26/01/2016 Tuesday in Parliament


26/01/2016

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Hello and welcome to Tuesday in Parliament, our look at the best

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of the day in the Commons and the Lords.

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On this programme:

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The Government promises improvements to an NHS

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helpline following the death of a one-year-old boy

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when his parents were told there was nothing to worry about.

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The report says they need to be trained to appreciate

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when there is a need to probe further, how to recognise a complex

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call and when to call in clinical advice earlier.

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The Chairman of UK Athletics suggests British athletes guilty

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of serious doping should be banned for life.

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Athletes guilty of serious doping offences should never in future

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represent Great Britain in athletics.

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And how liberal a politician is the Justice Secretary?

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I'm not sure members on the opposite benches would agree

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that I have become a sandal-wearing,

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muesli-munching vegan vaguester.

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But first, MPs have spoken of the "shocking failings"

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in the case of William Mead.

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12-month-old William, from Cornwall, died

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in December 2014.

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An inquest found that William died from the inflammatory condition,

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sepsis, as a result of a chest infection.

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A report for NHS England said GPs failed to diagnose him.

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But it also said that the youngster might have lived if call handlers

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on the out-of-hours NHS helpline 111 had realised the seriousness

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of his condition.

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In the Commons, the Health Secretary said he was determined

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that the Health Service learn lessons from the case.

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I've met William's mother, Melissa, who has spoken movingly

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about the loss of her son.

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Quite simply, we let her, her family and William down

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in the worst possible way through serious failings

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in the NHS care offered.

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I would like to apologise to them on behalf of the Government

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and the NHS for what happened.

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He said the report's recommendations were far-reaching.

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The report concludes that there were four areas of missed

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opportunity by the local health services, when a different course

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of action should have been taken.

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These include primary care and general practice

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appointments by William's family, out of hours calls with their GP

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and the NHS 111 service.

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Although the report concluded these did not constitute

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direct, serious failings by the individuals involved,

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had different action been taken at these points,

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William would probably have survived.

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There were specific recommendations in relation to NHS 111,

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which should be treated as a national and not a local issue.

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Call advisers are trained not to deviate from the script,

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but the report said they need to be trained to appreciate

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when there is a need to probe further, how to recognise a complex

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call and when to call in clinical advice earlier.

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It also cites limited sensitivity in the algorithms used

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by call handlers to red flag signs related to sepsis.

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The replacement of NHS Direct, predominantly a nurse-led service

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with NHS 111, means the service relies on call handlers who receive

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as little as six weeks of training.

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So when will the Health Secretary review the training call

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handlers receive and will he consider increasing the number

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of clinically trained staff available

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to respond to calls?

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Does the Health Secretary have confidence that the 111 service

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is fit to diagnose patients with complex

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life-threatening problems, who may not always fit the computer

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algorithm call handlers have to rely on?

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I was one of the ministers to set up NHS direct.

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One of the first cases where we had to review the algorithms

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was in a case of meningitis.

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Can I therefore say to the Secretary of

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State that just looking at algorithms with just call

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handlers will not be sufficient.

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It is clinically exceptionally difficult

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and this review is too limited to address the problem.

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Like many deaths in the NHS, it is always sad

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to look and see it was catalogue of missed opportunities, or errors.

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One thing I would like to pick up is young children are very

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hard to assess.

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They are quite hard to assess when you are seeing them.

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They can be running around and then keel over half an hour later.

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I think it would be particularly hard

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to pick up clues over the phone.

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When the NHS Direct services throughout the UK started

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they were based in local out of hours GP centres.

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It meant the nurse could pass the phone and say, can you come

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and chat, I'm not sure.

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We had rules in our local one that if it was a

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young child, they got a visit from the mobile car.

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The Secretary of State said he felt the public had

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confidence in 111 because of the high call volumes

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and they had increased.

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I do not think that is the case.

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I think the confidence is shaky at best and this case could well

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shatter that confidence even further.

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Unlike the confidence we all felt when we had the NHS Direct.

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He will know that we are pressing for a campaign similar to the Fast

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Campaign for Stroke so that early diagnosis can save lives.

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Will the Secretary of State now consider very seriously

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funding a campaign such as the Fast Campaign for sepsis,

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because there are thousands of preventable deaths

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which could now be brought about by some simple funding

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so everyone is aware of the signs of sepsis?

