Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Thursday Volume 582 5 June 2014 No. 2 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 5 June 2014 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2014 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 117 5 JUNE 2014 Business of the House 118 Ms Eagle: Tomorrow we will remember the House of Commons 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings, when 160,000 allied troops crossed the channel to liberate Europe. Thursday 5 June 2014 Thousands of men gave their lives to help free Europe from fascist tyranny. We must never forget their bravery and their achievement. The House met at half-past Nine o’clock I thank the Leader of the House for giving us next week’s business. Will he confirm that after the debate on PRAYERS the Queen’s Speech he plans to carry on much as he left off by leaving the Opposition and the Backbench Business [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Committee to provide half the business each week? There is a G7 meeting taking place in Brussels today BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS at which the continuing crisis in Ukraine will be the main item on the agenda. Can the Leader of the House COMMITTEE OF SELECTION confirm that either the Prime Minister or the Foreign Secretary intends to come to this House on Monday Ordered, with a statement? That Heidi Alexander, Tom Blenkinsop, Mr Alan Campbell, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Mr David Evennett, Greg Hands, Mark Following yesterday’s point of order by my hon. Hunter, Anne Milton and Mark Tami be members of the Committee Friend the Member for Dunfermline and West Fife of Selection until the end of the current Session.—(Mr Evennett.) (Thomas Docherty) and your ruling, Mr Speaker, may I thank the Leader of the House for making generally Business of the House available the No. 10 press briefing on the Gracious Speech? I see that he has just received his own briefing 9.34 am on this question. However, can he tell us why it took a point of order and your ruling for the Government to Ms Angela Eagle (Wallasey) (Lab): Will the Leader of give to MPs what they had already freely given to the the House give us the business for next week? world’s media? Will the Leader of the House now The Leader of the House of Commons (Mr Andrew confirm that he will make simultaneously available to Lansley): The business for next week will be as follows: this House any future press briefings, especially on the autumn statement and next year’s Budget? MONDAY 9JUNE—Continuation of the debate on the Queen’s speech on health, followed by motion to approve The front pages have been full of the unedifying war a reasoned opinion relating to undeclared work. between the Home Secretary and the Education Secretary on the Government’s strategy to combat extremism. It TUESDAY 10 JUNE—Continuation of the debate on the appears that separate approaches are being pursued in Queen’s speech on home affairs. two different Government Departments, while the WEDNESDAY 11 JUNE—Continuation of the debate on Communities Secretary is nowhere to be seen. The the Queen’s speech on jobs and work. briefing is poisonous and the Prime Minister is said to THURSDAY 12 JUNE—Conclusion of the debate on the be furious. The Government should be protecting our Queen’s speech on the economy and living standards. young people from coming under the influence of extremist FRIDAY 13 JUNE—The House will not be sitting. ideas. Instead, they appear to be preoccupied with The provisional business for the week commencing conducting a proxy leadership battle in the Conservative 16 June will include: party. Does the Leader of the House agree that this is too important to be treated in this contemptuous way? MONDAY 16 JUNE—Conclusion of the remaining stages May we have a statement from the Prime Minister on of the Consumer Rights Bill. which of his warring Cabinet Ministers is actually in TUESDAY 17 JUNE—Conclusion of the remaining stages charge of this vital issue that is crucial to our national of the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill. security? WEDNESDAY 18 JUNE—Opposition Day [1st allotted Yesterday we heard this Government’s last-gasp legislative day]. There will be a debate on an Opposition motion. programme before the general election, but they have Subject to be announced. been so busy briefing and counter-briefing over whether THURSDAY 19 JUNE—Motion to approve a statutory the Queen’s Speech is blue rinse or yellow round the instrument relating to terrorism, followed by a general edges that they have left the big strategic questions that debate on the UK’s relationship with Africa, followed our country faces completely unanswered. This was a by a general debate on defence spending. The subjects programme that failed to rise to the challenge. Plastic for both debates were determined by the Backbench bags were in, but the crisis in the NHS was not even Business Committee in the last Session. mentioned. There was no mention of immigration, no FRIDAY 20 JUNE—The House will not be sitting. action on energy prices and no sign of the promised I should also like to inform the House that the restrictions on cigarette packaging. business in Westminster Hall for 19 June will be: The programme outlined yesterday was so modest THURSDAY 19 JUNE—A debate on the Twelfth Report that even The Daily Telegraph could only call it “light of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee touch”. Her Majesty might just as well have said, “Members entitled “Parliament’s Role in Conflict Decisions: A of the Commons and Lords, my Government will switch Way Forward” followed by a debate on the Fourth between chillaxing and playing Fruit Ninja from now Report of the Political and Constitutional Reform until the general election.” Committee entitled “Do We Need a Constitutional We are well used to this coalition fighting, but things Convention for the UK?” have now got so bad that both parties are turning on 119 Business of the House5 JUNE 2014 Business of the House 120 [Ms Angela Eagle] to be provided to the Vote Office. It was provided in hard copy form yesterday morning, along with a link themselves. The Education Secretary is openly disparaging enabling Members to access it electronically. I am sorry, the Home Secretary, and she is briefing against him. I but that is a fact and the point of order came after it know he is classically trained, but I think he should had already been provided to the House in that way. beware the ides of May. The hon. Lady asked about the question of extremism The Liberal Democrats have been as successful at in schools, and she asked for a statement. Frankly, the organising a coup as they are at everything else. Lord appropriate time for a statement will be when Ofsted Oakeshott has stormed off, denouncing his party for has produced its report. As far as the question of having colleagues working together on the extremism taskforce “no roots, no principles and no values.” is concerned, absolutely they are working together. They I think many of us would agree with that statement. are working together energetically with the objective Then we were treated to an excruciating show of enforced not only of taking the issues extremely seriously, but of unity between the Deputy Prime Minister and the Business taking measures that will be effective. As she has seen, Secretary over a pint down the pub. I must say that they the extremism taskforce has already given rise to a looked like they were enjoying each other’s company range of measures that we have taken to deal with the about as much as they were enjoying the beer. They question. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State were in a pub called No Hope and No Anchor. I have for Education has done so, particularly in relation to thought of a suitable pub for this Government, too: it is questions about schools in Birmingham, including by called Cock and Bull, serves only bitter and the British establishing an inquiry by the retired senior police officer public cannot wait for last orders to be called. Peter Clarke, which will report back to him this summer. I thought it was a rather good thing that my right Mr Lansley: I am grateful to the shadow Leader of hon. Friends the Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary the House for her response to the business statement. of State for Business, Innovation and Skills went to a She made quite a good joke about May, but unfortunately pub to reassure publicans the length and breadth of this we are in June. country that this Government will take the action they I completely share the hon. Lady’s view that tomorrow— have very much sought on the relationships of pub the 70th anniversary of the D-day landings—offers an tenants with brewery companies. That should be welcomed opportunity to commemorate the tremendous sacrifice, by the Labour party, rather than otherwise. remember the great importance of the event and celebrate the participation of those who, happily, are still with us. The hon. Lady asked about things that were and were I was particularly interested to read about Jock Hutton, not in the Queen’s Speech. I must say that in this case, aged 89, who is going to take a parachute drop. That is she has written her script not just without reading the testament to not only the kind of men they were, but the Queen’s Speech, but probably before it was even provided kind of men they continue to be, which is fantastic.