| Lawrie Quinn | In the House... |
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In the House...Speeches and parliamentary questions in the House of Commons 2004-5While speaking in the chamber of the House is a high profile activity for an MP, much other work is done elsewhere, such as Lawrie's work as a PPS, as well as a large casework load for constituents. |
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Commons 2003-2004 Commons 2002-2003 2001-2002 Debates | Questions 2000-2001 Debates | Questions 1999-2000 Debates | Questions 1998-1999 Debates | Questions 1997-1998 Debates | Questions 1997 Debates | Questions Early Day Motions Front Page |
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): My hon. Friend will know about the difficulty of disposing of plastics and the problems that it causes the environment. What can his Treasury colleagues do to encourage small firms that want to innovate through trying to find other sources and different ways of disposing of plastics? Econoplas, a firm in my constituency, converts and recycles plastics to create an effective drainage medium, which helps to benefit the environment through drainage schemes in rural areas. Would my hon. Friend be interested in hearing about that good innovation and bringing it to the attention of the regional development agencies?
The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (John Healey): I am well aware of my hon. Friend's efforts to promote the interests of businesses and jobs in his constituency, and I pay tribute to him for that. I will write to him with details of new tax reliefs that we have recently put in place precisely to encourage the development of new, environmentally friendly technologies. If those special reliefs to try to help us to tackle some of the environmental problems that confront us are of interest to the company that he mentioned, I will happily meet him and the company.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To the list of colleagues on the Government Front Bench who recently visited North Yorkshire may I add my hon. Friend the Minister for Crime Reduction, Policing and Community Safety? During her visit she saw community policing successfully deployed in North Yorkshire. I do not recognise the comments made by the hon. Member for Vale of York (Miss McIntosh) about the county. The core of the matter is to work closely with the community, so will the hon. Lady listen closely to the great messages that my hon. Friend will be able to play into the process, and into the Home Office, to help build a proper community support officer structure in the police force nationally?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Fiona Mactaggart): It certainly can be. Within our current promotion and retention strategies, there is an opportunity to provide special priority payments and other mechanisms to enable police officers to stay in the front line in the community. North Wales police authority and Devon and Cornwall police authority have already used those structures to enable officers who are committed to being in the front line in the community for two or three years to receive additional payments in recognition of their work.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): May I congratulate my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary and the staff of the Department for Work and Pensions on the great help that has been afforded to many of my constituents to get them back into work? In an earlier answer, my hon. Friend referred to additional help. Can she say something this afternoon about those rural constituents of mine who have not only mobility problems, but transport problems in getting to work, and therefore need extra help? What assurance can she give them that she will ensure that they have the opportunity to play a full and active part in working life?
Maria Eagle: We want the changes to build on the experience and support that our personal advisers can give to individuals. The importance of various interventions will, as my hon. Friend suggested, vary from place to place. The advisers' discretionary fund enables our staff to make the best use of the money available to provide that assistance according to local conditions. In a rural area, some of the money might be used to ensure that transport is available. Ensuring that our front-line staff have discretion means that the system will be sufficiently flexible to enable people to be helped, whatever part of the country they live in.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Does my right hon. Friend agree that a key part of work in the NHS is teamwork and the dedication of directly employed staff on a daily basis? He will know of recent concerns about Whitby hospital in my constituency, so I wonder whether he can help me to facilitate a meeting with the strategic health authority and the primary care trust to make sure that all the key partners who deliver an excellent service for the people of Whitby and the surrounding district can continue to do so in future? Will he commend those staff and congratulate them on delivering PCT services in one of the largest community hospitals in England?
Mr. Hutton: Yes, the NHS staff in my hon. Friend's constituency are doing an excellent job, and I pay tribute to their commitment and professionalism. I shall certainly help facilitate the meeting that he asked for. That will not be a problem. I also pay tribute to my hon. Friend's outstanding support for the national health service in his constituency.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Will the consultation that my right hon. Friend has announced on this welcome policy also allow people who live in rural areas who are equally under pressure in trying to get the first foot on the ladder and very much in need of good social housing to be included in the roll-out of the policy?
