Browse content similar to Sky/21st Century Fox: Merger. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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that really does provide first class educational materials and will | :00:00. | :00:00. | |
happily host visits by schools and colleges here. Statement the | :00:00. | :00:07. | |
Secretary of State for culture, media and sport. Karen Bradley. I | :00:08. | :00:16. | |
came to this House on March six to give an update on the proposed | :00:17. | :00:19. | |
merger between 21st Century Fox and Sky. At that time, I said I was | :00:20. | :00:25. | |
minded to issue a European it intervention notice on the basis | :00:26. | :00:30. | |
that I believe there to be public interest considerations are set out | :00:31. | :00:34. | |
in the enterprise act 2002 that may be relevant to this proposed merger | :00:35. | :00:36. | |
and which warrant further investigation. The grounds on which | :00:37. | :00:42. | |
I was minded to intervene where as explained at that time, media | :00:43. | :00:46. | |
plurality and commitment to broadcasting standards. I also | :00:47. | :00:49. | |
confirmed that in line with guidance, I would be inviting | :00:50. | :00:52. | |
further representations in writing from the parties and gave them until | :00:53. | :00:59. | |
last Wednesday to provide these. Having carefully considered the | :01:00. | :01:02. | |
representations from the parties, and the other representations I have | :01:03. | :01:06. | |
received, I can now tell the House but today, I have issued a European | :01:07. | :01:10. | |
intervention notice on the grounds of media plurality and commitment to | :01:11. | :01:14. | |
broadcasting standards. I have written to the parties, Ofcom and | :01:15. | :01:19. | |
competition markets authority informing them of my decision. The | :01:20. | :01:24. | |
representations from 21st Century Fox highlighted areas where it | :01:25. | :01:29. | |
contested the position taken in my letter, none of the representations | :01:30. | :01:32. | |
have led me to dismiss concerns I have regarding the two public | :01:33. | :01:35. | |
interest rounds I previously specified. I believe it still | :01:36. | :01:41. | |
remains important giving the issues raised and wholly appropriate for me | :01:42. | :01:45. | |
to seek comments of advice from Ofcom on these public interest | :01:46. | :01:51. | |
considerations and from jurisdiction issues. I note over all the parties | :01:52. | :01:56. | |
have welcomed a thorough regulatory review and that is what will now | :01:57. | :01:58. | |
happen as a result of the intervention notice I've issued. | :01:59. | :02:05. | |
Since mine decision, I've received over 700 representations from third | :02:06. | :02:10. | |
parties, the vast majority of which supported intervention. A number of | :02:11. | :02:15. | |
these called for me to create a new public interest considerations which | :02:16. | :02:19. | |
would require a fit and proper assessment of the parties to take | :02:20. | :02:22. | |
place as part of the intervention process. They also argued it should | :02:23. | :02:27. | |
be made clearer matters of corporate governance, accountability and | :02:28. | :02:31. | |
conduct should be and could be taken into account in assessing this | :02:32. | :02:35. | |
merger. These issues relate to questions about the application of | :02:36. | :02:38. | |
the fit and proper test by Ofcom and I will come to these shortly. As I | :02:39. | :02:42. | |
previously set out, this decision will trigger action by Ofcom to | :02:43. | :02:47. | |
assess and report to me on the public interest grounds I've | :02:48. | :02:51. | |
specified. For the Competition and Markets Authority to report to me | :02:52. | :02:55. | |
jurisdiction. They each have 14 working days to prepare these | :02:56. | :02:59. | |
reports. This means will expect their reports by Tuesday 16th May. I | :03:00. | :03:04. | |
will then resume my decision-making role in relation to the merger. To | :03:05. | :03:10. | |
be clear, this interfering period and indeed any time after that until | :03:11. | :03:15. | |
a final decision on the merger is taken, is subject to the constraints | :03:16. | :03:21. | |
that apply to my role. I'm sure you understand I cannot nor can any | :03:22. | :03:24. | |
other member of this Government comment substantively on the case as | :03:25. | :03:31. | |
it proceeds. I will keep the House updated once I've considered the | :03:32. | :03:35. | |
reports of Ofcom and the CMO. What I will comment on is that much of the | :03:36. | :03:40. | |
discussion in the debate last week here and in the other place focused | :03:41. | :03:44. | |
