18/06/2014

:00:36. > :00:38.Good morning and welcome to the Daily Politics.

:00:39. > :00:41.Islamic jihadists threaten to plunge the Middle East into chaos.

:00:42. > :00:49.Is this really the best way to stabilise the region?

:00:50. > :00:51.The Government promised to reduce net migration to below 100,000

:00:52. > :00:58.Is it any wonder the public are cynical?

:00:59. > :01:01.More than 100,000 people have signed a petition to ban puppy farming.

:01:02. > :01:09.And forget Spain versus Chile, we will bring you the real match

:01:10. > :01:20.All that coming up in the next 90 minutes and on the pitch

:01:21. > :01:23.for the duration, in goal and trying not to let any more in, former

:01:24. > :01:32.And coming up hard on the left wing, the Shadow Environment Secretary

:01:33. > :01:41.First this morning, Iran's odds of winning the World Cup are 2500/1,

:01:42. > :01:45.but who cares if Britain and America want to be your best friend?

:01:46. > :01:50.The country that was once an international pariah is now

:01:51. > :01:53.at the receiving end of diplomatic advances from the United States,

:01:54. > :01:56.Britain and other Western countries who are trying to see off the threat

:01:57. > :02:02.Their success threatens peace and stability in the entire region.

:02:03. > :02:04.The Prime Minister is chairing a meeting of the

:02:05. > :02:11.Here is Jo Co to explain how we got here.

:02:12. > :02:13.For more than a decade Britain was actively

:02:14. > :02:17.engaged in a series of conflicts that became known as Blair's wars.

:02:18. > :02:22.In 1999, British forces took part in a multinational force in Kosovo

:02:23. > :02:26.to hold back Slobodan Milosevic's forces.

:02:27. > :02:29.British troops were also active on their own in Sierra Leone

:02:30. > :02:33.in 2000 when rebels threatened to overrun the country.

:02:34. > :02:38.Then in 2001, following on from the September the 11th attacks, Britain

:02:39. > :02:42.took part in a multinational force against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

:02:43. > :02:45.Whilst all of these conflicts were controversial,

:02:46. > :02:48.there was a reasonable level of support in the country.

:02:49. > :02:51.Iraq in 2003, however, changed all of this.

:02:52. > :02:55.Hundreds of thousands marched against the war and the country

:02:56. > :03:00.The recriminations over that conflict continue to this day,

:03:01. > :03:04.overshadowing Britain's foreign policy ever since.

:03:05. > :03:08.It certainly hung over David Cameron's intervention in Libya.

:03:09. > :03:11.Following UN Security Council authorisation in 2011,

:03:12. > :03:15.Britain contributed to policing a no-fly zone over the country and

:03:16. > :03:19.many suggested Mr Cameron had found a new template for waging military

:03:20. > :03:22.campaigns by enabling the rebels to carry

:03:23. > :03:27.on the offensive. The situation in Syria, however, showed the limits

:03:28. > :03:34.In August last year the Commons rejected the Prime Minister's call

:03:35. > :03:37.for military action against President Assad following

:03:38. > :03:43.Speaking the morning after the vote the Chancellor George

:03:44. > :03:45.Osborne said there would now be "national soul-searching about our

:03:46. > :04:00.Joining us now is that Douglas Murray joining us from the Henry

:04:01. > :04:06.Jackson Society, named after the famous American. If there is a known

:04:07. > :04:12.regional player that could intervene, it is only America. It is

:04:13. > :04:20.not going to be Europe or Britain, it is only America. Should America

:04:21. > :04:24.do anything? It should, but it depends what the circumstances are

:04:25. > :04:28.under which it could make things better. There is a problem from

:04:29. > :04:33.outside the region at the moment which is we tend to be reading it

:04:34. > :04:35.outside the region at the moment if it is about us. This is a

:04:36. > :04:42.particularly British virus at the moment. This is not about us, it is

:04:43. > :04:46.about forces beyond our control and beyond America's control unless

:04:47. > :04:50.America can get some kind of regional agreement that could work.

:04:51. > :04:59.It is difficult to see what kind of thing that would be. It is not just

:05:00. > :05:04.an Iraq problem, it is a regional problem from the Levant and the

:05:05. > :05:08.Mediterranean through to the goal. It is fundamentally sectarian Shia

:05:09. > :05:13.war, sectarian war between two different religious groups. They

:05:14. > :05:20.each have their proxies, Saudis on one side on the other. Isn't the

:05:21. > :05:26.lesson of history that it is better to stay out? You could take that

:05:27. > :05:30.interpretation. There is a great problem for countries like ours and

:05:31. > :05:34.America which see humanitarian suffering of the kind that has gone

:05:35. > :05:40.on in Syria for several years and want to do something about it. The

:05:41. > :05:45.something must be done syndrome. At the other end we have got the

:05:46. > :05:48.limitations of our capabilities. They were demonstrated by the fact

:05:49. > :05:53.there were obvious things people thought we could do in Libya, but it

:05:54. > :05:57.was very hard to see what we could do in Syria. There is the difference

:05:58. > :06:04.between our desires and our capabilities. As for the Sunni and

:06:05. > :06:09.Shia issue, for some time there has been a risk the region would clarify

:06:10. > :06:16.along those lines. That is what has been attempted to be postponed, that

:06:17. > :06:21.that should be put off. It is possible we cannot put it off any

:06:22. > :06:26.longer. That has come about because of the clarification which has come

:06:27. > :06:30.inside Syria in recent years. The regional players have all been able

:06:31. > :06:35.to act out their proxy wars. But they are coming closer to home and

:06:36. > :06:39.that is why this is such a disturbing situation. There is no

:06:40. > :06:43.appetite in this country for any kind of intervention whatsoever.

:06:44. > :06:48.Loo-mac you saw that very clearly from Tony Blair's intervention. A

:06:49. > :06:55.lot of these type of things are seen through the prism of the Iraq

:06:56. > :07:01.intervention. William Hague made it clear we were not contemplating any

:07:02. > :07:07.kind of military intervention. He said our response was political to

:07:08. > :07:11.work out what was happening in Iraq and we had a humanitarian role. But

:07:12. > :07:17.he made it clear we were not looking at military intervention. What about

:07:18. > :07:24.the North and the autonomous region of Kurdistan? It is the only really

:07:25. > :07:30.successful part of the country. Would we offer that any protection?

:07:31. > :07:38.He made it clear he was not ruling out all intervention everywhere for

:07:39. > :07:42.ever. I know what he said. The Kurdish area has been very

:07:43. > :07:46.successful and one of the Foreign Office ministers met with their

:07:47. > :07:54.regional Government. They have a representative in London. You are

:07:55. > :07:59.telling me things I know. It is our job to try and support the

:08:00. > :08:05.democratic Governments in Iraq and Kurdistan and we have to look at

:08:06. > :08:14.protecting them if it is within our capability. What is Labour's policy?

:08:15. > :08:22.The terrorists creating mayhem in Iraq at the moment need to be

:08:23. > :08:29.stopped. It would be slightly strange if Labour said we back the

:08:30. > :08:33.brutal terrorists as they sweep through Iraq. We take it for granted

:08:34. > :08:40.you are against them, what is your policy? I do not disagree enormously

:08:41. > :08:46.with the Government about this. We need to support the Iraqi Government

:08:47. > :08:53.in making sure they can tackle this issue properly. What does that mean?

:08:54. > :08:56.We said we will support them in terms of tackling terrorism. We need

:08:57. > :09:02.to make sure the Government in Iraq can put themselves together by being

:09:03. > :09:08.less sectarian. If you look Read the latest dispatches from Baghdad that

:09:09. > :09:15.is not happening. The army is becoming more and more a wing of the

:09:16. > :09:19.Shia party. You say we back the Iraqi Government in dealing with

:09:20. > :09:26.this terrorism. In what way do you back it? The Government have talked

:09:27. > :09:36.about providing support. What kind of support? Support that is not

:09:37. > :09:40.troops on the ground. But what? The Western powers have talked about

:09:41. > :09:49.providing some capability that might assist. What should the British do?

:09:50. > :09:55.We support them in that. We have been clear on the Labour side as

:09:56. > :10:01.well as on the Government side that we do not support sending troops

:10:02. > :10:12.back in. I understand that. There is a limit to the support we can give.

:10:13. > :10:16.These two answers that Conservative and Labour have given this programme

:10:17. > :10:22.showed the collective irrelevance of British political parties in what is

:10:23. > :10:25.happening in Iraq. The reality is we have a huge and widening chasm

:10:26. > :10:31.between what we say we would like to do and what we are able to do. You

:10:32. > :10:37.cannot have successive governments diminishing our armed forces. We

:10:38. > :10:40.lower our armed defence capabilities, yet always ramping up

:10:41. > :10:45.the rhetoric of what we wish to achieve at war. You will simply have

:10:46. > :10:52.a situation like now where we cannot do very much. This is not about

:10:53. > :10:55.capabilities, this is about the appetite of wanting to get engaged

:10:56. > :11:00.and a bit of humility in the political class and in public about

:11:01. > :11:06.being sure if we intervene, we are going to make things better and not

:11:07. > :11:10.worse. The debate on Syria last year, the real reason there was not

:11:11. > :11:13.an appetite to do things was because people were concerned and were not

:11:14. > :11:19.sure about what intervention we could take that could make things

:11:20. > :11:24.better. That is a perfectly mature response. Would it not be more

:11:25. > :11:28.honest to say to the British people, because of what has happened in the

:11:29. > :11:33.past and Iraq hangs over like a dark shadow on British foreign policy,

:11:34. > :11:37.because of the fact we have slashed our armed forces and reduced our

:11:38. > :11:52.capability, there will be horrible things happening there, but other

:11:53. > :11:55.than humanitarian aid there is very little that we can do. Would that

:11:56. > :11:58.not be honest? The Foreign Secretary was honest. He made it clear we were

:11:59. > :12:02.going to provide political support to the Iraqi Government. I have no

:12:03. > :12:10.idea what that means. On the counterterrorism side we have

:12:11. > :12:11.expertise so we can provide advice. And we can provide significant

:12:12. > :12:21.humanitarian aid. And we can provide significant

:12:22. > :12:26.about that. The fact is the biggest ally is the Iranian Revolutionary

:12:27. > :12:32.guard. Its commander is already in Baghdad, we are told, with 67 of his

:12:33. > :12:37.top advisers. There were reports a couple of days ago that they had

:12:38. > :12:40.basically taken over control of the Iraqi forces because the American

:12:41. > :12:47.trained Iraqi forces were useless. That is his ally. When the league he

:12:48. > :12:54.was in exile he spent time in terror ran. They are the ones who matter.

