All 44 Debates between John Bercow and Clive Efford

Wed 25th Sep 2019
Mon 12th Nov 2018
Stop and Search
Commons Chamber
(Urgent Question)
Mon 23rd Jul 2018
Wed 18th Jul 2018
Mon 19th Mar 2018
Mon 6th Nov 2017
Mon 17th Jul 2017
Wed 1st Feb 2017
Tue 27th Oct 2015
Thu 4th Jun 2015
Wed 28th Jan 2015
Wed 7th Jan 2015
Tue 23rd Apr 2013
Mon 2nd Jul 2012
Mon 12th Jul 2010

Tributes to the Speaker

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Thursday 31st October 2019

(4 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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I listened carefully to the opening statement by the Leader of the House and was interested to hear what he had to say. I always listen to him carefully. He chooses his words carefully and gives me the impression, at least, that he understands the meaning of them—after all, he is the only person I know who reads the words “lounge suit” inside his jacket and takes them as instructions for use. You, Mr Speaker, have challenged the House in respect of the rights of Back Benchers. There are people in the House who have benefited from that at times but who, now that time has moved on, perhaps do not quite appreciate how you have stood up for the rights of this House and for those of us who have wanted to stand up for our constituents.

In particular, I want to pay tribute to you for standing up for the people of the 48% who voted in 2016 to remain in the European Union. If people had listened to the Government’s views on the outcome of the referendum, which we all respect, they would have believed that it was a resounding victory, and that the country was not split at that time. But, indeed, the country was split, and it was for this House to stand up and hold the Government to account and to speak up for the views of those people who wanted to remain in the European Union, or who wanted, in leaving, to retain as much of our relationship with the European Union as we could. Without your strength of character, Mr Speaker, to stand up to an Executive who were prepared to try to ride roughshod over those of us who wanted to hold the Government to account, we would have been in a very different place now. That is a tribute to you, and your actions during these very trying times have earned you a place in history. You deserve enormous credit for that. I will always admire you for what you did, because, at times, it was very difficult for you. You were out there as an individual having to stand up to those people. I understand that you have an excellent team around you, but you did it none the less, and you did it for us. For that, I will always be grateful.

I am also grateful to your team. I do not do this very often, but I pleaded with them to ensure that I was called at Prime Minister’s questions to raise something on behalf of a disabled constituent who had had their personal independence payment taken away, and was about to have their car repossessed on the Thursday after that Prime Minister’s questions. I did not think that I would be called, Mr Speaker, but because you had been generous with time at Prime Minister’s questions—you allowed it to overrun—I was called right at the tail end. I always seem to get called at the tail end, but if you are patient, you get there. I thanked you, Mr Speaker, when I was interviewed on the radio subsequently about this issue. As a consequence of my being able to raise that matter at Prime Minister’s questions—because you heard my plea and called me—the life of my constituent was completely transformed in a moment. That is the power of being in that Chair, and I pay tribute to you for how you stood up for us Back Benchers so that we could stand up for our constituents. My constituent’s PIP was reinstated and they did not have their car repossessed.

Your inspired appointment of Rose Hudson-Wilkin was, again, a testament to your strength of character, and to your determination to modernise and to take us forward as a House of Commons, representing all the people. I pay tribute to Rose. She has an amazing career ahead of her and will be a very influential person in our society in whatever role she goes on to do when she ceases to be Chaplain to the Speaker of the House.

Mr Speaker, you came into the House in 1997, the same time as me. You have a constituency in the home counties; I have one in London. No doubt schools from your constituency have frequently visited this place and you have taken them round on tours. But on rainy days, when they wanted to have their packed lunch, children used to be told that the Speaker of the House and the Serjeant at Arms did not allow packed lunches to be eaten in Westminster Hall. There was no cafeteria down there, and when we got one, it was not accessible to schoolchildren, because they had to buy something to be in there. This was an appalling place for young people to visit in terms of how they were welcomed, although they were awestruck as they were taken around the place and no doubt educated by all the MPs who were boring them to tears with the details of the House. None the less, it was important that they were here. They were inspired by the House, but it was very unwelcoming to them.

The changes that you have made in opening up the Education Centre and making this place feel welcoming to young people have been inspired. I want the Speaker who follows you to do more of that, and it is a mark of the way that you have brought modernisation and change to this House. You have earned your place in the history of this House and I wish you all the best for your future.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Bless you, Clive. Thank you very much indeed.

Business of the House

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Tuesday 22nd October 2019

(4 years, 5 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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That concludes the exchanges on the business statement. I am grateful to the Leader of the House for the information that he has proffered.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
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On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek clarification of what the term “limbo” means. The Leader of the House has told us that the Bill is dead, and from that we read that it cannot be resurrected in any way for a future business statement to send it into Committee so that the House can deal with it. Can you clarify that for us?

