25/02/2016 Business Questions


25/02/2016

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and the support given to local to deliver immediately for their

:00:00.:00:00.

immediate needs and recovery following thereafter. We have

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continued to make funds available to do it, we have made that commitment

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and we will stick to it. Business question, Mr Chris Bryant. Will the

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Leader of the House give us the future business? Mr Speaker, next

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week, Monday the 29th of February, we will start with a motion to

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approve a statutory instrument relating to the European Union

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referendum and there will then be an opposition half day debate on the

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UK's steel industry. Tuesday the 1st of March will be the first allotted

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day of estimates. There will be a debate on the foreign Commonwealth

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Office and the 2015 Spending Review, followed by a debate on the reform

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of the police spending for Miller. On the 2nd of March, the second

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allotted this village today for estimates, followed by a debate upon

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end of life car. The House will then be asked to agree all outstanding

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estimates, followed by proceedings on the appropriation and adjustments

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bill. Further details will be in the report. That may if necessary be

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considered by of loot followed by considerations of Lords amendments.

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On the 3rd of March, a debate on the motion of gangs and serious youth

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violence, followed by a general debate on Welsh affairs, subjects

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brought forward by the backbench business committee. On the 4th of

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March, we will be considering Private members alter macro bills.

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The provisional business for the week commencing the seventh of will

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include a second reading of the policing and crime Bill. The 8th of

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March, remaining stages of the enterprise Bill, Lords, day one,

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followed by a debate on the motion for International Women's Day,

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determined by the backbench business committee. On the 9th of March, we

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have the conclusion of the remaining stages of the enterprise Bill,

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Lords. Followed, if necessary, by consideration of Lords amendments.

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On the 10th of March, consideration in committee and remaining stages of

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the Northern Ireland Stormont agreement and implementation plan

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Bill, followed by business to be nominated by the business backbench

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committee. On the 11th of March, Private members bills. I would also

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like to inform the House that the business in Westminster Hall for the

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3rd of March and the 7th of March will be on the third, a debate on

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the offshore oil gas industry, and on the 7th of March, relating to

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income thresholds relating to non-EU citizens and settling in the UK. As

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I'm sure you are away... Aware, rather! It has not started very

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well, has it? As I'm sure you are aware, today is Saint Ethelbert's

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day. I hope you are not confusing him with the other Saint Ethelbert,

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King of East Anglia, or any of the other Anglo-Saxon saints like, sent

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birth, or sex Wolf, who was the Bishop of Murcia who founded Peter

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Borren Abbey. -- Peterborough Abbey. It is particularly relevant today

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that we commemorate Saint Ethelbert, that is because it was the first

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king to establish laws in this land planning back banning blood feuds. I

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suspect the ad campaign and the Conservative Party have need of him.

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When George Galloway turn up at an ad campaign, half the room left.

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Nigel Farage thing sad Michael Gove and Boris Johnson are too clever by

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half and has sacked all of his deputies and the Prime Minister is

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furious with the Justice Secretary for saying his deal on the EU isn't

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legally binding. The Johnsons are engaged in a full-blown family bust

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of Adam mayor of London seems to be feuding with himself. Only this

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month he wrote that leaving would mean diverting energy from the real

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problems of the country but now he wants to do precisely that. Not so

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much veering around like a shopping trolley, more off his trolley, if

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you ask me. The Prime Minister and the mayor maintained that they are

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still friends. Well, as Saint Ethelbert might have said, greater

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love has no man for himself than this, that a man lay down his friend

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for a chance of getting his job. Talking, Mr Speaker, of mother's

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advise, my mother told me three things. First, if it is free, take

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two. Second, never take a man home who is wearing a hat until you have

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seen him without the hat. And third, much more important I see the Leader

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of the House agrees with that one... And third, never trust a man wearing

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slip on shoes. I merely point out... I merely point out, Mr Speaker, that

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the Prime Minister was wearing slip on shoes yesterday. Now, Mr Speaker,

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now we know the referendum period will run from the 15th of April to

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the 23rd of June... Do keep calm. Now we know that the referendum

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period will run from the 15th of April two the 23rd of June, would it

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not make sense for the Queen's Speech to be delayed until after the

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referendum in late June or early July? And secondly, the House did

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not sit in the immediate run-up to the referendums in 1975 and 2014

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because they coincided with normal recess dates, but should we not do

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the same in relation to this referendum in June, rise on the 16th

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of June and return on the 27th of June? I know what you're thinking,

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Mr Speaker, the Government's business is so threadbare, halal

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nerd could we keep this session going all the way through to July --

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how on earth? I have a suggestion, the Government could just hand the

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rest of the business over to us. We could first of all abolished the

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Bedroom Tax, secondly save our steel, repeal the gerrymandering of

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Parliamentary boundaries and force Google to pay their fair share of

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tax. Just as the French Socialist Government are doing, who are

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charging Google ?1.3 billion in tax as opposed to this shabby little

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Tory Government who are letting them get away with a 10th of that, ?130

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million. Now, Mr Speaker, I welcome that nearly St David's day debate

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next week on Welsh affairs. It will give members a chance to welcome the

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750 new jobs just announced by Aston Martin thanks to the work of the

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Labour Government in the National Assembly and to point out that

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cancer survival rates have improved faster in Wales than anywhere else

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in the UK and most importantly, to congratulate subzero, whose new ice

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cream parlour in the Rhondda has served 10,000 customers in just 11

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days, proving that all those blasted migrants who came to the valleys

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from Italy in the 19th century did us a big favour by giving us

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properly copy and the best ice cream in the country. -- Coffey. Isn't it

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time that you made sure we had Subzero here in Westminster? I also

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welcome the International Women's Day debate on the 8th of March, when

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I hope we can raise important questions such as the horrifying

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statistic that violent crime, including domestic violence, has

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risen by 23% in south Wales in recent years. However, Mr Speaker,

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can we have a statement from the DCM as secretary on the Dame Janet Smith

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review into sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile? Something was terribly,

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terribly wrong at the BBC for a long, long time. Staff knew what was

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going on but were terrified to say anything. Auntie lost her wake,

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children were abused and the victims were badly let down -- lost their

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way. We must make sure this never, ever happens again. Private Acts of

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Parliament, as you know, have been published on archival paper rather

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than vellum since 1956 and now the House of Lords has recommended that

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public acts follow suit is to save money. As you will recall, our

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administration committee published a report agreeing with the Lords and

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the Leader of the House agreed with the report that the members all tee

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estimate committee you chaired on the 2nd of November. Yet during the

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recess, for some bizarre reason, the Minister for the Cabinet of us stuck

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his oar in saying he was going to pay to keep on using vellum. But

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this is a Parliamentary decision, it has nothing to do with the

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Government or frankly the Cabinet Office, so should the leader... Will

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the leader please tell the Cabinet Office to butt out and will he allow

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a vote on this so that all members can then make their views known?

