Speeches by Macdonald.

“Could you speak specifically to a few examples of how you see foreign aid being used?”

“That is fine for that question, and you have teed up this area well. What are your reflections on the role of development aid in the context of energy access? How can it be used most effectively?”

“I have one quick question. I say this as a Labour and Co-operative MP, but it is the UN Year of the Cooperatives, so internationally there is a big focus on them. How have you assessed the role of co-operatives in energy in these local community models? Is there a lot of appetite for them? Are they seen to be effective…”

“Thank you both very much. I want to ask about innovation and about being an entrepreneur. William, reading your story is quite remarkable and looking at the windmill on Wikipedia that you built when you were very young—I will not say exactly how young, but maybe you would like to. I cannot imagine building a windmill w…”

“I have one quick follow-up question. I think you were part of the African Leadership Academy, and there are quite a lot of different leadership programmes particularly for young people in Africa that I am aware of. How valuable do you think those initiatives are about bringing young leaders together to share ideas?”

“I fully agree with the hon. Gentleman about the impact that the cuts will have on women and girls. Does he agree that, as well as continuing to support women and girls through aid from this country, we must stand up for women’s and girls’ rights internationally? We have seen them rolled back in the past. That is why it…”

“The hon. Member is right; this is an internationally agreed percentage of gross national income, but too many countries have not met that target. As has been mentioned, some countries are stepping back, so it is important to be clear that we will keep our commitment to getting back to 0.7% as soon as the fiscal circums…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Hobhouse. I thank the hon. Member for Melksham and Devizes (Brian Mathew) for securing this debate, which is a timely one, given that we are approaching 20 years since the Gleneagles summit held in Scotland in 2005. Twenty years ago, Nelson Mandela spoke in Trafalg…”

“The other concentration of people living in extreme poverty is in conflict-affected states. As much as this is about providing humanitarian aid once disaster happens, we also have to invest in prevention in the first place. Would the Minister reflect on the importance of conflict prevention in our aid efforts?”

“I fully agree. We have had programmes, such as the Equality Fund, where we have been clear on the importance of women’s rights-led organisations. I have met many women’s rights defenders of all ages who are doing amazing work. We must continue to back them and listen to them, because they know what is best in the conte…”

“The east of England has a unique energy mix from offshore wind, hydrogen and nuclear. I welcome the game-changing investment in Sizewell C today. Can I ask specifically about wind? A new report from EastWind and Opergy says that in the east of England, we need more than 6,500 extra offshore wind farm workers. Does the …”

“T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.”

“Many of my constituents are concerned that too often new estates go up without the necessary infrastructure, whether that is schools, GP surgeries or even playgrounds. Does the Secretary of State agree that it is vital to address that issue, and can she elaborate on how we will do so after too many years of inaction?”

“T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.”

“I thank my hon. Friend for the speech he is making. This issue plagues residents in my area, too. Two particular problems are: parking around school pick-up and drop-off—I wonder whether he has found the same—and, in unadopted estates, real difficulties with enforcement when there is dangerous parking. Does this issue …”

“Building on the last question about disaggregated data, women and girls are 50% of displaced people, and there are a lot of girls within that amount. We spoke last time about women and girls, and when Nick Dyer was here, he said that you would be publishing impact assessments in June or July. Have impact assessments be…”

“I want to clarify the process, Minister. You said that the different missions were looking at what they would stop. When will that detail be published? The estimates say that there is an uplift for the World Service budget, which is obviously welcome. The British Council is also waiting. I want to understand why the Wo…”

“A final question: what would a good outcome from that conference look like in terms of your priorities?”

“Bond has said that the UK has so far rejected proposals for a debt workout mechanism. Is that right?”

“As you mentioned, the FfD conference is coming up in Spain. Could you tell us what your priorities are for the conference?”