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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If I may say so, the accurate characterisation is that the Bill is not dead, but it is inert. It is not on a journey. It is not progressing or moving from one place to another. It is inert, or alternatively it might be said to be static, but it is not a corpse. Is that adequate for the hon. Gentleman?

--- Later in debate ---
John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I know that the Clerk at the Table would consult her scholarly cranium on this matter, and if I had erred, she would advise me that I had done, but she has not, so I have not.

European Union (Withdrawal) Acts

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Saturday 19th October 2019

(4 years, 5 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. Mr Hughes, you are a most eccentric denizen of the House. The shadow Secretary of State for Brexit is not conducting a private conversation with you. Calm yourself!

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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The Conservatives have luxuriated in telling us that the Benn Act undermined their negotiations by forcing them into preventing no deal from being on the table if we left on 31 October, but the Prime Minister has said that he has negotiated a “great deal” with that restriction in place, so what possible argument can they have for not agreeing that we cannot leave at the end of the next phase of negotiations with no deal, at the end of 2020? Why would they not accept that restriction, given that they negotiated what the Prime Minister calls a great deal?

Legal Advice: Prorogation

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Wednesday 25th September 2019

(4 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.

Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.

This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. A number of hon. and right hon. Members are standing to contribute who were not standing at the start of the statement. That in itself is perfectly reasonable and I will seek to accommodate them if a thought has occurred to them that they want to convey, or a question that they want to put would otherwise go unasked, but once those who are standing have asked their questions pithily, we must move on to the next urgent question. I call Clive Efford.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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The Attorney General has tried to take the high moral ground, but I have to wonder what morals were applied by the Government that led to yesterday’s Supreme Court decision. When did he first become aware that the advice given to Her Majesty the Queen, the Speaker of the House and the House itself about the reasons for Prorogation was not true?

Probation Reform

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Thursday 16th May 2019

(4 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I call Clive Efford.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
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Good choice, Mr Speaker.

This situation is a disgrace: reoffending rates are up 22%; there has been a 47% increase in offenders who have been recalled to prison for breaching their licence; the service is rated inadequate in 80% of areas; and tens of thousands of offenders are being monitored by phone. Dame Glenys Stacey calls the whole thing “irredeemably flawed”. When are we going to know the impact that the Secretary of State for Transport has had on crime levels, which all our constituents are concerned about? This increase in crime, which he must have caused through this flawed probation service, is something that only a mafia don could be proud of. When are we going to assess his impact on crime?

Business of the House

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Thursday 9th May 2019

(4 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Even if the hon. Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire North (Gavin Newlands) had momentarily forgotten the brilliance of his inquiry, the rest of us, thankfully, had not.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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The Government have failed to increase stamp duty on purchases of properties by overseas buyers by 3%, instead cutting it back to 1%, which has resulted in less money being available for tackling homelessness. This is not just a rough deal on the homeless who have to sleep rough, but a rough deal on young people who want to buy houses that are forced out of reach by house price inflation. May we have a debate in Government time on the Government’s failure to join up housing policy, and its impact on our constituents and people who are facing homelessness?

UK’s Withdrawal from the European Union

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Thursday 14th March 2019

(5 years ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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That does not require adjudication by the Chair, but the right hon. Gentleman has put his point on the record. I think the hon. Member for Eltham (Clive Efford) was about to intervene.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
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I think the moment has passed, Mr Speaker. [Laughter.] I am going to dispense with the gambling theme.

My right hon. and learned Friend will have heard the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office try to answer the right hon. Member for West Dorset (Sir Oliver Letwin) on facilitating discussions across the House. Did my right hon. and learned Friend, like me, expect the Government to come here this morning, following their defeats last night, to talk about how they can facilitate those discussions, rather than come up with technical points to defeat an amendment that is trying to achieve that aim?

Points of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Monday 10th December 2018

(5 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I am sick of people saying, “Oh, come on.” These are points of order, of which the Chair must treat. Members must choose whether they wish to raise points of order. If they do, the Chair must respond. These are, if I may say so, somewhat unusual circumstances, so it is not entirely surprising that Members wish to raise points of order.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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On a point of order, Mr Speaker—and this might actually be a point of order. In the business statement earlier, the Leader of the House referred several times to “resuming” the debate. Now, if the Prime Minister comes back with any amendments to the agreement, will it constitute a new debate? Some of us have contributed to the previous debate and, given that the Prime Minister said that our contributions were so influential, we would like to contribute again to the new debate.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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As far as I am concerned, the answer is that it depends on what is brought back to this House. If what is brought back to this House is a new agreement and framework document, the expectation would be that a new motion would be required. Flowing from that, effectively a new debate would need to take place. If, on the other hand, what comes back is different from what I have just said—and, in a sense, less than what I have just signalled—then that would not necessarily follow, so it depends what comes back. What I do want to say to the hon. Gentleman and to other Members who are quizzical on this front—I am very confident that there are Members on both sides of the House who take these matters extremely seriously—is that the Chair, within the powers of the Chair, will do everything possible to facilitate the fullest debate in and votes by the House. There can be no escape from that reality.

