Contributions
1,177 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)The hon. Member for Cornwall, somewhere—he claims to speak for the whole of Cornwall—keeps saying “coalition”. I have already explained to him my view on pragmatic and sensible…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)I am glad that the hon. Gentleman has accepted the premise of the argument that we can back pragmatic amendments to legislation to improve it. I hope that he might look on that in…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)I am not giving way any more, as I would like to make some progress. I am sure Government Back Benchers would like to go home at some point. I am happy to speak all afternoon, but…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)No, not at the moment. I know that anything about town and parish councils exercises the hon. Members for Mid Cheshire and for Banbury. They may want to speak shortly, but I will…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)It could also be stipulated in secondary legislation, if the Government wanted to go ahead with this. A council could literally advertise to town and parish councils that a…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)I am sure the hon. Member uses surveys when he communicates with his constituents. When he sends them out, I am sure he is not worried about overburdening his constituents in…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)Further to that point of order, Dame Siobhain. I do not mean to detain the Committee, but I like to think I am a man of integrity. On the point of order by the hon. Member for…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)To bring some agreement to the Committee, the Opposition absolutely understand, as we did earlier about standardisation, such recommendations to give powers to CAs and CCAs. We…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)We cannot expect the Government to get it right all the time with minor things, and these seem like sensible changes to smooth the legislation. We therefore have no problem with…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)We welcome this section of the legislation. I congratulate the Minister, the Government and officials on ensuring in legislation a smooth process for transfer of responsibilities,…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)I would say, in a respectful tone to the hon. Lady, that the thing that the Liberal Democrats are most known for is saying one thing and in their actions doing another, but we…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)As with the previous clause, we see that clause 45 is a perfectly sensible provision. The Minister has done an admirable job on what I know has been a long day, particularly after…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)In one moment. It seems that that Liberal Democrat candidate perfectly endorses the solutions that the Government are putting forward, and actually wanted three jobs at once.21 Oct 2025HANSARDChildren’s Hospices: Ringfenced FundingThis funding is welcome, but hospices such as Mountbatten in my area are still making cuts because of the budgetary choices that the Chancellor made and ICB practices. This is a…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Seventh sitting)I will do my best not to disappoint you, Sir John, or the Minister or Government Back Benchers. I welcome the Minister to her place and hope that she feels refreshed after last…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Seventh sitting)I will speak to amendment 289, in the name of my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, on behalf of the official Opposition. I will also briefly speak to new…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Seventh sitting)I apologise for what I hope the Minister does not think is a discourtesy—it is due to my rustiness on Bill Committee procedure; I last served on the Planning and Infrastructure…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Seventh sitting)I cannot comment on the motivations of the Minister, who I believe is an hon. Lady of utmost integrity, but I suspect that the Government want to amend the Bill on their own…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Seventh sitting)The Minister has outlined the clause and set out the responsibilities and changes she wants to make in a very reasonable manner. This seems a perfectly sensible solution; it…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Seventh sitting)We know that these powers are used by existing authorities, so we are not going to rock the boat on this one, but I will briefly respond to the Minister. She stated that housing…21 Oct 2025