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One of the reasons that the number of calls to 111 have trebled

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of course is people find it impossible to get to see the GP.

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As well as the shocking failings of this

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family's GPs in this case, is it not the case the Government

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was warned when it abolished the popular and successful NHS

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Direct of the consequences of that action and

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replacing it with a non-clinician led service?

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Will he look personally at the performance of 111

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in the south-west, which has been bedevilled by failings ever

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since it was set up?

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I would gently say to the honourable gentleman that when it was set up,

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it was set up with the support of the opposition.

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Jeremy Hunt.

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The boss of the company caught up in a row over allegations that

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asylum seekers' houses in Middlesbrough had their front

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doors painted red has said many of the doors were painted 20

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years ago, when the properties were occupied by private tenants.

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Stuart Monk, the owner of housing firm Jomast, told a committee of MPs

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that no asylum seeker had complained to his company about the colour

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of his front door.

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If it is true that your company has painted the doors of asylum seekers

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in red, that of course would be despicable,

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would it not?

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Well, those doors were painted red probably 20 years ago.

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20 years ago, or probably older, over 20 years,

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before the advent of asylum accommodation, in actual fact.

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There was a practice for us to paint the properties those colours

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in those days and when we began to transfer

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the use of those properties by private tenants, we did not

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change the colours.

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If they indeed were painted on the doors of those

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seekers, this would point to perhaps a dark page in history,

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where we would somehow

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identify the doors of certain types of people with a certain colour.

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That is the point I was making.

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If indeed that was the case, that would

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be unacceptable, would it not?

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It would be if that was the case.

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You are telling the committee there was no deliberate decision

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to paint those properties in red?

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Exactly.

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Contrary to what we have seen in the newspapers and contrary

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to what the minister told the House in the

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Commons last week?

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Exactly.

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The Home Office have been inspecting these properties for 20 years.

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They have been well aware that they have been painted red.

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They knew the doors of asylum seekers were being painted red?

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They had been inspecting the properties, yes.

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The Home Office was aware?

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Yes.

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That is very odd because I was speaking to one of your former

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tenants, who was an asylum seeker.

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He told me he had gone to your staff and told you specifically over

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the years, this was two years ago, that he was

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suffering from abuse because the door of his house

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was red and the door of other asylum seekers was also red.

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He then went with a pot of paint and he painted his door white,

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because he was fed up of having people abusing him

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because they identified the property as being the property

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of an asylum seeker.

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Your officers then went round and repainted

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the front door red.

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That is not acceptable behaviour, is it?

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We are not aware of any reported incident regarding giving rise

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to any issues regarding that red door.

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There was no reported incident.

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There has not been a reported incident regarding a red door

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issue received by my company or by G4S in all the time

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that we been providing this service.

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You are in receipt of many millions of pounds

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from the taxpayer, indirectly from G4S.

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Should you not have taken it upon yourself, knowing that this

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contract is one you value, to make sure that you act

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in a humane way and being notified of this you

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should have acted immediately to try and see what was going wrong?

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You are telling us very Pontius Pilate like,

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you had nothing to do with this and you did not

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know about it?

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We have had no reported incidents from any asylum seekers

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regarding doors at all.

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Ever?

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Ever.

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And you have looked at your files?

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Correct.

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You know in giving evidence to committees, if it suddenly turns

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out the committee has been misled, you

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know it is very serious?

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Indeed I do.

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But I'm not aware of any reported issues from asylum seekers

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regarding the issue of red doors.

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A Justice Minister given the job of looking at curbing legal claims

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against British troops return from war has condemned some

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solicitors as "parasitic" and "ambulance chasers".

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Dominic Raab's comments came after the Prime Minister said

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he wanted to "stamp out" what he called "spurious" legal

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claims against British troops.

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Does my right honourable friend share my anger and that

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of my constituent Carol Valentine, whose

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son Simon was tragically killed while serving his country

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in Afghanistan at law firms

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heavily involved in actions against members and serving

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members of our armed forces?

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What action can the Government take to take down this industry,

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which is causing unnecessary distress to our armed forces

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and their families?

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We do share my honourable friend's concerns.

