Tag: Comments

Alexander Stafford – 2022 Question on the British National Overseas Visa Scheme

The question asked by Alexander Stafford, the Conservative MP for Rother Valley, in the House of Commons on 8 November 2022.

What assessment he has made of the impact of the British national overseas visa scheme on diplomatic relations with China. (902107)

The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Anne-Marie Trevelyan)

We warmly welcome all those who have taken up the BNO visa route. This route is about our relationship with Hong Kong and its people. The BNO visa scheme was introduced in response to China’s breaches of the Sino-British joint declaration, including its imposition of the national security law, which has been used to undermine rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.

Alexander Stafford

I deeply commend the Government on implementing the impressive, tailor-made British national overseas visa and standing up for the Hongkongers in the face of growing repression from Beijing. British nationals overseas are Britons, and it is important that we defend them at home and abroad. In the light of the recent assault on a Hongkonger inside the Chinese consulate in Manchester and the increasing harassment of Hongkongers by the Chinese state all over the world, will my right hon. Friend commit to protecting the British Hongkongers?

Anne-Marie Trevelyan

We are steadfast in our support of the Hong Kong BNO community. Those who choose to live their lives in the UK should enjoy the same freedoms that are afforded to any nationality. As British nationals, BNO passport holders are entitled to consulate assistance from our diplomatic posts overseas.

November 9, 2022
Lyn Brown – 2022 Question on Climate Change and Support for Somali

The question asked by Lyn Brown, the Labour MP for West Ham, in the House of Commons on 8 November 2022.

I also welcome the Minister to his post. Across east Africa, somebody is dying of hunger every 36 seconds. One hundred people will die in the time that Ministers are at the Dispatch Box. At COP, countries such as ours are urged to cover the cost of adapting to global heating in extremely vulnerable nations, but, despite soundbites from No. 10 about helping countries with the existential threats that they face, our Government are cutting support for countries such as Somalia. Will he demonstrate that he understands the real human cost of climate change by promising immediate assistance for food and climate support in Somalia?

Mr Mitchell

I thank the hon. Lady for her kind remarks. The international community is scaling up in Somalia and in Ethiopia. The World Bank and the African Development Bank have announced more than $35 billion of funding for food security across the region.

November 9, 2022
Tam Dhesi – 2022 Question on the Food Situation in Somali

The question asked by Tam Dhesi, the Labour MP for Slough, in the House of Commons on 8 November 2022.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of hunger in Somalia in the last 12 months.

The Minister for Development (Mr Andrew Mitchell)

The humanitarian situation throughout Somalia is grave and has worsened significantly over the past 12 months. The number of people affected by drought has more than doubled since January, with more than 7.8 million people—almost 50% of the country—now in need of humanitarian assistance. More than 300,000 people are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

Mr Dhesi

Mortality and malnutrition are at alarming levels, with 300,000 people expected to face famine in Burhakaba and Baidoa. Sadly, children in Somalia are bearing the brunt, with half a million needing treatment for severe acute malnutrition, and they are much more likely to die of diarrhoea and measles. As families make desperate survival decisions, women and children will face gender-based violence and child marriage. Rather than continuously, callously cutting aid budgets, what will the Government do to honour their commitment to protect women and girls before it is too late?

Mr Mitchell

Under the category 5 definition—those people who are on the brink of starving to death—there are nearly 1 million people in the world today, and 300,000 of them are in Somalia. There is, therefore, no question at all about the need. I hope to go to Somalia before too long to see for myself what more we can do, but I should emphasise that UK-funded programmes are ensuring that emergency cash transfers, which are very important, are reaching 310,000 people. On the hon. Member’s specific point, in terms of water and sanitation, we are helping 483,000

Mr Speaker

Order. This also goes for the Government side of the House: we have to get Back Benchers in; it is not just a show for Ministers and their shadows.

November 9, 2022
Alyn Smith – 2022 Question to Andrew Mitchell on 0.7% of GDP on Foreign Aid

The question asked by Alyn Smith, the SNP MP for Stirling, in the House of Commons on 8 November 2022.

