Point of Order

Debate between Natascha Engel and John Bercow

Monday 20th October 2014 Commons Chamber

[Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek your guidance. The Backbench Business Committee has had to move its meetings to 1 o’clock on a Tuesday, which means that a lot of Members who want to come to the Backbench Business Committee cannot now be present for some of the opening speeches in a debate. Is there something Members can do to ensure that, if they come to the Backbench Business Committee, they are not disadvantaged in participating in those debates?

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for her point of order. The Chair, collectively, always does its best to accommodate colleagues who have disparate and sometimes conflicting commitments in different parts of the House. One has to tread very carefully on these matters because although the centrality of the hon. Lady’s Committee to the affairs of the House is well understood and appreciated, there are many other Committees that also sometimes meet when the House is sitting. Therefore, if the argument is that people are in front of that Committee and cannot also be in the Chamber and might miss out, that would apply to a miscellany of different Committees, so it is something on which I would like to reflect carefully. Suffice it to say, whether there is a formal ruling made on the matter or not, the Chair always does its best to ensure that people are not disadvantaged.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Natascha Engel and John Bercow

Tuesday 19th November 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Mr Grahame M. Morris. Not here.

[Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire) (Lab)]

The UK Youth Parliament voted for it, the Labour party has put it in its general election manifesto and the Liberal Democrats have always supported it. When will the Deputy Prime Minister bring forward proposals to lower the voting age to 16?

Probation Service

Debate between Natascha Engel and John Bercow

Wednesday 30th October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Richard Drax]

I wish to raise another point that I have got wind of. I understand that two organisations would be in the same location for two years, after which the private or public organisations—whichever they are—could go their separate ways? I do not know if the hon. Lady knows anything about that, but I would be grateful to hear from the Minister about it.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We are very short of time.

[Natascha Engel]

I am going to finish on this point, Mr Speaker. I have a big concern about the organisations equipped to bid for these contracts. We are talking about G4S and Serco, which are the very organisations being investigated over serious allegations of fraud in their current MOJ contracts. Also, why are the probation trusts—not the probation officers—which are providing such a good service, unable to bid for these contracts? That could be a big improvement.

I shall finish now and donate my remaining three minutes to the Minister so that he can answer the question from the hon. Member for South Dorset (Richard Drax). I do not understand how the distinction between low, medium and high-risk offenders will work; I do not understand the co-location system; and I certainly do not understand how it will not be a disbenefit to someone who has just come out of prison to go from one probation officer to another as he moves from being a low or medium-risk offender to a high-risk offender. If the Minister could explain, I would be very grateful—and there we are: two and a half minutes donated to him.

European Council

Debate between Natascha Engel and John Bercow

Thursday 26th January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire) (Lab)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered the matter of the European Council.

I would like to take this opportunity briefly to mention to this self-selecting group of Members in the Chamber who are taking an interest in EU Council debates that the Backbench Business Committee now has such debates within its remit. In future, therefore, when Members want to have such a debate before the EU Council meets, they should come to the Backbench Business Committee. I will leave it at that.

[Mr Speaker]

I apologise: I ought to have explained that the time limit on Back-Bench speeches is eight minutes.

Points of Order

Debate between Natascha Engel and John Bercow

Wednesday 25th January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Backbench Business Committee, at its meeting yesterday, decided to amend tomorrow’s business slightly to include a pre-EU Council topical debate at the beginning of its proceedings. Unfortunately, this means that we have had to postpone the presentation of a report by the Chair of the Public Administration Committee.

Mr Speaker, could you give me some advice? Given that the Backbench Business Committee is unable to make an emergency business statement to inform the House of this change of business at such short notice, how do I best go about doing so?

[Mr Speaker]

As I would have expected, the hon. Lady has provided her own salvation. The information is on the record and the House is grateful to the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Natascha Engel and John Bercow

Tuesday 22nd November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Sajid Javid. Not here.

[Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire) (Lab)]

8. What arrangements he has put in place to involve dental practitioners in the commissioning of dental services.

Comprehensive Spending Review

Debate between Natascha Engel and John Bercow

Wednesday 20th October 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. This statement can run for only a few more minutes, so some people will be disappointed, but I reiterate the appeal for short questions. Help yourself and help others in the process.

[Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire) (Lab)]

The Chancellor has announced a cut of 490,000 jobs in the public sector. Whichever way he slices it, that still means that even after four years and even if it is down to natural wastage there will be 490,000 jobs in the public sector that are lost to the economy. He also wants to move people off benefit and into work to save on the welfare budget. How does he make this add up? Where are the jobs coming from that the people who are now on welfare—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We are grateful, but I think we have the thrust of it.