Speeches by Harding.

“Despite the statutory commitment to 0.7%, we are now at the lowest levels of UK aid this century. If you take into account the in-country refugee costs that ODA is spent on, the 0.3% drops to 0.1%. Not only does that have a huge impact on the world’s poorest, but our influence on the world stage drops way down to the b…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for South Devon (Caroline Voaden) for securing this debate. I have been supporting residents of both freehold and leasehold properties in Esher and Walton who are confronting a system that allows management companies to over…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Butler. I thank the hon. Member for Newport West and Islwyn (Ruth Jones) for securing this debate, which is as important as it is timely—I am pleased to be speaking today as we break for the Easter recess. The right to practise one’s faith freely, without hindrance …”

“In conflict, religious and ethnic minorities are persecuted. British investment, through international development spending, peacebuilding and deconfliction, reduces the risk of religious intolerance. I am deeply concerned that, as with so many vital areas encompassed by official development assistance, British efforts…”

“I thank the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for securing this debate. On 8 May, this House, together with the whole country, will celebrate the 80th anniversary of victory in Europe. This important milestone provides us with a renewed opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices and struggle of that greatest gener…”

“Surrey has 70,000 potholes—5% of all the nation’s potholes and the most in the country—so I welcome the extra money for potholes, but given the recklessness of the Conservatives in Surrey, how will that help my constituents?”

“I thank the Minister for providing advance sight of his statement. The Liberal Democrats wholeheartedly support his rebuke of the Israeli Government for detaining two hon. Members of this House and denying their entry into the state of Israel. I am disappointed, however, that this House has not been able to speak with …”

“Israel’s expansion of military activity in Gaza, including a strike on UN medical facilities, displacement of civilians and the Defence Minister’s new proposal to seize large swathes of territory is gravely disturbing. It seems that international humanitarian law is being violated. This week’s reports that the Israel D…”

“Thank you. My question picks up on your point, Louis, about the diaspora and the role they play in increasing private sector investment in their country of origin.”

“We had testimony from an NGO working in Sudan that the mistake was that we treated the war in Sudan as a governance crisis, not an atrocity crisis. It speaks to what you are saying, which is that there is a huge amount of gender violence and conduct in Sudan, for example, without the voice of gender conflict coming to …”

“On that point, the ODA from which donor country?”

“That is very interesting. We are interested in it from a UK perspective, where a lot of this just gets bundled up into one thing. Therefore, we must separate it, as you have done.”

“I am worried that what you just said muddies the narrative slightly, that people want to move for economic reasons rather than some having to move because of humanitarian disasters.”

“I want to scrutinise what you said a bit more, that people migrate more when wages rise or development increases. It is important, isn’t it, to separate those who migrate because of humanitarian disaster, who are moved within or without the country and then come back? It is important to separate them when we are doing …”

“Can I push you on that point? I remember from before these most recent cuts, speaking at this Committee and asking, “Do they trust us? Do the countries where we are operating trust us?” They said, now they do, and now they are starting to—pretty much as you have said. Now that this second round of cuts has come in, has…”

“Can I follow up on Myanmar? It is not the only humanitarian disaster, but it is the most sudden since both of those aid cuts have happened. What has been the impact of the USAID cuts on that situation? I know that the US response was slower, comparatively, than usual, but has there been a comparative funding element to…”

“On that point, the ODA from which donor country?”

“That is very interesting. We are interested in it from a UK perspective, where a lot of this just gets bundled up into one thing. Therefore, we must separate it, as you have done.”

“I am worried that what you just said muddies the narrative slightly, that people want to move for economic reasons rather than some having to move because of humanitarian disasters.”

“I want to scrutinise what you said a bit more, that people migrate more when wages rise or development increases. It is important, isn’t it, to separate those who migrate because of humanitarian disaster, who are moved within or without the country and then come back? It is important to separate them when we are doing …”