House of Commons Votes and Proceedings
Thursday
2nd December 2010
No. 82
The House met at 10.30 am.
PRAYERS.
1
Questions to (1) the Secretary of State for Transport
(2) the Minister for Women and Equalities
2
Urgent Question: Winter weather (Secretary Philip Hammond)
3
Business Question (Leader of the House)
4
Statement: Linda Norgrove (Secretary William Hague)
5
Backbench Business (12th allotted day (Standing Order No. 152J))
Publication of information about complaints against members
Resolved, (1) That this House approves the Sixth Report of the Standards and Privileges Committee, Session 2010–11, HC 577; and
(2) That accordingly-
a. The Commissioner may publish papers relating to complaints rectified or not upheld since the beginning of financial year 2008–09 and information about complaints received and matters under investigation since the beginning of financial year 2010–11.
b. Standing Order No. 150 be amended, by inserting the following new paragraph after paragraph 10.
"(10A) The Commissioner shall have leave to publish from time to time-
(a) information and papers relating to-
(i) matters resolved in accordance with paragraph (3) of this order; and
(ii) complaints not upheld;
and
(b) information about complaints received and matters under investigation."-(Mr Kevin Barron.)
Power of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to initiate investigations
Resolved, (1) That this House approves the Seventh Report of the Standards and Privileges Committee, Session 2010–11, HC 578; and
(2) That accordingly Standing Order No. 150 be amended, by leaving out paragraph (2)(e) and inserting in its place:
"(e) to investigate, if he thinks fit, specific matters which have come to his attention relating to the conduct of Members and to report to the Committee on Standards and Privileges or to an appropriate sub-committee thereof, unless the provisions of paragraph (3) apply.
(2A) In determining whether to investigate a specific matter relating to the conduct of a Member the Commissioner shall have regard to whether in his view there is sufficient evidence that the Code of Conduct or the rules relating to registration or declaration of interests may have been breached to justify taking the matter further."-(Mr Kevin Barron.)
Lay membership of the Committee on Standards and Privileges
Resolved, That this House agrees with the principle as set out in the Twelfth Report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life that lay members should sit on the Committee on Standards and Privileges; and invites the Procedure Committee to bring forward proposals to implement it.-(Mr Kevin Barron.)
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority
Motion made and Question proposed, That this House regrets the unnecessarily high costs and inadequacies of the systems introduced by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA); calls on the IPSA to introduce a simpler scheme of office expenses and Members’ allowances that cuts significantly the administrative costs, reduces the amount of time needed for administration by Members and their staff, does not disadvantage less well-off Members and those with family responsibilities, nor deter Members from seeking reimbursement of the costs of fulfilling their parliamentary duties; and resolves that if these objectives are not reflected in a new scheme set out by the IPSA in time for operation by 1 April 2011, the Leader of the House should make time available for the amendment of the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009 to do so.-(Adam Afriyie.)
Adam Afriyie claimed to move the closure (Standing Order No. 36).
Question put, That the Question be now put.
Question agreed to.
Question accordingly put, and agreed to.
Committee of Public Accounts (Amendment of Standing Orders) (No. 1)
Ordered, That Standing Order No. 148 (Committee of Public Accounts) be amended in paragraph (1), as follows:
in line 7, after ‘records’, insert ‘, to sit notwithstanding any adjournment of the House’.-(Mr Richard Bacon.)
Committee of Public Accounts (Amendment of Standing Orders) (No. 2)
Ordered, That Standing Order No. 148 (Committee of Public Accounts) be amended in paragraph (1), as follows:
in line 8, after ‘time to time,’, insert ‘to appoint specialist advisers either to supply information which is not readily available or to elucidate matters of complexity within the committee’s order of reference,’.-(Mr Richard Bacon.)
6
Adjournment
Subject: UK passport contract (Mr Michael Meacher).
Motion made and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.-(Mr Robert Goodwill.)
House adjourned without Question put (Standing Order No. 9(7)).
Adjourned at 6.30 pm until tomorrow.
_________________
Other proceedings
Changes to Notices Given
7
Safety of Medicines Bill
Order for Second Reading on Friday 3 December, read and discharged.
