Business of the House

Steve Double Excerpts

Thursday 30th January 2020 Commons Chamber

[Mr Rees-Mogg]

The Chairman of the Backbench Business Committee is nodding, and I think his Committee would be a very good starting point.

[Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay) (Con)]

The Oarsome Foursome is a team of three women from my constituency and one from Devon who are on the final leg of their transatlantic row to raise money for and awareness of local charities. They set out on the day of the general election and they will conclude their row tomorrow, on Brexit day—I am sure those dates are purely coincidental. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating them and wishing them well on their final leg, and may we have a debate on the important role that those raising money for charity play in our national life?

[Mr Rees-Mogg]

I can give satisfaction to half of my hon. Friend’s question, but not to the full part. I am delighted to congratulate the Oarsome Foursome on their fantastic achievement and charity-raising objectives. I do not think I can promise a debate in Government time, but I think an Adjournment debate to celebrate their achievements would be a jolly good idea.

Business of the House

Steve Double Excerpts

Monday 21st October 2019 Commons Chamber

[Anna Soubry]

I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that.

[Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay) (Con)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Far be it from me to try to do your job, but I thought we were debating the business of the House motion. We seem to be rehearsing a debate that we are likely to have all over again tomorrow.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Eleanor Laing)]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. He makes a very reasonable point. I have been listening very carefully to the right hon. Lady. She is straying towards being out of order, but as yet she is not out of order. I take the position that she is addressing the need for the Bill to be done unusually quickly and so I have allowed her to deal with those issues. That said, I am quite sure that she will not stray further than she ought to.

Business of the House

Steve Double Excerpts

Thursday 25th July 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Gusto eating is a challenge to even the most vivid imagination, but we will reflect upon that, I feel sure.

[Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay) (Con)]

Earlier this week a group of local authorities representing rural areas formed a coalition under the title Britain’s Leading Edge. Many of these areas have benefited from European funding. Once we leave the EU, will the Government continue their commitment to investing in these areas through the shared prosperity fund?

[Mr Rees-Mogg]

It is of course our money in the first place, which is recycled. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor has whispered in my ear, “SPF”, so yes, the money is there.

Business of the House

Steve Double Excerpts

Thursday 18th July 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mel Stride]

I direct the hon. Lady to Environment questions, which are next Thursday.

[Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay) (Con)]

I want to raise an issue that I know Mr Speaker has previously commented on. All too often my constituency office staff are being blocked from assisting my constituents by overly officious staff at Cornwall Council saying that we do not have the required authorisation to act on behalf of our constituents under general data protection regulation rules. Could we have a statement from a Minister to make it absolutely clear that as elected representatives of our constituents, we are authorised to act and that no further authorisation is required?

[Mel Stride]

My hon. Friend raises an important point that lies right at the heart of our ability as Members of this place to serve our constituents effectively. I would be happy to go further and arrange a meeting with the relevant Minister so that my hon. Friend can ensure that we have clarity on this matter.

Business of the House

Steve Double Excerpts

Thursday 14th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Scott Mann (North Cornwall) (Con)]

rose—

[Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

Ah! The Cornish competitors. Scott Mann.

--- Later in debate ---

[Andrea Leadsom]

The hon. Gentleman will be aware that Home Office questions will take place on Monday 25 February. If he has specific concerns about a particular issue, he will be able to raise them directly with Ministers then.

[Steve Double]

Last week I had the privilege of attending the Plastic Free Cornwall summit, which brought organisations from across Cornwall together to discuss how to rid Cornwall of plastic pollution. Many of them raised the issue of released balloons which end up littering our beaches and polluting our seas. Under current legislation, balloon releases are not classed as littering. That position was last reviewed five years ago. Will the Leader of the House arrange for a Minister from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to make a statement about a further review of whether balloon releases should be classed as littering?

Business of the House

Steve Double Excerpts

Thursday 24th May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Andrea Leadsom]

The hon. Gentleman will obviously want to raise that matter at the next Foreign Office questions. If he would like me to pursue something that he had the expectation of having already received, he can write to me after business questions and I will take it up with the Foreign Office on his behalf.

[Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay) (Con)]

Research recently carried out in Wales has found that the introduction of fines for parents who take their children out of school for a family holiday has had no impact whatever on the level of school truancy, yet this policy continues to damage the tourist industry, is unfair on those who work in tourism, and often damages the relationship between families and schools. Will the Leader of the House arrange for a statement from the Secretary of State for Education reviewing this policy across England and considering whether it is time to drop this policy?

[Andrea Leadsom]

My hon. Friend is quite right to raise this matter, which I know he cares deeply about. It is a priority to reduce overall school absence as part of the Government’s ambition to create a world-class education system. In 2013 the Government amended legislation so that a leave of absence could be authorised by maintained schools in exceptional circumstances. I encourage my hon. Friend to seek an Adjournment debate or perhaps a Westminster Hall debate to discuss this issue in more detail, because I am sure that many Members will want to discuss the research that he cited in his question.

