Speeches by Naish.

“But it is an extremely complex brief.”

“In that case, how can we have confidence that you are able to do everything that you have just described?”

“At a party conference, I was part of a roundtable, and it was brought to my attention that you do not have a special adviser. Is that still the case?”

“I guess the fundamental question is how confident you are that we are currently using the most efficient mechanisms to get UK aid to the organisations and people who need it. Are you confident that that blend you describe is working, or are there areas that you have greater concerns about?”

“Are you suggesting that there is a cap on the amount of money and support that we could even provide, because of the very challenging circumstances that we are looking at?”

“Specifically thinking about the direct funding of aid groups, NGOs and things that you are referencing, are there plans to increase the level of funding for those groups, first in Sudan itself? Also, I asked you this last time you were here about Sudan: what is the thinking on funding for countries that are hosting the…”

“That was not what I was angling for, by the way.”

“You were talking about getting more funds down to the ground. Why is it taking so long for that shift in thinking or approach?”

“Why do you think it took so long for that to be realised?”

“How long does it take to dial up a programme like that? Obviously, the situation on the ground is deteriorating rapidly. Are you talking weeks or months to get programmes like that into place?”

“Starting to think about learnings from what you have seen, what do you think the UK needs to do and what lessons need to be learned about how it can effectively mobilise and co-ordinate in response to an international situation such as the one in Sudan?”

“Thank you, Liz, for coming to give us evidence. As we have just been hearing, the Government have described the crisis in Sudan as a priority for the UK. What would you expect to see from the Government, given that formal commitment?”

“Yes. You worked through the first three—the political, the coherent whole-of-Government approach and the region—and you were getting on to the other aspects.”

“Yes, the next question is on your assessment of how the Government are doing. That is a very sensible list of things that you would expect to see, so I am interested in your assessment of how the Government are performing.”

“I am not quite sure how to contribute to this debate: I am married to a doctor who is an obstetrician and gynaecologist; I am a triplet; and I have an 18-month-old daughter, who was born just three weeks before the general election was called last year. I am never sure which way to pivot. I want to make the macro argum…”

“In January this year, as Chair of the International Development Committee, my hon. Friend wrote to the Government to push them to ratify the global oceans treaty. As a member of her Committee, I thank her for her efforts on this front. If I recall correctly, our Committee’s work highlighted that the UK had to work glob…”

“My constituent Rebecca Dowdeswell has a small business called nkd, which has incurred over £30,000 plus VAT in legal fees fighting L’Oréal in a dispute over a mark she has been using for over 15 years—longer than L’Oréal has been using its Naked brand in the UK. This dispute is an example of David versus Goliath situat…”

“Over the recess I met the Singh family, who run two pharmacies in my constituency. The family were clear that, despite improved funding, they are still struggling with overly complex funding formulas, delayed payments, high energy prices and drug shortages, among other challenges. However, the positive initiatives of P…”

“I will come back to Fawzia. What barriers have you or others faced when seeking access to security and justice? Where have you seen and felt those barriers? We have talked about funding and a few other things there, but what is the real impact of that?”

“I am happy for either of you to answer this first. How do you think the UK should adapt its approach, if at all, to women, peace and security given the emerging transnational threats to the agenda?”