Michael Moore: The single market of the United Kingdom is vital to the fish processors and agricultural producers of Berwickshire, the coat hanger manufacturers of Jedburgh and the world-class knitwear manufacturers of Hawick, among others, so does my right hon. Friend agree that one of the major achievements of the Smith commission was to bring more powers to Scotland, but preserve that single market?
Michael Moore: I wish the hon. Gentleman would not accuse people of “glossing over” things. I invite him to look back at any of the speeches I made, particularly the one on Second Reading, where I laid out, in terms, the Labour party’s record on this issue. I remind him that half a dozen people opposed the Bill, and he needs to be careful what he is suggesting.
Michael Moore: It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Llanelli (Nia Griffith). I welcome the fact that the Opposition have brought forward this debate, if not the particular motion. This is an important subject, and I agree with them that it is regrettable that there is not more opportunity in Government time to debate these important matters. However, I really regret the tone in which the hon....
Michael Moore: I apologise for surprising the right hon. Gentleman with my tone. I do not want to say that the Opposition started it, but there really is a different kind of tone to the debate today. I thank him for his contribution to the Bill, and for his own track record as a Minister and in piloting the earlier legislation through. He is right to draw attention to the nay-sayers, who I must point out...
Michael Moore: None of them is in the Chamber this afternoon; that is the important point. The point is that we have now, happily, got the Bill into another place, and I want to pay tribute to my great friend the noble Lord Purvis who is piloting it there. There were two speeches against it on Friday—one from a Conservative peer and one from a Labour peer—so let us please put this nonsense...
Michael Moore: For more than 50 years, thalidomiders have been campaigning for justice, particularly from the German manufacturers Grünenthal. Now that more than 150 MPs have signed an open letter to the German Chancellor, would the Prime Minister add this to his busy agenda today so that we might get a decent and fair settlement for all concerned?
Michael Moore: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on which dates the Joint Exchequer Committee has met; which Ministers from the Government and the Scottish Government attended each such meeting; what the agenda was for each such meeting; and what other topics were discussed at each such meeting.
Michael Moore: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the date was of each meeting of the Finance Quad in each calendar year from 2010; which Ministers from the (a) Government and (b) devolved administrations took part in each such meeting; what the agenda was for each such meeting; and what other topics were discussed at each such meeting.
Michael Moore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates the (a) Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) and (b) sub-committees of the JMC met in each calendar year from 2010; which Ministers from the (i) Government and (ii) devolved administrations took part in each such meeting; what the agenda was for each such meeting; and what other topics were discussed at each such meeting.
Michael Moore: I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time. Let me say—on behalf of most of us, perhaps—that I am delighted that we have reached Third Reading. The Bill seeks to commit us, as a country, to contributing 0.7% of our GNI to official development assistance each year. [Interruption.]
Michael Moore: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. The Bill matters because UK aid—from emergency relief and humanitarian assistance to capacity-building and economic development—saves lives and transforms lives. By enshrining this commitment in law, the parties represented in the Chamber honour the election commitments of 2010, and the coalition honours the coalition agreement; but what is perhaps...
Michael Moore: I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for all the work he has been doing on this issue with others across the House. One of my constituents, Heather Buchanan, and her husband have, happily, got redress, but they are now in a major battle about consequential losses. Does my hon. Friend have a view on how we can help collectively focus attention on bad issues so that they are not lost in the murk of...
Michael Moore: On a point of order, Mr Crausby. I particularly thank you for your guidance over these two sittings. I am sure I will be joined wholeheartedly in especially thanking the Clerks and all our colleagues, including those who have taken a faithful record of what we have said. I thank Hansard and everyone else for their support. I am particularly indebted to colleagues on the Committee who have...
Michael Moore: I beg to move amendment 7, in clause 6, page 2, line 40, at end insert— ‘( ) This Act comes into force on 1 June 2015.”
Michael Moore: I hope that the amendments are relatively straightforward, dealing as they do with a deficiency in the original drafting, for which I take full responsibility and apologise to colleagues. It is proposed in amendment 7 that the commencement of the Bill should be two days before my 50th birthday, on 1 June 2015, and that the territorial extent of the legislation should be to the whole of the...
Michael Moore: I beg to move, That the Resolution of the Committee of 4 November be amended by adding, at the end, the words “, except that the Committee shall not meet on Tuesday 18 November and shall meet on Tuesday 25 November at 2 pm”.
Michael Moore: I support the changes to the Bill outlined by the Minister. At the previous sitting, we rehearsed the importance of the principal measure in the Bill, namely committing this and future Governments to maintain 0.7% of our gross national income as spending on official development assistance. That sets the context for today’s discussion. The long title of the Bill also provides “for...
Michael Moore: I will be brief in setting out the purposes of the clauses. Clause 2 sets out the requirement to lay the statement before Parliament if we have not reached the 0.7% target. There might have been an example this year where we thought we had, but it turned out that we did not. The clause clearly explains what is required of the Secretary of State. It sets out the allowable excuses for not...
Michael Moore: In answer to the question asked by the hon. Member for Wirral South, it would be a matter for the Government and for the House to determine what the most appropriate form of scrutiny would be.