§ Amendment made: No. 44, in page 139, line 21, at end insert—
§
'The Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 (c.33)
. In section 28(1) of the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 (interpretation), in the definition of "overriding interest", after paragraph (eg) there shall be inserted the following paragraph—
(eh) insofar as it is an interest vesting by virtue of section 7(3) of the Coal Industry Act 1994, the Coal Authority;" '.—[Mr. Eggar.]
§ Order for Third Reading read.—[Queen's consent, on behalf of the Crown, and Prince of Wales's consent, on behalf of the Duchy of Cornwall, signified.]
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, That the Bill be now read the Third time.
10.31 pmMr. O'NeillI am conscious that we are straining the good will of the House; hon. Members anticipated a vote considerably earlier.
We have been debating the Bill since 4 pm, and in that time we have covered a fairly extensive area. We have dealt with concessionary coal and trade union rights following privatisation, we have discussed the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation, the latest stage that has been reached in the pensions debate and, in the past two hours, we have discussed, at some length, issues raised by subsidence and opencast mining.
It would be wrong to say that Opposition Members have been successful in regard to any of those issues. Perhaps, if some of the Conservative Members who have spoken today had secured the permission of the Government Chief Whip, they might have been able to speak in Committee and obtain some victories. In that event, the Government might have had to come here tonight to seek changes of their own. The vast bulk of the amendments that we have debated were tabled by Opposition Members, although there is a fair amount of agreement across the Floor on some environmental questions.
We are still opposed to the Bill. We consider coal one of our greatest national assets; we believe that British. Coal and its research departments have succeeded in developing technologies that make coal easier and safer to win than at any time in our history. Moreover, we now have coal that can be burned in coal-fired power stations in a way that is not only environmentally friendly but capable of more thermal efficiency than ever before. That is a testament to the success of public enterprise: in its years of public ownership, the coal industry has been able to achieve safety levels that are without parallel anywhere in the world.
In this connection, it should perhaps be repeated that in 1946, when coal was nationalised, it was commonplace for men working in the British coal industry to die every week. Every year, 1,000 men died in the coal industry. Every day, three men died, so one miner died in every eight-hour shift every working day of every year. The current figures are a fraction of that. They are still too high, but they have reduced because of the safety measures and the industrial procedures we now adopt and, more than anything else, because the hand of profit no longer lies across the industry as it did before public ownership.
We do not believe that a privately-owned coal industry will have learned very much from the past. We expect that the cowboys and fly-by-night operators will be operating not just opencast but deep mining, if they can satisfy the Coal Authority. The criteria of the Coal Authority are nothing like as strict as we would like.
The Labour party is not simply opposed to the Bill; it is also committed to the reintroduction of public ownership of the coal industry. We believe that the coal industry can be safe only when it is in the people's hands and only when miners are employed as public servants.
Earlier tonight, the hon. and learned Member for Perth and Kinross (Sir N. Fairbairn) said that he was unique in 384 the House as being the only Member of Parliament who owned a coal mine. As always, the hon. and learned Gentleman was wrong. Everybody in the House still owns the British coal mining industry.
Coal is a fuel of the future with a technology that will take it beyond the simple purposes of burning. I spoke last week to the last Labour Minister for coal, Alex Eadie, the former Member of Parliament for Midlothian. He repeated something that I have heard him say many times—that coal is one of the most valuable assets we have; it is too valuable to burn. There are far better uses for it. I doubt that Britain will have a coal industry under private ownership that is capable of taking advantage of the technical opportunities and of meeting the desperate environmental needs that could be alleviated by exploiting clean coal technology.
We believe that the industry has a future, but only in public ownership. When Labour returns to power with the support of the mineworkers and the people dependent on the industry we shall restore it to public ownership and ensure that it is a safe industry for people to work in producing the fuel that the country's long-term energy needs will require. That is why I ask my hon. Friends to vote against Third Reading.
§ Mr. Simon HughesSince Second Reading, the Bill has been changed only by minimal Government amendments. The past two days of debate on Report have shown that, however strong the arguments, the Government will always refuse to accept the need to amend the legislation to deal with fundamental issues raised on both sides of the House.
Yesterday, we debated the duties and responsibilities of those who may take over the pits to protect against mine water flooding. Today, we have had consensus across the House on the importance of having a presumption against opencasting and for protecting underground mining rather than developing opencasting. There was no adequate guarantee on subsidence or that rights and liabilities will be upheld. There was no adequate answer on CISWO and the welfare interests of mining communities. There was no guarantee about the future of British Coal Enterprise. On all the specific matters on Report there have been no concessions from the Government, however logical the arguments.
