Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 19th March 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am sorry to disappoint the large number of colleagues remaining, but on the principle that one should encourage an up and coming young Member at the conclusion of proceedings, I call Mr Dennis Skinner.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Why should Jim Ratcliffe make millions creating misery for all the people affected by fracking? Coincidentally, there are not many jobs either.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 15th January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I was going to call Mr Skinner, who I thought was perched a moment ago.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

He is perched again; in fact he is more than perched.

[Mr Skinner]

The Secretary of State has been very fond today of talking about the long-term plan. I am 86 years of age, and the reason I am able to ask this question is because under Labour—is he listening?—the money that went in was trebled from £33 billion to £100 billion, an increase of £67 billion. That is why I am still here: I had my operation for cancer, and it was successful; I had an operation for a bypass, and it was successful; and I had a hip replacement, and I can still walk backwards. That is the Labour story—just remember it!

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Wednesday 12th December 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. The answer is straightforward: it is a long-standing convention in this House that a Member visiting the constituency of another Member in a political or public capacity should notify the Member whose constituency is to be visited. If the visit is of a purely private character, for example, going to lunch or dinner at somebody’s house in that Member’s constituency, the obligation does not apply. I am bound to say to him, and I am sorry that he is obviously highly dissatisfied about this, that this is a recurrent complaint from Members on both sides of the House and I hope that, in the interests of the House as a whole, Members on both sides would honour the convention. [Interruption.] The hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr Skinner) says from a sedentary position, “Who was it?”. Well, the hon. Member for Solihull (Julian Knight) has not named the Member. I think that he is focused on the principle rather than the personality. It seems to me that the principle applies regardless of who the personality is. However, if the hon. Member for Bolsover is particularly keen to know the identity of the person concerned, he can always have a cup of tea with the hon. Gentleman, although he may think that that is a step too far.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

A big step too far.

[Mr Speaker]

Why is that response not a great surprise to me?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 23rd October 2018 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

If the hon. Gentleman is claiming that there were not enough flu jabs under Labour, I might agree with him, because there are now more flu jabs. More than 4 million flu jabs have already taken place. I am delighted that lots of people want flu jabs because everybody who needs one should get one. The arrival of the flu jab medicine is phased, because we have to ensure that we get the right flu jabs. If the hon. Gentleman could carry on promoting flu jabs for the elderly, I would be delighted.

[Mr Speaker]

Is the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr Skinner) satisfied?

[Mr Skinner]

No.

[Mr Speaker]

Nevertheless, the hon. Gentleman has had his say, and I feel sure that he will say it again as often as is necessary.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 11th September 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

It is time the House heard from Mr Dennis Skinner.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

For the past hour, we have heard everyone on the Treasury Bench spouting about this wonderful situation that they are in, with money to burn. Why then has Tory-controlled Derbyshire County Council’s first decision been to close 20 libraries and cut the hours of every librarian in the county? What is the Chancellor doing to stop it?

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 11th September 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The Chancellor is shaking his head. Fair enough. The right hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) has registered his point. Knowing the hon. Member for Bolsover as I do, I very much doubt he will lose any sleep over it.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. The only thing I would say to the Chancellor is why doesn’t he answer the question? It is pretty clear that he knows the Tory county council has played a blinder by throwing people out of work. That tells you a lot about this economy.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 28th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am sorry that I did not spot the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr Skinner), but if he wants to shoehorn his question—

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

You look for your favourites.

[Mr Speaker]

I most certainly do not look for favourites, but I am always happy to hear from the hon. Gentleman, and if he wants to speak now, he can.

[Mr Skinner]

It was on the last question, and you know that.

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman can always shoehorn in his concern on any question, and the Chair is accommodating of him. I hope that his mood will improve as the day proceeds.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Wednesday 13th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I want to hear both the questions and the answers, and as the record shows—[Interruption.] Order. I do not require any assistance in this matter. As the record shows, that will always happen, however long it takes. There is a lot of noise and much gesticulation from Members on both sides of the House, but I want to hear the questions and I want to hear the answers.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Answer the questions—you’re in government.

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

1st reading: House of Commons
Wednesday 13th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I simply say to the right hon. Gentleman that there will have to be quite a lot of copies.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

Of course I take a point of order from Mr Dennis Skinner.

[Mr Skinner]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. As a bit of an expert on being thrown out, may I just explain to you that there are various ways of throwing people out? Obviously, one is where everybody follows, but that has never happened in my case. Secondly, it has been possible for somebody to be sent by the Speaker’s Office to the room upstairs that I inhabited and for them to say to me, “On reflection, the Speaker said you can stay.” That is a different way. Another way is where people are sometimes barred from the House but not from the building. These variations have something to do with the Speaker at the time. So all I want you to explain to me is: just which one is this, because it is different?

[Mr Speaker]

I am always open to discussing these matters with the hon. Gentleman. I did not discuss this matter with him at 7.30 am, because, obviously, the eruption had not happened by then. However, as I toddled my way back from the health club this morning, we did discuss the question of last night’s points of order. He volunteered his opinions to me about that matter with his customary forthrightness, of which I was duly appreciative. He asks what type of exclusion today’s was. The answer is that the right hon. Member for Ross, Skye and Lochaber was excluded from the Chamber and from the precincts of the Palace of Westminster for the remainder of the day. I think that is now clear. If there are no further points of order, and I hope there are not, as we have a long way to go and many hours of Chamber debate to come, we will now come to the presentation of Bills.



Bills Presented

Employment Guarantee Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Frank Field, supported by Sir Nicholas Soames, Jack Brereton, Margaret Beckett, Stephen Timms, Jeremy Lefroy, Sir Roger Gale, Kate Hoey, Ruth Smeeth, Sammy Wilson, Jim Shannon and Diana Johnson, presented a Bill to require the Secretary of State to guarantee paid employment for six months for claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance, or the jobseeker’s component of Universal Credit, who have been unemployed for six months or longer; and for connected purposes.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 6 July, and to be printed (Bill 224).

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 24th May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Well, the hon. Gentleman can always table a question asking when the meeting will be. That is a hint.

[Mr Skinner]

It was a fortnight ago when he agreed.

