here - United Kingdom Parliament

1689 Business of the House
6 JUNE 2013
Business of the House
1690
[Mr Lansley]
be the greatest possible pleasure to meet some of those
who have contributed to them. Cricket clubs in Yorkshire
and across the country play a vital part in promoting
sport and community life. Yorkshire has been at the
forefront of that, and I hope we can celebrate that on
Monday.
Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) (Con): It is widely
anticipated that a decision on the future of the children’s
heart surgery unit in Leeds will be known soon. There
has been a wide campaign across the House, involving
many Members. Can the Leader of the House assure us
that when a decision is made, there will be an oral
statement?
Mr Lansley: I will, of course, talk to my right hon.
Friend the Secretary of State for Health. I am not aware
that he has received, or made any decision in relation to,
an independent reconfiguration panel report, but I will
of course discuss with him how an announcement will
be made in due course.
Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con): Earlier this
week you confirmed from the Chair, Mr Speaker, that
the Standing Orders of the House permit only the
Government to make a formal request to recall Parliament.
Given that Governments can be tempted to make major
policy announcements during the recess and given that
the Leader of the House is, after all, the leader of all of
us in this place, would he be kind enough to give
consideration to amending the relevant Standing Order,
so that if a certain threshold—for example, 20%—of
Members requesting a recall were met, they would be
able to use that mechanism to make a formal request?
Mr Lansley: Of course, my hon. Friend understands
that I take very seriously my responsibility to represent
both the Government in this House and the House as a
whole, including within the councils of Government.
From my point of view, in my recent experience I do not
see any mischief—in the sense that there have been
issues on which it was thought appropriate for the
House to be recalled when Ministers did not take a
suitable initiative—but I will keep this under review.
Glyn Davies (Montgomeryshire) (Con): This morning
the Government issued an important statement about
the public voice in relation to onshore wind farms.
Three times this morning you have called me, Mr Speaker,
and I have asked a similar question about how the
statement will affect Wales. I have not received a satisfactory
answer. I have been left in a position of deep frustration,
and I am sure the people of Wales feel the same. Will
my right hon. Friend ensure that we have an early
statement clarifying the position, so that people in
Wales will know that applications for developments
over 50 MW, which are not devolved, will be subject to
today’s new guidelines?
Mr Lansley: I completely understand my hon. Friend’s
concern about this, and his desire to secure proper
answers. If I may, I will talk to my right hon. Friend the
Secretary of State for Wales to see how we might
expedite a response.
Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con):
Engineering businesses in my constituency have told me
of the challenges that they face in recruiting, particularly
in relation to the academic backgrounds of applicants.
They are looking for achievement in computer sciences,
mathematics and physics. May we please have a debate
to discuss what more the Government could do to
encourage participation in those critical subjects, and to
ensure high standards in the curriculum and rigour in
the examinations?
Mr Lansley: From my point of view, I am clear that
my ministerial colleagues in the Department for Education
and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
are working closely together to ensure that we maximise
our support for education and training in science,
technology and engineering. The first job I ever did,
many years ago, was in the then Department of Industry,
and it was to support the Young Engineer for Britain
scheme and Women into Science and Engineering. This
has been a long, hard struggle, but companies today still
feel that we in this country do not attach as much
importance to science, technology and mathematics as
other countries do. We have made significant progress
recently in the number of students following those
subjects and the success that they are achieving, but we
still need to attach greater importance to encouraging
the brightest and best to go into engineering and
manufacturing industry.
Mark Pawsey (Rugby) (Con): Almost exactly 12 months
ago, I raised with the then Leader of the House my
concerns about a stretch of the M6 that has become
known as “Rugby’s mad mile” because of the large
number of accidents in the traffic queuing to join the
A14 at Catthorpe. His response was that funds had
been allocated for improvements, but that a public
inquiry was needed. Twelve months on, we are waiting
for the outcome of that public inquiry, but accidents are
continuing to happen, with yet another fatality occurring
only last week. Given the importance of that junction
to the UK motorway network, may we have a ministerial
statement on the progress on bringing forward those
urgently needed improvements?
Mr Lansley: As somebody who lives down the A14 in
an eastward direction, I am only too familiar with the
Catthorpe interchange. My hon. Friend will know that
the local public inquiry into the proposed improvement
of junction 19 and related sections of the M6 and A14
closed on 16 March this year. The Department for
Transport received the inspector’s report on 16 May.
The report is currently being considered, and a decision
will be issued as soon as possible. Subject to a satisfactory
outcome of this statutory process, the Highways Agency
expects that construction could start in the spring of
2014. That would be sooner than the date announced in
the Chancellor’s 2011 autumn statement, when it was
stated that the scheme would be prepared for start of
construction before 2015.
Julian Sturdy (York Outer) (Con): May I add my
voice to the call for a debate on the importance of local
museums and the way in which they protect our culture
and heritage for future generations? An example is the
fantastic National Railway museum in York, which I