Results 1-20 of 2,598 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Nicholas Soames

Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Natural Environment (29 Oct 2009) has video

Nicholas Soames: Does the Secretary of State agree that the scourge of ragwort is a shame to this country? His Department has issued a code, which appears to be widely ignored. Will he therefore take steps to see to it that this infection is removed from our countryside?

Defence Policy (15 Oct 2009) has video

Nicholas Soames: indicated assent.

Defence Policy (15 Oct 2009) has video

Nicholas Soames: Brilliant!

Defence Policy (15 Oct 2009) has video

Nicholas Soames: May I start by paying my own tribute to the fallen, to their families, to the families of all servicemen and women serving abroad and, indeed, to our remarkable servicemen and women, wherever they may be? I agree with much of what the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (Mr. Havard) said. Indeed, I was also in Washington last week. The McChrystal paper is required reading for anyone...

Defence Policy (15 Oct 2009) has video

Nicholas Soames: Will the hon. Lady forgive me for a moment? Secondly, on the Territorial Army, Lieutenant-General Sir Hew Pike, a former inspector-general of the TA, wrote a letter to The Times last week, which he started like this: "Sir, The decision to suspend training and matches would quickly spell the death knell of a football or cricket club. So it is with the Territorial Army (TA), which relies on...

Defence Policy (15 Oct 2009) has video

Nicholas Soames: I really must get on; I hope that the hon. Gentleman will forgive me. Thirdly, I want to say something about the structure of the Ministry of Defence. As a Minister, I worked with some of the finest officials, soldiers, sailors and airmen it is possible to imagine, and that has been one of the greatest—if not the greatest—privilege of my life. However, it is now 25 years since the...

Defence Policy (15 Oct 2009) has video

Nicholas Soames: No, I will not give way. Each year, the record of the Ministry of Defence is agonisingly exposed to all of us who love the services and want them to do well. It is agonisingly exposed as a national scandal to the public, not only by the Defence Committee but by the Public Accounts Committee and everyone else involved. The issues need to be addressed and there needs to be reform that is...

Defence Policy (15 Oct 2009) has video

Nicholas Soames: I am the honorary colonel of the Bristol university OTC, and I have just received a message from the commanding officer that that is, indeed, the situation.

Defence Policy (15 Oct 2009) has video

Nicholas Soames: I understand very well the difficulties that the Secretary of State is talking about. Does he agree that, inevitably, there will be casualties in a war of this type, deeply regrettable and tragic though they are, and that domination of the ground cannot be achieved from the inside of a vehicle or helicopter? It is absolutely fundamental that there is no substitute for adequate boots on the...

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

Nicholas Soames: Even allowing for the considerable and remarkable expertise of British troops in training the Afghans, at which they have been very successful, the timelines outlined in the Prime Minister's statement will be extremely tight. Given the further advice that he received earlier in the year from the chiefs, is he satisfied that there are within 11 Light Brigade enough British soldiers to hold,...

Oral Answers to Questions — Health: Better Healthcare Closer to Home (13 Oct 2009) has video

Nicholas Soames: Given the great importance of these services, will the Minister confirm that the working time directive has not had an adverse effect on the service provided?

New Member: New Clause 12 — De-authorisation of NHS foundation trusts (12 Oct 2009) has video

Nicholas Soames: Will the right hon. and learned Gentleman give way?

New Member: New Clause 12 — De-authorisation of NHS foundation trusts (12 Oct 2009) has video

Nicholas Soames: I am very grateful. On that particular point, following the dreadful events in Staffordshire, did the Minister issue to the strategic health authorities throughout Britain a lessons-learned document or any other instructions?

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

Nicholas Soames: I would like to associate myself particularly with the remarks of the right hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Sir Menzies Campbell) and other colleagues who have spoken powerfully on both sides of the House on this very important matter. In common with the right hon. Member for Airdrie and Shotts (John Reid), a former Secretary of State for Defence, my heart goes out to the...

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

Nicholas Soames: May I read to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's reply to a parliamentary question in which I asked him who is responsible for determining the UK's strategy in Afghanistan? He said: "I accept responsibility for UK strategy in Afghanistan. I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 29 April".—[ Official Report, 4 June 2009; Vol. 493, c. 639W.]

Bill Presented: New Clause 2 — Short-term holding facilities (14 Jul 2009)

Nicholas Soames: As my hon. Friend the Member for Ashford (Damian Green) observed, there is a sort of ritual to these immigration Bills. They come around almost annually, yet they never seem to close with the main problem. Before I lend my support to what my hon. Friend has said, let me remind the House that net foreign immigration trebled between 1997 to 2007, from 107,000 to 333,000. During the same...

Bill Presented: New Clause 2 — Short-term holding facilities (14 Jul 2009)

Nicholas Soames: Mr. Deputy Speaker, you have been characteristically, magnificently generous and I am sorry to have abused your hospitality in the Chair; I will cease to do so. I want very quickly to say only this. I support my hon. Friend the Member for Ashford on the question of the short-term holding facilities. As I have said, those who have to design and run those facilities have to manage a very...

Bill Presented: New Clause 2 — Short-term holding facilities (14 Jul 2009)

Nicholas Soames: I am grateful to the Minister for saying that. On the structure of the administration of the facilities and the accompanying bureaucracy, a very important point was made about liaison between police forces. I have not had the same experience, but I know very well of the inability of police forces to work properly together unless they are made to do so; indeed, every such attempt to make them...

Bill Presented: New Clause 2 — Short-term holding facilities (14 Jul 2009)

Nicholas Soames: As my hon. Friend may or may not know, Lord West is a goat; a member of the "Government of all the talents"! Does my hon. Friend realise that the staff who run the homes do the best they possibly can under difficult conditions? As he rightly says, it will not be much fun staying there, but they do their best.

Bill Presented: New Clause 2 — Short-term holding facilities (14 Jul 2009)

Nicholas Soames: I am grateful to the Minister. I understand that these are extremely difficult matters, but as he says, if policy is to be correctly informed and drafted, it must be based on sound numbers. We believe that the figures supplied to him by Balanced Migration are entirely accurate. Following his line of argument, does he agree that immigration will add nearly 7 million people to England's...