[Mr Speaker]

I note that, and I think that it will be on the record.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 1st March 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I know that the hon. Lady will accept that he was not merely a Minister in the Department but the Secretary of State and a right hon. Gentleman of notable industry and distinction.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

The previous speaker said a lot of things about the possibility of getting extra money spent in Derbyshire. What he failed to do—this is very important—is say that when the electrification of the midland main line was put forward in this House, it was decided that it would go only as far as Kettering and Corby. Should not the question now be about the wholesale electrification of the midland main line, which would result in people in Derbyshire being better off?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Wednesday 7th February 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

In offering him best wishes for his birthday on Sunday, I call Mr Dennis Skinner.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Q6. I didn’t know about that. I don’t celebrate things like that—I don’t think you should celebrate age.Anyway, there is another group of people who need help, and they are the people who work in the national health service. What they told me last week was that the best period they ever experienced was under a Labour Government when they had the money increased from £33 billion in 1997 to £100 billion in 2010. That was a golden period. Why did that Government do it? How did they do it? The then Chancellor of the Exchequer put 1% on national insurance and, in hypothecation terms, that went directly to the health service. It is called long-term stability. Under this Government, people do not know whether they are coming or going. It is high time that this Government did the same as we did between 1997 and 2010—get weaving!

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 19th December 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I appreciate the commitment of colleagues. The session has overrun, but I feel that colleagues will go home for Christmas content only if they have asked their questions and they have been answered. I am extremely grateful to the Front-Bench teams on both sides of the House.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Is the Secretary of State aware that in the course of this hour there have been more questions about hospital closures than about almost anything else, covering East Yorkshire, Berwick on his own side, Warwickshire on our side, and High Peak in Derbyshire, including Bolsover and Bakewell Hospitals? There is a growing suspicion that what this Secretary of State is up to is leaving those hospitals and losing all the beds in them forever so that the private sector can move in and take the lot. That is what is going to happen.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Monday 4th December 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Member for Bolsover is right to say that if somebody who uses an unparliamentary word refuses to withdraw it, that Member has only one place to go—and that is out. That applies across the piece, but to be fair, the right hon. Gentleman did withdraw the word, so the crisis has been averted. [Interruption.] Order. Anyway, it is on the record and I hope the hon. Gentleman is now content. He has a beatific smile on his face, and I think this should be canned.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

I read “Erskine May” every day.

[Mr Speaker]

Indeed.

Student Loans Company

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Monday 20th November 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Skinner]

That is not very good electioneering—and your name’s Johnson!

[Mr Speaker]

Order.

Exiting the EU: Sectoral Impact Assessments

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Wednesday 1st November 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Well, I am very grateful to the right hon. Gentleman. The Government do have to respond. He is quite right that I was not in the Chair, though of course the Chair is seamless—there was a distinguished occupant of the Chair at the time—and I have received advice on what took place when I was not in the Chair. I think, from an earlier point of order, there was some exchange about what constituted, and what did not constitute, ignoring a motion. Suffice it to say that enough has been said tonight. Points of order have been raised. I think that I have given a clear indication of what the general practice has been and what I would do if I were approached in writing, and it is right and proper, as the right hon. Gentleman implies, that we leave it there for tonight.

[Mr Skinner]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker—

[Mr Speaker]

But who can refuse the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr Skinner)? Of course I will hear his point of order.

[Mr Skinner]

I know that Mr Speaker likes to reply to points of order, so I will just throw him one. He and I have been here a long time, so, like me, does he feel that the Government are dying on their feet?

[Mr Speaker]

It is not for me to make any such assertion. I have done my bit in allowing the hon. Gentleman to indulge his appetite and I should leave it there. I honestly think that I have said enough for tonight. Members know that what I have said so far is clear, at least in terms of the intended sequence of events. I thank the hon. Gentleman and note that he made his point with a smile.

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 31st October 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Ordinarily I find that if one is sufficiently persistent and demonstrates by one’s behaviour—entirely lawfully, I hasten to add—that there is no question of one’s going away, an institution will, in the end, tend to think that it is best to respond. I have had some modest experience of these matters in the past when seeking to secure a refund for a very elderly constituent in relation, I think, to a satellite dish. In the first instance, the company thought it proper simply to ignore my representations, but I made approaches with notable and perhaps spectacular regularity, as a consequence of which, in the end—this was probably 15 years ago—my constituent was able to seek redress. I never secured anything remotely approximating an apology from the company, but in a sense that mattered not. My constituent got his refund, and I rather doubt that the company would have tried to play the same game, at any rate in relation to any of my constituents, again. If I was able to succeed, I am confident that the hon. Member for Torfaen (Nick Thomas-Symonds), with due persistence, will also be able to do so.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Ah yes, I remember it well.

[Mr Speaker]

I am always grateful to the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr Skinner) for his encouragement from a sedentary position.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Wednesday 18th October 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Last but never forgotten: Mr Dennis Skinner.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Q14. Is the Prime Minister aware that INEOS, the fracking company, has been accused of creating a massive deterioration in the water supply, run by Severn Trent, on the Oxcroft estate in the Bolsover area? Will she, as Prime Minister, investigate this matter, and call on INEOS to halt the process while the investigation takes place?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 12th October 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The right hon. Lady should take it as a compliment that seven Ministers are required to cope with her.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

I said that first!

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Monday 17th July 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. As you know, because you have already allocated an Adjournment debate to two colleagues—my right hon. Friends the Members for Doncaster North (Edward Miliband) and for Rother Valley (Sir Kevin Barron)—and because you have heard us, and me in particular, say it, this possibly £80 billion scheme means that a lot of houses in my constituency are going to be demolished; that roads are going to go straight through a development that has only just taken place; and that in Derbyshire there will be a slow track, dawdling its way to Sheffield and beyond, and then a fast track going to Meadowhall. This is a very important matter, and it should be debated at length, because it is going to cost the taxpayer a small fortune. As you know, Mr Speaker, the Sheffield line could be electrified all the way to London, and the trains could get to London a lot more quickly for a lot less money.

This is an outrage, and that is why I have raised the matter today, along with my right hon. and hon. Friends.

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to right hon. and hon. Members for their points of order. What I will say in response is this.

First, my understanding is that the written ministerial statement has now been issued. There was some speculation on when it would be issued, and I am advised that it has been. Secondly, I am not in a position to require a Minister to come to the House today to make a statement; however, it is comparatively unusual for Members on both sides of the House, in unison, to raise such a concern, and to make, to all intents and purposes, exactly similar requests for a statement.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 27th June 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Now that the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr Skinner) has reached the midpoint of his parliamentary career, I had intended to call him if he was standing, but he is not and so I will not—but if he does, I will.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

I have listened to the questions and answers for the past hour, and I hear about the city deals and all the rest of it, but why does the Secretary of State not answer the specific questions about the trade unions? If he wants to give the impression that he is on the side of working-class people, why do not the Government drop the trade union Bill and all the rest of it?

[Mr Skinner]

Answer the question!

[Mr Speaker]

Order.

