Speeches by Lamont.

“Many of my constituents work at Torness power station and are deeply disappointed that the SNP Government are blocking new nuclear development in Scotland. Does the Secretary of State agree that the nuclear industry provides highly skilled jobs and that it is a grave mistake by the SNP Government to block them coming t…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Christopher. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Gordon and Buchan (Harriet Cross) on securing the debate. We do not hear about pig farming as much as we hear about other farming sectors, but it is essential to our food system and rural economy. While this…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered e-petition 737105 relating to offshore detention and deportation of illegal immigrants. It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mr Twigg, and to open this debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee. I will speak today in my role as a member of the Committee; in doing so,…”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right: it is about a sense of fairness. The system is not working in the best interests of our constituents, and I am sure that his 1,138 constituents who signed the petition feel that unfairness. With the incentive of guaranteed mainland accommodation removed, the numbers requiring process…”

“Will the Minister join me in praising all of our fantastic pig farmers—including Adam Marshall from Berwickshire—who do an incredible job in very difficult circumstances? The National Pig Association believes that independent pig producers are currently losing as much as £50 per pig, which is clearly not sustainable fo…”

“6. What steps she is taking to support pig farmers.”

“The cost of heating oil remains a major concern for many residents in the Borders, particularly as families plan for the autumn and winter. The Government promised to cut energy bills by £300, yet since they took office, bills have risen by £300. What more will the Government do to support households in rural communiti…”

“T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered e-petition 759385 relating to disqualification from election candidacy for terrorism convictions. It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Dr Allin-Khan. I begin by thanking Richard Donaldson for creating this petition and the more than 200,000 people across the Uni…”

“Sorry to have interrupted, Minister. Please continue.”

“In the Department, are there particular spads or Ministers who are notoriously slow at turning around written responses?”

“I understand clearly the challenges you face when you travel, but if the relevant spad has not signed off the response, the Foreign Secretary or another Minister is available back in London. Is there no capacity in the Department to sign off the response even though you are travelling overseas and do not have the time …”

“I am grateful for that point. That is accurate, but the fact that anybody would want to vote for a convicted terrorist does raise serious questions, which I think we should be concerned about. Every day we walk through this palace, reminded of the human cost of terrorism. Within these walls are memorials to Members of …”

“I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for making that point. I will come on to that individual’s case shortly, but I do share his concerns. Indeed, there were cross-party concerns at the time of that individual’s candidacy—both Labour and Conservative politicians expressed concerns about that. As I say, I will move…”

“How often do spads or Ministers send the responses back? When you get the draft response, how often do you send it back for redraft?”

“What was that figure at the start of the Government?”

“Can you set out the process from when a parliamentary question comes into the Department until the answer goes out? Who sees it and how is it dealt with within the Department?”

“I appreciate the challenges with the Ministers’ time, but have you put extra resource into the private offices and drafting teams behind the scenes to ensure that the questions are dealt with as quickly as possible, or is it just accepted that a bigger volume is coming through and it gets held up?”

“The Foreign Secretary should know everything, surely.”

“Yes. In terms of how we would go from somebody calling for an inquiry, that coming to Parliament and arriving with the Committee, and what sort of factors we might want to consider.”