Speeches by Rushworth.

“Could I ask one more quick question? It is not about debt relief, but about tax base. A lot of developing countries struggle because of capital flight and because tax is not paid that is owed in those countries. Are the UK Government doing anything to show leadership on that?”

“Before I ask a question on financing, could I just ask one more question on this? I am pleased with the work the Government are doing on covid corruption, for example, to look at overpriced procurement, but I think most taxpayers who look at the eye-watering sums of money spent on asylum hotels would wonder what on ear…”

“There was a follow-up question. It is probably one for a longer answer another day, but the previous Government established that there should be an atrocity prevention strategy. What are the Government doing to make sure that there is an atrocity prevention strategy and that that is being integrated into foreign and se…”

“I appreciate your comment on the cuts. What sort of damage do you think that that did to the UK’s global brand, not only the cuts but also the loss of DFID, which I think it is fair to say was the envy of the world? I have previously worked in international development. I have visited foreign embassies all over the wor…”

“There was a follow-up question. It is probably one for a longer answer another day, but the previous Government established that there should be an atrocity prevention strategy. What are the Government doing to make sure that there is an atrocity prevention strategy and that that is being integrated into foreign and se…”

“Before I ask a question on financing, could I just ask one more question on this? I am pleased with the work the Government are doing on covid corruption, for example, to look at overpriced procurement, but I think most taxpayers who look at the eye-watering sums of money spent on asylum hotels would wonder what on ear…”

“What is the UK doing to support atrocity prevention strategies in Sudan and refugee host countries?”

“T6. More than half the homes in my constituency have an energy performance rating of D or worse, and a quarter are off-grid, relying on more expensive fuels, so I welcome this Government’s commitment to a warm homes plan. However, with a lot of rural homes poorly insulated and not suited to heat pumps, will the Secreta…”

“I welcome this Government’s commitment to getting more disposable income in the pockets of working people. At Christmas time a lot of people will want to buy concert tickets; what conversations is the Minister having with Cabinet colleagues on reforming the secondary ticketing market?”

“Parties with Members elected to this place should uphold the British values of tolerance and respect, but many constituents have contacted me to express alarm about the way that local officers of the Reform party in County Durham are harassing and smearing local charities and town councillors, and are using their socia…”

“You are touching on this already, but do you think that ICAI can increase its impact?”

“In your survey response, you also said that ICAI could look at improving the way that it communicates findings. I just wondered if you had any specific ideas around how you might do that.”

“I appreciate that, in a lot of your answers today, there is some caution, because, quite rightly, you do not want to pre-empt anything. You also want to work collegiately and bring a lot of people on board, but do you have any personal sense of where you would like to take ICAI in achieving that?”

“Thank you. I can see that Ms Mtonga wants to come in as well.”

“Could I just quickly ask about grassroots decision making? Obviously, a community is not entirely homogenous. There are still power dynamics at play in a community, so when you are using aid locally what is being done in your experience, for example, to ensure that women and youth are included in decision making about …”

“Thank you. I can see that Ms Mtonga wants to come in as well.”

“I can see Mrs Mtonga there and I will bring you in in a moment. What has been your experience of accountability from larger NGOs and institutions in terms of reporting? Obviously, that is often quite a cumbersome part of being a small NGO or a grassroots organisation in receipt of aid. What has been your experience?”

“When it is spent at such a local level then—I appreciate I am asking you for an estimate here—how much is overheads as opposed to funds reaching people on the ground?”

“First, to Dr Ahmed, in your experience, what difference does localisation make to the effectiveness of development projects?”

“This is to Ms Mtonga. What recommendations would you give to the UK Government as they consider how to approach their support of local organisations?”