The fundamental reason why the Bill should not receive a Third Reading is that the Government are trying to sell off the industry without any security for coal. The reason is the same one for which they were criticised on Second Reading. They did not come to the House willing to put coal securely in the context of the energy industry and to review that industry. Instead, they have considered the coal industry on its own, piecemeal and not within the context of the taxation system.
There has been no energy review or review of the nuclear industry. We still await that. Neither has there been a review of the subsidy of nuclear fuel and the consequent advantage that it has over coal. We have had no guarantee that we will try to find the best environmental strategy for the energy industry. There has been no review of the future of electricity generation. Until the Government realise that they are not dealing competently with energy—for example, by producing a strategic energy policy, which is 385 their duty—and that energy, taxation and all our assets must be considered and decided together, they do not deserve support in this place or outside it.
The Government are trying to pull off a speedy sell-off, with no security for coal. As an energy strategy that is irresponsible and is a betrayal of those people in the coal industry who have contributed to Britain being an energy-rich, energy-efficient and energy-prosperous country. For that reason, I and my right hon. and hon. Friends will join other Opposition Members and, I hope, some Conservative Members in opposing the Government as we have opposed them at earlier stages of the Bill.
§ Mr. BarronI rise for a few minutes to take up one of the major issues that will result from this privatisation Bill. For many years, the Government believed that the size of the British deep-mined coal industry had to be reduced dramatically. That policy has greatly damaged employment prospects in coal mining and in the service industries and has caused many hon. Members problems. Thousands of young people have not had the opportunity to go into the mining industry that I and many other people had when we left school many years ago.
The last phase of the closure programme started in October 1992, when the Government announced that they would reduce the number of pits to that envisaged in the Rothschild report, although it was denied that that was the intention when the report was first leaked in 1991. At that time, the Minister for Energy and the President of the Board of Trade laid great store by the fact that anyone who lost his job would be protected by the announced redundancy payments.
I questioned the Minister in February and he replied:
The Government is prepared to fund the current redundancy terms for miners until 30th April 1994, and where redundancies are proposed before 30th April, for so long as the consultations with the unions on any such proposal continue.That statement—I hope that the Minister will listen—has thrown the British Coal work force into confusion. Last night, I spoke to Stan Robinson, who works at Kiveton colliery in my constituency, which is one of the 12 market-tested pits that Conservative Members thought that they had saved. He told me that on 20 January the work force heard from senior management that it had four different options for the future of that colliery. Two would involve the colliery continuing to produce coal until 1995, one would involve it producing coal until early September 1994 and the fourth option was that the mine would close in April.The House will know that, for some people, enhanced redundancy payments can mean additional sums of up to £17,000, yet two months after the consultation meeting at Kiveton colliery the work force have had no definite statement of British Coal's intentions. British Coal can rightly be accused of being guilty of mental torture of the work force.
Maltby colliery in my constituency is to restart production in September. Originally, it was to be mothballed. More than 100 British Coal employees appear to be left with the choice of accepting redundancy, within the terms of the Minister's reply to me, or risking losing the chance of that enhanced redundancy payment if they wait, and a different employer makes them redundant after the 386 industry is privatised. Are the Government prepared to inform British Coal that people who remain in the industry after April will have the enhanced redundancy payments that they currently enjoy protected? It is grossly unfair that people whose interests Conservative Members voted to protect in 1992 and 1993 will have a gun held at their heads again over the next six weeks.
What are the implications for the British Coal part-time workers who have been made redundant of the House of Lords ruling of 3 March? Most of them were women who worked as cleaners or canteen staff. The European Court of Justice states:
According to the case law of the Court … the concept of 'pay' within the meaning of Article 119 of the Treaty comprises of any consideration, whether in cash or kind, whether immediate or future, provided that the employee receives it, albeit indirectly, in respect of his employment from his employer, whether under a contract of employment, legislative provisions or made ex gratia by the employer.In the House of Lords judgment of 3 March, Lord Keith of Kinkel expressed this opinion:The provisions of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978, whereby employees who work for fewer than 16 hours per week are subject to different conditions in respect of qualification for redundancy pay from those which apply to employees who work for 16 hours per week or more, are incompatible with Article 119 of the Treaty of Rome".Will the Minister tell me and the hundreds of part-time workers made redundant by British Coal whether they now qualify for some of the enhanced redundancy payments made to mineworkers over many years? I hope that the Minister can answer. I hope also that Conservative Members will put pressure on Ministers who said that they would protect the interests of British miners undergoing the restructuring phase. They are not. Those workers will have a gun at their heads for the next weeks. It is disgraceful that they still do not know whether they will forgo tens of thousands of pounds if they hang on to the unforeseen future of coal privatisation.
