:00:00. > :00:00.friend the Leader of the House the honourable gentleman's comments.
:00:00. > :00:00.THE SPEAKER: Business question. Could the Leader of the House give
:00:07. > :00:10.us the business. Mr Speaker, the us the business. Mr Speaker, the
:00:11. > :00:15.business for the next week will be as follows, Monday, 12th December,
:00:16. > :00:19.remaining stages of the savings Government contributions Bill.
:00:20. > :00:23.Followed by a debate on a motion relating to the welfare cap.
:00:24. > :00:28.Tuesday, 13th December, remaining stages of the neighbourhood planning
:00:29. > :00:35.Bill. Wednesday, 14th December, an opposition day. 16th allotted day.
:00:36. > :00:37.There will be two debates, the first entitled the disproportionate
:00:38. > :00:41.negative effect of the Government's Autumn Statement and budgetary
:00:42. > :00:46.measures on women. Followed by a debate on homelessness. Both debates
:00:47. > :00:51.will arise on opposition motions. Followed by a motion to approve a
:00:52. > :00:56.statutory instrument relating to counter-terrorism. Thursday, 15th
:00:57. > :00:59.December, a debate on a motion on the creation of a commercial
:01:00. > :01:04.financial dispute resolution platform. Followed by a general
:01:05. > :01:09.debate on broadband Universal Service Obligation. The subjects for
:01:10. > :01:12.both these debates were determined by the backbench Business Committee.
:01:13. > :01:17.Friday, 16th December, Private Members' Bills. The provisional
:01:18. > :01:22.business for the week commencing 19th December, will include Monday,
:01:23. > :01:28.19th December, a general debate on exiting the EU and science and
:01:29. > :01:31.research. Tuesday, 20th December, a debate on a backbench business
:01:32. > :01:37.motion subject to be confirmed by the committee. Followed by a general
:01:38. > :01:41.debate on matters to be raised before the forthcoming adjournment.
:01:42. > :01:46.Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I thank the Leader of the House for coming
:01:47. > :01:54.to the House today. He had a very busy week. It almost reminds me of
:01:55. > :02:00.what Margaret Thatcher said that everyone needs a Willie Whitelaw and
:02:01. > :02:03.he is rapidly becoming the Willie Whitelaw of this Government. He is
:02:04. > :02:09.there when everyone needs him. The Leader of the House published the
:02:10. > :02:13.dates for Easter May Day and Whitsun. Can I push him for one more
:02:14. > :02:17.date? He failed to say when the House was going to rise on the final
:02:18. > :02:21.recess, the summer recess. Some people are suggesting it is 20th
:02:22. > :02:26.July, but I'm not sure if it is or not. Yesterday, Mr Speaker, the
:02:27. > :02:29.Government finally accepted they needed a plan, a strategy, a
:02:30. > :02:32.framework. The Leader of the House may have
:02:33. > :02:37.said that the Opposition were quarrelling like mutiny on the
:02:38. > :02:39.team, a genre I'm sure the British team, a genre I'm sure the British
:02:40. > :02:43.Film Institute are thinking where Film Institute are thinking where
:02:44. > :02:47.does this fall? Can I remind the Leader of the House it was 40
:02:48. > :02:53.Government MPs who were going to vote on the Opposition motion which
:02:54. > :02:59.then resulted in the Prime Minister from Bahrain to concede to the
:03:00. > :03:04.Labour motion and where was the Terrence la and the spider was
:03:05. > :03:08.missing too! As ever, Mr Speaker the message is confused. We have the
:03:09. > :03:12.Chancellor saying we're going to be out of Europe, but actually we're
:03:13. > :03:16.going to be in Europe, but we're paying for it, so we're out and then
:03:17. > :03:21.we're in. In sounds like Government hokey-cokey and it is con excusing
:03:22. > :03:25.for earn. Even our farmers so could we have a debate on the effect of
:03:26. > :03:31.exiting the EU which is causing concern to our farmers? In 2014 the
:03:32. > :03:37.UK exported ?12.8 billion of products to the EU which is 73% of
:03:38. > :03:41.our total agri food exports. Could we have a response to the letter to
:03:42. > :03:44.the Prime Minister signed by 75 organisations asking for the
:03:45. > :03:50.tariff-free access to the single market and a competent, reliable
:03:51. > :03:55.workforce? They want protection. For food safety, security and hygiene
:03:56. > :03:59.and proper Stewartship of our countryside and they say affordable
:04:00. > :04:04.food is at risk if ministers fail to deliver access to labour and best
:04:05. > :04:08.possible single market access. Could we have a debate on the report into
:04:09. > :04:11.opportunity and integration? If this Government is serious about
:04:12. > :04:19.opportunity integration in this country, they would reverse the ?45
:04:20. > :04:23.million cuts to ESOL. I know of a learner under ESOL who learned
:04:24. > :04:27.English and learnt to drive and became a driving instructor and oh,
:04:28. > :04:33.she just happened to be a Muslim woman. Members can find examples
:04:34. > :04:37.where people have taken their opportunities under ESOL. Could the
:04:38. > :04:41.Leader of the House ensure the Government restores grants to local
:04:42. > :04:44.authorities so libraries, community facilities, the provision of skills,
:04:45. > :04:49.training, prevention work with families are not cut and restore the
:04:50. > :04:52.migration impact fund set-up by the former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.
:04:53. > :04:57.That was cut by the coalition Government in 2010. The Conservative
:04:58. > :05:01.manifesto put it in in 2015 called controlling migration fund. OK, they
:05:02. > :05:05.can change the name, but they have not introduced it. We need to
:05:06. > :05:08.support our schools and ensure that the equalities and Human Rights
:05:09. > :05:12.Commission remains funded. Independent and is able to
:05:13. > :05:17.scrutinise the equality impact of policies and legislation.
:05:18. > :05:21.As we celebrate Human Rights Day, Mr Speaker, on 10th December, could we
:05:22. > :05:26.have a debate on protecting the Human Rights Act? It is an important
:05:27. > :05:28.piece of legislation. The United Nations declaration became the
:05:29. > :05:32.European Convention on Human Rights and some argued it was a moral code,
:05:33. > :05:36.but had no legal obligations, but the Human Rights Act gives it that.
:05:37. > :05:42.It gives it legal force. Because every right that was incorporated Mr
:05:43. > :05:45.Speaker into the Human Rights Act was systematically violated during
:05:46. > :05:51.the Second World Warment could I ask the lead are of the House to follow
:05:52. > :05:57.up on the PM's request to my honourable friend for Hampstead and
:05:58. > :06:01.kill burn to secure the release of a British national who is imprisoned
:06:02. > :06:05.in Iran. If the Foreign Secretary is too busy trying to learn who his
:06:06. > :06:08.counterparts are, perhaps we can ask for the help of the United States
:06:09. > :06:14.who signed that agreement. That's why we need to the Human Rights Act
:06:15. > :06:20.to protect basic freedoms every day, everywhere. I understand there were
:06:21. > :06:24.two near misses on the electrical overload on the site. We cannot turn
:06:25. > :06:30.off the lights and it is to the down to our fault. I wonder if the leader
:06:31. > :06:36.can update us on that? The member for Strangford and your chaplain,
:06:37. > :06:40.both received awards this week. The whole Parliamentary family
:06:41. > :06:46.acknowledges and congratulates them. Mr Speaker, as for hrge's op s, yes
:06:47. > :06:52.we will be carrying on. We will be carrying on regardless, trying to
:06:53. > :06:58.secure, wait for it, trying to secure economic and social justice
:06:59. > :07:05.on behalf of all the British people. THE SPEAKER: The Leader of the
:07:06. > :07:11.House. Can I first of all join in the congratulations to you and to
:07:12. > :07:16.the chaplain for the recent awards? Can I wish the honourable lady
:07:17. > :07:23.opposite many happy returns of yesterday. We will try and give the
:07:24. > :07:29.summer recess dates as soon as we can, but it is not usual for those
:07:30. > :07:37.to be announced at this stage in the Parliamentary year.
