Kevan Jones: ...to designate “up to five” Secretaries of State who can approve the warrants in the event that he or she is unable to be available. As has been raised, the obvious example was when Boris Johnson was incapacitated through covid. When we think about the issue, this measure makes sense. The ISC recognised other unique situations when a Prime Minister may not be available, for example if...
Kevan Jones: ...to designate “up to five” Secretaries of State who can approve the warrants in the event that he or she is unable to be available. As has been raised, the obvious example was when Boris Johnson was incapacitated through covid. When we think about the issue, this measure makes sense. The ISC recognised other unique situations when a Prime Minister may not be available, for example if...
Kevan Jones: But, Minister, let us be honest: a lot of things that we would have taken for granted were ignored in Downing Street over the last few years. Until Boris Johnson became Prime Minister, it had been a great part of our constitution that convention was followed. Surely it would therefore be better to have the point about notification in the Bill; otherwise, we are leaving it to the free will of...
Kevan Jones: ...there. However, page 77 of the OBR’s report shows that the Budget puts no extra money into the new schemes. I agree with my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Dame Diana Johnson): it is scandalous that no money has been allocated for the contaminated blood victims. That is cynical, and it is about kicking this issue into the general election and hoping that...
Kevan Jones: ...the Committee the longest—six years now—and what has happened over the past three years has been an attack on the Committee’s independence and our ability to scrutinise. It started with Boris Johnson’s attempt to rig the Committee by giving the Conservative party a majority on it and the chairmanship of it. That failed. We also had the delay of the Russia report for no apparent...
Kevan Jones: ..., but his commitment and dedication to its work cannot be questioned. I wish him well for the future. I also thank my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Dame Diana Johnson). I agree with the Chair of the ISC, the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Dr Lewis), that the Home Affairs Committee’s gain is our loss: she was a dedicated member of the Committee and...
Kevan Jones: I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Riverside (Kim Johnson) on securing this urgent question and join her in thanking the security services and the members of the emergency services who were involved. It has been widely reported that TATP was used in this attack. As my hon. Friend the Member for St Helens North (Conor McGinn) said from the Front Bench, in 2018 the...
Kevan Jones: ...constituency and many others represented by Members across the House. I never got an explanation in Committee of part 2 and the covenant. As my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Riverside (Kim Johnson) said—and the Royal British Legion is quite clear on this—this is a breach of the covenant. We are creating a situation in which members of the armed forces will not have the rights...
Kevan Jones: ...Legion and the service charities that not only make sure we remember but support those who have been affected by war. Along with my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Dame Diana Johnson), I thank the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. I was a commissioner for eight years and it was a great privilege to work with those men and women who work tirelessly throughout the...
Kevan Jones: ...some of the things that we are asking individuals to undertake are not pleasant, but it is vital work for keeping us safe. Like my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Dame Diana Johnson), I pay tribute to not only the brave individuals who provide information but the men and women of our security services who work day in, day out to keep us safe.
Kevan Jones: ...Conservative Members here to tell those contenders that a reply to those letters would be helpful. It was especially remarkable that the right hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) visited a yard in Glasgow last week and was clearly not even briefed on the vessels. It was a good debate, and we need to keep having these debates and talking about these issues because...
Kevan Jones: ..., at the chalkface in classrooms, teachers and headteachers are struggling to manage budgets. I accept what people are saying about the right hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson); he has discovered the magic money tree, which we were told did not exist—actually, if we look at all his commitments, we see that he has discovered an entire equatorial rainforest of...
Kevan Jones: ...a right to request a more predictable contract, and address the obstacles employees can face in building up continuous service.” My hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Diana Johnson) just mentioned the increase to two years of the length of time required to get full employment rights. How would someone get their rights enacted if they did not have the two years of...
Kevan Jones: ...decision was taken was shameless. As my hon. Friend has already said, we met the CCG in September and there was no mention of the contract at all. I want to ask why. One of my constituents, Keith Johnson, raised concerns and the CCG responded: “GPs have responsibility to make best use of NHS resources and need up to date evidence and advice to be able to treat patients in practice or to...
Kevan Jones: ...also to the merchant navy, and I look forward to the Government introducing legislation to mirror this provisions for the merchant navy. I join the Minister in paying tribute to Professor Paul Johnson, professor of sociology at York University, who not only gave evidence to the Committee but in my conversations with him assisted me and ensured that I understood that the legislation...
Kevan Jones: My right hon. Friend should be congratulated, along with my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle (Alan Johnson), who brought in the IAPT—improving access to psychological therapies—programme. It was a revolutionary system for dealing with access to mental health services. Is not it the case that this Government, even though they obviously think that there...
Kevan Jones: .... As my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham North said, this goes to the heart of our democracy. People must have the democratic right to be on the register. My hon. Friend referred to Lyndon Johnson, and I, too, have just finished reading the latest version of Robert Caro’s fourth book on Johnson, which I recommend as essential reading to all Members. It is important to ensure that...
Kevan Jones: ...reality of what this country is facing hits them. We heard a rant from the hon. Member for Southend West (Mr Amess) and, frankly, a very strange speech from the hon. Member for Orpington (Joseph Johnson), who clearly had read something about the gilt market but did not quite understand how it works. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley Central (Dan Jarvis) on an...
Kevan Jones: My hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Diana Johnson) raises the support that the British Legion gave to the appointment of a chief coroner. I know from my time as a Minister in the Ministry of Defence that that was supported by a range of service charities and by the families federations. If we are not to have a chief coroner, can the Minister explain how we will get...
Kevan Jones: ...Gunner S Vanua 12. Ellen Paddock 22 April 2008 23,934.04 13. Marine RJ Watson 2 May 2008 3,096.78 14. Nimrod 6 May 2008 102,336.84 Flight Lieutenant S Johnson Flight Lieutenant L Mitchelmore Flight Lieutenant GR Nicholas Flight Lieutenant J Squires Flight Lieutenant S Swarbrick Flight Sergeant GW...