Andrew Pelling: Will the hon. and learned Gentleman give way?
Andrew Pelling: rose-
Andrew Pelling: And the House would be a great deal better off if Members were independent. On the point about overnight counting, I won by 75 votes when I stood as a Conservative candidate, and there were three recounts. Does the right hon. Gentleman not understand that it is not right in a parliamentary democracy that the people who have to do the counting should do so when they are half awake? Surely...
Andrew Pelling: Would it not be possible for Members of this House to take back that power from the Whips? It is the Whips, with their wily ways, who stop us. Surely it would be better-the debate resonates back to the Chartists-to have a referendum on allowing a fifth of us to retire every year and on having yearly elections to this Parliament. In that way, we would be closer to the people, not necessarily-
Andrew Pelling: The campaigning social issues journalist Aline Nassif revealed in the Croydon Advertiser last Friday that our population of 370,000 is covered by only three GPs between midnight and 8 am. Does the Minister really feel that that is clinically safe?
Andrew Pelling: What financial provision has been made in respect of staff redundancies at the Croydon land registry office.
Andrew Pelling: Will the Minister take a keen interest in such a decision, particularly bearing in mind the fact that the Croydon land registry managed to secure a cost per unit of £14.01, which is much better than the target of £16.54? It is the best performing office of all land registries in terms of its cost per unit. Let us bear in mind, too, the fact that the sale of the building will cost the taxpayer-
Andrew Pelling: The Prime Minister, in his statement, emphasised the importance of American investment for the prosperity of Northern Ireland. Is there also an important role for investment flows within the United Kingdom? One way to do that might be to try to get higher interest in Northern Ireland among the English media. What can the Government and the Northern Ireland Government do to encourage that?
Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether local authorities have discretion to fund police officers in addition to those funded by police authorities.
Andrew Pelling: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths of children aged (a) one to four and (b) five to 14 years (i) in total and (ii) as a result of respiratory disease there were in England and Wales in each month since 2006.
Andrew Pelling: It hardly behoves us to criticise investment in public transport, which is most welcome and quite transformative-in my constituency, the tram transformed the place in respect of employment prospects-but if a new service is being launched, there is a great danger of inflicting reputational damage if other services are being reduced. Are the Government sensitive to that concern, as it would be...
Andrew Pelling: I can never make myself clear from the back of the Chamber. The concern is that people might speak adversely about the new services if they are compromising other fast routes. I represent constituents who use Norwood Junction, which is just down the line from Sydenham, and they have already expressed their concerns to me in e-mails.
Andrew Pelling: Does this not underline the need for further investment at the Windmill Bridge junction north of East Croydon station? It is great to get the service going, but not enough money was provided for the East London line. If capacity is not increased, there will unfortunately be some passenger resistance.
Andrew Pelling: I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing the debate. I would claim to be one of the other parents, and we are all very pleased about the regenerative effect that public transport investment has. The Government have done very well in their investment in London's transport, which was particularly good under the previous Mayor. Is it not the case that given the Government's strong emphasis...
Andrew Pelling: I apologise.
Andrew Pelling: Would it be possible for the Leader of the House to provide for a debate on recognising the achievements of military men and women and on the support that they can expect on leaving Her Majesty's armed forces? Such a debate would allow me to mention Michael Lyons of the New Addington Royal British Legion, who has campaigned for repairing school memorials, and for seeking out and securing the...
Andrew Pelling: If he will assess the merits of the effort-based approach to fish stock conservation in operation in the Faroe Islands.
Andrew Pelling: Thank you for managing the business so effectively, Mr. Speaker, to get to Question 18. I am grateful for the Minister's constructive reply. In an earlier answer, he decried the discard. The common fisheries policy is hardly a green policy. Does he think it possible for the Government to draw on the lessons of the Faroe Islands to bring about a real change in it?
Andrew Pelling: Conservative and Liberal councils are delaying taking a decision on an incinerator in south-west London until after local elections. Bearing in mind that toxins and toxic materials will be issued into the atmosphere, do the Government feel that it is appropriate for such incinerators to be placed in urban areas such as south-west London?
Andrew Pelling: Many of us have confessed our local government experience, and I probably have more to confess in that respect than others, as I was elected to Croydon council in 1982, serving there until 2006, and I also served as a London Assembly Member. If I am allowed to be a little sentimental, I perhaps have an obsessive interest in local government financial settlement systems owing to the fact that...