Commons Journal 266

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[No. 6 Thursday 26 November 2009 ]

The house met at 10.30 am.

PRAYERS.

1 Private Bills: Leeds City Council Bill and Reading Borough Council Bill: Revival Motion (Standing Order 188B relating to Private Business)

Ordered, That the promoters of the Leeds City Council Bill and Reading Borough Council Bill, which were originally introduced in this House in Session 2007-08 on 22 January 2008, should have leave to proceed with the Bills in the current Session according to the provisions of Standing Order 188B (Revival of bills)._(Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.)

2 Sessional Returns

Ordered, That there be laid before this House Returns for Session 2008-09 of information and statistics relating to_

(1) Business of the House;

(2) Closure of Debate, Proposal of Question and Allocation of Time (including Programme Motions);

(3) Sittings of the House;

(4) Private Bills and Private Business;

(5) Public Bills;

(6) Delegated Legislation and Legislative Reform Orders;

(7) European Legislation, etc;

(8) Grand Committees;

(9) Chairmen's Panel; and

(10) Select Committees._(Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.)

3 Questions to (1) the honourable Member representing the Church Commissioners

(2) the honourable Member representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

(3) the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission

(4) the Solicitor General

(5) the Leader of the House

(6) the honourable Member representing the House of Commons Commission

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4 Business Question: Leader of the House

5 Corporation Tax Bill

Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 60(2)), That the Corporation Tax Bill be proceeded with as a tax law rewrite bill._(Kerry McCarthy.)

Question agreed to.

6 Taxation (International and Other Provisions) Bill

Motion made and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 60(2)), That the Taxation (International and Other Provisions) Bill be proceeded with as a tax law rewrite bill._(Kerry McCarthy.)

Question agreed to.

7 Queen's Speech (Motion for an Address) (last day)

Debate resumed (Order, 25 November).

Question again proposed, That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, as follows:

Most Gracious Sovereign,

We, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Majesty for the Gracious Speech which Your Majesty has addressed to both Houses of Parliament.

Amendment proposed, at the end of the Question, to add `but humbly regret that the Gracious Speech fails to provide a credible plan to tackle the fiscal deficit and national debt, contains no measures to help families and businesses in the recession, fails to provide real measures to begin to tackle rising entrenched poverty, fails to lay out plans to reform the public services and improve outcomes in the NHS, and fails to include proposals to combat Britain's falling economic competitiveness; condemn the absence of any measures to bring down youth unemployment and the number of people out of work and any measures to provide help for savers and pensioners; regret the absence of measures to address the failed tripartite system of regulating the financial system; and further regret the absence of a plan for sustained economic growth.'_(Mr George Osborne.)

Question put, That the Amendment be made.

The House divided.

Division No. 3.

Ayes: 226 (Tellers: Mr Rob Wilson, James Duddridge).

Noes: 319 (Tellers: Kerry McCarthy, Mary Creagh).

Question accordingly negatived.

Another Amendment proposed, at the end of the Question, to add `but humbly regret that the Gracious Speech fails to provide proposals for constituents to recall hon. Members for misconduct, to provide for a code of financial conduct for candidates at the next general election so that the public can understand the financial affairs of those they are voting for, to complete the reform of the House of Lords to ensure that only people who have been democratically elected have power to make law, to reform party funding to ensure that the influence of large corporate donations is removed, to fix the length of the parliamentary term so that the date of a general election is known years in advance, to provide a Citizens' Assembly to agree a new voting system for parliamentary elections and fundamentally to review the procedures of this House to strengthen the power of backbenchers, reduce the power of the whips and ensure that the business of the House is organised transparently in a formal committee of the House.'_(Mr Paul Burstow.)

Question put forthwith, That the Amendment be made (Standing Order No. 33).

The House divided.

Division No. 4.

Ayes: 64 (Tellers: Mr Alan Reid, Mr Roger Williams).

Noes: 469 (Tellers: Kerry McCarthy, Mary Creagh).

Question accordingly negatived.

Main Question agreed to.

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Resolved, That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, as follows:

Most Gracious Sovereign,

We, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Majesty for the Gracious Speech which Your Majesty has addressed to both Houses of Parliament.

Address to be presented to Her Majesty by Members of this House who are Privy Counsellors or Members of Her Majesty's Household.

8 Standards and Privileges

Ordered, That Mr David Curry be discharged from the Committee on Standards and Privileges and Sir Malcolm Rifkind be added._(Steve McCabe.)

9 Sittings of the House

Motion made, That_

(1) Standing Order No. 14 (Arrangement of public business) shall have effect for this Session with the following modifications, namely:

In paragraph (4) the word `eight' shall be substituted for the word `thirteen' in line 42 and in paragraph (5) the word `fifth' shall be substituted for the word `eighth' in line 44;

(2) Standing Order No. 90 (Second reading committees) shall have effect for this Session with the following modification, namely:

In paragraph (2) the word `fifth' shall be substituted for the word `eighth' in line 21; and

(3) Private Members' Bills shall have precedence over Government business on 29 January; 5 and 26 February; 5 and 12 March; 23 and 30 April; and 7 May._(Steve McCabe.)

