View PDF - United Kingdom Parliament
View PDF - United Kingdom Parliament
View PDF - United Kingdom Parliament
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
29 Territorial Army<br />
26 OCTOBER 2009<br />
30<br />
Mr. Andrew Robathan (Blaby) (Con): Members of<br />
the armed forces are aware that one does not blame<br />
one’s subordinates for one’s own mistakes. May I say to<br />
the Minister, who is a likeable cove, that it is unworthy<br />
of him to blame the Army and the Chief of the General<br />
Staff for the fact that he has had to come up with these<br />
cuts? Will he accept that the sole responsibility for these<br />
decisions lies with Ministers, who were responsible for<br />
underfunding the Afghan campaign and the armed<br />
forces as a whole?<br />
Bill Rammell: It simply is not accurate to say that we<br />
have underfunded the Afghan campaign. The expenditure<br />
from the reserve has risen from £700 million three years<br />
ago to more than £3 billion today. I am certainly not<br />
blaming the military for this decision—I was simply<br />
asserting that it is a fact that in the debate about how<br />
decisions are made, Ministers listened to the advice of<br />
the service chiefs, and this decision is in line with that<br />
advice. Nevertheless, the responsibility for the decision<br />
is mine and that of the Secretary of State.<br />
Ann Winterton (Congleton) (Con): May I impress on<br />
the Minister how angry and disillusioned members of<br />
the Territorial Army are? They were reassured that they<br />
were members of one Army, and now they are being<br />
treated as second-class citizens. Their pre-deployment<br />
training might not be in doubt, but how does the<br />
Minister expect them to turn up with the right levels of<br />
fitness and skills to take part in that pre-deployment<br />
training for Afghanistan?<br />
Bill Rammell: I do understand the concerns; I have a<br />
TA regiment in my constituency. I endorse and agree<br />
with the hon. Lady’s view on one Army and the critical<br />
role that the TA plays, but she is under-acknowledging<br />
the change that we are making today, which I believe<br />
will be widely welcomed by members of the TA.<br />
Marine and Coastal Access Bill [Lords]<br />
(Programme) (No. 2)<br />
3.53 pm<br />
The <strong>Parliament</strong>ary Under-Secretary of State for<br />
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Huw Irranca-Davies):<br />
I am pleased to bring back to this House the Marine<br />
and Coastal Access Bill, after it has been considered for<br />
some time in the other place and in the Public Bill<br />
Committee.<br />
I begin by moving new clauses 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 and<br />
amendments 6, 7 and—<br />
Mr. Speaker: Order. I am reluctant to interrupt the<br />
hon. Gentleman, but it would be helpful to me and to<br />
the House to be clear about whether he is clear that he is<br />
moving the programme motion at this point.<br />
Huw Irranca-Davies: I stand corrected, Mr. Speaker,<br />
and I apologise.<br />
I beg to move,<br />
That the Order of 23 June 2009 (Marine and Coastal Access<br />
Bill [Lords] (Programme) be varied as follows:<br />
1. Paragraphs 4 and 5 of the Order shall be omitted.<br />
2. Proceedings on consideration and Third Reading shall be<br />
concluded in two days.<br />
3. Proceedings on consideration shall be taken on each of<br />
those days as shown in the following Table and in the order so<br />
shown.<br />
4. Each part of the proceedings shall (so far as not previously<br />
concluded) be brought to a conclusion at the time specified in<br />
relation to it in the second column of the Table.<br />
First Day<br />
Time for<br />
Conclusion of<br />
Proceedings<br />
Proceedings<br />
New Clauses, amendments to Clauses, new<br />
Schedules and amendments to Schedules<br />
elating to Part 6; new Clauses,<br />
amendments to Clauses, new Schedules<br />
and amendments to Schedules relating to<br />
Part 9; new Clauses, amendments to<br />
Clauses, new Schedules and amendments<br />
to Schedules relating to Part 5; new<br />
Clauses, amendments to Clauses, new<br />
Schedules and amendments to Schedules<br />
relating to Part 7; new Clauses,<br />
amendments to Clauses, new Schedules<br />
and amendments to Schedules relating to<br />
Part 8.<br />
The moment of<br />
interruption.<br />
Proceedings<br />
Second Day<br />
Time for conclusion<br />
of proceedings<br />
New Clauses, amendments to Clauses, new<br />
Schedules and amendments to Schedules<br />
relating to Part 1; New Clauses,<br />
amendments to Clauses, new Schedules<br />
and amendments to Schedules relating to<br />
Part 2; New Clauses, amendments to<br />
Clauses, new Schedules and amendments<br />
to Schedules relating to Part 3; New<br />
Clauses, amendments to Clauses, new<br />
Schedules and amendments to Schedules<br />
relating to Part 4; remaining new Clauses<br />
and new Schedules; remaining proceedings<br />
on consideration.<br />
6.00 pm<br />
5. Proceedings on Third Reading shall (so far as not previously<br />
concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 7.00 pm on the second<br />
day.