| Oral Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department |
| *1 |
Mr David Prior (North Norfolk): If he will make a statement on the action he is taking to reduce the number of bogus asylum seekers. |
| (64345) |
| *2 |
Maria Eagle (Liverpool, Garston): What plans he has to regulate immigration advisers. |
| (64346) |
| *3 |
Mr David Hinchliffe (Wakefield): What proposals he has to consult with ministerial colleagues in the Department of Health on introducing legislation relating to individuals with personality disorders. |
| (64347) |
| *4 |
Mr Andrew Reed (Loughborough): When he last met representatives from the car industry to discuss measures to reduce car crime. |
| (64348) |
| *5 |
Mr Gareth R. Thomas (Harrow West): Which police authority has the (a) highest and (b) lowest rate of early retirement through sickness. |
| (64349) |
| *6 |
Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South): What recent discussions he has held with his European counterparts on reducing serious international crime. |
| (64350) |
| *7 |
Mr Dale Campbell-Savours (Workington): If he will discuss with the Chief Constable of Manchester the availability of information on the investigation of accusations of rape in the case of Owen Oyston. |
| (64351) |
| *8 |
Mrs Sylvia Heal (Halesowen and Rowley Regis): When he expects to achieve his target of halving the time between an offence being committed and the young offender appearing in court. |
| (64352) |
| *9 |
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): How many deportation orders have been made in the last six months but have not yet been executed. |
| (64353) |
| *10 |
Sir Sydney Chapman (Chipping Barnet): What measures he is taking to deal with the recent inflow of asylum seekers into the UK; and if he will make a statement. |
| (64354) |
| *11 |
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham): What plans he has to implement the recommendations of the Independent Commission on the Voting System. |
| (64355) |
| *12 |
Mr Chris Mullin (Sunderland South): What plans he has to expand provision for diverting vulnerable youths away from criminal activity; and if he will make a statement. |
| (64356) |
| *13 |
Mr Tony McNulty (Harrow East): Which police authority had (a) the highest and (b) the lowest level of absence through sickness in the last year for which figures are available. |
| (64358) |
| *14 |
Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): When he expects to end the practice of holding 15 and 16 year olds in adult prisons. |
| (64359) |
| *15 |
Mr Harry Barnes (North East Derbyshire): What proposals he has to improve electoral registration levels among homeless people; and if he will make a statement. |
| (64361) |
| *16 |
Mr Michael Jack (Fylde): How many police forces received a per capita settlement for 1999-2000 larger than that for Lancashire. |
| (64365) |
| *17 |
Mr Andrew Miller (Ellesmere Port and Neston): When he intends to introduce plans to regulate immigration advisers and solicitors. |
| (64366) |
| *18 |
Dr George Turner (North West Norfolk): What measures he will introduce to protect witnesses and victims from being intimidated against giving evidence. |
| (64367) |
| *19 |
Mr Robin Corbett (Birmingham, Erdington): What progress he is making in achieving his target of halving the time between young offenders committing an offence and appearing in court. |
| (64368) |
| *20 |
Mrs Helen Brinton (Peterborough): If he will make a statement about the future of the Probation Service. |
| (64369) |
| *21 |
Mr Edward Garnier (Harborough): When he last had discussions with the Lord Chancellor and the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department, about the consequences of the Access to Justice Bill [Lords] for the Home Office's criminal justice policy. |
| (64370) |
| *22 |
Sir Teddy Taylor (Rochford and Southend East): What recent discussions he has had with representatives of the administrators in the Channel Islands about their constitutional position. |
| (64371) |
| *23 |
Mr Alan W. Williams (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): If he will make a statement on work planned by his Department to encourage higher voter participation in the (a) local and (b) European elections this year. |
| (64372) |
| *24 |
Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North): What evidence he has received of poor professional standards among certain immigration advisers and solicitors. |
| (64373) |
| *25 |
Mr John Smith (Vale of Glamorgan): What progress he is making in tackling youth crime; and if he will make a statement. |
| (64374) |
| *26 |
Mr Peter Bradley (The Wrekin): What assessment he has made of the pilot tagging schemes. |
| (64375) |
| *27 |
Mr John Healey (Wentworth): If he will make a statement on the efficiency with which compensatory payments on now-illegal firearms are being made. |
| (64376) |
| *28 |
Mr Peter L. Pike (Burnley): What recent representations he has received regarding Sunday dancing. |
| (64377) |
| *29 |
Mr Martin Salter (Reading West): How he plans to reduce the proportion of early retirements from the police. |
| (64378) |
| *30 |
Mr Matthew Taylor (Truro and St Austell): If he will make a statement on the proposed merger of the probation services for Cornwall and Devon. |
| (64379) |
| *31 |
Mr Ben Chapman (Wirral South): Which police authority had (a) the highest and (b) the lowest rate of early retirement through sickness in the last year for which figures are available. |
| (64380) |
| *32 |
Siobhain McDonagh (Mitcham and Morden): When he last met local authority representatives to discuss initiatives to reduce offending rates in areas of high crime. |
| (64381) |
| *33 |
Mrs Joan Humble (Blackpool North and Fleetwood): What representations he has received concerning links between under-age drinking and anti-social behaviour in town centres. |
| (64382) |
| *34 |
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): If he will make a statement about the support provided by his Department for victims of crime. |
| (64383) |
| *35 |
Jim Fitzpatrick (Poplar and Canning Town): What evidence he has received of poor professional standards among certain immigration advisers and solicitors. |
| (64384) |
|
| Main Business |
| 3 |
OPPOSITION DAY [3rd allotted day] [Until 10.00 p.m.] |
| | RATIONING IN THE NHS
|
| | Mr William Hague
Mr Peter Lilley