on the question of Ofcom's assessment of whether a licensee is | :03:45. | :03:48. | |
fit and proper, including the ongoing duty which forced Ofcom | :03:49. | :03:52. | |
under the broadcasting act 1990 and 1996. I've received representations | :03:53. | :03:58. | |
from the honourable member for West Bromwich East and from Doncaster | :03:59. | :04:02. | |
North as well as a number of other parties on adding fit and proper as | :04:03. | :04:06. | |
a new public interest consideration in the enterprise act. I want to | :04:07. | :04:11. | |
assure them I have very carefully considered the argument they have | :04:12. | :04:15. | |
put forward. The grounds set out in the enterprise act allowing for | :04:16. | :04:20. | |
intervention media mergers are aimed at ensuring plurality of the media, | :04:21. | :04:24. | |
which is essential to a healthy democracy, something and are members | :04:25. | :04:29. | |
of this has Duport. It is the view I fully endorse. I'm also clear the | :04:30. | :04:33. | |
question of whether someone is fit and proper to hold a broadcasting | :04:34. | :04:38. | |
licence is a different requirement and one that quite rightly sits with | :04:39. | :04:43. | |
the independent regulator Ofcom. On Monday this week, Ofcom announced it | :04:44. | :04:47. | |
will conduct its fit and proper assessment at the same time it would | :04:48. | :04:51. | |
consider any public interest test in response to my decision to intervene | :04:52. | :04:56. | |
in the merger. This means Ofcom will conduct its assessment within the 14 | :04:57. | :04:59. | |
working days it has to report to me on the public interest I've | :05:00. | :05:02. | |
specified in the intervention notice. -- 40 working days. It will | :05:03. | :05:11. | |
provide reassurance to those with concerns. That this is a matter | :05:12. | :05:14. | |
which Ofcom will now consider before the merger takes place. I trust as | :05:15. | :05:22. | |
before that this update is helpful to members and this statement is an | :05:23. | :05:26. | |
opportunity to debate this issue but at the same time respecting the | :05:27. | :05:28. | |
limits of what I can say as I mentioned earlier, given my ongoing | :05:29. | :05:34. | |
role in relation to this merger. I commend this statement to the House. | :05:35. | :05:43. | |
I thank the Secretary of State for her statement. She says she will go | :05:44. | :05:47. | |
ahead with what she indicated she was going to do last week. It might | :05:48. | :05:53. | |
not sound like the big deal but it's more than the Chancellor and Prime | :05:54. | :05:58. | |
Minister managed yesterday. On the side of the House, we welcome the | :05:59. | :06:03. | |
fact that the Secretary of State is intervening. She will have noticed | :06:04. | :06:07. | |
that 21st Century Fox is happy also in a letter to her last week, they | :06:08. | :06:11. | |
said, I quote, we welcome a thorough and thoughtful review. I have no | :06:12. | :06:23. | |
doubt that is sincere and 20 this -- 21st Century Fox are thrilled. And | :06:24. | :06:28. | |
that they will seek not to challenge it or impede any element of the | :06:29. | :06:33. | |
Ofcom investigation. If they do, I trust she will make a new referral | :06:34. | :06:36. | |
to put it beyond doubt that Ofcom could investigate what it needs to. | :06:37. | :06:41. | |
Can she confirmed that in her view, the broadcasting standards ground of | :06:42. | :06:48. | |
a referral gives Ofcom the power to investigate any corporate Government | :06:49. | :06:52. | |
issues affecting 21st Century Fox, including the phone hacking scandal, | :06:53. | :06:57. | |
any cover-up of illegality at News International, the rehiring of | :06:58. | :07:01. | |
people responsible for governance failures and ongoing sexual | :07:02. | :07:03. | |
harassment claims in the United States? Is it her view Ofcom should | :07:04. | :07:11. | |
examine those issues? The Secretary of State referred to representations | :07:12. | :07:15. | |
made by me and my right honourable friend, the member for Doncaster | :07:16. | :07:19. | |
North and by others, about adding fit and proper of the new public | :07:20. | :07:22. | |
interest consideration. She has regrettably chosen to reject those | :07:23. | :07:29. | |
representations. I welcome the announcement that Ofcom will conduct | :07:30. | :07:33. | |
a fit and proper assessment at the same time as considering the public | :07:34. | :07:37. | |
interest test specified today. I have two concerns. The first is that | :07:38. | :07:46. | |
there is only 40 days to conduct this assessment. Is she confident it | :07:47. | :07:50. | |
can get to the bottom of all these issues in such a short time? And | :07:51. | :07:54. | |
