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Mr. Newton: I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for recognising the firm position taken by the British Government, and I know him well enough to know that he will indeed welcome it. I cannot promise him a debate, but he is another hon. Member whom I might steer in the direction of a possible application for a Wednesday morning debate.
Mr. Edward Garnier (Harborough): Can my right hon. Friend find time--perhaps it would be a good subject for an Opposition day, since the Opposition do not seem to know what to debate on those days--to debate closed circuit television? That subject would be particularly valuable on an Opposition day, because the Liberal Democrat-controlled Wigston borough council, in my constituency, failed to make an application to the Home Office for funding for CCTV, whereas two grant-maintained schools and a local education authority school that share a campus, supported by Leicestershire constabulary, made a successful bid, and were granted £95,000 to put up CCTV on their campus. Can we please have an early debate on this, because the benefits of CCTV should be better realised by the Liberal Democrat-controlled council in my constituency?
Mr. Newton: That is another attractive idea for a debate, not least because it would give me an opportunity to congratulate my constituents in Witham, Essex, on being successful in the challenge fund.
Mr. Gerald Bermingham (St. Helens, South): Going back to the remarks by my hon. Friend the Member for Dewsbury (Mrs. Taylor) about the prison situation, and following answers given to me yesterday afternoon in the Select Committee, and this afternoon by the Home Secretary, it seems that a very serious problem is being missed. So far this year, there have been six serious alerts in the prison system. The number of prison suicides is rising. Yet the number of prison officers employed is decreasing, because of various cuts, and recruitment is frozen.
In the explosive situation that is developing--particularly as the number of prisoners incarcerated will rise by some 7,000 this year, which will be 7,000 over capacity--is it not time that the House debated the Prison Service?
Mr. Newton:
I would be more responsive to the hon. Gentleman if he had taken the trouble to mention that escapes were down by 60 per cent. last year, and if he
Mr. Christopher Gill (Ludlow):
Further to the answers that my right hon. Friend gave my right hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (Mr. Redwood) and my hon. Friends the Members for South Worcestershire (Sir M. Spicer), for Wolverhampton, South-West (Mr. Budgen) and for Southend, East (Sir T. Taylor), does my right hon. Friend not consider the outcome of the European Court of Justice judgment on the working time directive of such significance politically and constitutionally that the House should be granted a debate on it?
Mr. Newton:
My hon. Friend is another to whom I must--and indeed, gladly do--pay my warm respects for his persistence. He brings to five the number of those who have raised that point. I shall also draw his remarks to the attention of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister.
Mr. Denis MacShane (Rotherham):
Given the extraordinary news that Baroness Thatcher is to go to Hong Kong to oversee the transition from British rule to Chinese-communist rule, will the Leader of the House find time before the recess for a debate on Hong Kong? It is more than a year since we have had a specific debate on Hong Kong, there is a great deal of worry and concern there, and Government interventions are needed in the remaining eleven and a half months to try to improve what will be a fairly chaotic situation as Lady Thatcher waves goodbye to Chris Patten and hands back 5 million Chinese people to communist dictatorship.
Mr. Newton:
Some of the hon. Gentleman's remarks did less than justice to his perfectly reasonable emphasis on the importance of some of the problems. However, with that said, I am afraid that I cannot at present undertake to find time for a debate before the recess.
Mr. John Marshall (Hendon, South):
Will my right hon. Friend arrange an early debate on foreign affairs, so that we can congratulate Mr. Yeltsin on his re-election, which will improve the world's safety and is good news for everyone. Is my right hon. Friend aware that some individuals, who paradoxically supported the Campaign
Mr. Newton:
I should like to wish President Yeltsin, as I am sure would everybody in the House, a speedy return to full vigour after what has clearly been a very gruelling and hard-fought campaign.
Mr. Nick Ainger (Pembroke):
The Leader of the House will be aware that, on Tuesday night, the House did not reach the business on the Social Security (Disability Living Allowance and Claims and Payments) Amendment Regulations 1996. In his business statement for the next two weeks, no mention was made of those regulations. Does he intend to provide an opportunity to debate them before the recess?