:12:55. > :12:59.Not British forces. It was perfectly clear that the British would leave

:13:00. > :13:04.Iraq and put a timeline on that. It was obvious the Government would

:13:05. > :13:11.want to look for friends and there was only one friend in the region.

:13:12. > :13:15.One Iraqi politician said, you are our friends, the Iranians are our

:13:16. > :13:21.brothers. I looked shocked and he said, we can choose our friends, but

:13:22. > :13:26.we cannot choose our family. An example of how very much larger this

:13:27. > :13:34.could yet become is that the head of the forces you have just alluded to,

:13:35. > :13:38.was involved in a plot to assassinate an ambassador in

:13:39. > :13:42.Washington. America is now dealing directly and indirectly with these

:13:43. > :13:46.people. These people were very recently involved in a plot on

:13:47. > :13:52.American soil and America realises it has to cooperate with the

:13:53. > :13:56.Iranians on this. This is nobody's idea of a good time, but the

:13:57. > :14:03.situation in the region is so serious. It is a geopolitical

:14:04. > :14:08.situation. The lines on the map that we see in that part of the Middle

:14:09. > :14:12.East were put there by the British and French imperialists during the

:14:13. > :14:20.First World War. They have survived quite a while, but it is over now.

:14:21. > :14:29.Yes, it will not meet the centenary. One of the things that can be done

:14:30. > :14:33.to salvage this, the point about the Kurdish region is very fair. The

:14:34. > :14:39.most important thing is the one bit of the success story, the autonomous

:14:40. > :14:44.Kurdish region, should be protected. I think the Kurdish people can

:14:45. > :14:47.protect themselves. They have extraordinarily good fighters and

:14:48. > :14:53.they have done things in recent days that they see as being in their

:14:54. > :14:56.interests. It may be the case that if it was threatened, some kind of

:14:57. > :15:01.international force could be given as an assurance to protect those

:15:02. > :15:03.areas. In the meantime, the most we can hope is

:15:04. > :15:08.areas. In the meantime, the most we can hope what happened with ISIS is

:15:09. > :15:12.what happened before is the locals, including the sectarian groups,

:15:13. > :15:18.become so disgusted by the behaviour of ISIS that they turn against them.

:15:19. > :15:23.There is a genuinely popular uprising. That is not going to sort

:15:24. > :15:33.out the regional problem of which this may just be the start of. Our

:15:34. > :15:36.politicians out of touch with public opinion on immigration? According to

:15:37. > :15:39.the British Social Attitudes survey, almost half the population now

:15:40. > :15:43.believes that a decade of mass migration has not only harm to the

:15:44. > :15:47.economy, undermined British culture, and that the persistent public

:15:48. > :15:52.anxiety over immigrant numbers is something the main political parties

:15:53. > :15:55.ignore at their peril. Well, we have got the man who until a few months

:15:56. > :15:59.ago was immigration minister, Mark Harper. We will talk to him in a

:16:00. > :16:03.moment, but here is what Penny Young of the National Centre for social

:16:04. > :16:06.research, who produced this survey, told me yesterday. It is a mixed

:16:07. > :16:08.picture. On research, who produced this survey,

:16:09. > :16:12.told me yesterday. It is some things, attitudes to immigration are

:16:13. > :16:18.much harder. People are much less relaxed about migrants having the

:16:19. > :16:32.same legal rights as settled residents. Nevertheless, these

:16:33. > :16:35.figures obscure a lot of differences within the publishing. One of the

:16:36. > :16:39.most striking views is that if you have got a degree, you are very

:16:40. > :16:42.positive about the impact of immigration on the economy and the

:16:43. > :16:47.cultural life of the population. Everybody else sees a negative

:16:48. > :16:52.effect. So there are two sections within the British public with very

:16:53. > :16:59.different views. Mark Harper, why are you failing to

:17:00. > :17:04.hit your immigration target? It is very simple. Non-EU immigration, we

:17:05. > :17:08.are on track and have made considerable progress. To be honest,

:17:09. > :17:12.the surprise was that the EU numbers went up, and not from some of the

:17:13. > :17:17.Eastern European countries that people were concerned about, but

:17:18. > :17:22.from the traditional European countries like Spain, Portugal and

:17:23. > :17:28.France. And a lot of that is driven by the economic performance. We have

:17:29. > :17:32.been frank about it. We do have to look at the rules about free move it

:17:33. > :17:37.and when people can claim benefits when they come here. That will be

:17:38. > :17:42.part of our renegotiation of our terms of membership, which we will

:17:43. > :17:45.put the people in 2017. What bit of mass unemployment in the Eurozone

:17:46. > :17:49.did you not know about when you came up with these targets? When the

:17:50. > :17:53.target was set, I was not in the team. My understanding was that the

:17:54. > :17:58.numbers were broadly in balance so that the bulk of net migration to

:17:59. > :18:04.Britain in the past had been from outside the EU. But it was clear

:18:05. > :18:08.that the Eurozone was in crisis. That was why you formed a coalition

:18:09. > :18:12.government. It was clear that there was substantial unemployment across

:18:13. > :18:17.the Eurozone. There was also free movement coming in from Eastern

:18:18. > :18:20.Europe. You knew the situation. It can't have been a surprise to you

:18:21. > :18:26.that a lot of Europeans would want to come to Britain, and yet you went

:18:27. > :18:29.ahead and gave us a target that you are now telling us you knew you

:18:30. > :18:30.could not meet. I am not saying that.

:18:31. > :18:32.are now telling us you knew you could not meet. I am not saying The

:18:33. > :18:36.important thing from that survey is that people do still want

:18:37. > :18:41.immigration reduced. But you failed. We need to deal with the EU part of

:18:42. > :18:52.the picture. We have dealt with the non-EU part. We have made a dramatic

:18:53. > :18:57.impact on where new jobs are going. Since the election, three quarters

:18:58. > :19:01.of all those new jobs are now going to British citizens. In the five

:19:02. > :19:06.years running up to the crash, less than 10% off new jobs being created

:19:07. > :19:11.went to British citizens. That is behind some of the concerns in that

:19:12. > :19:15.survey. We both think the jobs being created are not benefiting British

:19:16. > :19:22.citizens. You promised that immigration would be below 100,000.

:19:23. > :19:32.The latest figures we have are over double that. Is 212,002 much? The

:19:33. > :19:38.target is in tatters. They have failed. Is it too much? Didn't agree

:19:39. > :19:43.with having a target in the first place. We have said from our time in

:19:44. > :19:49.office that we got something is wrong on immigration. But with

:19:50. > :19:55.respect, I am not asking about that. I am asking, is 212,000 net

:19:56. > :20:05.migration to much? We would not have chosen a net migration target. But

:20:06. > :20:10.is it too much? Or is it too few? It is the government's target, it is

:20:11. > :20:18.not a target we would have chosen. Forget it as a target. Assume the

:20:19. > :20:24.target does not exist. Just answer a simple question. Is a net increase

:20:25. > :20:29.of 212,000 people coming here too much or too little? I don't think

:20:30. > :20:33.you can say it is too much or too little. It depends on the needs of

:20:34. > :20:40.the country. I can say it is too high. You can become a slave to

:20:41. > :20:44.figures that you choose, as the current government have. They failed

:20:45. > :20:48.to meet the target they set themselves, but they also failed to

:20:49. > :20:52.deal with illegal immigration. There are less checks at orders now they

:20:53. > :21:00.are not getting rid of foreign criminals. We also did things wrong

:21:01. > :21:05.when we were in office. I want to acknowledge that. But you still

:21:06. > :21:12.can't give me an idea of numbers. People's concerns about this relate

:21:13. > :21:19.to the impact on their own lives. People are concerned about numbers.

:21:20. > :21:23.That came out in the British Social Attitudes study. And you can't give

:21:24. > :21:27.them a number. People are concerned about the impact of those coming in

:21:28. > :21:33.on their communities. I got this on the doorstep when I knocked on

:21:34. > :21:37.doors. The reality is that people are particularly interested in the

:21:38. > :21:40.impact this has on their lives and the potential job chances of their

:21:41. > :21:49.children and local services. If you get those issues right, the concern

:21:50. > :21:53.abates. I put it to you that your failure to get anywhere near a

:21:54. > :21:55.target that you said you would reach is just another reason why the

:21:56. > :22:00.British people don't trust you on this. I have been straightforward

:22:01. > :22:04.about the bit we have hit, which is non-EU migration, and I have in

:22:05. > :22:07.frank about the area where we haven't and I have said what we need

:22:08. > :22:11.to do about it. We have passed on immigration act which will lead to

:22:12. > :22:15.tightening up the rules on people who are in Britain who should not

:22:16. > :22:22.be, people who have overstayed their welcome. It is easier to get rid of

:22:23. > :22:27.foreign criminals. That only matters at the margins. That will not make a

:22:28. > :22:32.huge difference to the numbers. The stuff about making it more difficult

:22:33. > :22:35.to Britain will, because if you are here illegally, we can remove you.

:22:36. > :22:41.You will not be able to get somewhere to live. How could you be

:22:42. > :22:48.here illegally if you are an EU citizen? For EU citizens, you have

:22:49. > :22:54.to have a job or be self-sufficient or be a student. There are people

:22:55. > :22:58.who are causing problems, for example by begging. We can remove

:22:59. > :23:06.them. People are concerned about the restrictions on Chinese coming in.

