Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Barry Sheerman Excerpts
Wednesday 9th January 2019

(5 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Penny Mordaunt Portrait Penny Mordaunt
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I pay tribute to the work that Action on Poverty has done, and, indeed, to my hon. Friend’s support for that organisation. We are currently helping it, through UK Aid Direct, to improve livelihoods and food security in Sierra Leone, but, more widely, we want to increase the number of small and medium-sized charities and other organisations with which we work to deliver the global goals.

Barry Sheerman Portrait Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)
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Let me ask the Secretary of State a pertinent question about empowering women. Does she agree that all the research shows that allowing them to start their own businesses and have control over their own lives is one of the best ways of empowering them, and that that often means giving them the finance that will enable them to start a small business?

Penny Mordaunt Portrait Penny Mordaunt
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I could not agree more with the hon. Gentleman. Not only the future of womankind but the future of mankind depends on that happening.