[Mr Skinner]

I did not get an answer.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I must say to the hon. Gentleman that on the strength of his 47 years’ experience of this place he knows that not receiving an answer is not an altogether novel phenomenon in the House of Commons, irrespective of who is in power at the time.

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 27th April 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his point of order. My response is as follows: the rules governing the conduct of elections are not a matter for the Chair. I hope that the House will understand that, although I have given the right hon. Gentleman a full opportunity to register his concerns, I have no intention of being drawn into this matter. That would be quite improper. What the police and the Crown Prosecution Service do, and when, is a matter for them. Members with views on these matters can, and doubtless will, express them. I will express no view on the matter.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker—

[Mr Speaker]

Very well. I am not sure it is, but I will give the hon. Gentleman the benefit of the doubt.

[Mr Skinner]

I raised this matter with the Prime Minister a week ago yesterday—this is a matter for you really, Mr Speaker—and did not get an answer from her. I was then fortunate enough to be called by you to raise the matter again with the Secretary of State for Justice and, once more, I did not receive a reply from the Government. What has now emerged is that you, in the Chair, are saying, “It is not a matter for me.” The Prime Minister did not respond to my accusation that the election should not have been called. She did not get a revelation on the Welsh hills; she called a snap election to try to beat the Crown Prosecution Service. That is what this election is all about, and that is why it is a point of order for you, Sir.

[Mr Speaker]

The nature of the system is as has been described. I think that there will be a general acceptance that the police and the prosecuting authorities have responsibility in these matters. My responsibility is most certainly to hear colleagues and to err on the side of latitude in hearing colleagues who want to raise points of order, and I think that I have done that very fairly. I have never ducked anything that is my responsibility, but I think that I know that which is not.

Early Parliamentary General Election

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Wednesday 19th April 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Does my hon. Friend appreciate that the nearest parallel to what is happening now in this campaign for an election—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am interested in hearing the hon. Gentleman, but I would like him to face the House.

[Mr Skinner]

You were busy talking.

[Mr Speaker]

I was being spoken to by an illustrious member of the Opposition Whips Office, no less, so I would put it rather differently.

[Mr Skinner]

The nearest parallel is the election of 1974, when the miners were on strike and Ted Heath, the then Prime Minister, decided that the election would be on a very narrow argument about who ran the country. Most general elections are about a lot of things, but that one was about a specific thing. What happened in effect was that the Labour party finished up with the largest number of seats and the Queen asked Ted Heath to try to form a coalition with the Liberals, and the Liberals ran away.

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Monday 6th February 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. I will say this: an address by a foreign leader to both Houses of Parliament is not an automatic right; it is an earned honour. Moreover, there are many precedents for state visits to take place in our country that do not include an address to both Houses of Parliament. That is the first point.

The second point is that in relation to Westminster Hall, there are three keyholders—the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Lord Speaker of the House of the Lords and the Lord Great Chamberlain. Ordinarily, we are able to work by consensus, and the Hall would be used for a purpose, such as an address or another purpose, by agreement of the three keyholders.

I must say to the hon. Gentleman, to all who have signed his early-day motion and to others with strong views about this matter on either side of the argument that before the imposition of the migrant ban, I would myself have been strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall, but after the imposition of the migrant ban by President Trump, I am even more strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall.

So far as the Royal Gallery is concerned—again, I operate on advice—I perhaps do not have as strong a say in that matter. It is in a different part of the building, although customarily an invitation to a visiting leader to deliver an address there would be issued in the names of the two Speakers. I would not wish to issue an invitation to President Trump to speak in the Royal Gallery.

I conclude by saying to the hon. Gentleman that we value our relationship with the United States. If a state visit takes place, that is way beyond and above the pay grade of the Speaker. However, as far as this place is concerned, I feel very strongly that our opposition to racism and to sexism, and our support for equality before the law and an independent judiciary are hugely important considerations in the House of Commons. [Applause.]

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. Two words: well done. [Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

No, we should not have clapping in the Chamber, but sometimes it is easier to let it go than to make a huge fuss about it.

Mental Health and NHS Performance

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Monday 9th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I hope that the hon. Lady will not take offence—she has vast experience in this field—if I say that her questions must be judged to be rhetorical, because I did not observe any question marks, although I am sure we will in future.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

You were handy at that.

[Mr Speaker]

Yes, but that was then, and this is now. That was when I was a badly behaved Back Bencher like the hon. Gentleman.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 20th December 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We are short of time, but I am in a generous mood. We can manage only one more, so 46 years, six months and two days after his first election to the House, I call Mr Dennis Skinner.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

He is a mine of information, isn’t he? He would like to contribute, really.

Does the Secretary of State not think that it is a scandal to be shutting Bolsover hospital, with 16 valuable beds that will go for ever, at a time when people are lined up on trolleys in nearly every hospital in Britain? Why does the Secretary of State not give Bolsover a Christmas present and announce that Bolsover hospital will be saved? Come on!

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Monday 9th May 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

From the context of her question, I think that the hon. Lady was levelling the charge of inconsistency as between one Minister and another. I know she would not accuse a Minister of behaving hypocritically to another.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

She was talking about the Government.

[Mr Speaker]

Well, if the reference were to the Government as a collective, that would be another way—

[Mr Skinner]

Exactly.

[Mr Speaker]

That would render it orderly. I am very grateful to the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr Skinner) for proffering advice, especially from a sedentary position.

Panama Papers

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Monday 11th April 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Does the Prime Minister recall that in the time after he became Prime Minister in the coalition, when he was dividing the nation between strivers and scroungers, I asked him a very important question about the windfall he received when he wrote off the mortgage of the premises in Notting Hill and did not write of the mortgage of the premises the taxpayers were helping to pay for in Oxford? I did not receive a proper answer then. Maybe “Dodgy Dave” will answer it now—[Interruption]—and by the way—[Hon. Members: “Withdraw!”]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I must ask the hon. Gentleman—[Interruption.] I do not require any assistance from some junior Minister—an absurd proposition! I invite the hon. Gentleman to withdraw the adjective he used a moment ago. He is perfectly capable of asking his question without using that word. It is up to him, but if he does not wish to withdraw it, I cannot reasonably ask the Prime Minister to answer the question. All he has to do is withdraw that word and think of another.

[Mr Skinner]

Which word?

[Mr Speaker]

I think he knows—the word beginning with D and ending in Y that he used inappropriately. Withdraw—it is very simple.

[Mr Skinner]

I know what you are talking about, Mr Speaker. This man has done more to divide this nation than anybody else, and he has looked after his own pocket. I still refer to him as “Dodgy Dave”—[Interruption.] Do what you like! [Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am sorry, I must ask the hon. Gentleman to withdraw the word—

[Mr Skinner]

Not a chance!

