Is it not a fact that the road to Leveson has been littered with many bodies: the News of the World, Brookes, Coulson and, who knows, it might even be Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail next? Instead of this prevarication, why does she not accept that it is refreshing that on occasions the Opposition are right? Get on with it and let us get this Leveson inquiry done and dusted.
I am not sure whether the hon. Gentleman has noticed but we are actually working as three parties together here, so it is not about anybody being righter than anybody else. I would gently point out to him that we need to make sure we have an effective charter for the long term, and that if we had simply gone ahead with the charter as set out on 18 March, we would have effectively blocked Scotland from being involved and ignored real concerns coming from the local press. I am sure that he would not have wanted anybody to do that.
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My right hon. Friend makes a powerful point. He will know that we have frozen the licence fee, and I am sure he will know that I have made my views very clear to Lord Patten on this matter.
When Lord Patten talked about the retirement of George Entwistle, he went on to say that he had acted with honour, bravery, and courage. What kind of bravery and courage does it take to leave office with a million quid?
The hon. Gentleman makes his own point. I am concerned about making sure that the Trust is doing everything it can to bring the current situation to order, and to make sure that the licence fee payers are getting the sort of value for money that they would expect from a national institution.
(12 years, 8 months ago)
Commons ChamberMy hon. Friend and I have spoken about this before. I do not think that we should sell disabled people short. Many disabled people working in Remploy employment factories have excellent skills. I want to ensure that they have the support and opportunity to have the sorts of jobs that I know most disabled people want in their lives. Independent living, not segregation or inequality, is at the heart of the Government’s approach.
Does this statement not sum up this heartless Government inhabiting millionaires’ row? They are sacking hundreds and hundreds of disabled workers in areas of high unemployment. Some of them, in areas such as mine, previously made redundant by Remploy, still have not got jobs. It is time that this Government and their accomplices, these tinpot Liberals, understood that this is the most heartless thing that they have done since they came to power. It is time they went.