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If I was the shadow leader, I do not think I would have picked today to

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bring up the issue of the European Union referendum. All Labour MPs on

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Saturday are being asked to take to the streets to campaign to keep

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Britain in the European Union. You may not be surprised that on the

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side there are campaigners to leave the European Union. And what about

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the Leader of the Opposition? He is going on a CND antinuclear march.

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Even though his deputy said yesterday he will vote to keep it.

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You really could not make it up. Another two weeks have passed, the

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shadow leader is still in his place, Stella Read up member of the Jeremy

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Corbyn Fanclub. I knew his leader was a disciple of Marx, I did not

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know he was. Not Karl Marx, Groucho Marx, who said these are my

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principles. If you do not like them I have others. He asked a question

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about the Queen's Speech and the flow of business. I can assure him

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that this House will continue to consider the extreme important --

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extremely important that agenda that we have brought forward, and we will

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have a further second reading in ten days, on reforms of the police Bill.

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Will bring forward the investigatory Powers Bill. He need have no fears

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that this government has a strong agenda for this country and we will

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continue to it. He raised the question of Aston Martin. I am

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delighted about Aston Martin's decision in Wales, it is good news

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for the people in Wales and the United Kingdom, and as a tribute to

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the way the country is being run. It is good news for the economic

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climate, which is why big and small businesses are investing in this

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country. I agree with what he said about the report at the BBC, about

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what has been said this morning. What to lace was clearly shopping.

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Lessons need to be learned, not just in the BBC but in -- what took place

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was shocking. We must not think this could not happen today, and we must

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make sure it never happens today. Secretary of State will be here on

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Thursday and he will want to discuss the issue then. On the question of

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Belle, it is a question for the House of Lords, and they will reach

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the final decision. -- vellum. For beer drinkers, the ?6, you can now

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drink your favourite paint out of a Jeremy Corbyn glass. I do not know

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if the shadow Minister has it, but he will be rushing out to buy one.

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What he did not do this morning is ask for the debate on the public

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spending in the economy, perhaps because he agrees with the former

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Shadow Chancellor that the approach for public spending is to place all

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the faith in a magic money tree, promising to reverse every cut and

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spend, spend, spend. Can we wish a happy birthday to the former Shadow

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Chancellor, Ed Balls. I never imagined the Labour Party would miss

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him so much. I'm sure the Scottish Nationalists could be excluded, but

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I am sure the shadow leader can join me in congratulating Wales in their

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victory over Scotland in the six Nations over the recess period. I

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did still hear the tone is of Delilah coming from the fans.

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Obviously the Welsh bands pay no more attention to what the shadow

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leader says than anyone here does. -- the Welsh fans. On Monday, the

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Minister said the government would be publishing more documents

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relating to the European Union. Can my right honourable friend tell the

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House what those documents are likely to be, when they are going to

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be published, and can he guarantee that those documents will be subject

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to independent audit scrutiny by the House? This House will have plenty

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opportunity discuss what has been and will be published. Anything

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published by the government will have to go through the appropriate

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checking by the civil service and are subject to all the rules set out

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in the European referendum debate. Can I thank the Leader of the House

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for announcing the business for next week. I think it would be

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appropriate to congratulate Adele for her BRIT Awards last night, and

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for Coldplay for becoming the winner of the most BRIT Awards. We have

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been short-changed here. We have heard a business statement from the

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outside of the Cabinet, but there is no statement from inside the

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Cabinet. Leader of the House has got this opportunity to spread his

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pernicious no agenda for the next hour and a half. When will we hear

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the business statement from inside? This week marked the end of

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collective Cabinet responsibility, particularly for the next few

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months. The nasty civil war in the Tories is starting to get serious.

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It looks like the poor Justice Secretary will be first for the bit.

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I do not know whether the honourable gentleman will rush to his defence

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to save him, but even friendships that go right back to the playing

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fields of Eton... It is time for popcorn as we observe a civil war in

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the Tory party and the ongoing civil war in the Labour Party. I am going

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to do something radical on Tuesday. It is not announcing Univision

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participation, I will do something much more radical. On the debate

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about the estimates, I am going to attempt to debate the estimates. --

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Eurovision. I have had some conversation with the clerics, and

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it is more than likely I will be ruled out of order for attempting to

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debate the estimates. One thing you have not to debate on estimates they

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is the estimates! What other place in the world other than this absurd

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House can this possibly be the case? Just to remind the House what the

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estimates are. This is the consolidated spend of departments of

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this nation. We have no opportunity to debate this. During the debates,

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and the Leader of the House will remember this, during the debate

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about English votes for English laws, he made a weird to ask that

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all issues of Barnet consequential is where to be bound up in the

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debate about the estimates. You would be right and proper to rule me

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out of order, but we have two end this absurd notion that we cannot

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even debate the departmental bend within the House. We have a deal on

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fiscal framework this week, and everyone is delighted. I would want

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to congratulate First Minister for stopping the Treasury trying to

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peddle Scotland out of ?7 billion. -- diddle. But where will this end?

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I do not mind scrutiny of the fiscal framework, I think that is right and

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proper, but can the Leader of the House rule out today that this House

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will not have a veto in the fiscal agreement that the fiscal framework

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was agreed by this House and with the Scottish Government? Lastly, I

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do not know if he is on speaking terms with his no longer friend, the

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right honourable member, the Prime Minister, but if he is, could he

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please stay to him to please stay away from Scotland -- say to him,

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please stay away from Scotland? We value our European membership in

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Scotland, so please stay away. In the meantime there is invitation to

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the Justice Secretary, the Leader of the House and the Mayor of London to

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come to Scotland any time. I am coming to Scotland and about ten

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days, and I will look forward to whipping up support for the

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Conservative campaign that I think has a really good chance of

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consigning the Labour Party to third place in the Scottish elections,

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which would give us enormous pleasure, but I have a sneaking

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suspicion that might give the honourable gentleman leisure as

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well. This may surprise some, but we have the same view on Europe. I want

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him to succeed in the Eurovision Song Contest. Whether it is this

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year, whether it is next year, I want to see MP for go all the way.

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There is even a new scoring system that might give the British entry a

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better chance. If at first you do not succeed, keep trying. We are

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with him all the way. I hate to disappoint him on the European

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referendum. He will not find any nastiness, because we're all friends

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and get on with each other. LAUGHTER

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The differences, they all hate each other, split down the middle.