Business of the House (European Union (Withdrawal) Act)

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Tuesday 4th December 2018

(5 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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The amendments that my hon. Friends and I have tabled speak for themselves. They would introduce more flexibility into the timing of our debates so that Back-Bench MPs could get their thoughts and views on record. Too often, Members who are called to speak at the tail-end of debates in this House have their speaking time cut to just three or four minutes. That is barely as long as a press release, and they are often discouraged from taking interventions, which really turns this Chamber into a recording studio for a series of statements. It would be unfortunate if that were to happen in a debate of this importance. I ask the Government to bear that in mind as the debate goes on, and not to deny Back Benchers the chance to put their views on record. I will not divide the House on my amendments, because I think that the point has been made.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, who has made his intentions clear.

Stop and Search

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Monday 12th November 2018

(5 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.

Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.

This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I am sorry to see that the hon. Member for Eltham appears to be experiencing some pain, but he is a brave fellow and I am sure he will bear up stoically and with fortitude. Let us hear what he has to say.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
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Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have pulled a muscle in my back.

Intelligence-led policing starts at community level, so is it not therefore a shame that there was no money in the Budget to increase investment in community-led policing? They are the people who know who to stop and search at local level, and we need to see a return to effective local policing and more police in local neighbourhood teams.

Points of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Monday 23rd July 2018

(5 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I am grateful to the right hon. Lady for her point of order. Such points of order are by no means uncommon—in fact, they are very frequent in the Chamber—and it is regrettable that this should be the case. I understand that she has alerted the right hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) to her intention to raise this point of order. I can confirm readily that it is a well-established and important convention that Members should alert each other to prospective visits to the other’s constituency if those visits are of a public or potentially public character. It is in all our interests that this courtesy should be observed. It has to be said that it is frequently observed in the breach rather than in the observance, and by Members on both sides of the House. The right hon. Lady has drawn attention to a breach. I hope that it will not be repeated, and I thank her for what she has said.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I raised in the House the case of my constituent who had his personal independence payment stopped. He has an inoperable brain tumour; he has intractable epilepsy, which means that he could collapse without warning; and he has the onset of Parkinson’s disease. On 2 July, the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work mentioned at the Dispatch Box that she would meet me to discuss this case. Despite several attempts by my office to contact her office and arrange that meeting, it has still not been possible to arrange it. I wonder whether you could assist me in expediting this, Mr Speaker, so that I can represent my constituent.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. The very short answer to him is that if an offer of a meeting is made, whether in response to a point of order or, as in this case, in an answer to an oral question, that commitment should be honoured sooner rather than later. If the hon. Gentleman is asking me—[Interruption.] Order. Mr Kerr, I am dealing with a point of order.

With the greatest respect, I am usually very interested in what the hon. Member for Stirling (Stephen Kerr) has to say, but at the moment I have not got the foggiest interest in what he is burbling about from a sedentary position, because I am responding to a point of order, and I intend so to do. If he is interested in listening, he can listen quietly, and if he is not interested, he is welcome to leave. I do not really care which of those courses of action he follows, but it had better be one or the other.

In response to the hon. Member for Eltham (Clive Efford), I would say that the offer of a meeting should be honoured sooner rather than later. If the hon. Gentleman wants an idea of a broad rule of thumb, I should have thought that it was reasonable within 24 hours of an oral exchange for contact with his office to have been made by a ministerial office, which is a well-staffed office. I would very much hope, particularly in a matter of very great sensitivity and potentially great urgency, that a meeting would be arranged within a week or so.

If the hon. Gentleman is telling me that three weeks later such a meeting has not been arranged and there has been no substantive contact, frankly that just isn’t good enough. That would apply whichever party was in power, just as it is not good enough if weeks after a Member has tabled a written question there has been no substantive reply.

There is a Whip sitting on the Treasury Bench, who might as well perform a useful function. One useful function that the Deputy Chief Whip, which I think is his current title, could perform would be to contact the Department concerned and say, “Get it sorted.” The right hon. Gentleman, if he is a right hon. Gentleman—I am pleased if he is, and if he is not, no doubt it is a matter of time—should get it sorted today. I hope that that is what will happen.

Govia Thameslink Franchise

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Wednesday 18th July 2018

(5 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.

Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.

