Speeches by Mundell.

“Yes.”

“Can I ask you first, UnaMay, given the decisions the UK Government have made in terms of how they will prioritise their funding, which areas of focus should the Government seek to prioritise in their work with Jamaica and other small island developing states?”

“It is, but I want to ask you a more general question first about the perception and influence of the UK in the Caribbean and also your role as Minister for the Commonwealth. I was at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference in Barbados, and an undercurrent there was the increased influence of the United St…”

“It is interesting to hear that. In 2023 the previous Government launched the UK Small Islands Developing States Strategy 2022-26. How satisfied are you with the progress on the six areas highlighted in the strategy in the period to date?”

“The focus of the debate was, in my understanding, the global response to HIV/AIDS, and not as wide as stated, so I do apologise, Chair.”

“Which Government—your Government?”

“I commend the Foreign Secretary for her proactive engagement with Parliament on this issue, because that is part of the way we will shine a light on these horrendous circumstances. I concur with the right hon. Member for Oxford East (Anneliese Dodds) about the importance of civilian engagement, that any ceasefire is li…”

“The father of one of my constituents died unexpectedly, which was itself shocking and distressing for his family, but that distress has been compounded by the difficulties they have faced in getting access to vital information held on his mobile phone, computer and via online services. Indeed, the only way they can ope…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for South Shropshire (Stuart Anderson), and to the hon. Member for Corby and East Northamptonshire (Lee Barron) for a useful tip; perhaps if I had put my grandson Theo’s birthday card in a parcel, it might not—eve…”

“The hon. Member for Corby and East Northamptonshire (Lee Barron) made a very important point about the last mile. Something that really concerns me and my constituents is the sustainability of the Royal Mail in that context, because delivery companies are taking on deliveries, but they leave the hard bit—going up the t…”

“I echo the tributes to Jim Wallace. He was one of the most significant Scottish politicians of his generation and it was a privilege both to know him and to work with him. We have established that the Prime Minister was in the room, but what difference will it make for people who were not in the room in Ukraine?”

“I do not know whether the Leader of the House is a keen cyclist or mountain biker, but I am sure that he will share my excitement, and that of my constituents, that after the grand départ in Edinburgh, the Tour de France will pass through Innerleithen, Walkerburn and Canonbie in my constituency. Along with the forthcom…”

“As co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Latin America, I was interested to note that, after 25 years of negotiations, the EU has announced a trade deal with the Mercosur South American trading group. What is the position of the UK Government on a trading agreement with Mercosur?”

“How does that align with the messages that some NGOs give out? If we had spent our afternoon watching daytime television rather than being at this Committee, we would have seen a lot of adverts from NGOs that convey an impression of hopelessness and a suggestion that all this has been done over many years, yet the situ…”

“Absolutely. Sarah has her pet views, and I do too, in that I feel strongly that the corporatisation of NGOs led to the break-up of a sort of army of local advocates for aid. If you were at a local event and somebody had read something in the newspaper, somebody who was in the Red Cross cadre, for example, was there to …”

“That is the big question: what would those mechanisms be?”

“Obviously, some of it demonstrates that good things happened as well.”

“I want to ask about scrutiny, and perhaps then move on to who people would believe. There is scrutiny of the aid budget, and this Committee is a significant part of that. Over the years we have produced numerous worthy and detailed reports. We have the Independent Commission for Aid Impact—although the Government may w…”

“Bel, I will come to you first. I reinforce the congratulations to you and to The Independent for the work you have done in publicly highlighting the impact of cuts in relation to support for HIV/AIDS. As you know, that will lead to a debate in the House of Commons on the global response to HIV/AIDS, in which some of th…”

“Absolutely. Sarah has her pet views, and I do too, in that I feel strongly that the corporatisation of NGOs led to the break-up of a sort of army of local advocates for aid. If you were at a local event and somebody had read something in the newspaper, somebody who was in the Red Cross cadre, for example, was there to …”