Extract from Business
and Trade topical questions
Sir (Northampton North) (Con):
Does my right hon. Friend agree that it would be odd and
inappropriate for the United Kingdom to impose any form of arms
embargo against Israel when His
Majesty's armed forces are in the region and working
with Israel to provide
humanitarian support, and the UK would expect Israel to help in the
protection of His Majesty's forces?
The Secretary of State for Business and Trade (): My right hon. and learned
Friend makes a good point. The Prime Minister addressed this
issue yesterday. I know that there is a lot of interest in arms
exports to Israel and yesterday
my entire Department was blockaded by protesters, meaning that
civil servants who needed to get to work could not do so. The
Government continue to monitor closely the situation
in Israel and the Occupied
Palestinian Territories. All export licence applications are
assessed on a case-by-case basis against the strategic export
licensing criteria. The Government take their defence export
responsibilities extremely seriously and operate some of the most
robust export controls in the world.
Extracts from Business
Questions
Sir (Worthing West) (Con): The
question of local council elections has been raised. Those who
want some amusement can read Acts 5:41, quoted in today's Times
and provided by the Bible Society, although I am not suggesting
that my right hon. Friend should read it now.
I walked here today through Victoria Tower Gardens, where it is
still impossible to walk along the river because of the
barricades around the Buxton memorial fountain, which are far too
extensive. If people care about memorials in Victoria Tower
Gardens, they ought to make sure that the gardens are properly
accessible whenever that is possible.
The Select Committee on the Holocaust Memorial Bill reported
recently in document HC121, and I have tabled early-day motion
711—I do not expect my right hon. Friend to respond to this
today.
[That this House notes the First Special Report of the Holocaust
Memorial Bill Select Committee, HC121, on the problems with the
current proposal and the restrictions faced by the Committee
considering the hybrid Bill; respects the conclusions and
recommendations on page 20; agrees with the list of matters
related to the current proposals for a Holocaust Memorial and
believes these need updated attention on deliverability from the
Infrastructure Commission, from the National Audit Office on
likely capital costs and recurrent annual costs, from the
Chancellor on future funding control, and from the police and
security services on maintaining unfettered public access for use
of Victoria Tower Gardens while protecting the Memorial; asks His
Majesty's Government and the Holocaust Memorial Foundation agency
to commission the views of the property consultants on a
comparison of the current proposal by Sir David Adjaye in
Victoria Tower Gardens with viable alternatives, to commission
the full appraisal and to hold a public consultation on the
selection of site; and further asks His Majesty's Government to
commit to having this or an amended proposal considered first by
the local planning authority before considering whether to call
in the application, noting that an open-minded observer could
doubt another minister in the Levelling Up department should be
asked to make an independent decision on an application by the
Secretary of State.]
As the Committee has clearly indicated, before the Government
think of bringing the Bill back to the Chamber of the House of
Commons they need to do a number of things. First, they must
review security. We have seen the Holocaust memorial in Hyde Park
covered up because of marches going on around London, and
everyone knows that a memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens of the
kind that is proposed would be a major target. The only way of
providing security is to exclude the public from this park, which
is the only park for local residents.
Secondly, the National Infrastructure Commission has said that
this project is undeliverable. Will the Government please ask the
members of the commission whether they have changed their minds?
Last year the National Audit Office reported that the costs had
risen in one year from £102 million to £137 million. Will the
Government please ask its members whether that can be reviewed?
How will the Chancellor agree to pay running costs of between £5
million and £10 million?
I think that the Government ought to delay, do what is suggested
in my early-day motion, and then report back to the House.
Mr Speaker: It might be more helpful if the Father of the House
applies for an Adjournment debate.
The Leader of the House of Commons (): I am sure that my hon.
Friend knows how to apply for a debate and will listen to your
encouragement, Mr Speaker. I will certainly ensure, as I do every
week, that the Secretary of State has heard the issues that my
hon. Friend raises—I will feed them in. On the matter of
security, he will know that there is a working group, led by the
Houses of Parliament and those in Government, to make sure that
all these very important issues are looked at.
(Bath) (LD): First, I thank
the Leader of the House for her kind words about of Hazel Grove. We lost a
wonderful friend and colleague, who, until the very end,
campaigned for his community and called out injustices across the
country. My sincere condolences go to his family at this
time.
We Liberal Democrats have for many years called for tougher
controls on UK exports of arms to ensure they are not used in
human rights abuses. We have called for a presumption of denial
to apply to countries whose Governments are listed in the Foreign
Office's annual “Human Rights and Democracy” report. A
presumption of denial would mean that the default position of the
UK Government is not to permit arms exports. For many years, the
Foreign Office has listed human rights issues arising from action
that the Israeli Government have carried out in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories. In the light of a possibly imminent
humanitarian catastrophe in Rafah, if the Israeli Government are
carrying out their threat to attack, may we have an urgent debate
in Government time about UK arms exports to the middle east?
: I send our thoughts to all
Liberal Democrats, who have lost a treasured member of their
party. It is said of that he was the activists'
activist, and I know that he will be greatly missed.
On UK arms export control, the hon. Lady will know that we have
stringent policies in this country and that the actions that are
taken stemming from those policies are scrutinised by this House.
We take this incredibly seriously. As for the specifics, I also
point her to the fact that we have seen Israel have to defend
itself against the most unwarranted and reckless attack from
Iran. It is very important not only that we say
that Israel has a right to
defend itself, but, because it is one of our allies and partners,
that we understand our obligations to enable it to do so. These
are difficult matters and she will know that both the
Government's policy and the procedures in this House to
scrutinise the actions that come from this policy are stringent
indeed.
(Harrow West) (Lab/Co-op):
The situation in Gaza continues to be profoundly disturbing. We
need a humanitarian ceasefire, all the hostages brought home, and
no incursion by the Israel Defence Forces
into Rafah; that would be catastrophic. The United Nations Relief
and Works Agency is pivotal to avoiding famine in Gaza and for
the future of Palestinians more generally. Could we have a debate
in Government time on why Ministers will not yet restart funding
to UNRWA, given the call by no less than the UN
Secretary-General, António Guterres, for donors to restart that
funding?
: I thank the hon. Gentleman
for raising those concerning matters. I will certainly make sure
that the Foreign Secretary has heard the concerns he has raised.
Aside from the immediate issues on which the hon. Gentleman is
primarily focused, UNRWA has been financially fragile for a long
time, with little long-term financial planning and security.
There are many issues that the Foreign Secretary and his team
will want to consider before taking a decision on whether to
restart funding.