:07:38. > :07:41.And I did look into the question of the lights after her question last
:07:42. > :07:48.week. My understanding from the House authorities is that there was
:07:49. > :07:51.a serious fault in what is frankly an obsolete electrical circuit
:07:52. > :07:55.system there. They hoped to have had the repairs done during the course
:07:56. > :07:58.of this week, but I will ask the relevant executive in the House
:07:59. > :08:04.service to write to the honourable lady to let her know the latest
:08:05. > :08:13.details on that. Now, in terms of the other matters. I mean, when she
:08:14. > :08:19.said carry on regardless, she did rather sort of provide the
:08:20. > :08:24.description herself. I'm tempted to sort of indicate the cast list that
:08:25. > :08:28.I have in mind! I'm going to astew that particular temptation. If I can
:08:29. > :08:34.turn to the policy questions that she put to me. I mean, I think, what
:08:35. > :08:40.was very striking about the vote last night was that for the first
:08:41. > :08:46.time the Opposition frontbench and most, but not all of Labour members
:08:47. > :08:51.of Parliament, accepted the Prime Minister's timetable to trigger
:08:52. > :08:56.Article 50 by the end of March 2017. And given that the Shadow Foreign
:08:57. > :09:01.Secretary had said as recently as September that we ought to go back
:09:02. > :09:06.to the people before taking a final decision to leave the EU, that
:09:07. > :09:10.suggests a possibly welcome change of heart on the part of the
:09:11. > :09:22.Opposition. I hope it is genuine and sustained. On her points about the
:09:23. > :09:29.impact of leaving the EU on the food and farming sector, I mean, this is
:09:30. > :09:34.indeed a very important aspect of the forthcoming negotiation. The
:09:35. > :09:42.food and farming sector is a major employer, a major contribution to
:09:43. > :09:47.the United Kingdom GDP and many of its chief export markets are in
:09:48. > :09:53.other EU countries. So the Government is consulting very
:09:54. > :09:57.closely with the NFU and the CLA and other organisations, the Food and
:09:58. > :10:01.Drink Federation and so on about the approach that will ensure their
:10:02. > :10:07.interests are strongly represented in those negotiations.
:10:08. > :10:14.Clearly the issue of Labour is going to be part of that as well as the
:10:15. > :10:21.access to markets. I would see that I do think the opposition has to
:10:22. > :10:26.acknowledge, as one or two of their banks, who served in ministerial
:10:27. > :10:31.office in the past, have said publicly, that it is hard to see the
:10:32. > :10:35.vote on June the 23rd is being evoked that would allow the
:10:36. > :10:39.continuation of free movement of Labour as it currently exists. It
:10:40. > :10:44.seemed to me from my experience, both looking at opinion polls and
:10:45. > :10:47.talking to people during the campaign, that that question of
:10:48. > :10:51.migration was very much in the forefront of their minds when they
:10:52. > :10:55.came to vote in the referendum. On the other points she made, she
:10:56. > :11:09.alluded to the KC report earlier this week about integration. I think
:11:10. > :11:17.it highlighted some important and deep-seated social challenges. I can
:11:18. > :11:22.trade statistics about money spent on teaching English as a second
:11:23. > :11:26.language, and I don't want to dig drive the importance of making sure
:11:27. > :11:31.that people who arrive in this country learn English as a matter of
:11:32. > :11:37.priority, because without that, you cannot really play a full part in
:11:38. > :11:44.the mainstream of society, but what I hope to see coming out of the
:11:45. > :11:48.report will be a conversation and a growing, shared understanding a
:11:49. > :11:53.cross-party political lines and around the country, about the fact
:11:54. > :11:57.that these problems are not ones that are capable of solution by an
:11:58. > :12:01.act of Parliament or a ministerial speech or a tweak to spending
:12:02. > :12:05.programme here and there. We are talking about the problem of self
:12:06. > :12:11.segregation of communities that have quite deep cultural roots. And we
:12:12. > :12:15.have to work out locally and nationally how those can best be
:12:16. > :12:19.addressed. She made a few points about other items of spending. I
:12:20. > :12:25.have to say to the opposition that they cannot both attacked the
:12:26. > :12:30.government for not moving quickly enough to reduce the deficit, while
:12:31. > :12:36.at the same time criticising every action that is designed to obtain
:12:37. > :12:41.savings and pay that deficit down. And frankly, we are having to take
:12:42. > :12:44.tough decisions now because of the feeling of housekeeping of Labour
:12:45. > :12:52.ministers when they were in charge here. On human rights, we have the
:12:53. > :12:57.proud tradition in deed of human rights in this country. But that
:12:58. > :13:04.tradition was strong and existed long before the Human Rights Act of
:13:05. > :13:07.1988. There was no magic to that piece of legislation. This
:13:08. > :13:18.government is committed to keeping human rights at the forefront of all
:13:19. > :13:21.our policies. I agree on the importance of that particular case
:13:22. > :13:30.mentioned and I hope the government in Iran will show mercy towards
:13:31. > :13:34.higher and bear in mind the fact that her little daughter has been
:13:35. > :13:38.separated from her parents for so long. British ministers and British
:13:39. > :13:42.officials are doing everything they can on behalf of the family to try
:13:43. > :13:53.and bring this case to the outcome we all wish to see. The Royal Bank
:13:54. > :13:58.of Scotland have announced their latest round of NatWest branch
:13:59. > :14:03.closures, which will have an impact in my constituency, along with many
:14:04. > :14:07.of my colleagues. In Rochester alone, this commercial town will be
:14:08. > :14:10.left with only one bank remaining in the centre. This has been a running
:14:11. > :14:15.theme across the country, in which we have seen half the number of bank
:14:16. > :14:19.branches reduced. Will the government make time for a debate on
:14:20. > :14:24.the wider impact of these closures on the elderly, disabled, small
:14:25. > :14:33.businesses and retailers, who rely on these very important services. I
:14:34. > :14:37.completely understand why she is speaking out so strongly on behalf
:14:38. > :14:42.of both domestic bank customers and businesses in her constituency. Of
:14:43. > :14:47.course, what the banks will say is that more and more of us, both as
:14:48. > :14:52.individuals and businesses, are moving to online banking services,
:14:53. > :14:57.which therefore reduces the viability of the branch network.
:14:58. > :15:00.These are ultimately commercial decisions for the banks, but I hope
:15:01. > :15:06.very much that when bank directors and managers think about the impact
:15:07. > :15:10.of a closure on a particular time, that they will take very carefully
:15:11. > :15:15.into account the wider question of the impact on communities and
:15:16. > :15:19.particularly on those people and businesses who cannot simply go to
:15:20. > :15:25.an online service to provide them with banking services which are
:15:26. > :15:29.essential to their needs. Can I thank the leader of the house for
:15:30. > :15:34.announcing business for next week? It is good to see him back in his
:15:35. > :15:37.more familiar habitat of business questions after his exertions
:15:38. > :15:47.yesterday at Prime Minister's Questions. Such was his stellar
:15:48. > :15:55.performance, several of us were thinking of him as a future Prime
:15:56. > :16:02.Minister. Now we have the red, white and blue Brexit. After the killing
:16:03. > :16:07.in of the Labour Party yesterday, meekly following the government
:16:08. > :16:13.agenda, it will be the red, white and blue Brexit versus the tartan
:16:14. > :16:18.Remain. After the Labour Party more or less caving in to article 50, why
:16:19. > :16:28.does Jeremy not just bring through a proper vote. -- why does he not just
:16:29. > :16:34.bring through a proper vote. The government's top legal officer in
:16:35. > :16:38.Scotland told us that the convention was merely a political act and that
:16:39. > :16:45.this house can't simply override the views of Scotland. I remember
:16:46. > :16:50.speaking on it at length and the Tories 40 against every single
:16:51. > :16:57.amendment be put forward. But I recall a debate that said the
:16:58. > :17:02.convention would be in statute. This shows a massive disrespect to the
:17:03. > :17:06.views of Scotland. Let me hear the government views on this. This week,
:17:07. > :17:15.the House of Lords had a debate on the size of the House of Lords. It
:17:16. > :17:25.was like watching turkeys voting on the size of the Christmas pens. When
:17:26. > :17:32.will we have a similar opportunity? I think I'm grateful to him for his
:17:33. > :17:40.opening remarks. I always think it's very dangerous territory when you
:17:41. > :17:44.are being praised by a senior opposition spokesman in that way. I
:17:45. > :17:53.would just say to him on the point is that he makes about Europe, that
:17:54. > :17:57.we must not forget that 40% of the population in Scotland did actually
:17:58. > :18:03.bought to leave. I can assure him that the government is going to be,
:18:04. > :18:08.yes, looking for a Brexit that is red, white and blue, but that
:18:09. > :18:13.pattern includes the flag of Saint Andrew, and the saltire's interests
:18:14. > :18:22.will be very much in our minds throughout those negotiations. We
:18:23. > :18:26.have just established a new government committee along with the
:18:27. > :18:31.three devolved administrations, cheered by the Secretary of State
:18:32. > :18:37.for exiting the EU, to make sure the three devolved administrations have
:18:38. > :18:41.access regularly and access it misses a level to those leading the
:18:42. > :18:48.negotiations on behalf of of the UK, and their interests are fully taken
:18:49. > :18:53.into account and understood. He questioned me about the court case.
