Oral Answers to Questions Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate

Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Selous Excerpts
Monday 5th September 2011

(13 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text
Grant Shapps Portrait Grant Shapps
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

The hon. Gentleman has rightly defined the problem of the legacy that this Government inherited, with the lowest house building since the ’20s, but I am pleased to be able to report that, compared with the comparative period when Labour was in power, since the election, housing building starts are up 22%. I hope he will join me in welcoming those statistics.

Andrew Selous Portrait Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire) (Con)
- Hansard - -

T8. If the Prime Minister were to give the Secretary of State an additional role, I doubt he would ask for more money to do it, so does he agree that council chief executives who double as returning officers and already earn more than he does should not receive an additional fee for overseeing elections?

Lord Pickles Portrait Mr Pickles
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

This is something very close to all our hearts in this Chamber. That, of course, is a matter for the Secretary of State for Justice, but to me this seems common sense. I have not come across many chief executives who do the count and organise the postal votes; that is often done by the deputy returning officer. I know that a number of returning officers ensure that the extra money is shared among staff. I think that that is the right course, but if chief executives are pocketing that money, they should feel ashamed.