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Mrs. Taylor: There is not time for a debate next week, but I have announced a debate for the week after.
Mr. Paul Flynn (Newport, West): Following the unfortunate but, I understand, accurate leak of the uprating statement, which reveals the disappointing news that basic pensions will next year be increased not in line with earnings but in line with prices, does the Leader of the House think that we should have a debate on early-day motion 1?
[That this House celebrates with joy and hope the election of what will be a great reforming Labour Government; applauds its manifesto declaration that 'all pensioners should share fairly in the increasing prosperity of the nation'; asserts that this can be achieved for the present generation of pensioners only by restoring the link between basic pensions and average earning; urges an immediate start to the promised manifesto review of 'all aspects of the basic pension and its value, second pensions including SERPS and community care' and a renewal of the commitment to retain SERPS.]
The early-day motion reminds us that the manifesto on which my right hon. Friend and I fought the general election a few months ago said that we promised that
Mr. Edward Leigh (Gainsborough):
With regard to the forthcoming debate on the European referendum Bill, which my hon. Friend the Member for South Staffordshire (Sir P. Cormack) mentioned, does the right hon. Lady agree that it is a major constitutional change that, for the first time, the electorate will not be able to vote for an individual but will be forced to vote for a party? Will she therefore give a cast-iron commitment that there will be a full and proper debate and that it will be taken entirely on the Floor of the House? Incidentally, can she reassure me that the Labour party will not allow the gentlemen from Millbank to decide which Members of the European Parliament should be placed high on the list, thereby excluding those brave Members of the European Parliament who are trying to speak up for democracy but are being silenced by their party?
Mrs. Taylor:
The hon. Gentleman asked about the European referendum Bill; I think that he may be anticipating other policies that are on his mind at the moment. I presume that he means the Bill to allow elections to the European Parliament to be by proportional representation. I have not yet announced when the Second Reading of that Bill will be, but his points can be made when that time comes.
Ms Christine Russell (City of Chester):
My right hon. Friend joined many women from both sides of the House yesterday on the steps of Church house to raise awareness of breast cancer. As that devastating disease affects one woman in 12, will my right hon. Friend try to arrange a Government statement at the earliest opportunity on breast cancer--its prevention, care and cure?
Mrs. Taylor:
My hon. Friend is right to say that the issue is of concern to many women. The campaign to increase awareness, which has been active in recent days, has made a clear impression on them. The fact that one woman in 12 can be affected by breast cancer is devastating. All those who have helped to increase awareness of the risk and the opportunities for screening are providing a good service. My hon. Friend has highlighted that today and I am therefore not sure that we need a statement in the near future.
Mr. Charles Wardle (Bexhill and Battle):
When will the right hon. Lady find time for a debate on this country's relations with India and Pakistan? Does she agree that, in spite of the pressures of imperial history, the friendship between the British and those nations is wonderfully
Mrs. Taylor:
I absolutely reject the hon. Gentleman's comments. I represent many people whose origins are in India or Pakistan, and I have found no difficulties with the Foreign Secretary's comments.
Mr. Derek Twigg (Halton):
I welcome the changes to the Order Paper. After 90 years, they are well overdue. The changes are simple and effective and I wonder why they took so long. Many aspects of the House need modernisation. Are there any further proposals on the voting system?
Mrs. Taylor:
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his comments. We are not able to debate the report of the Modernisation Committee next week, but I hope that we shall be able to do so in the near future. We shall then be able to mention some of the other proposals that the Committee is considering and give a clearer picture of our future work. The report that we have issued is not the last word on changes to the House.
Mr. Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):
In just over a month, Ministers will go to an international conference on climate change. In view of the importance of the issue for the future of the world and the abdication of leadership on it by the Americans last week, will the Leader of the House arrange for an early debate in Government time, so that the House can examine the British Government's position before Ministers go to the conference in Kyoto?
Mrs. Taylor:
The Government already have a good record on giving significant priority to environmental issues. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister will be going to the Kyoto conference, and we are making progress. The hon. Gentleman is right to say that the Americans have not been as quick as this country to embrace the problems and find solutions, but there is evidence of progress. We have to look for any positive moves at the conference. I am sure that my right hon. Friend will do that. I do not think that there is scope for a debate in the near future.
Mr. Bill O'Brien (Normanton):
Will my right hon. Friend give time in the next fortnight for a debate on the Child Support Agency? Every Member of Parliament, including Ministers, receives important, tear-jerking representations from constituents. Because of the gross deterioration in the operation of the Child Support Agency, the House should be given the opportunity to debate the issue and make changes where necessary.
Does my right hon. Friend agree that next Wednesday, when we discuss the fossil fuel levy, we should be able to debate the coal mining industry? May we have a statement on that industry, because of the threat to many miners' jobs? Next Wednesday would be an opportune time for clarification on the future of the industry.
Mrs. Taylor:
I shall bring my hon. Friend's remarks on the fossil fuel levy to the attention of the Ministers who are dealing with that debate.
My hon. Friend calls for a debate on the Child Support Agency. I share his worries about how that agency is operating, as do my right hon. Friends in the Government.
My hon. Friend may recall that shortly before the House rose in the summer, there was a debate in Government time on the Child Support Agency, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security expressed her concerns about how the system was operating. I know that she found the debate useful, because hon. Members were able to give individual examples of the significant problems that constituents of all of us have with the CSA. My right hon. Friend was able to take on board the points made and she is now reviewing the CSA.
Mr. William Thompson (West Tyrone):
The Leader of the House may be aware of the worrying and serious development in Northern Ireland, where Sinn Fein-IRA have now extended their opposition to lawful and legitimate Protestant parades to Remembrance day parades. That shows that they are against everything that reflects the British way of life. In view of that development, will the Leader of the House arrange an urgent debate next week to consider the matter?
Mrs. Taylor:
I do not know whether the specific points that the hon. Gentleman mentioned are accurate, but I believe that hon. Members on both sides of the House view the Remembrance day parades and ceremonies with great respect. That should be the case, because people from all communities and all religions were affected by the events that we commemorate on Remembrance day.
Mr. Vernon Coaker (Gedling):
Will the Leader of the House find time for us to debate the figures issued today by the Department for Education and Employment, which show a dramatic increase in the number of permanent exclusions from our schools? About 12,500 pupils are now permanently excluded from schools, and the seriousness of the figure is shown by the fact that 1,600 of those pupils have been excluded from primary schools. Clearly, our schools and our teachers face a crisis. The House needs to address the problem, and to try to understand some of the reasons for it and some of the difficulties involved. Many of our young people are now being forced out of school for one reason or another, and we need to address the problem as soon as possible.
"all pensioners should share fairly in the increasing prosperity of the nation".
Mrs. Taylor:
My hon. Friend knows that the Government are reviewing what should happen to pensions. I do not think that, in advance of the public consultation which, I think, ends tomorrow, it would be appropriate to make any further comment at this stage.
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