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Mrs. Beckett: That was a very long question; indeed, it was more of a dissertation, the core of which was the question whether the Government propose to take up the offer made by the new Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. Of course it was sensible for Mrs. Filkin to say that she was prepared to take on the matter, but the hon. Lady may or may not be aware that the Neill committee is looking again at how such issues are handled, reassessing what we have learnt from experience. It is a matter of consideration and judgment. I am not persuaded that it is quite the right way to handle those matters for the parliamentary commissioner to take on that role--[Interruption.] Perhaps the right hon. Member for Bracknell (Mr. MacKay) could stop heckling, as I do not think his wife needs any support from him.
In my view, different issues can arise involving the conduct of Ministers and what happens within Departments that it might not be right for the parliamentary commissioner to explore. It is genuinely a matter that needs to be considered without the need for knee-jerk and immediate results. I have some reservations about whether it is Mrs. Filkin's role, although the matter will be examined.
Rev. Martin Smyth (Belfast, South):
The Leader of the House will be aware that, as a result of the changed timings of Thursday sittings, there will be a motion tonight to change the sitting next week of the Northern Ireland Grand Committee. Could she explore why an understanding that the Northern Ireland Grand Committee would meet at least once or twice in Northern Ireland last year was not kept up--and will not be kept up this year unless there is a change? Is it because 25 Labour Members of Parliament do not want to travel there, or is there some other reason?
Mrs. Beckett:
I was not aware of the concerns that the hon. Gentleman has raised. If there is a feeling that an undertaking that the Grand Committee should meet in different places has not yet been fulfilled, that will be of concern to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. I undertake to draw the matter to her attention, and I will write to the hon. Gentleman.
Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover):
As a follow-up to the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice), may I say that it is not true that the Liberal Democrats agree with the Labour party about all constitutional issues? There are differences between us on devolution, there is a very stark difference about what is to happen in the House of Lords after the first stage, there are without doubt differences on defence and there are certainly differences on foreign policy. Frankly, some of us are fed up to the back teeth with the Liberals wanting to have their cake and to eat it. It is high time that a message was passed to the Prime Minister, or anybody else, that it is time to put a stop to it. I am old enough to remember the Lib-Lab pact leading up to 1978, and it
Mrs. Beckett:
I fear that I might not please you, Madam Speaker, if I were to venture to comment on many of my hon. Friend's points. I accept that there are issues--particularly constitutional issues--on which the Liberal Democrats and ourselves do not see eye to eye. What I intended to say earlier was that, where there was agreement, it was sensible for that to be recognised. However, I fully understand that there are many areas where there is not agreement--including on some of the issues to which my hon. Friend referred.
Dr. Julian Lewis (New Forest, East):
Will the Leader of the House consider arranging for a statement next week by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on the lack of progress towards the introduction of open government legislation and, in particular, whether it is still intended that such legislation should include protection for people who blow the whistle on secret abuses, bearing in mind the very sad case of Mr. Charlie Whelan, who has recently lost his job merely for blowing the whistle on secret abuses by two of the Prime Minister's Cabinet cronies?
Mrs. Beckett:
The Government have every intention of producing for scrutiny our proposals about freedom of information, and we are giving careful consideration to how they can be effective. As for Mr. Charlie Whelan, I thought that the one thing that nobody had ever accused him of was operating in secret.
Mr. John Bercow (Buckingham):
Will the Leader of the House find time for an early statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which would enable him to commit the Government to publishing a White Paper on the implications for our democracy of possible British entry to the European single currency?
In that context, is the right hon. Lady aware of the erroneous claim made last night by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury that the Chancellor's statement to the House on 27 October 1997 had addressed the constitutional issues? Will she confirm that it did nothing of the kind, but simply stated that there were constitutional issues but no constitutional bar? Does she agree that a White Paper dealing with the role of central banks, the power of national Parliaments, the health of our democracy in the future and related issues is the very least that we should guarantee our constituents?
Mrs. Beckett:
The Opposition raise that issue continually, and I see no reason why we should provide time for yet a further debate on it in the near future. I have no doubt that there will be many opportunities for the publication of relevant Government documents at the right stage, and perhaps, in the fulness of time, even a White Paper; but I fear that I cannot promise the hon. Gentleman a White Paper, a debate or anything else next week.
Mr. Christopher Chope (Christchurch):
May I return to the question put by my hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Miss Kirkbride)? Does the Leader of the House recall that, only a few weeks ago, she told the House that we should trust the then Secretary of State for
Mrs. Beckett:
I think that my right hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Mandelson) has eminently justified what I said about his recognising where conflicts of interests arose. He has acknowledged that he made a mistake, and he has paid the price--unlike Ministers in the last Government.
Mr. James Paice (South-East Cambridgeshire):
Last week, the Government published figures showing that the tuberculosis outbreak in our cattle herds is still exploding, and is now doing so at an even faster rate. May we have a debate on that as a matter of urgency, so that the Minister can explain to the House why, just over a year after the Krebs report, only six of Professor Krebs's proposed 30 study areas have been identified, and the study has already been suspended in the case of two of those six because of a lack of resources? That means that the British tuberculosis-free status is now in jeopardy, as are hundreds of farmers' livelihoods--especially given the fact that the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has said repeatedly that this is a crisis second only to the BSE crisis.
Mrs. Beckett:
I fear that I cannot promise a debate in the near future, but I am aware of the concern in the industry. Concern has also been expressed in the Ministry, and I shall draw the hon. Gentleman's comments to the attention of my right hon. Friend the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
Mr. Patrick Nicholls (Teignbridge):
The right hon. Lady was unable to find time for a debate on bank lending practices, but might she find time for a debate on building society lending practices? Would that not give us an opportunity to understand how the right hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Mandelson) was able to sign a Britannia building society application form--happily, I have a copy with me--on which he certified that he had
Mr. Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):
May I draw the right hon. Lady's attention to a matter that should concern the House, but is somewhat reminiscent of a Monty
"not arranged any other loan"
in connection with the property? As we now know, he had arranged a loan from the former Paymaster General. Would not the debate enable us to understand why the right hon. Gentleman was able to do that, given that, if an ordinary member of the public had engaged in such a practice, it would probably have been referred to the police?
"Thank you for your letter of 21 May to Gordon Brown."
Does the right hon. Lady suppose that my correspondence fell into a deed box and was sent off to Guernsey during the period in question? Will she undertake to mount an informal inquiry into what is happening to correspondence in Her Majesty's Treasury? This may well be the record example to date, but it is by no means the only example of delayed correspondence relating to our constituents and to Treasury matters.
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