Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Steve Barclay and Rachel Maclean

Thursday 4th April 2019 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Barclay]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. There is one tweak around fishing and fish, but other than that I absolutely agree with her. I remind the House that financial services alone contribute, from memory, around £71 billion in tax to the UK economy. With an economy that is 80% services, there is an opportunity post Brexit for us to take a more bespoke approach that will enable us to maximise the opportunities on offer.

[Rachel Maclean (Redditch) (Con)]

20. What steps the Government are taking to help ensure the protection of the rights of UK citizens living in the EU in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

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[Rachel Maclean (Redditch) (Con)]

Forcing the UK to take part in European parliamentary elections would show a fundamental lack of respect for our democratic process, wouldn’t it?

[Stephen Barclay]

I have already addressed this point. Three years after the country voted by record numbers to leave, there is a strong desire to ensure that we get on with it and do so. The Prime Minister has compromised and reached out. We are endeavouring to deliver on the will of the British people as expressed in that referendum vote, and on the manifesto commitments of both main parties.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Steve Barclay and Rachel Maclean

Thursday 24th January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Barclay]

The answer to that is, again, to listen to the voice of business. It is clear that business wants an implementation period, not just for the certainty that it would deliver, but because, from a regulatory position, it does not want to have to take two steps and have two changes.

[Rachel Maclean (Redditch) (Con)]

18. If he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department’s policies of a second referendum on the UK leaving the EU.

EU Withdrawal Agreement: Legal Changes

Debate between Steve Barclay and Rachel Maclean

Monday 7th January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Barclay]

What is deluded is on the one hand to say, “We want more control in Scotland”, and on the other hand, when we reach a point at which the UK Government are gaining greater control over fisheries policy, to say, “Actually, no, we want to give it back to Brussels.” It is that sort of incoherent policy making by the Opposition that has created this constantly revolving door. They call for referendums, then lose them, and then say that they want another one.

[Rachel Maclean (Redditch) (Con)]

While it is of course right for us to debate the manner of our leaving the EU, and right for us to have those negotiations, does my right hon. Friend agree that the fact that we are leaving the EU was set beyond any doubt by the British people in the 2016 referendum?

[Stephen Barclay]

I very much agree with my hon. Friend. We were given a clear instruction to leave by the British people in the biggest vote in our democratic history. As the Prime Minister has said, now is the time for the country to come together after what has been a very divisive period in our public life, and to move forward from the referendum debate. That requires us to honour the referendum result, rather than replaying the division on a much more intense scale.

EU Exit: Article 50

Debate between Steve Barclay and Rachel Maclean

Monday 10th December 2018 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Barclay]

As the right hon. Gentleman will understand from his time as a Minister, the judgment was only today, so some of those costs for lawyers’ fees are still to come in. Costs such as that are declared, as is always the case, in the Department’s accounts. That is the standard way in which such accounts are itemised. This was a judgment that was reached today.

[Rachel Maclean (Redditch) (Con)]

Does the Secretary of State agree that it seems from the contributions of Opposition Members that it may now be their position to seek to revoke article 50? Will he confirm that it remains the Government’s policy—and that I can go back and tell my constituents in Redditch categorically—that we will not seek to revoke article 50?

[Stephen Barclay]

I am happy to give my hon. Friend that assurance.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Steve Barclay and Rachel Maclean

Tuesday 23rd October 2018 Commons Chamber

[Rachel Maclean (Redditch) (Con)]

I am hearing deeply concerning reports about ambulance waits outside Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, and the Minister is aware of these concerns. We welcome the capital funding that is going into this trust, but will he meet me to discuss what more can be done to improve patient handover, which is concerning for my constituents?

[Stephen Barclay]

As my hon. Friend says, there is significant capital investment into Worcestershire, as well as a major programme of improvements addressing variation in ambulances, but of course I am also happy to meet her to discuss the matter.

Dangerous Waste and Body Parts Disposal: NHS

Debate between Steve Barclay and Rachel Maclean

Tuesday 9th October 2018 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Barclay]

The first financial penalty it has suffered is the prompt action we took over the weekend, with 15 NHS trusts cancelling those contracts and moving across. There is a clear financial penalty in that loss of business. As for fines, that is a matter of legal process, through the Environment Agency, in the normal way. That is not an NHS matter. The focus for the NHS is on maintaining continuity of service.

[Rachel Maclean (Redditch) (Con)]

The Minister will be aware that my constituents want to be assured that their operations in Redditch and Worcester will be able to continue as normal. Can he give them that assurance?

[Stephen Barclay]

Yes, I can.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Steve Barclay and Rachel Maclean

Tuesday 6th February 2018 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Barclay]

I am not aware of the specific case the hon. Lady highlights, but I am happy to look at it and to understand why she feels the rents are disproportionately high. This relates to the point I made earlier in response to the hon. Member for West Lancashire (Rosie Cooper), which was about the variance in the system and how we ensure that we obtain best value for money. The reality of the debate on health is that the Labour party simply sees it in terms of how much is put in, whereas Conservative Members recognise that we need to both invest more in the NHS and make sure we get the best outcomes. That is the key dividing line between the parties.

[Rachel Maclean (Redditch) (Con)]

For six years, the people of Redditch have endured a painful consultation on their hospital, the Alex, which has dragged on and on. As a result, they have lost maternity and children’s emergency services, even though nobody wanted that when they were consulted. People have taken the pain, but when will they get the gain? When will they see the urgent care centre? When will the £29 million be spent on the Alex?

[Stephen Barclay]

There are good plans in place for getting Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and the Alex, specifically, out of special measures. A package of support is in place to enable the trust to improve its quality of care. Delivery of the acute service redesign plan is a key driver to sustaining services in the medium term and £29.6 million of STP funding has been agreed to support that.