Lyn Brown: I am grateful for the opportunity to make my first contribution in the House, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I congratulate all hon. Members who have made their maiden speeches this afternoon. In particular, I congratulate the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski) on his excellent maiden speech—no pressure there then! Tony Banks is a hard act to follow. He is flamboyant, funny,...
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the requirement for further infrastructure development to achieve a successful Olympic games in London in 2012.
Lyn Brown: Will my right hon. Friend make time for a debate about religious and sacred desecration? I have tabled an early-day motion today that condemns such an act at a Jewish cemetery in my constituency and welcomes the solidarity of the local multifaith community, which has condemned the incident and stood alongside those who have suffered as a consequence of that barbarous action.
Lyn Brown: I can honestly say that I do not believe that representing West Ham will get better than it feels today. I am finding it difficult to express how overjoyed I am and what this means to the people of my constituency in terms of the jobs, opportunities and regeneration that will be brought to the area. We are absolutely delighted, and Stratford is still partying as we speak. I expect that the...
Lyn Brown: Does the Minister agree that a good way of reintroducing people into work is through sessional and part-time work? If so, is she aware that the earnings disregard element within the jobseeker's allowance and income support has remained static for many years? Will she agree to consider that in the next Budget?
Lyn Brown: I addressed a gathering in West Ham on Saturday as part of the VE and VJ celebrations. After we had reflected on the dreadful events of 7/7, I urged my constituents to take the joy and elation back from the callous bombers who destroyed many lives and our euphoria. Today, I urge hon. Members to take our joy back and to continue to celebrate our amazing victory in bringing the Olympic games to...
Lyn Brown: I agree with my hon. Friend. If we do not set up training programmes and plan to get our children into those jobs, we will simply fail. The games will bring an opportunity for us to showcase our talent, creativity, innovation and design to global audiences, and will transform the local and regional economy. We must, however, remember that there will be casualties from the regeneration of the...
Lyn Brown: I am about to deal with that. We need to ensure that the planning that is essential for the continued vibrancy of the companies concerned is expedited as quickly as possible. Firms have talked to me about wanting a fair price and about needing to ensure that any red tape is dealt with sympathetically so that they do not incur down time and therefore financial loss, which will mean a loss of...
Lyn Brown: Will my hon. Friend give way?
Lyn Brown: Does my hon. Friend agree that the five boroughs concerned have done remarkably well in pushing together the benefits of the area that they all hold dear? In fact, the London borough of Newham may have been the driving force in creating the cohesion between them, keeping them together and pressing for the agendas that they all hold dear: inward investment, skills and education, health and...
Lyn Brown: The residents of my borough in which the stadium and the park will sit are tremendously excited by the games, not only because of the event itself with the enthusiasm and the energy that it will bring to the area, but because of the way in which the games will change their lives and, hopefully, the lives of their children for the better. Will the Minister consider whether the Bill properly...
Lyn Brown: Like many hon. Members, I fully accept the principles behind the Bill. There is absolutely no place in today's society, which wants to call itself decent, for allowing discrimination of any kind to continue unchallenged. The promotion of equal opportunities at work and in the community and the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, sexuality, disability, age or creed...
Lyn Brown: I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that point. The point that I am attempting to make—and perhaps have made badly—is that if one has suffered a wrong, one deserves compensation for the wrong that has been wrought. I accept that we need to be competitive in business, but I also believe that one of the things that we have not covered today is the fact that people who have been wronged...
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role his Department is playing in strengthening African peace-building capabilities.
Lyn Brown: As a new Member, I am wondering whether it is usual—and reasonable—for me to have to sit here listening to something that I have read myself being read out to me.
Lyn Brown: May I just make it clear that I intervened in an attempt to move the debate on and not because I lack a commitment to the rights of our migrant and refugee communities? I wanted to get to the heart of the matter and to ensure that we have enough time in Committee to debate the Bill properly.
Lyn Brown: Given that the right hon. and learned Gentleman has referred to costs, has he calculated the bureaucratic cost of administering these schemes? In particular, if this is not about creating a vehicle to avoid inheritance tax, what extra provision would the Inland Revenue require to manage the calculations involved?
Lyn Brown: rose—
Lyn Brown: I think that I am trying to intervene, Mr. Deputy Speaker. May I say that I am quite offended by the right hon. and learned Gentleman's remark? I do not know how much Conservative Members have in the way of resources to assist with research, but we certainly have to do our own.
Lyn Brown: The Bill is a narrow reflection of the concerns that many of us have about pension policies. The hallmark of a good, decent society is not how well the strong prosper but how the weaker and most vulnerable are supported. A decent society is one that gives its eldest citizens dignity in retirement, and that is what the debate should be about. How can we honour the contribution of the older...