Water Industry: Financial Resilience
Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Lord Cryer(1 year, 5 months ago)
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John Cryer
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I think the Minister may have inadvertently misled the House. She said clearly that Thames Water has not been paying out dividends. The reality is that Thames Water has not been paying out dividends in the usual way, but it did pay dividends last year to the parent company, so it has been paying out dividends.
Business of the House
Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Lord Cryer(3 years, 5 months ago)
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Mr Speaker
I will just put on the record Derian House Children’s Hospice in Chorley, which provides a high-quality service to support families.
John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)
The Leader of the House will be aware of the continued internment, persecution and torture of Chinese Muslims at the hands of the state in that country. This is not a criticism of the Foreign Secretary, because he has come to this House and made a number of statements on the situation there, but not for quite a while, and on the basis that the situation in China is not only not getting any better but certainly getting worse, from everything that we can gather, may we have a statement or even a debate before the summer recess?
Covid-19
Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Lord Cryer(4 years, 8 months ago)
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Mr Speaker
Order. I will let this run for about one hour, so if we can speed up questions—[Interruption.] It might helpful if we try to help each other and not hold each other up.
John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)
Many of us have thousands of constituents who are either on zero-hours contracts or are self-employed. I have raised this question before, but unless the Government can offer those people some sort of minimum income guarantee, they will quickly be facing repossession and homelessness.
Business of the House
Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Lord Cryer(4 years, 10 months ago)
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John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)
The Leader of the House will be more aware than most that the situation on the perimeter of the Estate becomes extremely threatening at times, with abuse and threats to Members, and particularly women Members in my experience. Has he given any thought to the reintroduction of Sessional Orders?
Point of Order
Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Lord Cryer
John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)
On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. The House will be aware that on 8 July, the Prime Minister held a press conference during which he said that he had instructed or commissioned a private company to do a basic background check on Andy Coulson, but he did not mention the name of the company. Following the statement made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport at the beginning of the following week, I asked for that name to be released. However, it was still not released, so I tabled a written parliamentary question later that day, for answer on the Thursday. On the Thursday the answer did not come back. It has still not come back today, and No. 10 is refusing to issue or release the name of the company that carried out the basic background check. Is there any way that we could encourage the Prime Minister to fulfil a basic duty?
Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)
What I can say is that it is not for the Chair, and my advice would be to go and see the Table Office. However, I am sure also that No. 10 will have heard the point that the hon. Gentleman has raised, and there will be an opportunity tomorrow to catch Mr Speaker’s eye.
Points of Order
Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Lord Cryer
Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)
What has been said is on the record for everyone to see. I assure the hon. Gentleman that I will refer the matter to Mr Speaker, and that he will look at what has been said today.
John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)
On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker, of which I have given Mr Speaker notice. Every Member of this House is doubtless aware that yesterday, the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley (John Hemming)—I use the word honourable in its broadest possible sense—named a premiership footballer who is at the centre of the super-injunction row. A lot of people in this place and outside it find it difficult to see the exact public interest in naming that footballer, and I think that it was an act of gross opportunism by a politician on an ego trip. Can you, Mr Deputy Speaker, reiterate the traditional attitudes of the House towards such gross abuses of privilege?