Tom Randall: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether the Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific made representations to officials in Hong Kong on (a) political prisoners, (b) the trial of Jimmy Lai and alleged use of evidence obtained under torture from Andy Li and (c) Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 during her visit to Hong Kong in April 2024.
Tom Randall: Forty years ago, Mrs Thatcher described high inflation as a “destroyer…of industry, of jobs, of savings”. Does my right hon. Friend agree that that sentiment is as true today as it was then? What assessment does he make of today’s announcement for my Gedling constituents, who want to be able to save, get a good job and enjoy a reasonable standard and cost of living?
Tom Randall: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that the infected blood interim payment process for bereaved parents and children is (a) transparent and (b) efficient.
Tom Randall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential long-term financial implications of implementing the full compensation scheme for infected blood victims.
Tom Randall: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with the UNRWA on the reported launching of rockets from within its facilities.
Tom Randall: One of the biggest issues that my constituents raise on the doorstep is the condition of our roads. A lot of work is being done to fix the roads in Gedling and Nottinghamshire, but cash is a big issue. I warmly welcome the fact that, as part of the new East Midlands Combined Authority, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire will have one of the largest devolved transport budgets. Given this change,...
Tom Randall: Mr Speaker, you will not be surprised to learn that I very much welcome the £20 million allocated to Carlton in my constituency as part of the long-term plan for towns. I am eager to see that this money is spent according to local wishes. I know that there will be consultations following the setting up of the town board, so will my right hon. Friend join me in urging Carlton residents to...
Tom Randall: I recently met my constituent David Winnett, who is a family law solicitor and a member of Resolution. He told me about Resolution’s vision for family justice. I wonder whether my right hon. and learned Friend is familiar with that vision, particularly the importance placed on early legal advice in family disputes. Is there scope to add Resolution’s proposed scheme to the mediation pilots...
Tom Randall: Having also been at the Hong Kong all-party group meeting this morning, I, too, heard the powerful testimony given by those pro-democracy activists who have suffered so much in advocating their cause. I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. In his opening, he said that the law does not apply here; of course it does not, but that is not how the Chinese see it. It is for them an...
Tom Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the improvement of flood defences.
Tom Randall: I thank the Minister responsible for water for coming to Vale Road in Colwick recently to meet residents affected by flooding. I know that that meeting was very much appreciated. Will the Minister reassure me that he and his Department will carry on working with me to continue to improve flood defences in Colwick and across Nottinghamshire, so that the residents can sleep a little better at night?
Tom Randall: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports of weapons being found in schools in Gaza.
Tom Randall: Along with colleagues from across the House, I was in Ukraine at the weekend, and I was struck by the gratitude of the Ukrainians to the UK. I was also struck by the words of General Wesley Clark, speaking at the Yalta European strategy conference, when he made a prediction that we are in the second year of a six-year war. If that prediction is accurate, will the Minister outline what efforts...
Tom Randall: What funding his Department is providing for road resurfacing.
Tom Randall: I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that answer, and for the billions that have been redirected to the midlands for road repairs from HS2. Conservative-controlled Nottinghamshire County Council, in difficult financial circumstances, is endeavouring to spend millions, beyond its regular highways budget, on road repairs. May I impress on him that this remains perhaps the top issue raised...
Tom Randall: The Conservatives’ record in education over the last 13 years has been very good. From phonics and academies to free schools and the recent news that the total core schools budget will be at its highest ever level in the next financial year— £59.6 billion—there is much to be proud of. However, the story is not universally good. When I visit schools in my Gedling constituency, I always...
Tom Randall: It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dame Caroline. I congratulate the hon. Member for Wirral West (Margaret Greenwood) for bringing this very important subject to the House. This is a timely debate and, as she outlined in her speech, getting various parts of the population into work and getting people back into work are popular with the Government at the moment, but they are...
Tom Randall: The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. We need to be smart. We can talk about MSK as an umbrella term, but within that there are lots of different conditions with different symptoms that affect people differently. That is where we need to be smart. Some people will have conditions that enable them to work on some days, while flare-ups on another day might prevent them from doing so. A...
Tom Randall: At Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital last weekend, approximately 80 Hamas fighters were arrested, some of whom took part in the 7 October massacres. Weaponry, Hamas intelligence, and military and technological equipment were recovered, and reports suggest that hospital staff directed the Israel Defence Forces to weapons that Hamas had stored inside incubators for premature babies. Will my right...
Tom Randall: rose—
