Antarctic Bill

My hon. Friend asks a useful and important question, which, ironically, lies at the heart of the ...

Before my hon. Friend moves on, this is probably my fault rather than his, but I am unclear as to...

That is an important question, and there are two points to make in response. First, by showing Br...

May I assist the hon. Gentleman? One recent concern has been whether the proposed merger of the B...

I am grateful for that assistance from the Opposition Front Bench. I was intending to celebrate t...

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on introducing this Bill, which I strongly support as it repres...

The hon. Gentleman makes a key point. The current treaty arrangements include agreements that the...

I congratulate my hon. Friend on the progress he has made with this important Bill, of which I am...

I am grateful for the support I have received from my hon. Friend. We have worked together very e...

Does my hon. Friend agree that we should preserve the independence of the BAS? Having a BAS prese...

My hon. Friend makes an important point. If we want to retain our presence in the region, includi...

Does the hon. Gentleman accept, however, that any military presence in the Antarctic by any natio...

I have already noted that the Antarctic is demilitarised as a result of British action. It is rec...

Does my hon. Friend recognise that the first expedition, in 1901 to 1904, was based very much on ...

I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention, because he is absolutely right about the science. W...

My hon. Friend says that he will do everything he can, and he has been a great advocate for this ...

That is probably the best intervention I have ever taken, because it underlines the fact that I w...

Does my hon. Friend feel that he might need to lead quite a large delegation on such a visit?

I can see where this is going. I know that the Minister is making notes as to when the visit shou...

How would the hon. Gentleman envisage hon. Members keeping each other warm?

I am not going to go into the full details, but I think that single sleeping bags for those hon. ...

My hon. Friend may not be visiting Antarctica any time soon, but he can visit Parliament square t...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that intervention. I will certainly salute the flag, and I wi...

Does my hon. Friend agree that proper insurance of operators is increasingly important, especiall...

My hon. Friend makes an exceptionally pertinent point. The provision is partly aimed at the incre...

I welcome the Bill and strongly support it. I hope it gets its Second Reading today and goes spee...

For the sake of clarity, the purpose of the Bill and, in particular, the liability annex, which i...

I thought that that was the position, and I am grateful to the Minister for clarifying it. I assu...

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Neil Carmichael) on securing Second Reading ...

My hon. Friend has paid an undoubtedly deserved tribute to those who went on the Terra Nova exped...

I agree. We should pay tribute to all those who pioneered those early expeditions. We now benefit...

The hon. Gentleman and I work very well together on the issues facing the British Indian Ocean Te...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. We have indeed worked very well together on the ...

I do not wish to appear churlish, but does the hon. Gentleman not agree that it is unfortunate th...

I commend the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston (Andrew Miller) and his Committee for its...

I referred to that report in my remarks, and although it was important, it was the icing on a big...

The plan to merge the British Antarctic Survey with the National Oceanography Centre would have, ...

I congratulate the hon. Member for Stroud (Neil Carmichael) on introducing this excellent Bill. H...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will briefly although there is a statement at 11 am and I am keen to make progress.

Despite my reservations about some aspects of the hon. Gentleman’s party and its policies on othe...

I thank the hon. Gentleman very much for that intervention; it is nice to know that we agree on s...

I compliment the hon. Gentleman on his speech, and the British Antarctic Survey. Will he confirm ...

The hon. Gentleman makes, of course, an accurate and important point. BAS works internationally a...

In the knowledge that the Government are about to make a statement on the ghastly tragedy in Nort...