Paul Goodman: The Minister is now adding "within reason". I hope that, when he says that, he is not indicating that he would not be prepared—I apologise for the double negative—to meet a body of my constituents if they wished to come to see him about these matters. I may make such an approach to him and I trust that he will respond favourably.
Paul Goodman: I support new clause 20. My hon. Friend the Member for Grantham and Stamford (Mr. Davies) put the case for it very well, as did the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael), the Liberal Democrat spokesman, who made a powerful case and said that he looked forward, as I do, to hearing what the Minister could possibly say that justified the rejection of the new clause. My hon....
Paul Goodman: In relation to the future government of Iraq, the Secretary of State for Wales said at the weekend: "What is crucial is that the UN is put in charge after the interim transitional arrangements. That is vital to us and the whole of the European Union." Is that the Government's view?
Paul Goodman: Does the Foreign Secretary believe that without a UN resolution, the coalition will represent "an occupying army" with no legal right to reconstruct Iraq? That is the view of the Secretary of State for International Development, who is in her place; is it the view of the Government?
Paul Goodman: Would my hon. Friend like to comment on the following words: "The pension credit unquestionably adds further complexity to an already Byzantine system of retirement provision, which is causing confusion for pensioners, pension providers and those saving for their old age."? That is a quote from the report of the Select Committee on Work and Pensions, of which the hon. Member for Regent's...
Paul Goodman: The right hon. Gentleman mentioned means-testing. According to the most recent take-up figures, did take-up of income support, jobseeker's allowance, council tax benefit and housing benefit go up or down?
Paul Goodman: I am certainly happy to acknowledge that I signed up to the report on the pension credit—if the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (James Purnell) will also acknowledge that he signed up to its concluding paragraph, which states: "However, the Pension Credit unquestionably adds further complexity to an already byzantine system of retirement provision, which is causing confusion for...
Paul Goodman: Will the Secretary of State remind the House how many mutilation beatings, shootings, forced exiles and acts of intimidation have been carried out by republicans over the past year? Given those facts, how much trust does he think can be placed in an organisation that speaks the language of peace and justice on the one hand and commits such evil acts on the other?
Paul Goodman: rose—
Paul Goodman: On the subject of local government settlements, will the right hon. Gentleman promise the House that he will hold an urgent meeting with Fiona Millar, a chairman of governors in London, who has complained about the fact that the local government settlement has moved money from the south-east to the north? If he does not know where to find her, I advise him to look in 10 Downing street, where...
Paul Goodman: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Paul Goodman: The hon. Member for City of Chester (Ms Russell) said a few moments ago that she had listened to the debate with great interest. I am sure that listening to debates is an experience that she is used to, because I believe that this is in fact her first speech in the Chamber since the 2001 election.
Paul Goodman: She shakes her head, and I should be happy to give way if she wished to correct me on that point. I believe, however, that this is her first speech since the election and I presume that we can expect another one in 2005, which will presumably be after the next general election. I want to say to her and to other Labour Members in all seriousness that, if she had been ill during the course of...
Paul Goodman: I should be very happy to do that, and to turn my attention to the speech that the Minister made earlier. He referred to the grant provided by Buckinghamshire county council. He said, quite correctly, that that grant increase was about 6 per cent. and, again quite correctly, that it was well above the rate of inflation. What he failed to point out, however, represents an important aspect of...
Paul Goodman: I should be happy to give way to the hon. Gentleman, whose loquacious although sometimes wandering speech I very much enjoyed.
Paul Goodman: I am glad to have given the hon. Gentleman a chance to display his sensitivities to the House. I should now like to refer to what David Hart said about the school funding crisis, which is no laughing matter. He said that 70 redundancy notices have already gone out in Essex, and that more are likely in Devon, Gloucestershire and Bournemouth; between 50 and 55 according to "This is Dorset". I...
Paul Goodman: I am sorry, but I want to leave time for my hon. Friends. I am worried not about the possibility that Ministers do not care, but about the complacency and backward looking, as described by Conservative speeches today, with regard to the problems faced by those of us in the south-east in constituencies such as mine. I believe that those problems will only get worse if Ministers continue to...
Paul Goodman: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, for welcoming us so warmly to this debate on school funding, which it is a great privilege to have secured. I begin by paying tribute to the hard work of the many heads, teachers and governors whom I have been fortunate enough to meet in the past two years during my continuing effort to visit every primary and secondary school in the Wycombe constituency before...
Paul Goodman: I am sure that the Minister will listen with interest to my hon. Friend's remarks. Redundancy notices are also likely to be issued in Devon, Gloucestershire, Bournemouth, Poole, Torbay, Plymouth and Barnet. Nick Butt, the head of St. Edmund's primary school in King's Lynn, Norfolk, which is near, if not in, the constituency of the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, is leaving his...
Paul Goodman: Is the hon. Gentleman aware of what the Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government, which is surely dominated by Government Members, has said of the funding formula? Hon. Members will be interested to know that it said: "The result is that many of the new formulae do not appear to be evidence-based and can be criticised for being insufficiently robust and more open to judgment...