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3,218 results
Show detailed: On Off 10 20 50 100 Newest first Oldest first
And indeed Liberals seem to have spoken as anti-liberals. I am perplexed by that. I would like to develop one point: how PFI fits into the nature of our society. I am reminded of something that Churchill said, which I think speaks to the third way. He said:"““Some people regard...
Member
Steve Baker (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
23 June 2011
Reference
530 c180-1WH
House
House of Commons
I shall press on, if that is okay. The Government's measures will encourage more people to fill newly emerging jobs. I am delighted that in the last Budget, we began to move towards increasing the income level at which income tax is paid, which will make the most difference at...
Member
Jackie Doyle-Price (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
22 June 2011
Reference
530 c370-1
House
House of Commons
My Lords, I do not think that I can reassure the noble Baroness about everything at this stage, as she asked a lot of detailed questions of which I had no notice. I will ensure that she receives a full reply to the many questions that she has raised. However,...
Member
Baroness Hanham (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
20 June 2011
Reference
728 c1131-3
House
House of Lords
My Lords, I shall speak also to Amendments 30 and 31. I am seeking some clarity with the probing Amendments 29 and 30. The Bill extends the general powers of fire authorities. We discussed that at Second Reading and we understand the reasons why, but concerns about the power of...
Member
Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
20 June 2011
Reference
728 c1128-31
House
House of Lords
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when (a) she and (b) other Ministers in her Department were first informed of the discovery by researchers from the university of Cambridge of a new strain of MRSA in milk from a British herd; and what steps...
Asked by
Julian Huppert (Liberal Democrat)
Answering body
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Type
Written question
Status
Answered
Date
17 June 2011
Reference
59460; 529 c1001-2W
House
House of Commons
My Lords, I feel a certain wry amusement in this debate because I agree with almost everything that has been said this evening. I last spoke on this subject on the Scotland Bill on 30 July 1998. On that occasion, I moved an amendment to suggest that the formula for...
Member
Lord Dixon-Smith (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
15 June 2011
Reference
728 c861
House
House of Lords
I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. It is vital that we deal with tuberculosis. We have just had our first incident in Penrith and The Border—a shocking incident. Much of it seems to be about the movement of cows from areas that are already TB-infected. That infection then...
Member
Rory Stewart (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
8 June 2011
Reference
529 c128WH
House
House of Commons
I thank the right hon. Gentleman. He is right that machine-to-machine communication raises a number of important questions about the way we live our lives, which I shall talk about later. We should be aware across Government of what the issues are, so that we give ourselves an advantage in...
Member
Chi Onwurah (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
8 June 2011
Reference
529 c133-5WH
House
House of Commons
My noble Friend Lord Henley represented the United Kingdom at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels on 17 May The only item on the main agenda was the participation of the EU in negotiations on a legally binding agreement (LBA) on forests in Europe at the ministerial meeting in...
Member
Caroline Spelman (Conservative)
Department
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Type
Written statement
Date
7 June 2011
Reference
529 c10-2WS
House
House of Commons
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State has today made the following Statement. My noble friend Lord Henley represented the United Kingdom at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels on 17 May. The only item on the main agenda was the participation of the EU in negotiations on...
Member
Lord Henley (Conservative)
Department
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Type
Written statement
Date
7 June 2011
Reference
728 c16-8WS
House
House of Lords
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich (Dr Poulter) on securing this debate. It was widely discussed when I was at the Suffolk show last week, so I was given plenty of notice that I would be grilled on these issues. I also thank...
Member
James Paice (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
7 June 2011
Reference
529 c10-2WH
House
House of Commons
My constituency is a highly rural one in which agriculture matters a great deal. It matters for jobs on farms and in the processing and distribution sectors—and of course farmers are the stewards of our land and promote tourism too. Food matters. In terms of food security, there are pressures...
Member
Mel Stride (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
24 May 2011
Reference
528 c883-4
House
House of Commons
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Penrith and The Border (Rory Stewart), who has pressed this issue on our behalf and who has got us to this stage. His enthusiasm and eloquence is being listened to by the Government. I do not call myself a technical expert, unlike...
Member
Eric Ollerenshaw (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
19 May 2011
Reference
528 c565-6
House
House of Commons
I start by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk Coastal (Dr Coffey) on her initiative in calling for the debate and persuading you, Mr Speaker, to grant her this opportunity. It allows us to focus on an issue that is becoming of increasing importance every day not only...
