Results 1-20 of 1,110 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Mark Todd

Business, Innovation and Skills: High-Speed Broadband (12 Nov 2009)

Mark Todd: How acceptable is it that a village like Hilton in my constituency, which has a population of nearly 4,000, should have a speed that is too low to enable people to carry out any normal domestic activities? Its thriving business sector also struggles with a speed that is unacceptable. Is it not correct to take a tougher regulatory line with BT?

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

Mark Todd: Has the Minister heard the same representations that I have heard concerning companies that believe that European regulatory steps could impede their ability to hedge on their currency—a vital activity for export-oriented businesses? South Derbyshire is dominated by just those kinds of companies.

Free Fruit in Schools (10 Nov 2009) has video

Mark Todd: My hon. Friend has referred to quite large-scale extensions of the schemes in various parts of the country, and I am very interested in their results, as I am sure that she is. The test that I set was the extent to which we can reverse the problem of the drop-off in the consumption of fruit and vegetables in year 3, but in my constituency a number of schools have voluntarily extended the...

Free Fruit in Schools (10 Nov 2009) has video

Mark Todd: It is a pleasure to have such a long time in which to debate this subject; I had not expected that. Free fruit and vegetables, such as carrots, have been provided for all infant-age children in English schools since the end of 2004. The introduction of the service followed pilots in 2000 and 2001 showing minimal delivery problems, strong support from children and staff, and even stronger...

Free Fruit in Schools (10 Nov 2009) has video

Mark Todd: On the first, I agree entirely. There are still examples of entirely inappropriate advertising, even with the tougher voluntary codes that have been adopted. Some of the links to merchandising have been broken. My son is big enough to be beyond this now—in fact he is bigger than me—but he used to link a lot of his eating patterns to merchandising for food products. Clearly that is...

Oral Answers to Questions — Treasury: Banking Reform (3 Nov 2009) has video

Mark Todd: We can assess the value of the asset protection scheme as applied to RBS only if we know a little more about the due diligence that has been conducted and the sensitivities that have been applied to that exercise. Will that be published together with the other details of the scheme when it is made available to the House?

Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister: Engagements (15 Jul 2009) has video

Mark Todd: Will my right hon. Friend reflect on the Ministry of Defence decision to appeal against the judgment that would allow hearings of cases of nuclear test veterans seeking compensation against the military for injury that they or their relatives may have suffered as a consequence of their exposure to nuclear explosion?

Opposition Day — [15th Allotted Day]: Identity Cards (6 Jul 2009)

Mark Todd: I am pleased to follow the hon. Member for Newark (Patrick Mercer). He gave me some information that I have never heard before, and some useful context to the debate. My track record is that I supported the Identity Cards Bill on Second Reading, partly in deference to my party's manifesto and partly because I do not have a deep-seated civil libertarian objection to the idea in principle....

Domestic Energy Users (3 Jul 2009) has video

Mark Todd: One of the other elements that has been discussed is an obligation on the company to point the way to a cheaper source within its own suite of offerings. Does my hon. Friend see that as an obligation that would be placed on the company as well?

Domestic Energy Users (3 Jul 2009) has video

Mark Todd: Would the Minister use as one of the criteria the way in which individual consumers are assisted? The great strength of Energywatch was its ability to pick up an individual complaint, understand its greater significance, assist the individual and apply some of the lessons to the companies.

Domestic Energy Users (3 Jul 2009) has video

Mark Todd: I congratulate the Minister on his appointment to his post, but I shall reserve further congratulation until I have heard how he answers this debate. I could not have chosen a much more appropriate time to call for it, because in the past week Ofgem has published its report on complaint handling by energy companies, Consumer Focus has published a major report on energy pricing, and Ofgem has...

Oral Answers to Questions — Solicitor-General: Rape (18 Jun 2009) has video

Mark Todd: I share the concern of my hon. Friend the Member for Slough (Fiona Mactaggart) on this subject. I welcome the planned visits and very much hope that an early visit will be made to the CPS in Derbyshire, where one of my constituents suffered the appalling fate of having a case that had got to court dropped, apparently because of failures by the local CPS to communicate effectively with social...

Minerals and Food Supplements (16 Jun 2009)

Mark Todd: One element that might be considered is the degree of proportionality that should be applied to the matter. Risks in this area are tiny. In the debate on vitamin B6, for example, it was shown that there might be a short-term effect from taking the vitamin at extreme levels, but that it could be reversed relatively quickly just by ceasing dosage at that level. There is an issue of...

Minerals and Food Supplements (16 Jun 2009)

Mark Todd: One of the anxieties that the industry has in this context, which Brunel Healthcare has raised with me, is about the timing of the implementation of any obligation to discontinue certain claims. Obviously, repackaging products is an expensive business, and so is designing new products that are compliant. One issue, therefore, is whether implementation is to be instant or whether it should...

Minerals and Food Supplements (16 Jun 2009)

Mark Todd: This subject is familiar to me. Insomniacs will find that I have spoken on it in the past and that I led an Adjournment debate on it some years back. I will explain why there is an interest in my constituency in the subject, but first I shall set out a basic principle. I regard the consumption of food supplements in the same way as I regard the consumption of foods. It is largely a matter for...

Surface Water and Highway Drainage Charges (Exemption) Bill: Clause 11 — Rates of alcoholic liquor duty (12 May 2009) has video

Mark Todd: Would not a differential between cask beer and beer served in bottles and cans have a similar effect?

Surface Water and Highway Drainage Charges (Exemption) Bill: Clause 11 — Rates of alcoholic liquor duty (12 May 2009) has video

Mark Todd: Does the hon. Gentleman agree that disorder is rather less likely to emanate from the supervised environment of a public house than from off-licence sales of alcohol, freely distributed to those who may drink it in the street, and distribute the packaging all over the road?

Surface Water and Highway Drainage Charges (Exemption) Bill: Clause 11 — Rates of alcoholic liquor duty (12 May 2009) has video

Mark Todd: I was fortunate enough to miss the start of the hon. Gentleman's speech. He may have covered this point in his oration, which has lasted half an hour or so, but I am puzzled about how his proposal relates to the competitive position of a pub against another provider of alcohol. If one simply reduced the duty or altered how the Government increase the duty, it would affect all sellers of...

Council Tax Rebate: The Economy (31 Mar 2009) has video

Mark Todd: I hope that the House will bear with my slightly croaky voice, which would certainly stop me singing and will abbreviate what I say. Coincidentally, my speech will follow on precisely from that of the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West (Mr. Brady). In this debate, our immediate focus has understandably been on the process of restarting the economy. Others have been bold enough to talk...

Council Tax Rebate: The Economy (31 Mar 2009) has video

Mark Todd: The hon. Gentleman may have noted my oblique reference in my intervention on the Chancellor to the fact that major, entirely credit-worthy companies with solid orders appear to be having difficulty with their loans from banks and the ECGD. Does he agree that further assistance may involve applying some compulsion to the banks under Government control to support those loans?