Hansard

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): Con Chamber

20 Mar 2003

First Minister's Question Time · Armed Forces (Family Support)

I urge the First Minister not to forget those families in the next few weeks as elections loom. I urge him to visit some of the military units and their bases around Scotland and to talk to the families and friends of service personnel to convey our support for their loved one...

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

13 Mar 2003

International Situation

We cannot listen to the tantrums of Tommy Sheridan, who, as usual, is making it up as he goes along. In Tommy's world—

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

13 Mar 2003

International Situation

Let us remember that this is about Saddam Hussein; it is about right and wrong and doing what we think is best. We cannot live in the past.

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

13 Mar 2003

International Situation

The Conservatives' position on Iraq has always been that we should act in Britain's interest. If we cannot secure a United Nations resolution, we must decide whether acting in Britain's interest is enough. The Liberal Democrats say that the UN is the only way, but under the le...

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): Con Chamber

13 Mar 2003

International Situation

The next few days will be vital to the future of Britain and how it decides to tackle Iraq. The Prime Minister will have to decide whether Britain's interest should come before the interests of the United Nations, China and Russia. This war is not about the diplomatic hoops th...

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

13 Mar 2003

International Situation

Resolution 1441 does not supersede, but adds to, resolutions 678 and 686 and resolution 678 authorises the use of force to achieve the aims of previous UN declarations. Does that not allow further action to be taken?

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): Con Chamber

13 Mar 2003

International Situation

Will the member give way?

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

06 Mar 2003

Scottish Executive (Record)

Iain Smith has made that up, as well.

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

06 Mar 2003

Scottish Executive (Record)

Will the member give way?

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): Con Chamber

06 Mar 2003

Scottish Executive (Record)

Given the member's previously expressed liking for the Liberal Democrats, does she rule out joining the Liberal Democrats in a future coalition, if the SNP were the largest party after the election?

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Scottish Executive (Scrutiny)

There are significant cost implications. It is around 37p for a tag and there has to be double-tagging. That is a lot of money for a flock of 500 or 1,000.

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Future of Europe

There is clarity and the response is an improvement. It is clear, easy to understand and not too long-winded.

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Future of Europe

What Peter Hain said to us about the issue is mentioned in the convener's report—he made it clear what he thought was not the right way to go. In our report, I was a dissenter in respect of access to the ECJ—I think that everybody else was in favour of it. It is worth trying t...

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Convener's Report

I am happy with that, in relation to the report.

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Convener's Report

I was grateful that the minister came and was willing to discuss the future of Europe convention with us. Some of the issues that were raised were a surprise to me, including the point about, "It was as if I was not at the same convention as the people who drafted the paper." ...

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Executive Priorities<br />(Greek Presidency)

He was a Tory.

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Executive Priorities<br />(Greek Presidency)

Perhaps the minister would answer a question about the committee's mid-term review of structural funds, which was about nine months ago. The review highlighted the same problems that the minister just mentioned, such as the complicated nature of the process and the slow uptake...

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Executive Priorities<br />(Greek Presidency)

The minister is responsible for structural funds—the Scottish Executive is the managing authority that is responsible to the European Union for the administration of structural funds. If the minister is not aware of £8 million being lost and of the Scottish Enterprise internal...

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Executive Priorities<br />(Greek Presidency)

But you are in charge of structural funds, minister.

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Executive Priorities<br />(Greek Presidency)

Paragraph 2 of a memo on network performance by Scottish Enterprise's chief executive says:"‘Analysis of Program Advisor Group' Papers has revealed that approximately £8m has been lost in terms of European income."Are you saying that that is not true and that we have not lost ...

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Executive Priorities<br />(Greek Presidency)

I heard your response to the convener's question on uptake. Like the convener, I am one of the few who has been a member of the committee from the Parliament's beginning and I was a member of the committee when the programme areas presented their plans, which we scrutinised. A...

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Executive Priorities<br />(Greek Presidency)

I ask because the derogations will be signed up to and it would be nice to know their impact before they are agreed to.

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Executive Priorities<br />(Greek Presidency)

So it will be an open document.

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Executive Priorities<br />(Greek Presidency)

The study is quite important. It was referred to in November 2002 in the Executive's statement on enlargement. We presume that the study exists. Would it be possible to provide the committee with a copy of that study?

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Executive Priorities<br />(Greek Presidency)

We all agree with that, and that was the thrust of our report. However, it is not the impact of enlargement per se that we are interested in, but the impact of the derogations from EU law. We are obliged as member states in ways in which the applicant countries are not, and th...

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): Con Committee

04 Mar 2003

Executive Priorities<br />(Greek Presidency)

I am grateful, minister, that you should come in front of us with such a broad remit. As the Greek presidency is specifically on the agenda today, I hope that you will be able to answer some more detailed questions. Enlargement and the signing of the accession treaty will obvi...

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): Con Chamber

27 Feb 2003

“Partnership for Care”

I thank the minister for the advance copies of his statement and the "Partnership for Care" white paper.Page 35 of the white paper, on the development of partnership integration and redesign, states:"If necessary, we will bring forward legislation to require NHS Boards to devo...

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

26 Feb 2003

Health

We should examine that. The Executive arrived, vandalised then abandoned the internal market and told patients to go to services only in their areas and to take the choice that was on offer. After a good few years, the Executive realised that that was not working and that pati...

