Speeches by Mundell.

“Can the Foreign Secretary say a bit more about engagement with the Commonwealth? Not only are there two Commonwealth countries immediately adjacent to Venezuela, but there is an important Commonwealth network across the Caribbean. Surely there must be a danger at this moment that some of those countries might think tha…”

“Can the Minister update us on de-mining in Ukraine? Ukrainian civilians are still regularly being killed by mines or improvised explosive devices. The last time that I had the opportunity to visit Ukraine, it was with the HALO Trust, which is based in my constituency and carries out the meticulous work of removing mine…”

“Madam Deputy Speaker, I wish you, all Members and House staff a very merry Christmas and a guid new year, when it comes. I have the honour to represent one of the largest rural constituencies in the United Kingdom, where the ability to drive is essential for many, particularly at Christmas, when we want to get out and …”

“My constituency is larger than any in England and has over 100 distinct communities, which I could not even list in three minutes, so I intend just to focus on the highlights. I am delighted that the Backbench Business Committee has granted a debate on modernising marriage laws, because Europe’s self-proclaimed marriag…”

“It would be wrong not to commend the hon. Member for Alloa and Grangemouth (Brian Leishman) on this announcement as he has always been such a strong advocate for jobs at Grangemouth. Indeed, owing to his willingness to speak out against his Government, he lost the Labour Whip. I noted from the photographs issued around…”

“On Sunday at Arlington cemetery, I will have the honour of joining the families and friends of many of the victims of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie on 21 December 1988—the worst terrorist atrocity in the United Kingdom. Does the Prime Minister agree with me that, especially after all these years, thos…”

“One factual point worth making is that one third of those people who supported independence voted for Brexit. As the hon. Gentleman knows, when in government I looked at various schemes that could operate separately in Scotland, but ultimately we found that they were unworkable.”

“I am sure that we do not want to go down the blind alley of a long discussion about this flood prevention scheme, but it was the subject of a public inquiry, because—this is one of the most important parts of the issue—it does not command public support. That, in my view, is the reason why there have been numerous dela…”

“In her eloquent description of the importance of cross-border economic activity, the hon. Member for Carlisle (Julie Minns) referred to Borderlands, which in many ways was a precursor to Pride in Place. Like her, I feel that the Borderlands initiative needs a bit more oomph behind it, so will the Minister commit the Sc…”

“The hon. Lady will be pleased to hear that change in Scotland is the theme of my speech, because I agree that we desperately need it. In relation to SNP promises, we have heard it all before. Year in, year out, SNP boasts about bringing down waiting times ring hollow in the ears of patients whose experience is of being…”

“I am afraid we are back to the old record, Madam Deputy Speaker. We have heard it so many times. It does not wear thin; it must be digital now, so that it can be reproduced in just the same words that I have heard for the last 20-odd years. What the hon. Gentleman says does not relate to the experience of my constituen…”

“I do. What the hon. Lady points to is the shuffling of figures that we have just seen, so that the best figures are presented, but those 86,000 people I mentioned who have been on waiting lists for more than a year are erased from the debate. It is all about smoke and mirrors. Analysis of this astonishing increase in w…”

“As Members across the Chamber know, this is a well-used SNP tactic of constant comparison with other places, rather than focusing on the SNP Government’s delivery compared with their promises. It is clear that there is a huge discrepancy between what has been promised by the Scottish Government and what has been delive…”

“I congratulate the hon. Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie) on securing this debate, which gives us an opportunity to consider some of the important issues facing Scotland. As a Member of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, I was very disappointed not to have the opportunity to take part in the debate reflec…”

“I agree with the hon. Lady, but there also needs to be fundamental acknowledgment that there has not been the workforce planning that was required and that is the responsibility of the Scottish Government, not people in England or Wales or somewhere else. These responsibilities lie with the Scottish Government, and the…”

“The Leader of the House will share my disappointment at the Scottish Government’s illogical and wrong-headed approach to nuclear power, which means that the former Chapelcross site in my constituency cannot be considered for a new nuclear power station. I hope that, like me, he welcomes the announcement from the Nuclea…”

“Nobody is a greater champion than my good self of the UK Government in Scotland, having driven through the proposals for Queen Elizabeth House, but it seems to me that it would have been better for some of that thinking to be done earlier in the process, when the decisions were being made about a hub in west central Sc…”

“Just to clarify, you said that you are looking to upgrade the secure functions to allow senior staff to operate. Was that a commitment to do that? What would determine whether you did it? Might it be something structural—the building could not be adapted to do it, for example—or that you did not want to put those parti…”

“I would have thought it would have been the Home Office, in terms of some of the core parts that go right across the United Kingdom, but obviously MHCLG, in its latest iteration, is a relevant Department. DCMS has an important role because the wedding industry—I don’t think it is unfair to use that term—is a significan…”

“Apologies for having to leave to go out and vote on whether there should be a customs union with the EU. [Interruption.] Yes, I felt exactly the same. I want to ask about Abercrombie House and its future. As Nick will know, we previously had a discussion at this Committee about Abercrombie House, only for it—not delibe…”