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Adjournment debate on Tuesday, 7 November 2006, in the House of Commons, led by Anne Begg. The answering member was Ian McCartney.

Farepak

Westminster hall adjournment debate on Farepak and the voucher/hamper industry.

Secondary information

Type
Parliamentary proceeding
Reference
451 c183-210WH 
Session
2005-06
Department
Department of Trade and Industry
Chamber / Committee
Westminster Hall
Related items
Farepak
Monday, 22 January 2007
Written statements
House of Commons
Farepak
Monday, 22 January 2007
Written statements
House of Lords
Proceeding contributions
Lord Field of Birkenhead | 451 c185WH (Link to this contribution) I hope that Halifax Bank of Scotland is tuning into my hon. Friend’s debate, because I have rarely s...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c185WH (Link to this contribution) Many people, including HBOS, need to answer some serious questions. Although I understand that such ...
Show all contributions (101)
Ian Stewart | 451 c185WH (Link to this contribution) I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this important debate. Is she aware that this morning, the...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c185WH (Link to this contribution) I agree, and I congratulate the Minister on his work on the situation. Sainsbury’s has said that it ...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c184-5WH (Link to this contribution) I agree, and I shall address that point a little later. My constituent and others were told by Fare...
Brian H Donohoe | 451 c186WH (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend may not know, but Members debating a statutory instrument on the Big Lottery Fund las...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c185-6WH (Link to this contribution) I could not agree more. Soon after the issue was raised on the Floor of the House during Trade and I...
Lord McFall of Alcluith | 451 c185WH (Link to this contribution) I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate. Does she share my disappointment that the Bri...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c186WH (Link to this contribution) I shall make some progress. The BRC let Farepak customers down badly by promising something that it...
Chris Ruane | 451 c183WH (Link to this contribution) Will my hon. Friend give way? [Laughter.]
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c183WH (Link to this contribution) The number of Members present shows that there is huge interest in the subject. I applied for this ...
Speaker | 451 c183WH (Link to this contribution) Order. Before I call Anne Snelgrove to discuss Farepak and the voucher-hamper industry, may I point ...
David Leslie Taylor | 451 c184WH (Link to this contribution) Credit unions would be a good source of short-term loans. Does my hon. Friend agree with the sentime...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c184WH (Link to this contribution) I shall give way to my hon. Friend the Member for North-West Leicestershire (David Taylor).
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c184WH (Link to this contribution) I agree, and I shall provide some details later about how we may be able to help. My constituent Vi...
Russell Brown | 451 c184WH (Link to this contribution) I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate. Does she agree that given the plight of many ...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c183-4WH (Link to this contribution) I shall just make a little progress. At least 150,000 people are affected by what has happened at F...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c187WH (Link to this contribution) Those rescue packages are indeed welcome, but hamper firms must have stringent regulations imposed o...
Bob Spink | 451 c187WH (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Lady pay tribute to the work of the citizens advice bureaux? She will no doubt accept ...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c187WH (Link to this contribution) I agree with the hon. Gentleman on the last point. I congratulate the citizens advice bureaux on the...
Tom Brake | 451 c187WH (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Lady agree that, if such voluntary measures are not effective, the best way to secure ...
Chris Ruane | 451 c186WH (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend. I suggest a further source of funding: dormant bank accounts. There are bill...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c186WH (Link to this contribution) Yes, on that point, then I must make some progress.
Denis Murphy | 451 c187WH (Link to this contribution) Is my hon. Friend aware that there has been a little good news this morning with the announcement by...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c186-7WH (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friends are coming up with creative ways to find the money, as I would expect. As long as th...
Chris Ruane | 451 c186WH (Link to this contribution) Will my hon. Friend give way on that point?
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c186WH (Link to this contribution) That sounds like a very interesting way forward, and I am sure that the Minister will consider it.
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c187-8WH (Link to this contribution) There are 47 shopping days until Christmas, and we need to get on with this as quickly as possible. ...
Ian McCartney | 451 c210WH (Link to this contribution) I thank my colleagues for the debate and the support, and I ask hon. Members to go back to their con...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c188WH (Link to this contribution) I think that that is a rhetorical question. I certainly would not.
Eric Joyce | 451 c188WH (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend might be aware that Sir Clive Thompson is also a director of iSoft, which is attracti...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c188WH (Link to this contribution) My right hon. Friend makes an excellent point, and I am about to turn to that issue. We must provide...
