Procedure and Privileges
Lord Davies of Gower Excerpts(2 years, 9 months ago)
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Lord Davies of Gower (Con)
My Lords, I shall be fairly brief, but to the point. I very much look forward to your Lordships’ House returning to some normality in September. This has indeed been a difficult time, but I would like to heap as much praise as I possibly can on to all those behind the scenes who have allowed the House to continue to function so smoothly since the introduction of hybrid proceedings. I am in no doubt that much has been learned and that, in many respects, our working practices have moved forward in a very positive and modernising way from an IT perspective.
I do not intend to go through the Procedure and Privileges Committee report paragraph by paragraph, but I will make the following brief observations. On the issue of speakers’ lists for Questions, I was interested to see that a good majority of the House voted to retain such lists. There is no doubt in my mind that previously, the situation could be quite intimidating for some noble Lords. I note from the House of Lords Library paper that since changes were made to the way supplementary oral questions are selected during hybrid proceedings, more female Members are taking part. Since March 2020, the proportion of supplementary questions asked by female Members has been higher, on average, each month when compared to previous years. This must be a very positive move in the right direction. I therefore wholeheartedly support the recommendation that there should be speakers’ lists for normal and topical Oral Questions and Questions to Lords Ministers who are members of the Cabinet.
On the issue of time allocated to Oral Questions and Private Notice Questions, I again support the recommendation that total question time for normal and topical Oral Questions be 40 minutes, and that the time allocated to Lords Ministers who are full Cabinet members be 30 minutes.
When one finds oneself last on the list of speakers, it is particularly frustrating to have to miss out on participating due to other noble Lords having over- stretched the time limit on their question. I therefore wonder whether some sort of rigid cut-off mechanism could be introduced which would enable a fairer allocation of time for each question.
I look forward to the return of voting in person, an essential ingredient of procedures in the House—a point made well by my noble friend Lord Lamont, who argued against allowing Members to continue to vote remotely, saying that it enabled some Members to claim that they were participating without interacting meaningfully with the business in the Chamber—excepting, of course, the arrangements for disabled Members.
On start times, I cannot for the life of me see why we are proposing to start so late on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. My personal preference is to keep the current hours. From a selfish point of view—and I know this applies to others—it would allow those of us who have to travel substantial distances to make our way home to our families without having to stay an extra evening in London. Without going into it, I share the view on expenses of the noble Lord, Lord Elder.
Save for the issues that I have mentioned, I largely welcome the report’s recommendations. I will certainly be supporting the amendments in the names of the noble Lord, Lord Adonis, and my noble friend Lord Balfe.
His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Lord Davies of Gower Excerpts(3 years ago)
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Lord Davies of Gower (Con) [V]
My Lords, it is indeed a great but very sad privilege to join noble Lords in paying tribute to the life of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. I am of a generation born in the year that Her Majesty the Queen ascended to the throne, and certainly throughout my life the Royal Family has been the anchor and source of comfort to our nation and the Commonwealth in times of adversity and grief. But, as many of your Lordships have acknowledged, the strength and unbelievable sustainability of Her Majesty’s reign can have been made possible only through the enormous support that Prince Philip provided.
Prince Philip’s contribution to the monarchy and the stability of our nation is immeasurable, but beyond that he was indeed one of what is fast becoming a rare class of people: he commanded enormous respect for his qualities of leadership, resolve and individuality. With a promising post-war naval career before him, he chose public duty above his own calling in order to serve the nation and Commonwealth. For that he has the gratitude of us all.
Prince Philip’s dedication to the people of the United Kingdom was without question of the highest order. He will be remembered here in Wales with deep affection for his concern about and immediate response to the disaster that struck Aberfan in 1966. Prince Philip was the first member of the Royal Family to visit the Aberfan community, where he visited the scene and consoled those still trying to comprehend the scale of the devastation the day after the tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of 116 children and 28 adults. Prince Philip continued to visit Aberfan, attending various commemorative events remembering those children and adults who perished in the disaster.
I was privileged to meet Prince Philip during my time as a Member of the then National Assembly for Wales. I was frankly amazed at his in-depth knowledge of the issues and challenges facing Welsh people. For me, his ability to blend charm and wit yet be forthright in his views combined to make our conversation one of my most memorable experiences.
However, one of Prince Philip’s greatest legacies will be his concern for youth and the desire
“to help young people gain essential skills, experience, confidence and resilience to successfully navigate adult life”
through the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, as the scheme proudly proclaims. The scheme is international, with young people from some 130 countries and territories abroad participating. For many years I was privileged to help administer the scheme within the Royal Air Force Air Cadets and witnessed the profound and positive effect that partaking in the scheme had on the young air cadets. Launched in 1956, it is an exceptional legacy to the memory of His Royal Highness.
Outside of his public duties, we should of course acknowledge his mastery of polo and carriage driving, at which he excelled as a sportsman. He was also an accomplished yachtsman and aviator. But above all it was his dedication to his indefatigable role in support of the monarchy for which he will be remembered affectionately, as witnessed by the outpouring of sorrow from the many nations of the Commonwealth and around the world. I pay tribute to his enormous contribution during his lifetime of devotion and commitment to the nation and the Commonwealth. I join in extending my and my family’s heartfelt condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family in the sound knowledge that Prince Philip’s memory will live on in the many organisations and lives he touched.