This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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The hon. Lady’s question, although comprehensive, was notably shorter than the delays about which she complained.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I have said to the Minister in the House several times that Govia runs not only GTR but Southeastern. This morning, services were again delayed because of a broken-down train. That is not infrastructure; it is the rail operating company. Why do the Government turn a blind eye to Govia? It is not fit and proper and should have its franchises taken away.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Thursday 24th May 2018

(5 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I call Clive Efford.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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The hon. Gentleman looks a tad befuddled.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I was expecting Questions 17 and 18, Mr Speaker.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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The answer—I always like to provide information to satisfy colleagues—is that Question 17 was withdrawn and the person who had Question 18 came in on an earlier question.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
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Thank you for enlightening me, Mr Speaker.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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It is very good of the hon. Gentleman to drop in on us; we are deeply obliged to him.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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19. What assessment he has made of the potential effect on passenger safety of the terms of the new south-eastern rail franchise which require some travellers to change trains at Lewisham station.

Cambridge Analytica: Data Privacy

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Monday 19th March 2018

(6 years ago)

Commons Chamber
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Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.

Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.

This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

In the years before the 2008 crash, we were told that the people who were running the City of London were the masters of the universe and we could not touch them. We are seeing the same sort of arrogance from the large internet companies, such as Facebook. The way they are using data, and researching how to use data, is completely unregulated. Other areas of research that affect people’s lives are highly regulated. The Data Protection Bill does not go far enough to protect people’s data and the research that goes into manipulating it.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I exhort the Secretary of State to imagine that at the end of the hon. Gentleman’s peroration there was in fact a question mark.

Business of the House

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Thursday 15th March 2018

(6 years ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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The hon. Gentleman will only be raising such matters with Ministers in the Lobby if he votes with them—[Laughter.] I cannot imagine that happening very often. Nevertheless, the Leader of the House has hope and has made her position and that of a great many Members very clear.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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I am sure that I am not alone in being less than impressed with the answers given by the Foreign Secretary when he was quizzed on the “Today” programme this morning about what action the Government are taking to freeze the assets of people associated with the Putin regime as part of our response to what happened in Salisbury. I know that the Government cannot give us a running commentary on exactly what they are doing at the moment, but this House will want an account of what urgent action they took to freeze assets to prevent them from being moved. Will the Leader of the House convey that to the Government and make arrangements for such a statement in the near future?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Thursday 21st December 2017

(6 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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From Christmas goose to online ticket sales in fewer than 24 hours. I call Mr Clive Efford.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is no good the Secretary of State coming here and wringing her hands; the Government had plenty of opportunity to put the restrictions in place to prevent the resale of these tickets online. The Government were warned about this and failed to act—small wonder since they had one of these online ticket touts on the board of directors giving them advice. It is time they stood up for consumers.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Wednesday 20th December 2017

(6 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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Q5. Mr Speaker, happy Christmas. Last year, the Prime Minister told the Radio Times that on Christmas day she likes to prepare and cook her own goose. In the spirit of Christmas, may I suggest that to extract the maximum pleasure from the messy job of stuffing her goose, she names it either Michael or Boris? [Interruption.]

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. I am sure the Prime Minister has better taste than that.

EU Exit Negotiations

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Monday 13th November 2017

(6 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I call Clive Efford.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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I am grateful, Mr Speaker, for your contribution to my fitness regime.

If the House amends primary legislation in the form of the Bill to implement the withdrawal agreement, will the Secretary of State explain how he will convey that to the European Union, if we have retained sovereignty?

Paradise Papers

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Monday 6th November 2017

(6 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.

Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.

This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. I would not want the hon. Member for Eltham to get uber-excited; I call Mr Clive Efford.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

The Minister has set out the reasons why the eye-wateringly rich would benefit from a tax haven, but how would my average taxpayer in Eltham benefit from a tax haven and why should they tolerate this in overseas British territories?

Schools Update

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Monday 17th July 2017

(6 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. Pursuant to the plethora of points of order that I took on the subject of HS2 from right hon. and hon. Members on both sides of the House immediately after questions, I can inform the House that the Secretary of State for Transport would like to make a statement at the moment of interruption—that is to say, at 10 pm—this evening. I have acceded to that request on the basis that the official Opposition are content to hear the statement at that time, and I have received that assurance. There will be a statement, I believe entitled “HS2 Update”, at the moment of interruption tonight. I hope that that is helpful to the House.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

In December last year, the National Audit Office said that the Secretary of State’s Department was expecting 8% cuts, which is equivalent to £3 billion, in our school budgets—no one else but her Department. The figure was £24 million across Greenwich schools, which is the equivalent of 672 teachers. She went into the last general election saying that my schools were overfunded. Does she still believe that?

