Speeches by Downie.

“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…”

“That is pressure, Ms Vaz; It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship. I congratulate the hon. Member for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East (Seamus Logan) on securing this debate. Every Member wants to reduce the number of people relying on food banks and to tackle poverty effectively. I am surprised that the ho…”

“May I, too, begin by welcoming contributions from across the House? It has been a remarkably cross-party, consensual debate so far, and I am sure that will continue. Unlike some who have spoken, my family do not have a veteran, but I grew up for three and a half years on an RAF base in Berlin. It was subject to somethi…”

“Like others on this side of the House, I welcome the increase in defence spending that was announced in the Budget, after years of Tory cuts to our armed forces. Does the Secretary of State agree that we need to increase defence spending in response to emerging threats around the world, from Ukraine to the middle east …”

“Last week, I was made aware of a constituent who is a carer for his wife, who experienced a stroke in 2016. The constituent is a veteran who lives with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and was awarded carer’s allowance in 2017. Late last year, the DWP began demanding the return of more than £51,000 in alleged univ…”

“I congratulate those who made their maiden speech this afternoon. My constituency of Dunfermline and Dollar has a significant rural area, particularly through west Fife and Clackmannanshire. While rural areas often face different challenges from urban areas, the concerns are often the same. They include access to healt…”