:18:54. > :18:57.I'm not going to comment on ongoing judicial proceedings, but simply to
:18:58. > :19:03.see this, that the High Court Judgment Day to raise important
:19:04. > :19:05.questions about the scope of prerogative powers and the
:19:06. > :19:10.relationship between the executive and the legislature, which we
:19:11. > :19:15.believe needs to be decided through the appeal to the Supreme Court. And
:19:16. > :19:22.the High Court decision required not just a resolution to be passed by
:19:23. > :19:32.both Houses of Parliament, but it should wired primary legislation. As
:19:33. > :19:34.I've said before, we have two week the Supreme Court's decision, but
:19:35. > :19:41.the ministerial code and the civil service code or oblige the
:19:42. > :19:50.government at all times to obey the rule of law. Thank you for giving me
:19:51. > :19:54.two bites at the Cherry and apologies were standing at the wrong
:19:55. > :19:58.time earlier, which goes to show this place is quite confusing to get
:19:59. > :20:05.used to, but thank you very much for being so generous. The floods of
:20:06. > :20:10.2013 were absolutely devastating in Somerset, and my constituency
:20:11. > :20:12.covered half of the area. The Somerset Rivers Authority was
:20:13. > :20:19.established to do with flood resilience. David Cameron and his
:20:20. > :20:24.secretary for the environment gave assurances that this authority would
:20:25. > :20:30.be funded with the preset to go on the council tax bills. Could he give
:20:31. > :20:46.me a assurances that the legal framework for this is being
:20:47. > :20:49.established? I think anyone who remembers the TV coverage of those
:20:50. > :20:56.dreadful floods in Somerset will understand why this was such a
:20:57. > :21:00.searing experience, honourable friend's constituents. The
:21:01. > :21:07.government house, of course, given additional funding to the local
:21:08. > :21:11.authorities directly affected, so that they can make the necessary
:21:12. > :21:18.provision for future flood management. What she now calls for
:21:19. > :21:25.is for that sum of money to be ring fenced and handed over to the
:21:26. > :21:32.precept be new statutory Rivers authority. We would intend to
:21:33. > :21:40.legislate as soon as Parliamentary time is available. The leader will
:21:41. > :21:44.be aware that on Monday and Tuesday of this week, the house rose
:21:45. > :21:48.somewhat earlier than scheduled, as business had come to an end. I know
:21:49. > :21:52.the reader does not have a crystal ball. I wonder if we can work
:21:53. > :21:58.together to possibly schedule reserve backbench business debates
:21:59. > :22:02.in the future. Members would accept that if government business run to
:22:03. > :22:07.time, that those reserved matters would fall, but it would be useful
:22:08. > :22:16.to have reserve backbench business debates for such eventualities in
:22:17. > :22:20.the future. One of my constituents came from Pakistan, where he had
:22:21. > :22:25.witnessed a double murder for which the perpetrator was imprisoned in
:22:26. > :22:29.2004. The murderer was released after six years and my constituents
:22:30. > :22:34.led to this country in 2012, when other witnesses to the original
:22:35. > :22:40.crime were themselves murdered. The perpetrator had then become the
:22:41. > :22:43.mayor of the region. Since 2012, my constituent has been wrongfully
:22:44. > :22:46.accused and convicted in absentia of crimes he couldn't have committed
:22:47. > :22:53.because he was using this country. The Home Office accept all of this
:22:54. > :22:58.as fact, but have determined to send him back to face almost certain
:22:59. > :23:00.death in Pakistan. Can I employed the leader of the house to urge Home
:23:01. > :23:06.Office ministers to urgently review this case, in the name of British
:23:07. > :23:13.values of fairness, justice and mercy. -- can I implore. I am happy
:23:14. > :23:16.to have a discussion with him about that possibility, though it is
:23:17. > :23:21.acknowledged in the way he framed the question, it's very difficult
:23:22. > :23:26.for government business managers to understand in advance how much time
:23:27. > :23:31.members from different opposition parties or our own backbenchers, are
:23:32. > :23:34.going to want to spend debating particular amendments on report
:23:35. > :23:39.dated how many divisions they will seek. As far as the constituency
:23:40. > :23:42.cases concerned, I don't know the details of the individual case, I
:23:43. > :23:51.will ask the Home Secretary to look into it, as he asks. In secondary
:23:52. > :23:57.schools, the ones that are good or outstanding in the north-west has
:23:58. > :24:01.increased by 3% in comparison to the national increase of 13%. Can we
:24:02. > :24:05.have a debate to ask which measures we can put in place to support nor
:24:06. > :24:11.the working-class boys and girls so that they can achieve their full
:24:12. > :24:17.potential? I'd put him towards education questions on the 19th of
:24:18. > :24:23.December, but the point he makes today is one which echoes the
:24:24. > :24:28.argument made a speech earlier this week by Sir Michael Wilshaw, whereby
:24:29. > :24:32.the two attention to the gap in achievement between northern and
:24:33. > :24:39.southern England and called for a much more resolute, determined
:24:40. > :24:44.exertion of leadership within schools, local authorities and other
:24:45. > :24:48.agencies in the north to drive standards up. And I am sure my
:24:49. > :24:56.honourable friend will do all he can to champion that effort.
:24:57. > :25:05.The Secretary of State is doing anything other than making a huge
:25:06. > :25:09.mess of our managing our railways. Southern Thameslink manage great
:25:10. > :25:14.northern that affects many thousands of my constituents. This is the
:25:15. > :25:19.largest franchise that is let by the Department of Transport and if
:25:20. > :25:22.northern franzs is going to go the way of Southern which looks to be
:25:23. > :25:29.the case, then we have a further, even greater disaster on our hands.
:25:30. > :25:36.Can we have an urgent debate in this chamber on these train services that
:25:37. > :25:43.affect people north and south of this capital city that the Secretary
:25:44. > :25:49.of State himself will attend? The Secretary of State for Transport did
:25:50. > :25:52.respond to an urgent question earlier this week on these matters.
:25:53. > :25:56.He has always felt that local authorities and MPs should have an
:25:57. > :25:59.appropriate say in local train service and I understand the point
:26:00. > :26:06.the honourable lady is making, but it is the case that a lot of
:26:07. > :26:13.suburban commuter services also serve communities in the Home
:26:14. > :26:18.Counties. My own included and to place the entire lead role in the
:26:19. > :26:23.hands of the Mayor of London and TfL would remove from my constituents
:26:24. > :26:26.and those elsewhere in the Home Counties any kind of democratic
:26:27. > :26:32.accountability for the management of their train services and the setting
:26:33. > :26:36.of budgetary priority. It is a more complex question than some of the
:26:37. > :26:39.critics of my honourable friend have been prepared to acknowledge. Can I
:26:40. > :26:44.just gunshotly say to the Leader of the House actually the work done by
:26:45. > :26:48.the honourable member for Suffolk Coast I think it is is over this
:26:49. > :26:53.rivers authority is proving fruitful. I think the point that my
:26:54. > :26:56.honourable friend for Taunton Dean who is not in her place, was trying
:26:57. > :27:00.to make, this is not Somerset. This is throughout the United Kingdom. We
:27:01. > :27:05.need to have another look at whole way flooding is administered in this
:27:06. > :27:10.country. It is not synonymous with Somerset or any other part, we do
:27:11. > :27:13.need look at descenting and we need to look at the legislation and I
:27:14. > :27:18.know the Secretary of State is looking at. Would it be possible to
:27:19. > :27:24.have a debate to discuss the whole concept? I can't offer an immediate
:27:25. > :27:27.debate in Government time, but there maybe opportunities for my
:27:28. > :27:31.honourable friend to raise this perhaps in the debate before the
:27:32. > :27:36.Christmas adjournment. But I can only repeat what I said to the
:27:37. > :27:40.honourable member for Taunton Deane that the Government is committed to
:27:41. > :27:43.the changes that my honourable friend is seeking and we will
:27:44. > :27:50.legislate as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
:27:51. > :27:55.In January the Secretary of State promised the then mayor for London
:27:56. > :27:58.that south-eastern's rail services would transfer to Transport for
:27:59. > :28:02.London when the franchise came up for renewal. He told the House that
:28:03. > :28:05.he looked at Transport for London's business case and it wasn't going to
:28:06. > :28:12.provide improvements to passengers in terms of capacity and extra
:28:13. > :28:15.trains both of which were incorrect. We know now his true reason is
:28:16. > :28:21.because he wrote to the former mayor for London in April state that he
:28:22. > :28:24.had changed his mind because he would rather keep suburban rail
:28:25. > :28:30.services out of the clutches of a Labour mayor.
