All 1 Debates between John Whittingdale and Nick Smith

Thu 28th May 2015

Indictment against FIFA Officials

Debate between John Whittingdale and Nick Smith
Thursday 28th May 2015

(9 years, 5 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Whittingdale Portrait Mr Whittingdale
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I am grateful to my hon. Friend who, I am delighted to see, maintains his record of doing nothing to curry favour with the Chief Whip.

As my hon. Friend says, we need to look at the matter carefully. What happens after Friday if Sepp Blatter is re-elected will need careful consideration, primarily by the FA. It has been taken for granted up until now that Sepp Blatter will win, but the election has not yet taken place, and elections do not always produce the outcome that the experts predict. We shall wait and see. I shall certainly be seeing Greg Dyke very shortly to discuss the attitude of the FA. There are a number of options. Whether one would resort to the nuclear option my hon. Friend suggests is a matter for the FA, but we will need to discuss that option with it.

Nick Smith Portrait Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)
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Given the high number of workplace deaths in Qatar, how will the Government monitor the effectiveness of the workers charter for migrant workers there?

John Whittingdale Portrait Mr Whittingdale
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We are in regular contact with Qatar—we have a good and strong relationship with the Qataris. Obviously, we will raise any concerns that are brought to our attention about the conditions of migrant workers. As I have said, the workers charter to which the hon. Gentleman refers has been introduced—it was developed with the International Labour Organisation to protect the rights of migrant workers. I understand that the Qataris are keen to address any concerns that have been highlighted, but we will go on pressing them when any further concerns are brought to our attention.