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Dr. Lewis: I am glad to see that the hon. Gentleman is dissenting. I am put in mind of one memorable Adjournment debate, when he was a Minister responding to a colleague of mine. The debate was about bell ringing. He opened his remarks by saying that that colleague, whose name I will not mention, was the man who had
[Laughter.] It is great when I get a laugh for someone else's joke. If that is not a little bit of jousting, I do not know what is.
My hon. Friend the Member for Gosport (Mr. Viggers) has made the case for saving Haslar hospital a cause célèbre at Westminster. It is synonymous with his name. No one could have fought harder for a constituency cause than he has on that issue, and I wish him every success.
The hon. Member for Braintree (Mr. Hurst) is clearly determined to do the best for his constituency in terms of communications by road and the blight on the lives and homes of his electors that ill advised road planning measures can inflict. He impressed the House with his mastery of detail on the issue. I hope that his campaign likewise meets with success.
My hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth, East, who is retiring, gave strong evidence of his commitment to human rights in the Soviet Union and eastern Europe. It was a fascinating insight for me, because the work for bodies such as the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and other transnational assemblies on which he has been our representative are not always sufficiently represented in the House. I was glad that he had not had the wool pulled over his eyes as to the state of affairs in Russia today, although naturally, like him, I welcome all steps in a democratic direction in that much benighted country.
The hon. Member for Milton Keynes, South-West (Dr. Starkey) managed to do something that is extremely clever for any politician, and that is to combine their political causes with the cause of benefiting, backing up and supporting anything to do with football. I have found from my experience that I can struggle with what I regard as the most important political cause going, but it will never be reported half as much as when I say a single word about safe standing in football stadiums. Then I can be assured of blanket coverage.
My hon. Friend the Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Mrs. Browning) spoke with great feeling and affection for the countryside and made it clear that people in the countryside hate to be considered second-class citizens. The hon. Member for South Swindon (Ms Drown) spoke about her work on hospital provision and antisocial behaviour. I was a little surprised, however, that she did not refer to her work on international development and some of the causes that she has supported in other parts of the world for the
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underprivileged and downtrodden. Over the years she has been here, I have noted her great interest in and effective spokesmanship on behalf of those causes. I for one, if I am fortunate enough to be back here after the election, will miss what she has to say on those subjects in particular.
My hon. Friend the Member for North-East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt) spoke about the problems of the rail link from St. Pancras and the heavy-handed Government pressure on his local authority. The hon. Member for Weaver Vale (Mr. Hall) expressed grave concern about public health in his constituency, telecommunication masts and ghastly wind farms, a subject on which I share his doubts.
The hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Allan) paid tribute to his predecessor, Irvine Patnick. I am sure that his successor, Dr. Spencer Pitfield, the Conservative candidate, will earn equal plaudits. The hon. Member for Hornchurch (John Cryer) made a typically principled speech on Europe and on postal ballot corruption. He often says things with which I entirely agree—that will probably not do his electoral prospects any good—and today was no exception.
My hon. Friend the Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) is a cheery soul, but cheeriness can be carried too far when wishing one's opponents the best of luck in an election campaign.
I should like to have said a little more about the contributions of the hon. Members for Finchley and Golders Green (Dr. Vis) and for Reading, East (Jane Griffiths), and of my hon. Friend the Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess), but my time is up.
As this is such a friendly and jolly debate, I shall conclude with a word of kindness even for the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who is quoted in today's papers as being worried about the contribution that Lynton Crosby, an Australian, is making to the Conservative election campaign. I assure him that we deliberately have an Australian making such an important contribution, because at the general election the Conservatives intend to turn the results of the last general election completely upside down.
5.46 pm
The Deputy Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Phil Woolas): The hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) should keep digging, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
It is a pleasure to wind up the Easter recess Adjournment debate and to thank the hon. Member for New Forest, East for his kind remarks about Members who are retiring from this House; I echo those sentiments. On a second note of consensus, I strongly agree with his point that this debate, above all others, shows the value of our single-Member constituency system.