:23:07. > :23:12.Visitors, yes. There is also discussion within government about

:23:13. > :23:16.the quality of people coming over. What would the figure be that would

:23:17. > :23:23.be enough to fill the industries unit, and not the people you don't

:23:24. > :23:30.want? The point on the Chinese issue is confusing. We also mentioned

:23:31. > :23:34.people speaking English. One of the big changes we have made is that you

:23:35. > :23:40.can't now come to Britain from outside the EU unless you can speak

:23:41. > :23:49.English. But you can stop a Polish person -- you can't stop a Polish

:23:50. > :23:53.person coming in. Your constant mea culpas, but inability to give us any

:23:54. > :23:57.numbers or any idea of what you think the scale of immigration

:23:58. > :24:03.should be is why people do not trust you either. I think people are

:24:04. > :24:07.concerned about the impact on their communities and life chances of

:24:08. > :24:12.immigration. They think they are not allowed to talk about it. You

:24:13. > :24:17.encourage them not to. We made mistakes in office. That is why we

:24:18. > :24:21.have to encourage these debates. If I say to people, we are going to

:24:22. > :24:28.stop agencies recruiting abroad, we are going to improve the enforcement

:24:29. > :24:31.of the national minimum wage, will make sure that businesses who

:24:32. > :24:36.recruit abroad because they need a skilled person that they can only

:24:37. > :24:42.get from abroad also has two other apprenticeships at home... It

:24:43. > :24:49.depends on the economic circumstances of the time. What

:24:50. > :24:57.matters to people is the impact this has in their communities. Do all

:24:58. > :25:01.Labour politicians think they should apologise for what happened in terms

:25:02. > :25:04.of numbers? Quite a few politicians like Tessa Jowell have said there

:25:05. > :25:09.was nothing to apologise for, and that it led to economic both. So

:25:10. > :25:12.Labour are not quite unified. People have different views within parties

:25:13. > :25:16.and across parties about these issues, but Ed Miliband has been

:25:17. > :25:20.clear. We have accepted that we made some mistakes, we need to go

:25:21. > :25:24.forward, realising that what matters is putting right the abuses that

:25:25. > :25:30.result from people coming into the country and in act that has in local

:25:31. > :25:35.communities on housing, services and jobs.

:25:36. > :25:38.Now, the Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, continues his visit to

:25:39. > :25:44.Britain today. Yesterday, he indicated that he was prepared to

:25:45. > :25:48.pony up some Chinese dosh on HS2 and nuclear power stations? What did he

:25:49. > :25:54.get in return? A signed copy of a script for Downton Abbey and a

:25:55. > :26:00.Charles Dickens DVD box set. Do those foreign office types know

:26:01. > :26:03.nothing? Mr Lee's favourite British TV programme is the Daily Politics.

:26:04. > :26:09.But fear not, if you are watching from a foreign office desk, a Daily

:26:10. > :26:12.Politics mug to pass on to Premier Lee can be yours and a major

:26:13. > :26:18.diplomatic incident can yet be avoided. We will remind you how to

:26:19. > :26:48.enter in a minute. Let's see if you can remember when this happened.

:26:49. > :27:49.This is a winning policy, and it is a policy we believe in.

:27:50. > :28:00.Daily Politics mug, send your answer to our special quiz e-mail address,

:28:01. > :28:05.dpquiz@bbc.co.uk. It is coming up to midday here. Just

:28:06. > :28:09.take a look at Big Ben. It is a Wednesday, which can mean only one

:28:10. > :28:13.thing, Prime Minister's Questions is on its way. If you would like to

:28:14. > :28:22.comment on proceedings, try to be polite! You can e-mail us at

:28:23. > :28:28.dpquiz@bbc.co.uk. We will read your comments out after PMQs. And when he

:28:29. > :28:35.is not busy to be with us, Nick Robinson is here. Thought I would

:28:36. > :28:39.pop in. I see dark clouds behind Big Ben. I have just come from

:28:40. > :28:51.Liverpool. The sun was beautiful and shining this morning. The Lib Dems

:28:52. > :28:52.are talking about a referendum? The Times have a story considering that

:28:53. > :28:58.they are shifting -- considering Times have a story considering that

:28:59. > :29:00.shifting their position. Lots of cold water is being poured on this

:29:01. > :29:03.from the Lib Dem cold water is being poured on this

:29:04. > :29:08.senior Liberal Democrat I spoke to said this is not likely. That is a

:29:09. > :29:11.way of saying that the story is right that they are thinking about

:29:12. > :29:16.it. But they would only want to do it in return for a big offer from

:29:17. > :29:20.the Conservatives. If we give you a backing in the House of Commons,

:29:21. > :29:23.what do we get act? The dark cloud you referred to when you were in

:29:24. > :29:27.Brussels last week was of course Iraq, each bizarrely did not come up

:29:28. > :29:34.at all at Prime Minister 's questions. It is not as if it is a

:29:35. > :29:38.place we have invaded. Oh, no, we did. Twice. Surely it will come up

:29:39. > :29:42.this week, because it would look surreal if this event can go on for

:29:43. > :29:45.half an hour each week and a nor the important issues of the day. It was

:29:46. > :29:50.remarkable that it did not come up, but maybe it did not come up last

:29:51. > :29:53.time because British politicians have little useful to say about it.

:29:54. > :29:57.They are also scared about talking about it.

:29:58. > :30:01.They are also scared about talking Tony Blair's comment. There is a

:30:02. > :30:06.great desire to say Blair is a fool. But engaging with the argument

:30:07. > :30:09.that was raised, that was something that very few wanted to do. Douglas

:30:10. > :30:13.Alexander for Labour has walked the Blair tightrope rather elegantly

:30:14. > :30:19.earlier in the week, saying that while it was absurd to claim that

:30:20. > :30:24.the invasion of Iraq had nothing to do with the problem now, allegedly

:30:25. > :30:28.Tony Blair's view, it was equally absurd to say it was only the doom

:30:29. > :30:45.with what happened 11 years ago. Let's find out.

:30:46. > :30:54.I spoke yesterday to my constituent, who was anxious because Hassan's

:30:55. > :30:58.passport had not arrived on time. Given the dreadful level of service

:30:59. > :31:04.she described she was shocked to find the passport agency returned a

:31:05. > :31:07.surplus of ?73 million. What does it say about the values of this

:31:08. > :31:15.Government that the Chancellor is making a profit over one of my

:31:16. > :31:20.constituent's misery? What I would say to any constituent of any MP in

:31:21. > :31:24.this house, because it is an important issue, is that anyone who

:31:25. > :31:29.needs to travel within the next week and who has waited more than three

:31:30. > :31:34.weeks will be fast tracked for no extra cost so they can get their

:31:35. > :31:40.passport in time. I do not want anyone to miss their holiday because

:31:41. > :31:44.of these difficulties. We have seen a 15% increase over the last week in

:31:45. > :31:54.the number of passports being processed, but we need to go faster

:31:55. > :32:02.and we need to hire more people. Is the Prime Minister aware of the

:32:03. > :32:08.growing sentiment that as the publication of the Chilcott report

:32:09. > :32:12.has been so long delayed the ancient but still existing power of

:32:13. > :32:19.backbenchers to commence the procedures of impeachment should now

:32:20. > :32:28.be activated to bring Mr Tony Blair to account for allegedly misleading

:32:29. > :32:38.the house on the necessity of the invasion of Iraq in 2003? I would

:32:39. > :32:42.say to my right honourable friend it is important we see the results of

:32:43. > :32:50.the Iraq enquiry. It has had access to all of the papers, officials and

:32:51. > :32:54.ministers. Frankly, if the Iraq enquiry had started when this party

:32:55. > :33:01.and when the Liberal Democrats had suggested, then we would have seen

:33:02. > :33:06.the Iraq inquiry published by now. But members opposite, including the

:33:07. > :33:15.leader of the opposition, voted against starting the Iraqi enquiry

:33:16. > :33:20.on no fewer than four occasions. Mr Speaker, all of us will have been

:33:21. > :33:26.appalled by the images of the brutal aggression of crisis that has spread

:33:27. > :33:30.across Iraq, terrorising its citizens and undermining its fragile

:33:31. > :33:34.democracy. Iraq is facing fundamental threats to its integrity

:33:35. > :33:38.and stability. Can the Prime Minister provide the house with the

:33:39. > :33:43.latest assessment of the situation in Iraq. And following the

:33:44. > :33:47.appearance yesterday of the president Al-Maliki, can he say what

:33:48. > :33:50.more he believes can be done to encourage a more inclusive and

:33:51. > :33:57.representative Government which is essential for the future of Iraq?

:33:58. > :34:03.The leader of the opposition is right is that one of the things that

:34:04. > :34:08.needs to happen is the Iraqi Government to take a more inclusive

:34:09. > :34:15.approach. I can tell the house the latest reports indicate fighting is

:34:16. > :34:22.continuing on one front and the oil refinery is currently under attack

:34:23. > :34:26.by ISIS. There is a large-scale recruitment not only of Shia

:34:27. > :34:31.militias, but also other young recruits to the Iraqi armed forces

:34:32. > :34:36.and it is vital that precedes and that ISIS is pushed back by the

:34:37. > :34:40.Iraqis. But the key thing to recognise is when you get this

:34:41. > :34:45.combination of poor governance of ungoverned spaces and support for

:34:46. > :34:49.extremism, that provides an opportunity for terrorists and we

:34:50. > :34:54.have to address this on each of those three France, supporting the

:34:55. > :34:58.Iraqi Government. This crisis is not just affecting Iraq, but has

:34:59. > :35:04.consequences for the whole world. Can he tell us the extra measures

:35:05. > :35:09.the Government is contemplating to ensure British nationals in the

:35:10. > :35:13.region cannot return here and engage in violent extremism or terrorism?

:35:14. > :35:16.Can he say what the Government is doing to prevent people in this

:35:17. > :35:24.country becoming radicalised and travelling to the region to fight?

:35:25. > :35:28.Our approach to this issue must be based on a hard-headed assessment of

:35:29. > :35:33.our national interest and most important is how to keep our

:35:34. > :35:36.citizens safe at home. The leader of the opposition asked about the

:35:37. > :35:41.actions we are taking, and we will be legislating in this Parliament to

:35:42. > :35:48.make the planning of terrorist attacks overseas illegal in the UK.

