Speeches by Mundell.

“Will the Chief Secretary to the Treasury reassure me that the Treasury really understands that in rural areas the cost of fuel not only relates to what motorists pay for driving but affects everything—all the goods and services provided—on sale in the shops? Therefore, rather than trying to put caps on the things that …”

“Will the Chancellor expand on her discussions with the supermarkets and their role in keeping prices down? When the supermarkets make special offers or reduce prices, there is always a concern that rather than absorbing the costs themselves, they pass them on directly to farmers and their suppliers, who are not in a po…”

“While the trade agreement with the GCC is obviously welcome, why does the Minister think it is possible to reach a trade agreement with the GCC but not to influence its members to play a more positive role in resolving the issues in Yemen, Sudan and elsewhere? They have a key role to play in these disputes. I know that…”

“May I begin by sending my commiserations to the family and friends of Scottish rugby legend Scott Hastings, who died recently aged only 61? Scott was an inspirational figure, both on and off the pitch. I am sure the Leader of the House shares my concern about the outbreak of Ebola that is affecting both the Democratic …”

“I begin by commending Craig Hoy on his election as MSP for Dumfriesshire, and on ensuring that the blue wall of Scottish Conservative and Unionist seats in the south of Scotland remains intact. Ahead of those elections, the leader of the SNP, John Swinney, asserted that if the SNP gained a majority in the Scottish Parl…”

“We were impressed by the team when we met them—I certainly was, and I think the other members were too.”

“Are you satisfied, though, that the Nigerian Government accepts that the malnutrition that is prevalent in parts of the north is a contributor to instability and therefore needs to be tackled as part of bringing stability to the north?”

“When the Foreign Secretary was here with you, Minister, she was very robust on the UK’s continuing wish to stand up for LGBT+ rights around the world. Given that Nigeria is one of the countries where same-sex activity is still criminalised, how are you ensuring that FCDO programming is accessible and responsive to the …”

“Are you doing that proactively, in the sense that you look at the situation and think, “Well, we could do this.”, or do they ask you for it? What is the balance between proactivity and reactivity?”

“It is very nice to see you again, Cynthia. We found our visit very useful, particularly your help. Following on from that, to go into my question, the thing I learned most about the structure of Nigeria was about the states and the governors. Although it was clear that you, the high commissioner and others had a very g…”

“As the Minister indicated, we appear to have a good relationship with the current Nigerian Government. Do you think the partnership would survive a change of Government, either in Nigeria or even in the UK?”

“Turning to nutrition, and specifically malnutrition, I found it quite remarkable that you could visit Lagos and Abuja and not know that one of Africa and the world’s worst nutritional crises was happening in northern Nigeria, because there appears to be an institutional inability to talk about it. Does that not impede …”

“Following on from that, Chris, how does the displacement crisis that we see in the north impact on BII investment choices, and indeed on the capacity for businesses to operate, given that people may or may not be moving about within the region?”

“Against that backdrop, how would you rate how you are doing?”

“I very much understand the theory of what you are saying. Do you think there is any evidence on the ground that that is working, in the sense that job opportunities or business opportunities have either reduced the number of people who have moved or induced people to come back to their local area?”

“That comes to the wider question, which we have discussed in the context of other crisis-affected areas, such as Yemen: what development work can be meaningfully done in an environment of such heightened insecurity and instability?”

“Following on from that, Chris, how does the displacement crisis that we see in the north impact on BII investment choices, and indeed on the capacity for businesses to operate, given that people may or may not be moving about within the region?”

“Turning to nutrition, and specifically malnutrition, I found it quite remarkable that you could visit Lagos and Abuja and not know that one of Africa and the world’s worst nutritional crises was happening in northern Nigeria, because there appears to be an institutional inability to talk about it. Does that not impede …”

“Are you satisfied, though, that the Nigerian Government accepts that the malnutrition that is prevalent in parts of the north is a contributor to instability and therefore needs to be tackled as part of bringing stability to the north?”

“But will you do that in relation to that investment? Will you look to see whether it has had any impact on people who might have been drawn into the terror organisations or people who might have been displaced if the investment had not been made?”