Mr Michael Howard
Miss Ann Widdecombe
Mr Alan Duncan
Mr James Arbuthnot |
| | That this House recognises that rationing has always been a part of how the Health Service manages health care resources; expresses its dismay at the comments of the Right honourable Member for Dulwich and West Norwood denying the obvious fact that rationing exists in the Health Service; expresses grave concern at the proposed changes to be effected by Her Majesty's Government, which through bureaucratic bodies such as a National Institute for Clinical Excellence and a Commission for Health Improvement will force clinicians to carry the burden on rationing decisions; recognises that the availability of modern drugs for conditions such as schizophrenia and MS makes clear the reality of rationing in today's Health Service; recognises the fact that waiting lists are a hidden form of rationing; notes that excessive political concentration upon waiting lists has been largely responsible for the continuing winter crisis in the Health Service, over which Her Majesty's Government appears wholly complacent and unconcerned; and urges Her Majesty's Government to acknowledge the concerns of professional bodies such as the BMA over rationing and embark upon a mature debate on the future of the Health Service.
As Amendments to Mr William Hague's proposed Motion (Rationing in the NHS): |
| | The Prime Minister
Mr Secretary Prescott
Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer
Mr Secretary Cook
Mr Secretary Straw
Mr Secretary Dobson |
| | Line 1 , leave out from `House' to end and add `reaffirms the historic principles of the NHS, that if people are ill or injured there will be a national health service there to help, and access to it will be based on need and need alone, not on ability to pay or who their general practitioner happens to be or on where they live; welcomes the measures the Government has taken, is taking and will take that will ensure that comparable, top quality treatment and care are available in every part of the country through the introduction of new arrangements for spreading best practice, including the ending of the Conservative competition of the internal market, the introduction of local Health Improvement Programmes and Primary Care Groups to put local doctors, nurses and other health professionals in the driving seat in shaping local health care, the introduction of a new Commission for Health Improvement and National Institute for Clinical Excellence, and the creation of new legal duties of partnership and quality to ensure that all parts of the NHS and social services work together to deliver top quality services to all; welcomes the record £21 billion investment to be made in the NHS, including £18 billion for the NHS in England, over the next three years, notes the record 150,000 fall in NHS waiting lists since April 1998 and the 17 per cent increase in the number of new nurse trainees in the period since Labour came to power; and further welcomes the measures that the Government intends to take over the coming year to continue to build a modern and dependable NHS, including the extension of NHS Direct to cover 19 million people, the creation of 26 Health Action Zones covering 13 million people to target areas with particularly high levels of ill health--including cancer and heart disease--and reduce health inequalities, and the targeted investment of £30 million to modernise accident and emergency departments.'. |
| | Mr Paddy Ashdown
Mr A. J. Beith
Mr Simon Hughes
Dr Evan Harris
Dr Peter Brand
Mr Paul Tyler |
| | Line 2 leave out from `resources' to end and add `although this was not recognised by the previous Government; expresses its dismay at the comments of the Right honourable Member for Dulwich and West Norwood in response to questions from the honourable Members for North Southwark and Bermondsey and Oxford West and Abingdon which denied the obvious fact that rationing exists in the NHS; notes that the proposed changes to be effected by Her Majesty's Government do not address the real issues of matching service provision to health need and continue to force clinicians to carry the burden on rationing decisions instead of transferring this responsibility to government; recognises that the varying availability of modern drugs for conditions such as schizophrenia, ovarian cancer, high cholesterol, motor neurone disease and MS makes all too clear the reality of rationing in today's health service; recognises the fact that long waiting times are a form of rationing; notes that excessive political concentration on reducing numbers on waiting lists has caused a distortion of clinical priorities and therefore contributed to this winter's crisis in the health service, and urges Her Majesty's Government to acknowledge the concerns about rationing expressed by bodies such as the BMA, the King's Fund, and the Patients Association, and to embark on a mature debate on the future of the health service, on its funding and on how provision can match health need.'. |
| | PENSIONERS AND DIVIDEND TAX CREDITS
|
| | Mr William Hague
Mr Peter Lilley
Mr David Heathcoat-Amory
Mr John Whittingdale
Mr Nick Gibb
Mr James Arbuthnot |
| | That this House notes that from April 1999, 300,000 non-taxpaying pensioners and 330,000 other non-taxpayers will lose an average of £75 each because of the Government's decision to abolish the dividend tax credit; further notes that 80,000 of the pensioners affected will lose over £100 per year; considers that it is unacceptable that basic rate taxpayers and higher rate taxpayers are unaffected directly by this decision which only affects non-taxpayers, half of them poor pensioners, who by definition must be poorer than taxpayers; calls on the Government to act on the promise made to the House of 30th June when the then Paymaster General stated `I am aware of the growing anxiety among poorer non-taxpayers who have been hit by the measure so I know that we need to make our position utterly clear as quickly as possible' (Official Report, 30th June, column 175); calls upon the Government to honour now this pledge by announcing that non-taxpayers will be able to continue to reclaim a 10 per cent. tax credit from April 1999 in the same way as taxpayers who hold PEPs or ISAs will be able to do so; and further notes that this is still a 50 per cent. cut from the current 20 per cent. dividend tax credit.