:28:31. > :28:33.That's politically partisan and brings no benefits from my
:28:34. > :28:38.constituents who suffered yet again this morning of delays on that rail
:28:39. > :28:42.service. We need that Secretary of State back here in this House to
:28:43. > :28:50.account for the chaos that is happening on our rail services.
:28:51. > :28:55.I understand why the honourable gentleman as a London member makes
:28:56. > :29:00.that case so vehemently, but as I said a moment ago, there are
:29:01. > :29:06.interests to be borne in mind of communities outside the Greater
:29:07. > :29:11.London area who depend utterly on those same routes for their own
:29:12. > :29:15.journeys to work and the Department for Transport is wanting to work
:29:16. > :29:21.jointly with TfL to get the best deal for passengers both inside and
:29:22. > :29:26.outside London. Thank you mrrks speaker. In recent
:29:27. > :29:31.days there has been further media coverage about the risk of fires in
:29:32. > :29:36.certain models of the Vauxhall Carsa, it is welcomed that the DVSA
:29:37. > :29:39.are looking into this again, but could we have a statement from the
:29:40. > :29:45.Transport Minister as to what the department are doing to co-ordinate
:29:46. > :29:50.activities and reassure owners? I will make sure that my honourable
:29:51. > :29:53.friend's concerns are understood by the appropriate minister at the
:29:54. > :29:58.Department for Transport and should ask the minister to write to him as
:29:59. > :30:04.soon as possible. When can we discuss the injuries suffered in
:30:05. > :30:08.sport? We have a chance then to congratulate the Welsh and English
:30:09. > :30:13.rugby unions who have reacted positively to the new medical
:30:14. > :30:19.knowledge of the deadly long-term effect in early Alzheimer's to those
:30:20. > :30:24.who suffer repeated bruise to the head and could we look at
:30:25. > :30:28.suggestions made last week that what we need is international action
:30:29. > :30:33.throughout the rugby world and the boxing world to recognise that
:30:34. > :30:43.practise has been tolerated for a long time and should no longer may
:30:44. > :30:46.these sports acceptable to younger generations. It is right that it
:30:47. > :30:55.should be for the sport's governing bodies to take the lead on this and
:30:56. > :31:01.I'm sure that they since they are so keen to recruit and young women to
:31:02. > :31:06.those sports want to be able to say confidently that the rules that they
:31:07. > :31:13.have in place do everything that can be done in terms of protecting the
:31:14. > :31:18.safety of competitors. I will ensure that DCMS ministers are aware of his
:31:19. > :31:24.comments and questions DCMS and including to the sports minister are
:31:25. > :31:37.coming up on Thursday, 15th December.
:31:38. > :31:43.Dementia carers don't have access to blue badges to help their charges K
:31:44. > :31:50.we have a debate on this so carers can park much more clearly and
:31:51. > :31:53.easily? My honourable school friend right to
:31:54. > :31:58.highlight the importance of this issue and I'm sure he would wish to
:31:59. > :32:02.join me in saluting the work of the Alzheimer's Society and the creation
:32:03. > :32:08.of a network of more than one million dementia friends throughout
:32:09. > :32:13.the United Kingdom. The Blue Badge Scheme already allows for carers to
:32:14. > :32:17.use a Blue Badge when accompanying the badge holder so the carer in
:32:18. > :32:22.those circumstances doesn't need a badge in his or her own right. It is
:32:23. > :32:27.then up to local authorities to decide whether to have an additional
:32:28. > :32:33.local permit parking scheme for carers on their own and I think
:32:34. > :32:37.given the very different constraints on car park capacity and patterns of
:32:38. > :32:40.travel between one local authority air why and another, it is right
:32:41. > :32:43.that those decision should be taken locally.
:32:44. > :32:48.Thank you, Mr Speaker. Now, that he had a bit of time to think about it,
:32:49. > :32:51.can we have a statement or debate on Jobcentre closures and particularly,
:32:52. > :32:57.the area of the Smith agreement which says the UK Government and the
:32:58. > :33:01.Scottish Government should work together to establish more formal
:33:02. > :33:04.negotiations and perhaps we can explain or the Government can
:33:05. > :33:08.explain to Glasgow's MPs and the Scottish Government why they had to
:33:09. > :33:13.read in the press that our Jobcentres were going to be closed?
:33:14. > :33:20.My understanding is that the existing pattern of provision in
:33:21. > :33:24.Glasgow means that there are significantly more small separate
:33:25. > :33:31.Jobcentres in that city than is the case in other large Scottish cities.
:33:32. > :33:38.And what DWP is proposing to do and the consultation is now underway is
:33:39. > :33:43.to reduce the overall numbers so that services can be concentrated in
:33:44. > :33:47.locations that are still accessible to everyone in the city and provide
:33:48. > :33:52.a better quality service to people who need access to Jobcentres in
:33:53. > :33:59.person. One of the reasons why fewer people have been using individual
:34:00. > :34:02.job Jobcentres in Glasgow is because unemployment has been falling
:34:03. > :34:04.significantly and I would wish sometimes the honourable member
:34:05. > :34:11.would acknowledge that in his question.
:34:12. > :34:14.In a recent surgery two of my constituents described how members
:34:15. > :34:19.of their family had their lives turned around for the better by the
:34:20. > :34:24.work of the Burton Addiction Centre in Staffordshire. Could we have a
:34:25. > :34:29.debate on the provision of drug and alcohol services in Staffordshire
:34:30. > :34:37.which is set to be considerably reduced by reductions in spending
:34:38. > :34:44.next year so that we can ensure that the experiences of constituents are
:34:45. > :34:52.not, will continue to be positive? Well, my honourable friend always is
:34:53. > :34:56.acidous in speaking up for the interests of his constituents in
:34:57. > :34:59.Stafford, but it is local authorities who are responsible for
:35:00. > :35:05.commissioning effective drug and alcohol prevention and treatment
:35:06. > :35:09.services and those decisions are based on the authority's
:35:10. > :35:12.understanding of local needs. We have health questions on Tuesday,
:35:13. > :35:16.20th December which may give my honourable friend the opportunity to
:35:17. > :35:22.raise these concerns directly with the Secretary of State. Thank you Mr
:35:23. > :35:30.Speaker, can I join with others in congratulating the honourable member
:35:31. > :35:35.for Strangford on his award. A fellow Leicester City supporter. Can
:35:36. > :35:40.I congratulate you and Mrs Bercow on your 14th wedding anniversary which
:35:41. > :35:45.was yesterday! I noticed that you were yawning a
:35:46. > :35:49.couple of teumts this morning -- times this morning, so it must have
:35:50. > :35:52.been a very good party and maybe that's why the lights are still on
:35:53. > :35:55.today! Can I ask the Leader of the House
:35:56. > :36:00.the Prime Minister returns or has returned from the Gulf where she met
:36:01. > :36:05.various kings and other heads of state and the issue of Yemen must
:36:06. > :36:09.have been discussed. Would he arrange for an early statement by
:36:10. > :36:13.the Prime Minister on her discussions with the heads of
:36:14. > :36:19.Government on the issue of Yemen where 80% of the population are
:36:20. > :36:22.still in desperate need of humanitarian care and assistance? We
:36:23. > :36:26.hear about Syria and Iraq a great deal in this House, but not enough
:36:27. > :36:33.about Yemen. Could we have that statement, please? I'm happy to add
:36:34. > :36:36.my congratulations to those that the Right Honourable member expressed
:36:37. > :36:44.both to the honourable member for Strangford and to you and Mrs
:36:45. > :36:48.Bercow. I think that anybody who saw ferg app Keane's report on the BBC
:36:49. > :36:54.earlier this week about the situation in Yemen will have been
:36:55. > :37:03.shocked and moved by the plight of so many families who are suffering
:37:04. > :37:07.grievously, the Prime Minister did discuss Yemen amongst many other
:37:08. > :37:13.issues with the Gulf leaders during her visit this week. The Government
:37:14. > :37:18.is, of course, committing significant sums, ?100 million so
:37:19. > :37:28.far committed for this year towards humanitarian relief in Yemen and
:37:29. > :37:36.we're also part funding the office for the United Nations Special Envoy
:37:37. > :37:41.on Yemen because ultimately it is only going to be through a political
:37:42. > :37:45.settlement that we can bring an end to this conflict.
