Contributions
730 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum DisordersThe hon. Lady makes a powerful point. When I was preparing for this debate, I looked at the last time that the issue was debated in Parliament. It was a very long time ago. I…22 May 2024HANSARD Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum DisordersIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for South West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous) on securing this debate on such an…22 May 2024HANSARD Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum DisordersThat is certainly the kind of thing we would want to consider, among a whole range of things. In the limited time available, I will try to respond to the specific points made by…22 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsI congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this urgent question, and I am grateful for the opportunity to update the House. I want to start by making three promises. First, the…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsI thank my hon. Friend for the constructive way in which he and other parliamentarians have engaged with this subject matter and the challenges it presents. As I said in my…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsI thank the shadow Minister for his remarks. I confirm that we are firmly fighting in Britain’s interests for an accord and strengthened international health regulations that…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsAt the moment we do not envisage any proposal that would require changes to domestic law, and it is highly unlikely that any proposals will come forward in that shape or form. I…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsThe Scottish National party spokeswoman makes a very important point. There has been a lot of misinformation and disinformation, but that is in part the result of the transparency…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsI pay tribute to my predecessor for the work he did. Let me reiterate that the UK Government have made it clear that we will not sign up to any accord or any changes in the…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsOne of the reasons why the WHO has in the past been slow to respond, and why it might be slow in future, is that it is a member state-led organisation governed by the World Health…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsI appreciate the point that my right hon. Friend makes. As I said in answer to an earlier question, because we do not know the exact form that the accord will take, at the moment…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsAs the hon. Gentleman will know, international treaties are a matter for the UK Government, and therefore this is being negotiated by the UK Government. I was appointed as a…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsI thank my hon. Friend for his passionate and pertinent point. Throughout the negotiations the UK has made it clear—and we will continue to do so—that we will not sign up to any…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsWe will not be handing over any kind of control over what we do domestically; national sovereignty is a clear red line, as I made clear in my opening remarks. It is important to…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsI 100% agree with my right hon. and learned Friend that no treaty is better than a bad treaty. However, if we scroll back to why this process was originally started, it was the…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsThe hon. Gentleman makes an important point. I talked about the leadership shown by the UK Government when we had the G7 presidency back in 2021. In addition to the UK supplying…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsAs a volunteer vaccinator during the pandemic, I 100% agree with my right hon. Friend. We have to look after our own people—our own citizens; the people we are elected to…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsNo, because there is no text that has been agreed. This has been evolving: we have seen new amendments and new, revised drafts. The latest negotiations on the accord took place on…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsI happily reassure my hon. Friend that national sovereignty comes first. We will continue to do everything that we can to ensure that we get an accord that is agreeable, but if…14 May 2024HANSARD International Health RegulationsJust to reiterate my point, the Government will only accept the accord and targeted amendments to the international health regulations if they are firmly in the United Kingdom’s…14 May 2024