Thursday Volume 501 19 November 2009 No. 2 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 19 November 2009 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2009 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/ Enquiries to the Office of Public Sector Information, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU; e-mail: [email protected] 127 19 NOVEMBER 2009 Business of the House 128 we at business questions are the flint she sparks off, we House of Commons share in her reflected glory. May we assume that she is now a subscriber to that publication? Thursday 19 November 2009 May we have a statement on the prospects for the Bills in the Queen’s Speech? On Monday, the right hon. and learned Lady claimed that the majority of the Bills The House met at half-past Ten o’clock in the Queen’s Speech would become law before the next election. We have an absolute maximum of 70 sitting PRAYERS days before Dissolution, and we need to set aside time for debates on the pre-Budget report, as well as ensuring that we have time to discuss other issues, such as [MR.SPEAKER in the Chair] Afghanistan. Given all that, does the right hon. and learned Lady still stand by her original claim, or will Business of the House she admit that there may be difficulties in fulfilling the Government’s commitments? Given the limited time we 10.33 am have left, recess dates have an added significance, so is the right hon. and learned Lady still encountering problems Sir George Young (North-West Hampshire) (Con): in coming up with a date for the Easter recess? May I ask the Leader of the House to give us the On Kelly, the Government are mired in confusion, business for next week? with different Ministers saying different things. On the The Leader of the House of Commons (Ms Harriet radio this morning, the Leader of the House said that Harman): Mr. Speaker, yesterday you informed the all the proposals would be implemented before the House of the subjects for debate on the Queen’s Speech. general election, but that will not happen unless we move quickly, so can she confirm that if we table the The business for next week is as follows: amendments to the Constitutional Reform and Governance MONDAY 23 NOVEMBER—Continuation of the debate Bill necessary to implement Kelly in full, we shall have on the Queen’s Speech. The subjects for debate, as you the Government’s support? announced, Mr. Speaker, will be Foreign and On the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Commonwealth Office and Defence. can the right hon. and learned Lady tell us when she intends TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER—Continuation of the debate to table the motion on the appointment of Professor on the Queen’s Speech. Energy and Climate Change Sir Ian Kennedy? At the last business questions, on and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will be debated. 5 November, I was told that it would be done “within a WEDNESDAY 25 NOVEMBER—Continuation of the debate few days”. Since then, we have heard nothing. The on the Queen’s Speech. Home Office and Work and Government’s handling of the issue is beginning to look Pensions will be debated. dysfunctional. Why has the timetable been allowed to slip? THURSDAY 26 NOVEMBER—Conclusion of the debate on the Queen’s Speech. Her Majesty’s Treasury and Can the right hon. and learned Lady give an indication Business, Innovation and Skills will be debated. of when the House will get a chance to debate and vote on the imminent report from the Committee on Reform FRIDAY 27 NOVEMBER— The House will not be sitting. of the House of Commons? Can she say whether she The provisional business for the week commencing will be making a statement on the day that report is 30 November will include: published? MONDAY 30 NOVEMBER—Second Reading of the Can the Leader of the House make time for a debate Financial Services Bill. on Afghanistan? It is important that the House continues TUESDAY 1DECEMBER—Motion to approve a European to be given time to discuss our commitment, and to document relating to financial services, followed by a probe the Government’s strategy. Last week, newspaper general debate on fisheries. reports suggested that the Government would be investing WEDNESDAY 2DECEMBER—Remaining stages of the in new Chinook helicopters and that an announcement Equality Bill. would be made before the pre-Budget report. Can the right hon. and learned Lady provide any further details THURSDAY 3DECEMBER—A general debate on European about the plans of the Ministry of Defence? affairs. Finally, can the Leader of the House tell us why there I should like to inform the House that the business in will be no comprehensive spending review this autumn? Westminster Hall for 3 December will be: Everyone knows that departmental spending has to be THURSDAY 3DECEMBER—A debate on the 31st Annual reduced by 10 per cent. according to the Government’s House of Commons Commission Report. own reckoning, yet on Tuesday it emerged that the Finally, Mr. Speaker, it may also be helpful to the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families House to be reminded that my right hon. Friend the had made an unsolicited demand for an extra £2.6 billion Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced that he for his Department’s budget, forcing the Chancellor to proposes to present the pre-Budget Report on Wednesday admit that he was not undertaking a spending review at 9 December. all. The Government have just published a Bill promising to halve the deficit, but is it not clear that the Chancellor Sir George Young: I am grateful to the Leader of the has lost control over his colleagues’ spending habits, House for giving us the forthcoming business. May I and is the abandonment of a spending review not congratulate her on being crowned parliamentarian of further evidence that the Government are putting their the year by The Spectator last week? To the extent that own interests above those of the country? 129 Business of the House19 NOVEMBER 2009 Business of the House 130 Ms Harman: I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his anybody to convey to the public the idea that we are all generous comments on my receiving the parliamentarian on the back foot on the issue—that we have gone soft of the year award from The Spectator. I have to confess on it and have swept it back under the carpet. The that it was a great surprise to me. Over the years, public would not accept that, and neither would we. We The Spectator has called me many things but they have will make sure that the reforms are all carried through. not approximated to parliamentarian of the year. I am I am grateful to the Wright Committee on Reform of not actually going to subscribe to the publication, but I the House of Commons, which was established by a shall offer some of its columnists a course at my institute resolution of the House. Its members have been hard for political correctness, which some of them could at work, and I look forward to its report next Tuesday. probably do with. We will all want an opportunity to consider its As far as the legislative programme is concerned, the recommendations, which will represent important House knows that it is the Government’s responsibility opportunities to strengthen the role of the House, and to bring before the House the laws that we think are we will need to ensure an opportunity for the House to necessary. We have introduced proposals for laws to debate, and act on, that report. deal with the financial situation facing the country, and Issues relating to Afghanistan are bound to be raised to improve public services. It is the responsibility of the on Monday, when the Secretary of State for Defence House to scrutinise those proposals. Obviously, given and the Foreign Secretary speak in the Queen’s Speech the forthcoming general election, some Bills may well debate. As the matter was raised the last time that we receive full consideration in one House but only a had business questions, I know that there is a concern Second Reading in the other, and so might go into what that there should be a specific, discrete debate on is described as the wash-up; they will then have to be the Afghanistan, and I will keep that matter very much subject of negotiation between the parties, instead of under review. As for Secretaries of State making unsolicited receiving the full scrutiny of the Houses. That situation demands of the Treasury for extra money, the right obtains before every general election. It would certainly hon. Gentleman knows only too well that that is absolutely not be right to step back from our responsibilities of par for the course. government; we have to introduce a legislative programme and put before the House laws that we believe are in the Mr. David Heath (Somerton and Frome) (LD): interests of this country. The Easter recess will be Enthusiasm for the fantasy Queen’s Speech is obviously announced in due course in the usual way. shared by Members from the right hon. and learned Lady’s party, who are here in such great numbers today. On the Kelly situation, I want to reassure the House The reality is that, whatever she says about the wash- and the right hon.