Neil Carmichael - MP for Stroud

Neil Carmichael Work in Westminster

• Written Answers - Communities and Local Government: Housing: Planning Permission (21 Feb 2012)

  To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his reforms of planning and housing targets, what assessment he has made of the level of additional autonomy given to councils in deciding the scale and nature of housing developments.

• Rural Schools - [Mr Mike Weir in the Chair] (8 Feb 2012)

  I do not think I was making a case for state intervention. I was making a case for empowering our local communities to take charge of their own schools and to take hold of the opportunities given by the Academies Act 2010, autonomous schools and active, vibrant communities.

• Rural Schools - [Mr Mike Weir in the Chair] (8 Feb 2012)

  I did not come to the debate expecting to make a contribution, and I am grateful to you, Mr Turner, for allowing me to do so. I want quickly to refer to several points, which sprang to my mind while I was listening to the debate. The first is that the Government are consulting on school funding, and that is absolutely right. It is important that rural school supporters, of which I am one,...

• Rural Schools - [Mr Mike Weir in the Chair] (8 Feb 2012)

  I thank the hon. Gentleman very much-I do like to be endorsed every now and again, and that was firm and fair. Let me reiterate the point about free schools, which are obviously an alternative when a local authority is unwilling to countenance the continuation of schools. It is essential that local communities take hold of the powers and opportunities that the coalition Government have...

• Rural Schools - [Mr Mike Weir in the Chair] (8 Feb 2012)

  I thank the hon. Gentleman for that interesting intervention-I do not think that it was an endorsement. I am challenging the old way of doing things, with local authorities providing schools and everything that was necessary. We have to take a step away from saying, “The local authority must do this, because it’s always been there, and that’s the way we like it.”...

• Rural Schools - [Mr Mike Weir in the Chair] (8 Feb 2012)

  My hon. Friend is making an excellent point, and I endorse it by pointing out that we have exactly the same problem in Gloucestershire, where there is the same funding difference between rural and urban areas. Gloucestershire is launching a campaign to put that right, and rightly so.

• Bill Presented - Water Industry (Financial Assistance) Bill: Transparency and Consistency of Sentencing (2 Feb 2012)

  I am grateful to be called to address the House on this important subject. I am minded of the observation of my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) that this debate might become a bit like a lawyer’s dinner. I have never been to a lawyer’s dinner because I am not a lawyer, so there will be no comments from me about the law. However, I think it is important to raise...

• Bill Presented - Water Industry (Financial Assistance) Bill: Transparency and Consistency of Sentencing (2 Feb 2012)

  I thank my hon. Friend. What he has said reaffirms my view that transparency is important. I do not doubt that the Secretary of State listened to that carefully as well. The rule of law is essential to us as libertarians, as politicians, and as a country with common law at its core, and it is important to bear in mind that the separation of powers makes the rule of law work well if we respect...

• Bill Presented - Water Industry (Financial Assistance) Bill: Transparency and Consistency of Sentencing (2 Feb 2012)

  No, it does not, because I was told that a few weeks ago. I think that the “toe by toe” approach in our prisons is an important way of lowering that figure. I urge the Ministry of Justice and the Secretary of State to think carefully about how we can improve literacy in our prisons so that those leaving prison can have a better chance of participating in society and employment. Of...

• Business of the House (2 Feb 2012)

  There are two great mysteries in my constituency. First, do we have a giant cat with yellow eyes in Woodchester? Secondly, why are Gloucestershire’s schools suffering so badly under section 251 in the allocation of administrative grants and moving on to become academies? I would like a debate on the cat and school funding, but particularly on school funding, because the subject is...

• Community Sports Facilities - [Mr Peter Bone in the Chair] (1 Feb 2012)

  I thank you, Mr Bone, for asking me to speak, and I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol North West (Charlotte Leslie) on securing this excellent debate. The timing is appropriate because this is the year of the Olympics in London. It is right that we should be focusing on sport. It is right, too, because we need to encourage people to live more healthily. Exercise definitely...

• Community Sports Facilities - [Mr Peter Bone in the Chair] (1 Feb 2012)

  I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention and I am grateful to him for making it, because that is an important point. We must ensure that we reach out to all communities, especially the ones that he has described. We must have healthy people who enjoy their lives, are properly engaged and play a full part in the society that we want to create. That was what my hon. Friend the Member for...

• Oral Answers to Questions - International Development: Topical Questions (1 Feb 2012)

  I am sure that all Members were appalled by the recent bombings in northern Nigeria, when so many people were killed and maimed. Given that 9 million people live in the city of Kano, all of whom are vulnerable to poverty and many of whom suffer abject poverty, will the Secretary of State confirm that he will take action, and continue to take action, to assist there?

• Oral Answers to Questions - Justice: Informal European Council (31 Jan 2012)

  I welcome the statement because of its focus on competition, the single market, and energy. It is great that the Prime Minister has demonstrated British leadership in those fields, and he has added useful advice to the discussions, but will he ensure that we continue to have dialogue with our European partners? It is absolutely essential that they know and understand where we are coming from...

• Sexual Offences (Amendment): Backbench Business - [Un-allotted Day] - Future of Town Centres and High Streets (17 Jan 2012)

  Thank you for calling me to speak, Madam Deputy Speaker, as we are about to have-and are having-a very important debate. In my constituency a number of small towns are all demonstrating the importance of localism. Stroud, Dursley, Berkeley, Painswick and others are all effectively manifesting what is necessary through the provision of strong local leadership and the delivery of...

• Written Answers - Environment Food and Rural Affairs: Canal and River Trust (17 Jan 2012)

  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms will be in place to ensure that the business plan for the Canal and River Trust is sustainable and financially viable.

• General Matters (20 Dec 2011)

  It is an honour to speak in the final debate before Christmas. I want to talk about manufacturing engineering. We have a large number of successful manufacturers in my constituency, notably in the engineering sector, but in a wide range of products. I believe that we should celebrate these successes; it is time we put the spotlight on them. I am organising a festival for manufacturing and...

• [Sir Alan Meale in the Chair] - First Great Western Rail Franchise (20 Dec 2011)

  I hope that the Minister will take on board the need to modernise the rail track as a whole, so that we can get more trains on the track. That is certainly relevant to connectivity for my constituency, and will make a big difference to the network as a whole.

• [Sir Alan Meale in the Chair] - First Great Western Rail Franchise (20 Dec 2011)

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• Bill Presented - Local Government Finance Bill: Apprenticeships (19 Dec 2011)

  I should like to celebrate the work of Dr Beri Hare in promoting engineering and manufacturing at Stroud college, because it is a great tribute to the college’s interest in young people and to the effective way in which it has delivered on ensuring first-class training.