Petitions

Debate between Peter Bone and Lindsay Hoyle

Wednesday 14th November 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

If other points of order are on the same matter, we have already made a ruling. The decision has been taken, so I hope that this is about something different.

[Mr Bone]

I am sure it will be, Mr Deputy Speaker. [Interruption.] Yes, it will have to be now. I just wanted to be clear—it is just a point of information, Sir. [Interruption.] Oh, all right, let’s do a point of order—that would be better, wouldn’t it? On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. Is it correct that the Government must not make a major policy announcement to the media first but have to make it to the House first?

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

That is absolutely right. I would expect the convention that this House comes first. That is what I would always say. I will never shy away from that, and neither would anybody else who occupies this Chair. This House should always know first.

Business without Debate

Debate between Peter Bone and Lindsay Hoyle

Friday 26th October 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

Second Reading what day?

[Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con)]

The first sitting Friday in 2019, as required by Standing Orders.

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

You need to name a date.

Bill to be read a Second time on Friday 11 January 2019.

[Mr Bone]

On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker.

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

Order. I would like to get through these motions.

[Mr Bone]

It is relevant to this point. Obviously, your ruling is unquestionable, Sir, but Standing Order No. 14 requires the appointment of private Members’ days. We know that the Leader of the House will do that in 2019, but we have the farce here of every Member having to name a date in November because the other dates are not announced. It seems to me that Members should be perfectly entitled to request a future private Members’ day, which we already know will be given by the Leader of the House, because she has committed to that.

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

In fairness, you are correct to name the date under Standing Orders, and I am sure that you will have helped the Whips with your little clarification to assist them with your future challenges ahead. Right, let us continue.

Business of the House Commission Bill

Motion made, That the Bill be now read a Second time.

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

Second Reading what day?

[Mr Bone]

I would try, Sir, the second private Members’ day allocated in 2019, but that appears to be out of order, so can we try 18 January 2019?

Bill to be read a Second time on Friday 18 January 2019.

Hospital (Parking Charges and Business Rates) Bill

Motion made, That the Bill be now read a Second time.

Petitions

Debate between Peter Bone and Lindsay Hoyle

Wednesday 12th September 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

Like Chorley.

[Mr Bone]

Just like Chorley.

There is a large car park opposite my parliamentary office, so I have to declare an interest in this petition, but nothing I say refers to my view of the situation. That large car park is free, and it is proposed that houses be built on it. Many of my constituents are upset about that, 5,000 of them have signed a petition, and we had public meeting in the Pork Pie church.

The petition is presented by Councillor Jonathan Ekins, Claire Ette and Rev. Martha McInnes, and states:

The Humble Petition of residents of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire and the surrounding area,

Sheweth,

That the Petitioners believe that the proposed sale of the Jackson Car Park, should be refused on the grounds of the loss of public parking in the area which will have an enormous effect on local businesses, doctors surgery, the chemists, the Salvation Army, the Afro Caribbean Association, the Daylight Centre, the Society of Friends, the Job Centre and the United Reformed Church.

Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your Honourable House urges the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Borough Council in Wellingborough to take in account the concerns of the petitioners and refuse to grant the sale of the Jackson Lane Car Park to a private developer.

And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, &c.

[P002263]

Health and Social Care (National Data Guardian) Bill

Debate between Peter Bone and Lindsay Hoyle

3rd reading: House of Commons & Report stage: House of Commons
Friday 6th July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Bone]

With the leave of the House, I thank the parliamentary counsel, the Clerks of the House and officials at the Department of Health and Social Care for their assistance in preparing the Bill. I also thank, from my office, Jordan Ayres for the research and Helen Harrison for the drafting of the Bill. I also thank the eight Back-Bench MPs who have taken the opportunity to participate, particularly my hon. Friends the Members for Corby (Tom Pursglove) and for Torbay (Kevin Foster), both of whom sat on the Public Bill Committee.

