Oral Answers to Questions

David Amess Excerpts

Tuesday 24th May 2011 Commons Chamber

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

I do not think that anyone should be above the rule of law. If we do not like the law in this place, we should act as legislators to change the law, not flout it.

[Mr David Amess (Southend West) (Con)]

T10. Given that the Deputy Prime Minister’s proposals for House of Lords reform were not met with total acclaim last week, will he reflect on the points that have been made last week and this week, and try to seek consensus on the issue? To invoke the Parliament Act would be a most unwise move.

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

I do not think that any proposal to reform the other place has been met with total acclaim for as long as the matter has been discussed, which is more than a century. That is the nature of the issue. There are strong feelings on all sides of the debate and, let us be frank, some strong vested interests who do not want to see any change. That is why we want to establish a Joint Committee of both Houses. I could not agree more with my hon. Friend that, where possible, we should proceed on a cross-party basis on something as significant as this.

Public Sector Funding

David Amess Excerpts

Wednesday 23rd March 2011 Westminster Hall

[Several hon. Members]

rose—

[Mr David Amess (in the Chair)]

Order. I have some words of advice. Westminster Hall debates are important, and the proper procedure is for hon. Members to drop a note to the Chair beforehand if they wish to speak. Certainly, when I am chairing proceedings, those hon. Members will receive preference when I call speakers. If an hon. Member pops in, makes an intervention and clears off before the end of the debate, that is to be deprecated—hon. Members have to stay for the whole debate. Finally, I know which hon. Members wish to speak, but I do not know whether other hon. Members have come to the Chamber to make speeches or interventions. There are five Government Members and eight Opposition Members waiting to speak, and the winding-up speeches will begin at 10.40 am. As hon. Members have taken the trouble to be here, I would like to call everyone. However, they can do the maths as well me, so it is up to them to share the time out.

--- Later in debate ---

[Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North) (Lab)]

I hope hon. Members will accept that the maths that I have done are correct. Four-minute speeches would get us all into the debate. Are you, Mr Amess, in a position to impose a four-minute limit?

[Mr David Amess (in the Chair)]

Not officially.

[Jeremy Corbyn]

I look forward to your unofficial imposition of a four-minute limit.

I welcome this debate and congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Worsley and Eccles South (Barbara Keeley) on securing it. The voluntary sector is very important in our society. It is important for community cohesion and for newly arrived communities, and, in inner-urban areas such as the one I represent, it is a crucial part of the social fabric of both local government and health services. It is highly professional, efficient and well organised, and stressful for those who work in it. I am president of Voluntary Action Islington, formerly Islington voluntary action council, and a trustee of several local organisations, including Hanley Crouch community centre, Elizabeth House and a new-ish group called Light Project International, which provides weekend and after-school activities for young people, so I am acutely aware of and involved in the valuable work done by the voluntary sector.

The voluntary sector has always been a combination of a small amount of general fundraising from events and collections, and much larger funding from local health authorities, local government, various charitable institutions and, occasionally, business donations. That is complicated, and we should have regard and respect for those people who manage community centres and local organisations, and spend an inordinate amount of their time stressing over funds, staff and conditions, and funding applications. They spend a fantastic amount of their time completing funding application forms. An industry has grown up, with professional fundraisers offering to complete application forms and to fundraise for fixed fees or a proportion of the funds raised.

We must think through the efficiency of having highly skilled community centre managers spending sometimes 70% of their time on fundraising activities, which obviously diminishes a centre’s day-to-day work. A clearer, more defined role for local government and local health authorities in supporting and funding over a much longer period would be much more efficient. The current system is not efficient.

I have been involved in voluntary sector organisations in my constituency for a long time, and in a previous incarnation I was chair of community development in Haringey council. We developed community centres, particularly for minority ethnic communities, disability groups and others, as a way to bring in people in partnership with local authorities and health authorities. I strongly support the voluntary sector, but am sanguine about its role.

When I hear the Prime Minister talking about the big society, there seems to be a complete disconnect between my experience in inner urban London and what the voluntary sector means there, and the vision that he seems to have of fairly well-off retired people donating money to run a library and so on in a community with highly skilled people with time and money on their hands. That is not the reality of life in my community. If the council closed a library, which fortunately it has not done, and offered it to the local community to run, it would not happen, not because people do not value the library—they absolutely do—but because they do not have the time, the money or the skills necessary to do it. If we want to maintain the social fabric of our society, we must be prepared to put public money into voluntary organisations with the add-on benefit of community usage and all that goes with that. However, as my hon. Friend the Member for Worsley and Eccles South said, that core funding is essential.

Another point for the Minister, which I hope he will answer seriously, is the operation of the transition fund. As with every other community in the country, mine faces enormous cuts in local government expenditure and less grant money from the health authority, as well as less money from London Councils. There are great difficulties. The Government established the transition fund, but I have concerns about it. I received a good brief on it from Gerard Omasta-Milsom, director of Islington Peoples Rights, which is a very good voluntary advice agency. He says that to be eligible for the transition fund, applicants must be

“spending… 50 per cent of your total income delivering frontline… services”.

I wish that someone would define what a front-line service is. It is easy to say that we must support people on the front line and not those in the back office, but if a community centre does not have a bookkeeper, a cleaner, a caretaker or someone to repair computers and so on, it does not work. There cannot be a simplistic distinction between the front line and the back office. It is the totality of the service that is most important.