The Deputy Prime Minister: Yes, those people certainly will be included. In fact, one of the great difficulties of the previous Administration's policy on rural housing was that they limited it in certain circumstances where they believed that there was a housing crisis. The houses were supposed to be available to people in the local area. The trouble was that the younger people usually did not have the money to buy the houses, which usually went to people who lived in the area who used them for holiday lets. That is not acceptable. The opportunity extends to rural areas, but I go further and call on all local authorities to do the same. Indeed, to be fair, my mate the Mayor of London has just discovered an awful lot of plots of land that he can build on. Local authorities and Government agencies could go round looking for those plots of land and take this opportunity to build good, high-quality houses - by the way, the £60,000 house is up to the highest standards, saving energy and water - and give a real opportunity to people in rural areas.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): If he will make a statement on current and projected levels of public spending on children's services and provision for the under-fives. [213419]
The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Gordon Brown): Total investment in Sure Start, child care, nursery education and children's services is expected to rise from £7.3 billion to £9 billion in 2007-08. That is to ensure that not just some children but every child has the best start in life.
Lawrie Quinn: I thank my right hon. Friend not only for that answer but for the incredible priority that the Government have given to such an important matter for the future of our nation. Last Friday, I visited a brand new children's centre in the Barrowcliff area of my constituency. Can my right hon. Friend tell the House how the ambitions for the people of east Whitby for a similar children's centre can be rolled out in the future? I hope that he will be able to continue with those policies so that those people can achieve what they really want.
Mr. Brown: My hon. Friend has supported the creation of the Sure Start centre in his constituency. The number of Sure Start children's centres will rise from the 550 that we have at present, to 2,500 over the next few years. That major extension in the number of Sure Start centres has been made possible by the extra spending that we are proposing. The unfortunate thing, however, is that the Conservative party plans to cut that spending on those children's programmes.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): I join my right hon. Friend in warming up the spirit of the House. From the perspective of Scarborough and Whitby, never before have we had so many people in work. However, he will know that the east coast, like his constituency, faces problems in terms of access and transportation. We are on the periphery. Will he explain to the House and my constituents how Jobcentre Plus, other similar schemes and the new deal can help the people who have access problems to get to where the jobs are?
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Alan Johnson): My hon. Friend hits upon an important reason why we need to speak to the individuals concerned, particularly those who have a history of being out of work, to find out what the problems are and seek ways of overcoming them. Jobcentre Plus personal advisers have at their discretion funding to help in such situations, as well as to provide transport in rural areas. It is important for us to recognise that it is no good simply hoping that some process of serendipity will get people into work. Of course, the vast majority of people do not need assistance, but many have problems that can only be tackled by a concerted approach, using Jobcentre Plus and the programmes that we have developed with such success since 1997.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on research he has evaluated on the use of hands-free mobile telephones in moving vehicles. [206109]
Mr. Jamieson: There has been a considerable amount of research looking into the effects of mobile phones on driving. The Department commissioned RoSPA to review the evidence and the report they published in 2002 provides evidence that using any type of mobile phone while driving impairs driving performance and significantly increases the risk of a crash, as highlighted in our publicity campaigns.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Does my right hon. Friend agree that the reorganisation of his Department provides an opportunity to see more work done at a regional level? Is it not a possibility that important regional transport schemes will allow for greater economic prosperity and greater working with the likes of the regional development agencies and local authorities to encourage the development of parts of communities all round the country, not least in my own of Scarborough?
The Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Alistair Darling): I agree with my hon. Friend. I strongly believe that we should do our best to decentralise as many transport decisions as possible. The best people to decide on the priorities for what needs to be done and to do that efficiently are those who know the position on the ground. The Highways Agency has done a great deal of work, which it is sharing with local authorities, on improving the procurement of roads, which means that more money is available. There is no doubt that the savings we have identified in the Department for Transport will be of immense help in releasing funds to go into transport as well as other services. Our fundings, unlike those of the Conservative party, are real and are being achieved now.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): My hon. Friend knows that Scarborough is one place in which that summer-time initiative [alcohol misuse enforcement campaign] was conducted. Will she commend the organisers of a recent conference on the night-time economy, which many participants from the industry attended? Will she take the opportunity to come to Scarborough and see how much progress has been made through the type of partnership that she extols from the Front Bench and that we in Scarborough try to deliver in the community?
