Speeches by Barker.

“The Charity Commission has argued that it is challenging the lawfulness of the recommendations. What legal advice have you taken on the matter? Can you share that with us?”

“In your letter on 4 July to Speaker’s Counsel, Mr Rechtman writes that your conduct cannot amount to contempt of Parliament. What internal discussions took place when the possibility that you may be committing contempt was raised with you?”

“Thank you for being here this morning, gentlemen. On 19 March, by your account, you asked the PHSO to delay laying its report before Parliament. Why did you wish to prevent that report from being laid before Parliament? What was your thought process?”

“Do you have anything to add, Mr Simms?”

“You have been very clear on that, so thank you. Mr Rechtman, is there anything you would like to add?”

“Do you appreciate that whether contempt has been committed or not is a matter for the House, rather than you?”

“Do you accept that the effect of your action would have been to prevent the House from receiving information from a statutory body that sought to provide it? This follows on from Mr Snell’s question earlier.”

“Thank you.”

“Did you say that you were interim chair for seven months, Mr Simms?”

“On a point of clarity, you said that you were appointed midway into this; just remind us of your appointment date, please.”

“The Speaker’s Counsel pointed out that the proper mechanism to challenge a report with which you disagree is through a political process and PACAC. You have spoken to this quite a bit, but is there anything else that you wish to add about why you did not think that was sufficient? I just want to make sure that you have…”

“Will the hon. and learned Member give way?”

“I rise to support the Bill. I start by thanking the Prime Minister for delivering on our manifesto promise to bring the Hillsborough law before the House. As a Liverpool MP and someone who had family and friends at Hillsborough —they fortunately all came home—I would not have accepted anything that was not accepted by …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Efford. As co-chair of the APPG for ending homelessness and the co-sponsor of this debate, I thank all colleagues who have attended; our new Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Birkenhead (Alison McGovern); Crisis, the secretariat for the APPG; and our fantastic…”

“I would like to preface my comments by saying that everybody in this place was horrified by the attack on the synagogue in Heaton Park, and that my comments today are purely based on safety. A year before the Hillsborough disaster, safety concerns at Sheffield Wednesday’s stadium were raised by an official, but the ex-…”

“I welcome this Labour Government’s £22 million investment in Fairfield in my constituency, which was ignored by the Conservatives. Does the Minister agree that it is crucial for this programme to provide not just new money, but new powers for local people to decide how it is spent? Will she confirm, for the avoidance o…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. Let me begin by paying tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool West Derby (Ian Byrne) for securing and leading this important debate. His personal testimony of that fateful day in April ’89 is a moving one. He has used his voice in this place to c…”

“Okay. Dr Sorabji?”

“Thank you for being with us today. You have said that outside interests are not regulated and that there is very little monitoring—although you touched on potential complaints, Dr Sorabji—but are solicitors, barristers and judges required to document information on outside interests, hours worked and level of earnings?…”

“Thank you. That is really helpful.”