Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Thursday 10th July 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

On Question 1, I call Chi Onwurah. Not here.

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

2. What plans he has to relieve congestion on roads.

Business of the House

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Thursday 10th July 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Everything the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Sir Gerald Kaufman) says is said in strong terms.

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

Many parents will not have been able to get their children to school today. May we have a debate on whether to make it a statutory duty of governing bodies that schools stay open?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Thursday 3rd July 2014 Commons Chamber

[Dr Thérèse Coffey]

The Suffolk coast is well known as a very attractive place to visit, with its open skies, beaches and cultural offerings. You are certainly most welcome—both you, Mr Speaker, and the Secretary of State—as the shadow Secretary of State will know. However, also adding to the long-term economic plan will hopefully be the construction of Sizewell C. My local businesses have understandable concerns about the impact of the construction phase on tourism in the area. Can he offer any helpful advice?

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Lady wins her badge for the corps diplomatique.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Thursday 12th June 2014 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (George Eustice)]

First, I would like to declare an interest: my brother is the chairman of the British Lop Pig Society, and he has made representations to me about the time it takes some abattoirs to carry out the trichinella test, which we are investigating.

The Food Standards Agency, which has responsibility for this policy area, formally consulted on the changes to trichinella testing in March 2014. Responses indicated broad support, but also that awareness of the changes is low.

[Mr Speaker]

We are grateful to Brother Eustice.

[Dr Coffey]

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. Outdoor or free-range pigs are very prominent in Suffolk, where the industry is important, and it feels there has been a stitch-up by the FSA with the pig marketing association. I recognise the FSA is not my hon. Friend’s ministerial responsibility, but it is very important that free-range and organic pigs should not be literally the sacrificial pig to satisfy the European conditions that are being imposed.

Safe and Sanctuary Rooms (Exemption from Under-Occupancy Penalty)

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Tuesday 29th April 2014 Commons Chamber

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

I want to congratulate the hon. Member for Plymouth, Moor View (Alison Seabeck) on raising the important issue of domestic violence and the protection measures that are needed to help people to stay in their home. A sanctuary scheme is a victim-centred initiative. It is an innovative approach to homelessness prevention that is designed to enable victims of domestic violence to remain in their accommodation when it is safe for them to do so, when that is their choice and when the perpetrator no longer lives in the accommodation.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am sorry to interrupt the hon. Lady, who may not have done this before—she would be in a large gathering of colleagues in that category—but she needs to make it clear to the House whether she is opposing the Bill. She is not speaking on it in general terms; she is opposing it. Is that right?

[Dr Coffey]

I am.

[Mr Speaker]

We are grateful.

[Dr Coffey]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I should have clarified that at the start. The reason for my preamble is that I recognise the issue’s importance and the serious matters that the hon. Member for Plymouth, Moor View raises. However, the point that I would like to put across to her is that the Bill is unnecessary. She may shake her head, but I have long believed that solving the problem is more about the actions that individuals can take rather than creating another law.

I will make this a short speech. The hon. Lady referred to individual cases, and a sanctuary room is often principally the main bedroom and not necessarily a spare room. As the hon. Lady mentioned, such rooms can feature additional security, including window locks, strengthened doors and panic alarms. Freedom of information requests to local authorities have shown that some 280 such houses around the country are currently subject to the spare room subsidy penalty. However, as a significant adaptation has been made to the house, any householder with a sanctuary room can automatically apply for the discretionary housing payment. The Government have provided more than £300 million to ensure that local councils can do what they need to do for local residents. I understand that the 13 households in Plymouth have been granted discretionary housing payments, which is right. With less than one sanctuary room per council area, it is appropriate that we do not just create laws, but rather allow local councils to get on and do the right thing with the discretionary housing payment. The hon. Lady also referred to the general policy of the spare room subsidy, and I point out to her that no such discretion was applied to the private rented sector for the local housing allowance.

While I do not seek to divide the House today, I want to put on the record my concern that the Bill is unnecessary and should be opposed at its later stages.

Question put (Standing Order No. 23) and agreed to.

That Alison Seabeck, Andrew Gwynne, Andrew George, Barbara Keeley, Mrs Madeleine Moon, Diana Johnson, Caroline Lucas and Ian Lavery present the Bill

Alison Seabeck accordingly presented the Bill.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 6 June, and to be printed (Bill 202).

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Thursday 31st October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Dr Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

Question 7, Mr Speaker.

[Mr Speaker]

We are on Question 5. Does the hon. Lady wish to intervene on that?

[Dr Coffey]

No.

[Mr Speaker]

Fair enough.

Business of the House

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Thursday 7th March 2013 Commons Chamber

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The hon. Lady must resume her seat. We cannot have points of order in the middle of business questions. There will be an opportunity for points of order in due course and there are plenty of opportunities to contribute, but not in the middle of business questions.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

Order. As usual, dozens of colleagues are seeking to catch my eye. I remind the House that there is a statement to follow from the Secretary of State for International Development, and then important proceedings on the Justice and Security Bill, so we are time-constrained. I must therefore exhort colleagues from the Back and Front Benches alike to speak pithily, beginning with Dr Thérèse Coffey.

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

The A14 links my constituency with that of my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House. Will he allow a debate in Government time on road tolling, in that area but also more widely?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Tuesday 29th January 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We are obliged to the Minister, but we will move on to one more question.

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

16. What progress has been made in making compensation payments under the Equitable Life payment scheme.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Tuesday 27th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We must find time for Dr Coffey.

