Debates between Brendan O'Hara and Jamie Stone during the 2019-2024 Parliament

Lobbying of Government Committee

Debate between Brendan O'Hara and Jamie Stone
Wednesday 14th April 2021

(3 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Brendan O'Hara Portrait Brendan O’Hara
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What I would love to happen is for the Committee, when it meets, to examine that in detail to find out exactly whether it is true. What is inescapable is that a company is 10 times more likely to receive a Government contract through a political contact. That deserves careful scrutiny and has to be smoked out to the nth degree.

Jamie Stone Portrait Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD)
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However we collectively as the body politic got into this situation, may I suggest that it is damaging public trust in elected representatives? The one good thing about this Committee, if it were seen to be put in place, would be that it could restore some of that trust and repair some of the damage to democracy in the UK.

Brendan O'Hara Portrait Brendan O’Hara
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The hon. Gentleman is right. I think we all know from our postbags that, regardless of which side of the House we are on in this debate, we are all tainted by this. Anything that can shine a light on this —admittedly where some might not want it to be shone—would be a very good thing, and I wholeheartedly support it.