All 1 John Bercow contributions to the Food Advertising (Protection of Children from Targeting) Bill 2017-19

Tue 26th Jun 2018

Food Advertising (Protection of Children from Targeting) Debate

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John Bercow

Main Page: John Bercow (Speaker - Buckingham)

Food Advertising (Protection of Children from Targeting)

John Bercow Excerpts
1st reading: House of Commons
Tuesday 26th June 2018

(5 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Food Advertising (Protection of Children from Targeting) Bill 2017-19 Read Hansard Text

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Alistair Carmichael Portrait Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland) (LD)
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On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am grateful to you for hearing a point of order at this stage in our proceedings. You may be aware that it is reported in The Times today that the United States Government have sought to interfere in the contents of the report of the Intelligence and Security Committee on United Kingdom involvement in rendition. If that report is true, it is a matter of the greatest and gravest importance for the House. I can think of no precedent for a foreign power seeking to interfere in the workings of our Committees. What protection can you give to the Committees of the House to ensure that they are allowed to do their work in the way that they are mandated to by us? Have you had any indications from the Government about their intention to bring the House up to speed and make us fully informed in relation to that matter?

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman. I certainly do not seek to cavil at what he has said, because I am familiar with the thrust of the argument and concern that he is advocating to the House. I will just say that the Committee is not in fact a Committee of the House; it is a statutory Committee, in a slightly different category to all the other Committees to which we regularly refer. Nevertheless, I have heard what he said. I have no knowledge of the matter, and I have not myself read the report to which he refers.

If memory serves me correctly, the Committee is chaired by the right hon. and learned Member for Beaconsfield (Mr Grieve), who is a very senior and respected Member of the House. The right hon. and learned Gentleman is well aware of the remit and autonomy of the Committee. If he felt that his Committee was being interfered with in any way, I rather doubt that he would be backwards in coming forwards. The right hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael) is himself a former senior member of the coalition Government. He will know very well, I am sure, the right hon. and learned Member for Beaconsfield, and he might wish to approach him for a brief conversation, not on the detail of the report, but about his concern. If that does not satisfy him, I have a feeling that I will be hearing from him again.