Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gregory Campbell and Justine Greening

Wednesday 18th March 2015 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

For those children in places such as Jordan and Lebanon we have programmes under way to ensure that they can double-shift with local children in schools. For the several million children still in Syria, ensuring that they can access education is clearly far harder.

[Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP)]

The plight of young people in Syria is being used by pernicious elements online to recruit young people from this country to go out to Syria. What steps are being taken to ensure that that is minimised?

[Justine Greening]

My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is working hard, as part of her work on combating extremism, to ensure that those sorts of messages are disrupted so that young people in our country understand the huge risks they would face were they to break the law and go over to Syria to do jihad.

Afghanistan

Debate between Gregory Campbell and Justine Greening

Wednesday 14th May 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP)]

Progress has undoubtedly been made in Afghanistan, and one can only hope and pray that, in the years to come, the sacrifice of our brave service personnel will not be forgotten. The Secretary of State quite rightly alluded to the participation of females. She talked about 297 women contesting provincial council elections, but she did not say how many candidates there were in total.

[Justine Greening]

I can provide the hon. Gentleman with that information. Something like 480-plus council places were being contested as part of the elections. A minimum of 20 will go to women, so we expect at least 92 women to have been elected. I will provide him with an update of the male aspect of those elections once I get back to my Department.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gregory Campbell and Justine Greening

Wednesday 9th April 2014 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

The meeting in Mexico is incredibly important. It will help us to take the next steps to shape responsible business practices that can, in turn, support sustainable and inclusive economic growth in countries that so badly need it.

[Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP)]

Job creation is of course a very worthwhile task, particularly in the emerging economies. Does the Secretary of State agree that secure, dependable jobs that help the indigenous peoples of those nations are what is required to assist those nations?

[Justine Greening]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. One of the most important aspects is to help shape the economic growth that takes place so that, through work, it lifts the largest number of people possible out of poverty. That is precisely the agenda the Department is pursuing.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gregory Campbell and Justine Greening

Wednesday 4th December 2013 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

I am very happy to take that praise. It is an important Bill. It reflects the fact that no country can develop effectively when half of its population is excluded from that development. It is a matter not just of basic rights, but of ensuring that our Department and country have sustainable development approaches.

[Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP)]

We have many cultural differences with some of the nations that are recipients of assistance. What pressure is the Secretary of State applying to them to ensure that females are not systematically disadvantaged, despite getting aid from this nation?

[Justine Greening]

We can do a variety of things. First, we can pursue grass-roots programmes, as we do in many countries, that are aimed at improving women’s chance to get a job, to be educated through the girls education challenge, and to be able to have control over their sexual and reproductive health. We need to complement that with advocacy at domestic and national Government level, but also at international level, and that is one of the things on which I have worked alongside the Foreign Secretary in raising the issue of women’s rights.