Business of the House
Lindsay Hoyle Excerpts(4 days, 8 hours ago)
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Sir Alan Campbell
I will. It is unacceptable that Nicola had to wait so long for the surgery that she needed, and I am sorry to hear of her family and friends’ tragic loss. We have committed to renewing the women’s health strategy to tackle inequalities and improve access to healthcare for women across England, and support groups such as Nicola’s provide an essential lifeline for women living with health issues. I encourage my hon. Friend and other Members to attend next week’s Westminster Hall debate on access to endometriosis services.
Bobby Dean (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD)
I am sure that you, Mr Speaker, will be as concerned as I am about the recent outbreak of meningitis in Kent, and I am sure the thoughts of the whole House are with the families who have lost loved ones already. The UK Health Security Agency has a huge job on its hands to get good public health information out there and to work with the NHS on a targeted vaccination programme. It is a reminder of how much faith and trust we put in health professionals in these moments of crisis. They are all dedicated to keeping us safe.
This situation is also a reminder of the dangers of bad information. It is a sad truth that in this country, the take-up rates of child vaccination have declined over the past decade. Some of that has been attributed to misinformation that is allowed to spread freely online, but there are also well-organised and well-funded anti-vaccination groups, which I am sure we have all come across. Unfortunately, that has been egged on at times by populist politicians. President Trump in America has appointed a vaccine sceptic into a senior role in the White House and the Reform party platformed an anti-vax spokesperson at its conference recently.
All of us who have dared to confront this subject will have got stick online. I have even had protesters stop me on the high street while walking my dog to give me stick about the subject. I think that has made us a little bit scared as a political class to take this subject on, and it is about time that we used moments like this to take on the conspiracy theorists. Will the Leader of the House organise for a statement to be made about how we will tackle the rise in misinformation and conspiracy theories and, ultimately, get the rate of childhood vaccination up again?
Sir Alan Campbell
I will certainly give that consideration, and I join my hon. Friend in encouraging Members to pick up some Denby pottery. This is a crisis situation for the company, and I know that it will be a difficult period ahead—we should consider doing anything that we can do to help. The Government recognise that energy prices are a significant pressure on UK industry, including ceramics. That is why, as she mentions, we are increasing the discount on energy costs through the British industry supercharger. However, I do know that this will be a worrying time for the employees at Denby Pottery, and I will ensure that Ministers are aware of her concerns as a matter of urgency.
Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)
I thank the Leader of the House for announcing the Chamber business for next week. Could he give us early notice of whether we will get time after Easter, so that the Committee can allocate time accordingly? In addition, next Thursday there will be a statement from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on its report on coastal erosion.
In Westminster Hall, next Tuesday there will be a debate on sudden unexplained death in childhood, and on Thursday 26 March there will be a debate on outcomes for patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and craniocervical instability, followed by a debate on the potential merits of mandatory body armour for prison officers. On Tuesday 14 April, when we come back, there will be a debate on hidden credit liabilities and the role of the Financial Conduct Authority. On Thursday 16 April, there will be a debate on the housing needs of young people, followed by a debate on the NHS federated data platform. I hope that the Leader of the House will bring forward the necessary changes to Standing Orders that he promised before we prorogue for the state opening of Parliament.
In my position as chairman of the all-party parliamentary group for British Hindus, I have been in contact with Peterborough city council about the plight of the Bharat Hindu Samaj temple. This is the only Hindu temple in Peterborough. There are 11 mosques in the area, and I wish them Eid Mubarak as we approach the end of Ramadan. The council decided to sell the temple after the trustees of the temple agreed to match any other bid that came forward. They eventually offered £1.4 million. The councillors, however, chose another bid of £1.2 million. This was kept secret. Now the trustees have taken the case to court and, indeed, have got to a position whereby the judge has stayed the sale of the site. Could we have a statement from the Secretary of State next week on what action he will take to ensure that we preserve the opportunity for Hindus in Peterborough and across the country to celebrate their religion in proper fashion in peace and harmony?
Sir Alan Campbell
On early notice of Backbench time, I will certainly bear in mind what the hon. Gentleman says, and I thank him for the work of his Committee. He will appreciate, however, that as we approach—and it is no secret—the end of this Session, over the next few weeks things such as Lords amendments will tend to dominate. It is quite tricky to take out all such uncertainty, but I will do everything I can. On the change to Standing Orders, I will certainly look at what he requests and see if we can do that.
On the concerns that the hon. Gentleman raises about the Hindu community in Peterborough, we understand those concerns, not least because of the excellent work on these matters of my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Andrew Pakes). The temple has been the primary place of worship for members of his community for many years. This is ultimately a matter for the local authority, but we hope that it will engage productively with the community on this matter. On the wider matter of temples and places of worship, I will raise the hon. Gentleman’s concerns with the relevant Secretary of State.
Andrew Pakes (Peterborough) (Lab/Co-op)
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
As the Member of Parliament representing the constituency where the temple is based, may I put it on record that I am deeply disappointed not to have had a conversation with the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman), who has used parliamentary privilege to state some untruths about something that is subject to legal action?
Mr Speaker
Order. Members cannot use the word “untruths”. There may have been a misunderstanding, but we certainly must not have “untruths”.
Andrew Pakes
I am sorry, Mr Speaker, and I apologise to the House. The hon. Member for Harrow East has stated things that are not factual in relation to this.
One of the great blessings I have as a Member of Parliament is joining communities to celebrate festivals such Diwali, Hanukkah and Vaisakhi. In the coming hours, I will be joining many members of my community to celebrate Eid. Does the Leader of the House recognise the divisive, exclusionary, hateful language that some people have used to describe a community iftar in recent days? That has shown that it is not about British values; seeking to divide and to drive hatred is the antithesis of that. Will he join me in wishing well all those who will be taking part in Eid in the Park in Peterborough in the coming hours, showing off the best of my city? Will he also provide parliamentary time for a debate on the language that we use about social cohesion and bringing our faiths together rather than dividing them?
Sir Alan Campbell
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his clarification on this matter, and I am more than happy to speak to him afterwards about it.
On the statements that my hon. Friend condemns, the Prime Minister was absolutely clear yesterday that those statements from the Opposition spokesperson were utterly appalling and will only spread poison and division. Freedom of religion and the right of peaceful expression are fundamental British values, not the opposite. These rights should be respected for everyone, and that applies equally to peaceful prayer, protesting or assembly wherever it happens to be. I join my hon. Friend in wishing well everyone celebrating Eid, wherever they are celebrating it, but with a warning to all parties in this place that if they get into the gutter on these matters, the public will not forgive them.
Mr Speaker
I remind Members that, if they are going to mention another Member’s constituency, they should please give them notice. It is a courtesy that should happen.
Dame Karen Bradley (Staffordshire Moorlands) (Con)
One great privilege of being a Member of Parliament is the ability to raise constituents’ concerns directly with Ministers. Unfortunately, far too frequently, the responses to be sent to our constituents come from officials rather than Ministers. I am sure the Leader of the House agrees that our constituents are entitled to hear from the Ministers themselves. Will he remind his ministerial colleagues of their duty to ensure that our constituents hear directly from them, not their officials?
Sir Alan Campbell
I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend: businesses like Cockney’s are a valuable part of England’s local and cultural heritage, and we must do all we can to support our traditional high street businesses. Although it might look as if mine is a double order, I confess that, in reality, it is not. The Government are committed to supporting high streets and permanently low tax rates for 750,000 retail and hospitality properties. These are matters of concern in other constituencies, too, and I encourage him to apply for a debate so that we can continue to enjoy pie and mash.
Andrew Rosindell (Romford) (Reform)
I have absolutely no doubt that the Leader of the House will have joined all of us in celebrating St Patrick’s day on Tuesday 17 March. I thank you, Mr Speaker, for hosting a St Patrick’s day celebration in Speaker’s House. However, why are the Ulster banner and the cross of St Patrick not flown from the Houses of Parliament? It is right that flags are flown for Wales, Scotland and England on patron saint days, but no flag is flown for Northern Ireland, so can we rectify that for next year? Will the Leader of the House ensure that we have a St Patrick’s day debate in the Chamber, as we usually do? It is right that we discuss British-Irish relations, particularly the negative effect of the Windsor framework, which has divided our United Kingdom and is a democratic outrage.
Business of the House
Lindsay Hoyle Excerpts(1 week, 4 days ago)
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Sir Alan Campbell
Unadopted roads and pavements can cause a range of issues for residents, and this Government are currently consulting on the issue of unadopted amenities. I am sure that Members will be updated when that work has concluded, but I will ensure that my hon. Friend’s comments are brought to the attention of Ministers.
Bobby Dean (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD)
I bring to the House this week a matter that I have raised with the Leader of the House before: fraud. As he knows, fraud is a devastating crime that can destroy people’s life savings and plunge them into debt, and it is now the most frequently experienced crime in Britain. On Monday, the Government released their fraud strategy, but anybody would be forgiven for not noticing, because no Minister came to the Dispatch Box to speak about it, and there was hardly any media coverage.