§ Mr. HardyThe Bill is one too far. It demonstrates complete insensitivity to history and the way that the Administration are spurning the very concept of one nation —and it will not a put a feather in any prime ministerial hat. The Bill will certainly mean that all the rest of the days of this Parliament will make no difference—at the end of it, that lot will be gone.
§ Mr. HoodI rise to comment on this objectionable Bill and to express my criticism of the recent cat-calling from the Government side of the House against hon. Members who wanted to make a contribution. It seems that Conservative Members are more concerned about getting home to their beds early than hearing what this Government are all about. The day will come—tragically, it may not be their generation who will suffer but those that follow—when the folly of giving the Bill a Third Reading will be realised.
Earlier this week, Lady Thatcher fainted. She will not need smelling salts tonight, because she will be really up —really pleased to see the Bill receive a Third Reading, because she came to power in 1979 to achieve what the Government seek to achieve tonight.
The Bill is an insult to our history. There are no economic or political reasons for it. Mines were nationalised in 1947, not because nationalisation was a 387 wonderful idea but because of the failure of private enterprise to run an important industry in the interests of the nation.
I have sat here over the past seven years and listened to Euro-sceptics talk about our giving away the sovereignty of Parliament while the Government give away our natural energy and destroy the coal industry, as they are doing tonight. It is even worse than that. Only a couple of years ago we criticised Bob Maxwell—and rightly so—for stealing £500 million of Mirror pension funds. We have a Government who are putting their hands into miners' pension funds with this Bill and saying nothing about it. The Government are stealing from the miners 10 times what Maxwell stole from the Mirror pensioners. It is an outrage and it will come back to haunt the Government.
The hon. Member for 'Worcester (Mr. Luff) can laugh and sneer. He is a young whippersnapper and does not know what it is like to work eight hours in any day to earn his living. The Government have destroyed the lives of thousands of miners, their families and their communities. It is a shame on him and on the House that we should be considering such a Bill here tonight.
§ Mr. BarnesThis is a sad Bill, because it comes on top of the Government's destruction of the coal mining industry. They have destroyed communities and a resource that we in this country should be able to use. Coming on top of that destruction, the Bill is inopportune. After the wounds that have been inflicted on the coal industry, it should have a period of stability in which it can mobilise and organise the bits that are left. Instead, we have a radical piece of legislation that is affecting a whole host of areas, including pensions, concessionary coal, opencast mining and people's futures.
The Government should not be pushing this measure on people who have suffered under the previous measures, because it is inappropriate and inopportune. There should be time to recover from the burdens that the Government have placed on our communities.
§ Mr. BellFollowing on from what was said by the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes), my hon. Friends the Members for Clackmannan (Mr. O'Neill), for Rother Valley (Mr. Barron), for Wentworth (Mr. Hardy), for Clydesdale (Mr. Hood) and for Derbyshire, North-East (Mr. Barnes), if ever there was an industry that should never have been privatised, it is the coal industry. The ramifications go far beyond the question simply of money and production. The consequences for the environment and for families in mining areas throughout the country have been too enormous for the Bill to address.
It was George Orwell who called the miners the caryatids of the earth. That was at a time when miners had dignity, their families had respect and they lived in that dignity and respect. We are seeing tonight a Bill that brings to an end a nationalised industry that was one of the greatest industries in our country and whose work force was one of the greatest in our country. My hon. Friend the Member for Clackmannan touched on this gently. It was General MacArthur who once said, "I shall return." We shall return again to the coal industry. We shall return again to miners and their families. We shall return again to 388 an industry that will be strong. We shall return again to a Government who have an energy policy. We shall return again to a coal mining industry that belongs to the people.
§ Mr. EggarThe transfer of the coal industry to the private sector is a momentous step. It has widespread ramifications in the crucial areas of safety, pensions, subsidence, licensing and the environment. The Government have spelt out policies that pay due regard to the importance of the issues concerned and have made available to the House the fullest possible information.
The hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes), like all other Liberals, has opposed this privatisation Bill just as he has opposed every other privatisation Bill that has been introduced by the Government. But he does so, as ever, in a highly irresponsible way. I refer him to the Liberal Democrats' manifesto of April 1992. What does it say with regard to the coal industry? It states:
We will liberalise the coal industry by transferring ownership of coal reserves to the Crown … and issuing licences to operate pits to other groups, as well as British Coal".What will the Government do under the terms of the Bill? What have the Government done as a result of the decision to lease and license pits? Exactly that. It is typical of the Liberal party that it fails to recognise the fact, and to give credit where credit is due. As ever, the Liberal party says one thing in the House but another in its manifesto and yet another out in the country.When the Government first announced our policy of privatising the coal industry, it was rightly described as the ultimate privatisation. It could more accurately be described as an idea whose time has come. What has given rise to that change in attitude? More than anything, it has been the debate on the Bill.
Before we started dealing with the Bill I should have been hard pressed to say what the arguments were in favour of a state-run coal industry. But I imagined that Opposition Members would find and put forward those arguments. In fact, we did not hear one reasoned argument from them in favour of state ownership. Instead, at the 59th minute of the 11 th hour of the debate the chief Opposition spokesman gave us an uncosted pledge to renationalise the industry in future. I hope that he has checked his figures with the hon. Member for Dunfermline, East (Mr. Brown), because he thereby entered into a major spending commitment, which we shall cost and draw attention to in future.
The fact is that there has been no sensible argument in favour of—
§ Mr. EggarNo compensation? Now we are getting down to the real arguments at the core of the Labour party. Two Labour Members have said that they would not pay compensation. I am prepared to give way to the hon. Member for Clackmannan (Mr. O'Neill). Will he now confirm that his pledge to renationalise the coal industry means that he will do so without compensation?
Mr. O'NeillThe Labour party has always paid compensation when it has taken anything into public ownership. Those who seek to do anything else are in no way representative of the Labour party's record or of its likely future policies.
§ Mr. EggarSo the hon. Gentleman has now made a spending pledge and taken on other Labour Members head on. I am most willing to give way to the hon. Member for Clydesdale (Mr. Hood) if he would like to contribute to the debate.
§ Mr. HoodI am delighted to answer the Minister, and I shall give him my view frankly. In answer to his challenge, I say that if the Government are silly enough to give our industry away we should be brave enough to take it back without compensation.
§ Mr. EggarWe have just had more of a debate on Labour's attitude to nationalisation and to the private sector than we have had in the previous 65 hours of debate on the Bill.
Let us face the fact that the most deep-rooted and pervasive problem besetting the British coal industry has been and remains state ownership. Privatisation is the solution to the problem that state ownership has caused. We believe that the industry must be returned to the private sector as soon as possible, because that is the way for the future.