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He will be aware of the announcement on Friday, the professionalism

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of the Armed Forces is second to none, but we cannot

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have returning troops hounded by lawyers pursuing

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spurious claims.

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The Justice Secretary has asked me to chair a working group looking

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at all aspects of this, no-win, no fee, time it's

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claims and the disciplinary sanctions against law firms

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who are bound to be abusing the system so

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that we prevent any malicious or parasitic litigation

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against our brave armed forces.

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Does my right honourable friend agree that people

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in this House will find it despicable that two firms

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and possibly more are actively seeking,

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soliciting in fact, people in Iraq to make spurious and bogus claims

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against our servicemen overseas?

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Will he reject reports in newspapers that we still intend to give legal

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aid to these appalling claims?

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I thank the honourable gentleman.

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He will have heard the remarks I made earlier.

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I am concerned about how the system operates.

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It is important that there is accountability for

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wrongdoing but that does not mean giving lawyers a licence to harass

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our Armed Forces.

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We will look at every angle, including the legal aid

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point he has made as well as no-win and and disciplinary powers

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against lawyers who try to abuse the system.

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Later the Justice Secretary came under fire, from his own side,

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after confirming the appointment of the outgoing Chief Inspector

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of Prisons, Nick Hardwick, as the new head of the Parole Board.

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The Secretary of State made his name as someone who would take on vested

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interests and yet he has gone native in record time and the Secretary

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of State for Justice, including hanging

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off every word of the Howard League for Penal Reform says,

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the NUT of the justice system and reappointed

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Nick Hardwick.

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When will he get back his Mojo and put the victims of crime

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at the heart of what he is doing?

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Come back Ken Clarke, all is forgiven.

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I'm grateful to the member for Shipley.

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I'm not sure members on the opposite benches would agree

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that I have become a sandal-wearing,

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muesli-munching vegan and vaguester.

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I think people will think I was the same blue Tory that

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I always have been.

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It is because I am a conservative that I believe in the rule of law

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as the foundation stone of civilisation.

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Because I am a Conservative I believe evil must be punished.

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It is also because I am a Conservative and a Christian that

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I believe in redemption and I think the purpose of our prison system

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is to keep people safe by making people better.

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Michael Gove.

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You're watching our run-down of the day in the Commons

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Still to come: A possible way forward for the crisis-hit steel

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industry.

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It was one year ago that the scandal of widespread doping by Russian

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athletes was first revealed.

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Since then, there's been reports of cover-ups of doping practices

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by the sport's governing body.

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A parliamentary committee is now investigating the scandal.

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The chairman of UK Athletics has suggested that British athletes

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found guilty of serious doping should be banned

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from competing for life.

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He said it was a measure that the UK could take on its own.

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Which is attempting to ensure that athletes who are guilty of serious

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doping offences never in future represent

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Great Britain in athletics.

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It's not necessarily easy to implement but we're talking

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with our lawyers to do so.

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We've got some announcements quite shortly we'll be able to make that

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show we're moving forward on that one.

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He called for a rethink of some existing athletics world records.

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If you look at a number of world records, they're very old and some

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of them don't have a lot of credibility.

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I'll give you an example.

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The men's shotput record was set in 1990 by an American called

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Randy Barnes and today's athletes can't get within about half a metre

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of his distance.

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He was banned for life from the sport but his record stands

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because the ban came subsequent of setting the record.

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I'll give you another example.

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The women's 400 metre world record from 1985,

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today's athletes can't get within seven metres of that record,

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set by Marita Koch.

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Stasi papers that were subsequently released show that she was

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probably using steroids.

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Today, there's very little incentive for female 400m runners to break

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the world record because it's 50 metres away from them.

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What we would like to do is have a debate about ways

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in which iniquitous records could be expunged and/or event regulations

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could be changed so these records are real again.

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He said European athletics is taking it seriously.

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The issue for me is the watching public at a major event

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and the athletes lining up on the start line or in the field

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have to believe that the records that are standing out there that

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they're chasing as well as chasing victory are credible

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and ultimately beatable.

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Maybe not for 10 years or 20 years, but they were set fairly

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and if in certain events that just isn't the case then it is hugely

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unhealthy for the sport and it's been the sort of sin that that

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hasn't spoken its name for so long.