As an Amendment to Mr William Hague's proposed Motion (Pensioners and Dividend Tax Credits): |
| | The Prime Minister
Mr Secretary Prescott
Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer
Mr Secretary Cook
Mr Secretary Straw
Mr Secretary Blunkett |
| | Line 1 , leave out from `House' to end and add `notes that the fundamental reform of company taxation carried out by the Government has removed major company taxation distortions from the system and put in place a sound base for better quality investment and growth that will lead to greater prosperity for everyone in the UK, including pensioners; that the Government has taken significant steps to help pensioners, including a guaranteed minimum income for the poorest pensioners through an increase in Income Support from this April worth over £236 extra per year for single pensioners and over £377 extra for couples, a minimum guarantee on tax so that pensioners have no income tax to pay unless their income rises above a certain level, £20 of winter fuel payments for every pensioner household, the introduction of free eye tests for pensioners from this April, new travel concessions on public transport and an extra £21 billion invested in the National Health Service; and further notes that this contrasts sharply with the record of the previous Government which introduced VAT on fuel at 8% and tried to increase it to 17.5%, which introduced charges on eye tests for pensioners, which presided over the mis-selling of pensions which severely damaged the financial security of many pensioners, which ran down the National Health Service on which many pensioners rely, and which was responsible for boom and bust economics which eroded the real value of pensioners' savings through inflation exceeding 10%.'.
The selection of the matters to be debated this day has been made by the Leader of the Opposition (Standing Order No. 14(2)). |
| Debate may continue until 10.00 p.m. |
| 4 |
WELSH AFFAIRS COMMITTEE [No debate after 10.00 p.m.] |
| | Mr John McWilliam, on behalf of the Committee of Selection
That Ms Jackie Lawrence be discharged from the Welsh Affairs Committee and Mr Chris Ruane be added to the Committee. |
| If opposed, this item cannot be taken after 10.00 p.m. |
| COMMITTEE MEETINGS |
| STANDING COMMITTEES |
| 1 |
Scottish Grand Committee |
10.30 a.m. |
New Parliament House,
Edinburgh (public) |
| (i) Statement by Lord Macdonald, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at The Scottish Office, on the Scotland Enterprise Strategy (ii) To consider a Substantive Motion for the Adjournment of the Committee on Health in Scotland (iii) Half Hour Adjournment: Maria Fyfe (Deprivation in Glasgow). |
| SELECT COMMITTEES |
| 2 |
Welsh Affairs |
12.30 p.m.
12.45 p.m.
|
Committee Rooms 1 & 2, Civic Centre, Merthyr Tydfil (private)
(public) |
| Subject: Childcare in Wales. |
| Witnesses: Children in Wales and Play Wales; NSPCC and Barnardo's; Mewn Cymru. |
| 3 |
Education and Employment: Education Sub-Committee |
4.30 p.m.
4.45 p.m. |
Room 15 (private)
(public) |
| Subject: The Work of OFSTED. |
| Witnesses: Mrs Brenda Bigland, Head, Lent Rise Combined School, Mr Tom Clark, Principal, George Spencer Technology College, Sir Geoff Hampton, Head, Northicoate School, Mr G. Yates, Crosshall Junior School; Mr Jim Hudson, Head, Two Mile Ash Junior School, and Chair, National Outstanding Primary Schools Initial Teacher Training Consortium and Dr Bill Dennison, Head of Education, University of Newcastle. |
| 4 |
Information |
4.30 p.m. |
Room 13 (private) |
| 5 |
Public Accounts |
4.30 p.m. |
Room 16 (public) |
| Subject: Grants to Voluntary Bodies. |
| Witness: Sir Richard Mottram, KCB, Permanent Secretary, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. |
| 6 |
Modernisation of the House of Commons |
6.00 p.m. |
Room 21 (private) |
| [The decision of a Committee to sit in public may be rescinded without notice.] |
|
