Contributions
1,658 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Fifth sitting)As always, I am immensely grateful to my hon. Friend, who does well to remind us that part of the underlying issue, which we will debate later, is the lack of any definition of…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Fifth sitting)I recognise that at the point that the hon. Gentleman is trying to make, and I agreed with him until he said that there are already powers to “ensure scrutiny”. The powers that he…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Fifth sitting)Another excellent contribution from my hon. Friend, who raises a delicate, nuanced, important point. Governments of all colours may have trade and geopolitical agendas that lead…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Fifth sitting)I thank my hon. Friend for his eloquence. I reiterate that we are looking to make the Secretary of State’s life easier. We hope that, in the not-too-distant future, a Labour…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Fifth sitting)I thank my hon. Friend for putting it so clearly, and I hope that addresses the concerns of the hon. Member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine. We want the screening process to…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Fifth sitting)I do not think it would be appropriate to be prescriptive at this point. Some of the agencies I have in mind are the Intelligence and Security Committee, the National Cyber…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Fifth sitting)The hon. Member makes an important point that goes to the heart of our concerns. I do not wish to detain the Committee for too long on this, but it is important to discuss the way…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Fifth sitting)The hon. Member makes an interesting point. We will examine the skills of those involved in the examination once a transaction has been called in. There was a clear contradiction…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Fifth sitting)I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. He is absolutely right. This is particularly relevant to amendment 3, as we shall see. This Government, and previous Conservative…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Fifth sitting)I thank the hon. Gentleman for that intervention. I meant to say that national responsibility was outsourced—and British jobs—and the national interest handed over to the market.…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Fifth sitting)I am happy to give way again.01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Fifth sitting)May I begin by saying what a pleasure it is to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg, and what a pleasure and, indeed, honour it is to discuss this important Bill with the rest…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Fifth sitting)I beg to move amendment 3, in page 1, line 6, after “Secretary of State” insert “upon the assessment of a multi-agency review or recommendation of the Intelligence and Security…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Sixth sitting)As we are over time, I shall not detain the Committee long, but I want to say a few words on this important clause. Our debate has again highlighted the Minister’s apparent…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Sixth sitting)I will be brief because I know that we have to make progress, but I will say a few words on clause 6, which is in some ways the heart of the Bill, defining as it does what a…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Sixth sitting)The Minister says that this Bill is not country specific. I know he does not want to define national security in the Bill, but does he think that our national security can be…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Sixth sitting)My hon. Friend is making an excellent point. In addition to the critical issue of the state of many small businesses after covid, there is Brexit. The low value of the pound means…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Sixth sitting)I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Test for the points that he is making. I wish to put to him, and effectively the Minister as well, an example which was raised…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Sixth sitting)I thank the Minister for his comments on clauses 5 and 10 and schedule 1, which are quite technical provisions designed to allow for the different ways in which control may be…01 Dec 2020HANSARDNational Security and Investment Bill (Sixth sitting)Clause 3 is critical, as it sets out the context in which the Secretary of State will exercise the important power to call in transactions. We have sought in our amendments to…01 Dec 2020