Did you mean diana Abbott?
Diane Abbott: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Diane Abbott: Oh, dear.
Bill ordered to be brought in by Mr. Tony Banks, Mr. Michael Foot, Mr. Jeremy Corbyn, Ms. Dawn Primarolo, Mr. Elliot Morley, Mr. Andrew Bowden, Mr. Steve Norris, Ms. Diane Abbott, Mr. Peter Hardy, Mrs. Alice Mahon, Mr. Alan Meale and Mr. James Lamond.
Bill ordered to be brought in by Ms. Dawn Primarolo, Mrs. Alice Mahon, Mrs. Audrey Wise, Mr. Jeremy Corbyn, Mr. David Hinchliffe, Mr. Bob Cryer, Ms. Diane Abbott, Mr. Dennis Skinner, Mr. Tony Banks, Mr. Brian Sedgemore and Mrs. Maria Fyfe.
Diane Abbott: Pull the other one.
Diane Abbott: May I return the Secretary of State to the subject of Wandsworth, which fascinates all of us who represent London boroughs? I want to think the best of the Secretary of State. I do not want to think that there has been a squalid fix, so will he explain why Wandsworth has the highest inner London education grant?
Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he next plans to visit Arcola street social security office
Diane Abbott: Savings as a proportion of gross domestic product have halved in the past 10 years from 8·2 per cent. under the previous Labour Government to 4·6 per cent. in 1989.
Diane Abbott: Will my right hon. and learned Friend give way?
Diane Abbott: Do not current interest rate levels make it very difficult for business to invest? Should not Trade and Industry Ministers be pressing their colleagues in the Treasury to call for a realignment in the exchange rate mechanism?
Diane Abbott: rose——
Diane Abbott: I take the hon. Gentleman's point, but in respect of monitoring by regiment, the Select Committee felt strongly that the only way to prove that the Guards were not discriminating was to monitor by cap badge
Diane Abbott: Is it true that while 27 million people in Africa face starvation—including those in Somalia—the European Economic Community is diverting aid from the third world to eastern Europe? If so, do the Government support that?
Harry Cohen: Yes, perhaps Mr. Speaker. Bill ordered to be brought in by Mr. Harry Cohen, Ms. Diane Abbott, Mr. Tony Banks, Mr. Jeremy Corbyn, Mr. Tom Cox, Mr. John Fraser, Ms. Mildred Gordon, Miss Kate Hoey, Mr. Ron Leighton. Mr. Ken Livingstone, Mr. Peter Shore and Mr. Nigel Spearing.
Diane Abbott: The Minister talks about Stalinist estates. I was in east Berlin last year. If my constituents could live in the estates that I saw there—presumably built under Stalin—they would be grateful and happy.
Diane Abbott: Does the Secretary of State accept that, as well as the plight of Chelmsford to Liverpool Street commuters, he should consider the plight of commuters in London generally? It has been revealed today that London is the most expensive commuter city in Europe—[Interruption.]
Bill ordered to be brought in by Mr. Tony Banks, Mr. Bruce Grocott, Ms. Dawn Primarolo, Mr. Don Dixon, Mr. David Winnick, Mrs. Alice Mahon, Mrs. Maria Fyfe, Mr. Paul Flynn, Mr. Martin Redmond, Ms. Diane Abbott, Mr. Jeremy Corbyn, Mr. Dennis Skinner and Mr. Harry Cohen.
Diane Abbott: They make it up.
Bill ordered to be brought in by Mr. Jeremy Corbyn, Mr. Max Madden, Mr. Dave Nellist, Ms. Diane Abbott, Mr. Chris Smith, Mr. Tony Banks, Mr. Harry Cohen, Mr. Andrew F. Bennett, Mr. Bernie Grant, Ms. Mildred Gordon, Mr. Keith Vaz, and Mr. Brian Sedgemore.
Diane Abbott: rose—