Ebola

Debate between Fiona O'Donnell and Jeremy Hunt

Monday 13th October 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

We are absolutely checking that, and it is all in hand.

[Fiona O'Donnell (East Lothian) (Lab)]

I do not know whether the Secretary of State has any plans to speak to the hon. Member for Clacton (Douglas Carswell), but if he does will he ask him why he now supports a party that would decimate the UK’s aid budget? Does the Secretary of State, like me, feel a great sense of pride in being part of a family of nations whose aid budget is saving lives in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and, in turn, keeping people in the UK safe?

[Mr Hunt]

The hon. Lady speaks extremely wisely and there is cross-party agreement on that matter. That shows why it is so wrong to make an artificial division between helping people abroad and helping people at home. I think we have a moral responsibility to help people in the poorest countries abroad in any case, but in my time in this House there has been no better example than this one of how doing so is in the interests of people in the UK, too. It helps to make us more secure, and we can be incredibly proud of the work we are doing as a result.

Ministerial Code (Culture Secretary)

Debate between Fiona O'Donnell and Jeremy Hunt

Wednesday 13th June 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

This point is very pertinent, because I am here to respond to any allegations that the hon. Gentleman might make. If he is not prepared to come forward with evidence that I deliberately misled the House, I will have to assume that he does not have such evidence.

[Fiona O'Donnell (East Lothian) (Lab)]

Perhaps I can give the Secretary of State the opportunity to answer one of the allegations. He told me that he had made no attempt to intervene while the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills was dealing with this matter. Will he tell me, therefore, what the purpose was of his memo to the Prime Minister, if not to influence the outcome?

[Mr Hunt]

Let me help the hon. Lady by telling her about the Enterprise Act 2002, which was passed by the Labour Government and which says—

Leveson Inquiry

Debate between Fiona O'Donnell and Jeremy Hunt

Wednesday 25th April 2012 Commons Chamber

[Fiona O'Donnell (East Lothian) (Lab)]

One of the more bizarre revelations has been the taste in classical music and ballet of the Secretary of State. I believe we may just have witnessed his swan song. Why, in response to a parliamentary question from my hon. Friend the Member for Bury South (Mr Lewis), did he say that he had no locus to intervene when the Business Secretary was dealing with the matter, yet today he told us that he did offer to help? Which is it?

[Mr Hunt]

I made absolutely no interventions seeking to influence a quasi-judicial decision that was at that time the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Business. However, it is my responsibility to understand what is going on in the media industry and the impact of this very important sector, which employs thousands of people. That is why I was interested to find out what was going on.