Speeches by Mathew.

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Roger. I thank the hon. Member for Bradford East (Imran Hussain) for securing this debate, and I thank all Members who have spoken so far with such eloquence, passion and knowledge. The Liberal Democrats are deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict between India an…”

“First, I should apologise for nipping off for the UK-EU customs union vote. It was won by one vote, which was the casting vote—rather exciting, so just as well I went. We could have stayed behind, though. Why have you fully funded support for Ukraine, but left the commitment to Sudan and the Occupied Palestinian Territ…”

“The Rwanda-like situation in Sudan is something that we should all take cognisance of. It is pressing, and we should all be thinking about it.”

“Finally, amid rising humanitarian needs, which were alluded to at the beginning, and worsening global crises and conflicts, is the remaining £33 million of the crisis fund, after commitments to Sudan and the OPTs are met, enough to cover the rest of the world?”

“I rather suspect your answer will have covered my second question: why is the remaining 18% for Sudan to match last year’s funding dependent on the crisis fund, and not allocated at the time of preparing the annual report and accounts?”

“Does the hon. Member agree that there is also a danger of a conflict of interest? At present, the ORR, an independent body, holds the power to grant track access rights. Under the Bill, those powers will transfer to GBR, while the ORR’s role is watered down. If GBR is able to block applications, it becomes judge and ju…”

“Quite apart from the excellent points made by my hon. Friend and by Members on all sides of the Chamber, Singapore has a population that is 10 times smaller than ours, and it took it over 12 years to develop its system. How long would it take us to develop ours: 100 years?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Allin-Khan. I thank the hon. Member for Bromley and Biggin Hill (Peter Fortune) for securing this timely debate, and everyone who has spoken so far. This really is an important issue. In Melksham and Devizes, we are lucky to have a local print newspaper in the Melksham…”

“While increased investment in the NHS and the lifting of the two-child benefit cap are welcome, for the second year in a row, the Government have largely failed to deliver on their promise to tackle the cost of living crisis and grow the economy. In neglecting to fix our relationship with Europe, they are overlooking t…”

“Justice delayed is indeed justice denied, but we have a proud history of juries in this country. If juries are to be suspended for cases in which a sentence of less than three years is expected in order to clear the backlog, will that just be for a limited time, and when will normal jury service be resumed?”

“I just wanted to give you some ammunition. Today, the International Organisation for Migration said that the single largest number of children coming unaccompanied to the UK at the moment is from Sudan. Guess what? The world’s worst catastrophe is happening there.”

“The next question is fairly specific, so let’s see who can answer it. What would be the possible impact if teams such as the atrocity prevention team were to experience a reduction in staff? I have heard that they have not been involved in Sudan—whether that is true, I do not know, so it would be interesting to hear—an…”

“Do any of the rest of you want to comment?”

“I will start with you, Freddie, but the rest of you will probably want to have your say on this as well. We hear that by 2030, two thirds of the world’s extreme poor are likely to be living in fragile and conflict-affected states. Are the spending and policy priorities for ODA fit for purpose, given where the bulk of t…”

“The UK staff overseas will be dealt with in exactly the same way as the UK staff here, presumably—those who are UK-based, and paying their taxes in the UK.”

“What conversations have you had with the Department regarding your concerns?”

“I will go to the next formal question, which I think is quite useful. What is your assessment of the extent to which agreed processes have been adhered to on this occasion?”

“I have some formal questions, but the answers to them will be useful. Lois, what implementation of this restructuring have you witnessed so far?”

“Over to you Martin. What is the agreed process for these sorts of restructures?”

“I just wanted to give you some ammunition. Today, the International Organisation for Migration said that the single largest number of children coming unaccompanied to the UK at the moment is from Sudan. Guess what? The world’s worst catastrophe is happening there.”