[Mr Speaker]

Very well.

The Speaker ordered Mr Skinner, Member for Bolsover, to withdraw immediately from the House during the remainder of the day’s sitting (Standing Order No. 43), and the Member withdrew accordingly.

Junior Doctors: Industrial Action

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 24th March 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I gently say to the Minister, whose emollient and statesmanlike tone is widely admired across the House, that briefly to refer to the stance of the Opposition is legitimate, but dilation upon it is not. I know that he is drawing his remarks to a close.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

That is exactly what I said.

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 22nd March 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the Chair of the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee for notice of his point of order. The House delegates to nearly all its Select Committees the power to send for persons, papers and records. Each Committee is free to decide whom to invite to give oral evidence, and if the invitation is refused, the Committee may decide to make an order for the attendance of a witness.

In response to the hon. Gentleman’s direct question, therefore, it appears to me that so far the proper procedures have been followed. As long as the Committee is acting within its terms of reference, the House expects witnesses to obey the Committee’s order to attend. If, after due consideration, the hon. Gentleman’s Committee wishes to take the matter further, the next step would be to make a special report to the House, setting out the facts. The hon. Gentleman may then wish to apply to me to consider the issue as a matter of privilege, and to ask me to give it priority in the House. Under procedures agreed to by the House in 1978 and set out on page 273 of “Erskine May”, this application should be made to me in writing, rather than as a point of order. I would then be happy to advise him on the options open to him.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. This could be a long, drawn-out process, based on what Mike Ashley has been doing and saying over the years. He operates zero-hours contracts for many thousands of people. There are very few full-time people. He believes that as a billionaire he can do as he likes. I put it on the record for you, Mr Speaker: you had better act very firmly with the person concerned. There used to be a woman in the House working for the Serjeant at Arms called Mary Frampton. We will need one to deal with him.

[Mr Speaker]

We have such a person. I can say only that I shall always profit by the counsels of the hon. Gentleman.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 17th March 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

If the Minister wants any further advice on anaerobic digester plants, he should go to see David Easom, a farmer based in the villages of Wessington and Brackenfield in the Bolsover constituency. Several years ago, I mentioned the fact that he was going to have an anaerobic digester in this House. It is now up and running. Everybody is going to visit him, and Ministers from the Department should go to see how it works. Everything is in running order, just like everything else in Bolsover.

[Mr Speaker]

We very much hope that the plant is in Derbyshire, rather than in this House.

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Wednesday 10th February 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Let me say the following to the hon. Gentleman, to whom I am grateful for his point of order. First, I have not actually changed my view on the desirability of a vote in this Chamber on the matter. The hon. Gentleman is quite right in saying, as I readily acknowledged yesterday when a point of order was raised, that I had expected a vote would take place on that matter in this House. However, the matter does fall within the aegis—and, it appears, in terms of decision-making competence, the exclusive aegis—of the other place. For that reason, and on account of their desire to proceed, there is no entitlement for this House to supersede the will of the other place.

Secondly, the hon. Gentleman quite correctly judges that it would be open to him and to other Members to seek a Backbench Business Committee debate on this matter. I wish the hon. Gentleman all success, presumably in a cross-party effort, to secure such a debate. It is not for me to seek to comment on how the other place judges matters. I would not have sought to do so anyway and I have been reminded by sound professional advice that it is not for me to do so. I therefore do not think I should get into the business of speculating as to what might happen. I have known the hon. Gentleman for well over 20 years and he is, at his best, a formidable and energetic campaigner. If he feels strongly, my advice to him, together with the hon. Lady from the Labour Benches who raised the matter yesterday, is to go ahead and seek a debate, marshal his forces and to plan for victory, rather than to spend time sitting around predicting it. Perhaps we can leave it there.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

You can do it when you get to the other place.

[Mr Speaker]

I think it would be tactful to ignore the undoubtedly purposeful interjection, from a sedentary position, by the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr Skinner), but I heard what he said.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 7th January 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Last but not least, and never forgotten, I call Mr Skinner.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

With the Chinese economy hitting the buffers week after week, does it make sense to continue with this Chinese connection and nuclear power in Britain? Is it not time it was abandoned? The shine is being knocked off it every single day. Will the Secretary of State change her mind?

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Wednesday 14th October 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, who is certainly a most indefatigable representative of the people of Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. I simply say to him that this matter was at least partly treated of yesterday, although clearly not to his satisfaction in the light of his comments about what he has heard. If I may politely say so to the House, this is an issue that will inevitably run over a period and it is open to Ministers to make statements and for others, if such statements are not volunteered, to seek to extract them. The hon. Gentleman is a most versatile and dexterous contributor in the House and he will know the options open to him. The Chair wants important matters to be debated. Frankly, if we had not taken so long at Prime Minister’s questions it would have been possible to have questions on the matter but, unfortunately, initial questions and answers were somewhat longer than was the case in the last Parliament.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. Are you saying that the people on Teesside should be putting in for a Standing Order No. 24 debate?

[Mr Speaker]

I was not as explicit as that. I say to the hon. Gentleman, who has now been in the House for 45 years without interruption, that a Member could make an SO 24 application, or an application for an urgent question is another device that could be used. Those options are open, and the Speaker does not commit in advance as they have to be considered on merit, but they do exist. I think that the hon. Gentleman will testify that they have been used more frequently in recent years. I would not want colleagues to think that there is no chance for these matters to be considered. There is, if they take it. Perhaps we can leave the matter there for now.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 13th October 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Skinner]

Get it done now.

[Mr Speaker]

I think the thrust of the hon. Gentleman’s view is very clear, and he has expressed it with unmistakable force.

[Mr Skinner]

And Mr Speaker’s on my side, too.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 21st July 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Callum McCaig. No? I call Mr Skinner.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

May I reassure the hon. Gentleman that I was not confusing him with Mr McCaig? I thought Mr McCaig wished to ask a question earlier. The hon. Gentleman is unique, we all know who he is and we want to hear him.

[Mr Skinner]

And I am a little bit older than him.

[Mr Speaker]

I was too polite to make that point.

[Mr Skinner]

I can do it any day of the week.

Has the Chancellor of the Exchequer not got a bit of a cheek to be constantly using Question Time to attack the Labour leadership elections—[Interruption.] Take your time! The Chancellor is involved in an election himself. Every time he opens his mouth, it is directed towards the hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) and the Home Secretary. Does he not realise that the Home Secretary has already knocked him out with the water cannon? Remember, some of us are watching that contest very carefully. The Chancellor should be careful he does not knock himself out.

