Simon Hart: I am grateful to you for calling me, Mr. Deputy Speaker, but not half as grateful as my family and friends in the Public Gallery, who I rather naively suggested should be here at half-past two. I pay tribute to all who have made their maiden speeches today. There was one common theme: each was better than the last-a pattern that I confidently expect to bring to an early closure. While I am...
Simon Hart: The Prime Minister will be aware of the vital contribution of the 23,000 Territorial Army and other reservists who have fought in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Balkans in the last six years. So far, 22 have lost their lives in those operations, and the ones who survive are twice as likely to get post-traumatic stress disorder than their regular counterparts. What recognition and support can my...
Simon Hart: I endorse the comments of the hon. Member for Copeland (Mr Reed). All of us who represent rural communities-I represent one on the west coast of Wales-can only imagine how dreadful an experience the event that we are discussing must have been. Everyone in the House and elsewhere will be reflecting on the things that the hon. Gentleman put so eloquently, and on the measured response that he...
Simon Hart: Yes, I have. Responses such as the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and legislation passed by a Conservative Government in relation to handguns did not achieve the objectives that this place and the public wanted, which is why there has been an ongoing debate about their effectiveness. There are also plenty of examples of people who have been adversely affected by the passing of that legislation....
Simon Hart: I absolutely agree. We cannot proceed without the facts. We cannot proceed sensibly until we have had the results of the inquiry by the Association of Chief Police Officers and of other investigations that may be associated with, or just on the fringes of, this particular incident. Yes, of course I endorse what the hon. Gentleman has said. There is increasing evidence that, in many areas, gun...
Simon Hart: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Simon Hart: I simply want to pick up on the issue of the review of mental health provision, which the hon. Gentleman rightly raised. Most people would be open-minded about such a review, and I agree that it should proceed on the basis of evidence rather than anything else, but surely there can be no distinction between people who own weapons for sport and people who own weapons as part of their...
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on encouraging the relocation of businesses to Wales.
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department expects to allocate to the Learning Outside the Classroom programme in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial support his Department provides to small and medium-sized businesses who allow reservists time off to train and engage in active service.
Simon Hart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely effect of the proposed reduction in the level of income support mortgage interest on (a) the number of home repossessions and (b) the level of homelessness.
Simon Hart: Like many hon. Members, I trawled through the records to see how many of my constituents had raised this matter over the last three or four years. I came to the grand total of one, and sadly, that one has subsequently died, although for completely unconnected reasons. One point of consensus in the debate is that equalisation has its merits-not everybody is against it-and that it contains an...
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had on reducing the regulatory burden on farmers; and if she will make a statement.
Simon Hart: I think that several things have struck us during the course of this debate. First, we have heard about the sheer volume of decent people who seem to have been affected by this crisis over time. Then there is the well-measured, sensible and proportionate campaign organised by EMAG, which perhaps sometimes stands apart from those conducted by other pressure groups. We have all been struck by...
Simon Hart: That is a useful contribution. I was about to restate a point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Norfolk, which reinforces the intervention by my hon. Friend the Member for Devizes (Claire Perry). The next stages are important not just for those who have struggled over the past 10 years and for the families of those who have died while waiting for justice, but for restoring the...
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for offshore wind site development as part of the spending review.
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he has discussed with Ministerial colleagues on the use of Lottery funds for the payment of value added tax repairs to listed places of worship in Wales after the Listed Places of Worship grant scheme has come to an end.
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on access to finance for small businesses.
Simon Hart: I would like to bring to my right hon. Friend's attention a particular difficulty in Wales that may be relevant. On the day that the referendum is taking place, a Welsh Assembly election is also taking place, the vote for which will use yet another different system. I wonder whether he has a view on whether we are confusing people even further, and in particular the Electoral Commission, by...
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with veterinary surgeons on her decision to put official veterinarian services out to tender; and whether she has made an estimate of the likely financial effect of the implementation of that decision on small rural veterinary practices.