The Lord Bishop of Oxford

My Lords, for seven years I was privileged to be the Bishop of Sheffield, and I am familiar with the complex ecology of south Yorkshire, articulated by the noble Lord, Lord Fox. For those seven years, each year I was the guest of the Cutlers Company, who would invite a Minister, always from London and normally the Chancellor. In those years it was the coalition and Conservative Governments. The script followed by the speakers from the Cutlers Company, who did not mince their words, was always the same. It was about the neglect of the manufacturing industry by government and, in particular, high energy costs. This seems to me to be the key to the next chapter in this strategy. I would be very grateful if the Minister could expand further and give some assurance that, in five years’ time, the Cutlers Company in Sheffield will not be making the same comments about higher electricity costs than for their partners overseas. I would also be grateful if the Minister could say something about the connection between advanced manufacturing and research, and the revitalisation of the steel industry. It was said in my time in Sheffield that Sheffield still produced as much steel by volume, but employed a fraction of the number of people, and that was because of advanced manufacturing. Thirdly, I would be really grateful for an unpacking of the defence contingency, the importance of which I would underscore.