Contributions
1,226 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRelations with the EUI certainly join my hon. Friend in congratulating the Prime Minister on the careful and considered leadership he is showing at a time when we face a once-in-a-generation moment…06 Mar 2025HANSARDRelations with the EUI always thought the SNP’s policy was one of splendid isolation, but that is certainly not the UK Government’s policy. Indeed, we are working very closely with our European…06 Mar 2025HANSARDRelations with the EUThe position of the Government is unchanged; we have no plans for a youth mobility scheme. We will, of course, always listen to sensible proposals from the EU, but they have to be…06 Mar 2025HANSARDRelations with the EUFirst, we have a strong and proud tradition over centuries of free trade here in the United Kingdom, and we will continue to make the case for that. With regard to our specific…06 Mar 2025HANSARDRelations with the EUTo reassure the hon. Gentleman, the Windsor framework taskforce is based in the Cabinet Office and I regularly discuss issues on Northern Ireland with my European counterparts. I…06 Mar 2025HANSARDUK Covid-19 Inquiry: Quarter 3 Response Costs 2024-25The covid-19 pandemic impacted each and every person in the UK. The work of the UK covid-19 inquiry is crucial in examining the UK’s response to and impact of the covid-19…27 Feb 2025HANSARD Infected Blood Compensation SchemeI will make sure that your stricture about time is properly communicated across Government, Madam Deputy Speaker. May I start by echoing the comments of the hon. Member for…13 Feb 2025HANSARD Infected Blood Compensation SchemeI pay tribute to my hon. Friend for the work he does as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on haemophilia and contaminated blood. Obviously the tariffs were set on the…13 Feb 2025HANSARD Infected Blood Compensation SchemeThe hon. Lady is absolutely right that this scandal goes across decades and across Governments. While compensation is obviously one of the crucial recommendations, there are a…13 Feb 2025HANSARD Infected Blood Compensation SchemeI can certainly give that assurance both to my hon. Friend and to his constituent, Sue. The Government will continue to push this forward as quickly as is reasonably possible. I…13 Feb 2025HANSARD Infected Blood Compensation SchemeThe right hon. Gentleman makes a powerful point, and what is crucial, whether it is this compensation scheme or others that have been run by Government, is that we learn the…13 Feb 2025HANSARD Infected Blood Compensation SchemeI think I speak for the whole House in sending our sympathies to Lynda and James for the indescribable sense of loss and the experience that they have been through over so many…13 Feb 2025HANSARD Infected Blood Compensation SchemeFirst, in terms of numbers, as I indicated, IBCA is operating a test and learn approach that then allows it to scale up. It will scale up its capacity alongside that, to ensure…13 Feb 2025HANSARD Infected Blood Compensation SchemeGenerally, with regard to evidence, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority has said that when an individual is invited to make their claim, it will aim to gather some of the…13 Feb 2025HANSARD Infected Blood Compensation SchemeOn the right hon. Gentleman’s point about tariffs, they have been set out and published. There are then assessments to be made about severity within the tariff bands. There is…13 Feb 2025HANSARD Infected Blood Compensation SchemeOn people’s having a sense of the amount of money they will get, the Government published explainer documents in August last year—and in recent days—that are on the Government…13 Feb 2025HANSARD Infected Blood Compensation SchemeThe hon. Lady is entirely right to raise the issue of evidence. There is the specific issue that she referred to, but there is also a far more general problem about incidents…13 Feb 2025HANSARD Infected Blood Compensation SchemeI assure my hon. Friend that I work closely with the devolved Administrations on the issue of compensation. There is a broader point as well: events that took place in the 1970s,…13 Feb 2025HANSARD Infected Blood Compensation SchemeOn the hon. Gentleman’s first point, he mentioned me and my colleagues, but of course IBCA is an arm’s length body—it is operationally independent—so it takes operationally…13 Feb 2025HANSARD Infected Blood Compensation SchemeFirst, I should say for clarity that all IBCA payments made to those in the UK will be exempt from income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax. Anyone who is in direct…13 Feb 2025