Justine Greening Portrait Justine Greening
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I do not believe we did say that, but what I can say is that the hon. Gentleman’s schools will now get a better settlement under the national funding formula than they would have got under his party.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Thursday 9th February 2017

(7 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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When the Government reduced the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals to £50, they accepted the principle that lowering the stake would have a positive impact on problem gambling. As part of the review, will you examine the success of that measure and, if it has been successful in dealing with that problem, will you consider reducing the stake even further?

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I will do neither of those things, but the Minister might do one or the other or, conceivably, if the hon. Gentleman is a lucky boy, both.

European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I hope it is a point of order, rather than a point of frustration.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

What is the point in the Minister coming here, reading out a pre-written statement to the House and not listening to interventions from hon. Members who have legitimate questions to ask of the Government?

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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These debates will run for a long time to come, but that is not a matter for the Chair.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Thursday 17th November 2016

(7 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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My constituency is not served directly by the London underground or the docklands light railway, much as we would like it to be, which means that we are heavily reliant on rail services. I receive a stream of complaints almost daily about delays on Southeastern railway. This cannot be allowed to continue, because people are heavily reliant on that service. One thing I would say for Southeastern is that it needs extra capacity—it needs extra carriages. The carriages that become available when the Thameslink programme is complete must be made available for Southeastern so that we can deal with the capacity problem, but we must also deal with Southeastern’s performance.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I think that the question was rhetorical in nature, but if the Minister wants briefly to reply, he may.

Points of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Monday 7th November 2016

(7 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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The right hon. Gentleman is a specialist delicacy to whom I will come in due course.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
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I do not know how to take that, Mr Speaker.

I have asked the Department of Health several questions on the process by which the Greenwich clinical commissioning group allocated a £74 million contract to Circle Holdings for our local orthopaedic services. In one of my answers from the Department of Health, I was told that there had been local discussions about the impact this would have on other national health services. Investigations I have undertaken into that answer have exposed the fact that this information, which was supplied to the Minister of State, Department of Health by NHS England, is incorrect. He therefore misinformed me in his answer—I accept that he did so inadvertently—as a consequence of the information he was given by NHS England. My point is that in many of the questions I have asked about this process, I have been told that it is a matter for the local NHS, and this dereliction of duty on the part of the Department of Health has even led to NHS England not scrutinising the process properly.

How can we get the record corrected? I will be shocked if you, Mr Speaker, have not heard that the Department of Health wants to make a statement to correct this error. I would like to know how it is going to improve its performance in scrutinising what is going on when such multimillion pound contracts are let.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I am sorry that the hon. Gentleman is to be shocked, but I am afraid that he will be because, to the best of my knowledge and belief, I have received no indication of any intention on the part of the Government to make a statement on this matter in the way and of the kind that he wants. I am grateful to him for giving me notice that he wished to raise the matter. Let me say this: as I repeatedly remind the House, the content of Ministers’ answers to parliamentary questions is a matter not for the Chair but for the Minister concerned. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman’s point has been heard by those on the Treasury Bench and will be relayed with alacrity to the Minister of State. If the Minister finds that his answer was inaccurate—that was not altogether clear to me—and therefore essentially agrees with the hon. Gentleman’s analysis, I am sure he will take steps to correct the record. It may be—I am not saying it is—that the Minister takes a different view of the facts of the matter, but I cannot arbitrate between different views. Meanwhile, however—we await events—the hon. Gentleman has succeeded in placing his concern on the record.

Enterprise Bill [Lords]

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Wednesday 9th March 2016

(8 years ago)

Commons Chamber
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Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
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On a point of order, Mr Speaker. In response to a previous intervention, the Minister said that my local authority, Greenwich, had asked for this power to be passed to it. That was not correct. My local authority said that if the change is made, it should come to the local authority, not the Mayor of London or the Greater London Authority. How do we get the Government to put the record straight?

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I think that the hon. Gentleman has found his own salvation, as he will be keenly aware. His attempted correction is now on the record.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Thursday 19th November 2015

(8 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Last but not least, Mr Clive Efford.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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I am grateful, Mr Speaker.

The Minister said in earlier answers that she wants the renewable energy industry to be sustainable financially and commercially successful, but at the same time the Government have taken the subsidies away at a rate that has damaged the industry, and they have not applied that policy to nuclear. Surely she can see the damage being done and the inconsistency in the Government’s approach.

Tax Credits

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Tuesday 27th October 2015

(8 years, 5 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. I say to the hon. Member for Eltham (Clive Efford), who is a very distinguished taxi driver by profession, that he will be aware of the cab rank principle, and also of the principle of waiting in a queue for one’s turn. We will come to him. Don’t worry, he will not go cold. We will look after his interests, I am sure.

--- Later in debate ---
Alex Salmond Portrait Alex Salmond
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Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. I am becoming increasingly concerned about the outbreak of revolutionary fervour among Conservative Members. Has there ever been a precedent for a Chancellor of the Exchequer being outflanked as a defender of the working classes by the House of Lords?

