Nicholas Winterton: Would the Minister not accept that this country's elderly can also help to maintain demand in the economy? Bearing in mind that many of them rely on their savings, on which they getting a negative return because of inflation and taxation, is it not time that the taxation system enabled the elderly, who rely upon savings, to get some meaningful return for their responsibility?
Nicholas Winterton: Whether she plans to provide additional financial assistance for pensioners this winter.
Nicholas Winterton: I am grateful to the Minister for that reply. However, is she aware that Help the Aged, a charity which I support and whose work I greatly admire, estimates that nearly 3 million pensioners are living in fuel poverty and that many of them are forced to choose between heating or eating? As we are likely to get further cold weather, what further action are the Government prepared to take to...
Nicholas Winterton: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2010, Official Report, column 2W, on manpower, for what reasons the comparable information for 2000-01 to 2006-07 is not available.
Nicholas Winterton: I welcome both Ministers. It is pleasure to have you responding to questions from other members of the Committee. I do not think we will be interrupted by Divisions in the House and we can continue until 4 o’clock. If we need to go on a fraction longer, I am prepared to use my discretion, but I do not believe that will be necessary. As we will be covering a wide range of subjects with...
Nicholas Winterton: We paused then because I was very conscious of the duties of our Hansard writer. I suspected it would have been difficult to hear what was being said over the clamour of that bell. Please continue Minister.
Nicholas Winterton: It is now 3 o’clock. Can we move speedily to the second section, which is on gang injunctions? I think we may need a little longer on the DNA database.
Nicholas Winterton: I have two more questions under this heading. May I suggest that we try to speed up just a little, as we have to finish close to 4 o’clock and we have the DNA database, domestic violence protection orders, and the return to wheel clamping as subjects on today’s agenda?
Nicholas Winterton: You are lulling me into a certain sense, I have to confess. I call Douglas Hogg.
Nicholas Winterton: That is a very helpful offer from the Minister and I am sure that Douglas Hogg accepts it.
Nicholas Winterton: Again, the Committee is grateful to the Minister of State. It is certainly very satisfactory from my point of view in the Chair. Does it satisfy Mr. James Brokenshire?
Nicholas Winterton: Are you seeking to intervene, Mr. Burns?
Nicholas Winterton: I do not want to enter into extraneous matters, Minister, but I think you have gathered the point that Simon Burns made and I am confident that the letter will reach us in time. I look to you for a nod.
Nicholas Winterton: I am sure that is more than satisfactory to the Committee.
Nicholas Winterton: If the Minister will do that I am sure it will satisfy the Committee.
Nicholas Winterton: We now move to the next sector for discussion, perhaps quite briefly, which is domestic violence protection orders.
Nicholas Winterton: We may well do. Is it the view of the Committee that there are no major questions to put to the Ministers on domestic violence protection orders?
Nicholas Winterton: Is that answer satisfactory?
Nicholas Winterton: We move on to the last section that I have highlighted, which we dealt with in our discussions with our first panel of witnesses this afternoon. That section deals with wheel-clamping, which is, of course, a highly contentious and somewhat sensitive issue.
Nicholas Winterton: We have finished the items on our list, but I suspect that Mr. James Brokenshire wishes to raise another matter.