Points of Order

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Wednesday 26th April 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Well, I did call 35 Members. I will take one further point of order—[Interruption.] Order. We really then ought to proceed.

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman has had a good crack today, but we will give him another go.

[Michael Fabricant]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I merely want to correct the hon. Member for Newport West (Paul Flynn), who I think was referring to me when he mentioned my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Karl MᶜCartney). Of course I am Lichfield. Although there has been considerable speculation about what might be on my head, a chip is not one of them.

[Mr Speaker]

It is very reassuring to have a bit of additional information. Head inspection, so far as the hon. Member for Lichfield (Michael Fabricant) is concerned, may be available to Members, but it is not available to those who observe our proceedings from elsewhere. I do not want them to feel excluded.

Point of Order

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Monday 20th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Through you, may I thank the Opposition for raising that point? They have done a tremendous job in uniting Conservative Members behind our right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne).

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman knows perfectly well that that is not a point of order, but he has made his own point in his own way and it is on the record. We will leave it there.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Thursday 9th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

But is it not the case that when the UK leaves the EU we will be its largest export market? Does the Minister not agree with my favourite politician at the moment, Wolfgang Schäuble, Germany’s Finance Minister, who says that if the Germans or the EU were to cause any damage to the UK, it would be increased tenfold for the EU?

[Mr Speaker]

I am sure the Finance Minister in question will be uncontrollably excited to discover that the hon. Gentleman is such a staunch fan.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Tuesday 7th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

A few years ago, I was shunted up the backside—my car was, I mean. Although I was perfectly well, I received a phone call from someone who asked me whether I had whiplash. I said, “No, I do not have whiplash.” The person said, “Oh, go on! Say that you do have whiplash.” I did not do that, because I am an honourable person. My right hon. and learned Friend is absolutely right to reduce the number of bogus claims.

[Mr Speaker]

I am very sorry that the hon. Gentleman is so accident-prone. I remember serving on a Bill Committee with him many years ago, and receiving the distressing news that he had been bitten in a sensitive place in the course of an excursion overseas. He really does seem to suffer a disproportionate share of ill fate.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Tuesday 28th February 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Purely in relation to Yorkshire—Michael Fabricant.

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

Absolutely, Mr Speaker. By the way, I would love to visit that restaurant.

My right hon. Friend will know that Boeing is a major employer in the United Kingdom. The opening of Boeing Sheffield, as it will be known, means that a major manufacturing plant—the only one of its type—will be introduced into Europe. Is that not a major endorsement by Boeing of post-Brexit Britain?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Wednesday 22nd February 2017 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

Given the situation in Saudi Arabia, and indeed in China and other countries, does the Secretary of State not think it rather hypocritical to be carrying on about Trump—or is that out of order, Mr Speaker?

[Mr Speaker]

As long as it is about export licences.

Informal European Council

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Monday 6th February 2017 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

Contrary to the rather negative comments from the Labour party, was my right hon. Friend yet again heartened by Germany? Over the weekend, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said in Der Tagesspiegel that there is no question of the United Kingdom being punished for leaving the European Union and that London remains the heart of the global finance industry. What influence does my right hon. Friend think Germany will have over the negotiations?

[Mr Speaker]

I am greatly impressed by the range of the hon. Gentleman’s reading matter.

[Michael Fabricant]

Vielen Dank!

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Tuesday 31st January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Marvellous.

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

The Minister is quite right to say that he will analyse this in the round, because while I think many of us will recognise the economic advantages, particularly over a long period such as 100 to 150 years, the environmental impact will be considerable. Can he perhaps amplify what sort of things he will be looking at, including how tidal lagoons affect fish life, marine life and bird life?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Monday 9th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant]

Can you issue a papal bull, Mr Speaker, stating that we do not have to say happy new year—but happy new year anyway?

[Mr Speaker]

That is very welcome. We do not need to take up unnecessary time, but I appreciate the spirit of the hon. Gentleman’s suggestion.

[The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Damian Green)]

I shall not say happy new year again, Mr Speaker.

Evidence shows that being in the right work is good for health, and that being out of work can have a detrimental effect on health. That was why I launched the “Work, health and disability” Green Paper jointly with the Secretary of State for Health. The Green Paper expresses our intention of working with healthcare professionals to help people into employment, and our current consultations ask how we can best achieve that goal.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Monday 12th December 2016 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

Will the Secretary of State join me—I am sorry; I have lost my voice, which will please many people in this House. Will the Secretary of State join me in condemning those who have condemned in turn our deployment of troops in Estonia as provocative? Does he agree that the Baltic states themselves have welcomed it in the face of Russian aggression?

