Results 1-20 of 198 for speaker:Conor Burns

Tributes to Baroness Thatcher (10 April 2013)

Conor Burns: Monday was the day we had all been dreading in recent months and years. Much has been written about the state of Lady Thatcher’s health in recent years. You will remember, Mr Speaker, only 18 months ago hosting her in your state rooms when she came to support me at an occasion that turned out to be one of her last visits to the Palace of Westminster. May I say, Mr Speaker, that she was...

CCTV: Immigrants (NHS Treatment) (25 March 2013)

Conor Burns: My right hon. Friend will be aware that the overwhelming majority of our constituents who travel abroad put in place provision to protect themselves if they fall ill. My constituents and his will be appalled to learn that we do not expect the same of foreign visitors to the United Kingdom. May I congratulate him on his initiative, which began before the Prime Minister’s speech today?

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Economic Policy (25 February 2013)

Conor Burns: Does the Chancellor agree that rather than sneering at private sector job creation, we should welcome the fact that 1 million new jobs have been created since the general election? Will he assure me, the House and the markets that, in framing the coalition’s economic policy, he will continue to listen—and indeed listen significantly more—to those who run such businesses and...

Business of the House: Events in Northern Ireland (10 January 2013)

Conor Burns: May I associate myself with the Secretary of State’s words on the PSNI and the hon. Member for Belfast East (Naomi Long)? Two very important points have been made by the shadow Secretary of State and the former Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for Neath (Mr Hain). This is not about flags, but about something much more profound. When visiting Northern Ireland over the new year...

Oral Answers to Questions — Work and Pensions: Remploy (10 December 2012)

Conor Burns: The Minister will be aware that the Remploy factory at Alder Hills in my constituency closed; she wrote to tell me that it was closing in her first days in her new job. She will also be aware that Giles Verdon and his team at that factory were working to put together a community interest company. May I tell her that in all their dealings with Remploy centrally phone calls went unanswered,...

Bill Presented — Energy Bill: Leveson Inquiry (29 November 2012)

Conor Burns: One of Lord Leveson’s recommendations is that we should legislate to introduce “a legal duty on the government to protect the freedom of the press”. Does my right hon. Friend agree that such a Bill would be utterly alien to our traditions in this country? Will he join me in encouraging Lords Hunt and Black to look at the Leveson recommendations, to see if there are things...

Written Answers — Treasury: Income Tax: Bournemouth (20 November 2012)

Conor Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Bournemouth West constituency have been taken out of income tax due to recent increases in the personal allowance.

European Union Free Movement Directive 2004 (Disapplication): Multiannual Financial Framework (31 October 2012)

Conor Burns: I am grateful to you, Mr Speaker. At the beginning of the debate, there was an outbreak of consensus between those on the two Front Benches, when the Minister and the hon. Member for Nottingham East (Chris Leslie) agreed that the Government and the Opposition shared the objective of achieving a real reduction in the EU budget. Such a reduction would not be possible if the EU had gone through...

European Union Free Movement Directive 2004 (Disapplication): Multiannual Financial Framework (31 October 2012)

Conor Burns: Given that the hon. Gentleman is going to vote in favour of an amendment calling for spending restraint, does he regret that his party’s Front Benchers did not follow that policy in their 13 years in government?

European Union Free Movement Directive 2004 (Disapplication): Multiannual Financial Framework (31 October 2012)

Conor Burns: Given that the Minister and the shadow Minister both said that it is the policy of the Government and Her Majesty’s Opposition that they would wish to see a reduction in the European Union budget and given that there is a motion before the House asking for such a reduction, will not the public find it bizarre if that does not go through tonight?

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: European Council (22 October 2012)

Conor Burns: My right hon. Friend will be aware that the biggest issue confronting families in Britain and across the European Union is the cost of living, with rising fuel and food prices and utility bills. In that context, he will have the strong support of Government Members in making it clear to our European partners that large increases in the EU budget would be utterly unacceptable to the British people.

Written Answers — Work and Pensions: Remploy (12 July 2012)

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many expressions of interest have been submitted for the Remploy factory sites proposed for closure; and for which sites.

Local Services (Planning): House of Lords Reform Bill — [2nd Allocated Day] (10 July 2012)

Conor Burns: My hon. Friend is making some incredibly powerful points—

Local Services (Planning): House of Lords Reform Bill — [2nd Allocated Day] (10 July 2012)

Conor Burns: I am sorry, Mr Deputy Speaker. My hon. Friend is making some incredibly powerful points, not least on the centrality of the possibility of an elected Chamber challenging the supremacy of this Chamber.

Local Services (Planning): House of Lords Reform Bill — [2nd Allocated Day] (10 July 2012)

Conor Burns: Was it in the tuition fees debate?

Local Services (Planning): House of Lords Reform Bill — [2nd Allocated Day] (10 July 2012)

Conor Burns: May I begin by warmly welcoming the Government’s decision to withdraw the programme motion this evening? That is unquestionably a victory for this House over the Executive, because we can imagine that the conversation between the Chief Whip, the Leader of the House and the Prime Minister did not go like this: “Well, Prime Minister, we are delighted to assure you that we have got...

Local Services (Planning): House of Lords Reform Bill — [2nd Allocated Day] (10 July 2012)

Conor Burns: Let me just make some progress. I want also to deal with some of the arguments that the Deputy Prime Minister has made. He says of the Lords: “It’s become too big.” I absolutely agree that it has become far too big—so we should stop sending so many people there, then it would not be so big. The average number of peers created under Lady Thatcher was 18 a year, under...

Local Services (Planning): House of Lords Reform Bill — [2nd Allocated Day] (10 July 2012)

Conor Burns: I am delighted to give way to the right hon. Gentleman.

Local Services (Planning): House of Lords Reform Bill — [2nd Allocated Day] (10 July 2012)

Conor Burns: The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that the situation is unsustainable and untenable, and that is why many of us are in favour of reform: we are in favour of introducing a mechanism for peers to retire; we are in favour of a limit on their numbers; and we are in favour of strengthening the independent House of Lords Appointments Commission. In short, we are in favour of some of the...

Local Services (Planning): House of Lords Reform Bill — [2nd Allocated Day] (10 July 2012)

Conor Burns: I think they are impressed that we accept more than 80% of the amendments that peers send back to us, and that in the other place there are people with great expertise—world-renowned people who would never dream of putting their names on a party list, going to central office, seeing Gareth Fox and getting on to the candidates’ list. It just would not happen, in any way. I had a...