Draft Construction Products (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019

Mark Prisk Excerpts

Monday 4th February 2019 General Committees

[Kit Malthouse]

As I said in my opening remarks, the instrument has been before the House since 18 December. It has been perfectly possible for Members to investigate it and to seek those documents for the past month and a half. If the hon. Lady has failed to do so, that is not our lookout.

[Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford and Stortford) (Con)]

The Minister may not recall, but during the long period of the Labour Government, when I was in opposition, there were numerous occasions on which not only amendments or documents were not present—

[Maria Eagle]

When?

[Mr Prisk]

Numerous occasions.

[Mr Chris Leslie (Nottingham East) (Lab/Co-op)]

When? Name them.

[Mr Prisk]

The entire time when the hon. Gentleman was in government and I was in opposition.

[Mr Leslie]

Name us an example.

[Mr Prisk]

I am very happy to name them—

[The Chair]

Order. Will Members not chunter from a sedentary position?

[Mr Prisk]

My question—which I am trying to ask without interruption from the Opposition—is this. Does the Minister agree that the fact that this instrument has been tabled since before Christmas, and that Opposition Members have not taken the opportunity to do anything about it, suggests that their anger today is somewhat synthetic?

[Kit Malthouse]

My hon. Friend has put his finger on the button. From the start of this sitting, it has been obvious that all this is not really about the EU construction products regulation; it is about a rejection of the whole process of properly preparing the country for all eventualities. I know that the hon. Member for Garston and Halewood regards herself as an assiduous Member of Parliament, but I am afraid that I cannot compensate for her dilatory approach to these regulations by producing a paper that she has had well over a month to look at and research.