:37:46. > :37:51.THE SPEAKER: We will hear about Yemen in the chamber next week.
:37:52. > :37:56.I was delighted to hear there is to be a debate about broadband, but
:37:57. > :38:00.discussions on broadband tend to focus on rural areas. I have got
:38:01. > :38:04.nothing against rural areas, but there are pockets of urban areas
:38:05. > :38:09.including areas of Cheltenham which are affected. There are specific
:38:10. > :38:13.factors affecting urban areas, can we have a debate on the roll out of
:38:14. > :38:19.super fast broadband in urban areas? I understand the point that my
:38:20. > :38:26.honourable friend makes and the problems he has described in
:38:27. > :38:32.Cheltenham is one that is experienced in spots in other towns
:38:33. > :38:39.and cities. I know how frustrating this is for businesses and houses.
:38:40. > :38:45.The Chancellor did announce in the Autumn Statement some additional
:38:46. > :38:48.funds that are available to try to develop high-speed broadband
:38:49. > :38:54.further. I hope that may provide opportunities for Cheltenham as well
:38:55. > :38:59.as for other places. Mr Speaker, Post Offices play a
:39:00. > :39:02.vital role in many communities across the country particularly in
:39:03. > :39:08.rural constituencies. Can we have a debate about the importance of
:39:09. > :39:13.maintaining shall shops particularly in rural communities so the Post
:39:14. > :39:18.Office and others can see the importance of any social impact of
:39:19. > :39:22.their closures? I can't promise the honourable lady a debate, but there
:39:23. > :39:27.are questions to the Secretary of State for Business on Tuesday, 13th,
:39:28. > :39:33.next week and it seemed to me that this subject falls within that
:39:34. > :39:42.department's responsibilities. There are, of course, provisions in place
:39:43. > :39:47.for communities to take over and operate the last retailer or the
:39:48. > :39:51.last pub in a particular community and I know of examples in my county
:39:52. > :40:00.where local communities have stepped in successfully in that way. That's
:40:01. > :40:05.under a provision that this Government and its predeses --
:40:06. > :40:11.predecessor brought in. When more people are accessing services and
:40:12. > :40:14.shopping online, there is an escapable relationship between
:40:15. > :40:17.customer demand for the services provided by small shops and the
:40:18. > :40:23.viability of those shops as businesses and the message to our
:40:24. > :40:25.constituents has in part to be, you do need to use those services or you
:40:26. > :40:35.risk losing them. Precept Following a remarkable and
:40:36. > :40:39.brief interview on this morning's edition of woman's are, which I
:40:40. > :40:47.commend to listeners to listen to online, may we have a statement
:40:48. > :40:51.about the delayed action of the deadly threat posed to pupils and
:40:52. > :41:01.teachers by the continuing presence of asbestos in schools? I did not
:41:02. > :41:07.hear the interview on Woman's Our this morning, but I will highlight
:41:08. > :41:14.his interest to the relevant minister at Education and ask for a
:41:15. > :41:26.letter to be sent to him. It is welcome news that Tata steel have
:41:27. > :41:31.committed to keep the site open at Port Talbot. Does he agree we ought
:41:32. > :41:36.to have a debate about ensuring that survival was forward for our steel
:41:37. > :41:42.industry and in particular, that the workers, in agreeing this deal,
:41:43. > :41:46.don't lose out on their pensions? There are, of course, some legal
:41:47. > :41:57.requirements that govern pension schemes and that give a measure of
:41:58. > :42:04.protection. It is too accrued rights under the old pension scheme, that
:42:05. > :42:10.is proposed to close, remain reserved. Can I share his welcome
:42:11. > :42:16.for the agreement that was reached yesterday and paid tribute to those
:42:17. > :42:22.in all political parties in Wales, who have fought so hard for such an
:42:23. > :42:26.agreement to be struck. It is good to see that a wave looks to have
:42:27. > :42:32.been found to in able steel production to continue at Port
:42:33. > :42:37.Talbot. I will ask ministers to address a particular point that he
:42:38. > :42:41.has raised, but we have business questions next Tuesday, and it seems
:42:42. > :42:47.to me, he may want to try his luck in raising this question again then.
:42:48. > :42:51.It is almost the first anniversary since the Boxing Day floods which
:42:52. > :42:57.devastated my constituency and large parts of West Yorkshire. Before the
:42:58. > :43:02.recess for the Christmas break, could the leader of the house
:43:03. > :43:06.arrange a statement from death row to explain what has been done over
:43:07. > :43:10.the past year to prevent any such brother flooding in my constituency
:43:11. > :43:13.and other communities in West Yorkshire, and what arrangements are
:43:14. > :43:17.in place if such terrible floods do happen again on the bank holidays
:43:18. > :43:28.over the Christmas period to ensure a rapid response from all
:43:29. > :43:35.authorities? Each area now has a designated local authority, either
:43:36. > :43:39.the County or the unitary authority, that has a lead responsibility for
:43:40. > :43:46.coordinating flood management and response to flooding. The government
:43:47. > :43:54.has also ensured in its response to more recent floods in the north-west
:43:55. > :43:57.of England, and the south-west, that money is being released at a much
:43:58. > :44:06.earlier stage than has sometimes been the case previously. Spending
:44:07. > :44:11.on flood management continues, and the recently published each flood
:44:12. > :44:16.resilience strategy that sets out a plan for the longer term future. But
:44:17. > :44:21.I will make sure the Secretary of State for Defra is aware of his
:44:22. > :44:28.particular concerns about his own area, and she may you wish to reply
:44:29. > :44:34.in more detail about those issues. Liverpool City Council is conducting
:44:35. > :44:38.an online consultation on how to find ?90 million more of cuts in
:44:39. > :44:47.addition to the ?330 million it has already found since 2010, meaning
:44:48. > :44:51.that by 2020, it will have lost 70% of its government support. Can we
:44:52. > :44:54.have a debate in government time on the disproportionate impact that
:44:55. > :45:00.these cuts are having on authorities like Liverpool City Council? And in
:45:01. > :45:03.all fairness, can he come forward and see how the government can help
:45:04. > :45:13.to alleviate this problem it has caused? It is undoubtedly true that
:45:14. > :45:17.local authorities, whether in northern or southern England,
:45:18. > :45:23.whether they are conservative odd Labour councils, art having to take
:45:24. > :45:27.some very tough financial decisions about relative priorities. Just as
:45:28. > :45:31.government departments sensually are having to take some very difficult
:45:32. > :45:38.decisions. These are not decisions that any of us, local or Westminster
:45:39. > :45:44.leaders, relish having to take, but they arise from the fact that in
:45:45. > :45:49.2010, we inherited an economic wasteland, a deficit that was worse
:45:50. > :45:54.than that accumulated by any government in our history, that need
:45:55. > :45:59.to be paid down as a matter of urgency. -- needed to be paid down.
