Results 1–20 of 1242 for speaker:Mr John Butcher

Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister: Engagements (25 Feb 1997)

Mr John Butcher: My right hon. Friend will need no reminding that any objective assessment of economic trends in Europe shows that Britain is now winning. Does he share the bewilderment of a number of foreign commentators, who cannot understand the logic of saying that it is time for a change? "Does that mean that you want to be losers?" they wonder. Will my right hon. Friend use every effort to make sure...

Points of Order (12 Feb 1997)

Mr John Butcher: On a point of order, Madam Speaker. You will be well aware of the convention in the House that, when new Members make their maiden speech, it is customary to hear those speeches in silence. Perhaps a similar convention could be observed for the large number of Members who wish to make their valedictory speeches before their retirement. Many of our colleagues are at that interesting age,...

Business of the House (16 Jan 1997)

Mr John Butcher: Does my right hon. Friend share my concern about recent trends in the way we make legislation? I refer to examples of national tragedies, when emotions can run high and we in this place want to be seen to be doing something quickly. Does he agree that those cases can often result in inadequate legislation? Will my right hon. Friend, as Leader of the House, introduce a convention under which...

Unfunded Pension Liabilities (European Union) (11 Dec 1996)

Mr John Butcher: I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving way because I know that he is about to conclude. I should like to ask him about political will, set against what is currently asserted perhaps by some public relations person at the Commission. A huge row is going on between France and Germany on the extent of the rigour to apply on the convergence criteria and the pact. The French want a...

Local Government (Structural Change) ( 4 Jul 1996)

Mr John Butcher: I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for giving way so often and so early in the debate. Further to the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, North-East (Mr. Thurnham), I declare a non-pecuniary interest as honorary president of the Association of British Counties, which is dedicated to restoring all the old counties for all purposes other than local government. Does my right...

Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister: Engagements ( 4 Jul 1996)

Mr John Butcher: Will my right hon. Friend give an assurance that he will never introduce a policy which, as the price of a sell-out to Scottish nationalism, would bring in the compulsory dismemberment of England into regions? That latter policy would be purely to justify the continued presence of Scottish Members of Parliament in the House. Does my right hon. Friend further agree that such a policy would set...

Business of the House (27 Jun 1996)

Mr John Butcher: Will my right hon. Friend give us his best estimate of the day on which we will debate the recommendations of the Senior Salaries Review Body in relation to the pay of Members of Parliament? Does he agree with me that he should—as Leader of the House, in his all-party mode—seek to negotiate assurances from the leaders of all the parties in the House that there will be a genuinely free...

Child Abuse (North Wales) (17 Jun 1996)

Mr John Butcher: Does my right hon. Friend recall the outcome of the inquiries that took place in the aftermath of the Orkney and Cleveland scandals? I feel quite nervous about the format that my right hon. Friend has proposed. When this format has been used in the past, and when local bureaucracies have been challenged by inquiries, no individual has been responsible for anything within those...

Competitiveness White Paper (13 Jun 1996)

Mr John Butcher: Taking the company analogy further, does my right hon. Friend agree that a company that seeks to remain competitive in world terms has to be honest in the appraisal of its weaknesses and must always have its door open to new ideas, which is precisely what the White Paper does? I congratulate him on his approach in it. Does he agree that we can learn two things from Germany? It is folly to...

Oral Answers to Questions — Education and Employment: Teacher Training (Science Graduates) (22 May 1996)

Mr John Butcher: The problem is that most of the time that graduates spend in teacher training college is a complete waste. Although we have introduced measures to test pupils and the level of output in schools, should we not also consider introducing a core curriculum for teachers, particularly for junior and infant trainee teachers, in numeracy and literacy? Graduates should be taught not simply what to...

Representation of the People (Amendment) ( 7 May 1996)

Mr John Butcher: I oppose the Bill of my hon. Friend the Member for Elmet (Mr. Batiste) on the grounds that it does not go far enough. I believe that Members of Parliament should have wider responsibilities, but that we should be less productive of clutter. I declare some form of interest in that 18 months ago I signalled that I will be retiring from the House. Therefore, any comments that I make in relation...

Elderly (Long-term Care) ( 7 May 1996)

Mr John Butcher: I congratulate my right hon. Friend. May I warn him—perhaps he does not need any warning—that he is dealing here with a very emotional issue, which, if misrepresented or distorted, could cause a great deal of distress? Will he therefore spend a great deal of time on television and radio over the next three to four hours? If the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms Harman) runs true to form, she...

Business of the House ( 2 May 1996)

Mr John Butcher: May we have a debate on the system of justice in this country given the growing evidence that a proportion of High Court judges seem to have lost all touch with reality? During that debate we could refer in particular to Sir Richard Scott's cash-for-treason judgment, under which he awarded £70, 000 to George Blake, who betrayed and therefore condemned to death 42 British agents. Does my...

Business of the House ( 2 May 1996)

Mr John Butcher: Of course I accept your judgment, Madam Speaker. I would convert my comments into a request for such a debate to consider a Bill to allow the House to ban the prospect of treason being rewarded in that way.

Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister: Engagements (18 Apr 1996)

Mr John Butcher: Does my right hon. Friend have a sneaking respect for those good, honest socialists who are stinking rich but who are prepared to argue that the rich should pay higher taxes? Would he, therefore, like to remind such people—Ben Elton, Maureen Lipman, Ken Follett and Melvyn Bragg—that nothing is stopping them now from voluntarily contributing more taxes? If we are to take the Ladywood line,...

Business of the House (28 Mar 1996)

Mr John Butcher: May we have a debate shortly to unravel a mystery? Informed opinion in the manufacturing sector is telling us clearly that British engineers now have a spectacular opportunity to wipe the floor with their competitors across Europe, but the public at large do not seem aware of that opportunity. The signs of success are now remorseless. May we have a debate to help to preserve the...

Intergovernmental Conference (White Paper) (12 Mar 1996)

Mr John Butcher: Does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that, over the centuries, Britain's time-honoured role has been to speak on behalf of the peoples of Europe and to protect them from the actions of patrician and arrogant elites—whether those elites incorporate kings, emperors, dictators or Commissioners? Does he also agree that it is honourable and not sceptical to oppose policies in Europe that...

Common Fisheries Policy (Factortame Judgment) ( 6 Mar 1996)

Mr John Butcher: Does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that this is not one of those things that the Foreign Office should see as some technical matter requiring a bit of deft footwork, to overcome a temporary problem? This is one of those watershed moments. My right hon. and learned Friend and the Fisheries Minister started off like bulldogs. Let us all hope that neither the Foreign Office nor the...

Millennium Exhibition (28 Feb 1996)

Mr John Butcher: When my right hon. Friend said that the millennium should be a single shared experience for the whole nation does not that invite us to allow the nation, through a free vote in the House, to express an opinion on the two sites, closely contested as the decision was? I have no idea whether the people of Scotland, Wales or the north would prefer to go to London rather than Birmingham, but at...

Points of Order (27 Feb 1996)

Mr John Butcher: On a point of order, Madam Speaker. You will be aware that, over the centuries, the House has gained its powers and privileges through its ability to deny or grant the supply of moneys to the Executive, and the decisions that the Executive makes. A decision will soon be made to spend a large amount of money—raised through public subscription—at a particular location to celebrate the...


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