Tom Clarke | 451 c188WH (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to my hon. Friend for her excellent leadership and for introducing the debate. Althoug...
Danny Alexander | 451 c196WH (Link to this contribution) I very much agree. As other hon. Members said, HBOS’s vast profits dwarf the losses of the people wh...
Michael Connarty | 451 c196WH (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Gentleman not find it ironic that probably he along with myself, other Members of the ...
Danny Alexander | 451 c196WH (Link to this contribution) I do not know whether I can accompany the hon. Gentleman, but he is right: the champagne at that eve...
Speaker | 451 c196WH (Link to this contribution) Order. I remind hon. Members that we are very short of time. We may be down to about two minutes eac...
Danny Alexander | 451 c195WH (Link to this contribution) I am grateful for that intervention and hope that the Minister answers the question. What is the ro...
Madeleine Moon | 451 c195WH (Link to this contribution) HBOS stated that it had accommodated Farepak on many occasions to allow its management every opportu...
Danny Alexander | 451 c195WH (Link to this contribution) Whatever the legalities of HBOS’s role, its activities in this murky scandal have been morally highl...
Michael Moore | 451 c196WH (Link to this contribution) Is not the response of HBOS staggering? It has taken a legalistic route, but not only are people den...
Danny Alexander | 451 c195WH (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. The agents are among the most responsible people in this cou...
Oliver Letwin | 451 c195WH (Link to this contribution) Given the intervention by the hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant), will the Minister clarify the ...
Brian Iddon | 451 c189WH (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend will know that Findel plc is quoted as indicating that the rescue package would be £1...
Baroness Clark of Kilwinning | 451 c189WH (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree that once the matter has been fully investigated, either civil or criminal...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c189WH (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is absolutely right; that should follow. The Secretary of State has announced that th...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c188-9WH (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is right; a cheque from one of my constituents was cashed 15 minutes before the admin...
Wayne David | 451 c188WH (Link to this contribution) Is my hon. Friend aware that Farepak continued receiving money from customers up to 13 October, when...
Speaker | 451 c191WH (Link to this contribution) Order. I want the summing-up speeches to start at 10.30 am, because I know that the Minister has a g...
Chris Bryant | 451 c189WH (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend rightly attributes blame where it should be attributed, but does she understand that ...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c189WH (Link to this contribution) It is indeed, but we are talking about even larger sums of up to £45 million. The Minister should lo...
Mary Creagh | 451 c190WH (Link to this contribution) On Farepak’s business model, does my hon. Friend agree that companies that take money from the very ...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c189WH (Link to this contribution) They are indeed. The agents hold their communities together, and have a strong sense of financial pr...
Fraser Kemp | 451 c190WH (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend for giving way. It is essentially on a technicality that such companies are n...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c190WH (Link to this contribution) Absolutely—my hon. Friend is quite right. There is also the issue of the bond. A lot of people wrot...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c190WH (Link to this contribution) That is indeed a loophole that needs to be closed. If the industry is unable to regulate itself—as i...
Chris Bryant | 451 c195WH (Link to this contribution) This is an important point. The British Retail Consortium is maintaining that one reason why it cann...
Malcolm Moss | 451 c191-2WH (Link to this contribution) I congratulate the hon. Member for South Swindon (Anne Snelgrove) on securing the debate. It is an i...
Jim McGovern | 451 c193WH (Link to this contribution) I am interested to hear about the various rescue packages—the Big Lottery Fund, Sainsbury’s and so o...
Andrew Smith | 451 c192-3WH (Link to this contribution) I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for South Swindon (Anne Snelgrove) on her powerful speech a...
Malcolm Moss | 451 c192WH (Link to this contribution) I shall not, as I have only a few minutes. It is outrageous that peoples’ savings should be stolen ...
Danny Alexander | 451 c195WH (Link to this contribution) I agree. One of my constituents was an agent and said that she intended to take it on herself to rep...
Mark Williams | 451 c194WH (Link to this contribution) I endorse what my hon. Friend says, but does he agree that, particularly among our smaller rural com...
Danny Alexander | 451 c194WH (Link to this contribution) I join other hon. Members in congratulating the hon. Member for South Swindon (Anne Snelgrove) on se...
Andrew Smith | 451 c193-4WH (Link to this contribution) I have been critical of the role of HBOS in this affair and we can all think of a worthy destination...
