Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Harrington of Watford and Andrew Bridgen

Monday 21st November 2016 Commons Chamber

[Richard Harrington]

As my hon. Friend knows, the public finances are very complicated, and I know that he intends to wait until Wednesday to hear what the Chancellor has to say, but this matter has been looked at long and hard and transitional funds of more than £1.1 billion have been allocated. The change to the state pension age was discussed and enacted in 1995. Since then, there have been further Acts and all this has been extensively discussed.

[Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con)]

I understand that reverting to the 1995 state pension timetable would cost something in the region of £39 billion. Does the Minister agree that it is easy to criticise the Government over this policy, but more difficult to explain where the money would come from for any policy changes?

[Richard Harrington]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question, and I totally agree with him.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Harrington of Watford and Andrew Bridgen

Monday 11th April 2016 Commons Chamber

[Richard Harrington]

I am pleased to report again that there are regular discussions between the Home Secretary and her French colleagues on this matter. The Department for International Development recently announced the provision of a further £10 million-worth of special funding precisely to help unaccompanied children in Europe. Details about how the money will be allocated will be announced shortly.

[Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con)]

Does the Minister agree that, far from lagging behind the European Union on this issue, the UK is actually doing far more than any other country in Europe through its massive support for the camps and the refugees in the region, while also resettling the most vulnerable refugees from the camps to the UK?

[Richard Harrington]

My hon. Friend makes an extremely good point. The Government believe that relocating children around Europe is not the answer. Under our scheme to relocate the most vulnerable people from Syria and the countries around it, 51% of the people being brought over here are children. I hope that Members on both sides of the House would accept that this is a well measured and well carried-out scheme, which has led to significant improvement in many children’s lives.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Harrington of Watford and Andrew Bridgen

Monday 12th October 2015 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con)]

Does the Minister agree that it ought to be a high priority for the Government to crack down on human traffickers and people smugglers, who profit from the misery of others? What steps are the Government taking to crack down on this evil trade?

[Richard Harrington]

The Government are well aware of the point that my hon. Friend has made. I am pleased to report that I went to Portsmouth last Friday to visit the naval base to which the cutters run by Border Force returned from the Mediterranean. During their time in the Mediterranean they apprehended many people smugglers. It is the Government’s policy to ensure, through the taskforce, that that will increase, because this is a serious problem.