Stephen Lloyd: I, too, pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman for his work. It has been a pleasure to work with him on this issue and I support his amendment. In a nutshell, on the moral case, the parliamentary ombudsman and Sir John Chadwick both said in writing in advance that all the annuitants should be treated equally and that these annuitants should not be excluded, not least because they are the oldest...
Stephen Lloyd: I accept my hon. Friend's premise that the amount is considerably higher than the previous Government proposed. I also accept that we are in a desperate situation in which we are paying £120 million a day to service a debt. That is outrageous and clearly we must focus on that. However, a way around the challenge is the one that I have presented to the Economic Secretary to the Treasury,...
Stephen Lloyd: Talking of hypocrisy, does the right hon. Lady agree with her party's leader, the right hon. Member for Doncaster Central, who said on the "Today" programme in April, "as we look forward" regeneration spending is "not the biggest priority we face" as there are "other competing priorities."? Is that not hypocrisy writ large?
Stephen Lloyd: rose-
Stephen Lloyd: In the past 12 months, Eastbourne borough council restructured its senior management, producing a more dynamic and customer-focused team, while cutting the cost of its senior team by £300,000 a year. Does the Secretary of State agree that other local authorities can follow the example of Eastbourne borough council, saving money for the taxpayer and bringing local authority executive pay...
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether primary care trust baseline funding will include an allocation for disabled children's services in 2011-12.
Stephen Lloyd: Will the Minister update me on the progress of the reserved forces review, mentioned in the SDSR, and confirm that there will be no cuts to 56 Signal Squadron? It is partly based in my constituency, and I personally had the good fortune to witness the skill and dedication of its members during the cold snap, when, if it had not been for them, I think my local hospital would have struggled to...
Stephen Lloyd: I pay tribute to many who have spoken this evening, including my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon), who made a number of rational and intelligent suggestions in respect of the Australian system that I have not heard before, which I commend. I also pay tribute to the police force in my constituency. I work closely with it, and spoke with the operational commander on Sunday...
Stephen Lloyd: My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and I thank him for his intervention. The overall statistics show that well over 50% of violent crimes involve alcohol. It is absolutely shocking. A number of colleagues talked about the cheap price of alcohol. The right hon. Member for Leicester East (Keith Vaz) declared that he did not drink cheap drinks or what-have-you-I am sure that he does not, and...
Stephen Lloyd: There are many approved, well established and highly reputable English language schools in my constituency. I support much of the statement's content, but I am profoundly concerned about any further delay in sorting the problem with people coming to the UK to study English at such schools. I urge the Home Secretary to agree to meet me, a cross-party delegation of MPs and the Immigration...
Stephen Lloyd: I understand and appreciate that there is some merit in the Government's decision to simplify legal aid and that the costs in recent years have spiralled and become unsustainable, particularly at a time like this. Considering what the hon. Member for Westminster North (Ms Buck) has said, however, I feel that the decision has not really been fully thought through. The impact to local legal...
Stephen Lloyd: I thank the hon. Gentleman for that intervention. Although the overall legal aid budget has spiralled out of control, I have real concerns about the Government's proposals-they are based on the previous Government's proposals, which is one of the ironies-for changing legal aid. I do have concerns, which I why I am here this morning.
Stephen Lloyd: I thank the hon. Lady for that intervention. That is a fair comment, and I certainly will not dispute the facts of what she says. I was talking about the upwards of £250,000 that the two charities in Eastbourne stand to lose. They use that funding to support more than 1,500 of the town's most vulnerable residents with complex debt, benefit and housing problems, many of which have been...
Stephen Lloyd: That is a fair point, and I look forward to hearing exactly how the Minister will respond. I recognise that these are difficult economic times and that the Ministry of Justice faces incredibly difficult budgetary decisions. However, I am concerned that without a clear alternative for resourcing and supporting preventive advice in particular, the proposals will increase the demands not only on...
Stephen Lloyd: On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Can the Secretary of State give me an update on the longer-term commitment for the feed-in-
Stephen Lloyd: Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. Like everyone, I congratulate my hon. Friend-
Stephen Lloyd: A few Members in the Chamber may know that I am rather hard of hearing, but I have discovered since being elected that in politics there are some advantages to being hard of hearing. However, I will leave that to those in the Chamber to determine. Like everyone else, I would like to congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole (Annette Brooke) on bringing this debate...
Stephen Lloyd: My hon. Friend hits the nail on the head, not least because-this is the conclusion that I have come to-a fair number of disreputable home owners know each other. The practice has been going on for years and, bluntly, it is a scam. Therefore, I am afraid that, as a light-touch, business-wing Liberal, I am going to ask the Minister for more regulation, and I would urge him to come forward with...
Stephen Lloyd: Although I support the recent changes to access to work, which have offered a reassurance to prospective employers that they will be able to use ATW, I am concerned that the money available is to be reduced. Will the Minister reassure me that the access to work fund will always be adequate as the Government's policies rightly help more disabled people back into work?
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to set a limit on the amount each approved prime contractor under the Work Programme can charge for administration purposes when sub-contracting provision.