:46:00. > :46:04.It is now good opposition members both saying the government is moving
:46:05. > :46:12.too slowly to cut the deficit and at the same time, resisting each and
:46:13. > :46:16.every measure to cut that deficit. Earlier this week, the results on
:46:17. > :46:21.education standards were released, and sadly, for the 12 year in a row,
:46:22. > :46:25.Wales lags behind the rest of the UK. That is causing the head of
:46:26. > :46:29.Ofsted to say, this result is bringing the UK average down, while
:46:30. > :46:34.the Welsh Liberal education minister said, we can do better. Can we have
:46:35. > :46:37.a debate on how the Westminster government can help the devolved
:46:38. > :46:45.nations to do better and bring the UK average up? He disliked a point
:46:46. > :46:50.to the fact that Wales sadly performed less well than England and
:46:51. > :46:54.also, it is true the results revealed a sharp decline in
:46:55. > :47:01.standards in Scottish schools over the last ten years. The message from
:47:02. > :47:06.Sir Michael Wilshaw, as the head of Ofsted, is that it is the quality of
:47:07. > :47:12.leadership at school level and that local authority level, and the
:47:13. > :47:20.quality of and energy given to the support for those leaders by elected
:47:21. > :47:27.politicians, by business leaders and others, that is critical to driving
:47:28. > :47:32.up the standards of education. If we are serious about tackling this
:47:33. > :47:35.country's long-term economic challenges and our lack of
:47:36. > :47:42.productivity, and addressing the challenge posed to so many forms of
:47:43. > :47:45.education challenged by digital technology, we need to do everything
:47:46. > :47:51.we can to drive up standards in schools so that young people are
:47:52. > :47:55.able to prosper in that rapidly changing environment? The leader of
:47:56. > :47:59.the house has been identified as our next Prime Minister but one. Can he
:48:00. > :48:06.use his new-found authority to insist on a debate on the
:48:07. > :48:12.negotiating strategy on Brexit. Invoking article 50 and going into a
:48:13. > :48:23.time let Ltd negotiation without a broad light glowing of outcomes,.
:48:24. > :48:35.Can we have a debate to avoid his meat being minced? I have been
:48:36. > :48:40.looking at the order paper since we came back after the summer recess,
:48:41. > :48:48.and it seems to me, I think it is right to say, we have had at least
:48:49. > :48:52.one debate on an aspect of EU exit in every week or every week but one
:48:53. > :48:58.since we first game back in September. We had a full day of
:48:59. > :49:02.debate yesterday, at which exactly these issues were aired. The Prime
:49:03. > :49:08.Minister made it clear that government will publish more detail
:49:09. > :49:14.about its negotiating objectives next year, before we trigger Article
:49:15. > :49:21.50 of the treaties. What we will not do and we should not do is to give
:49:22. > :49:26.the sort of details explanation that I fear he is seeking. Bum of the
:49:27. > :49:30.other 27 EU governments is doing anything like that and nor should
:49:31. > :49:36.we. You do not reveal you negotiating hand when you are about
:49:37. > :49:42.to start negotiations. -- none of the other 27 EU countries. The
:49:43. > :49:49.United Nations estimate that 240,000 have been displaced from me and
:49:50. > :49:54.Mark. The humanitarian disaster unfolding suggests that thousands of
:49:55. > :49:59.becoming refugees in Bangladesh and other parts of Southeast Asia.
:50:00. > :50:04.Islamic relief are doing their best to cope with this humanitarian
:50:05. > :50:07.disaster, but could we have a statement from whoever it is deemed
:50:08. > :50:19.appropriate on what the government is going to do to help those who are
:50:20. > :50:27.refugees from Myanmar? He knows there is a long and very sad history
:50:28. > :50:33.of communal tension in Myanmar, and in particular, a history of
:50:34. > :50:37.discrimination against and persecution of a particular set of
:50:38. > :50:46.people. British ministers, our embassy in the capital, British
:50:47. > :50:50.Foreign Office officials here, constantly, when talking to their
:50:51. > :50:57.borough mise opposite numbers, raise these issues about the need to
:50:58. > :51:00.observe human rights standards and ensure the well-being of all
:51:01. > :51:05.communities in Myanmar. We will continue to do that, as well as
:51:06. > :51:11.direct some of our spending programme towards humanitarian
:51:12. > :51:15.relief in that country. Periods are an annoyance for every menstruating
:51:16. > :51:19.women, but the whole Muslim, they are far more than that. Sanitary
:51:20. > :51:24.products and unaffordable for thousands living on the street, an
:51:25. > :51:31.issue raised by the campaign Homeless Periods. Can we discuss
:51:32. > :51:35.efforts to relieve the degradation and embarrassment suffered by
:51:36. > :51:40.thousands every day. I can't offer an immediate debate, but she makes a
:51:41. > :51:43.perfectly reasonable case for at this update to be looked up further.
:51:44. > :51:51.I will make sure the relevant Minister does so. The news coming
:51:52. > :51:54.out of Port Talbot yesterday is hugely welcome in Korby after months
:51:55. > :51:59.of uncertainty in the steel industry. The might of that news, I
:52:00. > :52:02.want to pay tribute to ministers and cross-party colleagues and also to
:52:03. > :52:09.the unions for the construct of what we have seen take place to get to
:52:10. > :52:13.this point. Can we have a statement next week, so that we can discuss
:52:14. > :52:21.next steps as we move this forward to reaching final agreement?
:52:22. > :52:25.Throughout his time here since 2015, he has been a formidable spokesman
:52:26. > :52:30.for his constituents in Korby and for the interests of the UK steel
:52:31. > :52:36.industry more generally. I join him in his welcome to all those who made
:52:37. > :52:39.this deal possible. The Secretary of State for this will be here next
:52:40. > :52:49.Tuesday. I'm sure there will be questions to him on the subject. I
:52:50. > :52:52.am sure the leader of the house will remember the report earlier this
:52:53. > :52:57.week which details the case of nearly 1000 women in England and
:52:58. > :53:01.Wales who have been killed by Menson 's 2009. Can we have a statement
:53:02. > :53:05.from the government into response of the report to tell us what they are
:53:06. > :53:11.going to do to stop more women being killed at the hands of men in
:53:12. > :53:17.domestic violence? The report is an important one, and it is one that
:53:18. > :53:23.ministers will want to study and reflect on before announcing any
:53:24. > :53:30.possible policy initiatives. I think it is good that more people now are
:53:31. > :53:37.willing to come forward and report instances of domestic abuse before
:53:38. > :53:42.they get to that really critical stage that he has described, where
:53:43. > :53:47.somebody's life is actually under threat. It's also true that the
:53:48. > :53:52.police are much readier married to take action and investigate than
:53:53. > :53:57.might have been the case some years ago. These are lot was difficult
:53:58. > :54:00.judgments for police officers, social workers dealing with
:54:01. > :54:06.individual families, to take. But the key to this has to be for people
:54:07. > :54:11.who are victims to feel confident that, if they come forward, the
:54:12. > :54:16.allegations they make will be taken very seriously, will be investigated
:54:17. > :54:23.properly, and whether there is evidence, that prosecutions will
:54:24. > :54:27.follow. If you years ago, it emerged that if the then Prime Minister Tony
:54:28. > :54:33.Blair was indisposed or worse, that John Prescott would take over as
:54:34. > :54:37.Prime Minister. I know the nation slept sound because of that. When it
:54:38. > :54:42.emerged that William Hague would take over if the coalition Prime
:54:43. > :54:47.Minister was indisposed or worse. It then it emerged that when David
:54:48. > :54:54.Cameron was here, it would be my right honourable friend for Tatton
:54:55. > :54:57.who would take over. It now emerged yesterday from this superb
:54:58. > :55:00.performance of the leader of the house, that it is clearly he who
:55:01. > :55:05.would take over as Prime Minister if our Prime Minister was indisposed or
:55:06. > :55:07.worse. But could we have a short statement but that on record, so we
:55:08. > :55:23.know where everyone stands? I do think my honourable friend
:55:24. > :55:29.spends time considering this. The Queen's Government will carry on
:55:30. > :55:36.whatever circumstances may arise! Thank you, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker,
:55:37. > :55:40.over the last few years, job finding services such as cards displaying
:55:41. > :55:47.real jobs and telephones to call about the jobs have been stripped
:55:48. > :55:53.from Jobcentres. With the unexpected news yesterday that Glasgow
:55:54. > :55:56.Jobcentres will be cut by 50% including Annie's Land in my own
:55:57. > :56:02.constituency, will he make a statement on the services my
:56:03. > :56:08.constituents should expect in the new planned super centres?
