Speeches by Baker.

“Does the hon. Member agree that the work undertaken by Ministers to open up new markets for Scotch whisky is vital, and that the new special status for Scotch whisky in Brazil is great news for the industry? Does he also agree that the InchDairnie distillery in my constituency should be supported in launching its new r…”

“rose—”

“Good morning, Minister. How would you describe the overall state of the Government’s preparations in advance of formal negotiations? For example, would you be ready to start formal negotiations in areas such as the sanitary and phytosanitary checks you mentioned earlier or emissions trading if the EU were to pursue the…”

“Following on from the point about the nature of the House, one of the things that was brought up in the excellent report from the Commission on the UK’s Future was that the House of Lords currently does not reflect our nations and regions and that we could be making much more effort to ensure that it does. Isn’t it imp…”

“Thank you, Minister. The benefits of developing positive personal relationships are shown by the announcement of the summit date, and I completely appreciate that, but detailed proposals and the structure of those and the outcomes we are seeking will also be important. You mentioned that there might be some areas where…”

“Does the Minister agree that one of the challenges with previous models of employability support is that they have not been tailored and they have not meet the needs of people for sustained support in that employment? Does she agree that one of the benefits of what my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Erdington (Pa…”

“My hon. Friend has focused on the benefits of partnerships. Does she agree that employability partnerships led by third sector organisations have been shown to be more successful than traditional approaches to employability support, because they involve organisations with a wide range of expertise? Similarly, in Scotla…”

“Does the Minister agree that a workforce with skills honed in the North sea oil and gas sector will have an increasingly vital role in the renewables sector? Given the crucial role for GB Energy, headquartered in Aberdeen, in managing a fair and phased transition, is it not extraordinary that the Conservatives and the …”

“Does the Minister agree that the close collaboration by the UK and Welsh Governments to deliver the industrial strategy is an essential element of this Government’s plans to deliver strong economic growth throughout the UK, and will she explain how this joint working by both Governments will help Welsh industry? Does s…”

“5. What steps she is taking to strengthen the Union.”

“3. What steps he is taking to improve relations with the EU.”

“Does the Minister agree that the arts, musicians and the wider creative sector play a vital role in our economy, which is why working to negotiate a deal with touring artists is so important? Will the Minister confirm that this is still a priority for him?”

“Do you think these were one-off problems, or are they likely to be repeated and increase given those timescale pressures?”

“Does my right hon. Friend agree that ending the injustice of the mineworkers’ pension scheme is great news not only for the 849 former mineworkers in my constituency who will benefit, but for the economies of the local communities where they live, which were left behind by the previous Government? Will he and his colle…”

“10. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to uplift former mineworkers’ pensions.”

“Just briefly, there were particular issues in Edinburgh city and Fife in terms of delivery of postal votes. As MP for Fife, I am very conscious of that. On the day of the election, some people had still not received their postal votes. You have helpfully provided us with a very clear case study of the problems with the…”

“Those are very good recommendations. I am sure you will agree that it is also important for those responsible for these issues within Scotland to ensure that their supply chain and their contractors can provide what is necessary in terms of the contracts expected to ensure the election can be run smoothly, particularly…”

“Can I throw in my praise to all those officials who do so much work to ensure that elections are well managed and efficient? However, as you know, there were problems at the 2024 general election in relation to postal voting, particularly in some parts of the United Kingdom. We had specific issues with postal voting in…”

“It does seem extraordinary that some people in Scotland were denied their vote because a printer broke down. I absolutely agree that Royal Mail did a great job of getting those packs out, but some people had already gone. On the day of the election itself, some people in my constituency did not have their postal votes.…”

“How do you ensure consistency around voter expectation and information across the country in terms of when people receive their postal votes and how the system will work in their area?”