Bill to be read a second time on Friday 21 January 2011.
General Committees: Reports
8
National Insurance Contributions Bill
Jim Sheridan (Chair) reported:
(1) That the Committee had come to the following Resolution, That, subject to the discretion of the Chair, any written evidence received by the Committee shall be reported to the House for publication; and
(2) written evidence.
Written evidence to be published.
9
European Committee B in respect of European Union Document No. 12564/10 and Addenda 1 and 2, relating to a Draft Directive on the right to information in criminal proceedings
Mr Andrew Turner (Chair) reported the following Resolution:
That the Committee takes note of the European Union Document No. 12564/10 and Addenda 1 and 2, Draft Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the right to information in criminal proceedings; and endorses the Government’s support of the proposal to ensure that individuals subject to criminal proceedings across the EU are given timely information about their rights, information on the accusation against them and access to evidence.
General Committees: Appointments
The Speaker appoints the Chair of General Committees and members of Programming Sub-Committees, 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).
10
First Delegated Legislation Committee (Draft Mutilations (Permitted Procedures) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2010)
Members: Mr Robert Goodwill discharged and Bill Wiggin nominated in substitution.
11
European Committee B in respect of European Union Document No. 12564/10 and Addenda 1 and 2, relating to a Draft Directive on the right to information in criminal proceedings
Members: Julie Elliott, Julie Hilling and Jonathan Reynolds discharged and Vernon Coaker, Michael Connarty and Lilian Greenwood nominated in substitution.
12
Northern Ireland Grand Committee
Members: Rosie Cooper and Bridget Phillipson discharged and Stephen Pound and Mr Shaun Woodward nominated in substitution.
Reports from Select Committees
13
Political and Constitutional Reform Committee
Prospects for codifying the relationship between central and local government:
(1) Evidence, to be printed (HC 592-iii);
(2) Written evidence, to be published
(Mr Graham Allen).
14
Treasury Committee
(1) European financial regulation: Evidence, to be printed (HC 658-i);
(2) Administration and effectiveness of HMRC: Written evidence, to be published
(Mr Andrew Tyrie).
John Bercow
Speaker
The Speaker will take the Chair at 9.30 am.
Sitting in Westminster Hall
No. 50
The sitting began at 2.30 pm.
Adjournment
Backbench Business (10th allotted day: Second half (Standing Order No. 152J))
Subject: Fisheries
Resolved, That the sitting be now adjourned.-(Mr Robert Goodwill.)
Adjourned at 5.29 pm until Tuesday 7 December.
Lindsay Hoyle
Deputy Speaker
APPENDIX
Papers presented or laid upon the Table:
Papers subject to Negative Resolution:
1
Education
Education (School Attendance Targets) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S.I., 2010, No. 2838), dated 25 November 2010 (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Michael Gove).
Other Papers:
2
Business, Innovation and Skills
Draft Higher Education (Higher Amount) (England) Regulations 2010 (by Command) (Cm. 7986) (Secretary Vince Cable).
3
Government Resources and Accounts (Audit of Non-profit-making Companies)
Report and Accounts of SITPRO Limited for 2009–10, with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (by Statutory Instrument); to be printed (HC 639) (Secretary Vince Cable).
4
National Lottery
Report and Accounts of sportscotland National Lottery Distribution Fund for 2009–10 (by Act); to be printed (HC 625) (Mr Secretary Moore).
5
Opticians
(1) Fitness to Practise Report of the General Optical Council for 2009–10 (by Act) (Mr Secretary Lansley); and
(2) Report of the General Optical Council for 2009–10 (by Act) (Mr Secretary Lansley).
6
Social Security Administration
Account of the Social Fund for 2009–10, with the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (by Act); to be printed (HC 532) (Clerk of the House).
CORRIGENDUM
Wednesday 1 December
Item 18 should have read:
Northern Ireland Grand Committee in respect of its meeting on 7 December.
Chair: Mr Gary Streeter
The following item should have appeared after item 18:
Northern Ireland Grand Committee
Additional Members: Stephen Gilbert, John Glen, Andrea Leadsom and Stephen Lloyd.
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