:35:49. > :35:51.We will make sure our policing and intelligence resources are focused

:35:52. > :35:56.on this part of the world and the danger of British people travelling

:35:57. > :36:01.there and becoming radicalised and returning to the UK. We have taken

:36:02. > :36:05.away passports, using the new powers we legislated for in the last

:36:06. > :36:13.Parliament and we will continue to do everything we can to keep our

:36:14. > :36:17.country safe. I want to talk about Iran and its role in this crisis. We

:36:18. > :36:23.support the announcement made yesterday by the Foreign Secretary

:36:24. > :36:27.to reopen the British embassy in Iran and the dialogue started by the

:36:28. > :36:32.Foreign Secretary, but the challenge we face in Iraq is although Iran

:36:33. > :36:37.opposes ISIS, the Iranian regime in the past has shown it does not

:36:38. > :36:42.support a vision for an inclusive and democratic state in Iraq. Can he

:36:43. > :36:47.give this house the current assessment of the willingness and

:36:48. > :36:56.intent of the Iranian regime to plate can -- to play a constructive

:36:57. > :37:01.role? First of all, it is important to re-engage with dialogue with Iran

:37:02. > :37:05.and that is why we are planning to reopen the embassy. It should be

:37:06. > :37:09.done on a step-by-step basis. It should be done with a very clear eye

:37:10. > :37:16.and a very hard-headed because we know of the appalling things that

:37:17. > :37:19.happened to our embassy in 2011. Two people who say there is

:37:20. > :37:23.inconsistency having dialogue with Iran and at the same time

:37:24. > :37:27.recognising how much they have done to destabilise the region, I would

:37:28. > :37:32.say we need to take a consistent approach with all the players in

:37:33. > :37:35.this region. We support the voices of moderation, the voices that

:37:36. > :37:41.support democracy under the rule of law. We need the Iranian Government

:37:42. > :37:47.to play that role as well as everyone else. The broader context

:37:48. > :37:52.is the wider Sunni and Shi'ite schism across the region. Does he

:37:53. > :37:55.agree it is not just Iran but other significant countries across the

:37:56. > :38:00.region that have a huge responsibility not to take steps

:38:01. > :38:05.that will further fuel the sectarian conflict? That includes support for

:38:06. > :38:10.extremist groups. Will the Prime Minister make clear in his

:38:11. > :38:17.conversations with all parties it will fuel the conflict. Whatever we

:38:18. > :38:21.are looking to do, whether it is to support the voices of moderation and

:38:22. > :38:26.democracy in Syria, whether it is trying to help the Iraqi Government

:38:27. > :38:31.closed down this ungoverned space in Iraq, or the conversations we have

:38:32. > :38:36.with other regional players, it is important we are consistent with

:38:37. > :38:40.that engagement and we oppose extremism, terrorism and violence.

:38:41. > :38:45.When it comes to the support we have given to rebels in Syria that we let

:38:46. > :38:50.through the official Syrian opposition who are committed to

:38:51. > :38:55.those things and not extremism and terrorism and our engagement with

:38:56. > :38:59.the Saudi Arabians, with Qatar and the Emirates and others is all on

:39:00. > :39:06.the basis that none of us should be supporting those terrorists are

:39:07. > :39:10.extremists. I want to ask about the humanitarian situation. We have

:39:11. > :39:14.British allies in the region, such as Jordan, who are already dealing

:39:15. > :39:21.with a huge refugee crisis. Britain is doing a good job of providing

:39:22. > :39:26.humanitarian support for those in refugee camps. But there are more

:39:27. > :39:30.refugees outside the camps and inside the camps. What further

:39:31. > :39:32.practical measures does the Prime Minister believe we can take to

:39:33. > :39:40.support companies like Jordan and Lebanon? We remain when it comes to

:39:41. > :39:44.Syria, the Syrian refugee situation, we remained the second

:39:45. > :39:50.largest bilateral aid donor anywhere in the world. We are providing

:39:51. > :39:56.shelter, food, clothing and support for the millions of people who have

:39:57. > :40:00.been made homeless. When it comes to supporting neighbouring countries,

:40:01. > :40:07.we have given direct help to Jordan. The increase of the population in

:40:08. > :40:13.Jordan and Lebanon is equivalent to almost 15 million people coming to

:40:14. > :40:17.the UK. In terms of the Iraq humanitarian situation where there

:40:18. > :40:23.is an emerging problem because of people being displaced because of

:40:24. > :40:27.the ISIS, murderous regime, we have already announced ?3 million of

:40:28. > :40:31.humanitarian aid to people displaced in that region and we will be

:40:32. > :40:37.increasing that two ?5 million. Britain will be playing its role for

:40:38. > :40:42.those, through no fault of their own, have been displaced by

:40:43. > :40:48.conflict. I hope he will continue to look at what more can be done to

:40:49. > :40:52.those outside the refugee camps. Everything we are seeing across this

:40:53. > :40:57.region begs a fundamental question about whether it can develop a

:40:58. > :41:01.politics where people live alongside each other as citizens rather than

:41:02. > :41:06.dividing along ethnic or religious lines. Does he agree that while we

:41:07. > :41:10.can and should provide assistance to make that happen, in the end it is

:41:11. > :41:15.about the political will of those in the region that will determine

:41:16. > :41:21.whether this happens or not? I agree, it would be a mistake to

:41:22. > :41:25.believe the only answer to these problems is the hard attack of

:41:26. > :41:29.direct intervention. We know that can create problems in itself. But I

:41:30. > :41:34.also disagree with those who think it is nothing to do with us and if

:41:35. > :41:38.they want to have some sort of extreme Islamist regime in the

:41:39. > :41:46.middle of Iraq it will not affect will. The people in that regime are

:41:47. > :41:52.also planning to attack us here at home in the UK. The right answer is

:41:53. > :41:56.to be long-term hard-headed, patient and intelligent with our

:41:57. > :41:59.interventions. The most important intervention is to make sure these

:42:00. > :42:04.governments are fully representative of the people who live in their

:42:05. > :42:09.countries and they close down the ungoverned space and they removed

:42:10. > :42:14.the support for the extremists. We have to help in Iraq, Somalia,

:42:15. > :42:20.Nigeria and Mali because these problems will come back and hit us

:42:21. > :42:27.at home if we do not. This week, construction begins on Watford's

:42:28. > :42:32.University technical college sponsored by an education trust.

:42:33. > :42:35.Students will receive first-class academic education and real

:42:36. > :42:40.preparation for real jobs in the real world. Would the Prime Minister

:42:41. > :42:43.in courage and young people in Watford to explore the opportunities

:42:44. > :42:50.that this wonderful new school will offer? I know we are doing all we

:42:51. > :42:54.can to help get the Watford University technical college ready

:42:55. > :42:59.in September so students can start to benefit. Having visited these

:43:00. > :43:03.technical colleges in Harlow and Staffordshire, I think they

:43:04. > :43:07.represent filling in one of the missing links in our education

:43:08. > :43:11.system that was left after the Second World War where we helped the

:43:12. > :43:16.Germans establish good technical schools, but did not put them in

:43:17. > :43:19.place in the United Kingdom. I am very proud to be leading a

:43:20. > :43:28.Government that is putting that right. Three large GP practices in

:43:29. > :43:32.the most deprived areas of north-east Yorkshire are facing

:43:33. > :43:40.crisis. In England we are at least 10,000 GPs short. Labour is

:43:41. > :43:49.promising a maximum 48 hour wait to see a GP. What is he promising?

:43:50. > :43:53.First of all, in order to provide more GPs, we need to provide money

:43:54. > :43:58.and this Government has increased spending on the NHS when we were

:43:59. > :44:05.told by the party opposite it was irresponsible. We have 7000 more

:44:06. > :44:11.doctors, more nurses and more midwives, but 19,000 fewer

:44:12. > :44:21.bureaucrats. It is vital in providing the health services that

:44:22. > :44:28.we need. Will he welcomed the happy news that the river we are in the

:44:29. > :44:34.midst of a volunteering week of action renovating a park closed in

:44:35. > :44:38.2009, but now reopening thanks to the determination of local

:44:39. > :44:45.residents. Will he welcomed all the jobs, community spirit and real ale

:44:46. > :44:49.that will bring? I am delighted to welcome the real ale and recommend

:44:50. > :44:55.they take advantage of the 1p cut not just in this budget, but in the

:44:56. > :44:59.previous budget. I know people in Avonmouth have suffered from air

:45:00. > :45:04.pollution and I am happy to discuss that with her. We are seeing a

:45:05. > :45:09.growth in terms of community pubs and that is all to do good. We

:45:10. > :45:15.introduced the community right to bid that has enabled a number of

:45:16. > :45:24.communities to take hold of these facilities. In its recent report the

:45:25. > :45:29.sea QC praised the start of the hospital in Woolwich for being kind

:45:30. > :45:33.and respectful. Does the Prime Minister remember that one year ago

:45:34. > :45:39.before being stopped by judicial review his Government were proposing

:45:40. > :45:43.to close the A department in the neighbouring Lewisham Hospital which

:45:44. > :45:49.would have added massively to the pressures on the already

:45:50. > :45:54.overstretched Queen Elizabeth? The most important thing with our health

:45:55. > :45:57.services to raise good service when we see it, but to recognise that

:45:58. > :45:59.when you see poor service, we see it, but to recognise that

:46:00. > :46:04.when you see it has to be turned around. We are clear about the

:46:05. > :46:09.turnaround work being done in many of our hospitals that were left for

:46:10. > :46:13.year after year under Labour. But the House might be interested to

:46:14. > :46:18.know that the average amount of time you wake in A was 77 minutes when

:46:19. > :46:27.Labour were in power. It is now 30 minutes under this government. Can

:46:28. > :46:30.the Prime Minister advise my constituents what action the

:46:31. > :46:33.government is taking to ensure that areas of regeneration such as

:46:34. > :46:37.Colindale in my constituency received the necessary public

:46:38. > :46:42.service infrastructure to support the increasing population? My

:46:43. > :46:43.honourable friend makes an important point.