Member
James Paice (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
16 May 2011
Reference
528 c130-4
House
House of Commons
I thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and the House for giving me the opportunity to debate this very important issue today, but before I do so, I should like to say to my constituents that I have been a Member for a year this week, and I have loved every...
Member
Chuka Umunna (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
13 May 2011
Reference
527 c1538-41
House
House of Commons

This note collects together useful sources on this question in the immediate aftermath of the killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan
Type
Commons Briefing paper
Date
3 May 2011
Reference
SN05947
My Lords, I am more than grateful for the fact that this matter has been brought before us for debate. Sometimes, as I sit on these Benches listening to the discussion of various pieces of legislation, I feel that I would like all of them checked out for how they...
Member
Lord Griffiths of Burry Port (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
28 April 2011
Reference
727 c248-50
House
House of Lords
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to reduce methane emissions from cows; what assessment she has made of the effects on levels of methane emitted by cows of feeding cows linseed; and if she will make a statement.
Asked by
Andrew Stephenson (Conservative)
Answering body
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Type
Written question
Status
Answered
Date
26 April 2011
Reference
51238; 527 c15W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture of alterations in the feedstuffs provided to livestock.
Asked by
William Bain (Labour)
Answering body
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Type
Written question
Status
Answered
Date
26 April 2011
Reference
51065; 527 c12-3W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding her Department has provided for research into the dairy farming sector in each of the last five years.
Asked by
Andrew Stephenson (Conservative)
Answering body
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Type
Written question
Status
Answered
Date
26 April 2011
Reference
51237; 527 c4W
House
House of Commons
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right, and he makes his point with the authority of having been Energy Minister for many years in the previous Government. The security that our indigenous oil and gas industry gives us is one of its most important benefits. We have never had full...
Member
Frank Doran (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
26 April 2011
Reference
527 c90-1
House
House of Commons

• It is generally accepted that the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) need to be sharply reduced. This note considers how agriculture could contribute to this objective. A related note Agriculture and Climate Change (SN/SC/3763) covers the effect of climate change on agriculture. Another note deals with Biofuels (SN/SC/3691). That...
Type
Commons Briefing paper
Date
13 April 2011
Reference
SN04340
I start by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk Coastal (Dr Coffey). Like her, I speak in support of highly valued local radio services. To my pleasant surprise, I find I must declare a family interest, though I would not have had to do so a week ago....
Member
Robin Walker (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
5 April 2011
Reference
526 c212-4WH
House
House of Commons
May I say what a pleasure it is to serve under such esteemed chairmanship, Mr Gale? You will bring an enlightened and seasoned touch to the proceedings. In many ways, I would have loved to entitle the debate ““supermarket ombudsman”” because so many people understand what that means. When I...
Member
Gavin Williamson (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
5 April 2011
Reference
526 c230WH
House
House of Commons
My Lords, I imagine that I speak for many people on both sides of this Chamber when I say that, for all the hesitations that I might have had at the outset about our involvement in Libya, now that our forces are engaged alongside our allies I totally support this...
Member
Lord Davies of Stamford (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
1 April 2011
Reference
726 c1488-91
House
House of Lords

This note looks at the instability in the Middle East and North Africa since the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings.
Type
Commons Briefing paper
Date
30 March 2011
Reference
SN05902
My Lords, the speeches that we have heard from the former Speakers speak very eloquently for themselves. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Howarth, on his amendment. I do not know whether it deals with the issue but two points strike me. Like the noble Baroness, Lady Boothroyd, I could...
Member
Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
29 March 2011
Reference
726 c1141-2
House
House of Lords
On that very point about the Gaddafi regime continuing, some of us were briefed this week by the BBC journalist who had been detained in horrendous circumstances in Tripoli. He is clearly no apologist for the regime, but he said that it was remarkable how quiet Tripoli was, with demonstrations...
Member
Edward Leigh (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
24 March 2011
Reference
525 c1123
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of dairy cows in England in each of the last 10 years.
Asked by
Daniel Byles (Conservative)
Answering body
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Type
Written question
Status
Answered
Date
22 March 2011
Reference
47633; 525 c922-4W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects on animal welfare of zero-grazed dairy herds; and if she will make a statement.