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I think Mr Efford is about to burst, so we had better take his point of order.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
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I wait at your pleasure, Mr Speaker.

Further to that point of order, may I point out that we have had a general election this year, and that during the campaign the Government were consistently asked whether they had any intention of cutting tax credits? They consistently said that that was not their intention. It is parliamentary convention that the House of Lords does not overturn manifesto commitments, but that measure was not in the Conservative manifesto and there is clear concern in the country about it. It is right that the House of Lords should ask the Government to think again.

Trade Union Bill

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Monday 14th September 2015

(8 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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There should be no requirement for clarification because the hon. Gentleman is an experienced denizen of this House. He will know that there is an opportunity to declare in the register any relevant interests, and that it is the responsibility of each Member to declare in the way that he or she thinks is necessary for the House to be informed.

I call the shadow Secretary of State, Angela Eagle.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. The hon. Gentleman must calm himself. I feel sure that this will be a separate point of order, as no further point of order is required. On that assumption, I will hear the hon. Gentleman.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
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On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Since reference has been made to the funding of political parties, should Government Members who have a shareholding in a hedge fund or a company that has supplied resources to the Conservative party also make a declaration?

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I fear that an undesirable trend has been started by the hon. Gentleman, no doubt with great innocence of public purpose, but we will not persist further. I stand by what I have said: the opportunity exists to make a declaration in the register, and Members must declare as they think appropriate, if and when they come to speak in the Chamber. There is nothing new about that; it is well established. I call Angela Eagle.

The Economy

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Thursday 4th June 2015

(8 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
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Make it up as you go along!

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. If the Chancellor wants to give way, he will, and if he does not, he will not. A Member should not continue to stand in an attempt to intimidate a Minister or anybody else into giving way. [Interruption.] Order. A Member should not continue to stand as if their intervention was inevitable. Seriously, that is an established point of parliamentary procedure. The hon. Member for Eltham can have a go, but if the intervention is not accepted, he will have to resume his seat.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
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On a point of order, Mr Speaker. For the record, I want to apologise—I did not want to intimidate the Chancellor.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Whether the hon. Gentleman wanted to or not, I am happy to concede that he was not doing so.

Points of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Wednesday 28th January 2015

(9 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. I am extremely grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. The nub of the matter is not to make some sort of political point. The nub of the matter is that he is complaining that the protocol has not been observed. If the protocol has not been observed, it should be. If it has been, well and good. That is the end of it.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
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(Eltham) (Lab): Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. Members have visited my constituency and have not told me they were coming, but I have never been petty enough to bring the matter to the Floor of the House.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman. It is perfectly in order for the hon. Member for Nuneaton (Mr Jones) to raise a point of order, but it is much better if Members can resolve these matters among themselves, rather than taking up the valuable time of the House.

A and E (Major Incidents)

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Wednesday 7th January 2015

(9 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.

Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.

This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
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You idiot—it went to court!

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. First of all, it is unseemly to squawk, and I think it would be accurate to say that what I heard was a squawk. I am not sure if there is a verb “to squawk”, but there was a squawking sound. What is worse, it was unparliamentary language, and I believe that the hon. Gentleman used a word that he will now wish to withdraw.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
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I withdraw it unreservedly, Mr Speaker, but the public out there will draw their own conclusions.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his withdrawal and I note what he says.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Tuesday 11th February 2014

(10 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman is pleased to represent the new white heat of the technological revolution.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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8. In what ways the Serious Fraud Office co-operates with prosecutors overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Points of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Tuesday 23rd April 2013

(10 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Yesterday, Mr Nick Bitel was confirmed as the new chair of Sport England, but Mr Bitel was not the original recommendation for the position. He is an excellent appointment and we wish him well in his post, but it has emerged that the recommendation of Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson for the position was overturned following the intervention of No. 10. It would appear that she has been discriminated against because she had the courage to stand out against the Government’s hated welfare reforms. We need a statement on this shambolic and shabby affair. Did the Sports Minister recommend Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson for the position; what was the role of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in changing that recommendation; and did the intervention of No. 10 result in her not being appointed to this position?

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I must say to the hon. Gentleman that, important issue though he raises, it is not one for the Chair. His attempted point of order will have been heard on the Treasury Bench and, knowing his terrier-like qualities as I do, I feel sure that this is a subject to which he will return.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Thursday 13th September 2012

(11 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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The Government have set up a programme to encourage local sports clubs to engage young people and to get them involved in sports after school to create a sporting habit for life, but that will not work unless we have quality sports education in earlier years. In response to my right hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr Bradshaw), the Minister said that the delivery of school sports partnerships was patchy, but that is not what he said before the general election, when he said that we should be building on school sports partnerships. Sadly, in the past two years, there has been a 40% drop in school sports partnerships and a 60% drop in hours spent outside the classroom by teachers organising sport, and the Government’s PE teacher release money is due to end in August 2013. Will he admit that cutting £162 million from school sports partnerships was a mistake, and will he join the Opposition in calling for the Secretary of State to re-ring-fence that money so that we can have a sporting legacy?

