Counter-Terrorism: Conflict Zones

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 2nd March 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

I have saved the hon. Gentleman, who is an exquisite delicacy in the House, until last.

[Mr Hollobone]

With regard to the London schoolgirls going to Syria, is there not a mechanism in place whereby parents can apply for a parental watch on a young person’s passport so that if they undertake an airline ticket purchase or present themselves at the airport, an alarm goes off that the parents need to be contacted because the passport is being used without parental consent?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Wednesday 25th February 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We are now better informed, I am sure.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

But is the Secretary of State satisfied that the capacity of the electricity interconnector between Scotland and England is sufficient and will not act as a brake on competition in the supply and generating markets?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 23rd February 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Not very statesmanlike. Mr Jones, you aspire to be a statesman. I have sought to encourage and nurture your ambitions. [Interruption.] No, he says from a sedentary position. Don’t be so unambitious, man, for goodness’ sake.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

16. What recent assessment he has made of the potential implications of deployment of Russian-made military aircraft to Argentina for the UK’s defence footprint in the south Atlantic.

Business of the House

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 12th February 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

What a delicious choice! Mr Peter Bone.

A and E (Major Incidents)

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Wednesday 7th January 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. A very large number of hon. and right hon. Members are still seeking to catch my eye. As always, I am keen to accommodate as many as possible, but I simply point out to the House that there is a statement to follow by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and other business. I therefore appeal to the House to help me to help individual Members. That is to say, prolonged statements prior to questions are undesirable. Pithy and succinct questions are the order of the day, in which important exercise I think we can be led by an illustrious parliamentarian, Mr Philip Hollobone.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Kettering general hospital is experiencing its busiest winter on record. The three hon. Members for north Northamptonshire, the hon. Member for Corby (Andy Sawford), my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Mr Bone) and myself for Kettering, are working together to attract extra investment into our A and E. When we go to see the Secretary of State’s colleague, the hospitals Minister, next week, will he encourage the Minister to receive us warmly and favourably?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Tuesday 9th December 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

As usual we are pressed for time, but I cannot allow excessively long early questions and answers to deny Members who have been waiting patiently, so we will now hear, I hope, from Mr Philip Hollobone.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

17. What the basic rate personal tax allowance was in May 2010; what that rate would have been in May 2015 if indexed to inflation; and what that rate will be in May 2015.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Tuesday 18th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I ask the hon. Member for Burton (Andrew Griffiths) to take his seat. We want to see not the back of his jacket, but the front of his face. We are grateful to him.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Why is far more not being done to ensure that UK nationals who live abroad are put on to the UK electoral register?

Prison Communications

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Tuesday 11th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

What a delicious choice. I call Mr Peter Bone.

EU Budget (Surcharge)

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 10th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We are grateful, but the question suffered from the disadvantage of being irrelevant to the matter under discussion, so we will move on to someone who has a relevant question to ask.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Confirmation that the rebate will be applied is clearly to be welcomed, but the blunt truth is that this country faces a bill £850 million larger than it faced two weeks previously. Given that we now pay more than £10 billion a year as our membership fee for this organisation, my constituents in Kettering feel that the bill is too large. Will the Chancellor confirm that a majority Conservative Government will renegotiate the membership fee after the next election?

Business of the House

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 6th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

What a delicious choice! I call Mr Philip Hollobone.

[Mr Hollobone]

This morning my right hon. Friend has shown his appetite for reviving obscure parliamentary procedures by asking the House to vote on Monday on a measure that will not have completed its other Commons stages. Will he therefore revive the obscure parliamentary procedure of debating Opposition policy in dedicated Government time? Given the importance to our democracy of having a healthy Opposition, and as a reward for the refreshing honesty of the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Thomas Docherty), who said that the public have

“no idea what our policies are”,

may we test the proposition that this House has identified Her Majesty’s Opposition’s alternative programme for government?

