Contributions
574 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPalestinian School Textbooks: EU ReviewOverall, yes, but there were examples where they did not. We agree with the thrust absolutely. The hon. Member for Caerphilly (Wayne David), who is very experienced in these…30 Jun 2021HANSARDOfficial Development Assistance and the British CouncilWe will return to 0.7%, and we will do that in the most effective way. I would hope to build back better.30 Jun 2021HANSARDOfficial Development Assistance and the British CouncilI cannot contain myself. Ambassadors are responsible for the whole of Her Majesty’s Government.30 Jun 2021HANSARDPreventing Sexual Violence in Conflict InitiativeThe House is clearly very grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Totnes (Anthony Mangnall) and to the hon. Member for Rotherham (Sarah Champion) for securing this debate. I pay…17 Jun 2021HANSARDGlobal Poverty and InequalityThe UK’s overseas development assistance continues to serve the primary purpose of reducing poverty in developing countries. We are proud that we remain firmly committed to…15 Jun 2021HANSARDGlobal Poverty and InequalityI agree that we have an opportunity to expand our presence abroad, particularly in developing countries. As part of the UK’s diplomatic and development expansion, we now have…15 Jun 2021HANSARDGlobal Poverty and InequalityI can certainly commit to going back to 0.7%—that is the Government’s intention when the fiscal situation is right. I can agree to co-operate with co-operatives across the…15 Jun 2021HANSARD EthiopiaI thank my right hon. Friend for his long-standing interest. Like him, I do not want to go back to 1984, although there are chilling similarities. He talks of the number of…14 Jun 2021HANSARD EthiopiaI thank the right hon. Gentleman for that question. He is absolutely right that this issue requires a political solution; without a political solution, all the other actions that…14 Jun 2021HANSARD EthiopiaI thank my hon. Friend for her service as my predecessor in this role. She will appreciate that the awarding of a Nobel peace prize is not for the United Kingdom to determine. At…14 Jun 2021HANSARD EthiopiaI would not want the House to get the wrong idea. Internationally we said, “Never again,” but actually things are improving across the African continent. There are still problems,…14 Jun 2021HANSARD EthiopiaSadly, a high level of sexual violence is being directed at children—children are being forced to commit sexual acts—and I think it is likely that people under the age of 18 are…14 Jun 2021HANSARD EthiopiaSadly, all those things are happening, it is true. To put some numbers on the sexual violence, it is over 1,000, and we fear that probably at least 26,000 people are likely to…14 Jun 2021HANSARD EthiopiaI thank my hon. Friend for his support. Of course we are still contributing £10 billion of aid. That is an enormous sum of money in absolute terms. It is also enormous relative to…14 Jun 2021HANSARD EthiopiaThis is an incredibly important issue, which was given a higher profile when Lord Hague was Foreign Secretary. It was raised up the international agenda. In fact, I was alongside…14 Jun 2021HANSARD EthiopiaMy right hon. Friend makes very strong points, and I am reminded that if the famine-like conditions were more concentrated—were in a more defined area—they would indeed be defined…14 Jun 2021HANSARD EthiopiaI am concerned about all the people, whether they are Christians, Ethiopians or Eritreans, as I know the hon. Gentleman is. I continue a dialogue—in fact I think this issue comes…14 Jun 2021HANSARD EthiopiaAt various points in the conflict there has been denial that troops are there, denial that they were there and committing atrocities, and so on and so on; it has been very…14 Jun 2021HANSARD EthiopiaI thank the hon. Lady for the way in which she has addressed this and a number of other issues on Ethiopia behind the scenes as well as in public; that has been very helpful. I am…14 Jun 2021HANSARD EthiopiaIt is important that we look at the situation as an international community rather than acting on a bilateral basis. I am hopeful that the end of the elections will be a pivot…14 Jun 2021