Speeches by Wheeler.

“As I said, I listened closely to the points that Opposition Members made. Like my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester, I will allow the Minister to come back on the specifics of impact assessments. The point I am trying to make is that we are all looking at the same Bill and the same information. We might desire more…”

“I refer the Committee to my declaration in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and my membership of trade unions. It seems that my thoughts align with those of my hon. Friend the Member for High Peak on the reasonableness of completely unforeseeable and unexpected things, but I would go a slight step further o…”

“I did so this morning, but I draw attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as a member of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, as it pertains to some what I will say. First, I want to take us right back to the beginning of the debate, if we can remember that long ago. The sha…”

“It is, as ever, a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Christopher. As this is my first time speaking today, I draw everyone’s attention to my declaration in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and my trade union memberships. I want to pick up very slightly on some of the points made by my hon. Frien…”

“I think that is a wonderful starting point—to feed things the other way. You have set out your ambition that the Modernisation Committee will operate as a clearing house, I think you said, that will draw on the work of a range of other Committees. I think you have touched on this partly—we were talking about us as a Co…”

“I thank the Secretary of State for the decisive action that he has announced today and for bringing it to us in the House. Nothing can be allowed to jeopardise the progress that has been made in Northern Ireland. Will he confirm that the thread running through this action, and any future action, is the Government’s fir…”

“We are happy to do that.”

“Thank you. I have one more, sorry: moving wider, are there any other situations not currently eligible for a proxy vote to which you think the scheme should be extended?”

“Are you satisfied that Members’ ability to self-certify their eligibility for a proxy vote has been applied appropriately across all the different circumstances covered by the scheme?”

“To pick up some questions on a technical point—you would expect nothing less from this Committee, I suppose—the new proxy voting arrangements for absences related to fertility treatment sit in sub-paragraph (c) of Standing Order No. 39A(2), rather than as part of the arrangements for serious long-term illness or injury…”

“The first question we have is about a concern raised regarding the 1997-to-2010 Modernisation Committees, which is that they operated as a rubber-stamping exercise for proposals that were already supported by the Government. How will you ensure that the current incarnation—your incarnation—of the Modernisation Committe…”

“Will the hon. Member give way?”

“Well, I agree on my newness, and maybe as I gain more experience, I will encounter more ridiculousness in this place than I already have—in fact, I am sure I will. I wish to speak to the amendment, despite its probing nature. In my view, and I hope the Minister would agree, the clause is designed to promote stability a…”

“I appreciate that the shadow Minister has said that it is a probing amendment. I wish it was not quite so ridiculous, in all honesty—it is an utter low ball—but I will speak to it and to the clause it seeks to amend.”

“The shadow Minister invited clarification and an intervention. I do not think that anyone is disputing some of what he says, though we will dispute much. In the context of the Bill, he talks much about, as he put it, the mounting burden, but with little evidence—though he seems to quite like evidence when referencing t…”

“I refer the Committee to my declaration in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and my trade union memberships. When the shadow Minister listed the groups upon whom growth depends, he seemed to miss a rather large group—the workers. Does he accept that the purpose of the Bill is to create good employment and va…”

“I would not agree, which will not surprise the hon. Member. I gently suggest that the number of Government amendments will possibly provide the clarity that he asks for—they will be baked in, and will provide that clarity. This is part of the process of getting the provisions right for all involved. I would suggest tha…”

“It is a quick intervention: I am just wondering whether the amendment’s reference to 18 months is another example of the ridiculousness that we were talking about.”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I will speak to these Government amendments collectively, because although they are incredibly technical, we must not lose sight of their purpose, which is to promote good employment. If there are loopholes and readily available routes by which employers c…”

“Does the shadow Minister accept that it is not the fault of the worker either? In fact, the employer has more control over the situation, on balance. On his example of planning out work, especially bookings, employers would know that there were no bookings further in advance than on the day—there are comparable example…”