:46:44. > :46:46.honourable friend makes an important bonus have helped to make sure the

:46:47. > :46:49.local authorities can put bonus have helped to make sure the

:46:50. > :46:53.infrastructure. We have strengthened new planning guidance to ensure that

:46:54. > :46:57.infrastructure is provided support new developments. As a result of the

:46:58. > :47:02.recent award of the Thameslink franchise, there will be new rolling

:47:03. > :47:06.stock on the line. By the end of 2018, there will be over 3000 more

:47:07. > :47:11.seats on trains running through Hendon at peak times, it I hope is

:47:12. > :47:15.welcome to his constituents. What does the Prime Minister believed the

:47:16. > :47:22.underlying causes for the ?2 billion deficit forecast for the English

:47:23. > :47:27.National Health Service trust for next year, and what are his

:47:28. > :47:31.remedies? The estimates being made today are being made on the basis

:47:32. > :47:38.that we have set challenges for the NHS in terms of making efficiencies?

:47:39. > :47:41.After four years in government, they have met those in efficiency

:47:42. > :47:45.challenges every year under this government. And that money has been

:47:46. > :47:51.ploughed back into better patient care in our NHS. The question for

:47:52. > :47:55.the NHS in British politics today, I would argue, is, why is it in Wales,

:47:56. > :47:59.where Labour are under control, where 8% cuts have remade in the NHS

:48:00. > :48:04.budget? They might be yawning opposite, blog but they are not

:48:05. > :48:10.yawning in Wales, because they are stuck on waiting lists, desperate

:48:11. > :48:15.for treatment. Will my right honourable friend join me in

:48:16. > :48:22.congratulating the England women's football team? They have had success

:48:23. > :48:26.in the World Cup qualifiers. On and off the pitch, women are delivering

:48:27. > :48:32.for England, with more women in employment, more women setting up

:48:33. > :48:37.businesses. So will the Prime Minister confirmed that in our

:48:38. > :48:40.long-term economic plan, we will ensure that women can continue to

:48:41. > :48:49.score the goals for the UK economy and that no one is left behind? I am

:48:50. > :48:53.happy to join my honourable friend. As a keen fan of not just the

:48:54. > :48:57.England football team, but also the England cricket team, I have the

:48:58. > :48:59.pleasure of having representatives of the England women's football and

:49:00. > :49:04.cricket team in Downing Street recently. I said they seemed to put

:49:05. > :49:07.us through considerably less heartache, stress and worry when

:49:08. > :49:13.qualifying for these major competitions, and indeed in the

:49:14. > :49:16.cricket team's case, when they are winning the Ashes. There is good

:49:17. > :49:19.news to celebrate, which is that e-mail employment is at a record

:49:20. > :49:25.high in our country. There are nearly 7000 more women at work --

:49:26. > :49:28.female employment. We are seeing more female staff in businesses. We

:49:29. > :49:32.are making sure it is fairer for women in terms of pensions. We have

:49:33. > :49:42.a good record, but there is more to be done. Exactly 20 years ago to the

:49:43. > :49:48.day, gunmen went into a pub in my constituency and killed six men.

:49:49. > :49:52.Amid widespread claims about pollution and police cover-up. The

:49:53. > :49:59.families have never received truth and justice. Only two weeks ago, the

:50:00. > :50:01.police ensured that the police ombudsman's investigation was

:50:02. > :50:06.stalled. Does the Prime Minister agree with me that all UK police

:50:07. > :50:12.services must cooperate fully with their oversight authorities, both to

:50:13. > :50:19.the letter and in spirit, to ensure that families that I represent

:50:20. > :50:23.received truth and justice? I agree with the honourable lady that

:50:24. > :50:26.everyone should cooperate with the police ombudsman. I believe the

:50:27. > :50:31.police ombudsman system in Northern Ireland is now a model that other

:50:32. > :50:34.countries are looking to follow. It was something I discussed recently

:50:35. > :50:38.with the Taoiseach in terms of what happens in the Republic of Ireland.

:50:39. > :50:43.We have a system there that works. We have enquiry teams which are also

:50:44. > :50:47.working, but I hope the work can continue between the parties in

:50:48. > :50:52.Northern Ireland to discuss the ideas for flights parades and the

:50:53. > :50:56.past. I hope everyone can come together and sort these issues out

:50:57. > :51:00.-- flied parades. In Jillings and rain, youth unemployment is down,

:51:01. > :51:08.unemployment overall is down, business creation is up. Does the

:51:09. > :51:12.Prime Minister not agree that this shows that our long-term economic

:51:13. > :51:17.plan is working? And will he join with me in welcoming the new

:51:18. > :51:21.creation of a university technical college in Medway, which will ensure

:51:22. > :51:27.that our future generations have the right skills to succeed in life? I

:51:28. > :51:29.am delighted to say to the honourable gentleman that it is

:51:30. > :51:35.welcome that youth unemployment, which has been too high for too long

:51:36. > :51:38.in our country, is down by 25% this year in his constituency, and

:51:39. > :51:45.long-term youth Honor Blackman is down 41%. He makes the point about

:51:46. > :51:48.-- used term unemployment is down. I want to see a technical college in

:51:49. > :51:52.every town so that we give young people the opportunity of a good

:51:53. > :51:56.technical education if that is what they choose. And those schools must

:51:57. > :52:01.be well funded, well resourced and also partnered with organisations

:52:02. > :52:09.that can bring their expertise to bear. How is his campaign going to

:52:10. > :52:15.stop Mr Juncker? It is a simple issue of principle. Much more

:52:16. > :52:19.connected to the principle than the name. The principle is this, and I

:52:20. > :52:24.think it will be shared on every side of the house. The members of

:52:25. > :52:27.the European Council, who are the elected Prime Minister 's and

:52:28. > :52:33.presidents, under the treaties, we should choose who runs the European

:52:34. > :52:36.Commission. I don't mind how many people on the European Council

:52:37. > :52:44.disagree with me, I will fight this to the very end. And what I would

:52:45. > :52:49.say to my colleagues on the European Council, many of whom have expressed

:52:50. > :52:53.interest in views about both this principle and this person, if you

:52:54. > :52:57.want reform in Europe, you have got to stand up for it. If you want

:52:58. > :53:01.change in Europe, you have got to vote for it. That is the message I

:53:02. > :53:17.will take, and that is the right message for our country. Last year,

:53:18. > :53:21.a Cabinet Office minister said relocation of staff out of expensive

:53:22. > :53:25.London offices to other regions continues to be high on the agenda

:53:26. > :53:29.to deliver the savings needed. Will the Prime Minister look to move some

:53:30. > :53:34.of those jobs to Redcar in Cleveland, where we have low-cost

:53:35. > :53:39.offices, affordable housing, school places, people ready to work and a

:53:40. > :53:43.great lifestyle? My honourable friend makes an important point

:53:44. > :53:48.about the relocation of jobs. Of course, we want to see that develop.

:53:49. > :53:51.I know it was disappointing about the changes to the insolvency

:53:52. > :53:57.service in Stockton last year. One of the reasons that happened was

:53:58. > :54:01.there has been such a sharp fall in bankruptcy and company closures,

:54:02. > :54:06.which is a welcome development. Overall, employment is rising in the

:54:07. > :54:10.north-east. It rose by 47,000 last year, but we have to make sure we

:54:11. > :54:14.generate not just by that sector jobs, but where we can, locate a big

:54:15. > :54:20.sector job different parts of the country. We continue with that

:54:21. > :54:25.programme. How many people from this country are fighting for ISIS, and

:54:26. > :54:30.what risks do they pose to the UK? The estimates that have been given

:54:31. > :54:36.so far are that around 400 people from the UK have taken part in

:54:37. > :54:40.fighting with ISIS, but those numbers are based around what is

:54:41. > :54:46.happening in Syria rather than what is happening in Iraq, where we have

:54:47. > :54:50.considerably less information. Together with the Home Secretary and

:54:51. > :54:54.others, I have turned meetings in Whitehall to make sure our

:54:55. > :54:57.intelligence, security and policing services are focused as sharply as

:54:58. > :55:03.they can on to this Robben. The estimates are now -- this problem is

:55:04. > :55:08.a greater threat to the UK than the return of jihadis from the

:55:09. > :55:13.Afghanistan or Pakistan region. We need to do everything we can to keep

:55:14. > :55:17.our country safe. What it is good news that the budget deficit has

:55:18. > :55:22.been cut by a third, there is still much more to do. One way of helping

:55:23. > :55:27.our country live within its means is to send back all the convicted

:55:28. > :55:31.criminals who are foreign nationals and who are costing British

:55:32. > :55:32.taxpayers millions of pounds each year to keep in our prisons. All too

:55:33. > :55:38.often, attempts to send year to keep in our prisons. All too

:55:39. > :55:43.criminals ask the blood by human rights legislation. -- the attempts

:55:44. > :55:46.are scuppered by human rights legislation. What plans does the

:55:47. > :55:52.Prime Minister have put an end to this ludicrous state of affairs? I

:55:53. > :55:57.agree that we need to do more on this front. We have removed around

:55:58. > :56:00.20,000 foreign national offenders since this government came to

:56:01. > :56:05.office, but the number is built to high. I have a lot of individual

:56:06. > :56:07.ministers to individual territories, particularly those with the highest

:56:08. > :56:12.number of foreign offenders, countries like Nigeria, Jamaica,

:56:13. > :56:16.Vietnam, China, to make sure we make progress on returning these

:56:17. > :56:21.prisoners. We also need to use the prisoner transfer agreement within

:56:22. > :56:28.the European Union, because that could lead to a large number of

:56:29. > :56:31.prisoners being returned to Poland. If we get a Conservative government

:56:32. > :56:35.after the next election, we will have a substantive reform to the

:56:36. > :56:41.Human Rights Act, which is not working properly for Britain. Last

:56:42. > :56:44.month, the National Health Service missed its cancer treatment target

:56:45. > :56:49.for the very first time. What does the Prime Minister have to say to

:56:50. > :56:53.patients and their families who have had to put their lives on hold,

:56:54. > :56:59.waiting for vital treatment to start? There is not a family in this

:57:00. > :57:02.country that is not affected by cancer and the difficulties of

:57:03. > :57:06.making sure you get the treatment you need as fast as you can. We have

:57:07. > :57:10.a series of targets for cancer treatment, and we are meeting almost

:57:11. > :57:14.all of them. We have seen an increase of around 15% in terms of

:57:15. > :57:18.the number of people being treated for cancer. And we have introduced

:57:19. > :57:25.that never existed the previous government, the Cancer Drugs Fund.

