Angela Smith: GeneWatch UK's campaign to press the Government to extend the directive to all SSSIs and all biodiversity action plan species is supported by many Members of the House. Will my hon. Friend address that argument when he responds to the consultation taking place on the implementation of the directive?
Angela Smith: Today we have seen the takeover of Corus UK by Tata, which will affect every one of Corus UK's 24,000 employees. Will my right hon. Friend commit the Government to adding their voice in support of continued investment in the UK steel industry? Such a commitment would be warmly welcomed by Corus workers in my constituency and elsewhere in the UK.
Angela Smith: I, too, am very pleased to be able to debate this topic, which is of critical importance to everybody in the Chamber today and to every Member of the House of Commons. It is acknowledged in all parts of the House that we still have some way to go on this issue. I agree completely with the Select Committee's conclusion that we need a review of statementing policy, and I hope that at some...
Angela Smith: I agree with the hon. Gentleman. Indeed, I was about to say that it is important to distinguish in this debate between the Government's general policy approach to special educational needs and the specifics of how authorities are implementing SEN policy. The statement is at the heart of that process. We should always remember, in trying to evaluate how well we are doing in delivering the best...
Angela Smith: Will the hon. Gentleman repeat those words to Tory Wandsworth council, which will close two special schools later this year, against parents' wishes?
Angela Smith: I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way again; he is being very generous. He has just quoted the drop in the number of special school places in the last 10 years. During the previous 10 years—1986 to 1997—the then Tory Government closed 234 special schools, so have we not seen the process slow down, rather than speed up?
Angela Smith: Personal debt can be either secured or unsecured. Will my right hon. Friend tell the House whether there are significant differences in the overall growth of the two kinds of debt?
Angela Smith: We are all aware that it was the Conservative Government who broke the earnings link in the first place, and that in statements in the past the Opposition have made it clear that they are proud of that fact. Can my right hon. Friend inform the House about the work he has done to forge a new consensus on this significant issue?
Angela Smith: I was very pleased to hear about the development of the first three children's centres in my constituency over the coming year. Local people are telling me that it is extremely important to involve parents in the development of those centres at the earliest possible stage if they are to fulfil their role in ensuring that every young child gets the best possible start in life. Does my right...
Angela Smith: I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, West (Mr. Bailey) on securing this important debate, and my hon. Friend the Member for Llanelli (Nia Griffith) on her contribution. I shall speak—briefly, I hope—on the steel producers' perspective on the matter. I am aware that, as my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, West made clear, the debate is relevant to other...
Angela Smith: Does my right hon. Friend agree that the road transport Bill must redress the balance in favour of bus passengers, whose experience of bus travel all too often leads them to believe that business interests override passenger interests in areas such as south Yorkshire?
Angela Smith: It is important that farmers should do their bit to promote biodiversity. Will my hon. Friend the Minister therefore do more and go further to encourage environmentally friendly stewardship of the land by farmers?
Angela Smith: Major industries in my constituency, such as Corus Engineering Steels, are concerned about the impact of the scheme on their ability to compete. If we are helping to create a genuinely global carbon market, will it be likely to draw in the countries that initially stayed out of the Kyoto process, such as the United States?
Angela Smith: I thank my right hon. Friend for the prompt and sensible response to today's Ofsted report, but will he reassure hon. Members that pupil referral units and home hospital education services—indeed, any organisation involved in educating and training our young people—will also have to keep those records?
Angela Smith: Is it not the case that, in the long term, this initiative not only promises to be cost-effective and to save the health service money, but to offer long-term improvements in health care for our population?
Angela Smith: What recent assessment he has made of the impact of the climate change levy on carbon emissions.
Angela Smith: I am sure that every Government Member accepts that the levy plays a significant role in reducing carbon emissions. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is an industry-friendly measure, given the incentives that it provides to improve energy efficiency and thus the cost-effectiveness of British business?
Angela Smith: My hon. Friend will be aware that the proposals affect my part of south Yorkshire, too, including the villages of Langsett, Midhopestones and Bolsterstone. I am therefore pleased that he has made a commitment to a meeting, and I hope that he will invite all the MPs in south Yorkshire who are affected.
Angela Smith: Does my hon. Friend acknowledge that the Government have already done a great deal to direct resources to deprived areas? Excellence in cities is a good example of the Government directing resources to where they are needed.
Angela Smith: I acknowledge the hon. Lady's kind words about Labour Sheffield, but if the Government have weighted their policy so heavily towards inclusion, why have authorities such as Sheffield been able to develop such a broad spectrum of provision?