Health Infrastructure Plan

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 30th September 2019 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Pound]

I asked first.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The words “cheeky chappy” could have been invented to describe the hon. Gentleman, and I am sure that that is something in which he takes great pride, among many other things.

Retirement of the Clerk of the House

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 13th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

As one of the few people who accepts the fact that wigs are no longer commonly worn in this place with a certain sad nostalgia tinged with tristesse, I can forgive Sir David that because of his unfailing decency, kindness and extraordinary characteristics in so many other ways. I first became aware of the depths of his intellect when I was on a plane journey with him going somewhere interesting— probably Belfast. I was whiling away the journey by dipping into the Viz annual and he was reading an old annotated copy of “The Dutch Seaborne Empire”. As he sat there, it was almost as if the air around that noble cerebellum was crackling with the intellectual activity pulsing from that great brain, and I soon came to realise the depth, the breadth and the extent of that extraordinary knowledge.

One evening, the House was wrestling with the very tricky question of the illegal parking of skips on the streets of London, and we turned our minds and our collective consciousness—the intellect of the entire House—to working out how one would actually get rid of an illegally parked skip, and Sir David was sitting in his usual place. The next day, as I walked past his then study, where he was enthroned like the Master of Balliol, he beckoned me inside and said, “This morning at breakfast, my family and I were discussing that question, and there are a few things you should be aware of. Firstly, within the profession, skips are called bins. They are not referred to as skips. To use the expression ‘skips’ immediately identifies you as someone completely unfamiliar with the bulk removal of rubble and refuse. Furthermore, there is a mechanism for the removal of these illegally parked bins, which is well known within the profession. It is a dorsal elevation via lateral lugs.” He drew for me the mechanism, setting out the dynamics of how it could be done, and I thought, “I am in the presence of greatness, because not only is this a man who knows more about the procedure of this House than almost anyone and not only is this a man who has saved the reputations of many a humble parliamentarian by passing them a note—best not repeated on the Floor of the House—but this is a man who understands bulk waste, rubble and refuse removal and was prepared actually to share that with us.”

These occasions are often times of obituary rather than encomiums to those who are still with us. That makes this occasion all the more joyous and all the more joyful, because Sir David is with us and will be with us for many years to come. For however many years he enjoys his time outside and in Dulwich, with all its numerous pleasures that I may one day visit if I am ever allowed, no one in this House has not benefited from his kindness, his decency, his courtesy, his approachability and his wisdom. I cannot imagine anyone capable of doing that job better than he. That is not to put pressure on his successor; I am simply saying that Sir David Natzler is one of a kind. He is the Natzler of Natzlers, the Clerk of Clerks, and I will always be grateful to him.

[Mr Speaker]

We have already heard wonderful tributes from all quarters of the House, and it does seem fitting now to call a great parliamentarian. I call Hilary Benn.

Point of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 11th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Last Friday afternoon, I was conducting an interview with a constituent whose son had been killed. It was impossible for me to continue or conclude the conversation due to the motorised protest taking place outside in Whitehall, which culminated in a cacophonous crescendo of car horns and klaxons. That noise was unbearable, and it was appallingly disrespectful to my constituent. What discussions have you had with the authorities to prevent this happening again, bearing in mind that it affected not only those of us who operate out of No. 1 Parliament Street, but Scottish National party Members just along the street, and considering that, should we move to Richmond House, the situation will be even worse?

[Mr Speaker]

I readily accept, before I say anything further to the hon. Gentleman, that a cacophonous crescendo of car horns and klaxons—a wonderful display of alliteration—the spectre of which he has just invoked, is undesirable. I have no reason to doubt that when he was conducting an extremely serious meeting with his constituent about the gravest of matters, it must have been at the very least disconcerting and at worst, frankly, destructive, so I am not insensitive to what he has said. Off the top of my head, I cannot claim to have an immediate resolution of the matter. The Serjeant at Arms, who is in his Chair and whose presence is a constant source of reassurance to us, will also have heard what the hon. Gentleman has said.