Asked by
Nicholas Dakin (Labour)
Answering body
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Type
Written question
Status
Answered
Date
17 March 2011
Reference
47198; 525 c588W
House
House of Commons
No, I have very little time now. I believe that what Michael Portillo said on the BBC's ““This Week”” programme was an accurate reflection of how the Government have sought to mislead the people of this country. When asked by Andrew Neil why the Government had not told us about...
Member
Rosie Cooper (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
16 March 2011
Reference
525 c391
House
House of Commons
My Lords, this probing amendment is specifically triggered by the announcement last autumn from the Church Commissioners in which they declared their intention to sell 12 paintings by Zurbarán, which are currently in Auckland Castle, County Durham. At that time it also appeared that they wished to sell the castle,...
Member
Lord Inglewood (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
7 March 2011
Reference
725 c1471-3
House
House of Lords
I know that the hour is late and I shall make only a few brief comments to put certain things on the record—not repeating, I hope, what has been said. I declare an interest as a member of the board of governors of the Church Commissioners —four bishops are elected...
Member
Bishop of Chester (Bishops (affiliation))
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
7 March 2011
Reference
725 c1488-9
House
House of Lords
Type
POSTbrief
Date
1 March 2011
Reference
POST-Report-9
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what Forestry Commission land has been sold in the past six years; and what land has been bought by or transferred into the Forestry Commission estate in that time.
Asked by
Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Written question
Status
Answered
Date
28 February 2011
Reference
6730; 725 c229-36WA
House
House of Lords

A number of commentators have raised concerns about the implications of animal cloning for food safety, food supply and animal welfare. Others stress that animal cloning has the potential to improve animal welfare and farming productivity. It may even be used in the conservation of endangered species. This note sets...
Type
Commons Briefing paper
Date
22 February 2011
Reference
SN05798
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food intends to reply to the letter of 1 December 2010 from the hon. Member for Hartlepool on the Not in my cuppa and cows belong in fields campaigns.
Asked by
Iain Wright (Labour)
Answering body
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Type
Written question
Status
Answered
Date
14 February 2011
Reference
40901; 523 c531W
House
House of Commons
It is certainly wrong about it being fatal; I will argue that until the cows come home. The Electoral Commission bordered on being wilful. I was about to come to the point that the noble Lord raised, which is a very fair one, about the register. My point is this:...
Member
Lord Rooker (Labour Independent)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 February 2011
Reference
725 c517-8
House
House of Lords
My Lords, I cannot confirm or deny the figures produced by the noble Lord, but I can give him an assurance that subsidies go to the farmers and not to the cows as I imagine that the cows do not have bank accounts.
Answered by
Lord Henley (Conservative)
Type
Oral answer to question
Date
7 February 2011
Reference
725 c2
House
House of Lords
As I understand it, there are 17,000 dairy farms in this country and the average dairy farm gets a subsidy of £30,000 a year, which by my arithmetic is £500 million. There are 2 million cows, so each cow gets £250. I am sure the NFU will say that the cow does not get it and that the farmer does not get it. So who does get it? Could it be that the processors get it, the supermarkets get it, or the consumer gets it? Somebody must get it, so should there not be something like the Office for Budget Responsibility or the new adjudicator to clarify analytically who does get it?
Asked by
Lord Lea of Crondall (Labour)
Oral question - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Date
7 February 2011
Reference
725 c2
House
House of Lords
Does the Minister agree that a 3,700-cow mega dairy in Lincolnshire will be as much of a nail in the coffin for the competitiveness of small British dairy farmers as the unopposed arm lock of the supermarkets over farmers with their milk prices?
Asked by
Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat)
Oral question - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Date
7 February 2011
Reference
725 c3
House
House of Lords
Diolch, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am delighted to have the opportunity to close the debate on behalf of the Plaid Cymru and SNP group. Our combined parties have campaigned on this issue for a number of years, not least in tabling amendments to Finance Bills in 2005 and 2008. It...
Member
Jonathan Edwards (Plaid Cymru)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
7 February 2011
Reference
523 c85-7
House
House of Commons

No single party won an overall majority at the 2010 General Election, for the first time in the UK since February 1974. The Conservatives won the most seats, 306, a net change of 96 compared with notional 2005 general election results. Labour were down by 90 seats, leaving them with...
