Pensions and Benefits Uprating

John Bercow Excerpts

Thursday 4th December 2014 Commons Chamber

[Steve McCabe (Birmingham, Selly Oak) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The hon. Gentleman did not appear to be in the Chamber at the start of the statement. Was he present then?

[Steve McCabe]

I think I was 25 seconds late, Mr Speaker.

[Mr Speaker]

If the hon. Gentleman was not in the Chamber at the start of the statement, it is not seemly for him to seek to participate. I would not want him to behave in an unseemly manner—wittingly or unwittingly. I am in a sense saving the hon. Gentleman from himself in saying that he should not participate on this occasion. We will store him up and look forward to his words of wisdom subsequently.

[Ian Swales (Redcar) (LD)]

I congratulate my right hon. Friend on today’s pension announcement and on getting the Liberal Democrat policy of a triple lock increase into this Government’s programme. Does he agree that with a safety net of 2.5%, the minimum pension increase that people can look forward to in the future is nearly £3 a week and that they will have no more insulting 75p a week increases?