Contributions
1,101 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Early Parliamentary General Election BillI hope I can reassure the hon. Gentleman. The reason the Government wish to have a general election is to ensure that we have a sustainable majority to pass the Bill that…29 Oct 2019HANSARD Early Parliamentary General Election BillI will make some progress and then I will consider giving way. There are principled reasons why we wish to have proper scrutiny of legislation for the Northern Ireland budget. It…29 Oct 2019HANSARD Early Parliamentary General Election BillI think I have dealt with this point.29 Oct 2019HANSARD Early Parliamentary General Election BillI again make three points to the hon. Gentleman. First, Thursday is the usual date for such an election. Why change it? I have yet to hear an argument advanced to change it—the…29 Oct 2019HANSARD Early Parliamentary General Election BillAs ever, my hon. Friend is entirely correct. There will be no impact on the enfranchisement of students. All students will have the opportunity to vote. Most vote at home. Most…29 Oct 2019HANSARD Early Parliamentary General Election BillIf hon. Members will allow me to elucidate on this point, it may satisfy them. The other reason to have an election on 12 December is that it is a Thursday. By convention,…29 Oct 2019HANSARD Early Parliamentary General Election BillI stand ready to be corrected, but I did look that up. I believe that having the election three days earlier would allow one whole minute of extra daylight.29 Oct 2019HANSARD Early Parliamentary General Election BillThe problem with the argument advanced by the hon. Gentleman is that when we had the opportunity to get Brexit done and to get it done by 31 October, he and Opposition Members…29 Oct 2019HANSARD Early Parliamentary General Election BillYes, my hon. Friend and neighbour, who represents St Albans, raises an important point: there is no substance to the point about students being disfranchised. That is because,…29 Oct 2019HANSARD Early Parliamentary General Election BillIt would be helpful for this House to consider that Bill in good order, as it is an important measure to ensure that nurses, teachers and police officers in Northern Ireland get…29 Oct 2019HANSARDVoter IdentificationI do not understand why the right hon. Gentleman is worried about a measure that is designed to enhance the integrity of our voting system. Any member of the public needs to…23 Oct 2019HANSARDStrength of the UnionMy hon. Friend makes an important point. We have introduced new measures to ensure that the Union and devolved matters are properly considered as part of the process for…23 Oct 2019HANSARDStrength of the UnionI thought the hon. Gentleman would be greatly heartened by the fact that, finally, the Prime Minister has agreed a deal—one that was voted for by this House last night—that…23 Oct 2019HANSARDStrength of the UnionI find the approach of the nationalist party quite extraordinary—really quite extraordinary. I voted remain. I accept the outcome of the referendum and have supported it at every…23 Oct 2019HANSARDStrength of the UnionMy hon. Friend makes an important point, and that is exactly the commitment that the Prime Minister has given.23 Oct 2019HANSARDStrength of the UnionThe hon. Gentleman talks about commitments, but I remember the commitment from the leader of the Scottish nationalists in Scotland, who said the referendum was a…23 Oct 2019HANSARDStrength of the UnionThe Government remain committed to maintaining the unity of our United Kingdom. That is why the Prime Minister has negotiated a deal that enables Northern Ireland to leave the…23 Oct 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe hon. Lady raises a very important point. The infected blood inquiry is a priority for the Government, and it is extremely important that all those who have suffered so…23 Oct 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe continue to engage with the prison officers union, but I would be happy to meet any people who wish to discuss this.23 Oct 2019HANSARDVoter IdentificationMy hon. Friend raises an important point, and it is why local authorities will provide voters who lack the required ID with an alternative ID, free of charge, to ensure that…23 Oct 2019