Results 181–200 of 2042 for speaker:Robert Syms

Business of the House ( 3 Apr 2019)

Robert Syms: I am not against constitutional innovation—as somebody who came from local government where we controlled the money in the local council, I have always felt this Chamber ought to do more of that on money—but I am unhappy about what is happening today because of the rushed way it is being put through. I have always wondered how we would end Brexit, and it always seemed to me that it would...

Business of the House ( 3 Apr 2019)

Robert Syms: My right hon. Friend is making a good case. Does not my right hon. Friend the Member for West Dorset (Sir Oliver Letwin) give us an excellent precedent for the Government putting business through in one day in the future? If the Opposition are happy with that for this proposition, why should they not be happy with that for any future proposition from the Government?

Speaker’S Statement (18 Mar 2019)

Robert Syms: On a point of order, Mr Speaker. In 1604 and in 1920, we were a sovereign Parliament, and we were not subject to the EU constitution, which this House voted for under the Lisbon treaty. This House has passed legislation under article 50 for us to leave the European Union, which is time-sensitive. Parliament could proceed in a rather stately manner in 1920, because it was not subject to such...

Business of the House (Today): European Union (Withdrawal) Act (12 Mar 2019)

Robert Syms: I thank the Prime Minister for giving way. Given that the clock is ticking, millions of people working in businesses up and down this country want the most certain outcome, and voting for this deal today is the best way of delivering that. Voting the deal down will lead to more uncertainty. None of us knows where we are going to end up, so I, for one, will be supporting the Government and the...

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No.3) Bill: Resolution of double taxation disputes (11 Dec 2018)

Robert Syms: I come back to my basic point that there are certain matters of principle that are good for parliamentary debate, and there are minor, technical matters, such as those dealing with the Inland Revenue. I am not sure that debating the latter would bring much to the sum of human happiness. I also make the point that, although the Conservative party does not enjoy a majority in the House of...

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No.3) Bill: Resolution of double taxation disputes (11 Dec 2018)

Robert Syms: The hon. Member makes his own point. We have discussed Budgets and Finance Bill Committees before. The Bill has been on the Floor of the House and will go back there. There will be endless debates, and I am perfectly sure that he and his formidable Front-Bench team will be able to make their points when the Bill goes back to the House. Ultimately, the Government have taken a perfectly...

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No.3) Bill: Resolution of double taxation disputes (11 Dec 2018)

Robert Syms: Had we had a meaningful vote today—we are not going to have one—I would have voted with the hon. Members for Oxford East and for Aberdeen North. However, I find it a little strange that those who intend to vote against the agreement should criticise the Government for a no deal Brexit, because ultimately that is not the Government’s position. There are about 800 statutory instruments...

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 3) Bill: Residence nil-rate band ( 6 Dec 2018)

Robert Syms: Will my hon. Friend give way?

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 3) Bill: Residence nil-rate band ( 6 Dec 2018)

Robert Syms: There is a sort of revolution going on in Paris as a result of high fuel duties, which of course the Opposition want.

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 3) Bill: HGV road user levy ( 6 Dec 2018)

Robert Syms: If a road haulier sends a vehicle with a load to a city in the north, the profit it makes is on the load back. If that vehicle runs empty, the haulier has higher costs. Therefore, if that vehicle is empty, the road haulier’s manager is not doing his job properly—they have not been able to find a load—or the vehicle is going from one factory or depot to another to pick up a load. It is...

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 3) Bill: HGV road user levy ( 6 Dec 2018)

Robert Syms: Apart from paying the levy, the road haulage industry pays considerable sums of tax on fuel; it therefore pays quite a lot into the Exchequer for the provision of roads. I would make another important point: almost every good that we have in this country travels at some point on a road haulage vehicle. Almost all of what someone buys in a supermarket for Sunday lunch travels in such a...

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 3) Bill: VED: rates for light passenger vehicles, light goods vehicles, motorcycles etc ( 6 Dec 2018)

Robert Syms: My observation is that an awful lot of money is spent in London, compared with the regions of this country, whether the north-west or south-west. There may be a very good reason for that—London is a very important city for our nation—but I would not be inclined to vote even more money to London, bearing in mind that it has the biggest infrastructure project in Crossrail, to which the...

Immigration (Time Limit on Detention): [2nd Allotted Day] ( 5 Dec 2018)

Robert Syms: This will surprise you, Mr Speaker: I am old enough to have voted in the 1975 referendum, and I voted yes to stay in the common market. But what I voted for then changed rather substantially over the years, and I became somewhat concerned about the way the EU had developed. When it came to the last referendum, I was for leave—on balance, but I think that was the right decision. The truth of...

Immigration (Time Limit on Detention): [2nd Allotted Day] ( 5 Dec 2018)

Robert Syms: It would not be my favourite choice, but it may well be a choice that the House will have to consider depending on how we end up next year. The reality is that I hope we can finesse the current agreement. Ultimately, the EU must accept that the backstop is unacceptable to Parliament. If it accepts that, there is a fairly good chance that the deal will go through. The deal, without the...

Immigration (Time Limit on Detention): [2nd Allotted Day] ( 5 Dec 2018)

Robert Syms: If in this country somebody had a contract of employment where only one of the parties could end the agreement, or if they had a business contract where only one party could end the agreement, it would be indenture and would be struck down by the British courts, yet we are contemplating an international treaty where that is the case.

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 3) Bill: Rates of duty on cider, wine and made-wine ( 4 Dec 2018)

Robert Syms: The Government have sensible policies on this. We debated an amendment earlier today about securing jobs in the North sea when there are relatively few jobs on oil rigs. The hospitality industry is one of the biggest employers in the United Kingdom. It is also very important for the tourist industry. The Government have been constantly keeping taxes under review to see what gets a reasonable...

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 3) Bill: Rates of duty on cider, wine and made-wine ( 4 Dec 2018)

Robert Syms: I am sure it is, but I suspect the hospitality industry is 10 times that. The other factor about the drinks industry generally is that it is very regionally diverse, with the scotch industry in Scotland, and wine, cider and beer producers. We all have representations from the owners of breweries, which employ people and are sometimes very important parts of the local economy. We have all had...

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 3) Bill: Higher rates of tax for additional dwellings etc ( 4 Dec 2018)

Robert Syms: I suspect that there are a lot of people with holiday homes abroad who do not realise that when they buy a property, they have to pay a higher rate of stamp duty land tax.

Public Bill Committee: Finance (No. 3) Bill: Higher rates of tax for additional dwellings etc ( 4 Dec 2018)

Robert Syms: I am glad I caught the hon. Member just as he was coming to his peroration. I have a constituent who had a home in Malaysia, where he was working. He moved back to Poole to retire and bought a flat. He was charged the higher rate of stamp duty because the flat was classified as a second home because he still owned a home in Malaysia. When I wrote to the Treasury, it said that that was because...


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