petitions

Graham Stuart Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd May 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Nigel Evans)]

I advise the House that time is crucial and I would like to explain how we plan to do this. There are a large number of petitions to be presented and I hope that it will be of assistance to the House if I set out how we shall proceed.

Once the first petition relating to VAT on static caravans has been read to the House, with its prayer, subsequent petitions on the same topic should not be read out in full. Members should give a brief description of the number and location of the petitioners and state that the petition is “in the same terms”. Members presenting more than one petition should present them together.

When a Member has presented a petition, she or he should proceed to the Table and hand it to the Clerk, who will read its title and then hand it back to the Member. She or he should then proceed directly to the petitions bag at the back of the Chair. I will call the next Member immediately after the Clerk has read the title. At the expiry of half an hour, no further petitions may be presented orally, but they may be placed in the petitions bag and will be recorded as formally presented. Is everybody happy? I call Mr Graham Stuart to present his petition.

[Mr Graham Stuart (Beverley and Holderness) (Con)]

Normally at this time of night the House is emptying, not filling up. Instead, colleagues are coming into the Chamber because of their concern about the imposition of VAT on static caravans. If enacted, the Government’s proposal to impose VAT on static caravans will cost jobs. Only today, Willerby Holiday Homes, Britain’s largest caravan manufacturer, announced plans for 350 redundancies in anticipation of the tax rise. Jobs will be lost not only in manufacturing and the supply chain, but in the parks themselves, which employ 26,000 people directly across the country. I am grateful to Mr Speaker for allowing us half an hour this evening to present these petitions on behalf of so many constituencies across the country. Although I will read out the full text, Mr Deputy Speaker, you have asked that others do not do so.

In addition to presenting a petition on behalf of those in Beverley and Holderness, I am presenting petitions from the constituencies of: Birmingham, Northfield; Blackpool South; Blyth Valley; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton; Bridgwater and West Somerset; Carlisle; Christchurch; Clacton-on-Sea; Dwyfor Meirionnydd—I hope there are no more Welsh constituencies to trouble me; Eastleigh; Filton and Bradley Stoke; Forest Heath; Harwich and North Essex; Islwyn; Milton Keynes South; Montgomeryshire—I am confident about pronouncing that one; New Forest West; North Devon; North Norfolk; Poole; Rochdale; Selby and Ainsty—I am delighted to see my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Selby and Ainsty (Nigel Adams) in his seat and supporting this presentation; Shrewsbury and Atcham—I am also delighted to see my hon. Friend the Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski) in his seat; South Dorset; South Down; Stirling; Tynemouth; Wells—I am delighted to see the hon. Member for Wells (Tessa Munt) in her seat; West Bromwich West; West Dorset; West Worcestershire; and Workington. Mr Deputy Speaker, you can tell the breadth and depth of concern about this issue.

The petition states:

The Petition of residents of Beverley and Holderness Constituency,

Declares that the Petitioners believe that levying VAT on static holiday caravans would cost thousands of jobs in caravan manufacturing, from their suppliers, and in the wider UK holiday industry; and notes that the Petitioners believe that such a levy would lose revenue for the Government.

The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to reverse its decision to levy VAT on static caravans.

And the Petitioners remain, etc.

[P001027]

The following petitions were also presented:

The Petition of residents of Rochdale.

[P001060]

The Petition of residents of Christchurch,

[P001061]

The Petition of residents of West Bromwich West.

[P001062]

The Petition of residents of Dwyfor Meirionnydd.

[P001063]

The Petition of residents of Clacton on Sea.

[P001064]

The Petition of residents of South Down.

[P001065]

The Petition of residents of Bridgwater and West Somerset.

[P001066]

The Petition of residents of West Dorset.

[P001067]

The Petition of residents of Filton and Bradley Stoke.

[P001068]

The Petition of residents of Montgomeryshire.

[P001069]

The Petition of Residents of Ceredigion.

[P001070]

The Petition of Residents of Eastleigh.

[P001071]

The Petition of Residents of Selby and Ainsty.

[P001072]

The Petition of residents of Birmingham Northfield.

[P001073]

The Petition of residents of Poole.

[P001074]

The Petition of residents of Blyth Valley.

[P001075]

The Petition of residents of Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.

[P001076]

The Petition of residents of Forest Heath.

[P001077]

The Petition of residents of Carlisle.

[P001078]

The Petition of residents of South Dorset.

[P001079]

The Petition of residents of Tynemouth.

[P001080]

The Petition of residents of North Norfolk.

[P001081]

The Petition of residents of North Devon.

[P001082]

The Petition of residents of Stirling.

[P001083]

The Petition of residents of Harwich and North Essex.

[P001084]

The Petition of Residents of Blackpool South.

[P001085]

The Petition of residents of Workington.

[P001086]

The Petition of residents of Islwyn.

[P001087]

The Petition of residents of New Forest West.

[P001088]

The Petition of residents of Shrewsbury and Atcham.

[P001090]

The Petition of residents of Milton Keynes South.

[P001091]

The Petition of residents of Ludlow.

[P001092]

The Petition of residents of West Worcestershire.

[P001093]

[Sir Alan Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed) (LD)]

I present a petition in the same terms as those presented by the hon. Member for Beverley and Holderness (Mr Stuart), from constituents of mine at the Waren caravan park, Waren Mill, Bamburgh in the Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency. My constituents are deeply concerned about the impact not just on manufacturing, but on the holiday parks and caravan sites in whose business model sales are an important factor.

The Petition of residents of Waren Caravan Park, Waren Mill, Bamburgh, Northumberland.

[P001028]