What action is the Department taking to ensure that those subjects are being taught in schools by appropriately trained professionals, to safeguard both pupils and teachers?”

“2. What steps she is taking to improve education on sexual consent and relationships.”