I urge my hon. Friends to give the Bill a Third Reading.
§ Question put, That the Bill be now read the Third time:—
§ The House divided: Ayes 312, Noes 271.
393| Division No. 179] | [10.58 pm |
| AYES | |
| Ainsworth, Peter (East Surrey) | Carrington, Matthew |
| Aitken, Jonathan | Carttiss, Michael |
| Alexander, Richard | Cash, William |
| Alison, Rt Hon Michael (Selby) | Churchill, Mr |
| Allason, Rupert (Torbay) | Clappison, James |
| Amess, David | Clark, Dr Michael (Rochford) |
| Ancram, Michael | Clarke, Rt Hon Kenneth (Ruclif) |
| Arbuthnot, James | Clifton-Brown, Geoffrey |
| Arnold, Jacques (Gravesham) | Coe, Sebastian |
| Arnold, Sir Thomas (Hazel Grv) | Colvin, Michael |
| Ashby, David | Congdon, David |
| Aspinwall, Jack | Conway, Derek |
| Atkinson, David (Bour'mouth E) | Coombs, Anthony (Wyre For'st) |
| Atkinson, Peter (Hexham) | Coombs, Simon (Swindon) |
| Baker, Rt Hon K. (Mole Valley) | Cope, Rt Hon Sir John |
| Baker, Nicholas (Dorset North) | Cormack, Patrick |
| Baldry, Tony | Couchman, James |
| Banks, Matthew (Southport) | Cran, James |
| Banks, Robert (Harrogate) | Currie, Mrs Edwina (S D'by'ire) |
| Bates, Michael | Curry, David (Skipton & Ripon) |
| Batiste, Spencer | Davies, Quentin (Stamford) |
| Bellingham, Henry | Davis, David (Boothferry) |
| Bendall, Vivian | Day, Stephen |
| Beresford, Sir Paul | Deva, Nirj Joseph |
| Biffen, Rt Hon John | Devlin, Tim |
| Body, Sir Richard | Dickens, Geoffrey |
| Bonsor, Sir Nicholas | Dicks, Terry |
| Booth, Hartley | Dorrell, Stephen |
| Boswell, Tim | Douglas-Hamilton, Lord James |
| Bottomley, Peter (Eltham) | Dover, Den |
| Bowden, Andrew | Duncan, Alan |
| Bowis, John | Duncan-Smith, Iain |
| Boyson, Rt Hon Sir Rhodes | Dunn, Bob |
| Brandreth, Gyles | Durant, Sir Anthony |
| Brazier, Julian | Dykes, Hugh |
| Bright, Graham | Eggar, Tim |
| Brooke, Rt Hon Peter | Elletson, Harold |
| Brown, M. (Brigg & Cl'thorpes) | Emery, Rt Hon Sir Peter |
| Browning, Mrs. Angela | Evans, David (Welwyn Hatfield) |
| Bruce, Ian (S Dorset) | Evans, Jonathan (Brecon) |
| Budgen, Nicholas | Evans, Nigel (Ribble Valley) |
| Burns, Simon | Evans, Roger (Monmouth) |
| Butler, Peter | Evennett, David |
| Butterfill, John | Faber, David |
| Carlisle, Kenneth (Lincoln) | Fabricant, Michael |
| Fairbairn, Sir Nicholas | Lang, Rt Hon Ian |
| Fenner, Dame Peggy | Lawrence, Sir Ivan |
| Field, Barry (Isle of Wight) | Legg, Barry |
| Fishburn, Dudley | Leigh, Edward |
| Forsyth, Michael (Stirling) | Lennox-Boyd, Mark |
| Forth, Eric | Lester, Jim (Broxtowe) |
| Fowler, Rt Hon Sir Norman | Lidington, David |
| Fox, Dr Liam (Woodspring) | Lightbown, David |
| Fox, Sir Marcus (Shipley) | Lilley, Rt Hon Peter |
| Freeman, Rt Hon Roger | Lloyd, Rt Hon Peter (Fareham) |
| French, Douglas | Lord, Michael |
| Fry, Sir Peter | Luff, Peter |
| Gale, Roger | Lyell, Rt Hon Sir Nicholas |
| Gallie, Phil | MacGregor, Rt Hon John |
| Gardiner, Sir George | MacKay, Andrew |
| Garel-Jones, Rt Hon Tristan | Maclean, David |
| Garnier, Edward | McLoughlin, Patrick |
| Gill, Christopher | McNair-Wilson, Sir Patrick |
| Gillan, Cheryl | Madel, Sir David |
| Goodlad, Rt Hon Alastair | Maitland, Lady Olga |
| Goodson-Wickes, Dr Charles | Malone, Gerald |
| Gorman, Mrs Teresa | Mans, Keith |