London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Tuesday 4th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

I refer the House to my entry in the register as a member of Kettering borough council. Is not one of themes common to what happened in Doncaster, Rotherham and Tower Hamlets the importance, but sometimes the ineffectiveness, of local government scrutiny by councillors in their own authority? What can be done to strengthen the power of scrutiny committees, and raise the profile and esteem of scrutiny work? Instead of councillors always wanting to be in the administration, they should increasingly want to be in the scrutiny side of things, to hold mayors and chairmen of committees to account for making decisions about very large sums?

[Mr Speaker]

We could learn from the hon. Gentleman’s parliamentary example.

European Council

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 27th October 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

Mr Michael Ellis.

Birmingham Schools

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Tuesday 22nd July 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

I hope the House now has a ready appetite for the rare delicacy which is the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr Hollobone).

[Mr Hollobone]

In my right hon. Friend’s statement, she made reference to the council’s own report by Ian Kershaw which concluded that the council’s inability to address these problems had been exacerbated “by a culture of not wanting to address difficult problems where there was a risk of accusations of racism or Islamophobia.” Does my right hon. Friend agree that there is a chilling effect which prevents effective local government governance or effective governance in schools, where people do not have the confidence to tackle issues involving ethnic minorities because of the risk of being accused of being racist? How are her Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government going to come together to give such people the confidence they need to tackle these issues head-on?

Business of the House

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 17th July 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

I welcome the Leader of the House to his new role and thank him for the dedication, energy and enthusiasm that he put into the role of Foreign Secretary. Before he became Foreign Secretary, he played a key role on an individual level in negotiating the coalition agreement, going through it line by line, paragraph by paragraph. He will remember that in chapter 24 at the bottom of page 27 are the words:

“A House Business Committee, to consider government business, will be established by the third year of the Parliament”.

Consensus was achieved when those words were written, and I know my right hon. Friend attaches huge importance to upholding the tenets of the coalition agreement. In the last year of this Parliament, will he introduce the Hague reforms, to allow the House of Commons to timetable its own business as long as it allows the Government to get through their legislation?

[Mr Speaker]

That could be the Hague-Hollobone-Bone reform.

Business of the House

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 12th June 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

In which case, I hope that he will understand that it would not be appropriate to call him.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

May we have a debate on who is to be the next President of the European Commission? Given that all the major parties are united in their opposition to the candidacy of Mr Juncker, this is an opportunity to send him a collective raspberry as well as to highlight the unity on the Conservative Benches against ever-closer union.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 12th May 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I have been saving up the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr Hollobone) as a favoured delicacy of the House.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Is there any evidence that the recent developments in Ukraine are impressing upon all of our NATO allies the importance of spending at least 2% of their GDP on defence?

Business of the House

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 8th May 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Last, but never forgotten, Mr Philip Hollobone.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

I support 100% the comments from my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Philip Davies). My constituents will be horrified to read reports in today’s newspapers that major high street supermarkets are selling halal and kosher meat without it being labelled as such. Although I recognise that certain faith groups require halal or kosher meat, surely it is perfectly reasonable to expect to know what we are buying. If the Consumer Rights Bill is the right vehicle to address the problem, can we look forward to a Government amendment to ensure that if the meat we buy is halal or kosher, it is labelled as such?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Tuesday 8th April 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Let me say to the Minister of State that to be fair to the hon. Member for Huddersfield, he was not part of that Government but a proud Back-Bench supporter of them. That is an important distinction, as I think the Minister would readily concede.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Brazil is the leading economic and political power in south America. How successful are we being in persuading the Brazilians of the merits of the Falkland Islanders’ case that their sovereignty should be decided by the islanders themselves and not by their Argentine neighbours? [Interruption.]

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 3rd April 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I always bear the hon. Gentleman in mind, but we will hear from Mr Hollobone first.

