+ indicates Government business.
Timings are indicative only.
| Oral Questions to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |
| *1 |
Barbara Follett (Stevenage): What support he is giving to farm business diversification projects.
|
|
|
(
146775
) |
| *2 |
Mrs Diana Organ (Forest of Dean): What the Government`s budget is for research and development into organic farming; and what it was in 1997.
|
|
|
(
146777
) |
| *3 |
Joan Ruddock (Lewisham, Deptford): What plans he has to increase the area of farmed land subject to Countyside Stewardship agreements.
|
|
|
(
146778
) |
| *4 |
Mr Eric Martlew (Carlisle): What steps he is taking to improve co-operation in the dairy supply chain.
|
|
|
(
146779
) |
| *5 |
Mr Ronnie Campbell (Blyth Valley): What his priorities are for the 2002 review of the Common Fisheries Policy.
|
|
|
(
146780
) |
| *6 |
Mr Phil Sawford (Kettering): What recent discussions he has had with poultry producers concerning trade liberalisation.
|
|
|
(
146781
) |
| *7 |
Mrs Anne Campbell (Cambridge): What recent representations he has received concerning the impact of agricultural trade liberalisation on farm animal welfare.
|
|
|
(
146782
) |
| *8 |
Sir Robert Smith (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine): When he intends to reach a decision on the payment of agrimonetary compensation to British farmers.
|
|
|
(
146783
) |
| *9 |
Mr Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire): What assessment he has made of the impact of a ban on hunting with dogs on arrangements for the disposal of fallen stock.
|
|
|
(
146784
) |
| *10 |
Mr Tony Baldry (Banbury): What meetings he has held with livestock farmers' representatives in the last month.
|
|
|
(
146785
) |
| *11 |
Mr Peter Bradley (The Wrekin): What assessment he has made of the implications of the Everything But Arms initiative for British sugar producers and processors.
|
|
|
(
146786
) |
| *12 |
Mr Andrew George (St Ives): What discussions he has had with United Kingdom fishing industry representatives on the level of fish stocks.
|
|
|
(
146787
) |
| *13 |
Mr Ben Chapman (Wirral South): What steps he has taken to ensure that scientific advice to ministers relating to BSE is placed in the public domain.
|
|
|
(
146788
) |
| *14 |
Mr Harold Best (Leeds North West): What discussions he has had with his counterparts in Central and Eastern Europe concerning the effect of enlargement of the European Union on agriculture in the United Kingdom.
|
|
|
(
146789
) |
| *15 |
Mr Stephen McCabe (Birmingham, Hall Green): What the priorities are of his Department's programme of research and development for animal welfare.
|
|
|
(
146790
) |
| *16 |
Mr Geraint Davies (Croydon Central): What steps he has taken to promote openness and transparency in his Ministry's scientific advisory committees.
|
|
|
(
146791
) |
| *17 |
Mr Gareth R. Thomas (Harrow West): How many farmers participate in farm woodland schemes.
|
|
|
(
146793
) |
| *18 |
Mr Bill Rammell (Harlow): What steps he is taking to improve co-operation in the agri-food chain.
|
|
|
(
146794
) |
| *19 |
Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): What steps he is taking to help farm businesses seeking to diversify.
|
|
|
(
146795
) |
| *20 |
Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): What discussions he had with British Creameries before it went into receivership concerning the state of the milk and cheese market.
|
|
|
(
146796
) |
| *21 |
Mr Hilary Benn (Leeds Central): What representations he has received concerning animal welfare in advance of the next round of World Trade Organisation negotiations.
|
|
|
(
146797
) |
| *22 |
Mr Kerry Pollard (St. Albans): What steps he has taken to reduce the level of regulation on the horticulture sector.
|
|
|
(
146798
) |
| *23 |
Mr Michael Jack (Fylde): What discussions he has had with (a) the Department of Trade and Industry, (b) supermarkets and (c) growers on proposed codes of practice defining their respective relationships.
|
|
|
(
146799
) |
| *24 |
Mr Andrew Robathan (Blaby): When he will visit farmers in Blaby to discuss farm incomes.
