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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 4 May 2021
  6. Current session: 13 May 2021 to 22 October 2025
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Displaying 882 contributions

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Economy and Fair Work Committee

New Deal for Business

Meeting date: 26 February 2025

Lorna Slater

It is lovely to see you all here. I think that I have spoken to most of you before in other contexts, but it is my first time meeting Karen Meechan. Thank you for coming along.

One of the challenges that we have as a nation is getting businesses aligned with Government priorities on things such as—I am going to use all the terrible buzz phrases—a circular economy, a wellbeing economy, net zero and becoming nature positive. I would love to hear from you how well your members understand what those things mean for their businesses. Are they just meaningless buzz phrases? Are they things that your members understand and are able to implement? If not, how can we can help to ensure that that is the case?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

New Deal for Business

Meeting date: 26 February 2025

Lorna Slater

Do businesspeople say, “Right, team, we’re going to do the circular economy,” or do you have conversations in which you say, “We’re going to insulate our warehouse,” “We’re going to buy electric vehicles,” or, “We’re going to see what we can do with this byproduct”?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

New Deal for Business

Meeting date: 26 February 2025

Lorna Slater

Thank you.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

New Deal for Business

Meeting date: 26 February 2025

Lorna Slater

You guys have had loads of time, come on.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

New Deal for Business

Meeting date: 26 February 2025

Lorna Slater

That is the bit that I am interested in. I agree about the jargon of “wellbeing economy” and “net zero”. How do businesspeople look at their own businesses and employees in relation to terms such as “the circular economy”? Again, nobody knows what that means.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

New Deal for Business

Meeting date: 26 February 2025

Lorna Slater

Reporting is an incentive for taking things forward.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

New Deal for Business

Meeting date: 26 February 2025

Lorna Slater

I have heard that the businesses that you represent are broadly on board. They understand that part of the wellbeing economy is about paying living wages and that the circular economy means looking at what happens to their waste and making their processes more efficient. People get it, but they are struggling with having the resources and bandwidth to actually do it. Is that a reasonable summary?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

New Deal for Business

Meeting date: 26 February 2025

Lorna Slater

Is it my go?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

New Deal for Business

Meeting date: 26 February 2025

Lorna Slater

The interesting conversation is about what businesses need, if science says that we have to do X, in order to get there. What is realistic for them?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

New Deal for Business

Meeting date: 26 February 2025

Lorna Slater

Thank you, convener. My question is directed primarily to Tony Rodgers, because Nathalie Agnew, who talked about B corps, Claire Mack, who works in renewables, and Jane Wood, who pointed out that housing is highly regulated, all live within our bubble a bit. I am an electrical and mechanical engineer by trade, and I have spent many happy hours shining a little penlight down a fibre optic cable and shouting, “I’ve lit number 1. Which one’s coming up?”, so I get what you do and why it is important.