[Mr Speaker]

With particular reference to his Treasury responsibilities, I call the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

[Mr Skinner]

He started it: you heard him!

[Mr Speaker]

I hear everything in this Chamber.

DWP Data

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 21st July 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I do not intend these questions to last longer than half an hour in total, so there is pressure on colleagues to be brief. I call Mr Skinner.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

I think the Minister should tell us whether there is to be an appeal. She has been asked that several times, and she has not answered. I am thinking of the family of David Cowpe, who lived in my area, and whose case I raised with the Prime Minister more than two years ago. He lost his sight, he lost his hearing, and then cancer took his life when he had been waiting 11 months for an appeal. A lot of promises have been made, but nothing seems to be forthcoming. I have to say that this delay almost emanates from the Secretary of State, whom I call the Minister for Delay, and it has gone on for too long. I think it is high time that this matter was resolved. I say to the Minister, “Stand up at that Dispatch Box and say that you are not going to appeal, and that you are going to get on with it.”

English Votes on English Laws

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 7th July 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

We are taking the point of order of Mr Salmond. I will come to you, Mr Skinner. Apologies. I had already pointed to the right hon. Gentleman.

[Mr Speaker]

In response to the right hon. Gentleman, it is clear to me that there are many Members in all parts of the House who believe that more time is required. It is not for the Chair to decree that, but many Members in all parts of the House and of all hues of political opinion have indicated that that is their view. I am sure that view will have been heard. What is more, if the right hon. Gentleman is dissatisfied that it has been adequately heard, I have a feeling that he will practise, perfectly properly, the repetition principle, and that he will keep making the point until he is satisfied that it has been heard. Meanwhile, note my apology to the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr Skinner).

[Mr Skinner]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. There is another way of looking at this event. The Government introduced this idea with a lot of bravado. The truth is that they failed to convince a majority on their side. They have a majority of 12. Most of the Opposition were in the No Lobby. It is now evident that some of the Government’s supporters were not prepared to walk through the Aye Lobby and decided to pull the plug. A decent Government would resign.

[Mr Speaker]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his point of order, which requires no response from me.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 30th June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The Minister has broadened the question a bit, which she is perfectly entitled to do, but not to the extent that it would encompass Northern Ireland, Merseyside or even west Yorkshire. Those Members will have to await their opportunity.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

Ah, the hon. Gentleman is stirring in his den. Mr Skinner.

[Mr Skinner]

I have listened carefully for the past half an hour to find out exactly what the Tory Government are trying to do about places in the east midlands such as Bolsover, which is very close to Lincolnshire, because when the Labour Government were in power, both myself and Gordon Brown, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, were the northern powerhouse. I asked him for 40 million quid to flatten the pit tips at Markham Vale, and he gave it me. Then I asked for some more money for an interchange straight up the M1 into Markham pit yard, and I got that as well. We were fixing the roof while the sun was shining. We don’t want none of this claptrap about the Tory northern powerhouse. [Interruption.]

Business of the House

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 28th May 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

I am delighted that the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr Skinner) has overcome his natural shyness, and that new Members will now benefit from hearing him.

[Mr Skinner]

You, Mr Speaker, could have advised the Leader of the House as well as I can that the word “chutzpah” is pronounced “khutzpah”. Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the most vindictive, mean piece of legislation announced yesterday was the attack upon the political levy, which is an attempt to withdraw funds from the Labour party—the Opposition? Will that legislation be drawn wide enough for us to put down amendments to include those hedge funds and all the other City institutions that give money to those people in the Tory party who sit on millionaire’s row?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 10th March 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

I could not help but notice that when my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Shabana Mahmood) was asking the Chief Secretary’s sidekick to answer a question about Lord Green, the Chief Secretary was constantly having a laugh at his expense. I am going to give him a chance: will he now answer the question about meeting Lord Green. Now is the opportunity to make a name for himself. Come on.

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman has made his point, but unfortunately it does not relate to investment in infrastructure.

[Mr Skinner]

How do you know?

[Mr Speaker]

I am trying to use such powers of anticipation as I have, but let us hear the Chief Secretary respond.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Wednesday 25th February 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Just one more.

[Mr Speaker]

There is always next week.

Service Personnel (Ukraine)

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Wednesday 25th February 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Skinner]

No, Mrs Thatcher did to get more oil during the pit strike—

[Mr Speaker]

Order.

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 9th December 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I fear that the right hon. Gentleman, in his point of order, may be investing me with powers and wisdom that, sadly, the Chair does not possess. I do not think he will object to my communicating to the Chamber the fact that he has sent me a substantial academic essay on the matter, which I had the opportunity this morning to digest. The nub of the matter is that the right hon. Gentleman received what he regarded as a more expansive and informative answer to a previous question; he is now displeased that, on tabling a similar question and seeking that greater elaboration, it is being denied to him. Sadly, it is not within the power of the Chair to prescribe the level of expansiveness of ministerial replies.

I can say only two things: first, Ministers should attend to the terms of the question and seek to inform, rather than to avoid informing; and secondly, the right hon. Gentleman is both a doughty fighter and a cerebral character, so he will know that there are many ways of achieving one’s objective. If seeking the information through written answers does not avail him, he can always seek an Adjournment debate on the matter, and the ballot being operated in the Speaker’s Office might yield fruit for the right hon. Gentleman. We will leave it there for now.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I know that you are an avid listener to everything that happens in this place, and you will, like me, have noticed that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has admitted that he only believes in collective responsibility a little bit, and it is pretty evident that it might not last until May. Would you, Mr Speaker, find the appropriate words to describe what is happening to the Government? Do you, like me, think that the Lib Dems are preparing to leave the Government before May and the general election, or do you think they are going to hang on? Do you, the Speaker, have any responsibility for people who do not really believe in Government, but do so only a little bit? Can the Speaker comment? You have access to all those wonderful words, so I give you a chance.

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. In the run-up to elections there tends to be a degree of spontaneous creativity on the part of individual members of different parties. My first point to the hon. Gentleman is that there is a coalition Government; it is somewhat different from previous animals. My second point is that the hon. Gentleman ought to know me well enough to know that my ambitions do not stretch to a detailed interpretation of ministerial nuance. My preoccupation is with Arsenal playing Galatasaray tonight. The third point I would make to the hon. Gentleman on the strength of my respect for his 44 years’ uninterrupted service in the House is that on Sunday afternoon I hugely enjoyed finishing reading his autobiography, and shortly my copy will wing its way to the hon. Gentleman in the hope that he might be gracious enough to sign it for me.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 6th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

On reflection, will the Energy Secretary now condemn the Thatcher decision to shut not only the pits, but the clean coal technology plant in south Yorkshire? She was so determined to smash the National Union of Mineworkers that she closed that plant as well. When he thinks about it—the late ’80s—does he condemn it? Come on, stand up!

