Former Labour MP for Makerfield
I will take a maximum of two minutes, Mr. Speaker. I welcome all aspects of the Bill, particularly as one of those who originally gave evidence to Sir Michael Pitt's inquiry and who was interviewed about some of the recommendations that we wanted it to come up with. That inquiry and its recommendations were excellent. As a consequence, the Bill will be welcomed throughout the country as a...
I thank the Front Benchers for giving me the opportunity to speak. I should tell the Minister that new clause 19 is a probing provision, but in probing I wish to ensure that we make progress on the discussions that I have been trying to have with his Department since October 2008 on this matter. I have been engaged on issues associated with insurance and flooding since the 1980s, both as a...
So long as I am one of those interested MPs.
I will ensure that my remarks are kept for that first meeting then and give other hon. Members the chance to speak now. This discussion has taken less than five minutes in a debate of five and a half hours, but if at the end of it we can help tens of thousands of our fellow citizens to get out of the dire circumstances that they are in, it will have been worth waiting five and a half hours.
I call the hon. Member for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Ellwood) my hon. Friend, because we have worked on the issue closely, and I thank the hon. Member for Hornchurch (James Brokenshire) for what he has said so far. Whatever happens with this Bill, and whatever comes out of the discussions, all I ask is that every Front Bencher concerned ensures that the propositions are preserved so that the...
I support my right hon. and hon. Friends and when the time comes, I will vote in favour of the Bill being given a Second Reading. I go further and suggest that so far this evening we have heard from the Liberal Democrats a victory of pomposity over intellectual rigour, and from the Conservatives, a rant. One would have thought that as we are so close to the election, they would give us some...
I will give way to the hon. Gentleman in a moment. I have made my criticism, so I will allow him to respond. I say so because it is important to guarantee that, by the end of the debate, all Opposition Members concerned have clearly stated, whatever their view of the whole Bill, that they will grant fair weather and support to the Government to ensure that those two aspects of the Bill-the...
Having spent 15 years as a Front Bencher in government and in opposition, I must say that I am not using the issue as a camouflage. I raise it in this way simply because I fear the responses from the hon. Gentleman and the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), on the Conservative Front Bench. They made it absolutely clear that they were prepared in another place and here...
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010, Official Report, column 391W, on the Gambling Act 2005, if he will assess the merits of bringing forward proposals on the availability of higher prizes on gaming machines in commercial snooker and pool clubs for consideration separate from his Department's planned review of category B gaming...
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on restrictions on movement of Palestinians in the west bank; and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he plans to take under the provisions of the Gambling Act 2005 to allow commercial snooker and pool clubs to offer higher prizes on licensed gaming machines on their premises; what timetable he has set for such action; and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the handling of protests following the recent presidential elections in Iran by the Iranian authorities; and what assessment he has made of the implications for UK foreign policy of recent events in Iran.
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the further development of the toolkit on business and human rights.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for further development of his Department's toolkit for business and human rights for use by UK missions overseas.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made in the Middle East peace process; and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2009, Official Report, column 533W, on terrorism: compensation, which (a) Departmental officials and (b) Ministers have been appointed to the working group on support for victims of terrorism abroad; what options are being considered by that working group; what timetable has been set for that working group to...
