Following the Government statement about malicious cyber-activity targeting the United Kingdom by actors assessed as affiliated to the Chinese state, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown highlights concerns that legacy IT systems are most likely to be attacked and asks if the Government has ordered an inventory of all Government IT equipment, to see where particular vulnerabilities lie.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown speaks in the Budget Debate welcoming the wide range of measures that will benefit people in the Cotswolds as the country recovers from the pandemic and war in Europe. In addition, he calls on the Government to commission an independent study to look at the impact of reintroducing the VAT retail export scheme, or tourist tax, which would promote tourism and be good for British businesses, the economy and the Exchequer.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown voices concerns that, at a time of international uncertainty, the UK is heavily reliant on food imports and he calls for more emphasis on self-sufficiency stressing the importance of a healthy, cost-effective and sustainable food supply chain; which includes recognising the invaluable role of British farmers, rewarding their efforts, and ensuring fair treatment in the marketplace.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown intervenes in the Second Reading debate of the Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill to support legislation that puts into law the existing triple lock that protects MPs’ correspondence from arbitrary surveillance by the security services.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown spoke in a debate on school attendance and the increased absenteeism since the pandemic. He called on the government, schools, and communities to work together to ensure every student, whether they have an Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP) or not, is able to access the educational, social and physical opportunities that schools have to offer and has the opportunity to realise their full potential.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown intervenes in a debate on the civil nuclear roadmap and Wylfa to call on the Government to move forward with the road map as with the demise of the advanced gas-cooled reactors in 2030 there will be a dip in nuclear power. He calls on the Government to consider the options of small modular reactors and advanced modular reactors which could be brought online quicker than a new gigawatt power station.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown welcomes the civil nuclear power road map, but calls on the Government to learn lessons from the decommissioning of Sellafield to get a better understanding of nuclear decommissioning costs, so that we can have a true estimate of what nuclear generation costs.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown speaks in a debate on the Great Western Main Line and outlines the frustrations experienced by his constituents such as more cancellations than ever before, delayed trains, closed waiting rooms, and long journey times. He calls for improvements, particularly ‘easy fixes’ such as opening the closed waiting room at Kemble.
Following the Office for National Statistics publication that the estimate for net migration in the year to June 2023 was at 672,000, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown tells the Government these figures are unsustainable and asks the Minister when we will see a drop in numbers.