Type
Commons Briefing paper
Date
2 February 2011
Reference
RP10-36
I congratulate my neighbour, the hon. Member for North Wiltshire (Mr Gray), on securing the debate and, in particular, on the dexterity and skill that went into securing a 90-minute one, which affords many more of us the opportunity to participate. I rise primarily to demonstrate the shared interests of...
Member
Duncan Hames (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
26 January 2011
Reference
522 c86-7WH
House
House of Commons
May I remind the right hon. Gentleman that he is Her Majesty's principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, not a pensions actuary at KPMG? In every year of the previous Labour Government, the grant in aid to the foreign service went up, but under him it has gone down....
Member
Denis MacShane (Independent (affiliation))
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
26 January 2011
Reference
522 c295-6
House
House of Commons
My Lords, I declare an interest in that I have holidayed on the Isle of Wight for some 40 years in a family cottage, I have been a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes for 30 years, I lived in Southsea and Portsmouth for some 20 years, I...
Member
Lord West of Spithead (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
19 January 2011
Reference
724 c409
House
House of Lords
My Lords, I hope to establish a precedent by posing a direct question to the Minister. That would be a good idea, having sat through all these hours. An occasional question may elicit some response from the Minister which may help all of us. I have a question on this...
Member
Lord Williamson of Horton (Crossbench)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
18 January 2011
Reference
724 c344
House
House of Lords
I beg to move,"That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make provision for the minimum prices payable to dairy farmers for the production of milk; to establish minimum distances between intensive dairy farming operations and the nearest settlements; and for connected purposes." I am grateful for the...
Member
Stephen Phillips (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
12 January 2011
Reference
521 c290-2
House
House of Commons
I am grateful for the opportunity to debate this important issue. I want the debate to be fact-based and to be about the science. I want it to be an unemotional and genuinely open debate about the future of this country's food security and how we ensure that the people...
Member
Mark Spencer (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
12 January 2011
Reference
521 c69-70WH
House
House of Commons
My Lords, I was very pleased to put my name to the amendment of the noble Lord, Lord Greaves. I pay tribute to him for the way in which he is scrutinising this Bill, and in particular the arm's-length bodies in the Defra family, as we lovingly call it. My...
Member
Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
21 December 2010
Reference
723 c1066-70
House
House of Lords
I am sorry, but I cannot give way any more. People would not have the cheap liquid milk that they want, because, as we all know, importing liquid milk is always expensive given its bulk cost. As a result, therefore, business will find that it is operating against consumer interests...
Member
James Paice (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c234-5WH
House
House of Commons
I understand my hon. Friend's point, and I will try to pick it up, although I will obviously not be able to respond to all the important points that my hon. Friends and the hon. Member for Glasgow North East (Mr Bain) have made. There has been a bit of...
Member
James Paice (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c233WH
House
House of Commons
Several issues are probably involved, so I want to make my second point, which is that we might want to resist the development on welfare grounds. We can include housing for 365 days a year as a welfare issue. Even with a seven-cow herd, the animals were indoors for six...
Member
Glyn Davies (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c227-8WH
House
House of Commons
I heard that the original Nocton proposal was for 7,000 cows. Once we reach 1,000, the principle is much the same—we are dealing with a big unit in which the animals are housed for almost the whole time. That is a different way of producing milk. I accept my hon....
Member
Glyn Davies (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c227WH
House
House of Commons
We are in danger of muddling two things, one of which is the size of the unit. Plenty of farmers have gradually crept up from seven cows to 70, from 70 to 170 and, in my family's case, from about 100 to 400. Is there some cut-off point, above which...
Member
Simon Hart (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c227WH
House
House of Commons
That is an extremely good point. The hon. Gentleman anticipated the argument that I was going to advance. There is a need for more research into intensification. In the United States, farms of 15,000 cows or more are not unknown, and the proportion of farms with more than 500 cows...
Member
William Bain (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c231WH
House
House of Commons
I should like to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Montgomeryshire (Glyn Davies) and say that my views on this issue are also mixed. If I look at the commercial situation and even the animal welfare situation, I do not think that there is a problem with the unit...
Member
Neil Parish (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c228-30WH
House
House of Commons
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship for the first time, Mr Leigh, as it was under Mrs Riordan's. This has been an excellent debate. I congratulate the hon. and learned Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Stephen Phillips) on securing it. He spoke with great passion and...
