Christmas Adjournment

It is a great pleasure for me to respond on behalf of the Opposition to what has been a very lively debate. Let me begin by extending an apology to you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and to all right hon. and hon. Members, for having missed a small part of beginning of the debate owing to unavoidable circumstances. Let me also associate myself with the comments of the hon. Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle) about the death of Lord Carter yesterday. We send our thoughts and prayers to his wife, Teresa. The debate has been extraordinarily wide-ranging. We have covered national, international and very important local issues, and we have heard a number of excellent speeches. Many have featured a unifying theme, particularly those dealing with health matters. The Deputy Leader of the House will no doubt be aware that there is considerable concern in the House, across the political divide, at the absence of full and proper answers from the Government to various questions put by Members, both written and oral. With that in mind, I hope the Leader of the House will accept that many right hon. and hon. Members have been present for a number of hours today, hoping to make their views clear to him. While I understand that he cannot respond to all the queries, I hope that he will convey them to the relevant Ministers for full and proper answers. The debate began with a contribution from the hon. Member for North Swindon (Mr. Wills), who praised Swindon council. I wholeheartedly agreed with that praise, particularly as the council is Conservative-controlled. Then there was a performance from the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr. Heath), who rightly observed that it was time for a debate on Iraq in Government time. That issue was raised throughout the debate, but I agree entirely with the hon. Gentleman’s comments. We heard a detailed speech from the hon. Member for West Bromwich, West (Mr. Bailey), who is proving to be a very good local advocate for the education system in his constituency. That was followed by a passionate speech from my hon. Friend the Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Angela Browning), who expressed concern about medical services at the hospitals in her constituency. She also said something with which I think we would all agree in acknowledging the enormous effort put in by all involved in the medical services. Those services are currently undergoing enormous difficulties, but that is not to say that those who run the service do not deserve our praise, in particular the doctors and nurses—and let us not forget all the people who support the doctors and nurses, such as receptionists, porters, cleaners and caterers. The hon. Member for Keighley (Mrs. Cryer) raised concerns about the local government pension provisions. Her concern for her constituents’ pension rights can be extended nationally, and I am sure that I speak for many people in saying that there was widespread unhappiness about the Chancellor’s abolition of pension tax relief in 1997, which has cost pension funds £5 billion every year. She also rightly dealt with the integration of communities in Britain. That is a very sensitive issue, and it needs to be addressed carefully, but I entirely agree that it is vital that people who come into our country speak the language of the country, which is English. That assists them in identifying with the mainstream community, but it also assists them to be a part of that community, and I wholeheartedly agree with her comments. My hon. Friend the Member for South-West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous) raised a number of issues, and I wish him well in his support for a hospital for Leighton Buzzard, which is being considered by Bedfordshire primary care trust. He also raised the valid point that we must make sure that there is proper training for those who are not so young any longer but who wish to take up new challenges in life. He mentioned the example of somebody wishing to undertake a plastering course; that would take three years, but that does not take into account the family commitments that the individual might have. My hon. Friend also referred to the traditional Christmas celebration. I agree that this is a Christian country; Christianity is the mainstream religion of the mainstream majority. I, for one, am certainly mentioning in my Christmas cards the word ““Christmas”” rather than the term ““seasonal greetings””. The hon. Member for Thurrock (Andrew Mackinlay) spoke in his usual vigorous manner. He took up the issue of parliamentary questions not being answered. I hope that the Deputy Leader of the House will take on board that that is not a point-scoring issue raised by Opposition Members, but that it is an issue of concern to all Members across the political divide. The hon. Gentleman also tried to make reference to a regional assembly in his area, the name of which he could not recall. May I assure him that he need not waste any time in trying to recollect or learn the name of that regional assembly, because when the Conservatives get into power we shall abolish it in any case? My right hon. Friend the Member for West Derbyshire (Mr. McLoughlin) spoke with passion and conviction on a number of issues. I agree that it is appalling that a planning permission controversy has been going on for nine years with regard to a national park that attracts 20 million visitors; he is right that that is unacceptable. It should be sorted out expeditiously. I also agree—as I am sure do other Members—that we should endorse the right of Members to have a meeting with