Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Monday 8th July 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

The Secretary of State highlighted in an earlier answer the importance of the prosperity agenda for defence contracts. I know that the Minister has read the recent report on shipbuilding and ship procurement in the UK by the all-party parliamentary group on shipbuilding. Will he tell the House what weighting will be given to prosperity in awarding the fleet solid support contracts?

[Stuart Andrew]

I was looking at the two right hon. Gentlemen and wondering whether it was more like Waldorf and Statler, but I will not be so rude—although I have just have been. The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right: when we look at the contracts, not just for the shipbuilding but for the content within, there are huge opportunities for the UK supply chain, where much more of the value exists. I recognised that in his all-party group’s recent report, and his and other right hon. and hon. Members’ work will inform much of the decision making on our future policy.

[Mr Speaker]

Come, come, young Spellar—your turn now.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Wednesday 16th January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Stuart Andrew]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise this important issue. The Ministry of Defence is reviewing the Scottish Government’s plans for next year’s tax, and we await the final outcome and ratification from the Scottish Parliament. We will review the situation and determine whether the impact on the UK armed forces warrants an offer of financial mitigation. Once a decision has been made, an announcement will be made to this House and to those affected personnel.

[Mr Speaker]

Happy birthday, Mr Sweeney. I gather it is a significant birthday—30 today and you do not look a day older than 20.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Monday 14th January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I say to the right hon. Gentleman in good spirit that he is uniquely talented in delivering an oral question as though it were of the written variety.

[Stuart Andrew]

I was pleased to go to Heathrow myself just last week—[Hon. Members: “Gatwick.”] I know, but I personally went to Heathrow last week. We responded to the request that we received from Sussex police on 20 December and we have been working with colleagues across the Government, and with the Department for Transport, to ensure that we have all the availability that is needed, and that the airports have the proper advice that they require so that they can get the systems they need to ensure that they can protect their own runways.

[Several hon. Members rose—]

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Monday 26th November 2018 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Rosindell (Romford) (Con)]

T2. Will the Secretary of State categorically reassure the House that the Government will stop forthwith handing over control of national security assets via the EU defence and procurement schemes?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Stuart Andrew)]

The UK remains unconditionally committed to European security by playing a leading role in NATO and maintaining our strong transatlantic links. The UK will retain sovereign control over its armed forces. The agreement simply allows us to work together when we think that is in our best interests. That will only be as a third-party relationship, respecting the UK’s sovereignty and the EU’s autonomy.

[Mr Speaker]

A short sentence, please.

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[Stuart Andrew]

Excuse me a moment; I will try to answer the hon. Gentleman’s question—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

It might not happen again, so I must advise the Minister that the Chief Whip is sitting underneath him and looking up at him.

[Stuart Andrew]

As I have said before, we now have a national shipbuilding strategy that is ensuring that our shipbuilding industry knows exactly what the MOD will be building over the next 30 years so that it can plan accordingly and be competitive in the world market. Surely, we should be welcoming that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Monday 22nd October 2018 Commons Chamber

[Martin Docherty-Hughes (West Dunbartonshire) (SNP)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. First, let me say that I agree with the Secretary of State that we should be mindful of the armistice we commemorate this year. I will be joining family at Westminster abbey later this year to commemorate my great uncle James from County Mayo, who fell at Passchendaele.

Asbestos kills, and it is a silent killer. I represent a constituency with the highest rates of mesothelioma not only in Scotland or the United Kingdom, but in Europe. I was therefore dumbfounded at a recent Defence Committee meeting when senior members of the Ministry of Defence seemed to be silent and unable to answer questions on the use of asbestos in Sea King helicopters between 1969 and 2016. I have even heard that two of them have been brought back into service for training purposes. Will the Secretary of State please ensure that the report that has been brought about is fully published and that we ensure that those exposed to asbestos, both civilian and military, get due compensation, if affected?

[Stuart Andrew]

The hon. Gentleman is quite right to bring this issue up. I am starting to look at it in more detail. If he would allow me, I would like to write to him with further details, once I have had more information from the Department.

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Member for West Dunbartonshire (Martin Docherty-Hughes) offers the Chamber on a regular basis a passable imitation of Demosthenes, but Demosthenes was not subject to constraints of time, whereas under our Question Time procedures the hon. Gentleman and other Members are. I advise him to plough through the pages of the textbook on pithy questions by the right hon. Member for New Forest West (Sir Desmond Swayne).

