Results 1-20 of 2,730 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Keith Hill

Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [ Lords] (1 Jun 2009) has video

Keith Hill: The right hon. Member for Hitchin and Harpenden (Mr. Lilley) ended his speech with a number of wide-ranging considerations that were in line with the thoughtful, even philosophical, tone of many of the contributions that we have heard this evening. He began, however, by expressing a number of highly specific and—as he said himself—narrow concerns. In so doing, he has paved the way...

Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [ Lords] (1 Jun 2009) has video

Keith Hill: I hear the hon. and learned Gentleman, but I would not for a moment accuse my right hon. and hon. Friends on the Front Bench of presenting this Bill without having given it the most serious thought and consideration. I am sure that that applies to all the Ministers we have seen here today, including the Secretary of State, and not least to the Minister for Local Government, who will respond...

Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [ Lords] (1 Jun 2009) has video

Keith Hill: I hope that my hon. Friend will forgive me if I have misled him. It was certainly not the purpose of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act, so well remembered by the House, to exercise any discrimination or to make a judgment about the relative merits of county councils or unitary authorities. As I shall explain, the changes to the present Bill that I am now proposing are designed to...

Building Colleges for the Future (25 Mar 2009)

Keith Hill: Thank you, Mr. Benton. I promise to speak for seven or eight minutes. I thank the hon. Member for Southport (Dr. Pugh) for his initiative in securing this timely debate, which I approach from two angles: first, as a member of the Public Accounts Committee, which received a positive report from the National Audit Office on the Building Colleges for the Future programme—and, I have to...

Building Colleges for the Future (25 Mar 2009)

Keith Hill: I shall, but I will not give way very often, because I am conscious that a large number of colleagues wish to speak, so I intend to be as brief as possible.

Building Colleges for the Future (25 Mar 2009)

Keith Hill: The hon. Gentleman makes an eloquent case and, although I do not wish to engage in invidious comparisons between educational sectors, echoes the words of my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith). I am delighted to observe—as I am sure my hon. Friend the Minister will in due course—that substantial sums have been brought forward in the further education college...

Deferred Division: European Scrutiny (Standing Orders) (12 Nov 2008) has video

Keith Hill: I rise to support the motion on European scrutiny in the name of my right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the House. However, as a member of the European Scrutiny Committee, I wish to explain why I oppose the amendment in the name of the shadow Leader of the House and others, the purpose of which appears to be to create a presumption in favour of the Committee meeting in public, for all...

Deferred Division: European Scrutiny (Standing Orders) (12 Nov 2008) has video

Keith Hill: I shall give way to the hon. Gentleman, but other colleagues also wish to contribute to the debate, so I shall not give way often following his intervention.

Deferred Division: European Scrutiny (Standing Orders) (12 Nov 2008) has video

Keith Hill: The hon. Gentleman has often expressed those views both in Committee and the Chamber. For the reasons that I intend to set out, it is simply unacceptable that we should conduct our entire proceedings in public. It is tedious for Members to experience the repetition in the public session of arguments that we have already heard in private session, but I would accept that MPs being bored might...

Deferred Division: European Scrutiny (Standing Orders) (12 Nov 2008) has video

Keith Hill: I said that I wanted to allow other Members to come in, and I especially wish Opposition Members to do so. I shall give way now to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, West (Mr. Bailey).

Deferred Division: European Scrutiny (Standing Orders) (12 Nov 2008) has video

Keith Hill: My hon. Friend is absolutely correct, and I must say that we have had a very candid and frank set of exchanges on this matter. The great bulk of the expansion in the time of the Committee's proceedings has occurred in the private, rather than the public, session. The truth is that we have instituted a grossly inefficient procedure, and for no good reason, as there is no public demand to...

Deferred Division: European Scrutiny (Standing Orders) (12 Nov 2008) has video

Keith Hill: The hon. Gentleman, with his usual prescience, anticipates an argument that I intend to develop. I am grateful for his extremely warm words; he has been a significant influence on me, a new boy on the Committee, and on my understanding of its proceedings. Just over three weeks ago, the Committee published its report on subsidiarity. In the past 12 months or slightly more, the Committee has...

Deferred Division: European Scrutiny (Standing Orders) (12 Nov 2008) has video

Keith Hill: I have already used that adjective; I am now describing it as a service Committee. The Committee was set up to facilitate the House's work in respect of the issues and initiatives arising from the European Union. Essentially, what we do each week is agree a Select Committee report to the House—a process, by the way, that occurs in private in every other Select Committee. The most...

Deferred Division: European Scrutiny (Standing Orders) (12 Nov 2008) has video

Keith Hill: Is the right hon. Lady aware of the note from the Library that reveals that a maximum of 10 per cent. of the statutory instruments considered by the House originate in Europe? Can she offer the House the evidence she has for her assertion that 60 to 70 per cent. of our legislation originates in Europe?

Deferred Division: New Clause 30 — Power to decline to determine applications: amendments (25 Jun 2008)

Keith Hill: I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that trip down memory lane. He is right to say that we had many exchanges on these matters. Although I contend that it would be inappropriate for every item of plant or machinery to be subject to planning consent, the point that I want to draw to the attention of my right hon. Friend the Minister is that the Lichfield report anticipated that there may...

Deferred Division: New Clause 30 — Power to decline to determine applications: amendments (25 Jun 2008)

Keith Hill: I am very grateful to my right hon. Friend for that generous offer. It will certainly please my constituents, and I shall certainly avail myself of it, but in her initial statement she referred to the possible use of article 4 directions by local planning authorities to resist undesirable developments of the sort that I have described. She will know that that is not possible under part 11 of...

Deferred Division: New Clause 30 — Power to decline to determine applications: amendments (25 Jun 2008)

Keith Hill: That is a very reasonable intervention. To be entirely accurate, the development somewhat post-dated my tenure as the nation's Planning Minister. As my remarks have indicated, I did consider carefully the record and history of the GPDO, which we are debating. My feeling was that we were waiting for the council to report on whether the development was permitted, but that at some stage I would...

Deferred Division: New Clause 30 — Power to decline to determine applications: amendments (25 Jun 2008)

Keith Hill: I rise to speak to new clause 38, which was tabled by the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Dan Rogerson). As he said, it seeks to respond to a railway development by the side of Streatham Hill station in my constituency that has blighted the lives of many of my constituents who live in Sternhold avenue. I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving me notice of his intention to refer to my...

Orders of the Day: Schedule 3 — Repeals (13 Jun 2008) has video

Keith Hill: With the leave of the House, I shall forgo my opportunity to respond at length. My dear and hon. Friend the Minister has dealt with all the points raised during the debate. I merely thank her and other colleagues for the praise that has been showered upon me. I have not done all the work alone, however, so I thank all those who know the contributions that they have made. I hope that we have...

Orders of the Day: Schedule 3 — Repeals (13 Jun 2008) has video

Keith Hill: That is the present position.