Browse content similar to 19/01/2017. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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shall now redouble our efforts in the coming years to improve further | :00:00. | :00:00. | |
upon it. In order, business question, Valerie | :00:00. | :00:08. | |
vows. Thank you Mr speaker. World Leader | :00:09. | :00:12. | |
of the House please give us the forthcoming business? | :00:13. | :00:18. | |
Did business for next week will be as follows. Monday the 23rd of | :00:19. | :00:24. | |
January, second reading of the local government Finance Bill. | :00:25. | :00:27. | |
consideration of Lords amendments to consideration of Lords amendments to | :00:28. | :00:32. | |
the Wales Bill. Followed by a motion relating to the charter of budget | :00:33. | :00:39. | |
responsibility, and Wednesday the 25th of an opposition day, there | :00:40. | :00:46. | |
will be a debate on prisons, followed by debate entitled the | :00:47. | :00:53. | |
detrimental effect on disabled people from government plans on | :00:54. | :00:58. | |
employment and universal credits. Thursday the 26th of January, | :00:59. | :01:05. | |
debates determined by the backbench business committee, the first one on | :01:06. | :01:08. | |
a motion relating to the statutory pubs code, and the pubs code | :01:09. | :01:14. | |
adjudicator. Followed by a debate on a motion relating to access to | :01:15. | :01:24. | |
breast cancer drugs. The provisional business for the | :01:25. | :01:26. | |
week commencing the 30th of January will include Monday the 30th of | :01:27. | :01:32. | |
January, second reading of the pension schemes Bill. Tuesday the | :01:33. | :01:38. | |
31st of January, second reading of the bus services Bill Lords, | :01:39. | :01:41. | |
Wednesday the first of debris, opposition day, 20th allotted day, | :01:42. | :01:46. | |
debate on an opposition motion subject to be announced. The second | :01:47. | :01:50. | |
fabric, business to be put forward by the backbench committee. I would | :01:51. | :01:56. | |
also like to inform the House the business in Westminster Hall for the | :01:57. | :01:59. | |
remainder of January will be: Monday the 23rd of January, a debate on an | :02:00. | :02:06. | |
EU petition relating to the banning of non-recyclable and | :02:07. | :02:11. | |
non-compostable packaging. Thursday 26th of January, General debate on | :02:12. | :02:14. | |
protecting civil society space across the world. Monday the 30th of | :02:15. | :02:20. | |
January, debate on an EU petition relating to pay restraint for a | :02:21. | :02:28. | |
agenda for change NHS staff. Thank you Mr Speaker. Can I thank | :02:29. | :02:32. | |
the Leader of the House for his statement and we still don't appear | :02:33. | :02:35. | |
to have a date for the summer recess. Could I ask him if he could | :02:36. | :02:39. | |
think about it very carefully and perhaps come back next week. And | :02:40. | :02:44. | |
also a date for parochial of Parliament and the State Opening of | :02:45. | :02:49. | |
Parliament. Mr Speaker, can I wish you were very happy birthday. I am | :02:50. | :02:54. | |
afraid the House can't sing to you. As a tennis fan, as a tennis fan I | :02:55. | :03:04. | |
don't know if your presents included new balls... But we all know how | :03:05. | :03:12. | |
well you handle a racket both inside and outside the chamber. And also an | :03:13. | :03:21. | |
inspired choice for Speaker's chaplain. Great pastoral support for | :03:22. | :03:25. | |
MPs. At the Leader of the House will join us in a doubles match for | :03:26. | :03:29. | |
Charity! Mr Speaker, sadly this house is | :03:30. | :03:35. | |
losing MPs and we have lost a former Prime Minister. I want to know how | :03:36. | :03:40. | |
many members made an incredible contribution you can do things for | :03:41. | :03:44. | |
the backbench. The member for Dewsbury amended the Finance Bill. | :03:45. | :03:48. | |
The member for Cheltenham increased a ten minute rule Bill on stalking | :03:49. | :03:54. | |
and the Government has extended the sentenced to ten years. The on the | :03:55. | :03:58. | |
member for North Ayrshire, I don't know if she is in her place, when | :03:59. | :04:01. | |
speaking on her own experiences on the loss of her baby reminded us | :04:02. | :04:05. | |
that in England we should allow coroners to investigate stillbirths, | :04:06. | :04:11. | |
so care can be addressed. There are many other honourable members across | :04:12. | :04:14. | |
the House that do great work. That is why many of us cannot understand | :04:15. | :04:19. | |
why the Prime Minister, on a major policy announcement that affects the | :04:20. | :04:24. | |
whole country, refused to come and tell the House and its elected | :04:25. | :04:29. | |
representatives about those 12 points of principle, which should | :04:30. | :04:33. | |
have been 12 paragraphs in a white paper, as they are government policy | :04:34. | :04:37. | |
initiatives. As the honourable member for New Forest West said last | :04:38. | :04:41. | |
week, my pleasure is magnified when I addressed the chair and you, sir, | :04:42. | :04:45. | |
are occupying it. I wish he would tell that to the Prime Minister. Mr | :04:46. | :04:50. | |
Speaker, these 12 clauses in the white paper should have been set out | :04:51. | :04:54. | |
last September, and that would have ended the speculation and | :04:55. | :04:56. | |
uncertainty that has engulfed us that the last six months. I can see | :04:57. | :05:00. | |
why the Prime Minister didn't want to come to be questioned about it | :05:01. | :05:04. | |
because we still need clarity on a number of issues. Principal four, | :05:05. | :05:08. | |
maintaining the Common travel area with Ireland is welcome. The Prime | :05:09. | :05:11. | |
Minister said the joint administration will be consulted, | :05:12. | :05:14. | |
but given their Iraqi elections in Northern Ireland, could the Leader | :05:15. | :05:26. | |
of the House confirm who will be sitting on the joint ministerial | :05:27. | :05:27. | |
committee? -- given there will be committee? -- given there will be | :05:28. | :05:29. | |
elections. Gibraltar voted 96% to remain. What consultation does the | :05:30. | :05:30. | |
Government intend to have with Government intend to have with | :05:31. | :05:32. | |
Gibraltar? And Spain have already threatened to plant their flag in | :05:33. | :05:36. | |
Gibraltar. The Prime Minister talks of a global Britain yet principle | :05:37. | :05:39. | |
five sets out the Government's proposals to keep the world out. The | :05:40. | :05:43. | |
Prime Minister said because we are no longer members of the single | :05:44. | :05:46. | |
market we will not be required to contribute huge sums to the EU | :05:47. | :05:50. | |
budget. Printable ten, she wants the UK to continue to be the best place | :05:51. | :05:56. | |
for science and innovation, forgetting the UK received 8.8 | :05:57. | :06:00. | |
billion euros, the fourth largest share in the EU for research and | :06:01. | :06:04. | |
develop men. The private sector were perceived ?1.4 billion in 2013 for | :06:05. | :06:09. | |
research and development. That is just one sector. We get but we give | :06:10. | :06:13. | |
something back. As we wait the judgment from the Supreme Court, on | :06:14. | :06:19. | |
a point of law, on the 24th of January, next Tuesday, let's remind | :06:20. | :06:22. | |
the people that judges are on the people side, upholding the rule of | :06:23. | :06:30. | |
law. Can the Leader of the House confirm whether whatever the Bill | :06:31. | :06:32. | |
that comes out after the judgment, it won't be a cynical, one line | :06:33. | :06:39. | |
Bill, as suggested by government? The Prime Minister wants to do this | :06:40. | :06:42. | |
pariah children and grandchildren but our children between the age of | :06:43. | :06:48. | |
18-24 voted overwhelmingly, 75%, to remain in the EU. They already feel | :06:49. | :06:50. | |
let down. As we remember Martin Luther King | :06:51. | :06:59. | |
day this week and Holocaust Memorial Day next week, let us remember the | :07:00. | :07:06. | |
words of Martin Luther King, and a Holocaust survivor who died last | :07:07. | :07:09. | |
year, let us remember that the European Union was formed for | :07:10. | :07:14. | |
nations to come together in peace, not hatred. We must remember that we | :07:15. | :07:21. | |
are interdependent on each other, we do not live in isolation, whether as | :07:22. | :07:27. | |
individual countries, nations. We want economic and social justice | :07:28. | :07:32. | |
here and in Europe in the months and years ahead. Let those speeds are | :07:33. | :07:42. | |