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Wednesday 18th July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Stuart Andrew]

My right hon. Friend will know that we are looking at a host of different projects that will improve journey times for passengers in north Wales, such as the Wrexham to Bidston line. On the specific issue that he raises, we are looking at that across the board, including through the growth deal that we are developing at the moment.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. In generously but appropriately congratulating the Minister not on his birthday but on the magnificence of his tie, may I urge him to face the Chamber so that we enjoy the benefit of his mellifluous tones?

--- Later in debate ---

[Stuart Andrew]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to highlight the importance of the M56 and the whole of the cross-border connectivity routes, because the amount of people who live in Wales but work in England is significant. That is why the Secretary of State recently met the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Hereford and South Herefordshire (Jesse Norman), to discuss these issues—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. These matters are of the utmost importance to the people of north Wales, and the question and the answer must be heard.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Wednesday 11th July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Stuart Andrew]

I agree with my hon. Friend. Driving investment is one of the key ways we will deliver the industrial strategy, which will bring the benefits we want to see for Scotland. This pro-investment approach will see a truly global Britain hopefully becoming a leading place for people to invest.

[Mr Speaker]

I call Angus Brendan MacNeil.

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[Stuart Andrew]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right and so is the MD of Glasgow airport. The third runway is imperative for Scottish businesses, which is why we have set very clear expectations that 15% of the slots that are made available will be for domestic flights. It is disappointing that the Scottish National party did not vote for this expansion. [Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

I understand the sense of anticipation and excitement in the Chamber, but it seems very unfair on the hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Paul Masterton) that his question was not fully heard, and that we could not properly hear the mellifluous tones of a very courteous Minister. If there could be greater attentiveness to these important matters, it would be a great advance.

Claim of Right for Scotland

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Wednesday 4th July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Unfortunately, the right hon. Gentleman’s point of order suffers from the grave disadvantage of not even approximating to or imitating a point of order. As the cheeky grin on the right hon. Gentleman’s face testifies, he knows. He was declined when he sought to intervene and he therefore opted for the somewhat cheeky ruse of a bogus point of order, but he has made his point.

[Stuart Andrew]

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I want to challenge the assertion made by various Members of the Scottish nationalists that my hon. Friends who represent Scottish seats should stand up for their constituents. I have the privilege of working with them on a regular basis and I can say that that is what they do day in, day out with great force. They regularly meet Ministers from all sorts of Departments in this Government to fight their corner not just for their constituents but for the whole of Scotland.

Let me refer to other points that were made. My hon. Friend the Member for Moray (Douglas Ross) talked about the tone of this debate. I was surprised at the way interventions were rejected by the leader of the SNP, the right hon. Member for Ross, Skye and Lochaber. There are ways that we behave ourselves in this House. He talked about important issues about education and health—

[Joanna Cherry]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

I did not find the right hon. Gentleman to be disorderly. I think I said to him at one point that it was perhaps a bit off to say, “Sit down!” to the Minister, but in terms of the right hon. Gentleman’s general conduct, it has been abrasive, but not disorderly.

[Stuart Andrew]

Mr Speaker, I did not say that the right hon. Gentleman was disorderly. I simply said that I did not think the tone and the behaviour were appropriate for this debate—

[Patrick Grady]

claimed to move the closure (Standing Order No. 36).

Question put forthwith, That the Question be now put.

Question agreed to.

Main Question accordingly put and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this House endorses the principles of the Claim of Right for Scotland, agreed by the Scottish Constitutional Convention in 1989 and by the Scottish Parliament in 2012, and therefore acknowledges the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine the form of government best suited to their needs.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Wednesday 13th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Stuart Andrew]

I am aware of the real concerns of many operators. I have seen a lot of letters that have come in. There have been more than 500 responses to the consultation, and 550 operators attended each of the events around the country. We will ensure that we look at this in detail. [Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We are listening to exchanges about the effect of section 19 and 22 permits on community transport providers in Wales, upon which we need to hear the inquiry of the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke).

[Mr Speaker]

In Wales.

[Stuart Andrew]

Yes, indeed, in Wales, Mr Speaker. Well, I defer to my right hon. and learned Friend’s expertise in all matters legal. I would therefore, perhaps, in preparation for my meeting with my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, ask for my right hon. and learned Friend’s guidance and advice so that I can present a case for the people of Wales.

