Points of Order

Debate between Joan Ryan and John Bercow

Tuesday 5th March 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for the point of order.

[Joan Ryan (Enfield North) (Ind)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

If it is, as I believe it to be, on the same matter, I will hear the right hon. Member for Enfield North (Joan Ryan) and then I will respond to the two of them.

[Joan Ryan]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. May I support the point raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Totnes (Dr Wollaston), the Chair of the Health Committee? Members of this House have previously left their parties and become independent or changed party, and I understand from the House of Commons Library that they have remained on Select Committees, only coming off them if they expressed a wish to do so. That is clearly not the case here. May I seek your ruling on the fact that there is no precedent for political parties to seek to remove Members whom the House has said should remain on their Select Committees for the duration of the Parliament?

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Member for Totnes (Dr Wollaston) and the right hon. Member for Enfield North for those points of order. On the very last point, and this is not in any sense a criticism, from my recollection there are precedents. The truth of the matter is that there are precedents for a lot of things in this place and that does not necessarily mean that such a course of action is right. I say that without prejudice to what colleagues might judge to be the merits of the right hon. Lady’s point of order as a whole. She has flagged up a very important issue. The points of order were raised, at least in part, to elicit a response, and I am grateful to the hon. Lady and the right hon. Lady for giving me notice of them. Procedurally, the position is certainly clear in my mind and I hope I can make sure that it is clear in everyone else’s.

Changes in membership of Select Committees are made by this House on debatable and amendable motions. For almost all Select Committees, such motions are moved on behalf of the Selection Committee by its Chair or another member of it. Under Standing Order No. 121, any Member intending to propose that a Member be discharged from a Select Committee shall endeavour to give notice to the Member whom he or she proposes should be discharged from the Committee. In the first instance, I refer the hon. Lady and the right hon. Lady to the hon. Member for North Herefordshire (Bill Wiggin), namely, the Chair of the Selection Committee. I am not aware of any current plan to remove somebody from such a Committee, and I would not necessarily be aware if there were such a plan. Procedurally, what I have said is, I think, accurate and in so far as it contains advice, it is the fairest advice I can offer. I hope that is helpful to colleagues.

I think there was another point of order.

Business of the House

Debate between Joan Ryan and John Bercow

Thursday 14th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Well, I am not aware that that is so today, though I speak with care. The Leader of the House is quite right to say that if a Member intends to refer to another Member’s constituency, especially if he or she intends to do so in what might be called disobliging terms, it is a courtesy so to notify. The hon. Member for Bridgwater and West Somerset (Mr Liddell-Grainger) has, on a number of occasions, notified me of his intention to refer to the Taunton Deane constituency, but—I express myself with care—I am not aware that he did so on this occasion, and that should have happened. [Interruption.] He is signalling that he either has written or will write; I think it is the latter—could do better.

[Joan Ryan (Enfield North) (Lab)]

The Government have supported the concept of an international fund for Israel-Palestine to promote the values of co-existence, reconciliation and peace. The evidence is robust that these projects bring together people, build resilience and build constituencies for peace. May we have an early debate on how the Government can make progress on the support they have given to this idea so far?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Joan Ryan and John Bercow

Thursday 14th December 2017 Commons Chamber

[Joan Ryan]

I understand that the Minister said in answer to an earlier question that some quantitative assessment has been undertaken in relation to leaving the customs union, and yet, last week, when he was in front of the Select Committee, the Secretary of State admitted that the Government had undertaken no quantitative assessment. Why is it that every time we ask a question in relation to Brexit, we get a different answer depending on the time, the day, or the Minister? If the Government simply cannot, or will not, say whether leaving the customs union will make Britain poorer, does the Minister not agree—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I think we have got the drift of what the right hon. Lady is trying to cover. Questions really need to be briefer. Otherwise, a lot of people lower down the Order Paper will not be reached, and it is not fair.

Point of Order

Debate between Joan Ryan and John Bercow

Thursday 14th December 2017 Commons Chamber

[Joan Ryan (Enfield North) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I fear that I inadvertently misled the House during business questions, when I suggested that right hon. and hon. Members could enjoy the pantomime of “Dick Whittington” at the Millfield theatre this Christmas. In fact, that was the last pantomime that I saw there. If hon. Members wish to attend the Millfield theatre this year, it will be to enjoy “Jack and the Beanstalk”.

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the right hon. Lady for that extremely helpful clarification. Moreover, in the process of offering that clarification to the House, the right hon. Lady has served further to highlight the important work done by, and the continued pleasure brought about by, the theatre, which I believe to be in her constituency.

