http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speecharchive.php Recent Speeches from The Rt Hon Malcolm Bruce MP en-GB The Rt Hon Malcolm Bruce MP http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2010 The Rt Hon Malcolm Bruce MP 2010-03-12T22:06+00:00 United Kingdom http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speeches/000036/home_energy_efficiency_and_fuel_poverty_debate.html Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD): I am pleased to have the opportunity to raise the issue of home energy efficiency and fuel poverty. When I applied for the debate, there were a few key issues that I wanted to bring to the Chamber's attention and to press the Government on, but I was inundated with a huge variety of information and lobbying from a great diversity of sources. I must apologise to some of those people who brought such issues to my attention because I cannot address them all, but perhaps other Members will. I shall concentrate on a few areas in which I have a particular interest or concern. 2010-03-03T09:30+00:00 http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speeches/000035/north_sea_oil_and_gas_industry.html (10.14 am) 2009-10-13T00:00+01:00 http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speeches/000034/school_bus_safety.html Malcolm Bruce (Gordon, Liberal Democrat): 2009-07-02T18:00+01:00 http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speeches/000033/debate_on_gaza.html (HANSARD: 15 Jan 2009 : Column 425-427) 2009-01-15T16:15+00:00 http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speeches/000032/debate_on_aid_transparency_in_the_house_of_commons_13th_nov_2008.html Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD): I certainly do not intend to try to follow that pub rant from the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T.C. Davies), which seems to be considerably at odds with the views of the hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr. Mitchell) and gives a degree of discomfort to the idea that we have a modern, reformed, liberal-minded Conservative party that wants to engage in these issues. Of course, there is an entirely reasonable debate to be had about how DFID should deploy its staff and its resources and in how many countries, and what its priorities are. My Committee, the International Development Committee, regards its prime function as to call the Department to account, challenge it on its policies and make constructive recommendations, which I hope that we do. 2008-11-13T00:00+00:00 http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speeches/000031/the_house_magazine_forward_with_federalism.html The SNP may be in pole position, but the Scottish Lib Dems have reason to be optimistic, says Malcolm Bruce. 2008-09-15T00:00+01:00 http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speeches/000030/reconstructing_afghanistan.html Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD): The members of my Committee are pleased to have the opportunity to debate our report. Although many things have happened in the fairly long period since we began our inquiry and published the report, we feel strongly that the role of the British Government in Afghanistan is crucial to that region. 2008-07-10T14:30+01:00 http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speeches/000029/house_magazine_article_building_a_nation_by_nightfall.html Much of the media coverage on Afghanistan in the UK relates directly to Britain's military engagement in the region. As a committee whose remit concerns International Development, our focus when conducting our recent inquiry was on the reconstruction of Afghanistan. 2008-06-02T00:00+01:00 http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speeches/000028/debate_on_the_european_union_amendment_bill.html Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD): Towards the end of her speech, the hon. Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Geraldine Smith) was in danger not only of being out of order, but of putting across her preferred European dimension. The trouble is that there are 60 million people in Britain, and in practice, one cannot proceed to determine our relationship with the European Union in that way. 2008-03-05T00:00+00:00 http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speeches/000027/scottish_liberal_democrat_presidents_address_to_conference.html (CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY) 2008-03-02T00:00+00:00 http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speeches/000025/westminster_hall_debate_on_crossborder_rail_services.html Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD): I very much welcome the opportunity to raise some issues in this debate. I assure the House that I do not intend it to be what we in Scotland call a greeting meeting, where we just catalogue all the complaints. There will be some of those, but I hope that we can focus on what we can and should be doing to fulfil ambitions for the services. I say that with some feeling, as I represent a constituency that is literally at the farthest end of the east coast main line. In that context, may I stress to the Minister my earnest hope that he will make it clear that the east coast main line runs from London to Aberdeen, not from London to Edinburgh? That is a genuine concern, not least because it is London to Edinburgh when investment decisions are being made, but London to Aberdeen for operational services. 2008-01-29T00:00+00:00 http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speeches/000024/westminster_hall_debate_on_thaiburmese_border.html Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD): I can say on behalf of members of the International Development Committee that we are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to debate our report. Naturally, we think that all our reports are important and relevant, but this one is particularly timely. It is important for the House to understand that the Committee undertook an inquiry into the situation in Burma before the recent events took place. After all, the plight of the people of Burma has been serious and deteriorating for 60 years, but, clearly, what has happened since our visit has put into sharp focus just how desperate it is and how important it is that the world does everything that it possibly can to alleviate the suffering there. 2007-12-06T00:00+00:00 http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speeches/000026/bond_international_development_disability_day.html It has been sobering to listen to Graham Teskey (Head of Governance and Social development, DFID) and Isaac Kute (ADD, Chief executive). There is a book that has recently been published by Paul Colliers "The Bottom Billion". It talks about how to reach the billion poorest people in the world and deliver development. When you hear there are 600 million disabled people in the world and that 20% of the world's population is disabled, you wonder how many people in that bottom billion are actually disabled. A significant proportion of the world's poorest people are disabled people. 2007-12-03T00:00+00:00 http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speeches/000023/debate_on_global_poverty.html Malcolm Bruce: I greatly welcome the opportunity to engage in this debate. In the short time available, I thought that I would comment on some countries in which we have been engaged recently as well as on the general thrust of today's report. I should like to place on the record my thanks to the staff of the International Development Committee for ensuring that the report was available today; that required a degree of effort but has added to the value of our debate. 2007-11-15T00:00+00:00 http://www.malcolmbruce.org.uk/speeches/000022/westminster_hall_debate_on_the_occupied_palestinian_territories.html Malcolm Bruce: It is particularly appropriate that you should be in the Chair for this important and timely debate, Mr. Bercow. I welcome the new Minister to his post and give him my good wishes. I wrote, on behalf of the International Development Committee, to the new Prime Minister before he took up office to ask him to beef up the Department for International Development and to give it an appropriate number of Ministers. I am glad that he has done so, and I expect that the Minister appreciates having three colleagues rather than only one, as would have been the case in the previous Administration. I look forward to hearing the Minister's reply and to the future engagements that I am sure that members of the Committee will have with him. 2007-07-05T14:50+01:00