Civil Service Appointments Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Civil Service Appointments

Stephen Farry Excerpts
Tuesday 30th June 2020

(3 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Michael Gove Portrait Michael Gove
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right. In the speech to which some hon. Members referred earlier, I made the point that we needed to disperse decision making in the civil service, and one of the locations I suggested we should think about locating more key decision makers was east Lancashire.

Stephen Farry Portrait Stephen Farry (North Down) (Alliance)
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From addressing nuclear proliferation to countering terrorism, there is a need to build and sustain relationships with European allies and, indeed, to secure a future relationship deal on policing and security co-operation. So how do the Government plan to reconcile David Frost’s role as National Security Adviser with his role as Brexit negotiator, in which he is currently engaging in brinkmanship, and indeed the risk of no deal at the end of the year?

Michael Gove Portrait Michael Gove
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I should think that it is precisely because David Frost is involved in complex and serious negotiations about security and defence co-operation with our European allies that he is supremely well placed to take on the role of National Security Adviser.