|
|
|
(
146800
) |
| *25 |
Mr David Kidney (Stafford): What assessment he has made of the future viability of local authorities' tenanted farms.
|
|
|
(
146801
) |
| *26 |
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North): What contingency plans he has made in the event of research showing the BSE causative agent crosses further species barriers.
|
|
|
(
146802
) |
| *27 |
Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): What proportion of eggs are produced by free range hens; and what steps the Government is taking to promote higher welfare standards for chickens kept to produce eggs.
|
|
|
(
146803
) |
| *28 |
David Taylor (North West Leicestershire): What progress reports he has recently received in relation to the selective culling programme for badgers.
|
|
|
(
146804
) |
Main Business |
| 1 | OPPOSITION DAY [3rd allotted day] [Until 7.00 p.m.]
|
| | GOVERNMENT'S ASYLUM SYSTEM
|
| Mr William Hague
Miss Ann Widdecombe
Mr David Lidington
Mr Oliver Heald
Mr Patrick McLoughlin
Mr James Arbuthnot
|
| That this House condemns the Government's failure to deal with the total chaos in the asylum system, which is detrimental to the interests of genuine refugees and the people of the United Kingdom; notes the failure of the Government's measures introduced under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; further notes that the number of asylum applications made in 2000 reached the record level of 76,040, and that the proportion of unfounded claims increased to 78 per cent of all applications; notes with concern the continuing backlog of asylum applications and undetermined applications for British citizenship; and calls on the Government to take action to put in place measures which would both deter unwarranted claims and assist genuine refugees.
|
| As Amendments to Mr William Hague's proposed Motion (Government's Asylum System):
|
| The Prime Minister
Mr Secretary Prescott
Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer
Mr Secretary Cook
Mr Secretary Straw
Mr David Lock
|
| Line 1, leave out from `House' to end and add `reaffirms the obligations of the United Kingdom under the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees to provide asylum for those fleeing from a well-founded fear of persecution; approves the Government's strategy for reform of the asylum system and welcomes the practical improvements which have already been delivered, including substantial additional investment to provide the Immigration and Nationality Directorate with the staff and other resources essential to operate an efficient and humane asylum system; congratulates the Immigration and Nationality Directorate staff on their recent achievements including taking 110,000 initial asylum decisions in 2000; welcomes the effect which the provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and other measures have had in reducing unfounded asylum claims; welcomes the successful introduction of a coherent, national system of support for asylum seekers to replace the chaotic arrangements created by the previous Government which imposed an intolerable burden on local authorities in London and the South-East; notes that the civil penalty, a measure which was opposed by the Official Opposition, has successfully encouraged hauliers and ferry operators to introduce additional security measures to tackle clandestine and illegal entry to the United Kingdom; welcomes the Government's expansion of detention capacity to support substantial increases in the number of asylum seekers with unfounded claims who are removed from the UK; and supports the Government's commitment to working closely with other countries to deal more effectively with asylum pressures affecting the whole of Europe.'.
|
| Mr Charles Kennedy
Mr A. J. Beith
Mr Simon Hughes
Jackie Ballard
Mr John Burnett
Mr Paul Tyler
|
| Line 1, leave out from `House' to end and add `notes that there are an estimated 30 million displaced people worldwide and that EU countries together take only an estimated 4 per cent. of the world's refugees; notes that while the UK received over 70,000 applications for asylum last year there were at least nine other European countries with more applications per head of population; reaffirms, in its 50th anniversary year, the United Kingdom's commitment to the principles of the UN Convention on Refugees; urgently calls for the establishment nationally and internationally of legal methods of claiming asylum; regrets the slow progress in improving the failing and discredited asylum system from the previous government; believes that investment in speedy and good quality decision making is the key to a credible system in the interests of applicants and taxpayers alike; regrets the introduction of asylum vouchers and calls for their abolition; believes the asylum dispersal system needs urgent review; agrees with the Home Affairs Select Committee that there must be a way of monitoring the departure of failed asylum applicants or people staying here illegally so that removal can be improved; believes that the UK must work more effectively with EU and other international partners to tackle trafficking in people and to ensure responsibilities for offering asylum are fairly shared; and believes that politicians and other public figures have a responsibility to ensure that these issues are debated in a responsible manner and in ways which do not undermine good race relations in this country.'.