I shall try to respond to the points made by hon. Members and commit myself to taking up issues to which I am not able to reply directly. My hon. Friend the Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mark Tami) raised the issue of manufacturing in his constituency and the benefits that the Airbus A380 has brought to his constituents. I echo his comments; I am aware that he is a champion of manufacturing industry and of that project in particular.
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As usual, the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East (Sir Teddy Taylor) made a strong and feisty speech. It is a great sadness that he will not be able to join us for future Adjournment debates, but I wish him every good fortune for the future. He made three points: something should be done; something should be done; and "We're doomed!" He said that devolution to Scotland and Wales was regrettable. I should point out, to make a partisan point, that the hon. Member for Leominster (Mr. Wiggin), the shadow Welsh Secretary, is in favour of abolishing the Welsh Assembly, yet Mr. Nick Bourne, the Conservative leader on the Welsh Assembly wants—surprise, surprise—to increase its powers. The hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East needs to square that circle. Nevertheless, we will miss him and his speeches, particularly his campaigning against the European Union.
Similarly, we will miss my hon. Friend the Member for North-East Derbyshire (Mr. Barnes). I echo the serious remarks that he made. To use what is perhaps his last speech in the House of Commons to give comfort to a family is very honourable, and I will ensure that my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House writes to him about the case of Christopher Butcher.
The hon. Member for North Cornwall (Mr. Tyler) also raised a constituency issue. I undertake to write to the Secretary of State for Defence to ask for the completion of the process that he asked for. The hon. Gentleman is a member of the Parliament First group, and he is a parliamentarian who does put Parliament first. He understands the difficulties that Governments of all political colours have in reconciling differences between Parliament and the Executive, and has been a great advocate of the modernisation of Parliament, but in a cautious way. I hope that some of his campaigns will come to fruition in the years to come; I am sure that they will.
My hon. Friend the Member for West Ham (Mr. Banks) made a typically forthright, robust and humorous speech. He had gone to the trouble of calculating how many times he had intervened in the House and noted that he had tabled 7,514 written questions and 720 oral questions. He forgot to point out that he was a Minister for part of that period, and a very successful Sports Minister at that. Most of us had forebodings that a Chelsea fan would not know anything about sport, but he has a lot to look forward to in his retirement, if indeed that is what it is. I suspect that it will not be a retirement, but he will have more opportunities to watch his beloved football team. We all wish him the best.
The hon. Member for Gosport (Mr. Viggers) again mentioned the Royal Hospital Haslar. It may help him if I inform the House that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health is currently considering the letter from Hampshire county council health review committee requesting that the primary care trust decision on service changes in Fareham and Gosport be referred to the independent reconfiguration panel. My right hon. Friend will announce his decision in due course, and I pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman for raising the matter on behalf of his constituents.
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As he always does in such debates, my hon. Friend the Member for Braintree (Mr. Hurst) painted a picture of his constituency to make the House familiar with the issues in it. He raised the problems of the consultation—or the lack of meaningful consultation as he and his constituents see it—on the development of the A120 and one roundabout in particular. I am informed that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport is awaiting the outcome of the consultation, but I will ensure that my hon. Friend's point about its inadequacy is passed on.
I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Atkinson) for his work in the House, particularly on the international stage and in the process of bringing democracy to the eastern European countries. Our abhorrence of the Berlin wall and everything that it stood for is one thing that unites us in this House, and I remember as a young student being aware of his work, many years before I was elected. I pay tribute to him for that. I can give him the assurance that he asks for, and I will bring his comments to the attention of the Foreign Secretary.
As has already been said, my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes, South-West (Dr. Starkey) is a very clever politician, and she raised the important point of her football team—the MK Dons—and the problems that she has experienced with Supporters Direct. She has asked written questions about Supporters Direct, and the Minister for Sport and Tourism will respond to the points that she has raised today.
The hon. Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Mrs. Browning) raised a number of constituency points, as she did in the last recess debate. I say to her in all seriousness that it is regrettable if the impression is given that the Government see the south-west of England as second class. It is not the intention at all. The policy of devolving transport decisions to regions is intended to help them to plan and provide better, and not, as she may have implied, to reduce the funding available. Her point about the A303 is important. It is a cross-party point, and I will bring her views to the attention of the Secretary of State for Transport.