:56:09. > :56:13.These are obviously matters that will be primary for the management
:56:14. > :56:19.of Jobcentre Plus, but there will be the full range of Jobcentre Plus
:56:20. > :56:27.services at these larger centres and I would, as said in response to my
:56:28. > :56:38.honourable friend, I hope she and her colleagues will acknowledge that
:56:39. > :56:42.one reason we need to provide a consolation of services, one of the
:56:43. > :56:45.reasons we're doing that is because the number of people overall in
:56:46. > :56:53.Glasgow and elsewhere in Scotland who are out of work has come down
:56:54. > :56:56.very significantly. I do wish sometimes the Scottish Nationalist
:56:57. > :57:00.colleagues here would balance their challenges to the Government with
:57:01. > :57:04.recognition of the fact that there are more people in work in this
:57:05. > :57:09.country than ever before. I was rather disappointed with the answer
:57:10. > :57:15.given to my honourable friend the member for Halewood. Liverpool
:57:16. > :57:19.Council, about Liverpool Council's spending difficulties. Bristol
:57:20. > :57:24.impose add spending freeze as it bids to find ?92 million worth of
:57:25. > :57:28.cuts over the next five years and the mayor has been as transparent
:57:29. > :57:33.and open as possible going out to consultation what this means. Could
:57:34. > :57:37.the Government not emulate that openness by having a debate on the
:57:38. > :57:44.financial difficulties facing our core cities? I'm sure there will be
:57:45. > :57:49.plenty of opportunities in various of the proceedings of the House for
:57:50. > :57:53.these issues to be raised in generic terms or whether it is about local
:57:54. > :57:58.authorities. This is not a challenge confined to Bristol or any other
:57:59. > :58:02.city or any local authority, urban or rural, or are central Government
:58:03. > :58:08.departments exempt from this. We have to live as a country within our
:58:09. > :58:12.means and that means that we have to pay down the deficit that we
:58:13. > :58:17.inherited, get rid of the remaining third that we inherited in 2010
:58:18. > :58:24.because without that we will not be able to pay our way in the world.
:58:25. > :58:29.Can I join with my honourable friends in asking for a debate in
:58:30. > :58:33.Government time on Jobcentre closures in Glasgow and the effects
:58:34. > :58:37.this measure will have on Social Security claimants? Can the Leader
:58:38. > :58:42.of the House confirm a quality and impact statement will be published
:58:43. > :58:45.so that all honourable members can provide their response to the
:58:46. > :58:53.closures and the effects it will have on claimants. The DWP will
:58:54. > :58:57.comply with all the regulations. They have had initial consultations
:58:58. > :59:02.with the briefing of the trade unions hold be consulting their
:59:03. > :59:05.members about DWP's proposal, but again, I would just say to the
:59:06. > :59:12.honourable member, one reason for this consolidation is not just
:59:13. > :59:16.Glasgow has at the moment more small individual Jobcentres than other
:59:17. > :59:21.cities in Scotland, but unemployment in Scotland has come down. If we
:59:22. > :59:29.look at what is happening, employment in Scotland since 2010
:59:30. > :59:39.has gone up by 166,000 and the youth claimantsant count has gone down by
:59:40. > :59:41.18200. Can we have a debate about environmental protection following
:59:42. > :59:47.leaving the European Union? Because I'm concerned in the rush towards a
:59:48. > :59:55.red, white and blue Brexit we will simply get rid of the green. The
:59:56. > :00:00.Government remains very committed indeed to our climate change
:00:01. > :00:04.objectives and to improving the United Kingdom's environmental
:00:05. > :00:09.performance overall. That's why the Home Secretary played a leading role
:00:10. > :00:15.with the French Foreign Minister last year in getting agreement on
:00:16. > :00:20.the Paris deal, the first ever binding global agreement on carbon
:00:21. > :00:24.reduction and climate change and why the Government is delivering through
:00:25. > :00:26.its investment in renewable technologies, through its
:00:27. > :00:32.investment, additional measures that were in the Autumn Statement on
:00:33. > :00:36.electric and other ultra low emission vehicles to ensure we
:00:37. > :00:40.maintain the green policies that will give us economic and commercial
:00:41. > :00:46.opportunities as well as an improved environment.
:00:47. > :00:49.Does the Leader of the House agree that the boundary review should be
:00:50. > :00:55.carried out using the most up-to-date information? So
:00:56. > :00:56.therefore, can he set out what is delaying the Parliamentary
:00:57. > :01:03.constituencies Amendment Bill going into committee?
:01:04. > :01:09.The fact was that the honourable lady, the sponsor of the Bill did
:01:10. > :01:14.not produce a text to the Bill until it was three days before the Bill
:01:15. > :01:18.was laid down for second reading. There was no memorandum or other
:01:19. > :01:24.estimate of the costs that would be associated with that Bill. The
:01:25. > :01:31.Government is therefore, in dealing with the request for a money
:01:32. > :01:36.resolution to go through its own analysis of what the costs of
:01:37. > :01:41.implementing the Bill would be, but I say to the honourable member
:01:42. > :01:44.opposite, but for any boundary review there has to be a cut off
:01:45. > :01:50.point at which you say the commission then gets on with its job
:01:51. > :01:54.and if we were to follow the Labour Party's advice and simply abort the
:01:55. > :01:59.current overdue boundary review we would be going into a 2020 election
:02:00. > :02:05.on constituencies that differed vastly in the size of their
:02:06. > :02:09.electorate and on the basis of population figures deriving from a
:02:10. > :02:18.centre sis that would be by then 20 years old.
:02:19. > :02:22.An unfortunate situation which maybe an unintended consequence of
:02:23. > :02:27.legislation has been brought to my attention by a constituent regarding
:02:28. > :02:31.a protracted period of unmroult, but being desperate for work he found
:02:32. > :02:35.employment on a short-term contract basis abroad only to return home he
:02:36. > :02:42.was ineligible for GSA. Maybe therefore have a debate on
:02:43. > :02:47.Government time on the impact of the Jobseeker's Allowance and in
:02:48. > :02:50.particular to the three months rule of UK nationals returning after
:02:51. > :02:55.short-term contracts. If the honourable gentleman would like to
:02:56. > :03:01.give me details of the constituency case, I will ask the minister to
:03:02. > :03:04.look into that in more detail. Our state run nursery schools employ
:03:05. > :03:09.fully qualified teachers and headteachers and they do a brilliant
:03:10. > :03:14.job often in deprived areas, I have a number in my constituency. But
:03:15. > :03:19.proposed Government funding changes are putting their very future at
:03:20. > :03:25.risk. Can we have a statement from the Edication secretary and a debate
:03:26. > :03:29.for these services? The Government, of course, is not cutting nursery
:03:30. > :03:34.education, the Government is expanding the provision of nursery
:03:35. > :03:39.and other early years education. There are education questions on
:03:40. > :03:46.Monday, 19th December when the honourable member will be able to
:03:47. > :03:53.raise the points with ministers. May we have a debate on pan cre
:03:54. > :03:57.attic cancer. We had pancreatic cancer awareness month. This year I
:03:58. > :04:01.lost my own uncle to this disease and my family like many others
:04:02. > :04:05.across the United Kingdom are only too aware of how intractable it is
:04:06. > :04:12.and that further funding, research and treatment developments are so
:04:13. > :04:16.badly needed. The honourable lady makes a very
:04:17. > :04:20.good point and one of the real challenges with pancreatic cancer is
:04:21. > :04:24.the symptoms are not rock niced until it is too late for any kind of
:04:25. > :04:32.effective treatment to be given to the patient. She will have noted
:04:33. > :04:35.that in my statement I announced time for backbench committee
:04:36. > :04:38.business which is as yet unassigned so she may want to take this up with
:04:39. > :04:43.the chairman of the backbench Business Committee.
:04:44. > :04:48.Mr Speaker could we please have a statement or a debate in Government
:04:49. > :04:51.time on consultation periods? The Government announced two very
:04:52. > :04:56.important consultations and both last over the Christmas period.
:04:57. > :05:00.Reforming the soft tissue claims process opened on 17th November and
:05:01. > :05:06.closes on 6th January. That's a day over seven weeks and reform in
:05:07. > :05:10.employment tribunal system opened on 5th December and close on 21st
:05:11. > :05:13.January, one day less than seven weeks and Christmas surely knocks
:05:14. > :05:18.out two weeks of that, so we're down to five weeks. The last Labour
:05:19. > :05:22.Government guidance stated a minimum of 12 weeks and if it is over
:05:23. > :05:26.Christmas, it should be longer, but this Government aMPeded this to a
:05:27. > :05:32.proportionate amount of time. Surely five weeks is very little time to
:05:33. > :05:36.respond to this crucial consultation and both should be extended to over
:05:37. > :05:39.12 weeks because the Leader of the House, you know, the results of a
:05:40. > :05:46.consultation is for life, not just for Christmas.