Objection taken (Standing Order No. 9(6)).

10 Public Petitions

A Public Petition from residents of the constituency of Shipley relating to Equitable Life (Shipley) was presented and read by Philip Davies.

A Public Petition from residents of the constituency of Reigate relating to Equitable Life (Reigate) was presented and read by Mr Crispin Blunt.

A Public Petition from residents of the constituency of Poole relating to Equitable Life (Poole) was presented and read by Mr Robert Syms.

A Public Petition from residents of the constituency of South Staffordshire relating to Equitable Life (South Staffordshire) was presented and read by Sir Patrick Cormack.

11 Adjournment

Subject: Election of hon. Members to membership of select committees (Mr Graham Allen).

Resolved, That this House do now adjourn._(Steve McCabe.)

[Adjourned at 7.04 pm until Monday 30 November. ]

Other proceedings

General Committees: Appointments

The Speaker appoints the Chairman of General Committees and allocates Statutory Instruments to Delegated Legislation Committees.

The Committee of Selection nominates Members to serve on General Committees (and certain Members to serve on Grand Committees).

12 First Delegated Legislation Committee (Draft Census (England and Wales) Order 2009)

Members: Fabian Hamilton, Andrew Mackinlay, Mr Alan Milburn, Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Mr Hugo Swire discharged and Mr Adrian Bailey, Mr Lindsay Hoyle, John Howell, Glenda Jackson and Mr Robert Syms nominated in substitution.

13 Second Delegated Legislation Committee (Draft European Communities (Definition of Treaties) (Stabilisation and Association Agreement) (Republic of Montenegro) Order 2009)

Members: Mr Brooks Newmark discharged and James Duddridge nominated in substitution.

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14 European Committee A in respect of European Union Document No. 13183/09, relating to Stepping up International Climate Finance: a European Blueprint for the Copenhagen Deal

Members: Joan Ryan discharged and Martin Linton nominated in substitution.

Reports from Select Committees

15 Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Press standards, privacy and libel: Written evidence, to be published (Mr John Whittingdale).

16 Health Committee

Social Care: Evidence, to be printed (HC 22-ii) (Mr Kevin Barron).

17 Public Administration (Select Committee on)

(1) Work of the Committee in 2008-09: Second Report, to be printed, with the Formal Minutes relating to the Report (HC 20);

(2) Selection of a new Chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments: Third Report, with Appendices and Evidence, to be printed, with the Formal Minutes relating to the Report (HC 42-I and -II);

(3) Response to White Paper: An Elected Second Chamber": Government Response to the Committee's Fifth Report of Session 2008-09: First Special Report, to be printed (HC 59);

(4) Official Statistics: 2011 Census Questions: Written evidence, to be published

(Dr Tony Wright).

18 Welsh Affairs Committee

Proposed National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Local Government) Order 2009: Evidence, to be printed (HC 36-ii) (Dr Hywel Francis).

19 Work and Pensions Committee

(1) Work of the Committee in 2008-09: First Report, to be printed, with the Formal Minutes relating to the Report (HC 92);

(2) Local Housing Allowance: Written evidence, to be published

(Mr Terry Rooney).

APPENDIX

Papers presented or laid upon the Table:

Papers subject to Negative Resolution:

1 Medicines

Medicines (Pharmacies) (Applications for Registration and Fees) Amendment No. 2 Regulations 2009 (S.I., 2009, No. 3071), dated 19 November 2009 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum and an Impact Assessment (by Command) (Secretary Andy Burnham).

2 Stamp Duty

Stamp Duty and Stamp Duty Reserve Tax (Investment Exchanges and Clearing Houses) (Over the Counter) Regulations 2009 (S.I., 2009, No. 3088), dated 25 November 2009 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Sarah McCarthy-Fry).

Other Papers:

3 Climate Change

Adapting to Climate Change: Ensuring Progress in Key Sectors: 2009 Strategy for exercising the Adaptation Reporting Power and list of priority reporting authorities (by Act) (Secretary Hilary Benn).

4 Equitable Life

Government Response to the Report from the Parliamentary Ombudsman's Investigation on the Prudential Regulation of the Equitable Life Assurance Society (by Command) (Cm. 7762) (Sarah McCarthy-Fry).

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5 European Communities (No. 4, 2009)

Stabilisation and Association Agreement, done at Luxembourg on 16 June 2008, between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, of the other part, with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Cm. 7743) (Secretary David Miliband).

6 Senior Salaries

Seventy-first Report of the Review Body on Senior Salaries: Review of financial support for Members of the House of Lords (by Command) (Cm. 7746) (The Prime Minister).

7 Supply Estimates, 2010-11

Estimates for which a Vote on Account is required for 2010-11 for the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (by Act); to be printed (HC 27) (The Speaker).

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