Results 1-20 of 2,324 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:John Stanley

Debate on the Address: Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Defence (23 Nov 2009)

John Stanley: It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Pontypridd (Dr. Howells), who we on the Foreign Affairs Committee remember as a Minister with a refreshing propensity to deviate from the official brief. The right hon. Gentleman, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Kensington and Chelsea (Sir Malcolm Rifkind) and the Front Benchers rightly focused on Afghanistan, and I wish...

[Mr.Greg Pope in the Chair] — Arms Export Controls (5 Nov 2009)

John Stanley: It is always a pleasure to follow the Chairman of the Committee on Arms Export Controls, the hon. Member for Kingswood (Roger Berry). He made an extremely pertinent contribution, and will be glad to know that he raised all the points that I was going to make. As always on such occasions, one is delighted to feed off the crumbs from the rich man's table. I will start with one important matter...

[Mr.Greg Pope in the Chair] — Arms Export Controls (5 Nov 2009)

John Stanley: I agree with the hon. Gentleman. We are on all fours with the Government on this issue, in so far as we asked for an independent study to be carried out, our recommendation was accepted and the study was carried out. Rather tantalisingly, however, and for reasons best known to them, the Government will release the study only "in due course", whatever that means. Perhaps the Minister will...

[Mr.Greg Pope in the Chair] — Arms Export Controls (5 Nov 2009)

John Stanley: I do not think that we have considered that specific issue in the four Committees, because we are charged with addressing policy on exports from the UK, and the British Government's policy, but the hon. Gentleman makes a perfectly valid point, and it is incumbent on all signatories of the NPT to comply with its provisions in all respects. I am sure that any evidence he has to the contrary...

[Mr. Joe Benton in the Chair] — Global Security (Iran) (9 Jul 2009)

John Stanley: As I was saying, the BBC has made an excellent contribution through its Persian service on radio, online and on television. Given the crucial nature of the decision to expand the BBC's Persian language output, I trust that the Government will continue to give every possible support to the BBC in this area, financially, technically and in any other way that they can to assist it, to ensure...

[Mr. Joe Benton in the Chair] — Global Security (Iran) (9 Jul 2009)

John Stanley: I congratulate the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the hon. Member for Ilford, South (Mike Gapes), on a fine speech. I strongly echo the sentiments he expressed on human rights and the other issues that he covered. The debate is on a report that we published just over a year ago, but it could not be more timely, so I am glad that the Chairman has taken the opportunity to secure...

[Mr. Joe Benton in the Chair] — Global Security (Iran) (9 Jul 2009)

John Stanley: I am afraid that I cannot judge how up to date or out of date the information held by the Foreign Office is, because only the Foreign Office can do that. All that I can point to is what the Foreign Office chose to make public in its response to our report, and I am sure that my hon. Friend will agree that that in itself is profoundly disturbing. The Chairman of the Committee highlighted the...

Oral Answers to Questions — Health: European Council (23 Jun 2009)

John Stanley: With regard to Iran, does the Prime Minister agree that, coming from the present Iranian regime, Britain's having been dubbed the embodiment of evil is actually a considerable compliment? Does this not reflect the admirably steadfast service provided by the British ambassador in Tehran and all his staff, including the two diplomats who have just been unjustifiably expelled? Does it not also...

[John Bercow in the Chair] — Overseas Territories (23 Apr 2009)

John Stanley: I am glad to follow the Chairman of the Committee, the hon. Member for Ilford, South (Mike Gapes), who used his excellent and extremely well-judged speech to bring out all the salient issues with which the Committee dealt in its important inquiry. As has been said, this is the first time for well in excess of 15 years that the Foreign Affairs Committee has carried out an inquiry into the...

[John Bercow in the Chair] — Overseas Territories (23 Apr 2009)

John Stanley: I will just finish, if I may. The others are Gibraltar, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

[John Bercow in the Chair] — Overseas Territories (23 Apr 2009)

John Stanley: I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, but even if there is a slightly lesser degree of delegation in the case of the Cayman Islands, the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that all seven of the British overseas territories that I mentioned are removed from the OECD's "name and shame" list still lies with the British Government. Does the Minister agree that it is somewhere towards shocking...

[John Bercow in the Chair] — Overseas Territories (23 Apr 2009)

John Stanley: With his usual acuity the hon. Gentleman has anticipated the next sentences that I was going to say, almost word for word. That was indeed our experience when we went to the Turks and Caicos Islands. The written evidence clearly demonstrated that there was a climate of fear. When we arrived there, that was wholly confirmed. We had to arrange meetings with individuals who were prepared to see...

[John Bercow in the Chair] — Overseas Territories (23 Apr 2009)

John Stanley: The hon. Gentleman shows the same acuity as the hon. Member for Hyndburn. He, too, has anticipated precisely the point that I was about to make. I am not totally surprised that such a situation could arise in an overseas territory, as they have some considerable vulnerabilities. In this overseas territory there is a very small electorate of some 12,000 people, which is about the size of a...

[Sir Nicholas Winterton in the Chair] — Arms Export Controls (26 Mar 2009)

John Stanley: Will the Minister confirm whether the Committee could, if it so wished, put into the public domain the entire text of his letter on 19 February?

[Sir Nicholas Winterton in the Chair] — Arms Export Controls (26 Mar 2009)

John Stanley: I asked the Minister whether he would conduct a very carefully considered review of whether this substantial trade with China, as shown in EU figures, is fully compliant with the terms of the EU combined criteria. For example, is he satisfied that every item that has received a licence from his Department is compliant with criterion 2(a)? That states: "Member States shall...deny an export...

[Sir Nicholas Winterton in the Chair] — Arms Export Controls (26 Mar 2009)

John Stanley: May I respond to what the Minister said to me about a review of policy towards Israel? He spoke as if the policy is set in stone and does not take into account events—particularly recent events. Does he not agree that it is incumbent on him and his colleagues to look at recent events and consider whether the uses that have been made by Israel of military equipment are still compliant...

[Sir Nicholas Winterton in the Chair] — Arms Export Controls (26 Mar 2009)

John Stanley: I do not understand my hon. Friend's point, because the Government's response to the report that we are debating was published in November 2008.

[Sir Nicholas Winterton in the Chair] — Arms Export Controls (26 Mar 2009)

John Stanley: I wholly agree with my hon. Friend about defence attachés, but I offer a further point of clarification to him. He will recall that, after intervening, he was rebuked by the hon. Member for Kingswood for advocating additional public expenditure, but does my hon. Friend not agree that that was a mistake on the hon. Gentleman's part, because the issue was about a transfer of expenditure...

[Sir Nicholas Winterton in the Chair] — Arms Export Controls (26 Mar 2009)

John Stanley: For the record, I made it clear that, apart from Israel and China, I thought that across the board the Government should further examine component control in relation to EU criteria.

[Sir Nicholas Winterton in the Chair] — Arms Export Controls (26 Mar 2009)

John Stanley: I am pleased to follow the hon. Member for Kingswood (Roger Berry), who chaired the four Committees with great diligence and effectiveness during their consideration of the reports. At the Committees' evidence session on 11 March, we took evidence from non-governmental organisations such as Amnesty International, Oxfam and Saferworld. I asked whether they could cite specific examples of UK...