Results 1-20 of 4,601 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Richard Caborn

[Sir Nicholas Winterton in the Chair] — Steel Industry (7 Jul 2009)

Richard Caborn: I have been in dialogue with Lord Mandelson's Department—I cannot remember its name because it keeps changing—and know that he has taken a very deep interest in the Sheffield steel industry. Will the hon. Gentleman please tell me where his perception comes from?

[Sir Nicholas Winterton in the Chair] — Steel Industry (7 Jul 2009)

Richard Caborn: Sir Nicholas, you and I have shared a great interest in manufacturing over many years in the House. As somebody who left school at 15 and served an apprenticeship in the steel industry, I can say that I have steel in my veins. That is why it is sad to be having this debate. It is particularly sad given that the steel industry in this country was probably one of the most productive and...

[Sir Nicholas Winterton in the Chair] — Steel Industry (7 Jul 2009)

Richard Caborn: I could not agree more. Even though it is difficult for Government, we must look at the matter strategically and ask, "Is this an investment for the nation in keeping the skills base of the sector together, whether that means Corus or other areas?" That is the question that we must ask my right hon. Friend the Minister, so that she can take it back to Whitehall and, through her persuasive...

Oral Answers to Questions — Work and Pensions: Women Pensioners (11 May 2009)

Richard Caborn: I thank my right hon. Friend, on behalf of my 92-year-old mother and all the Yorkshire pensioners, for the advances that have been made since 1997. Unfortunately, we had one of the worst records, but now we have had the greatest decrease in pensioner poverty throughout the whole of the English regions. I thank the Government on behalf of all the pensioners of Yorkshire.

Oral Answers to Questions — Culture, Media and Sport: Sport (Young People) (2 Mar 2009) has video

Richard Caborn: I congratulate my hon. Friend on the fantastic job that he is doing on this matter. It is a far cry from what we inherited in 1997— [Interruption.]—when less than 20 per cent. of the kids in our schools were getting two hours of sport. We have increased that to 90 per cent., which means that there is 3 million hours a week more sport in our schools. As my hon. Friend the Minister...

Opposition Day — [11th Allotted Day — Second Part]: Olympic Legacy (29 Oct 2008) has video

Richard Caborn: Does the hon. Gentleman agree that had it not been for the 2012 London Olympics, we would not have the UK school games every year? Earlier this year, 1,600 of our young people competed at the highest possible level in Bath and Bristol as a direct result of our winning bid, and that will continue well beyond 2012. The hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster) attended the opening ceremony, and was...

[Mr. Roger Gale in the Chair] (15 Jul 2008)

Richard Caborn: I was responsible then. Will the hon. Gentleman tell us whether he supported my proposition this morning?

[Mr. Roger Gale in the Chair] (15 Jul 2008)

Richard Caborn: I accepted that. I dropped a clanger.

[Mr. Roger Gale in the Chair] (15 Jul 2008)

Richard Caborn: Did you support it?

[Mr. Roger Gale in the Chair] (15 Jul 2008)

Richard Caborn: Sorry, Mr. Gale.

[Mr. Roger Gale in the Chair] (15 Jul 2008)

Richard Caborn: May I help my hon. Friend? The answer is to take the shops and put them into a package. Mike Smith—another experienced City person—or a group would then judge when it should be put into the marketplace. Then we could let the Tote get on with restructuring itself and attacking the international marketplace. There are two separate issues. The principal decision to be taken is...

The Tote (15 Jul 2008)

Richard Caborn: The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right, but may I guide him by saying that the use of the term "fair price" in the 2004 Act, instead of "market price", was where the whole thing fell down with Europe? We tried to defend the word "fair" as against "market", but Europe believed that that meant that we were giving a subsidy. Rightly or wrongly, that was the argument. We had a long debate with...

The Tote (15 Jul 2008)

Richard Caborn: I put on record our thanks to the staff of the House who have prepared the briefing—Greg Howard and his colleagues have done a first-class job and have saved us many hours of research. It is not often that I buy the Racing Post—in fact, I do not think I have ever done so before—but I bought it this morning. At £1.50 it is nearly twice the price of The...

The Tote (15 Jul 2008)

Richard Caborn: I do not know whether it is new Labour tosh, but I can tell my hon. Friend what new Labour tosh said in its manifesto: "We are committed to sell the Tote to a racing trust to allow it to compete commercially, with all long-term profits invested in the sport." That was our commitment and by the time I have finished, I hope we can deliver just that and square the circle for all those with a...

The Tote (15 Jul 2008)

Richard Caborn: Well, to be honest, I do not know how to get a gross and a net figure on that—perhaps my hon. Friend could explain what he means. I understand that the statement made in the House referred to 50 per cent. of the sale. I would have thought that meant gross. I do not know why we would net down the figure—although I think there is a top slice, which I will mention in a moment. It is...

The Tote (15 Jul 2008)

Richard Caborn: Very much so. We all reflect on Robin's interest in—indeed, love of—racing. If we wanted to call the new Tote trust anything, we could call it the Cook trust. That would go down extremely well. To underline the point made by my hon. Friend, the take of the Tote is split 40:40:20. Forty per cent. is on-course, 40 per cent. is off-course and 20 per cent. is international. The...

The Tote (15 Jul 2008)

Richard Caborn: That is true, but I believe that aspects of the problems with Turf TV and other issues are symptoms, not the cause. We have to deal with the cause. In the new Tote trust, we will have three actors on the stage who make determinations in terms of data and pictures and the operation of such things. That would take place outside the arena of the courts. Under the arrangements I am proposing, I...

The Tote (15 Jul 2008)

Richard Caborn: That is absolutely right, but I can tell my hon. Friend that in my view the status quo is not an option. If we are not careful, we will lose—indeed, we are losing—some of our best people in Wigan. If we are to take advantage of the international marketplace, we must do so now. The worst thing in business is uncertainty and we have massive uncertainty in Wigan. The Tote is a very...

The Tote (15 Jul 2008)

Richard Caborn: I obviously have not explained myself clearly. We should put the shops into the for sale category and put Mr. Mike Smith in charge, as he is extremely skilled in taking such things to the marketplace. If his judgment is that we should not sell, we should not sell. However, that should not preclude us from decoupling the rest of the Tote from the sale. We can put the shops into a package and...

The Tote (15 Jul 2008)

Richard Caborn: I can see why it would not get past Europe. I shall be honest about this hang-up over Europe. I think that a number of people hide behind Europe—their definition is that state aid distorts trade across international boundaries. Someone is saying that a Tote sold back to racing in this country will distort trade across Europe, but that is the biggest load of baloney I have ever heard....