Oral Answers to Questions

John Bercow Excerpts

Thursday 9th June 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Evennett]

Yorkshire is indeed a prime destination for tourism, and it has so much to offer. I have been going around the country—I am off to Devon and Dorset today and tomorrow—to promote tourism and heritage again, and I will do all that I can to persuade domestic and foreign visitors to come to Yorkshire and the rest of our great nation.

[Mr Speaker]

I am sure that the people of Devon and Dorset will soon realise how lucky they are.

[Kevin Foster (Torbay) (Con)]

5. What plans his Department has to promote the community benefits of rugby union.

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[Mr Vaizey]

I know that the hon. Lady will want to join me in commemorating this important day, which is the 33rd anniversary of Margaret Thatcher’s landslide election victory in 1983. In that year, there was no broadband and the Minister you see before you was sitting his O-levels. The Secretary of State, however, was on the great lady’s battle bus.

The hon. Lady might quote the Countryside Alliance, but the gardener Robin Lane Fox wrote an article in the Financial Times, which I know she reads, in which he talked about a move to the rural arcadia brought about by our broadband roll-out programme. He said that, like Falstaff, he was looking forward to dying babbling of green fields because he could live in the countryside with a superfast connection. Let us remind ourselves that Labour had a pathetic megabit policy, and that is still its policy. Let us also remind ourselves that we are two years ahead of where Labour would have been, and let us talk up the success of this programme instead of constantly talking down great broadband Britain.

[Mr Speaker]

I am sure that the hon. Gentleman’s performance is greatly enjoyed, not least by the hon. Gentleman.

[Stephen Timms (East Ham) (Lab)]

7. What assessment he has made of the potential benefits for the UK digital economy of completing the EU digital single market.

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[Mr Evennett]

I commend my hon. Friend for being a champion for his city of Colchester. It is a place of huge cultural significance and history, and I encourage tourists to discover what is on offer there. I thank him for his invitation, which sounds like a fantastic opportunity, and my office will see what my diary permits regarding future visits.

[Mr Speaker]

Colchester also has a very good university.

[Rob Marris (Wolverhampton South West) (Lab)]

As someone who spent several years as a bus driver, I know that one factor that encourages tourism is integrated ticketing on public transport. Will the Minister have a word with the Secretary of State for Transport about amending the Bus Services Bill to allow more integrated services and to enable councils to run bus services?

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[Dr Coffey]

All Members’ votes in this House count. The process is very clear. The change that we introduced ensured that matters that are devolved must now have the explicit consent of English Members. On the Wales Bill, the right hon. Gentleman will recognise that we are transferring powers from this House to the Welsh Assembly, creating a stronger Welsh Assembly, and as a consequence we believe that all Members should be involved in that discussion.

[Mr Speaker]

I call Helen Hayes—not here.