Police

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tony Lloyd

Wednesday 8th February 2012 Commons Chamber

[Tony Lloyd]

Had the hon. Gentleman been listening to my speech, he would have heard that I spoke at the beginning about the great strides that have already been made by the chief constable, the police authority and the police to make the service more efficient. There is no doubt that numbers of people have gone, and that that process has been managed so far. My argument—the hon. Gentleman may wish to ask his own police force about this—is that there is a point beyond which we cannot go. The loss of 20% of Greater Manchester's uniformed police by 2015 and a similar loss in numbers of non-uniformed staff cannot happen without its impinging on our ability to provide the visible policing that the Minister and others claim to want.

People in Greater Manchester are desperately concerned that the cuts are too fast and too deep, and that when push comes to shove, problems will emerge not in the Prime Minister’s constituency but in the inner-city areas of Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, and other equivalent areas. We are not getting the Boris bung that the Metropolitan police force has received, and the hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon (Julian Smith) ought to raise that issue with the Policing Minister. Historically, the Metropolitan police force has been better funded than the police in other metropolitan areas, and in a difficult financial year and when other metropolitan areas are being denied, it is hard for us once again to see London given an increase in spending. These cuts are too fast—

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)]

Order.

Betting Shops

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Tony Lloyd

Tuesday 19th July 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

I think that answers the point of order. I want no more points of order on that subject.

[Tony Lloyd (Manchester Central) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

I take it that this is a different point of order?

[Tony Lloyd]

On a different point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. It used to be the convention of the House that when a Member opposed a ten-minute rule Bill, they took that opposition to a vote. Will you consider whether that practice should be reinstated, Mr Deputy Speaker? Quite frankly, it is a waste of the House’s time for somebody to oppose my right hon. Friend’s Bill today, but not to seek to divide the House so that the opinion of Members can be tested.

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

I can reassure the hon. Member that that is not the case. It has always been an option not to seek a Division. Furthermore, we are now eating into the debate by raising points of order rather than making good progress. I want us to make some progress now.