2012 Ofcom report on James Murdoch found his conduct repeatedly fell | :07:55. | :08:00. | |
short of the exercise of responsibility to be expected of him | :08:01. | :08:06. | |
as CEO and chairman, contained an important caveat. It said the | :08:07. | :08:10. | |
evidence available to date does not abide a reasonable basis to find the | :08:11. | :08:14. | |
new of widespread wrongdoing or criminality at News of the World. | :08:15. | :08:19. | |
The reason for that lack of evidence was that Ofcom did not have the | :08:20. | :08:22. | |
power to gather the evidence it needed. News Corporation, 21st | :08:23. | :08:28. | |
Century Fox's predecessor company, was involved in one of the biggest | :08:29. | :08:33. | |
corporate scandals and one of the biggest corporate governance | :08:34. | :08:36. | |
failures of modern times. Just a few years ago. Many of the questions of | :08:37. | :08:43. | |
corporate governance failures in 21st-century's predecessor company | :08:44. | :08:46. | |
and much of the evidence of the role of James Murdoch within those | :08:47. | :08:50. | |
failures, can only be answered by going ahead with part two of the | :08:51. | :08:55. | |
Levenson enquiring Ofcom does not have the power to obtain documents | :08:56. | :09:00. | |
and compel witnesses to appear before it. If it not the case that | :09:01. | :09:04. | |
the easiest way of getting to the bottom of the corporate governance | :09:05. | :09:07. | |
questions we all want answered, is to hold on enquiry in public using | :09:08. | :09:13. | |
powers with terms of reference which have already been announced by | :09:14. | :09:17. | |
Conservative Prime Minister as a promise to the victims of phone | :09:18. | :09:27. | |
hacking, namely Levenson part two? Perhaps if I can address the final | :09:28. | :09:33. | |
point he's made as I did last time I was at the dispatch box on this | :09:34. | :09:37. | |
matter, namely the issue Levenson. He will know the consultation that | :09:38. | :09:41. | |
we launched that closed in January is subject to a judicial review and | :09:42. | :09:46. | |
therefore, I'm unable to comment on the consultation or any aspects of | :09:47. | :09:57. | |
that enquiry. I'm pleased he welcomes the decision to refer this | :09:58. | :10:04. | |
merger. I think it's important I make a couple of points in response | :10:05. | :10:08. | |
to his questions. He made the point about broadcasting commitment to | :10:09. | :10:12. | |
standards and whether it could look at corporate governance. I was clear | :10:13. | :10:20. | |
that the corporate governance was one of the issues on which I was | :10:21. | :10:24. | |
referring the matter to Ofcom. Therefore I would expect them to | :10:25. | :10:28. | |
look at that. Ofcom is clearly an independent regulator and I've made | :10:29. | :10:31. | |
the decision to refer to Ofcom but it is for Ofcom to decide what | :10:32. | :10:36. | |
evidence they want to look at. They are open to look at whatever | :10:37. | :10:39. | |
evidence they feel is appropriate to make their decision. He talked about | :10:40. | :10:45. | |
the fit and proper test and I did carefully consider the | :10:46. | :10:48. | |
representations made but I think it's important and independent | :10:49. | :10:50. | |
regulator looks at fit and proper and the Government has a grounds on | :10:51. | :10:55. | |
which to intervene under the enterprise act. Those two should be | :10:56. | :11:00. | |
kept separate and we should not seek Government stepping in to where the | :11:01. | :11:05. | |
regulator quite rightly should sit. He asked whether Ofcom have the time | :11:06. | :11:09. | |
and resources and the ability to gather the evidence they need and I | :11:10. | :11:13. | |
have been assured by them they have the time to do this and the ability | :11:14. | :11:16. | |
to gather the evidence they need. I look forward to letting them get on | :11:17. | :11:23. | |
with the job. It clearly sensible to ask regulator to examine this bid, | :11:24. | :11:30. | |
will my right honourable friend agree that this transaction | :11:31. | :11:35. | |
represents an ?11.7 billion investment by an international | :11:36. | :11:37. | |
company enjoyed British broadcaster and that such is a fantastic vote of | :11:38. | :11:43. | |
confidence that the UK will remain an international centre of | :11:44. | :11:45. | |
broadcasting long after we leave the EU? | :11:46. | :11:51. | |
He has significant experience in matters of culture, media and sport. | :11:52. | :12:00. | |
He is right to say that the UK is a global Britain and will remain | :12:01. | :12:05. | |
global Britain, open to business to the whole world after we have left | :12:06. | :12:12. | |
