Air India Plane Crash
Debate between Preet Kaur Gill and Hamish Falconer(2 weeks, 4 days ago)
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Mr Falconer
I thank the hon. Lady for her question. I am sure she will understand why I will decline to comment in too much detail on Mr Ramesh’s case in the House. We can all only imagine the agonies that he and others affected by the incident will be feeling.
I will not comment too much on the ongoing investigation. It will be a complex operation, but I know that our Air Accidents Investigation Branch is among the best in the world and will do everything it can. It is fully supported by our high commissioner in India and by the Foreign Office to do that vital work. As the hon. Lady said, the black box has been retrieved and further insights will no doubt be gleaned over time.
Preet Kaur Gill (Birmingham Edgbaston) (Lab/Co-op)
I am deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic Air India crash in Gujarat. My thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those affected in India and in the UK. Air India is an important operator for many of my constituents, especially for those in the Indian diaspora, and about 100 Air India flights arrive in Birmingham airport every month. What reassurances can the Minister give my constituents that the UK Government are supporting efforts to determine the cause of the Air India crash with our Indian counterparts?
Mr Falconer
As I said, British investigators are now in India working with the Indian authorities. We are also in direct contact with Air India.
Kashmir: Increasing Tension
Debate between Preet Kaur Gill and Hamish Falconer(2 months ago)
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Mr Falconer
I thank the right hon. Lady for her questions. India is a friend to the UK, and we have been clear about the depth of our friendship in our response to this incident. She would not expect me to comment in detail on intelligence and security matters in relation to this attack, but I assure her that we are looking at it very closely. She is right that wherever terrorism is found, it is a threat to global peace and security, including in the UK. I will not comment further from this Dispatch Box on links between some of the groups that the right hon. Lady has mentioned, but I assure her that our security agencies take these matters very seriously, as she would expect.
The right hon. Lady asks important questions about the Indian high commission. As I said in my earlier answer, we will offer our full support. There is 24/7 enhanced protection outside the high commission, and it will be a top priority for the Government to ensure that no harm comes to any Indian diplomats or, indeed, any other diplomats here in the UK.
We are playing our role to try to ensure that tensions do not escalate. Many of us in this House are familiar with the tense and storied history between the two countries. We are friends to them both, and we do not want to see an uncontrolled escalation in tensions.
Preet Kaur Gill (Birmingham Edgbaston) (Lab/Co-op)
May I pay my respects to those who have lost loved ones in the horrific terrorist attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir? My thoughts are with them at this devastating time. Many of my constituents have written to me about the escalation of hostilities here in the UK. Can the Minister say what conversations he is having with Indian and Pakistani counterparts to address this situation?
Mr Falconer
This escalation is unsettling for communities within the UK. British Pakistanis and British Indians are valued parts of our community, but we look to all community and faith leaders to spread the message that now is the time for coming together across religious and ethnic differences, not to play out the tensions between two states on the streets of the UK, and we will continue to send that message.
Israel: Refusal of Entry for UK Parliamentarians
Debate between Preet Kaur Gill and Hamish Falconer(2 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Preet Kaur Gill (Birmingham Edgbaston) (Lab/Co-op)
This is an unprecedented situation, and I pay tribute to both my hon. Friends the Members for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) and for Earley and Woodley (Yuan Yang) for the manner in which they have conducted themselves. I have visited Israel on many occasions, and I have had the opportunity to live there. While Members of this House may have disagreements with the current Israeli Government, does the Minister agree it is essential that we enable delegations to visit the region? That is the only way that we listen, learn and are exposed to a wide range of views and perspectives.
Mr Falconer
I agree. There are many friends of Israel in this House, many of whom are disappointed by the events of the weekend.