Former Scottish National Party MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber
It is a real privilege to speak in this debate and listen to all the reflective speeches from right hon. and hon. Members right across the House. It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for West Suffolk (Matt Hancock). I do not know whether he recalls the engagement we used to have when he was at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. I actually regret that he moved on to the...
The right hon. Gentleman is making an outstanding speech. I thank him for the role he played as Defence Secretary and the courtesy he showed to Members across the House, including the Leader of the Opposition, the then leader of the Liberal Democrats and myself. He was gracious enough to ensure we were briefed on a bi-weekly basis, because there are times when the House must come together...
Will the Minister give way?
My hon. Friend is making an important point. I want to go back to the Cridland report; I remember meeting Cridland at the time. On the issue of healthy life expectancy, to be told that the DWP did not hold such information because that was the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care shows the dysfunctionality and the lack of concern about people’s healthy life.
It is a considerable pleasure to follow my friend, the hon. Member for Easington (Grahame Morris). We have worked together on many issues over the years. I remember the debate in Westminster Hall that he mentioned, and the revulsion when it was said that 1950s WASPI women should go on apprenticeship schemes. I am delighted that my hon. Friend the Member for North Ayrshire and Arran...
Of course they do. We have heard today from a great many Members in all parts of the House about the 5,000, 6,000 or 7,000 WASPI women— more, in some cases—in every constituency. We have all heard the heartbreaking stories of those who simply could not afford to carry on working, and who were not given adequate notice of the increase in the state pension age. It was an injustice, and it...
On 14 September 2023, I led a Backbench Business debate in this House, supported by the hon. Members for Moray (Douglas Ross) and for Easington (Grahame Morris). We asked the Government to take action on footballers with brain-related injuries. The Minister who responded spoke warmly, and the then Minister at DWP, the hon. Member for Corby (Tom Pursglove), indicated that there would be a...
I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for referring to the debate that we had on 14 September. As he rightly says, it was a cross-party debate; I led it with the hon. Members for Moray (Douglas Ross) and for Easington (Grahame Morris). I was very encouraged by the response from the Government Front Bench at that point. Subsequently, on behalf of the three of us, I had discussions with...
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will have discussions with the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council on the potential merits of classifying people with football-related brain injuries as having industrial injuries.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will take steps to introduce post-installation inspections for ECO4-funded works to ensure that those works are carried out to a high standard.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the motor industry to use polyethylene glycol in vehicle cooling systems; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits for the environment of using this chemical.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of claimants of New Style Employment Support Allowance were refused assistance because of insufficient National Insurance contributions during the covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make it his policy to reduce the requirement for National Insurance contributions in that period.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people in rural areas who do not have smart meter coverage are not left without heat and hot water when the radio teleswitching service is turned off.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will introduce a medal for armed forces personnel who were prisoners of war.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timetable is for full rollout of ID cards for veterans; and what assessment he has made of the merits of veterans having such cards (a) in Scotland and (b) across the UK.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to convene international partners to help support work on finding a resolution to the situation in the Lachin corridor.