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So if you go to the throwing events now, some of the big throws

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in the discus, the hammer, they mark out in the V the distance

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and they have blocks with the championship record,

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the European record, whatever it might be,

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and often you see the world record is this tiny little flag way out,

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almost as if the sport is too embarrassed to admit that's

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the world record and if you take a young child and they ask

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what that's about, you start to feel very grubby.

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It's been a bad few months for the steel industry.

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More than 4,000 jobs have been lost at steelmaking plants in Redcar,

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Port Talbot, Scunthorpe, Cambuslang and Motherwell.

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The blame has been put on high energy prices,

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the strength of pound and competition from China.

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So how can the crisis in steel be overcome?

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A South Yorkshire Labour MP thinks one solution might lie

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in the shale gas industry.

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In essence, we need to understand that the shale industry offers one

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of those rare opportunities to create a new demand for steel,

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something that we badly need at the moment, a new sense of hope

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therefore for a positive future for what it is one

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of our foundation industries.

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The opportunities for steel as part of the shale gas supply chain focus

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on two main capabilities.

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First of all, the industry could need over 12,000km of high

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quality steel casing costing ?2.3 million,

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as was pointed out earlier.

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The industry could need 50 drilling rigs, costing 1.6

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billion to manufacture.

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As long as fracking is conducted in a balanced and measured way,

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I believe the advantages for our local and national economies

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far outweigh the disadvantages.

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Shale would offer significant opportunities for many UK

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industries.

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It is estimated that it will require ?2.3 billion worth and 12,000

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kilometres of steel.

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Recycling and waste water by domestic businesses will also be

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required and would be a ?4.1 billion opportunity.

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The government policy on shale is that it can make a significant

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contribution to our energy security, environmental protection

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and to economic growth if it is managed carefully

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and regulated responsibly.

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I think that we heard from all sides the House the desire to arrive

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at just that balance between recognising the opportunity

0:19:500:19:53

but dealing with the risks and with legitimate concerns.

0:19:530:19:58

Nick Bowles.

0:19:590:20:00

The government has defended its family test, the measure

0:20:000:20:02

by which every new policy is examined for its impact

0:20:020:20:05

on the family.

0:20:050:20:07

The test is designed to make sure that laws support stable families.

0:20:070:20:11

The Labour peer Lady Lister asked whether changes to welfare limiting

0:20:110:20:15

financial support to two children actually passed that test

0:20:150:20:18

and if the government could provide its reasoning.

0:20:180:20:22

The family test is part of the policy-making process.

0:20:220:20:27

There is a cross-party commitment to embed the family test

0:20:270:20:31

in all domestic policy considerations.

0:20:310:20:34

The Department for Work and Pensions has established a dedicated team

0:20:340:20:39

to support government departments in ensuring the family test

0:20:390:20:41

is applied in a meaningful way.

0:20:410:20:44

The DWP in its guidance to other departments on the family test

0:20:440:20:48

recommends they consider publication of any assessment,

0:20:480:20:53

yet it has rejected calls from family organisations and faith

0:20:530:20:58

groups that it should do so itself on the policy to limit financial

0:20:580:21:05

support to two children under the Welfare Reform and Work Bill.

0:21:050:21:11

Can the noble lady explain why?

0:21:110:21:14

The family test is included and incorporated into advice

0:21:140:21:17

to ministers on new policy.

0:21:170:21:20

It isn't a pass or fail exercise.

0:21:200:21:24

It's about helping make informed decisions about how to support

0:21:240:21:27

strong and stable families.

0:21:280:21:31

It is much broader than a tick box exercise which seems to be

0:21:310:21:34

the thrust of the question.

0:21:340:21:37

She'd adopted three children and the only reason the children

0:21:370:21:41

were placed with her was because she agreed to stay home

0:21:410:21:45

in their early years because the children were damaged.

0:21:450:21:47

Her husband was a vicar and the only way she could afford to give up work

0:21:470:21:51

completely for the children was because of tax credits

0:21:510:21:53

and she got in touch to say, if the government pushes

0:21:530:21:55

through tomorrow the plan to limit child benefit and tax credit

0:21:550:21:59

for the first two children in any family, she would not be able

0:21:590:22:02

to adopt the children in future.

0:22:020:22:03

They would stay in care at the cost of ?40,000 per child per year.

