Falkland Islands

Debate between Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown and Guy Opperman

Tuesday 31st January 2012 Westminster Hall

[Guy Opperman]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that point. We are no longer a colonial power. Those days are, rightly, distant history. As such, we will never force any dependent territory to remain part of our country, but we will also not let down a dependent territory. Let us take Scotland as an example. I would not, of course, call Scotland a dependent territory, notwithstanding the subsidy and the inequity of the Barnett formula, but the Scottish referendum is a prime example of the fundamental principle that it is for the native people to decide their fate. Rightly, we will always welcome and defend those who wish to remain part of Great Britain.

[Dr William McCrea (South Antrim) (DUP)]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way. He is being generous. Is it not vital that Argentina recognises the determination of this Government and this Parliament to defend the right of the Falklands people to remain British?

[Guy Opperman]

I am pleased that there is a cross-party selection of Members in the Chamber early on this Tuesday morning when they have many other matters to attend to. We are presenting a united front across parties and throughout the House to show adamant support for the individual rights of people who live in the Falkland Islands. I welcome my hon. Friend’s comment, and the support from his party.

I want a self-determination law. It is well known that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office—to be fair, it has done excellent work in support of the Falkland Islands—is planning to introduce a White Paper in 2012 covering all aspects of the Government’s policies on the overseas territories. That is pending. I want all overseas territories with a settled population to have an unambiguous right to remain British, and to be defended from oppression in the absence of a majority voting for secession. All the 293,000 people in the Caribbean islands of Anguilla, Bermuda and Montserrat and the south Atlantic islands of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and the plucky 48 people who live a precarious existence on Pitcairn Island, need to know that self-determination will always be recognised by this country.

Fuel Poverty

Debate between Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown and Guy Opperman

Wednesday 19th January 2011 Westminster Hall

[Guy Opperman]

A number of independent organisations in Hexham provide fuel—WCF, Wallace, Par Petroleum and Johnson Oil. Those four are the last independents that supply the area. It is amazing to chart how such companies have been bought up over the years.

What worries me most is that, without a strong local and competitive market, it is a lot easier for companies to hike up prices, delay things and move people on, explaining that they will produce a fair price at some stage or the right price only when they turn up. I am in negotiations with the Office of Fair Trading to ensure that it does investigate these matters. However, the reality is that it needs information from those whom we represent. I therefore urge individual constituents to write to the OFT, bringing such information to its attention, and I am doing so for people in my area that have complained.

[Dr William McCrea (South Antrim) (DUP)]

Many families in Northern Ireland are trapped, as they have no alternative to oil for heating their homes, as gas is not available in many areas.

[Guy Opperman]

I accept that. Like the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron), roughly 10% of my population is being provided by particular companies, with the market narrowing whether or not they like it. We need to help them in whatever way is possible. I hope that the Minister will address that point.

Costs are clearly getting out of control for the residents of Hexham. Fuel is a necessity in a constituency of 1,000 square miles, not a luxury. People do not spend their money on it because they think it would be jolly to go for a drive. Last week, when I filled my petrol tank, I was stopped by the garage owner, who unluckily recognised me and said, “What are you going to do about this?” [Interruption.] Yes, I did pay him—a lot of money. I pointed out that we are trying to address the problem. There is much that I hope that the Minister will do.

The trade body has made a statement justifying the price increase. It is long on generalities and short on specifics. I would have liked it long on specifics and short on generalities. I accept that DCC and other companies are perfectly entitled to a fair return, but the market has gone up and people—it matters not where—are at their mercy. That is not right.

Although wholesale costs have increased, the situation has been made worse by the extremely cold weather. Temperatures have been as low as minus 19° in my area. I am worried about the market in my constituency, which gives residents too little choice when trying to find the best price. The price hike is unacceptable, and the Government can do more about that. I hope that the status quo does not continue.