Oral Answers to Questions

John Bercow Excerpts

Thursday 19th December 2013 Commons Chamber

[Several hon. Members]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

I call Stephen Mosley.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Stephen Hammond)]

The Government have committed funding to electrify more than 880—

[Mr Speaker]

I believe that the hon. Gentleman was grouping this question.

[Stephen Mosley (City of Chester) (Con)]

4. What plans he has to extend railway electrification.

--- Later in debate ---

[John Thurso]

May I wish the hon. Gentleman a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous new year? I can speak only for myself, but I am a doctor of business administration, a fellow of the Institute of Hospitality, a fellow of the Tourism Society and have been a fellow of the Institute of Directors. I therefore regard myself as having some qualifications that I can bring to the task in hand. My fellow commissioners have a wide range of experience across many disciplines. I have to say, observing the management of this House, that a tough challenge is being met with professionalism and resolve by the team. The Commission does, in my humble judgment, an outstanding job in overseeing it.

[Mr Speaker]

We all attach almost as much weight to the views of the hon. Gentleman as does the hon. Gentleman.

--- Later in debate ---

[Michael Fabricant]

May I wish you, Mr Speaker, and the Clerks a happy Christmas?

I was really excited by the answer given to me on 7 November, saying that I should

“be aware that some members of the Library have individual subscriptions”—[Official Report, 7 November 2013; Vol. 570, c. 413.]

to Factiva, which is a far better service than Nexis, and that they would therefore be able to help me. Well, it so happened that I actually wanted to get something from The Times, so I phoned up the Library and they said, “Oh no, we can’t forward you anything from it—it breaks the contract.” I asked, “Well, could you scan it in?” “Oh no, we can’t do that—it’ll break the contract.” In the end I said, “Well, go to get the ruddy newspaper, photocopy it and send it through the internal post,” which they did. I am afraid that, for the first time in my life, I have to agree with the hon. Member for Huddersfield (Mr Sheerman).

[Mr Speaker]

Was there any possibility that concealed therein was a question?

[John Thurso]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for notice of his likely supplementary, which he answers for me. The Library has a small number of individual subscriptions for The Times online so that it can assist Members in tracing articles. I appreciate the hon. Member’s sense of frustration and I have asked a member of the Library staff to contact him to explore how the service might be improved without infringing the House’s legal and contractual obligations.