Results 1-20 of 3,452 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Andrew Dismore

Coroners and Justice Bill: Schedule 1 — Duty or power to suspend or resume investigations (12 Nov 2009)

Andrew Dismore: My main concern throughout this long-running debate, going right back to the counter-terrorism legislation, has been whether we will have an article 2-compliant process. I am still not entirely convinced—even with the Lords amendment and, indeed, amendment (a) from the Opposition Front-Bench team—that we will end up with an article 2-compliant process. However, I shall not go into...

Coroners and Justice Bill: Schedule 1 — Duty or power to suspend or resume investigations (12 Nov 2009)

Andrew Dismore: I am not sure that that is right. Can my right hon. Friend absolutely assure us that if the Lord Chief Justice turns down a judge, the secret inquiry will not take place and the inquest will? If he can, that will go a long way to resolving the issue.

Coroners and Justice Bill: Schedule 1 — Duty or power to suspend or resume investigations (12 Nov 2009)

Andrew Dismore: Well, that is my concern, because I am not entirely convinced that the wording under the Lords amendment would achieve that. We would end up in limbo: on the one hand, the Lord Chancellor would say, "Secret inquiry"; on the other hand, the Lord Chief Justice would say, "You can't have a judge." We would end up exactly where we are with the Azelle Rodney case—four years on and no inquiry...

Coroners and Justice Bill: Schedule 1 — Duty or power to suspend or resume investigations (12 Nov 2009)

Andrew Dismore: The hon. and learned Gentleman has come up with an interesting formulation, but does he agree that there are no safeguards on the face of the Bill? Last time, the debate was focused almost entirely on the question of intercept. Would it not have been better to include a provision in the Bill that secret inquiries could be held only when intercept was the only matter at issue?

Business, Innovation and Skills: First Capital Connect (12 Nov 2009)

Andrew Dismore: Does my hon. Friend share the bemusement of commuters from my constituency who use Mill Hill and Hendon stations at the fact that their daily travel to work can be disrupted because of a shift pattern whereby voluntary overtime is the main way of supplying a weekday commuter service? Does he agree that that is not acceptable and has to be dealt with? Does he also agree that if industrial...

Cyprus (10 Nov 2009)

Andrew Dismore: I don't.

Cyprus (10 Nov 2009)

Andrew Dismore: A debate on Cyprus after a Friends of Cyprus visit to the island now seems to be a part of the House's annual calendar. I draw attention to my entry in the Register of Members' Interests for the visit. The fact that we are here, year after year, could imply that there has been no progress, but that would be wrong. However, such progress as there is is painfully slow, and the clock is ticking...

Cyprus (10 Nov 2009)

Andrew Dismore: The hon. Gentleman makes an important point, but the deadline is not artificial; it is a natural deadline that comes with the normal electoral process. Both sides have been issuing unhelpful statements that provoke each other, and rhetoric from the north can only magnify as the April elections approach. Positive statements from either side receive little coverage. There is a general decline...

Cyprus (10 Nov 2009)

Andrew Dismore: I shall speak about the treaty of guarantee, but it is correct that both sides look to what they consider to be their motherland. I also believe that George Papandreou is right to say that Cyprus must be freed from the influence of the motherland, which has not been entirely beneficial throughout Cyprus's independence. Among Cypriots on the island, there is a generational problem. Research a...

Cyprus (10 Nov 2009)

Andrew Dismore: My hon. Friend makes an important point, and I hope to say a little about the EU accession process. There is a real need to create a pro-solution culture, and to talk not of "the other side" but of "another side" of the debate. America has a key role in persuading Turkey of the need to pave the way for a Cyprus settlement to fulfil her EU aspirations. President Obama's Nobel prize for peace...

Cyprus (10 Nov 2009)

Andrew Dismore: The hon. Lady is correct, and I hope to speak about that. There has been little to show on the ground at Ledra street towards the essential building restoration or withdrawal of the Turkish army, but we were told that the next phase to make safe the buildings and their facades at least will go ahead from about now. Although not strictly a confidence-building measure, Stelios Haji-Ioannou of...

Cyprus (10 Nov 2009)

Andrew Dismore: My hon. Friend makes an important point, and I will say a little about property shortly. We should acknowledge the cost of Operation Tosca—the UK contribution to UNFICYP—to the UK taxpayer. That subsidy from the UK to the island is often overlooked. Last year the cost was £16 million, of which only £2.5 million was reimbursed by the UN. I was pleased to hear that the...

Cyprus (10 Nov 2009)

Andrew Dismore: The hon. Gentleman is right. It is important to remember when we talk about a bicommunal island that in fact there are more than two communities in Cyprus. The Maronites, the Armenians, the Latins and even people from the UK form part of the community of Cyprus. The hon. Gentleman is right to remind us of the particular minority to which he referred. One of Ms Kaminara's initiatives is to...

Cyprus (10 Nov 2009)

Andrew Dismore: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his comments and I entirely agree. I hope that the Minister will be able to find a little cash in the Foreign Office budget to provide the initiatives that I mentioned with at least token support, if not more substantive support. There are strong rumours, which have been reported in Kathimerini and Afrika, that up to 1,000 Greek Cypriots from the Kyrenia...

Bill Presented: Coroners and Justice Bill (9 Nov 2009) has video

Andrew Dismore: With the leave of the House, I would like to move amendment (a) in lieu.