Speeches by Mathew.

“I thank the hon. Member for Derby North (Catherine Atkinson) for introducing this really important debate. In my maiden speech over a year ago, in a railways debate, I spoke about the state of the railways in my constituency and the need to open a station—Devizes Gateway—to bring back a service to the town lost since t…”

“A workshop taking place in Bath this morning brings together key stakeholders from the rail industry and local authorities. It focuses on the development of rail services in Wiltshire, and will include the case for building a Devizes gateway station and increasing services in Melksham. Following Network Rail’s Wiltshir…”

“It is an honour to speak under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I thank the hon. Member for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy (Melanie Ward) for bringing this vital debate to Westminster Hall. Before I try to address some of the many important points made in today’s debate, I would like to say that this matter is very close to my …”

“As the Member for Melksham and Devizes, I represent many rural villages and communities, a number of which I visited over recess. I have long been struck by the importance of the village pub as a hub of community—a place for good conversation and friendly banter, and for connecting with friends and neighbours, which is…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments, but more is needed. The Minister’s Department must support these schemes and the pub trade or risk losing a vital component of rural life. Lastly, let me make the point that profitable businesses pay taxes, but closed pubs pay no taxes.”

“I thank my right hon. Friend the Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael) for bringing forward this valuable and important debate. I used to work as a Wiltshire councillor on the issue of plastic recycling. My constituency, like all our constituencies, can be blighted by the sight of waste plastic by the roadside…”

“On a related matter, a letter from your predecessor to the IDC back in April 2023 stated that UK funding for WASH had dropped by 56% from a high of £206.5 million in 2018. Before the recent announcement of the reduction of aid spend to 0.3%, WASH funding was said to be down by 85%. WASH is perhaps one of the most cross…”

“Back to development, if I may; tackling climate change has been named as one of the three priorities for UK ODA spending going forward. What will that mean in practice?”

“As a former aid worker and resident of Darfur, I feel deeply for the people of Sudan. Will the Minister say whether there are plans to increase the amount of spend for the emergency response rooms? They are clearly doing very valuable work at the moment.”

“What are the benefits to the UK of adopting agreements such as the Pandemic Treaty that encourage equity?”

“Shall I continue?”

“Dr Cooper and I saw and witnessed, when we were in Cape Town a few weeks ago, what CERI is doing with its links right across Africa in disease identification. It is very important.”

“Could I extend this perhaps a little bit to the others? What are the biggest gaps in global health data, and how do they affect countries’, including the UK’s, ability to respond to current and future health crises?”

“A few weeks ago Dr Cooper and myself were in South Africa and we visited the CERI Institute at the University of Stellenbosch. We heard about the amazing work that they have been doing there, which affects our health system here, but also doing diagnostics and offering a service across Africa where samples of unidentif…”

“This is to everyone. What are the implications of inequity between the Global North and the Global South on health security?”

“Back to you, Baroness Chapman. How is the UK fostering greater collaboration with partners in the Global South and between partners within the Global South?”

“This is to everyone. What are the implications of inequity between the Global North and the Global South on health security?”

“Dr Chalkidou, how will recent aid cuts impact global efforts to strengthen early warning and disease surveillance systems?”

“Could I extend this perhaps a little bit to the others? What are the biggest gaps in global health data, and how do they affect countries’, including the UK’s, ability to respond to current and future health crises?”

“A few weeks ago Dr Cooper and myself were in South Africa and we visited the CERI Institute at the University of Stellenbosch. We heard about the amazing work that they have been doing there, which affects our health system here, but also doing diagnostics and offering a service across Africa where samples of unidentif…”