the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when there are representations to be made in respect of the closures of schools in our constituencies. It is bad enough that we have a Government who are not open and transparent, but it is worse still that elected Members of Parliament cannot take up issues directly with a Secretary of State. I also agree with my right hon. Friend about local maternity services. I confess that I have a personal interest in that regard, as about a week ago I was at Lewisham general hospital where my second son was born. My right hon. Friend the Member for West Derbyshire also rightly mentioned the threat to the NHS and the fact that, although huge sums are being spent on services, there is the threat of a reduction in services throughout the country, instead of an increase. He then mentioned the very important and serious issue of the threat to the agricultural and rural economy, which is impacting on the constituencies of many Members of Parliament and across the political divide. I very much hope that the Deputy Leader of the House will pass on my right hon. Friend’s concerns to the relevant Minister. The hon. Member for Ilford, South (Mike Gapes) made a very knowledgeable speech on health issues in his constituency. He was particularly concerned about authorities ignoring local considerations, and referred to the fact that consultations can often appear to be a sham. I confess that I have a similar problem in my constituency. Hinchingbrooke hospital, which is in the neighbouring constituency of Huntingdon, is used by many of my constituents. We are being told that there will be an open and fair consultation exercise, but I fear that it will be a sham and a sop to public opinion. The decision may well have already been taken, as the hon. Gentleman fears might be the case in his constituency. I suspect that the same is true for other Members and of other constituencies throughout the country. My right hon. Friend the Member for Bracknell (Mr. Mackay) rightly referred to the tragic coroner’s report that came out yesterday concerning the death of Sergeant Steve Roberts. My right hon. Friend raised some very important questions about the absence of body armour, and they require answers. I hope that the Deputy Leader of the House will take them on board. My right hon. Friend also referred to the Prime Minister’s being quite happy to address a press conference in the United States on the Iraq war, while ignoring the clamour for such an opportunity to question him in this House and outside it. My right hon. Friend endorsed the view, which has been expressed in various quarters, that the Prime Minister needs to come to this House and make a statement to us all on the Iraq war. The hon. Member for Blaydon (Mr. Anderson) spoke of a very important planning issue impacting on a great historical treasure in his constituency. He made many powerful arguments, and I hope that they will be heard by the powers that be. The hon. Member for Southport (Dr. Pugh) made a number of points about the British Government’s relationship with that of Saudi Arabia. I have no doubt that the Deputy Leader of the House took those views on board and will pass them on to his right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary. My hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge (Mr. Randall) made a powerful speech about caring and funding for recently arrived asylum seekers. That problem is particularly acute in respect of unaccompanied children arriving at Heathrow airport, who are some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Funding for them is important—indeed, vital—and I very much hope that my hon. Friend’s plea has been heard by those who take important decisions on funding. My hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge yet again highlighted the Home Office’s incompetence. I entirely agree—as other Members doubtless will—that the Government’s failure to deal with immigration and asylum can only fuel the arguments put forward by the extremists in our community. None of us wants the extremists’ arguments to flourish, and with that in mind I very much hope that the Government will ensure that they do their duty sensitively and carefully, but also effectively. There comes a point when the Home Secretary cannot simply rely on the fact that his Department is not fit for purpose; it has to start being fit for purpose. I was delighted to learn from my hon. Friend that council tax discount will be available for pensioners in the London borough of Hillingdon. That will certainly add to their Christmas cheer. The hon. Member for Chorley was right to address the issue of the crisis of the post offices. He also rightly referred to the suffering of the farming community. My hon. Friend the Member for South-West Norfolk (Mr. Fraser) raised the enormous concern about copyright in the music industry, in a typically Christmas spirit, mentioning Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and Cliff Richard. That discussion has been going on for many years and it is high time that we had a serious debate on the issue. The hon. Member for Crosby (Mrs. Curtis-Thomas) made a moving contribution about the suffering of many in Sierra Leone. The torture and suffering of the people there has been immense and the point that we must take on board is that although we regularly discuss issues concerning Iraq and Afghanistan, we must not forget the rest of the world. Other hon. Members made relevant points, but I am reminded of the time and must finish my remarks. I wish you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, the whole House and staff a happy and merry Christmas.