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That is the Labour Party. We are going to have a grown-up, sensible

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debate, the country will decide and then we will work together to

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implement what the country decides. In the meantime they will run around

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like headless chickens to work out what they do about the mess they are

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in at the moment. On the estimates issue, I remind him that he is a

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member of the liaison committee, which has estimates they've at its

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disposal to decide what subject to debate and consider. He may have

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lost the argument in the liaison committee, or maybe he did not bring

:19:34.:19:37.

it forward, but we decide what is to be debated on these two days, and if

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they choose not to debate a particular issue, that is up to

:19:42.:19:49.

them. There will be other times to raise issues regarding public

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spending. In the Scotland Bill, we are delighted agreement has been

:19:54.:19:58.

reached on fiscal framework, and it is progressing through the other

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place. I think all of us want to get it on the statute bill, so we are

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seen to have fulfilled the promises we made at the time of the

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referendum in implementing all of the recommendations of the Smith

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report. Regarding the Prime Minister, I am sure he will be

:20:19.:20:20.

spending time in Scotland campaigning for the Conservative

:20:21.:20:22.

victory at the Scottish elections in May. It has been a criminal offence

:20:23.:20:33.

to shine a laser at an aircraft since 2010, but over the last five

:20:34.:20:36.

and a half years there have been nearly 9000 incidents of lasers

:20:37.:20:42.

being aimed at military and civilian, mostly civilian, aircraft.

:20:43.:20:45.

Can we have a debate on what more the government can do to protect

:20:46.:20:51.

civilian and military aircraft, protecting passengers and pilots,

:20:52.:20:56.

making sure is that -- making sure that the skies are safe to fly in?

:20:57.:21:03.

He raises an important point. It is a matter of great concern,

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particularly the recent incident of an aeroplane turning back after a

:21:07.:21:12.

laser attack. None of us would wish to see an aviation disaster as a

:21:13.:21:15.

result of this behaviour. Transport Secretary will be

:21:16.:21:20.

week. I will make sure he is aware of the concerns today, but my

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honourable friend can raise this as well. Lord Adonis made his most

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interesting promise suggesting that the government should prioritise a

:21:32.:21:37.

number of early investments in the railway infrastructure. I have

:21:38.:21:48.

proposed changes to various lines, and others will no doubt have the

:21:49.:21:52.

wrong proposals. So could the leader make time for an early full debate

:21:53.:21:58.

on railway investment? I have a lot of sympathy with what he says and

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Lord Adonis says. One of the things that characterised the approach of

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the government is that it also characterised the railways since

:22:08.:22:11.

privatisation, we have seen the opening of new stations, the

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reopening of new lines, and we have seen a second route open from London

:22:15.:22:23.

to Oxford. This is a sign for a flourishing industry that we want to

:22:24.:22:25.

see grow and develop. The Secretary of State will be here in ten days to

:22:26.:22:28.

make that point. But we believe in the future of the railways. Is the

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Leader of the House aware that the renegotiation package for the EU

:22:38.:22:41.

referendum is based on an international agreement? It lacks

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the enforcement mechanisms of both EU and domestic law. Is it correct

:22:47.:22:52.

that any such agreement must conform to EU law and to the extent that it

:22:53.:23:01.

doesn't, then EU law will prevail? This is a matter that will be

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subject to lively debate this afternoon and over the coming weeks.

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I would simply say that the view of the Attorney General is that the

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agreement reached in Brussels last week is indeed legally binding on

:23:16.:23:22.

all members of the European Union. The leader will be aware that I have

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written to him on this issue. Earlier this week we saw very

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important debate on knife crime and gang crime being bumped by

:23:34.:23:35.

government business and urgent questions and a statement. We have

:23:36.:23:46.

rescheduled that debate for next Thursday, 3rd of March. On the 8th

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of March, we have international women's day and a debate sponsored

:23:53.:23:54.

by the backbench business committee. I am wondering if the Leader of the

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House would allow us protected time so that such an eventuality would

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not happen on that occasion, particularly since international

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women's day debate is time specific because the 8th of March is

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International women's Day. On a second issue, many hundreds of

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thousands of people are now missing from electoral registers around the

:24:17.:24:19.

country. Yesterday the Office of National Statistics found on what

:24:20.:24:28.

size constituencies should be by population. That is also a drive for

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people to register which is the referendum for the European Union. I

:24:37.:24:40.

wondered if he would take back to the Cabinet question of whether the

:24:41.:24:43.

boundary commission should be put on hold to see if these hundreds of

:24:44.:24:46.

thousands of people who have not registered will registered in time

:24:47.:24:49.

for the referendum then boundaries can be drawn up on the real elect of

:24:50.:24:56.

it rather than it was in December. -- electorate.

:24:57.:24:57.

Well, on those two points, I will take away his point about

:24:58.:25:02.

International Women's Day, as it is time sensitive that day that I

:25:03.:25:05.

continue to bear in mind what he has asked the bird protected time. At

:25:06.:25:09.

the moment, it doesn't feel as though there was a long pipeline of

:25:10.:25:14.

debate is being delayed -- about the protected time. I think it was

:25:15.:25:17.

better that the debate was moved rather than severely curtailed. With

:25:18.:25:21.

regards to boundaries, the Boundary Commission takes place over two

:25:22.:25:24.

years and there will be plenty of time for the Boundary Commission to

:25:25.:25:27.

adapt and indeed for individual members to come back and make

:25:28.:25:31.

representations for changes if they do not believe the particular

:25:32.:25:35.

situation is right, the particular recommendation is correct. And I

:25:36.:25:40.

hear the Shadow leader chuntering in his place as usual, I hope from his

:25:41.:25:44.

point of view that his members in the Rhondda, like him -- members of

:25:45.:25:48.

the Rhondda like him as much as his backbenchers do whether it

:25:49.:25:52.

determines him getting a seat in the changes or not. I was perturbed

:25:53.:25:57.

today to hear that BBC Radio Foyle Clive could be moved to online

:25:58.:26:03.

content only. -- 5 Live. Whilst it would relieve the nation of

:26:04.:26:10.

colleagues in the House playing Kiss, Marry Or Avoid, it could

:26:11.:26:16.

otherwise the notion an outstanding news and sports broadcaster, so

:26:17.:26:20.

could we hold a debate in this place to address the need for the BBC to

:26:21.:26:24.

be continued to be funded as befits the nation's broadcaster. Of course,

:26:25.:26:29.

the subject of the BBC charter renewal is a very live one at the

:26:30.:26:33.

moment, many of us have had about it. It is the Government's view that

:26:34.:26:38.

we want to preserve the BBC as a high-quality public service

:26:39.:26:42.

broadcaster but it will be a matter for the BBC to decide how best to

:26:43.:26:46.

deploy its resources and we have to make sure that given the fact it is

:26:47.:26:49.

a levy on household from all different circumstances up and down

:26:50.:26:53.

the country that the BBC operates in a cost-effective way and keeps the

:26:54.:26:58.

licence fee as low as possible. I notice that the leader of the has

:26:59.:27:02.

failed to respond to my honourable friend's very sensible suggestion

:27:03.:27:08.

that the recess and the Queen's Speech be scheduled in order to take

:27:09.:27:15.

account of the EU referendum. Can the Leader of the House give a

:27:16.:27:17.

proper response, especially given that the outcome of the referendum

:27:18.:27:24.

itself could have a major impact on the legislative programme? The point

:27:25.:27:27.

