Jo Swinson: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, for calling me to make my maiden speech. I begin by congratulating my fellow Members who have already made their maiden speeches so well today. The first was the hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Mr. MacNeil), who made an excellent contribution. Fortunately, the constituencies of those who followed him were somewhat easier to pronounce. We heard from the...
Jo Swinson: Does my hon. Friend agree that the situation is equally ridiculous north of the border? The Member of Parliament for Glasgow, North, the constituency next to mine, was elected by less than one in five of the registered voters. Across Scotland, Labour won over 70 per cent. of the seats with less than 40 per cent. of the votes. Does my hon. Friend agree that this is unfair?
Jo Swinson: Although I admit that the Labour Government have achieved a great amount in terms of constitutional reform and devolution, the voting system in Scotland under the devolved Administration is a proportional system. Would the Minister not agree that it is about time that we moved into the 21st century and did the same in Westminster? If it is good enough for setting up a new Parliament with a...
Jo Swinson: Let me first congratulate the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown) on securing this debate on an important issue. I want to touch on three points: local consultation, permitted development rights and the inclusion of health implications in the planning process. I know—not just from my mailbag, from my email inbox and from knocking on doors—that this is an issue in my...
Jo Swinson: I welcome this debate on a subject that is of great concern to many of my constituents in East Dunbartonshire. The Conservative Members who have spoken are certainly right in one respect—the current system of council tax places an unfair burden on many people, particularly those on low incomes such as pensioners. Across the country, council tax bills have risen faster than inflation as...
Jo Swinson: I welcome the hon. Gentleman to the House. He will recall that the Liberal Democrats in Scotland consistently argued that the council tax was unfair. Through the many negotiations in which the Liberal Democrats have taken part, we have secured many policy commitments that the people of England and Wales do not enjoy, such as free personal care for the elderly and the abolition of tuition...
Jo Swinson: That demonstrates my point. If you check the figures, you will find that in Richmond, which many people see as affluent—
Jo Swinson: I apologise, Mr. Deputy Speaker. If the hon. Gentleman checks the Library figures for Richmond, which many people would agree is an affluent area, he will see that it has an average household income of £27,000 a year. People tend to forget that most households do not have two full-time wage earners. Many households are made up of pensioners, one person earning a wage or people working...
Jo Swinson: Will the Minister comment on the timetable of the digital switchover? It is of particular importance for Scotland, as the borders area is due to be switched over in 2008 and the rest of Scotland in 2009. In particular, will he discuss what steps he will take regarding affordability—for example, for those households that currently receive analogue but may not have upgraded to digital in...
Jo Swinson: Given that the majority of carers in Britain are women and that carers save the UK economy £57 billion a year, does the hon. and learned Lady agree that it is a grave injustice that the contribution of carers, which is as valuable as paid employment, is not adequately recognised? That lack of recognition leaves many women pensioners in poverty because they have not had the opportunity to...
Jo Swinson: Does my hon. Friend agree with my constituent, Mr. Dave Clark, who relocated to the Aberdeen office when the Glasgow office closed two years ago, that the loss of the facility is likely to result in the total loss to the Met Office of highly trained staff and the detailed local knowledge of Scotland's weather?
Jo Swinson: I apologise for the fact that I was unable to be in the Chamber for the first few minutes of the debate, especially as the whole debate has been so positive and enjoyable. Such a spirit of celebration and consensus is particularly appropriate on the day before the recess. I warmly congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Cheadle (Mark Hunter) on an excellent maiden speech. He knows,...
Jo Swinson: I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on securing this debate on gas and oil prices and supply. It is particularly timely given the huge hikes in oil prices over the summer months. The impact of the hurricanes in the US, coupled with uncertainty in the middle east, has inflated the price of fuel. I would like to focus on what that means for people in our...
Jo Swinson: What discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues about the proposed closure of the Aberdeen meteorological office.
Jo Swinson: Bearing in mind the unique nature of Scotland's weather, does the Minister feel that it is appropriate for Scotland to be left with no civil meteorological office? Is he happy that the Aberdeen meteorological office, which is a centre of excellence with great links to the marine and energy industries, may well close, with all forecasting being done 600 miles away in Exeter?
Jo Swinson: Will the Minister accept that longer hours will not make people drink less, so they will not address the problem of binge drinking? If he wants evidence, he should look at Scotland where alcohol consumption rose after relaxation of the drinking laws and where binge drinking is still a problem in my constituency and in the rest of the country.
Jo Swinson: Some of the difficulties with the current system of election to the Scottish Parliament have been described eloquently by the hon. Gentleman. Does he agree that there is a simple solution to the problem? It is to elect for the Scottish Parliament through a single transferable vote in constituencies that maintain the constituency link, while ensuring a degree of proportionality.
Jo Swinson: Will the Minister give way?
Jo Swinson: I welcome the opportunity to put on record my support for the Bill, particularly its provisions on micro-generation. Does the Minister agree that, by generating their own electricity at home, people will understand how much energy they use and that that will motivate them to reduce their energy use, which is key to reducing emissions overall?
Jo Swinson: Does the Minister agree that, rather than introducing drinking banning orders and such measures to tackle the problem of binge drinking, it would make more sense to allow other measures time to work before opening up bars and clubs to 24-hour drinking?
