Andrew Pelling: rose-
Andrew Pelling: I think that the Minister is quite wrong to describe my behaviour as aggressive, and I greatly resent the suggestion. The Minister is being very earnest, and I believe that the electorate understand and appreciate that approach. Nevertheless, would it not be right to say that the information that we are not allowed to share strongly leads with the financial concerns of London NHS? It is...
Andrew Pelling: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Andrew Pelling: The clinical language itself shows the falsity of the approach. There is talk of a 70 per cent. reduction in A and E visits and a 30 per cent. reduction in visits to GPs. Surely that is just unobtainable.
Andrew Pelling: My arithmetic suggests that I have three minutes and 20 seconds. It is important for me to take part in the debate; I feel that I owe my return to good health to the NHS. There is great loyalty to the NHS, and all parties will reflect that. The consultation process is a matter of concern. We often had debates 30 years ago about how the ability to influence education was a secret garden. In...
Andrew Pelling: That is an excellent point, and I am sure that other hon. Members have excellent points to make, so I shall finish my remarks there.
Andrew Pelling: Liberal voters.
Andrew Pelling: I congratulate the hon. Lady on securing this debate. She and her Liberal Democrat colleagues set the bar in terms of community politics. Is not one of the reasons for the delay in the process the timing of the general election and the desire not to have a full discussion on this matter, so that voters cannot express their view on it? Is it not disappointing that the Labour party is very...
Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many days were lost to industrial action in Wales in 2009.
Andrew Pelling: The hon. Gentleman is singing the praises of the legislation, but does not seem to have any criticisms of it. Were he to make an extended contribution, is there he any danger that he might be perceived as actually being less positive about the legislation than his comments would imply?
Andrew Pelling: Can the hon. Gentleman detail any criticism he has of the Bill?
Andrew Pelling: Whether the Church Commissioners allocate funding to the Church of England for the purpose of assisting the consideration of applications for minster status.
Andrew Pelling: Would it be possible, when God oversees this process, to put aside the issues of mammon? The business community in Croydon is pushing the idea of minster status, but is it more a matter for the religious ministry of the Church and its Christian care and compassion within the diocese?
Andrew Pelling: What recent guidance the Law Officers' Departments have issued to Government Departments on the legal rights of local authorities undertaking joint venture property investments.
Andrew Pelling: I am grateful to the Solicitor-General for that answer, because it gives me the opportunity to highlight what might be appropriate practice for supporting local authorities that get involved in joint ventures on the basis of property speculation, as Croydon is doing. I appreciate that the economics might be a matter for another Department, but would she think it appropriate to give local...
Andrew Pelling: I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing this debate. I, too, have signed the early-day motion. Would the hon. Gentleman agree that there might be some merit in debating the type of tax? The Tobin tax can reduce liquidity and the ease of trading. Would it not be better to go down the route suggested by the Conservative party in the distant past of a windfall tax, which taxes the taxpayer...
Andrew Pelling: Is such displacement of chessmen recognition, in many ways, of the decline of the economy of Trondheim in that part of the middle ages? After all, that part of Scotland has Scandinavian connections. Most importantly, would the Minister accept the rationality of arguing for the exceptional support for the local economy if people were travelling to see the chessmen? Leaving aside issues of...
Andrew Pelling: The hon. Gentleman is reasonable in his acceptance that there should be a British museum in Lewis, which I tend to think of as a third country, separate from both Scotland and England. Could there not be some reciprocity in the process? Richard II's remains are as yet undiscovered. Will the hon. Gentleman use his good offices to lobby the Scottish Government to make a contribution to...
Andrew Pelling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the implementation of recommendations made by Sir Michael Lyons in his review of public sector relocation.
Andrew Pelling: I am very mindful that others wish to speak, so I shall be brief. The Minister constantly refers to the way in which these are local initiatives, but it has been clear in the debates from the four quarters of London that a single blueprint is being pursued on these proposals. I have a great deal of admiration for the hon. Members for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr. Davey) and for Richmond Park...