[Mr Speaker]

A very good croak indeed in the circumstances.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Thursday 17th November 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am sure that the hon. Gentleman feels enormously privileged at the prospect of a meeting with the Minister of State, as of course would most sane people.

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

I wish he would meet me. Question 3, please, Mr Speaker.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Monday 24th October 2016 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

Hear, hear.

[Mr Speaker]

We note the sedentary approval for that proposition from the hon. Member for Lichfield (Michael Fabricant).

Points of Order

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Wednesday 12th October 2016 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I will come to the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry), and indeed, most certainly, to the hon. Member for Lichfield (Michael Fabricant) as well. First, I call Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh.

[Mr Speaker]

I thank the hon. Lady for giving me notice of her point of order.

What Ministers, and other right hon. and hon. Members, say in the House is, of course, their individual responsibility. If a Minister has inadvertently misled the House, I would expect that Minister to correct the record, and I am sure that the Financial Secretary would do so if she felt this to be the case. She will have an opportunity to hear and study what the hon. Lady has said today.

The hon. Lady asked for my advice on how she could hold Ministers to account for their statements on this matter. The answer is that there are a number of routes that she might usefully follow. However, she may particularly wish to note that a debate on the performance of Concentrix in dealing with tax credit claimants, nominated by the Backbench Business Committee, is scheduled to take place next Tuesday at 9.30 am in Westminster Hall. I confidently predict that the hon. Lady will be in Westminster Hall at that time. Although I will not be chairing the debate, because the Speaker does not chair such debates, I have a keen sense that her chances of being heard on that occasion are pretty high. Meanwhile, she has made her concern clear, and it is on the record. We will leave it there for now.

[Michael Fabricant]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. During Prime Minister’s Question Time, the Leader of the Opposition very kindly wished me well, and I thank him for that; but he went on to imply that in some way I had received special treatment from the national health service. May I say that that is completely outrageous, and is not the case? Perhaps the Leader of the Opposition would like to clarify the position, or even apologise to me and to the NHS workers who worked so well in providing my care.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Thursday 15th September 2016 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

My constituent Lesley Smith administers Tutbury castle and she tells me that drones are not only a danger to aircraft; they also affect privacy. They affect copyright law. They are also a danger to people who may be visiting the castle: the drone may run out of power and fall on to their heads. When will we see tighter instructions and education about how to use drones? Incidentally, Mr Speaker, intellectual property rights was the phrase I was searching for.

[Mr Speaker]

And you found it.

Points of Order

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Monday 9th May 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his point of order and for his courtesy in giving me advance notice of the thrust of it. The short answer to the hon. Gentleman is that what is said in this place by any Member is the responsibility of that Member. It is not the responsibility of the Chair. Clearly, we should all think carefully before making accusations against individuals. The hon. Gentleman has made his point and doubtless this exchange will be relayed to the Leader of the House. The hon. Gentleman can seek to secure a written reply from the Leader of the House if he so wishes, but I cannot involve myself further. I will leave the hon. Gentleman to his own devices.

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. As you know, there is a tradition of service in the House of Commons either to one’s constituents or to others, such as charities, and indeed, within the House, we serve on Committees. During the war, some Members did fire watching service over Westminster Hall. The reason for my point of order is that we learn today of the danger of war if the UK were to leave the EU. I wondered whether you, your staff or any Officers of the House had made provision for fire service or—I don’t know—missiles of defence, should war imminently break out upon our leaving the EU?

[Mr Speaker]

I confess that I have made no such preparations. I would not wish to be accused of tardiness or irresponsibility by the hon. Gentleman or any other Member, but I have been preoccupied with other duties in the House today, including in the Chair and listening to the hon. Gentleman’s mellifluous tones. I have embarked thus far on no such preparations, but I have a hunch that he was more interested in what he had to say to me than in anything I might have had to say to him.

Backbench Business

Points of Order

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Tuesday 3rd May 2016 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Last week there were a couple of understandable occasions when people in the Chamber —Members of Parliament—broke into applause. This can be quite awkward for some of us—Conservative Members and Opposition Members—who know about the conventions of the House, because we feel unable to join in the applause. Could you give guidance about what is the current practice? If you uphold the tradition that we do not have applause—although I do not wish to pre-empt your view on this—could you let it be known more generally to Members of the House of Commons whether we should break into applause, or not, on occasion?