the European Union. I would like to thank the Secretary of State for | :12:13. | :12:15. | |
advanced sight of her statement. I'm pleased she will intervene in the | :12:16. | :12:20. | |
merger of Sky/Fox and investigate the deal. We have voiced our support | :12:21. | :12:29. | |
for media clarity and our commitment to broadcasting standards. There are | :12:30. | :12:32. | |
valid concerns about this merger which will increase the influence of | :12:33. | :12:36. | |
Rupert Murdoch on his family in the media and UK. There are now Bob | :12:37. | :12:44. | |
reaches for broadcasting standards by Fox and the failures of News | :12:45. | :12:48. | |
Corporation in the past. Many highlight the fact that part two of | :12:49. | :12:54. | |
the Levenson enquiry -- inquiry has yet to be convinced -- commenced. We | :12:55. | :13:05. | |
should be mindful way the previous bid courted such controversy and | :13:06. | :13:10. | |
failed. At the same time it should be acknowledged that television is a | :13:11. | :13:15. | |
daft thing to changes and competition and some will argue that | :13:16. | :13:22. | |
investment in sky-macro might allow them to thrive and compete with | :13:23. | :13:27. | |
competitors such as Netflix and Amazon prime. -- Sky. Ofcom will | :13:28. | :13:37. | |
investigate on broadcasting standards as well as conducting a | :13:38. | :13:41. | |
proper assessment. This will provide the Secretary of State with the | :13:42. | :13:47. | |
recommendations on how to proceed. I look forward to Ofcom's conclusions. | :13:48. | :13:54. | |
I refer to my earlier comments regarding the Levenson enquiry. I | :13:55. | :14:02. | |
look forward to seeing the report from Ofcom to enable me to use my | :14:03. | :14:11. | |
judicial role to make a fair and transparent decision in this matter | :14:12. | :14:21. | |
it appears to me that the mention of the word, Murdoch, gets people | :14:22. | :14:27. | |
frothing at the mouth. When James Murdoch was chairman or Chief Exec | :14:28. | :14:33. | |
of Sky, we have seen their company grow to 20,000 people being employed | :14:34. | :14:40. | |
in this country. Does she believe with me that sky -- Sky is an | :14:41. | :14:47. | |
important part of this country and this merger has been proposed shows | :14:48. | :14:52. | |
the confidence that the rest of the world has in Britain's original | :14:53. | :14:58. | |
productivity and feature? Can I thank my honourable friend for his | :14:59. | :15:03. | |
comments. It is important we have media plurality which is why I have | :15:04. | :15:07. | |
asked -- asked Ofcom to look at this merger and make a decision on the | :15:08. | :15:14. | |
grounds of the enterprise act whether media plurality is affected | :15:15. | :15:20. | |
by the merger. I also am very optimistic that post Brexit, the UK | :15:21. | :15:26. | |
broadcasting industry will continue to thrive and be the world leading | :15:27. | :15:31. | |
broadcasting industry that it is today. Camera welcome the Secretary | :15:32. | :15:37. | |
of State's decision to refer this bid. Many of us believe that if you | :15:38. | :15:42. | |
look at the conduct of the Murdoch's and the power they already have, it | :15:43. | :15:47. | |
is not in the public interest for them to take over Sky and have full | :15:48. | :15:51. | |
control. On this question of fitness which she has thought about a lot, | :15:52. | :15:56. | |
the Ofcom review took 15 months to look at the fitness of the | :15:57. | :16:00. | |
Murdoch's. She is expecting them to report back to her within 40 days | :16:01. | :16:04. | |
and there is a question of timescale and powers as my honourable friend | :16:05. | :16:11. | |
said. Can she sure is that if Joan this period Ofcom seek more time or | :16:12. | :16:16. | |
more powers to do this fitness required, she will grant their | :16:17. | :16:22. | |
request? Ofcom have assured me they do have the time and powers they | :16:23. | :16:27. | |
need and I look forward to seeing their report in due course. Does my | :16:28. | :16:32. | |
right honourable friend agree with me that the freedom of press and | :16:33. | :16:38. | |
press ownership is a bastion of our liberties and it is far Ofcom, | :16:39. | :16:43. | |
objectively, not subjectively, to define, as a narrow turn of arts, a | :16:44. | :16:51. | |
fit and proper person? It is not for ministers and politicians to get | :16:52. | :16:57. | |
involved in this. He made the point that I concluded having considered | :16:58. | :17:01. | |
the representations. There needs to be a distinction between the work of | :17:02. | :17:05. | |
the independent regulator in determining fit and proper persons | :17:06. | :17:09. | |
to hold broadcasting license versus their role of the Secretary of State | :17:10. | :17:13. | |