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. We have got the question and we are grateful for it. Let us have the answer.

EU Council

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Monday 2nd July 2012

(11 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. I am now looking for questions consisting of a single, short sentence. I am sure the hon. Member for Eltham (Clive Efford) will lead us in that exercise.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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With reference to the answer that the Prime Minister gave to the hon. Member for West Suffolk (Matthew Hancock), if he genuinely believes that some of the actions of Barclays bank bordered on the criminal, will he now call for the resignation of Mr Bob Diamond?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Thursday 15th December 2011

(12 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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The fact that something is outside the area of competence of a Minister has never stopped a Minister before, but there we go.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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The person who launched the school games was the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport—it was not the Department for Education. Ministers have been using the figure that one in five children are involved in inter-school competitive sport, and they will know that that figure comes from the PE and sport survey that is carried out in schools every year. That figure is measured on the basis of children taking part in nine competitive sport events against other schools in a school year. We know from what the Under-Secretary of State for Education, the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) said in a Westminster Hall debate that that is not an ambitious target. How is the Minister going to measure the impact of the school games on increasing participation in competitive sport? Is the benchmark nine times in a school year or more?

Public Confidence in the Media and Police

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Wednesday 20th July 2011

(12 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. May I remind the House that when Members refer to other Members they should do so by referring to their constituencies, rather than by name?

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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When the Prime Minister was Leader of the Opposition, was phone hacking discussed in any of his meetings with John Yates or any other Metropolitan police officer?

Business of the House (Thursday)

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Wednesday 8th December 2010

(13 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. There are people chuntering from a sedentary position and urging the hon. Member for Portsmouth North (Penny Mordaunt) to name the people who set off the fire alarms. That would be entirely disorderly and we are not going to have it.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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On a point of order, Mr Speaker. You are ahead of me, because I was given the impression that the culprits were present tonight. If that were the case, I was going to ask you to give them the opportunity to stand up and own up to that heinous crime.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I think that I will consider that to be a point of humour, because it certainly was not a point of order.

Points of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Tuesday 7th December 2010

(13 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman both for his point of order and for advance notice of it. The short answer to his question is that there will be an exchange on this matter on Thursday. I have every expectation that the full details of policy will be communicated, teased out, debated and made the subject of proper political argument. That, I think, is the most hopeful reassurance I can offer the hon. Gentleman. I have not received notice of any other ministerial statement, and I should not have expected to do so, but the opportunity presented later this week is one that I am sure he and others are eagerly anticipating.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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On a point of order, Mr Speaker. As you know, I am a shy and retiring Back-Bench Member of Parliament, and I am becoming increasingly distressed by the aggressive attitude of Government Members, particularly as we approach Thursday’s vote on tuition fees. I wonder whether you have received an apology, Mr Speaker, for the Chief Whip’s behaviour in the Chamber last night, as some of us feel that such an apology should be forthcoming.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. The House of Commons can be an excitable place, and in his 13 years here, the hon. Gentleman has witnessed examples of that. I am satisfied, however, that in respect of the business of House motion, no procedural irregularity whatever occurred. Discourtesy in the House is to be deprecated. Defiance of the Chair is totally unacceptable, and when it takes place, I make it clear in no uncertain terms that it should not take place again. I think that any Member, no matter whether that person be the newest entrant or one of the most senior office holders, will recognise that, in the cold light of day, that is the way it has to be.

Business of the House

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Thursday 22nd July 2010

(13 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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The duty of the Leader of the House is to protect the interests of the House. When we have asked questions of Ministers at the Dispatch Box we have been labouring under the misapprehension that they have actually been speaking on behalf of the Government. Yesterday, we heard the statement from the Deputy Prime Minister which, it was later said, was a personal statement or a statement of Liberal Democrat policy. Will the Leader of the House make a statement about how we are to determine who is answering questions on behalf of whom on the Government Benches? While doing that, will he consider the suggestion that there should be a dress code for the Liberal Democrats? They should wear blue down one side and yellow down the other, so that when they turn the yellow side towards the Dispatch Box we know who is talking and when they turn their blue side towards it we know that they are speaking for the Tory Government. What we need to know is what—

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
- Hansard - -

Order. The hon. Gentleman has made his point very forcefully.

