Speeches by Macdonald.

“As a Norwich MP, it is very good to hear the tribute to the John Innes Centre and all the work that it does. I wanted to go back to the issue of debt. The previous Committee found that debt cancellation is one of the most cost effective things we can do as a Government. You have done a lot of work on this already. It w…”

“If you are an NGO or someone external looking to track how the Foreign Office, under this new Government, is progressing on this agenda, where would you look to see what the metrics are?”

“I welcome what my hon. Friend has said today. I recently visited Mile Cross primary school in Norwich, which is a shining beacon of what a local school can provide to its residents. Will she join me in paying tribute to the staff and pupils at Mile Cross? She touched on this in her statement, but how can we ensure that…”

“I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s statement. Gender-based violence increased by 300% in the DRC in recent years, with two thirds of it in the three eastern provinces. In Sudan, we have heard of the epidemic of sexual violence in conflict. This year marks 25 years since the agreement of the landmark UN resolution 1325 o…”

“I recognise that point, but as a culture portfolio holder I saw that we increasingly had to bid for small pots of money, without overall systemic funding. We were able to keep all our libraries open, but many local authorities were forced to make difficult decisions. I recognise that there were some decisions during co…”

“I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak in this important debate. I want to focus on three areas: our potential in Norwich, education and supporting freelancers. The creative industries are something that I am passionate about. I grew up in Norfolk, and for much of my childhood my mother ran the local arts centre…”

“Will my hon. Friend give way?”

“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill and on this very important subject. I pay tribute to the hon. Member for South Cotswolds (Dr Savage) for her passionate speech and for giving us all an opportunity to discuss this subject. I also welcome the contribution from the hon. Member for North Dorset (Simon Hoare).…”

“T4. The Labour-led city council in Norwich was recently awarded £34 million in Government funding to help to unlock affordable homes and jobs at Anglia Square. This is long overdue, and will bring huge benefit to Norwich. It is a brilliant example of the Government’s mission for growth as part of our plan for change. W…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for giving way and for securing this debate. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. One of the key barriers for all children, particularly children with disabilities, is inadequate access to water and sanitation. Some 200 million children do not have a toilet at all in sc…”

“As the Foreign Secretary has said, this is a glimmer of light for the hostages, their families and civilians in Gaza—many of them children living in hell—and all our thoughts are with them. We have spoken a lot about the importance of access for humanitarian aid, but can I ask the Foreign Secretary about volumes? Can h…”

“Currently, there is no statutory right for time off work for fertility treatment, which causes so much stress to so many people. Many employers do offer this voluntarily, which I welcome, but does the Leader of the House agree with me and campaigners such as Fertility Matters at Work that it is really important to supp…”

“Local government reorganisation and full devolution is long overdue, and I believe it will bring many benefits to Norfolk and Norwich. In Norwich North, just as my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Daniel Francis) said, one council might collect the bins on one side of the street, and another collect…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for securing this important debate. As she mentioned, endometriosis can have a knock-on effect on many areas of a woman’s life. It can affect mental health, and it can also have an impact on fertility, yet there is no statutory right to time off work for fertility treatment, or indeed in many oth…”

“At this hour, the situation is horrendous, with 6.9 million people at risk of gender-based violence and 75% of children out of school. The US also announced new sanctions when it made the announcement. Will the Government review their sanctions policy, in relation both to the perpetrating networks on the ground and to …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Betts. I thank all Members who have spoken so powerfully today on this subject. As the Minister noted, two debates on male violence against women and girls have been happening at the same time, and many of us would have liked to speak in them both. Although the cont…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for her contribution and for raising that important point about climate change, which has a very detrimental impact on women and girls everywhere, and particularly in conflict situations. Indeed, it is a driver of conflict, as we see when it comes to, for example, resource scarcity. I welcome tha…”

“I do agree. Like the previous Government, this Government have done a lot on girls’ education, as did former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who continues to do so. There is not only an impact on girls’ present; it is an attack on their future and on the future of us all. We have seen the rolling back of women’s rights, a…”

“Around 153,000 people in the UK are living with Parkinson’s, including many of my constituents who have told me about the difficulties they face in accessing treatment. I welcome the plan set out by the Health Secretary on health reforms and investment, but may we have a specific debate on the challenges faced by those…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the impact of conflict on women and girls. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Jeremy. There are many things that we disagree on in the House, but I hope we will find some clear areas of agreement in this debate. I hope we agree that the impact of conflic…”