Member
William Bain (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c230-1WH
House
House of Commons
That is another excellent point, and it is why we must move with extreme care and ensure that we get the best evidence on animal welfare and on the economic impact on small farmers. I hope that the Minister can give us further information in his closing remarks on any...
Member
William Bain (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c231-2WH
House
House of Commons
I congratulate my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Stephen Phillips) on securing this debate, his measured introduction and balancing clear arguments on welfare and costs. May I also congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire (Simon Hart), who brings...
Member
Roger Gale (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c222-3WH
House
House of Commons
I thank my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Stephen Phillips) for obtaining this important debate. He could not have picked a more important time to do so, as we have heard. We are all aware that we are at a crucial stage with a...
Member
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c224-6WH
House
House of Commons
My hon. Friend is concerned about 4,000 cows, but I wish to make it clear that the proposers of the development at Nocton originally put in an application for more than 6,000. If he is concerned about 4,000, it has been made clear that that will in due course become...
Member
Stephen Phillips (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c227WH
House
House of Commons
I am very grateful to have been granted this important debate on an issue that has not thus far spent too much time in the headlines, but which is fundamental to the way of life of many of my constituents. Today's attendance demonstrates the great interest that the farming community...
Member
Stephen Phillips (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c213-5WH
House
House of Commons
I am grateful to the Minister for that correction. At some point, we may need to have another debate about the scope of the ombudsman's jurisdiction and powers, but perhaps we can leave that to one side for the remainder of today's debate. I said at the outset that this...
Member
Stephen Phillips (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c217-9WH
House
House of Commons
My hon. Friend is correct. The real point is that the price pressure that has come down from the supermarkets, whether through intermediaries or those responsible for purchasing milk production, has been so great that many farmers have been driven out of business, and those who remain in business, however...
Member
Stephen Phillips (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c215-6WH
House
House of Commons
On my hon. and learned Friend's previous point, is he aware that a number of auctioneers across the UK are simply not taking bookings to sell milking cows until well into next year because there is such a backlog of farmers going out of business and trying to sell their...
Member
Simon Hart (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c216WH
House
House of Commons
Thank you, Mrs Riordan, for the opportunity to contribute to a debate that is close to my own interests. I thank my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Stephen Phillips) for the way in which he introduced the debate and, in particular, his reference to...
Member
Glyn Davies (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c226WH
House
House of Commons
I agree. There is no greater expert on this subject than my hon. Friend. I want to return to welfare concerns. The hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent South (Robert Flello) made an interesting intervention on whether dairy production would be encouraged to move from its traditional countryside location to brownfield sites....
Member
Simon Hart (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
14 December 2010
Reference
520 c221-2WH
House
House of Commons
My Lords, as a farmer, I take this opportunity to make a few remarks about food security. As the world population continues to increase, the reality is that global agricultural production will be hard pressed to keep up with the ever-rising global demand for food. The world population is anticipated...
Member
Lord Rotherwick (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
13 December 2010
Reference
723 c472-3
House
House of Lords
I readily understand that the idea of mega-dairies creates strong emotions, although I cannot talk about a specific example. I believe, however, that we should be led by the real evidence and the science, which is why DEFRA has commissioned a three-year study at the Scottish agricultural colleges of the issues surrounding mega-dairies. A separate study of the directly related subject of the genetics of high-yielding cows is also taking place. I promise the House that if the outcomes of those studies—we should have the first results towards the end of next year—precipitate the need for action, action will be taken.
Answered by
James Paice (Conservative)
Answering body
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Type
Oral answer to question
Date
9 December 2010
Reference
520 c511-2
House
House of Commons
I cannot, because of the time. Top universities have long complained that, even with the Government's contribution and the fees, they were underfunded and could not cover their costs. Incidentally, the cost also applies to EU students. There were 61,000 such enrolments last year, a number that is growing fast,...
Member
Damian Hinds (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
9 December 2010
Reference
520 c615
House
House of Commons
My Lords, the stocking densities of chickens cause huge animal welfare problems, so I can be a little more congratulatory to the Government on taking this step in setting a lower density for the housing of chickens in England and for some of our counterparts across Europe and elsewhere. It...