Given how prevalent this crime is, we have to ask ourselves why no noise was made about this significant strategy. I think the reason is that a key pre-election commitment on fraud was quietly dropped. The Prime Minister himself said that big tech companies need to be held financially accountable for their role in fraud, but when the strategy was released, it did not enforce that commitment; instead, an industry working group emerged, which will talk to the industry and ask them nicely to act. The banks and financial regulators are unhappy about this—of course, the banks are on the hook for paying out compensation to customers when they are victims of fraud. They say that when they try to get big tech companies to act, those companies are far too slow and not responsive, and the only thing that will make them act is if they are also hit in the pocket when fraud takes place. Can the Leader of the House organise for a Minister to come to the Dispatch Box and explain why that commitment was dropped? Also, I raised this matter with the Leader of the House in October last year, and I still have not received a reply from the Minister.
Sir Alan Campbell
The reality is that when the Conservative party was in government, it hollowed out our high streets. We are giving unprecedented new powers to local communities to seize boarded-up shops and revitalise neglected high streets, but I will share my hon. Friend’s concerns with Ministers. Should he seek a meeting, I will facilitate one, or if he wants to hear directly from Ministers in a debate, I encourage him to apply for one.
Martin Vickers (Brigg and Immingham) (Con)
In addition to the business that the Leader of the House has announced, I can advise Members that on Thursday 26 March, there will be debates in the Chamber on transport accessibility for disabled people, and on support for Gurkha veterans. In Westminster Hall next week, there will be a number of debates, including one on productivity and economic growth in the east midlands and another—which I am sure will be particularly popular—on the accessibility of banking services. In the week commencing 23 March, there will be debates on sudden unexplained death in childhood, and on outcomes for patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and cranio-cervical instability. There may possibly be a debate on the merits of mandatory body armour for prison officers, but that one is provisional. As the Leader of the House knows, we have a great deal of outstanding debates needing time, and the weekly plea for more time is coming his way.
Turning to an issue of mine, I have many park home owners in my constituency. As I am sure the Leader of the House will be aware, the Government published research only this week about park home owners. The Backbench Business Committee has a pending debate on this subject; if the Leader of the House was particularly generous with Government time, we could bring that forward and satisfy the many park home owners throughout the country.
Sir Alan Campbell
The Government are committed to publishing the plan and we will do so at the first opportunity. We are facing a similar situation to the one that the right hon. Gentleman describes at the end of the 1930s, when defences were run down and the decision had to be made to start to rebuild them. That is why the work at the end of the 1930s had to happen. Of course, we hope that what happened later will not happen now—that is evident—but we are trying to rebuild our defences. We are working on the plan, and we will publish it as soon as we can.
Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)
I associate myself with the words of the Leader of the House in support for the armed forces, particularly HMS Dragon, which left Portsmouth’s shores. Residents in Cosham, Paulsgrove, Hilsea and Drayton and Farlington have faced years of dangerous antisocial behaviour along Portsdown Hill. Following what seems to be delays from the Hampshire police and crime commissioner’s office and potentially the council, the average speed cameras promised to the community are still only at tendering stage, and they will not be installed under after the summer. Understandably, my constituents do not want to face another summer of disruptions and unsafe driving. What further steps can I take to expediate action and ensure that these communities finally see the enforcement measures that they were promised?
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Speaker
Order. We are going to finish this at 12 o’clock. To help each other, we will have to really speed up.
Sir Alan Campbell
I thank my hon. Friend for marking this important anniversary. At this time in particular, we must remember all those who serve and have served in our armed forces, and all those who are victims of the devastating impact of war. Anniversaries such as that of the Clydebank blitz remind us of those who have served, those who were wounded and those who were killed.
Mr Speaker
May I say to the hon. Member for West Dunbartonshire (Douglas McAllister) that I attended that memorial event a few years ago? It was very moving.
Business of the House
Lindsay Hoyle Excerpts(2 weeks, 4 days ago)
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Sir Alan Campbell
Let me start by joining you, Mr Speaker, and the shadow Leader of the House in thanking Tom Goldsmith for his service to this House. As you said, he gave 30 dedicated years of service and work to Parliament and is an exemplary public servant. When Tom told me his news, I said that I was pleased for him personally but disappointed for the House. He has provided exceptional leadership during challenging times, and he has always provided a steady and thoughtful approach to the procedural and constitutional issues of recent years. I want to pass on to him my and the Government’s thanks for his dedication to parliamentary service and wish him well in the future.
I turn now to the comments of the shadow Leader of the House on events in the middle east. I am very grateful for his opening comments and agree with him that, whatever is happening in that part of the world, we must not take our eyes off Ukraine. The Government are absolutely determined that that is not going to happen. The events, however, are deeply concerning, and our thoughts are, as the shadow Leader of the House said, with British citizens and our brave servicemen and women in the region.
There are an estimated 300,000 British citizens across the region, and their safety and security is the Government’s top priority. We are deploying rapid response teams to support British nationals, and we are in close contact with our partners, including the UAE. While the UK Government’s charter flight was not able to depart Oman yesterday as planned due to technical issues, the flight is now expected to depart later today. We will continue to explore all options for helping our citizens return home as swiftly and safely as possible.
We urge British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to use the “register your presence” service to receive direct updates from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The FCDO phonelines are open 24/7 to provide consular support to affected British nationals. The FCDO MP hotline is also open, and Ministers are available to meet Members to discuss individual cases. Yesterday, the Minister for the Middle East held a drop-in briefing for MPs to provide details of the support to British nationals currently in the region, and FCDO officials are currently providing a further drop-in session for all MPs in the Members’ hub in Portcullis House, which is taking place as I speak.
One of the lessons from previous crisis situations like this is that sometimes the support that is set up does not work in the way that was planned, so I make an offer to Members. Should they face issues and find that they are unable to get the support that their constituents expect, I invite them to speak to my officials to see if we can help to sort it out.
It is of course important that the House is kept informed of any developments, and the Prime Minister did so at the earliest opportunity this week. There will be a further statement today, and the Government will continue to keep the House updated as the situation evolves.
I turn to security concerns, which the shadow Leader of the House touched on. Hon. Members will be aware that Counter Terrorism Policing released a statement yesterday, and the Security Minister set out the actions that the Government are taking to safeguard our democracy in this place. We will continue to take all necessary measures to protect our national interests, our citizens and our democratic way of life. I encourage any MP who experiences any suspicions or out-of-the-ordinary interactions to report them to the House authorities. The Government will continue to work in collaboration with the Parliamentary Security Department to set up a range of more tailored, bespoke briefings for those at greatest risk.
Let turn to the shadow Leader of the House’s specific comments. He touched on the question of arrests. I will not speculate about any of that, because there is a live police investigation going on and it is not right that I—or anyone else—should comment. On the defence investment plan, the Secretary of State is working flat out to deliver that and will announce its findings shortly.
On the right hon. Gentleman’s comments about energy, MPs will get an opportunity to question the Energy Department in a statement later today. We can also draw the opposite conclusions to those he drew, because what is happening underlines the importance of our own energy independence and security of supplies.
On actions in the Gulf and the reaction of our allies, we have a strong military presence across the region, which, as the right hon. Gentleman said, we have strengthened in recent weeks, including by sending additional Typhoons, F-35s, radar systems and helicopters. We are taking action to reduce the threat. Planes have been in the sky across the region intercepting incoming strikes. We are also deploying more capability to Cyprus. On that matter, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence met his Cypriot counterpart this morning to discuss further support for our shared security in that region.
As the Government have set out, the legal judgment is the basis for the position that the Prime Minister set out earlier this week. As he made clear, our actions are fully in line with the national interest of our country. I discourage people from speculating about some of the things that might be read in newspapers; it is far better to read or remember what the Prime Minister said in a very long statement on Monday, when in over two and a half hours of questioning he set out exactly what the Government’s position is. That is how it remains.
Ashley Dalton (West Lancashire) (Lab)
Thank you, Mr Speaker; I am delighted to take up this place. People in West Lancashire are concerned about the potential relocation of the children’s accident and emergency department at Ormskirk following the joint integrated care board committee’s “Shaping Care Together” consultation. Folk, and I, want a co-located children and adult’s A&E in Ormskirk. What can my constituents do to ensure that their voice is listened to in the process?
Sir Alan Campbell
First, I thank my hon. Friend for her commitment and contribution to the Government. I am sorry that she has left government, but I wish her well in every sense. Her work on the national cancer plan will save lives and transform care—and not every Minister can say that their work has had a lasting effect. I know that she will continue to be a powerful voice on behalf of her constituents. I reassure her that the final business case on A&E services in West Lancashire will take into account the results of the local consultation.
