Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
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Friday Volume 585 12 September 2014 No. 38 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Friday 12 September 2014 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2014 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1165 12 SEPTEMBER 2014 1166 Featherstone, rh Miller, Andrew House of Commons Lynne Mitchell, rh Mr Andrew Foster, rh Mr Don Moore, rh Michael Gauke, Mr David Mudie, Mr George Friday 12 September 2014 George, Andrew Murphy, rh Mr Jim Goodman, Helen Newmark, Mr Brooks The House met at half-past Nine o’clock Goodwill, Mr Robert O’Brien, rh Mr Stephen Gove, rh Michael Owen, Albert Gray, Mr James Phillipson, Bridget PRAYERS Greening, rh Justine Pritchard, Mark Griffith, Nia Pugh, John Hames, Duncan Rogerson, Dan [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Hands, rh Greg Sandys, Laura Harris, Rebecca Scott, Mr Lee Sir Robert Smith (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) Heald, Sir Oliver Shuker, Gavin (LD): I beg to move, That the House sit in private. Heath, Mr David Skinner, Mr Dennis Hollobone, Mr Philip Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 163). Smith, Julian Horwood, Martin The House divided: Ayes 4, Noes 106. Howarth, rh Mr George Spellar, rh Mr John Spelman, rh Mrs Division No. 50] [9.34 am Howarth, Sir Gerald Hughes, rh Simon Caroline James, Margot Stride, Mel AYES Jarvis, Dan Stunell, rh Sir Andrew Leigh, Sir Edward Tellers for the Ayes: Johnson, Diana Swayne, rh Mr Desmond Mudie, Mr George Sir Malcolm Bruce and Jones, Andrew Thornton, Mike Nuttall, Mr David Sir Robert Smith Joyce, Eric Timpson, Mr Edward Rees-Mogg, Jacob Khan, rh Sadiq Turner, Karl Kwarteng, Kwasi Vaizey, Mr Edward NOES Lamb, rh Norman Vara, Mr Shailesh Lansley, rh Mr Andrew Webb, rh Steve Arbuthnot, rh Mr James Campbell, rh Mr Alan Lazarowicz, Mark Benn, rh Hilary Carmichael, Neil Weir, Mr Mike Leech, Mr John Bingham, Andrew Clarke, rh Mr Tom Wheeler, Heather Lefroy, Jeremy Blackwood, Nicola Crabb, rh Stephen Williams, Roger Long, Naomi Bradley, Karen Crouch, Tracey Williams, Stephen Lopresti, Jack Brake, rh Tom Cunningham, Alex Wilson, Phil Loughton, Tim Brokenshire, James Dakin, Nic Wright, Simon Malhotra, Seema Brooke, rh Annette Davey, rh Mr Edward Zahawi, Nadhim McCarthy, Kerry Brown, rh Mr Gordon David, Wayne McGovern, Alison Tellers for the Noes: Bruce, Fiona Doughty, Stephen McGuire, rh Mrs Anne Mr Ben Wallace and Bryant, Chris Dunne, Mr Philip McIntosh, Miss Anne Harriett Baldwin Burstow, rh Paul Durkan, Mark Burt, rh Alistair Eagle, Maria Cairns, Alun Evans, Mr Nigel Question accordingly negatived. 1167 12 SEPTEMBER 2014 International Development (Official 1168 Development Assistance Target) Bill International Development (Official which I will return in due course. I anticipate that there Development Assistance Target) Bill will be a repost from others in the Chamber, as is the nature of this debate. Second Reading Sir Edward Leigh (Gainsborough) (Con): Those of us 9.45 am who have concerns about the Bill are, of course, totally committed to humanitarian aid. However, as the right Michael Moore (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) hon. Gentleman said, there are many competing demands (LD): I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second on the Government. For instance, does he think that we time. should enshrine in legislation a commitment to spend It was my immense good fortune to secure second 2% of our gross wealth on defence, which is vital to our place in the ballot for private Members’ Bills. Having security? put my name in the ballot every year that I could over the last 17 years, I am aware of just how lucky I was. It Michael Moore: The hon. Gentleman makes an is my privilege to bring forward this measure. important point. I would be happy, over time, to hear Before I get to the substance, I thank all Members him advocate the case for enshrining that commitment from across the House who have taken the trouble to be in law. That would be a healthy debate to have. However, here today and to show their support in advance. I as I hope will become clear as I advance my arguments, thank the campaigning groups, non-governmental there is an important case to be made for this Bill and I organisations and charities across the United Kingdom hope that it will have the support of the whole House. that have indicated their strong support for the Bill. I also thank the many people behind the scenes, in the Sir Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire) (Con): House and elsewhere, who have helped me prepare for Will the right hon. Gentleman give way? today. However, the usual caveat applies that I take full responsibility for what now happens. Michael Moore: I have given way several times, so I First, I want to make an important