guiding principles. Mr Speaker, in terms of the dates of summer recess | :07:43. | :07:47. | |
and prorogation, while I would hope to oblige the House as soon as I am | :07:48. | :07:51. | |
able to do so, I think the honourable lady and others will | :07:52. | :07:54. | |
understand there are uncertainties about how long it is going to take | :07:55. | :07:58. | |
to transact business before the House in the weeks to come, so I'm | :07:59. | :08:05. | |
not able to give firm dates as yet. She made a of criticisms about the | :08:06. | :08:11. | |
government's handling of the forthcoming EU negotiations. I have | :08:12. | :08:19. | |
to say the Secretary of State gave an oral statement and answered | :08:20. | :08:24. | |
questions from about two hours, and I rather detected in her strictures | :08:25. | :08:37. | |
on the Prime Minister is, a sense of frustration that I sensed her | :08:38. | :08:46. | |
frustration. On the question of Northern Ireland, the ministers who | :08:47. | :08:48. | |
have not resigned from the executive in the way that Mr Martin McGuinness | :08:49. | :08:55. | |
has stepped down as First Minister, remain as Acting ministers until the | :08:56. | :09:02. | |
new executive can be appointed, so the government is able to talk to | :09:03. | :09:07. | |
them and officials from the Northern Ireland Executive continue to attend | :09:08. | :09:13. | |
meetings. In the days when I used to chair committees on Europe, I can | :09:14. | :09:19. | |
remember a previous occasion after last Stormont elections when it took | :09:20. | :09:27. | |
awhile for the next executive to be formed, and they attended joint | :09:28. | :09:31. | |
meetings to ensure Northern Ireland was represented. On Gibraltar, in | :09:32. | :09:35. | |
line with the undertaking that the Prime Minister gave following the | :09:36. | :09:41. | |
referendum, ministers and officials are in regular contact with the | :09:42. | :09:43. | |
government of Gibraltar from the Chief Minister Darren. More broadly, | :09:44. | :09:51. | |
on the question of European Union and the honourable lady's concluding | :09:52. | :09:57. | |
words, I think the Prime Minister made it very clear during her speech | :09:58. | :10:05. | |
that the last thing that she and the government was seeking was a | :10:06. | :10:11. | |
weakening or dismantling of the European Union, the Prime Minister | :10:12. | :10:16. | |
said she wanted the European Union to succeed. And my right honourable | :10:17. | :10:20. | |
friend and the entire government are very aware of the fact that for much | :10:21. | :10:28. | |
of Europe, the mid-20th century was an utterly scarring experience. And | :10:29. | :10:32. | |
that many governments, many people in those countries, still look to | :10:33. | :10:38. | |
European institutions as a safeguard against anything like that happening | :10:39. | :10:46. | |
again. And we respect that view, that outlook, which terms from -- | :10:47. | :10:51. | |
stems from their historical experience in the last century. And | :10:52. | :10:56. | |
so we will go forward respecting and determined to implement the | :10:57. | :11:01. | |
democratic verdict of the British people last June, but also in a way | :11:02. | :11:06. | |
where we will be seeking to achieve a future relationship with our | :11:07. | :11:10. | |
closest neighbours, which is based on mutual trust, friendship and | :11:11. | :11:14. | |
continued alliance and cooperation on a whole range of policy measures. | :11:15. | :11:22. | |
Finally, I would join the honourable lady in wishing all the best to you | :11:23. | :11:26. | |
and also the Speaker's Chapman on your birthdays today, and I would be | :11:27. | :11:33. | |
happy to accept the honourable lady's challenge, but I have to say, | :11:34. | :11:38. | |
knowing your prowess on the tennis court, I would regard the outcome is | :11:39. | :11:48. | |
something of a foregone conclusion! It is a bit rich coming from the | :11:49. | :11:54. | |
shadow Leader of the Commons complaining about parliamentary | :11:55. | :11:59. | |
scrutiny matters announced in the media, when I lived through the Tony | :12:00. | :12:02. | |
Blair and Gordon Brown years, when they never turned up to answer | :12:03. | :12:09. | |
anything! Yesterday, though the opposition claim they want to | :12:10. | :12:14. | |
discuss Europe, the debate on Europe finished early. There were not | :12:15. | :12:18. | |
enough speakers from them! So will be excellent Minister continue to | :12:19. | :12:28. | |
schedule general debate, but to those be seen debates, and each of | :12:29. | :12:31. | |
the 12 points the Prime Minister mentioned, be one of the debates, so | :12:32. | :12:36. | |
they can have as much time as they like to discuss it? Finally, I want | :12:37. | :12:45. | |
to put to rest a live. The leader of the Liberal Democrats claimed I | :12:46. | :12:48. | |
might have written to reason may's speech. I am afraid I had nothing to | :12:49. | :12:56. | |
do with it, it was her own work. Mr Speaker, I do not know of that last | :12:57. | :13:03. | |
comment was a bid to join ministerial speech writing teams in | :13:04. | :13:11. | |
the future. On the point about debates, there will be ample | :13:12. | :13:13. | |
opportunities for the House to continue to debate all aspects of | :13:14. | :13:17. | |
the forthcoming negotiation on the European Union. Thank you. Can I | :13:18. | :13:31. | |
also wish you a happy birthday. Lang may your lum reek. This has been a | :13:32. | :13:39. | |
bad week for Parliament. The Leader of the House should be ashamed. The | :13:40. | :13:43. | |
Prime Minister made about the most important statement about the future | :13:44. | :13:47. | |
of this country not here where elected members are, but in an | :13:48. | :13:50. | |
assembly full of press and diplomats. We know now it is almost | :13:51. | :13:55. | |
certain that a bill will be required in order to trigger Article 50, so | :13:56. | :14:03. | |
will he ensure this is subject to scrutiny, and thoroughly debated in | :14:04. | :14:08. | |
this House? Can we have a debate about to win friends and influence | :14:09. | :14:12. | |
people? The Fallen secretary is touring Europe like a dodgy | :14:13. | :14:17. | |
character doing his utmost to upset the very people that global Britain | :14:18. | :14:20. | |
needs to negotiate with to get a good deal about Brexiting the | :14:21. | :14:24. | |
European Union. We now know that this government's predominant | :14:25. | :14:33. | |
obsession, everything that underpins Brexit is immigration and freedom of | :14:34. | :14:46. | |
movement. Can the Leader of the House do what the Prime Minister | :14:47. | :14:50. | |
failed to do yesterday, and that is to confirm that English votes for | :14:51. | :14:53. | |
English laws procedure will not be applied to the great repeal bill? | :14:54. | :14:59. | |
This will cross across many devolved areas, it will be very complicated, | :15:00. | :15:03. | |
and there will be so many jurisdictions involved. So will he | :15:04. | :15:06. | |
do what the Prime Minister said Andrew outback today? We lost about | :15:07. | :15:12. | |
half of our opposition day on Tuesday, and it was necessary to | :15:13. | :15:18. | |
have the opportunity to question ministers about an important | :15:19. | :15:22. | |
statement. Will he pledged to give us that half day back in the future? | :15:23. | :15:31. | |
I cannot promise him to give the SNP that additional day, and I recognise | :15:32. | :15:38. | |
the pressure that there was on the limited time because of what he | :15:39. | :15:43. | |
himself acknowledge where two important statements. I will reflect | :15:44. | :15:48. | |
on that request but he will understand that there are other | :15:49. | :15:51. | |
pressures on the parliamentary timetable as well. He asked two | :15:52. | :15:56. | |
particular points about European Union legislation, and on the first | :15:57. | :16:03. | |
point, clearly, until the Supreme Court has ruled, we do not know | :16:04. | :16:07. | |
whether any bill will be required or not. But any bill, if it is to | :16:08. | :16:15. | |
become law, has two goals to the full parliamentary process in this | :16:16. | :16:19. | |
chamber and in the other place. That is the only route available to | :16:20. | :16:25. | |
change primary law in this country. So I hope that gives him some | :16:26. | :16:31. | |
reassurance. The extent to which amendments are in order, that | :16:32. | :16:37. | |
clearly depends upon the rules of the House and the interpretation of | :16:38. | :16:43. | |
