Points of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Rosie Cooper

Wednesday 3rd April 2019 Commons Chamber

[Rosie Cooper (West Lancashire) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. May I crave your indulgence? With only sentencing left, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and every single Member of this House for the kindness they have shown me over the last two difficult years. I would also like to thank Robbie Mullen and Hope not Hate, because without their actions I might not be here. I thank the parliamentary authorities, the Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation Team, Lancashire and Merseyside police, and my new family friends, the national and Lancashire counter-terrorism units. I thank them all for continuing to protect me.

Beyond thanking so many kind people, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a serious point. I was to be murdered to send a message to the state, and to send a message to this place. Members of this House are regularly abused and attacked. Our freedoms, our way of life, our democracy is under threat, and we must do our utmost to defend it. While the Home Secretary is in his place, perhaps I might ask him to consider the Diplock process for terrorist trials. [Applause.]

[Mr Speaker]

I think the spontaneous reaction on both sides of the Chamber, joined in by the Leader of the House and other colleagues, speaks volumes. I hope that I speak on behalf of the House in saying that we have the most enormous respect and admiration for the hon. Lady. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”] She has displayed courage and fortitude of which many people, and probably most of us, can only dream. In the most harrowing of circumstances, faced with an explicit and very real threat to her life from neo-Nazis, she has not wilted for a second. She has defended her own rights, she has defended the rights of her constituents, she has defended the rights of all her colleagues, and she has defended the rights of Parliament as an institution.

By this sort of poisonous, fascistic bile we will not be cowed, and the sooner the purveyors of hate, of fascism, of Nazism, of a death cult realise that, the better. I salute the hon. Lady, and I know that others will do so too—

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Rosie Cooper

Wednesday 17th October 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Rosie Cooper—let us hear from the hon. Lady.

[Rosie Cooper]

Question 11, Mr Speaker.

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Lady’s question has been grouped with Question 2, as the Minister advised, so we look forward to hearing from the hon. Lady on these important matters—she has now had time to think about it—now.

[Rosie Cooper]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Sorry for the confusion.

Given that RBS is 63%-owned by the taxpayer and the majority of branch closures are in Scotland or the north-west of England, could the Minister tell us: what does the taxpayer get for their money if not banks and banking services?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Rosie Cooper

Wednesday 18th July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Rosie Cooper (West Lancashire) (Lab)]

Q2. If I may, in relation to ongoing matters—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. This is extremely serious and it will be heard.

[Rosie Cooper]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. In relation to ongoing matters, may I, on a personal note, thank the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and every single Member of this House for the kindness they have shown me?

I am delighted to be in my place to be able to ask the Prime Minister a question. So, to the question—to business. Does the Prime Minister agree that, as part of the Government’s attempt to expand capacity in the NHS, existing sites such as Ormskirk hospital in my constituency, where there is capacity to build an extra floor, should be prioritised for expansion ahead of simply building a new hospital at much greater cost, depriving the NHS of much needed investment which should go into patients and staffing?

Public Sector Pay Cap

Debate between John Bercow and Rosie Cooper

Wednesday 5th July 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I see that the Father of the House is leaving the Chamber, but I hope that the calm and serenity that he brought to the Chamber will linger with us for some time to come.

[Rosie Cooper (West Lancashire) (Lab)]

This issue is also about fairness—a word I have heard repeatedly. Liverpool clinical commissioning group paid themselves increases of between 15% and 81%, with a non-executive getting £105,000. An NHS investigation has confirmed that that is far outside the rules, yet the accountable officer and governing body have not been held to account. Does that send a message from the Government to the NHS that people can do what they want, that anarchy rules and that the pay cap will be applied selectively and is not fair?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Rosie Cooper

Monday 29th June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Rosie Cooper]

I thank the Minister for that non-answer. I would like him to explain to the residents of West Lancashire why, despite the Government’s claim to support localism in the planning process, permission was granted to dump hazardous waste for 20 more years at Whitemoss landfill, for which there was no demonstrable need, either local or regional, and which was opposed by thousands of local residents, the borough council, the county council and me as the local MP. Surely this means—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The hon. Lady can preserve the unexpurgated version of her question for the autumn evenings that lie ahead.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Rosie Cooper

Wednesday 18th March 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. It would help the House and people attending to our proceedings if the answers could be heard.