Another condition on transition fund applicants is that they

“have approved annual accounts that are no more than 12 months old which show that… your total income for that year was between £50,000 and £10 million and”

that

“at least 60 per cent of your total income came from taxpayer-funded sources.”

But £50,000 is quite a lot. We set up a community chest system in Islington, which operated until the Government cuts, and the council has now set up a new but smaller community chest. It gives small grants to new, seedcorn organisations such as new Somali organisations—we have a growing Somali community in Islington. The grant may be as little as £4,000 or £5,000, and in some cases even less. When such organisations are small and have only just come into existence, a small investment goes a long way.

The briefing goes on to say that free reserves could

“pay for your organisation’s total expenditure for no more than six months.”

I do not understand that requirement. Anyone who is running an organisation must have enough money to pay for ongoing costs and redundancy costs for at least three months. I hope that the Minister will tell me two things: first, whether the transition fund will be simplified and will continue beyond this financial year and, secondly, whether, as it has been so vastly oversubscribed throughout the country, he will speak to the Chancellor and obtain more money for it.

As every other part of the Budget seems to have been leaked, there will be no harm done if the Minister tells us exactly what part of the transition fund will be made available to the voluntary sector. It is vital to put money into such organisations and to keep them going. The health, well-being and strength of communities are so important. Removing the seedcorn funding and the basic running cost is damaging, and I hope that the Government will think again about that.

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[Julie Hilling (Bolton West) (Lab)]

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Worsley and Eccles South (Barbara Keeley) on securing the debate. I want to follow what seemed to me to be her theme—what on earth are the Government playing at? In their wholesale rush to get rid of everything that the Labour Government did, they are destroying structures that would help to deliver the big society. I shall talk specifically, as did my hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield (Yvonne Fovargue), about vinvolved—the national young volunteers service. Its aim was to get 500,000 young people into volunteering. It developed out of millennium volunteers and was directly funded by the Government. It has eight days left to be saved.

The initiative was funded by the Government and run by v, the independent charity. There were 107 vinvolved teams nationally. Its focus was on creating new volunteering opportunities, including working with community and voluntary organisations, to create more high-quality, diverse volunteer opportunities for young people; supporting local organisations that work with young volunteers; brokering 16 to 25-year-olds into volunteering opportunities; finding the right opportunities for new and existing volunteers; helping young people to set up their own voluntary projects; and championing youth-led action, with each team including a youth action team made up of young volunteers giving advice on what projects and work vinvolved teams should get involved in.

What happened? Young people were matched to opportunities that suited their interests and aspirations, and that were sensitive to their individual circumstances. That was particularly important for young people with multiple barriers to participation—for example, people leaving care, asylum seekers, refugees and people with mental health issues. The vinvolved project particularly targeted young people who would not normally be involved in volunteering and who faced great difficulties in their lives. Such young people were at risk of being socially marginalised. However, apart from the effect on the young people themselves, there is also a real cost to society when young people are no longer part of it and have additional needs, which society must then tackle.

In matching young people with appropriate and fulfilling volunteering opportunities, which in turn acted as a stepping-stone for their progression, vinvolved allowed many young people to find a new, positive direction. The project enhanced employability and provided references for young people who had problems and who may never have completed their secondary education. Those young people may have had nobody in their lives to provide a reference for them, but they got one through their volunteering opportunities. The project also supported those at risk of social exclusion, increasing their confidence, helping to overcome feelings of isolation and loneliness, and improving community relations as young people from different communities came together to work across communities and with people from different backgrounds, including with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people, and black and minority ethnic young people. I should add that the voluntary work brokered by Manchester vinvolved equates to £232,380—I like the precise figure it has produced—based on salaries at the national minimum wage.

I could speak for a great deal longer about vinvolved, but I am aware of the time. I could also speak for a long time about the wonderful young people who have been involved in the project, whom I had the honour of meeting at an awards event for Greater Manchester a few weeks ago. Those young people have overcome their disabilities and other issues, such as the need to care for relations or the fact that they have come from broken homes or experienced homelessness, and they have gone on to contribute enormously to the society they live in. Without projects such as vinvolved, such young people will not get involved in volunteering, because they need organisations to support them, bring them together and give them the chance to make a difference to their lives and the lives of people in the community.

The vinvolved initiative is the sort of project that the Government need if they are ever to deliver their big society. I agree with my hon. Friends that we already have the big society, but if we want to extend and expand it, we must have projects that support the voluntary sector and that help young people and adults into volunteering. There are only eight days left to save vinvolved, and I really hope that the Minister will act so that we can continue a project that serves the needs of young people and their communities in such a splendid way.

[Mr David Amess (in the Chair)]

I call Catherine McKinnell.

[Catherine McKinnell (Newcastle upon Tyne North) (Lab)]

I am here to listen to the debate and to contribute where necessary, Mr Amess, but I have not prepared a speech.

[Mr David Amess (in the Chair)]

I apologise. I am embarrassed, because we have six minutes left before the winding-up speeches. Does anyone else want to contribute?

[Catherine McKinnell]

I could certainly make a contribution, Mr Amess. You simply took me by surprise.

[Mr David Amess (in the Chair)]

In that case, I call Catherine McKinnell.

Southend (City Status)

David Amess Excerpts

Monday 14th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr David Amess (Southend West) (Con)]

I am fortunate, on Valentine’s day, to be able to describe to the House the merits of Southend being granted city status next year. In the bid, I am supported by my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) and my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois). As they are both Government Whips, however, they are unable to catch your eye, Madam Deputy Speaker. So on this occasion, it is I alone who will be speaking on behalf of Southend.

