Business of the House

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering Excerpts

Thursday 17th May 2012 Commons Chamber

[Sir George Young]

I applaud my hon. Friend’s suggestion that we reawaken in young people an interest in a career in manufacturing. I know that the Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, my hon. Friend the Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr Hayes) will be interested in taking this dialogue forward. I commend the number of Vauxhalls that my hon. Friend the Member for Nuneaton (Mr Jones) has had, although I am not sure why he needed so many. Today’s announcement by General Motors of the move from two shifts to three is indeed good news for Merseyside, as is the confirmation that the new Astra will be built in the UK.

[Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con)]

May I add my congratulations to the hon. Member for North East Derbyshire (Natascha Engel) on being returned unopposed to the chairmanship of the Backbench Business Committee? May I also ask the Leader of the House for an early debate in Government time on guidance on how the national planning policy framework is to be applied by local councils? There seems to be a lot of confusion among planning authorities over the circumstances in which a planning application may be called in, and I do not think that the questions of regional and national importance are fully understood. An early debate on this matter would be most helpful.

[Sir George Young]

We had a debate on the national planning policy framework in the last days of the previous Session, so I cannot promise another in the near future, but my hon. Friend raises an important issue which I will share with Ministers at the Department for Communities and Local Government. I will also ask the Secretary of State to write to her to try to address the particular concern that she has raised.