All 2 Debates between Catherine McKinnell and Oliver Letwin

Departmental Business Plans

Debate between Catherine McKinnell and Oliver Letwin
Monday 8th November 2010

(14 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Oliver Letwin Portrait Mr Letwin
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I value far too highly my relationships with my colleagues to give any answer to my hon. Friend. All the business plans are excellent.

Catherine McKinnell Portrait Catherine McKinnell (Newcastle upon Tyne North) (Lab)
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I welcome greater transparency in government. However, is the Minister aware that no business plan for the Law Officers’ Department is available on the transparency website, and that members of the public cannot see details of ministerial and special adviser meetings, hospitality, gifts and foreign travel for the law officers? As shadow Solicitor-General, I should like to hear why the Solicitor-General and Attorney-General appear to be exempt from such requirements?

Oliver Letwin Portrait Mr Letwin
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I am grateful to the hon. Lady for her general welcome. I shall ask my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General to look into the declaration, which should apply universally. The reason there is no structural reform plan for the Law Officers’ Department is that we do not intend to bring about any structural reforms in the Department, because it is not possible to give its powers to someone else. It is one of the irreducible minima of Government activity, and it will continue with business as usual. These are plans not for business as usual but for fundamental structural reforms. Therefore, the hon. Lady will see no reference to the Law Officers’ Department.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Catherine McKinnell and Oliver Letwin
Wednesday 20th October 2010

(14 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Catherine McKinnell Portrait Catherine McKinnell (Newcastle upon Tyne North) (Lab)
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9. What recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of third sector organisations by local authorities in delivering public services.

Oliver Letwin Portrait The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Mr Oliver Letwin)
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As I mentioned in my response to my hon. Friend the Member for Bedford (Richard Fuller), the Government believe that the voluntary and community sector has a huge role to play in providing public services. Indeed, our intention is vastly to enlarge the potential for that to occur.

Catherine McKinnell Portrait Catherine McKinnell
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Newcastle city council has reassured me of its commitment to using the voluntary sector, but what will the Minister do to ensure that the severe cuts to local authority funding do not mean that the big society is just an underfunded big con?

Oliver Letwin Portrait Mr Letwin
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We are extremely conscious of the fact that there may be a gap between when we introduce the new reforms that I described and when the effect of the expenditure cuts is felt. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor will have very much to say on that when he makes his statement, and I would not want to pre-empt what he will say on how we will handle that situation.