Business of the House

John Bercow Excerpts

Thursday 14th July 2016 Commons Chamber

[Michelle Donelan (Chippenham) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

Was the hon. Lady present at the start?

[Michelle Donelan]

No.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

In that case, I am afraid that the hon. Lady’s words of wisdom—I do not doubt they will be just that—will have to be put into storage and used on another occasion, to which we all look forward with bated breath and beads of sweat upon our foreheads in eager anticipation.

[Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)]

Westbourne House is a hostel run by Humbercare in my constituency, and it deals with people who have a variety of issues. When it was set up, the chief executive of Humbercare decided not to consult the local community, and he also did not tell me about what was happening. Since then, despite the good efforts of the police and the front-line staff in the hostel, there have been ongoing problems with antisocial behaviour. Would it be possible to have a debate about the responsibilities of people who hold office—chief executives of charities and organisations—when they take decisions that cause real problems in local communities? It seems very difficult to get any action taken in cases such as this.