Bobby Dean (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD)
I join you, Mr Speaker, in thanking Tom Goldsmith for his immense service. I also wish those celebrating this weekend a happy Holi. There are three events in my constituency this weekend, and I intend to get covered in colour.
Moving on to the spring statement that we had this week, there were no policy announcements. That has left many young people feeling cut adrift. Youth unemployment is now almost a million. That is the highest rate that we have had in a decade and it is now higher than the EU average; it has become a specifically British problem that has accelerated under this Government. Why? It is not down to any one thing, but an accumulation, yet many of those things are under the Government’s control. Businesses are citing the living wage, national insurance and business rates all as reasons why it is more difficult to hire young people. The Government may want to defend each of those in exclusivity—I, for one, defend the rise in the living wage—but if we pile costs on businesses all at once, there comes a point when they baulk.
We are lectured on these Benches sometimes for not supporting every Labour tax rise, as if it is the only way to get revenue for public services. Yet economics is not mere accounting. We cannot simply shift numbers from one column to another; every action has an effect. If businesses are raided for multiple taxes all at once and their response is to cut hours, cut jobs and possibly close altogether, that tax revenue does not come in. That is why business confidence is at an all-time low, growth is flatlining and we now have almost a million young unemployed. Given that youth unemployment was not addressed in the spring statement, will the Leader of the House organise for a Treasury Minister to come to the House and make a statement on youth employment so that we can hold this Government to account?
Sir Alan Campbell
I certainly join my hon. Friend in thanking the staff at Shrewsbury and Telford hospital trust, which has come out of special measures. That is testament to their dedication and hard work. Our plan for change is getting the NHS back on its feet, but we recognise that there is further to go. NHS staff are a vital part of that.
Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)
I thank the Leader of the House for announcing the business. I also thank you, Mr Speaker and the Deputy Speakers, for enabling yesterday’s estimates day debates to go smoothly given the circumstances.
I note that the Leader of the House has not announced the business for Thursday 19 March. If we are given that date, there will be a debate on progress in tackling climate change, followed by a debate on online harms. Both are well-subscribed. In Westminster Hall next week, on Tuesday, there will be a debate on the import and sale of fur and fur-related products. On Thursday 12 March, there will be a debate on modernising marriage regulations, followed by a debate on Government support for carnivals. On Tuesday 17 March, there will be a debate on productivity and economic growth in the east midlands. On Thursday 19, there will be a debate on accessibility of banking services, and we await confirmation from the Liaison Committee on whether it will take up its option. On Tuesday 24 March, there will be a debate on sudden unexplained death in childhood. On Thursday 26th, there will be a debate on outcomes for patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and craniocervical instability.
As the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Bobby Dean) mentioned, this week is Holi. My strong advice to anyone attending a Holi event is to wear old clothes because they will get covered in different types of paint and will probably have to be thrown away, rather than cleaning them afterwards.
On Tuesday, we had the annual celebration of Holi on the old Harrow civic centre car park site. This event has been run for many years. It is a joyful occasion, and more than a thousand people attended. However, thugs from the Central mosque left the mosque and then decided to disrupt proceedings by pulling over the speakers and disconnecting the audio system. They were then chased away by stewards. That was bad enough. They then came back with 20 more thugs and attempted to attack the people celebrating. This is in Harrow where we have excellent community relations, and I hope this will not happen anywhere else or again. But the sad reality is community tensions are rising because of various different things across the world, and it is our responsibility as politicians to cool things down. Can we therefore have a statement next week on what will be done to cool community tensions and ensure that people can celebrate in peace and harmony, as they should be able to?
Navendu Mishra (Stockport) (Lab)
May I also place on record my best wishes to you, Mr Speaker, and to colleagues across the House for Holi? On a personal note, if you are looking to get covered in Holi colours, I am more than happy to organise that in Lancashire or in Stockport.
On a separate note, it is concerning that many unlicensed and illegal driving instructors are operating across the UK. Some are offering lessons without proper certification, and others are exploiting learners through unofficial test bookings. Illegal instructors undermine our road safety, put learners at risk and threaten the integrity of our driving test system. I have heard from local reputable driving instructors in Stockport, including Mr Jules Musgrove from JSM Driving, about the dangers of that, and I have tabled a number of written parliamentary questions on the matter. I have been informed that the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency received 927 reports of illegal instruction and 2,133 reports of fraud concerning theory and practical tests. May I request that the Leader of the House allocate Government time for a debate on measures to strengthen enforcement against illegal driving instructors?
Mr Speaker
Before the Leader of the House responds, can I help everybody? I intend to finish business questions at 12 noon, but we still have a lot of Members to speak. Can we have punchy questions and shorter answers? I am sure that the Leader of the House will be the best example of that.
Sir Alan Campbell
I am sure, Mr Speaker.
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Stockport (Navendu Mishra) for raising those matters. Should he seek a meeting with a Minister to explain his concerns, I will help him to get that. We have already doubled the number of trainers for examiners and provided more than 120,000 additional tests between June 2025 and January 2026. We will ensure that only learner drivers can book or reschedule tests, and we will stop exploitation by online bots.
Business of the House
Lindsay Hoyle Excerpts(3 weeks, 4 days ago)
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Sir Alan Campbell
May I first express my deepest sympathies for the case that my hon. Friend raises? His constituent, and indeed all our constituents, deserve better than what he has outlined. If he sends me the specifics, I will ensure that they are taken up with the relevant Minister.
Bobby Dean (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD)
I join the Leader of the House in his comments about Ukraine. It is clear that Vladimir Putin underestimated Ukrainians’ resilience and Europe’s willingness to stand by Ukraine. He will find out that we will all stand by Ukraine right to the end of this war.
The cost of living has been piling pressure on people for years, and people have been plunged into debt. Bodies such as Citizens Advice and StepChange offer advice on how to get out of debt situations, and one thing they commonly raise with me—I see it in my inbox as well—is the aggressive debt recovery actions of those in the public sector. If people fall behind on council tax payments, councils are often quite quick to cancel their existing payment plans and order them to pay a fine. They also get to a stage involving bailiffs quite quickly—often within six weeks. This is different from what happens in the private sector, which is more heavily regulated and where there is a need to show more meaningful engagement with residents, offer payment plans, and get to court action much later.
I see this again in the case of the Department for Work and Pensions. We have spoken in this place about the carer’s allowance overpayment scandal and how those people were chased for payments, but in the last couple of weeks I have had examples in my inbox of somebody whose debt with the DWP rose to £10,000 due to errors on the Department’s part, and started being chased aggressively for that. Of course, the DWP can automatically deduct payments of up to 15% from someone’s universal credit almost immediately, leaving them with no understanding of what happened in the past, let alone how they will manage going forward. The Government are seeking new powers to go into bank accounts and take payments directly, which is extremely worrying given the errors that the DWP has made in the past.
This relates not only to the DWP, but to all public sector bodies, so I am not sure who is the relevant Minister, but I would appreciate it if the Leader of the House engaged with the Government to see if they can get more sympathy and understanding into the debt recovery process across public sector organisations.
Sir Alan Campbell
I thank my hon. Friend for raising the work and campaigning of Coloma Convent girls’ school and will certainly join her in thanking the teachers and staff at the school. The Government fully recognise the pressure that many developing countries face, and we are committed to delivering an international financial system that supports development needs and helps countries to address their debt vulnerabilities. I will ensure that the Foreign Secretary hears my hon. Friend’s words.
Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)
I thank the Leader of the House for announcing the business for the next two weeks. May I make a plea to him—and to you, Mr Speaker—about the estimates day debates? We had seven excellent bids, from which we had to choose three, and time will be compressed in those debates. I hope that a very high bar for urgent questions will be implemented and that the Government will not put on statements on that particular day—
Mr Speaker
Order. Maybe I can help: don’t put in as many questions for the Government. [Laughter.]
Bob Blackman
I don’t think I have submitted a request for a UQ for a very long time, Mr Speaker.
Business of the House
Lindsay Hoyle Excerpts(1 month, 2 weeks ago)
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Sir Alan Campbell
I thank my hon. Friend for bringing this important matter to the House. It is not the first time that we have heard about these concerns. I look forward to answering business questions when the issue is not raised, because that will mean that serious action has been taken and the situation has improved. I completely sympathise with those impacted by a long wait for a driving test. The Government are taking action to deliver around 10,000 additional driving tests a month, and we will ensure that only learner drivers can book tests to stop the exploitation by online bots. I will ensure that my hon. Friend’s concerns are heard by the relevant Minister, who I am sure will want to correspond with her.
Bobby Dean (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD)
I agree wholeheartedly with the comments of the shadow Leader of the House about Jeffrey Epstein and his relationship to Peter Mandelson. I do not intend to repeat those words, but as the political discussion intensifies in the coming days, we must not forget the victims, who are at the centre of all this, and their bravery, not only in retelling their trauma but in risking taking on powerful men—possibly some of the most powerful and connected men on the planet—and all those who serve to protect and legitimise them in those behaviours.