Business of the House

Steve Double Excerpts

Thursday 8th March 2018 Commons Chamber

[Andrea Leadsom]

The hon. Lady raises an issue that many of us are equally concerned about, and it is obvious with toiletries, for example, that men get their face care products much cheaper than women do—let us be honest about that. I would support the hon. Lady in seeking an Adjournment debate, so that she can raise the issue directly with Ministers.

[Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay) (Con)]

Following the recent band of storms there has been another significant cliff fall on to a beach in Newquay, just a short distance from a site that has recently been granted planning permission for the development of houses. That is causing great concern among local residents, so will the Leader of the House arrange for a ministerial statement to make clear to local authorities and the Planning Inspectorate the position on coastal development, particularly in areas that are prone to coastal erosion?

[Andrea Leadsom]

I am sorry to hear of the incident in my hon. Friend’s constituency, and he is right to raise it as a real local champion for St Austell and Newquay. Local plans determine the allocation of land for development, and planning permission should always take account of the risk of erosion. The national planning policy framework sets the expectation that local planning authorities will establish coastal change management areas and encourage development that is suited to an area’s changing coastline. The planning rules are probably there, but my hon. Friend might wish to seek an Adjournment debate to discuss his concerns.

Business of the House

Steve Double Excerpts

Thursday 13th July 2017 Commons Chamber

[Andrea Leadsom]

The hon. Lady raises what sounds like an extremely concerning issue regarding one individual, and the bigger issue of the revolving door of people who have failed in one job and move on to another one, often at significant expense to the taxpayer. She will be aware that there have been a number of Public Accounts Committee reports on that issue, but she may want to raise it herself through a Westminster Hall debate.

[Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay) (Con)]

The Leader of the House will be aware of the looming crisis involving the amount of plastic entering our seas and oceans. We are quickly getting to the point where there will be more plastic than fish in the sea. In the light of that, I warmly welcomed the comment by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that the Government are now considering introducing a plastic bottle deposit return scheme, but can we have a statement from the Secretary of State, so we can discuss and indeed promote that scheme in the Chamber?

[Andrea Leadsom]

As my hon. Friend will know, I am passionately concerned about that issue. I was delighted with the results of the consultation on the banning of microbeads in face wash and other products and with the results of our litter strategy, which looks at what else we can do to eradicate plastics from our oceans. Eighty per cent. of the plastics that end up in the ocean come from the land, and it is important that we deal with litter on the land as well. I am sure that the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will be keen to do just that, and that he will come to the House in due course when he has something clear to say.

Business of the House

Steve Double Excerpts

Thursday 9th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Lidington]

At the risk of stating the obvious, Israel, like every other country, is ultimately responsible for determining its own rules on immigration and on visits, but we are seeking urgent clarification from the Israeli authorities as to what the application of the new policy might be. In the meantime, we have updated the travel advice in order to give people as much information as we have at present. If any British citizen feels uncertain about a possible visit to Israel, we suggest that they contact the embassy. We will give clearer advice as soon as we get it from the Israelis.

[Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay) (Con)]

Fowey community hospital in my constituency has been closed since last summer despite the fact that the Royal Cornwall hospital has been on black alert more often than not during that time. Yesterday, I received a letter from the senior emergency consultant in Cornwall, who said:

“It is, therefore, inexplicable and unjustifiable, that we continue to have closed community hospital beds whilst patients queue in corridors in ED.”

Will the Leader of the House arrange for a statement from the Health Secretary on the important role that community hospitals play, particularly in rural communities such as Cornwall?

Business of the House

Steve Double Excerpts

Thursday 28th January 2016 Commons Chamber

[Chris Grayling]

We all want a long-term solution to the dreadful events that have taken place in Sri Lanka. It is enormously important that there is a settlement that provides a stable and lasting solution for both communities. I will ensure that Foreign Office Ministers are aware of the points that the hon. Gentleman raises and ask them to update the House at an appropriate early opportunity.

[Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay) (Con)]

From tomorrow, for 10 days, Network Rail will close the A390 in the village of St Blazey, which I am proud to say is the place where I was born, so that it can carry out scheduled maintenance on a level crossing. Local businesses will face significant disruption and a loss of revenue, and local traffic will have to take a 23-mile detour. The community received notice of the closure only on 18 December, so businesses have had insufficient time to make arrangements to mitigate its impact. Network Rail’s behaviour has been unacceptable. Will a Transport Minister make a statement to confirm Network Rail’s responsibilities to consult local communities before closing roads, during which we could consider whether compensation should be paid for the loss of business?

[Chris Grayling]

My hon. Friend has been pushing hard on this issue and I understand his concern. It is clearly not acceptable for Network Rail to provide inadequate notice of, and not to make adequate arrangements for, such a closure. However, I know from my constituency experience that if level crossings become antiquated and fail, the disruption can be equally bad. My hon. Friend makes his point succinctly, and while the work clearly needs to done, it should be managed properly, and Network Rail should give due notice when it does the right thing by local people.