Mrs Eileen Gordon: I echo my hon. Friend the Member for Wakefield (Mr. Hinchliffe) in thanking all the witnesses who took the time to give us evidence and the special advisers and Clerks who worked with us on the report. They did a great job. I was proud to be a member of the inquiry. Hon. Members will probably share my heartening experience that whenever the issues are discussed, I find that people welcome...
Mrs Eileen Gordon: As I said, it is a real problem that has not yet been solved. It seems common sense to get to know and understand each individual as a person. It is sensible to have someone at the one-stop shop who recognises a person and knows what help might be required. It should not be necessary to go through the process over and over again. Carers also have to go through the process with the people they...
Mrs Eileen Gordon: I hope that any measures that the Government take will focus on reducing stigma and educating people. That is so important. As the hon. Member for West Chelmsford said, we must start early in schools to provide information. People suffer from stress; we have enough stress in this job and it is the same for many people in other jobs.
Mrs Eileen Gordon: I thank my hon. Friend for clarifying that point. The voluntary sector has already been discussed, but I want to mention its important work. It emerged in the evidence that the Select Committee heard that voluntary bodies are always walking a funding tightrope. They may have annual funding and every year--or, for a three-year project, every three years--they must undergo the same process,...
Mrs Eileen Gordon: I agree with my hon. Friend the Member for Luton, North (Mr. Hopkins). I entirely support the Bill, which I also see as a tribute to my late friend Audrey Wise, who felt strongly about the issue. When we took part in the Health Committee's inquiry into the tobacco industry, she really went to town on the industry representatives and the advertisers. I have the minutes of the evidence here....
Mrs Eileen Gordon: Is the hon. Gentleman, like me, looking forward to the DTI report on the alleged collusion by British American Tobacco in smuggling?
Mrs Eileen Gordon: I shall restrict my remarks to clause 3. We are discussing three options tonight, and I am listening to the debate, but as far as I am concerned there is only one option: a total ban. As my hon. Friend the Member for West Ham (Mr. Banks) said, we have discussed this issue many times in the House and have rehearsed the arguments over and over again. We could say, "Been there, done that and...
Mrs Eileen Gordon: Absolutely. I shall go on to speak about that later. We have had discussions about pest control and have heard what a wonderful example of country life hunting is. I want to concentrate for a few moments on a type of hunting that cannot even pretend to have an excuse: hare coursing. One cannot cry pest control, because the hare is already threatened. The hare population is about 20 per cent....
Mrs Eileen Gordon: The right hon. and learned Gentleman seems to be obsessed with shooting and fishing, but I cannot see those activities in the Bill. If he does not mind, I shall stick to the provisions about which I am talking. Many people enjoy riding. The hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon (Mr. Maples) said that his daughter will now be unable to ride, as she cannot go hunting. I suggest to him that people...
Mrs Eileen Gordon: I should like to make progress; my speech is very short. Many people in the countryside would like a ban and would welcome drag hunting as it would remove the unpredictability of the hunt. For instance, it would prevent the trampling of their farms, gardens and even school playgrounds—there are recorded examples of that. The writer of a letter published in The Daily Telegraph on 3 April...
Mrs Eileen Gordon: rose—
Mrs Eileen Gordon: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Mrs Eileen Gordon: I cannot resist commenting on the contribution of the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mrs. Bottomley), and I am sorry that she is not in her place now. I sympathise with her constituents and their health care concerns, but I am confident that the money that the Government are investing in the NHS will feed through and improve the situation. I would almost have felt sorry for her if I...
Mrs Eileen Gordon: Is the Prime Minister aware that many of my constituents in Romford work for Ford at Dagenham, either directly or for contractors that work within Ford, or for companies that rely on Ford for work? Obviously, they are deeply worried about their futures because of the proposed closure of the assembly plant. I know that he has taken a personal interest in this issue, and I thank him for that,...
Mrs Eileen Gordon: I strongly support the Bill. I want to talk about proof of age, which is mentioned in many of the amendments. I want to set the matter in the context of the particular situation in my community. Six or seven years ago, South street in Romford was practically derelict. Shops were boarded up and it was an awful place to walk. Now it has been revitalised by a large number of clubs and pubs. As...
Mrs Eileen Gordon: Yes, certainly. I intended to mention that later. There is a proliferation of proof-of-age cards. I am sure that they all stem from worthy motives but they are all different and have different levels of security built in. For instance, the citizen card is very good—it is like a credit card and has a photograph sealed in, as opposed to one that is merely stuck on and can easily be peeled off...
Mrs Eileen Gordon: I agree that the Bill has been designed, and refined, so that it will reach the statute book. However, I suppose that I am really addressing my remarks to my hon. Friend the Minister, in the hope that the Government will look at the issue of national proof-of-age cards. Such a scheme might be administered through schools and colleges, as people are clearly most vulnerable to under-age...
Mrs Eileen Gordon: Will my hon. Friend join me in congratulating community health councils on the work that they do to represent patients and inform them of their rights? Does she agree that with more resources they could do much more work and represent many more patients?
Mrs Eileen Gordon: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to speak in this important debate. I am happy to give the Bill my total support. Some 45 million people walk for pleasure at least once a month. I represent a London constituency so, as some Opposition Members might say, we are townie ramblers as opposed to extreme ramblers—but why not? It is vital that people who have to put up...
Mrs Eileen Gordon: rose—