I made in my remarks as this Government has a full programme and

:27:28.:27:30.

will continue to have a full programme. It is important that we

:27:31.:27:34.

do not allow the EU referendum to divert us from the very important

:27:35.:27:37.

task of governing the country. We will continue to deliver the right

:27:38.:27:40.

solutions for the country and continue to bring forward the right

:27:41.:27:44.

legislation for the country and of course, we will consider how best to

:27:45.:27:48.

ensure that honourable members have the right opportunity to participate

:27:49.:27:51.

in the referendum. We also need to make sure the doubling of the

:27:52.:27:55.

country is not diverted by what is happening. My constituents Mr and Mr

:27:56.:28:02.

Vaughan have been waiting for years for an assessment of their

:28:03.:28:06.

continuing health care costs for a deceased relative, despite an

:28:07.:28:09.

assurance that the CCG had made attempts with extra resources to

:28:10.:28:13.

clear backlog. Could I ask the Leader of the House, will he make

:28:14.:28:17.

time for a statement from the Secretary of State help on the

:28:18.:28:24.

delays to retrospective see -- CHC assessments, because it is causing

:28:25.:28:29.

much distress. My honourable friend speaks with his customary

:28:30.:28:32.

effectiveness of behalf of his constituents and I know it affects a

:28:33.:28:35.

number of constituents down the country and I will make sure the

:28:36.:28:38.

Health Secretary is aware of the concerns he has raised and to reply

:28:39.:28:44.

to him. What is the Leader of the House's view of the legal status of

:28:45.:28:48.

the Prime Minister's European agreement? Does he agree with his

:28:49.:28:52.

successor as Justice Secretary, or does he agree with the Attorney

:28:53.:28:55.

General, whose view he mentioned earlier? It was the only Lord

:28:56.:29:02.

Chancellor not to be a lawyer, he is therefore at an advantage on terms

:29:03.:29:07.

of plain speaking. So who does he agree with? The Justice Secretary or

:29:08.:29:13.

the Attorney General? Well, Mr Speaker, fortunately I am not a

:29:14.:29:16.

lawyer and will not give the honourable gentleman legal advice. I

:29:17.:29:20.

will say what I said earlier, it is the view of the Attorney General on

:29:21.:29:23.

behalf of the Government that has legal force but I am sure it will be

:29:24.:29:27.

a matter of lively debate in the weeks ahead. The Leader of the House

:29:28.:29:32.

will no doubt be aware that over a very short time span, to separate

:29:33.:29:36.

debate in Westminster Hall over very serious allegations of collusion

:29:37.:29:43.

between banks to undervalue and seize assets. Numerous other cases

:29:44.:29:46.

have come to light and more than ten cross-party MPs have written to the

:29:47.:29:49.

Chair of Business, Innovation and Skills committee asking to

:29:50.:29:53.

investigate. In my constituency, this involved Barclays Bank and has

:29:54.:30:00.

led to one of my constituents losing everything he has worked for over

:30:01.:30:04.

many years, including his house. Is it their four-time pro debate on the

:30:05.:30:07.

floor of the House on these matters and whether the Government needs to

:30:08.:30:12.

act to ensure the is upheld? -- is it therefore time? My honourable

:30:13.:30:17.

friend is working hard on behalf of his constituents but I cannot

:30:18.:30:20.

comment on the details of the allegations. The solicitor general

:30:21.:30:26.

address Westminster Hall on this earlier this month and he is well

:30:27.:30:32.

aware of the conclusions reached from reports. If he is on bag of

:30:33.:30:38.

loot of the view that the remit of the SFO should be broadened to take

:30:39.:30:45.

matters further, we could possibly look to bring back to the floor

:30:46.:30:50.

debate on the broader remit of the SFO and other organisations to

:30:51.:30:59.

investigate matters like this. Is the Leader of the House aware that

:31:00.:31:02.

Huddersfield, a large university town, is likely, if the clinical

:31:03.:31:07.

commissioning group and the Government has its way, will be one

:31:08.:31:14.

of the only large towns to have no accident emergency facility within

:31:15.:31:17.

five miles of the town? Would he agree that an early debate on what

:31:18.:31:20.

is going on with clinical commissioning groups, what is going

:31:21.:31:23.

on with this pressure on the Health Service when the Prime Minister,

:31:24.:31:27.

during the General Election, said he would preserve A in the towns and

:31:28.:31:34.

cities of this country? Of course, this is something that has affected

:31:35.:31:37.

my own constituency where there has been debate for a while. What we

:31:38.:31:42.

have done is entrusted local doctors with decision-making about the

:31:43.:31:45.

configuration of services and certainly in my own area, it was the

:31:46.:31:50.

view of local doctors that prevailed over plans for reconfiguration 18

:31:51.:31:53.

months ago, so it really is going to be down to his local GPs and those

:31:54.:31:57.

who control commissioning in the area to decide what the

:31:58.:32:00.

configuration is. My advice, having been through this, is make sure he

:32:01.:32:04.

has discussed the issue with them and brought forward their views

:32:05.:32:07.

because that made the big difference in my area. Mr Speaker, you may like

:32:08.:32:12.

to know that my petition to save the hedgehog has now reached over 19,000

:32:13.:32:18.

signatures since it was launched two weeks ago. I am fully aware that

:32:19.:32:24.

this is just 80,000 short of us having a debate but would my right

:32:25.:32:28.

honourable friend like to just confirmed that because it has got

:32:29.:32:31.

over 10,000, the Government now has the right to me to say what it is

:32:32.:32:37.

they might actually do? -- has the right to me. I congratulate my

:32:38.:32:43.

honourable friend on his assiduous nose, he will receive a proper

:32:44.:32:46.

response from the Government and I have a sneaking suspicion he may

:32:47.:32:50.

make his way towards the 100,000 point to have a debate in this

:32:51.:32:53.

