Business of the House
Debate between Greg Smith and Alan Campbell(1 week, 3 days ago)
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Sir Alan Campbell
As my hon. Friend deftly points out, there is a fairly narrow tightrope to walk here. We need to ensure that the House of Lords gets its opportunity to scrutinise legislation, whatever it happens to be, in the way that it is constitutionally set up to; but there is a concern, shared by many Members of this House, about the effect that this scrutiny can have, especially when this place feels strongly about an issue. I think he is referring to the assisted dying Bill, which this House passed. As I have said before at business questions, I expect the upper House to take into consideration the fact that we, the elected House, supported it, and other measures.
Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)
Does the Leader of the House seriously think it is reasonable for the Government to announce a new framework that will have a profound effect on Mid Buckinghamshire—and indeed every constituency represented in this House, not least as regards food security—by written ministerial statement, rather than through an oral statement in the Chamber, which would allow scrutiny by Members from all parties? Will he reflect on that, particularly as Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Question Time continues to be just 40 minutes long, rather than a full hour? Will he ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to make a full oral statement in the House about the framework?
Sir Alan Campbell
I will consider that request. The hon. Gentleman makes a point that others have made about DEFRA questions; given the circumstances in which we find ourselves, they ask whether we should look at how much time Departments get for questions. That can change over time. We should make sure that the length of departmental questions reflect the circumstances. There is also a balance to be struck when it comes to oral statements in the Chamber. There are important matters that this House has to debate, and how many oral statements are necessary is a bit of a moot question. There are ways that he can find out the answers that he wants, other than waiting for an oral statement from the Government; for example, he could ask for a Westminster Hall debate.
Business of the House
Debate between Greg Smith and Alan Campbell(2 weeks, 3 days ago)
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Sir Alan Campbell
I thank my hon. Friend for raising that matter in the House—he is a strong advocate, not just for his constituency but for the west of the very beautiful county of Northumberland. The Government are investing £24 billion in maintaining and improving motorways and local roads across the country. I join him in urging councils, such as Northumberland county council, to act so that our constituents can reap the benefits of that funding. As for the tempting invitation that he sends me, I will certainly look at my diary.
Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)
The Liberal Democrat-chaired Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes fire authority has just consulted on closing Stokenchurch and Great Missenden fire stations and removing nearly a quarter of the fire engines from the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes fire authority area. It is no surprise that the consultation responses are in and the public do not want to see those dangerous cuts taking place. Yet the papers for next week’s meeting of the fire authority seem to show that it will ignore the consultation and carry on regardless. May we have a debate in Government time about the duties on public bodies to listen to consultations? Otherwise, the public will just look at these things as token exercises rather than real, meaningful engagement.
Sir Alan Campbell
I understand public concern when issues such as those arise, and whenever possible, of course the authorities need to listen to residents. Should the hon. Gentleman seek a Westminster Hall debate, I am sure that others will seek to join him in that because there are common concerns in other areas of the country.
Business of the House
Debate between Greg Smith and Alan Campbell(4 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)
We are in a farming emergency with the family farm tax, the early cutting off of the sustainable farming incentive and the watering down of measures to prevent equipment theft from farms, yet this morning, Members across the House who wanted to question Ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs were unable to do so because the Government persist in keeping DEFRA questions at just 40 minutes. Will the Leader of the House look at extending DEFRA questions to a full hour so that rural communities are not left behind?
Sir Alan Campbell
I will look at the hon. Gentleman’s suggestion, but as he knows, if one thing expands, something else is squeezed. I will look at that, but it might not be as easy as he suggests.
Business of the House
Debate between Greg Smith and Alan Campbell(4 months, 4 weeks ago)
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Sir Alan Campbell
I am sincerely sorry to hear about Phoebe’s situation; it must be very painful and worrying for her and her family. I will follow up with the Health Secretary, but I know that Ministers have received his letter, and he will get a response shortly. He may also wish to apply for a debate, but I will ensure that the House is updated when the comprehensive national cancer plan is published in the new year.
Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)
The Liberal Democrat-chaired Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes fire authority has cooked up a dangerous plan to remove nearly a third of the fire engines from the area, including Haddenham. They are also fully closing Stokenchurch and Great Missenden fire stations in my constituency. Can we have a debate in Government time on the importance of not just local fire services but joined-up thinking, given that this Government wish to massively increase the number of homes built in Buckinghamshire and plaster our countryside with dangerous things like battery energy storage systems, which pose a huge fire risk?
Sir Alan Campbell
The hon. Gentleman will know that where housing is built, infrastructure is important, and we will want to make sure that it is included in any proposals. He is at liberty to apply for a debate in which to raise these matters. I gently point out that it is for the local authority and the local fire service to decide how they deploy their resources, but we are in this situation because his party left public services on their knees.