Bob Russell: Does the Foreign Secretary agree that public opinion in the UK is moving strongly against Israel because it is morally indefensible to support a state that has policies of ethnic cleansing and apartheid?
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy that foreign citizens married to a member of the armed forces can include within their qualifying period for British citizenship the time they were living overseas while accompanying their spouse on his or her deployment.
Bob Russell: I pay tribute to the medical and support staff at Colchester hospital for their work to bring it out of special measures. Twice the Secretary of State referred to focusing on prevention. May I suggest that a contribution to that admirable aim would be for first aid to be included in the national curriculum for schools?
Bob Russell: Today’s changes at the Thames crossing mean a bigger rip-off for drivers. Will the Secretary of State say whether the 84 new schemes in the road investment strategy include the A120 east and west of Colchester and the A12 around Colchester?
Bob Russell: Is it still the case that, for the purpose of drawing up school league tables, a pupil in hospital receiving treatment for cancer would be marked as absent?
Bob Russell: I support the Defence Secretary’s tributes in his statement, and as a constituency MP I wish to draw attention to 16 Air Assault Brigade. Can he elaborate on the priorities for the new Afghan Government in working towards stronger economic development? Will that include bringing on stream the turbine at Kajaki dam, which soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade took there more than six years ago?
Bob Russell: On Christmas eve, printing company Polestar will be axing 75 jobs in my constituency and shutting all three of its sites in Colchester. May we therefore have a debate on spare capacity in the printing industry—a situation not helped when British companies such as BT print all their directories overseas?
Bob Russell: Christmas eve is the 200th anniversary of the ending of the North American war between the United States and the United Kingdom. Does the Secretary of State agree that that is also worthy of a fitting tribute, perhaps of celebration and not just commemoration?
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2014 to Question 210999, if he will publish the timetable for his further consideration of the collection of data on people registering as visually impaired who are veterans.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to include an option to identify vision-impaired veterans on the registration document with NHS England and the Health and Social Care Information Centre.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Department for Education on changes in funding for speech therapy for children; and if he will make a statement.
Bob Russell: The armed forces covenant had all-party support, and we should remember that. The Minister referred to local government. Can she give an assurance that all Government Departments are signed up to the covenant, and particularly the Department of Health regarding general practitioners, veterans and hearing loss?
Bob Russell: I am proud of our reserve forces and grateful to employers who participate to allow workers to serve, but given the huge cuts in the regular forces what happens if recruitment for the reserve forces does not meet the targets the Minister is talking about?
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to implement a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting throughout his Department's buildings and sites; if he will estimate the proportion of lighting in his Department which is LED; and if he will make a statement.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many vacant army dwellings there were on 30 September 2014 in Colchester; and how many such properties had (a) three and (b) four bedrooms.
Bob Russell: Neighbourhood planning and community rights are clearly welcome, so will the Minister give advice to a community that cannot exercise them because the people who are planning to build 3,000 houses on their doorstep are in the neighbouring local authority area?
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will issue guidance to higher and further education institutions on implementing a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting in their buildings.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make it his policy to implement a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting throughout his Department's buildings and sites; if he will estimate the proportion of lighting in his Department which is LED; and if he will make a statement.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will make it his policy to implement a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting throughout his Department's buildings and sites; if he will estimate the proportion of lighting in his Department which is LED; and if he will make a statement.
Bob Russell: What steps he is taking to encourage the public sector to increase rooftop solar energy installations.