House, but of course we have had this week a cautionary tale linking

:32:54.:32:57.

some of the things that somehow appear at this session. We took

:32:58.:33:03.

those super foods, black puddings, berries, but we have learned that if

:33:04.:33:07.

you feed meat to hedgehogs, it can have a rather adverse effect, as we

:33:08.:33:11.

saw in the tragic case of the hedgehog that has become so fat from

:33:12.:33:14.

eating meat, it can't even roll itself up. We are all better

:33:15.:33:22.

informed than we were. Thank you Mr Speaker. My constituent and

:33:23.:33:26.

bombardier James Simpson sadly lost both legs in Afghanistan and has

:33:27.:33:32.

since inspired people by becoming the first double amputee to do an

:33:33.:33:36.

obstacle challenge. He and other brave injured servicemen have found

:33:37.:33:44.

that the NHS is not able to cope with their artificial limbs. Could

:33:45.:33:48.

we have a statement from the Secretary of State for Health as to

:33:49.:33:51.

how the NHS will solve this and come up with a better plan for how we

:33:52.:33:56.

help our brave servicemen and women? I wasn't aware of this and those who

:33:57.:34:00.

have served this country, those who have lost limbs in the service of

:34:01.:34:05.

this country, are people who we should all admire and without

:34:06.:34:07.

reserve and some of the achievements we have seen by those who have been

:34:08.:34:11.

injured in this way since they have returned from the front line have

:34:12.:34:14.

been simply awe-inspiring. I wasn't aware of the problem he has brought

:34:15.:34:19.

to the House today. My colleague the Secretary of State is here on Monday

:34:20.:34:22.

for defence but I will also make sure the health Department is aware

:34:23.:34:24.

of the concerns he has raised and respond to him. I hope the whole

:34:25.:34:30.

house without vote to join me in congratulating the Mayorova London,

:34:31.:34:33.

the honourable member for Uxbridge and south voice live, for his very

:34:34.:34:36.

wise decision, much-publicised this week, to name Crossrail the

:34:37.:34:40.

Elizabeth line to commemorate the Queen's 90th birthday. My patriotic

:34:41.:34:48.

residents in the village of Worthington would also like to

:34:49.:34:50.

commemorate this event but have been hit by the County Council with a

:34:51.:34:56.

?400 bill for road closure. Could we have a statement for the guide to

:34:57.:34:59.

County Council to waive such charges as we did during the Jubilee? Well,

:35:00.:35:05.

first of all, I was also delighted about the decision to name Crossrail

:35:06.:35:09.

the Elizabeth line, it is a fitting tribute to a magnificent monarch, as

:35:10.:35:14.

she approaches her 90th birthday and we should all celebrate the things

:35:15.:35:19.

she has done for this country. Mr Speaker, I think in terms of the

:35:20.:35:22.

celebrations we will be seeing this summer, I hope local authorities

:35:23.:35:26.

will be wise and sensible and will be encouraging communities to come

:35:27.:35:29.

together to celebrate them and I have to say this has been the week

:35:30.:35:32.

in which my honourable friend the Mayorova London has shown great

:35:33.:35:41.

wisdom. The North Middlesex Hospital on the 19th of February, more than

:35:42.:35:45.

100 point patients were informed over the tannoy, please go home

:35:46.:35:49.

unless you have a life-threatening illness. Of course, they would have

:35:50.:35:56.

to self diagnose to make that decision. Some patients had been

:35:57.:35:59.

waiting on trolleys for more than five hours with no cubicle space and

:36:00.:36:05.

no beds to go to, while dozens were on a waiting room, faced with a

:36:06.:36:10.

weight of over eight hours to be seen. Now, this is a crisis in A

:36:11.:36:16.

provision, certainly for Enfield and Haringey, and I think it is wider

:36:17.:36:20.

spread than that. It is entirely predictable, particularly given that

:36:21.:36:24.

the Government closed the A at Chase farm in 2013. Many of my

:36:25.:36:30.

constituents were sat waiting that night and are outraged at this

:36:31.:36:34.

situation. Can we have an early debate in Government time about the

:36:35.:36:42.

A crisis affecting Enfield and Haringey and generally wider? I

:36:43.:36:45.

don't know about the individual circumstance. Clearly, pressures on

:36:46.:36:51.

A ebb and flow depending on local circumstance, particularly on this

:36:52.:36:53.

time of year but what I would say is this is one reason we continue to

:36:54.:36:57.

put additional funding into the NHS and I simply remember the former

:36:58.:37:03.

Health Secretary argued that putting more money into the NHS was not the

:37:04.:37:08.

right thing to do. I am sure the House will agree with me that you

:37:09.:37:13.

don't discuss Europe enough in this place and therefore, my helpful

:37:14.:37:17.

suggestion is that we alter the business of the House and have a

:37:18.:37:22.

weekly EU Question Time and my prejudice is the Leader of the House

:37:23.:37:25.

and says these questions. It would give me the opportunity to ask, for

:37:26.:37:30.

instance, should the British people in their wisdom leave the European

:37:31.:37:33.

Union? Would it be right that it would be this Government that would

:37:34.:37:38.

decide, for instance, the VAT rate on sanitary towels? It is certainly

:37:39.:37:44.

correct that the VAT on sanitary tolls is imposed by the European

:37:45.:37:49.

Union -- sanitary towels. I suspect it would not be enforced by this

:37:50.:37:52.

Government. The one debate I would love to have is with the Shadow

:37:53.:38:00.

leader: he is the one person who bitterly regretted that we didn't

:38:01.:38:06.

join the euro. Can the leader of his has cast his mind back to business

:38:07.:38:09.

questions on the 28th of January? You may recall he failed to answer a

:38:10.:38:13.

question from the Shadow leader for details of how he was going to

:38:14.:38:17.

arrange Parliamentary scrutiny of changes Cabinet office were

:38:18.:38:23.

intending to introduce for local Government and procurement

:38:24.:38:25.

guidelines for public institutions. He will also know that since then,

:38:26.:38:30.

the Minister for the Cabinet Office has decided to announce the second

:38:31.:38:33.

of those changes last week. Not to this House, but to Israel and a

:38:34.:38:40.

joint press conference -- with Benjamin Netanyahu. The difference

:38:41.:38:49.

between what the Cabinet sees as the target those guidelines and official

:38:50.:38:53.

