Oral Answers to Questions

Mark Menzies Excerpts

Thursday 25th April 2019 Commons Chamber

[Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)]

1. What steps he has taken to ensure that the NHS and other public services are excluded from future trade agreements.

[Mark Menzies (Fylde) (Con)]

7. If he will ensure that future free trade agreements do not (a) lower standards in and (b) lead to the privatisation of the NHS.

[Mr Philip Dunne (Ludlow) (Con)]

9. If he will ensure that future free trade agreements do not (a) lower standards in and (b) lead to the privatisation of the NHS.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mark Menzies]

The UK is a world leader in healthcare provision, founded on the core values of the NHS. What steps is the Department taking to promote British expertise in this sector and sell those skills abroad?

[Dr Fox]

There is not only enormous interest but enormous demand for UK expertise in healthcare, and we are committed to sharing that expertise and knowledge with the rest of the world. Research commissioned by Healthcare UK recently identified £3 billion to £7 billion of potential contracts for UK health organisations annually over the next 10 years. That is a lot of jobs.

--- Later in debate ---

[Penny Mordaunt]

The hon. Lady raises some very important issues. I am sorry about the tone of her question, because I do not recognise the attitude that she implies among my colleagues, including the Prime Minister, who has done some groundbreaking work in this area. What I would say to her and other hon. Members who rightly are concerned about these issues is that part of the motivation for moving the Government Equalities Office into the Cabinet Office, so that it can sit alongside the race disparity team, is to look at these things in the round. As well as the issues that she identified, individuals in this country face multiple discrimination. For example, an enormous number of people sleeping on the streets in London are young, gay, black men. Only by working together and looking at the disaggregated data will we really understand how we can improve lives for everyone in this country.

[Mark Menzies (Fylde) (Con)]

Being part of the LGBT community is not a lifestyle choice and learning about LGBT issues is not what makes someone gay, lesbian or trans. What is being done by the Government to ensure that those outdated views have no place in our future society?

[Nick Gibb]

I welcome my hon. Friend’s question. We have been clear in introducing relationships education and relationships and sex education that they are designed to foster respect for others and for difference, and to educate pupils about the different types of healthy relationships. Teaching about the diverse society that we live in can be delivered in a way that respects everyone’s views.