Former MP for Langbaurgh
After the bizarre intervention by my hon. Friend the Member for Southend, East (Sir T. Taylor), I am not sure what we are supposed to be debating. I thought that we were debating the amendments to which the hon. Member for Middlesbrough (Mr. Bell) addressed himself. I should like to get back to those amendments by assuring you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, the hon. Gentleman and the House that you...
My right hon. Friend is to be congratulated, particularly by the north of England, which has much appreciated the work that he has done. As ever, we are tempted, but we do not always receive. I draw to his attention Cleveland county council, which recently put out a contract for a private cleaner, under competitive tendering, which led to a reduction of £1·3 million in spending. However, it...
Nevertheless, as the Government have pledged to equalise the state pension for men and women, would not one small step in that direction be for prescriptions to be free for over 60-year-old men as they are for women? Will my hon. Friend make representations so that that small category of people, whom I shall be joining in 10 days' time, will not have to pay prescription charges?
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I am sure that it has been brought to your attention that on Friday the debate ended in considerable acrimony because of the actions of the Opposition Front-Bench spokesman, who broke with the tradition of the House and refused to allow the Minister any time to reply to the debate. When Back Benchers had finished speaking, there were 20 minutes left and it...
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the current level of investment in energy efficiency.
However much we try to save energy, we are concerned about its creation in the first place. We on Teesside are getting worried that there is no strategy for the number of power plants that will be sited there, that there are no controls and, more particularly, that there is no concern about the transportation of that electricity by cables once the plants are in operation. Is not it time that...
Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Many of us came here to participate in the debate. We had hoped that, at the end, a Minister of the Crown would answer the points and criticisms that we have made. Is not it wrong, unusual and unparliamentary that the Opposition Front-Bench spokesman should deliberately seek to speak out time to preclude the Minister from replying to the...
Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I have been here when the Chair has ordered someone to sit down. When Bruinvels was here he was ordered to sit down and shut up because the Chair had had enough. Could not you use that authority today?
