Results 1-20 of 3,158 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:David Taylor

Cowboy Builders (23 Nov 2009)

David Taylor: Does my hon. Friend acknowledge the strength of the point that local authority building control is in a weaker position than 10 or 12 years ago? Local authorities need resources and powers to enforce against not only sloppy building but illegal building, with stop notices, fixed penalty notices and so on.

Cowboy Builders (23 Nov 2009)

David Taylor: The hon. Gentleman refers to local authority trading standards departments. Might it not be worth while going to the local authority building control department? Does he hope that the Minister will refer to the role of such departments in his response to the debate, because they have essentially been privatised over the last 10 to 12 years, in favour of approved inspectors, and they have not...

Business of the House (19 Nov 2009)

David Taylor: In the blizzard of 106 early-day motions tabled yesterday, one or two are of real importance, not least early-day motion 69. [That this House notes that the Government prohibited the use of animals to test cosmetic products and their ingredients, because it caused unjustified suffering given the nature of the products; is concerned that the use of animals in scientific procedures continues...

Outlawries Bill: Debate on the Address — [1st Day] (18 Nov 2009)

David Taylor: If the past is a foreign country, what the right hon. Gentleman is describing is a different planet. He was describing, no doubt accurately, a situation that obtained perhaps 20 or more years ago, when there were just four TV channels, the internet was hardly established and the media storm and network that surrounds politics now was vastly different at that time. Is it not reasonable to...

Outlawries Bill: Debate on the Address — [1st Day] (18 Nov 2009)

David Taylor: The right hon. Gentleman is posing a false choice. He is suggesting that the only way of starting to bridge the growing gap is either to cut expenditure or to increase taxes. I am sure he would acknowledge that one significant way of bridging the gap in the medium term would be returning banks to the private sector and regaining the money that we, the taxpayers, have had to invest to underpin...

Outlawries Bill: Debate on the Address — [1st Day] (18 Nov 2009)

David Taylor: Would not a natural corollary to what my right hon. Friend has said be perhaps to cap the number of terms that individual MPs can serve in this place? That is a feature of some national legislatures, and there is some attraction in that; perhaps three or four terms might be appropriate.

Business, Innovation and Skills: Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (12 Nov 2009)

David Taylor: One of the best ways of improving access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises is to look at the poor cash flows that they are having to endure because larger firms further up the chain are exploiting their vulnerability. What does the Minister intend to do to improve that parlous position?

Business, Innovation and Skills: Topical Questions (12 Nov 2009) has video

David Taylor: Despite the UK blocking websites that deal in images of child abuse, recent court cases have shown that abusers are still distributing such material using private, peer-to-peer file sharing. Will the Minister assure me that the Government are aware of the need for an action plan to combat this foul trade and will use a digital economy Bill in the Queen's Speech to curb that practice?

[Mr. Edward O'Hara in the Chair] — Sex Discrimination (Religious Organisations) (11 Nov 2009)

David Taylor: Is it not the case that the thrust of what the hon. Gentleman is saying is very substantially weakened by what the hon. Member for Salisbury (Robert Key) said in his opening remarks? The great majority of the ministers of the Church of England, of its congregations and of the General Synod have expressed support for the concept of women bishops. How can what the hon. Member for Oxford, West...

[Mr. Edward O'Hara in the Chair] — Sex Discrimination (Religious Organisations) (11 Nov 2009)

David Taylor: I agree with every word that my hon. Friend has said so far. I am not sure that I necessarily see the tectonic plates of the Catholic Church as running against what he and I would like to happen. Is not it possible to interpret the Holy See's overtures to Anglican married ministers to come into the Catholic Church as a sign that even that Church is changing in that regard?

[Mr. Edward O'Hara in the Chair] — Sex Discrimination (Religious Organisations) (11 Nov 2009)

David Taylor: I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing the debate and I declare an interest as a member of the Ecclesiastical Committee. Is he aware that one of the human resources objectives on the Church of England website refers to the "development of a diverse workforce and a fair and just workplace"? How can the workplace be fair and just when, as that estimable organisation Women and the Church...

Free Fruit in Schools (10 Nov 2009) has video

David Taylor: This certainly would be a boost to the horticultural industry, and it would also enable it to save some species—species of apples and pears, for instance—that are in danger of dying out, as orchards are being grubbed up. The expansion of the scheme would allow for a variety and range of products to be maintained, and would help local horticulture.

Free Fruit in Schools (10 Nov 2009) has video

David Taylor: Will my hon. Friend add to his list two potentially very worthwhile initiatives: much tighter controls over advertising food, especially to children, and the reintroduction of free school milk to certain areas and certain groups of children?

Health Bill [ Lords] (Programme) (No. 2): Clause 22 — Power to prohibit or restrict sales from vending machines (10 Nov 2009) has video

David Taylor: I think that the reaction on the Opposition Front Bench is a little churlish. Speaking as the chair of the all-party group on smoking and health, I welcome the Government's living up to what they said they would do on Report. This is the right thing to do: it is the next natural step in a sensible tobacco control policy, and I congratulate the Government on implementing it.

Oral Answers to Questions — Justice: Supreme Court (Running Costs) (10 Nov 2009) has video

David Taylor: In the six years since its announcement, the projected cost of the Supreme Court has risen from £32 million to £56 million. Included in that are the costs of very lavish carpets designed by Sir Peter Blake, who also designed the Sgt. Pepper's album cover. Could the Minister say whether the then Prime Minister's project, which was gained with a little help from his friends, still...

[Mr. Bill Olner in the Chair] — Financial Services Regulation (10 Nov 2009)

David Taylor: A week ago, in Treasury questions, I raised with the Minister's colleague, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Ham (Mr. Timms), the fact that the Tax Justice Network had created a financial secrecy index, which found that the City of London was one of the most secretive, opaque and impenetrable financial regimes in the world. Although it is...

Bill Presented: Clause 61 — Hatred against persons on grounds of sexual orientation (9 Nov 2009) has video

David Taylor: Will my hon. Friend give way?

Bill Presented: Clause 61 — Hatred against persons on grounds of sexual orientation (9 Nov 2009) has video

David Taylor: No, I have not. We have not heard any convincing arguments at all. We have seen some smoke and mirrors, and some hand-waving, but we have heard no evidence. The Minister said tonight—I paraphrase slightly—that the clause has no effect and that we can therefore dispense with it. It is true that it does not change the threshold of the offence, but that is not the same as saying that...

Bill Presented: Clause 61 — Hatred against persons on grounds of sexual orientation (9 Nov 2009) has video

David Taylor: The hon. Gentleman may have heard that I anticipated his bringing up this point. I think that his point should be supported and that the word "insulting" should be removed. Is he firmly of the opinion, however, that that is all that is necessary to improve this particular legislation and that the chance of further over-the-top and heavy-booted action by the police and other authorities would...

Bill Presented: Clause 61 — Hatred against persons on grounds of sexual orientation (9 Nov 2009) has video

David Taylor: There is indeed a strong sense of déjà vu about this debate, given that it is the fourth time that we have discussed the free speech clause. We have also discussed a previous attempted free speech clause, as proposed by my hon. Friend the Member for Heywood and Middleton (Jim Dobbin) in January 2008. I do not want to add to the sense of déjà vu by repeating all the...