Speeches by Baker.

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Alec. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight West (Richard Quigley) for securing the debate, because it is vital to consider the issue of hidden deprivation and isolation in coastal communities. In Methil and Buckhaven in my constituency, which have pr…”

“At the end of May, a 94-year-old woman in my constituency was hospitalised with life-threatening injuries after she was run over by a teenager who was recklessly and illegally driving a Sur-Ron e-bike. The Government have rightly taken action through the seizure of bikes that are being driven illegally, but will my rig…”

“The EU is a key trading partner for Scotland, accounting for almost 40% of Scotland’s international exports. Can the Minister reassure my constituents in Glenrothes and Mid Fife that while we wait for a new date for the EU summit, this Government will press ahead with plans to align with more areas of the single market…”

“5. What steps his Department is taking to increase trade with Europe.”

“It does. You have described what you see as an exemplar model of monitoring the progress towards implementing recommendations. Do you think that captures all the elements of an effective monitoring process, or are there other elements?”

“What do you think of the role of chairs in ensuring that the recommendations of their inquiries are properly implemented? We recognise that not all chairs will be able to play a leading role once their inquiries are closed—for example, judges who return to their judicial function. Should those issues be addressed when …”

“At the start of your evidence, you said that there is no one-size-fits-all mechanism for inquiries into such a wide range of different issues and incidents. Should there be a difference between how recommendations coming from statutory public inquiries are monitored and scrutinised, compared with those coming from othe…”

“Reindustrialisation and backing British are the hallmarks of this defence investment plan. Does the Secretary of State agree with me and with the GMB and Unite unions that we need to build not only ships in Britain but new floating docks for Faslane? Does he agree that Programme Euston should be built by the skilled wo…”

“Thank you, Chair. The final question is: how can any national system of oversight and monitoring best take account of the role played by the devolved Executives and legislatures? Sir Brian, you said that they have an important role in many aspects of inquiries. How could that be taken account of?”

“That is very helpful; thank you very much.”

“No. Indeed, there is one thing troubling me here: the scrutiny of recommendations by public inquiries. Looking at the scrutiny and implementation of recommendations, could you explain the course of action you took with Government at the end of your inquiry, in terms of the expectation you set on them for the implementa…”

“In drafting recommendations, how much effort did you put in to considering how deliverable those recommendations were, and how measurable that delivery would be as well?”

“I have come to my final question. Although there are several different forms of inquiry, there is potential for a one-size-fits-all process of monitoring the recommendations of those different inquiries, and you could see this Committee or a stand-alone Committee having the ability to take a standard approach to monito…”

“It would be possible to have a one-size-fits-all process, however the inquiry was established.”

“On the implementation of recommendations coming from a statutory or non-statutory inquiry, what would be the elements of an effective monitoring process?”

“We often find that when inquiries look into specific cases, there are actually common themes in terms of failures and things that need addressing. How could we ensure that implementation monitoring is not simply done in isolation for each inquiry, but there is a process whereby the common themes from recommendations ac…”

“In Scotland, we are very proud that Jennie Lee, the architect of the Open University, came from Lochgelly, which is in my constituency. The hon. Gentleman rightly touched on the importance of the devolved Administrations working with the Open University to create higher education opportunities for people who would not …”

“Do you think there should be a difference between how recommendations coming from statutory public inquiries are monitored and scrutinised compared with those coming from other routes—for example, non-statutory inquiries, prevention of future death reports or investigation bodies?”

“9. What assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the Scotland defence growth deal on Scotland.”

“Yesterday, the Secretary of State for Defence set out at the GMB conference how this Government’s investment in defence is delivering for British workers. Can my right hon. Friend assure me that he will work with his Ministry of Defence colleagues to support Scottish yards, including Methil in my constituency? Last mon…”