Monday 24th November 2025

(1 day, 4 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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17:36
Caroline Johnson Portrait Dr Caroline Johnson (Sleaford and North Hykeham) (Con)
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On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is now over one year since myself, the Father of the House, my right hon. Friend the Member for Gainsborough (Sir Edward Leigh), as well as my right hon. Friends the Members for Newark (Robert Jenrick), for Louth and Horncastle (Victoria Atkins) and for South Holland and The Deepings (Sir John Hayes), my hon. Friends the Members for Grantham and Bourne (Gareth Davies) and for Rutland and Stamford (Alicia Kearns), and the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Richard Tice), wrote to the Chancellor to express our concerns about the rise in national insurance affecting the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire air ambulance. Shamefully, despite the matter being chased repeatedly by my office, by our raising it in the House repeatedly and by raising it with members of the Procedure Committee, we have still had no reply. The Government have shown huge disrespect for this House and for people right across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. With the Budget on Wednesday, what can we do to get this sorted out?

Nusrat Ghani Portrait Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)
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Did I hear the hon. Member correctly when she said one whole year?

Caroline Johnson Portrait Dr Johnson
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Over a year.

Nusrat Ghani Portrait Madam Deputy Speaker
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I am grateful to the hon. Member for giving notice of her point of order. Government Departments must reply promptly to questions; one whole year is very shameful indeed. The delay outlined by the hon. Member would suggest that something has gone seriously wrong in the Treasury in relation to answering this question. I assume that those on the Treasury Bench will relay the point to colleagues forthwith. I suggest that the hon. Member also ask the Chair of the Procedure Committee to look into the matter, because nobody should be waiting one whole year for a response to correspondence.

English Devolution and Community Empowerment (Programme) (No.2)

Ordered,

That the Order of 2 September 2025 (English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: Programme) be varied as follows:

(1) Paragraphs (4) and (5) of the Order shall be omitted.

(2) Proceedings on Consideration and Third Reading shall be taken in two days in accordance with the following provisions of this Order.

(3) Proceedings on Consideration—

(a) shall be taken on each of those days in the order shown in the first column of the following Table, and

(b) shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at the times specified in the second column of the Table.

Proceedings

Time for conclusion of proceedings

First day

New Clauses and new Schedules relating to the subject matter of, and amendments to, Part 1 and Part 2

The moment of interruption on the first day

Second day

New Clauses and new Schedules relating to the subject matter of, and amendments to, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6; remaining new Clauses and new Schedules; remaining proceedings on Consideration

One hour before the moment of interruption on the second day



(4) Proceedings on Third Reading shall be taken on the second day and shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at the moment of interruption on the second day.—(Stephen Morgan.)