[Mr Speaker]

With reference to the EU 2030 framework. [Laughter.] I look to the Secretary of State now to deal with the matter pithily.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Skinner]

Don’t come to my constituency with that—

[Mr Speaker]

Order.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Wednesday 15th October 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Just one more.

[Mr Speaker]

Mr Skinner will, I am sure, be in his place next week and probably several times before then.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 2nd September 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. It is a pretty considerable distance from Milton Keynes to Brighton, and indeed, for that matter, to Bolsover. The question was narrowly constrained, so we will move on.

Kellingley and Thoresby Collieries

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 8th April 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order—

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Seconded.

[Mr Speaker]

I note the observation of the hon. Gentleman.

I have listened carefully to what the hon. Member for Selby and Ainsty (Nigel Adams) has said and I must give my decision without stating any reasons. I am afraid that I do not consider the matter that the hon. Gentleman has raised as appropriate for discussion under Standing Order No. 24 and I therefore cannot submit the application to the House.

Point of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Monday 7th April 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. This has just crossed my mind, and I thought I had better use it before you do: how do you solve the problem called Maria?

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Members for their points of order, or attempted points of order. I am obliged to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann) for what he said about not seeking to debate a particular case. I feel sure that he is well familiar with “Erskine May” page 396, which specifically stipulates that there cannot be debate on the conduct of an individual hon. or right hon. Member, other than on a substantive motion. No substantive motion is on the Order Paper, and therefore no such discussion can or should take place.

I simply say to the hon. Gentleman that Governments may make statements to the House when they wish. The Government have not chosen to make a statement today. It is perfectly possible for exchanges on the principles of the issue that concern him and others to take place between now and when we rise later this week. That might take the form of a question or a debate. I am very open to these matters being aired if right hon. and hon. Members wish to air them. However, it must be done in an orderly way. That is the sole responsibility of the Chair in this matter. I know his persistence and that of other right hon. and hon. Members. I am sure that they will use the opportunities that are available to seek to air their concerns at the earliest opportunity—concerns that, as the hon. Member for Walsall North (Mr Winnick) articulated, are shared widely by our constituents.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 3rd April 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

I call Mr Philip Hollobone.

[Mr Skinner]

Following on from that—

[Mr Speaker]

I always bear the hon. Gentleman in mind, but we will hear from Mr Hollobone first.

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Monday 17th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Member for New Forest East (Dr Lewis) says that he did that once before, but I think he was operating under cover at the time.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. The hon. Member for New Forest East (Dr Lewis) has got form. He is the last person who should talk about doing things for other reasons. He joined the Labour party many years ago because he wanted to protect a so-called Labour MP who, when he next came to Parliament, crossed the Floor of the House and joined the Tories. The hon. Gentleman has got form.

[Mr Speaker]

There are only two responses to the hon. Gentleman. First, lots of us have got form. Secondly, he has made the point conclusively for me that it is time to move on.

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Wednesday 12th February 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his point of order and for his indication to me a few moments ago of his intention to raise it. The straightforward position is that once the inquest has formally opened, the matters of which it treats are then sub judice. In those circumstances, the Chair does have discretion to waive the sub judice rule, though it has to be said that no such judgment would be made lightly, for I have to be conscious of and respectful towards the resolution relating to sub judice that the House has itself passed. I am sorry if my reply today is not as informative as the hon. Gentleman would wish. However, I will keep abreast of events and I am well aware of the sensitive balance of considerations here as between the proper concern of Members with freedom of speech, on the one hand, and the crucial imperative of not prejudicing the conduct of the inquest, on the other. I hope that the hon. Gentleman and others will feel that I am very conscious of those balancing considerations and will attend to them keenly. If, at any stage, an hon. Member wishes to approach me for guidance as to the appropriateness or otherwise of what he or she might be minded to say, I would certainly always, guided by the Clerks, attempt to be helpful to Members.

Perhaps we can leave it there for today. It is always nice to be smiled at by the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr Skinner), who seems to be in a relatively cheery mood, whether with me, with the hon. Member for Blyth Valley (Mr Campbell) or with the House I do not know.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

You had better not ask me what I was saying!

[Mr Speaker]

I am not sure how grateful I am to the hon. Gentleman for what he has just said, but I will take his advice. If there are no further points of order, we come now to the ten-minute rule motion, for which the hon. Member for Wansbeck (Ian Lavery) has been patiently waiting.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 6th February 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Is it not a fact that it takes two sides to create industrial action? The problem with the Tory Front Bench is that they dare not attack Boris Johnson for not conducting talks, because half of the Tory MPs want Boris Johnson to be their next leader. That is the reason.

[Mr Speaker]

On transport services between Yorkshire and London.

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Wednesday 8th January 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

My advice is twofold. First, all Members are responsible for the accuracy or otherwise of what they say. If a mistake has been made, it should be corrected. The procedure for making a correction will be well known to any and all hon. Members. Secondly, I simply say to the hon. Gentleman, with due affection, that I first met him when we served on the Lambeth borough council together in 1986, so we have known each other for 27 years. He always struck me as an extraordinarily persistent blighter then, and nothing in the intervening period has caused me to revise that judgment.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. In view of what you had to say to my hon. Friend the Member for Wansbeck (Ian Lavery) regarding the release of papers on the year-long miners’ strike, we are not talking about a day or two; we are talking about the sentiments and points of view expressed over a long period in the House by Ministers. It was pretty clear, according to the papers that have been released, that many things said by Ministers were based on something that was not correct. It therefore gets to the heart of Parliament when we realise that those statements made over a year-long period were shaping the views of all people, including the judiciary, which learned what it wanted to know about the nature of the strike based on ministerial statements on a continuing basis. That is why this issue is so important retrospectively.

You, Mr Speaker, have several times heard the Prime Minister apologise for some incidents involving Governments from way back. That applies to previous Prime Ministers as well as this one. I therefore think that it is your duty, Mr Speaker—an adventurous Speaker—to use your good offices on this matter. Since you assumed your office, you have already moved into some such territories, so it is important to check all the statements made in this House in violation of what we now know as a result of the release of these papers. If you do that, Mr Speaker, we will then be able to see how the course of events in that year-long strike were shaped, resulting in the judiciary taking action—on sequestration, on the imprisonment of people, on blacklisting and on other events. What flowed from the mouths of those who occupied the Treasury Bench at the time was the utterance of statements that we now know to be untrue. That makes this a parliamentary issue rather than one that is just broadly political.

