| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Mr. Paul Tyler (North Cornwall): First, when does the Leader of the House expect the Government to make proposals for the implementation of the recommendations of the Neill committee on the funding of political parties? What arrangements will be made for the House to be kept informed and to have an opportunity to debate those proposals?
Secondly, will the right hon. Lady arrange for the Foreign Secretary to make a statement next week on the serious breakdown of confidence between the European Parliament and the European Commission, which touches the interests of the country and the House? She will have noted that the Liberal Democrat Members of the European Parliament and their group are the only people to resist the Commission's attempts to blackmail the Parliament into submission and that the Socialist and Conservative groups are now split and have been bought off.
Mr. Iain Duncan Smith (Chingford and Woodford Green):
The Liberal Democrat group is not big enough to split.
Mr. Tyler:
It is bigger than the hon. Gentleman perhaps realises. Can we have an urgent statement that includes Government proposals for improving accountability in the European Union?
Thirdly, the Leader of the House may recollect that in July I asked her predecessor about proposals to charge our constituents and others who visit the House during the summer recess. I raised that issue again in a debate on 16 December, and there is now early-day motion 145.
[That this House is opposed to the introduction of charges for the admission of visitors to the Palace of Westminster.]
I understand that the other place has decided that it would be inappropriate to restrict by the considerable charge of £6 or £7 our constituents' access to Parliament. Will the Leader of the House urgently consider the issue and give the House an opportunity to debate it before any decision is made?
Mrs. Beckett:
I am not in a position to tell the hon. Gentleman how speedily the matters on the Neill report will proceed. I shall find out whether it is possible to tell him and, if necessary, write to him and copy my reply to other hon. Members.
The hon. Gentleman referred to events in the European Parliament. He made a passing comment of enlightenment to a Conservative Member, and he is correct to say that the European Parliament group to which the Liberal Democrats belong is large. However, I utterly reject, as most other hon. Members will, his suggestion that only the Liberal Democrat MEPs and their group are concerned about the management of affairs in Europe or about fraud. The Christian Democrat group and the Socialist group have made it plain that there is a need for strong measures to improve the financial management of resources in the European Union, which, along with the need for close scrutiny, I understand to be the burden of the resolution that has been carried.
With regard to the hon. Gentleman's remarks about the significance of the Liberal Democrats' group being the only one to vote, I presume, for the dismissal of the Commission, that suggests that it is the only group in the European Parliament irresponsible enough to have done so. He ought to bear that in mind.
I cannot read my notes. The hon. Gentleman referred to Government accountability on another issue. Will he refresh my memory as to what it was?
Mrs. Beckett:
Fine. That is a genuinely difficult issue because every hon. Member would be concerned at the notion that access to the House would not be free to our constituents. However, the request that was made and is being considered by the relevant House Committees--it has not yet reached the House of Commons Commission--related to the building being open during the recess when it is anticipated that large groups may wish to tour. Obviously, this brings costs to both Houses, and I think that the Accommodation and Works Committee was striving to balance the costs incurred in
Mr. David Winnick (Walsall, North):
I am wholly opposed to charges in any circumstances.
Is my right hon. Friend aware of the deep concern about the fact that while we are waiting for the outcome of the inquiry into the circumstances of Stephen Lawrence's death and what occurred afterwards, the one police officer who was to have faced disciplinary charges is taking early retirement? Does she not think that we should have a statement? Is my right hon. Friend further aware of the deep distress felt first and foremost by Stephen Lawrence's parents and of the general feeling that the police officers who acted wholly inappropriately are escaping any form of disciplinary hearing? What has happened in this case--the previous Government refused to take any action, but the present Home Secretary of course set up the inquiry in this Parliament--remains a cause of great and continuing concern.
Mrs. Beckett:
First, I thank my hon. Friend for reinforcing so promptly my remarks to the effect that there is clearly concern among all parties about charging for entry to Parliament.
Secondly, of course, the whole House understands and sympathises with the sense of frustration felt by the Lawrence family about the long-term effects of the way in which the tragic attack on Stephen Lawrence was handled. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will be considering the matter in the light of Sir William Macpherson's report. I know that my hon. Friend will be looking for opportunities to raise this matter in a variety of ways and at some length, and Home Office questions are to be held on Monday.
Mr. Peter Brooke (Cities of London and Westminster):
When the Leader of the House constructively answered my question on 3 December about the procedural consequences of devolution, she made no reference to her own memorandum dated 24 November. Although the Government have now postponed the first operational date for the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1 February to 11 March, time remains extremely short. Will she confirm that the memorandum went to the Procedure Committee in late November and was not delayed until the middle of December, which is when it first became known to the House at large?
Mrs. Beckett:
Frankly, I have to tell the right hon. Gentleman that I cannot quite remember when the memorandum went to the Procedure Committee, but it was certainly some time ago. I did not refer to it when he raised the matter with me because it was in the hands of the Committee; and I understand that it has now been put more fully into the public domain. I am sorry, as I know the Committee will be, if the right hon. Gentleman feels that it has held things up. I cannot quite remember when
Mr. Eric Illsley (Barnsley, Central):
Will my right hon. Friend arrange an early debate on millennium compliance, as the millennium is now fast approaching and in view of the fears expressed by TaskForce 2000 that some systems will simply not be ready in time? May we have an early debate so that we can identify any problems that remain?
Mrs. Beckett:
I cannot promise my hon. Friend such a debate in the near future. However, it is not only TaskForce 2000 which has been dealing with such matters--it operated under the previous Government--as a range of organisations, including Action 2000, is now doing the same and is continually seeking to ensure that as many people as possible, especially those involved in small and medium-sized businesses, begin to tackle the problem. It would be quite a task to try to identify all the areas that might not be completely ready. I do not think that anyone in any organisation anywhere in the world will be able to say with absolute confidence that he is wholly ready. As this matter is studied more fully and in greater depth, the dimensions of the potential sources of difficulty unwind and the greater the problem seems to be.
It would be for the good of all, nationally and internationally, if everyone in public life raised these matters with their local authority, with small businesses in their constituencies and with all those with whom they come into contact. The first step is to prioritise the action that needs to be taken, to take as much of that action as possible, and for people to make contingency plans for unforeseen developments.
Sir David Madel (South-West Bedfordshire):
As a former Minister in the Department of Education and Science, the right hon. Lady has always taken an interest in the education service. She will know of the excellent work of the Office for Standards in Education in strengthening and supporting the teaching profession. However, Ministers in the Department for Education and Employment seem silent on this matter. Could we have a clear statement next week? Do the Government and the DFEE support Ofsted and the chief inspector in their valuable work?
Mrs. Beckett:
Frankly, I am a little surprised by the hon. Gentleman's question, especially as we have just had education questions. The Government work with Ofsted. We want everything possible to be done to raise standards. That is the task of Ofsted, and in that sense we work well together.
| Next Section
| Index | Home Page |