[Mr Hollobone]

For competition to work best, domestic consumers have to be able to switch their suppliers easily. Residents in Kettering want to pay the lowest prices for their electricity and gas, but many constituents, especially those who are elderly or not online, find the complexity of bills overwhelming and far too confusing. What can the Secretary of State do to take the hassle out of switching supplier?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 9th January 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Not for nothing is the hon. Gentleman known as culture vulture Sheerman.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Which tree species does the Minister regard as most at risk from disease?

Local Government Finance

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Wednesday 18th December 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We will get through these matters. I call Mr Philip Hollobone.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Under the leadership of councillor Russell Roberts, Kettering borough council, of which I have the privilege to be a member, has for the past three years offered a policy of “triple zero”: no cuts to front-line services, no cuts to voluntary grants and no increase in council tax. The Minister will know, because he has twice visited Kettering borough council, that it is an exemplary local authority. Does the message not go out that if Kettering can do this, other councils, if they really want to, can also do it?

Amendment of Standing Orders

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 2nd December 2013 Commons Chamber

[Jacob Rees-Mogg (North East Somerset) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Is it in order for an hon. Member to refer even to himself, who is by virtue an honourable Member, as a charlatan and a fraud?

[Mr Speaker]

It is not disorderly, but it is an example of unwarranted self-flagellation.

[Mr Hollobone]

I know for a certain fact that my hon. Friend the Member for Broxbourne is not a charlatan and a fraud. I very much hope that he withdraws his motion, because then the Government amendments could not be passed.

--- Later in debate ---

[Jacob Rees-Mogg]

As I understand it, Mr Speaker, for a motion to be withdrawn, it requires the consent of the whole House, and one Member opposing it can stop that withdrawal taking place. It is too late for my hon. Friend, the Chairman of the Procedure Committee, to withdraw his motion.

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman’s understanding is correct. The motion is now owned by the House, and withdrawal of it would require the assent of the House. It cannot be summarily withdrawn.

[Mr Hollobone]

In that case, I encourage my hon. Friend to seek the leave of the House to withdraw the motion. I gently say to him and to the hon. Member for North East Derbyshire that if ever the Procedure Committee and the Backbench Business Committee come to the Floor of the House divided on an issue, they are effectively allowing the Executive to walk all over both of them, which is a great shame as far as the whole House is concerned.

I disagree with the hon. Member for North East Derbyshire about her worries over the 35 days. I simply do not trust the Executive, whoever they might be, to honour their commitment to give 35 days to the Backbench Business Committee. There might be all sorts of excuses that a re-elected coalition Government, a majority Conservative Government or indeed a Labour Government might give to the House about not sticking to that ruling. In a Session longer than a calendar year, it would be very tempting, especially for an incoming Government, to seek not to give a pro rata adjustment to the Backbench Business Committee’s allocation of time.

We have not spoken very much about the Select Committee statements motion, but I have some concerns about how it has been drafted. It says in paragraph (1)(a) of the proposed Standing Order that

“the Backbench Business Committee may determine that a statement will be made on the publication of a select committee report or announcement of an inquiry.”

It does not make it clear that the Committee would do that only in response to a request from the relevant Select Committee. As I read that proposed Standing Order, the Backbench Business Committee could force a Select Committee to make a statement on the publication of one of its reports. I am sure that that is not the intention of the Backbench Business Committee for all the reasons that the hon. Lady outlined about its not seeking to become more powerful than it should be, but the way that the motion is drafted would give the Backbench Business Committee the power to do that, although I am sure it is not requesting it.

In paragraph (4) of the Select Committee statements motion, it says, in relation to the time given to such a statement, that

“no question”—

on the statement—

“shall be taken after the end of any period specified by the Backbench Business Committee or the Liaison Committee in its determination.”