The last thing to say on the Bill before, hopefully, it is read for the Third time is that, if it makes it all the way through and becomes an Act of Parliament, let us hope it is referred to as the Churchill Act.

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

There might already be one or two Acts with that name.

Question put and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read the Third time and passed.

Health and Social Care (National Data Guardian) Bill (Money)

Debate between Peter Bone and Lindsay Hoyle

Money resolution: House of Commons
Monday 21st May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

I was going to let the shadow Minister come in first, Mr Bone.

--- Later in debate ---

[Sir Christopher Chope (Christchurch) (Con)]

We have just allowed a money resolution to go through on the nod in relation to the Tenant Fees Bill and I think the sums involved are much higher than £700,000, yet under Standing Orders we were not allowed any separate debate on that. Can my hon. Friend explain why his Bill for £700,000 has 45 minutes but a much more expensive Bill has nothing?

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

I do not think we need to consider that.

[Mr Bone]

Mr Deputy Speaker, I wanted to get credit for the fact that some years ago I got the House to accept that in Second Reading debates we can deal with the money resolution; that is perhaps my only achievement in Parliament. But it is right that if the money resolution does not follow Second Reading immediately there has to be a 45-minute debate, and the Department of Health and Social Care estimate of the cost is £700,000.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Bone]

Absolutely. There was much discussion with the Clerks of the House on that point. As my hon. Friend knows, that money has already been expended on the system that we have. My Bill is actually not going to cost the public purse any more money than at present. I argued strongly that my Bill should not have a money resolution, but the Clerks persuaded me that it was the proper thing to do. I think they felt that, on balance, it was safer to do it like this.

I did not think I would be speaking about a money resolution for my Bill. I did not think that anyone would spend any time on this matter. What normally happens—[Interruption.] No, I think we need to scrutinise this properly—

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

Order. There is someone else who wishes to speak as well.

[Mr Bone]

I do apologise, Mr Deputy Speaker, but I think that we have 45 minutes, whatever happens.

I have lost my thread a bit, but the fact is—

Local Government Funding

Debate between Peter Bone and Lindsay Hoyle

Wednesday 28th March 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

I think that the hon. Gentleman already knows the answer, but let me see if I can help a little. I am sure that the Government will reflect on the motion, but in the end, it is up to them, and unfortunately, it is not binding. I think that answers the question.

[Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con)]

Further to that point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. Is it right, Sir, that the Leader of the House has given an undertaking that within 12 weeks of such a vote she will make an oral statement to the House on it? Also, is it correct to record the vote as unanimous? If it had been unanimous, 650 MPs would have voted.

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

I do not think we ever have 650, as the hon. Gentleman well knows, but allowing for that, I think it is a written report back to the House rather than a verbal report.

Middle Level Bill

Debate between Peter Bone and Lindsay Hoyle

Report stage: House of Commons
Wednesday 28th February 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con)]

My hon. Friend is making a very informative speech. He will recognise that other Members are affected, other than just those from the fens, because the River Nene—or “Nen”, depending on which part of my constituency someone is from—flows into the Middle Level. So this issue is wider than just a local area.

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

This is the Middle Level Bill!

[Sir Christopher Chope]

It is very important that my hon. Friend has been able to put his interest in this subject matter on the record.

Amendment 17 relates to clause 9, which addresses stranded, grounded and sunken vessels and vehicles. The amendment would remove the subsection 3, which states:

“Whenever any vessel is, without lawful authority, left or moored in any waterway the Commissioners may after serving not less than 28 days’ notice on the owner of the vessel, unless it is not practicable after reasonable inquiry to ascertain the name and address of the owner, raise and remove the vessel.”

As set out in the rest of clause 9, it is perfectly reasonable for a vessel that is stranded or abandoned in a waterway and is interfering with navigation to be removed quickly. However, when one takes into account the very wide definition of “waterway”, the inclusion of subsection 3 is potentially oppressive. It could mean that the commissioners could, for example, go into a marina and raise and remove a vessel at considerable cost after no more than 28 days’ notice. The amendment would therefore remove that power from the Bill.