0:22:030:22:07

And Lady Altman replied that this is not a tick box exercise

0:22:080:22:11

and making policy had to include what she called trade-offs.

0:22:110:22:17

So what difference would it have made if Sir Philip Lily,

0:22:170:22:19

the ex-chair of the Environment Agency, had come back early

0:22:190:22:22

from the Caribbean and gone to the scene of serious flooding

0:22:220:22:25

in northern England?

0:22:250:22:27

Sir Philip has now left his top job at the agency after the adverse

0:22:270:22:30

publicity that followed his stay in Barbados at the same time

0:22:300:22:34

as thousands of homes in York and Leeds had been flooded

0:22:340:22:37

amid heavy storms at the end of December.

0:22:370:22:41

The Environment Secretary faced questions about the episode

0:22:410:22:44

at a committee session.

0:22:440:22:46

Frankly, what action could he take?

0:22:470:22:49

There's a cluster of the people going hell for leather trying

0:22:490:22:52

to sort it.

0:22:520:22:54

The last thing you want is the chairman getting

0:22:540:22:56

under your feet.

0:22:560:22:59

Should we be expecting people in his position to drop...

0:22:590:23:04

The reservation was more about the ways in which he handled

0:23:040:23:07

his absence than his absence.

0:23:070:23:11

I do think that the public expect that the leader of an organisation,

0:23:110:23:17

the chairman, to be available.

0:23:170:23:20

That's what Sir Philip felt which is why he stood down

0:23:200:23:24

from the position so I don't see a significant change in that

0:23:240:23:27

expectation if that's what you're asking.

0:23:270:23:30

I'm not completely sure I understand you in terms

0:23:300:23:32

of the level of expectation.

0:23:330:23:35

If Sir Philip had come back 24 hours earlier,

0:23:350:23:39

36 hours earlier, what difference would it have made?

0:23:390:23:44

Would it have made the activity the Environment Agency was involved

0:23:440:23:50

with run smoother or was it actually about presentation?

0:23:500:23:55

Purely the fact that he is in the UK, not the Caribbean.

0:23:550:23:58

He said he should have come back earlier.

0:23:580:24:01

He made that clear.

0:24:010:24:02

He felt that that was an expectation of the role.

0:24:020:24:06

I think it is the expectation of that role.

0:24:060:24:11

It's a public facing role where people expect to see chairmen.

0:24:110:24:19

In terms of the operational response, James Bevan,

0:24:190:24:22

the chief executive, was there with me in Yorkshire

0:24:220:24:26

on Boxing Day and Lancashire as well on Boxing Day and the 27th.

0:24:260:24:31

He was providing excellent leadership on the ground

0:24:310:24:33

on operational issues.

0:24:330:24:35

I think Sir Philip felt himself that that was the expectation of the role

0:24:350:24:41

and that he could not and he has stepped down on that basis.

0:24:410:24:48

Have you made quite clear when you advertise

0:24:480:24:51

for a new chairman that that is part of the role?

0:24:510:24:54

The public face?

0:24:540:24:56

Because I agree with you but I think it needs to be made abundantly clear

0:24:560:24:59

to the new chairman.

0:24:590:25:00

I would suggest that it is clear.

0:25:000:25:05

I think everybody is clear on that.

0:25:050:25:07

Lis Truss.

0:25:070:25:09

Another female Church of England bishop has been introduced

0:25:090:25:11

into the House of Lords.

0:25:110:25:13

The Right Reverend Christine Hardmann becomes only the second

0:25:130:25:16

woman bishop to sit in the Lords.

0:25:160:25:18

She is the Bishop of Newcastle.

0:25:180:25:20

She swore her oath of allegiance in the traditional way.

0:25:200:25:25

I, Christine, Lord Bishop of Newcastle, do swear

0:25:260:25:29

by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance

0:25:290:25:35

to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors according

0:25:350:25:39

to law, so help me God.

0:25:390:25:43

The other female bishop in the House of Lords is the Bishop

0:25:430:25:46

of Gloucester, the Right Reverend Rachel Treweek.

0:25:460:25:49

That's all for this programme.

0:25:490:25:50

Join me for our next daily round-up.

0:25:500:25:53

Until then, from me, goodbye.

0:25:530:25:55

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