Speeches by Edwards.

“Thank you for coming along. I will ask first about broader board effectiveness. You are recruiting a new chair of the UKSA at the moment. Throughout the inquiry, many of us thought numerous times: what were the UKSA board doing at particular points in time? Do you have any plans for a broader review of the board’s effe…”

“We have spent quite a bit of time talking about whether the data-led approach to mission government can be delivered within the funding envelope. Something that has concerned me quite considerably about the ONS’s recent performance is the deterioration in the labour market statistics, and certain institutions—the Bank …”

“That makes it clear that you need a strong chair and a strong, effective board in that case.”

“Obviously, we hope the split works well, but we need to plan for if it does not. Have you given thought to what would happen if there was a conflict between the national statistician and the permanent secretary? An example could be that the permanent secretary was making decisions about how things were being run at the…”

“In terms of your engagement with the interim national statistician, how often have you met since she agreed to take on the role?”

“Looking at the job description for the national statistician, it did not seem to make reference to the UKSA board, which is where we understand that the legal duties sit, rather than with yourself. How do you see that working in practice?”

“This is a question for Cat. You mentioned earlier in your comments that you will be taking on a line management role for the national statistician. What specifically is that going to involve?”

“Review after review has been clear that good statistics require improvements in the way that data is shared across Government. I think our predecessor Committee in a former inquiry found that Whitehall is quite bad at sharing data, because it lacks the incentives to do so. The Cabinet Office was the lead Department on …”

“Do you know when the last one was done?”

“Are the results of that effectiveness review shared with the Cabinet Office?”

“Are those annual board effectiveness reviews done independently?”

“From my hon. Friend’s research, how concerned is he about the role that increasing glare from headlights could be playing in increasing social isolation? A lot of my older constituents say they are quite frightened about going out at night, particularly in winter as the nights are drawing in, which leaves them feeling …”

“Given that SUVs, which are generally larger, higher cars and have LED lights, now make up more than half of new cars sold in the UK and demand is growing, does the Minister agree that it is critical that the Government address this issue urgently?”

“I recently met the family of Davinder Singh Thandi, who died in suspicious circumstances in India. This has obviously been a distressing time for my constituents, and unfortunately they have struggled to get timely advice and support from the Foreign Office. I thank the Minister for her recent letter, but will she meet…”

“I really welcome this Bill, which delivers long-overdue reforms to protect victims and goes a long way to rebuilding confidence in our judicial system. I particularly thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bolsover (Natalie Fleet) and for Knowsley (Anneliese Midgley) for their powerful contributions to the debate. I also …”

“I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement and the Government’s continued commitment to promoting vocational and technical education, which is welcome. Can she outline how the White Paper will address the capacity issues that a lot of colleges and sixth forms are experiencing, including in my constituency? That will …”

“I completely agree that all the evidence points towards the need to invest in prison training and employment programmes to reduce reoffending. Doing so is good for society and for the public purse, but does my hon. Friend agree that we should reform the system to support shorter, more modular learning in our prisons, i…”

“My understanding is that membership of those two bodies really only covers a fraction of the lobbying industry, though. How do you think that then gives people confidence in transparency?”

“Perhaps there should be guidance in terms of best practice?”

“I have a lot of experience in this area and probably a lot of engagement with your international counterparts. Picking up on the WhatsApp/text issue specifically, are there other jurisdictions where that is captured in Government transparency data, and would you consider that international best practice?”