All 5 Debates between Angus Brendan MacNeil and Sam Gyimah

Refugee Family Reunion

Debate between Angus Brendan MacNeil and Sam Gyimah
Thursday 21st June 2018

(6 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Angus Brendan MacNeil and Sam Gyimah
Tuesday 10th February 2015

(9 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Sam Gyimah Portrait Mr Gyimah
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We want everyone in the country to have a say in who governs them, and we would encourage all people to vote, but it is the job of politicians to do so, not the Government.

Angus Brendan MacNeil Portrait Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP)
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On electoral turnout, does the Minister think he can learn from the Scottish referendum and that the non-delivery of the vow will increase turnout, as Scots vote for a strong SNP voice to counter the failure of the three parties, the three amigos, at Westminster?

Sam Gyimah Portrait Mr Gyimah
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I know that the hon. Gentleman would like to rewrite history, but there was a decisive result in the Scottish referendum, and the vow has been delivered completely and faithfully.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Angus Brendan MacNeil and Sam Gyimah
Tuesday 18th November 2014

(10 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Angus Brendan MacNeil Portrait Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP)
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Surely an obvious reform would be full fiscal autonomy for Scotland, not only to end the disproportionately greater Scottish contributions to the Exchequer that there have been for the past 33 years, but so that we in Scotland can arrange tax and spend to grow the economy, jobs and communities. Full fiscal autonomy for Scotland—there you go.

Sam Gyimah Portrait Mr Gyimah
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There was a clear referendum in Scotland and a clear result for Scotland to stay part of the United Kingdom. I advise the hon. Gentleman to wait for the proposals of the Smith commission, from which there will be heads of agreement at the end of this month and draft clauses in January, for the full answer to his question.

Recall of MPs Bill

Debate between Angus Brendan MacNeil and Sam Gyimah
Monday 27th October 2014

(10 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Sam Gyimah Portrait Mr Gyimah
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In summary, we are dealing with two different conceptions of recall. The Government believe that recall should be on the basis of serious wrongdoing and conduct and not on causes supported.

Angus Brendan MacNeil Portrait Mr MacNeil
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Is it not the reality that, after manifesto promises, a mealy-mouthed recall Bill will be considered with disdain by the public, and will set the reputation of Westminster even lower?

Sam Gyimah Portrait Mr Gyimah
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I appreciate the hon. Gentleman’s point that we have to respond to the real need, especially post-expenses crisis, to allow the public to kick MPs out after wrongdoing, but we have to do that in a way that is consistent with our democratic arrangements. We have a parliamentary democracy in which the legislature is fused with the Executive. The three other countries similar to us, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, do not have recall. A lot has been made of the United States of America, which has recall but, as the hon. Member for North Durham pointed out, it is often used there for politically motivated reasons. We wish to respond to the need for the public to be able to get rid of their MPs, but the Government want to do so in a way that is consistent with our democratic arrangements while preserving some of the best aspects of our system, for example MPs being able to speak their mind and campaign for unpopular causes.

My hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Park argues that recall will be very rare under his scheme, while giving people real power. He has to decide whether his recall mechanism will give real power and be effective in getting rid of any MP the public want to get rid of, or that it is rare and therefore not effective. It sounds to me like his argument tries to have it both ways and that is not the way that recall should work. If we are to have a recall system, it should be one that the public can trust and understand. They should know that when they engage in it, it will end in a Member being booted out of this House if need be.

The four-stage recall mechanism proposed by my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Park starts with a 5% threshold and then moves to a 20% threshold, then a 50% threshold and then a by-election. I would hazard a guess that constituents would be fed up by the end of it. Someone who signed the notice of petition at the first stage would think, “I thought I’d got rid of that MP five months ago”, but the process would still be ongoing. On the other hand, the Government’s proposal would be as speedy as possible. I therefore urge Members to reject the amendment and the following consequential amendments.

Higher Education Fees

Debate between Angus Brendan MacNeil and Sam Gyimah
Thursday 9th December 2010

(14 years ago)

Commons Chamber
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Sam Gyimah Portrait Mr Gyimah
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The real test of policies is the outcome. What is coming out of the system that Labour left us? Lots of students are unable to find jobs when they come out of university, with employers telling them that their degrees are not worth the paper they are written on.

Sam Gyimah Portrait Mr Gyimah
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May I develop my argument?

Why is that outcome important? Unless we understand the outcomes we want from our universities, the debate on fees is totally out of context. I began as a sceptic. I adopted the view that we perhaps needed to row back and have a system that involved fewer people going to university. I thought that a system of grants could be better, or that we could charge less. However, the truth is that higher participation in higher education is here to stay, which is good. We must therefore work out how we can continue to fund that, and how to ensure that our universities remain world class and experiences such as mine at university—if parents cannot contribute, the student is really stuck—are not a key factor in the equation.

My hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Goole (Andrew Percy) mentioned a mother who is worried that she is unable to fund her child’s education. He is right to raise that concern, because a lot of people will feel that they must dip their hands into their pockets to pay the fees. However, more than anything else, the policy shifts the burden from parents—students pay when they have graduated and when they benefit.

Angus Brendan MacNeil Portrait Mr MacNeil
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Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Sam Gyimah Portrait Mr Gyimah
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No, thanks.

Everyone has omitted to say that when people graduate, they earn about £100,000 more than people who do not.

Sam Gyimah Portrait Mr Gyimah
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If any lie has been perpetrated in this debate, it is that working class children who want to university cannot get there—[Interruption.] May I finish? The truth is that our education system is so bad that for a lot of underprivileged kids, the whole concept of university is simply academic.

Angus Brendan MacNeil Portrait Mr MacNeil
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rose—

Heidi Alexander Portrait Heidi Alexander (Lewisham East) (Lab)
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Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Sam Gyimah Portrait Mr Gyimah
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I want to develop my argument.

Let us look at the proposal in simple terms. Before I went to university, if someone had said to me, “Sam, if you want to improve your life, I will give you money so you can go and do that. When you finish, come back to me only if you have found a job. I’m not going to charge you any interest unless you’re earning more than a certain amount, but I want you to improve your life, so go ahead and do so,” I would have bitten their hand off.

Angus Brendan MacNeil Portrait Mr MacNeil
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Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Sam Gyimah Portrait Mr Gyimah
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No, thanks.

If we are to be responsible in this debate, we must explain the policy rather than trade the same political points that we traded six years ago, which have proved to be unfounded.