House of Commons Votes and Proceedings
Tuesday
15th November 2011

No. 223

Tuesday 15 November 2011

The House met at 11.30 am.

PRAYERS.

1 Private Bills [Lords]: London Local Authorities Bill [Lords]: Consideration of the Bill

Ordered, That the Bill be considered on Tuesday 22 November.

2 Private Bills [Lords]: London Local Authorities and Transport for London (No. 2) Bill [Lords]: Second Reading

Ordered, That the Bill be read a second time on Tuesday 22 November.

3 Private Bills [Lords]: Transport for London (Supplemental Toll Provisions) Bill [Lords]: Second Reading

Ordered, That the Bill be read a second time on Tuesday 22 November.

4 Questions to (1) the Deputy Prime Minister

(2) the Attorney General

5 Urgent Question: Border Control Scheme (Damian Green)

6 Metal Theft (Prevention): Motion for leave to bring in a Bill (Standing Order No. 23)

Ordered, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to introduce a licensing scheme for scrap metal dealers; to enable magistrates’ courts to add restrictions to licences to deal in scrap metal; to require that financial transactions in trade in scrap metals be restricted to cashless payments; to give police officers powers to search properties owned by scrap metal dealerships; to provide that scrap metal proven to have been obtained through theft may be classified as criminal assets; to introduce criminal charges for theft of scrap metal which take into account aspects of the crime other than the value of the scrap metal stolen; and for connected purposes;

That Graham Jones, Margot James, Mr John Spellar, Steve Rotheram, Mr Tom Watson, Bill Esterson, Pat Glass, Mr Alan Campbell, Martin Caton, Chris Kelly, Kate Green and Andrew Percy present the Bill.

Graham Jones accordingly presented the Bill.

Bill read the first time; to be read a second time on Friday 20 January 2012, and to be printed (Bill 249).

7 Backbench Business (35th allotted day (Standing Order No. 14))

(1) Fisheries

Resolved, That this House considers that the Common Fisheries Policy has failed to achieve its key objective of producing a sustainable European fishery; welcomes the review of the policy by the European Commission; and urges Her Majesty’s Government to ensure that a revised Common Fisheries Policy makes particular provision for-

(a) a move away from a centralised management system to a system of regional management of fisheries involving all stakeholders and strengthening of the local management of the 12 mile limit;

(b) a manageable and practical scheme to eliminate the problem of discarded fish; and

(c) the replacement of the current system of annual quotas with a multi-annual system of management focussed on conserving fish stocks within a sustainable fishing industry, in particular to protect the viability of low impact fishing.-(Mr Frank Doran.)

8 Royal Assent

The Deputy Speaker reported that the Queen had signified Royal Assent to the following Acts under the Royal Assent Act 1967:

Localism Act 2011

Education Act 2011.

9 Backbench Business (35th allotted day (Standing Order No. 14)) (resumed)

(2) Fuel Prices

Resolved, That this House welcomes the 1p cut in fuel duty at the 2011 Budget, the abolition of the fuel tax escalator, the establishment of a fair fuel stabiliser and the Government’s acknowledgement that high petrol and diesel prices are a serious problem; notes that in the context of the Government’s efforts to tackle the deficit and put the public finances on a sustainable path, ensuring stable tax revenues is vital for sustainable growth; however, believes that high fuel prices are causing immense difficulties for small and medium-sized enterprises vital to economic recovery; further notes reports that some low-paid workers are paying a tenth of their income just to fill up the family car and that high fuel prices are particularly damaging for the road freight industry; considers that high rates of fuel duty may have led to lower tax revenues in recent years, after reports from leading motoring organisations suggested that fuel duty revenues were at least £1 billion lower in the first six months of 2011 compared with 2008; and calls on the Government to consider the effect that increased taxes on fuel will have on the economy, examine ways of working with industry to ensure that falls in oil prices are passed on to consumers, to take account of market competitiveness, and to consider the feasibility of a price stabilisation mechanism that would work alongside the fair fuel stabiliser to address fluctuations in the pump price.-(Robert Halfon.)

10 Public Petitions

A Public Petition from supporters of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy’s Antibiotic Action initiative relating to Antibiotic Action Initiative was presented and read by Mr Kevin Barron.

11 Adjournment

Subject: Independent Police Complaints Commission (Mr David Lammy).

Motion made and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.-(Mr Alistair Carmichael.)

