Nepal: Protests

Debate between Lord Hanson of Flint and Lord Bruce of Bennachie

Thursday 11th September 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

It is an important point. As I have mentioned to the noble Lord previously, the UK is a long-standing partner, and the British embassy in Kathmandu currently forecasts that the entire spend of £46.5 million bilateral overseas aid for this year will be spent. There is a range of programmes within that, on business, resilience, infrastructure, rights inclusions, security and justice. Obviously, in the light of the instability that has occurred, the purpose and objective of the overseas development department and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office there is to ensure that we help regain that stability, but to look at the causes and how we can provide resilience to ensure that we tackle some of the issues that have led to that instability.

[Lord Bruce of Bennachie (LD)]

My Lords, reference has rightly been made to the long and constructive relationship between Britain and Nepal, which includes a period at the beginning of the last century when suspension bridges were exported from Aberdeen to link remote villages across their deep valleys. May I make a specific proposal to the Minister? The Westminster Foundation—I declare an interest as one of its mentors, although not in Nepal—is working there, but it could extend its programme to include public and political engagement for Parliament. Will the Government consider doing that? This is vital work, which it is very well equipped to do. Its representatives are on the ground now, and it would really be helpful if they could be part of the process of ending this conflict.

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

I am grateful to the noble Lord. I did not know of the link between Aberdeen and Nepal, but one of the great things about this job is that I learn something every day. The Westminster Foundation provides great support on a parliament-to-parliament basis to help with resilience, to look at good governance issues and to ensure that we can improve the scrutiny of and approach to government. I will draw his suggestion to the attention of my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary, who I hope will be able to respond.

Finance Bill

Debate between Lord Hanson of Flint and Lord Bruce of Bennachie

Tuesday 28th June 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hanson]

The hon. Gentleman shows his complete ignorance of the impact that value added tax has on ordinary working people and their families. The rise in VAT is costing ordinary working people in Redcar and every other constituency an additional £450 each this year. Low-paid people will bear the brunt of that. I look forward to going back to Redcar with hon. Friends from the north-east and explaining what the hon. Gentleman is doing about those concerns.

[Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD)]

The Labour party is keen on cutting taxes and on opposing cuts in expenditure. Consequently, it would widen the deficit, which is already at record levels. The consequence of that would be an increase in interest rates. Does the right hon. Gentleman not think that the retail trade and consumers would be more concerned about an increase in interest rates than a rise in VAT?

[Mr Hanson]

At the beginning of my speech, I said that we had a deficit reduction plan at the last election. When I was a Minister at the Home Office in the previous Government, we forwarded plans for £1.5 billion-worth of expenditure cuts. The Conservative-led Government are cutting £2.5 billion in that Department, which is why we are losing police officers and police community support officers, and why I fear that crime will go up. There was a plan. There were certainly issues that we had to tackle, and we will tackle them. The way in which the Government propose to tackle the deficit goes too far, too fast and too deep. It is being done in an unfair way that hits the poorest people hardest, and it will damage the long-term business interests of the United Kingdom.