Immigration System
Debate between Lewis Cocking and Caroline Nokes(2 weeks, 4 days ago)
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Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)
Order. I intend to allow this statement to continue until 6.15 pm. I appreciate that many Members might be disappointed.
Lewis Cocking (Broxbourne) (Con)
My constituency of Broxbourne has a hotel that is used to house illegal asylum seekers. This has placed huge pressure on local GP surgeries and schools, which are already overstretched, and my constituents and I have had enough. Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss this issue, and can she tell me when the hotel housing illegal asylum seekers in my constituency of Broxbourne will close?
Winter Fuel Payment
Debate between Lewis Cocking and Caroline Nokes(2 months, 1 week ago)
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Lewis Cocking
The hon. Member makes a point that he is passionate about, but I do not agree with him. We need to produce more of our energy here at home, rather than relying on imports. That is why the Government should change their policy and issue new oil and gas licences. I urge hon. Members on the Government Benches —lots of them are honourable—to please support pensioners today and vote to keep the winter fuel allowance.
Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)
That brings us to the wind-ups. I call the shadow Secretary of State.
Point of Order
Debate between Lewis Cocking and Caroline Nokes
Lewis Cocking (Broxbourne) (Con)
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I draw Members’ attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. My point of order relates to comments by Ministers on their plans to impose local government restructuring.
At oral questions on 20 January, the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution asserted:
“The Government are not requiring any area to reorganise…this is a bottom-up reorganisation being requested by local councils”.—[Official Report, 20 January 2025; Vol. 760, c. 720-721.]
However, in answer to a written question on 16 January, the same Minister wrote:
“All levels of local government have a part to play in bringing improved structures to their area through reorganisation, and we expect all councils in an area to work together to develop unitary proposals”.
Labour’s devolution White Paper also pledges to legislate to create a ministerial direction power to force such restructuring through. This is not bottom-up reorganisation.
Ministers have an obligation under the 1997 resolution on ministerial accountability to give accurate answers to Parliament. I seek your advice, Madam Deputy Speaker, on whether contradictory answers are compatible with that resolution.
Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for providing prior notice of his point of order. As he will know, I am not responsible for ministerial answers to questions, but he has put his point on the record very clearly and I am sure that those on the Treasury Bench will have noted his comments.