| Gorst, John | Marland, Paul |
| Grant, Sir A. (Cambs SW) | Marlow, Tony |
| Greenway, Harry (Ealing N) | Marshall, John (Hendon S) |
| Greenway, John (Ryedale) | Martin, David (Portsmouth S) |
| Griffiths, Peter (Portsmouth, N) | Mates, Michael |
| Grylls, Sir Michael | Mawhinney, Rt Hon Dr Brian |
| Gummer, Rt Hon John Selwyn | Mayhew, Rt Hon Sir Patrick |
| Hague, William | Merchant, Piers |
| Hamilton, Rt Hon Sir Archie | Mills, Iain |
| Hamilton, Neil (Tatton) | Mitchell, Sir David (Hants NW) |
| Hampson, Dr Keith | Moate, Sir Roger |
| Hanley, Jeremy | Monro, Sir Hector |
| Hannam, Sir John | Montgomery, Sir Fergus |
| Hargreaves, Andrew | Moss, Malcolm |
| Harris, David | Needham, Richard |
| Haselhurst, Alan | Nelson, Anthony |
| Hawkins, Nick | Neubert, Sir Michael |
| Hawksley, Warren | Newton, Rt Hon Tony |
| Hayes, Jerry | Nicholls, Patrick |
| Heald, Oliver | Nicholson, David (Taunton) |
| Heathcoat-Amory, David | Nicholson, Emma (Devon West) |
| Hendry, Charles | Norris, Steve |
| Heseltine, Rt Hon Michael | Onslow, Rt Hon Sir Cranley |
| Hicks, Robert | Oppenheim, Phillip |
| Higgins, Rt Hon Sir Terence L. | Ottaway, Richard |
| Hogg, Rt Hon Douglas (G'tham) | Page, Richard |
| Horam, John | Paice, James |
| Hordern, Rt Hon Sir Peter | Patnick, Irvine |
| Howard, Rt Hon Michael | Patten, Rt Hon John |
| Howarth, Alan (Strat'rd-on-A) | Pattie, Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey |
| Howell, Rt Hon David (G'dford) | Pawsey, James |
| Howell, Sir Ralph (N Norfolk) | Peacock, Mrs Elizabeth |
| Hughes Robert G. (Harrow W) | Pickles, Eric |
| Hunt, Rt Hon David (Wirral W) | Porter, Barry (Wirral S) |
| Hunt, Sir John (Ravensbourne) | Porter, David (Waveney) |
| Hunter, Andrew | Portillo, Rt Hon Michael |
| Hurd, Rt Hon Douglas | Rathbone, Tim |
| Jack, Michael | Redwood, Rt Hon John |
| Jackson, Robert (Wantage) | Renton, Rt Hon Tim |
| Jenkin, Bernard | Richards, Rod |
| Jessel, Toby | Riddick, Graham |
| Johnson Smith, Sir Geoffrey | Rifkind, Rt Hon. Malcolm |
| Jones, Gwilym (Cardiff N) | Robathan, Andrew |
| Jones, Robert B. (W Hertfdshr) | Robertson, Raymond (Ab'd'n S) |
| Jopling, Rt Hon Michael | Robinson, Mark (Somerton) |
| Kellett-Bowman, Dame Elaine | Roe, Mrs Marion (Broxbourne) |
| Key, Robert | Rowe, Andrew (Mid Kent) |
| Kilfedder, Sir James | Rumbold, Rt Hon Dame Angela |
| King, Rt Hon Tom | Ryder, Rt Hon Richard |
| Kirkhope, Timothy | Sackville, Tom |
| Knapman, Roger | Sainsbury, Rt Hon Tim |
| Knight, Mrs Angela (Erewash) | Scott, Rt Hon Nicholas |
| Knight, Greg (Derby N) | Shaw, David (Dover) |
| Knight, Dame Jill (Bir'm E'st'n) | Shaw, Sir Giles (Pudsey) |
| Knox, Sir David | Shephard, Rt Hon Gillian |
| Kynoch, George (Kincardine) | Shepherd, Colin (Hereford) |
| Lait, Mrs Jacqui | Shepherd, Richard (Aldridge) |
| Lamont, Rt Hon Norman | Shersby, Michael |
| Sims, Roger | Townsend, Cyril D. (Bexl'yh'th) |
| Skeet, Sir Trevor | Tracey, Richard |
| Smith, Sir Dudley (Warwick) | Tredinnick, David |
| Smith, Tim (Beaconsfield) | Trend, Michael |
| Soames, Nicholas | Trotter, Neville |
| Speed, Sir Keith | Twinn, Dr Ian |
| Spencer, Sir Derek | Vaughan, Sir Gerard |
| Spicer, Sir James (W Dorset) | Viggers, Peter |
| Spicer, Michael (S Worcs) | Walden, George |
| Spink, Dr Robert | Walker, Bill (N Tayside) |
| Spring, Richard | Waller, Gary |
| Sproat, Iain | Wardle, Charles (Bexhill) |
| Squire, Robin (Hornchurch) | Waterson, Nigel |