NHS White Paper

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Monday 12th July 2010

(13 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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The Secretary of State seems to misunderstand one thing. When patients go in to be treated by a GP, they expect to get the best possible treatment available. The Secretary of State said in an earlier answer that he would expect patients to have the knowledge of drugs to be able to determine whether a GP was supplying cheaper or better drugs. What local accountability will there be of GPs, what resources will be put into HealthWatch networks, what resources will be left available for local health improvement budgets, and what teeth will local authorities have to impose local health plans?

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. That was four questions, to which one answer will suffice.

Schools Funding

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Wednesday 7th July 2010

(13 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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It is extraordinary how this list was produced and put before the House. Let us recall what happened on Monday: the Secretary of State was cuddling the list as if it contained secret information, and he slipped bits out only as they were forced from him in response to questions from Opposition Members. Therefore some of us on the Opposition Benches suspect that the Secretary of State knew that the list was not complete and that there were errors in it when he was delivering it in the House—[Interruption.]

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. I must ask the hon. Gentleman to resume his seat. I would not want to misunderstand the hon. Gentleman, but I am gaining an impression that he is suggesting that—[Interruption.] Order. I am gaining an impression that he is suggesting that the Secretary of State was engaged in a knowing deception. [Interruption.] I really do not believe that to be so, and to my knowledge there is certainly no evidence for that, and I cannot have a Member accusing any other Member of knowing deception—of deliberately misleading people—unless that can be substantiated.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I think it would be better if the hon. Gentleman left it there, but I will allow him a sentence to try to clarify his position.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I did say that some of us suspect that that is the case, Mr Speaker, and if you ask me to withdraw that, I will obviously do so, but I think there is something that needs to be investigated further in the way that the Secretary of State treated the House. [Interruption.]

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
- Hansard - -

Order. What I would say to the hon. Gentleman is that I have given a ruling and I think it is a fair one. I asked the hon. Gentleman to clarify his position, but it has not moved me, if I may say so. However, he is a very experienced parliamentarian—he and I came into the House together—and if he wants to table questions or write letters or both, and to engage in all sorts of other activities that satisfy him in relation to this subject, I do not think he will require any encouragement from me to do so.

Points of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Monday 5th July 2010

(13 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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The shadow Secretary of State has now twice, very clearly, made his point about the timing of the release of the documents to non-Members of Parliament. The Secretary of State has offered a form of apology; whether he wishes to add to that is a matter for him.

As for the other important matter raised by the shadow Secretary of State, namely what he regards as a slur on his good name, I must tell him that, procedurally, it is not a matter for me. It is a matter of debate, and I have a feeling that it will be the subject of continued exchanges between the two titans for some time to come.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I hope you will agree that the House is being treated with contempt this afternoon. One copy of that list was finally put in the Library, and those who were queuing to try to obtain it were unable to return to the Chamber before the end of the statement. That is a complete and utter disgrace. Will you try to find out when it was decided to put the copy of the list in the Library? It is highly suspicious that the Secretary of State did not make clear in his statement that a copy was in the Library; we forced it out of him that it had been done while he was making the statement. Will you also find out, Mr. Speaker, when the copy actually went into the Library? It is impossible for us to question the Secretary of State on what is going on in our constituencies unless we have the details.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I hope that you will compare the statement with the list that was in the press over the weekend, because the substance of the statement was what was in that list. We heard nothing from the Secretary of State in the House today that had not been in the newspapers over the weekend.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
- Hansard - -

The first point that I will make to the hon. Gentleman is this. I think I have already made clear—but let me underline the point—that it is not sufficient simply to provide the Library with a copy of a document. If the document appertains to a matter that is currently before the House, in order to aid and abet Members in their scrutiny duties, copies of that relevant document should be available in the Vote Office, on the Table of the House, or, better still, both.

Secondly, let me say to the hon. Gentleman that we cannot have a continued exchange on every point of detail now. I have, I think, made clear that, whether inadvertently or not—I leave others to judge—the House has been unfairly and discourteously treated. I have made that point extremely robustly, and I do not think that I need add to it at this stage.

As for what the hon. Gentleman said about what was in the media, I am happy to undertake my own reading at an appropriate time. I suggest to the Secretary of State, who is listening to these exchanges—[Interruption.] The Secretary of State may wish to add to whatever apology he has already uttered, but I suggest to him that it would be helpful if he would look into the matter of timing of release of documents by his Department and report back to me, because it is clearly a matter of interest to Members of the House.

Local Government Financing

Debate between John Bercow and Clive Efford
Tuesday 29th June 2010

(13 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I am not sure whether I heard it right, but I believe that we have just heard an announcement of a £1 billion fund. I wonder why that was not announced in a statement to the House.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Before I respond to the point of order, I shall be happy to hear a statement or clarification from the Minister, from whose lips I think the words came.