(10 years, 7 months ago)
Commons ChamberOrder. Mr Cryer will be heard. The House should hear him. His constituents should hear him. It is really just a matter of courtesy.
The Liberal Minister used to be a loyal servant of Britain in Europe. Does he still agree with its founding principles?
(12 years, 7 months ago)
Commons ChamberOn a point of order, Mr Speaker. As you know, on Friday a consultation paper was introduced that is intended to lead to legislation creating a statutory register of lobbyists. That was trailed in the press like confetti, across the media. It was accompanied on Friday by a brief written statement and nothing else. This is such an important issue that the Prime Minister himself has said that it is the next big scandal in British politics. Should not Friday’s statement be accompanied by an oral statement, and has the Deputy Prime Minister contacted you to indicate that he wishes to come here to make a statement?
I have not been contacted in the way that the hon. Gentleman expected or would have advised. What I would say to him is twofold. First, the form of Government statements is overwhelmingly a matter for Government to determine. The hon. Gentleman rightly references the fact that although the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, the hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr Harper) tabled a written ministerial statement on this subject on Friday, there has been no subsequent oral statement. What I would say to the hon. Gentleman, secondly, is that my understanding of the matter is that the Government have launched a consultation process. It is an extremely important consultation process, on what, as he rightly says, is an extremely important matter, but that is the stage that we have reached. If, following the consultation process, the Government have specific policy changes to recommend, I feel certain that they will do so via an oral statement to the House; and, knowing the hon. Gentleman as I do—we entered the House together in 1997—I know that he will be eagerly expecting such an oral statement and will probably be the first in the queue to complain if it is not forthcoming.
(13 years, 1 month ago)
Commons ChamberOrder. May I remind the House that I have not been hiring people at all. I call Mr John Cryer.
On 8 July the Prime Minister said that he had commissioned a company to do a basic background check on Coulson. For the fourth time, I am asking for the name of the company. It is a pretty simple question; just come to the Dispatch Box and name the company.
(13 years, 8 months ago)
Commons ChamberOrder. I encourage the Minister to address the House. It is no good his looking behind him, because hon. Members cannot hear him.
18. What assessment he has made of the effect on school budgets of funding allocations to local authority education services for 2011-12.