Ian Pearson: ...as things stand, that does not apply. We cannot know the specific stabilisation options and the particular circumstances of a failing bank in the future, and what might need to be done. Even if the Government were to introduce measures such as new clauses 4 and 5, the powers in clause 72 would still be necessary. As I said in Committee, it is not possible to provide an exhaustive list of...
Peter Lilley: .... The excessive lending, which exceeded not only that of America but that of the rest of the world, was a British-made problem. The failures of regulation by the regulatory system introduced by this Government were at least as severe as those in America. It was those mistakes, and not sub-prime mortgage lending, that brought down Northern Rock, then Bradford & Bingley and finally HBOS. It...
Julia Goldsworthy: .... Gentleman did not say what the Conservatives would do as an alternative. Does not that go against everything that the Chancellor claimed that he was trying to achieve in his PBR on Monday? If the Government were serious about delivering tax changes that would make a real difference to disposable income, we should have expected some significant changes to how local government is funded,...
Nigel Waterson: ...before the summer. However, I am pleased to say that during the summer, wisdom prevailed; organisations such as the CBI, the British Venture Capital Association and others made it clear that if the Government were not careful, and overdid things, they could jeopardise genuine turnaround situations and legitimate business models that give the security to which I referred earlier. In the...
Lord Waddington: .... They were happy to risk young people thinking that they could smoke it without risk. It really is of some significance. You can see from that press release that at that time, back in 2001, the Government were minded to go ahead. They said that they thought that classifying cannabis as a class C drug would be the right approach and were hoping that the advisory council would agree with...
Nigel Waterson: ...that they would like us all to take down to the shops immediately and spend. We face a huge number of amendments from the Government and just a sprinkling from the Opposition—ones on which the Government were defeated in the Lords or that the Government were good enough to accept. To that extent, there will be a reasonably pre-festive season air about this evening. Having said that, the...
Mickey Brady: ...voluntary and community sector entered into a compact. The resulting document that was developed set out principles under which the relationship between the voluntary and community sector and the Government were to be conducted. Partners for Change was mentioned. That initiative tried to make the compact workable by setting out departmental actions for the sector, alongside examples of...
Mark Durkan: ...be more proactive with the banks. Mr Robinson also referred to the Lord Chief Justice, who is considering a special protocol on home repossessions. When the Prime Minister indicated that the British Government were planning to take the matter up with the Lord Chief Justice in England, I enquired from the Ministry of Justice and from the NIO about how the matter would be dealt with here,...
Christopher Chope: The Government were very sympathetic to workers at JCB who accepted a reduction in pay in order to try to remain competitive and keep their jobs—but that flexibility is not available to people on the minimum wage. Will the Government extend the same flexibility to people on the minimum wage, so that if they choose to accept a lower wage in order to retain the right to work, they can do so?
Geoff Hoon: ...arrangements for fare increases and it was made very clear to the Association of Train Operating Companies that they should take account of the present economic circumstances. To that extent, the Government were clearly and consistently setting out their policy to deal with the present situation. It is important to acknowledge that some 60 per cent. of the total fares are regulated fares,...
Andrew Tyrie: ...Equitable's finances were okay and that Equitable was sustainable. They joined the organisation at a time when everybody should have known that Equitable was, in fact, in a parlous state. While the Government were giving those assurances, the Government Actuary's Department was asleep on the job. The report makes that perfectly clear—asleep on the job just about fits the bill for the...
James Clappison: ...to other parts of the country. Hertfordshire county council was left on the floor, which is a protective mechanism. Local residents are still feeling the effects of that decision, about which the Government were warned at the time.
Pat McFadden: ...a mixture of Government and Industry contributions. The Office of the e-Envoy led the project in conjunction with industry partners from the HCI Alliance (BT, Intel and Microsoft). The only costs to Government were our initial start up contribution of £370,000 + staff resources. Memoranda of understanding between the Office of the e-Envoy and each key partner and Department was drawn up...
Gillian Merron: ...wealth of experience we have on this issue. We expect to make a statement at the Human Rights Council in March 2009 in response to the Special Rapporteur's presentation of her report there. The Government were pleased that, during her visit to the UK in June 2007, the Special Rapporteur was able to meet a wide range of government officials, political leaders, legal professionals, academics...
Lord Bach: ...the PAT (E&W) jurisdiction into the Social Entitlement Chamber. Following discussions with the Confederation of British Service and ex-Service Organisations (COBSEO) and other stakeholders, the Government were convinced that the best outcome for service and ex-service men and women was to establish a separate chamber. The Government believe this approach properly reflects the special...
Lord McKenzie of Luton: ...all key stakeholders, including Citizens Advice and Shelter. These organisations, among others, made representations in response to the proposed changes to the back-dating rules, and as a result the Government were able to agree to an amendment to the original proposal. We have now introduced a six-month back-dating provision for working-age customers, and we will review these arrangements...
Bill Wiggin: ...reform next year. Given that much of the work on quota reform was apparently completed by last year and that, when he was the Minister, the hon. Member for Chatham and Aylesford claimed that the Government were ready to consult on proposals last autumn, they need to explain why we will need to wait yet another year to see their plans for the future of quota management. Also buried within...
Jonathan Djanogly: ...-style language and the high tests proposed, in which all reasonable steps had to be taken forthwith by or on behalf of the party for verification, have thankfully now been removed. However, the Government were in danger of imposing anti-money laundering-style regulations on parties and donors. The consequential regulatory burden that would have been imposed could have been devastating,...
Edward Garnier: ...hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick). Were it not for his amendment, I think that we would be hovering somewhere above 50 days and trying to get some reduction from the 90 days that the then Government were trying to achieve. I agree with my hon. Friend that 28 days is in many respects a jurisdictional aberration, but it is where we are. We have settled on that figure for the...
David Heathcoat-Amory: .... That is after taking account of the benefits of carbon dioxide reductions if the measures are implemented. There is an acknowledged mean cost of between £6 billion to £7 billion and yet the Government were advocating that we went ahead and accepted and enforced the regulations, which at that time were in draft form. Even more puzzling is the fact that the Conservative party appeared to...