I think that the matter bears reflection, because of course the conduct of a demonstration—I know that the hon. Gentleman will be on the same page as me on the matter, because he is a very well-read and cerebral fellow—is necessarily an other-regarding act, not a self-regarding act, in the sense that it has implications for other people. It might be referred to, in more commonplace parlance, as a neighbourhood effect; in this case, the hon. Gentleman was in the neighbourhood and the effect was upon him and his constituent. I think that we do need to consider this. I hope that the Serjeant, the parliamentary security director and the police can give some thought to the matter.

The right to demonstrate, including making some noise in the process, is an important right, but so too is the right of another person to go about his or her lawful business, and the right of Members of Parliament to go about their business on behalf of, and frequently in conversation with, constituents is very important, too. Let the matter be further reflected upon, and I hope that the hon. Gentleman will receive some feedback in due course. That might not be an ideal reply, but I hope that it will pass muster for now.

Courts IT System

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 23rd January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I very much hope that the hon. Gentleman will present a copy of the Official Report, when it appears tomorrow, to Mrs Pound, or Maggie, as I think she is known.

[Stephen Pound]

Very good, Sir!

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 5th November 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I have no reason to think that the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton (Kevin Hollinrake) is anything other than an innovative thinker on this and other matters, but it might be of interest to people to know that he is also a distinguished estate agent.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

You rather took the wind from my sails there, Mr Speaker.

The Minister refers to housing associations, and it will not have escaped his notice that the chief executives of housing associations earn on average comfortably more than the Prime Minister, with the upper decile trousering salaries in the eye-watering range of £250,000 to £400,000. Is the Minister entirely comfortable with that?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 29th October 2018 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

The fact remains that the system simply is not working. This lawlessness is having a corrosive effect on local communities, and there have been catastrophic consequences for local government finance. Will the Home Secretary please listen to the suggestion that I have made many times before? We should use the number plates of these gleaming, glistening chariots that invade our open spaces and prosecute these malefactors through the identification of their vehicles.

[Mr Speaker]

Will the Home Secretary heed Pound?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 4th July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

In the week of a special birthday for him, and in the name of encouraging a young Member as he seeks to build his career, I call Mr Stephen Pound.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

May I, in respect of the Prime Minister’s opening statement, declare an interest, as I, too, was born in the first week of July 1948? While I recognise that the national health service is held in rather higher esteem by the nation than I am —[Hon. Members: “No!”]—we both need a bit of care and attention. May I tell the Prime Minister that what the NHS needs is not warm words but cold cash? I would willingly—happily, joyfully—pay more in income tax to save the national health service. Would she?

Tributes (Speaker Martin)

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Tuesday 1st May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

Mr Speaker, I thought that your words combined warmth and dignity in a way that was a fitting tribute to a man of warmth and of dignity. I thank you for that.

As I listened to your words about Michael Martin, and about how he loved his family and how his family loved him, I thought immediately of how much he loved this place—how much he loved this Parliament—and it is with some melancholy that I say that this place did not reciprocate as it should have. He was not loved by Parliament as much as he loved Parliament. He was cruelly treated—very often, I have to say, on the basis of snobbery: of cruel, cruel snobbery. But if I have an abiding memory, it is of when he—and you, Mr Speaker, followed in this tradition—opened up Speaker’s House. On some occasions, the experience was slightly extraordinary. I once found myself sitting between Cardinal Keith O’Brien and the Reverend Dr Ian Paisley at dinner; I was something of a cordon sanitaire.

I shall never forget the time when Michael Martin invited Scouts and Guides from Maryhill and Springburn to Speaker’s House. He was the epitome of the avuncular. He delighted in the company of his ain fowk—his own people. He wanted to show them that it did not matter where they came from or what their background was, they too could be in Speaker’s House. I am sure those Scouts and Guides will always remember that.