Member
Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
8 December 2010
Reference
723 c48GC
House
House of Lords
I worry that what we have here is a softening up. The hon. Gentleman serves on the Defence Committee. Surely he has the ear of the Minister and speaks to him in the corridors, as we try to do as well. Our suspicion is that discussions will continue about St...
Member
Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
8 December 2010
Reference
520 c76WH
House
House of Commons
Of course I acknowledge that crime fell during that period, as it did throughout most of the western world. I have always acknowledged that. Where we will not agree is on the simple cause and effect that the right hon. Gentleman puts forward. Let me quote from source that it...
Member
Lord Clarke of Nottingham (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
7 December 2010
Reference
520 c174-5
House
House of Commons
Especially as an ex-fireman, I can assure the hon. Gentleman that road safety is paramount for this Government. That is why I am taking this forward in such strong ways, particularly with local authorities. It is for local authorities, not central Government, to decide what is best for their communities. Speed cameras have been beneficial in some parts of the country, but they have also been seen as cash cows. It is for local authorities to decide, and we will work with them.
Answered by
Mike Penning (Conservative)
Answering body
Department for Transport
Type
Oral answer to question
Date
2 December 2010
Reference
519 c948
House
House of Commons

The Daylight Saving Bill 2010-11 is a Private Member’s Bill sponsored by Rebecca Harris MP. It would require the Government to conduct a cross-departmental analysis of the potential costs and benefits of advancing time by one hour for all, or part of, the year. If this analysis found that a...
Type
Commons Briefing paper
Date
1 December 2010
Reference
RP10-78
After such a bravura performance by my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Torridge and West Devon (Mr Cox), it is with some trepidation that I contribute to the debate. This is a very worthwhile topic, and I would like to contribute my view that the solution is a...
Member
Anne Marie Morris (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
24 November 2010
Reference
519 c119-20WH
House
House of Commons
Absolutely. One reason is that local government faces a 40% cut to its budget. Many issues that need addressing, such as those of having a clean, safe environment, are functions of local government. In my area, Denbighshire, the funding will not be there. The local government is already offloading those...
Member
Chris Ruane (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
24 November 2010
Reference
519 c117-8WH
House
House of Commons
They are certainly included in my thoughts—my hon. Friend uses a good piece of terminology. I am more than willing to look at that, but if I take the discount away from some and give it to others, I will get just as many complaints from the other side. I...
Member
Mike Penning (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
23 November 2010
Reference
519 c75WH
House
House of Commons
I rise to speak to my Amendment 175 and to support the amendments in the names of the noble Lords, Lord Lester and Lord Pannick, and my noble friend Lady Hayter. At Second Reading we made it clear that our concerns with the Bill were not with the principle of...
Member
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
23 November 2010
Reference
722 c1030-2
House
House of Lords
My Lords, I, too, shall hurry to get us back up to time. I do not have many points to make, but I should first declare an interest because I am married to a farmer, whose farm is medium-sized. As support has moved from production—Pillar 1, as the noble Earl,...
Member
Earl of Erroll (Crossbench)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
18 November 2010
Reference
722 c859-61
House
House of Lords
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. In a sense, the media were with us for the floods, but during the terrible incident of the shootings—we have spoken about this in other debates—elements of the media behaved deplorably, offering people money and so on, so that within days the vast majority...
Member
Tony Cunningham (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
17 November 2010
Reference
518 c289WH
House
House of Commons
Absolutely. My hon. Friend campaigned long and hard for families, especially low-income families, in a previous occupation. The health in pregnancy grant is going and the Sure Start grant will now be paid only for the first pregnancy, so we are starting to see what the Government really think about...
Member
Diana Johnson (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
17 November 2010
Reference
518 c933-4
House
House of Commons

This note outlines the history of Parliamentary representation in the Reading West constituency
Type
Commons Briefing paper
Date
15 November 2010
Reference
SN05403
My Lords, that was a very thoughtful and honest speech, which I am sure the House followed with interest. However, I found the beginning of it and the previous speech rather interesting examples of the cross-dressing that seems to be going on in this House. There have been some very...
Member
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
15 November 2010
Reference
722 c640-2
House
House of Lords
I will indeed, but perhaps my hon. Friend will bear with me until I get to that point in my remarks. The hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent South slightly chided the Government when he said that our structural reform business plan contained no reference to the use of soya, yet there...
