Devolution and the Union

On that point, 55% of the Scottish population expressed their wish not to have independence. Will...

I hope that the hon. Gentleman and I agree that such a question will be posed when the people wis...

I am delighted that the motion is before the House and I would like to address two particular iss...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

No, I will make some more progress. All sides of the debate acknowledge that there are disparitie...

For the sake of clarity, as lots of people in Scotland are watching the debate, are Conservative ...

If the hon. Gentleman can contain his anger and listen to what I have to say, he will notice that...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

No, I am going to continue with my speech.

That cannot be done on the basis of one short-te...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree with the findings of the commission that looked into funding for Wa...

I favour a fair funding commission that would examine all funding across the United Kingdom at th...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that attempts at regionalisation in the previous Parliament showed ...

Absolutely. I agree. I was going on to say that what our constituents want is to avoid a higher c...

Does the hon. Gentleman support the McKay commission in relation to that?

I was just about to say that there is a considerable body of support among Government Members in ...

If you believe as I do, Madam Deputy Speaker, that the United Kingdom should continue for another...

On the family of nations, I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will agree that taking Scotland and t...

I suspect that the hon. Gentleman, as someone who tried to leave the family of nations, does not ...

Does my hon. Friend agree that one of the issues arising from the current debate on devolution an...

My hon. Friend is uncharacteristically moderate in her proposal on this occasion. I will come to ...

I apologise to the House for not having been here at the start of proceedings. I hope Members wil...

I am completely undecided on the correct course to take when a vow that could well have influence...

My hon. Friend makes a valid point. I think that one of the factors that influenced the campaign ...

Is it the view of Tory Back Benchers, therefore, that the vow is not even worth the price of the ...

That is a very stupid question. The constitutional point is that the leaders of the three parties...

rose—

No, the question is so silly that it is not worth responding to again.

I do not believe the...

I agree with the hon. Gentleman. I want to see the maintenance of the Union, but surely he must a...

I entirely agree with the right hon. Gentleman. It is important—I was just coming on to make the ...

rose—

No. I have given way enough.

I do not want more regional government. My hon. Friend the Mem...

rose—

Order. Before I call the next speaker, it will be obvious to the House that the excitement of the...

I will try to meet the five minutes deadline. I am pleased to join in this debate. When I first j...

I think my right hon. Friend has answered my question. We could still get all those disparities w...

Clearly, the debate about the Barnett formula has to be comprehensive. It has to take up all form...

It is a genuine pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr Field). He knows that...

Yesterday’s Evening Standard—not a paper that I read that often, or that I always agree with—note...

rose—

I will not give way. I do believe that some powers will be made over to Scotland, though I suspec...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will, to the hon. Gentleman.

I am grateful. I intervened in the certainty that the hon. Gentleman would get another minute fro...

I thought that the hon. Gentleman might raise that point. Support for the status quo was at 37%; ...

We have all heard the worrying suggestion that the vow that changed the result of the referendum ...

I was very glad to allow another Welsh Member to take part, and ironically, he made a point about...

It is important that today’s debate is based on fact and reality. Given some things we have heard...

Has not Lord Barnett himself said that the formula should not have continued for as long as it ha...

He did say that, but it did continue, and fairly successfully.

If one compares the relative...

Now that the Scots have had their say, now that there is a London Mayor and a London Assembly, no...

I am very sympathetic to the idea of having a Minister for the west midlands, but why should such...

We can look at all those arrangements, but at the very least we should start by having someone in...

This debate has settled on three issues: the Barnett formula, more powers for Westminster, and, o...

The hon. Gentleman makes the important point that the commitments made by leaders in the referend...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for intervening before I made any points, because he has allowed me to...

Whatever YouTube shows, the Scottish people will make decisions when they want to make decisions....

I agree with that but I point out to the right hon. Gentleman that after the next election, accor...

rose—

I will make some progress and then I will give way—[Hon. Members: “Ahh!] My goodness. I have give...

