Clause 2
Housing and Regeneration Bill
1:00 pm
Iain Wright (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Communities and Local Government; Hartlepool, Labour)
Good afternoon, Mr. Gale. May I wish you a happy, peaceful and prosperous new year, as I did Mr. Benton, this morning? It is good to have you in the Chair.
I welcome the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire to the Committee. He was consigned to the touchline for most of the morning, which I thought a bit cheeky—it does not get any better, Mr. Gale—but that was to do with the procedures of the House. The hon. Gentleman did his best in the Hartlepool by-election to stop me from coming here, but since I have been here, he has been kindness personified. He is a true friend, and I look forward to battling with him over the Bill.
I also pay tribute to the hon. Member for Chesterfield (Paul Holmes), who was with us on Second Reading and during the oral evidence sessions. His commitment to social housing, particularly council housing, is in no doubt, and I thank him for his work in Committee.