[Joan Ryan]

The theatre is in my borough; it serves my constituency.

[Mr Speaker]

We now know that the important work of this theatre is in the London Borough of Enfield, for which I think both the theatre and the borough will be eternally grateful.

European Council

Debate between Joan Ryan and John Bercow

Monday 26th June 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

What a rich assortment of distinction. I call Joan Ryan.

[Joan Ryan (Enfield North) (Lab)]

The European arrest warrant and its extradition orders have proved a very effective means by which we have seen speedy justice for those who have committed a crime and for victims who want a speedy outcome. What does the Prime Minister envisage as the future of the European arrest warrant? Has she yet discussed that at any point? If not, when does she think it will be discussed?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Joan Ryan and John Bercow

Thursday 30th June 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Kevin Foster. Not here.

[Joan Ryan (Enfield North) (Lab)]

T3. Many of my constituents who live on the eastern side of Enfield are fed up to the back teeth with infrequent and unreliable train services. Does the Secretary of State agree that the early delivery of four-tracking of the west Anglia main line rail route from Coppermill junction to Broxbourne junction offers a unique opportunity to improve services, boost housing growth potential and benefit the local economy?

EU Referendum (Privy Council)

Debate between Joan Ryan and John Bercow

Monday 14th March 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The short answer is no, not now. The right hon. Gentleman might be able to do that in the course of a private chat over a cup of tea with the hon. Lady, or by answering a written question if she were to table such, but today we must focus on the narrow terms of the urgent question that has been granted.

[Joan Ryan (Enfield North) (Lab)]

I have always considered it an honour and privilege to be a member of the Privy Council, and I take very seriously the trust that is placed in those of us who are part of it. I believe that the allegations carry a great deal of currency, and that if they are not properly investigated, they could undermine the whole of the Privy Council and everybody in it. The Prime Minister was right to say that it would be very serious if a member of the Privy Council was the source of the newspaper story in The Sun. I therefore think that it behoves the Government to ask the Member involved to come to this House and to make a statement himself, in order to lay this matter to rest.

Enterprise Bill [Lords]

Debate between Joan Ryan and John Bercow

Wednesday 9th March 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I would like to accommodate two more speakers, if possible.

[Joan Ryan]

As they say, you may not realise what you’ve got till it’s gone—I think that applies to all of us and not just to you, Mr Speaker. Once our special Sundays are lost, it will be impossible to get them back. Hon. Members often say, “I don’t know which way I am going to vote. I’m going to listen to the debate.” Frankly, I defy any rational person—any Member of this House who has listened to the debate—to explain why they would vote with the Government. If they had really listened to the debate, they would surely support the amendment tabled by the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr Burrowes). We have heard so much information from Populus surveys and USDAW surveys—perhaps I should declare an interest as an USDAW member—showing us that just about everybody is against the changes. Nobody wants them—including, apparently, the Prime Minister before the election—yet here we are.

The changes would be bad for business. All the evidence set out today has demonstrated that, so I will not repeat it. They would be exploitative to shop workers and others who work in the retail sector, who do not want them. The public and consumers do not want them. There is no evidence that anybody wants them, yet the Government have consulted on the deregulation of Sunday trading hours three times in the past four years. It has been somewhat unseemly to see the Government scrabbling around today trying to patch together some kind of last-minute deal that would in no way protect us against deregulation in the future. I urge hon. Members to vote for the amendment and to see the end of proposals on this matter for a considerable period to come.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Joan Ryan and John Bercow

Monday 8th February 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Mr Geoffrey Robinson. Not here.

[Joan Ryan (Enfield North) (Lab)]

T2. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

Skills and Growth

Debate between Joan Ryan and John Bercow

Wednesday 17th June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Joan Ryan (Enfield North) (Lab)]

In 2013-14, apprenticeship starts in Enfield North fell from 710 to 590. While I agree that the focus on apprenticeships is welcome and necessary, I do not think it should be at the expense of adult skills training. The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London in my constituency faces an unprecedented 21.2% cut in funding, losing some 40 posts. Is this a coherent strategy, given that a large proportion of students—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Interventions must be brief. Although this debate is not hugely subscribed, 14 Members want to speak and I would like to try to accommodate all colleagues. Consideration from Back Benchers and indeed from Front Benchers is of the essence. These debates are mainly about Back Benchers and not about shadow Ministers or Ministers.