Yesterday the House of Commons had Work and Pensions questions. Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans asked what can be done to make parents take responsibility for their children: "Poverty for youngsters is often reinforced when a married couple separates by a missing parent who refuses to take their responsibility. The Child Support Agency is often […]
Syed Kamall, who speaks for the Conservatives on international trade in the European Parliament, has voiced his concerns over the protectionist nature of America’s draft recovery bill. Under the proposed legislation, only US steel, iron and manufactured goods could be used in construction work funded by the US’s stimulus package. Mr Kamall comments: "Protectionist gestures […]
Francis Maude, Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office and Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, was recently informed in a written answer that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport lost several pieces of art in 2006: Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the […]
Paul Goodman, Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government, yesterday addressed the issue of Holocaust Memorial Day, which was on 27 January. "The debate is necessarily sombre, and as the Minister said, each year it is one in which party politics is irrelevant. Each year, we probe the causes of the horror of the holocaust, […]
Questions were put yesterday to ministers from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Shadow Secretary of State David Willetts expressed doubt that Labour is delivering on its promise of boosting internships. As so often, the minister – in this case David Lammy, Minister of State for Higher Education and Intellectual Property – played an […]
The estimable John Hayes (Shadow Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education) spoke yesterday to a lobby group from the Union of Jewish Students, who were in Parliament to express their concern about anti-Semitism. Mr Hayes has made his (outstanding) speech available to ConservativeHome, and I have decided to publish it in full. "University […]
Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villers has come in for quite a bit of stick for her position on aviation, including from my CentreRight colleague Matthew Sinclair. Readers might like to see her statement in the House of Commons yesterday about Heathrow: "I beg to move, That this House urges the Government to rethink its plans […]
It was time for Welsh questions in the Commons yesterday. Monmouth MP David Davies was concerned about onerous rules on the use of Welsh: "Does the Minister agree that enacting legislation that will require all companies, or at least private companies, to use the Welsh language in all forms of business could prove very detrimental […]
We were promised that he is still a formidable operator, and yesterday Ken Clarke showed his mettle at the despatch box. Responding to the Government’s announcement (made in the Commons by Lord Mandelson’s deputy Ian Pearson) that it will make up to £2.3 billion available in loans, Mr Clarke said: "May I begin by thanking […]
Conservative MPs posed questions on women and equality yesterday. Maria Miller, Shadow Minister for the Family, asked about pay equality: "What steps the Government are taking to reduce the gender pay gap. [250977] The Minister for Women and Equality (Ms Harriet Harman): Because there are many things that lie behind unequal pay for women, we […]
The House of Commons hosted Transport questions yesterday. Secretary of State for Transport, Geoff Hoon, made a quite absurd remark about Theresa Villiers. Before that Wellingborough MP Peter asked about electric rail: "What date he has set for the full electrification of the midland main line. [250986] The Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Geoffrey […]
Theresa May, now Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, spoke today on the second reading of the Welfare Reform Bill. The Party supports the bill, although it also takes the view that it does not go far enough. Determined to continue the work of Chris Grayling, Mrs May set out her stall as […]
The Interception Modernisation Programme is a plan for a database (condemned by critics as a "Big Brother" database) of every phone call, email, text and web browsing session. Conservatives have been unable to extract from ministers an estimate of how much it will cost, although a figure of £12 billion has been cited in the […]