Contributions
1,897 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDG7I hear what my noble friend says about demining, and he is right. He urges me to commit to protecting that programme, and I will take his very wise counsel seriously. I get a lot…20 Mar 2025HANSARDHIV/AIDS: US Withdrawal from WHOThere is no doubt that research and development is critical to making progress on this and many other agendas in development. We are working through the impact, as the noble…20 Mar 2025HANSARDHIV/AIDS: US Withdrawal from WHOAbsolutely not. Why would we do that? It is our ambition to regain the 0.7% spend on official development assistance. We have been very clear about that. Why would we repeal that…20 Mar 2025HANSARDG7The noble Lord is right to mention Japan, an incredibly close friend and ally of the United Kingdom. We do work with it, so I take his point; he is completely right to remind…20 Mar 2025HANSARDG7I do not need to explain to the noble Lord that it is not straightforward to reopen the embassy in Damascus after such a period of time, but I take on board his desire to see that…20 Mar 2025HANSARDG7I am not aware of any such discussions. I believe that the G7 has been focused on, as the noble Lord said, the vital issues that it faces.20 Mar 2025HANSARDG7I have a very good relationship with my colleagues at the Ministry of Defence, and I am happy to discuss any issue with them, but operational decisions such as that one probably…20 Mar 2025HANSARDG7I do not have anything specific to say on the content of those negotiations. It would be strange to disclose things such as that—were I aware of them, which I am not—while those…20 Mar 2025HANSARDEuropean Convention on Human Rights: 75th AnniversaryMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Wolfson, for that speech. It is good to see him, and I am very sorry to have learned of the death of his father recently—may his memory be a…20 Mar 2025HANSARDG7I would like the noble Baroness to consider herself invited. I would be very keen to hear what she has to say, to consider the evidence she has and to discuss ways in which she…20 Mar 2025HANSARDPalestine Statehood (Recognition) Bill [HL]My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Northover, for presenting this Bill and thank all noble Lords who have contributed to today’s debate. It was good to meet the…14 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaMy Lords, on northern Syria, of course we are acutely aware of the fragility of that situation and want to make sure that we do not see a vacuum created that is filled by Daesh…13 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaI know some of them very well. Many have made an enormously positive contribution since they arrived in the United Kingdom, setting up businesses and becoming leaders in the…13 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaI am grateful to both noble Lords for their words. I think we all agree that the situation in Syria is incredibly fragile, to say the least, and that we all want a stable elected…13 Mar 2025HANSARDUnited Kingdom: Global PositionIt was all going really well. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Callanan, for that. When he was on the topic of universities, I thought “This is going to be really good”. I was…13 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaWe know now, from many contexts in recent history, how vital it is that women are included and central to these processes. My noble friend has made a very strong case. It is…13 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaConfidence is a very difficult thing to measure in situations such as this, but perhaps the best thing to do is to say that we are mindful of the dangers that the noble Lord…13 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaThat is a really interesting question. It is wonderful that we are in a situation where we can even begin to have those conversations, when you consider the journey that Syria has…13 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaIt is true that in the situation that Syria finds itself in, the ability of civil society to work closely with communities is essential. My colleague Minister Falconer is talking…13 Mar 2025HANSARDSyriaI do not think anybody is getting carried away with optimism at the moment. The noble Lord is absolutely right to remind us just how precarious this situation is. We proceed with…13 Mar 2025