Speeches by Green.

“It sounds like you had a very effective channel of communication with the Department. Was that based on how it conducted itself, on relationships or on individuals? What reason would you pinpoint as the reason why it worked?”

“Was it a united front?”

“How effective has DBT’s engagement with your council been? It sounds like you would rate it quite highly.”

“Rob, when the Department for Business and Trade was negotiating with Jingye—forgive me if I am pronouncing that incorrectly—at what stage did you become involved? At what point did you have input?”

“But I am not sure I have an answer to my original question. How are you responding to that feedback? So far, you have said you would like to provide clarity. What else are you doing? Will there be exemptions, for example?”

“Could you give us some colour? In what ways were you able to input into the negotiations, for example?”

“Like local authorities across the country, Buckinghamshire council submitted its SEND improvement plan on 19 June, but it will not receive a decision on deficit relief until 21 September, after the school year has started. With a cumulative deficit of over £45 million already on the books, it is being asked to plan bli…”

“How are you assessing whether the new tariffs are protecting UK steelmakers without imposing undue costs elsewhere in the supply chain? I am sure you have had feedback that that has caused a great deal of concern.”

“But were there any contingency plans in place? I am not sure we can see evidence that there were.”

“Where would a business find that clarity? I am happy to discuss this outside the Committee, but I will give you an example of a business in my constituency that is a manufacturing success story. It employs 150 people and has provided 40 apprenticeships, and it cannot get the steel it needs to make what it produces in t…”

“Will that update be shared before 1 July? You said you are working through all that feedback and providing clarity.”

“16. What steps her Department is taking to improve the SEND system.”

“So if those businesses do not hear before 1 July that they are not going to be clobbered, will they have to wait another 12 months to see if they will be less clobbered?”

“Is any additional Government investment urgently needed to support the steel sector in your community?”

“If I may, Chair, I might share the specific example—”

“I would like to follow up on some of the questions that we have already had around monitoring the risks in the lead-up to the intervention. I will quote from paragraph 8 of the NAO Report, which says, “Jingye had been clear about British Steel’s financial and operational challenges. In July 2024, Jingye told DBT its fi…”

“May I ask about the impact this is having on your wider budget as a Department? You have already mentioned the eight growth sectors. What impact is this having on what you are able to do for those eight sectors, for example?”

“So you have not had to cut anything that you were planning to do around, for example, the eight growth sectors because of this intervention?”

“And it will not be reviewed for another 12 months?”

“The Secretary of State will know that nearly a third of those who work in the creative industries are self-employed. I have been contacted by creative freelancers in my area who feel that their voice is not always heard. One of them is a licensed chaperone, responsible for safeguarding those under 16 working on product…”