Alyn Smith (Stirling) (SNP)

I, too, welcome the Ministers to their place, and I look forward to working constructively with them. I am glad that aid is going to the dreadful situation in Nigeria, but surely that illustrates the wider point that we cannot do more with less. Surely now is time to reinstate the 0.7% aid allocation, because these events will increase going forward.

Mr Mitchell

The hon. Gentleman makes a lot of sense, and he knows where I stand on these matters. Fortunately, collective responsibility is not retrospective, and I assure him that we are focused on the issues he has raised. I hope very much that when we have the autumn statement next week, there will be encouraging news.

November 9, 2022
Claire Coutinho – 2022 Comments on her Appointment as Childrens Minister

The comments made by Claire Coutinho, the Conservative MP East Surrey, on 8 November 2022.

I spent a good chunk of my career looking at how we help families and give children the best possible start in life. Education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet for success, so I’m very excited to share that I’m now Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing.

November 9, 2022
Nigel Farage – 2022 Comments on Republican Disappointment at Mid-Terms

The comments made by Nigel Farage, the former UKIP leader, on Twitter on 9 November 2022.

Tonight is a disappointment for the Republican Party. The polls were wrong and the red wave is a ripple. Massive early voting has changed American politics.

November 9, 2022
Charlotte Lynch – 2022 Comments on her Arrest as a Journalist

The comments made by the journalist Charlotte Lynch on Twitter on 9 November 2022.

Yesterday I was arrested by @HertsPolice whilst covering a protest on the M25. I showed my press card, and I was handcuffed almost immediately. My phone was snatched out of my hand. I was searched twice, held in a cell for 5 hours, and I wasn’t questioned whilst in custody.

November 9, 2022
Kate Osamor – 2022 Question on Situation on Flood Relief in Nigeria

The question asked by Kate Osamor, the Labour MP for Edmonton, in the House of Commons on 8 November 2022.

What steps he is taking to support flood relief efforts in Nigeria.

The Minister for Development (Mr Andrew Mitchell)

Nigeria is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change, and it is experiencing the worst floods in a decade. The UK is providing support through the multi-donor Start fund, which has allocated £580,000 so far this rainy season. That funding is supporting 26,288 people affected by flooding. We will continue to help Nigeria make progress towards long-term climate change adaptation and resilience.

Kate Osamor

I welcome the Minister to his place. The floods in Nigeria have already left more than 1 million people displaced, 200,000 homes destroyed and, sadly, 600 people dead. In the wake of those floods, cholera cases are skyrocketing in some areas, due to a lack of access to clean water. Will the Minister assure me that the Government will be focusing aid to help ensure access to water and sanitation, and prevent the death toll from rising further?

Mr Mitchell

I thank the hon. Lady for her comments and her question. Over the past five years, Britain has provided £425 million of humanitarian support, which has specifically reached more than 2 million people in north-east Nigeria, including individuals affected by the flooding. I give her a commitment that, working with Nigerian agencies, we will seek to strengthen flood risk management. Prior to COP26 we supported Nigeria’s national adaptation work to help cope with climate change.

November 9, 2022
Gavin Williamson – 2022 Comments on Severance Pay

The comments made by Gavin Williamson, the Conservative MP for South Staffordshire, on Twitter on 8 November 2022.

To dispel any speculation, I want to make it clear that I will not be taking any severance. This is taxpayers’ money and it should go instead toward the Government‘s priorities like reducing the NHS’s waiting lists.

November 9, 2022
Simon Baynes – 2022 Question on Manston

The question asked by Simon Baynes, the Conservative MP for Clwyd South and the former Immigration Minister, on 7 November 2022.

During my brief tenure this summer as the Minister for tackling illegal migration, I visited Manston. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the staff working at Manston deserve our praise for the excellent care and attention they give in their work, particularly as it often takes place in very challenging circumstances?

Robert Jenrick

I thank my hon. Friend for his important short service commission this summer. We are very grateful for the work he did. He is right to say that the staff at Manston have behaved heroically. I was hugely impressed by the Border Force officers I met, the contractors, the cooks, the armed forces personnel and my Home Office officials. They have moved heaven and earth over the course of the past week to ensure that that site is returned to a safe and legal method of operation. They have always treated people with great care and courtesy, and we should all be proud of that.

November 7, 2022