May I share with my hon. Friend a cautionary tale? Often, reorganisation is promoted as delivering better value for money, but since Christchurch was absorbed into the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area, the consequence has been less efficiency and higher costs, to the extent that BCP council is now...

May I share with my hon. Friend a cautionary tale? Often, reorganisation is promoted as delivering better value for money, but since Christchurch was absorbed into the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area, the consequence has been less efficiency and higher costs, to the extent that BCP council is now...

Will my right hon. Friend give way?

Will my right hon. Friend give way?

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the noble Lord Winston put it well in the other place when he said,

“The basic problem is this: we are at risk of legislating for a piece of biology that we really do not understand. We do not understand the underlying mechanisms”?

—[Official Report,...

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the noble Lord Winston put it well in the other place when he said,

“The basic problem is this: we are at risk of legislating for a piece of biology that we really do not understand. We do not understand the underlying mechanisms”?

—[Official Report,...

Is the hon. Gentleman referring to clause 4 and line 10 on page 3 of the Bill, where there a specific reference:

“to suppress a sexual orientation”?

Is the hon. Gentleman referring to clause 4 and line 10 on page 3 of the Bill, where there a specific reference:

“to suppress a sexual orientation”?

Further to that point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I want to raise the issue of the inconsistency between quite a few of these remaining orders. Because of the delay in introducing these orders, some of them amend orders that are earlier on the Order Paper. We know that members...

Further to that point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I want to raise the issue of the inconsistency between quite a few of these remaining orders. Because of the delay in introducing these orders, some of them amend orders that are earlier on the Order Paper. We know that members...

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Can you help Back Benchers, please? A number of Back Benchers who wanted to come into the Chamber for this part of tonight’s business were prevented from coming in, and we now have a scenario in which almost the only people in...

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Can you help Back Benchers, please? A number of Back Benchers who wanted to come into the Chamber for this part of tonight’s business were prevented from coming in, and we now have a scenario in which almost the only people in...

Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker.

Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker.

I am grateful to you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

First, there was an attempt physically to stop me coming into the Chamber. When I said that I wished to come into the Chamber to shout “Object”, I was allowed in.

You just said, Madam Deputy Speaker, that there are spaces in the Chamber,...

I am grateful to you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

First, there was an attempt physically to stop me coming into the Chamber. When I said that I wished to come into the Chamber to shout “Object”, I was allowed in.

You just said, Madam Deputy Speaker, that there are spaces in the Chamber,...

There are about a dozen Government Whips here—

There are about a dozen Government Whips here—

It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for East Antrim (Sammy Wilson), who served with me on the Brexit Committee in the previous Parliament and had great insight and passion for this cause. He is absolutely right in saying that the Government were warned about

the dangers...

It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for East Antrim (Sammy Wilson), who served with me on the Brexit Committee in the previous Parliament and had great insight and passion for this cause. He is absolutely right in saying that the Government were warned about

the dangers...

In the light of the response that my hon. Friend is yet to get from the Minister, does he share my disappointment that it is proposed that the partnership between East Dorset District Council and Christchurch Borough Council should be broken and that those councils should be absorbed into unitary...

In the light of the response that my hon. Friend is yet to get from the Minister, does he share my disappointment that it is proposed that the partnership between East Dorset District Council and Christchurch Borough Council should be broken and that those councils should be absorbed into unitary...

Has my right hon. Friend received a report on the Scottish Affairs Committee’s visit to Brussels on Monday and Tuesday this week? If so, does he share my delight that it was made absolutely clear throughout those discussions that the European Union is only interested in negotiating with the United Kingdom Government and not with the Scottish Government?

Has my right hon. Friend received a report on the Scottish Affairs Committee’s visit to Brussels on Monday and Tuesday this week? If so, does he share my delight that it was made absolutely clear throughout those discussions that the European Union is only interested in negotiating with the United Kingdom Government and not with the Scottish Government?

May I thank my right hon. Friend for making it clear that two years from today our sovereign Parliament will indeed have the power to amend, repeal or improve all this ghastly EU legislation?

May I thank my right hon. Friend for making it clear that two years from today our sovereign Parliament will indeed have the power to amend, repeal or improve all this ghastly EU legislation?

There have been a couple of references to paragraph 122 of the Supreme Court judgment. It says:

“There is no equivalence between the constitutional importance of a statute…and its length or complexity.”

It adds:

“A notice under article 50…could…be very short”.

Does my right hon. Friend agree that that is a very important message...

There have been a couple of references to paragraph 122 of the Supreme Court judgment. It says:

“There is no equivalence between the constitutional importance of a statute…and its length or complexity.”

It adds:

“A notice under article 50…could…be very short”.

Does my right hon. Friend agree that that is a very important message...

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2016 to Question 54636, what the timetable is for completion of the Government's consideration of splitting competence; and whether the power to create new benefits in devolved areas and the power to top up reserved...

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2016 to Question 54636, what the timetable is for completion of the Government's consideration of splitting competence; and whether the power to create new benefits in devolved areas and the power to top up reserved...

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, for what reasons the Scottish Government has given for requesting to defer responsibility for welfare in April 2017; and what assessment the Government has made of the consequences of that delay to the Scottish Government's budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, for what reasons the Scottish Government has given for requesting to defer responsibility for welfare in April 2017; and what assessment the Government has made of the consequences of that delay to the Scottish Government's budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether the Government has agreed to the request of the Scottish Government to delay for three years the transfer of welfare powers in April 2017.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether the Government has agreed to the request of the Scottish Government to delay for three years the transfer of welfare powers in April 2017.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the Government's policy is on whether it has a reserved power to negotiate a separate and different relationship for Scotland with the EU compared with the rest of the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the Government's policy is on whether it has a reserved power to negotiate a separate and different relationship for Scotland with the EU compared with the rest of the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his policy is on whether the Scottish Government can seek to negotiate a separate relationship for Scotland outside the EU compared with the rest of the United Kingdom under a devolved power.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his policy is on whether the Scottish Government can seek to negotiate a separate relationship for Scotland outside the EU compared with the rest of the United Kingdom under a devolved power.