I do not agree with that, Mr Speaker. When we have statements on the Floor of the House from Ministers, you, through your wisdom, decide how long that statement should run, and you do that by seeing how many Members of the House are standing to ask questions. Sometimes those statement do not include all the Members who want to ask questions; sometimes they run for a very long time indeed. The point is that the allocation of time is not specified beforehand. It is in your wisdom and at your discretion how long a statement should last. If, under the proposed procedure, the Backbench Business Committee allows a statement on a Select Committee publication to take place, either in this Chamber or in Westminster Hall, it should be up to Mr Speaker, the Deputy Speaker or the Chairman in Westminster Hall to decide how long that statement should run depending on the level of interest in it shown by those Members who are standing to ask questions. I am disappointed in the rather sloppy wording of the Select Committee statements motion. The point about how long statements should run has been missed, and I am very worried that if we have an extended Session of Parliament the Government will not necessarily provide the pro rata entitlement to the Backbench Business Committee that this House would like.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Tuesday 19th November 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am sure, yes. We can always try to catch the hon. Lady later. There is a bit of a distance between Devon and Cornwall and Birmingham, Edgbaston.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

3. What the (a) number and (b) annual cost is of his special advisers.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 18th November 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The Minister of State has the advantage in this case of being right. It was rather a cheeky inquiry by the hon. Member for Ealing North (Stephen Pound), even by his own standards.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

2. How many people in Kettering constituency claim ESA; how many such claimants have had their claim turned down in the last year; and how many are appealing that decision to the first tier tribunal.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Tuesday 12th November 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman has stretched the elastic beyond snapping point. The question was broadened by the content of the Minister’s answer, but not broadened beyond the prison estate—that is the subject matter with which we are dealing. The hon. Gentleman is very visible courtesy of his moustache so he can try his luck later.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

In commending my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Mr Bone) on his energetic campaign to save Wellingborough prison, may I gently suggest to the Minister that Government papers must have become muddled on this prison, because it is extremely cost-effective? It has one of the lowest costs per prisoner across the prison estate. The Minister says that lots of money is needed to improve the site but, having gone round it myself, I simply do not think that that is the case. May I urge him to take my hon. Friend’s advice and look again at this wrong decision?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 11th November 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The right hon. Gentleman is quite correct. That is quite a convenient way of trying to keep onside when time is pressing.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Is it appropriate for either teachers or pupils to wear the full-face veil in the classroom, and if the answer is no, what regulations are in place to proscribe the wearing of such?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 10th October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am sorry to disappoint colleagues, but I think that Mr Philip Hollobone must be the last questioner.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

To better understand the spread of TB in wildlife, why are the badgers that are being culled not being tested to see whether they are infected or not?

Business of the House

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 12th September 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

In 2007, the High Court rejected a bid from a pupil to be allowed to wear her niqab in class. The staff powerfully argued that they needed to see her face to see whether she was paying attention, engaged in her work or distressed. Subsequent to that ruling, the Department for Education issued guidelines permitting schools and colleges to insist that they be able to see pupils’ faces at all times, and this week Birmingham Metropolitan college did just that. Will my right hon. Friend urge the Department for Education to reissue its guidance so that the public can see that Birmingham Metropolitan college has acted entirely within the rules and applied what most people in this country would regard as a common-sense policy with regard to the visibility of students?

[Mr Speaker]

I trust we can have a statement or a debate on the matter as well.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Wednesday 4th September 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

Ah, a Northamptonshire choice. I call Mr Philip Hollobone.

[Mr Hollobone]

What does the Minister expect the footprint of the Government estate to be by the end of the present Parliament compared with May 2010?

Business of the House

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Tuesday 9th July 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I think that the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Wayne David) thought momentarily that he was speaking from the Front Bench rather than the Back Benches.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Trusting that the Leader of the House is an honest fellow who is sensitive to the mood of the House at all times and given the comments that have been made today, may I urge him to reconsider his decision and to hold the debate and vote in September? Given that most of Europe, and especially the European Commission, goes on holiday in July, August and early September, I am sure that a delay until our September sittings would do no harm at all to our renegotiation prospects.

Afghanistan and EU Council

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Tuesday 2nd July 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

I have been saving up the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr Hollobone) so that the House can savour him.

