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 […]
Yesterday the House of Commons had oral questions on Children, Schools and Families. Shadow Immigration Minister Damian Green poured scorn on coursework as a method of assessment: "May I ask the Minister also to consider the means of assessment and, in particular, the use of course work for GCSEs and AS-levels? As a parent of […]
On Thursday Westminster Hall held a debate on the annual report of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe announced that Exchequer funding for Sport England (the English sports council) has increased from £33 million in 1997 to £133 million in 2008-09, and that nine out of ten pupils now do […]
In December the European Parliament passed a resolution from Geoffrey Van Orden, the Conservative Defence spokesman. It condemned the "deliberate neglect and misgovernance that is destabilising Zimbabwe" and called for UN sanctions against Robert Mugabe and his cronies. Today in Brussels foreign ministers from the EU are meeting to finalise plans to add 28 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: […]
Straight after Business Questions Alan Duncan swung into action to speak on behalf of the Conservatives about MPs’ expenses. The House of Commons has been pushed kicking and screaming into greater disclosure, and compares very poorly with the Scottish Parliament, where expenses have been public for years (and where expenses were put online only a […]
The new Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, Alan Duncan, seems to be throwing himself into his new role with gusto. Yesterday he took part in Business Questions: "I thank the Leader of the House for giving us the forthcoming business and, in turn, I thank you, Mr. Speaker, for your statement just now. […]
Julian Lewis in the Commons yesterday: "May I flag up a matter that I thought was extremely unfair to the right hon. Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett)? She put in a claim in relation to her accommodation for something to do with her garden. The claim was turned down, yet the information that she […]
St Albans MP Anne Main has revealed that the Government’s plans to build new rail links are not guaranteed to translate into lots of jobs for British workers. Indeed Transport Minister Paul Clark has stopped short of saying that UK companies will enjoy any sort of advantage when bidding for contracts: "To ask the Secretary […]
The economic climate is causing a great deal of distress to many Britons. It is imperative that the Government considers what specific pressures people may be under. Yesterday in the House of Lords Lord Lucas called on the Government to expedite the redrafting of regulations concerning bailiffs. This follows the tragic case of Andy Miller, […]
Shadow Welsh Minister Lord Roberts of Conwy asked the Government about unemployment yesterday. "To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the latest figures for (a) total unemployment in the United Kingdom, and (b) claimants of unemployment benefit. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord McKenzie of Luton): My Lords, in the […]
Hexham MP (and Whip) Peter Atkinson has presented a petition to the House of Commons about Northern Rock. Herewith the text: "The Petition of small shareholders and supporters of Northern rock of the Hexham constituency in the North East of England, Declares that it welcomes the acknowledgement by the Government that it must pay compensation […]
Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Owen Paterson yesterday challenged his opposite number Shaun Woodward. The Secretary of State had announced that following advice from the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, he was extending the weapons decommissioning amnesty to February 2010. This amnesty comes under the provisions of the 1997 Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning […]
Herewith some recent questions from Conservative Members of the Welsh Assembly. Answers to oral questions not reached in Plenary are recorded in written form. Nick Bourne (right), who leads the Conservatives in the Assembly, received a rather tepid response from First Minister Rhodri Morgan about business: "Will the First Minister outline his policies to support […]
During questions in the House of Lords yesterday Conservative peer and former minister Lord Blaker asked about Zimbabwe: "To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking towards a resolution of the situation in Zimbabwe. The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): My Lords, we are working with our international partners […]