"It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent North (Ruth Smeeth), who gave a splendid exposition of the issue we face in the country and clearly showed her dedication to her constituents.
The number of Members present is testament to how important this debate is. Given the …..." William Wragg - View Speech
"Q It is good to see you. You were on the panel that came before the Procedure Committee, of which I am a member, when we were drawing up the amendments that were accepted by the Government on the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill about a sifting committee for secondary …..." William Wragg - View Speech
"Q Would you not think that given all the interest expressed in it, whether it is boring is neither here nor there? People are able to do it.
Joel Blackwell: Exactly. We think that the lack of engagement has been primarily because of the inadequate procedures in the House …..." William Wragg - View Speech
"Q Do you think it is perhaps not the system but rather the ignorance of parliamentarians?
Joel Blackwell: It is a very complex, convoluted process. During our research, which started in 2011 and culminated in the report in 2014, that was a big issue for parliamentarians and, more importantly, …..." William Wragg - View Speech
"Q Forgive me—just one more question, Mrs Main. I was playing devil’s advocate there. You mention that this goes back as far as a report in 1933. So it really is not the case that somehow our Brexit legislation and this legislation brings forward new questions about secondary legislation.
"Q What are the constitutional similarities between this Bill and the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill?
Joel Blackwell: Having said that I do not think the strengthened scrutiny procedure would be appropriate for any of the powers, they are wide powers. If we look at clause 51 in particular, the …..." William Wragg - View Speech
"Q But do you recognise the fundamental difference between this Bill and the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, on which the Government accepted five of the amendments that concerned enhanced scrutiny? Do you recognise that distinction?
"I congratulate the hon. Member for Norwich South (Clive Lewis) on securing this debate. I was pleased to be a member of the Backbench Business Committee when his application came before us, because such debates show the House at its best.
"The hon. Gentleman is right to highlight the broader practice in the banking sector. I have confined my remarks to RBS given that it was a constituency case, but he is absolutely right and perhaps draws on the work of the all-party parliamentary group on fair business banking and finance. …..." William Wragg - View Speech