Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: Does my right hon. Friend agree that people throughout the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic are resting their hopes today for peace on the actions of the Northern Ireland politicians? Does he further agree that the people will not forgive, forget or understand if their politicians fail to seize the best chance for peace for a generation?
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: There are in my constituency a remand prison and a senior prison—Strangeways and Hindley. I remember discussing with a prison governor, who ultimately moved very high in the prison ranks, the question of what we considered to be purposeful training in the true sense. I am glad to say that half the young remand prisoners were doing purposeful training on such things as brick making, concrete...
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: Has my right hon. Friend seen early-day motion 102? [That this House condemns the appalling and deplorable trade practice at establishments which breed cats and kittens for the vivisection industry and sell them to laboratories world-wide; notes that some of these kittens are only six weeks old when they are subjected to horrific experiments; and calls upon the Home Secretary to investigate...
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: I fully support and welcome the moratorium. There is also a call at present—especially in the Council of Europe, where three Committees are considering the issue—for a five-year freeze on genetically manufactured food and all its implications. That call is being made with reference to some 41 countries, which want further research on the subject. Would it not be wise, because of the wide...
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: Is it not clear that President Milosevic has broken every undertaking and assurance given to the International War Crimes Tribunal? Is it not evident that he has no intention of co-operating? What positive action can be taken to punish his flagrant violations?
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: Is my right hon. Friend aware that his announcement last week of £1.24 billion extra for police forces has been received with acclamation by both police and public? Is he aware that there is a growing appreciation among the British people of the fact that our Labour Government are determined to defeat crime at every possible opportunity, reinforcing once again the public's confidence in...
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: I shall concentrate on the new emerging Europe, which introduces a further dimension and perspective that calls for review, although I still accept the common defence policy. Let me declare my interest as deputy leader of the British delegations to the Council of Europe and the Western European Union. I have spent the past 10 months producing a rapporteur's report on our intelligence section...
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: The one that my right hon. Friend made at the summit at Portschach in October—
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: Well, what was said was based on the Amsterdam treaty. The Prime Minister outlined the agreement to modernise and strengthen the system of defence control. Most of the quotations that I have are about a better military capability. There are references to more modern, flexible, sustainable and deployable forces and drawing on the lessons of the success of NATO. We all agree on that.
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: I do not have a verbatim report. I have quotations from Reuters. 1 assume that Ministers have seen them, in view of what they said the week after, which I quoted earlier. Ministers have made it clear that NATO is the cornerstone of our defence policy. I have already talked about tidying up and modernising. There has to be a flexible response with a review. The breakup of the Warsaw pact has...
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: The hon. Gentleman has referred to the debates on 24 and 25 October, but I want to quote back to him what was said by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence. At a meeting at which I was present, my right hon. Friend said: Nato must remain the cornerstone of European defence but Britain would consider reinforcing the Western European Union"— the very point—
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: I am going to do that. My right hon. Friend continued: creating a more distinct European dimension within NATO or even merging the WEU and the EU. Perhaps the hon. Member for Reigate (Mr. Blunt) would respond to that. A week after my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made the remarks quoted by the hon. Gentleman, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence was quite clear on...
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: I shall briefly and rapidly congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle). He represents a constituency that hosts exclusively the Royal Lancashire show each year, which is famous and historical. He presented his case profoundly and sincerely, and offered an excellent defence of the interests of British farmers in the north-west and throughout the United Kingdom. It was...
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: I want to deal with animal welfare, which is close to my heart. I am a trustee of Animal Defenders, an interest I declare now. Aside from great political issues, the issue most raised in my postbag, and in those of most Members of Parliament, is animal welfare. Animal rights have come to the forefront over the past decade, and increasingly so during the past year or two. Many of us will...
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 29 July.
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: Does my right hon. Friend agree that legislation to abolish the cruel hunting of animals with dogs for human entertainment will never be accepted by the committed anti-democratic Members of Parliament on the Opposition Benches? Will he assure me that he will find ways in which to honour his and our party's pledge to accommodate a Bill similar to that promoted by my hon. Friend the Member for...
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: First, may I record my appreciation and gratitude to the Leader of the House, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Mrs. Beckett), for her radical and remarkable tenure in office during the past 15 months or so? Following the reallocation of her duties, she will inspire the House with her leadership in terms of the programming of the House in the future. The subject I wish to...
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: Will my right hon. Friend consider arranging a debate on the textile industry? Has she read early-day motion 1558, in my name and that of my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle)? The motion pinpoints the potential loss of 7,000 British textile workers' jobs. Those jobs will be lost simply because the European Commission is not firm enough in importing its levies and protecting the...
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: If he will make a statement on the situation in Kosovo. [44515]
Mr Lawrence Cunliffe: I warmly welcome my hon. Friend's statement and the initiative taken by the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary to bring world leaders together on this great humanitarian issue. Some people believe, however, that NATO shadow boxing will not bring that tyrant to his knees. Some of us think that a man who, for a decade and a half, has practised the detestable system of ethnic cleansing...
