Christine Jardine MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 12 Feb 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q13. Every 22 minutes, a child in this country loses a parent or a loved one. That is 40,000 children every year facing a trauma that many of us here know can last a lifetime. Charities such as Winston’s Wish do a fantastic job providing support for young people, particularly when schools are closed or there is no one else to turn to. However, at the moment there is no simple way for the children to know about those charities or for the charities to contact the children. Will the Government back my private Member’s Bill this summer to enable that to happen? Will the Prime Minister meet me to discuss how we can ensure that another generation of children will not have to face that trauma?

• 12 Feb 2025 · Energy Infrastructure: Chinese Companies · Hansard source

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  (Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero if he will make a statement on the potential security implications of the involvement of Chinese companies, including Mingyang, in energy infrastructure projects.

• 12 Feb 2025 · Energy Infrastructure: Chinese Companies · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for her comments and general reassurances, but there are specific concerns at the moment. China can produce what is useful to us for the development of renewables, particularly in the North sea, and we can benefit from those investments. China also needs access to our markets. However, security issues involving companies working in offshore renewable development have become apparent in recent weeks and have been raised numerous times. It has been reported that the Chinese company Mingyang is interested in producing turbines for a new project in the North sea. Around £60 million of Scottish Government funding has been earmarked for a wind turbine factory near Inverness, in addition to a potential £27 million for Orient Cable to provide subsea cables for island communities. That is despite the European Union bringing anti-trust cases against China and the Norwegian Government blocking Mingyang from its green infrastructure projects. Will the Minister reassure the House that the Department will follow the same rigorous processes to assess those risks as the previous Government, which ultimately blocked Huawei from the 5G network? This must include an assessment of any opportunities for remote access to the turbines, as the software will normally remain in the control of the manufacturers even once commissioned, leaving them vulnerable to being switched off. We need local control. Will the Department reassure the House that discussions are ongoing with the Scottish Government to ensure that no public money is invested before this risk assessment has taken place? How will Ministers work with the Scottish Government and Cabinet colleagues to ensure that offshore and undersea infrastructure is safe?

• 11 Feb 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T3. The charity that organised the campaign “The Darker Side of Pink” estimates that 31 women lose their battle against metastatic breast cancer every day, which means that more than 20,000 have died since I first raised this matter two years ago during Prime Minister’s Question Time. What will the Government do to increase awareness, understanding, the availability of drugs and screening for women facing this challenge?

• 6 Feb 2025 · Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories · Hansard source

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  I welcome the commitment that the Minister has given the House and the determination to show our opposition to Trump’s disgraceful approach, but I am disappointed that she does not see this as the ideal moment to commit to recognising the state of Palestine. What is being done across Government to reassure the communities in this country who have suffered outrageous abuse since 7 October 2023?

• 5 Feb 2025 · Domestic Violence Prevention Services · Hansard source

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  We welcome the Government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls, but a recent report from the National Audit Office makes grim reading, stating that one in 12 women are victims of violence every year and that there were more than 2 million victims in the year up to June 2024. It also suggests while there is a welcome focus on victims, we are not doing enough in terms of prevention. How will the Minister ensure that this mission will focus on education and prevention in schools as well as seeking to support every survivor, and is she speaking to the Scottish Government about co-ordination?

• 4 Feb 2025 · Apprenticeships · Hansard source

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  Order. Given the number of speakers, we will now have to move to two minutes per speech, unfortunately.

• 4 Feb 2025 · Apprenticeships · Hansard source

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  Order. Before the hon. Member responds, I remind Members that a lot of people want to get in on this debate, and we need to keep questions much shorter in order to do that.

• 4 Feb 2025 · Apprenticeships · Hansard source

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  I call the Opposition spokesperson, Rebecca Paul.

• 4 Feb 2025 · Apprenticeships · Hansard source

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  Order. Was there a question?

• 4 Feb 2025 · Apprenticeships · Hansard source

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  I remind Members to bob if they wish to be called in a debate. To get in all the speakers we have, please try to limit yourselves to three minutes. I call Peter Bedford—he is not here. Jim Shannon, please.

• 4 Feb 2025 · Apprenticeships · Hansard source

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  Order. We are out of time. I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson, Max Wilkinson.

