Results 1-20 of 4,017 for speaker:Edward Davey

Written Answers — Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs: Syria (9 Nov 2009)

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) whether he has made an assessment of the conditions in which Kamal al-Labwani is being detained in Syria; and if he will make a statement; (2) whether he has received reports on the disappearance of human rights lawyer Haythem al-Maleh in Syria on 17 October 2009; and if he will make a statement; (3) what recent...

Nato: Sri Lanka (20 Oct 2009)

Edward Davey: Now that the EU has concluded that Sri Lanka is in breach of its human rights obligations under its trade agreement with the EU, will the Foreign Secretary confirm that the UK will push for and support the suspension of the GSP plus trade benefits that Sri Lanka currently enjoys, and argue for that across the EU?

Nato: Sri Lanka (20 Oct 2009)

Edward Davey: With respect to the Foreign Secretary, he did not actually answer my question in his first remarks, and he failed to do so in that response. Are the UK Government going to push for the GSP plus trade benefits to be suspended in relation to Sri Lanka—yes or no?

[Mr. Gary Streeter in the Chair] — UK Relations with Russia (14 Oct 2009)

Edward Davey: I would like to begin by welcoming the Minister for Europe to his new position in the Government. I know that it is a position that he will very much enjoy, as it goes to the heart of many of the interests and issues that he has raised in his time in the House. I look forward to discussing with him the implementation of the Lisbon treaty, when the Czech Republic has signed it. I congratulate...

[Mr. Gary Streeter in the Chair] — UK Relations with Russia (14 Oct 2009)

Edward Davey: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

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

Edward Davey: May I thank the Foreign Secretary for his statement and note in passing that long recesses are not a good advertisement for Parliament, as too often we cannot ask questions when they are most pertinent? The Foreign Secretary has once again tried to suggest that at all times the British Government acted appropriately and that they got the best possible result for everyone involved. I have to...

European Union (21 Jul 2009)

Edward Davey: I congratulate the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski) on securing this debate. Although at times the debate so far suggests that hon. Members may be a little bit demob happy, he made some interesting points that I agree with. I strongly agree that Britain should be in the EU. He may be surprised to know that, as Liberal Democrat spokesman on foreign affairs, I believe...

European Union (21 Jul 2009)

Edward Davey: It is extremely good. If the hon. Gentleman had joined me at the Democratic convention in Denver he would have seen that there were more Liberal Democrat MPs there than Conservative and Labour MPs put together. I turn to business's view of the Conservative party's position on leaving the European People's party.

European Union (21 Jul 2009)

Edward Davey: In a moment. British Chambers of Commerce is alarmed and said in the Financial Times on 24 June that "having so many UK MEPs outside the mainstream groupings is a worry for business." Its head of European representation said that time will tell whether the new alliance will prove successful, but at the moment it looks somewhat fragile. I shall talk about fragility in a moment.

European Union (21 Jul 2009)

Edward Davey: The hon. Gentleman should be careful about the latter point. He knows that all the major parties saw their vote fall from what was predicted in the polls. On the referendum, he should know—I believe that he attended many of the debates on the Lisbon treaty—that the Liberal Democrats supported a referendum on whether we should be in or out of the European Union, and we had an...

European Union (21 Jul 2009)

Edward Davey: Again, I refer the hon. Gentleman to our debates on the Lisbon treaty, because many people had a completely different view.

European Union (21 Jul 2009)

Edward Davey: The hon. Gentleman should have backed our call. We would then have had a much stronger case, and the Government would have been on a much weaker wicket. The key issue—I am sure the hon. Member for Rayleigh will address it—is the Conservative party's decision to leave the European People's party in the European Parliament. Elected Conservative Members of Parliament and those in...

European Union (21 Jul 2009)

Edward Davey: Oh, there are eight—it changes day by day. We can never quite tell. One day, we have former leaders of the Conservative group, people such as Edward McMillan-Scott, who are members of the Tory party, and then we do not. We have to keep track of it, and I apologise for not being quite as up to date as I needed to be, but the key point remains that four members of the new group have a...

European Union (21 Jul 2009)

Edward Davey: I have a question to make the hon. Gentleman feel relaxed, comfortable and content. Does he think that any other member states would support the candidature of Tony Blair and, if so, will he name them?

European Union (21 Jul 2009)

Edward Davey: I am following the hon. Gentleman's comments with great interest. If there were a referendum on whether Britain should be a member of the European Union, how would he vote?

Written Answers — Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs: EU Institutions: Manpower (20 Jul 2009)

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK nationals (a) applied for and (b) have been accepted for traineeships in the European Commission since March 1997.

Bills Presented: Afghanistan and Pakistan (16 Jul 2009) has video

Edward Davey: The hon. Member for Lanark and Hamilton, East (Mr. Hood) was quite right to remind us about the veterans who return from Iraq, Afghanistan or any other theatre of conflict bearing not physical but mental scars, and I hope that the charity in his constituency goes from strength to strength in supporting those soldiers. There remains a broad consensus in this House on key aspects of the policy...

Bills Presented: Afghanistan and Pakistan (16 Jul 2009) has video

Edward Davey: I absolutely accept that and I shall come back to the subject later. There are tough questions surrounding our views on the Taliban and on the intentions we think they have to foment and protect international terrorist organisations like al-Qaeda. Is the conservative Pashtun nationalism that characterises much of the Taliban inherently jihadist? The Taliban may be deeply unattractive and...

Bills Presented: Afghanistan and Pakistan (16 Jul 2009) has video

Edward Davey: The right hon. and learned Gentleman is absolutely right to say we need to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan in order to support the Pakistan Government in achieving what we have asked them to do, but that still prompts the question of when sufficient stability will have arrived in southern Afghanistan to provide an acceptable level of stability in Pakistan. I accept the right hon. and learned...