the chair. On his question about the English votes for English laws | :16:44. | :16:48. | |
arrangements, it might be helpful if I remind the House for any matter to | :16:49. | :16:57. | |
be subject to the Evel arrangement, it must be subject to tests, it must | :16:58. | :17:03. | |
revert to a matter which is devolved in Scotland, the legislation here | :17:04. | :17:10. | |
must refer only to England or to England and will, and there must be | :17:11. | :17:21. | |
a certification from Mr Speaker that the clause or the bill or the | :17:22. | :17:25. | |
statutory instrument meets those tests. We have not yet published or | :17:26. | :17:37. | |
determined the final shape of the bill that will give effect to our | :17:38. | :17:44. | |
excerpt from the EU, the repeal Bill, but those tests would continue | :17:45. | :17:49. | |
to be the ones that would have to be met in any case. And I think it is | :17:50. | :17:56. | |
very clear to me that if, for example, we look at a measure that | :17:57. | :18:04. | |
is repealing the communities act 1972, clearly that has UK wide | :18:05. | :18:09. | |
implications, and not just applying to one part of the United Kingdom. | :18:10. | :18:15. | |
Can I also wish you a very happy birthday. Yesterday the youth | :18:16. | :18:23. | |
employment APPG heard from a number of youth employment ambassadors, and | :18:24. | :18:29. | |
these young people with inspirational but their achievements | :18:30. | :18:33. | |
were not going to the careers advice they achieved, but self belief and | :18:34. | :18:37. | |
determination. Can we have a debate about how careers advice can be | :18:38. | :18:41. | |
improved as currently there are examples of where we are potentially | :18:42. | :18:47. | |
letting people down. That sounds to me like an important issue which | :18:48. | :18:56. | |
might be in any area of the backbench committee debate. This is | :18:57. | :19:00. | |
also something to which my right honourable friend the Secretary of | :19:01. | :19:03. | |
State for education is getting very close attention. Many happy returns. | :19:04. | :19:16. | |
Can I thank the Leader of the House for notifying us of the business on | :19:17. | :19:23. | |
the backbench business. Provisionally we have tabled a | :19:24. | :19:29. | |
six-hour debate on the Armed Forces covenant for the 2nd of February. | :19:30. | :19:34. | |
This Monday, the House adjourned at 7:40pm, which frankly was rather | :19:35. | :19:39. | |
predictable, given the business on the day, and I wonder if this leader | :19:40. | :19:44. | |
could yet again consider working with us to consider backbench | :19:45. | :19:49. | |
debates which would take second place should government business run | :19:50. | :19:52. | |
its full course on such days in future. I am also asking the Leader | :19:53. | :19:57. | |
of the House to resolve thorny problem. We have had an application | :19:58. | :20:01. | |
for the debate on International women's Day, which is the 8th of | :20:02. | :20:09. | |
March, which is also scheduled for the spring statement. I wonder if we | :20:10. | :20:12. | |
can work with the Leader of the House to get a debate on | :20:13. | :20:15. | |
International women's Day is close to the 8th of March, probably before | :20:16. | :20:25. | |
hand, if possible? I will do my best to meet the honourable gentleman's | :20:26. | :20:29. | |
request on the last point. I take seriously and I will see whether we | :20:30. | :20:32. | |
can do anything more to accommodate the problem he identified regarding | :20:33. | :20:42. | |
last Monday. Difficulty for business managers is that you cannot tell by | :20:43. | :20:47. | |
the day -- until the day whether there will be questions that will | :20:48. | :20:51. | |
take up time, or how many members on each side will participate and for | :20:52. | :20:56. | |
how long they which bid wish to speak. I can remember previous | :20:57. | :21:01. | |
occasions in the House, when it was backbench business that came under | :21:02. | :21:06. | |
enormous pressure, resulting in a debate that had to be abandoned or | :21:07. | :21:10. | |
drastically curtailed, which was understandably immense frustration | :21:11. | :21:16. | |
to the backbenchers who had altered their arrangements so they were in | :21:17. | :21:19. | |
their places to participate in the debate. It is trying to strike a | :21:20. | :21:21. | |
balance. Would he find time for a debate on | :21:22. | :21:30. | |
national schools funding formula, because of the proposals go ahead, | :21:31. | :21:34. | |
every single school in South Bend will be worse off, and we will rank | :21:35. | :21:39. | |
84th out of the 533 constituencies in England, worst affected? I | :21:40. | :21:50. | |
understand his concern, and a new he is always a formidable active | :21:51. | :21:55. | |
champion of his constituents' interests. What I advise him is the | :21:56. | :22:00. | |
consultation, run by the Department for Education, is live now. It | :22:01. | :22:06. | |
doesn't end until the 22nd of March. What I would urge to do is to make | :22:07. | :22:12. | |
sure that he, on behalf of his constituents and perhaps | :22:13. | :22:15. | |
constituents individually, makes strong representations to that | :22:16. | :22:22. | |
consultation. I am always willing to offer breathtaking saturation is to | :22:23. | :22:27. | |
young people, be it yourself or your chaplain. Can I ask a Leader of the | :22:28. | :22:35. | |
House This question? Why is this constant delay and evasion in the | :22:36. | :22:39. | |
government bringing a motion before the House on the renewal of the | :22:40. | :22:44. | |
Parliamentary building? I know about the debate in Westminster All next | :22:45. | :22:50. | |
Wednesday, but why is there this delay? Isn't it essential that a | :22:51. | :22:54. | |
decision is reached, so that ever general election is going to take | :22:55. | :22:58. | |
place in 2020, those elected will now they would be sitting in this | :22:59. | :23:05. | |
building, for the work will be carried out without members of staff | :23:06. | :23:09. | |
being present, and hopefully will be completed much shorter than if | :23:10. | :23:13. | |
evacuation doesn't take place. When are we going to have a government | :23:14. | :23:16. | |
recommendation on this very important issue? He will be in his | :23:17. | :23:24. | |
place in his birthday, which if memory serves me correctly, is the | :23:25. | :23:28. | |
26th of June. We look forward to that and to the honourable gentleman | :23:29. | :23:33. | |
undertakings interrogation on that day. I understand his urgency to get | :23:34. | :23:41. | |
on with this. It's a feeling I share. Its possible additional | :23:42. | :23:45. | |
legislation will be needed after a court ruling next week. But there is | :23:46. | :23:51. | |
pressure on government time. I hope we can come forward with a clear | :23:52. | :23:59. | |
date as soon as possible. In addition to your birthday today, | :24:00. | :24:03. | |
maybe slightly less illustrious, last week saw the 70th anniversary | :24:04. | :24:08. | |
of Crawley being declared a new town. I appreciate it is obviously | :24:09. | :24:17. | |
for her Majesty to convert city status, but would the Leader of the | :24:18. | :24:21. | |
House speak with the Communities Secretary to see what process that | :24:22. | :24:27. | |
Crawley may be able to start to initiate, to explore that | :24:28. | :24:33. | |
possibility? I am happy to pass that request on to the Communities | :24:34. | :24:37. | |
Secretary, and I think the whole House will wish the people and civic | :24:38. | :24:41. | |
leaders of Crawley congratulations on this achievement, and their work | :24:42. | :24:48. | |
over the decades in building a thriving and successful community. | :24:49. | :24:52. | |
I'm sure he will agree that community pharmacies are very | :24:53. | :24:55. | |
important part of taking the pressures of overstretched casualty | :24:56. | :25:00. | |
Matt at the moment. Despite cuts to their funding just last month. The | :25:01. | :25:03. | |
government had introduced a pharmacy access scheme, to help deal with | :25:04. | :25:09. | |
some of the cuts and communities. I was really surprised to see, that in | :25:10. | :25:14. | |
the Prime Minister's constituency, 37% of our pharmacies will be able | :25:15. | :25:18. | |
to apply for that additional funding. In the three constituencies | :25:19. | :25:24. | |
in my city, only 1% of pharmacies can apply. The debate about Wyatt is | :25:25. | :25:28. | |
that the most disadvantaged communities still suffer the biggest | :25:29. | :25:34. | |
cuts this government? I am happy on the particular points you raise, I | :25:35. | :25:42. | |
