Charter for Budget Responsibility

Debate between Ben Gummer and Lindsay Hoyle

Wednesday 26th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Burrowes]

Nothing to hide!

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)]

Order. Mr Burrowes, you have nothing to hide, and I certainly do not want to hear you shout again—I want to hear Mr Gummer. You may not. If you do, you know where to go. Mr Gummer, you have the Floor.

[Ben Gummer]

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. To return to the core of the matter, this is important because it will hold both Governments and Oppositions to account. The shadow Chancellor might have wished to misconstrue the purpose of my private Member’s Bill. It is a pity he does that when he claims he is trying to forge a cross-party consensus, because it is wrong—

--- Later in debate ---

[Ben Gummer]

Not at all. Now his Back Benchers may wish to draw their own inference from that. In private, the shadow Chancellor has been going round saying that he would change it. He would put one in and take one out. [Hon. Members: “Ah.”] Even in the House, he will say that he will supplement one benefit—withdrawing the winter fuel allowance from richer pensioners will raise £100 million and he would use it to pay for the reversal of the under-occupancy charge, which will cost £500 million. How does he make up that £400 million difference? He has been forced to come to this House to explain his maths. That is precisely why this cap is important. It forces a degree of accountability on the shadow Chancellor in making him explain to the British public how his sums add up, when it is clear that they do not. How does he account for the £400 million difference between the two? [Interruption.] I wish to know the answer as does the British public. [Interruption.]

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

Order. The hon. Gentleman has only 30 seconds remaining. Stop shouting him down. I want to hear him.

[Ben Gummer]

The cap is good for Government finances and it is good for accountability because it forces the Opposition to be honest, even though they are seemingly unwilling to be so. It is also important in terms of how we deal with this welfare crisis. It will force Governments to deal with the underlying causes of welfare dependency rather than just jacking up the bill every time they are faced with a difficult problem.

Fuel Duty

Debate between Ben Gummer and Lindsay Hoyle

Monday 12th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View) (Lab)]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for acknowledging that the Opposition motion openly states that there is a fragile economic recovery. Will he do likewise and acknowledge that there was a fragile economic recovery in June 2010?

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)]

Before the hon. Gentleman answers that question, I remind hon. Members that, if they intervene, and if they drop down the speaking list, they will understand why—they keep adding minutes to the debate.

[Ben Gummer]

I thank the hon. Lady for her comment, because it helps me to remind her that, when Britain was in recession at the back end of 2008, fuel duty went up by 2p. When it was in recession at the beginning of 2009, fuel duty went up by 2p. When it was in recession in September 2009, fuel duty went up by 2p. When there was a faltering recovery—which was probably credit fuelled—in March 2010, on the eve of an election, at the point when the figures showed that the economy was recovering, fuel duty went up by 1p. So much for the correlation between recession and fuel duty increases.

Points of Order

Debate between Ben Gummer and Lindsay Hoyle

Thursday 24th March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)]

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for giving me notice of her point of order. This is not a matter on which I can readily comment. I invite her to discuss it with the Serjeant at Arms. As the hon. Lady knows, we do not discuss security arrangements on the Floor of the House, but I hope that some arrangement may be come to.

[Ben Gummer (Ipswich) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. Following comments made by a senior member of the Opposition Front Bench on the “Today” programme this morning, I wonder whether you could clarify a point of order for me, as a new Member of this House unsure of all its rules. I know that it is not in order to accuse an hon. Member of lying following comments made inside the Chamber, but I wonder whether it is in order to accuse an hon. Member of lying on the basis of comments made outside the Chamber.

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for letting me know about that point of order. The position on reflections made on Members of the House, and others, is set out on pages 438 and 439 of “Erskine May”. Reflections on Members’ conduct cannot be made in debate unless based on a substantive motion. That applies to reflections made on conduct either inside or outside the Chamber.

Bills Presented

European Convention on Human Rights (Withdrawal) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Peter Bone, supported by Mr Philip Hollobone, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr Nigel Dodds, Mr Douglas Carswell, Mark Reckless, Richard Drax, Philip Davies and Dr Julian Lewis, presented a Bill to make provision for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Convention on Human Rights.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 9 September, and to be printed (Bill 172).

Common Fisheries Policy (Withdrawal) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Peter Bone, supported by Mr Philip Hollobone, Steve Baker, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr Nigel Dodds, Mr Douglas Carswell, Mark Reckless, Richard Drax, Philip Davies, Andrew Percy and Dr Julian Lewis, presented a Bill to make provision for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Common Fisheries Policy.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 21 October, and to be printed (Bill 171).

European Union (Freedom of Movement) (Amendment) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Peter Bone, supported by Mr Philip Hollobone, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr Nigel Dodds, Mr Douglas Carswell, Mark Reckless, Richard Drax, Philip Davies, Zac Goldsmith and Andrew Percy, presented a Bill to make provision for the United Kingdom to establish immigration controls for European Union nationals independent of the European Union.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 25 November, and to be printed (Bill 170).

European Union (Exemption from Value Added Tax Regulation) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Peter Bone, supported by Mr Philip Hollobone, Steve Baker, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr Nigel Dodds, Mr Douglas Carswell, Mark Reckless, Richard Drax, Philip Davies and Zac Goldsmith, presented a Bill to make provision for the United Kingdom to set Value Added Tax rates without regard to the rules set by the European Union.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 20 January 2012, and to be printed (Bill 169).