Member
James Paice (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
12 November 2010
Reference
518 c591-4
House
House of Commons
I do, and we sometimes forget that there is a strong social and economic ingredient in that definition; it has been missing so far in this debate. I am sure that the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent South will tell us that we have got that wrong, but I have seen...
Member
Simon Hart (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
12 November 2010
Reference
518 c581-2
House
House of Commons
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that milking dairy cows is only one part of the dairy industry? Farmers also have calves and young stock, and produce beef—
Member
Simon Hart (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
12 November 2010
Reference
518 c572
House
House of Commons
Profit is important, but it cannot be the sole determinant of Government farming policy. I should prefer my hon. Friend to give some consideration to biodiversity. At our current rate, half of all existing species on the planet will be eliminated within 50 years, and if we continue down that...
Member
Lord Johnson of Marylebone (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
12 November 2010
Reference
518 c560
House
House of Commons
I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Friends of the Earth and its many activists across the UK and, indeed, the world for the support and commitment that they have shown on this crucial issue....
Member
Robert Flello (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
12 November 2010
Reference
518 c549-50
House
House of Commons
Before I start, I just want to pick up on a couple of points that were made by the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent South (Robert Flello). I congratulate him on coming second in the ballot for private Members' Bills this year. The point that slightly confused me came quite near...
Member
David Nuttall (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
12 November 2010
Reference
518 c552
House
House of Commons
Does my hon. Friend agree that many people are concerned about what will happen in the future? What concerns them in particular is the keeping of cows in hundreds and hundreds in barns, rather than in the countryside?
Member
Andrew Turner (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
12 November 2010
Reference
518 c553
House
House of Commons
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for allowing me to intervene before I make my main remarks. Many comments have been made about cows and fields and so on, but it would be helpful if I informed the House that the substance of the debate is where we get...
Member
James Paice (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
12 November 2010
Reference
518 c558
House
House of Commons
I am sure that my hon. Friend will appreciate the extent to which our farmed landscape, the visual beauty of which we enjoy every day, is owed to the farming practice of grazing. If we continue to go down the road that our farming industry has been going down of...
Member
Lord Johnson of Marylebone (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
12 November 2010
Reference
518 c558
House
House of Commons
Does the hon. Gentleman know that there is currently a planning application for a dairy farm in Lincolnshire, which will have more than 8,000 cows indoors practically throughout the year? There is also an application in Derbyshire for a pig farm that will host about 26,000 pigs. That is the...
Member
Kerry McCarthy (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
12 November 2010
Reference
518 c572
House
House of Commons
I am interested in the Minister's response to that point because when I criticised the move towards raising cows indoors, he told me recently at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs questions that I needed to go away and learn something more about dairy farming.
Member
Kerry McCarthy (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
12 November 2010
Reference
518 c572
House
House of Commons
May I start by reminding the House of my interests, as declared in the register? I congratulate the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent South (Robert Flello) on drawing second place, I believe, in the ballot. Many of us have been in the House far longer and have never got on the...
Member
James Paice (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
12 November 2010
Reference
518 c589-91
House
House of Commons
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 21 October (WA 187), whether the Scottish Agricultural College study will consider cows' behaviour; and, if not, why not.
Asked by
Lord Christopher (Labour)
Type
Written question
Status
Answered
Date
10 November 2010
Reference
3412; 722 c73WA
House
House of Lords
My right hon. Friend makes an incredibly important point. With local authorities facing cuts of 25% or more to their budgets, it is clear that those cuts could affect trading standards and that the action now being taken on illegal loan sharking could therefore be put at risk. We should...
Member
Stella Creasy (Labour; Cooperative Party)
Type
Proceeding contribution
Date
9 November 2010
Reference
518 c23-5WH
House
House of Commons
The European Food Safety Authority has concluded that the major factor causing poor welfare in dairy cows is genetic selection to produce high yields. Given proposals to intensify milk production for higher yields, such as those planned at Nocton, will the Secretary of State agree urgently to review the welfare code for dairy cows in the UK, and to meet a delegation of cross-party MPs and non-governmental organisations to discuss how her Department can ensure that its code takes into account the latest scientific advice and ensures that any new dairies do not compromise cow welfare?
Asked by
Nicholas Dakin (Labour)
Answering body
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Topical question - 1st Supplementary
Status
Answered
Date
4 November 2010
Reference
517 c1041
House
House of Commons

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