clearly don't know the detail of the situation in Hull to ask the | :25:43. | :25:49. | |
relative health minister. I will ask them to write to you about this. The | :25:50. | :25:55. | |
principle is that there are now 15% more pharmacies in existence than | :25:56. | :25:59. | |
there were just a decade ago. Two fifths of pharmacies are within ten | :26:00. | :26:04. | |
minutes of two or more other pharmacies. The average pharmacy | :26:05. | :26:09. | |
receives roughly 220,000 a year in NHS funding. Even after changes, the | :26:10. | :26:16. | |
community pharmacies budget is going to be 20% more than it was a decade | :26:17. | :26:21. | |
ago. So I think the government is demonstrating it remains committed | :26:22. | :26:26. | |
to community pharmacies. For disabled people, achieving a job can | :26:27. | :26:32. | |
be a life changing experience. Last Friday, I was privileged to promote | :26:33. | :26:38. | |
a disability event in Cleethorpes to encourage local employers to take on | :26:39. | :26:43. | |
more disabled people. Could the leaders of the house join me in | :26:44. | :26:47. | |
congratulating Lorraine Alexander and her team from Grimsby job | :26:48. | :26:50. | |
centre, who did a great deal of work to stage the event, and also all the | :26:51. | :26:55. | |
voluntary and charitable groups? And could we find time to debate the | :26:56. | :27:00. | |
role and opportunities for disabled people in the workplace? I am very | :27:01. | :27:08. | |
happy to congratulate his constituents on this successful | :27:09. | :27:13. | |
event. I think it's been a really important step forward that we've | :27:14. | :27:17. | |
now got a record number of people with disabilities in work. I am the | :27:18. | :27:23. | |
first to acknowledge there is more that still needs to be done, but I | :27:24. | :27:26. | |
am heartened by the fact we are making progress, and that the risk | :27:27. | :27:31. | |
that kind of local and using a sum that he has described, which is | :27:32. | :27:35. | |
helping to highlight the opportunities for people with | :27:36. | :27:39. | |
disabilities. In contrast to just about every one of his predecessors | :27:40. | :27:44. | |
for the last 30 years, the leader shows no inclination to defend the | :27:45. | :27:49. | |
wider interests of the House, as to really progress on government | :27:50. | :27:53. | |
business. While his disgraceful treatment of the Parliamentary | :27:54. | :27:58. | |
Boundaries Bill is an example of that. What representations does he | :27:59. | :28:02. | |
make when a parliamentary select committee recommended the White | :28:03. | :28:08. | |
Paper before the implication of Article 50? What representations to | :28:09. | :28:11. | |
team-mate to secure that in the wider interests of the House, as | :28:12. | :28:15. | |
opposed to a prime ministerial statement, not even me there? Will | :28:16. | :28:24. | |
he indicate to the House, across the House, that he will see his job as | :28:25. | :28:29. | |
executing effective parliamentary scrutiny of a major constitutional | :28:30. | :28:35. | |
decision, however long it might take? I am absolutely committed to | :28:36. | :28:40. | |
their being full parliamentary scrutiny. Indeed, I have the delight | :28:41. | :28:45. | |
of appealing for the first time in my current responsibilities before | :28:46. | :28:50. | |
the European scrutiny committee yesterday in order to give evidence | :28:51. | :28:53. | |
to them on one aspect of that subject. I think that he makes | :28:54. | :29:04. | |
incorrect assumptions about the role of the Leader of the House in | :29:05. | :29:07. | |
relation to individual select committee reports. It is for select | :29:08. | :29:13. | |
committees individually to come to make their recommendations to | :29:14. | :29:17. | |
government. It is then primarily for the department to which those | :29:18. | :29:22. | |
recommendations are addressed to recommend to government colleagues | :29:23. | :29:27. | |
what that response should be. Then there is a collectively approved | :29:28. | :29:33. | |
government response to that select committee report. If the right | :29:34. | :29:36. | |
Honourable gentleman believes that any government of any political | :29:37. | :29:42. | |
colour is likely to agree with absolutely every recommendation of | :29:43. | :29:46. | |
every select committee, then I do think he has read many select | :29:47. | :29:49. | |
committee reports responses from governments to them over the years. | :29:50. | :29:55. | |
It is a perfectly fair, transparent way that we operate. With the | :29:56. | :30:04. | |
decision of the backbench business committee not to schedule a debate | :30:05. | :30:10. | |
on settlements and the destruction yesterday, is the other possibility | :30:11. | :30:16. | |
of a government statement on what seems to be a shift in government | :30:17. | :30:21. | |
policy over recent days as because he up to the incoming American | :30:22. | :30:25. | |
administration in granting complete impunity to Israel? The government | :30:26. | :30:33. | |
policy on Israel and Palestine has not changed. We remain committed to | :30:34. | :30:40. | |
a two state solution, involving you soften viable Palestinian state | :30:41. | :30:46. | |
living alongside Israel, with mutually agreed land swaps where | :30:47. | :30:51. | |
appropriate and with Jerusalem as a shared capital of both states. Our | :30:52. | :30:56. | |
view on the settlements remains that they are illegal in international | :30:57. | :31:02. | |
law and it is that which is at the heart of the United Kingdom's | :31:03. | :31:09. | |
policy. Thank you to the honourable member for putting me right earlier. | :31:10. | :31:13. | |
I should have realised that the honourable member would never write | :31:14. | :31:19. | |
such an extreme speeches that. I wonder if I could ask the Leader of | :31:20. | :31:24. | |
the House, on the matter of flood hit communities, not least mine in | :31:25. | :31:29. | |
Cumbria after the devastating floods in December 20 15th, if there will | :31:30. | :31:33. | |
be debate for financial support for those communities, in particular in | :31:34. | :31:36. | |
the light of the government decision in recent days to spend the entire | :31:37. | :31:41. | |
amount of the ?15 million we have now got, in respect of the December | :31:42. | :31:45. | |
flooding is from the European Solidarity Fund, to spend the whole | :31:46. | :31:50. | |
money, not giving support to the communities it was for, but to pay | :31:51. | :31:57. | |
the historic fine incurred in 2007 by a previous government. Whoever's | :31:58. | :32:02. | |
fault it was that the fine was incurred, for certain, it was not | :32:03. | :32:05. | |
the fault of communities such as mining Cumbria, and will he commit | :32:06. | :32:10. | |
at all of that money should come to those communities, or at the least | :32:11. | :32:13. | |
whether to be a debate on that matter? I think the best way forward | :32:14. | :32:23. | |
on this issue as it affects his constituency. In fairness, Defra | :32:24. | :32:28. | |
ministers have tried to make sure the money has been made available | :32:29. | :32:32. | |
more rapidly than has sometimes been the case in the past when | :32:33. | :32:37. | |
communities have been badly hit by floods. I will look into that | :32:38. | :32:43. | |
particular point about the European Solidarity Fund money that he has | :32:44. | :32:47. | |
raised, since I'm not sited on that, and one of the Defra ministers will | :32:48. | :32:57. | |
write to him on that. We have a football stadium that is still fully | :32:58. | :33:03. | |
usable, but demolition notices have been issued. Would you join me in | :33:04. | :33:06. | |
urging the owners to sit down with the local authority and the local | :33:07. | :33:11. | |
football club and community, to have one last look at whether a solution | :33:12. | :33:16. | |
can be found that retains all or parts of the stadium? Once it is | :33:17. | :33:21. | |
gone, it is gone. Can we have a statement on this next week? This | :33:22. | :33:26. | |
strikes me as a natural adjournment debate opportunity, but I very much | :33:27. | :33:35. | |
hope that organisations in Corby are able to come together and find a way | :33:36. | :33:39. | |
to maintain what is clearly a much loved community sports facility. | :33:40. | :33:43. | |
Notwithstanding that many of us were disappointed with the result of the | :33:44. | :33:47. | |
referendum, we recognise that the people have spoken. Nevertheless, | :33:48. | :33:52. | |
