Former Labour MP for Putney
Before I make my brief contribution on the UK and Africa, I hope that you will allow me a point of personal explanation, Mr. Deputy Speaker. A number of hon. Members have approached me in recent days, saying that they were sorry that I was standing down at the next general election. I hasten to say that I am not. It is subject to the decision of the electors of Putney, but I hope to be...
I think that we are; it was not meant to be that way, as I was trying to pay tribute, as I should hope hon. Members of all parties would, to an hon. Member who has had severe problems with illness in the past eight years and who will be retiring from the House. I see hon. Members nodding, as they share my concern that he must leave before his wide experience has been used. I shall now talk...
I thank my hon. Friend for raising that point. My hon. Friend the Member for Clydebank and Milngavie (Tony Worthington) led a debate here, which was apparently the most viewed debate ever in parliamentary history, on the future of Somaliland. I hope—I have made this clear many times—that the good governance that is represented in Somaliland will be taken into account, in whatever way the...
I have two issues to raise in this Christmas Adjournment debate. They are disparate, but linked by the need for democratic accountability. I have requested Adjournment debates throughout the autumn period, but I have been unsuccessful in the weekly ballots. I start by thanking and congratulating the Department of Transport on the lead role it took at the recent International Civil Aviation...
Will my right hon. Friend congratulate the UNIDO Warrington office on its work in setting up supply chain arrangements between UK companies and companies in developing countries?
The command paper from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said that UNIDO should play to its strengths and act in where it has the comparative advantage. Does my right hon. Friend agree that it does have a comparative advantage when it comes to working with the private sector in the areas of energy, the environment and trade facilitation? That advantage should be recognised. Does he agree...
May I thank Mr. Speaker for allowing this Adjournment debate on the work of the UN Industrial Development Organisation? It seems to me that that organisation is key to world development, which we all want, and yet it has languished in the shadows of media and parliamentary coverage. It rated a mere 18 lines on page 54 of the recent Foreign and Commonwealth Office Command Paper 6325 on "The UK...
I agree that there could be greater accountability under a world parliament, which could sit alongside the General Assembly. George Monbiot makes the point in his book that such a parliament should have a one person, one vote system across the world. He sees it as a 600-member parliament. One could say that that would be preferable to the IPU, but my point was that that would be impractical....
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long candidates for the Metropolitan police waited before the commencement of training after selection in the last period for which figures are available.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreignand Commonwealth Affairs when the People's Redemption Army (PRA) in Uganda was formed; what installations the PRA has attacked; and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research the Department evaluated prior to selecting the minimum standard bursary and other bursary schemes as mechanisms bywhich to minimise the deterrent effects of tuition fees.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the percentage of total fee income which the payment of minimum standard bursaries will represent for (a) Russell Group universities and (b) mainstream universities.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance she has issued on the role of the Office of Fair Access in advising higher education institutions on levels of expenditure in relation to attracting under-represented students.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills at what point in the academic year 2006–07 she expects (a) universities will be in receipt of additional fee income and (b) students will be in receipt of minimum standard bursaries.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the total sum which higher education institutions are proposing to spend to support students from under-represented groups.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 23 February 2005, Official Report, column 693W, on nevirapine, when he expects the British HIV Association will issue new guidance on the use of nevirapine to prevent mother-to-baby transmission of HIV/AIDS.