Southend is asking the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Forest of Dean (Mr Harper) to be its Valentine tonight. I know only too well that he does not have the power to say tonight, “Yes, Southend can be a city.” Obviously, I understand that. Nevertheless, given that I was involved in the previous bid in 2002, I thought that it was right to put down an early marker. It would also be useful if the Minister were to set out exactly what considerations are involved.

Let me start from the beginning. The biggest advocate for Southend being granted city status is my own mother, Maud. God willing, she will shortly be celebrating her 99th birthday. She lives near the Olympic stadium in Stratford, and she is, in every sense, an east end girl. When she was bringing me up, it was a wonderful treat to travel to Southend-on-Sea. My children would laugh at the idea that going to the British seaside was a wonderful treat; they would probably expect to go round the world, and might not even be satisfied by that. In those days, however, to go to Southend was a great joy. I have childhood memories of going there to see the longest pier in the world, having the excitement of travelling by train out along the Thames estuary, enjoying Rossi’s ice cream, going down to the old town of Leigh and having cockles, mussels and shrimps. All those things left a great impression on me. Probably my strongest memory is of going to the amusement arcades along the golden mile in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East. My mother is privately leading the charge for city status for Southend.

The “Oxford English Dictionary” defines the word “city” as simply being

“a large town or other inhabited place”,

but it distinguishes a city as being

“a title ranking above that of ‘town’”.

According to such definitions, Southend-on-Sea certainly meets the very basic defined requirements to call itself a city.

I have googled quite a lot of stuff about cities, I was surprised to discover that there are only 66 cities in the United Kingdom and that—shock horror!—there are none in Essex. How is it possible that the biggest county does not have a city? I do not want to fall out with my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East and my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford—I will not fall out with the former; the latter is considering putting in a bid for his own town to become a city—but it is absolutely staggering that there is no city in Essex.

I am sure that my hon. Friend the Minister will not be able to tell the House tonight whether a town in Essex other than Southend has put in a bid, but if Southend is the only town to do so thus far, as seems to be the case, I think that speaks for itself. There are many complex requirements involved in a town becoming a city, but it would be fair to define a city as a cultural and economic hub with a large, diverse local community and an area in which communities and businesses seek to centralise their interests.

As far as culture is concerned, Southend is awash with it. I was at the annual dinner of the Essex yacht club on Saturday. The original guest speaker was unable to fulfil the engagement, so at relatively short notice we brought in a “stand-in”—a chap called Paul Carslake. He had an electric spray-on-paint device and created the most wonderful drawings I have ever seen by using a microphone and holding the spray. It was just incredible. He auctioned one his works of Michael Caine. This chap is famous: he has done stuff for the Rolling Stones and has travelled all over the world. He provides just one example of talent from absolutely nowhere.

We all know about the famous actors and actresses in Southend—starting, of course, with Helen Mirren, but we are awash with them, as there is also Lee Mead. As I say, we are awash with talent of every description: actors, actresses, singers, dancers, painters, sculptors—the whole gamut can be found in Southend. In every sense, then, we fulfil the cultural criterion.

Like most seaside towns, Southend faces many challenges. It is not as popular as it used to be to spend holidays in English seaside resorts. Nevertheless, Southend has repositioned itself as a centre of learning. We have the wonderful new Southend-based university of Essex; we have magnificent schools in the town; and we have a language college—and it is all bringing in a good deal of income to the town. We are also awash with small entrepreneurs as well as larger businesses, adding still more value.

We have a diverse local community from all parts of the world, bringing different cultures to the town. I hope that my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East and my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford will confirm with a nod that relations between the cultures in Southend are extremely good indeed, with no problems at all.

I believe it would be hard to differentiate Southend in its everyday life from any other British city. I do not want to upset colleagues, but I have looked carefully at a few towns that have become cities and I cannot see how Southend fails to meet the criteria, because it has every bit as much going for it—and more! That puzzles me.

The Queen’s diamond jubilee will be celebrated next year. As the Minister will no doubt tell us, it has been announced that, as part of the national celebrations, a bidding process will be opened to bestow the honour of city status on areas whose bids are successful. As I have already told the Minister, who kindly replied to confirm it, Southend is bidding for city status.

Why does Southend want to become a city? It would have a significant impact on the morale of the local communities and would give the local economy a major boost during a difficult time for business and individuals alike. A key theme of the bid will be the projection of the community’s views of Southend, highlighting in particular its vibrancy and ambition. Furthermore, our bid will champion the various successful aspects of the town, celebrating the thriving local businesses in the area, its wonderful cultural and volunteering communities, the massive regeneration projects to improve pedestrian and road safety while giving Southend a modern and clean feel, the growing education sector and the fabulous local schools that the town boasts and its diverse and multicultural population.

I had the privilege of chairing the Committee considering the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Bill. Given that I come from the east end of London, as I mentioned, I am very excited at the prospect of the Olympic games. Hadleigh, the neighbouring area to Southend West, will host the bike events, which is good news. At the moment, Southend is actively seeking to attract international teams to choose Southend as a base for their training camps. I am delighted to tell the House that so far we have had visits from team representatives of Sri Lanka and the Philippines, with more to follow. I hope to attract international interest because we are only 40 miles from where the Olympic camp will be based and because we have wonderful facilities. The visiting teams were given a first-class presentation at Eastwood school, where there are marvellous sports facilities. Belfairs high school, which is being refurbished, will have wonderful facilities that will be unveiled later in the year.

