🗣️ Speeches and Debates
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I am sure that the Secretary of State, as a highlands and islands MP, will share the sense of anger and injustice at SSE’s 2p surcharge on electricity costs, given that it made a profit of £1.5 billion last year. Will he do everything possible at the UK level to ameliorate this state of affairs, not least by endorsing the excellent campaign by The Press and Journal ?
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Given the very welcome commitments that the Prime Minister made in Scotland just last week about ongoing defence expenditure, bases and so on, will the Government confirm that those commitments extend to the all-important and long-standing BUTEC—British underwater test and evaluation centre—submarine range in and around Kyle of Lochalsh and that it has a viable future, given that defence...
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In echoing and endorsing entirely the points made by my immediate highland constituency neighbour, my hon. Friend the Member for Argyll and Bute (Mr Reid), may I encourage the Secretary of State to stress to the Scottish Government the need in particular to draw BT’s attention to Openreach? It is ironically entitled, as constituents and consumers cannot reach it openly and cannot contact...
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Returning to the question of the issuing of a national defence medal, will the Minister join me in paying tribute to my constituent, Mr Martin Halligan, who has done an inestimable and unstinting job on promoting the campaign for the medal nationally? Despite the review that has taken place, will she take on board the feeling expressed by many current and former service personnel that the...
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Will the Deputy Prime Minister take this opportunity to acknowledge that one of the singular successes of the Scottish referendum campaign was the engagement of new first-time voters from the age of 16 and above? Given the imminent general election, will he encourage local authorities throughout the United Kingdom to build on that groundswell of young people’s engagement with politics—I...
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In welcoming the Leader of the House to his new responsibilities, may I appeal to the notable and, indeed, readable historian in him as he occupies this important office? Given this week’s events, as yesterday the House of Lords was understandably unhappy about its perception that for the first time in contemporary political history there is no fully fledged Member of the Lords in the...
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It is just like the old days, Mr Speaker. As the Prime Minister is enjoying a week in which he is making a lot of new best friends, when he gets to the Brussels summit will he give a particularly warm greeting to the man who might yet be his best and certainly his newest friend—President Juncker, who yesterday called for more European reform and warned that applicant states who want to join...
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Mr Speaker, may I make it abundantly clear that those of us with a clear political conscience sleep very well indeed on the sleeper service? Will the Minister reflect on the fact that 15-plus years ago the then passenger franchise director was seeking to get rid of sleeper services, saying that they had no commercial future? In their wisdom, the Government—I support them on this one, for...
More of Charles Kennedy's speeches and debates
✍️ Written Questions and Answers
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To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with mobile phone operators on the effects of adverse weather on their systems; and if he will make a statement.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether, in respect of the current proposals to revise the British Underwater Training and Evaluation Centre range at Kyle of Lochalsh, the new 82 square kilometre area is based upon the current take-up zone or will include the no travel zone; whether the revised Ministry of Defence area map is based on existing inner or outer limits; and if he will...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if, in respect of the current proposals to revise the British Underwater Training and Evaluation Centre range at Kyle of Lochalsh, he will list the initial consultees involved prior to his letter of 3 November 2014 to the right hon. Member for Ross, Skye and Lochaber and others; what input was sought from Marine Scotland; and if he will make a statement.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many and what proportion of people in the Scottish Highlands and Islands are classed as living in fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Service Complaints have been made in the Royal Navy Reserve in the last three years; and how long it has taken to investigate each case.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what financial information is sent to his Department from individual local authorities on the administrative costs incurred in the preparation for, and the processing of, the under-occupancy penalty; and if he will make a statement.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward plans to enable the Green Investment Bank to purchase equity in existing offshore projects to enable similar investment in onshore wind turbine construction; and if he will make a statement.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent assessment he has made of the economic potential of the Scottish Highlands and Islands; and if he will make a statement.
More of Charles Kennedy's written questions
