Thomas Cook

Debate between Antoinette Sandbach and John Bercow

Wednesday 25th September 2019 Commons Chamber

[Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury) (Ind)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

[Mr Speaker]

We cannot take points of order during a statement. Points of order will flow after either this statement or other statements at the discretion of the Chair.

--- Later in debate ---

[Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury) (Ind)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

[Mr Speaker]

Is it a continuation of the exchanges?

[Antoinette Sandbach]

No.

[Mr Speaker]

Does it appertain to what has just been said?

[Antoinette Sandbach]

It does.

[Mr Speaker]

Very well.

[Antoinette Sandbach]

At the start of this session, the Secretary of State gave the impression that primary legislation could not be introduced in this House without a further Prorogation of Parliament and a Queen’s Speech. I seek your guidance on whether that is, in fact, the correct position.

[Mr Speaker]

In procedural terms, there is no bar to the introduction of primary legislation in the course of the current Session, if the Government are minded to schedule it. I think, to be fair to the Minister, what he was probably driving at is that the Government have to take a holistic view of a wide range of potential legislative options, and that the best or most propitious time for considering the inclusion of a new measure might be in the context of the Gracious Speech. I am sure that that is what the Secretary of State meant to say, and as he did not quite get round to saying it, I know that he will be inordinately and probably permanently grateful to me for saying it on his behalf. We will leave it there for now.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Antoinette Sandbach and John Bercow

Wednesday 15th May 2019 Commons Chamber

[Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury) (Con)]

Will the Prime Minister join me in welcoming the final evaluation of the national bereavement care pathway, which found that nine in 10 parents who had suffered the loss of a child—[Interruption]—felt they were treated sensitively and with respect? [Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The hon. Lady has passed the test with flying colours.

[Antoinette Sandbach]

Not only did the hon. Lady pass the test; so too did the national bereavement care pathway. It also found that eight in 10 healthcare professionals felt supported to deliver good-quality bereavement care. Does the Prime Minister agree that these results are a rallying call to the remaining NHS trusts to adopt the care pathway and ensure that all bereaved parents receive better bereavement care?

Business of the House

Debate between Antoinette Sandbach and John Bercow

Wednesday 3rd April 2019 Commons Chamber

[Sir William Cash]

Just one moment—if I may, I will finish my initial response. I have to say that there are some difficulties arising on that question. Actually, the Government’s business taking precedence under Standing Order No. 14 gives this right to the British people, in line with a majority that does exist.

[Mr Speaker]

For the avoidance of doubt, I think I am right in stating to the House that Sandbach is a place and indeed, that it is not all that far from where the hon. Lady represents, but she is of course Antoinette Sandbach, the hon. Member for Eddisbury.

[Antoinette Sandbach]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Stone (Sir William Cash) for allowing the intervention, because I had always thought that it was a principle that Parliament has ultimate sovereignty in the UK.

European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 5) Bill

Debate between Antoinette Sandbach and John Bercow

2nd reading: House of Commons
Wednesday 3rd April 2019 Commons Chamber

[Antoinette Sandbach]

I am sorry, my hon. Friend has spoken many times.

Distressed employers in my constituency who are responsible for thousands of employees want a resolution. The Bill will give Parliament a proper say, in the event that we cannot get a resolution in the timeframes currently set out. Far from being undemocratic, this is about putting a process in place that allows us to implement a decision and to have time to look at the best way in which to implement our future relationship with the Europe. That is why I shall be voting for the Bill.

[Mr Speaker]

The time limit is reduced to two minutes.

European Union (Withdrawal) Act

Debate between Antoinette Sandbach and John Bercow

Thursday 6th December 2018 Commons Chamber

[Antoinette Sandbach]

I should be grateful if my right hon. Friend looked at the evidence that pharmaceutical companies have given to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee about the catastrophic results of a no-deal Brexit. I recall him saying that we would not need an implementation period, because we would have had our deal by now. I am afraid that it is not as easy or as simple as he appears to wish to outline.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. It is in order for Members to intervene, and it is in the nature and tradition of parliamentary debate in this place. However, I hope that I can be forgiven for making the point that if Members intervene and are not subsequently called to speak, they will not complain—brackets: what are those pigs I see flying in front of my very eyes?