Oral Answers to Questions
Lord Davies of Gower Excerpts(8 years ago)
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Mr Vaizey
Yes, I will. Its contribution is not only economic, but cultural. In the light of the visit of the President of Indonesia this week, I note that Indonesia counts food and restaurants as part of its creative industries. I think that that is something we should consider very seriously.
Byron Davies (Gower) (Con)
10. What steps his Department is taking to ensure that events to commemorate the centenary of the first world war take place in all regions and constituent parts of the UK.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Mr David Evennett)
We recently launched an appeal to encourage communities, businesses, organisations and individuals across the UK to mark the centenary of the battle of the Somme on 30 June and 1 July. We will continue to find ways to encourage commemoration of this most poignant first world war event through media activity and direct approaches. Guidance is available on the Government website, and special information has been published by the Royal British Legion, which contains information on hosting a Somme remembrance event.
Byron Davies
The first world war was, of course, an enormous UK-wide effort, where millions of men and women served our nation with distinction. What additional advice can the Minister give the Welsh Government so that the people of Wales, in particular young people, can mark and honour the great sacrifices made in the first world war?
Mr Evennett
The Wales Remembers 1914-18 programme was launched in January by the First Minister. It shows details of the commemorative events taking place in Wales and further afield during 2016. There will be an overnight vigil at the Welsh national war memorial in Cardiff on 30 June to commemorate the centenary of the battle of the Somme, and Caernarfon castle will host the “poppies weeping window” from 11 October to 20 November.
Business of the House
Lord Davies of Gower Excerpts(8 years, 2 months ago)
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Chris Grayling
Fortunately, I am not a lawyer, so I am not going to give the right hon. Gentleman legal advice. I would say what I said earlier—that the view of the Attorney General on behalf of the Government is that it has legal force, but I am sure that this is going to be a matter of lively debate in the weeks ahead.
Byron Davies (Gower) (Con)
The Leader of the House will no doubt be aware that, over a short time span, two separate debates took place in Westminster Hall on serious allegations of collusion between banks and valuers in order deliberately to undervalue and then seize assets. Numerous other cases have now come to light, and more than 10 MPs of different parties have written to the Chairman of the Select Committee on Business, Innovation and Skills to ask him to investigate. A particular situation, which involved Barclays bank and Lambert Smith Hampton, has led to my constituent Bryan Evans losing everything he has worked for over many years, including, recently, his house. Is it not time for a debate on the Floor of the House on these matters so that we can decide whether the Government need to act to ensure that the law is upheld?
Chris Grayling
My hon. Friend is working hard and effectively on behalf of his constituents. He will understand that I cannot comment on the detail of the allegations. I know that the Solicitor General addressed a Westminster Hall debate on this specific case and on the role of the Serious Fraud Office earlier this month. Of course, the SFO, in conjunction with others, has considered these allegations from the outset, and my hon. Friend is well aware of the conclusions that have been reached. If he takes the view that the SFO’s remit should be broader to take matters such as this one further, I would encourage him to bring the matter to the attention of Treasury Ministers when they are before the House next week and perhaps look to bringing back to the Floor of this House a debate on the broader remit of the SFO and the ability of that organisation and others to investigate such matters.
Business of the House
Lord Davies of Gower Excerpts(8 years, 3 months ago)
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Chris Grayling
I can see this battle running and running, Mr Speaker, but on this occasion when we are marking the retirement of a distinguished servant of the House, putting him in the invidious position of having to judge between Bury and Stornoway black puddings would be an unfair way of sending him on his way to what we believe will be a happy retirement.
Byron Davies (Gower) (Con)
This week the Welsh Assembly Public Accounts Committee issued a damning report on the extreme loss of revenue as a result of a land sale by the Welsh Labour Government on a property once owned by the Welsh Development Agency. This follows an equally damning report by the Wales Audit Office last year of the Welsh Labour Government. Will the Leader of the House agree to a debate on the sale of public assets by public authorities in the UK?
Chris Grayling
This has been a shocking chain of events. I know just how strongly my hon. Friend and others feel about the criticism that has rightly been levelled at the Welsh Government. The First Minister has had to apologise for what has happened. This situation should never have arisen, and lessons need to be learned. My hon. Friend makes his point well and he might well consider bringing it to the Floor of the House through the different channels available so that he can make his well-made points to Ministers.
Business of the House
Lord Davies of Gower Excerpts(8 years, 9 months ago)
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Chris Grayling
No one could look back on the bombings at the end of the second world war without a sense that we must never allow that to happen again. The reality is that for 70 years the world has managed to keep a nuclear peace, and long may that continue. The Defence Secretary will be in the House again after the summer recess, will continue to be available for questions and will set out our plans in due course.
Byron Davies (Gower) (Con)
Yesterday the Auditor General for Wales published a damning report on the Labour Welsh Government’s handling of the regeneration investment fund for Wales and the underselling of a large amount of publicly owned property. May we have a statement on the issue from the Secretary of State for Wales as soon as practicable?
Chris Grayling
My hon. Friend gives me an example that I missed out when I talked about the chaos in the Labour party. It is chaotic in opposition, chaotic in government, letting down Wales and failing to deliver the services and environment that Wales needs. It would be great to see Wales have a Conservative Government, not the current Labour Administration who have let it down year after year.