[Mr Speaker]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his point of order, and I hope that he will recognise, as the House will have noted, that I have treated it with great respect. I have listened to him while he fully made his point. I would say two things in response. First, rather than give an instant response, I would like to reflect on what he said. Secondly, while noting his observations about my spirit of adventure, it may be that what he seeks on this occasion could conceivably be beyond my spirit of adventure—I do not know. I will consider the matter and if I think it necessary to revert to the House, I shall do so. We will have to leave it there for today.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 10th October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Isn’t he a food bank himself? [Laughter.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I will not repeat what the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr Skinner) has just said from a sedentary position. The Second Church Estates Commissioner is an extremely distinguished Member, but he is not what was said of him from a sedentary position.

Sittings of the House (Wednesday 17 April)

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 16th April 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Skinner]

I am just making a statement about the fact that during the course of Margaret Thatcher’s parliamentary time, especially when she was Prime Minister, she was divisive, first, in the sense that she got rid of all the wets so that she could set about her agenda. There is no question at all about that—I know that has nothing to do with Question Time being abandoned, Mr Speaker.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. A moment or two ago the hon. Gentleman was very much on the issue of Prime Minister’s questions and I know that he will wish to return to it.

[Mr Skinner]

I do not need any lectures from Tories about what they did to Mrs Thatcher, because I remember that night and the following day, when she stood at that Dispatch Box. She had not had a night’s sleep and she was making her final speech in Parliament. Why was she making the final speech in Parliament? It was not because the Labour MPs had put a knife in her back. There is no question about that: a succession of Tory MPs had gone to her in the night and said, “I don’t think you should run again for the second ballot.” That is the truth of it. So, whatever I am saying here today does not compare with the fact that a woman who had won three elections in a row then suffered the indignity of being kicked out like a dog in the night by her own Members of Parliament. That is the truth of it, and whatever I say today is minimal compared with that.

Yes, I would like to have Question Time tomorrow, of course, and I have a few questions prepared. Perhaps I should ask the Leader of the House my questions; he might answer them when he winds up. One of them is undoubtedly about getting rid of the bedroom tax. I also want to tell the Prime Minister that it would not be a bad idea to do something about agency workers. There is all this talk about immigration, but the real problem in our society is the fact that a majority of the foreign people who come to this country are now being dictated to by agencies, and it is time we got rid of them. They are undercutting the indigenous workers. I worked with Poles in 1948, down the pit. Why were there no rows? Why did nobody get worked up about the displaced persons—the Poles and the Ukrainians? Because they were in the union with us, and they were paid the same wages. And there wasn’t an agency in sight. So that is another question that we could have put tomorrow.

We could also have put a question about doing something, now that the country is skint, like we did in 1945—

[Mr Skinner]

It was caused by that great economic tsunami that swept across the world—[Interruption.] And why did it sweep across the world? Because in 1989, in one of her last acts, Mrs Thatcher talked about the brave casino economy, the big bang in the City and deregulation. That was the moment it began. We never knew when it would turn into a recession, but we knew that somehow or other, that society of instant gratification would cause a recession at some time. That is how it all began.

It was just like that with the share-owning democracy. We could have discussed that tomorrow. Mrs Thatcher, that non-divisive character, sold off all the public utilities. She said, “We’ll sell off all the public utilities—gas, electricity and all the rest—and everybody will have shares. You can buy them off Sid and you’ll be able to be part of that great British share-owning democracy.” What happened to that? What happened to the share-owning democracy? EDF is now owned by French electricity; E.ON is owned by Germans; Scottish Power is owned by Spain’s Iberdrola; and npower is owned by the German company RWE. Anglian Water has gone to Canada, and Thames Water is owned by the Germans—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am trying to help the hon. Gentleman. He is absolutely in order, and it is relevant to the motion if he refers to matters that he would raise if there were a question session. In other words, he can raise the questions, but it is not in order for him also to provide the answers.

[Mr Skinner]

So who owns Orange and T-mobile? Have a guess. France and Germany! Who owns Cellnet and O2? Spain! Who owns Arriva buses? The German Deutsche Bank!

Speaker’s Statement

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Monday 15th April 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am extremely grateful to the right hon. Gentleman.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Further to that point of order—

[Mr Speaker]

No, I am not taking further points of order at this stage. We have an urgent question and a statement, and there will no doubt be other points of order.

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 18th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Is that sub judice?

[Mr Speaker]

That is not sub judice; it is a relatively unusual way for the Secretary of State to voice the Government’s thinking on this matter. I thank him in the spirit in which his comment was made. There is no doubt that if the Government have got further and better particulars on the matter, at some point that will become clear. We will leave it there and I thank him.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 18th October 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Who supported the nationalisation of rail?

[Mr Speaker]

We are grateful for that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 12th July 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

If the Minister is happy to meet the nuclear generation people, will he also take an interest in coal? We have 100 years’ worth of coal beneath our feet, and it is high time the Government paid some attention to the industry. Not many pits are left, and some of those are in jeopardy. It is high time the Minister met those people, together with the National Union of Mineworkers.

[Mr Speaker]

I assume that the hon. Gentleman is suggesting that as an alternative to new generation.

[Mr Skinner]

You have hit the nail on the head.

[Mr Speaker]

The approval of the hon. Gentleman means a great deal to me.

G20 Summit

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Monday 25th June 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Now that the Prime Minister has had his Jimmy Carr moment, would it not be a good idea to publish a list of all those using tax avoidance schemes, including those closer to home and those who inhabit millionaires’ row?

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I feel sure that the hon. Gentleman was seeking to relate his question to the European summit.

[Mr Skinner]

That is where it all happened.

[Mr Speaker]

Yes, and I know that that is what the Prime Minister will deal with in his reply.

Life Sciences

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Monday 5th December 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Skinner]

Yes, but in a free health service, not a privatised health service, which it will be—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The hon. Gentleman has made his point.

May I say gently to the Secretary of State that we are enjoying the full product of his lucubrations, but I think just a snapshot will do. We can get by with that. [Interruption.] The Minister of State, the right hon. Member for Chelmsford (Mr Burns), can look it up in his dictionary later. That is fine.

Points of Order

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Monday 20th June 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Well, there is a lot to be said for seeing what transpires. I know that the hon. Gentleman is a keen student of political history. Perhaps he will agree with me in this context that it is a good idea to remember the wise words of the late Lord Whitelaw. He it was who said, “As a rule, I do not believe in crossing bridges until I come to them.”

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. This all started because the Government said they were going to listen. That is what it was all about. Have you stopped listening? Come on!