:57:26. > :57:29.She will know people in her constituency, just as I know people

:57:30. > :57:35.in my constituency who are getting medicines that they need that they

:57:36. > :57:38.never got before. The Prime Minister will know that the economic recovery

:57:39. > :57:42.in Essex has been led by the private sector, with Essex firms creating

:57:43. > :57:46.thousands of new jobs and exporting across the globe. Will he come and

:57:47. > :57:50.Essex businesses and support their efforts to export more by looking

:57:51. > :57:57.favourably upon our plans to upgrade our interest, both our road and rail

:57:58. > :58:01.network across Essex? As I have said before, where Essex leads, the rest

:58:02. > :58:05.of the country follows. In terms of economic recovery, private sector

:58:06. > :58:10.growth, entrepreneurialism, employing more people, that is what

:58:11. > :58:13.the economy needs. That is what our economic plan is delivering. Last

:58:14. > :58:19.week, we saw that record in crease in employment. This week, we saw

:58:20. > :58:23.inflation fall to a five-year low. I had successful meetings yesterday

:58:24. > :58:26.with the Chinese premier, fanning ?14 billion worth of important deals

:58:27. > :58:30.that will bring jobs, growth and investment to this country. We have

:58:31. > :58:37.to keep working on every aspect of our plan, including exports. The

:58:38. > :58:43.former Prime Minister Sir John Major made a strong case for looking at

:58:44. > :58:47.our constitutional arrangements, whatever the outcome in September in

:58:48. > :58:54.Scotland. Will he accept that devolution in England outside London

:58:55. > :58:57.is very much unfinished business? If our great cities like Birmingham

:58:58. > :59:01.want to remain economic engines, they require radically reformed

:59:02. > :59:05.funding structures and our regions require strategically elected direct

:59:06. > :59:11.mayors. As the honourable lady knows, I am a fan of directly

:59:12. > :59:14.elected mayors, but the people of Birmingham had their chance to make

:59:15. > :59:20.that decision and they voted not to have one. I hope people will see

:59:21. > :59:23.successful mayors in London, Liverpool, Bristol and other parts

:59:24. > :59:27.of the country, and they will see that there are benefits from that.

:59:28. > :59:30.But I agree with her that even if we don't move to a mayoral system,

:59:31. > :59:34.there is more we can do through city deals, local enterprise

:59:35. > :59:41.partnerships, devolving some of the funding in Whitehall further down

:59:42. > :59:46.towards cities and regions. What is welcome is the fact that her party

:59:47. > :59:50.has not decided to tear up local enterprise partnerships in its party

:59:51. > :59:55.review. It is good that we have cross-party agreement on how to

:59:56. > :00:04.drive devolution to our great cities around the country. On behalf of my

:00:05. > :00:09.burnt wood constituents, may I thank the Prime Minister for his swift and

:00:10. > :00:15.effective action in giving a posthumous honour to my constituent

:00:16. > :00:20.Stephen Sutton? But with the economic plan now working well, how

:00:21. > :00:25.can we build on that, and how can we build on the legacy that Stephen

:00:26. > :00:32.Sutton set for giving to charitable purposes? Stephen Sutton was an

:00:33. > :00:36.inspiring individual. His zest for life, even as he was suffering from

:00:37. > :00:40.a difficult and progressive cancer, was extraordinary. He raised the

:00:41. > :00:46.huge amount of money for Teenage Cancer Trust and raised it around

:00:47. > :00:50.the world as well as in the UK. It is right that our honours system

:00:51. > :00:56.happily rewards people that give to charity, that give of their time

:00:57. > :01:00.from the bottom to the top. There is probably more we can do to make sure

:01:01. > :01:04.that our honours dust reflects what the British public want, which is to

:01:05. > :01:09.say giving and generosity and compassion rewarded. The Prime

:01:10. > :01:14.Minister may recollect that a few months ago, at Prime Minister's

:01:15. > :01:18.Questions, I asked him to meet the victims of a drug. There are over 50

:01:19. > :01:21.of them coming to Parliament today. I would ask if he would see them,

:01:22. > :01:26.look at the document we have produced to show that the committee

:01:27. > :01:28.of medicine in new about the fact that this drug was causing

:01:29. > :01:34.deformities in babies, and nothing was done about it. I would ask him

:01:35. > :01:40.to then consider a public enquiry. I do not think I will be able, I'm

:01:41. > :01:42.afraid, today, to see the people she's bringing to the House of

:01:43. > :01:46.Commons. I'm happy to another conversation with her about what can

:01:47. > :01:54.be done and to understand about what more can be communicated to these

:01:55. > :01:59.people. In welcoming the Chinese premier, Mr Lee, to this country,

:02:00. > :02:03.and in recognising that China is one of the greatest export markets for

:02:04. > :02:08.Britain, can ask the Prime Minister to use his good offices to unblock

:02:09. > :02:13.the barrier to the export of pigs' feat for human consumption, which

:02:14. > :02:20.will bring thousands of pounds -- pigs' feet? I will certainly take up

:02:21. > :02:27.my honourable friend on that issue. I recall on a previous visit to

:02:28. > :02:37.China, we unlocked the export of big as' seem to China, so we made

:02:38. > :02:41.progress -- pigs' seaman. So I will look carefully at pig feet, and if

:02:42. > :02:47.exports can be allowed and jobs can be promoted, I would be happy to

:02:48. > :02:53.help. Notwithstanding the serious problems as well, does the Prime

:02:54. > :03:00.Minister share my concern about the crisis in South Sudan, where 4

:03:01. > :03:08.million people are facing famine? What steps are being taken to

:03:09. > :03:10.implement the peace process? I was discussing this issue yesterday with

:03:11. > :03:16.the Archbishop of Canterbury, who very bravely had been with local

:03:17. > :03:20.church leaders to a town which had been subject to some of the most

:03:21. > :03:23.serious fighting. It is a very different part of the world to what

:03:24. > :03:26.we were discussing earlier, but some of the same rules apply. We need a

:03:27. > :03:31.government that governs on behalf of all the people in that country, and

:03:32. > :03:38.does not try to divide the country along ethnic lines. We will do what

:03:39. > :03:41.we can, and when we talk about intervention in this country, it is

:03:42. > :03:52.intervention through diplomacy, aid, assistance and advice, and we will

:03:53. > :03:59.continue with that. Is my right honourable friend aware that at the

:04:00. > :04:04.conference this weekend in Athens of the national chairman of the select

:04:05. > :04:09.committees, with delegates from all parties, but also chairman of the

:04:10. > :04:16.European Parliamentary committees as well, the British delegation

:04:17. > :04:20.defeated an attempt to treat the word euro scepticism as equivalent

:04:21. > :04:28.to xenophobia and racism? And furthermore, that on the question of

:04:29. > :04:33.the procedure, the unprecedented procedure relating to the proposed

:04:34. > :04:42.appointment or election of Mr Juncker, the conference also agreed

:04:43. > :04:44.with the British delegation that this was an unprecedented and

:04:45. > :04:51.unacceptable and unsuccessful procedure? No surprises that my

:04:52. > :04:56.honourable friend was successful in this negotiation on behalf of

:04:57. > :05:00.Britain. There is support right around Europe for the concept of the

:05:01. > :05:04.Council of ministers making these choices. But as I say, it requires

:05:05. > :05:10.the elected by ministers and presidents to vote in the way they

:05:11. > :05:14.believe. We have been slightly delayed, but there are

:05:15. > :05:17.accommodations I want to make. On the Prime Minister's watch, five

:05:18. > :05:21.GPs' surgeries face closure in my bar and 98 nationally. Is this what

:05:22. > :05:27.the Prime Minister meant when he promised to protect the NHS? When I

:05:28. > :05:32.said we would protect the NHS, I meant just that. We are spending

:05:33. > :05:37.?12.7 billion more on the NHS, which Labour said was responsible for what

:05:38. > :05:43.we have 7000 more doctors in our NHS by 3000 more nurses, over 1000 more

:05:44. > :05:48.midwives in our NHS. But there is something we have less of. We have

:05:49. > :05:52.19,000 fewer bureaucrats, and that money has been piled into patient

:05:53. > :06:04.care, including improving primary care around the country. The people

:06:05. > :06:07.of Newark have enjoyed becoming better acquainted with the Prime

:06:08. > :06:12.Minister this past month. I regret to inform the Prime Minister that

:06:13. > :06:15.the town of South well in my constituency was again flooded last

:06:16. > :06:21.week. Would the Prime Minister reaffirm his commitment to support

:06:22. > :06:24.my proposal that those parts of Nottinghamshire that was severely

:06:25. > :06:28.affected by the floods of 2013 received similar grants to those

:06:29. > :06:33.parts elsewhere in the country flooded at the beginning of this

:06:34. > :06:39.year? Firstly, I welcome my honourable friend to his place in

:06:40. > :06:42.the House of Commons after a long, arduous but well fought and positive

:06:43. > :06:47.by-election campaign. My honourable friend makes an important point.

:06:48. > :06:50.There are parts of the country in Nottinghamshire, but also elsewhere

:06:51. > :06:57.that flooded during the course of 2013. They were not eligible for

:06:58. > :07:03.some of the payments that were made subsequent to the flooding, support

:07:04. > :07:08.for householders, farmers under the proposals. We are looking at whether

:07:09. > :07:10.we can put back to the beginning of the 2013 financial year the

:07:11. > :07:16.eligibility criteria for that flood work. I will look at it carefully

:07:17. > :07:18.and talk with my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for

:07:19. > :07:21.local government and communities, and see if we can resolve this issue

:07:22. > :07:43.for my honourable friend. which is a bit longer than normal.

