Oral Answers to Questions

Lord Bruce of Bennachie Excerpts

Wednesday 18th March 2015 Commons Chamber

[Sir Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD)]

I commend the Secretary of State, her Department and her Ministers for their campaigning work on this issue on behalf of women and girls. May I ask her not to hold back in countries such as Sierra Leone, where secret societies perpetrate female genital mutilation? The girls do not even know what is happening to them and they do not discuss it. Will she work with campaigners in that country to ensure that the matter is addressed?

[Justine Greening]

My right hon. Friend is right to address that point. In spite of the challenges that Sierra Leone faces with Ebola, FGM has, ironically, stopped. This is because it was one of the main ways in which the disease could spread. The key now is to prevent those practices from coming back, and I am already having discussions on that.

Given that my right hon. Friend is leaving the House soon, I should like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all the work that he has done as Chair of the Select Committee on International Development since 2005. The Committee has published more than 90 reports in that time. On a personal level, I have very much valued his objectivity and constructive working with our Department.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

I call Jesse Norman. The hon. Gentleman is not here.

I call Sir Malcolm Bruce.

[Sir Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD)]

Does the Prime Minister agree that the best prospect for the people of Scotland is to be a successful part of a growing United Kingdom, and that Alex Salmond’s mission to shake this House to its foundations will deny recovery, jobs and mortgages, and threaten both the UK and Scotland, which is why the people of Gordon are uniting to deny his return to this House?

[The Prime Minister]

My right hon. Friend makes an important point, which is that what the SNP wants is to break up our country. That is why it is so appalling that although the Leader of the Opposition has now said that he does not want a formal pact with the SNP, he will not rule out a confidence and supply agreement. He will not rule out relying on the SNP in vote after vote after vote, making sure that it would get the advantage and people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland would be let down—[Interruption.] Yes, we rule it out. What I would say to the shadow Chancellor is that his boss threw both his kitchen sinks at the NHS and he still could not win. [Interruption.]