Foreign Office advice regarding risk to business and legal action in the

:38:54.:38:57.

occupied territories, we are still waiting to hear how all of this can

:38:58.:39:02.

be scrutinised. So will the leader arrange for the Minister of the

:39:03.:39:05.

Cabinet Office finally to come to this House, make a statement and

:39:06.:39:15.

answer questions. He will be here on the 9th of March to make questions.

:39:16.:39:18.

You have been very fulsome in granting opportunities to member of

:39:19.:39:21.

this House who have concerns to bring forward urgent questions. But

:39:22.:39:24.

I can't remember this subject been brought forward as an urgent

:39:25.:39:27.

question so perhaps it isn't that urgent. When I heard from a

:39:28.:39:36.

constituent of mine that she had gone elsewhere in the country to

:39:37.:39:41.

volunteer as part of her Duke of Edinburgh award, I was, like I am

:39:42.:39:45.

sure, all honourable members, delighted at her commitment to this

:39:46.:39:50.

award scheme and volunteering. I was less pleased by the fact that she

:39:51.:39:54.

had to pay a rather large sum for her rail ticket and then she

:39:55.:39:57.

discovered afterwards that by splitting her tickets, she could

:39:58.:40:01.

quite legally have paid a lot less. Could we have a debate on how this

:40:02.:40:04.

could be much more publicised and whether rail companies should be

:40:05.:40:08.

obliged to show the cheapest possible way of getting from to B

:40:09.:40:09.

version The rail minister would be in

:40:10.:40:17.

agreement with what he says and is working to achieve that. All of us

:40:18.:40:23.

who travel by train find some bizarre structures of fares, finding

:40:24.:40:28.

that first-class fares are lower than standard class. It would be

:40:29.:40:37.

much easier if the information was available to the public of the

:40:38.:40:42.

cheapest way to travel. You will be aware that several times I have

:40:43.:40:47.

called for us to have a debate on youth violence, and my honourable

:40:48.:40:51.

member advised us to go to the backbench business committee. I was

:40:52.:40:54.

really pleased that the backbench business committee brought forward a

:40:55.:41:00.

debate on this. However, deeply disappointed that the time was not

:41:01.:41:05.

given to that this Tuesday. Many colleagues of mine came to the

:41:06.:41:09.

gallery to watch the debate, who were not able to engage in it. How

:41:10.:41:15.

are you going to ensure that next Thursday the time is protected and

:41:16.:41:19.

we debate this very, very important issue? It is a very important issue,

:41:20.:41:29.

and it was unfortunate on Tuesday that there was an extended statement

:41:30.:41:33.

on Monday from the Prime Minister, and the volume of additional

:41:34.:41:35.

subjects that people wanted to bring before the House, the debate ended

:41:36.:41:40.

up being squeezed out. We will make sure there is an opportunity to

:41:41.:41:43.

bring it back. When it comes back on that Thursday, it is much less

:41:44.:41:50.

likely to be under pressure than it was on Tuesday. This week has seen

:41:51.:41:59.

the welcome news that a trust has secured planning permission for the

:42:00.:42:08.

first state-sponsored Hindu through school. In Harrow, a school has

:42:09.:42:19.

secret approval, which will make sure people in Harrow will have a

:42:20.:42:23.

faith -based education if that's what they want for their children.

:42:24.:42:27.

Could be arranged for a debate in the House on the importance of faith

:42:28.:42:34.

-based education so parents can choose the education for children

:42:35.:42:38.

that they wish? I would congratulate all of those who have succeeded in

:42:39.:42:43.

bringing forward these new plans. It has always been my view that faith

:42:44.:42:46.

-based education is an important place that has an important place in

:42:47.:42:50.

our society, and while it is important that faith -based school

:42:51.:42:55.

is not a school of one faith, my experience is that the ethos it

:42:56.:43:00.

brings is a high-quality of education, and it is very exciting.

:43:01.:43:05.

I'm sure he will take advantage of the opportunity express to the

:43:06.:43:11.

Secretary of State shortly how important this work is. The

:43:12.:43:21.

government has amended its own enterprise Bill to include

:43:22.:43:23.

provisions on Sunday trading. Can the leader please explain how

:43:24.:43:32.

backbenchers who are concerned about the Evel status being introduced to

:43:33.:43:35.

make representations within the standing orders concerning the

:43:36.:43:39.

effect of new proposals made by the government? These proposals will be

:43:40.:43:47.

subject to debate in committee, and if members choose to do so, on the

:43:48.:43:54.

floor of the House, but the advice he seeks is best obtained from the

:43:55.:44:02.

clerics. Can we have a minister make a statement to explain what action

:44:03.:44:06.

the government is taking to protect holders of the Lloyds bank enhanced

:44:07.:44:13.

capital is and forced early redemption? Several constituents

:44:14.:44:15.

have contacted me to say they have been forced to close this. It has

:44:16.:44:20.

had a great effect on their planned income, and they have received

:44:21.:44:24.

little protection on the financial -- from the financial authority. I

:44:25.:44:30.

am aware of these concerns and he is doing his usual effective job on

:44:31.:44:37.

behalf of his constituents. It is good with the re-met to do the job

:44:38.:44:43.

in a matter like this. The Treasury ministers on Monday have ultimate

:44:44.:44:52.

responsibility of setting the re-met of the authority. The Leader of the

:44:53.:45:01.

House may be aware of the horrible murder of a man in Egypt's, who is

:45:02.:45:15.

much missed in Cambridge where he was carrying out academic duties. I

:45:16.:45:21.

urge him to impress on the Egyptian authorities what has gone on. Can we

:45:22.:45:25.

discuss the situation in Egypt's soon? This was a horrible incident,

:45:26.:45:34.

and as a sign that although Egypt's is a great country, there are still

:45:35.:45:39.

some significant challenges for it. I will make sure the Foreign

:45:40.:45:44.

Secretary is reminded of these concerns, and I'm sure the

:45:45.:45:49.

government will set out an opportunity to discuss this in the

:45:50.:45:57.

near future. Tomorrow I will attend the residents meeting in Cleethorpes

:45:58.:46:02.

accompanied by the Humberside Police Commissioner. The Commissioner has

:46:03.:46:09.

been effective in representing its constituents. Could we have the

:46:10.:46:15.

debate on the role of the Commissioner and how the powers may

:46:16.:46:20.

be extended? He will always have a fond place in the conservative

:46:21.:46:30.

lexicon as the man who beat John Prescott. It is a matter of huge

:46:31.:46:36.

disappointment on that side of the House. The Deputy Leader is not a

:46:37.:46:44.

fan. But we will always regard him fondly. My constituency has

:46:45.:46:52.

benefited tremendously from European Union structural funding, but that

:46:53.:46:55.

will not be available if we leave the European Union. Can we have a

:46:56.:47:03.

statement of the advantages that EU structural funds have brought to the

:47:04.:47:12.