I feel a duty to raise some under-discussed issues, including Storm Chandra and its devasting impact on communities, particularly in south-west England, where flooding has damaged homes and a road has collapsed into the sea. It is difficult to know when these storms will hit, but we know that they are going to happen more frequently. That has put more intense scrutiny on the role of the Environment Agency, and I fear that it has been found to be lacking. Last year, the EA gave up on main rivers maintenance, saying that it could no longer afford to do it. That is just part of a pattern of the EA not being equipped any more to do its job.
In my constituency, I can think of at least two major failures in the last couple of years. This time last year, there was a major diesel spill in my local river, the River Wandle. Some 4,000 litres were spilt, which were suspected to be from a nearby bus garage. The EA was sent to investigate, but one year on, we still do not have its report and nobody has been held to account.
We also host an incinerator in my constituency. If regulated properly, an incinerator is better than landfill, but over the last 18 months there have been hundreds of emissions breaches, and the EA has failed to punish the operators sufficiently. In fact, the EA says that it is minded to approve an expansion in the capacity of the incinerator, despite strong opposition from me, the local authority and apparently the Government, who have stated publicly that they think we have reached capacity for incineration in England, yet still nothing can be done. When I challenged the EA on this matter, it said it feels that it does not have the legal grounds to object to the expansion. I ask the Government: what is going on? Can the Leader of the House organise a debate to ensure that we can hold the EA properly to account?
Sir Alan Campbell
I thank my hon. Friend for her tireless campaigning on this important matter. These are complex issues, and the Government’s response needs to be fair, balanced and sensitive to everyone affected, but I appreciate Members’ frustration about the timescale, and the need for clarity for everyone affected. There is a Westminster Hall debate on the Hughes report next week, and I hope that my hon. Friend will be able to speak in it. I will raise her concerns directly with Ministers, because she asks reasonable questions.
Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)
In addition to the business that the Leader of the House has announced, on Monday the Procedure Committee is due to give a statement on its report on call lists. As that is not a day for Backbench Business debates, a motion from the Leader of the House will apparently be required to allow the statement to take place, and I hope that he will enable that to happen. On Thursday 12 February, there will be a Select Committee statement on behalf of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee on its recent report. On Thursday 26 February, if we are given the day, there will be a debate on St David’s day and Welsh affairs.
In addition, the business in Westminster Hall next week will include, on Tuesday, a report on the Independent Water Commission’s final report and, on Thursday 12 February, a Select Committee statement on behalf of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, followed by a debate on Government support for healthy relationships—just in advance of Valentine’s day—and a debate on onshoring in the fashion and textiles industry. On Tuesday 24 February, when we return from recess, there will be a debate on Government support for the healthcare system in Gaza, and on Thursday 26 February, there will be a debate on Eating Disorders Awareness Week, followed by a debate on the impact of VAT on independent faith schools.
Eagle-eyed individuals who follow the Order Paper will know that there will be no second debate in Westminster Hall this afternoon, and I should explain why. The hon. Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones) was granted that debate three weeks ago, and the Government were given notice that it was being held. On Tuesday, however, the Minister with responsibility for public health, the hon. Member for West Lancashire (Ashley Dalton), apparently informed the hon. Member that she would not be available to answer the debate.
As the Leader of the House will know, it is not acceptable for the Government to determine that only one Minister can answer a debate. Another Minister, or even a health Whip, could have answered. We must give the Government 48 hours’ notice of debates, and we offered the slot to five individuals, but unfortunately they could not change their plans for this afternoon. I am sure that Members will want to defend the right of Back Benchers to hold the Government to account.
Fly-tipping in Harrow has been a scourge for most local residents. I am pleased that the council has taken many steps to combat it, including fly-tips being reported within 24 hours, free bulky waste collection, enabling multiple trips to the waste recycling centre and CCTV at fly-tipping hotspots. Recently, though, an illegal waste dump was set up on private land. Harrow council officers have been through that waste, and they have been able to identify it as the waste of 40 individuals, who have been issued with fixed penalty notices for giving their waste to illegal waste collectors. This is a warning that people should not do that. However, there is now a problem across the country with illegal waste collectors using private land to carry out these criminal actions. Can a relevant Minister make a statement on what action the Government will take to support local authorities in opposing these waste collectors, and warn individuals that they should not use them?
Sir Alan Campbell
First, I thank the hon. Gentleman for his work and the work of the Backbench Business Committee, and for his update. His first question was about the statement on the Procedure Committee report requiring a motion. The answer is yes—I will bring such a motion forward, even though the circumstances are slightly unusual.
The hon. Gentleman’s second question was about the cancellation of a debate. Sometimes it is difficult to ensure that a Minister is available. There are lots of draws on Ministers’ time, not least statements or whatever, but my strong view is that such debates are a priority for Ministers, and they should be present for them. I am very sorry to hear of the circumstances, and I agree with the hon. Gentleman and others that what has happened is not acceptable. I cannot do anything about these situations if I am not fully aware of them. If any Member finds that there is any doubt about whether a Minister will be present for their debate, they should come and see me, so that I can ensure that an appropriate Minister is available—as the hon. Gentleman pointed out, in some circumstances it could be a Whip; they are also Ministers—and debates can go ahead. I apologise for that, and we will do everything we can to make things better in future.
As the hon. Gentleman said, fly-tipping is completely unacceptable and a blight on our communities. We are giving councils new powers—for example, to crush the vehicles of suspected fly-tippers—and we are bringing in prison sentences of up to five years for those transporting waste illegally. I am a firm believer that a law should act as a warning, and if it is ignored, action should be taken, so I am pleased if that has happened. As for a possible statement in future, I will draw the hon. Gentleman’s concerns to the attention of Ministers, or he may wish to apply for a debate on these matters—he is uniquely placed to ensure that he gets one.
Mr Speaker
Order. I did not know about the issue that has just been raised; I am very concerned about it. I thank the Leader of the House for his answer, but I want to know why I was not told, so I will take this up.
Liam Conlon (Beckenham and Penge) (Lab)
Leo Barber from Beckenham tragically took his own life in November 2023, aged just 16, after suffering months of poor mental health. The recent inquest into Leo’s death found that he had been failed by multiple agencies, but that his mental health issues were also linked to screen use and exposure to harmful content online. Leo’s parents, Jo and Chris, have spoken devastatingly about the difficulties families face in protecting vulnerable young people in an online environment that is insufficiently regulated and characterised by addictive features, such as infinite scrolling and forums promoting suicide. Will the Leader of the House join me in welcoming the Government’s recent action to ban smartphones in classrooms, and their consultation on young people’s use of social media, including a possible ban for under-16s—important steps to keep young people safe, and to hopefully prevent tragedies like Leo’s in the future?
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Speaker
Order. I am going to run business questions until midday or thereabouts, so please help each other. A good example will come from James Wild.
James Wild (North West Norfolk) (Con)
The Leader of the House referred earlier to mental health and Time to Talk Day; I will be running the London marathon in April for the 8:56 Foundation in North West Norfolk, which does important work on men’s mental health. Will he join me in paying tribute to charities across the country that are doing so much to improve people’s wellbeing?
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Jesse Norman
I thank the Leader of the House for that update.
The House will know that I am obsessive about improving education, skills and life opportunities for young people; I know that the Leader of the House, with his own background, shares that passion. I cannot let this week pass without noting that on Tuesday our new specialist technology and engineering university in Hereford, the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering, formally launched its new autonomous robotics degree, which is sponsored, designed and delivered in collaboration with the British Army. I thank the Defence ministerial team, and in particular the Minister for the Armed Forces, for coming up to Hereford and supporting that. I believe that it is the UK’s first undergraduate drones technologies degree. It starts in September 2026, which is light speed compared with the normal progression of these things in higher education. It will be of inestimable value not only to young people up and down the country, but to the defence of the realm and in a host of other sectors, including food and agriculture, infrastructure and energy.
Otherwise, what a week this has been! Rising international tensions, heated public disagreement, desperate attempts at diplomatic solutions—and that is just Brooklyn Beckham’s Instagram account. Talking of elites, we have had the amusing spectacle this week of that self-proclaimed friend of the people, the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage), hoovering up the free food and glugging down the champagne with the global bullshiterati in Davos.
Mr Speaker
I am going to speak first. I want temperate language, and I am sure you would love to withdraw that little message you had for us.
Jesse Norman
I thank you, Mr Speaker, for allowing me to exercise my quadriceps on several occasions. Yes, of course I unhesitatingly withdraw that appalling term from the record.
All this, I should say, comes from the hon. Member for Clacton after a lifetime spent denouncing Davos as a hub of evil globalist elites where, in his words, there is
“no space for the little man”.
