Speeches by Downie.

“Q If someone is dissatisfied with the outcome that they have received from the commissioner, is there a way they can appeal it? I think we covered this earlier with other witnesses, when I expressed concern about the decision on whether someone is materially affected being in the hands of the commissioner. What if ther…”

“In his statement, the Foreign Secretary referred to HTS co-operating with the international community on the monitoring of chemical weapons. Given the situation on the ground in Syria and the ongoing chaos, what confidence does he have that there is the capacity for HTS to conduct that work? Is there anything the UK Go…”

“Finally, ahead of the introduction of those arrangements, was any consideration given to comparable statutory entitlements available to the public, so that MPs are not getting ways to not be at work, as maybe others in society might see it. That would be a helpful thing for us to consider as well.”

“In the letter you sent to the Committee on 19 November, you set out some of the changes that you wanted to be made to the proxy voting guidance. I have a couple of points that we would like to clarify.”

“Has the role of the Speaker in determining the length of the proxy vote in each of the circumstances allowed for under the scheme changed? If so, what is the reasoning behind the change?”

“I think you covered this in an earlier answer to me, but to clarify it for the record: is it that all proxy votes are now automatically issued for seven months and then you can ask to extend them, or can you ask for three?”

“It is just about making those procedures as simple as possible for both the person affected and the partner as well.”

“Related to that is the role of the partner. If someone has a complication related to pregnancy such as that, or any of the other range of complications that might require a partner to be present, if the MP is the partner, would they be considered for a proxy in those circumstances?”

“Thank you, Lucy, for coming along today. My question is related to some of the items that you have just brought up. The new proxy arrangements for complications relating to pregnancy and extended absence for fertility treatment were brought in immediately as permanent, rather than on a pilot basis. Can you outline why …”

“If I may, I will take you back to your point about complications relating to pregnancy. For someone with an incredibly difficult condition such as hyperemesis, it can often result in quite a changeable condition. One day is good and the next is bad, or it changes over a period of months or indeed throughout pregnancy. …”

“Yes, sorry—I should have explained. It is a condition where you can feel very sick either for a short period of pregnancy or indeed throughout an entire pregnancy. It can lead to someone being bedbound for a number of months. Sometimes they need hospital treatment, and there are a whole variety of related conditions. I…”

“T8. The previous Government left a mess of £22 billion for us to clean up following their short-term decisions and absolute lack of investment in services. This Government are taking a different approach, with long-term investment for our economic success. Will the Chancellor work with me to find the £3 million of long…”

“I could not agree more. I had the pleasure of being in Belfast just a couple of weeks ago for a family occasion. I was not able to take the ferry on that short trip—sadly, I had to fly—but I could not agree more with the hon. Gentleman’s point. For coastal communities in my constituency, such as Kincardine, Culross and…”

“T7. Given the upcoming audit into the UK’s relationship with China, how does the Foreign Secretary plan to strike a balance between economic growth and growing security concerns about China’s dominance in critical national infrastructure and Chinese-made IoT modules?”

“The hon. Gentleman is right that I should pay tribute to my predecessor, Douglas Chapman, who did much to champion this cause. My point is that we can do this in the current situation, and that is what we should be doing as quickly as possible. This debate is about how to get investment back into our coastal communitie…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for that intervention. Given the additional co-operation we are seeing between the UK and Scottish Governments, with the UK Labour Government in power and resetting that relationship, there will absolutely be opportunities to work together for the benefit of all parts of the United Kingdom on…”

“Once again, I could not agree more. My hon. Friend has the pleasure of representing one of the most beautiful parts of the world, and I have been able to spend a bit of time there. He is absolutely correct about the challenges that our coastal communities face, and programmes such as Great British Energy have huge pote…”

“Scotland’s history is intertwined with our coastal communities. From shipbuilding on the Clyde to fishing off Peterhead and Fraserburgh, these areas helped fuel the UK’s growth as a global power. Closer to my home, the Forth estuary has a proud industrial legacy. Longannet power station, near Kincardine, once powered U…”

“What was clear throughout the Prime Minister’s statement was the need for defence collaboration across the world, as we live in a much more unstable global situation. In his discussions with the Australian leadership, was he able to recommit the UK to AUKUS? Can he give us an update on the next steps, please?”

“I thank the Secretary of State for his statement. It is clear both from the statement and from the follow-up questions that the previous Government have wasted millions of pounds in defence spending that could have been spent better, making it clear that Labour is the party of defence. That money could also have been s…”