Question
First, I thank the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association for the opportunity to attend CHOGM as a Member of this House, along with the hon. Members for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Adam Jogee) and for South East Cornwall (Anna Gelderd). I know the Minister is here in place of the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary, but I want to congratulate him on how he handled himself in the panels that he spoke on, which were about some very challenging topics for this Government. As we all agree on the value of the Commonwealth, what steps will the Government take to enhance the resilience of supply chains across the Commonwealth, to ensure that every part can benefit equally?
Answer
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his kind comments about my panel performance; I do not do them often, so it is nice to know that when I do, there is at least one person in the audience who is glad of it. He is quite right to talk about the importance of supply chains. Part of our focus is ensuring that all Commonwealth nations, no matter how small or large—but crucially, the smaller states—have these tangible and meaningful benefits of being a member of the Commonwealth family.25% vibes
Verdict: RED (15/100)
The question asked what the Government is doing to build supply chain resilience. The reply only agreed that supply chains matter and said the aim is for small and large Commonwealth members to gain tangible benefits. It named no action, programme or mechanism, so the answer is mostly hedged and a member of the public would still not know what is being done. A follow-up asking for specifics would likely be needed.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the Government doing about enhancing the resilience of supply chains across the Commonwealth, with the aim of ensuring that every part of the Commonwealth can benefit equally? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | Statement 3 only agrees that supply chains are important, and statement 4 says the focus is on ensuring small and large Commonwealth members gain tangible benefits, which echoes the equal-benefit aim. Neither names any action, programme or mechanism to build supply chain resilience, so the reply gestures at the question without answering what the Government is doing. |