:07:44. > :07:48.While it was taking place, there have been two developments in Iraq.

:07:49. > :07:50.The country's biggest oil refinery to the north-west of Baghdad is now

:07:51. > :07:53.in flames. The country's biggest oil refinery

:07:54. > :07:59.to the The militant tried to take it, they got part of it, Iraqi army

:08:00. > :08:03.helicopters have fought back. It looks like they have reclaim it, but

:08:04. > :08:11.it is at a cost of a huge part of the oil refinery. Secondly, the

:08:12. > :08:17.battle of Baghdad has not yet begun. But the battle of the Cooper is well

:08:18. > :08:24.underway, 40 miles to the north. The militants have taken huge chunks of

:08:25. > :08:28.that town and we understand the battle is raging there. If the

:08:29. > :08:35.militants take that town, the future of Baghdad could be next in line.

:08:36. > :08:40.Unlike last week when it didn't get a mention at all, the events in Iraq

:08:41. > :08:45.dominated the exchanges between the two frontbenchers. There is a

:08:46. > :08:50.bipartisan approach on this. The exchanges covered what the latest

:08:51. > :08:54.assessment was. The leader of the house went on to ask about what was

:08:55. > :08:58.happening to any British national fighting there and what we were

:08:59. > :09:06.going to do about that. It then came on to Iran in its role and the work

:09:07. > :09:10.Britain was doing to bring humanitarian aid to that troubled

:09:11. > :09:16.part of the world. Let's hear what you made of it all.

:09:17. > :09:22.Lots of response to the situation. Helen Manning says, hearing all the

:09:23. > :09:29.useless rhetoric about Iraq and Iran from Ed Miliband and David leaves me

:09:30. > :09:34.cold. From Tim, why doesn't the Government explain how we are

:09:35. > :09:39.threatened by the conflict? Paula Hendry said, the discussion across

:09:40. > :09:44.the dispatch box was refreshing. Both Mr Cameron and Mr Miliband had

:09:45. > :09:51.an adult interaction. This from Alec Aitken, I want all of the youths who

:09:52. > :10:04.have travelled to Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and to wait

:10:05. > :10:08.red flagged and anyone fighting in these countries should be exiled.

:10:09. > :10:14.Peter Clatworthy says the fact of the matter is if these sets want to

:10:15. > :10:18.redraw the boundaries in the Middle East and want to massacre each other

:10:19. > :10:24.in the process, there is nothing we can do about it, except at the level

:10:25. > :10:30.of the United Nations. There was a related question from the father of

:10:31. > :10:34.the house fairly early on which was about enacting powers of

:10:35. > :10:39.impeachment, not something you hear about very often. It is true the

:10:40. > :10:42.house still has those existing privileges of impeachment because

:10:43. > :10:48.they have to be formally abandoned for them to be obsolete. That would

:10:49. > :10:50.require legislation and no legislation has been introduced.

:10:51. > :10:50.Adam Price, legislation has been introduced.

:10:51. > :10:56.Adam a former MP, and ten other MPs Adam a former MP, and ten other

:10:57. > :10:59.including Alex Salmond, Boris Johnson and Nigel Evans declared an

:11:00. > :11:05.intention to table a motion calling for an impeachment of Tony Blair

:11:06. > :11:10.regarding the invasion of Iraq. It was tabled by Parliamentary

:11:11. > :11:15.authorities in November, 2004, but in the end was not debated in that

:11:16. > :11:18.session because the motion did not have precedence in terms of business

:11:19. > :11:23.of the house. It would be unlikely that Peter Tapsell would have any

:11:24. > :11:31.influence in terms of enacting the powers now, but they are there. The

:11:32. > :11:38.last case was in a team of six. American powers were derived from

:11:39. > :11:47.those powers. It was 1806. That is impressive. Other than that of the

:11:48. > :11:52.two frontbenchers can gather round some generalised statements, what

:11:53. > :11:58.did we learn today? We did not learn a great deal. There was what people

:11:59. > :12:03.may regard as a grown-up exchange of views on Iraq, but it highlighted

:12:04. > :12:07.that Britain's Road is pretty marginal. Ed Miliband's last

:12:08. > :12:14.question sound that up and he would say no bad thing. It is up to the

:12:15. > :12:20.people in the region to find a solution. That was in contrast to

:12:21. > :12:24.Peter Tapsell and the impeachment of Tony Blair. But we know the

:12:25. > :12:26.Americans are considering military action, but there was no mention of

:12:27. > :12:33.military action and whether we should block it or participate in

:12:34. > :12:40.it. There was talk about diplomacy and humanitarian aid which could be

:12:41. > :12:47.given another boost, ?5 million. And that new relationship if it becomes

:12:48. > :12:50.that with Iran. But I got the sense that it captured both the importance

:12:51. > :12:58.of the issue and the impotence of Britain. Throughout this particular

:12:59. > :13:01.dispute, particularly in Lebanon and then in Syria and now in Iraq this

:13:02. > :13:07.has not been just an issue for the people who live there, this has

:13:08. > :13:12.become a proxy war. This has become a proxy war which the Saudis, the

:13:13. > :13:19.Kuwaitis, Qatar and Iran have now got involved in. There are

:13:20. > :13:23.geopolitical implications. This is not just an issue which will be

:13:24. > :13:28.resolved by the people who live in these countries. Know, and the US

:13:29. > :13:30.resolved by the people who live in considering what it is going to do

:13:31. > :13:32.and William Hague was asked about that earlier in the week and said we

:13:33. > :13:36.would support what the that earlier in the week and said we

:13:37. > :13:39.were doing in the sense we would not get involved in it, but we

:13:40. > :13:44.were doing in the sense we would not back them up. Without knowing what

:13:45. > :13:49.they were going to do? The question raised there and in one of the

:13:50. > :13:53.e-mails was the question about the threat to Britain. The key thing is

:13:54. > :13:56.those British citizens who have gone to fight in those countries and

:13:57. > :14:04.making sure they do not come back radicalised. If we have information

:14:05. > :14:09.that someone has been out in the killing fields of northern Iraq,

:14:10. > :14:12.playing their part in that killing, they will now be pretty battle

:14:13. > :14:16.hardened and well-trained and we know there are coming back, put

:14:17. > :14:22.aside the issue of those we do not know, what should we do with that

:14:23. > :14:30.person? If they are a naturalised British citizen? Yes. If they were

:14:31. > :14:32.not born a British citizen the Home Secretary has powers to remove their

:14:33. > :14:39.citizenship and stop them coming back. We have used that power. If

:14:40. > :14:44.they are British citizens we do not have that option for, if they are

:14:45. > :14:49.born here, we should use our intelligence services to know about

:14:50. > :14:52.them. If they have committed criminal offences, and you heard the

:14:53. > :14:59.Prime Minister talking about making it an offence to do this abroad, we

:15:00. > :15:08.have to use our intelligence services. What does that mean? We

:15:09. > :15:11.have to understand if they are a threat. Clearly they are a threat if

:15:12. > :15:19.they have been in the killing Fields. What more of a sign do you

:15:20. > :15:24.want? We have to use our intelligence services. We need to

:15:25. > :15:30.focus on where the risk is highest. I would suggest that is the 400

:15:31. > :15:36.people out there now. It is a difficult problem. And it is a

:15:37. > :15:40.problem that all parties have grappled with. The current

:15:41. > :15:43.Government removed some of the controversial powers for tracking

:15:44. > :15:48.people and there is an issue about whether we have got the right powers

:15:49. > :15:54.and strength. But I think it is tremendously difficult when people

:15:55. > :15:57.come back. We have to engage in these communities and make sure

:15:58. > :16:04.radicalisation, to the extent that it happens, is challenge. It has

:16:05. > :16:09.already happened. These people are out there. In some of the ISIS

:16:10. > :16:15.videos you can hear North of England accent. Some of them are apparently

:16:16. > :16:19.doing the killing as well. A lot of people will think, watching this

:16:20. > :16:23.programme, whether it is legal or moral, a lot of people think if they

:16:24. > :16:28.attempt to come back in, they should not be allowed back in at all or

:16:29. > :16:32.they should be taken in and stuck in the slammer until we work out what

:16:33. > :16:36.to do with them. There are issues about whether we have the correct

:16:37. > :16:44.powers. You cannot do that without having the correct powers. Control

:16:45. > :16:47.orders? We were concerned about them being abolished. I think in the

:16:48. > :16:55.circumstances you have to be clear that you have the right powers. The

:16:56. > :16:58.fact is if there are 400, the worst-case 700 make their way back,

:16:59. > :17:03.incredibly well-trained and battle hardened and quite fearless, the

:17:04. > :17:11.idea that the security forces should just monitor them, my understanding

:17:12. > :17:15.is to keep on monitoring with our resources you need ten or 12 people

:17:16. > :17:21.a day from the security services to do that. We have not got these

:17:22. > :17:24.people. That is why we will have a revival about powers and so

:17:25. > :17:31.violence. In the Guardian there is an argument about what are the core

:17:32. > :17:36.powers of surveillance? Someone from the Home Office argued it was legal

:17:37. > :17:42.and rightly legal to scan e-mails of people who come from abroad. His

:17:43. > :17:48.argument was it was the only way you will pick up that noisy traffic. But

:17:49. > :17:52.the state does not have the resource to take named individuals and

:17:53. > :17:56.monitor them all. Others would say that is a breach of Civil

:17:57. > :18:02.Liberties. I think we will have a debate in Parliament. A new law

:18:03. > :18:08.planning a terrorist offence overseas is a new offence in itself

:18:09. > :18:12.is being planned. There will be control orders and a debate about

:18:13. > :18:17.electronic surveillance. Should be an offence to go and fight for

:18:18. > :18:22.another terrorist group? I think it should. I think going in and

:18:23. > :18:28.fighting already can be. I think the Prime Minister is thinking about the

:18:29. > :18:33.planning and preparation. If you have been abroad and you have been

:18:34. > :18:37.taking part, you may have committed offences already. He was talking

:18:38. > :18:42.about making sure the planning and preparation is also a crime.

