(4 years, 4 months ago)
Commons ChamberUrgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.
Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.
This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record
That is a very interesting point. I will take it away and write to the hon. Lady.
The £1.5 billion is a massive sum of money and incredibly welcome. However, further to the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Damian Collins), it is the men and women who work in the theatres, not the theatres themselves, who really need the support. My hon. Friend the Minister referred to enhanced opportunities for freelancers. Could she put a little flesh on that bone and tell us how that is likely to work?
(6 years, 6 months ago)
Westminster HallWestminster Hall is an alternative Chamber for MPs to hold debates, named after the adjoining Westminster Hall.
Each debate is chaired by an MP from the Panel of Chairs, rather than the Speaker or Deputy Speaker. A Government Minister will give the final speech, and no votes may be called on the debate topic.
This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Before we commence the debate, may I make the point that some relevant cases are sub judice. It would not be proper for hon. Members to refer to anything that is still before the courts in any form.
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate. I would like to place on the record my support and complete admiration for those victims who have so bravely spoken out about their terrible experiences at the hands of Barry Bennell. They were let down. My constituents who were victims are fighting tirelessly so that something like that can never happen again. It is so important that no stone is left unturned.
Order. Let me reiterate my plea for hon. Members not to refer to cases that are before the courts.
Order. I know that this is difficult, but I would be grateful if hon. Members could keep names that are before the courts out of the debate.
Before we proceed, I am aware of an element of disquiet, so I will place the ruling on the record, so that everybody understands why I have said what I have said. I imply no personal criticism to any Member. The Standing Orders for public business clearly state:
“Appellate proceedings, whether criminal or civil, are active from the time when they are commenced by application for leave to appeal or by notice of appeal until ended by judgment or discontinuance”.
They are therefore sub judice. I understand the strength of feeling in these cases—were I not in the Chair, I might share it—but the fact is that one of these cases is the subject of leave to appeal and therefore cannot be referred to.