[Mr Speaker]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his point of order and his great courtesy in raising it in the way that he did. The short answer is that it is the long-established convention of this House that we do not applaud. For what it is worth, to the best of my recollection, I have never myself done so. If he is asking me whether I would prefer it to remain that way, the short answer is that I would. I think that the convention that we do not applaud but register our approval in other ways is a valuable one. All I would say to the hon. Gentleman, who has raised his point in an extremely polite way, is that as far as the Chair is concerned, each situation has to be judged on its merits. I am very conscious that I am the servant of the House. If, spontaneously, a large group of Members bursts into applause, sometimes the most prudent approach is to let it take its course. However, I would much prefer it if it did not happen, unless the House consciously wills a change, and I am not aware that the House as a whole has done so. In that respect, I sense that the hon. Gentleman and I, not for the first time and hopefully not for the last, are on the same side.

Points of Order

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Wednesday 23rd March 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

—a warm smile to the visage of the hon. Member for The Cotswolds, from whom we shall now hear.

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

And whose birthday it is.

[Mr Speaker]

Whose birthday, allegedly, it is. It is always useful to have a bit of information. I wish the hon. Member for The Cotswolds a happy birthday, and I look forward to hearing his point of order.

Points of Order

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Tuesday 8th March 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I thank the hon. Lady for giving me notice of her point of order. I understand that the Government have given an undertaking that they will provide quarterly progress reports on Syria to the House. It is for the Government to determine the appropriate form of those reports and, indeed, which Minister should make them. That cannot fall to the Chair. However, if the hon. Lady is dissatisfied with the form or content of the updates, there are a range of opportunities open to her for pressing the Government for more information. I would add that, similarly, if the statement is not forthcoming with the speed that the hon. Lady thinks proper, she will also be aware of the mechanisms that she can deploy to try to procure the presence of a Minister, possibly even the Prime Minister. We shall await events with interest.

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. May I personally apologise to you for inadvertently, or through frustration, using an eight-letter word beginning with “b” and ending in “cks” when a colleague was raising yet another scare story about what a disaster it would be if we were to leave the European Union? It was unseemly.

[Mr Speaker]

Actually, I had heard the utterance of the hon. Gentleman, which was spontaneous and from a sedentary position, but precisely because of its unseemliness I did not wish to draw attention to it. However, the hon. Gentleman has now done so and there is nothing further that requires to be said. [Laughter.] I note in passing that the hon. Gentleman has occasioned —or possibly I have done by my reply—notable hilarity from the Secretary of State for Justice. It is good to know that the right hon. Gentleman is in such an upbeat frame of mind.

If there are no further points of order, we come now to the ten-minute rule motion in the name of Mr Will Quince, a notably busy fellow in this House. Let us hear from the hon. Gentleman.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Monday 29th February 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Ah, get in there—I call Michael Fabricant.

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I shall indeed try to get in there.

While I do not wish to detract in any way from the wonderful work done by MOD police, will the Minister take this opportunity to praise the work of the Royal Marines who police our nuclear facilities in Scotland?

Points of Order

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Monday 29th February 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I fear that it would be hazardous for me to tread on the terrain of what might be called the “known unknowns” or even the “unknown unknowns”. That would be difficult. The question, though a very good and legitimate one, is, I fear, at this stage hypothetical, but it is a problematic matter. The best I can say to the right hon. Gentleman is that the Chair, of course, will keenly attend to events and to the process of question and answer, and we will have to look at this matter as and when it arises, on a case by case basis. I will not be looking at it proactively, but if Members raise the matter with the Chair, the Chair will do his best to respond.

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I have already expressed my admiration for my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who is on the Front Bench. I wonder whether there is any mechanism to reward someone who, first, is thrown into the lion’s den and, secondly, has to defend the indefensible.

[Mr Speaker]

I think I will treat that as what it is: not a point of order, but an inventive rhetorical question. At any rate, the hon. Gentleman seems justly satisfied, so I think we will, for now, leave it there. We are deeply grateful to the Minister for coming into the Chamber and responding to our inquiries.

If there are no further points of order, and the appetite has been satisfied, at any rate for today, we now come to the motion on the draft European Union Referendum (Date of Referendum etc.) Regulations 2016. Just before I ask the Minister—my illustrious neighbour, the Member for Aylesbury—to move the motion, I should inform the House that I have now considered the instrument, and I have decided not to certify it under Standing Order No. 83P.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Thursday 14th January 2016 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. She will know that photographs in glossy magazines have been retouched by Photoshop, with little wrinkles smoothed out and little bulges slimmed in—in my case, of course, you see what you get—[Interruption.] Well, part of what you see is what you get, but we will not go into that. Does my hon. Friend agree that schools have a role to play in educating children in having realistic ideas about what is possible and what is not?

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman’s status as an exotic Member of the House is not in doubt.

Points of Order

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Monday 11th January 2016 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. At the risk of being accused of going from one extreme to the other, may I commend you—this sounds very oleaginous and creepy, I know—for the production of your “Quick guide to participating in the Chamber and Westminster Hall”? Very succinctly put it is, too. I notice that you say that, at Question Time, for example,

“Keep your question short…Don’t read out your question”.

