Contributions
4,038 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDBusiness of the HouseMy hon. Friend raises the question at the heart of what many right hon. and hon. Members have been saying: how do we take care of businesses that were sound on 1 March but which…23 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseI think the issues in the transport industry have been at the forefront of people’s minds from very early on in this crisis, and I know that my right hon. Friend the Transport…23 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseWhenever a large number of right hon. and hon. Members raise one issue with me at business questions—in this case, the self-employed—I invariably raise it with the relevant…23 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseThe hon. Gentleman, as always, gets to the nub of any matter that this House is discussing, and he is absolutely right. We are bringing forward packages to help as many people as…23 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseMany aspects of distance working are already available, such as e-tabling and so on. A motion will be brought to the House later today to allow greater flexibility for the working…23 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseAlthough the Bill coming before the House tomorrow is not specifically directed at the self-employed, the scale of tomorrow’s Bill is such that it will allow expenditure of £260…23 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseI will do better than my right hon. Friend asks; I will ensure that an extract of Hansard recording the thanks of my right hon. Friend is sent to the Chancellor. His proposals…23 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseWith permission, Mr Speaker, I should like to make a short business statement. Further to my announcement to the House last Thursday, the first item of business tomorrow will now…23 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseOf course, I am willing to thank everybody in the transport sector who is working so hard. It is interesting to note, in terms of how society has developed, that delivery drivers…19 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HousePerhaps it is helpful to explain how we came to agreement on Westminster Hall being suspended, to give an example of how we are intending to work. There was a letter from the…19 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseThe business for the week commencing 23 March will include: Monday 23 March—Consideration of a business of the House motion, followed by all stages of the Coronavirus Bill.…19 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseThe right hon. Lady is right to keep our spirits up, and to remind us that tomorrow is the first day of spring. I hope that will put a suitable spring in our step. I am very…19 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseMy hon. Friend raises a sensible point. The Foreign Office is working closely with the airlines to ensure that people can be brought back home, and the Department for Transport is…19 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseI am obviously aware of these points. Both Committees were prevented from being set up by actions within this House, so the Government are inevitably deliberating on the…19 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseI can assure the hon. Gentleman that this is at the forefront of what the Foreign Secretary is doing; I heard him say that only this morning. He is ensuring that people who are in…19 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseUnfortunately, the Civil Contingencies Act would not have worked in these circumstances, because the problem was known about early enough for it not to qualify as an emergency…19 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseI reassure the hon. Lady that the Foreign Secretary is, as I said earlier, taking this issue with the greatest seriousness. It is a little unfair to pick on one example of an…19 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseSelect Committees need to think carefully about how they approach their business before any specific arrangements are made. Public evidence sessions are the greatest strain on…19 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseThe hon. Lady is right to raise this point. The Chancellor has said he will do whatever it takes, which is an important commitment. The scale of the problem is one that, if just…19 Mar 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseThat is an extremely helpful question. I will ensure that the hon. Gentleman’s constituency company is brought to the attention of the relevant Ministry to ensure that, if more…19 Mar 2020