Denis Murphy | 451 c196-7WH (Link to this contribution) Thank you, Miss Begg. Most of my points have already been covered, but I would like the Minister to ...
Adam Price | 451 c197WH (Link to this contribution) I shall speak briefly on that very theme. I congratulate the hon. Member for South Swindon (Anne Sne...
Ian McCartney | 451 c197WH (Link to this contribution) Hon. Members should talk sense. First, national insurance contributions, if they have been paid—ther...
Adam Price | 451 c197WH (Link to this contribution) I take the Minister’s point, but if VAT has been paid, clearly the Minister will want to consider ho...
Mike Weir | 451 c198WH (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend mentions the role of HBOS, and we have heard about the roles that many people played....
Adam Price | 451 c198WH (Link to this contribution) We have heard about the Findel letter. If there is a database, surely the key reason for the BRC’s r...
Jim Devine | 451 c198WH (Link to this contribution) I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for South Swindon (Anne Snelgrove) for securing this deba...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c190WH (Link to this contribution) I am not looking forward to a Christmas eve when parents in Swindon are faced with explaining why Fa...
Alasdair McDonnell | 451 c199-200WH (Link to this contribution) I congratulate you on your direction of the debate, Miss Begg. It has been a good debate. I congratu...
Jim Devine | 451 c199WH (Link to this contribution) I would be grateful for the opportunity to join my hon. Friend at that demonstration outside the com...
Christopher Fraser | 451 c199WH (Link to this contribution) I, like others, have a number of constituents who have been deeply affected by the Farepak escapade ...
Michael Connarty | 451 c198WH (Link to this contribution) I pay compliments to my hon. Friend and neighbour for the work that he has done on Farepak. He is kn...
Gordon Banks | 451 c200-1WH (Link to this contribution) Many people in my constituency have been affected by the collapse. One agent has lost £11,000 and is...
Nia Griffith | 451 c201-2WH (Link to this contribution) It is incomprehensible to me how a company that takes in money a considerable time before it has to ...
Speaker | 451 c200WH (Link to this contribution) If those who still wish to speak can stick to one minute each, everyone might be able to get in.
Russell Brown | 451 c200WH (Link to this contribution) I will be as brief as I can, Miss Begg. I have written to two dozen chief executives of high street...
John Leech | 451 c203WH (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree that, in a sense, this fiasco is in the best interests of the hamper indus...
Baroness Burt of Solihull | 451 c203WH (Link to this contribution) The hon. Lady makes an extremely important point. the last thing that we want is for people to be dr...
Baroness Burt of Solihull | 451 c203WH (Link to this contribution) Yes; my hon. Friend makes an important point. The reputation of the hamper industry has been gravely...
Speaker | 451 c203WH (Link to this contribution) Order. I have to tell the House that the heating cannot be adjusted because of the works outside. Al...
Madeleine Moon | 451 c202-3WH (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Lady agree that all hon. Members must raise awareness of savings and loans facilities ...
Annette Brooke | 451 c202WH (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree that our constituents, particularly the vulnerable and those who have beha...
Baroness Burt of Solihull | 451 c202WH (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I agree that we need action now, and many hon. Members have made po...
Speaker | 451 c202WH (Link to this contribution) Order. Everyone has been extremely well-disciplined, and I am sorry to the remaining Back Benchers w...
Baroness Burt of Solihull | 451 c202WH (Link to this contribution) I shall be very brief, Miss Begg. We have had an excellent debate, and I congratulate the hon. Membe...
Mark Prisk | 451 c203-5WH (Link to this contribution) I, too, add my commendations to the hon. Member for South Swindon (Anne Snelgrove). She has been lea...
Ian McCartney | 451 c205-8WH (Link to this contribution) Good morning, Miss Begg. I thank all right hon. and hon. Members for participating in what has been ...
Anne Snelgrove | 451 c210WH (Link to this contribution) I congratulate my right hon. Friend on the work that he and his Department have done, and give heart...
Ian McCartney | 451 c209-10WH (Link to this contribution) I shall give way to my hon. Friend in a minute. I know that Members of all parties donate to charit...
Jim McGovern | 451 c210WH (Link to this contribution) If that is the only way forward at this point, so be it, but my constituents are not looking for cha...
Ian McCartney | 451 c210WH (Link to this contribution) I am not asking for charity, but I am not going to go for a quick headline with a comment like that....
Subjects
Companies Closures Personal savings Farepak Halifax Bank of Scotland
Link
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