[Mr Hollobone]

My right hon. Friend will know that there are almost 11,000 foreign national offenders in our prisons, many from EU countries. There is an EU-wide compulsory prisoner transfer agreement, but only the United Kingdom and 12 other member states have ratified it. If it was not discussed at this EU Council, will the Prime Minister use his best endeavours to ensue that it is on the agenda for the next EU Council, ahead of the removal of transitional immigration controls from new entrant countries?

GCHQ

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 10th June 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We are sorry the hon. Lady is taking her leave, but we will hear from her on other occasions. [Interruption.] She has nothing for which to apologise. I mistakenly thought she was trying to contribute. She should take her leave; we will give her a cheer [Hon. Members: “Hurray.]We will hear from her again soon. She is a very regular contributor.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

May I commend my right hon. Friend for his statement, for his personal grip and command over this issue and for the work that the security services do? I imagine that from the nature of the work they do and the people they are, our security services people are reticent about talking of their successes. At a time of heightened tension over international and domestic terrorism, will the Foreign Secretary encourage our security services wherever possible to put into the public domain the success stories in countering threats to our national security?

Alcohol: Minimum Unit Price

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 14th March 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The House really must calm down. It is in a very excitable condition, from which I hope it can be relieved by the hon. Member for Kettering, Mr Philip Hollobone.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Was the balance of responses to the consultation in favour of or against minimum alcohol pricing?

Apprenticeships

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 14th March 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. May I explain to the House that a very large number of right hon. and hon. Members will be seeking to catch my eye in the debate on NHS accountability, and I am keen to accommodate that Back Bench-inspired debate? We have business questions before that so I am not inclined to run this statement at length.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Flexibility is key for any work-related apprenticeship policy. Does the Minister agree that apprenticeships should not just be for school leavers? They need to be for the mum going back to work after having looked after her children, and for the man in middle age seeking a new career. Will the Government address this issue?

Horsemeat

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 14th February 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am keen to accommodate the remaining colleagues because there are not many of them, but I trust that they will be brief. The master class is to be provided by Mr Philip Hollobone.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

My constituents in Kettering will be surprised at the extent to which meat products are cut, processed and reprocessed back and forth across so many international borders. Might one of the benefits of this episode be that consumers value local farmers markets that provide high-quality meats sourced from local farmers?

European Council

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 11th February 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Mr Balls, you are barking in the most bellicose fashion at the Government Benches. I know that whenever you do anything you do not it quietly, but a degree of restraint would be appreciated.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

I am sure my constituents in Kettering would want me to congratulate the Prime Minister warmly on negotiating a real-terms cut in the EU budget. Will he take this opportunity to name and shame those of our European partners who most vociferously resisted attempts to cut the administrative budget?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Tuesday 5th February 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) has clearly been undertaking work experience on a farmyard. We are grateful for his contribution.

[Mr Hollobone]

Kettering is fortunate to have an excellent bench of magistrates and the whole nation should be grateful for the tremendous unpaid work carried out by 24,000 magistrates up and down the country. Is the Minister aware that £40 million could be saved in the criminal justice system were he to undertake this simple revision of magistrates’ powers? Justice would be better, cheaper, quicker and more local as a result.

Business of the House

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 31st January 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

When anyone moves to Britain with their car they are required to register the vehicle with the Driver and Vehicle and Licensing Agency, and to have UK plates on that vehicle within six months. That is to ensure that the vehicle is taxed, insured and roadworthy, and so that the driver can be prosecuted for any speeding or parking offences. By its own admission, the Department for Transport has said that those rules are not working, and with 2 million EU residents permanently residing in this country, there are potentially tens of thousands of vehicles on our roads illegally. Will the Leader of the House use his charm, influence and position to pioneer a joint statement by the Department for Transport, the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice, and say what Her Majesty’s Government will do to solve the problem?

[Mr Speaker]

Order. So far, the erudition of questions has been equalled only by their length. I am sure we will have a characteristically snappy answer from the Leader of the House.