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

The Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich (Dr Poulter), is my constituency neighbour. He will know that, although the East of England Ambulance trust is hitting its targets for the entire region, it is not helping in Suffolk. Will he advise on what more we can do locally to ensure that it serves all rural patients?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Monday 27th February 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Rosie Cooper. Not here.

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

7. What steps he has taken to reduce the amount of paperwork undertaken by teachers.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Thursday 15th December 2011 Commons Chamber

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

The deadline—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am sure that the House wants to hear the question from Dr Thérèse Coffey.

[Dr Coffey]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Tomorrow is the deadline for schools to register for the Get Set network, part of the Olympic legacy that can cover every school in our land. Will the Minister encourage children, parents and teachers to ensure that their schools are registered and take full advantage of the values and benefits on offer?

The Economy

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Tuesday 6th December 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman. The allocation of time for parliamentary debates is not a matter for the Chair, but the right hon. Gentleman has recorded his view, as has the Deputy Chief Whip.

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek your advice. Is it fair to say that anyone who has spoken in the debate and then voted against the motion is actually misleading the House by saying that it has not considered the motion?

[Mr Speaker]

The very simple answer to the hon. Lady is that the House has not been misled in any way. Nothing disorderly—[Interruption.] Order. I have just made the point, which brooks no contradiction, that the House has not been misled in any way. Nothing disorderly has taken place. The vote is what the vote is; it is not for me to interpret. Other hon. and right hon. Members and people outside the House are free to do so as they wish.

Point of Order

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Thursday 11th August 2011 Commons Chamber

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. During the Prime Minister’s statement, you suggested that people could not speak if they were not here at the beginning of that statement. Could you clarify for me whether that includes people who were not on the Floor of the House but were indeed sitting in the Galleries?

[Mr Speaker]

I do not think any clarification is required. I simply say to the hon. Lady that by recent custom and practice, an hon. Member would be expected to be near a microphone in order properly to pose a question and to receive an answer. When a Member is in the Chamber for that purpose, he or she can do so. I did not refer to any particular Member. I have no intention of doing so and no need to do so. I said what I did and I felt that it was clear to the House.

House of Lords Reform (Draft Bill)

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Tuesday 17th May 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am keen to accommodate remaining colleagues who wish to speak, so I reiterate the merits of economy and self-restraint.

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

My right hon. Friend was a Member of the European Parliament, which moved from being an appointed body to an elected one and, over time, has demanded more and more powers, reflecting its democratic mandate. He is very consistent in saying that that will not happen in the case of a reformed House of Lords, but how can he build in some assurances to that effect?

Points of Order

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Tuesday 22nd March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I fear that that is not a point of order and that the right hon. Gentleman perhaps entertains unrealistic expectations of my powers, although I take his point in the constructive spirit in which he volunteered his remarks. I have received no communication from Vodafone on this important matter. However, I think that I am right in saying that it would be of interest to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, representatives of which, I hope, will get to hear of what he said.

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. During Treasury questions, the shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Morley and Outwood (Ed Balls), brandished what he claimed to be a leaked copy of a Government document due to be published tomorrow. Is it in order for Government documents that have been obtained illicitly to be brought into the Chamber or, indeed, to be referred to?

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Lady both for her point of order and her courtesy in giving me advance notice of it. Not only was that courteous, but it gave me the chance to look into the matter, as she would wish. “Erskine May” is helpful on the subject, and I quote from page 443 for the benefit of the hon. Lady and the House:

“There is no rule to prevent Members not connected with the government from citing documents in their possession, both public and private, which are not before the House, even though the House will not be able to form a correct judgment from partial extracts.”

Whether or not, in the words of the late Lord Birkenhead, we are any the wiser, I hope that we are at least, as a result, somewhat better informed.

Business of the House

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Friday 18th March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I have of course heard what the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr Hollobone) has said, as I always do, and will study it carefully, as he would expect.

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

Will the Leader of the House not close the debate at 10 o’clock on Monday? This will be one of the most important debates in which I, as a Member of Parliament, could participate, and it is important that, although you, Mr Speaker, may impose a time limit, no Member lack the opportunity to participate in the debate.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Monday 20th December 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The Secretary of State will resume his seat. That response—I use the word response, rather than answer, advisedly—has nothing to do with the subject matter on the Order Paper.

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

4. What plans he has to review the curriculum for science and mathematics A-levels.

Autumn Forecast

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Monday 29th November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)]

I warmly welcome the announcement that you made of the investment by GSK into our British economy today on the back of the 10% tax rate for patents and innovation. Can you tell us more about the competitiveness measures that you are taking to help this country on its way out of the mess left behind by the Opposition?

[Mr Speaker]

Order. May I make the point that I have made no announcement and I can certainly say no more, but I think the Chancellor can oblige? We know what the hon. Lady meant.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Baroness Coffey and John Bercow

Monday 21st June 2010 Commons Chamber

[Dr Coffey]

I thank the Secretary of State for that answer. If I had not had the joy of being elected to this House, I would have been in South Africa right now, watching the games. [Hon. Members: “Ahh.”] I know it is sad, but I would rather be here representing. I hope to enjoy being able to watch the games here in 2018. Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating the people of England on their display of fervour for our team—including my local paper, the Evening Star, which for the World cup rebranded itself the “England Star”?

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We are making rather slow progress, but the question is about the 2018 World cup.