Deputy Speaker’s Statement

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Lord Spellar

Tuesday 19th December 2023 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Eleanor Laing)]

We are about to proceed to the statement on housing. Before I call the Minister for Housing, Planning and Building Safety to make the statement, I must say to the House that Mr Speaker is seriously concerned that the ministerial code may have been broken.

It will be obvious to the House that the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is not here to make the statement, which is not unusual. The Minister is here, and we welcome him, but I remind the House of the following provisions of the ministerial code. In paragraph 9.1:

“When Parliament is in session, the most important announcements of Government policy should be made in the first instance, in Parliament.”

In paragraph 9.3:

“Every effort should be made to avoid leaving significant announcements to the last day before a recess.”

The House may not be aware, but Mr Speaker is aware, that the Secretary of State held a televised press conference just after 12 o’clock today—while this House was sitting but while it was still dealing with questions, as we always do between 11.30 am and 12.30 pm—and that just after 12.30 pm, while the House was dealing with questions and some two hours before the Minister came to the House, the Secretary of State made this statement to journalists.

Several Members have, not surprisingly, made very reasonable complaints to Mr Speaker about this very serious discourtesy to the House, and it really must be noted that it is not a trivial matter. A senior Secretary of State made an important policy announcement on television, and now the Minister—I place no blame upon the Minister, whom we welcome to the House—is here two hours later. This is a gross discourtesy to this House.

[John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I cannot take a point of order until after the statement. I think it would be best to leave points of order, unless they relate absolutely directly to what I have just said.

[John Spellar]

It does, Madam Deputy Speaker.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

Then I will take the right hon. Gentleman’s point of order.

[John Spellar]

Does it not show contempt, not only for Members of Parliament and this House but for our constituents, on whose behalf we speak, that the Secretary of State made this statement to journalists rather than to this House?

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his point of order. I hope that is the point I have just made to the House. I take it that he agrees with what I, on behalf of Mr Speaker, have just said. It is a gross contempt.

Business without Debate

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Lord Spellar

Friday 21st October 2022 Commons Chamber

[John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Is there any way of saying to the public outside, 90% of whom approve of that Bill, that it has been put off and even promised by the Government, but yet again, the Government Whips Office is blocking it? Is there any way of letting them know what is happening?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Eleanor Laing)]

No. The right hon. Gentleman asks a reasonable question, but no, there is no such way—except insofar as he has just done so.

Armenian Genocide (Recognition) Bill

Motion made, That the Bill be now read a Second time.

Business without Debate

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Lord Spellar

Friday 14th January 2022 Commons Chamber

[John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Is there any way in our procedure that we can make it clear to the public outside that this measure—the Government claim they want to see trophy hunting banned and the public overwhelmingly do—has once again, on the instruction of Ministers, been blocked by a Government Whip?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Eleanor Laing)]

There is indeed a way. We have run out of time for the Bill today. The right hon. Gentleman and anybody observing our proceedings will note that there were a great many Bills, and obviously there was just not time for all of them. However, the right hon. Gentleman has named Friday 18 March as the day on which the matter will come before the House again, and I hope that anyone watching our proceedings who is interested in this matter will tune in then and hear what he has to say.

Armenian Genocide (Recognition) Bill

Motion made, That the Bill be now read a Second time.

Business without Debate

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Lord Spellar

Friday 10th December 2021 Commons Chamber

[John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker, is there any way of putting on the record that this immensely popular Bill, both in this House and with the public, has been blocked by a Government Whip when the Government have still not produced their own Bill?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Eleanor Laing)]

There is no way of putting that point on record. We have now had repetition, deviation and opportunism.

Armenian Genocide (Recognition) Bill

Motion made, That the Bill be now read a Second time.

Virtual Participation in Debate

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Lord Spellar

Tuesday 24th November 2020 Commons Chamber

[John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)]

This is also a discourtesy because some Members of the House had considerable objections to the make-up of that particular body. They wanted to ask questions, for example, as to how much these people were going to be paid, along with their civil service salary. We also wanted to ask questions about the social composition of the grouping, but we have been deprived of that opportunity peremptorily—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Eleanor Laing)]

Order. The right hon. Gentleman is not addressing the matter before us. I am not having filibustering.

--- Later in debate ---

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

There are various stages of a closure motion: the granting of the closure motion, the taking of the closure motion and the substantive question that may or may not then be put. Proxy votes do not count for the calculation of the quorum necessary, which, as the right hon. Lady knows well, is 100.

[John Spellar]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Could you clarify whether it is 100 Members voting or 100 Members voting in the Aye Lobby?

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I will come back to that point.