:05:47. > :05:50.There is a balance to be struck in any consultation period between
:05:51. > :05:55.allowing sufficient time for representations, but also ensuring
:05:56. > :06:00.that we have a timetable in which decisions can be taken and policy
:06:01. > :06:06.brought forward. I have to say that the honourable lady suggests that we
:06:07. > :06:11.should simply write off two weeks over Christmas and the New Year
:06:12. > :06:19.seems to me to be somewhat extraordinary. The two timetables
:06:20. > :06:22.shao that she described allow for several weeks in case well apart
:06:23. > :06:28.from the Christmas and New Year period and even at a time when
:06:29. > :06:32.postal services are perhaps, you know, not running normally, all
:06:33. > :06:36.these consultations invite responses online so it is not at all difficult
:06:37. > :06:43.for people to take representations without relying on the post.
:06:44. > :06:47.Yesterday the Government's announcement on Jobcentres will take
:06:48. > :06:51.Glasgow's Jobcentres from 16 to eight. They will only consult on two
:06:52. > :06:55.of those closures across the city. Members of Parliament had to read
:06:56. > :06:58.about this in the press and it took seven hours after that story
:06:59. > :07:03.breaking before a minister bothered to contact us. Given that, does he
:07:04. > :07:10.not agree we do need a statement and if he is so confident about the
:07:11. > :07:14.accessibility between closing Jobcentres and remaining, tell me
:07:15. > :07:20.how far it is from Castle Milk to Newlands and how long it would take
:07:21. > :07:25.him on a bus? What my Right Honourable friend the Secretary of
:07:26. > :07:29.State for Work and pensions is propose something to bring the
:07:30. > :07:32.distribution of Jobcentres in Glasgow in line with the pattern
:07:33. > :07:39.that already applies in other Scottish cities. I note that there
:07:40. > :07:42.is no outcry from those benches opposite to open additional
:07:43. > :07:49.Jobcentres in other cities. It seems to me that what the department is
:07:50. > :07:53.proposing is entirely reasonable and its objective is to provide an
:07:54. > :08:03.enhanced service to those people who need help from Jobcentres.
:08:04. > :08:09.As my honourable friend for Eltham set out, we know that the Transport
:08:10. > :08:19.Secretary's own words that his decision not to pass the rail
:08:20. > :08:28.franchise to the Mayor of London was party politics. As the Secretary of
:08:29. > :08:35.State said on Monday, he has invited the Mayor of London and TfL to
:08:36. > :08:39.engage in detailed discussions about how to work much more closely
:08:40. > :08:46.together in the management of commuter routes, but I repeat again,
:08:47. > :08:50.those routes do not serve just London constituencies and
:08:51. > :08:54.communities. They serve and are critical to the travel to work
:08:55. > :08:58.arrangements for tens of thousands of people living outside the Greater
:08:59. > :09:03.London area. It is only right that those people too should have some
:09:04. > :09:06.democratic route through which to challenge and to hold to account the
:09:07. > :09:16.people responsible for taking decisions about their railway.
:09:17. > :09:20.During the summer I carried out a consultation on VAT reduction for
:09:21. > :09:25.tourism and it was very clear that we could create more jobs and get
:09:26. > :09:28.more money into the local economy and the national exchequer if we
:09:29. > :09:41.were to target a reduction in VAT. I got a letter from the Treasury which
:09:42. > :09:44.can be summarised as non. I'm delighted if the honourable
:09:45. > :09:51.gentleman has become a convert to the cause of lower taxation, but he
:09:52. > :09:57.may have a job of work to do to persuade others in his party. But
:09:58. > :10:02.there is also the necessity for any Government to raise revenue in order
:10:03. > :10:06.to pay for services which he and his colleagues keep arguing to me should
:10:07. > :10:12.receive additional spending, not less. The Government is committed to
:10:13. > :10:16.trying to reduce taxation wherever and whenever it is able to do so,
:10:17. > :10:20.but we have to live within our means as a country and that means raising
:10:21. > :10:22.the revenue to pay for public services and to pay down the deficit
:10:23. > :10:33.that is still too high. My constituents Mr Singleton
:10:34. > :10:37.approached me recently because he had been told by his energy supplier
:10:38. > :10:41.that has warm home discount would not reach until the month of May.
:10:42. > :10:47.Happily, we now have assurances this payment will arrive early, but the
:10:48. > :10:52.company has said other customers would get their payments before me.
:10:53. > :10:56.It is totally unacceptable these payments have been delayed for so
:10:57. > :11:01.long. Can we have an urgent debate on this issue? I hope the company
:11:02. > :11:05.management will have heard the criticisms he is making on behalf of
:11:06. > :11:10.his constituents, and that they will do what ever they can to speed up
:11:11. > :11:15.those payments. One reason for a welcoming the ability of customers
:11:16. > :11:20.to switch between different suppliers is that it does enable
:11:21. > :11:23.people to move their energy accounts around to suppliers which they
:11:24. > :11:27.believe will provide them with a better and speedier servers, but as
:11:28. > :11:34.I say, I hope that the company will take note of the case he has
:11:35. > :11:42.described, which I suspect will apply to other people as well. You
:11:43. > :11:47.have Saudi Arabia, Iran and everybody moving in and profiteering
:11:48. > :11:52.and playing proxy wars. It's a tragedy to watch it. Not my words,
:11:53. > :11:56.but those of our Foreign Secretary, in footage released by the garden
:11:57. > :12:00.yesterday evening. May we have a debate in government time on the
:12:01. > :12:12.role but we are playing in this tragedy, not as innocent bystanders,
:12:13. > :12:22.but as arms trading partners? People in this country are laissez faire
:12:23. > :12:27.against terrorism because of the close cooperation that we have with
:12:28. > :12:31.Saudi Arabia and the other states of the Gulf cooperation Council. They
:12:32. > :12:36.are critical allies in that work and it is right that we should continue
:12:37. > :12:44.that strong alliance, which the Prime Minister was seeking to cement
:12:45. > :12:57.in visiting the summit last week. The all-party Parliamentary group
:12:58. > :13:08.for freedom, they are concerned about laws from the Pakistani
:13:09. > :13:13.government. They have gate-crashed the publications office, they have
:13:14. > :13:20.raided a press and seized a magazine. It reflects that the
:13:21. > :13:24.Pakistan authorities are attacking a group on the grounds of their faith.
:13:25. > :13:29.Could ask the leader of the house for a debate on this issue?
:13:30. > :13:36.Pakistan, like many other countries, faces a genuine challenge from
:13:37. > :13:44.ruthless, organised terrorist groups. And there is always a tricky
:13:45. > :13:49.balance to be sought between having an exercise in Paris that will be
:13:50. > :13:54.effective against a real threat from terrorists, but at the same time
:13:55. > :14:01.making sure that you do not trample upon basic civil rights. This
:14:02. > :14:04.balance, and the complaints about abuse of human rights in Pakistan
:14:05. > :14:10.through the application of anti-terrorist laws, are issues that
:14:11. > :14:13.ministers and officials from this government reads constantly in our
:14:14. > :14:25.conversations with Pakistani counterparts.
:14:26. > :14:33.In we all agree the National Audit Office does a great job of scrutiny,
:14:34. > :14:40.but last year, out of 108 investigations and reviews, 60% of
:14:41. > :14:45.these will in Scotland. Can the leader of the house gave me a
:14:46. > :14:50.detailed statement, with a detailed explanation, White now Parlett
:14:51. > :14:52.consequentials arise from the contribution of over ?300 million
:14:53. > :15:03.towards the National Audit Office's work? The National Audit Office is
:15:04. > :15:13.not directed by the government, it is an independent body that sets its
:15:14. > :15:15.own priorities. I will refer his question to the controller and
:15:16. > :15:23.auditor General, asking him to write to the gentleman with the
:15:24. > :15:25.information he is seeking. There are various points of order. I will take
:15:26. > :15:27.first those