Iraq: Coalition Against ISIL

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Friday 26th September 2014 Commons Chamber

[John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Prime Minister has informed us that he will take action without parliamentary authority if he feels it necessary. May I place on record an appeal to you, Mr Speaker, that if there is any indication of further action beyond the remit of this motion, that you consider yourself to have the power to convene the House?

[Mr Speaker]

I am guided by and must operate within the Standing Orders of the House. I am not under the Standing Orders of the House so empowered. However, for the time being—I say this in the best possible spirit—I will simply note that the hon. Gentleman has expressed his view with his customary force. It is on the record.

Criminal Justice and Courts Bill

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Monday 12th May 2014 Commons Chamber

[John McDonnell]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am sure the Minister does not wish to mislead the House about the processes of this House. I would like absolute clarity. I am a Back-Bench Member dealing with this part of the Bill on day one, which is considering this part the Bill. On the basis of the programme motion, this part of the Bill will not come back for consideration on day two, so this is my last opportunity to consider the matter unless the other place amends the Bill on this point. I will not have the opportunity to take part in a debate informed by the publication of these rules. Is that accurate, Mr Speaker?

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman has described the procedure accurately. What he has said is not something from which I wish to dissent. I cannot rule on it, but what he has said is procedurally correct.

Point of Order

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Tuesday 7th January 2014 Commons Chamber

[John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. At 5.15 pm on Sunday at Her Majesty’s prison Oakwood, which is managed by G4S, a group of prisoners refused to be locked down. That led to a 10-hour disturbance in which they allegedly barricaded the Cedar wing and smashed windows. According to the BBC, up to 50 prisoners were involved, and eventually officers in riot gear had to enter the prison. We now know from leaked reports today that there was another disturbance back in November. Staff in riot gear were again deployed to a disturbance involving 18 prisoners, most of whom were said to be drunk and armed with pool cues, and who threatened prison officers and lit small paper fires. The following week, there were five outbreaks of violence in which staff or prisoners were attacked. We are also aware that a prison inspector’s report on that prison demonstrated that it was easier to obtain drugs than a bar of soap, under the management of G4S.

When such an incident has occurred in the past, we have at least received a written ministerial statement, if not a full oral statement. Have you been notified at all, Mr Speaker, about whether there is to be any form of statement about the incident and how it will be addressed? If not, may I urge the Government, through you, to at least provide some form of written statement about how the issue is to be tackled?

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. The short answer is no, I have received no such indication. The Leader of the House and other representatives on the Treasury Bench will have heard the concern that has been expressed. What follows, I know not, but the hon. Gentleman will keep his eyes and ears open. There are other ways he can pursue the matter through Adjournment debates or written and oral parliamentary questions if he so chooses, but he might want to wait to see the response to his point of order, and I thank him for it.

Point of Order

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Thursday 21st November 2013 Commons Chamber

[John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Have you had any notice from the Department for Transport of a ministerial statement today, either written or oral, because although in the past half-hour the Mayor of London has announced a welcome weekend night-time extension of tube services by a few hours, he has also announced 750 job cuts? That obviously relates to the deal he did with the Department for Transport and the Treasury in this year’s Budget, so clearly the Government have a role in the scale of job cuts on the London underground, which will undermine safety on platforms for many of our constituents. Are we to receive any notice of a statement from the Government today?

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. I confess that I have received no indication that any Minister intends to come to the House today to address this important matter. He is both an indefatigable and a rather ingenious Member of the House, however, and I am sure he will find ways, through the Order Paper and debate opportunities, of which there are many, to raise his concerns further and doubtless in more detail. I hope that is helpful to him and the House.

Point of Order

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Wednesday 13th March 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his attempted point of order. The short answer is that I have been informed of problems only by the hon. Gentleman through his point of order. The matter is a responsibility not for the Chair, but for Ministers. If there are glitches, it is for Ministers to answer the hon. Gentleman. I trust that he will pursue the matter through them.

[John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) (Lab)]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. Some months ago, a number of Members joined the Shrewsbury pickets to submit their application for an investigation into their case by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. That review commission’s work can be completed only with full access to Government documents. Within weeks, the Government took a decision to extend the 30-year rule on these documents, thus taking it beyond the lifetime of most of the pickets. I am writing to the Prime Minister to get him to intervene to secure justice by releasing those papers. If we do not receive a positive response from the Prime Minister—this is an urgent matter because of the old age of many of the pickets—would you consider a request for an urgent question in the coming weeks?