| Stanley, Rt Hon Sir John | Watts, John |
| Steen, Anthony | Wells, Bowen |
| Stephen, Michael | Wheeler, Rt Hon Sir John |
| Stern, Michael | Whitney, Ray |
| Stewart, Allan | Whittingdale, John |
| Streeter, Gary | Widdecombe, Ann |
| Sumberg, David | Wiggin, Sir Jerry |
| Sweeney, Walter | Wilkinson, John |
| Sykes, John | Willetts, David |
| Tapsell, Sir Peter | Wilshire, David |
| Taylor, Ian (Esher) | Winterton, Mrs Ann (Congleton) |
| Taylor, John M. (Solihull) | Winterton, Nicholas (Macc'f'ld) |
| Taylor, Sir Teddy (Southend, E) | Wolfson, Mark |
| Temple-Morris, Peter | Wood, Timothy |
| Thomason, Roy | Young, Rt Hon Sir George |
| Thompson, Sir Donald (C'er V) | |
| Thompson, Patrick (Norwich N) | Tellers for the Ayes: |
| Thornton, Sir Malcolm | Mr. Sydney Chapman and Mr. Andrew Mitchell. |
| Thurnham, Peter | |
| Townend, John (Bridlington) |
| NOES | |
| Abbott, Ms Diane | Chisholm, Malcolm |
| Adams, Mrs Irene | Clapham, Michael |
| Ainger, Nick | Clark, Dr David (South Shields) |
| Ainsworth, Robert (Cov'try NE) | Clarke, Eric (Midlothian) |
| Allen, Graham | Clarke, Tom (Monklands W) |
| Alton, David | Clelland, David |
| Anderson, Donald (Swansea E) | Clwyd, Mrs Ann |
| Anderson, Ms Janet (Ros'dale) | Coffey, Ann |
| Armstrong, Hilary | Cohen, Harry |
| Ashdown, Rt Hon Paddy | Connarty, Michael |
| Ashton, Joe | Cook, Frank (Stockton N) |
| Austin-Walker, John | Cook, Robin (Livingston) |
| Banks, Tony (Newham NW) | Corbett, Robin |
| Barnes, Harry | Corbyn, Jeremy |
| Barron, Kevin | Corston, Ms Jean |
| Battle, John | Cousins, Jim |
| Bayley, Hugh | Cryer, Bob |
| Beckett, Rt Hon Margaret | Cummings, John |
| Beith, Rt Hon A. J. | Cunliffe, Lawrence |
| Bell, Stuart | Cunningham, Jim (Covy SE) |
| Benn, Rt Hon Tony | Dafis, Cynog |
| Bennett, Andrew F. | Dalyell, Tam |
| Benton, Joe | Darling, Alistair |
| Bermingham, Gerald | Davidson, Ian |
| Berry, Dr. Roger | Davies, Bryan (Oldham C'tral) |
| Betts, Clive | Davies, Rt Hon Denzil (Llanelli) |
| Blair, Tony | Davies, Ron (Caerphilly) |
| Blunkett, David | Davis, Terry (B'ham, H'dge H'l) |
| Boateng, Paul | Denham, John |
| Boyes, Roland | Dewar, Donald |
| Bradley, Keith | Dixon, Don |
| Bray, Dr Jeremy | Dobson, Frank |
| Brown, Gordon (Dunfermline E) | Donohoe, Brian H. |
| Brown, N. (N'c'tle upon Tyne E) | Dunnachie, Jimmy |
| Bruce, Malcolm (Gordon) | Dunwoody, Mrs Gwyneth |
| Byers, Stephen | Eagle, Ms Angela |
| Caborn, Richard | Eastham, Ken |
| Callaghan, Jim | Enright, Derek |
| Campbell, Mrs Anne (C'bridge) | Etherington, Bill |
| Campbell, Menzies (Fife NE) | Evans, John (St Helens N) |
| Campbell, Ronnie (Blyth V) | Ewing, Mrs Margaret |
| Campbell-Savours, D. N. | Fatchett, Derek |
| Canavan, Dennis | Faulds, Andrew |
| Cann, Jamie | Field, Frank (Birkenhead) |
| Carlile, Alexander (Montgomry) | Fisher, Mark |
| Flynn, Paul | McNamara, Kevin |
| Foster, Rt Hon Derek | McWilliam, John |
| Foster, Don (Bath) | Madden, Max |
| Foulkes, George | Maddock, Mrs Diana |
| Fraser, John | Mahon, Alice |
| Fyfe, Maria | Mandelson, Peter |
| Galbraith, Sam | Marek, Dr John |
| Galloway, George | Marshall, David (Shettleston) |
| Gapes, Mike | Marshall, Jim (Leicester, S) |
| Garrett, John | Martin, Michael J. (Springburn) |
| George, Bruce | Martlew, Eric |
| Gerrard, Neil | Maxton, John |
| Gilbert, Rt Hon Dr John | Meacher, Michael |
| Godman, Dr Norman A. | Meale, Alan |
| Godsiff, Roger | Michael, Alun |
| Golding, Mrs Llin | Michie, Bill (Sheffield Heeley) |