I also note that the guide applies not just to new Members but to older Members. One of the rules is

“Don’t walk between the Chair and whoever is speaking.”

There is one particular elderly miner—I cannot name him; it would be wrong to do so—who constantly walks between you and someone asking a question. I wonder whether you can somehow make the guide compulsory reading, particularly among elderly miners and some of the older Members.

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, who is seeking to establish himself as a general aid of first-class character to the occupant of the Chair and to other Members. He has just provided a real-time advertisement for the rules of behaviour and courtesies in the House. That document has just been circulated and I hope that all Members are paying the keenest attention to it, even if an hon. Member is currently consulting an iPad and taking an intense interest in some matter other than that which I am dealing with. I feel sure it is only because the hon. Member for Beckenham (Bob Stewart) has already read and possibly inwardly digested over breakfast the document concerned.

It is a most useful document. The quick guide to participating in the Chamber and Westminster Hall has been circulated to all Members, but I am extremely grateful to the hon. Member for Lichfield (Michael Fabricant). I am trying to work out who has caused the hon. Gentleman’s consternation through his offending conduct. I cannot think of the individual concerned but, whoever that Member is, it is never too late to learn the courtesies of the House. I am very grateful to the hon. Member for Lichfield.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Members for Cardiff South and Penarth (Stephen Doughty) and for Cardiff Central (Jo Stevens) for those points of order, and I appreciate their giving me notice of their intention to raise this matter. As the hon. Member for Lichfield (Michael Fabricant) well knows—and as everyone else should know—it is a long-standing and firm convention that hon. Members should give notice if they intend to visit another hon. Member’s constituency in anything other than a purely personal and therefore, in a sense, private capacity. In the case of Ministers, it is clearly stated in the Government’s ministerial code that such notice must be given. It is open to either of the hon. Members to raise this matter with the Cabinet Secretary, if either or both of them should wish to do so. However, I trust that what has been said, by them and by me, has been noted by those on the Treasury Bench and will be communicated directly to the Ministers concerned.

For the avoidance of doubt, as with virtually every convention in this place, the convention applies without fear, favour or discrimination. No Minister can be exempted or exempt him or herself from it on the ground of seniority. The hon. Member for Cardiff South and Penarth inquired whether the Chancellor of the Exchequer had received a copy of the note on conventions and courtesies, and the answer is that he most assuredly will have done so, because it has been sent to every Member.

On the hon. Gentleman’s point about receiving notification some days late, it is a fairly obvious common-sensical point that if people are going to comply with the convention, as they should, they should take great care to do so in a timely way. There is no point in leaving it to the last minute, only to find that the notification arrives late. It must be done in a timely way that is considerate of Members’ responsibility to each other. So all three Members have, in cross-party fashion, done the House a service today and I thank them for that.

[Michael Fabricant]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. We have been discussing the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Treasury, and I am just speculating, given the need to save money, that the letter might have been sent second class.

[Mr Speaker]

The imagination of the hon. Gentleman is vivid, and what I would describe as his spontaneous intellectual gymnastics are an example to us all.

National Security and Defence

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Monday 23rd November 2015 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant]

Don’t give away all our secrets.

[Mr Speaker]

We are extraordinarily grateful to the hon. Member for Lichfield (Michael Fabricant) for his chunter from a sedentary position.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Monday 26th October 2015 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fabricant]

My right hon. Friend will know that schools in Staffordshire receive about £320 less per pupil than the English average. At the risk of boring you, Mr Speaker, I raised this matter in 1992, and I raised it during Prime Minister’s questions with Tony Blair, who was very sympathetic but also did nothing, and when I raised it in the previous Parliament, I was told that it was being blocked by the “wicked Liberals” and David Laws. Well, now we are in government, so what are we going to do about it and when will it happen?

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman might be considered exotic, but never boring—not by the Chair anyway.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Wednesday 17th June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

To ask about Dyfed Powys, rather than Lichfield, I call Mr Fabricant.

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

My hon. Friend will know how rural an area Wales is, and the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (Jonathan Edwards) is absolutely right to raise this point, but what consideration has the Minister given to combining the Wales police force covering the hon. Gentleman’s constituency with north Wales police in order to provide a better service?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Fabricant and John Bercow

Tuesday 16th June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

On the subject of statesmanship, I call Mr Michael Fabricant.

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

My right hon. Friend has been enthusiastic and proactive in promoting the northern powerhouse, but will he shift his gaze southwards towards the midlands? I suggest to him that the midlands has the productivity that the United Kingdom needs, and the midlands engine needs promotion too.