House of Commons Hansard Debates for 20 Jun 1996 (pt 5)

Mrs. Taylor: I thank the Leader of the House for that information. Can he tell us today whether the Prime Minister will make a statement on Monday on the outcome of his meeting in Florence? Will the Leader of the House ensure that the House is given the opportunity to vote on a substantive Government motion on any specific proposals on BSE which are decided upon as a result of any decisions in Florence this weekend, not least because such a vote will be of great interest, when we see the details, to hon. Members on both sides of the House?

The Leader of the House announced that the remaining stages of the Broadcasting Bill will be held on Monday and Tuesday of the week after next. Will the Leader of the House confirm that the Government will not seek to overturn the amendments that were tabled in Committee by the hon. Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Hughes), which were carried with all-party support? Those amendments, as I am sure the Leader of the House is aware, will do much in the next decade to improve the accessibility of television for the deaf and visually impaired. He will realise that those amendments are important for the individuals involved and I hope that he will agree that it would be shameful if the House were to try to overturn those amendments. Will he confirm that the Government will not seek to do so?

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On another important issue, the Leader of the House will be aware of the Government defeat in the House of Lords on Monday on nursery vouchers. The Nursery Education and Grant-Maintained Schools Bill was discussed and an eminently sensible amendment, to defer the implementation of the scheme until evaluation of the pilots could take place, was passed. We know that the Leader of the House has had a letter from the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which suggests that the Government may experience difficulty overturning the amendment in the Commons and also suggests measures for circumventing the decision in the Lords. Are the Government so fearful of their case that they intend to avoid facing that issue again in the Commons? Would it not be wise to take on board the evidence that comes from those pilots before the final implementation of that rather foolish scheme?

May I also ask the Leader of the House, wearing his hat as Chairman of the Select Committee on Standards and Privileges, whether he can confirm that the Select Committee should be ready to make its report on conduct in the next couple of weeks? Will he, as Leader of the House, guarantee that time will be found before the summer recess so that the House can debate and, I hope, accept the recommendations in that report?

Finally, is the Leader of the House aware that his colleagues in the Home Office are such great admirers of Labour Back Benchers that they have adopted the ideas of at least three private Member's Bills, including those on stalking, on paedophiles and on an amendment to the Public Order Act 1986? Will the Leader of the House ensure that the adoption of those ideas by Home Office Ministers is not used as an excuse to block the measures when they go through their remaining stages? Good ideas are still good ideas even when they come from Labour Members.

Mr. Newton: I shall work backwards. The hon. Lady's last remarks were pretty silly, not least because the national campaigners on stalking have made it clear that they acknowledge the defects in the Opposition Bill and think that the Government are acting appropriately by bringing forward their proposals. That is the sensible and responsible way to behave and the hon. Lady may regret her comments when she reflects on them.

On the subject of the Nolan report, I am happy to pay tribute to the hon. Lady for her helpful and constructive approach in the proceedings of the Select Committee on Standards and Privileges. I can confirm that I am reasonably hopeful now that the Select Committee will be able to produce a report before the recess. I take note of her wish and, I guess, that of others in the House that, if it proves practicable, we should seek an opportunity for a debate. I am bound to say, however, that the pressures on time are mounting all the time.

On the subject of nursery vouchers, the hon. Lady will understand if I say that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment has taken careful note of the amendment passed in another place on Monday night, but we have always said that we would evaluate the phase 1 pilots. The results that have been gathered show that the parents in phase 1 are positive about the scheme and we have every intention of ensuring that we can introduce vouchers for all four-year-olds in England from April 1997.

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On the subject of the Broadcasting Bill, I am sure that the hon. Lady would not expect me to anticipate debates in 10 days' time, but my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for National Heritage will be sympathetic to the general concerns of disabled people, as I am, as a former Minister for disabled people. I will bring her remarks to my right hon. Friend's attention.

Lastly, I can confirm that I expect my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to make a statement after the Florence summit. Any question about debates can be resolved only when we know the summit's outcome.

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