Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Justine Greening and Ian C. Lucas

Thursday 6th July 2017 Commons Chamber

[Ian C. Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)]

T2. The Minister for Women and Equalities has this morning heard the overwhelming view across the House on the WASPI issue, following yesterday’s Westminster Hall debate. Is she not embarrassed by the Government’s current policy, and what will she do to change it?

[Justine Greening]

I know that there was an important debate yesterday in Westminster Hall. This is an important area, but it is also important that we have a steady transition, as the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Hexham (Guy Opperman), has set out. I am content that the way the Government are handling this, which follows on from previous Governments, is the right way. The hon. Gentleman should also reflect on the fact that we have invested £1.1 billion to ensure that there is support during the transition.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Justine Greening and Ian C. Lucas

Wednesday 4th February 2015 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

We are working directly with both those Governments to ensure that our programmes help not only Syrian refugee children but, particularly in Lebanon, a host of children who were in school but perhaps did not get the textbooks they needed. We have provided a much broader package, and it is important that host communities are helped to cope with the strains that the refugees are putting on them.

[Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)]

Over a year ago, the Government committed to allowing a small number of refugees from Syria into the UK, including children with specific medical needs. Will the Secretary of State tell the House how many children from Syria with specific needs have been allowed to come to the UK?

[Justine Greening]

I do not have that precise information but I am happy to write to the hon. Gentleman. As I said in response to an earlier question, that programme is in place to help Syrian refugees who particularly need to take advantage of it. The most important thing is to get broad international support to help the 3.8 million refugees who are now in the region and need assistance.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Justine Greening and Ian C. Lucas

Wednesday 3rd September 2014 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

More than 5,600 UK volunteers aged between 18 and 25 have now taken part in the International Citizen Service. It is a fantastic scheme giving young people wonderful opportunities, and we plan to expand it and grow those places.

[Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)]

T2. In the Central African Republic, the humanitarian situation remains dire. What steps is the Secretary of State taking to help there, including the situation for refugees to Chad, Cameroon and Democratic Republic of the Congo?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Justine Greening and Ian C. Lucas

Wednesday 4th December 2013 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

I think the Government have been right to honour their promise on providing 0.7% of gross national income. The challenge that we have is to ensure that it represents 100% of our national interest. That is precisely what I am doing, working with the Home Office and the MOD on stability in countries and with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign Office on economic development. That makes sense to me.

[Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)]

T6. In Sierra Leone, good administrative arrangements are in place to combat corruption. What can the Secretary of State do to assist with political momentum to improve governance and root out corruption among politicians there?

[Justine Greening]

The hon. Gentleman is right to highlight corruption as it is something for which the Department for International Development has zero tolerance. When I was at the World Bank in October I had the chance to meet briefly the Finance Minister of Sierra Leone. We are planning to work together, not least on the corruption agenda, and more broadly to ensure that we increase oversight of public finance management.

UK Aid (Uganda and Rwanda)

Debate between Justine Greening and Ian C. Lucas

Monday 19th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

I have no doubt that there have been significant efforts, and I can write to my hon. Friend with further details. The areas in which those people are being tracked down are often hundreds of thousands of square miles across. The lack of success in tracking them down has clearly had profound consequences in relation to the M23 being able to cause this kind of havoc, chaos and violence.

[Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)]

The M23 rebels, who the United Nations experts say are being directly supported by named individuals in the Rwandan Government, are attacking Goma as we speak. Far from our Government “jumping the gun”, as the Secretary of State unfortunately said a moment ago, is it not the case that people are dying as a result of their providing finance to the Rwandan Government? What will it take for her to make the decision to stop that aid, given that it might be used to support those M23 rebels?

[Justine Greening]

I have set out very clearly, both today and to the International Development Committee, the measured and thoughtful approach we will take in respect of any future disbursements of budget support to the Rwandan Government. The hon. Gentleman is commenting on a leaked report, which may or may not be the final report that the UN sanctions committee publishes. I think we should wait for that, and in the meantime I can assure him that our Government are playing their role in working diplomatically to encourage all those involved in the violence to bring it to an end.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Justine Greening and Ian C. Lucas

Wednesday 31st October 2012 Commons Chamber

[Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)]

1. What recent assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian implications of Rwanda’s support for militia activity in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

[The Secretary of State for International Development (Justine Greening)]

The humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has worsened; in fact, 2012 has seen about 2.3 million people displaced, which is the highest number in many years. That is in part linked to the activities of M23 and other militia. In answer to the hon. Gentleman’s point about Rwanda, the UN group of experts will report in November. I will critically assess the situation when I make the next decision on budget support in December.

[Ian Lucas]

I congratulate the Secretary of State on her appointment to her extremely important role.

Yesterday a Congolese citizen told me that she could not understand why the Government were supporting individuals whom the UN experts had said were attacking and creating mayhem in eastern Congo. Was the decision to reinstate aid supported by officials in the Secretary of State’s Department?

[Justine Greening]

My predecessor set out in his written ministerial statement the basis on which the Government’s decision was taken. My understanding is that it was based on officials’ advice.

Cost of Living

Debate between Justine Greening and Ian C. Lucas

Wednesday 16th May 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Harris]

rose—

[Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)]

rose—

[Justine Greening]

I will not give way to the hon. Member for Glasgow South (Mr Harris), as he has not been in this debate at all. I will give way to the hon. Member for Wrexham (Ian Lucas).

[Ian Lucas]

The right hon. Lady is talking about hard-working families, so can she explain why her Government chose to give tax cuts to millionaires rather than put money in the pockets of hard-working families so that they could stimulate the economy?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Justine Greening and Ian C. Lucas

Thursday 23rd February 2012 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

I would be delighted to visit Milton Keynes. Network Rail is doing a huge amount of work on skills and apprenticeships. We should reflect on that and celebrate it.

[Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)]

10. Which transport schemes will be funded by both her Department and the regional growth fund.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Justine Greening and Ian C. Lucas

Tuesday 21st June 2011 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

My hon. Friend is right to point out that we have taken a number of steps to improve the ability of gift aid to help charities. There are about 100,000 charities and community and amateur sports clubs currently registered for gift aid, all of which should be able to benefit in part or in entirety from these changes.

[Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)]

The reality of the Government’s approach to charities is that they have imposed a tax burden on charities by increasing VAT. If the Minister really wants to do something positive for charities, why does she not extend to them the same tax relief relating to VAT that is extended to local government?

[Justine Greening]

I emphasise to the hon. Gentleman that the measures we came up with for the Budget were ones that we talked to charities about in order to pull together. Over this Parliament, the measures will encourage approximately £600 million more going to charities from donations, and I think that all hon. Members across the House should welcome that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Justine Greening and Ian C. Lucas

Tuesday 12th October 2010 Commons Chamber

[Justine Greening]

We are looking at a range of ways we can ensure that we get the most value from every pound of taxpayers’ money, and we will stop at nothing to make sure that we get there in the end. We are going through a difficult process with many difficult decisions, but we aim to ensure that all of them are tough, but still fair.

[Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)]

Does the Minister agree with her very good friend Sir Philip Green that one of the ways of spending money effectively would be for the Government to delay their payments to small business?

[Justine Greening]

Sir Philip Green is one of those people I was talking about in my first answer: somebody who has got involved trying to come up with constructive suggestions on how we can tackle the fiscal deficit left by the hon. Gentleman’s party. The bottom line is that we want to ensure that we support business. His party was against the package of corporation tax reductions that we brought forward in the Budget, which will support companies across this country. We also got rid of his party’s job tax.