Contributions
1,747 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Proxy VotingOf course, the right hon. and learned Lady’s baby steps in her day would now be teenage. She demonstrates what a wonderful Mother of the House she is by being so collegiate. I…22 Jan 2019HANSARD Proxy VotingI certainly love looking at my hon. Friend’s Facebook photos of little Clifford. It is great to feel that we get to see him a bit even though he is not often in the Chamber. Yes,…22 Jan 2019HANSARD Proxy VotingWell, I do not quite know where to start, because the hon. Lady will be aware that, as I have just made quite clear, Members can be nodded through if they request that. If they…22 Jan 2019HANSARD Proxy VotingI am grateful to my right hon. Friend for her comment and question. I completely agree with her. Many of us—if not all of us—across this House want Parliament to be a more…22 Jan 2019HANSARD Proxy VotingI say again that I consider the hon. Lady to be a friend and I entirely understand her frustration. I will respond to her questions in turn. First, the hon. Lady talks about the…22 Jan 2019HANSARD Proxy VotingI completely agree with the hon. Lady, and that is why we are doing so on Monday.22 Jan 2019HANSARD Proxy VotingThe hon. Gentleman may know that one of my hon. Friends spoke in one of our earlier debates on proxy voting about timing the birth of her baby in the summer recess. The baby was…22 Jan 2019HANSARD Proxy VotingI would like to think that, when the motion is passed, new fathers in this place will want to be role models for other men throughout the country by taking parental leave and…22 Jan 2019HANSARD Proxy VotingThe hon. Lady raises an important point. As we have discussed in the two debates and several urgent questions on this in recent months, some people believe that proxy voting…22 Jan 2019HANSARD Proxy VotingWhat I can say to the hon. Lady is that I absolutely believe her—I do not think anyone would doubt her for a moment. Anyone who is even considering objecting should beware.22 Jan 2019HANSARD Proxy VotingMy hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise the importance of making sure that this is correct. That is why it is a pilot scheme for one year. I am confident that the Procedure…22 Jan 2019HANSARD Proxy VotingI am sure that the hon. Gentleman is taking this matter up with the Scottish Parliament, which also has informal pairing arrangements. I am interested to know what steps he is…22 Jan 2019HANSARD Proxy VotingI am happy to discuss this with my hon. Friend in more detail, but the idea is that the normal rule will apply so that the two weeks of parental leave for fathers under proxy…22 Jan 2019HANSARD Proxy VotingI have certainly made it clear that the hon. Member for Hampstead and Kilburn (Tulip Siddiq) should be able to spend critical time with her baby, and I sincerely hope that she…22 Jan 2019HANSARD Proxy VotingI totally agree with the hon. Lady. I know that, in response to her raising this same issue during the debate we had a couple of months ago, the theyworkforyou.com website agreed…22 Jan 2019HANSARD Proxy VotingI am always interested to hear hon. Members’ views. I would be happy to discuss that with the right hon. Gentleman, but he will realise that such change would require the whole…22 Jan 2019HANSARDBusiness of the HouseMay I say that I have the greatest regard for the hon. Lady? She raises very important issues in this place and she is right to do so. She is raising the issue of one of our…17 Jan 2019HANSARDBusiness of the HouseThe hon. Gentleman rightly raises a serious constituency issue, and if he would like to write to me with the details I will take it up with the Department for Work and Pensions on…17 Jan 2019HANSARDBusiness of the HouseI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising the issue of community post offices. They do a fantastic job, and they are often the only retail outlet as well as the only…17 Jan 2019HANSARDBusiness of the HouseFirst, I thoroughly congratulate all in Coventry on the fantastic start to their year as city of sport. We all wish them well. It is a brilliant role model for all of us who want…17 Jan 2019