Marsha Singh: May I inform my right hon. Friend that many of my constituents are extremely concerned about the events taking place in Pakistan right now? This is a struggle that the Pakistani Government must win. What support are the Government offering Pakistan, both through what its troops are doing and on internally displaced people?
Marsha Singh: Prime Minister, about five years ago Westfield started to develop a shopping centre in Bradford city centre. It should have been completed next year. The company now says that it does not know when it will be completed, and Bradford is left with a huge hole in the heart of its city centre. Will the Prime Minister urge Westfield to keep its commitment to the people of Bradford, and will he...
Marsha Singh: I wish to speak about the appalling way in which the Ministry of Defence has treated my constituent, Mr. Charles Stuart. The nub of my argument is that not only has he been treated very shabbily, but he has been refused the right of a hearing before the Air Force Board. Charles Stuart had an accident on duty in November 1991 at RAF Belize, when a falling heavy oil drum struck his head,...
Marsha Singh: I would like to speak about a very narrow area of this legislation—the Bill makes the tiniest of references to it—as it might have an even greater impact than the other proposals on many people. I am talking about non-invasive surgery. My attention was drawn to the issue of non-invasive post-mortems following the information that such surgical practices were happening in the Manchester...
Marsha Singh: What is important today is not any discourse on the past or on what may happen in future, but how we get a ceasefire and stop the carnage in Gaza. Let me say at the outset that Hamas has to bear some of the blame for what has happened; if somebody fires a rocket at my house, I am going to fire one back. However, the actions of the Israeli Government and military have been completely and...
Marsha Singh: No—please let me proceed. The report outlined the gravity of the situation: the rising unemployment, lack of basic medical supplies, blackouts, economic collapse and denial of emergency treatment outside Gaza. It described the situation as a "humanitarian implosion". The blockade of Gaza turned Gaza into one huge prison, and that is the reality that the Gazan people have faced in 2008. The...
Marsha Singh: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Marsha Singh: Will my right hon. Friend accept that condemnation has brought no relief to the people of Gaza? The killing goes on. Is it not time for stronger action? Is it not time that we expelled the ambassador of Israel and brought our ambassador back from Israel? Is it not time that we called for international sanctions against Israel?
Marsha Singh: Is the Leader of the House aware that Sheikh Hasina Wajid, a former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and leader of the Bangladeshi Awami League, has been languishing in jail for the past eight months on trumped-up charges without the prospect of any kind of trial? In addition, she is seriously ill and has been refused hospital treatment. Will my right hon. and learned Friend ensure that the...
Marsha Singh: Will my right hon. and learned Friend find time to debate the current crisis in Gaza? While we all deplore the rocket attacks by Hamas, the killing of innocent civilians, including women and children by the score, the economic blockade and the failure to let medical supplies through make up a completely disproportionate response. It is not only disproportionate but appalling. Israel is...
Marsha Singh: May I say to my right hon. Friend that there is much in her statement that is worthy of consideration? There is a lot to take in, in respect of the implications, but I have two immediate concerns. The first, which has already been raised, is about probationary citizenship. If people lose it or have to surrender their original citizenship and are not granted British citizenship, where do they...
Marsha Singh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to improve public perception of the effectiveness of community sentences.
Marsha Singh: I echo the comments of my hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Mr. Khan) about the importance of the debate. I represent a constituency where ESOL is a necessity, not a luxury. At a time when we need to promote social cohesion, and we want people to speak English well so that they can get jobs and integrate into the society, are not the cuts a backward step for that desire and aspiration? It...
Marsha Singh: Will my right hon. Friend find time to debate the entry clearance system in Islamabad, with particular reference to the appeals system? I have constituents whose spouses have won appeals and the delay is interminable. I refer, for example, to my constituent, Mr. Mohammed Waheed, whose wife won her appeal on 31 October 2005. She is still waiting for entry clearance. My constituent Mrs. Shamim...
Marsha Singh: And corner shops.
Marsha Singh: Can my right hon. Friend understand the anger of my constituents in Bradford, and of people in general, when they discovered that one of the people wanted in connection with the murder of Sharon Beshenivsky was a convicted criminal and a foreign national who had not been recommended, even in principle, for deportation? Why was he not recommended even in principle? Who are these people who...
Marsha Singh: Will my right hon. Friend find time to debate the south Asian earthquake disaster, which The Independent described today as "the forgotten disaster"? I am proud and pleased about the response of the Department for International Development and the British Government, but 100,000 people could die during the winter. Tents and shelters are still needed, and 2.3 million people will need food. In...
Marsha Singh: May I join the Prime Minister in expressing my condolences on the murder of Officer Beshenivsky? I also extend my sympathy to Officer Milburn and wish her a speedy recovery. What more can be done to tackle gun crime in this country and to assist in the safety of our officers on the beat? Although Bradford is united in its horror, shock and grief, does the Prime Minister agree that this is a...
Marsha Singh: rose in his place and claimed to move, That the Question be now put. Question, That the Question be now put, put and negatived.
Marsha Singh: My concern, which caused me to introduce the Bill, is the fact that the equal opportunities bodies responsible for tackling discrimination are not doing so at the individual's level. Last year, those organisations supported 250 cases of strategic significance out of more than 20,000 that were lodged. My concern is that those 250 people got the support that they needed and deserved but...