The House of Commons returned yesterday, and launched into questions to ministers from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Kettering MP Philip Hollobone ensured that he won't get an invitation to join the front bench any time soon: "Given that we spend far too much time in this country celebrating cultures other than our […]
With Congleton MP Ann Winterton in the chair, Westminster Hall hosted a debate entitled "Investigating the Oceans" yesterday. The now defunct Science and Technology Committee published a report with the same name back in 2007. Eighteen months later, MPs were back for a progress report from ministers! Shadow DEFRA Secretary Nick Herbert spoke for the Conservatives: […]
Health questions were put in the House of Commons yesterday. The situation at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, which has been slammed by the Healthcare Commission for "appalling" emergency care at Stafford Hospital, stood out. Between 2005 and 2008 about 400 more people died there than would ordinarily have been expected. Stone MP Bill Cash expressed his […]
It was Welsh questions yesterday. Congleton’s Ann Winterton asked about manufacturing: "Ann Winterton (Congleton) (Con): What recent assessment he has made of the state of the manufacturing sector in Wales. [261324] The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Paul Murphy): The manufacturing industry is, of course, very important to Wales. According to the latest available […]
Yesterday saw questions to Transport ministers. Congleton’s Ann Winterton (right) – who is an assiduous attendee of oral questions – asked about rail prices: "What recent assessment he has made of levels of rail fares. [261705] The Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Geoffrey Hoon): We continue to regulate rail fares to balance the protection […]
Questions were put to ministers from the Department for Children, Schools and Families department yesterday. The very last question of the session was from John Bercow, Buckingham MP, and addressed the loathsome phenomenon of bullying: "Given that approximately 6,000 children a year exclude themselves from school after suffering extreme bullying, approximately 50 per cent. of […]
Yesterday the Commons hosted questions to the Home Office. The new Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Grayling (right), had a chance to shine. Shadow Justice Minister David Burrowes asked about drug prevention: "Mr. David Burrowes (Enfield, Southgate) (Con): Last month, the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse published figures that reveal that nearly 25,000 young people […]
Here is the latest batch of interesting written answers from the House of Commons. Shadow Minister for Work and Pensions Andrew Selous had a written reminder that ministers are supposed to make big announcements to Parliament first when it is in session – a rule that they in fact breach on a spectacularly frequent basis: […]
In the latest copy of Hansard, several more written questions have been inadequately answered. There will be times when the Government really can’t answer a question, or when it would be undiplomatic for it to do so, or when pulling the information together would be excessively costly. But those occasions are comparatively rare. This post […]
Sir Nicholas Winterton MP: "As the longest-serving Member in the county of Cheshire, and a close friend of the late Mrs. Dunwoody—I worked with her on many issues in Cheshire over many years—I believe that I represent a view held fairly strongly across the House. It appears to me and many others that the issuing […]
The first of our mini-series on the road to Brexit recalls the watershed moment when the idea entered the political mainstream.