Only a few weeks ago, Mark Foster, another Southend lad—well known because he is very tall, has won a few world championships, has competed in the Olympics and has appeared on “Strictly Come Dancing”—opened our new swimming pool, which features the best diving facility not just in the country but in the world. It also has a dry area. I think that international teams who are proficient in that sport will consider Southend very attractive as a base for their training camps. I hope that I have given the House a sense of the wonderful facilities that we have there.

In many ways, Southend-on-Sea already has the look and feel of a modern British city, but there is no sign saying “Welcome to the city of Southend”, and that is what I want to see. Southend is a town to be proud of, and it should be celebrated as such. In towns up and down the United Kingdom, during tough times like these, we sometimes need to remind ourselves of the greatness of where we live. If we are declared to be a city, that moment alone will lift the hearts and spirits of everyone. Last week we suffered a terrible tragedy when Trevor Bailey, who lived in my road and was a wonderful cricketer, lost his life. He served in the second world war and gave much for his country in every sense, and he would have been the first to support Southend and its community in the bid for city status.

I should add that I represent the part of the country with the most centenarians. Southend, which has appeared three times in “Guinness World Records”, contains a range of senior citizens who would be absolutely delighted if we were granted city status.

The recognition of Southend’s greatness, locally and nationally, would have a real impact on the civic pride felt by local communities. Evidence from previously successful bids has shown that city status can lead to a reduction in antisocial behaviour—in graffiti, for instance—and can increase aspiration among communities, and aspiration in itself can lead to higher attainment and economic activity.

Southend has achieved a great deal over the past five years. It has improved social housing to meet the needs of the local population. It has also improved adult community care, children’s services, education at all levels—from Sure Start centres to the university—and the area has been regenerated, including roads and public spaces. Its population of 164,000 is the largest in the east of England. Let me repeat to my hon. Friend the Minister that I am puzzled by the fact that it is not already a city.

Southend is seen by many as a hub for learning, culture and business. It has superb transport links to the surrounding areas and to London. We have nine railway stations, two bus companies, vastly improving road networks and an expanding airport. Only last Friday I visited one of the hangars at the airport to observe a number of apprentices at work, and I know that the skill that they have already acquired in refitting some of their planes is truly remarkable.

Southend has facilities to accommodate members of all religious faiths in its strong multicultural community. It provides outstanding educational opportunities, catering for everyone and anyone. As I have said, Southend has a large campus for the university of Essex specialising in drama and the arts, a regionally renowned adult community college, four outstanding grammar schools, and a generally excellent education service. Southend certainly has strong academic credentials. The principal of South Essex college, Jan Hodges, has done a magnificent job in all she has achieved for the college.

The town is a hub for the arts and culture, with one of the largest regional theatres in the Cliffs Pavilion. We also have the renowned Focal Point art gallery and museums with collections of national importance. Saxon remains were found in Priory park. They are being restored and will eventually be displayed in a suitable museum. We have a cultural events programme, including an annual carnival along the seafront. We have a thriving local music and visual and performing arts scene, and the internationally famous “Metal” which is based in Chalkwell park in Southend, where we invite artists from all over the world to share their skills with local artists. We have an annual festival, and “Metal” links in with the Royal Opera House in dance and theatre. Therefore, culture and the arts in Southend are second to none.

Unlike many seaside towns, Southend has a varied economy, enjoying a vibrant entrepreneurial culture, global companies with bases in the town, innovative and cutting-edge companies, and some of the best performing stores in the region in both the high street and the sought-after boutiques in Leigh-on-Sea. My predecessor, the late Lord Channon, used to take Princess Margaret along the little boutiques there, so impressed was she with that shopping area.

Southend has some outstanding historical architecture throughout the town, including the world-famous mile-long pier, which is being restored, the beautiful Regency architecture in the Clifftown conservation area, the historic fishing village in Leigh-on-Sea and the award-winning Pier Hill development. Southend is steeped in history and is proud to showcase the beautiful architecture, with the new designs, including the Pier Hill development, fitting seamlessly into the town.

The profile of Southend will be raised significantly with a successful city status bid, thus changing the perceptions of Southend not only for the local population but also throughout the country—if those perceptions are in any sense negative. The economy of Southend will also benefit significantly if the bid is successful. Raising the profile of Southend in such a positive way will enhance the activities that are pursued in Southend, setting a positive example that will lead to securing further inward investment into the town. City status will appeal to foreign markets in particular.

One of Southend’s key economic sectors is tourism, and it will also receive a significant boost. There is often greater interest in visiting a city than in visiting a town. City status will give Southend the opportunity to highlight everything it has to offer to wider audiences, enabling the town to secure more vital income from tourism.

Southend has benefited from the significant regeneration projects that have been carried out, yet there are still ambitious plans for the town. With the reductions in public sector funding, new avenues need to be explored in order to secure investment for the town. A successful city status bid will not only raise the profile of the plans for the new museum and the redevelopment of the pier, but will also enable a successful fundraising effort among trusts and foundations. These projects will in turn generate more income and job opportunities for Southend and go a long way to enhancing civic pride and aspiration among local communities.

I am puzzled by the fact that there are 66 cities, but not one in Essex. I am puzzled that Southend, whose population of 164,000 and growing is the biggest in Essex, is not already a city. On every count, Southend meets the criteria for city status. I very much regret that our bid in 2002 was unsuccessful, but a decade later I hope that this Minister will accept the wish that Southend wanted me to pass on to him tonight, which is that he be Southend’s Valentine.

