Business of the House
Debate between Patricia Gibson and Jacob Rees-Mogg(5 years, 2 months ago)
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Mr Rees-Mogg
All answers are straight answers; they are sometimes simply not the answers that people want. These are two very separate concepts. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has his specific responsibilities, and periodically the Government produce a list of ministerial responsibilities. That has been asked for by my office on behalf of the House of Commons, and we will ask for it again and we will release it to the House when it is available.
Patricia Gibson (North Ayrshire and Arran) (SNP)
In August 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that parents who were not married should be eligible for widowed parent’s allowance, but the UK Government have failed to pay this allowance to parents affected, despite the fact that the Supreme Court ruled that failure to do so is both discriminatory and incompatible with the European convention on human rights. Fourteen months after this ruling, I ask again: when will the Government finally do the right thing and obey this ruling?
Mr Rees-Mogg
I am grateful to the hon. Lady for that question. As she knows, there is a simplified procedure for amending laws that are found by the Supreme Court to be incompatible with the European convention on human rights, and that is working its way through the system, though I do accept that, though the wheels grind fine, they sometimes appear to grind a little slow.
Business of the House
Debate between Patricia Gibson and Jacob Rees-Mogg(5 years, 3 months ago)
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Patricia Gibson (North Ayrshire and Arran) (SNP)
I was alarmed to hear reports that the Leader of the House has previously suggested that all council workers should wear bowler hats, that Somerset should have its own time zone, that he has apparently met a group that favours the voluntary repatriation of black immigrants and that he has disputed climate change. Does he still believe these things, or has he finally decided to live on planet Earth?
Mr Rees-Mogg
The first half of that question referred to jokes, and the second half was wrong.