Algeria

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 21st January 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I did indeed listen intently to the three questions from the hon. Member for Leicester South (Jonathan Ashworth), but if we are to get to the end in reasonable time, it would be helpful if Members now confine themselves to one question each.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

It must be right that, in addition to the appropriate security response, there should be a refocusing of international development assistance on failed or failing states in north Africa. There are a lot of very rich Islamic nations in the world. Might we see rather more money coming from them to provide that international development assistance, rather than its coming only from the west?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 13th September 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman appeared to say all that without having to breathe. I am extremely impressed.

[Mr Hollobone]

The Palace of Westminster is a place of work for thousands of people, yet the fabric and facilities in many areas of the building date back to the 1840s. Clearly, the cost of bringing the building up to modern standards could be billions of pounds. When is the House of Commons Commission likely to get its first estimate of the total cost of doing up the building?

EU Council

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 2nd July 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Last but not least, we must hear the voice of Kettering, Mr Philip Hollobone.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Given that my right hon. Friend is now not ruling out a future referendum on our membership of the EU, is it not time for Her Majesty’s Government to commission an official, full-scale, independent, comprehensive audit of the costs and benefits of our membership in order better to inform that referendum when it comes?

Abu Qatada

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Tuesday 17th April 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am keen, if at all possible, to accommodate all remaining colleagues, but to do so I require brevity, which exercise will be led by the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr Hollobone).

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

I am sure the residents of the Kettering constituency would want me to congratulate the Home Secretary on her tremendous efforts to deport this wretched man. Reassuringly, she said she would look at how France, Italy and other countries do this sort of thing rather faster. Who is going to lead that review, and when will they report?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 19th March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Last but never least, Mr Philip Hollobone.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Major serious and organised crime knows no geographical boundaries, so will my right hon. Friend congratulate the five east midlands police forces on coming together and collaborating in order to tackle this menace more effectively and to save the taxpayer £26 million over the next four years?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Wednesday 11th January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Let me just point out to the Minister that I do not have my own Scottish Government.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Does my right hon. Friend believe that were Scotland to become separate from the United Kingdom, and were it to be forced to join the eurozone as a condition of re-entry into the European Union, that would hinder or help inward investment into Scotland?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Wednesday 30th November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We have a lot of questions to get through and we must get on.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Given the importance of the Republic of Ireland to the Northern Irish economy, and the likelihood of a break-up of the eurozone, what discussions has my right hon. Friend had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Northern Ireland Executive about how the Northern Ireland economy could best cope with such a crisis?

Eurozone (Contingency Plans)

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 20th June 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. May I remind remaining contributors that this is not a general debate on the British Government’s domestic economic policy?

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Does the Minister believe that the eurozone will remain intact with all its present members?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 13th June 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Tony Lloyd. Not here. I call Mr Gerry Sutcliffe. Not here.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

22. How many nationals of other EU member states are in receipt of benefits provided by his Department.

Points of Order

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 3rd March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman raises what, in the circumstances, is a hypothetical question. However, I can say that, yes, that would have been possible, but in the circumstances we have encountered it was not. I hope that he and the House will understand that there is a balance of considerations in these matters. In the situation we faced this morning, it was felt to be important, including by me, to protect the time for the half-day Opposition day debate in the name of the Democratic Unionist party. It is also important that the House should hear the statement from the Secretary of State, and have the opportunity to question him on it, at the earliest practicable opportunity without doing violence to that minority party entitlement. I do not say that the situation is ideal, but what I do say is that a pragmatic approach has been taken in the circumstances the Leader of the House and I encountered.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. With reference to the question from the hon. Member for Slough (Fiona Mactaggart) about the order of business on the Backbench Business Committee day on Thursday 10 March, it might help the House to learn that, in deciding which debate should go first and which should follow, the Committee takes into account the question of whether motions can be voted on, as votes would eat into the following debate time. That might have been one of the major points that the Committee took into account.

