Points of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Andrew Bowie

Thursday 5th July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman could inform the Serjeant at Arms about the matter, or if he wishes to raise it with Eric Hepburn, the Parliamentary Security Director, it is open to him to do so. I think it is a fairly safe bet, though, that the Parliamentary Security Director will come to learn of the point that the hon. Gentleman has made. Clearly, it is very important that these glitches should be reduced to a minimum and that the system should be operationally efficient sooner rather than later.

[Andrew Bowie (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I have just come from a sitting of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill Committee. To say that temperatures in Committee Room 12 are bordering on stifling would be an understatement. We—Members—and officials are luckily at liberty to remove our jackets, but it was brought to my attention that the same courtesy is not extended to the Doorkeepers, who have to remain in full rig throughout, no matter what the temperature. Might you offer guidance on how action might be taken to allow our hard-working and dedicated Doorkeepers the same rights as ourselves in relation to making their workplace conditions as comfortable as possible in the current conditions?

[Mr Speaker]

Personally, I very much agree with that. It is not a matter that has been raised with me before. I remember that when I used to sit on the Panel of Chairs before my fortunate election to the office of Speaker, I was one of those who always took the view that in hot conditions Members should be able to take off their jackets. It was not a view universally held by Chairs. There were Chairs emanating from both sides of the House who took what I thought was an excessively trad view of the matter. However, the point that the hon. Gentleman makes is an important one. That which we make available to ourselves should be made more widely available. I would not want dedicated, hard-working, conscientious staff to be working in conditions of extreme discomfort, so I hope that that point can be registered. I think it is probably a matter of discretion for the Chair. If it is not, it should be, and if it is, they should know how to exercise that discretion in a way that would commend itself to the hon. Gentleman and, I suspect, to Members across the House.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Andrew Bowie

Wednesday 25th April 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Andrew Bowie.

[Andrew Bowie (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (Con)]

Q4. Earlier than expected, Mr Speaker; thank you very much. Yesterday, the Welsh Government reached an agreement with Her Majesty’s Government on the withdrawal Bill. Does the Prime Minister agree that it is in the interests of Scottish business and the Scottish people that the Scottish National party leadership should do the same and reach a similar agreement as soon as possible?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Andrew Bowie

Wednesday 18th April 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Richard Graham. Where is the fella? He is not here, but he ought to be. What a shame.

[Andrew Bowie (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (Con)]

T5. In the last few weeks, there has sadly been an increase in tension and violence on the Israel-Gaza border. Just last weekend, Israel destroyed a cross-border tunnel that Hamas had built to attack Israeli civilians. I happen to have seen that those tunnels involve a huge amount of construction materials, so what is the Minister doing to ensure that no UK aid is being diverted to fund those terrible tunnels?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Andrew Bowie

Tuesday 13th March 2018 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Bowie]

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. The oil and gas industry based in the north-east of Scotland has contributed over £330 billion to the economy, supports over 330,000 jobs across the United Kingdom and has a supply chain worth nearly £30 billion. With an estimated 20 million barrels of oil still to get out of the North sea, the industry has huge potential to drive this country’s growth, but of course there is still uncertainty, so I know that the Minister will welcome the response—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am sorry to interrupt the hon. Gentleman, but we need a single-sentence question, not a preamble.

[Andrew Bowie]

Will the Minister pledge to work continually with the industry to develop and deliver the sector deal?

[Richard Harrington]

Yes.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Andrew Bowie

Tuesday 9th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Chris Green. The fella’s gone.

[Andrew Bowie (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (Con)]

The Foreign Secretary recently commented on the immeasurable contribution of this country, and the RAF in particular, to combating extremism in the middle east. However, does he agree that our pausing reluctance to intervene in the first place diminished us and our standing in the region, leading to many more deaths, and that never again should Britain, with all we can offer, be reduced to standing on the sidelines while extremists and despots kill hundreds of thousands of people with impunity?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Andrew Bowie

Monday 4th December 2017 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Bowie]

I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. The work of his Department and the pledge in the Budget to build 300,000 new homes in England are very welcome, and will go some way to address growing intergenerational unfairness when it comes to getting on the housing ladder. Will he join me today in calling for the Scottish Government to match the Scottish Conservatives’ pledge to build 100,000 new homes north of the border so that young people in my constituency can have the same opportunities to buy as those in constituencies in England?

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman can now breathe.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Andrew Bowie

Wednesday 25th October 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

These are very important matters affecting the people of Scotland, and I think we ought to respect them by having some attention to our proceedings.

[Andrew Bowie]

I welcome the announcement last month of the Scottish Business Taskforce. Would my right hon. Friend like to expand on what its role will be with the oil, gas and sub-sea industries, which are predominately based around my constituency?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Andrew Bowie

Wednesday 5th July 2017 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Bowie (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (Con)]

Q10. I thank the Prime Minister for taking time during the general election to come up to Banchory and campaign in my constituency where we did rather well. Does she agree that it is utterly shameful that the Scottish Government have, for the second year in a row, had to go pleading to the European Commission for an extension to the farm payment deadline? Is that not proof, if further proof were needed, that the Scottish National party is failing rural Scotland?

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We are fascinated to hear the answer, but I should just say that, although I am very interested to hear the answer and we will, the Prime Minister is not responsible for the Scottish Government.

Northern Ireland

Debate between John Bercow and Andrew Bowie

Monday 26th June 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Mr Andrew Bowie.

[Andrew C. Bowie (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (Con)]

Will my right hon. Friend confirm that the Government are committed to ensuring that everyone from every nation and region of our United Kingdom is able to share in the proceeds of continued economic growth? As has already been mentioned, one way of doing that has been through the successful city deals, and my constituency has benefited greatly from the Aberdeen city deal. What will the Government do to boost investment in Northern Ireland and spread the benefits of such mechanisms?

[Damian Green]

I welcome my hon. Friend to his place. He is completely right to point out the benefits of the investment that has been made in his constituency thanks to the Government’s strong economic progress over the past seven years, which enables us to afford regeneration and investment that those who would run the economy down would not be able to afford. I am happy to assure my hon. Friend, and indeed the people of Northern Ireland, that that same strength of the economy can and will be used to regenerate communities all over the United Kingdom, including in Northern Ireland.