• 4 Feb 2025 · Apprenticeships · Hansard source

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  We are out of time. The hon. Member indicated at the start that he did not mind. Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered the value of apprenticeships and National Apprenticeships Week.

• 4 Feb 2025 · Six Nations Rugby Championship: Viewing Access · Hansard source

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  I will call Charlie Dewhirst to move the motion, and I will then call the Minister to respond. There will not be an opportunity for the Member in charge to wind up, as is the convention for 30-minute debates.

• 30 Jan 2025 · Women’s Health Strategy · Hansard source

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  I am sure we all welcome the move to reduce waiting lists and recognise that the women’s health strategy is a 10-year plan. But given the enormous problems highlighted by the hon. Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen) and my hon. Friend the Member for Winchester (Dr Chambers), does the Minister appreciate that, to many women who are having trouble accessing often fragmented gynaecological services, it will seem like a vital facility is about to be lost and that the Government’s promises of “never again” will sound hollow? What will the Government do to reassure all the women who are concerned about this move?

• 29 Jan 2025 · Rural Housing Targets · Hansard source

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  Order. I remind the hon. Member that we have less than two minutes before we have to move on to the Front-Bench spokespeople.

• 29 Jan 2025 · Rural Housing Targets · Hansard source

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  Before I call the Minister, I ask him to ensure that we have two minutes at the end for the right hon. Member for East Hampshire (Damian Hinds) to wind up.

• 29 Jan 2025 · Rural Housing Targets · Hansard source

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  Order. I remind Members that they should bob if they wish to be called in the debate. Please limit your remarks to five or six minutes.

• 29 Jan 2025 · Road Safety: Schools · Hansard source

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  Would the hon. Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Andy MacNae) like to make some remarks? We will then move on to the Front Bench at eight minutes past.

• 29 Jan 2025 · Road Safety: Schools · Hansard source

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  Order. I remind Members that they should bob if they wish to be called in the debate. I ask them to limit their speeches to around four minutes.

• 29 Jan 2025 · Growing the UK Economy · Hansard source

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  I am sure that the Chief Secretary will correct me if I am wrong, but the only three words about Scotland in his statement are “Glasgow city region”. They are welcome, but does he appreciate that while the Scottish Government may have received its biggest settlement, every UK Government statement that has come out of this place since the general election has undermined support in Scotland for this Government? In my city of Edinburgh, we are concerned that every statement on investment in AI and research leaves us out. Down the line, expansion at Heathrow will mean more air traffic over our city, and there is no emissions management plan in place. Will the Chief Secretary reassure my constituents that there is something in this for Edinburgh?

• 28 Jan 2025 · Airport Expansion · Hansard source

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  The Minister has made a great deal of the position of my party on Heathrow airport. As he is such a fan of our Focus leaflets, I am sure he will know from my own that I have consistently raised airport noise, opposition to the expansion of Heathrow, sustainable aviation fuel and airspace management in this place. How will he make the airspace management plan fit with any forthcoming emissions and capacity management framework? We have yet to hear from the Government about that, but the Liberal Democrats consider it vital to the future sustainability of the air transport industry in this country.

• 27 Jan 2025 · Artificial Intelligence: Research and Development · Hansard source

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  Many of my constituents and local academics have expressed concern about the cancellation last year, by this Government, of what would have been the UK’s only exascale computer, at Edinburgh University. That was not mentioned at all in the AI opportunities action plan. It would have been a major beneficial development in this sector. What discussions is the Secretary of State having with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that this takes place, and can she reassure the public that the benefits of AI will be spread to universities across the UK?

• 27 Jan 2025 · Artificial Intelligence: Research and Development · Hansard source

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  4. What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for artificial intelligence research and development in the higher education sector.

• 27 Jan 2025 · Creative Industries · Hansard source

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  The Minister talks about the ecosystem and bringing together all the sectors. There is no better example in this country—perhaps in the world—than the Edinburgh international festivals, which bring all the sectors together. Edinburgh is also a heartland of small venues. What will the Government do to help small venues, which have been suffering for five or six years, to cope with the national insurance changes, because they are employers and are being hit by them?