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Mr Mark Harper)]

It is tempting to begin by saying, “With an offer like that, how can one possibly refuse?” However, I will have to disappoint my hon. Friend the Member for Southend West (Mr Amess), at least on the immediate offer to be Southend’s Valentine.

The Government have noted with pleasure the considerable interest of towns throughout the United Kingdom in entering the competition for city status to mark the Queen’s diamond jubilee in 2012. My hon. Friend has certainly used his opportunity to explain to the House the considerable merits of Southend, and that is entirely understandable. Clearly, if he ever ceases to be a Member of Parliament, he will be able to get a job as a senior tourism officer for his borough, given that he set out a kaleidoscope of things it has to offer. Other hon. Members will have noted this Adjournment debate and those whose constituencies are bidding for city status will doubtless seek an opportunity of their own, so you will have many more interesting bids to hear about, Madam Deputy Speaker. My hon. Friend used this opportunity not only to set out Southend’s case for city status, but to remind us that Southend provides a number of training opportunities for Olympic teams. He used this debate to set those out and remind other countries of the opportunities for them in his constituency.

I am sure that my hon. Friend will understand the reason why I have to disappoint him, which is that Ministers must remain impartial in this competition. Indeed, during Prime Minister’s questions the hon. Member for North Antrim (Ian Paisley) tempted my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to support the campaign for Ballymena in County Antrim to win the competition. Although my right hon. Friend recognised the powerful case that had been made, he, too, had to remind an hon. Member that Ministers must remain neutral. That is the reason why I have to decline my hon. Friend’s kind invitation on this Valentine’s day.

The reason fairness is so crucial in this competition is that this competition does not have any criteria in the usual sense of that word. City status continues, in this country, to be an honour granted by the sovereign—nowadays, following a competition—as a rare mark of distinction. Reasons for success or failure in these competitions are never given, and city status is not and never has been something that towns claim by ticking off a list of hard and fast criteria. The reason for that is fairly obvious. As we see when we look at a list of cities, any attempt to draw up a list of criteria would run into difficulties immediately. Some cities in the UK are large and some are small. Some have conspicuously attractive and well laid out city centres, whereas that applies less to others. Some have wonderful cathedrals, universities, airports, underground systems or trams, and some may lack those physical features, but boast a vibrant cultural life. My hon. Friend not only drew attention to the physical characteristics of his borough, but spent some time setting out its cultural attractions.

[Mr Amess]

Will my hon. Friend allow me to add something? I forgot to say that when Southend approached me about the bid, I immediately said, “Fine, but we don’t have a cathedral.” We have a number of churches that could perhaps be cathedrals, but will my hon. Friend confirm that a town does not need a cathedral to become a city?

[Mr Harper]

I can confirm that. There is no checklist of criteria that people can tick off to qualify. The guidance for entries to the competition is on the diamond jubilee pages of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport website. It lays out the type of information that towns bidding in the competition should include. They should give a flavour of the town and should lay out its interesting features and why it should become a city, as my hon. Friend has done this evening. The Government have said that we would like city status—and a lord mayoralty or lord provostship under the parallel competition among existing cities—to be conferred on a vibrant, welcoming community with an interesting history and a distinct identity. Those are the characteristics we have set out, but there are no hard and fast criteria. It is for towns to put together bids that spell out what makes them special.

If a town considers that it deserves to be granted city status, it should look at the guidance on the Department’s website, and if it confines its case to the broad limit of 100 pages set out in the guidance its entry will be welcome. All valid entries received by the closing date of 27 May 2011 will be carefully and fairly assessed on their merits. The Government look forward to receiving strong entries from a variety of local authorities, including Southend, and to announcing the new city in early 2012.

My hon. Friend said that his mother Maud is a champion of Southend’s bid for city status and that she will celebrate her 99th birthday soon. Whatever happens with Southend’s bid, I look forward with him to his mother’s receiving a communication from Her Majesty the Queen on her 100th birthday in 2012. So, whatever happens, there will be something to celebrate in Southend for my hon. Friend and his mother Maud.

Question put and agreed to.

Fixed-term Parliaments Bill

David Amess Excerpts

Wednesday 24th November 2010 Commons Chamber

17:23

Division 131

Ayes: 235

---

Labour: 224
Conservative: 7
Independent: 2
Green Party: 1

Noes: 314

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Conservative: 248
Liberal Democrat: 50
Scottish National Party: 5
Democratic Unionist Party: 4
Plaid Cymru: 3
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 1
Independent: 1
Alliance: 1

[The Temporary Chair (Mr David Amess)]

Before we come to the next group of amendments, I have the following announcement to make regarding deferred Divisions. On the question relating to local elections in Northern Ireland, the Ayes were 337 and the Noes were 217, so the Question was agreed to. On the question relating to Northern Ireland Assembly elections, the Ayes were 338 and the Noes were 216, so the Question was agreed to. On the question relating to health and safety and the EPR nuclear reactor, the Ayes were 520 and the Noes were 27, so the Question was agreed to. On the question relating to health and safety and the AP1000 nuclear reactor, the Ayes were 517 and the Noes were 26, so the Question was agreed to.

[The Division lists are published at the end of today’s debates.]