[Rosie Cooper (West Lancashire) (Lab)]

T3. What is the Secretary of State’s assessment of the strength of the Commission on the Status of Women’s political declaration and its implications for women’s rights?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Rosie Cooper

Wednesday 11th March 2015 Commons Chamber

[Rosie Cooper (West Lancashire) (Lab)]

Q10. In protecting universal benefits, the Prime Minister said that pensioners “deserve dignity” when they retire. Retired constituents in West Lancashire say, “What’s the point of a bus pass when there are no buses?” [Interruption.] There are not even trains, as the Conservative borough council has pocketed the additional money that would have been used to allow pensioners to have access to trains. Will the Prime Minister do the right thing—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The hon. Lady needs to bring her question to a close, but that question, notwithstanding a display of very considerable rudeness towards her, will be heard. That is the end of it. It will be heard however long it takes; it does not matter to me.

[Rosie Cooper]

Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and ensure that concessionary travel for all pensioners is fair and equitable?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Rosie Cooper

Monday 20th May 2013 Commons Chamber

[Rosie Cooper]

It came as a great shock to my constituents that the new regulations will see the removal of the Motability lease payments after 28 days of a person’s being in hospital. Will the Minister explain why she is prepared to leave disabled people worried about going into hospital and potentially losing their Motability car, losing their deposit and having to restart the whole process when they come out? They will be worried about what it will mean for them to reapply for a new car with new adaptations that requires a new deposit. Additional administration will fall on the Department for Work and Pensions, so who will bear the cost incurred when the exclusively and specifically adapted Motability cars have to be returned—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I think that the hon. Lady’s essay —perhaps even her thesis—has been completed.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Rosie Cooper

Tuesday 10th July 2012 Commons Chamber

[Rosie Cooper]

The Deputy Prime Minister said in the House yesterday:

“Surely, it is simply time to trust the British people.”—[Official Report, 9 July 2012; Vol. 548, c. 26.]

Can you explain why you do not trust the British people to decide on the House of Lords in a referendum?

[Mr Speaker]

I am not going to be explaining anything, but the Deputy Prime Minister might want to try.

National Health Service

Debate between John Bercow and Rosie Cooper

Wednesday 26th October 2011 Commons Chamber

[Rosie Cooper (West Lancashire) (Lab)]

I would like to inform both my right hon. Friend and the Secretary of State that I did, in fact, write to you but have received no reply. In my letter, which I shall ensure gets to you again, I asked you to publish the minutes of that meeting. It was very clear. One or other of you have made a severe error.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We must preserve the proper parliamentary terms. Nobody has written to me and I have not made a severe error. We will leave it at that.

Points of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Rosie Cooper

Wednesday 12th October 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I have not, but I have a feeling that the hon. Gentleman will, very properly, return to the matter, possibly at business questions tomorrow, but if not, in another way, and pretty soon.

[Rosie Cooper (West Lancashire) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Yesterday at the Health Committee, in response to a question of mine, the Secretary of State told us:

“I’m not aware—my colleagues may be—where trusts are seeking to manage their costs by downgrading of existing staff. If you are aware of that, please, by all means, tell us but I’m not aware of it.”

Today a statement has been issued by Janet Davies, executive director of nursing at the Royal College of Nursing, which says that

“the Royal College of Nursing has raised the issue of downbanding with the Secretary of State on a number of occasions, alongside other concerns such as recruitment freezes and redundancies in the NHS.”

Mr Speaker, have you had any indication that a written statement, or perhaps a formal apology, will be forthcoming from the Secretary of State?

[Mr Speaker]

The short answer is that I am aware of neither, but I am grateful to the hon. Lady for her point of order and advance notice of her intention to raise it. The issue, in so far as we are talking about appearances before a Committee, is a matter for the Committee rather than the Chair, unless and until the Committee draws the matter to the attention of the House. Meanwhile, the hon. Lady has registered her concerns forcefully on the record.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Rosie Cooper

Wednesday 29th June 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. There are far too many private conversations taking place in the Chamber, including one that I have just concluded.

[Rosie Cooper]

I apologise, Mr Speaker; I could not hear. With 5.5 people chasing every job vacancy in Wales, does the Secretary of State consider job creation to be a priority? What, if anything, have she and her Government done about it?

[Mrs Gillan]

I am afraid that I did not catch the whole of the hon. Lady’s question. However, the Government recognise that the private sector will lead economic recovery in the UK. I am proud of our record of supporting businesses, and I am proud of what is happening in Wales, where the latest unemployment statistics reveal more people in work and fewer on the unemployment register.