Monday 28th March 2011

(13 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Baroness Primarolo Portrait Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)
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The hon. Gentleman knows, I think, that it is not within my power to undertake such things, but I think the Secretary of State wishes to raise a point further to that point of order.

Michael Gove Portrait The Secretary of State for Education (Michael Gove)
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Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Thank you, first, for the gracious way in which you acknowledged that my memory, although it may be capacious, cannot remember everything. But on this occasion, I do remember. The opinion poll concerned was a YouGov opinion poll conducted between the 19 and 20 January, which showed that 44% of people aged 18 to 24 were opposed to the abolition of the education maintenance allowance, and 45% of people in that age group supported the abolition of EMA, which meant that there was a one-point lead for the Government position. Coincidentally, that is the lead that the Conservatives enjoy over Labour in the latest post-Budget opinion poll published in my favourite newspaper, The Guardian.

Baroness Primarolo Portrait Madam Deputy Speaker
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I am grateful, Secretary of State, but we are talking about only the one opinion poll.