Contributions
95 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Higher Technical Education ReformThe Minister acknowledged that take-up of higher technical qualifications is lower in this country compared with our international competitors. I commend him for the statement and…08 Jul 2019HANSARDCo-operative and Mutual BusinessesWhat a pleasure it is to contribute to this debate. I congratulate the previous speakers, who have all, in their own particular ways, not only articulated the benefit of…27 Jun 2019HANSARDNo Deal: Pharmaceutical Products11. What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the security of supply for pharmaceutical products in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.27 Jun 2019HANSARDCo-operative and Mutual BusinessesDoes my hon. Friend agree that almost all start-up businesses have difficulty in accessing finance but that, ironically, it is more difficult for co-ops, notwithstanding the fact…27 Jun 2019HANSARDNo Deal: Pharmaceutical ProductsA no-deal Brexit would see the UK lose access to the falsified medicines directive, which prevents substandard and counterfeit medicines from entering our market. The head of the…27 Jun 2019HANSARDCo-operative and Mutual BusinessesI thank my hon. Friend for that example, which underlines the point I am making. Given that these local government structures, and the policies that they are adopting, are in…27 Jun 2019HANSARDCo-operative and Mutual BusinessesI thank the hon. Gentleman for that prompt to the Minister. Hopefully it is even more effective coming from his side of the House than from mine. I will conclude by making one or…27 Jun 2019HANSARDBusiness of the HouseThe Royal Mail Group and the Communication Workers Union have agreed a groundbreaking collective defined- contribution pension scheme for the group’s 141,000 UK employees. The…20 Jun 2019HANSARDBellwin Scheme: Social Care Packages for Vulnerable ChildrenOver the past two years in Sandwell, my local authority, the number of children in care has increased by a third. Government funding has not kept pace and, as a result, the…17 Jun 2019HANSARDCystic Fibrosis Drugs: OrkambiI gave the Chair of the Select Committee a little latitude, but that may not be available to other speakers. I call Sir Mike Penning.10 Jun 2019HANSARDCystic Fibrosis Drugs: OrkambiOrder. Seventeen would-be speakers are listed for the debate. Back-Bench contributions will conclude at 6.58 pm to allow for the Front-Bench speeches and the proposer’s summing…10 Jun 2019HANSARDImmigration SystemInternational students are vital not just for our exports, but for university funding and regional economies. Britain is lagging behind our main competitors in attracting the…10 Jun 2019HANSARD International Education StrategyThis debate merits a much longer time being spent on it, given the quality and expertise shown in the contributions. A whole range of issues was raised. I accept what the hon.…22 May 2019HANSARD International Education StrategyAbsolutely. I do not intend to go into the detail of the issues with the EU and students, but obviously the Erasmus programme is enormously attractive. Notwithstanding the…22 May 2019HANSARD International Education StrategyI will touch on that when I talk about the impact the visa regime has had. The revised target in the strategy is to have 600,000 students contributing a net £35 billion to the…22 May 2019HANSARD International Education StrategyAs a fellow west midlands MP, my hon. Friend will have shared the experience of the enormous investment that is coming to the region from Indian entrepreneurs who were educated in…22 May 2019HANSARD International Education StrategyI beg to move, That this House has considered the International Education Strategy. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Hollobone. I emphasise that I will try to…22 May 2019HANSARDMarriage and Civil Partnership: Minimum AgeOrder. We have a little time available, so I have been fairly lenient in allowing interventions on what should be just a summing-up speech, but I ask hon. Members not to abuse…15 May 2019HANSARD HealthMy hon. Friend is making an excellent case. In my local authority, Sandwell, life expectancy is in the bottom 15% nationally and the childhood obesity rate is more than three…14 May 2019HANSARDUK Soft Power23. The UK-EU sanctions regime has largely been shaped by the UK’s pre-eminence in the European financial services market. Post Brexit, both will have separate policies. How does…14 May 2019