--- Later in debate ---

[Stuart Andrew]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to mention that. Indeed, a good example is Net World Sports in Wrexham. That is an example of Welsh success in the retail market. Over 60% of its sales were in foreign markets last year, and it has won numerous industry awards in recognition of its success. There will be more of that in the future.

[Mr Speaker]

When the Government Chief Whip is comfortably seated—I do not want him to be discombobulated—and the Under-Secretary of State for Wales is happily seated, we will proceed to questions to the Prime Minister.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Wednesday 6th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Stuart Andrew]

I point out to the hon. Gentleman that the Government are spending billions and billions of pounds on disability payments, and we are ensuring that we give the support to those people who need it most and encourage people in receipt of such benefits who want to work. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. There is considerable noise in the Chamber. The Minister is a most courteous fellow who is delivering an informative reply, which very few people can hear. Let us pay him the respect of hearing what he has to say.

[Stuart Andrew]

That is very kind of you, Mr Speaker. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is also attending the joint ministerial group on welfare this Thursday, where all these issues are discussed regularly.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Wednesday 25th April 2018 Commons Chamber

[Stuart Andrew]

I think it is widely accepted that there are many reasons why people use food banks, and many different issues. Even the all-party parliamentary group on hunger and food poverty has accepted that. We have rolled out universal credit slowly and made changes when we have considered them to be necessary, and we continue to do so.

[Mr Speaker]

Finally and briefly, Patricia Gibson.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Wednesday 7th March 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Stuart Andrew)]

The latest official figures show that the Scottish economy is growing, but at a slower pace than we would like and continuing to lag behind the UK. The UK Government are delivering for Scotland, including with our UK-wide industrial strategy, and of course with £2 billion of extra spending for Scotland, but the Scottish Government hold many of the levers that could drive growth, and they should be using those to make sure Scotland becomes a competitive place to do business. [Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I understand the sense of anticipation in the House, but we are discussing the strength of the Scottish economy, in which colleagues should take a polite and respectful interest.

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[Stuart Andrew]

I completely agree with my hon. Friend. We are of course bringing about growth deals all over the country, and we also need to look at those areas where we can have them across borders, so we completely welcome the project he talks about.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the hon. Gentleman’s namesake, Stuart C. McDonald.

[Stuart C. McDonald (Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East) (SNP)]

14. Will the Secretary of State agree to meet me to discuss the potentially disastrous consequences for workers in and the community of Cumbernauld if the proposed closure of the tax office there is allowed to proceed?

[Stuart Andrew]

Yes.

[Mr Speaker]

Finally, I call Toby Perkins.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Wednesday 31st January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Stuart Andrew]

First, I thank the hon. Gentleman for the warm welcome, which I much appreciate. It is important to recognise that, with PIP, we are bringing in a system to try to help people live with the conditions they have. If we compare the systems, 29% of PIP claimants are receiving the highest possible support, compared with just 15% for disability living allowance. I have only been in this job a few weeks, but I will be taking this up with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and will report back.

[Mr Speaker]

We need to speed up a bit, because we have a lot of questions to get through. What we need now is pithy questions without excessively demonstrative behaviour.

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[Stuart Andrew]

Obviously, we will make things available at the appropriate time, but I can assure the hon. Lady that I will not be sharing things like that on Twitter.

[Mr Speaker]

I am going to allow a little injury time, because I do not want the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Bambos Charalambous) to feel left out.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Thursday 17th November 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Let us hear the voice of Pudsey.

[Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)]

A survey by Rawdon Parish Council showed that Leeds’s solution of getting passengers to the airport through the road system would not cope with the number of passengers and where they would be coming from. Surely using money for the road and the £173 million for a rail link to the airport would give us an opportunity to address that problem, and would also be the first stage of the properly integrated transport system that the city deserves.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Tuesday 26th January 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Last but not least, patience from Pudsey is duly rewarded. I call Mr Stuart Andrew.

[Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)]

14. What steps his Department is taking to prevent female offenders reoffending.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Tuesday 24th November 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We are very short of time, but I want to make further progress.

[Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)]

11. What assessment he has made of the prospects of defeating ISIL in Iraq.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Tuesday 17th March 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The patience of Pudsey is rewarded. I call Mr Stuart Andrew.

[Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)]

21. What steps his Department is taking to protect children who are at risk of grooming.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Tuesday 9th December 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am sorry but demand always exceeds supply. Last but not least, Stuart Andrew.

[Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)]

As my right hon. Friend heard earlier, there is currently a connectivity study on Leeds Bradford International airport. As someone who has been campaigning for that rail link, because the road network is always so congested, may I urge him to look at that study in great detail, as it will help us to contribute to that great economic powerhouse in the north?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Tuesday 10th June 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I encourage the Minister to learn to provide more succinct answers. They are always too long.

[Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)]

12. What the planned timetable is for his Department’s congenital heart disease review.

Business of the House

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Thursday 25th April 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I have a hunch, as I suspect does the House, that the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull East (Karl Turner) is seeking to equal the volume of his predecessor.

[Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)]

Figures released in answer to a written question I tabled on the Safe and Sustainable review show that costs to date include over £300,000 in legal fees, £1.7 million for external communication consultants and over £6 million in other costs. That is around £8 million in total. Now we hear that NHS England plans to add to the costs by appealing the High Court decision, potentially delaying the Independent Reconfiguration Panel’s report. Given that, and in the time available, is there any way we can urge NHS England not to appeal, so that we can finally get a resolution to children’s heart surgery in this country?

Exam Reform

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Monday 17th September 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call finally Mr Stuart Andrew.

[Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)]

Bottom of the class again!

Businesses in my constituency tell me time and again of their concerns about standards and their confidence in them. Members may find it hard to believe, but I was not the most academic pupil. I am therefore particularly interested in how best we can help such students. Guiseley school in my constituency has done excellent work on encouraging pupils into engineering and on working with local businesses to determine their needs. Will my right hon. Friend assure me that while he is introducing the changes he will put equal emphasis on creating opportunities for those less academic pupils and on encouraging partnerships such as the one that Guiseley school has established with local businesses?

Business of the House

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Thursday 5th July 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

As far as I am aware, the hon. Lady bears no obvious resemblance to her brother!

[Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)]

Yesterday, I spent seven hours sitting in a meeting, carefully listening to the decision from the Safe and Sustainable review of children’s heart units. There was a clear disregard for a fundamental principle of the NHS constitution, namely patient choice, as it was said that patients would be managed to use the Newcastle hospital and Lincolnshire patients were barely mentioned at all. In addition, the review goes against the Secretary of State’s recently stated four principles for the reconfiguration of services. This is a fundamentally important issue to many of our constituents, so please may I urge my right hon. Friend to ensure that, at the very least, the Secretary of State gives a statement to the House?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Monday 20th February 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I think the Secretary of State did, and I did too. However, the hon. Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew) says that he never withdrew it in the first place. A gremlin got into the system.

[Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)]

11. What contribution the armed forces will make to security at the London 2012 Olympics; and if he will make a statement.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Wednesday 23rd November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am extremely grateful to Prime Minister.

[Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)]

Over the last 30 years, thousands of vulnerable and disadvantaged children in the UK have been supported through projects funded by Children in Need. Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating Children in Need on raising more than £600 million over the years, and will he pay tribute to my constituents, who came together as a town, raised thousands of pounds and welcomed Pudsey bear home for the first time?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Monday 28th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am greatly obliged to the Minister.

[Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)]

T8. I welcome the scrapping of the previous Government’s top-down housing targets, which caused so much inappropriate development, particularly in my constituency. As the Localism Bill goes through Parliament, however, some developers are land-banking brownfield sites so that they can gain planning permission successfully at appeal on greenfield sites. What are the Government doing to protect such sites in this interim period? Will they consider re-introducing the sequential approach to planning?

[Robert Neill]

My hon. Friend is right. The mixture of top-down regional targets, together with the removal of a specific reference to a sequential test in planning policy statement 3, did put pressure on greenfield sites. The Government have already changed the definition of brownfield sites to exclude gardens, and in the Localism Bill we have introduced proposals to abolish top-down targets from the regional strategies. The fact that that Bill is making progress through the Commons is a material consideration for developers to bear in mind.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stuart Andrew

Tuesday 6th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

I call Andrew Stephenson—[Interruption.] He is not Andrew Stephenson, but he is very welcome. Let us hear from him.

[Stuart Andrew]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Given that top military officials have also been arrested, does my hon. Friend the Minister see any danger of interference in the elections by the Rwandan army?

[Mr Bellingham]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question. To say that Rwanda has come back from the abyss would be an understatement. We should pay tribute to the extraordinary progress that Rwanda has made. What we want to do the day after the election is call the new President of Rwanda, congratulate him on his election and say that he has enhanced credibility and trust with the world community by winning a completely free and fair election against proper opposition.