Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Margot James and John Bercow

Monday 16th June 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I thought that the hon. Lady was seeking to catch my eye. Never mind; there will be other opportunities I call Margot James.

[Margot James (Stourbridge) (Con)]

In my borough of Dudley, young people leave school at 16 to pursue A-levels and other forms of post-16 education at local colleges. Does my hon. Friend agree that we need a system of destination measures that will enable us to track the progress of students back to the school that they attended before reaching the age of 16?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Margot James and John Bercow

Monday 10th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I want to hear a couple more of my colleagues, but extreme brevity is now required.

[Margot James (Stourbridge) (Con)]

The Facewatch online crime reporting system makes it much quicker for businesses to report crime. Will my hon. Friend encourage more businesses and local authorities to follow the lead taken by the west midlands crime reduction team and introduce Facewatch elsewhere to reduce crime further?

Parliamentary Representation

Debate between Margot James and John Bercow

Thursday 27th February 2014 Commons Chamber

[Margot James]

Does my hon. Friend wish to intervene?

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Member for Hornchurch and Upminster (Dame Angela Watkinson) need not be unduly shy; she would be breaking the habit of a lifetime.

[Dame Angela Watkinson]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I want to follow up the point about going to universities and enthusing people at that stage. That needs to start even earlier. I have been shocked to find in schools that pupils do not ever read a newspaper or watch news bulletins on television. I encourage them to do so. They think politics and public life are nothing to do with them. Interest in general matters needs to start much earlier.

Universal Credit

Debate between Margot James and John Bercow

Thursday 5th September 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am afraid that that is not a question for the Secretary of State. I decide whether an urgent question should be granted or not. I am fully conscious of what other parts of the House are doing and the judgment I have to make is whether the matter should be aired on the Floor of the House today. The answer is yes. That, to be honest, is the end of the matter.

[Margot James (Stourbridge) (Con)]

I was delighted to hear my right hon. Friend say that he thought that the cultural change afforded by the introduction of universal credit was even more important than the financial savings that it will offer. In my part of the world in the black country, we have a higher than average rate of workless households. Will he talk to his officials about ensuring that some of the pathfinder pilots that he has in mind take place in the black country?

Hospital Mortality Rates

Debate between Margot James and John Bercow

Tuesday 16th July 2013 Commons Chamber

[Margot James (Stourbridge) (Con)]

I warmly welcome my right hon. Friend’s break with the culture of cover-up that has been so prevalent in the past. I reject absolutely the shadow Health Secretary’s claim that the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust’s performance has deteriorated since 2010—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The hon. Lady is asking a question, but I have distinctly heard Members—in some cases identifiable Members—trying to shout her down. That should not happen on either side of the House. If she wishes to continue with her question, she may do so.

[Margot James]

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I reject the shadow Health Secretary’s claim. The new leadership that was appointed to the trust in 2009 found deep-seated problems there. Does my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State welcome, as I do, the positive notes in Sir Bruce Keogh’s report about that new leadership’s abilities, and Sir Bruce’s finding that the overall work force at our trust are

“committed, loyal, passionate, caring and motivated”?

GCHQ

Debate between Margot James and John Bercow

Monday 10th June 2013 Commons Chamber

[Margot James (Stourbridge) (Con)]

I am so sorry, Mr Speaker, but I was just getting up to leave the Chamber.

[Mr Speaker]

We are sorry the hon. Lady is taking her leave, but we will hear from her on other occasions. [Interruption.] She has nothing for which to apologise. I mistakenly thought she was trying to contribute. She should take her leave; we will give her a cheer [Hon. Members: “Hurray.]We will hear from her again soon. She is a very regular contributor.

Banking (Responsibility and Reform)

Debate between Margot James and John Bercow

Tuesday 7th February 2012 Commons Chamber

[Margot James]

In fact, RBS has a reasonably good record of lending to small and medium-sized enterprises. It just missed its Merlin targets. It launched a new product at the end of last year for businesses with low fixed interest rates, no early repayment charges and no fees for the first three months. It is above the market average for small business loans. Some 40% of all SME loans are from RBS, which is—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I say gently to the hon. Lady that interventions must be brief. There is substantial pressure on time and I would like to accommodate Members.

Breast Implants

Debate between Margot James and John Bercow

Wednesday 11th January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Before I call Margot James, let me wish the hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant) a very happy birthday.

[Margot James (Stourbridge) (Con)]

I commend the Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust on conducting 517 breast implant operations in the decade before 2008 without the use of a single PIP implant.

What this furore has revealed to me is the existence of a growing private sector offering a vast array of cosmetic surgery that extends well beyond breast implants. I fear that the need for tighter regulation of the industry will prove widespread, and I therefore welcome the Government’s commitment to a review. Does my right hon. Friend expect to be able to charge the private sector for the costs of any additional regulation that the review group may deem necessary?

Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund

Debate between Margot James and John Bercow

Monday 17th October 2011 Commons Chamber

[Margot James (Stourbridge) (Con)]

I see no discrepancy in the Government seeking to apply the principles of public sector reform to the decisions that IPSA will ultimately take, as is stated in the motion. That does not preclude IPSA from consulting on the finer details, as my hon. Friend said. It is important that it is explicit in the motion that the principles of the wider public sector reforms should be applicable to MPs’ pensions. It is imperative that the message goes out that that is what we are voting for.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am extremely grateful to the hon. Lady. That may well be imperative, but it is also imperative that interventions from now on are brief, because a number of people wish to speak. I remind the House that a debate of exceptional importance is to take place under the auspices of the Backbench Business Committee. I do not think that I am alone in hoping that that debate will not be delayed unduly.

Local Growth White Paper

Debate between Margot James and John Bercow

Thursday 28th October 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. A great many hon. and right hon. Members are seeking to catch my eye, but time is limited and we have a heavily subscribed debate to follow, so brevity from Back Benchers and Front Benchers alike is essential. Moreover, I should remind hon. and right hon. Members that they should not expect to be called unless they were in the Chamber at the beginning of the delivery of the Secretary of State’s statement.

[Margot James (Stourbridge) (Con)]

I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on bringing the private sector into the driving seat of the economic renewal that is very much required locally. The sector will be in partnership for the first time with local authorities, so that private business will have a seat at the table discussing infrastructure and planning matters at last. He has mentioned—indeed, we now have the White Paper—the 24 LEPs that he has approved. Will he say a little about the next steps for future LEP approvals? May I also commend my area’s LEP, the Black Country LEP, for which local business leaders have great enthusiasm?

NHS White Paper

Debate between Margot James and John Bercow

Monday 12th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Members really should not chunter, witter or otherwise heckle from a sedentary position, because they thereby reduce their chances of getting in, or of their colleagues getting in.

[Margot James (Stourbridge) (Con)]

Older people and people with long-term medical conditions have not been well served by the division between health and social care, which has lasted many years. I congratulate the Secretary of State on his plan to give local authorities control over local health improvement budgets. Can he say any more about how those reforms will break down the barriers between health and social care?