it's not just whether government to decide the detail of that. It's very | :33:53. | :34:00. | |
important this house gets a say. The Leader of the House has indicated | :34:01. | :34:03. | |
there will be ample opportunity for debate, but can he be specific about | :34:04. | :34:08. | |
how many days this House will get to debate and influence government | :34:09. | :34:12. | |
thinking on how we progress these negotiations, so our constituencies | :34:13. | :34:15. | |
and businesses are concerned, that they have their concerns aired in | :34:16. | :34:25. | |
this House? There has, as she knows, been a number of debates already on | :34:26. | :34:29. | |
aspects of our leading European union, and I fully expect there will | :34:30. | :34:33. | |
be that such debates related to additional specific topics in the | :34:34. | :34:39. | |
months to come. What ever happens doesn't happen next week, we will | :34:40. | :34:45. | |
have a bill in the new parliamentary session to repeal the European | :34:46. | :34:50. | |
communities act 1972, that will provide plenty of opportunities as | :34:51. | :34:56. | |
well. There were also, at my last kind, more than 30 different select | :34:57. | :35:00. | |
committee enquiries into different aspects of our leaving the European | :35:01. | :35:04. | |
Union, being conducted by committees either in this place or the House of | :35:05. | :35:08. | |
Lords. Mechanisms do exist are bringing those select committee | :35:09. | :35:11. | |
reports to the House for debate as well. This week of all weeks, it is | :35:12. | :35:19. | |
absolutely right that we see in this House of Commons that we want to | :35:20. | :35:22. | |
proceed with the building of a Holocaust Memorial Museum. But as | :35:23. | :35:26. | |
the Leader of the House is responsible, at least in part, for | :35:27. | :35:31. | |
the environment of the Palace of Westminster, will he accept there | :35:32. | :35:33. | |
may be merit in debating the siting of the new museum. There is a view | :35:34. | :35:38. | |
among many people that the best place for this museum to be would be | :35:39. | :35:45. | |
in or outside the Imperial War Museum, so that the many visitors to | :35:46. | :35:50. | |
that museum can see the link between the Holocaust and war and teachers, | :35:51. | :35:56. | |
rather than siting it in Victoria Tower Gardens, which is one of the | :35:57. | :36:01. | |
last green spaces here, visited by many thousands of people a year. As | :36:02. | :36:05. | |
this museum will be two stories underground, there may be a flood | :36:06. | :36:09. | |
risk. There is a need for debate on the location. | :36:10. | :36:12. | |
This may be a subject on which my honourable friend wants to seek a | :36:13. | :36:19. | |
Westminster Hall debate. The previous Prime Minister gave a | :36:20. | :36:24. | |
commitment to the site, something reactivated by the current Prime | :36:25. | :36:26. | |
Minister. Ultimately the planning matters to which he alluded are | :36:27. | :36:35. | |
going to be the responsibility of Westminster City Council to | :36:36. | :36:38. | |
determine. Congratulations, as you approach the prime of life and the | :36:39. | :36:45. | |
halfway point of your speakership. You may be surprised to know that | :36:46. | :36:51. | |
all but two up your 54 years, the Severn Bridge users have been used | :36:52. | :37:02. | |
as a cash cow, suffering double taxation of paying for the National | :37:03. | :37:05. | |
road system and the local tolls. Can this rip-off now be ended as the | :37:06. | :37:24. | |
bridge comes into public control? Mr Speaker, I sometimes heard Welsh | :37:25. | :37:26. | |
people say that you have to pay to come to Wales because it is a | :37:27. | :37:29. | |
privilege to come here, whereas everyone wants to get out to England | :37:30. | :37:32. | |
in a hurry! Steady on excavation mark no, they | :37:33. | :37:49. | |
say it in the nicest possible way! -- steady on! | :37:50. | :38:06. | |
Mr Speaker, the point I did not make clearly enough is that if you try to | :38:07. | :38:20. | |
charge people to get back into England, they would stay in Wales | :38:21. | :38:24. | |
and never leave. To take the point the honourable | :38:25. | :38:29. | |
gentleman made, I will take that up with transport ministers. Clearly | :38:30. | :38:37. | |
the tolls help to pay for the cost of the crossings, and that is | :38:38. | :38:45. | |
important, but I will get the Transport Minister to write to him. | :38:46. | :38:50. | |
Could he give consideration to the time allocated to questions in | :38:51. | :38:57. | |
DEFRA, the environment committee and the European Union. Having 30 | :38:58. | :39:02. | |
minutes for oral questions and ten for topical, particularly with the | :39:03. | :39:09. | |
relevance of these departments, I am asking to get more time allocated to | :39:10. | :39:14. | |
them. I am happy to discuss that proposal through the usual channels | :39:15. | :39:19. | |
because these matters are agreed by consensus, if possible. I have two | :39:20. | :39:27. | |
also say that if we add time to these departments, it means one of | :39:28. | :39:32. | |
two things has to happen, either we take time off other departments or | :39:33. | :39:37. | |
we extend the cycle of departmental question times to six weeks, rather | :39:38. | :39:44. | |
than five, which leads a longer gap before members can question the | :39:45. | :39:53. | |
Secretary of State. This week saw the release of the extremely damning | :39:54. | :39:58. | |
National -- National Audit Office reports into the centric scandal, | :39:59. | :40:05. | |
which showed neglect at the heart of all agencies in this. The vast | :40:06. | :40:11. | |
majority of victims of the scandal have not received compensation. I | :40:12. | :40:14. | |
have written to the Prime Minister to urgently intervene in this matter | :40:15. | :40:17. | |
and hope that the Leader of the House will support me in this. But | :40:18. | :40:21. | |
we really must have a debate in the House around this gamble because | :40:22. | :40:25. | |
people receiving money back which they should have had in the first | :40:26. | :40:28. | |
place are receiving it in instalments rather than one lump | :40:29. | :40:32. | |
sum, affecting their ability to claim other benefits to which they | :40:33. | :40:36. | |
are entitled. We would like the opportunity to tell ministers across | :40:37. | :40:41. | |
the House how much constituents are being affected so justice can be | :40:42. | :40:44. | |
done, because this is embarrassing for the government which requires | :40:45. | :40:49. | |
immediate rectification. We are clear to the response that the | :40:50. | :41:05. | |
service provided by Concentrics was poor, and HMRC has apologised and | :41:06. | :41:08. | |
knows that it has to learn lessons from that contract. When it became | :41:09. | :41:20. | |
clear that their customer service could not be rectified by then, HMRC | :41:21. | :41:27. | |
took back 100,000 incomplete cases and redeployed hundreds of its own | :41:28. | :41:34. | |
staff to deal with this. They then also had to deal with monetary | :41:35. | :41:39. | |
reconsideration request, of which 36,000 have been received, and | :41:40. | :41:42. | |
allocated additional staff to this work. That means requests could be | :41:43. | :41:46. | |
dealt with quickly and payments restored we're big claimants were | :41:47. | :41:52. | |
entitled to them. There may be an opportunity for a Westminster Hall | :41:53. | :42:00. | |
or backbench debate, but I think HMRC was right to give priority to | :42:01. | :42:05. | |
the incomplete cases and deal with those first. It is now proceeding as | :42:06. | :42:11. | |
rapidly as it can to sort out remaining monetary reconsideration | :42:12. | :42:17. | |
requests. Could we have a debate on dementia? I am sure the Leader of | :42:18. | :42:22. | |
the House would like to join me in congratulating the social housing | :42:23. | :42:24. | |
provider for Bradford in my constituency for training their | :42:25. | :42:29. | |
staff for supporting residents with dementia, and in such a debate | :42:30. | :42:33. | |
perhaps we could encourage other organisations to do the same and | :42:34. | :42:36. | |
find out what more the government can do to help people who suffer | :42:37. | :42:43. | |
from dementia, estimated to be 6500 people affected in the Bradford | :42:44. | :42:47. | |
district, and what more support can be given to their families who have | :42:48. | :42:53. | |
a difficult job of caring for them. I hope he will have that | :42:54. | :42:59. | |
opportunity, but I would like to add my salute to his two those groups | :43:00. | :43:04. | |