Mr. Newton:
We are obviously considering that matter in the light of what happened on Tuesday evening, which was, of course, as a result of the extensive debate on the Broadcasting Bill.
Mr. Harold Elletson (Blackpool, North):
Will my right hon. Friend be able to find time for a debate on the economy in Lancashire, so that we can examine the danger that two of Lancashire's main industries--defence and tourism--face from the Labour party? Is he aware that the restrictions that Labour Members would place on defence exports would decimate jobs in the defence industry in Lancashire, and that the social chapter and the minimum wage would destroy tourism?
Mr. Newton:
Without knowing the full details of my hon. Friend's constituency, that certainly sounds like a very good example of the new dangers that new Labour is bringing forward.
Mr. Jim Dowd (Lewisham, West):
Will the Leader of the House discuss with his colleague the Minister with responsibility for health in Northern Ireland the latest revelations that 6,000 operations and 55,000 out-patient appointments have been cancelled, and operating theatres in many hospitals will be closed throughout the summer because of cash cuts that his right hon. Friend has imposed? Since the Minister said at the time that there would be service reductions as a result of those cuts, will the Leader of the House ask him to explain to the House whether the cuts are running according to target?
Mr. Newton:
I have in fact already asked my right hon. Friend and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to be here to answer questions next Thursday.
Mr. Nick Ainger (Pembroke): On a point of order, Madam Speaker. You will have heard the Leader of the House tell us that there is a possibility, and only a possibility, that the Social Security (Disability Living Allowance and Claims and Payments) Amendment Regulations 1996 will be debated before the recess.
I have a copy of a leaflet that has been sent to every person who is in receipt of the mobility component of the disability living allowance. It informs them that there is a new law affecting the disability living allowance, and that, from 31 July, the law has changed so that people in hospital might lose the mobility component. Is it in order for the Department of Social Security to issue thousands of leaflets pointing out that the law has changed when it has not? Is that not an abuse of the House?
Madam Speaker:
The law has changed and the leaflet is perfectly in order. I have dealt with the matter for other Members who raised it with me through correspondence. The regulations have been laid before Parliament subject to the negative procedure and are therefore in force unless annulled. If he would like to come and see me, I will explain it to him further, but there is no problem about it.
Mr. Gerald Bermingham (St. Helens, South):
On a point of order, Madam Speaker. During the questions raised by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the Opposition to the Prime Minister this afternoon, there emanated from the back end of the Chamber the word "boring". We can tolerate that, but a strange mooing sound then emanated from a certain Conservative Member. It may be that the Member who made the noise is ill. Could you use your good offices to indicate to the Serjeant at Arms and the various gentlemen ushers that, if the noise is heard again, assistance should be given to its maker?
Madam Speaker:
If I were to hear such a noise, I myself would give assistance, by moving whoever made it out of the Chamber.
The Secretary of State for the Environment (Mr. John Gummer): I beg to move,
That the draft Devon (City of Plymouth and Borough of Torbay) (Structural Change) Order 1996, which was laid before this House on 12th June, be approved.
That the draft Essex (Boroughs of Colchester, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock and District of Tendring) (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996, which was laid before this House on 12th June, be approved.
That the draft Hereford and Worcester (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996, which was laid before this House on 12th June, be approved.
That the draft Nottinghamshire (City of Nottingham) (Structural Change) Order 1996, which was laid before this House on 12th June, be approved.
That the draft Shropshire (District of The Wrekin) (Structural Change) Order 1996, which was laid before this House on 12th June, be approved.
That the draft Lancashire (Boroughs of Blackburn and Blackpool) (Structural Change) Order 1996, which was laid before this House on 12th June, be approved.
That the draft Kent (Borough of Gillingham and City of Rochester upon Medway) (Structural Change) Order 1996, which was laid before this House on 12th June, be approved.
That the draft Berkshire (Structural Change) Order 1996, which was laid before this House on 18th June, be approved.
In nine of the counties, the changes affect individual districts or combinations of districts, leaving the rest of the county with two-tier local government. In Berkshire, the order will abolish the county council and set up six unitary authorities--one for each of the existing districts. I shall address the position in Berkshire in more detail later.
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