UK, and whether he will give such a statement personally? We have a

:47:13.:47:14.

debate this afternoon, so he can take part in that. Structural funds

:47:15.:47:21.

are important, and I am sure that those who agree with that would see

:47:22.:47:26.

that all we're doing is giving money to Brussels in order to give it back

:47:27.:47:32.

to us. Notwithstanding the debate we have had on flooding, there is

:47:33.:47:35.

another part of this that we do not discuss enough during this House,

:47:36.:47:40.

which is coastal erosion. This year we have seen more around the coasts

:47:41.:47:45.

of the UK because of the storms than we have for many years. Can we have

:47:46.:47:49.

time for a statement in this chamber on this? We need to make plans now,

:47:50.:48:03.

to be able to look to the future. The importance of this issue has

:48:04.:48:07.

been brought home to us by the extraordinary archaeology work round

:48:08.:48:11.

the port of Dunnett, which was one of England's largest towns, and has

:48:12.:48:19.

nearly disappeared. It shows how much difference coastal erosion can

:48:20.:48:25.

make. Perhaps you would like to join with others whose constituencies

:48:26.:48:29.

have been affected, and bring forward a debate through the

:48:30.:48:35.

backbench committee. Can we have a debate on the extraordinary

:48:36.:48:40.

allegations published by the London Times newspaper on the treatment of

:48:41.:48:44.

asylum seekers living in Glasgow, by Home Office providers circle.

:48:45.:48:52.

Allegations which include spraying air freshener towards asylum seekers

:48:53.:48:57.

and placing them in and then have up to housing. Does he agree with me

:48:58.:49:05.

that -- in uninhabitable housing. No one would condone that kind of

:49:06.:49:11.

treatment of any individual, no matter who they are. He makes an

:49:12.:49:15.

important point which will be noted by the ministers. Hull City

:49:16.:49:23.

councillors meeting to set its budget at the moment. Since 2010, it

:49:24.:49:31.

has had a cut of ?310 per person in the city, one of the steepest cuts

:49:32.:49:38.

in the country. In the same period, one of the least deprived areas,

:49:39.:49:52.

excellent, -- Epsom, has gained. Could we please have a debate about

:49:53.:49:56.

why the poorest areas of this country keep being cut by this

:49:57.:50:03.

government? She needs to remember the huge disparities that still

:50:04.:50:09.

exist on funding per head targeting cities like Hull, targeting towns

:50:10.:50:17.

and cities where there are big challenges, even with a substantial

:50:18.:50:31.

number of us... The government's mobile infrastructure project

:50:32.:50:35.

identified 600 potentially new mobile mast sites. Only 15 of them

:50:36.:50:41.

had been built by last year. Could we have a debate on the failure of

:50:42.:50:45.

the government's infrastructure project, and why so many communities

:50:46.:50:52.

that were promised mobile connectivity still do not have it?

:50:53.:50:57.

We are making real progress in spreading mobile coverage and

:50:58.:51:02.

high-speed broadband coverage. The government does not build the masts,

:51:03.:51:07.

it is the operators. We are doing as well as almost all of the major

:51:08.:51:10.

international competitors in making sure we have these connections. On

:51:11.:51:19.

the 7th of November last year I wrote to the BBC with asset of

:51:20.:51:23.

perfectly reasonable questions about their musical output and their

:51:24.:51:29.

relationship with universal music. Response times were disappointing.

:51:30.:51:33.

Not only did they fail to answer questions that said I was unhappy

:51:34.:51:38.

with the response, and that I should take it up with the information

:51:39.:51:41.

Commissioner. I value the work the BBC does, but they have to be open

:51:42.:51:44.

about how they operate, so can we have a debate about creating a

:51:45.:51:49.

transparent culture within the BBC and their publishers. The Culture

:51:50.:51:55.

Secretary is here next week to raise the issue with, but we are having

:51:56.:52:01.

such a debate at the moment on the renewal Charter, and it is for them

:52:02.:52:05.

as the public and members of this House to bring forward their

:52:06.:52:07.

thoughts about the future shape of the BBC, and despite the fact that

:52:08.:52:12.

the shadow leader is chuntering from his position, I have no doubt that

:52:13.:52:17.

he wants to bring forward further thoughts and present them to the

:52:18.:52:21.

Secretary of State, and they will be taken into account. It was welcome

:52:22.:52:25.

when the government agreed to change the rules to allow fear compensation

:52:26.:52:34.

for people suffering from mesothelioma. So can we have a

:52:35.:52:40.

debate about how a small number of veterans are not covered, and having

:52:41.:52:53.

more stress as a result. I will make sure the health minister will make

:52:54.:53:04.

-- is all we're. The childhood obesity strategy has been delayed

:53:05.:53:08.

not once, but I am now on the fifth time of counting. And the answers

:53:09.:53:15.

I'm getting from ministers and including the Prime Minister, who

:53:16.:53:19.

cannot even tell you whether or not he has seen a draft, copy -- seen a

:53:20.:53:31.

draft copy of this, so can we have a statement as soon as possible,

:53:32.:53:35.

outlining their intentions to publish the childhood obesity

:53:36.:53:40.

strategy and break this wall of silence from ministers? It is the

:53:41.:53:43.

government's intention to publish the childhood obesity strategy, but

:53:44.:53:47.

also working to get it right, and I can assure him that when we come to

:53:48.:53:52.

publish the document, when we are satisfied it is the right tool for

:53:53.:53:55.

the job, we will bring it to the House. The Prime Minister has made

:53:56.:54:04.

233 appointments to the unelected House of Lords that has been

:54:05.:54:09.

elected, making it a total of 826, and yet only yesterday many of us

:54:10.:54:13.

received an e-mail from the boundaries commission informing us

:54:14.:54:16.

of our review of the chamber to reduce the number of Scottish MPs

:54:17.:54:21.

from 59, 253. With the result of the House of Lords being 40% larger than

:54:22.:54:26.

this House, will he bring to this chamber and urgent debate of the

:54:27.:54:29.

rough wearing of democracy in Scotland, we will have more Tory

:54:30.:54:34.