Does the hon. Gentleman recall that on 14 September, four days before the referendum, Alex Salmon...

No, I do not recall that—[Interruption.] I don’t! But again, that should be seen in the context o...

Given all the complications, cloud, and smoke and mirrors that the hon. Gentleman is articulating...

The review we are looking for, in the context of the Barnett formula, is one with full fiscal aut...

rose—

I am really sorry, but I have been too generous in giving way. Members overlook that point when t...

Order. We do not usually use a Member’s name, certainly when he is not informed of any discussion...

I am always delighted to follow your guidance, Mr Deputy Speaker. If they want to strike it from ...

It is always a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Mr MacNeil). I ...

rose—

I am happy to give way to the hon. Gentleman, but only if he makes a relevant point, not a frivol...

I will try to do my best for the hon. Gentleman. When the former leader of the Labour party in Sc...

I knew that would be a waste of an intervention. Many Scottish Members want to speak, but the beh...

rose—

I will not give way because I want other Members to speak and time is ticking on.

A constit...

Order.

3.50 pm

Let me pour a bit of oil on this heated debate and remind us of its title, “Devolution and the Un...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

I am reluctant to do so. I found the hon. Gentleman’s speech irritating because he was so ill-tem...

I promise the hon. Lady that if my speech appeared like that, it was because of the barracking an...

When my children used to behave badly, they blamed their big brother, and it always takes two to ...

I want to speak on behalf of a group in my party that is little heard of, but involves a long tra...

rose—

Does the hon. Gentleman wish to intervene?

Order. Members should address the Chair. The last two speakers have felt the need to face in the ...

The hon. Member for Newport West (Paul Flynn) is making a thoughtful speech. Does he think that t...

I shall tread carefully here. I do not want to get involved in the Scottish situation, on which w...

Order. The hon. Gentleman’s time is up.

4.2 pm

I thank the hon. Member for Esher and Walton (Mr Raab) and the Backbench Business Committee for s...

Would my hon. Friend not wish to put into that equation systems such as Highlands & Islands Airpo...

Absolutely; what my hon. Friend is saying, as I am arguing, is that if we want a common statehood...

rose—

Order. May I just say that the time limit is going to have to be four minutes now, because of the...

I rise to welcome this debate—[Interruption.]

Order. May I just help Members? I do not reduce the time limit deliberately—I do that because Mem...

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I rise to welcome this debate on devolution and the Union, which co...

I particularly welcome the opportunity to speak today because in the previous devolution debate I...

I find myself feeling a bit like the right hon. Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Frank Dobson) ...

Like the hon. Member for Foyle (Mark Durkan), I enjoy injecting a bit of humour into debates in t...

I am pleased to be able to speak in this important debate on devolution and the Union and I congr...

I congratulate the hon. Member for Esher and Walton (Mr Raab) and those who sponsored his motion ...

Can the hon. Lady tell us how long she expects this modest endeavour to take?

Does the hon. Gentleman mean the constitutional convention?

Yes.

We are already doing some pre-work, before the election. We want this to happen very quickly afte...

Order. The shadow Deputy Leader of the House needs to stop enticing colleagues to speak. I want t...

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. My hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Thomas Doc...

I will let you deal with him.

I will get on with that later, Mr Deputy Speaker.

Our amendment, had it been selected, woul...

It has indeed been an interesting, lively and, in the main, good-tempered debate, with one or two...

rose—

I will give way briefly but I must make progress.

Can the right hon. Gentleman clear this up once and for all? The hon. Member for Aldershot (Sir G...

rose—

I will defend my hon. Friend, to save time. To be fair to him, he said that the SNP had called th...

rose—

I will not give way again because I have only a few minutes before I must let my hon. Friend the ...

It is a pleasure to follow the Leader of the House’s rousing summation. I certainly agreed with a...

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on bringing forward this debate. The issue at stake is getting ...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention, and I agree with all his points. Indeed, they we...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I will make some progress.

My hon. Friend the Member for St Albans (Mrs Main) made a powerf...