Results 1-20 of 1,520 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Hugo Swire

Oral Answers to Questions — Culture, Media and Sport: Overseas Tourists (9 Nov 2009) has video

Hugo Swire: How many overseas tourists visited England in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Oral Answers to Questions — Culture, Media and Sport: Overseas Tourists (9 Nov 2009) has video

Hugo Swire: I am glad to say that many of those tourists from overseas are coming to this country, not least on account of the euro, and coming to the south-west, where we have a huge amount of furnished holiday lettings. The Minister will be aware that the Government have said that the furnished holiday lettings tax regime needs to change. Why does she think that it needs to change, with the European...

Opposition Day — [20th Allotted Day]: Future of the Territorial Army (28 Oct 2009) has video

Hugo Swire: This has been an unhappy day for the Ministry of Defence and the ministerial team. It started off with a statement on Nimrod that exposed institutional flaws in MOD culture, and now Ministers have had to come to the Front Bench to acknowledge a volte-face as a result of the Prime Minister's direct interference. There has been much recent talk that this House should become more responsive to...

Opposition Day — [20th Allotted Day]: Future of the Territorial Army (28 Oct 2009) has video

Hugo Swire: Indeed, and I asked in last week's business questions whether we could have a debate in Government time on the TA, and I was told that that was being looked at. This debate is not being held in Government time of course, but it is worth pointing out that when the recent announcement was made from No. 10, the Prime Minister said it was the right thing to do. Yes, it was the right thing to do,...

Opposition Day — [20th Allotted Day]: Future of the Territorial Army (28 Oct 2009) has video

Hugo Swire: Yes, as I said, we are where we are. I do not believe there has been much political points scoring from those on the Conservative Benches. Quite a number of my hon. Friends are actively serving in the reserve forces and the TA, and often are not here in the Chamber because they are deployed in Afghanistan. It is hard to claim that they are trying to score political points. The Secretary of...

Opposition Day — [20th Allotted Day]: Future of the Territorial Army (28 Oct 2009) has video

Hugo Swire: Yes, of course I do. That is why I welcome what the shadow Secretary of State has said about mental health follow-up telephone calls, as are made in America, to all those who have served in the forces, be they TA or Regular Army, for some years after they have been deployed and when they return. I do not wish to detain the House for longer than I have to, because this debate almost need not...

Opposition Day — [20th Allotted Day]: Future of the Territorial Army (28 Oct 2009) has video

Hugo Swire: Does the hon. Gentleman not think it would also be appropriate for the Secretary of State, or even the Prime Minister, to summon business leaders to reassure them of the Government's commitment to the reserves and the TA, and encourage them to continue to release them when they are needed?

Opposition Day — [20th Allotted Day]: Future of the Territorial Army (28 Oct 2009) has video

Hugo Swire: I completely agree with the hon. Gentleman. It will be debilitating to those seeking to join the TA and to those in the TA, but equally so to employers, who have recently been so patient so often in losing their employees. What message does he think that the Government's shenanigans and volte-face over the past 24 hours are sending to employers?

Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister: Nimrod Review (28 Oct 2009) has video

Hugo Swire: The MOD is very often—continually, it seems—criticised for its inability to provide the right equipment at the right place. Surely we can expect that when equipment is provided it is at least safe and airworthy. There are two stark facts in this report. First, Mr. Haddon-Cave refers again to the pursuit of financial savings and taking eyes off the safety ball; and secondly, he is...

Defence Policy (15 Oct 2009) has video

Hugo Swire: I join others in paying tribute to all those who have lost their lives recently in Afghanistan, not least Guardsman Jamie Janes of 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, in which I served, who died tragically on 5 October in Nad Ali district in Helmand province while on foot patrol. Our thoughts are with their families and regiments. Nobody who wishes to do anything other than understand what is...

Defence Policy (15 Oct 2009) has video

Hugo Swire: Can the Secretary of State tell us what proportion of the Pakistani army is facing India, as opposed to facing Afghanistan? When he was recently in Pakistan, what pressure did he bring to bear on the Pakistani Government to redeploy more of their assets to deal with the problem confronting us, particularly in the tribal areas?

Defence Policy (15 Oct 2009) has video

Hugo Swire: Many hon. Members have seen at first hand the extraordinary role being performed by the Territory Army and our reserve forces, which is indistinguishable from the role being played in Helmand by our regular forces. Some of us cannot understand what is going on with the Government's freeze on training and pay over the next six months, as it seems entirely to contradict what the Secretary of...

Defence Policy (15 Oct 2009) has video

Hugo Swire: I pay tribute to the fantastic work being done by the medics at Camp Bastion, where our wounded are receiving first-class treatment. A lot of the medical staff there are reservists themselves. Is the Secretary of State absolutely certain that the effective freeze on TA training and recruitment will not endanger the services that we will be able to offer in future to our wounded at Camp Bastion?

Business of the House (15 Oct 2009) has video

Hugo Swire: In his statement on Afghanistan yesterday, the Prime Minister stated categorically: "Anybody who goes to Afghanistan has the assurance that we will do everything in our power to make sure that they are fully equipped for the tasks that they undertake."—[ Official Report, 14 October 2009; Vol. 497, c. 306.] Many Members have been to Afghanistan and have seen the job that the TA and our...

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

Hugo Swire: The recruitment, training and retention of an additional 52,000 police are a challenge and will take time, but the real challenge is the creation of a genuinely national police force in Afghanistan. When we were there in July, we were told that there were problems in persuading some people to serve in different parts of the country, which led to corruption and intimidation. What moves are...

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

Hugo Swire: The Foreign Secretary has been rehearsing what is going on in Helmand in Operation Panther's Claw. He will know well that that depends on our troops being in forward operating bases, or FOBs, which have to be reinforced, very often by helicopter. I have just returned from Afghanistan, and a lot of our troops were saying that they are not getting necessary supplies because the helicopters...