Results 1-20 of 2,662 for in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates' speaker:Tom Brake

Growth and Infrastructure Bill: Notices of Questions (25 April 2013)

Tom Brake: The House will of course have opportunities in the new Session to debate those issues. Question put and agreed to.

Growth and Infrastructure Bill: Notices of Questions (25 April 2013)

Tom Brake: I beg to move, That, in respect of Questions to the Secretary of State for Wales for oral answer on Wednesday 15 May in the next Session of Parliament, paragraph (5)(a) of Standing Order No. 22 (Notices of Questions, Motions and Amendments) shall apply with the substitution of three days for four days. Regular participants in oral questions to the Secretary of State for Wales will be aware...

Oral Answers to Questions — Leader of the House: Statutory Instruments (Scrutiny) (25 April 2013)

Tom Brake: The Government have no current plans to review the arrangements for scrutiny of statutory instruments.

Oral Answers to Questions — Leader of the House: Statutory Instruments (Scrutiny) (25 April 2013)

Tom Brake: I thank my hon. Friend for that question. I know this is a matter that she has been pursuing vigorously. The issue with her proposal for statutory instruments is that the two Houses could end up amending a statutory instrument in different ways. There would then need to be a reconciliation process, very similar to a Bill handling process, so there are concerns about what she suggests. If she...

Oral Answers to Questions — Leader of the House: Statutory Instruments (Scrutiny) (25 April 2013)

Tom Brake: I thank the hon. Lady for her question, which she related ingeniously to the issue of statutory instruments. I have heard her concerns and will ensure she gets a written response to her question.

Oral Answers to Questions — Leader of the House: Member Support (25 April 2013)

Tom Brake: My right hon. Friend the Leader of the House continues to work closely with colleagues on the House of Commons Commission to ensure that Members are fully supported by excellent staff and have the necessary facilities to carry out their duties effectively. As the hon. Gentleman will be aware, responsibility for day-to-day pay and allowances, including pay for MPs’ staff, is now a matter...

Oral Answers to Questions — Leader of the House: Member Support (25 April 2013)

Tom Brake: I certainly agree that the House has excellent staff, and we should do everything we can to ensure that they continue to work effectively on our behalf. If the hon. Gentleman has concerns about a specific aspect of staffing, he might find it appropriate to raise the matter with the House of Commons Commission, from which I am sure he will get a suitably informed response.

Oral Answers to Questions — Leader of the House: Member Support (25 April 2013)

Tom Brake: I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his question, but I must point out that that is not a ministerial responsibility. It is a matter for the House of Commons Commission, and I am sure that its representatives will be listening carefully to this exchange and that they will want to take suitable action.

Oral Answers to Questions — Leader of the House: Devolution (25 April 2013)

Tom Brake: The McKay commission reported on 25 March on how the House of Commons might deal with legislation that affects only part of the UK. This is a very important issue, which is why the Government asked this expert commission to look at it. The report makes a helpful contribution, and we will give it very serious consideration before responding substantively.

Oral Answers to Questions — Leader of the House: Devolution (25 April 2013)

Tom Brake: I thank my hon. Friend for that question. I know that she has pursued this matter vigorously in recent months. Clearly, the McKay commission has produced a serious report. It has a menu of options contained within it, and the Government will want to consider the recommendations very carefully before coming to any firm conclusions.

Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards: House of Commons Administration Estimate (23 April 2013)

Tom Brake: I rise to speak in support of the motion before the House. It has been on the Order Paper for some considerable time, and it is good that the House now has the opportunity to consider it. The motion arises out of the work of the Finance and Services Committee. The reasoning behind it and the process undertaken in coming to this solution have been expertly outlined by its Chairman, my hon....

Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards (23 April 2013)

Tom Brake: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I do want to share my thoughts with the House, but they will be pleasingly brief. I welcome my Opposition counterpart back to the Dispatch Box after his thoughtful contribution to the tributes to Baroness Thatcher. I wish to respond to one of his points. I do not share the pessimism he displayed on the timetable or timing. I am confident that, if the Commission reports...

Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards (23 April 2013)

Tom Brake: I beg to move, That the Order of 16 July 2012 relating to the establishment of the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards shall have effect in the next Session until the day on which the Commission makes its report on standards and culture of the UK banking sector. That a message be sent to the House of Lords to desire their concurrence. This motion is to allow the Parliamentary...

Business of the House (26 March 2013)

Tom Brake: Given the time I have left, I shall have to set out some rules at the beginning of my speech. One will be that I will not take any interventions and the other will be that I will have to do my delivery in the style of the hon. Member for Southend West (Mr Amess) if I am to refer to all the contributions made this evening. I congratulate those Members who are still in the Chamber on their...

Crime and Courts Bill [Lords] (Programme No. 2): Freedom of Speech: Members of Parliament (13 March 2013)

Tom Brake: I should like to begin by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) on securing this debate. I should say at the outset that I am responding to the debate as the Minister with responsibility for Government policy relating to parliamentary privilege. I know that he knows that I have no responsibility for the police and will not attempt to answer...

Business of the House (28 February 2013)

Tom Brake: On 21 March.

Oral Answers to Questions — Leader of the House: Written Ministerial Statements (28 February 2013)

Tom Brake: The hon. Gentleman will be aware that all written ministerial statements issued to the House are listed on the Order Paper.

Oral Answers to Questions — Leader of the House: Written Ministerial Statements (28 February 2013)

Tom Brake: I am afraid that the hon. Gentleman is incorrect. I have in front of me the Order Paper for the day to which he refers and that written ministerial statement is listed.

Oral Answers to Questions — Leader of the House: Written Ministerial Statements (28 February 2013)

Tom Brake: Clearly, the Government are keen to make use of technology and would be very open to the idea of using it to provide written ministerial statements as early as possible. We would be very interested in pursuing that.

Oral Answers to Questions — Leader of the House: Written Ministerial Statements (28 February 2013)

Tom Brake: I thank my hon. Friend for his comments. He will be aware that my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House has regularly reminded Ministers, including members of the Cabinet, that it is important that they come to the House to make ministerial statements here first.