and individuals in his constituency and many others who have been both | :43:05. | :43:12. | |
highlighting the challenges posed by dementia, but also encouraging more | :43:13. | :43:18. | |
people to become dementia friends, and ensure we treat people living | :43:19. | :43:23. | |
with dementia with the respect and dignity to which they are entitled | :43:24. | :43:27. | |
and they get the solidarity and support from their fellow citizens | :43:28. | :43:31. | |
that they are entitled to expect. Can we have a debate on bravery? In | :43:32. | :43:37. | |
March 1936, a young, gay conservative member of Parliament | :43:38. | :43:45. | |
celebrated 3 million -- demilitarisation. When he visited he | :43:46. | :43:49. | |
went to the first concentration camp, and saw such horrific violence | :43:50. | :43:53. | |
to Jewish people and homosexuals that when he came back here he | :43:54. | :43:59. | |
campaigned relentlessly against anti-Semitism and appeasement. He | :44:00. | :44:02. | |
was spat at when he raised such matters in this chamber at the | :44:03. | :44:07. | |
Carlton club last night -- that night. He was killed in the Second | :44:08. | :44:22. | |
World War, and should -- should we not do everything we can to put an | :44:23. | :44:26. | |
end to anti-Semitism here? I agree with every word that he said. And I | :44:27. | :44:34. | |
think the tribute he has just paid was a most appropriate one, as we | :44:35. | :44:37. | |
come towards the Holocaust Memorial Day. I hesitate to spoil your good | :44:38. | :44:46. | |
humour on such a day, but you will be aware that Tottenham Hotspur are | :44:47. | :44:51. | |
rebuilding White Hart Lane. As a result we have defined a new home. | :44:52. | :44:58. | |
The current proposal is that Stadium will be used for them for a season, | :44:59. | :45:03. | |
which will increase our national stadium by 60%. It is an important | :45:04. | :45:08. | |
issue for my constituents which becomes the car park for Wembley | :45:09. | :45:15. | |
Stadium on such event days. Worse still, Chelsea football club are | :45:16. | :45:19. | |
intending to come to Wembley for three years hereafter. So can we | :45:20. | :45:23. | |
have a debate on the use of our national stadium and the uses to | :45:24. | :45:28. | |
which it has been put so we can put on record our concerns about | :45:29. | :45:31. | |
potential abuse of our national treasure? I think he has put his | :45:32. | :45:38. | |
constituents' concerns on the record effectively, but there might be an | :45:39. | :45:46. | |
opportunity to voice this further. The Emirates is a very, very special | :45:47. | :45:51. | |
place in London, if I could put that on record. It seems appropriate that | :45:52. | :45:57. | |
we not only have an amazing exhibition of photographs on Syria | :45:58. | :46:06. | |
by William Winter cross, a brilliant photographer, and hope people will | :46:07. | :46:10. | |
be able to see it, but also having a debate on Holocaust Memorial Day. | :46:11. | :46:16. | |
Could we also think about a debate on a report that came out in July | :46:17. | :46:25. | |
2008, I believe, and it was called the Bercow report on children and | :46:26. | :46:29. | |
young people. Because of cuts by the government, young people are in | :46:30. | :46:33. | |
dreadful ginger. Child protection is becoming very difficult to maintain. | :46:34. | :46:39. | |
-- in dreadful danger. Could we see what progress has been made since | :46:40. | :46:43. | |
those recommendations? I cannot promise a debate in government time, | :46:44. | :46:48. | |
but the backbench committee time as they are for the honourable | :46:49. | :46:58. | |
gentleman. As it is a double birthday today, may we have a pair | :46:59. | :47:03. | |
of statements, one on the long-term future of HMS Albion and Bull work, | :47:04. | :47:09. | |
two of the most versatile and essential ships in the Navy, whose | :47:10. | :47:20. | |
future is threatened by a shortfall in the budget, and another offering | :47:21. | :47:24. | |
the same legislation protection to our veterans sue -- who served in an | :47:25. | :47:32. | |
order in Ireland, that is currently offer two terrorists who fought | :47:33. | :47:35. | |
against the welfare of the community that the veterans fought to defend? | :47:36. | :47:45. | |
-- HMS Bulwark. On his second point, the Northern Ireland Secretary has | :47:46. | :47:50. | |
already said he feels disquiet at some of the reports of proposed | :47:51. | :47:54. | |
prosecutions, and he is working actively to try to secure an | :47:55. | :47:58. | |
agreement in Northern Ireland to legislate on the legacy of the | :47:59. | :48:01. | |
troubles in a way that settle this issue as well as a number of others. | :48:02. | :48:09. | |
On his point about the two naval vessels, I will ask the relevant | :48:10. | :48:12. | |
defence minister to contact him about the detail. The UK's last | :48:13. | :48:23. | |
independent savings bank is to end all business activities after 182 | :48:24. | :48:31. | |
years and the loss of 70 jobs. Secured loans and mortgages will be | :48:32. | :48:33. | |
transferred to the TSB, and customers will be helped to find | :48:34. | :48:40. | |
alternative banking providers. Unite, the trade union, has said the | :48:41. | :48:43. | |
Airdrie savings bank has become yet another innocent victim of casino | :48:44. | :48:48. | |
bankers. Can we have a debate in government time to discuss the state | :48:49. | :48:59. | |
of UK banking? While I completely understand the concern of the | :49:00. | :49:02. | |
honourable lady and those constituents who have accounts at | :49:03. | :49:06. | |
the bank at the loss of this historic institution, I think most | :49:07. | :49:11. | |
important thing -- the most important thing is their savings are | :49:12. | :49:18. | |
protected and that a banking service that is accessible to them remains | :49:19. | :49:24. | |
in being. We have seen over the years a number of mergers of | :49:25. | :49:29. | |
different banks and building societies, we have also seen a shift | :49:30. | :49:36. | |
towards many more customers making use of online banking. Those are | :49:37. | :49:40. | |
going to drive change, but it is having the service available that is | :49:41. | :49:47. | |
the key thing we have to preserve. Can I thank my right honourable | :49:48. | :49:53. | |
friend for providing time for the approval of the name for the | :49:54. | :49:56. | |
candidate of the new parliamentary and health service ombudsman which | :49:57. | :50:01. | |
was approved by the health -- health select committee yesterday. Can I | :50:02. | :50:07. | |
also point out that this is the day, Tuesday the 24th, that the Supreme | :50:08. | :50:14. | |
Court is delivering its judgment. Can I suggest to my right honourable | :50:15. | :50:19. | |
friend that it would be expedient of a government to a statement | :50:20. | :50:26. | |
immediately on the future implications for business, even if a | :50:27. | :50:33. | |
substantive statement on the implications of such a judgment | :50:34. | :50:41. | |
needs to be made at a later date? Clearly I and other ministers will | :50:42. | :50:45. | |
want to come forward and brief parliament on the substance and | :50:46. | :50:48. | |
implications of the judgment, once we know what that is. We do not yet | :50:49. | :50:53. | |
know its content or complexity. We are unlikely to get, or at most a | :50:54. | :51:02. | |
very brief prior knowledge of what the judgment contains. | :51:03. | :51:09. | |
I can't make a promise about specific timing, but the principle | :51:10. | :51:14. | |
he has at the heart of his question is one I completely endorse. Can we | :51:15. | :51:22. | |
have a debate on the future of the Crown Post Office network? Crown | :51:23. | :51:27. | |
Post offices break even, unlike the post office network as a whole, but | :51:28. | :51:33. | |
the government is forcing through a programme that will put scores of | :51:34. | :51:38. | |
post offices across the country, including one in my constituency, at | :51:39. | :51:43. | |
risk of closure. We need a guarantee that those services will stay. Can | :51:44. | :51:48. | |
we have a debate about it? The key point is that the services remain, | :51:49. | :51:53. | |
whether they are carried out in a Crown Post Office or whether they | :51:54. | :51:58. | |
are continued in a sub post office, and of course the sub post office | :51:59. | :52:02. | |
network provides post office services to the overwhelming | :52:03. | :52:06. | |
majority of our constituents throughout the country. So I would | :52:07. | :52:10. | |
