Speeches by Mathew.

“Were these rockets Israeli rockets or Iranian rockets?”

“Minister, thank you. Your enthusiasm tells a wonderful tale and it is wonderful to see you in post—I would say you are the right man in the right place at the moment. Just as an aside, and this is something that has occurred to me as we were speaking, perhaps other crises in the world today could benefit from the exper…”

“An intriguing question: is the old embassy in Damascus still in British hands? What has happened to it?”

“Leading on from that, what assessment has the Government made of the implications of sanctions relief and the influx of foreign aid for the potential diversion of UK aid into illicit financial channels?”

“To dig down a bit, to what extent do remaining sanctions, including secondary sanctions on organisations and state-owned bodies doing business with Syria, affect long-term private sector investment and rebuilding efforts in Syria?”

“What is your assessment of the impact of remaining sanctions on the ability of humanitarian actors to deliver UK aid effectively?”

“In June 2025 the UK Government announced that they intended to keep the impact of sanctions amendments under review. What progress have you made ?”

“I remember from Mozambique that they were using intelligent rats, for example, to look for mines. Has there been any use of animals like that in this case?”

“I have a question for both of you. Apart from yourselves—MAG and the HALO Trust—who else is involved in dealing with demining and unexploded ordnance? Is that part of the Syrian military’s job? What is the split?”

“Were these rockets Israeli rockets or Iranian rockets?”

“Minister, thank you. Your enthusiasm tells a wonderful tale and it is wonderful to see you in post—I would say you are the right man in the right place at the moment. Just as an aside, and this is something that has occurred to me as we were speaking, perhaps other crises in the world today could benefit from the exper…”

“An intriguing question: is the old embassy in Damascus still in British hands? What has happened to it?”

“Leading on from that, what assessment has the Government made of the implications of sanctions relief and the influx of foreign aid for the potential diversion of UK aid into illicit financial channels?”

“I have a question for both of you. Apart from yourselves—MAG and the HALO Trust—who else is involved in dealing with demining and unexploded ordnance? Is that part of the Syrian military’s job? What is the split?”

“To dig down a bit, to what extent do remaining sanctions, including secondary sanctions on organisations and state-owned bodies doing business with Syria, affect long-term private sector investment and rebuilding efforts in Syria?”

“What is your assessment of the impact of remaining sanctions on the ability of humanitarian actors to deliver UK aid effectively?”

“In June 2025 the UK Government announced that they intended to keep the impact of sanctions amendments under review. What progress have you made ?”

“I remember from Mozambique that they were using intelligent rats, for example, to look for mines. Has there been any use of animals like that in this case?”

“I thank the hon. Member for South Shropshire (Stuart Anderson) for this debate. One particularly frustrating problem is the way in which roadworks are planned and co-ordinated, especially in rural areas. I am sure that many Members will recognise the situation where multiple sets of roadworks are scheduled at the same …”

“I have a question for both of you. Apart from yourselves—MAG and the HALO Trust—who else is involved in dealing with demining and unexploded ordnance? Is that part of the Syrian military’s job? What is the split?”