Points of Order

Robert Flello Excerpts

Monday 24th June 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

There has been no such request thus far, but as the hon. Gentleman will know, the Foreign Office has ears all over the place, and I am sure that those ears will have heard his plaintive call. We will leave it there for now.

[Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Staying with those “ears” of the Foreign Office, I believe that, during Foreign Office questions last week, the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the right hon. Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), praised President Santos of Colombia for what he had done in respect of the Colombian peace process. On Friday, that same President accused peasant protesters in Catatumbo, in north-east Colombia, of being linked to the terrorist FARC group, which resulted in Saturday’s killing by the army and police of two innocent civilian protesters.

The Colombian Defence Minister is coming to the United Kingdom this week, and will meet Ministers. Has there been any indication that either the Secretary of State for Defence or the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will make a statement to the House? I believe that one of them should do so, in order to explain why they have not roundly condemned the behaviour of the Colombian Government in—far too frequently—naming people with whom they disagree as terrorists, after which those people are “disappeared” or killed.

[Mr Speaker]

Again, I have received no indication at this stage of a Minister’s intention to make a statement on the subject. However, the hon. Gentleman has aired his concern, which is now on the record. There will be all sorts of parliamentary opportunities for him to pursue the matter, and I feel sure that he will seek to avail himself of one or more of them.

Bills Presented

Face Coverings (Prohibition) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone and Mr Christopher Chope, presented a Bill to prohibit the wearing of certain face coverings; and for connected purposes.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 6 September; and to be printed (Bill 31).

National Service Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Stewart Jackson, presented a Bill to provide a system of national service for young persons; and for connected purposes.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 6 September; and to be printed (Bill 32).

European Communities Act 1972 (Repeal) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr David Nuttall, Philip Davies, Mr Douglas Carswell, Dr Julian Lewis, Martin Vickers and Mr Stewart Jackson, presented a Bill to repeal the European Communities Act 1972 and related legislation; and for connected purposes.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 6 September; and to be printed (Bill 33).

Young Offenders (Parental Responsibility) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr David Nuttall, Philip Davies and Mr Douglas Carswell, presented a Bill to make provision for the parents of young offenders to be legally responsible for their actions.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 25 October; and to be printed (Bill 34).

Foreign National Offenders (Exclusion from the United Kingdom) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr David Nuttall, Philip Davies, Mr Douglas Carswell, Mr Graham Brady and Mr Stewart Jackson, presented a Bill to make provision to exclude from the United Kingdom foreign nationals found guilty of a criminal offence committed in the United Kingdom.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 25 October; and to be printed (Bill 35).

Asylum Seekers (Return to Nearest Safe Country) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone, Mr David Nuttall, Philip Davies and Mr Douglas Carswell, presented a Bill to facilitate the transfer of asylum seekers to the safe country nearest their country of origin.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 25 October; and to be printed (Bill 36).

Prisoners (Completion of Custodial Sentences) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr David Nuttall, Philip Davies, Mr Douglas Carswell and Mr Graham Brady, presented a Bill to require prisoners to serve in prison the full custodial sentence handed down by the court.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 28 February 2014; and to be printed (Bill 37).

Fishing Grounds and Territorial Waters (Repatriation) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr David Nuttall, Philip Davies, Mr Douglas Carswell, Mr Graham Brady, Dr Julian Lewis and Martin Vickers, presented a Bill to make provision for the Government to designate certain fishing grounds and territorial waters as sovereign territory of the United Kingdom outside the control of the Common Fisheries Policy.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 28 February 2014; and to be printed (Bill 38).

School Governing Bodies (Adverse Weather Conditions) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr David Nuttall and Philip Davies, presented a Bill to require school governing bodies and headteachers to make provision to keep schools open in adverse weather conditions.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 28 February 2014; and to be printed (Bill 39).

Capital Punishment Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone, Mr David Nuttall and Philip Davies, presented a Bill to allow for capital punishment for certain offences.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 28 February 2014; and to be printed (Bill 40).

Government Departments (Amalgamation of Scotland Office, Wales Office and Northern Ireland Office) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr David Nuttall, Philip Davies, Mr Douglas Carswell, Mr Graham Brady and Mr Stewart Jackson, presented a Bill to make provision for the amalgamation of the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Offices.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 28 February 2014; and to be printed (Bill 41).

Residential Roads (Adoption by Local Highways Authorities) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr David Nuttall and Mr Douglas Carswell, presented a Bill to require the handover of residential roads built by developers to local highways authorities within certain time periods; and for connected purposes.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 8 November; and to be printed (Bill 42).

Equality and Diversity (Reform) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr David Nuttall, Philip Davies, Mr Douglas Carswell and Mr Stewart Jackson, presented a Bill to prohibit the use of affirmative and positive action in recruitment and appointment processes; to amend the Equality Act 2010 to remove the special provision for political parties in relation to the selection of candidates; and for connected purposes.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 22 November; and to be printed (Bill 43).

Sentencing Escalator Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr David Nuttall, Philip Davies, Mr Douglas Carswell, Mr Graham Brady and Mr Stewart Jackson, presented a Bill to provide that a criminal reconvicted for an offence on a second or further occasion receives a longer sentence than for the first such offence. Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 22 November; and to be printed (Bill 44).

Leasehold Reform (Amendment) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr David Nuttall, Philip Davies and Mr Douglas Carswell, presented a Bill to amend the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 in relation to the permitted signatories of notices; and for connected purposes.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 22 November; and to be printed (Bill 45.)

BBC Licence Fee (Civil Debt) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr David Nuttall, Philip Davies, Mr Douglas Carswell and Adam Afriyie, presented a Bill to make provision to decriminalise the non-payment of the BBC licence fee.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 22 November; and to be printed (Bill 46.)

Smoking (Private Members’ Clubs) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Mr Philip Hollobone, supported by Mr Peter Bone, Mr Christopher Chope, Mr David Nuttall, Philip Davies, Mr Douglas Carswell and Mr Graham Brady, presented a Bill to make provision to allow smoking in a separate ventilated room in a private members’ club if a majority of the members of the club so decide.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 22 November; and to be printed (Bill 47.)