The Minister for Crime Reduction, Policing and Community Safety (Ms Hazel Blears): I am delighted to join my hon. Friend in commending the work of the partnership in Scarborough, which has been so effective in tackling binge drinking. Like many other seaside towns, Scarborough sometimes experiences a particular problem with its night-time economy. My hon. Friend makes the point that the problem is a matter for not only the police, but local authorities and transport operators, and we all have a responsibility to try to make our communities safer. I shall be delighted to consider my hon. Friend's kind invitation to have a day out - or perhaps a night out - in Scarborough in the new year.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): I welcome my hon. Friend's answer, but can he tell the House what the Treasury is doing to make sure that the most disadvantaged communities receive support from the British banking industry? How is it encouraging the establishment of credit unions and savings clubs to allow those communities to take appropriate measures for saving for the future?
The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (John Healey): My hon. Friend takes a close interest in this in his constituency, and he is quite right about the importance of such savings arrangements. While we need and want to encourage a stronger savings culture across the country, we have a particular concern for the poorest communities and families. He will be aware of our savings gateway pilot, in which the Government match the savings that the poorest are prepared to put aside. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced in the pre-Budget report that we would back that scheme with another £15 million, and roll it out further to test its impact.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating the producers of the many programmes from Tyne Tees Television and Yorkshire Television? They produce strong regional TV that finds favour not only with my constituents but with people in the rest of the North-East of England and Yorkshire. Will she urge representatives of Ofcom to come to the House to meet the constituency MPs from those areas to discuss the strong regional identity in that part of England, rather than trying to hide behind her and her office near Trafalgar square? They should come to the House and listen to constituency MPs' strong sentiments about these services.
Tessa Jowell: I thank my hon. Friend for that question. Yes, the chairman and chief executive of Ofcom could and should make themselves available to MPs in order to discuss these matters. I understand that the managing directors of each of the ITV regions have either met or are in the process of arranging meetings with every constituency Member of Parliament in order to discuss this issue, and I know that the chief executive of ITV has made a similar offer. It is important that these discussions should take place, because what is at stake is not the status quo in regional broadcasting but clear safeguards relating to high-quality investment in news. It is important to engage in a debate with ITV about the kind of programming that our constituents want and that reflects the areas that we represent and in which we live.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating the officers and men of the Green Howards, who have recently returned from Afghanistan? They played an important role in the areas around Kabul in advance of the elections. Will he meet me and other colleagues from North Yorkshire and the Teesside area, as well as members of the regimental association of the Green Howards, to talk not only about their work in Afghanistan, but about their excellent history, before he has to make any decisions about the future of battalions in Yorkshire?
The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Geoffrey Hoon): Of course I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend to discuss the role of the Green Howards. On my visit to Afghanistan I met members of my local regiment, the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, who took every opportunity to make the sort of points that I am sure he would like to put to me in a meeting, which I would be delighted to hold.
Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): I thank my right hon. Friend for the announcement of the debate on the fishing industry next Thursday. I am conscious that that will probably be a busy day, so will he assure the House, especially Members who represent fishing communities, that we will have sufficient time to give full consideration to important matters that currently affect many coastal communities? If necessary, will he consider moving a business motion to ensure that we have enough time for contributions from not only Front-Bench speakers, but Members representing coastal communities?
Mr. Hain: I am aware that the matter is of extreme concern to my hon. Friend. Fisheries policy is extremely important, not least for the many Members of Parliament who represent coastal areas. My hon. Friend will be aware that I have tabled a business motion, which will mean that the debate will be protected; there will be a full three-hour debate. I take this opportunity to say to Front-Bench spokesmen and women on both sides of the House that the shorter their contributions the better, to allow lots of Members to participate in the debate.
Reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO
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