:18:43. > :18:47.Surveillance is important. Security services have no interest in reading

:18:48. > :18:53.e-mails, but people use social media to plan and commit these offences.

:18:54. > :19:00.That is clear. I was speaking to a senior security guy recently who

:19:01. > :19:04.said he agreed with the assessment. That is if Edward Snowden has not

:19:05. > :19:08.already stopped us doing what we need to do. But there is a big

:19:09. > :19:12.counter argument they are having their hands tied behind their back

:19:13. > :19:19.at the very time the threat is increasing. I am sure this will not

:19:20. > :19:23.go away. Just before we move on, a Liberal Democrat minister has

:19:24. > :19:27.confirmed senior figures in the party are discussing whether they

:19:28. > :19:30.should back a referendum on Britain's membership of the European

:19:31. > :19:34.Union and we heard reports today the party had been due to discuss this

:19:35. > :19:37.at a meeting last night, but it is only a preliminary meeting, but this

:19:38. > :19:42.could change that policy. Now,

:19:43. > :19:44.Britain is a nation of dog lovers. We all know about Andrew

:19:45. > :19:46.and his Molly. But campaigners are trying to get

:19:47. > :19:49.the Government to change the law to ensure that the puppies we buy are

:19:50. > :19:52.not mass produced in puppy farms. They want to ensure that puppies are

:19:53. > :19:56.kept with their mothers and not sold via pet shops, newspaper ads,

:19:57. > :20:22.websites and private dealers. Here is TV vet Marc Abraham with

:20:23. > :20:29.his soapbox. Most of us lavish love on our pets. Zoe's owner certainly

:20:30. > :20:35.does, but Zoe still bears the scars on the first years of her life on a

:20:36. > :20:39.puppy farm. Unfortunately, if you buy a puppy without seeing its mum,

:20:40. > :20:42.for example at a pet shop, not only will you most likely be unwittingly

:20:43. > :20:46.contributing to a trade that is detrimental to dog welfare, but you

:20:47. > :20:54.will probably end up back in a place like this, with a very sick dog as

:20:55. > :21:01.well. Young puppies like these guys need their mums. But puppy farmers

:21:02. > :21:04.separate them far too early. They often also ignored guidelines about

:21:05. > :21:07.health testing, maximum frequency of litters, keeping them in poor

:21:08. > :21:13.conditions, failing to socialise them before selling them on without

:21:14. > :21:17.vaccination or worming. Put simply, at the farms like this, dogs are

:21:18. > :21:20.bred in large numbers with little care for their welfare, health or

:21:21. > :21:25.happiness in an effort to maximise profits. Poppy farmers often sell to

:21:26. > :21:28.pet shops, just one reason why it is such a bad idea to buy your new

:21:29. > :21:33.companion from such a place. They also use the party dealers,

:21:34. > :21:36.advertising newspapers and when selling directly will arrange to

:21:37. > :21:40.meet at places such as pubs or service station. This way you never

:21:41. > :21:44.see the conditions in which the puppies being bred. One of the

:21:45. > :21:49.simpler than most effective steps deeper can take to stamp out puppy

:21:50. > :21:53.farming is by banning the sale of puppies in pet shops. In this day

:21:54. > :21:57.and age, there is no justification for this practice. We need greater

:21:58. > :22:01.regulation and much better inspection of the breeders. It is

:22:02. > :22:04.time for local authorities to enforce guidelines that puppies are

:22:05. > :22:10.only sold when they are seen with their mother. Puppy farming is

:22:11. > :22:14.cruelty, and it is time to stop it. And Marc Abraham joins us now. How

:22:15. > :22:19.big a problem is this? How many puppy farms are there? Some are

:22:20. > :22:24.licensed, some are unlicensed, so it is impossible to give an exact

:22:25. > :22:28.figure, but there are enough to cause a huge overproduction of dogs

:22:29. > :22:31.in this country. We have puppies being produced on a massive, battery

:22:32. > :22:36.farming scale. And we have held the rescued dogs Ian Poulter sleep every

:22:37. > :22:41.day. This is not right in the 21st century -- we have rescued dogs who

:22:42. > :22:50.are healthy being put to sleep every day. There is demand, but it is the

:22:51. > :22:55.wrong demand. People are impulsive. They see celebrities with a French

:22:56. > :22:58.bulldog, and the puppy farmers are rubbing their hands. People do not

:22:59. > :23:03.go for the family pet that will last 15 years any more. People go for a

:23:04. > :23:07.pet that will look good in their handbag or on Facebook, and get rid

:23:08. > :23:12.of it in a year's time. They are not committing to pet ownership as they

:23:13. > :23:15.once used to. What can the government do? You talked about

:23:16. > :23:19.having guidelines to say that you cannot buy from an unlicensed puppy

:23:20. > :23:24.farm. Is that in place, or is it what you want? DEFRA's own

:23:25. > :23:26.guidelines say that you should always see the pop with the mum, yet

:23:27. > :23:30.they always see the pop with the mum, yet

:23:31. > :23:33.are not willing to enforce this. They are ignoring their own

:23:34. > :23:34.guidelines, which is crazy. Also, local authorities have the

:23:35. > :23:38.guidelines, which is crazy. Also, local authorities powers to amend

:23:39. > :23:44.those restrictions, yet in research we conduct did, over 50% came back

:23:45. > :23:48.saying they did not realise this. It is time for ministers to commit to

:23:49. > :23:54.something positive and say, let's stamp out puppy farming, look after

:23:55. > :23:59.the rescued dogs of this world and the responsibility of breeders.

:24:00. > :24:02.There should be a comprehensive solution to this. It is a growing

:24:03. > :24:09.robin, and many of the puppy farms in the UK -- many of the farms are

:24:10. > :24:17.in Wales and it is a growing problem. The government are looking

:24:18. > :24:24.at how to increase the requirements. The law is

:24:25. > :24:29.enforceable. Some of those pictures, I don't think those conditions would

:24:30. > :24:33.have asked any kind of welfare test by any licensed operator. Beneath to

:24:34. > :24:38.be a comprehensive solution. We need to see how the Welsh solutions work.

:24:39. > :24:43.It is something we ought to be looking at dealing with, because it

:24:44. > :24:49.is a serious problem. Shouldn't the pet shops just be told not to take

:24:50. > :24:56.these? It is already the case within the law that you have to have a. My

:24:57. > :24:58.own local authority just revoke the licence of two breeding

:24:59. > :25:04.establishments in my constituency, so they can take action. Local

:25:05. > :25:07.authorities have to enforce the law. They do inspections, and they can

:25:08. > :25:13.look at the conditions the dogs are in. We have to finish there. Thank

:25:14. > :25:18.you for bringing attention to this. People can go to our website for

:25:19. > :25:33.more information. Join the debate and the petition. Good luck.

:25:34. > :25:37.MPs work hard in their constituencies when they are not

:25:38. > :25:40.representing their constituents in Parliament, they are beavering away

:25:41. > :25:44.on the ground. But you know that. Helen Goodman is the MP for Bishop

:25:45. > :25:48.Auckland in County Durham, and in her constituency is a village called

:25:49. > :25:51.Ingleton. So when she gave a speech at the village fair, she thought she

:25:52. > :25:56.would drop in some local knowledge to show how in touch she is with the

:25:57. > :26:01.constituency. But there is another Ingleton, 70 miles away in North

:26:02. > :26:05.Yorkshire, and she mixed up the two. Locals were perplexed by the

:26:06. > :26:11.waterfalls and big caves she praised in her speech. I am not surprised!

:26:12. > :26:15.Luckily, we have two hard-working constituency MPs here today, and

:26:16. > :26:20.they could not possibly confuse towns in their constituencies with

:26:21. > :26:25.others, or could they? We thought we would find out. It is the

:26:26. > :26:35.constituency quiz. Let's start with you, Maria Eagle. Your constituency

:26:36. > :26:42.is Hales would -- Halewood. But there is also a blast in Watford so

:26:43. > :26:51.which Garston does the River corn run through? That is not mine.

:26:52. > :26:56.Correct. It is in Watford. And in which Garston did ask Ron Jeremiah

:26:57. > :27:03.Horrocks, who predicted the transit of Venus across the sun in 1639,

:27:04. > :27:08.live? I can't say I know the answer to that. We know Jak Jones was

:27:09. > :27:13.warning Garston. I am being told that all these questions are wrong,

:27:14. > :27:24.and we are just wasting our time. So let's not bother. I could tell you a

:27:25. > :27:29.lot about my constituency. I am told that your questions are incorrect.

:27:30. > :27:34.In my constituency, I have two villages, both called Staunton. So

:27:35. > :27:39.you have to be sure not to model them up. It was a good idea, but

:27:40. > :27:44.unfortunately, the research team have been redeployed to western

:27:45. > :27:52.Baghdad as I speak. Surely you would know if it was your constituency. If

:27:53. > :27:55.I get asked open things, I usually take the view that people do not

:27:56. > :28:01.want a long, complicated speech. They just want to thank the people

:28:02. > :28:06.that are there, and then get the thing going. The real danger is with

:28:07. > :28:11.boundary changes, when you suddenly get a chunk of land that did not

:28:12. > :28:16.choose to be yours. I apologise to the people of all these

:28:17. > :28:20.constituencies. Now, time to put you out of your

:28:21. > :28:25.misery, unlike me. I'm just going into mine.

:28:26. > :28:27.I will put you out of your misery in a minute! Here is the answer to

:28:28. > :28:34.guess the year. The year, which we often get to tell

:28:35. > :28:43.you, was 1999. I said 2000. At least, we hope it is 1999. Thank

:28:44. > :28:46.you, Maria. For pressing the buzzer. Colin Bates in Birmingham, well

:28:47. > :28:50.done. Thank you to all of our guests,

:28:51. > :28:55.particularly Maria and Mark. One o'clock is is now on BBC One. And

:28:56. > :28:57.unlike Jeremy Paxman, we are not taking early retirement. We will be

:28:58. > :29:02.back tomorrow. Bye-bye.