European Union (Withdrawal) Bill

Debate between Antoinette Sandbach and John Bercow

Ping Pong: House of Commons
Wednesday 20th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I urge Members to help each other.

[Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury) (Con)]

I am grateful, again, to the other place for sending us the amendment. I have been concerned about this issue since the referendum, and have been open in my views about the need for a meaningful vote and parliamentary sovereignty. This is about our country’s future and ensuring that we enhance, not reduce, our democracy. When I was re-elected last year, my constituents were under no illusions about how important I thought a meaningful vote was, as I had already made my concerns public and, indeed, voted for such a vote during the article 50 process.

Views may differ regarding the desirability of no deal. In my view, it would be utterly catastrophic for my constituents and the industries in which they work, but surely all sides should welcome the certainty that the amendment would bring to the process. We are often accused of wanting to tie the Government’s hands, but nothing could be further from the truth. How can the amendment tie the Government’s hands during negotiations when it concerns the steps that should be taken when negotiations have broken down? In other words, it concentrates on events after the negotiations.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Antoinette Sandbach and John Bercow

Tuesday 1st May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I do not want to quibble with the Minister, but I do not think that the hon. Member for Brent North (Barry Gardiner) ever indulges in anything quite so vulgar as sedentary chuntering. He is occasionally given to facial expressions, which are not prohibited by the Standing Orders of the House, and he has a penchant for what might be described as the feline purr.

[Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury) (Con)]

Will the Minister join me in congratulating the Bibby Line Group on the £80 million that it has invested in two ships to service our offshore wind turbines.

Sainsbury and Asda Merger

Debate between Antoinette Sandbach and John Bercow

Monday 30th April 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. As always, I am keen to seek to accommodate the extent of colleagues’ interest in an urgent question, but I remind the House that there is a further urgent question to follow this and thereafter, a statement by the Secretary of State for International Development on the situation in Syria, which, judging by precedent, I anticipate to evoke much interest. Therefore, there is a premium on brevity from Back and Front Benchers alike.

[Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury) (Con)]

Dairy farmers in my constituency supply milk to both Asda and Sainsbury’s. Will there be an easy way for those family-run businesses to be able to feed into potential efficiencies that may threaten the supply chain?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Antoinette Sandbach and John Bercow

Tuesday 30th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Sir Robert Syms—where is the fellow? I call Antoinette Sandbach.

[Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury) (Con)]

The local authority pension fund forum has called for a review of accounting standards, having received opinion that there are substantial legal flaws in international reporting standards. The opinion states that the standards do not enable anyone to make a meaningful assessment of a going concern, which is a highly relevant issue for Carillion. Will the Secretary of State support such a review?

Schools Update

Debate between Antoinette Sandbach and John Bercow

Monday 17th July 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I know that the House will want to be well informed. The moment of interruption would ordinarily be expected to be 10 pm on a Monday, but it is not certain to be at 10. It could be a bit earlier and it could be a bit later. The point that colleagues need to have lodged in their little grey cells is that the statement will come at the moment of interruption. Keep an eye on the annunciator—always a very good piece of advice to proffer to new Members.

[Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury) (Con)]

Parents and pupils in my constituency will be delighted with the minimum funding of secondary school education, which will represent a substantial increase in secondary school funding. However, I would be grateful if the Secretary of State outlined the minimum level of funding for primary school pupils, which was not addressed in her statement.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Antoinette Sandbach and John Bercow

Thursday 14th July 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Finally, Antoinette Sandbach.

[Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury) (Con)]

22. What steps she is taking to ensure that protected areas remain protected from the development of shale gas.