[Mr Speaker]

I do not think the hon. Member for Slough (Fiona Mactaggart) is in the Chamber at present, but I have a sense that before very long she is likely to hear of the pearl of wisdom the hon. Gentleman offers to the Chamber, for which we are grateful to him.

Libya and the Middle East

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Monday 28th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We will leave it there.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

It is obviously right to send assistance to tackle the growing refugee problem on Libya’s borders, but are efforts being co-ordinated with EU partners and others to prevent the turmoil throughout north Africa becoming an immigration problem for Italy and southern Europe?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Thursday 10th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I think the Secretary of State gets an A*.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

3. What estimate he has made of the level of (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind generating capacity in 2020.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Wednesday 3rd November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. There is far too much noise in the Chamber. It is a veritable commotion. I want to hear Mr Philip Hollobone.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

12. Whether she plans to amend the administration and staff costs in her Department’s budget for 2010-11.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Wednesday 13th October 2010 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr Stephen O'Brien)]

In 2009-10, the Department for International Development provided £13 million of bilateral aid to Burundi, £12 million to Liberia and £109 million to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Those figures were published in “Statistics on International Development” on 7 October. I will place a copy in the House of Commons Library. [Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. There are far too many private conversations taking place in the Chamber. I want to hear the question from Mr Philip Hollobone.

[Mr Hollobone]

Taxpayers in the Kettering constituency would like to know what steps my hon. Friend is taking to ensure that the poorest, most deserving countries receive most British aid, where British aid can make the biggest difference. Will he please tell them?

Draft EU Budget 2011

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Wednesday 13th October 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. My hon. Friend the Minister said that the amendment in the name of my hon. Friend the Member for Clacton (Mr Carswell) would commit the Government to an illegal act. Am I right in saying that any amendment accepted by the House for debate is in order and that it would be quite improper for any amendment to commit Her Majesty’s Government to anything illegal? Were not the Minister’s remarks a matter of debate rather than a statement of fact?

[Mr Speaker]

I am very grateful to the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr Hollobone) for his point of order. Certainly, from my reading of amendment (b), I am not aware of any exhortation to illegality. The hon. Gentleman will understand, and the House will appreciate, that it is not for me to become enmeshed in an argument between hon. Members as to the merits or demerits of a particular amendment. What I can say to the hon. Gentleman, whose concern for propriety is unsurpassed in any part of the House, is quite simply that the amendment is not improper. If it were improper, I would not have selected it; it is perfectly proper. On the subject of propriety, therefore, he and others need have no cause whatever for concern. I hope that is helpful to the House.

Information for Backbenchers on Statements

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Tuesday 20th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Barry Gardiner]

I rise simply to correct the assertion I made earlier that the Press Gallery was bereft. I have since noticed the not inconsiderable frame of one of the members of the press—I believe from the Jewish Chronicle—who—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The hon. Gentleman entered the House with me in 1997, and he is aware of the normal custom that one does not refer to people outside the Chamber. I allowed a modest latitude for the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr Hollobone), because what he was saying was central to the thrust of the argument that he wished to develop, but to get into the business of identifying individual journalists is not good for the House, and it is probably not good for the egos of the journalists concerned either.

[Mr Hollobone]

I am grateful for your ruling, Mr Speaker. Should there be any members of the Press Gallery up there this evening, they should be commended on turning up, although as you know, the reputations of lots of members of the Press Gallery precedes them, whether they are here or not.

If you will forgive me, Mr Speaker, I got stuck in 1947, with the resignation of the then Chancellor of the Exchequer. However, to move on from that, the Library has produced some valuable intelligence on the issue of ministerial statements not being made correctly. I understand that in the 27 years since 1983, there have been 44 incidents on the Floor of the House when the Speaker or a Deputy Speaker has had to make a ruling about the pre-release of information. Indeed, I fully expect the total figure to be somewhat higher. We are therefore talking about a regular occurrence, and it is clearly difficult for any Government, of whatever colour, to get things right. That is why we now have an opportunity, with this new politics, to try to ensure that we have a protocol in place that everyone can understand and which it is far more difficult to fall foul of.