My hon. Friend the Member for South Swindon (Ms Drown) made a strong speech, and I know that she is held in high regard by Members throughout the House for her work for the people of Swindon, and South Swindon in particular. She will find that her legacy will be as a moderniser not just in this place. It is no surprise that she was an accountant in the national health service—she was, of course, one of the so-called bureaucrats that the Conservatives would abolish if they had their way. However, I suspect that she has probably saved the NHS more money in her professional work by pointing out how efficiencies could be made, thereby releasing money for patient care, than the rest of us put together. She brought her eye for figures to the debate and pointed out that collectively we have wasted at least 70 years in the Division Lobbies. I am sure that hon. Members will continue her campaign for modernisation.
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My hon. Friend the Member for South Swindon also raised concerns about cutbacks in advice services, family centres and other services in Swindon. She will see her legacy when she travels round her constituency and sees the new hospitals, schools and developments that were made possible because of her election and the changes that were brought about. I wish her all the best for the future.
The hon. Member for North-East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt) raised some important constituency points about St. Pancras and Thameslink. He made some political points about the choices that the Government could make. It is not the intention of the Government's policy, of course, to hinder in any way the good people of Swineshead or the multiple sclerosis centre, which was a matter raised in business questions. He asked us to make a choice: he has a point on the first two, and I will raise those points with the Ministers concerned.
My hon. Friend the Member for Weaver Vale (Mr. Hall) used the Adjournment debate to raise important constituency matters, such as the Thundersprint event on 8 May, at which I hope to join him. He raised important points about the Telecommunications Act 1984, wind farms, teaching assistants, pay cuts from the county council, and his campaign for the new crossing of the Mersey. I can inform him that the relevant Department is now considering the revised appraisal and bid, and an announcement will be made in due course.
The hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Allan) made important points about the scrutiny of European issues, many of which are contained in a Select Committee report published this week, and raised again his concerns abut the future of the republic of Colombia. I can inform him that the Under-Secretary responsible has written to all Members this week about Government action over Colombia, partly in response to his and others' campaign. He is also a valuable member of the Speaker's advisory panel, and his work on that on behalf of all of us should be noted. I thank him for that, and wish him all the best for the future.
My hon. Friend the Member for Hornchurch (John Cryer) made a typically articulate common-sense case on behalf of his constituents. A number of hon. Gentlemen have raised the issue of the c2c line. I know that there have been improvements, but there is still
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some way to go, as the old adverts used to say. He raised his important concerns about postal voting, of which I know that the Deputy Prime Minister is aware.
The hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink)—the "shadow Minister for Adjournment debates"—managed to score highly by mentioning a number of constituency issues. I hope that he makes it to the Benfleet club this evening. I will take up his specific point on the hospice—his request for an increase of the 1.8 per cent. for the Littlehaven hospice to the average of 5 per cent. from his primary care trust. I could, of course, point out the increases in funding that the Government have provided for hospices, and I have just done so. [Laughter.]
My hon. Friend the Member for Finchley and Golders Green (Dr. Vis) moved off the issue of Cyprus, on which he has spoken with great authority and passion for many years, and took us towards the policy on Iran. I think that he is aware of the policy towards the People's Mujaheddin, but I will make sure that my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is aware of his comments, and I thank him for the intelligence and insights that he has brought to the debate.
The hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) made a number of constituency points, some very powerfully, particularly in relation to his fears about drink-driving incidents. We all share his outrage in that regard. I wish that my team, Oldham Athletic, were joining his in the final, but unfortunately we were beaten by Wrexham in the semi-final. I suppose, therefore, that I will support Southend. I wish him good luck.
My hon. Friend the Member for Reading, East (Jane Griffiths) made a speech about Crossrail. I congratulate her on her campaigning on that issue, and take her point about where the end of the line should come. I know that the Secretary of State is aware of those points, and perhaps I shall pass over the other points that she made about local issues, as that is not territory into which I should tread. I wish her all the best for the future, however.
May I take this opportunity, Mr. Deputy Speaker, of wishing you in particular, and all right hon. and hon. Members, a very happy Easter? I look forward to a vigorous new beginning of the Session, after the recess, on 4 April.
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