Lords than MPs representing our country? This is the elected House,

:54:35.:54:39.

this is the House that ultimately has the final say on matters. It is

:54:40.:54:45.

right and proper that we have a structure of representation that

:54:46.:54:48.

represents the balance of population in the country. It is the case that

:54:49.:54:53.

the boundary commission has arena to align the size of constituencies

:54:54.:54:56.

across the country. This is not a matter related to the other place,

:54:57.:55:01.

it is related to ensuring that there is Furnace of representation in this

:55:02.:55:05.

elected House, which decides what happens. and is my constituent and

:55:06.:55:13.

he is afraid train driver. He and his colleagues across 11 depots in

:55:14.:55:18.

Yorkshire and the North of facing redundancy due to the downturn of

:55:19.:55:21.

coal traffic because of the closure of Ferrybridge, power stations and

:55:22.:55:26.

the pit. Can we have a debate in Government time on the secondary

:55:27.:55:30.

impact of these closures and what this Government has caused in

:55:31.:55:33.

supporting industries such as bread and how we might support those

:55:34.:55:39.

affected in finding new and appropriate jobs it is or is

:55:40.:55:42.

difficult when an individual change in an industry causes jobs to go.

:55:43.:55:48.

But she has to understand that under this Government, Railfreight has

:55:49.:55:52.

continued to grow, the freight network has continued to receive new

:55:53.:55:56.

investment and for those in the industry, there are more

:55:57.:55:58.

opportunities perhaps than there has been provided long time. Mr Speaker,

:55:59.:56:06.

Edward Padden, the son of my constituents Fiona and Scott, was

:56:07.:56:10.

just nine days old when he died, in part because of group B

:56:11.:56:14.

Streptococcus ascending infection. Instead of looking forward to what

:56:15.:56:20.

would have been his second birthday, his parents are campaigning so

:56:21.:56:23.

others do not suffer as they have. Can we have an urgent debate to see

:56:24.:56:29.

what can be done with urgent screening to prevent deaths of

:56:30.:56:33.

newborn babies? This issue is obviously a very sensitive and

:56:34.:56:37.

important one. It is one where there are many opportunities in the House

:56:38.:56:41.

to bring forward debates both through the backbench business

:56:42.:56:45.

committee, the German debate system. What I would also say which I should

:56:46.:56:49.

have mentioned earlier, we now have the largest petition we have now

:56:50.:56:52.

seen to this House for a debate on the floor of this has related to

:56:53.:56:55.

meningitis in childhood and it is something I will be discussing with

:56:56.:56:59.

the Chair of the backbench business committee, because I hope when that

:57:00.:57:02.

petition is brought before this has, it is debated on the floor rather

:57:03.:57:09.

than Westminster Hall -- this House. Can we please have a statement on

:57:10.:57:14.

today's Ofcom review into Britain's broadband needs? It pointed out that

:57:15.:57:18.

too many rule all communities have a very poor broadband service -- rural

:57:19.:57:29.

communities. There is still work to do. We have done work back to live

:57:30.:57:33.

good work so far but there is still some to do and there will be

:57:34.:57:40.

progress. I think as far as rural committees that do not have access

:57:41.:57:43.

to high-speed broadband and modern communications, we continue to have

:57:44.:57:50.

a job to do. Two weeks ago, the Leader of the House was unable to

:57:51.:57:56.

answer if legislation to ratify the convention citing the Queen's

:57:57.:58:04.

Speech. Would he be able to tell us if the Government would still be

:58:05.:58:09.

able to ratify this convention that aids the protection of women or are

:58:10.:58:13.

there plans to suspend that also? I have no doubt that of the people of

:58:14.:58:16.

this country vote to leave the European Union, we will continue to

:58:17.:58:19.

play a very active role in the international bodies of which we are

:58:20.:58:22.

part, very active role in the international community as a whole.

:58:23.:58:26.

Whatever happens in the future of this country, we will always be

:58:27.:58:29.

internationalist and always will do right thing by this country on the

:58:30.:58:36.

international stage. The incompetent Tory Labour administration the

:58:37.:58:39.

coalition of Stirling Council will present its budget this evening.

:58:40.:58:42.

That will include savage cuts to social care across the Stirling

:58:43.:58:47.

area. Government pressure has been put on local Government financed by

:58:48.:58:49.

the austerity agenda of his Government and welfare reforms.

:58:50.:58:53.

Could we have a debate on this urgent matter? Well, of course, the

:58:54.:58:59.

overall framework for economic success and for funding in Scotland

:59:00.:59:04.

rests with the SNP. The interesting thing about this week with the

:59:05.:59:07.

fiscal framework is they are now going to have to take decisions in

:59:08.:59:11.

the future about the right balance between lower taxes, public spending

:59:12.:59:15.

and they will find it a whole lot more difficult than they think.

:59:16.:59:21.

Farmers in my constituency tell me that the basic payment scheme, as

:59:22.:59:28.

delivered late, is somewhat chaotic. Can we have a statement from the

:59:29.:59:32.

relevant Secretary of State about the performance of the ruble

:59:33.:59:39.

payments agency? -- rural payments agency? I am happy to draw his

:59:40.:59:43.

concerns to the Secretary of State and if you would like to write with

:59:44.:59:46.

some more specific examples, it makes it easier for ministers to

:59:47.:59:50.

look at what is going wrong. Could we have a debate or a statement on

:59:51.:59:57.

EDM 1138 regarding the anti-lobbying or gagging Clause, which was

:59:58.:00:02.

announced that the Cabinet office just before recess with little or no

:00:03.:00:06.

scrutiny or consultation. It threatens the ability of

:00:07.:00:09.

organisations and charities in receipt of Government grants from

:00:10.:00:13.

speaking out campaigning either for or against Government policy and it

:00:14.:00:18.

be scrapped immediately. Mr Speaker, the honourable gentleman has do

:00:19.:00:21.

understand that in Government, we find on a number of occasions bodies

:00:22.:00:25.

that are being funded by us are using the money that we are

:00:26.:00:28.

providing from the taxpayer to lobby us. That makes no sense at all. The

:00:29.:00:32.

Cabinet Office is trying to deliver sensible regime and when it comes

:00:33.:00:35.

before this House, he will be able to debated the way he wishes. --

:00:36.:00:42.

debate it. Point of order, Joanna Cherry. On a point of order, I would

:00:43.:00:48.

like to seek your assistance in relation to a matter of some concern

:00:49.:00:51.

to me. It has been brought to my attention that on Monday the 22nd,

:00:52.:00:56.

out with my presence and without notifying me in advance, the

:00:57.:00:59.

honourable member for South Leicestershire raised what he

:01:00.:01:01.

described as a point of order during which he said I had misled the

:01:02.:01:06.

House. I should make it clear that notwithstanding his conduct, I have

:01:07.:01:09.

afforded him the courtesy of notifying him I would be raising

:01:10.:01:11.

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