May I say gently, Mr Speaker, that his great kindness to new Members, which has often been referred to, was not entirely altruistic? Twenty-one years ago my good friend Tony McNulty and I were both elected to this House, and we found ourselves in the Tea Room. Michael Martin, then a Deputy Speaker, came up and remarked to me that he and I shared the same birthday, and proceeded to talk about the similarities between us on that basis. He then mentioned that Tony McNulty had attended the Salvatorian College, and referred to some of the Salvatorian fathers he had known. He then advised both of us that if we wanted to know anything about modern politics, there was only one book that we should read. Tony, who was something of a nerd in these matters, asked “Would that be “Erskine May?” Michael Martin said, “No, no—“‘The Godfather’”. [Laughter.] He gave each of us a copy, and when he left Tony and I looked at each other and said, “If the rest of our parliamentary career is going to be as friendly as that, we shall be absolutely fine; we’ve found our feet.”

To our amazement, we discovered that Michael was at that time casting out the possibility of being elected as Speaker. This came as a considerable shock to us, but we both voted for him with enthusiasm. On 3 July each year, he would always make a point of calling me, as we were the birthday boys on that particular day.

Michael Martin was a man of extraordinary kindness and decency. He was not well treated by the House, but I think the words that his wife Mary, and his children Paul and Mary, will hear coming from the House today will be of some consolation. Michael Martin: may light eternal shine upon him, and may he rest in peace.

[Mr Speaker]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that magnificent tribute.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 21st March 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am bound to say that I am a little disappointed that there was a less than fully attentive audience for the legendary thespian performance of the hon. Member for Ealing North (Stephen Pound), to which many of us have become accustomed over the last two decades, but there are always other occasions on which people can listen more closely—and should.

[Stephen Pound]

Shall I do it again?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 29th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

Thank you, “Herr” Fabricant. [Laughter.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. May I remind Ministers that there is no obligation to provide multi-sentence replies? There is no prohibition on single sentence replies. In fact, some people think that they are quite desirable.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 20th December 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Stephen Pound—get in there, man.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

Thank you very much indeed, Mr Speaker.

Well, this is all very well, but the Secretary of State referred to yesterday’s statement by the Northern Ireland civil service that is casting a dark pall over Northern Ireland. Will the Minister take this opportunity to say that, when the Government suggest ways of balancing the books by February, they will rule out scrapping the free bus pass, scrapping education maintenance allowance or even—heaven forfend—reintroducing prescription charges?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 18th December 2017 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Pound]

Well, what an answer! Never would I accuse the Minister of dedolence, but I must say that that sort of Panglossian response shows an absence of empathy or understanding, particularly of the empirical evidence that we have had to date. My constituents see universal credit as a rock rolling down a hill next April. However, as this is Christmas and we are in the spirit of giving and generosity, will the Minister join me in my impetration to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority for additional secretarial support during those dark days when this awful universal credit is rolled out and over our constituents?

[Mr Speaker]

I think the hon. Gentleman is going to the west end to perform on the stage. He would feel so fulfilled. In fact, I think that he has already done so—perhaps just now.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 27th November 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am most grateful to the Minister for that clarification—[Interruption.] Somebody is wittering from a sedentary position that he knew that, but he might be in an exclusive category of one. For others, however, the information is useful and we are grateful to the Minister for taking this opportunity to provide it.

[Stephen Pound]

Aye aye, sir.

[Mr Speaker]

Order.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 9th October 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

But I am sure that it is a personal ambition of the hon. Lady to go to her hon. Friend’s constituency. We look forward to getting an update in due course.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

May I address my question to the Minister who speaks for a party that has been in power for more than seven years? This morning my constituent, Debbie A, came to tell me that she had failed her ESA assessment, first because she had been told that she could hear her name being called from the waiting room, when in fact she had been told that it was being called by her son, who was sitting next to her; and, secondly, because the report had said that she had been hit by a bus, when in fact she had been hit on a bus. Does not the Minister accept that there are profound systemic problems in the assessment process?