certainly hope that his constituents will continue to get better | :52:11. | :52:15. | |
services. In my own constituency where the Crown Post Office closed, | :52:16. | :52:18. | |
those services continued but at a different location. Many happy | :52:19. | :52:28. | |
returns for today. As chair of the disability all-party Parliamentary | :52:29. | :52:33. | |
committee, I am extremely concerned by a report that disabled people are | :52:34. | :52:38. | |
much less likely to be able to access affordable credit and that | :52:39. | :52:41. | |
therefore been plunged into the hands of payday loans and loan | :52:42. | :52:46. | |
sharks. Can we have a debate on equitable access to affordable | :52:47. | :52:50. | |
credit, so that the most vulnerable in our society are not left open to | :52:51. | :53:01. | |
financial exploitation? I can't offer an immediate debate. I think | :53:02. | :53:08. | |
she makes a reasonable point. I think the banking industry has a | :53:09. | :53:13. | |
social responsibility to make sure that its services are accessible to | :53:14. | :53:17. | |
people with disabilities, to people on low incomes and others who do | :53:18. | :53:22. | |
quite often find in the experience that it is quite difficult for them | :53:23. | :53:26. | |
to get access to conventional banking. That does need something of | :53:27. | :53:33. | |
a cultural shift. Could the Leader of the House arrange for an urgent | :53:34. | :53:37. | |
debate before the Budget on school funding? Across the country, many | :53:38. | :53:41. | |
schools over the next two years faced a crisis in their budget. | :53:42. | :53:46. | |
Teachers will be sacked, and spending per pupil is going to go | :53:47. | :53:51. | |
down. Nottingham county council by 2019 will lose ?40 million. It's not | :53:52. | :53:56. | |
good enough, schools deserve better and so do the children of this | :53:57. | :54:01. | |
country. Of course, the government had to take some very difficult | :54:02. | :54:05. | |
spending decisions as a result of the need to continue to reduce the | :54:06. | :54:13. | |
inherited deficit, but I am pleased that the government has, despite | :54:14. | :54:16. | |
that difficult fiscal environments, been able to protect the core | :54:17. | :54:23. | |
schools budget. When you look at the money that is going to be paid to | :54:24. | :54:29. | |
schools, coupled with rising pupil numbers that we are expecting, that | :54:30. | :54:34. | |
should make sure that most schools, depending on whether they are | :54:35. | :54:41. | |
gaining or losing pupils, that the overall core schools budget should | :54:42. | :54:49. | |
be protected in cash terms. Can I declare an interest as a crofter on | :54:50. | :54:53. | |
the Isle of Skye? On the 23rd of November last year, the farming | :54:54. | :54:59. | |
Minister and Defra stated we would have a review of the allocations of | :55:00. | :55:04. | |
funding before the end of the year. I put down a written statement which | :55:05. | :55:09. | |
had a reply to yesterday, which indicated that an update will be | :55:10. | :55:15. | |
provided shortly. Mr Speaker, this is unacceptable. Can the leader of | :55:16. | :55:18. | |
the host make sure that the Minister makes a statement on the urgent | :55:19. | :55:23. | |
review of the convergence funding? This is an important matter for a | :55:24. | :55:26. | |
and farmers throughout the and Islands. Over 200 million of Euro | :55:27. | :55:33. | |
funding was given to the government on the understanding that I could go | :55:34. | :55:36. | |
to those in most need of it. That has not happened. He has raised | :55:37. | :55:44. | |
exactly this point during the debate on their rural economy on Tuesday | :55:45. | :55:51. | |
this week. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State | :55:52. | :55:58. | |
replied to him that he -- she recognise this point and that she | :55:59. | :56:02. | |
would keep up-to-date on progress. I think it had a very clear | :56:03. | :56:07. | |
undertaking from the Secretary of State. Twice this week, I have | :56:08. | :56:11. | |
raised the issue of the concerns of my constituents on cuts to council | :56:12. | :56:19. | |
services and ministers have swatted. Can he take this opportunity to | :56:20. | :56:23. | |
address those concerns and to demonstrate the impact these Tory | :56:24. | :56:26. | |
cuts are having on local people, that it's been taken seriously by | :56:27. | :56:33. | |
this government? We have confirmed a settlement for local councils that | :56:34. | :56:37. | |
his flat in cash terms, I completely accept that. But we have also | :56:38. | :56:41. | |
delivered what local authorities are asking for in terms of certainty | :56:42. | :56:47. | |
over a four-year period of funding. We are planning legislation now | :56:48. | :56:55. | |
being before Parliament very soon, that will enable local government to | :56:56. | :56:59. | |
keep all of the business rates that it collects by the end of this | :57:00. | :57:06. | |
Parliament. And we have provided the power of local councils to levy a | :57:07. | :57:12. | |
social Keo precept in order to help them with the challenges they face | :57:13. | :57:18. | |
in dealing with social care. The terms of your earlier statement mean | :57:19. | :57:23. | |
that happy birthday isn't your wish, but obviously an observation of | :57:24. | :57:28. | |
fact. Can I also in passing mention yesterday's 80th landmark birthday | :57:29. | :57:33. | |
of landmark statesman John Hume, co-founder of our peace process. Can | :57:34. | :57:38. | |
the leader tell us if he will Doctor the National Audit Office and | :57:39. | :57:54. | |
Treasury ministers to confirm that there is an investigation about the | :57:55. | :58:00. | |
tobacco scheme in Northern Ireland? There is also concern about the | :58:01. | :58:04. | |
period were regulations ran out and spending continued, not covered by | :58:05. | :58:07. | |
the Northern Ireland budget. Did the Treasury budget funded during that | :58:08. | :58:18. | |
period? Can I first joined her in sending belated birthday wishes to | :58:19. | :58:23. | |
John Hume? And I think we would all salute the heroic role he played in | :58:24. | :58:29. | |
helping to start and then drive through the peace process in | :58:30. | :58:35. | |
Northern Ireland. On his point about food renewable heat incentive | :58:36. | :58:40. | |
scheme, the Northern Ireland scheme is fully devolved to the Northern | :58:41. | :58:44. | |
Ireland Executive and is now the subject of an opening quietly by the | :58:45. | :58:49. | |
Northern Ireland Public Accounts Committee and therefore, it is | :58:50. | :58:54. | |
within their re-meet to investigate. -- we met. If the honourable | :58:55. | :59:04. | |
gentleman has evidence that Treasury money was in some way involved in | :59:05. | :59:08. | |
supporting the Northern Ireland scheme, and that money was | :59:09. | :59:14. | |
misplaced, I would urge him to write with the detail of that to Treasury | :59:15. | :59:18. | |
ministers, and I am sure they will respond. Like many members and like | :59:19. | :59:24. | |
the Leader of the House himself, I have been quite appalled by the | :59:25. | :59:30. | |
comments of the Foreign Secretary. The Prime Minister has three | :59:31. | :59:33. | |
options. She can either sack him, she can gag him or she can educate | :59:34. | :59:39. | |
him. If she decides to educate Kemp, can we be involved in that process? | :59:40. | :59:48. | |
When I think about our relationship with France, I think about how we | :59:49. | :59:56. | |
stood with France, with the Free French Forces and the Resistance | :59:57. | :00:01. | |
fighters against Nazism. I think about how we in France did together | :00:02. | :00:06. | |
against Soviet tyranny. I think about the very act of work we carry | :00:07. | :00:12. | |
out with France today against international terrorism. And we look | :00:13. | :00:18. | |
for a relationship after we leave the European Union that enables us | :00:19. | :00:24. | |
to build on those historic strengths and enables us and France to | :00:25. | :00:28. | |
continue to work as very active, complimentary partners on a whole | :00:29. | :00:35. | |
range of issues. In yesterday's Scottish questions, I counted 13 | :00:36. | :00:43. | |
non-Scottish MPs answering. It was a humiliating exercise, could we have | :00:44. | :00:56. | |
a debate to ask the secretaries of state for Scotland to answer to | :00:57. | :01:00. | |
Scotland? The Secretary of State for Scotland, like every other Secretary | :01:01. | :01:05. | |
of State, answers to the House of Commons. It has always been the case | :01:06. | :01:11. | |
