Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Karl Turner

Thursday 9th May 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

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

There were 36 failed personal protective equipment contracts during the pandemic, costing over £1 billion, but only one company, PPE Medpro, has been named. If the Government are serious about tackling fraud, why are they refusing to disclose the details of the other companies? How exactly were those contracts awarded, and can the Solicitor General update the House on how many prosecutions are pending?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Karl Turner

Thursday 14th March 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Solicitor General

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

Even in freezing conditions at the start of the year, thousands more men, women and children crossed the channel in small boats. For all the talk that the threat of deportation to Rwanda will act as a deterrent, there is no evidence whatsoever of that deterrent working. Perhaps that is why the Government have changed tack and plan a £3,000 incentive for refugees to get on planes to Rwanda. Does the Solicitor General now accept that the only way to stop the boats is to crush the trafficking gangs and prosecute the criminals?

[The Solicitor General]

The hon. Gentleman is quite right that the country faces a major challenge from the cruel people-smuggling gangs who are exploiting people financially and emotionally. We have to put an end to that. The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill has passed through this House, but there will be further opportunities for debate on its return here. What he has underlined is how important it is that we take action: I agree, and that is what we are doing.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Karl Turner

Thursday 1st February 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

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

It is two years since the former anti-fraud Minister, Lord Agnew, resigned in embarrassment over the Government’s oversight of covid business loan schemes, describing it as “nothing less than woeful”. Can the Solicitor General tell us, in the past two years, how much of the missing billions, seemingly written off by the Prime Minister as Chancellor, has been recovered and what the Government are doing now to chase down the covid crooks?

Point of Order

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Karl Turner

Wednesday 21st June 2023 Commons Chamber

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

On a point of order, Mr Speaker, on 24 May, at Prime Minister’s questions, I asked the Prime Minister why he was forcing the British public to pay the legal bill for Boris Johnson for the Privileges Committee, which is a parliamentary Committee of this House. In his reply, the Prime Minister said there was a convention that former Ministers or Ministers would have the legal bill covered in scenarios requiring lawyers such as public inquiries—Iraq, the contaminated blood scandal and other such inquiries. What the Prime Minister did was to suggest that the precedent was already set. It is not. It transpires, following several questions to the Cabinet Office, that it cannot give me a single example of a Minister or former Minister having their legal bills covered for a parliamentary inquiry. He has effectively extended the precedent.

How do we get the Prime Minister to come back to the Dispatch Box, apologise and correct the record? One would have thought, given the events of recent days, that he would be keen to get back here to set the record straight.

[Mr Speaker]

May I say first that I am very grateful to the hon. Member for giving notice of his point of order? He will have heard me say before that, if Ministers and others have different interpretations of events, it is not for the Chair to determine which is correct. That said—and I stress this—if a mistake has been made by a Minister, they should, of course, correct the record. What I do know very well is that, although the hon. Member has raised it here, this is certainly not the end of it. He will continue to pursue different avenues. I am sure that he will use the good offices and advice of the Table Office until he gets an answer—it may not be what he wants, but I am sure that he will get an answer. He has put his concern on the record for us all to know.

[Karl Turner]

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Bill Presented

Higher Education (Duty of Care) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Tim Farron, supported by Munira Wilson, Wera Hobhouse and Debbie Abrahams, presented a Bill to provide that higher education institutions have a duty of care for their students; and for connected purposes.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 24 November, and to be printed (Bill 331).

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Karl Turner

Monday 14th November 2022 Commons Chamber

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

Why do the Government continue to extend the temporary offshore wind workers concession? The industry is not even asking for it. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the issue?

[Mr Speaker]

A quick yes or no will do.

BBC Local Radio: Proposed Reduction in Provision

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Karl Turner

Tuesday 1st November 2022 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Of course BBC Radio Lancashire is so important, having Mike Stevens and Graham Liver there all the time.

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

We all appreciate the brilliance, the quality, the objectivity and the outstanding journalism, production and research of BBC radio journalists—not least, in Hull, in the coverage of rugby league, which you and I are both fans of, Mr Speaker. I urge the Minister to impress upon the director-general the crucial importance of that local knowledge in local BBC radio.

Easter Recess: Government Update

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Karl Turner

Tuesday 19th April 2022 Commons Chamber

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

We have always known that the Prime Minister was only ever sorry because he was caught bang to rights. This latest spin about the Met having it wrong is designed to bully the Met and provide cover to his Back Benchers who do not have the bottle to sack him, but the country has already concluded that he is either a liar or an idiot—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I said we want temperate language. We have the motion on Thursday. That is a different matter. For today, we are not using language like that.

[Karl Turner]

I withdraw the word “liar”, Mr Speaker, but the electorate will have already decided. Everybody knows that the Prime Minister is a lawbreaker. If the Met has got the wrong end of the stick, why does he not challenge the penalties before the criminal courts and have his day in court?

Business of the House

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Karl Turner

Thursday 19th November 2020 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Just for the record, the hon. Member for Devizes (Danny Kruger) might want to know that the Leader of the House last week said how important it was to see Stonehenge, as he travels past in on the A303.

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

As you know, Mr Speaker, we have a public health emergency in Hull, with the highest covid infection rate in the country, but my city is being left in the dark with no contact from Ministers and we are being hung out to dry without any additional financial support. Could we please have a statement as to why no Government Minister has picked up the phone to our council leader, Councillor Stephen Brady?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Karl Turner

Thursday 5th November 2020 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I think the message is that there might be more coming.

[Karl Turner [V]]

May I offer you, Mr Speaker, belated congratulations on having been elected Speaker one year ago yesterday? I pay tribute to you for the work that you have always done to promote rugby league at all levels.

I am very grateful to the Sports Minister for his helpful engagement with me about rugby league, but it is very unlikely that fans will be back in stadiums for some time, so can the Secretary of State offer more financial support to ensure that we do not lose clubs, such as Hull Kingston Rovers and Hull FC, both of which are incredibly important to our city?