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Mrs. Beckett: I know that my hon. Friend was one of those who served on the Committee, which did a good deal of careful and thoughtful work. It is a private Bill, and my hon. Friend will understand that it is a matter for the Chairman of Ways and Means when such a Bill comes before the House. I know that the Committee's special report identifies a number of areas of further concern, but I believe that I am right in saying that at least some of them are outside the scope of the current Bill anyway, although it is generally accepted that they provide a useful framework for further discussion about the work of the City. There will be an opportunity to air those matters when the Bill is debated.
Dr. Lewis: May I endorse the remarks of my hon. Friends the Members for New Forest, West (Mr. Swayne)
and for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow)? There are many on the Opposition Benches who appreciate the professional, competent and courteous way in which the right hon. Lady discharges her present duties. We are well aware of the way in which some members of the Labour party go about internal party business, and we sincerely hope that she does not suffer the fate of the right hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark), who was subjected to a similar campaign.
On a lighter note, may we have a debate next week on the application of the Government's third way to the public services? Such a debate could obviously be opened by the Prime Minister and wound up by the Deputy Prime Minister--that is, if the Deputy Prime Minister has not wound up the Prime Minister too much already and if the Prime Minister is not too busy running scarred.
Mrs. Beckett:
You will recall, Mr. Deputy Speaker, that there was a Member of the House who made almost a profession of making the most dreadful puns. I hope that that did not act as a precedent. I am most grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his kind remarks; I am becoming slightly suspicious that they are a special means of trying to persuade me to give time for debates.
The hon. Gentleman proposes a debate on the third way in the public services. I am of course aware of the many press reports about what are supposed to be differences between the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, but all I can say to him is that I should like to use the precise words said by the Prime Minister's official spokesman about the quality of those stories. Although those words would be in keeping with the atmosphere in which we endeavour to conduct our exchanges, were I to use them I fear that I would be not only out of order, but thrown out of the Chamber for using unparliamentary language.
Mr. Nick St. Aubyn (Guildford):
A statutory instrument on ministerial pay is due to be considered in Committee next week. In view of the evident fact that so many of the right hon. Lady's colleagues are not up to their job, would not it be more appropriate for the amount that they are paid to be considered by the whole House?
On behalf of a constituent with a serious immigration problem, I have written three times in three months to the Home Office. In response to all those letters, I received two replies, both of which had the same reference number and the same date. Both were signed by the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, the hon. Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien). One said:
Mrs. Beckett:
First, I entirely reject the hon. Gentleman's suggestion that members of the Government are incompetent. One reason for our election was the visible incompetence of many of those who served in the previous Government.
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is here, and he is prepared to assist the hon. Gentleman if he can, but it may not have occurred to him that it is often the practice
in Ministers' offices to date letters as they are sent out. I may be mistaken about that, but it is entirely possible that those letters were signed on different days and that the same date was put on them when they were put in envelopes.
Mr. Christopher Chope (Christchurch):
May I ask the right hon. Lady what has happened to the electronic commerce Bill? Will she arrange time for a debate about the folly of regional development agency boundaries? They are being used increasingly by all Departments, but are resulting in extraordinary anomalies. For example, the new learning and skills councils will be set up on a sub-regional basis, which will mean that travel-to-work and travel-to-study areas in my constituency will be divided by an artificial regional boundary between the south-east and the south-west which bears no relationship to life on the ground.
Mrs. Beckett:
On the e-commerce Bill, as the hon. Gentleman and the House are aware, discussions have been continuing on the matter and I anticipate that something will come forward in due course.
On boundaries, I think that I am right in saying that those matters have not been finally settled. However, I suspect that the Government would share some of the concern that the hon. Gentleman has expressed if it were not possible to achieve as much alignment as possible between boundaries. If he has not already done so, I suggest that he should take that up as a matter of urgency with the relevant Secretary of State.
Ordered,
"There is no trace of the receipt of an application from Mrs K".
The other said, on the same day:
"Mrs K's application has been passed to a caseworker . . . who will make every effort to consider it as quickly as possible."
In view of the evident incompetence of some of the right hon. Lady's colleagues, may we please have a debate on the matter without delay?
That the following provisions shall apply to the remaining proceedings on the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Bill [Lords]--
1. Proceedings on Consideration and Third Reading shall be taken in the order specified in the Table and completed at today's sitting; and each part of the proceedings shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at the time specified in the second column of the Table.
| Proceedings | Time for conclusion of proceedings |
| New Clauses relating to Part I; amendments relating to Clauses 1 to 13, Schedule 1 and Clauses 14 and 15. | 2½ hours after commencement of proceedings on this Order. |
| Any New Clauses relating to the making of orders under Clause 44(5) which may be selected: amendments relating to Clauses 44 to 48, Schedule 2 and Clauses 49 to 52. | 4 hours after commencement of proceedings on this Order. |
| Remaining New Clauses; amendments relating to Clauses 16 to 43. | 5½ hours after commencement of proceedings on this Order. |
| Amendments to Clauses 53 to 59, Schedule 3 and Clauses 60 to 63; New Schedules; amendments relating to Clauses 64 to 67, Schedules 4 to 7 and Clause 68: Third Reading. | 6 hours after commencement of proceedings on this Order. |
Questions to be put
2.--(1) This paragraph applies for the purpose of bringing any proceedings to a conclusion in accordance with paragraph 1.
(2) The Speaker shall forthwith put the following Questions (but no others)--
(a) any Question already proposed from the Chair;
(b) any Question necessary to bring to a decision a Question so proposed;
(c) the Question on any amendment moved or Motion made by a Minister of the Crown; and
(d) any other Question necessary for the disposal of the business to be concluded.
(3) On a Motion made for a new Clause or a new Schedule, the Speaker shall put only the Question that the Clause or Schedule be added to the Bill.
(4) If two or more Questions would fall to be put under sub-paragraph (2)(c) on amendments moved or Motions made by a Minister of the Crown, the Speaker shall instead put a single Question in relation to those Amendments or Motions.
Miscellaneous
3. Standing Order No. 15(1) (Exempted business) shall apply to proceedings on the Bill at today's sitting: and the proceedings shall not be interrupted under any Standing Order relating to sittings of the House.
4. Standing Order No. 82 (Business Committee) shall not apply to proceedings on the Bill.
5. No Motion shall be made, except by a Minister of the Crown, to alter the order in which any proceedings on the Bill are taken or to recommit the Bill; and if a Minister makes any such Motion, the Question on the Motion shall be put forthwith.
6. No dilatory Motion shall be made in relation to, or in the course of proceedings on, the Bill except by a Minister of the Crown; and if a Minister makes any such Motion, the Question on the Motion shall be put forthwith.
7. The proceedings on any Motion made by a Minister of the Crown for varying or supplementing the provisions of this Order shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion one hour after they have been commenced; and Standing Order No. 15(1) shall apply to those proceedings.
8. If at today's sitting a Motion for the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 24 (as that Standing Order has effect in accordance with the Order of the House [16th December 1998]) stands over to Four o'clock and proceedings on this Motion have begun before that time, the Motion for the Adjournment shall stand over until the conclusion of proceedings on the Bill.
9. If the House is adjourned at today's sitting, or the sitting is suspended, before the conclusion of proceedings on the Bill, no notice shall be required of a Motion made at the next sitting by a Minister of the Crown for varying or supplementing the provisions of this Order.--[Mr. Kevin Hughes.]
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