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, who is an ingenious as well as an extremely assiduous Member. I note what he says, but I hope he will understand and not take it in any sense as a put down if I say that I am not going to entertain a hypothetical question. As the late Lord Whitelaw was wont to say, I am inclined to say that on the whole it is advisable to cross bridges only when we come to them. I feel sure that the hon. Gentleman will use the resources of the Order Paper and other mechanisms of debate to pursue his concerns.

Leveson Inquiry

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Thursday 29th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Last but also never forgotten, I call Mr John McDonnell.

[John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) (Lab)]

By the way, I support the idea of separate statements— I would have liked to make some myself in the past.

I think I know the answer, but, because it will strengthen the message, will the Deputy Prime Minister confirm the call that the Prime Minister has now backed for proprietors to meet the National Union of Journalists and others to start work immediately on the introduction of a conscience clause into journalists’ contracts?

Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Wednesday 7th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[John McDonnell]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

[Mr Speaker]

I hope that it is a point of order, not a point of frustration.

[John McDonnell]

It is a point of order. The Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice referred earlier in the debate to a letter being circulated about the compensation scheme relating to the legislative proposal, but it was circulated only to Conservative Members and not to Opposition Members. Therefore, we want at least either to see the letter or to have the Minister explain it to us. That is why Members are seeking to intervene.

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, but I do not think that engages the Chair. The point has been put on the record, but the Minister will wish to continue her speech.

Points of Order

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Wednesday 24th October 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. If the hon. Gentleman has a complaint about the conduct of a Member, there are established methods by which to pursue such complaints, including reference to the commissioner. If he is not convinced of that, he can pursue it at a lower level, but it should not be pursued on the Floor of the House via the device of a point of order. I know his intentions are good, but so are mine in trying to advise him on how to proceed.

[John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Some weeks ago the Prime Minister announced that there would be an inquiry into airport capacity in London and the south-east under Howard Davies, and that there would be recommendations from that inquiry in due course, most probably after the next general election. Last week, in reply to a question from the journalist Andrew Neil, the Minister with responsibility for aviation said that the recommendations of that inquiry would be accepted and implemented by the Government. That changes the status of that inquiry from an advisory body to one that will automatically implement policy. Have you received any notice that there will be a ministerial statement about the terms of reference of the inquiry, its status or its revised timetable?

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman has made an important point, I accept. It is not, however, a matter for the Chair. If the hon. Gentleman is discontented by the change that he has noted, and he feels that he wishes to give further, fuller expression to his concerns, there are ways that will occur to him which might secure him the debating opportunities that I think he seeks.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Monday 3rd September 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I was reluctant to interrupt the flow of the Secretary of State’s eloquence, but I remind the House that the question relates exclusively to York—not even to Redcar, although Question 9 might present its opportunities to hon. Members.

[John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) (Lab)]

8. What plans his Department has for school meals; and if he will make a statement.

Financial Services Bill

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Monday 23rd April 2012 Commons Chamber

[John McDonnell]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. The main purpose of the Financial Services Bill—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. May I appeal to Members who are planning to leave the Chamber to do so quickly and quietly, so that the House can do the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) the courtesy of listening to his point of order?

[John McDonnell]

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

The main purpose of the Financial Services Bill was to secure corporate responsibility in the financial sector, and the batch of amendments that were not reached dealt specifically with corporate responsibility. May I, through you, Mr Speaker, convey a message to the Leader of the House, who is present? There will be a second day of debate on the Bill, and he may well wish to look at the programme motion again to establish whether we can debate the important elements of those amendments on that second day.

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. Let me say two things to him in response to it. First, as he can see with his own eyes, the Leader of the House is present, and will have heard what he has said. Secondly, business questions on Thursday will provide a good opportunity for him to pursue the matter further—and, knowing his indefatigability, I expect to see him in his place on that occasion.

Benefits Uprating

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Tuesday 6th December 2011 Commons Chamber

[John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) (Lab)]

Many of my constituents may well have welcomed the increase, but they cannot because they are no longer receiving their benefit, particularly as a result of the extremely bizarre assessments of their disability by Atos—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I apologise for having to interrupt the hon. Gentleman. I do not know what has come over the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous). He is normally the very model of restraint, good manners and kindness to all things human and animal, and I am sure that he will recover his poise, but I want to hear the hon. Gentleman’s question; if he wants to start it again, he can.

