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Mr. Hain: I understand the points that my hon. Friend makes on behalf of his constituents, and I am well seized of the issue's urgency. It is important the Government get the decision right, rather than rushing it out, although any undue delay would obviously cause anxiety. As I have said, I will certainly speak to the Secretary of State for Defence as quickly as I can, and I am sure that he will understand the urgency as well.
Mr. Nigel Dodds (Belfast, North): I urge the Leader of the House to find time for an early debate in the House on early-day motion 1391, on establishing an older people's rights commissioner.
[That this House believes that the human rights of older people in the United Kingdom are too often overlooked or undervalued; condemns the neglect and financial abuse of vulnerable elderly people revealed by the BBC Television series 'Britain's Secret Shame'; recognises that the majority of such cases result from a lack of understanding rather than deliberate cruelty; welcomes the Help the Aged campaign to tackle such mistreatment of older people; notes the introduction on 17th June of a bill under the 10 minute rule by the honourable Member for North West Leicestershire to establish an Older Person's Rights Commissioner to promote and protect the human rights of older people; urges honourable and Right honourable
Members to endorse this proposal; notes that domestic and European anti-discrimination legislation for goods and services does not make specific provision relating to age; and calls on the Government to correct that position as a matter of urgency as part of a comprehensive effort to end the injustices endured by older people on a regular basis.]Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that there is still a lot of injustice and discrimination against people on the grounds of age, and that it is therefore important that the House consider this matter, establish such an office and end discrimination against older people, not only in employment, but in the provision of goods and services?
Mr. Hain: I will certainly draw the hon. Gentleman's interesting idea to the attention of the relevant Secretary of State. I am sure that he will know, however, that the Government have a very good record, especially in recent times, of ensuring that age discrimination is elevated right to the top of the agenda, along with other forms of discrimination. Successive Governments have not done that in previous years. That is a good policy, and his proposal certainly deserves scrutiny.
Mr. Clive Betts (Sheffield, Attercliffe): Will the Leader of the House arrange a debate on prescribing anti-TNF drugs for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers? Clinicians in Sheffield tell me that about 140 people could benefit from using those drugs, but that fewer than half of those people will be receiving them by the end of this year. The Government have done a great deal to stop postcode prescribing in the national health service. We do not want it to come in by the back door. All those people who do not get those drugs will suffer further irreversible damage to their health. I hope that we can have a debate on that very important issue.
Mr. Hain: I agree with my hon. Friend that this is a very important issue, and I commend him for his interest and work on the issue, as will lots of our citizens, far too many of whom suffer from that problem. The Adjournment debate on Thursday—the last business of the House before we go into the summer recess—provides an opportunity for those issues to be raised; but in the meantime, I shall draw his concerns to the attention of the Secretary of State for Health.
Mr. Michael Jack (Fylde): In supporting the point made by my right hon. Friend the Member for Haltemprice and Howden (David Davis), may I ask the Leader of the House whether he will also consider—perhaps when the House returns in September—holding an urgent debate on defence procurement and its effect on the aerospace industry in the north-west? There is considerable uncertainty about tranche 2 of the Eurofighter, Typhoon, about the future of the Nimrod MR4A aircraft and, indeed, about the implications of the Hawk order, to which right hon. and hon. Members have already referred. Some 40,000 jobs are dependent on the aerospace industry in the north-west, and a debate on that matter would now be timely.
Mr. Hain: The right hon. Gentleman has spoken to me about those matters in the past, and I understand his important constituency interest, which is shared by the right hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden
(David Davis) and my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Goole (Mr. Cawsey). We would all share their concerns if we were in the same position. Even if I have received no other message in the past half hour or so, they have made it clear that that is something of very great concern, and I shall ensure that their views are transmitted to the appropriate quarters.
Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley): Survival rates for breast cancer are improving. Nevertheless, more than 11,000 women died from breast cancer in 2002. There is evidence of regional disparities and age discrimination. May we please have an early debate on breast cancer services?
Mr. Hain: I will certainly bear in mind my hon. Friend's request because that is an absolutely crucial issue, and she has a very long record of promoting good policy on such issues. Indeed, as she implies, 98.3 per cent. of patients with suspected breast cancer, referred urgently by their GPs, are now seen by specialists within two weeks, and 96.3 per cent. of patients diagnosed with breast cancer now receive treatment within a month. That is a massive improvement and a tribute to the Government's policies, but we must never be complacent on this issue.
Andrew Selous (South-West Bedfordshire): Will the Leader of the House arrange for a statement before the summer recess on this country's ability to control its own borders—something that was promised in the Labour party manifesto, although recent parliamentary answers have revealed that it will not be guaranteed in future?
Mr. Hain: No; I do not know where the hon. Gentleman gets that idea. As far as we are concerned—whether in negotiations on the future of Europe, or in other respects—we are absolutely committed to secure borders and to retaining control over our own borders. Yes, there is a problem with illegal human trafficking; it is a worldwide problem, affecting Europe in particular, and we are suffering from it especially, but we are taking action. The issue is coming increasingly under control, and we will continue to bear down on it to ensure that our borders are indeed secure.
Dr. Alan Whitehead (Southampton, Test): I am grateful to the Leader of the House for the time that he has provided for debates on Europe, but I wonder whether he might find time to debate the resolution of a specific European conundrum: the statement by the right hon. Member for Wells (Mr. Heathcoat-Amory) that, if there were a vote against the proposed European constitution, the state would have to
- "allow the others to go ahead, having negotiated an associate membership of some kind",
Mr. Hain: There is a contradiction, and I will certainly consider the opportunities for arranging such a debate.
Of course my hon. Friend, along with other colleagues, can press for an Adjournment debate or another debate on that matter, but it is very significant that the Leader of the Opposition is still a signed-up member of Conservatives Against a Federal Europe, which advocates withdrawal. Indeed, he is also been a supporter of the Bruges group, which said only a few months ago:
- "It would have been better if we had never joined"
Mr. Paul Goodman (Wycombe): The Leader of the House will be aware that, a fortnight ago during business questions, I asked him whether he could provide an urgent debate on Iraq, having earlier called for an independent inquiry. Given that Whitehall sources are now saying that weapons of mass destruction may never be found, will he provide time for a statement, since some of us are increasingly concerned that we may have been misled into voting for war without good cause and that, whether or not that is so, the Government owe us an explanation on WMD?
Mr. Hain: I realise that that is a convenient parliamentary tactic by the Conservatives, but the hon. Gentleman knows as well as I do that the Prime Minister appeared before the Liaison Committee only a few days ago to answer in detail and to make himself accountable on the specifics of those matters. That is old ground, which has been crawled over ad nauseam. The truth remains that we are confident, as the Prime Minister said, that we will find evidence of weapons of mass destruction. Is the hon. Gentleman suggesting that the intelligence services did not provide accurate evidence? Is he attacking the intelligence services? If so, he should come out and say so.
Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): My right hon. Friend will be aware that the High Hedges (No.2) Bill was recently talked out. The Government are aware of that Bill's importance to alleviating the misery caused to thousands of people throughout the country by high hedges. Indeed, some of my constituents, who are members of Hedgeline, were very pleased to receive a ministerial statement with a commitment that the Government will make every effort to get that Bill on to the statute book. Will my right hon. Friend discuss how that can be achieved with colleagues in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister? After all, it is a very simple Bill; apart from the odd loquacious Member, it has all-party support; and it should not take up too much time with Government support.
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