[Mr Speaker]

I fear that the hon. Gentleman, perhaps not for the first time and possibly not for the last, has taken matters a little outside my capacity to rule—

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Wednesday 24th November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The hon. Gentleman will resume his seat immediately. That question has got nothing whatsoever to do with Government policy.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Q8. If the Prime Minister is so keen to put a cap on immigration, why did he earlier state that he gave his 100% backing to Turkey joining the EU? Surely he knows that most immigration to Britain comes from the EU. Does he not think that there is a stench of hypocrisy about the Government’s immigration policy?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 21st October 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Skinner]

So the answer is no, then, is it?

[Mr Speaker]

Order.

Summer Adjournment

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 27th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

I could speak about all the problems with the coalition, but there are two pressing cases in my constituency that I need to air.

First, I want to explain that the Bolsover constituency used to have 12 pits and about 20 textile factories. In the 1980s and 1990s, all those pits went. They were closed by the previous Tory Government. The textile factories, by and large, followed suit, mainly because Marks & Spencer and one or two other big stores decided to have all their goods made abroad. The net result was that unemployment in the Bolsover area, and in north Derbyshire generally, rose to more than 15% in the pit villages. We had a lot of work to do, and when the Labour Government came in—contrary to what the hon. Member for Southend West (Mr Amess) said—the truth is that we managed to start regenerating the area.

Instead of leaving the pit tips there, we cadged the money from the previous Prime Minister—then the Chancellor of Exchequer—to flatten them and turn them into areas where work could be provided. The factories were not the same and the money was not the same as it was when people were working in the pits. The truth is that we needed a lot of factories to make up for the several thousand miners and the many textile workers who had been thrown out of work. This was a deprived area without any doubt, so we had to do a lot of cadging of money in that context.

When Building Schools for the Future came along, we were naturally very pleased. We thought, “Here we are: we can get about four or five schools, some of them very old, rebuilt and provide some work for all those people”. The private sector would have been involved as suppliers for Building Schools for the Future and other schools in Britain. When the public sector is culled, it creates misery for the private sector—that is roughly it. Two or three schools were included in the programme, and Bolsover had its completion date only a fortnight ago.

When the Secretary of State made his statement to cancel 700 Building Schools for the Future projects, Members can imagine my horror when I heard that Tibshelf community school was not included in the list of projects that will go ahead. Looking at the website is enough to make you cry. I shall quote what came out in July 2010 on the Tory-controlled Derbyshire county council website. It is almost unbelievable:

“This is an immensely exciting time in the history of Tibshelf School. The Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme for Derbyshire is arriving just as the school is preparing to celebrate its centenary… The plans for the new school are developing nicely”—

this is in July this year—

“and have been shared with the whole community. From September 2010 the Tibshelf family will grow to include not only the villages of Tibshelf, Newton, Blackwell, Westhouses and Hilcote, but also Holmewood, Heath, Morton and Pilsley”—

the latter in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for North East Derbyshire (Natascha Engel).

Why did it say all that? Because not only was Tibshelf going to have its brand-new school; it was to be even bigger than we originally thought because it was going to take over Deincourt school in North Wingfield in my hon. Friend’s constituency. The result would have been that even more pupils could attend and a new Deincourt primary school would be built. The ripples were rolling right across to the county council, which was excited by it. The truth is that the Secretary of State kyboshed all that in a second when he decided that Tibshelf was not going ahead. There we are, then, for a school that is celebrating its centenary next year.

Tibshelf did not get on the first list; it did not get on the second list; it did not get on the third, fourth or fifth lists. I am pleading with the Secretary of State to make sure that this school is included—not only because of the deprivation in the area and because the project provides work, but because the educational facilities needed for this wonderful sports college are so important. What has happened not only affects Bolsover, but creates problems for the kids in Deincourt and elsewhere. Deincourt school is due to be demolished in the next few weeks. It was to have a complete rebuild. Those children will have no school to go to unless we can change this decision.

Let me finish the first part of what I want to say today by calling on the Secretary of State in respect of this matter. I am pleased that my hon. Friend the Member for North East Derbyshire mentioned that we should get answers. I want to know whether the Secretary of State will meet us when we come back in September; then we can bring down to this place the headmaster, officers of the Derbyshire education authority and others to get this decision reversed.

The second issue I want to raise is Bolsover’s prefabricated bungalows. Like many others up and down the country, they were built after the second world war. We did not have the materials or the money then—by God, we certainly did not have the money—so these prefabs were built. A lot of people thought they would not last very long, but they were wrong because the prefabs were built pretty well. Then we cladded around them in many constituencies up and down Britain and we managed to give them a new lease of life. That is why houses built in about 1948 or 1949 were able to last right through to 2000 and beyond.

Sadly, however, in the past few years, the foundations have begun to collapse. In my constituency, there are 108 of these buildings, and pensioners are living in every one of them. They are in Bolsover, a deprived area, and in villages such as Langwith Junction and New Houghton. Pensioners in these areas are now living in fear, as some of these dwellings have been shut down. There are 40 in one village and about 15 have already been closed. Can Members imagine what the conditions are like for people when houses next door to them and peppered around them are closed?

Again, then, I am asking for a meeting with a Minister. When we met the Labour Housing Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey), he did not give us a letter saying that the money was all gone. My right hon. Friend said to us: “Here is the money. Start the programme of rebuilding the prefabricated houses. Give the pensioners a chance to live in some decent accommodation.” So we took the money and we thought we were going to start after the election. Then, we got the response from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government that he is not prepared to find that money any more. We are asking for a meeting with him in order to get those houses built to provide people with work and—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Time is up, I am afraid. We are grateful.

Business of the House

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 22nd July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Skinner]

Intermittently.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The hon. Gentleman should not chunter like that from a sedentary position. Let us hear the answer from the Leader of the House.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Tuesday 13th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Last but never least, I call Mr Dennis Skinner.

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Has the Treasury done a calculation of the number of construction jobs that will be lost as a result of not building 700 schools? Does that not prove that public sector cuts equal private sector misery? Get that into your head.

Business of the House

Debate between Dennis Skinner and John Bercow

Thursday 10th June 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab)]

Did the Leader of the House knock any sense into IPSA when he met its representatives? Did they give an apology for the breach of security by sending these e-mails to the wrong Members of Parliament, because there was none in the letter that I received? Next time he sees them, will he tell them that a strange paradox is occurring in the House of Commons, as the Back Benchers are taking power to themselves—he referred to that today, right?—yet an oligarchy called IPSA is moving in the opposite direction? Tell it to get in tune!

[Mr Speaker]

I think that the hon. Gentleman is seeking either a statement—preferably now—or indeed a debate.