[Mr Cash]

I beg to move amendment 5, page 2, line 11, leave out from ‘Government’ to end of line 14.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Temporary Chair]

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

Amendment 22, page 2, line 12, leave out ‘14’ and insert ‘ten working’.

Amendment 36, page 2, line 14, at end insert—

‘(2A) In reckoning for the purposes of subsection 2(b), no account shall be taken of any time during which Parliament is prorogued or during which the House of Commons is adjourned for more than four days.’.

Amendment 37, page 2, line 14, at end insert—

‘(2B) Where the House of Commons passes a motion of no confidence in Her Majesty’s Government, the Prime Minister shall tender his resignation to Her Majesty within a period of seven days of the motion being passed.

(2C) On tendering his resignation under subsection (2B), it shall be a duty on the Prime Minister to advise Her Majesty to appoint as his successor the person who appears to him most likely to command the confidence of the House of Commons.’.

Amendment 25, page 2, line 24, at end add—

‘(6A) In this section a “motion of no confidence in Her Majesty’s Government” shall be—

(a) in the terms “This House has no confidence in Her Majesty’s Government” or

(b) in the terms “This House has no confidence in the Prime Minister”.’.

[Mr Cash]

During the previous debate, we covered an enormous amount of the ground contained in this group of amendments, so purely to clarify the position I should say that, although the previous amendments dealt with early parliamentary elections when the motion might as well be a confidence motion but of course might not, this group relates to a motion of no confidence. I accept the Minister’s point that such a motion would require a simple majority, and I do not need to say any more on that.

I have already explained the variety of confidence motions, but I am afraid I have the gravest disagreement with the Minister about his definition of a confidence motion. I am very concerned indeed, and for reasons that I shall go into when we reach the next amendments on the potential role of the judiciary. It is impossible for the Minister to explain what a vote of no confidence is, and he certainly has not done so today.

It is extremely difficult to define a vote of no confidence, because it covers a vote on an Adjournment, on the reduction of a Minister’s salary, on Suez, on the defeat of the Callaghan Government—and Margaret Thatcher becoming Prime Minister—by a majority of one, and many other situations. There is a raft of different definitions, and what troubles me is that right at the heart of the matter is one simple proposition, summarised by Leo Amery on 7 May 1940, when he got up during a very charged debate on the Norway issue and said to Neville Chamberlain:

“In the name of God, go.”—[Official Report, 7 May 1940; Vol. 360, c. 1150.]

Although the Government won that vote of confidence, because enough craven people were prepared to vote for them, Chamberlain knew the game was up. The confidence motion was therefore—even in that case—defeated, and he went. The definition of a confidence motion is therefore extremely uncertain. It boils down to the fact that there is such concern about, and lack of confidence in, the Government—let alone the Prime Minister—that he has to go and, therefore, the Government as well. The two things run together.

--- Later in debate ---

In our discussions on this Bill, many people have spoken up clearly in favour of fixed-term Parliaments but have not liked other parts of the Bill or have found them unacceptable. If we had come at this—

[The Temporary Chair]

Order. I have been listening to the hon. Lady very carefully, but she is beginning to use general language and I ask her to draw her remarks more closely to the amendments we are debating.

[Sheila Gilmore]

My comments arose out of the confidence issue. If we have a clear definition in relation to confidence at least, the proceedings of the House will be clearer to the public, which is important. If we agreed to the definition in the amendment, we would all be clear about when we were dealing with such an important matter. That is a very simple change.

Oral Answers to Questions

David Amess Excerpts

Wednesday 24th November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman. I call Mr David Amess.

[Mr David Amess (Southend West) (Con)]

6. What estimate he has made of the change in his Department’s spending on consultancy between 2009-10 and 2010-11.

[The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Mr Francis Maude)]

The Government have cut the previous Government’s profligate spending on consultancy. In the first six months of this financial year, consulting spend by the Cabinet Office fell by 42% compared with the trajectory for the previous year. In the first six months of this year, consulting spend right across central Government fell by £350 million—or more than 50%, so it has more than halved—compared with the same period last year.

[Mr Amess]

The whole House should welcome that news. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that proper processes were proceeded with on the procurement of the DLA Piper contract?

[Mr Maude]

I can only assume that the proper processes were followed, because this happened under the previous Government, when the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr Byrne) was Minister for the Cabinet Office. Any suggestions of a conflict of interest arising from the position of the Deputy Prime Minister’s wife are wholly misplaced, because the contract was placed before he was anywhere near government.

Oral Answers to Questions

David Amess Excerpts

Tuesday 27th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Harper]

The right hon. Gentleman knows that there are two exceptions, which are the two Scottish seats that have unique geography. There is not an exception for the seat of the former leader of the Liberal Democrats; it is simply a rule to prevent the Boundary Commission from drawing an extraordinarily large seat, and his boundaries are able to be redrawn in the same way as anybody’s else’s. All this bluster simply highlights the fact that Labour Members do not believe in seats of equal size and votes counting equally across the whole of the United Kingdom.

[Mr David Amess (Southend West) (Con)]

3. What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the system of voter registration in Great Britain.

[The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Nick Clegg)]

The Electoral Commission reports that the completeness of Great Britain’s electoral registers remains broadly similar to the levels achieved in comparative countries. The Government want to improve the accuracy of the register by speeding up the introduction of individual electoral registration in Great Britain. We are also considering giving electoral registration officers the capacity to compare the data on their electoral registers with other, readily available, public data to identify individuals who may not be registered.