Clause 11 relates to the requirements for registration and incorporates a very important amendment promoted by the March Cruising Club and others on the charges and the amount by which they could be increased in any one year. It introduces a requirement that such charges should not increase above the rate of inflation as defined by the consumer prices index. Many boaters—some may be represented by my hon. Friends here this evening—are not very well-off in financial terms and need to be able to plan their budgets ahead. When they work out the costs of having a vessel on the waterway, they need to have the certainty that the charges levied cannot be increased by more than the rate of the CPI each year. By analogy, the Government have said that council tax should not increase by more than the CPI. They have made some exceptions to that recently, but the general proposition is that they cannot be increased by more than the CPI.

EU Nationals

Debate between Peter Bone and Lindsay Hoyle

Wednesday 29th November 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)]

The instruction has been given earlier, but I will repeat it for the record, to make sure that we are all aware. The Leader of the House of Commons made it clear that

“the Government are determined to listen and take account of views from all sides of the House. Where there is opportunity for the Government to listen and better enable the effective work of Parliament, we will do so.

To that end, I am today updating the House on the Government’s approach to Opposition day debates. Where a motion tabled by an Opposition party has been approved by the House, the relevant Minister will respond to the resolution of the House by making a statement no more than 12 weeks after the debate. This is to allow thoughtful consideration of the points that have been raised, facilitate collective discussion across Government, especially on cross-cutting issues, and to outline any actions that have been taken.

This is in line with suggestions made by Members across the House and I hope colleagues will welcome the new initiative and the opportunity for accountability this provides.”—[Official Report, 26 October 2017; Vol. 630, c. 12WS.]

[Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. Given that sensible explanation from the Leader of the House, will that now be known as the “Leadsom principle”?

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

I think the hon. Gentleman has just named it.

Points of Order

Debate between Peter Bone and Lindsay Hoyle

Thursday 14th September 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

There has been no communication to me, as the hon. Gentleman could well have guessed, but he has made people aware that the plan is being awaited by Members of this House. He has put that on the record, and hopefully people will respond accordingly, but there has been absolutely no communication to me.

[Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I had hoped to present a petition this week about a huge, intensive poultry factory farm that is proposed in Rushden. More than 6,000 people had objected, the format of the petition had been agreed by the Table Office, and it had been signed by Mr David Jenney, Mr Roger Barnes, the chairman of the Stop Higham and Rushden intensive poultry farm group, and Mr Peter Tomas, mayor of Higham Ferrers. Unfortunately, the petition has got lost somewhere in the House’s postal system, or has not yet been delivered, so we have not been able to register it so that I can present it. How can I put that fact on the record? Is there a procedure whereby I can present a petition when the House is in recess?

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

It is certainly now on the record and we know about the petition. There is nothing I can do to assist between now and October, but it is not often that a Member gets two bites of the cherry: you have the petition and the names on the record, and I am sure that the moment we get back after recess the House will accommodate your making that presentation.

Summer Adjournment

Debate between Peter Bone and Lindsay Hoyle

Thursday 20th July 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I should like to associate myself with what you and the Deputy Leader of the House have said in thanking everyone for looking after us. I have a question on a bit of procedure. It is a shame that Mr Speaker is not in the Chair, because he might have been able to give me a slightly more forceful answer. You have just put the Question to the House at the end of our debate. I understand that when more people are in favour, you say, “The Ayes have it, the Ayes have it”, and when more are against, you say, “The Noes have it, the Noes have it.” What happens if there are equal numbers on each side? Would you say, “The ties have it, the ties have it”?

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)]

Very good! No, what I would say is, “I have it. I have it.” And if anyone wants to join the big five group, there is a new all-party parliamentary group that has been formed today by the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Mr Evans).