Business of the House

Debate between Karl Turner and Lord Young of Cookham

Thursday 12th July 2012 Commons Chamber

[Sir George Young]

I will certainly draw my right hon. Friend’s attention to the concern my hon. Friend has just expressed. It is very important that we develop the railway network in such a way that it is possible to move freight from road to rail and that the interests of freight operators are not ignored when we look at track access charges.

[Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East) (Lab)]

Bullying in the workplace is apparently on the increase. On Tuesday night I witnessed a very red-faced and angry Prime Minister sticking his fingers in the face of the hon. Member for Hereford and South Herefordshire (Jesse Norman), who, reportedly, was then removed and marched off the estate by the Prime Minister’s henchmen. May we please have an urgent debate on bullying in this place and the Prime Minister’s anger management issues?

[Sir George Young]

I honestly think that there are better business questions that can be put to the Leader of the House than recycled gossip and tittle-tattle.

Business of the House

Debate between Karl Turner and Lord Young of Cookham

Thursday 19th April 2012 Commons Chamber

[Sir George Young]

I would welcome such a debate on the way that we have driven forward at high speed the policy that we inherited from Lord Adonis. We are clear that academies are helping to increase school standards, and this year’s academy GCSE results improved by nearly twice the level seen across all maintained schools. I hope that we can maintain the momentum and that in the new Session there might be an opportunity for a further debate on our education policies.

[Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East) (Lab)]

Yesterday evening, as you know, Madam Deputy Speaker, the Government narrowly staved off a defeat on the imposition of VAT on static caravans. Despite the fact that 17 Tory MPs rebelled against their own Government, that was made possible by Liberal Democrats. May we have a debate on the genuine dislike of Liberal Democrats that is shared across the House and the country?

[Sir George Young]

No. Those of us who have been in government before, particularly under John Major, would regard a majority of, I think, 25 as a healthy one, compared with that of ’92 to ’97. The degree of harmony between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats in the Government is far greater than it was between the Brownites and the Blairites in the last Labour Government.