Speeches by Francois.

“I thank the hon. Member for that intervention. I think she may have been here just a few months ago when we had a debate about the history of the Gurkhas in British service. I echo everything she said about the bravest of the brave. I therefore look forward to her supporting the new clause in the Division Lobby this ev…”

“(4) Paragraphs 1, 19 and 20(2) are to be treated as omitted.”

“Having addressed our amendments towards the opening of the debate, I will now speak to the new clauses. New clause 3 would create a veterans’ commissioner for England. My hon. Friend the Member for South Northamptonshire (Sarah Bool) made a good case for doing so during the Select Committee on the Bill, and did so agai…”

“The difference is that, while people in civilian life sometimes have to move jobs at the behest of their employer, service personnel are ordered to go. They really have no choice: once they have been posted, they have to go. Therefore, in ordering them to go, the state should have a moral obligation to deal with the co…”

“Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972”

“(5) Paragraph 2 applies as if—”

“I fully acknowledge the hon. Gentleman’s point about education being a devolved matter, which makes the SEN issue more complicated. He is quite correct about that, but does he acknowledge that amendment 2 allows for that and specifically refers to it? Secondly, there is no cross-border issue in England. If I agree with…”

“I thank the Committee for its indulgence; I will sit down now to facilitate other contributions, not least on education, health and care plans. By your leave, Madam Chairman, I might want to speak again towards the end, when we have heard the debate, particularly on the new clauses. For the moment, though, I will rest …”

“43 (1) Schedule 6 to the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 (c. 9 (N.I.)) applies to the compulsory acquisition of land by the Defence Housing Service by means of an order under section 343H(1A) of this Act as it applies to the acquisition of land by means of an order under section 97 of that Act, subject as …”

“I recall the Minister giving an undertaking to the Select Committee that he would take the suggestion away and look at it in more detail, in consultation with officials in his Department. We were therefore cautiously optimistic that that might lead to some change in the Government’s position. I heard what the Minister …”

“The essence of amendment 6 is to speed up the potential mobilisation of group A reserves from readiness level R9, which is 180 days, to readiness level R8, which is 90 days. Again, we debated this in the Select Committee, where I was keen to point out to the Minister that this suggestion came from the shop floor, as it…”

“Compulsory purchase by Defence Housing Service: Northern Ireland”

“(5) Paragraph 5(1)(b) applies as if both references to the powers conferred by the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 were to the powers conferred by section 343H(1A) of this Act.”

“(a) for the words before sub-paragraph (a) there were substituted ‘Where the Secretary of State proposes to acquire land otherwise than by agreement, the Secretary of State’s notice of intention to do so—’;”

“(b) in head (ii) of that sub-paragraph, for ‘refuse’ there were substituted ‘decide not’;”

“(b) this paragraph had been in force immediately before the commencement of that Act.”

“(a) the Defence Housing Service were a local authority within the meaning of that Act, and”

“They told us as a Committee—I am looking round the House for nods of assent from others who were on the visit, and I am getting them—that it was a problem, and it was cramping the ability to hold court martials. All we were trying to do was justify the cost of the train ticket to the taxpayer and prove that we had list…”

“Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997”

“41 The Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947 applies to the compulsory acquisition of land by the Defence Housing Service under section 343H as if—”