Fire and Rescue Services Bill
9:25 am
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
Thank you for your guidance, Sir Nicholas. I am well aware that this is not the time for a Second Reading debate. I was counting carefully in my head to see how long you would allow the Minister's remarks to range across Second Reading-type issues. I thought that I had judged my response to be almost exactly as long, but I may be wrong. I have now made all the remarks that I wanted to make on those issues.
I turn to the programme motion, as the Minister eventually did. I accept that 10 sittings should give us enough time to consider the Bill, and I thank the Minister for allowing that number of sittings. I have not always been able to say that we are satisfied with the amount of time that has been made available. This time, however, we did not vote against the programme motion at the end of the Second Reading debate. I like to think that the reason for this more generous allocation of time is that the Minister quite likes
Committees and enjoys the process of scrutinising Bills line by line. In my experience, not all Ministers enjoy spending their Tuesdays and Thursday in Committee.
I am, however, a little concerned that the morning sittings start at 9.25 am, rather than at the more traditional 8.55 am. In yesterday's Programming Sub-Committee, the Government Whip indicated that if we run short of time as a result of this later start, the Government are prepared to be flexible and allow the Committee to sit later in the afternoons. That is welcome, and it is right that I should acknowledge that. I am, however, a little sensitive to outside perceptions about what we do in this place. I have defended us many times to constituents who have noted that we finish earlier in the evenings than we used to by telling them that Committees now start before 9 o'clock in the morning. Sadly, I will no longer be able to do so. We have to be mindful of how the world outside sees us.
Generally, we disapprove of the use of knives in our proceedings. I was, however, pleased that the Minister reconfirmed that the Government will take a flexible approach to the Committee's proceedings. I do not believe that anyone in Committee intends to delay the proceedings unnecessarily. Some clauses are uncontroversial, and there will be little to say about them except to ask the Minister for clarification. Other clauses give rise to large political questions that will need wide-ranging debate, and I will not repeat those themes now. I hope that we will be able to order our affairs in a way that enables us to spend the necessary time discussing broader issues, as well as asking specific detailed questions raised by large numbers of fire authorities throughout the country which are concerned by particular technical aspects of the Bill. Those questions need to be dealt with, but I am grateful for the Minister's assurance that he will be flexible.
Finally, I do not know whether I am unique in this, but I have not received any further information from the Minister. I have not checked my post this morning, but I had certainly not had that information last night, and I do not know whether other Committee members are fully up to speed. It will be extremely helpful if copies of whatever information the Minister has circulated can be made available in the Room.