[John McDonnell]

Many of my constituents would have welcomed the increase but they cannot because they are no longer receiving their benefit, particularly as a result of the Atos assessments of disability living allowance. In addition to that, having lost, or not gained, their benefit, they are waiting long periods for their appeals. Will the Minister look at the length of time that people are waiting for their appeals and the number of appeals that have been postponed as a result of lack of staff?

Points of Order

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Wednesday 23rd November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for her point of order, and I shall seek to the best of my ability to respond to each of her three points in turn. First, the timing of Government statements is a matter for the Government and I do not want to get into the merits or demerits of choosing a particular day, but the point will have been heard by the Deputy Leader of the House and, at a distance from the Chamber, by the Leader of the House. Secondly, let me emphasise that notification of an intended statement should first and foremost be to other hon. and right hon. Members and the shadow team. It should not be to members of the press. That is disorderly and discourteous. Thirdly, I listened intently to the Secretary of State, as I always do, when he responded to the hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr Bone). He assured the House that he had not spoken to journalists about the contents of the statement, and of course I accept without hesitation what he says on that point. However, I would just gently—or perhaps not so gently—remind the Secretary of State that it is not just a question of Ministers not talking to the media. Ministers must not encourage, facilitate or permit any of their team, officials or advisers to do so either. This is the second time this week that there has been an instance of substantial information in a statement being conveyed first to the media. It will be a pity if further measures have to be contemplated and adopted for dealing with situations of this kind. I hope that the Secretary of State will take what I have said as a deterrent against any future such occurrence.

[John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. On 2 November the Chief Secretary to the Treasury made a statement to the House regarding the Government’s latest offer to unions on the public sector pensions issue. In the statement and in the document he published, he included examples of the pensions that public sector workers would obtain under his proposal. Later that day, the Prime Minister told the House—he has repeated this today—that on that basis, low and middle earners would get more from their pensions. The Cabinet Office subsequently published on its website a pension calculator on which people could check what pension they would receive under the Chief Secretary’s latest announced offer. As was revealed on “Channel 4 News” last night, the calculator demonstrated that the Chief Secretary’s original examples were simply wrong, and that his statement and the Prime Minister’s comments were simply incorrect. The calculator showed that low and middle earners would get less at comparable retirement rates. The calculator has since been taken down from the website.

Three million public sector workers may go on strike on 30 November unless the dispute is resolved, so it is vital that accurate information be provided to the House and to the general public. The Chief Secretary has unwittingly conveyed inaccurate information to the House and, through you, Mr Speaker, I would ask that he be requested to return to the House to correct the error and provide an accurate assessment of the Government’s pension proposals.

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, both for his point of order and for providing advance notice of it. All hon. and right hon. Members, including Ministers, are responsible for the content and accuracy of the statements that they make. If a mistake has been made, a Minister should correct it. I hope that the hon. Gentleman, who is an exceptionally clever chap, will understand if I am reluctant to trespass beyond that, because the detail and minutiae of these matters are probably well beyond my limited competence.

[John McDonnell]

May I make a further point of order, Mr Speaker?

[Mr Speaker]

I am in a generous mood, so I shall allow the hon. Gentleman to do so.

[John McDonnell]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker, I simply want to disagree with you regarding the phrase “an exceptionally clever chap”.

[Mr Speaker]

Well, he is certainly a modest fellow, although not with much to be modest about. We will not discuss that any further, but what I would say is that disputes about the impact of the Government’s most recent offer on pension levels are an appropriate matter for debate, and arguments over calculations and hypothetical examples are not tantamount to any deliberate misleading of the House. The hon. Gentleman is an experienced—not an old—hand who has put his concerns forcefully on the record.

Points of Order

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Wednesday 12th October 2011 Commons Chamber

[John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Last week, the BBC announced 2,000 job cuts. That is a direct result of the licence fee imposed on it by the Government. We were expecting some form of ministerial statement on the subject—at least a written one, if not an oral one. Have you had any indication from the Government that a Minister will come before the House to give some form of statement on the subject?

[Mr Speaker]

I have not, but I have a feeling that the hon. Gentleman will, very properly, return to the matter, possibly at business questions tomorrow, but if not, in another way, and pretty soon.

Points of Order

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Tuesday 12th July 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

In a moment. The hon. Gentleman has had one bite; he must not be too greedy. I call Mr John McDonnell.

[John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. A letter has gone from the Ministry of Justice today to chief probation officers around the country informing them that the core functions of probation services are to be put out to tender. This is the wholesale privatisation of probation services—possibly the most significant change in probation practice in this country since the service’s foundation. There has been no ministerial statement or written ministerial statement, so may I through you, Mr Speaker, suggest to the Government that this matter is of such import that there should have been at least a written ministerial statement on it?

