Commonwealth Development Corporation Bill

Labour Members are unswerving in our belief that the UK must continue to spend 0.7% of gross nati...

Before the hon. Lady moved on to the important issue of transparency, she was talking about balan...

The hon. Gentleman makes a valuable point, but the Bill still needs scrutiny. That is what I am l...

The hon. Lady makes some important points. Does she agree that the changes made to CDC five years...

The hon. Gentleman makes a valid point, and I will touch on that in my speech. Regardless of any ...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

No, I need to make some headway.

It was also encouraging to learn that CDC has not only met...

The hon. Lady refers to a quote about the challenges of capturing impact. That is an ongoing chal...

I said in my opening remarks that CDC has improved, but the report says that it is still very har...

I want to take the hon. Lady back to new clause 7—I tried to intervene earlier—when she listed th...

The hon. Lady makes a valid point, but I am talking about private education, for which someone wi...

New clause 7 is in my name, and I will speak about it in due course. Does my hon. Friend agree th...

My hon. Friend makes a valid point, with which I totally agree.

Will the hon. Lady give way?

I now need to make some progress.

Labour Members remain positive about the Bill’s ability t...

I call Flick Drummond.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker—[Interruption.]

Order. It is the beginning of a new term after a long Christmas holiday, but may I remind Members...

Sorry, Madam Deputy Speaker. I was expecting the Minister to respond to the first speaker, and I ...

I am listening with interest to the hon. Lady’s point, but does she not accept that there is a bi...

No, because we are investing in very difficult areas where robust systems may not already be in p...

Does my hon. Friend agree that the issue is not so much about offshore centres being invested in ...

I thank my hon. Friend for his very clear explanation, which beefs up what I have said.

On ...

Does my hon. Friend agree that supporting the CDC is absolutely vital if we are to achieve the gl...

My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. One reason that I am so passionate about the CDC is that...

I will speak to amendment 3 and new clause 6, which are in my name, and I will offer support for ...

I call Richard Fuller.

3 pm

Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am taking absolutely to heart your suggestion that, ...

I am sure my hon. Friend is aware that the CDC last year upped its investment rate to $1.5 billio...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We have to be clear what is being proposed today. The proposa...

ODA flows and gross national income can go up or down, so if, for some reason, GNI were to contra...

That is the hon. Gentleman’s point of view, but it is not my point of view, and I will come to th...

In July last year, as part of our ongoing inquiry, the International Development Committee visite...

As the hon. Gentleman knows, I was also on that visit, and that is probably one of the most impre...

The hon. Lady is a highly valued member of the International Development Committee and I agree wi...

The hon. Gentleman will know that I respect not only his passion, but the balanced way in which h...

I am certainly not arguing for prescriptions to be applied to CDC that would not be applied to ot...

My hon. Friend makes a strong point, which is very much the point. The proposals are about bringi...

I agree with my hon. Friend. I have read what the Minister said in Committee—reassurance can be g...

Successive Governments can be proud of the role played by DFID in improving lives and the economi...

I absolutely agree with what my hon. Friend says, which chimes with my conclusion on the importan...

I have a lot of sympathy for what the hon. Gentleman says—in the context of the debate it would b...

The focus and priority needs to be on poverty alleviation. At the beginning of my speech, I gave ...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am grateful for your generosity in allowing me to contribute f...

I rise to speak in favour of new clause 7 and the other new clauses and amendments in my name and...

Is not the level of investment now consistent with this increase? For CDC’s current level of acti...

I do not believe that that case has been made; there has been no justification at any point for t...

From my understanding of the Bill and on the basis of evidence given in Committee, I would like t...

Clearly, the hon. Lady did not listen to what I was saying. I did not say that. I said that the M...

What my hon. Friend describes is, in civil service language, the ghastly phrase “absorptive capac...

Indeed. My hon. Friend, one of the longest-serving Ministers at DFID, knows this only too well. H...

My hon. Friend is making an excellent case. Has not DFID led the world on the importance of aid t...

I think it is, and that gets to the point. A lot of information is provided by CDC online, and it...

Is my hon. Friend aware of comments made by the Secretary of State when she was a Treasury Minist...

That was also a great surprise to me. I referred earlier to the letter that the Secretary of Stat...

I shall speak in support of a number of the measures on the amendment paper, but first I want to ...

The hon. Gentleman makes a good case, but considering that a third of all Ethiopian girls do not ...

I do not want to have a big discussion about the project, but I will respond by saying that we sh...

I am particularly pleased to follow the hon. Member for Edinburgh East (Tommy Sheppard). I am spe...

I begin by thanking right hon. and hon. Members. This has been a very instructive process. The ne...

At the outset of his remarks, will the Minister explain why the legislation has preceded the stra...

I shall deal with that when discussing the second set of amendments, which relate to that directl...

If the Bill is passed and its consequences are added to the fact that more than 25% of DFID’s spe...

There are two distinct points there: DFID’s spending and the proportion of the spending. The firs...

It would be helpful if the Minister could clarify the time period over which this increase, if it...

Let me clarify this. The £6 billion represents an additional £4.5 billion, because CDC already ha...

Will the Minister specifically comment on the use of tax havens by CDC, and will he and other Min...

That is an invitation to move on to the last group of amendments, which comprises new clauses 8, ...

I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Third time.

I would like to begin by reiterating...

I associate myself with the Minister’s comments in thanking right hon. and hon. Members of all pa...

Whether people live in the United Kingdom, Tanzania or Colombia, the most important route out of ...

My I add my thanks to all the stakeholders and staff who have contributed to the Bill process? Th...

I will say about three sentences.

It is both a moral and practical responsibility and an op...

I, too, want to place on record my thanks to the Clerk of Bills and all my colleagues on the Fron...