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

26 Feb 2003

Health

No, I have to sum up.What do we get for all the billions of pounds? That is important. John McAllion made a point about investment and the need for more money. There is no point in putting money into systems that do not produce results. I will put more money into any health sy...

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): Con Chamber

26 Feb 2003

Health

It is right and proper that, in the closing days of the session, the Scottish Conservatives should choose to debate the health outcomes of the Executive. Over the six years since Labour came to power, and the four years of the Lib Dem pact, not only have we seen billions of po...

Ben Wallace rose— Con Chamber

26 Feb 2003

Health

Ben Wallace rose— Con Chamber

26 Feb 2003

Health

Ben Wallace rose— Con Chamber

26 Feb 2003

Health

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

26 Feb 2003

Health

Will the minister give way?

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): Con Chamber

26 Feb 2003

Health

Why did the minister not allow patients on the longer waiting list to exercise choice three years ago and let the NHS purchase on their behalf spaces in independent hospitals or from not-for-profit providers?

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

I do not want war and nor does my party. My party wants to build a consensus in the United Nations, but we will not put that before British interests. We believe that members of Her Majesty's Government in Westminster are the right people to make that decision, and we will con...

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia do not have oil, but we went to war to try to protect their people. That conspiracy theory falls flat on its face.Let us remember the sanctions argument. The members who say that sanctions hurt the poor people who live under those regime...

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

I will not take lectures from the party whose military adviser proposed chemical weapons to replace Trident.Mr Sheridan's speech discredits the UN. He said that the UN is open to bribes and counts for nothing. In other words, he is saying that he is in favour of unilateral act...

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

I do not think that we have the time to go into that question.

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

Mr Sheridan's amendment for the SSP proposes civil disobedience. Let us remember that civil disobedience in Iraq does not get anyone very far. In fact, many people who try to express their freedom and their opposition to the current regime in Iraq do not last for long.

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

No, I will not give way; I have only a minute and half in which to finish.

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

I am merely trying to point out the motive behind the SNP's motion. It is therefore important that we examine the many contradictions in foreign policy and defence. The situation in Iraq sums up the SNP's position well.Mr Swinney is opposed to military build-up. We have every ...

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

Mr Swinney's motion sets great store by the legal opinion of Matrix Chambers, the lawyers for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. According to the lawyers' interpretation of the UN resolution, the UK needs another UN Security Council resolution in order to use force. Could t...

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

I take your guidance, Presiding Officer.Nevertheless, we are forced to respond to the ridiculous motion and amendment from the SNP and the SSP.The collective military experience within the SNP and the SSP is probably no greater than that within the girl guides, and their actua...

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

Nevertheless, we are forced to respond to the ridiculous and loony motion and amendment from the SNP and the Scottish Socialist Party.

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

I will come to the loonies in a minute.

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

I never listened to my bosses, I have to say.As unionists, we recognise that the Parliament does not have any competence over foreign policy or defence. Every time that the Parliament echoes what the 72 Scottish MPs at Westminster say, it only undermines public opinion in Scot...

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

No, no.Of course, it is natural for me as a unionist to say that the Parliament—

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

No. I am afraid that being in the education corps has never qualified as a combative front-line job. Firing chalk in anger is not quite the same thing. I shall press on with my speech.

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

I begin by declaring my interest as an active military reservist in the Army.As the only member in the chamber to have been a combat soldier, it falls to me to sum up on behalf of the Conservative party. As a unionist, my position is that the Parliament does not have competenc...

Ben Wallace: Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

Will the member give way?

Ben Wallace rose— Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): Con Chamber

16 Jan 2003

International Situation

Does the member believe that there is ever an occasion on which Britain should act unilaterally to protect its interests?

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

14 Jan 2003

EC/EU Legislation (Implementation)

Could we have a briefing note on what the Commission does when it sees that a directive is late? What is its usual timetable? For example, is it 20 months? Is there an automatic fine? I am not sure what happens, so a briefing note would be helpful.

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

14 Jan 2003

EC/EU Legislation (Implementation)

The paper is good and detailed but it cannot have been the most interesting paper to put together. It highlights a significant worry, from our scrutiny point of view, about the late transposition of EC directives. We will be fined if we do not deal with EC directives on time—t...

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

14 Jan 2003

Employment and Corporate Social Responsibility Inquiry

Sandy Boyle will forgive me if I do not agree with his earlier comments. The countries in Europe with the greatest amount of social and employment legislation have the highest levels of unemployment. France might have more rights for its workers, but it has fewer people in emp...

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

14 Jan 2003

Employment and Corporate Social Responsibility Inquiry

Were they profitable before they decided to adopt CSR or did CSR make them profitable?

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

14 Jan 2003

Employment and Corporate Social Responsibility Inquiry

How much is corporate social responsibility a luxury for some companies, especially those in the private sector? Companies in the public sector do not have shareholders. We are in an economic downturn, so how far up private companies' priority list is corporate social responsi...

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

14 Jan 2003

Employment and Corporate Social Responsibility Inquiry

How can the Scottish, UK and EU Governments help in the promotion of corporate social responsibility?

Ben Wallace: Con Committee

14 Jan 2003

Employment and Corporate Social Responsibility Inquiry

Forgive me, but many small or medium-sized enterprises do not compete with communities, but with other SMEs, perhaps from other countries, which might not be under CSR requirements. How does that help an SME in West Lothian to compete?