Simon Hart:  The hon. Gentleman tempts me to engage in a debate about affordable housing and rural areas, and I am not sure that the Chairman would forgive us if we were to do so this late in the day. Perhaps we can have that conversation over a cup of tea after the debate, if he does not mind my putting it that way.In an earlier intervention, I mentioned the irritation that I experience at being charged exorbitant sums to take my...  Read More >>

Simon Hart:  Like my hon. Friend the Member for Montgomeryshire (Glyn Davies), I had not intended to contribute to this debate, but it has thrown up many useful points and I want to expand on just one of them: the notion of a summit on banking closures. I hope that the Minister might be able to respond favourably in that regard.A number of hon. Members have mentioned the social impact of bank closures in their areas. However, as part of any banking...  Read More >>

Simon Hart: I am sorry to intervene so often. Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that we might want cash points that do not charge people to take their own money out—in other words, not LINK cash points, which cost about £2.50 every time someone sticks their card in?

Simon Hart: That is one issue, but does my hon. Friend agree that another is whether people have the broadband access in the first place to enable to make use of these things?

Simon Hart: Should we not be a little careful about taking this issue out on the banks that are still in rural areas? We should be going after those banks that were first or second to leave an area, not those that have stuck it for as long as they have.

Simon Hart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2012, Official Report, column 102W, on vacancies, what the practical difficulties were which the Office for National Statistics encountered in producing estimates of job vacancies for agriculture, fisheries and farming;(2) whether any consideration has been given to producing the Office for National Statistics Vacancy Survey on a regional basis.

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to tackle human trafficking.

Simon Hart: The progress on this subject is particularly welcome in rural areas, but inevitably 2%, 3% or 4% of people will fall outside the proposals. What are the Government going to do for them?

Simon Hart: What recent progress he has made on the roll-out of superfast broadband to rural communities.

Simon Hart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has given any consideration to the possibility of allowing seasonal variations of business rates in high tourism areas to encourage businesses to remain open during the off-peak season.

Simon Hart: Another example, in agricultural areas, is where metal thieves nick gates, which is not only inconvenient, but has the knock-on effect of allowingcattle and horses to get out and cause damage. That costs money, the insurance premiums go up and it all causes massive disturbance.

Simon Hart: Does my hon. Friend also agree that pressure groups and individuals believe that early-day motions have value, and are therefore disappointed when they discover, despite their best efforts, that they come to nothing?

Simon Hart: My point might relate only to isolated rural areas such as mine. Does my hon. Friend agree that in many places it is the work of local charities—not the big corporates—and local businesses, volunteers and lottery funds that keep the sporting facilities and infrastructure together?

Simon Hart: My hon. Friend may come to this, but does she agree that where sporting achievement can be measured, so, too, can its positive effect on academic achievement? The one leads to the other, and there is increasing evidence of that. That is another example of how the Government should see these things as an investment, rather than as a cost.

Simon Hart: Would my hon. Friend agree that, if there were greater and less aggressive integration between the Argentine and Falkland Islands populations, whether at the education or business level and over a period of 30 to 40 years, or perhaps longer, the hostilities would dissipate to some extent?

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there are for accident and emergency doctors in the NHS.

Simon Hart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Office has plans to review the level of deposit made by candidates at parliamentary elections.

Simon Hart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in the UK died as a direct result of food poisoning in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011.

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on how many pupils in (a) primary and (b) secondary education took part in (i) an activity in a swimming pool, (ii) water sports, (iii) boating, (iv) go-karting, (v) horse riding and equestrian sports and (vi) adventure activity and education field studies in (A) 2009-10 and (B) 2010-11.

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what sources of information his Department bases its calculations of the number of job vacancies that are available to people seeking employment.