Business of the House

Debate between Lord Young of Cookham and Bridget Phillipson

Thursday 17th May 2012 Commons Chamber

[Sir George Young]

I applaud what my hon. Friend says. It is indeed the Government’s policy to move towards more flexible parental leave so that parents can share caring responsibilities. We are working with businesses to create a more flexible system of parental leave. Under our proposals, parents will be given the choice to determine how they take leave for child care. They will be able to divide the majority of the leave into blocks to suit their work needs, and to split leave between them. I hope that will remove some of the barriers to which my hon. Friend refers.

[Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South) (Lab)]

Last year, I raised with the Leader of the House the tragic case of Joe Arthur, my constituent who was killed while on holiday in Greece in 2006, and the family’s fight for justice. This week, the family have again been out to Greece, and yet again the trial has stalled. Will the Leader of the House arrange for me to meet urgently a Foreign Office Minister to discuss what further assistance can be offered to the family, because that situation simply cannot be allowed to continue?

[Sir George Young]

I am very sorry to hear of the problems that confront the hon. Lady’s constituents. It so happens that a constituent of mine was killed in Greece last year, and their family is having exactly the same problems of finding out when the trial is to be held and what status and role they will have in the proceedings. I will raise the matter with a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister and ask him to contact her and see what assistance we can give to the family in the tragic circumstances she has just mentioned.

Business of the House

Debate between Lord Young of Cookham and Bridget Phillipson

Thursday 23rd June 2011 Commons Chamber

[Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South) (Lab)]

My constituent Joe Arthur was attacked, and subsequently died, while on holiday in Corfu in 2006. Five years on, the three individuals connected to his death are still awaiting trial in Greece. Mr Arthur’s family have received exceptional support from Northumbria police, but they want justice. Will the Leader of the House arrange for me to meet a Foreign Office Minister to discuss the case and see what further assistance can be offered to the family?

[Sir George Young]

I am very sorry to learn of the death of the hon. Lady’s constituent. Of course I will contact a ministerial colleague at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to arrange a meeting for the hon. Lady.

Business of the House

Debate between Lord Young of Cookham and Bridget Phillipson

Thursday 24th March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Sir George Young]

I am sure that the envelope on which my hon. Friend did the maths was a second-class one! I will draw her comments to the attention of the House authorities, and I applaud the steps she is taking to save money by using second-class envelopes where appropriate. It seems anomalous if the position is as she described it, so, as I say, I will pass her comments on to the House authorities.

[Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South) (Lab)]

Constituents regularly tell me of the difficulties they face in accessing local bus services—ranging from high fares and a lack of services after 6 o’clock to there being no direct routes to the hospital or to GP surgeries. In response, I have launched a campaign to improve local bus services. May we have a debate on what steps the Government are taking to improve accountability and value for money when it comes to local people having their say over bus services?

[Sir George Young]

I applaud the hon. Lady’s campaign to make bus services more accessible to her constituents, particularly when they need to go to hospital. I announced a few moments ago that we will have the normal pre-Easter recess Adjournment debate, and it strikes me that this would be an appropriate subject for her to raise on that occasion.

Business of the House

Debate between Lord Young of Cookham and Bridget Phillipson

Thursday 28th October 2010 Commons Chamber

[Sir George Young]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question, and I have early-day motion 914 here in front of me. It is probably the only EDM with Lord Mandelson in its title. We welcome converts to the big society, and I welcome what my hon. Friend has been doing in that regard. If he can persuade more former Members of the House to subscribe to the big society, no one would be happier than me.

[Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South) (Lab)]

May I press the Leader of the House again on the urgent need for a debate on the Government’s plans for housing benefit? The Government simply do not appear to appreciate the misery, the poverty and the homelessness that the cuts will cause, not only to those who are seeking work but, because housing benefit is also an in-work benefit, to hard-working, low-income families and pensioners.

[Sir George Young]

Next Thursday, there will be a debate in Westminster Hall on the impact of the comprehensive spending review on the Department for Work and Pensions. That would be an entirely appropriate forum for the hon. Lady to share her concerns about the impact of the changes, and to get an adequate response from the Minister who will reply to the debate.

Business of the House

Debate between Lord Young of Cookham and Bridget Phillipson

Thursday 14th October 2010 Commons Chamber

[Sir George Young]

Evidence has been given to the Public Accounts Committee by HMRC. The Government want to see the PAC report on HMRC before responding in due course. I will certainly bear in mind my hon. Friend’s criticisms.

[Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South) (Lab)]

May we have a debate on the implications of the Government’s changes to housing benefit? Many Members have raised serious concerns about the impact of those changes on driving up homelessness. In constituencies such as mine, where more than half of housing benefit claimants are over 60, the changes will hit pensioners particularly hard. In addition, the Government have been extremely unclear about the effect that the changes will have on homelessness provision, such as hostels and women’s refuges.

[Sir George Young]

I understand the hon. Lady’s concern. There was a debate on housing benefit in Westminster Hall yesterday, but I am not sure whether she was able to attend. The proposed changes will require legislation, and there will be an opportunity as the legislation goes through Parliament to raise the issues that she touches on.