Results 1-20 of 262 for in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates' speaker:Nicola Blackwood

Flood Insurance (26 March 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: My hon. Friend is making some excellent points about Environment Agency approval of flood plains. She began by talking about dilapidated sewerage systems. Does she agree that we need to include Thames Water more in decisions about planning, because a lot of our drainage systems are causing problems with surface water flooding?

Flood Insurance (26 March 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: I suspect that my hon. Friend is about to describe a flood group like the Oxford Flood Alliance, which he and I are familiar with. It plays a huge role in reducing flood risk in Oxford by coming up with flood plans, mitigating flood risk in communities and developing flood resilience. Does he agree that this is a really important thing to encourage, and that any future flood insurance scheme...

Flood Insurance (26 March 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Esher and Walton (Mr Raab) on securing this timely and important debate. I have 1,627 homes and businesses in my constituency that are at significant risk of flooding. I have visited streets in Abingdon, Kidlington and Oxford where ripped-out carpets, kitchen units and discarded furniture were all piled up and abandoned on pavements in 2007, and...

Flood Insurance (26 March 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: I agree that infrastructure is vital. I believe deeply that many of the problems we face today stem from an inherited legacy of bad planning.

Flood Insurance (26 March 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: My right hon. Friend—ish— the right hon. Member for Oxford East (Mr Smith) knows how difficult it can be to get accountability and solutions for constituents when responsibility falls between the Environment Agency, local authorities and Thames Water, and he might want to comment on that point.

Flood Insurance (26 March 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: Clearly, it is vital that flood insurance continues to be widely available and affordable, a point I will come to in a moment. Although there is frustration about the responsibility of different agencies working together to respond to constituents, the emergency response to flood events locally since 2007 has improved dramatically, and there have been positive developments on flood defences...

Royal Assent: UK Border Agency (26 March 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: I very much welcome the Home Secretary’s statement. Does she agree that one of UKBA’s main problems, apart from the inability to manage its data or communicate it correctly to the Home Affairs Committee, has been an identity crisis? It has tried to be an enforcement agency that pursues criminal investigations, but it has also tried to convey the message that Britain is open for...

Business of the House: Afghanistan (21 March 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: Yesterday, I met two female Afghan MPs. One had narrowly avoided being killed by a suicide bomber, and the other had been evacuated from her constituency by the UN and ISAF after having the temerity to celebrate international women’s day. Does the Foreign Secretary accept that not all Afghan women are victims, that those are exactly the kind of women we need to work with to ensure that...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: New Clause 15 — Restraint orders and legal aid (18 March 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: I rise to speak to new clause 14, which stands in my name, supported by the hon. Member for Stockport (Ann Coffey) and many colleagues. I also express my support for new clause 12. New clause 14 is designed to introduce specialist courts for very vulnerable victims. It is no secret that I have been deeply affected by a child sexual exploitation case in my constituency, but in addition the...

Business of the House: UK’s Development Work (Girls and Women) (7 March 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: I congratulate the International Development Secretary on her statement, which clearly demonstrates the UK’s commitment to women’s rights around the world. I particularly welcome her commitment to tackling violence against women as a strategic priority for Afghanistan. Does she agree that we should ensure that human rights defenders and women in public office in Afghanistan are...

Contamination of Beef Products: Sexual Violence in Conflict (14 February 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: I would like to thank everybody who has contributed to the debate. As the shadow Foreign Secretary, the right hon. Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire South (Mr Alexander), said, it is timely and important. Also, the subject could not be more sensitive, and everybody who has contributed today has risen to the challenge. I thank the hon. Member for West Dunbartonshire (Gemma Doyle) for...

Contamination of Beef Products: Sexual Violence in Conflict (14 February 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: Given that sexual violence is recognised as a key factor destabilising and catalysing conflict in the first place, does the hon. Lady not agree that tackling sexual violence and preventing it in the first place is one way to prevent conflict and achieve exactly the aim she calls for?

Contamination of Beef Products: Sexual Violence in Conflict (14 February 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: I beg to move, That this House has considered the matter of preventing sexual violence in conflict. My favourite ever quote is not particularly erudite, which is not very good for an Oxford MP. It is from “The West Wing”, when Leo tells one of his members of staff: “Never let the urgent crowd out the important.” In a nutshell, that is why, with all the domestic...

Contamination of Beef Products: Sexual Violence in Conflict (14 February 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: I do indeed, and I thank the former International Development Secretary for his intervention. I know that he was a great champion of women’s rights when he was in that role. I hope that when the Foreign Secretary speaks, he will update us on progress at the G8 on this issue. All the statistics and stories tell us that women are most vulnerable to the worst human rights abuses...

Contamination of Beef Products: Sexual Violence in Conflict (14 February 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: There is no question but that sexual violence is a problem in every country, and every country needs to take responsibility for tackling it. It is also a fact that in certain countries the rule of law has entirely collapsed, and in those countries there is much more scope for capacity building and support. The G8 countries and the international community can offer support in a way that will...

Contamination of Beef Products: Sexual Violence in Conflict (14 February 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: My hon. Friend makes a good point about cross-departmental working. This is clearly an area in which MOD, FCO and DFID need to work well together, and there has been an enormous improvement in the approach to conflict situations over the past two years, and the conflict pool—BSOS—has played a big role in that. There will always be more work to do in ensuring Government Departments...

Contamination of Beef Products: Sexual Violence in Conflict (14 February 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: I am sure that my right hon. Friend knows much more about this matter than I do, as he speaks from considerable experience. I will say, however, that we should be working to recruit more women to the Afghan police, and ensuring that they can play a role in enabling women to have more secure lives in that country, where they face extreme violence daily. Whatever role women play, we need to get...

CCTV: National Crime Agency (11 February 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: What assessment she has made of the operational readiness of the National Crime Agency.

CCTV: National Crime Agency (11 February 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: My constituents are daily hearing truly shocking evidence of child sexual exploitation emerging in the ongoing trial of nine Oxford men at the Old Bailey. I know that the Home Secretary is unable to comment on the case, but can she tell me how she intends to work with Keith Bristow, Peter Davies and others at the NCA to strengthen our national policing response to child sexual exploitation in...

Oral Answers to Questions — Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Women's Health and Education (Afghanistan and Pakistan) (22 January 2013)

Nicola Blackwood: Afghan and Pakistani women are not just victims; they are often the most effective and vocal in calling for their right to access services. However, like Malala, they face intimidation and abuse, and often grave sexual violence. What do the Government plan to do to support and protect these women and human rights defenders, especially in the context of the preventing sexual violence initiative?