| Gordon, Mildred | Milburn, Alan |
| Graham, Thomas | Miller, Andrew |
| Grant, Bernie (Tottenham) | Mitchell, Austin (Gt Grimsby) |
| Griffiths, Nigel (Edinburgh S) | Moonie, Dr Lewis |
| Griffiths, Win (Bridgend) | Morgan, Rhodri |
| Grocott, Bruce | Morley, Elliot |
| Gunnell, John | Morris, Estelle (B'ham Yardley) |
| Hain, Peter | Morris, Rt Hon J. (Aberavon) |
| Hall, Mike | Mudie, George |
| Hanson, David | Mullin, Chris |
| Hardy, Peter | Murphy, Paul |
| Harman, Ms Harriet | Oakes, Rt Hon Gordon |
| Harvey, Nick | O'Brien, Michael (N W'kshire) |
| Henderson, Doug | O'Brien, William (Normanton) |
| Hill, Keith (Streatham) | Olner, William |
| Hinchliffe, David | O'Neill, Martin |
| Hoey, Kate | Orme, Rt Hon Stanley |
| Hogg, Norman (Cumbernauld) | Paisley, Rev Ian |
| Home Robertson, John | Parry, Robert |
| Hood, Jimmy | Patchett, Terry |
| Hoon, Geoffrey | Pendry, Tom |
| Howarth, George (Knowsley N) | Pickthall, Colin |
| Howells, Dr. Kim (Pontypridd) | Pike, Peter L. |
| Hoyle, Doug | Pope, Greg |
| Hughes, Kevin (Doncaster N) | Powell, Ray (Ogmore) |
| Hughes, Robert (Aberdeen N) | Prentice, Ms Bridget (Lew'm E) |
| Hughes, Roy (Newport E) | Prentice, Gordon (Pendle) |
| Hughes, Simon (Southwark) | Prescott, John |
| Hutton, John | Primarolo, Dawn |
| Ingram, Adam | Purchase, Ken |
| Jackson, Glenda (H'stead) | Quin, Ms Joyce |
| Jackson, Helen (Shef'ld, H) | Radice, Giles |
| Jamieson, David | Randall, Stuart |
| Janner, Greville | Raynsford, Nick |
| Johnston, Sir Russell | Redmond, Martin |
| Jones, Barry (Alyn and D'side) | Reid, Dr John |
| Jones, Ieuan Wyn (Ynys Môn) | Rendel, David |
| Jones, Jon Owen (Cardiff C) | Robertson, George (Hamilton) |
| Jones, Lynne (B'ham S O) | Robinson, Geoffrey (Co'try NW) |
| Jones, Martyn (Clwyd, SW) | Robinson, Peter (Belfast E) |
| Jones, Nigel (Cheltenham) | Roche, Mrs. Barbara |
| Jowell, Tessa | Rogers, Allan |
| Kaufman, Rt Hon Gerald | Rooney, Terry |
| Keen, Alan | Rowlands, Ted |
| Kennedy, Charles (Ross, C&S) | Ruddock, Joan |
| Kennedy, Jane (Lpool Brdgn) | Sedgemore, Brian |
| Khabra, Piara S. | Sheerman, Barry |
| Kilfoyle, Peter | Sheldon, Rt Hon Robert |
| Lestor, Joan (Eccles) | Shore, Rt Hon Peter |
| Lewis, Terry | Short, Clare |
| Litherland, Robert | Simpson, Alan |
| Livingstone, Ken | Skinner, Dennis |
| Lloyd, Tony (Stretford) | Smith, Andrew (Oxford E) |
| Llwyd, Elfyn | Smith, C. (Isl'ton S & F'sbury) |
| Loyden, Eddie | Smith, Rt Hon John (M'kl'ds E) |
| Lynne, Ms Liz | Smith, Llew (Blaenau Gwent) |
| McAllion, John | Snape, Peter |
| McAvoy, Thomas | Soley, Clive |
| Macdonald, Calum | Spearing, Nigel |
| McFall, John | Speller, John |
| McKelvey, William | Squire, Rachel (Dunfermline W) |
| Mackinlay, Andrew | Steinberg, Gerry |
| McLeish, Henry | Stevenson, George |
| McMaster, Gordon | Stott, Roger |
| Strang, Dr. Gavin | Williams, Alan W (Carmarthen) |
| Taylor, Mrs Ann (Dewsbury) | Wilson, Brian |
| Thompson, Jack (Wansbeck) | Winnick, David |
| Turner, Dennis | Wise, Audrey |
| Tyler, Paul | Worthington, Tony |
| Vaz, Keith | Wray, Jimmy |
| Walker, Rt Hon Sir Harold | Wright, Dr Tony |
| Walley, Joan | Young, David (Bolton SE) |
| Wardell, Gareth (Gower) | |
| Wareing, Robert N | Tellers for the Noes: |
| Watson, Mike | Mr. Jim Dowd and Mr. Eric Illsley. |
| Wicks, Malcolm | |
| Williams, Rt Hon Alan (Sw'n W) |
§ Question accordingly agreed to.
§ Bill read the Third time, and passed.