Results 1-20 of 1,259 for speaker:Mr Richard Allan

Education Bill [Lords] (7 Apr 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: I apologise to the House for arriving a little late and missing the first couple of minutes of the debate. I am unfamiliar with the hectic pace of legislation at this stage of parliamentary proceedings, being more used to the sedentary pace that we normally have. Having said that, speed has characterised the passage of the Bill. I was appointed to the Standing Committee expecting to take over...

Drugs Bill: Clause 3 — Drug Offence Searches: England and Wales (6 Apr 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: It would not make sense to oppose amendments that seek to correct an error that unfortunately crept into the Bill. Like the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats have not sought to oppose the Bill. We believe that it helps to take the law forward in respect of drugs, although we may have some disagreements about where we should go with drugs policy thereafter. However, the amendments make perfect...

Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill: Clause 3 — Exposing Vehicles for Sale on a Road (6 Apr 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: We are keen to see the Bill on the statute book because it includes some important environmental protection measures. Its passage was a little dubious earlier, but it now seems that it will get there tonight. The Minister said that the Government are happy to accept the amendment, and we too support it. My hon. Friends also pointed out the problem, and I am sure that the residents of Seven...

Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill: Clause 101 — Statutory Nuisance: Insects (6 Apr 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: These Lords amendments were very much welcomed by my colleagues here and in another place. The issue was of concern to us, so the fact that the Government have accepted its substance is important. I have come late to the Bill, so I have been given briefings on what has gone on before, and they tell me that the statement that I need to make is that we are very grateful on behalf of all rare...

Disability Discrimination Bill [Lords]: Clause 20 — Short Title, Interpretation, Commencement and Extent (6 Apr 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: I have arrived at the Bill late in the day because of the unavoidable absence of my hon. Friend the Member for Chesterfield (Paul Holmes) who, like many other Members, is elsewhere because of events that appear to be starting in constituencies. I place on record my thanks to him for the work that he has put into the Bill, and his thanks to the Minister, the hon. Member for Wycombe (Mr....

Disability Discrimination Bill [Lords]: Clause 18 — Meaning of "Disability" (6 Apr 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: I do not wish to delay the Committee for long this afternoon because we have a lot of other business to deal with, but I simply want to place on record the concerns that remain among Liberal Democrat Members about another aspect of clause 18: the ability to prevent, by regulation, certain types of cancer from falling within the Bill's scope. I understand that the issue was debated at some...

Disability Discrimination Bill [Lords]: Clause 18 — Meaning of "Disability" (6 Apr 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: The amendment tabled in the other place also received the support of my colleagues as we felt that the circumstances of people with depression should be acknowledged more clearly in the Bill. We accept that helpful progress has been made, as the Minister said, in the context of people with mental health conditions. It has been accepted that mental illness no longer needs to be clinically...

Disability Discrimination Bill [Lords]: [Sir Michael Lord in the Chair] (6 Apr 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: My hon. Friend the Member for Chesterfield (Paul Holmes) raised similar concerns on Second Reading. Hon. Members from both sides of the Committee fully support the Bill and do not want to see it obstructed, although Liberal Democrat Members have raised concerns about its late arrival in this Parliament. If we are to make the best of a bad job today by using the time as effectively as we can,...

Adjournment (Easter) (24 Mar 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: It feels like only yesterday that I was standing here making my maiden speech, and in parliamentary terms it was, as it was only eight years ago. However, like other hon. Members who have spoken today, I am grateful for the opportunity to make my final speech, as I am also planning my escape at the next election. I have the fake passport printed and the tunnel dug; I am just waiting for the...

Business of the House (24 Mar 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: Many loyal and hard-working public servants in my constituency have written to me to express concern about possible changes to their pension schemes. They would expect a change of that nature that affects a large number of people and has significant impact on morale in the public services to be at the heart of the parliamentary agenda. However, if such matters are debated at all, it is done...

European Council (24 Mar 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: The Prime Minister rightly referred to the importance of telecommunications market liberalisation in the Lisbon agenda on competitiveness. Does he agree that although the UK market has been opened up effectively with the Communications Act 2003 and the creation of Ofcom, much more progress remains to be made in other EU countries, to the potential disadvantage of British businesses that want...

Written Answers — Deputy Prime Minister: Civil Contingencies (22 Mar 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whatassistance is being provided by his Department to local authorities to enable them to carry out their duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 in respect of (a) local business continuity and (b) threats to telecommunications networks.

Oral Answers to Questions — Culture, Media and Sport: Art Market (21 Mar 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: As the Minister will know, in 2003 very strict regulations were imposed on the UK art market to implement United Nations sanctions banning dealing in material that might have been looted from Iraq. The regulations have now been in force for some time. Has the Minister made, or will she make, an assessment of their effectiveness and their impact on the UK art market?

Written Answers — Cabinet Office: Government Websites (18 Mar 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what action he is taking to prevent UK Government websites from being compromised by (a) denial of service and (b) phishing.

Written Answers — Education and Skills: Schools (Internet Security) (17 Mar 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures she has taken to ensure that schools implement security measures in respect of their use of the internet.

Written Answers — Trade and Industry: Non-domestic Rates (21 Feb 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether her Department has carried out analysis of the impact of the non-domestic property rating system on the development of a competitive telecommunications market.

Identity Cards Bill: Clause 31 — Tampering with the Register etc. (10 Feb 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: Will the hon. Gentleman remind us what the Prime Minister said about ID cards at the same time?

Identity Cards Bill: Clause 31 — Tampering with the Register etc. (10 Feb 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden (David Davis), who just made the speech that he wanted to make on Second Reading, but was not allowed to—his speech was better late than never and it was a pleasure to hear it tonight. He was Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee in the previous Parliament and he knows a lot about systems and what can go...

Identity Cards Bill: Clause 31 — Tampering with the Register etc. (10 Feb 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: The Minister certificated the Bill as being compatible with the European convention on human rights. There are elements that may be compatible, but there is a variation in the threshold that one may apply. There is a political difference here between Liberal Democrat and Labour Members and, indeed, between Conservative Front Benchers, because we set the threshold at a different level. That is...

Identity Cards Bill: Clause 31 — Tampering with the Register etc. (10 Feb 2005)

Mr Richard Allan: The hon. Lady is right to remind us that the scheme being put forward is not necessarily comparable to ID card systems in other countries and goes a lot further. The hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills (Mr. Shepherd) referred to the Home Secretary's unfortunate turn of phrase when he said that the cards will allow people to assert their right to be in the United Kingdom. The Government are...