|
| | CRISIS IN AGRICULTURE
|
| Mr William Hague
Mr Tim Yeo
Mr James Paice [R]
Mr Malcolm Moss
Mr Patrick McLoughlin
Mr James Arbuthnot
|
| That this House expresses its profound concern about the crisis in British agriculture, demonstrated by the collapse in farm incomes and loss of jobs; notes that, since the launch of the Government's Action Plan for Farming, incomes have continued to fall and many of the promises remain unfulfilled; condemns the Government for its failure to address this crisis and for its damaging policies which have made matters even worse; and calls on the Government to end the competitive disadvantage suffered by British farmers as a result of red tape, gold-plating and over-regulation, to introduce honesty in food-labelling and to restrict the flow of sub-standard food imports.
|
| As Amendments to Mr William Hague's proposed Motion (Crisis in Agriculture):
|
| The Prime Minister
Mr Secretary Prescott
Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer
Marjorie Mowlam
Mr Secretary Byers
Mr Secretary Milburn
|
| Mr Nicholas Brown
|
| Line 1, leave out from `House' to end and add `recognises the continuing difficulties faced by the agriculture sector as a result of the low level of farm incomes; endorses the Government's long term vision for agriculture as sustainable, competitive and diverse, environmentally responsible, and an integral part of vibrant rural economies; recognises the important role of the new Rural Development Programmes in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in delivering this vision; welcomes the measures in the Action Plan for Farming and the Rural White Paper to give immediate financial relief to the hardest-hit sectors and to reduce the burden of regulation on farming; supports the Government's constructive engagement in Europe to reform further the Common Agricultural Policy; notes that the Conservative party's policies of banning foreign imports and taking unilateral action in areas of European Union competence are illegal and would lead to heavy penalties being levied on UK taxpayers as well as retaliatory action against UK exporters; notes that the Conservative Party have not indicated how much of the #16 billion they propose in public expenditure cuts would fall on British farmers; and calls on the Conservative Party instead to come forward with practical and constructive policies to help farmers through very difficult times.'.
|
| Mr Charles Kennedy
Mr A. J. Beith
Mr Colin Breed
Mr David Heath
Mr Richard Livsey
Mr Paul Tyler
|
| Line 2, leave out from `jobs' to end and add `notes that this decline has largely resulted from the failed policies of successive governments and in particular the catastrophic effects of the handling of the BSE crisis by the Conservatives when in office; further notes that, since the launch of the Government's Action Plan for Farming, incomes have continued to fall and many of the promises remain unfulfilled; condemns the Government for its failure to address this crisis and for its damaging policies which have made matters even worse; and calls on the Government to end the competitive disadvantage suffered by British farmers as a result of red tape, gold-plating and over-regulation, to introduce honesty in food labelling and to restrict the flow of sub-standard food imports.'.
|
| 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 7.00 p.m.
|
| + 2 | REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE [No debate]
|
| Mr Secretary Straw
|
| That the draft Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001, which were laid before this House on 17th January, be approved.
|
| To be decided without debate (Standing Order No. 118(6)).
|
| + 3 | REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE [No debate]
|
| Mrs Secretary Liddell
|
| That the draft Representation of the People (Scotland) Regulations 2001, which were laid before this House on 18th January, be approved.
|
| To be decided without debate (Standing Order No. 118(6)).
|
| + 4 | COMPANIES [No debate]
|
| Mr Secretary Byers
|
| That the draft Companies (EU Political Expenditure) Exemption Order 2001, which was laid before this House on 17th January, be approved.
|
| To be decided without debate (Standing Order No. 118(6)).
|
| + 5 | EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT [No debate]
|
| Mr Keith Vaz
|
| That this House takes note of European Union Document Nos. 9712/00, relating to the proposed Statute for Members of the European Parliament, and 9560/00, relating to the audit of the expenditure of the European Parliament's political groups; supports the Government's efforts to secure agreement on a Statute for Members of the European Parliament; and notes the Nice European Council's agreement on a legal basis for a Statute to regulate the funding of European political parties, as recommended by the Report of the Court of Auditors.