when it comes to determining whether a media measure can go ahead under | :17:14. | :17:20. | |
the terms of the enterprise act. Having encourage the Secretary of | :17:21. | :17:22. | |
State to take this course of action, can I welcome the fact that she has | :17:23. | :17:27. | |
done it and she deserves credit for doing the right thing. Many years | :17:28. | :17:32. | |
ago I served on what was the standing committee of the enterprise | :17:33. | :17:36. | |
Bill and as I recall, these provisions in this process was | :17:37. | :17:40. | |
something supported by all parties at the time. It strikes me that in | :17:41. | :17:45. | |
light of this experience, it might be appropriate that the conclusion | :17:46. | :17:49. | |
of it to revisit whether we have the processes that we really need to win | :17:50. | :17:53. | |
sure the ends that we want to achieve? If you would like to make | :17:54. | :18:01. | |
representations to me regarding the enterprise act and areas where he | :18:02. | :18:05. | |
feels there could be changes made in light of changing broadcasting and | :18:06. | :18:10. | |
consuming habits, I would of course look at those carefully. I agree | :18:11. | :18:16. | |
with the Secretary of State's view that the decision on whether is | :18:17. | :18:19. | |
someone is fit and proper person should be the decision of an | :18:20. | :18:23. | |
independent regulator, not a politician. Does she believe this is | :18:24. | :18:27. | |
consistent with our goals of not politicising broadcasting landscape? | :18:28. | :18:33. | |
I agree and it is the conclusion I reached when looking at the | :18:34. | :18:38. | |
representations I received. Recognising and respecting what the | :18:39. | :18:42. | |
Secretary of State has told the House and keeping the House up to | :18:43. | :18:47. | |
date, we all appreciate that. Can I say it isn't a question any kind of | :18:48. | :18:54. | |
vendetta against Mr Murdoch but it would be simply unacceptable that | :18:55. | :18:59. | |
the amount of media ownership he already controls should be | :19:00. | :19:02. | |
increased. That is the position and that is why I hope the right | :19:03. | :19:05. | |
decision will be taken at the end of the day. These are matters that | :19:06. | :19:11. | |
Ofcom will look at and I look forward to seeing their report. I | :19:12. | :19:17. | |
welcome my right honourable friend's statement today but could she assure | :19:18. | :19:22. | |
me that this question plurality is not one that is just examined | :19:23. | :19:26. | |
occasionally one big merger like this comes up which is kept | :19:27. | :19:30. | |
constantly under review by Ofcom and her departments? Ofcom have a | :19:31. | :19:38. | |
responsibility to consider on a regular basis the fit and proper | :19:39. | :19:43. | |
test for holding a broadcasting licence but clearly when we are | :19:44. | :19:46. | |
looking at the whole media landscape and we have questions earlier about | :19:47. | :19:55. | |
the status of Channel 4, the issue of media plurality is at the | :19:56. | :19:58. | |
forefront of my mind when looking at what is the right decision to take | :19:59. | :20:01. | |
regarding the future of Channel 4 and all matters regarding the media. | :20:02. | :20:10. | |
I received a huge number of e-mails on this issue from many constituents | :20:11. | :20:13. | |
and I work the intervention she details in her statement today. | :20:14. | :20:19. | |
Press is important to democracy and I wanted to put on record that she | :20:20. | :20:25. | |
understands the depth and strength of feeling on this issue and I look | :20:26. | :20:30. | |
forward to hearing from her in due course. She will not be surprised | :20:31. | :20:35. | |
that I suspect I have received more e-mails even than she has on this | :20:36. | :20:38. | |
matter and I have taken note of them. I think the decision by my | :20:39. | :20:46. | |
right honourable friend will be welcomed by all parties to this | :20:47. | :20:51. | |
proposed merger and across the country. One of the considerations | :20:52. | :20:56. | |
is the short time frame that Ofcom has to do this review. Will she take | :20:57. | :21:04. | |
an interim report from Ofcom? There is any obstruction or need to extend | :21:05. | :21:09. | |
the period of time, she will look sympathetically at that so Ofcom can | :21:10. | :21:15. | |
do the proper job that we want? He makes an interesting suggestion that | :21:16. | :21:21. | |
I have been in -- been reassured they have the time and resources | :21:22. | :21:27. | |
required to be able to produce a report in 40 working days. For all | :21:28. | :21:31. | |