that it is open to members from any part of the United Kingdom to | :01:12. | :01:15. | |
participating questions to any Secretary of State. It is the | :01:16. | :01:23. | |
honourable gentleman's party who are frequently complaining about any | :01:24. | :01:27. | |
arrangements for English votes for English laws. It strikes me as a bit | :01:28. | :01:32. | |
bored by him to come now complaining that members from other parts of the | :01:33. | :01:36. | |
UK want to aspirations of the Scottish Secretary. On the 16th of | :01:37. | :01:41. | |
December, a post office in my constituency closed without warning. | :01:42. | :01:47. | |
It is a rural village and it's not easy for residents to travel | :01:48. | :01:51. | |
elsewhere. I understand the closure was unavoidable, but we have no real | :01:52. | :01:54. | |
timetable for the opening. Can we have a debate on what can be done to | :01:55. | :02:02. | |
speed up this process? I can see this may be an adjournment debate | :02:03. | :02:06. | |
opportunity for the gentleman. The reasons for delay vary, I know from | :02:07. | :02:10. | |
my own experience, it is sometimes not easy to get a new manager who | :02:11. | :02:15. | |
wants to take over the franchise to operate that sub post office. I hope | :02:16. | :02:19. | |
very much for his constituents' sake, that the Post Office is able | :02:20. | :02:27. | |
to open as swiftly as possible. A Christian convert from Islam was | :02:28. | :02:33. | |
accused of publishing pictures and comments on Facebook and arrested in | :02:34. | :02:39. | |
Algeria. He was given the maximum punishment for blasphemy of five | :02:40. | :02:45. | |
years imprisonment and a large fine. On the 8th of January a Court of | :02:46. | :02:49. | |
Appeal upheld his conviction, sentenced him to one year in prison. | :02:50. | :02:54. | |
Can I ask if we can have a statement on how we can encourage Algeria and | :02:55. | :02:59. | |
other nations to repeal blasphemy laws? While I don't know the details | :03:00. | :03:06. | |
of the particular case, it is my view and the government's view, that | :03:07. | :03:11. | |
we should champion religious freedom everywhere in the world. We pride | :03:12. | :03:16. | |
ourselves on being a plural society that respects people of different | :03:17. | :03:22. | |
faiths and people of no faith. And that view of the world, those values | :03:23. | :03:27. | |
influence our foreign policy and will continue to do so. Every | :03:28. | :03:33. | |
weekend, Parkland volunteers make it possible for thousands of people to | :03:34. | :03:40. | |
take part in five kilometre runs. I myself completed a run on Christmas | :03:41. | :03:46. | |
Eve. Can we have a debate on that contribution that part run makes to | :03:47. | :03:55. | |
our communities? I am happy to join him in paying tribute to those who | :03:56. | :03:59. | |
organise the part run. I have completed the Aylesbury one myself. | :04:00. | :04:05. | |
I think it's remarkable as a demonstration of how voluntary | :04:06. | :04:10. | |
grassroots initiative is helping not just to get people more active, but | :04:11. | :04:16. | |
to change attitudes towards activity, by making people, who been | :04:17. | :04:22. | |
shy about getting involved in organised sports, feel that they are | :04:23. | :04:25. | |
welcome to come along and participate. Debating with this | :04:26. | :04:32. | |
government that has forsaken all reason Re: Brexit is proving to be a | :04:33. | :04:36. | |
bit like administering medicine to the dead. Nonetheless, can we have a | :04:37. | :04:40. | |
debate in government time on Scotland's place in Europe? I think | :04:41. | :04:50. | |
that Scotland's place in Europe is going to be prosperous and secure | :04:51. | :04:59. | |
through its continued membership of the United Kingdom, which while it | :05:00. | :05:03. | |
leaves the European union, will be forging a new partnership on trade, | :05:04. | :05:11. | |
on security, on cooperation against crime, that will work to the benefit | :05:12. | :05:15. | |
of everyone in Scotland, as well as everyone else in the United Kingdom. | :05:16. | :05:22. | |
The Leader of the House has previously told me and this Carries | :05:23. | :05:26. | |
that the reason the boundaries Bill couldn't proceed to committee stage | :05:27. | :05:30. | |
was because it didn't have a money belt attached. But I've just | :05:31. | :05:34. | |
finished serving on the homelessness reduction committee, which went | :05:35. | :05:39. | |
through without such a resolution. So why is it one rule for one bill | :05:40. | :05:44. | |
and one rule for another? When is the boundaries Bill going to go | :05:45. | :05:45. | |
through to committee stage? I am not in a position to announce | :05:46. | :05:58. | |
anything further on that. Clydesdale bank's latest closures includes gift | :05:59. | :06:05. | |
Mac in my constituency, and as well as causing difficulty for causing | :06:06. | :06:12. | |
problems and high streets, it is difficult for people who have | :06:13. | :06:16. | |
trouble getting about. -- Giffnock. Can we have our debate about these | :06:17. | :06:23. | |
latest closures and the roles and responsibilities of high-street | :06:24. | :06:30. | |
banks? I think it is right that the banks do stick to their own code, | :06:31. | :06:35. | |
which requires particular attention to be paid when the last banking | :06:36. | :06:41. | |
outlet in a community is scheduled for closure. But it is also the case | :06:42. | :06:45. | |
that these are independent businesses and that they are facing | :06:46. | :06:52. | |
a future in which many more of their customers are choosing to bank | :06:53. | :06:58. | |
online, rather than in person at a local branch. So it is a challenge | :06:59. | :07:04. | |
on them to get the balance right and ensure that everyone in her | :07:05. | :07:07. | |
constituency has the access to banking services they need. Happy | :07:08. | :07:16. | |
birthday. This government commissioned a report on electoral | :07:17. | :07:21. | |
fraud, but what is needed is a review into the behaviour of | :07:22. | :07:25. | |
political parties in election periods and the punishments | :07:26. | :07:30. | |
available. The Lib Dems were fined ?20,000 for non-declaration of | :07:31. | :07:34. | |
?200,000 of spending, which is money down the drain. But Labour was also | :07:35. | :07:41. | |
fined and an investigation went on into its own party. The electoral | :07:42. | :07:45. | |
committee have said a fine of ?20,000 alone -- no longer enough of | :07:46. | :07:50. | |
a deterrent to ensure the rules are followed. Can we have a debate about | :07:51. | :08:00. | |
this? We have an independent investigators and legal system that | :08:01. | :08:07. | |
can look into political parties that can ensure expenses are checked, but | :08:08. | :08:13. | |
I have to say, for members of the Scottish National Party to give | :08:14. | :08:17. | |
lectures about good practice during election campaigning is a little bit | :08:18. | :08:25. | |
rich, and I think there are plenty independent journalists who objected | :08:26. | :08:30. | |
to the kind of bullying they were subjected to during the last | :08:31. | :08:37. | |
campaign and referendum. Prior to the Christmas tree service I served | :08:38. | :08:41. | |
in a European committee on asylum with two glaring problems. Firstly | :08:42. | :08:44. | |
all of the deadlines involved had passed already, and eyes had already | :08:45. | :08:49. | |
decided the motion the previous week. Can the leader tell us what | :08:50. | :08:53. | |
steps he is taking to make sure this does not happen again? I dealt with | :08:54. | :09:04. | |
this to some extent yesterday, but there was an error on the part of | :09:05. | :09:07. | |
the government in the handling of that business, for which an apology | :09:08. | :09:14. | |
was given to Mr Speaker and the European scrutiny committee | :09:15. | :09:19. | |
chairman, and steps have been taken to ensure we do not get repetition. | :09:20. | :09:27. | |
Point of order, very briefly, Mr Ian Blackford. I will be brief. I am | :09:28. | :09:39. | |
seeking your guidance on the response I had from the Leader of | :09:40. | :09:44. | |
the House on the question I put. If I can quote from Hansard, on the | :09:45. | :09:48. | |
23rd of November, when the farming minister said, we will provide an | :09:49. | :09:52. | |
update on the review of cap allocations before the end of this | :09:53. | :09:56. | |
year. We have not had an announcement from the government on | :09:57. | :09:58. | |
this. If | :09:59. | :10:00. |