Speeches by Snell.

“I agree with the Minister that where we can digitise processes, it can release huge savings to the public purse —he has cited India’s £10 billion a year. The Government are now moving from a mandatory process to a voluntary process on the right to work, and everything was voluntary beforehand. Does the Department have …”

“May I encourage the Leader of the House, in his roles on the restoration and renewal board and the House of Commons Commission, to ensure that when the restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster takes place and there is a multibillion pound investment in the building, every penny and every pound is, wherever …”

“I thank my hon. Friend for his continued engagement with me on this important matter. The ceramic commemorative tankard on sale in the gift shop over Christmas was marked up as being decorated in Stoke-on-Trent, but what that means is that it was formed and fired overseas, imported into the UK, decorated and then sold.…”

“9. What steps the Commission is taking to increase the proportion of House of Commons purchasing from British manufacturers.”

“It is a pleasure to follow my county colleagues, the hon. Member for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire (Mike Wood) and my hon. Friend the Member for Burton and Uttoxeter (Jacob Collier). Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire as a county are rich in the heritage of brewing. Burton is a prime example of that, but in Stoke-…”

“I entirely understand the point about trying to ensure we are cognisant of issues of propriety; I am just conscious that you started a number of your answers by saying that you are governed by the rules of the standing orders. The standing orders on these matters are very clear: they are about recommendations to this C…”

“There is a danger here of getting into the inevitable jokes about champagne socialism, but I understand the hon. Gentleman’s point. He is right: there needs to be fair play. If we even out the taxation across the sector, that means that we can have targeted support in other areas where we know that there should be an u…”

“Absolutely, we do need to do that. I am an old-fashioned state regulator; I like the idea that the state can regulate things. I like the idea of tax and spend as well, which is what we are doing in the Budget. It is a good thing—[Interruption.] I was so close—I raised the hopes of the hon. Member for North West Norfolk…”

“That is nonsense, frankly. Some 7,500 people work for that company in my constituency. If they were all my constituents, that would mean one in 10 people in my constituency were getting paid a salary that is greater than the average for the region. Whether we like gambling or not, that company and the people it employs…”

“It is a similar sort of thing, commissioner. Looking at Standing Order No. 150(2), paragraphs (b), (c) and (d), advice notes are a tool of your creation to assist Members to better understand the code of conduct. Again, I am just conscious that you construct and publish these documents to the House. I am curious about …”

“In terms of the threshold at which you operate to determine that an advice note is necessary, how many consistent or similar requests would you have in front of you before you think, “Actually, this is something that probably requires an advice note, as opposed to individual and confidential advice to individual Member…”

“I entirely understand and appreciate the importance of the operational independence of the role of the Commissioner, and having the flexibility and leeway to investigate fairly and freely. I am just conscious that it is a perverse situation that you, Commissioner, are the regulator of some members of this Committee, an…”

“I understand that, but in answer to my earlier question you said that the authority under which you issue advice notes is Standing Order No. 150 (2) (c), which gives you the right to advise the Committee, the Sub-Committee or individual Members, and that you publish them to all Members—all 650 of us—as individuals. You…”

“As has already been pointed out by a number of colleagues, my constituency is home to bet365. My hon. Friend the Member for Halesowen (Alex Ballinger) said something about there being no meaningful employment in gambling, but I would say to him that there are thousands of people in my constituency and in that of my hon…”

“I am!”

“He just read my notes!”

“The Minister has said that the tax change will disincentive the most harmful form of gambling, but can she cite any evidence that will demonstrate that? I have no problem with taxing a profitable industry to pay for the wonderful policies that we announced for the sector, but the report from the Office for Budget Respo…”

“Can I tease that out a little further? To take one example, in your Times Radio interview you gave some pretty forthright opinions on what the hospitality rules should be and what you would be saying if you were a Member of Parliament. That is obviously a subject that this Committee has been corresponding with you on, …”

“16. What steps his Department is taking to help support house building in Stoke-on-Trent.”

“Will the hon. Gentleman give way?”