US Immigration Policy

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 30th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Pithiness personified, perhaps, by Mr Pound?

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

I am sure that, as a man of catholic literary tastes, the Foreign Secretary will be as familiar with that great book “The Art of the Deal” as I am. In the book, Mr Trump says that a good negotiating position is to start with something so utterly outrageous that it will incite fury throughout the world, and then move to something that may initially seem outrageous, but by comparison appears almost reasonable. As a responsible Foreign Secretary, the right hon. Gentleman will have analysed possible future actions by the President. What conclusions has he drawn?

HMP Birmingham

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 19th December 2016 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman is a noted thespian and I know he will therefore greatly enjoy the warm acclamation he receives when he now rises again from his seat.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 19th October 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Progress today has been very slow, so I appeal to colleagues to speed up. I call Stephen Pound.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

Q4. I am much obliged, Mr Speaker. Can there be a single Member of this House who does not have reason to be grateful to those heroes of our high street, community pharmacists? Can there be any member of the public who is not as bemused as I am that the Government are proposing a 12% cut in the community pharmacy budget, potentially leading to 3,000 closures? Will the Prime Minister express her support for community pharmacies and have another look at this divisive, corrosive and destructive proposal?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 20th April 2016 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

It will not have escaped your gimlet-eyed gaze, Mr Speaker, that those of us on Opposition Front Bench are united on the subject, but for months we have had uncertainty about what will happen to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic in the tragic event of Brexit. Two Sundays ago Lord Lawson popped up on the “The Andrew Marr Show” to say we would have a border. Leaving aside the irony of that coming from a French resident whose policy was to shadow the Deutschmark, may we have some clarity on what will happen to the border? Are there any revelations that the Minister would care to share with us?

[Mr Speaker]

Far too long.

EU Referendum (Privy Council)

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 14th March 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

My natural generosity got the better of me; the hon. Member for Crawley (Henry Smith) is unfailingly courteous, but his question was a bit wide of the mark. Half a dozen or so people, perhaps slightly more, are still seeking to catch my eye and it would be good if everybody remained in order—led by Mr Stephen Pound.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. This whole business leaves a pretty nasty stench in the nostrils. Does the Leader of the House agree that there is an unpleasant characteristic emerging, whereby people are picking up little scraps, trifles, tittle-tattle, gossip and rumour and then parlaying that into a book later on in their careers? My Sunday morning fry-up was ruined when I turned to my copy of The Mail on Sunday only to read the memoirs of Mr Laws, so does the Leader of the House agree that we should impose a self-denying ordinance and stop writing these dreadful scandalous books, seeking to expose what should be confidential? May I say that I have no intention of doing this?

[Mr Speaker]

I am not sure that a self-denying ordinance can be imposed. Those who have consulted their scholarly craniums advise me that that might not be possible—indeed, it might be either a contradiction in terms or a tautology. I will leave the hon. Gentleman to reflect on the matter.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Tuesday 9th February 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the victorious team leader, Mr Stephen Pound.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

11. What assessment he has made of the potential effects on public health of his Department’s proposals on the future of community pharmacies.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Tuesday 8th September 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I think we have probably got the thrust of it. It is a learning curve for new Members. It was a learning curve for me.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

I do not remember that!

[Mr Speaker]

What, that I ever learnt? [Laughter.] Topical questions are supposed to be a little shorter.

Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 7th September 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. There is naturally huge interest in this subject, and I am keen, as far as possible, to accommodate it, but there is a pressure on time. In appealing for brevity, perhaps I can look to that versatile thespian, Mr Stephen Pound.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

I think the whole House is grateful to the Prime Minister for his statement, responding to a unique outpouring of sympathy, tempered with horror, from the nation—well articulated, if I may say so, by the shadow Home Secretary—but he is now talking about 5,000 travel documents being issued to 5 million people in Lebanon and Jordan alone. What criteria will be used to make that dreadful “Sophie’s choice”? Will it be the UNHCR, or will he—as I hope he will—make use of the religious leaders in the camps, particularly among the Assyrian Christian community, to help him in this terrible, difficult task?