House adjourned without Question put (Standing Order No. 9(7)).

Adjourned at 7.32 pm until Monday 21 November (Order, 19 October).

_________________

Other proceedings

Changes to Notices Given

12 Grandparents (Access Rights) Bill

Order for Second Reading on Friday 25 November, read and discharged.

Bill to be read a second time on Friday 20 January 2012.

General Committees: Appointments

The Speaker appoints the Chair of General Committees and members of Programming Sub-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).

13 Third Delegated Legislation Committee (Draft Parliamentary Constituencies and Assembly Electoral Regions (Wales) (Amendment) Order 2011)

Members: Justin Tomlinson discharged and Andrew Bingham nominated in substitution.

Reports from Select Committees

14 Business, Innovation and Skills Committee

Hargreaves Review of Intellectual Property: Evidence, to be printed (HC 1498-iv) (Mr Adrian Bailey).

15 Culture, Media and Sport Committee

London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games:

(1) Evidence, to be printed (HC 689-iv);

(2) Written evidence, to be published

(Mr John Whittingdale).

16 Defence Committee

(1) Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts: Evidence, to be printed (HC 1635-i);

(2) Developing threats to electronic infrastructure: Written evidence, to be published;

(3) Operations in Libya: Written evidence, to be published

(Mr James Arbuthnot).

17 Draft Financial Services Bill (Joint Committee on)

Draft Financial Services Bill: Evidence, to be printed (HC 1447-xiv) (Mr Peter Lilley).

18 Energy and Climate Change Committee

(1) Ofgem Annual Report and Accounts 2010–11: Evidence, to be printed (HC 1653-i);

(2) Consumption-Based Emissions Reporting: Written evidence, to be published;

(3) The future of Marine Renewables in the UK: Written evidence, to be published

(Mr Tim Yeo).

19 Foreign Affairs Committee

(1) UK-Turkey Relations and Turkey’s Regional Role: Evidence, to be printed (HC 1567-iii);

(2) British foreign policy and the ‘Arab Spring’: the transition to democracy: Written evidence, to be published;

(3) FCO Performance and Finances: Written evidence, to be published

(Richard Ottaway).

20 Health Committee

Education, training and workforce planning: Evidence, to be printed (HC 1648-i) (Mr Stephen Dorrell).

21 Home Affairs Committee

(1) Roots of violent radicalisation: Evidence, to be printed (HC 1446-iv);

(2) Border checks during Summer 2011:

(i) Evidence, to be printed (HC 1647-i);

(ii) Written evidence, to be published

(Keith Vaz)

22 Human Rights (Joint Committee on)

(1) Human Rights Judgments:

(i) Evidence, to be printed (HC 873-ii);

(ii) Written evidence, to be published;

(2) Legislative Scrutiny: Written evidence, to be published

(Dr Hywel Francis).

23 International Development Committee

Financial Crime and Development: Eleventh Report, to be printed, with the Formal Minutes relating to the Report (HC 847) (Malcolm Bruce).

24 Public Administration (Select Committee on)

Role of the Head of the Civil Service: Evidence, to be printed (HC 1582-iii) (Mr Bernard Jenkin).

[WH, No. 146]

Sitting in Westminster Hall

The sitting began at 9.30 am.

Adjournment

Subjects:

International Monetary Fund and the eurozone crisis (Mr John Baron).

East-West rail link between Bletchley and Oxford (Iain Stewart).

Future of the UK aviation industry (Mr Brian H. Donohoe).

Effect of fraud on access to bank accounts (Stephen Timms).

Implications for Northumberland of proposed planning guidance (Sir Alan Beith).

Resolved, That the sitting be now adjourned.-(Greg Hands.)

Adjourned at 4.59 pm until Tuesday 22 November (Order, 19 October).

APPENDIX

Papers presented or laid upon the Table:

Papers subject to Negative Resolution:

1 Universities of Oxford and Cambridge

Statute, dated 9 June 2011, made by the Governing Body of Worcester College, in the University of Oxford, revising the existing Statutes of the College (by Act), with an Explanatory Memorandum (by Command) (Secretary Vince Cable).

Other Papers:

2 Banking

Report under section 231 of the Banking Act 2009 for 1 April–30 September 2011 (by Act) (Mark Hoban).

3 National Audit

Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on Ministry of Defence: The Major Projects Report 2011 (by Act); to be printed (HC 1520-I and -II) (Clerk of the House).