Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Ed Davey and Phillip Lee(6 years ago)
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Sir Edward Davey (Kingston and Surbiton) (LD)
With respect to victims of domestic abuse, will the Minister consider women who are not eligible for legal aid to help with their divorce after domestic abuse, including women who currently fail the means test due to their having a share in a valuable family home? Will he meet me to discuss the problems that such women face in paying for basic legal advice?
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Ed Davey and Phillip Lee(6 years, 1 month ago)
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Dr Lee
We have plenty to learn from what is happening in Scotland with regard to the way we deal with women who are victims of domestic abuse, and indeed offenders who have been victims of domestic abuse. As the Justice Minister with responsibility for the devolved Administrations, my discussions continue regularly. I look forward to learning from Scotland in future.
Sir Edward Davey (Kingston and Surbiton) (LD)
The Government had plans to legislate to ban alleged domestic abusers from cross-examining their victims in the family courts. Is that still Government policy? If so, when will such a provision be put before the House? Every day that there is a delay, more vulnerable people get tormented in court.
Dr Lee
The right hon. Gentleman is spot on in his analysis. The abuse and coercion of females, invariably by males, through the court process is wrong and not acceptable. We will bring forward details on how we intend to address that in the Bill that is coming later this year.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Ed Davey and Phillip Lee(6 years, 7 months ago)
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Sir Edward Davey (Kingston and Surbiton) (LD)
The Minister will recognise how vital international co-operation is in tackling cyber-crime. I hope he is aware of the excellent work done by Europol, with, for example, the UK sending over 400,000 malware files to its malware analysis service since its inception just two years ago. Have the Government decided whether the UK will stay part of that EU mechanism to fight cyber-crime?
Prison and Youth Custody Centre Safety
Debate between Ed Davey and Phillip Lee(6 years, 9 months ago)
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Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.
Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.
This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record
Sir Edward Davey (Kingston and Surbiton) (LD)
The Minister is right to say that legislation will not solve this crisis by itself—many other measures are necessary—but will he tell the House why the Prisons and Courts Bill, which was drafted and had made some progress in the previous Parliament, has been dropped? If the Government are committed to prison reform, why have they dropped a piece of legislation that was ready to be considered by the House?
Dr Lee
We can deliver our reform package without any further legislation. We will not rule out further legislation if there is a requirement for it in future, but the right hon. Gentleman will recognise that there are pressures on parliamentary time and this is something we are having to accommodate. Nevertheless, there is absolutely no reason why we cannot continue with the reform programme we have planned.
Energy Bills
Debate between Ed Davey and Phillip Lee(10 years, 4 months ago)
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Dr Phillip Lee (Bracknell) (Con)
In 2010, EDF sold its three English networks for £5.8 billion at a 27% premium on Ofgem’s value. In 2011, E.ON sold its networks at a 40% premium. Does the Secretary of State think that returns allowed on UK-regulated energy networks have been and are too generous? If so, is Ofgem fit for purpose.
UK Nuclear Energy Programme
Debate between Ed Davey and Phillip Lee(10 years, 6 months ago)
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Mr Davey
The hon. Gentleman is not as well informed as he might be on EDF contracts. For example, it has a contract in China, where, with the Chinese, it is building a nuclear power plant at Taishan. That is on budget and on time. I tell him gently that EDF has a huge amount of experience and is a good partner for the UK. Unlike the deals he mentions, we have ensured that the consumer is protected from construction cost overruns. He ought to welcome that.
Dr Phillip Lee (Bracknell) (Con)
I am a nuclear enthusiast and broadly welcome the details of the plan, but I harbour national security concerns in respect of foreign state involvement. In the light of that, will the Secretary of State say whether a UK public sector pension fund would be able to invest in a Chinese nuclear reactor? If not, why does he believe that the Chinese Government would not be interested in receiving such an investment in their critical energy infrastructure?
Mr Davey
My hon. Friend is aware that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Government to ensure that we can work together more in the area of civil nuclear power. That means Chinese companies investing in the UK and British investors and companies investing in China. I will not say that the markets will open overnight—that would be unrealistic—but we are moving into a new era in which we can work with the Chinese and other foreign states.
One odd thing about the debate is that a Hong Kong Chinese company owns UK Power Networks, which owns three of our district network operating companies, including London. So the electricity supplies to London—the cables and the networks—are owned by a Chinese company. I have not heard questions on that at Department of Energy and Climate Change oral questions. Perhaps I will in future, but the evidence—the lights have stayed on—suggests that people should not worry.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Ed Davey and Phillip Lee(11 years, 5 months ago)
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The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Mr Edward Davey)
The Government remain committed to ensuring that conditions are right for investment in new nuclear power in the UK without public subsidy, and we have taken action to remove potential barriers. The carbon floor price and electricity market reform will provide the certainty needed for investment in low carbon generation, including nuclear. The Government are talking to NNB GenCo about the potential terms for Hinkley Point C, and earlier this week I welcomed the excellent news that Hitachi had acquired Horizon Nuclear Power.
Dr Lee
I thank the Secretary of State for his answer. Like him, I was pleased to hear about Hitachi’s investment. If Britain is to reach its low carbon targets and retain energy security in the longer term, nuclear energy remains the only credible solution. In view of the consequent need for significant investment in order to achieve that, would the Government consider investing in, say, Westinghouse, or purchasing Centrica’s share in what was British Energy, thereby reversing the remarkably short-sighted decisions of the previous Administration?
Mr Davey
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his support. He is right to say that we need all forms of low carbon generation if we are to meet our demanding targets. I do not think that I am attracted by the idea of the state getting involved in the nationalised delivery of nuclear power. The conditions that we have set up mean that there will be a market-based approach.