[Mr Amess]

Over the past 13 years, there was much talk by the last rotten Labour Government about sorting out the shambles of electoral registration. What plans do the new Government have to speed up the process of introducing individual registration?

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

I agree with my hon. Friend that far too little progress was made by the previous Government in dealing with this issue. We will accelerate the process of individual electoral registration, and we will make announcements about that shortly. Our whole approach to this is governed by two principles: first, to bear down on fraud in the system, of which individual electoral registration is a key component; and secondly, further to improve the completeness of the register itself. If Members in all parts of the House have particular ideas about how the annual canvass can be improved, the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Forest of Dean (Mr Harper), who is responsible for constitutional reform, will be keen to hear their views. That is why we are having the pilot scheme this autumn to allow electoral registration officers to compare the register with other databases, go to the homes of people who are not on the electoral register and ensure that they get on to the electoral register.

Oral Answers to Questions

David Amess Excerpts

Wednesday 9th June 2010 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

9. What mechanisms he plans to use to review the effectiveness of non-departmental public bodies.

[Mr David Amess (Southend West) (Con)]

10. What mechanisms he plans to use to review the effectiveness of non-departmental public bodies.

[The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Mr Francis Maude)]

We are committed to cutting the number of public bodies to increase accountability and cut costs. In future, each public body will have to meet one of three tests—does it perform a technical function, does it need to be politically impartial or does it act independently to establish facts? The Prime Minister has written to Cabinet colleagues asking them to apply those tests rigorously to the public bodies within their area of responsibility. I will be meeting colleagues in the coming weeks to take the review forward, and I expect to publish the outcome in the autumn with a view to introducing a public bodies Bill later this year.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Maude]

In addition to applying rigorously to existing public bodies and quangos the three tests that we have set out, we will ensure that public bodies do not come into existence unless they are absolutely necessary to meet one of those three tests. Bodies that spend public money and deliberate on policy should in general be accountable, through Ministers, to Parliament. That is a basic principle, and that is what we will enforce in future.

[Mr Amess]

As someone who has long been concerned about unelected, unaccountable quangos, would my right hon. Friend care to comment on mechanisms that deal specifically with quangos in Essex? Would he welcome representations from me and other Essex colleagues?

[Mr Maude]

I would indeed. I expect those representations to be vigorous and forthright and I look forward to receiving them.

Debate on the Address

David Amess Excerpts

Tuesday 25th May 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr David Amess (Southend West) (Con)]

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Watford (Richard Harrington) on a truly outstanding speech. It was a model for other colleagues who are waiting to make their maiden speeches—short, witty and genuine in every sense. My hon. Friend showed a real command of what is needed to create business in this country. The tribute that he paid to his predecessor was well judged, and he showed great commitment to his constituency. Since I have been a Member of Parliament, I have noticed that new Members are initially delighted to have been elected and to be able to serve their constituents, and then ambition sets in. My hon. Friend has made a real commitment to Watford, and I pay tribute to him for that.

When I made my maiden speech, which was from these Benches, I was not the first of the new Members. Indeed, I was practically the last. The first person to make their maiden speech in that Parliament was Edwina Currie, and later I became her Private Parliamentary Secretary for a short time. I wonder what the future has in store for my hon. Friend. In any event, I wish him well.

When I was first elected, there was a large intake of new Members of Parliament then, too. At that time, as a new Member I did not really know how this place worked. Now I am observing this huge influx of new Members, and I wish them all well, especially with their maiden speeches. Colleagues on both sides of the House will recognise that a maiden speech is a special occasion. I left mine until the second reading of the Rates Bill. I followed Sir Edward Heath and the Chamber was absolutely packed. I do not know what advice colleagues have been given about their maiden speeches, but I hope that they will be special occasions for them. After all, it is the only time that the House listens to them without interrupting.

I find myself in a difficult position. For the first time in 13 years, I am going to praise the Gracious Speech and so will have to sing a different song. However, for two or three minutes, I would first like to have a bit of a rant about the outgoing Government. As we look at those on the Opposition Benches who have returned, all of us recognise that we have had a pretty bloody battle for the past three or four weeks—in fact, some of us thought that the election campaign had gone on for three years. Lots of hard words were spoken, not only on the doorstep but certainly during the three televised broadcasts.

I never thought for a moment that I would be on this side of the House again supporting a coalition Government. I signed up to the Conservative party manifesto on very clear principles, and on those principles I will not shift, but, having read the Gracious Speech very carefully, I am delighted to support the 21 proposals in it. It was extraordinary to listen to the acting leader of the Labour party at the Dispatch Box. She made a splendid speech—one of the jokes was fantastic, and I shall use it in the future—but she was in complete denial about what has happened over the past 13 years. The outgoing Chief Secretary to the Treasury is a great guy, and I know he is saying that the note he left to the new Chief Secretary was a joke, but it told the truth: we have no money and are bankrupt.

The acting leader of the Labour party talked about all the wonderful things that the outgoing Labour Government did, but they all cost money—and we have no money. This country is absolutely broke, and it is no good Labour Members, in the weeks, months and years ahead, being in denial about it. In 1997, this country’s finances were in good order, and I will not accept that what has happened was the result of a global recession. There is no doubt that one of the big mistakes the outgoing Prime Minister made was to take away the traditional regulatory role of the Bank of England, and I am sure in time that that and many other matters will come to the surface.

