Results 1-20 of 4,092 for speaker:Malcolm Bruce

Opposition Day — [19th allotted day]: Climate Change (Political Response) (21 Oct 2009) has video

Malcolm Bruce: My hon. Friend the Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) made it clear that the Liberal Democrats are trying to focus on a very simple thing that the House could do today: sign up for the 10:10 campaign. I have absolute admiration for the Minister. Her commitment on this subject is acknowledged and her contribution is huge, but the fact remains that the Government sound...

Opposition Day — [19th allotted day]: Climate Change (Political Response) (21 Oct 2009) has video

Malcolm Bruce: I shall not take the hon. Gentleman's intervention, but I will anticipate it. He said that the House of Commons Commission has indicated that it does not wish to go down that route, but that does not prevent the House from saying that it wants it to do so and asking it to think again. The 10:10 website, which I looked at today, says that the House of Commons has the opportunity to sign up for...

Opposition Day — [19th allotted day]: Climate Change (Political Response) (21 Oct 2009) has video

Malcolm Bruce: Hang on. I did not like the last bit of the hon. Lady's intervention. So 10:10 is a gimmick? Is that what she is saying? The fact is that there was no 10:10 campaign when the 2008 Act went through Parliament, but there is now and it has widespread support individually and collectively. It is right for the House to use this opportunity to give a lead by saying, "We wish to join that campaign...

Opposition Day — [19th allotted day]: Climate Change (Political Response) (21 Oct 2009) has video

Malcolm Bruce: I am anxious to let other people make their speeches. The point that I want to get across is that all of us have to think hard about the practicalities involved and how we can engage with central and local government on how we can help each other to achieve the aim of joining the campaign.

Opposition Day — [19th allotted day]: Climate Change (Political Response) (21 Oct 2009) has video

Malcolm Bruce: I am grateful for the Minister's intervention, and I accept her sincerity. On the other hand, the House faces a practical problem. If it wishes to join 10:10, it needs to vote for the Liberal Democrat motion, because it contains the wording that would allow that to happen. It is unfortunate that the Government, in seeking to amend the motion, did not incorporate that part of it and so, I...

Opposition Day — [19th allotted day]: Climate Change (Political Response) (21 Oct 2009) has video

Malcolm Bruce: I cannot take another intervention as others need to speak. I will come to what the right hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, East (Mr. Prescott) said shortly—I completely agree with his closing remarks—but before I do, let me say that we need to give people a lot more help domestically to deliver reductions. We are still taking a rather scatter-gun approach. Everybody knows that...

Opposition Day — [19th allotted day]: Climate Change (Political Response) (21 Oct 2009) has video

Malcolm Bruce: Well, I take that as a given, but it is important that that qualification is written in and the understanding is clear, so that projects are evaluated accordingly. The second stricture that I was considering was that this proposal would be uncomfortable for the United Kingdom and should perhaps apply only to the countries that have achieved the 0.7 per cent. of GDP. People in poor countries...

Opposition Day — [19th allotted day]: Climate Change (Political Response) (21 Oct 2009) has video

Malcolm Bruce: The hon. Gentleman is making a powerful point. Is not Labour looking for excuses not to support the motion? If the Government had so much in place there would be no difficulty in delivering a 10 per cent. reduction next year, because the mechanisms would already be there. Why will the Government not allow the House to decide that it wants to sign up to that? If anybody wants to vote for...

Oral Answers to Questions — International Development: Sri Lanka (21 Oct 2009) has video

Malcolm Bruce: As someone who visited the camps earlier this year, along with you, Mr. Speaker, I welcome the Minister's report on the basic conditions in the camps. Does he agree with me, however, that the Sri Lankan Government would better serve their interests if they gave full unrestricted access to the camp to the media and all the agencies and fulfilled their promise to allow people to return home...

Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister: Afghanistan and Pakistan (14 Oct 2009) has video

Malcolm Bruce: Following that question, will the Prime Minister acknowledge that President Karzai is excluding women from his Government? In his discussions with President Karzai and Dr. Abdullah yesterday, what steps did he take to ensure that women will have a significant presence in any new Government, however it is formed, at both a national and a local level and that they will have access to secular...

[David Taylor in the Chair] — North Sea Oil and Gas Industry (13 Oct 2009)

Malcolm Bruce: I congratulate the hon. Member for Aberdeen, North (Mr. Doran) on securing this debate. I should like to testify to his unstinting work on the issues of North sea safety in which he is heavily engaged and interested. He was right to bring this matter to the House—he does so from time to time—and highlight both the problems and achievements. I should like to draw out some of those...

[David Taylor in the Chair] — North Sea Oil and Gas Industry (13 Oct 2009)

Malcolm Bruce: The hon. Gentleman is making an important point about the industry's collective wisdom and knowledge. Does he share my concern that the number of people with the experience to know where the safety risks are is declining because we have an ageing work force, which might lead to an increase in risk?

Oral Answers to Questions — Children, Schools and Families: Libya (12 Oct 2009) has video

Malcolm Bruce: Does the Secretary of State acknowledge that there is disquiet among many people about the fact that Mr. Megrahi withdrew his appeal the day before Kenny MacAskill made his announcement, presumably because of the return of prisoners legislation? Does the Secretary of State not agree that as a consequence, people are disappointed that the opportunity perhaps to find other perpetrators of...

Written Answers — Justice: Interpretation Services (21 Jul 2009)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements his Department makes for the provision of legal services to people requiring a sign language interpreter; and if he will make a statement.

[John Cummings in the Chair] (14 Jul 2009)

Malcolm Bruce: Thank you, Mr. Cummings. I will be very brief indeed. Aberdeen is a wonderful place and it contributes an enormous amount to the national economy, but it is a long way from everywhere. One of the things that I think people have been most concerned about is that Aberdeen does not get a fair deal on railway services. Indeed, although there is a franchise from London to Aberdeen, very often the...

Oral Answers to Questions — Home Department: Building our Common Future (6 Jul 2009)

Malcolm Bruce: I thank the Secretary of State for the White Paper, and for taking account of many of the recommendations of the International Development Committee. He is right to say that in the present climate aid, is needed more, not less, and we need public understanding and backing for that. On the conflict country support, will he clarify how many fewer countries the Department will operate in? If 50...

School Bus Safety (2 Jul 2009) has video

Malcolm Bruce: I am grateful to have the opportunity to debate the subject of school bus safety, and it is perhaps appropriate that this debate should follow that we have just had on road safety. There is a problem in that the statistics are not collected specifically on school bus safety. One of my proposals is that they should be monitored. I first raised the issue in the House 11 years ago, when I...

School Bus Safety (2 Jul 2009) has video

Malcolm Bruce: The hon. Gentleman is quite right. The Government take issue with that, but I certainly agree that there is such evidence. I would also say—I am conscious of my time—that Aberdeenshire and Moray councils cannot adopt that because of the law, but they have adopted a whole variety of safety measures. They have run an excellent campaign under the logo "Bus Stop", they have set up a...

Bill Presented — Sustainable Energy (Local Plans) Bill: National Express East Coast Franchise (1 Jul 2009) has video

Malcolm Bruce: Passengers from Aberdeen will very much regret this second debacle, and they always regretted the loss of GNER anyway. What can the Minister do in this interim time to ensure that we get competitive fares rather than the extra charges that National Express imposed? We need to compete with the airlines, because it is now cheaper to fly than to use the railways.

Written Answers — Cabinet Office: Charities: Economic Downturn (1 Jul 2009)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what her Department's latest assessment is of the effects of the recession on charities.