Points of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 7th September 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

May I say to the Father of the House that I think he is almost always, including today, the means of his own salvation? There were occasions in the previous Parliament when the right hon. Gentleman had occasion to bring to my attention his dissatisfaction with not having received a reply from a Minister, and I think that on more than one occasion he received a reply from someone who did not exist—the name on the letter was that of someone who did not exist.

Look, these are not matters in which the Chair ordinarily becomes involved, but I have the highest regard for the courtesy that the Home Secretary has always shown to me, and which ordinarily she has always shown to the House. I think that it is much easier to respect the traditions and courtesies of the House and to err on the side of speed of response and, if I may say so, also on the side of acknowledging a very senior and long-serving Member who has made an approach.

I do not think that there will be a division of the House, or even any great objection from the right hon. Gentleman, if I say that he is not always the easiest colleague to please, but he has a right to represent his constituents and to be treated with the utmost courtesy. I am sorry if he feels that he has not been. I know that the Home Secretary will do her best with her ministerial team to accommodate his various requests and, periodically, his demands. [Interruption.] She says from a sedentary position that she does. Let us leave it there for today. The right hon. Gentleman has not been in the House for 45 years for no reason.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. After those words, I must be very careful what I say. Earlier today you quite rightly amended the business for Wednesday to allow for special recognition of Her Majesty’s becoming our longest-serving monarch. Unfortunately, one consequence of that is that questions to the Secretary of State for Wales moves to the following week and questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which we would have considered on that day, sadly fall. As these are dark and desperate days in Northern Ireland, and as it is very important that the House debate these, matters and questions Ministers, is there any mechanism whereby the timetable can be further amended so that we can have Northern Ireland questions before the conference recess?

[Mr Speaker]

Not readily, no. However, there are various means by which Members can secure the presence of Ministers if important matters arise on which those Members wish to probe. The hon. Gentleman is an experienced denizen of this House and will be well familiar with those mechanisms. He might even, from time to time, abuse them.

Debate on the Address

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 27th May 2015 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Pound]

I was not actually present in the House in 1812, but Spencer Perceval was happy to live in the glorious and ancient borough of Ealing.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I must gently point out that two other hon. Members are seeking to contribute to the debate, and we do not want unduly to curtail their opportunities.

Points of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 18th June 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I thank the hon. Gentleman and I think I will leave it there. In passing, however, I note and congratulate him on what is now 39 years’ service in the House. I think I am right about that—four years from ’66 to ’70, and 35 years since ’79—so unless my arithmetic is flawed, he has only one more year to get to 40.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

What is his home phone number?

[Mr Speaker]

I do not know his home phone number. We will leave it there.

Point of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 12th May 2014 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. May I ask your indulgence and advice on how I might correct what I am sure was an unintentional calumny by the Secretary of State when he referred in passing to my support for a free school in my constituency? I wish to assure the House that my support for William Perkin school is predicated entirely on my respect for the teachers, staff and pupils and not on a loathsome system that diverts resources from those in need.

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman who has, I think, found his own salvation, as he knows and as the House will detect. He expresses himself with the force and alacrity with which he has been associated in the Chamber these past 17 years.

Ukraine

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 28th April 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I can accommodate the remaining colleagues only if there is extreme economy, in which exercise I am sure we will be led by Mr Stephen Pound.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

Quite rightly we are discussing south-eastern Ukraine, but there is an issue on the Polish border to the west. What assurance can the Foreign Secretary give my Polish constituents that he is not neglecting that aspect of the problem in his discussions?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 26th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Mr Stephen Pound. [Hon. Members: “Hurray!”]