As for other matters for which the outgoing Labour Government were responsible, I listened carefully to the speech made by my right hon. Friend the Member for Hitchin and Harpenden (Mr Lilley). His speech and that of the seconder of the Loyal Address were splendid. He made some careful remarks about Afghanistan—he probably would have said a little more about Iraq as well—and I agree with him completely. However, there are many other matters for which the Labour Government were responsible, and which I hope this House will take careful note of in the weeks, months and years ahead.

I believe that the outgoing Government destroyed not only the country but Parliament. And here we go again: it is the first day of a new Parliament, and where is everyone? I suppose attendance is reasonable, but is it as one would expect on the first day of the debate on the Loyal Address? Absolutely not. The Labour Government and Tony Blair, who hated the House of Commons—he thought it was a nuisance—fundamentally destroyed and undermined what went on in this place. I am sure that everyone, as they were knocking on doors, began to reflect on what has happened to this place. This Parliament, which was the mother of all Parliaments, has lost all its powers, and to what has it lost them? It has lost them to the nearly 800 unelected, unaccountable quangos. Opposition Members may look horrified, but we have lost great powers to quangos. When we address the deficit, therefore, we will have to reform the concept of these unelected quangos.

I am not going to touch on local matters in Southend West because I have been very fortunate to secure an Adjournment debate on Thursday, when I will share with the House a number of local matters. However, I want quickly to talk about a few of the points in the Gracious Speech. I am delighted that we will limit the number of non-European Union economic migrants entering the United Kingdom and end the detention of children for immigration purposes. If any Member did not think that immigration and asylum were issues on the doorstep, it must have been a very strange election that they were fighting. Even the previous Labour Government admitted at the end that it was a big issue. So I am delighted that this new coalition arrangement has agreed to do something about it.

I am also delighted that the new Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), will introduce this legislation—he has called it giving schools academy status, which to my thinking goes back a bit to grant-maintained status for schools. I know there is an argument about grammar schools, but in the area that I represent we have four grammar schools, and I am delighted that they will not be under threat. I am also delighted that, in various parts of the country, there will be the opportunity to set up these new schools and give our professionals more power.

On health, I am delighted that the new coalition Government will match the committed funding of the previous Labour Government. Again, on the doorstep we kept hearing that there were too many managers in the health service and not enough people doing the job that health care is all about.

Now for the police service. I want to share with the House one little example of what has happened to policing in this country. A few weeks ago, I took three constituents down to the door of No. 10 Downing street—hon. Members have that privilege—to have the usual photograph taken. When I saw the anonymous police officer, I said to my constituents, “You watch what happens.” I said to the police officer, “Do you mind taking a picture of me and my constituents outside No. 10 Downing street?” He said, “I’m sorry sir, but if my chief was watching, it would be more than my job’s worth. In any case, sir, I can’t do it for health and safety reasons.” Again, as we were canvassing, we heard from our police officers—when we found them—that there is too much bureaucracy and paperwork. I am delighted, therefore, that this coalition Government are going to do something about it.

Of course it is right that people can demonstrate on a range of things, but what is going on on Parliament square at the moment is absolutely insane. That is a dangerous roundabout! Of course, it was the then Prime Minister Tony Blair who went to America and the White House, one side of which looks marvellous, but on the other side of which are all the demonstrators. As I moved into my rather nice new office at the weekend—I am not trying to wind colleagues up, but having occupied a converted broom cupboard for 10 years, I feel that I deserve a decent office—I watched what was going on on Parliament square. It was crazy. No one stopped what, frankly, turned into a folk festival. Then someone took a spade and planted a tree in the middle of the square—I did not know people could do that—and someone started sowing crops, and someone climbed on top of St Margaret’s church, and no one did a thing. The new coalition Government should do something about what is happening on Parliament square.

I also say to the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd), who I think has responsibility in this area, that I am delighted that the role of social enterprises, charities and co-operatives in our public services will be enhanced. As money will be very tight, we will have to encourage more and more people to get involved in what the Prime Minister has described as the big society.

I am delighted that the Government will propose parliamentary and political reform to restore trust in democratic institutions and rebalance the relationship between the citizen and the state. My goodness, that needs doing in every sense.

I am absolutely delighted that the new Government are going to give power back to local authorities. What has gone on in planning and other areas is crazy. Yes, local authorities have grand titles—they have cabinets now, and all sorts of responsibilities—but when I was a councillor, donkey’s years ago, they had real power. Councils do not have that power now. I say again to the House: we do not need all these quangos. The money given to quangos should be given directly to local authorities, which will be far more effective than what we have now.

I am delighted that the British people will have their say on any proposed transfer of powers to the European Union. I say again: this is a wonderful agreement that the coalition Government have arrived at.

I am also delighted, as the former chairman of the all-party group on the Holy See—I know that we have to reform these groups—that His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI is visiting in September.

Finally, following what my hon. Friend the Member for Ribble Valley (Mr Evans) said about things that were not mentioned in the Gracious Speech, I am delighted that when the Prime Minister gave interviews before and during the election on abortion, embryo research and other matters, he said quite clearly that there would be a free vote. He said clearly that he felt personally that the limit should be reduced from 24 to perhaps 22 weeks. I will very much welcome the opportunity to vote on that issue.

I welcome the Gracious Speech. I never anticipated four or five weeks ago that I would be sitting on the Government Benches again, supporting a coalition Government. Like the hon. Member for Middlesbrough (Sir Stuart Bell), I wish this Government well. I hope that the House will judge issues on merit and that by the end of this Parliament this coalition Government will make Britain great again.