Speeches by Jardine.

“The hon. Gentleman is beginning to sound a bit like a parrot.”

“No, I will not give way. We hear the hon. Gentleman. I will repeat the phrase for him again: tourism tax. Yes, we know that Edinburgh is taxing tourists, but it is doing that to support its hospitality business, which has been under threat for a decade. We need to look at the burden that our businesses are carrying: th…”

“I come to Parliament this week fresh from the Edinburgh festival—on which note I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. Hon. Members will be pleased to hear that I was there not as a performer, but because every year I am tempted across the border into neighbouring constituencies b…”

“No, actually—I think the hon. Member has said enough today. Those businesses are suffering and they have been for years. Hon. Members know how important they are not just to my constituency, to Edinburgh or to Scotland, but to the United Kingdom, because of the jobs that they create and the people they employ. That lit…”

“Those families also tell me that bigger businesses, like Edinburgh zoo and fantastic tourist businesses, which the national insurance changes have added—”

“14. What steps she is taking to increase the uptake of pension credit.”

“Earlier this year, a constituent of mine in Edinburgh West contacted me about the delay she had faced in getting the pension credit she was entitled to. She applied in September last year and was told that she would receive it in November, but it was March before she got her pension credit awarded. The delay meant that…”

“I welcome the Home Secretary’s confirmation in her statement of the expedited visas for students, particularly those from Gaza. I wrote to both the Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary this summer to appeal for exactly this move, and I know how welcome it will be to those students. The Home Secretary talks about a …”

“I very much welcome what is in the Government’s policy, particularly votes for 16 and 17-year-olds. We already have this in Scotland for the Scottish parliamentary elections and I have also campaigned for the change to be made for general elections. Will the Minister confirm that this will be in place in time for the n…”

“19. What steps he is taking to support the hospitality sector.”

“I hope the Minister will join me in thanking all the hard-working hospitality staff who are about to have a very busy summer, particularly in Edinburgh West, where they are about to be immersed in the Edinburgh international festival, to which the Minister and the Secretary of State—all the Ministers, in fact—are, of c…”

“So if women are stressed or in pain, you will replace those?”

“We have heard a lot in this inquiry about the growth in cosmetic surgery tourism—beauty tourism as it has been called—and the problems that is bringing. Professor Fowler, you alluded to it earlier; can you give us an idea of how many complications from cosmetic procedures carried out both domestically and abroad have b…”

“Do you have any data that shows the trend in people going abroad?”

“Do you think you need some mechanism for that? It baffles me.”

“Do you have any clear estimate of the financial burden placed on the NHS by corrective treatments?”

“Given that higher rate though—and you mentioned women who have ruptured implants—and the fact that there are women who still have PIP implants who say that they are causing them physical pain and mental stress with the fear of rupture, but they cannot afford to have them replaced, do you think the NHS should be offerin…”

“Good afternoon. Thank you for coming along. First, I would like to ask all you about the latest NHS guidance, which says that “Ruptured PIP implants have no proven long-term health effects.” Researchers we spoke to, and evidence we have heard, described that position as ludicrous so are you still confident in that guid…”

“Which is another problem.”

“Rieka, do you agree with all that? Do you have anything to add?”