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

Q2. A little calm, please.Beer and bingo may not exactly be the bread and circuses of our age, but, as leading lights of the coalition rush forward to express their love for them, will the Prime Minister dissociate himself from the snobbish and disdainful comments made by his party chairman?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 6th March 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. In my experience the hon. Member for Ealing North (Stephen Pound) rarely has difficulty in making himself heard, but there is a lot of noise at the moment and so, just in case, let us have a bit of quiet for Mr Stephen Pound.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I am mortally obliged, sir.

Some 111,000 working families receiving tax credits in Northern Ireland will lose out because of the Government’s tax on strivers. At the same time, the Government will give a tax cut for those earning £1 million and above. Does the Secretary of State think that economic growth will be helped or hindered by having Christmas in April for millionaires?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 23rd January 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I do not wish to be unkind or discourteous to the hon. Gentleman, but the question was, and must remain, about youth unemployment. There is no requirement on the Minister to answer.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

Despite the recent violence that we have witnessed, there is great work being done on the ground to combat youth unemployment and build community cohesion. Much of it is supported by funding from the European Union, through PEACE money. Will the Minister assure people in Northern Ireland that he remains firmly committed to the United Kingdom remaining within the EU, and to Northern Ireland continuing to benefit from PEACE money?

Remuneration of EU Staff

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Tuesday 21st February 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

With reference to the annual adjustment of the remuneration of EU staff, I feel certain.

[Stephen Pound]

On the subject of the annual adjustment of the remuneration of EU staff, my hon. Friend may be aware that when the MPs team won this morning, that was the sole topic of discussion.

Armed Forces Bill

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 19th October 2011 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

When I was awarded the Order of Merit, officer class, by the President of the Republic of Poland, I received, without any solicitation, a letter from Buckingham palace signed by Her Majesty’s representative saying that I could wear the Order of Merit, officer class, of the Republic of Poland anywhere in the United Kingdom. Does my hon. Friend agree that it seems a little unfair that former members of the Royal Green Jackets regiment in my constituency cannot wear the medals that they earned in conflict whereas I, without asking, have been given permission to wear the OM, officer class, of the Republic of Poland?

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The distinguished career history of the hon. Gentleman will be of continuing interest and indeed fascination, but I know that in responding, the hon. Lady will wish to remain in order.

Points of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Monday 11th July 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Once again, I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. With reference to the specifics of the matter to which he has referred, if a Committee feels dissatisfied with the information that it has been given, it is open to that Committee to reopen an investigation or to request the reappearance of a previous witness, as a number of Committees have already decided. In so far as he focused in the second part of his remarks on the cause of strengthened Select Committees, with greater powers, I would say to him that if the House wants more powerful Select Committees, with a number of specific new powers that they do not currently possess, the House can will it. That is not specifically for the Chair—the Chair has spoken on these matters on many previous occasions, and I think the Chair’s views are well known on these issues—but for the House to decide.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Can you advise the House whether there is a mechanism for correcting the extremely unfortunate—and, I am sure, unintended—typographical error in paragraph 1, line 5 of the written statement circulated by the Secretary of State, which could cause considerable distress? What mechanism can be used to correct this?

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman is a trusty servant of the House. He is also sometimes a mildly unkind Member in that he refers to a matter without giving me any notice. The truth is that I do not have the foggiest idea what he is chuntering about—but I will look into the matter. If he wants to return to it and it is a genuine point of order, I will try to respond to it.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 9th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

It would be churlish of me to let this occasion pass without congratulating the right hon. Gentleman, the Minister of State, on his elevation to the Privy Council, and I do so with pleasure.

It would be negligent of me—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Let me say to the hon. Gentleman that there is real pressure on time, so let us get on with the question.

[Stephen Pound]

It would be negligent of me, Mr Speaker, not to remind the Secretary of State that the request for additional funding has been with the Treasury since last year—for months. The signal that we send to dissident terrorists is the most important thing here. Will the Secretary of State fight for Ulster, fight against the dissidents and fight with the Treasury to get this money, which the PSNI needs now?

