Speeches by Caliskan.

“I just want to understand what was happening, and what the intention is, going forward, a bit more. That is in the context in which I want to ask: how have you been working with overseas posts to ensure that they are managing their estates to a required standard? As you have set out already, there are different challen…”

“Isn’t the big risk that you have the data, you set out the guidance, but those who are responsible for maintaining the estate locally are just not doing it? What action do you take, or can you take, if posts and those responsible for those parts of the estate are not able to manage them effectively?”

“The FCDO’s overseas posts have long been responsible for managing their own operations, in terms of maintenance and looking after the estates, but the NAO Report outlines that the majority of respondents to the survey found it difficult to deliver preventive maintenance, which meant that they had to do more reactive ma…”

“Finally, please can you say something about the restructure of the estates management department specifically? I am trying to get a sense of whether that happening prompted the governance focus, or vice versa. Often these things are interlinked. What has the impact been of the restructure of the estates management depa…”

“Procurement?”

“That is really helpful. I have a final question specifically on property leases. The FCDO spends around £160 million—I think that is annually, or at least it did in 2023-24—on property leases. I want to understand and get some assurances that the capital spend that might be associated with purchasing is weighed against…”

“So you know how much money is going out to posts, but you do not know what they are spending—or is it that you do not know what they are spending it on?”

“I understand that is a relatively small amount of money when we compare it to bigger budgets, but we are still talking about hundreds of millions of pounds. Very important budgets across Government that are to be cut, or have been cut, are far smaller amounts. For MPs, our constituents will be saying, “Actually, a rela…”

“I would like to ask a few questions on the FCDO’s understanding of the overall costs of the overseas estate. As the Report sets out, the FCDO divides its overseas estate funding between estates funding—things like the purchasing of properties—and maintenance funding. Both categories require revenue and capital funding.…”

“So the FCDO, since before the last Report—I think the NAO Report was in 2010—and over the past 15 years, has had a problem with data. You didn’t know the quality of the estate and you didn’t have some quite basic information. There was a question about not being able to monitor, once you got that information, whether t…”

“That is helpful, thank you. My follow-up question was going to be on governance and oversight, because there is a governance and oversight element to this, as well. There are operational decisions that have to be taken on the ground, but there is also a role for FCDO centrally. Can anything in particular be done to imp…”

“Are you referring to property consolidation?”

“An opportunity to deliver better value for money?”

“I thank the panel members for your time. I want to build on the conversation that other Committee members have opened up about maintenance and lessons learned. It is not really acceptable that the FCDO has not had a coherent strategy. For the purposes of reflection—the point of this Committee is to understand how thing…”

“I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make provision about the evaluation of training about special educational needs and disabilities in initial teacher education; to require training about special education needs and disabilities for certain persons working in schools as part of their continuing pr…”

“I take this opportunity to mark an important week for our armed forces. I welcome everything my hon. Friend says about support for our armed forces and their families by way of investment in their homes and more money in their pockets. Does he agree that supporting our armed forces goes way beyond just the equipment th…”

“As a member of the cross-party UK delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, I have had the opportunity to meet Ukrainian Members of Parliament, who make the powerful case for continuing support from NATO allies. It has become clear in recent months that other countries in the region—Poland and the Baltic states of…”

“Barking community hospital in my constituency has been providing antenatal services to mothers in Barking for many years, and women also use its services to give birth. I was therefore really disappointed when I heard last week that the maternity birthing unit is likely to close. Many in my community are deeply concern…”

“Thank you to the panel members. The major general has already referenced the Ukrainian war. For context, before I get into my question, which builds on the Chair’s question, in 2023 the Defence Command Paper stated: “The War in Ukraine has reminded the world that Reserves are essential both on and off the battlefield.”…”

“Does that mean in the next few months? I am just trying to get a sense of when the new framework will be used for financial decision making.”