At least we know that that is not true any more. Oh, the irony of it all, Mr Speaker! A wildly anti-establishment figure and long-time member of the Reform club—no relation—now joining the globalist elites. Can it be long before he aspires to join the Garrick club, or indeed joins the Prime Minister in professing publicly that he prefers Davos to Westminster?
Amid all this nonsense, other, very serious changes are under way. Last week, the Government published the results of the latest auction for renewable energy, which set a floor price for renewables of £91 per kilowatt-hour. No one in this House disputes the importance of green energy, or the importance of renewables in the energy mix—[Interruption.] Few sane people dispute the value of green energy, but energy prices are already unfeasibly high for British businesses and, despite the Government’s promises, are set to go higher still, especially once the cost of new nuclear is added in. The effect of the policy will be to punish taxpayers, and of course bill payers, but it is also a form of corporate welfare, because the only benefits will come to the better-off.
Meanwhile, the Government have decided to ignore North sea oil and gas, gravely damage the north-east of Scotland, undermine the employment of thousands of skilled workers, in disagreement with their own unions, and import gas from overseas at greater cost, with more carbon and more carbon miles. In its own way, this is a repetition of the private finance initiative scandal of 30 years ago, in which the country paid tens of billions of pounds more than it should have for public infrastructure, and a lot of wealthy people in the City of London—now resident in overseas countries—made out like bandits.
In 1919, John Maynard Keynes wrote a little book called “The Economic Consequences of the Peace” about the disastrous effects of the treaty of Versailles and the demands that it made for payment from the other side in the first world war. I am not suggesting for a second that there is any comparison between these times and those, in Weimar Germany and the rest of it, but I will say that we are facing severe economic constraints as a result of energy prices. I therefore ask the Leader of the House whether we can have a debate on the economic consequences of the Energy Secretary.
Sir Alan Campbell
My hon. Friend is right to raise this matter. As we have said before, we will not hesitate to use the most effective measures against the Iranian regime and the IRGC. We have already implemented 550 sanctions against Iranian-linked individuals and organisations, and we placed Iran on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme. The Foreign Secretary made a statement this week, and my hon. Friend may wish to attend Foreign Office questions next week to make his point directly to Ministers.
Bobby Dean (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD)
Before I begin, I have to pull the Leader of the House up, because he did not respond to one of the critical points that the shadow Leader of the House made. I, for one, would like to hear what the Leader of the House has to say about the feud in the Beckham family.
St Helier hospital is older than the NHS itself, is sited in the heart of my constituency and is crumbling. It was placed within the new hospitals programme set up by the Conservative Government, but they totally failed to deliver on it. This Government put it on a new timetable, stretching out delivery over the coming decades. Last week, the National Audit Office published an assessment of how the Government have performed so far. There is some good news for the Government: the NAO said that they have put the programme on a firmer financial footing for the long term, but the NAO warns of potential further delays, particularly to those hospitals with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, which look set to miss their deadline in 2030.
I have also heard that some of the phase 1 schemes have not kept pace with the programme and not drawn down on all the capital allocated to them. That could present an opportunity for other trusts perhaps to do smaller projects in the interim, such as the extension of the emergency department that my local NHS trust is asking for, or possibly even to move our scheme from phase 2 into phase 1, if the trust can prove that it is ready to go.
It has been about a year since we have had a substantive update from the Government on the new hospitals programme. The National Audit Office report last week raises lots of questions, so will the Leader of the House ask the relevant Health Minister to come to the Dispatch Box to answer them?
Sir Alan Campbell
I join my hon. Friend in commending the GOAT sports bar’s fundraising efforts following that tragic loss. Our community automated external defibrillators fund has recently delivered thousands of new AEDs to local communities, but as always, local communities are best placed to take the lead in providing them where they are most needed. I think this would be a very good topic for a Westminster Hall debate, because I am sure that colleagues from across the House share my hon. Friend’s concerns.
Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)
As you will know, Mr Speaker, reform occasionally moves very slowly in this House, so I thank the Leader of the House for confirming that the experiment on dealing with estimates day debates, which started in 2018, will now be confirmed going forward. I would be grateful if he could give us early warning of when the estimates day debates will take place this year, so that we can begin the process of allocating the debates.
In addition to the business that the Leader of the House has announced, there will be a Westminster Hall debate next Tuesday on UK bus manufacturing. On Thursday, there will be a debate on non-recognition of Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, followed by a debate on protecting and restoring river habitats. On Tuesday 3 February, there will be a Westminster Hall debate on town and city centre safety. On Thursday 5 February, there will be a debate on secondary breast cancer and a further debate, which we will announce next week.
We now have a queue of debates for the Chamber, which will take us to the summer recess. We have a queue of Westminster Hall debates for Tuesdays, which will take us to the Whitsun recess, and we are processing those debates as fast as we can. We will fill any time that the Leader of the House can allocate to us.
It has been drawn to my attention this week that a company called Al-Masirah has been operating a TV channel in this country for 10 years. It is owned by the Houthis, a proscribed organisation in the United States, and there is a risk that these people are using the opportunity to avoid our visa system, to launder money and to encourage terrorist activities in this country. This is obviously a serious concern for national security. I ask the Leader of the House to encourage the Security Minister to come and give us a statement on what action will be taken to make sure that the company is in compliance with our rules and regulations. If it is not, it should be removed from the UK so that our country is made safe.
Sir Alan Campbell
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his update and for the work of his Committee. I will confirm the estimates days as soon as I can, and I have heard his request for more time. As he knows, we endeavour to comply with such requests as best we can.
On the issue of the Al-Masirah TV channel, we keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. We will consider targets, guided by the objectives of the relevant sanctions regime and the evidence that is provided. We do not presently proscribe the Houthis as a terrorist organisation, but the situation remains under constant review, and we continue to use our full diplomatic toolkit, including sanctions, to constrain their activities. I will make sure that the relevant Minister hears the hon. Gentleman’s concern and that he gets a response.
Perran Moon (Camborne and Redruth) (Lab)
Meur ras, Mr Speaker. In the 2021 census, despite the disturbing absence of a tick box, over 117,000 Cornish people registered their identity by having to click “Other” and then typing in “Cornish”. With the current consultation on the 2031 census due to close on 4 February, does the Leader of the House agree with me that this farce must end, and that the Office for National Statistics must add a Cornish identifier tick box to the 2031 census?
Sir Alan Campbell
I join my hon. Friend in thanking all postal workers for their hard work over the busy Christmas period. I am disappointed to hear that some of his constituents are not receiving their mail in good time. Unfortunately, that is happening across many constituencies, including my own, and the public rightly expect a well-run postal service and their letters to arrive on time. I know that Royal Mail pays close attention to issues raised at business questions and at other occasions in this House, so I hope that it has heard the message, but I encourage my hon. Friend to apply for an Adjournment debate on this matter, because it is not just a matter for his constituents but for many other constituencies as well.
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Barry Gardiner (Brent West) (Lab)
Happy new year to you, Mr Speaker. Delays in the court system mean that one of my constituents has been in prison on remand awaiting trial for over a year. She is in New Hall Prison, 200 miles away from her mother, who is disabled and cannot make that journey. She has requested a transfer to Bronzefield Prison, so her mother can visit. Today, Heba Muraisi is close to death because she has been on a hunger strike protest for 67 days. I plead with the Leader of the House to let common sense and humanity prevail, to urgently intervene to agree the transfer, and to consider allowing her release on bail to her family home in my constituency—
Mr Speaker
Order. We have to be very careful. You are getting into the details, and I cannot afford that. Have you finished?
Sir Alan Campbell
If my hon. Friend gives me the details of the case—I am talking about where the person concerned is currently—I will raise that with the Justice Secretary. On the wider point, we continually assess prisoners’ wellbeing and will always take appropriate action, including taking prisoners to hospital if their situation requires that. If he raises the issue with me, I will not only draw it to the attention of the Justice Secretary but make sure he gets the assurances that he and the family need.
Bobby Dean (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD)
Happy new year to you, Mr Speaker, and everybody in the House. To respond briefly to something the shadow Deputy Leader of the House said: I sincerely hope that Arsenal do not win the league.
Over Christmas, some people have had the unfortunate experience of finding themselves in their local hospital, and they will have been met by a packed emergency department and possibly treated in the corridor. New statistics from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine this week show that over 1.5 million people had to wait longer than 12 hours in emergency departments last year, with over 16,000 excess deaths as a result of those long waits.
At my local hospital, St Helier, the situation is worse than the national average, with over 80%—the vast majority —of people remaining in the emergency department for longer than is deemed medically necessary. This is, of course, down to a multitude of reasons, including the inadequacy of social care, bed capacity in hospitals, which we know is worse in the UK than in comparable economies, and the condition of the estate. The many delays in the new hospital programme mean that my local hospital is having to close wards and do repairs and maintenance, which is exacerbating the problem.
