Oral Answers to Questions

John Bercow Excerpts

Wednesday 17th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Minister, we have quite a lot of questions to get through, so we need shorter answers. Sorry, but we do.

[David Evennett (Bexleyheath and Crayford) (Con)]

Will my right hon. Friend join me in welcoming the significant investment from the aid budget that the Department has made available to tackle modern slavery in Libya and across all migration routes from sub-Saharan African into Europe, and will he reaffirm his commitment to this work?

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[Alistair Burt]

I thank the hon. Lady for her remarks about Becky Dykes, who was part of the middle-eastern team in Lebanon. She, like my right hon. Friend the International Development Secretary, spoke for all of us.

The hon. Lady is right to keep the attention on slavery, but I want to do as much as I can to reassure her that we have this very much in focus, although of course there is more to be done. There is a closer connection now between the EU, the UN and the African Union, and we are working with international partners on the whole route and, specifically in relation to Libya, on the criminal aspects. It is complex—Libya is a difficult state to work in; and this is a £150 billion criminal operation moving people around and putting them into slavery. We will continue—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am sorry, but we must press on; we have a lot to get through. I call Mr Lamont.

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

3. What steps she is taking to help small charities access funding from her Department for international development projects.

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[Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab)]

T3. Yesterday, officials from Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed details for the repatriation of the Rohingya, but reports suggest that the Rohingya will have no guarantee of citizenship on their return, that they could be forced to return against their will, and that they will be vetted individually as potential terrorists. Before giving the UK Government’s support, what will the Minister do, beyond taking the two Governments at their word, to verify that repatriation for the Rohingya will be safe, voluntary and—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We have got the gist of it.

[Penny Mordaunt]

I think the hon. Lady for her question because it affords me the opportunity to remind the House what these people have fled. They should have a say in what happens to them, and we absolutely agree that those returns must be voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable, but those conditions are far from being met.

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[Imran Hussain (Bradford East) (Lab)]

T4. Many of my Rohingya constituents have family in the refugee camps in Bangladesh who are fleeing persecution—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The hon. Gentleman is asking about the conditions of life for occupants of refugee camps. I know there is an air of expectation, but I just remind colleagues that we are discussing some of the poorest, most vulnerable and most marginalised people on the face of the planet. I ask for due respect.

[Imran Hussain]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Many of my Rohingya constituents have family in the refugee camps in Bangladesh who are fleeing persecution and who wish to join their family in the UK, as they are entitled to do. They continue to face obstacles and unnecessary bureaucracy, however, so what are the Government doing in the refugee camps to help to reunite families?

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[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Mr Speaker]

One short sentence please, Patrick Grady.

[Patrick Grady (Glasgow North) (SNP)]

T7. What are the UK Government doing to address the civil rights situation in Honduras, where Jesuit priests and others are being intimidated for questioning the validity of recent elections? If DFID cannot intervene in this, will the Secretary of State raise it with the Foreign Secretary?

[Mr Speaker]

There were a couple of semicolons in there!

[Penny Mordaunt]

I speak regularly with the Foreign Secretary about all these issues, and I would be happy to discuss that one. As we look at the footprint we have across this world and wish to do more to engage with more of the world, it is extremely important that we have that oversight of what is happening on the ground. We wish to help developing nations—not just their economies, but their human rights and civil society.

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[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

rose—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The right hon. Gentleman is extremely alert, and I am alert to what he is going to say.

[Sir Desmond Swayne]

A question keeps me awake at night: how will companies be encouraged to follow the Prime Minister’s lead in the way that Iceland has done?

[The Prime Minister]

I am very pleased to say that this week Iceland has made a commitment to be plastic-free. We have seen other companies make commitments to ensure that any plastics they use are recyclable over a number of years. I am very happy to join my right hon. Friend in saying that we will be encouraging companies to follow Iceland’s lead. We will also be consulting on how the tax system or the introduction of charges could further reduce the amount of waste we create. We are launching a new plastics innovation fund, backed up by additional funding that the Government are investing in research and development to ensure that we really do reduce the amount of plastic that is used and leave the environment of this land in a better state than we found it.

[Mr Speaker]

We can all learn about brevity, myself included, from the right hon. Gentleman.

[David Linden (Glasgow East) (SNP)]

Q4. Margo Laird has profound mental health difficulties. She was put on to universal credit in January 2016 and subsequently received a 276-day sanction. A judge recently ruled that that sanction was wrong, and it has been overturned. Will the Prime Minister agree to look into Margo Laird’s case, but above all, will she apologise to Margo?