Speeches by Jopp.

“Sorry, but could we go back to the perception that Prospect had? Do you think they are right or wrong in saying that it is the worst place in the defence sector to be a woman?”

“The hon. Lady makes a really important point. One of the massive delays in deploying solar power is the requirement to achieve planning permission, and I am so pleased that she has brought that up. One of the beauties of floating solar is that if the owner of the reservoir or former quarry will use the electricity them…”

“Sorry—I am getting deluged in processes and statistics. Let me ask the question a different way. You used to work at Network Rail; is the MoD a better or worse place to be a woman than Network Rail?”

“I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for making that point. I hope other Members will come forward with their own preferred alternatives to land-based systems, because there are others.”

“Will the defence investment plan be signed before the local elections on 7 May?”

“I thank the Minister for his statement. There have been many discussions over the amount of money that was going to be paid, and the methodology and how it was reached. I am prepared to park those discussions on the basis that provision has indeed been made in the Government’s budget lines to pay for this treaty, which…”

“I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Farnham and Bordon (Gregory Stafford) on securing this debate. We have heard varying views on the question of demand, with some people saying that it has not gone up at all and that others saying it has. I have relied on the House of Commons Library to tell me that since 201…”

“The Prime Minister said, I think about three weeks ago, that the Royal Navy would go after sanctioned Russian tankers. Yet, if the press reports are to be believed, those very same sanctioned Russian tankers have sailed with impunity through the English channel. My question is this: why have we not done anything? Is th…”

“The scourge of potholes is pretty universal, but will the Minister join me in encouraging all my Spelthorne residents who have a complaint about a pothole to report it via the Surrey county council website? Reporting potholes is the only way to get them sorted.”

“In answer to my hon. Friend the Member for North West Norfolk (James Wild), the Minister referred to the importance of local identities. As she knows, in the local government reorganisation, my Spelthorne constituency will be subsumed into something called “West Surrey”. I am very much looking forward to meeting her on…”

“The Government have designated April the Month of the Military Child to recognise the unique demands and pressures on the children of service personnel, particularly in times of heightened international tension and when we have military personnel deployed on operations overseas. Will the Leader of the House join me in …”

“Your remit is very broad—welfare, which can be interpreted in many ways. Rommel’s interpretation was that the best form of welfare is training, because more training means less widows—fewer widows; his German wasn’t very good. There will be a temptation for you to interpret it broadly or more narrowly, because troops’ …”

“I have one technical question. As of 1 April, are you going to be an employee of the Ministry of Defence, or are you being employed on a consultant’s contract for your interim period?”

“Thank you for your former service, and for your future service.”

“You will have to stop referring to them as “them”.”

“What is your experience of managing UK civil servants?”

“It would put them in a pretty invidious situation.”

“To go back to professional competence and independence, would you have any serving members of the armed forces in your office?”

“Enhancing our ability to fight and win—is that an implied task?”

“I associate myself with your comments, Mr Speaker, about the Table Clerk and I wish him happiness in his next steps. I also wish the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) many happy returns. Second Reading of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill took place on 18 November, and the remedial order, which removed the prot…”