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Business of the House

I am always grateful to the shadow Leader of the House for the entertainment that he provides, no doubt after scouring the pages of many local newspapers to produce the information that he sets before the House. As for the specific points that he made, I make it clear that the Government regard the debate about police reform as a matter of great importance. We could hold the debate in Westminster Hall before Christmas if the Opposition insist on it. [Hon. Members: ““No.””] There may not be time to hold the debate on the Floor of the House before Christmas, but I assure them that if it needs to be held here we can arrange that early in the new year. I have seen the reports about my noble Friend Lord Drayson. As for the question of substandard vaccines in general, I am confident that the vaccine supplies both to this country and to Her Majesty’s armed forces are of the required standard. As for the energy supply, I am sorry to spoil the scaremongering tactics deployed by the shadow Leader of the House, but I should like to acquaint him with some important facts about the energy supply. Gas prices are rising throughout Europe, because they are linked to oil prices—that is a fact. The great majority of our businesses are not affected by the changes in gas prices, because they have contracted to buy their gas at fixed prices—again that is a fact. Gas prices here, despite the rise in the past year, are still some of the most competitive in Europe, and the same is true of our household bills—again, that is a fact. The national grid, which knows rather more about these matters than some Opposition Members, has made it clear in its winter outlook statement that there will not be a problem for domestic gas customers and smaller businesses and organisations, however severe the winter, barring freak technical disruptions. That, too, is a fact. It is important that Opposition Members consider the facts instead of entertaining us with their scaremongering tactics. They should bear in mind that, as Age Concern has pointed out, it is the elderly and the most vulnerable in our society who are most concerned about the kind of material that the shadow Leader of the House and others are issuing in a deliberate effort to upset people. That is simply intolerable and should not happen. As for the British rebate, Opposition Members have become obsessive about it over the years, but the Government’s position has not changed. The rebate, as I made clear last week, was a direct consequence of the fact that the United Kingdom was paying a disproportionately large amount to the EU budget as the result of the common agricultural policy. The Government have made it clear that if the CAP is reformed to bring about lower payments by the UK the need for the rebate disappears. That is perfectly logical and proper, and it has been the Government’s position throughout. As for the hon. Gentleman’s final point, it is obviously important that individuals who are prepared to volunteer to help people in our hospitals should do so with the minimum possible inconvenience.