Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Maria Miller and Rehman Chishti

Thursday 14th February 2013 Commons Chamber

[Maria Miller]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that every corner of this great nation pulled together and supported the Olympics in a fantastic way. The Minister of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Hugh Robertson), has a committee that looks particularly at sport participation, and the Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Cabinet Committee, which I chair, is looking at how we can make sure that that participation continues to grow over time in every part of the country. There are also local organisations dealing with this in the hon. Gentleman’s part of the United Kingdom.

[Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con)]

2. What support her Department is giving to women’s sport.

[The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Maria Miller)]

The London 2012 games put women’s sport on the map, and we are committed to maintaining that very important momentum.

[Rehman Chishti]

Will the Minister join me in welcoming the news that Gillingham Anchorians rugby club, which is keen on increasing women’s membership, recently received £50,000 of national lottery funding?

[Maria Miller]

My hon. Friend is a very keen sportsman, and I am not surprised that he raises the important role that women play in rugby. I applaud the work in his constituency to make sure that that is happening. He may be aware that as a result of the Olympics and the Paralympics over 600,000 more women have participated regularly in sport. We can see no finer example of the contribution of women in sport than the women’s six nations tournament, which is going on at the moment. I am sure that every Member in this House will be supporting their home team.

Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill

Debate between Maria Miller and Rehman Chishti

Tuesday 5th February 2013 Commons Chamber

[Maria Miller]

My right hon. Friend is right to raise this issue. What I can do is reassure him that we have been working very closely with the Church of England and the Church in Wales, and both organisations feel that there is a set of protections, which the Church of England in particular said it did not want to see changed.

[Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con)]

On religious organisations, the Minister will know that 5% of the UK population is Muslim. What proportion of the Muslim community responded to the consultation? How many were for it and how many were against it? My understanding is that not a single mosque responded by supporting the redefinition of marriage.

[Maria Miller]

My hon. Friend will know that this issue is not about numbers; it is about working together and providing protections to make sure that individuals from whatever faith group can continue to be assured that they can practise according to their faith. That is the point of today’s debate.

Equal Marriage Consultation

Debate between Maria Miller and Rehman Chishti

Tuesday 11th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Maria Miller]

I respect my hon. Friend’s views on this, and share his concern that many people today do not view marriage as relevant to them. I hope all Members will take this issue very seriously, because we should encourage more people to see marriage as an important way to cement their relationships and show commitment and responsibility, and so strengthen our society. I do not think that what my hon. Friend has said would happen in the UK, however. I think our proposals will be welcomed and will serve to promote the relevance of marriage today.

[Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con)]

How many people of the Muslim faith—and of the Sikh and Hindu faiths—responded to the consultation, and how many were for this proposal and how many were against? I must tell the Minister that in my constituency concerns have been raised with me about this redefinition by people from the churches, the mosques and the gurdwaras. I ask her to take that on board.

[Maria Miller]

My hon. Friend is right to suggest that this issue is important for not only the Churches, but for faith groups across the board. That is why the protections I have outlined will work across the board. This is not a numbers game, but I am happy to look at whether we can provide the detailed information that my hon. Friend requests.

Same-sex Marriage in Churches

Debate between Maria Miller and Rehman Chishti

Monday 10th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Maria Miller]

My hon. Friend may know—she can check the media cuttings on this—that for many years, ever since I have been a Member of Parliament, I have been a strong advocate of marriage. I am glad to see so many people in the Chamber supporting it. The tax system is very much an issue for the Chancellor, but she will know that recognition of marriage in the tax system is important and that the Chancellor has considered it in the past.

[Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con)]

Coming from an Islamic background, and with a father who was an imam, may I ask the Minister to clarify what response she has received from the Muslim community on this consultation?

[Maria Miller]

The response from the Muslim community, as I am sure my hon. Friend will be aware, has been one of some concern, as it has been from other religious institutions, to ensure that a clear safeguard is in place for the religious beliefs of the Muslim community, in the same way as Christians or any other religious group want respect for their beliefs. I can give him a clear undertaking that my officials and I will work with all religious groups and make sure that they understand how we will put the safeguards in place and ensure their efficacy.

Sir Jimmy Savile (BBC Inquiry)

Debate between Maria Miller and Rehman Chishti

Monday 15th October 2012 Commons Chamber

[Maria Miller]

I note the hon. Gentleman’s comments. All these things are issues that we can and should be looking at.

[Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con)]

What steps are being taken, or what recommendations are being made, by the BBC to strip Savile of his knighthood?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Maria Miller and Rehman Chishti

Monday 23rd January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Maria Miller]

My hon. Friend is referring to the future of the personal independence payment. He will be aware of my firm commitment to ensuring that that payment is focused on helping those who need help the most. He will have seen from our recently published documentation that our initial work in that area shows that more of that money is going to people who really need it in order to live independent lives.

[Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con)]

13. What steps he is taking to protect the interests of people with small pension pots.