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his point of order and for advance notice of it. The short answer to the query he raised and the concern he expressed is that I have not been informed of any oral statement on this matter today. I had understood—and, at the time of speaking, I do understand—that there will be a written ministerial statement from the Ministry of Justice about public bodies, but I have not seen the contents of it. I say what I do with some care because it is my best understanding at the moment. If I am wrong or if the hon. Gentleman is dissatisfied, he can return to the matter. I am sure that he will in any case find other ways of pursuing it.

[Mr Speaker]

No day would be complete without a point of order from the hon. Member for Stone (Mr Cash). We will come to him; I am saving him up; we look forward to hearing him.

[John McDonnell]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. The only statement that has come out today has been the consultation paper on reforms proposed in the Public Bodies Bill. The probation service is not covered by that Bill or by the paper itself. I want to emphasise again, through you, Mr Speaker, that this is a significant matter that warrants a ministerial statement of some sort.

[Mr Speaker]

There are other ways of pursuing the matter. The hon. Gentleman can do so through the use of the Order Paper. I add that we have business questions on Thursday, so if there is no route before then that satisfies the hon. Gentleman, I will look out for him on that occasion.

Point of Order

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Thursday 28th April 2011 Commons Chamber

[John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. This morning in my constituency, a group of 40 police officers arrived at a site, handcuffed one of my constituents and forcibly detained a group of them in a building on the site. They then undertook a search of the site, supposedly for materials that could be used for criminal damage. It appears that raids like this are going on across London at the moment as some form of pre-emptive strike before the royal wedding. The constituents who were detained in my area were to meet me this morning; they are from a group called Transition Heathrow. They are a group of environmentalists who took over a derelict site as part of their campaign against the third runway and have transformed that site into a market garden. It is supported by me and by a number of local councillors and local residents.

I believe that this disproportionate use of force is unacceptable, and I would urge that a Home Office Minister comes to this House to explain exactly what is happening today and what are the grounds for that action, and also contacts the Metropolitan police commissioner to explain that many of us feel that this is disproportionate and no way to celebrate this joyous wedding.

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving me advance notice of his point of order. He will understand, and the House will appreciate, that I am very loth to comment on a matter that might be, and probably is, the subject of continuing police inquiries. Moreover, it is not a procedural matter for the Chair. Nevertheless, it is a matter of extreme importance to the hon. Gentleman, and probably to a great many others besides, about which he has registered his concern in the presence of Ministers. I do not know whether a statement will be forthcoming. However, the hon. Gentleman is an extremely experienced Member. There will be ways open for him to pursue this matter through the House, and I rather imagine that he will do so.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Debate between John McDonnell and John Bercow

Monday 6th December 2010 Commons Chamber

[John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) (Lab)]

I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as the convenor of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers parliamentary—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I apologise to the hon. Gentleman. May I appeal—[Interruption.] Order. May I simply appeal to Members who are leaving the Chamber to do so quickly and quietly? It is quite simply a matter of courtesy—nothing more, nothing less.

[John McDonnell]

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I refer to my interest as the convenor of the RMT group of MPs. I requested this debate to draw attention to and applaud the work of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and to raise concerns about its future in the face of looming cuts to ships and crew, and the threat of privatisation.

In the statement to the House on the strategic defence and security review, the Secretary of State for Defence made no reference to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, nor is there a reference to it in the document. However, in the supporting documents, the future of the RFA is explained more specifically. It is clear from the policy briefing that there will be a range of cuts to ships:

“We plan to withdraw from service one Landing Ship Dock Auxiliary, one Auxiliary Oiler and one Auxiliary Oiler replenishment.”

It goes on to state that there will be personnel cuts:

“The Department has announced that there will be sizeable reductions in the number of civilians employed by MOD. The RFA will bear its share of these. The future manpower strength of the RFA will reflect its reduced size. Details will be announced in due course.”

More specific details were announced in a memorandum from Commodore Bill Walworth:

“SDSR for the RFA means we will lose a tanker, probably Bayleaf, an LSD(A)”—

landing ship auxiliary—

“probably Largs Bay, and an AOR”—

auxiliary oiler replenisher—

“probably Fort George.”

He stated that that would probably happen by April 2011. At the same time, we heard about the regeneration of Fort Austin, which is certainly welcome.