When corridor care first came up in my inbox, I was shocked by it. I understood how tragic the situation was and how undignified it was for patients and families, but I hoped it was a temporary, urgent measure that would resolve itself in time. That is not proving to be the case, so can the Leader of the House ask the Secretary of State to make a statement on the matter of corridor care and how we can hasten its end immediately?
Sir Alan Campbell
I appreciate the issue of high street banks, which has been raised with me on a number of occasions. The Government are making progress with the roll-out of 350 banking hubs, but we have been clear that that is not the end of our ambition and that we intend it to go further. This sort of issue resonates across the House, and should my hon. Friend seek an Adjournment debate on the matter, he may get from the Minister our further plans going forward.
Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)
Happy new year, Mr Speaker.
At this time of year, sadly we often have to report on deaths, including those of Martin Chivers and Terry Yorath. Indeed, Kevin Keegan is facing a fight against stomach cancer. I am sure the whole House will wish their families a long life, and Kevin Keegan a swift recovery.
In addition to the business that the Leader of the House has announced, there will be a statement next Thursday from the Justice Committee on drugs in prison and what action needs to be taken. The Leader of the House did not announce whether the Backbench Business Committee will be getting time on 22 January, so we have not allocated any business for that day as yet. If we are given Thursday 29 January, there will be a full day’s debate on Holocaust Memorial Day.
On Tuesday in Westminster Hall next week there will be a debate on a statutory duty of care for universities, and on Thursday a debate on the impact of food inflation on the cost of living, followed by a debate on the impact of gambling harms on children and young people. On Tuesday 20 January in Westminster Hall, there will be a debate on the role of the NHS in preventing homicides and domestic violence, and on Thursday 22 January a debate on transport connectivity in the midlands and north Wales, followed by a debate on the International Day of Education.
The whole House will be well aware of the outrageous crimes of David Carrick and Cliff Mitchell. This morning a report has been published about the Metropolitan police and the way it has recruited police officers and staff. Between 2018 and 2023, because of the need to recruit more police officers, normal vetting procedures were completely ignored and 5,073 individuals were recruited without vetting. Some 4,528 had no special branch approval, and 431 had no Ministry of Defence approval. Even more scandalously, 114 of those who were vetted and refused were allowed on appeal to join the Metropolitan police. The estimate is that 1,200 officers and staff who would have been refused were recruited to the Metropolitan police.
The vast majority of police officers—the overwhelming majority—do a brilliant job on our behalf and keep us safe. However, this is a clear scandal where vetting was not carried out, and it creates a crisis of confidence in the police. It also casts doubt on the police themselves, who want to see the bad apples removed and indeed prevented from coming into the police force in the first place. There is concern that this may have happened in other police forces across the country, so could we have a statement from the Home Secretary—I know she has condemned the position—about what action will be taken to prevent such things from happening?
Sir Alan Campbell
I join the hon. Gentleman in sending our condolences to the friends and family of Martin Chivers, and our best wishes to Kevin Keegan for what we hope will be a swift recovery.
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his work and the work of the Backbench Business Committee, and for updating the House on Backbench Business debates going forward. He is right that I did not announce the business for 22 January and I have listened to what he said. I will do everything that I can to ensure that we find time for the debate which I was disappointed was postponed on Monday, and we will see if we can accommodate that.
On the serious matter that he raised about Met police recruitment, the Home Secretary has launched an investigation into the Met’s recruitment and vetting processes, which will be led by the police watchdog, His Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary and fire and rescue services. Abandoning vetting checks on police officers was a dereliction of the Met’s duty to keep London safe. The public rightly expect officers to undergo robust checks so that the brightest and best, not the criminals, are the ones policing our streets.
On updating the House on what action needs to be taken and whether the issue goes beyond the Metropolitan police, I am sure that when the Home Secretary has the findings of that investigation she will, of course, want to update the House.
Mr Speaker
The debate was postponed on Monday because of the number of urgent questions and because the Government decided to provide statements outside the normal time. I am sure that when the Opposition applied for those urgent questions, they thought that they were important, so I am only carrying out my job and ensuring that Back Benchers have their voices heard. Let us hear one now—I call Dawn Butler.
Dawn Butler (Brent East) (Lab)
Happy new year to you, Mr Speaker, and to all of the staff.
In common with my neighbour, my hon. Friend the Member for Brent West (Barry Gardiner), I have a constituent who I would like to talk to the Leader of the House about. The Chair of the Backbench Business Committee mentioned today’s very worrying report about the Met police. In addition, the Met informed me last year that only half of its police are on the Met’s DNA database, when that should be 100%. Can that be included in the investigation? As well as a statement, can we have a debate on this issue in Government time?
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford) (Con)
Happy new year, Mr Speaker.
Can we have an urgent debate on the need to proceed with the local elections in May? In July 1945 we held a general election, even though we were still involved in fighting the second world war in the far east. If we can have a general election in wartime, why can we not have local elections in peacetime four months from today, including in Labour-led Basildon, Southend and Thurrock? What is Labour frightened of—other than losing, of course?
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Mr Speaker
I wish all Members all the best for a restful Christmas, and let us hope for a more peaceful new year. I thank all the staff of the House, particularly my own team. They have been wonderful and they look after us. To those who are working over the Christmas period to keep this House safe, we must thank them as well. As I say, I wish you all the best for Christmas from myself and Attlee, who is very pleased that his cards have sold well this year.
I call the acting shadow Leader of the House.
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Speaker
Order. A couple of Members did not get in last week, so we will start with them. I call Andy MacNae.
Andy MacNae (Rossendale and Darwen) (Lab)
A very merry Christmas to you, Mr Speaker, and to all House staff and colleagues.
Since we were elected, my Lancashire colleagues and I have been campaigning for more funding for our local services. When new local government funding was announced yesterday, I was really pleased to see that the Government have properly listened. Funding is now following need, and a decade of austerity is ending. It is great to see Blackburn with Darwen borough council and Rossendale borough council getting significant increases. We are working with council leaders to ensure that the impacts of that funding are felt in every community.
However, most key services in Rossendale are delivered by Lancashire county council. They have been under threat since Reform took control, with cuts to nurseries, gritting and care homes all being considered. Now, thanks to the Government and to lobbying by Labour MPs across Lancashire, the county council will get a massive increase—£310 million more—by 2028, so Reform has no more excuses. Will the Leader of the House join me in calling on Reform to stop the cuts and focus instead on delivering the services that we all rely on?
Sir Alan Campbell
I agree with my hon. Friend that the callous words of the council appear to be completely nonsensical and, in some cases, outright dangerous. The Government take the matters that he raises very seriously, including questions about road safety, which he has raised in the past. That is why we are backing local authorities with increased resources, but I urge Reform-led Lancashire county council to take these matters more seriously.
Bobby Dean (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD)
May I associate myself with the comments made by the Leader of the House about the victims of the Bondi Beach attack? Antisemitism has no place in our society and I am glad that the House is united against hate.
Mr Speaker, I join in the well wishes to you and to all the House staff at Christmas time. The Government have been engaging in another Christmas tradition this week: rushing out lots of statements in the final week before recess. I calculated that we are up to double the normal rate, with 13 and a half statements per day this week—I will let you decide what half a statement constitutes, Mr Speaker!
We had the statement on local government finance yesterday, and it seemed that many Labour Back Benchers seemed to have had access to the figures for each local authority in advance, in a way that we had not. Our spokesperson, my hon. Friend the Member for Guildford (Zöe Franklin), searched the internet for the figures in advance but could not find them, so will the Leader of the House ask the Minister for Local Government and Homelessness to clarify whether those figures were made available to Labour Back Benchers in advance?
Moving on to more serious Christmas matters, the BBC reported this week that Father Christmas’s pay has flatlined this year. There is good news for the elves, as thanks to the national minimum wage increase, their pay is on the up. However, this wage compression is apparently demotivating for Father Christmas and some garden centres across the country are struggling to get him to turn up. As it happens, he is also upset about the Employment Rights Bill, because it has made it much more difficult for him to get the sack—ba-dum tish. [Interruption.] Oh, come on!
Another important Christmas matter is the ongoing bitter dispute about Christmas films. The Liberal Democrat Chief Whip, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Fife (Wendy Chamberlain), insists that “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie; she even has a “Die Hard”-themed advent calendar in the Whips Office. It is of course set at Christmas time, but some say it is too violent to be a Christmas film, although in my experience violence is not absent from Christmas, usually.
There has also been some controversy over “Love Actually”—it is of course set at Christmas time, but some people have been calling for it to be cancelled because of its dated romantic themes. I still like “Love Actually” and I encourage the Prime Minister to watch it this year; I would hope he might be inspired by Hugh Grant’s character’s courage.
