Mr Trevor Skeet: If I understand my right hon. Friend the Minister correctly, his statement is about using technology to make more information available on Government services on a 24-hour basis. Will it be a precursor of new developments? Will he be a little more specific on cost? He indicated the amount of capital expenditure going into IT at the moment. Although the proposal concerns only a very tiny part...
Mr Trevor Skeet: In his letter to me, my right hon. Friend said: As mentioned in my letter of 15 January, the way forward is for Mr. Singh to submit a fresh application which can be considered by an ECO. You will appreciate that I cannot guarantee the outcome in advance. That will be a decision for the Entry Clearance Section at New Delhi. Time is short. Such cases can go remarkably fast. Is my right hon....
Mr Trevor Skeet: Under the rules, the Minister has a discretion. In 32 years in the House I have noticed hard cases, but I think that this is the hardest case. The Minister could exercise his discretion and overrule the ECO. He could decide that the case is now serious; he should consult the consultant; he should take into account what the family think about it; he should pin his researcher down to a briefer...
Mr Trevor Skeet: I want to raise the case of Mr. Amarjit Singh, who wishes to come to this country to see his grandmother who has terminal cancer. He has made three applications—one on 17 August 1993, another on 24 October 1994 and a third on 28 March 1995—all of which have been refused. Many of the reasons that have been given for refusal are, in my judgment, insubstantial. An example of that with the...
Mr Trevor Skeet: Will my right hon. and learned Friend place in the Official Report a list of the countries in western Europe that have tried to strengthen their defences, and also indicate in the table the way in which that has been effected? Will he give a further assurance, which would clear up the matter for the House, that genuine cases will not be affected?
Mr Trevor Skeet: I listened to the carefully coded speech by my hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Sir G. Shaw). I never give coded speeches. Let me make one or two observations that might be to the advantage of the House. I made an analysis of Government expenditure on research and development, and I have the figures here. Total expenditure on civil research and development in 1995–96 at 1994–95...
Mr Trevor Skeet: My hon. Friend will be speaking shortly, so we will find out why he thinks that. I am sure that we all agree that there are great difficulties with implementation. My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has seven Ministers, 11,000 civil servants and 70 press and publicity officers to suggest what courses should be followed. The publicity department's budget increased from...
Mr Trevor Skeet: As the nuclear industry is environmentally friendly and very competitive on price compared with conventional fuels, will my right hon. Friend ensure that it has about 25 per cent. of our energy supply? On the transfer of the Magnox reactors to BNFL, will he confirm that that company will be fully compensated for the increased liabilities that are being placed on its shoulders?
Mr Trevor Skeet: Will the Secretary of State give way?
Mr Trevor Skeet: The Secretary of State has mentioned mining, and has tried to put forward a balanced case. There is a barytes mine in the United Kingdom which is perhaps one of the largest in the world for producing drilling mount, which is required for the North sea. Permission for the mine was rejected by the Department of the Environment, and now all the material has to be bought abroad. Is that the way...
Mr Trevor Skeet: Is it not anomalous to grant Luton unitary status and at the same time to deny that status to the county town of Bedford? Is my right hon. Friend aware that, in the county outside Luton, the number of people has been reduced to 360,000, with four local authorities? Is that not over-government locally?
Mr Trevor Skeet: For many years, Bedford has required a satisfactory infrastructure, and for more than 40 years we have had no bypass. Therefore, my constituents have come together and signed a petition, which has 16,345 signatures. The petition reads: To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled.The Humble Petition of the undersigned...
Mr Trevor Skeet: As I said earlier, if funding were provided, would that not allow priority 2 schemes to become priority 1? The scheme would be ready for development. I do not suggest that all the bypasses be built immediately, but the one around Bedford, a major necessity, certainly should be.
Mr Trevor Skeet: I am grateful to the Minister for coming to listen to the debate, which is very important for my constituents in Bedford. Greater Bedford comprises 134,000 people and the figure is expected to grow to 150,000 by the end of the century. Bedford has traffic problems beyond belief and it is not surprising that the transport element affects employment prospects in the north of the county. The...
Mr Trevor Skeet: I have listened to the argument, which is highly sensitive. One wants to do the maximum that one can to assist the gipsies, but—the Minister has explained the point remarkably well—the Caravan Sites Act 1968 is out of date and has been proved to be so. We have had 26 years of experience of the Act, and during that time, if two of its main provisions—one of which was providing sufficient...
Mr Trevor Skeet: Does my hon. Friend agree that North Bedfordshire cannot agree with Luton on many matters and that that is why we should have the three local councils?
Mr Trevor Skeet: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the Government have done to investigate the opportunities to improve services provided to the public presented by information superhighways.
Mr Trevor Skeet: I am obliged to my hon. Friend the Minister. What response has he had to the document since June? Which aspects of public life are likely to be affected? Will it be medical, retail or banking?
Mr Trevor Skeet: The Minister has prescribed very harsh terms in his statement. May I ask a question on one term? If there is to be a health warning on promotional material such as beer mats, how far does he intend to go down that route?
Mr Trevor Skeet: I beg to move amendment No. 39, in page 1, line 7, at end insert 'and for the purposes of this section, an advertisement shall not be deemed to have been published if it is comprised in or enclosed with a card, letter or other document sent by a person to one or more persons'.
