Speeches by Foord.

“Recent reports state that figures from a classified Israeli database suggest that five out of six Palestinians who have been killed in Gaza were not terrorists but civilians. Do Ministers recognise those figures?”

“The Spanish Government have taken a different view. The Spanish Prime Minister is prepared to refer to what is going on in Gaza as genocide. When we see our allies starting to shift their position, might the UK follow rather than lead?”

“My first question is to Minister Falconer. On 1 September, the then Foreign Secretary sent a letter to the Chair of the International Development Committee referencing the genocide convention. The Foreign Secretary wrote, “As per the Genocide Convention, the crime of genocide occurs only where there is specific ‘intent…”

“Would you go further and say that the Government have concluded that Israel is not acting with that intent?”

“It exists in the mind of others, but it also exists in their statements. We have heard from former Cabinet Ministers of the Israeli state phrases such as “fighting human animals”. The International Association of Genocide Scholars has deemed that there is a genocide taking place in Gaza. Do you not feel that it is a re…”

“Of course, the problem with that approach—assessment of risk rather than determinations—is that the determinations can come so late that the British state will be unable to do anything about it. The last time that the UK recognised a genocide as having taken place, the determination around Daesh and the Yazidis, the ge…”

“I should say to my right hon. Friend that I think it is an excellent report—I am amazed to hear that 235 tonnes of illegal meat were detained at the border. On 18 August, the Government announced they will pause the planned introduction of physical checks on live animals at the border with the EU to support businesses …”

“17. What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of passenger rail infrastructure.”

“Rail travellers are used to the excuse of leaves on the line, but travellers on the railway between Exeter and London Waterloo have recently encountered a new one: soil moisture deficit. Dualling the line on a three-mile section of the track near Whimple could give passengers travelling on the west of England line two …”

“On the Foreign Affairs Committee, we have seen the high calibre of career diplomats who usually take up the most senior ambassadorial appointments, so it is not obvious to me why the British ambassador to the United States was a former MP. In the emails that have leaked overnight, it appears that Lord Mandelson thinks …”

“Will the Minister give way?”

“I represent people who work at the excellent Living Systems Institute at the University of Exeter. The purpose-built institute was launched in 2017 to bring together physicists, mathematicians, biologists and biomedical scientists, with the expectation that the life sciences sector was going to enjoy substantial foreig…”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. He points to how it is much more affordable simply to dual a piece of track than it is to invest in new railway lines, as we talked about a lot in the last Parliament. For students studying at Exeter college, for workers heading into Exeter and for businesses trading across the south…”

“I was listening to Radio 4 yesterday evening, and I was hearing about transport problems in London. Let’s face it: when we hear about transport problems in London, we know exactly what they mean, but pity also the poor people in the provinces who rarely come to London but have to hear all about London’s daily problems.…”

“I would like to request a debate on rural broadband and rural 4G. Broadband coverage in much of Devon is poor, in spite of the last Government saying that they would spend £5 billion on it. These 4G notspots are widespread, but the Government scheme to get rid of them bears absolutely no relation to the broadband schem…”

“Qatar has used its good offices for diplomatic negotiations for many years. Taliban representatives secretly arrived in Qatar 15 years ago and subsequently attended peace conferences in Japan, Germany and France. If the UK and our allies let these strikes by the Netanyahu-led Government go, they could be a precedent fo…”

“The Russian drones over Poland were tracked by Polish aircraft but also by Dutch aircraft stationed in Poland. That reminds us that four years ago Putin sought a roll-back in NATO deployments from central and eastern Europe. In 2021 Russia outrageously demanded that NATO allies deploy no forces in countries that joined…”

“The Minister talked about a cross-Government approach, and last week the Ministry of Defence stood up the cyber and specialist operations command, building on the foundations of strategic command and bringing together more than 26,000 specialists. Can the Minister comment on what collaboration exists between officials …”

“My hon. Friend talks about the economic benefits of national trails. In my constituency, we have the South West Coast Path, which attracts 9 million visitors every year and is reckoned to support them spending about £500 million. Does my hon. Friend recognise that a south-west inland path would maintain more hospitalit…”

“The King Charles III coastal path will be an impressive achievement, if we can make it happen. Would the Minister commend the section between Lyme Regis and Sidmouth in my constituency? Would she also pay tribute to the National Trust, which does great work in maintaining our coastal paths?”