Ministerial and other Maternal Allowances Bill

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

Amendment 15, in page 1, line 5, ...

I am pleased to move the amendments that stand in my name, and also to confirm my support for new...

I shall not detain the Committee unduly, given that I made many of my points on Second Reading. H...

I rise to speak to a number of amendments. Before I do so, I will acknowledge some Members across...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

Happily. In fact, if I did not give way to the hon. Gentleman, I would feel that I had missed out...

I thank the hon. Lady for what she is saying, because I wholeheartedly agree. An example of that ...

I always knew that the hon. Gentleman and I would eventually find common cause, even if we have d...

I thank my hon. Friend for giving way and congratulate her on her happy news. I have had the inte...

I completely agree with my hon. Friend. The challenge that she is speaking to is the same as the ...

I am listening intently to the hon. Lady’s speech. She is making some excellent points. Does she ...

I completely agree with the hon. Lady. At this point I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Stroud ...

The hon. Lady knows that she has the support of the Scottish National party for her amendments. I...

I completely agree with my colleague from north of the border. People’s ability to take shared pa...

My hon. Friend will know that a Minister is on the payroll of their Department, so in that sense ...

I thank my hon. Friend for her contribution. She hit the nail on the head when she said that it w...

I just want to make it clear that I was not unhappy about the system that I put in place for myse...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for sharing her experience. I think that speaks to the challenge ...

I wonder if my hon. Friend could clarify that last point, because I think we all approach our job...

I do not want to test the patience of the Chair of the Committee by going into what the different...

I thank the hon. Lady for giving way. I hope she will forgive my ignorance in some of my question...

The honest truth is that we do not know, because the only other MP who sought to take advantage o...

rose —

I will happily give way, but I hope that explains the issue to the hon. Gentleman.

I hope the hon. Lady will forgive me, but I am afraid I do not concur with what she has said. I t...

Order. Just before the hon. Lady responds, I think it is quite important to note that this Bill i...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments. If he will forgive me, as somebody who has actually ...

In George Orwell’s novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four”, protagonist Syme explains the objective of Newsp...

I thank my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General for bringing this Bill before us today. It is ...

I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak in Committee, having been unable to do so on Second...

The hon. Lady is making an incredibly powerful speech. May I be the first person to congratulate ...

Absolutely; I agree. Continuing on my experience of maternity leave, I had to get my mother to he...

As I said, one of those deciding not to stand is Aileen Campbell, whom I consider a close friend....

I agree. It is interesting that the Government are now much more supporting of proxies than they ...

I have constituents who say, “I turned on the television and I couldn’t see you in the Chamber”, ...

I do agree. That would not only sell ourselves short but sell short the work done by our staff in...

So many others have spoken about the real difficulty for so many women out there who do not get a...

Again, I agree. We are not only paid on maternity or paternity—if Members choose to take time off...

I agree with what the hon. Member is saying. Does she agree that it is concerning that normally a...

I entirely agree. Indeed, earlier I joked that this legislation brings us not into the 21st centu...

It is a pleasure to follow North East Fife’s super gran, and to reflect on the views of the hon. ...

The haste with which the Bill has been brought forward is perhaps reflected in some of the amendm...

Before I turn to the nitty-gritty of the amendments, I will address wider points that Members hav...

Over the past two years of seeking progress on this matter, and trying to ensure that Members hav...

Although time on the Floor of this House is not in my personal gift, I hope that what I am about ...

It is incredibly welcome that the Minister is talking about doing a much wider impact assessment....

The hon. Lady raises a very important point, and I think Members would feel very uncomfortable lo...

I agree with the right hon. Lady that the clause uses a dry way of saying something that I think ...

I thank the hon. Lady for putting that much more succinctly than the clauses do, and she is absol...

Has there been any consideration of unpaid Ministers in the House of Lords? They get a daily allo...

It is not part of the scope of this Bill, but the Prime Minister has said in his written minister...

Lest there be a lack of clarity, let me explain that although the hon. Member for East Renfrewshi...

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. My apologies for not giving you specific notice of thi...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. As he and the House know, it is not a matter f...