acknowledgement. will make a little progress before I allow the hon. and The subject of international development is hugely learned Gentleman to intervene. important to all of us, but I am conscious that many The duty that we have to our constituents sits alongside people across the United Kingdom continue to grapple a basic duty to help the poorest in the world with food, with serious problems in their own lives. Those issues water, shelter and medical assistance. If anybody doubts are the stuff of debate in this place week in, week out that, they should see that the statistics that confront us throughout the year. Over the past five or six years, are harrowing. The World Bank estimated that in 2010, through one of the deepest recessions that this country 400 million children and 1.2 billion people across the has ever seen, many people have suffered and struggled. world were living in extreme poverty on less than $1.25 a We have a duty to each of them, as our constituents, to day. Others have estimated that between 2008 and 2012, advocate on their behalf and to argue for what is in the 33 million people were internally displaced within their best interests of our country. I hope that as we move countries as a result of conflict and 143 million people into economic recovery, we ensure that we bring everybody were internally displaced because of disasters. with us. We will, of course, return to debates about that. The effects of climate change are becoming increasingly Heather Wheeler (South Derbyshire) (Con): I wonder obvious in the developing world. We desperately need whether we need to explain to our constituents a little to help developing countries to make the adaptations more about the benefits of spending 0.7% on international that are required to cope with climate change. Over the development. The products of companies such as JCB past 15 years, under the millennium development goals, and Jaguar Land Rover are flying off the shelves because we have rightly seen a new focus on assistance for they are needed in the most important parts of the women in the areas of education and health. Too many world where emergencies are happening. Our people are women across the globe do not have access to education being employed because the money is being spent wisely. or to the basic medical services to which they ought to be entitled. Day in, day out, we see the important work Michael Moore: My hon. Friend makes an important that is done by NGOs, the Department for International contribution. I welcome the link that she makes between Development and others in humanitarian crises around practical everyday things in the UK and the main the world, whether in Syria, Gaza, the Philippines following subject of the Bill, which I am about to come on to. last year’s typhoon or Iraq. Andrew Miller (Ellesmere Port and Neston) (Lab): Nadhim Zahawi (Stratford-on-Avon) (Con): One has Pursuant to the last intervention, is it not true that, only to ask the Christians, Yazidis or the Syrians in alongside the moral justification for the Bill, when we Dohuk what aid means to them. Does the right hon. do more to support countries in the developing world, it Gentleman agree that embedding an expert from the has a positive impact on economic migration, because Department for International Development in the Ministry people want to stay in their own countries and develop of Interior in that part of the world, where there is a them? That really knocks down the right-wing argument clear and present danger to our security, is equally as that the Bill will take money away from local people. important as the hardware we are delivering to the peshmerga? Michael Moore: First, I acknowledge that the hon. Gentleman was one of the earliest supporters of the Bill Michael Moore: The hon. Gentleman has spent some and that he has supported it consistently throughout time in Iraq in recent weeks, so I value his insight. He the last few months. He raises an important point, to makes an important suggestion, and I am sure that 1169 International Development (Official 12 SEPTEMBER 2014 International Development (Official 1170 Development Assistance Target) Bill Development Assistance Target) Bill colleagues in the Department have discussed the matter aid overseas—we are a rich country—the better, but with him and will continue to debate it. He also illustrates that is not what the Bill is about. The Bill is about how widely different levels of support can be given, writing that figure into law. Why should spending on which is important. overseas aid be written into law, but not the national Development assistance makes a difference. The World health service or domestic spending of any kind? Why Bank estimates that there are 700 million fewer people should overseas aid be the only thing written into law? in extreme poverty now than there were three decades ago.