parties, we want to make sure there is sufficient time and scrutiny but | :21:32. | :21:37. | |
actually we can give certainty in a reasonable time frame so that the | :21:38. | :21:44. | |
parties can get on with business as usual whatever that might be. I | :21:45. | :21:49. | |
congratulate the Secretary of State on the decision she has made. | :21:50. | :21:53. | |
Historically, what successive governments have done, says Mrs | :21:54. | :21:59. | |
Thatcher, they have decided Rupert and James Murdoch fit and proper | :22:00. | :22:03. | |
persons because they are newspapers that can support them in general | :22:04. | :22:06. | |
elections. The concentration of ownership is the problem here. Sky | :22:07. | :22:12. | |
now has four times as much money every year to spend as the BBC, so I | :22:13. | :22:17. | |
hope we will end up with the position where we maintain that | :22:18. | :22:23. | |
diversity in the British ecology. A strong BBC not being bullied by | :22:24. | :22:29. | |
Murdoch and Sky. Am getting worried because this is the second time the | :22:30. | :22:32. | |
honourable gentleman has been working with Government which does | :22:33. | :22:36. | |
slightly concerned me. I do take note of the comments he has made. I | :22:37. | :22:47. | |
welcome today's statement as many of my constituents who have been in | :22:48. | :22:50. | |
contact with me regarding this matter and I'm sure they will be all | :22:51. | :22:55. | |
happy the bid has been referred to the regulators. With the secretary | :22:56. | :23:00. | |
agree that given Britain is one of the most concentrated media | :23:01. | :23:03. | |
environments in the world with three companies controlling 71% of | :23:04. | :23:09. | |
national newspaper circulation and five companies in command of 81% of | :23:10. | :23:14. | |
local newspaper titles, now is an ideal time to properly reviewed the | :23:15. | :23:23. | |
media landscape in Britain. I am proud of the incredibly diverse, | :23:24. | :23:26. | |
free press that we have in this country. It is something I want to | :23:27. | :23:30. | |
preserve and make sure we can enable. We have questions about | :23:31. | :23:36. | |
local newspapers and I want to see local newspapers thrive and others. | :23:37. | :23:41. | |
It is very important we make sure through this process that we do | :23:42. | :23:47. | |
about plurality of media and broadcasting and that is why I have | :23:48. | :23:53. | |
asked Ofcom to look at this issue. I welcome the Secretary of State's | :23:54. | :23:58. | |
decision. You have to be a fit and proper person in order to be | :23:59. | :24:00. | |
licensed as a London hackney carriage driver. With that in mind, | :24:01. | :24:08. | |
it is not just a question of the amount of influence that the | :24:09. | :24:13. | |
Murdoch's already have, it is their association with so much corruption | :24:14. | :24:19. | |
and illegality that has gone on and even now is still being uncovered. | :24:20. | :24:22. | |
It is incredulous that they are being considered to have 100% | :24:23. | :24:27. | |
controlling share of Sky and this must not be allowed to go one. I'm | :24:28. | :24:33. | |
sure Ofcom will have heard the honourable gentleman's comments. I | :24:34. | :24:38. | |
hope his comments about fit and proper persons the taxi driving was | :24:39. | :24:42. | |
not a reflection of experience he has had in the himself. Could I | :24:43. | :24:49. | |
congratulate the Secretary of State on the way she is handling this | :24:50. | :24:53. | |
which is better than any Secretary of State since 2010. When it comes | :24:54. | :25:04. | |
to Levinson, she says she can't respond to any questions we have | :25:05. | :25:09. | |
because it is under judicial review. When is that judicial review going | :25:10. | :25:13. | |
to be resolved so we might come back to the issue of Levinson to? It is a | :25:14. | :25:21. | |
matter for the courts and I am in their hands. Order. I will take the | :25:22. | :25:31. | |
point of order now. There are a couple of Select Committee | :25:32. | :25:33. | |
statements coming but we can await those with bated breath. Let's hear | :25:34. | :25:41. | |
the point of order. In a section headed making commitments on the | :25:42. | :25:47. | |
floor of the House, paragraph 23 of the Cabinet Office guide to making | :25:48. | :25:53. | |
legislation published in 2015 in July 2015, it is stated parliament | :25:54. | :25:58. | |
will hold ministers to any commitments they make on the floor | :25:59. | :26:02. | |
of the House which are recorded in hands arts. Ministers must take care | :26:03. | :26:06. | |
German debates not to make any commitments for which they do not | :26:07. | :26:09. | |
have collective agreement. My | :26:10. | :26:11. |