Former Labour MP for Edinburgh East
May I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his statement about what might well be our most important transport project this century? Does he agree that it is understandable that we will want high speed trains coming into Edinburgh and Glasgow as soon as practicable? In that context, of course we accept that the first line will have to start at London and move north, but will the Minister do...
A day when the papers contain so many well deserved tributes to Michael Foot is surely a good day to be discussing nuclear weapons, and if I may say so, Mr. Williams, it is fine to have a Member who represents a Welsh constituency in the Chair, given the many great years of service that Michael Foot gave his constituents in Wales. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak, and will be brief,...
May I agree with my right hon. Friend that it is a tribute to the people of these islands that such a high volume of Fairtrade products are now going through our major retailers, including the supermarkets? Will he take this opportunity to pay tribute to the pioneers, who are still needed in the independent third-sector outlets, who keep the flame burning and who keep pushing forward the case...
Does my hon. Friend agree that there are three components of fuel poverty: dwelling energy efficiency, fuel prices, and household income? Should not Opposition Members recognise that, although things are harder because of fuel prices, a lot more people would be living in fuel poverty if it were not for the increases in child benefit, the working tax credit and the winter fuel allowance?
That was not my intention. Obviously, we would have a whole year to work it out and, with all the advice that the Government put in, make a judgment. Let me add in passing that this is essentially about supporting coal, and we should not lose sight of the fact that a coal power station, for every gigawatt hour it produces, emits twice as much CO2 as a gas-fired power station.
That is an interesting point, but I will not respond directly to the right hon. Gentleman because I do not have time. However, I do not see the logic of the argument that setting a standard will somehow deter investment, because the reality is that companies want a rough idea and framework for the future. He is criticising the new proposals and saying that we should not support them because...
I am not knocking new clause 25, and I will be interested to hear what the hon. Gentleman and others say about it; I was trying to concentrate my remarks on the principle of the EPS. Finally, the case for publishing the emissions standards within a year has to do with transparency. If we did that, we could have proper dialogue and debate both in Parliament and outside, and real transparency.
I agree with most of what my hon. Friend says, but the standards will not be set in stone. They will not stay the same for the next 10 years. Individual standards will be the standard for the year or three years to which they apply-
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what volume of (a) liquid milk, (b) butter and (c) cheese was (i) produced in and (ii) consumed in the UK in each of the last 10 years.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of export credit outstanding at the end of financial year 2004-05 for Nigeria was for military goods.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the revised version of rule 47 of the Highway Code from cyclists and their representatives.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which institution carried out each piece of research commissioned by her Department into the effectiveness and reliability of varietal genetic use restriction technologies (V-GURTS); what the expected duration of the work was in each case; and if she will place a copy of the report of each project in the Library.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost of general practitioners claiming entitlement for patients who have moved or died and not informed their general practitioner in each of the last five years.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what methods her Department employs to ensure that its data are up-to-date, with particular reference to information on people who have (a) moved house and (b) died.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what methods his Department employs to ensure that its data is up-to-date, with particular reference to information on people who have (a) moved house and (b) died.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much departmental correspondence was addressed to people who had (a) died and (b) moved house in each of the last five years.