Finally, I would like to make the slightly controversial point that sometimes Christmas TV specials are better than Christmas films. I really enjoyed the “Gavin and Stacey” Christmas special last year and I am looking forward to “Amandaland” this year. All this demonstrates that there is a lot to be settled when it comes to the matter of Christmas films, so will the Leader of the House allow a debate in Government time on the matter of Christmas films?
Mr Speaker
I have been very generous because it is Christmas, but the hon. Gentleman has taken a minute longer than he should have done. Hopefully he will get a new watch as a Christmas present, ready for the new year.
Sir Alan Campbell
In answer to the hon. Gentleman’s last question, unfortunately my answer is no; I will not be doing that. For a moment I thought that the pantomime season had come early, but I encourage him not to give up his day job.
The hon. Gentleman raised the matter of statements, which arises from time to time. I am afraid that I previously made the point I am going to make now. The Government are often in a lose-lose situation: if we do not come to the House with statements, Members demand to know what we are going to do, but if we do bring forward statements, including written ministerial statements, we are criticised for there being too many. There is nothing new in this; as we break for any recess, there is often a flurry of statements and written ministerial statements so that the House gets to know what it needs to know before we break.
I can reassure the hon. Gentleman that we will be returning in the new year to give Members the opportunity to debate some of the issues that have been the subject of statements, particularly written ministerial statements, this week. Getting information out to them in a timely fashion is therefore important, but it is also crucial for local authorities and police forces.
We understand the challenges facing local authorities as a result of higher demand and the cost of providing critical services, which is why we are addressing the question of fair funding and bringing in the first multi-year settlement in 10 years. It is important that local authorities and Members of Parliament get the earliest sight of that, which is why we have done what we have done. I will take up the point that the hon. Gentleman raises; I suspect he knows the answer, but it is important that all Members get to hear these figures at the earliest opportunity.
Sir Alan Campbell
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Scouts and Guides can have a huge impact on the lives of young people, giving them the opportunity to develop new skills and character and to engage with local communities. I am sorry to hear of the passing of her aunt—I commend her aunt not just for getting to that incredible age, but for the dedication she showed to the guiding movement. Because there is obvious agreement across the House on how important these matters are, I encourage my hon. Friend to perhaps apply for a Backbench Business debate when we return, to give others an opportunity to contribute on this matter.
Mr Speaker
That is perfect timing—I call the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee.
Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)
I thank the Leader of the House for announcing the Backbench Business for the Chamber when we come back. I congratulate him on being briefed immediately, given that the offers were accepted only this morning. In addition, the business in Westminster Hall on Tuesday 6 January will be a debate on less survivable cancers. On Thursday 8 January, the Liaison Committee has taken up the option for a debate on the Scottish Affairs Committee’s report; the second debate will be on Myanmar and religious minority persecution. On Tuesday 13 January there will be a debate on the potential merits of a statutory duty of care for universities. Offers are outstanding for the Thursday, so we are waiting to hear back on those.
I join others in condemning the terrible atrocities at Bondi Beach and in expressing sympathy for the victims and their families. It has always been the case that chants such as, “Globalise the intifada”, “Death to the IDF”, and, “From the river to the sea” are deeply antisemitic. They should be arrestable offences, and there should be prosecutions as a result. Yesterday, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and his counterpart in Manchester released a statement saying that, in future, those chants will be arrestable offences, but that begs a number of questions. Does that apply only to London and Manchester? What about the rest of England? What about Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales?
What guidance is the Home Secretary issuing to the police on the actions that should be taken against those who chant those sorts of antisemitic tropes? Will the Leader of the House encourage the Home Secretary or one of the Home Office Ministers to come before the House immediately when we return—or this afternoon, if necessary—to make clear what the position is, so that people understand what they can say and what will happen to them as a result of chanting those antisemitic tropes?
Sir Alan Campbell
I thank my hon. Friend for bringing such festive news to business questions. I am sure that the whole House will join me in thanking the workers and volunteers in businesses and local organisations in Falkirk for their tireless efforts to bring Christmas spirit to their community. In doing so, of course, we thank similar organisations and individuals in all our constituencies for the fantastic work they do.
Sir Edward Leigh (Gainsborough) (Con)
May I ask the Leader of the House about the restoration and renewal of the Houses of Parliament, which is fast developing into a major scandal? According to some estimates, up to £800 million may already have been spent, with barely a brick being laid. We need an urgent decision. I served for many years on various bodies concerned with this programme, and the whole debate has been bedevilled by plans for 15-year decants that may never happen and the setting up of a delivery authority, instead of just getting on with the work around us. The Leader of the House may not agree with my particular view, but I am sure he agrees that we need to have a decision, there needs to be clear leadership, and we need to get on with the work.
Monica Harding (Esher and Walton) (LD)
May I wish you, Mr Speaker, and your team a very merry Christmas? I also put on record our thanks for the forbearance that your staff have shown to us new MPs over the past year.
Sandown Park racecourse in my constituency, which was the late Queen Mother’s favourite racecourse, is bringing to a close a year of celebrations for its 150th birthday. For a century and a half, not only has that historic venue brought enjoyment to my constituents; it has also been a vital employer and a contributor to the local economy, driving footfall and trade for Esher high street, and supporting local shops, restaurants, pubs and hotels on race days and during major events. It also provides valued support to our very own Princess Alice hospice through its fundraising events, such as last week’s Santa fun run. Will the Leader of the House consider making Government time available so that the House can recognise the contribution of long-established local venues such as Sandown Park racecourse to local economies—
Sir Alan Campbell
I certainly will. Our racecourses are very important, and not just at this time of year but throughout the year. It is clear that they are much more than just a place that people go to watch racing; they are very much part of local communities. I very much support the hon. Lady’s comments and wish Sandown a great future.
Several hon. Members rose—
Katrina Murray (Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch) (Lab)
Thank you, Mr Speaker; I wish you and your staff a very merry Christmas.
Yesterday, my constituent Liz Buchanan stood down after 15 years as chairperson of Cumbernauld Seniors Club. During Liz’s tenure, the club has become a safe place to meet friends, chat, have a hot meal and enjoy countless activities and celebrations. Liz’s fellow committee members say that this is down to her enthusiasm, determination, wit and amazing powers of persuasion. Will the Leader of the House join me in paying tribute to Liz and all those who volunteer to make our communities much better places to live?
Business of the House
Lindsay Hoyle Excerpts(3 months, 1 week ago)
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Sir Alan Campbell
I am sure that the whole House will join me in wishing Andrew Horth the very best of luck in his campaign for a Christmas No. 1, and in acknowledging my hon. Friend’s role in that endeavour. I place on record our thanks to the work of Derbyshire Mind and all the other charities that do such vital work for men’s mental health.
Bobby Dean (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD)
Before I begin, I join the tributes to Lance Corporal George Hooley. His tragic death reminds us of the courage of all our armed forces in their determination to protect our country.
My inbox, like those of other Members, I am sure, has this week been full of correspondence from demoralised businesses, after they were hit by yet another tax rise. We have spoken a lot about the cost of living crisis, but we are now experiencing a cost-of-doing-business crisis, too. Nowhere is that felt more than in the hospitality and retail industries. We in this House are quick to talk about such businesses being the heart of our communities, but they have suffered a lot in recent years. They closed during the covid pandemic, have suffered the rise of the online competition, and were hit by employer national insurance rises last year—those industries were particularly hit by that change because they employ many of the low-paid and young first-jobbers in our economy. They were promised good news on business rates in the Budget, in the form of a fairer system and lower rates, but the revaluations, combined with the tapering of reliefs, have meant that many bills are set to rise.
Businesses in my Carshalton and Wallington constituency, such as Wallington Cycles and the Sun pub in Carshalton, have sent me pretty desperate emails setting out their worries for the future. I have tried to reassure them about the transitional relief that the Government have put in place, which should offset some of the damage, but that is small comfort against the backdrop of so many rising costs. We talk about fairness, but Harrods’ bills are set to fall by over £1 million, while the bill of the average pub will go up by £1,400 every single year.
The Government gave themselves powers to offer a discount of 20p in every £1, but so far they have offered discounts of just 5p. Will the Leader of the House ask the relevant Minister to make a statement to clear up all this confusion and reassure businesses that they will be supported in the coming years?
Sir Alan Campbell
My hon. Friend speaks powerfully of the appalling actions that have taken place, and I join him in condemning them. Mr Speaker, I know that you have done a great deal through the Speaker’s Conference on the security of candidates, MPs and elections, but this is also a priority for the defending democracy taskforce. The taskforce is focusing on where the police can be increasingly effective when such incidents occur and democracy is deemed to be under threat, not just where MPs are intimidated—of which there are too many examples—but where other local representatives are intimidated, too. It is simply not acceptable. Let me be very clear: anyone involved in public life should not be subject to harassment or intimidation for doing their job, and this House needs to stand united in sending out that message.