Points of Order

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 8th September 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. He is right about my responsibility and I understand his concern on this important issue. However, I must say to him that there is a long-standing and generally accepted practice that we do not discuss security matters on the Floor of the House. In an attempt to be helpful to the hon. Gentleman, I may say that if he has a further and specific point that he wishes to raise with the Serjeant at Arms, it is proper for him to do so. It might be best for him to take the matter forward in that way. If he wishes to keep me abreast of developments outside of the Chamber, that is also an option open to him.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Further to your earlier statement consequent on the application made by my hon. Friend the Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant), will there be an opportunity for the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer to confirm to the House whether Scotland Yard has identified them as persons of interest in the current News of the World investigation?

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman has made a debating point and I have a feeling that he knows that that is what he has done. We shall leave it at that.

Schools Funding

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Wednesday 7th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Questions should therefore relate to matters in the statement tonight.

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

I thank the Secretary of State for his dignified statement, and I have a deal of sympathy for him, but may I ask for a little more than sympathy for the people of Cardinal Wiseman high school in my constituency, who have been told that their case for a rebuild under BSF is under further discussion as a sample school? Can he give the House some indication of when he will make a decision on that, because they desperately need to know the facts?

Finance Bill

Debate between John Bercow and Stephen Pound

Tuesday 6th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

Does my hon. Friend agree that implicit within the Budget, the decapitation of Building Schools for the Future has resulted in the private sector not being able to mop up a pool of labour? That private sector has in fact been shot in the back of the head, driven out into the country and dumped in a lay-by.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I would not want the hon. Member for Pontypridd (Owen Smith), who has made an auspicious start, to stray from the path of virtue. May I just say to him that it is a good rule of thumb to listen with great interest and enthusiasm to the hon. Member for Ealing North (Stephen Pound), but to recognise that sometimes his interventions have absolutely nothing to do with the matter under discussion?

[Owen Smith]

In this instance, I beg to differ. My hon. Friend’s intervention absolutely speaks to the case, because the philosophical underpinnings of what we hear from Government Members is that somehow we have a great dichotomy in our economy. The public sector is bad, of course—non-jobs, as I heard one Local Government Minister describe them recently. Well, many people in my constituency and elsewhere across the country rely on such jobs to feed their families. Private sector is, of course, good, and the thing that we all want to encourage. The construction industry is a wonderful example of the symbiosis between the two parts of our economy. If you cut one the other will bleed, and we will see £50 billion cut from the construction industry. The construction industry accounts for 10% of GDP, and that £50 billion will have a big impact right across the economy. So I think that private and public are linked.

The theory that we are testing now is the one that we have allegedly seen work in Canada and Sweden, whereby the Government make cuts and the economy flourishes. In those countries we saw a long-term reduction in spending on public sector vital services.

The other key lesson from those other examples of deficit reductions is that the conditions need to be right. Investor and consumer confidence have to be growing, and there has to be evidence of underemployed private sector capital. Exporters must be ready to grow and foreign markets must be ready to buy. Get it wrong and cut too deep when the conditions are unfavourable, and we have on our hands not a success story, but depression and bankruptcy. The historical examples of such failed experiments form a long and ignoble list, and Government Members would do well to read the history books and learn from them.

[Stephen Pound]

On that exact point about the Canadian experiment, does my hon. Friend agree that the conditions that prevailed in Canada—a massively economically expanding neighbour, in the same free trade association, to the south—are not remotely met here. Any comparison between this country and Canada, or even the Swedish model, are specious and possibly even mendacious.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am trying to help the hon. Member for Pontypridd and other hon. Members. I feel sure that is only a matter of seconds before he says something about corporation tax, capital gains tax, value added tax, insurance premium tax, pensions, income tax or any of the five schedules to the Bill.