|
| To be decided without debate (Standing Order No. 119(9)).
|
| + 6 | SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE: Adjourned Debate on Question [31st January]. [No debate after 7.00 p.m.]
|
| Motion made, and Question proposed, That the Select Committee on Science and Technology shall have leave to meet concurrently with any committee of the Lords on science and technology or any sub-committee thereof, for the purpose of deliberating or taking evidence, and to communicate to any such committee its evidence or any other documents relating to matters of common interest— (Paddy Tipping).
|
| If opposed, this item cannot be taken after 7.00 p.m.
|
| + 7 | SELECT COMMITTEES (JOINT MEETINGS) [No debate after 7.00 p.m.]
|
| Margaret Beckett
Paddy Tipping
|
| That, for the current Session of Parliament, Standing Order No. 152 (Select committees related to government departments) be amended as follows:
|
| Line 40, before the word `European' insert the words `Environmental Audit Committee or with the'.
|
| Line 50, before the word `European' insert the words `Environmental Audit Committee or with the'.
|
| Line 52, at the end insert the words:—
|
| `(4A) notwithstanding paragraphs (2) and (4) above, where more than two committees or sub-committees appointed under this order meet concurrently in accordance with paragraph (4)(e) above, the quorum of each such committee or sub-committee shall be two.'
|
| As an Amendment to Margaret Beckett's Motion (Select Committees (Joint Meetings)):
|
| Mr Eric Forth
|
| Line 11, leave out `two' and insert `four'.
|
| If opposed, this item cannot be taken after 7.00 p.m.
|
| + 8 | SITTINGS IN WESTMINSTER HALL: Adjourned Debate on Question [23rd January]. [No debate after 7.00 p.m.]
|
| Motion made, and Question proposed, That, following the Order [20th November 2000], Mr Nicholas Winterton, Mr John McWilliam, Mr Barry Jones and Frank Cook be appointed to act as additional Deputy Speakers at sittings in Westminster Hall during this Session— (Paddy Tipping).
|
| If opposed, this item cannot be taken after 7.00 p.m.
|
| At the end of the sitting:
|
| 9 | ADJOURNMENT
|
| Proposed subject: The Education SSA formula for Worcestershire (Sir Michael Spicer).
|
| Debate may continue until 7.30 p.m. or for half an hour, whichever is later (Standing Order No. 9 and Order of 20th November 2000).
|
COMMITTEE MEETINGS |
|
| 1 | Criminal Justice and Police Bill Programming Sub-Committee (of Standing Committee F) | 11.30 a.m. | Room 13 (private) |
| 2 | Standing Committe A | 9.00 a.m.
2.30 p.m. | Room 10 (public)
(public) |
| Further to consider the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Bill. |
| 3 | Standing Committee B | 10.15 a.m.
2.00 p.m. | Room 14 (public)
(public) |
| Further to consider the Hunting Bill. |
| 4 | Standing Committee D | 9.45 a.m.
2.30 p.m. | Room 11 (public)
(public) |
| Further to consider the Homes Bill. |
| 5 | Standing Committee E | 9.30 a.m.
2.30 p.m. | Room 12 (public)
(public) |
| Further to consider the Health and Social Care Bill. |
| 6 | Fourth Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation | 9.55 a.m. | Room 6 (public) |
| To consider the draft Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2001. |
| 7 | Fifth Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation | 9.55 a.m. | Room 16 (public) |
| To consider the Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments Regulations 2000 (S.I., 2000, No. 3236). |
| 8 | Sixth Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation | 4.30 p.m. | Room 9 (public) |
| To consider the draft Maximum Number of Judges (Northern Ireland) Order 2001. |
|
| 9 | Education and Employment: Education Sub-Committee | 2.15 p.m.
2.30 p.m. | The Wilson Room, Portcullis House (private)
(public) |
| Subject: Higher Education: Student Retention. |
| Witnesses: Rt Hon Baroness Blackstone, Minister for Education and Employment, and Mr Nick Sanders, Director, Higher Education Group, Department for Education and Employment. |
[The decision of a Committee to sit in public may be rescinded without notice.] |