Mr Speaker
As the Leader of the House has brought me into the conversation, the contact that needs to be made within the constabulary is with Operation Ford. I would expect them to take over, and I would expect those who are embedded within Parliament to also connect to Operation Ford for local authorities and councillors. That hotline is there in every police force in the country. I hope people respond accordingly to what I find an appalling situation. An attack on democracy is not acceptable. I call the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee.
Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)
In addition to the business that the Leader of the House has announced, the business in Westminster Hall next week will be, on Tuesday 16 December a debate on planning policy for quarries, and on Thursday 18 December a debate on the literary and cultural legacy of Jane Austen, followed by a debate on community audiology. When we come back after the Christmas recess, on Tuesday 6 January there will be a debate on less survivable cancers, and on Thursday 8 January the Liaison Committee will be taking the first slot on a report from the Scottish Affairs Committee.
I thank the Leader of the House for his kind remarks at the Procedure Committee earlier this week about the work of the Backbench Business Committee and, indeed, my remarkable work, which he complimented. We will publish next week the report on the first 15 years of the Backbench Business Committee, with some recommendations for how we may improve the position of Backbench Business. We now have enough applications for debates in the Chamber to last until after the Easter recess, and for Tuesday debates in Westminster Hall until probably after the May recess. Indeed, the only slots available at the moment are the second slots in Westminster Hall on a Thursday—I cannot imagine why that might be.
Bob Blackman
He’s even turned one down, Mr Speaker.
Right now we are in the middle of a flu epidemic, and the number of patients presenting themselves at hospitals has increased by 50% in a week. I am sure all Members will have taken the sensible precaution of getting our flu vaccines as early as we could. We do not know the result of the doctors ballot, but I am sure we all hope that they will come to their senses and not go on strike. I got an email this week from one of my constituents that was very concerning. He is a 76-year-old man, and he went to his GP surgery to have his flu vaccine. The GP said, “I’m very sorry, but you are too old to have a flu vaccine in the surgery. You must go to the pharmacist.” My constituent went to his local chemist, who said, “I’m very sorry. There are no flu vaccines for people of your age. You can go on a waiting list and wait for what might happen.” That is a real concern for everyone out there who might be seeking a flu vaccine, and we want them to come forward and be vaccinated. Could we have a statement from the Health Secretary next week about the availability of flu vaccines, whether there are age restrictions on those vaccines, and what will be done to increase supply?
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Speaker
Order. We will expect to run business questions until around 12.30 pm. Hopefully we can help each other, and the Leader of the House will certainly help with shorter answers. Jim McMahon will be first.
Jim McMahon (Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton) (Lab/Co-op)
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Credit unions make a significant contribution, providing safe, ethical and community focused financial services, and they remain an important part of the wider co-operative family. Will the Leader of the House make time for a debate on the role of credit unions in promoting financial inclusion and supporting local economies, and will he ask the relevant Minister to confirm what steps the Government are taking to strengthen the credit union sector, update regulations and increase public awareness?
Business of the House
Lindsay Hoyle Excerpts(3 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Sir Alan Campbell
My hon. Friend is correct that having a Labour Government in Wales and a Labour Government in Westminster is the best way these matters can be taken forward. I will raise what he has said with the Secretary of State for Transport, and let us see if some progress can be made.
Bobby Dean (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD)
First, I associate myself with the comments made by the Leader of the House about the fire in Hong Kong. I have many constituents from Hong Kong who will be thinking about their family and friends. I also note that this is UK Parliament Week. I know you are very actively involved, Mr Speaker, and I thank you for your organisational efforts on that front.
It will have been a relief to you, Mr Speaker, to hear the Budget officially delivered on the Floor of the House yesterday. I know that all the leaks over the past few weeks have been a source of frustration, but it did make that long list of taxes a little easier to digest and comprehend. It felt at one point as though almost every section of the economy was getting its own special tax, except of course for those in the banking industry, who, we hear, were popping champagne corks yesterday about avoiding the windfall taxes that the Liberal Democrats were calling for. It just goes to show that all their lobbying efforts have paid off. According to reports, they got away with no new taxes because they are going to be nice about the Budget on behalf of the Chancellor, so let us see if that holds.
One under-reported bit of the OBR analysis yesterday—in the final pages of the Blue Book—is the potential danger to the UK economy of a major correction in the global stock market. There has been lots of talk recently about the potential for an AI bubble, with price to earnings ratios being comparable with those of a dotcom bubble. JP Morgan has done an analysis of current valuations and the physical limits to investment because of the need to build data centres and so on, and it thinks we could be up to about $5 trillion of investment by 2030. That means AI products will need to create an additional revenue of $650 billion a year to give a reasonable return to their investors. To put that into context, that is about 150% of the revenue that Apple makes, or the equivalent of about $35 a month for every customer it has in the world. It is my feeling that eventually investors will cotton on to that, and they will choose to moderate their investment. When that correction comes, the OBR thinks that it could affect the UK current deficit by between £15 billion and £26 billion, so will the Leader of House request that a Minister makes a statement about what contingency planning the Treasury is making for that scenario?
Sir Alan Campbell
I thank my hon. Friend for that important question and for the work that he does on the all-party group on outdoor recreation and access to nature. I am told that his constituency has some lovely countryside walks, and he is a worthy champion for them. Building on the success of previous Labour Governments in these matters, we will continue to work to reduce the barriers against ordinary people accessing nature. I would encourage him to raise this question at Environment, Food and Rural Affairs questions in a few weeks’ time.
Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)
I thank the Leader of the House for announcing the business in the Chamber on Backbench Business days. Will he also confirm that we will have the pre-recess Adjournment debate on Thursday 18 December? In addition, the Backbench Business in Westminster Hall on Tuesday will be a debate on the adequacy of funding to support homeless people, and on Thursday there will be a debate on a comprehensive acquired brain injury action plan, followed by a debated on seafarers’ welfare. On Tuesday 9 December, there will be a debate on consumer-led flexibility for a just transition, and on Thursday 11 December, there will be a debate on the role of Fairtrade certification in UK business and trade, followed by a debate on the future of the oil refining sector. On Tuesday 16 December, there will be a debate on planning policy for quarries, and on Thursday 18 December, a debate on the literary and cultural legacy of Jane Austen, followed by a debate on community audiology.
I join the Leader of the House in expressing horror at what has happened in Hong Kong. The fire has so far killed 59 people, with hundreds missing and firefighters killed. Three business executives have been arrested. This is not unique. There has been a similar fire in Spain at the Santa Lucia hospital, and, just a year ago, we had a fire in Dartford due to unsafe buildings. Across the country, there are unsafe buildings all over the place, including on Merseyside, where I read this morning that residents have had to be moved out of buildings renovated in 2007 because they are unsafe. In an adjacent constituency to mine, Ballymore is trying to put up a development that is denser than in Hong Kong, with more than 29 blocks of flats, of which 20 are above 20 storeys. The London Fire Brigade initially lodged objections. What is clear is that we in this country have to be wise to what could happen—another Grenfell. We must learn the lessons and ensure fire safety in our new and existing buildings is restored.
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Speaker
I advise the House that questions will finish at about 12.30. If Members can help each other, we should get everybody in.
Rachel Taylor (North Warwickshire and Bedworth) (Lab)
Residents of Water Orton in my constituency have been plagued by HS2 works for years. Dust covering their cars and washing and now a really disgusting fishy smell are just some of the problems they are having to put up with. My constituents have told me that this is affecting their health. I have been raising this issue with HS2 since I was elected. Residents in Water Orton have been put through unacceptable levels of disruption. Will the Leader of the House make time for a debate on the impact of HS2 works on local residents’ health?
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland) (LD)
Reaching a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement with the European Union is one of the most significant developments that we are likely to see for farmers and other food producers. It could bring massive opportunities, but also significant risks, especially for arable farmers. Although any agreement will be implemented by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, it is being negotiated by the Paymaster General, so the EFRA Committee invited him to give evidence to the Committee on 9 December. We sent the invitation on 17 September; after four reminders, we eventually received an email on 13 November indicating that the Paymaster General was
“content to decline the kind invitation to give evidence on this occasion.”
The Select Committee is not quite so content with this situation. Will the Leader of the House have a word with the Paymaster General and his diary secretary to see whether he might be able to make himself available for 9 December? This is a basic discourtesy to Parliament.
Mr Speaker
Order. I did appeal for brevity, so that I can try to get other Members in. If you do not want your colleagues to get in, just tell me which ones you do not want to speak! You are not helping me at the moment.
Sir Alan Campbell
The House will know that I am a strong advocate for Select Committees, the responsibilities that they hold, and the responsibilities that Members and Ministers have towards them. I will look into the matter; I am content to follow that up with the right hon. Gentleman. I do not know about 9 December—let us see what we can achieve—but I will take the matter up with the Paymaster General. He is doing a great job, and he is very busy, but Select Committees are really important.