Draft Commonwealth Development Corporation (Limit on Government Assistance) Regulations 2023

Gareth Bacon Excerpts

Wednesday 5th July 2023 General Committees

[Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West) (Lab)]

I tend to come to these Committees and only contribute when I am invited to do so. This measure is the sort of thing that conforms to what I would call the inverse rule of public finance: the greater the sum of money involved, the less discussion there is and the more disinterest shown by Members in what the money is being spent on. With this statutory instrument, we are talking about an extension of £3.5 billion in the money that the Government are making available.

I take that back after listening to the contribution from my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston, who has done exactly what should be done on these occasions, despite the grumbling of Government Members, who obviously have other things they would rather be doing than scrutinising the expenditure of £3.5 billion of public money this afternoon.

[Gareth Bacon (Orpington) (Con)]

Get on with it.

[Kevin Brennan]

If the hon. Member wants to intervene and make his points to the Committee on the record, I am very happy to give way, because he has been grumbling all the way through this whole Committee.

[Gareth Bacon (Orpington) (Con)]

Stop showboating.

[Kevin Brennan]

I think I heard him sey I am showboating. I am in fact doing what the—[Interruption.]