Even though the Backbench Business Committee is a new innovation, the issue of ministerial statements going wrong has been discussed on the Floor of the House and by Select Committees before. In February 2001, the Public Administration Committee conducted an inquiry into the ministerial code. Its findings make for interesting reading, so perhaps I could indulge the House for a moment by reading them:

“There is one respect in which the accountability requirements of Ministers in relation to Parliament have been weakened over the lifetime of the Ministerial Code. This concerns policy announcements to Parliament. The 1949 version of the Code provided that: ‘When Parliament is in session, important announcements of Government policy should be made, in the first instance, in Parliament.’ However, in…1997…the formulation has become: ‘When Parliament is in session, Ministers will want to bear in mind the desire of Parliament that the most important announcements of Government policy should be made, in the first instance, to Parliament.’ This represents a reduction in parliamentary accountability. We recommend that when the Ministerial Code is next revised the spirit of the original wording should be restored in respect of announcements of important Government policy.”

Basically, the Government of the day, having been ticked off, accepted that recommendation. However, my contention—and that of the Backbench Business Committee—is that despite being corrected by the Public Administration Committee in 2001, the procedure is still not clear enough to the Government of the day.

I have to say that I am extremely disappointed that the new coalition Government have got off to a bad start on the release of policy information to this House—I should also say that I would have said that whichever Government were now in power. The coalition Government got off to a bad start with the Queen’s Speech, which is an extremely poor place to get off to a bad start. The hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant) raised the matter in the House on a point of order on 25 May, when he said to you, Mr Speaker:

“You rightly used to excoriate Labour Ministers if ever we made announcements before making them to this House, so will you make sure that that lot over there do not announce things to the press—as they have done, day in, day out over the past 10 days—without first bringing them before this House?”

You, Sir, then said:

“This gives me the opportunity to say at the start of this new Parliament that I shall continue to expect, as I said two days after first being elected Speaker last June, that ‘Ministers ought to make key statements to the House before they are made elsewhere’… If they do otherwise, I—and, I am sure, the House—will expect to hear explanations and apologies as necessary.”—[Official Report, 25 May 2010; Vol. 510, c. 53.]

You have been as good as your word, Mr Speaker. The Backbench Business Committee—and, I hope, the whole House tonight—will praise you for that, because you insisted that Ministers who have not complied come to the Chamber to apologise to the House. [Interruption.] Yes, and rightly so. Why? Because we are, rightly or wrongly, elected by our constituents to be their representatives in this national Parliament; and if a Minister is deliberately or inadvertently releasing information before telling the people’s representatives, they should be called to this House to apologise. To the credit of the Ministers involved, even though they made a mistake with the pre-release of information, they have had the good grace to come here and apologise—and I now make a partisan point—unlike Ministers in the last Government, who never did so.

It is wholly appropriate for the Opposition of the day to hold Ministers to account for the release of information. That is part of the job of Opposition. However, that is also the job of all Back Benchers, whatever party we represent, and it is no use Government Members not being prepared to criticise Government Ministers because we are supposed to be on the same side. We have to think wider than that if we are to fulfil our proper roles as Back Benchers. We must have the guts to stand up and say to Ministers on our own side, if necessary, that this is not right and not the way to treat the House of Commons of the UK. We should encourage Ministers to take a professional pride in releasing information only to this House in the first instance.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Philip Hollobone and John Bercow

Wednesday 2nd June 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I apologise for having to interrupt the hon. Gentleman. On this closed question, I was eagerly anticipating an inquiry about Afghanistan, but sadly it was not forthcoming.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

Q11. What will my right hon. Friend be doing to ensure that foreign nationals engaged in terrorist-related activity in this country will be deported back to their country of origin when their evil plots are detected?