14/12/2016

:00:36. > :00:41.Intervenion has not been popular since Iraq.

:00:42. > :00:44.But is the carnage in Aleppo, the rise of Isis, the migration

:00:45. > :00:51.consequences for the West when it does not intervene?

:00:52. > :00:54.A deal to evacuate rebel fighters and civilians from Aleppo

:00:55. > :00:56.appears to have stalled, with heavy shelling reported

:00:57. > :01:04.But, as the siege comes to a bloody end, is it time for Britain

:01:05. > :01:09.and other Western powers to rethink their global role?

:01:10. > :01:12.Strikes on the railways, strikes in post offices,

:01:13. > :01:19.Are we heading for another winter of discontent?

:01:20. > :01:21.The Prime Minister may well have a spring in her step

:01:22. > :01:25.as she goes in to the final PMQs of the year, with new figures this

:01:26. > :01:27.morning showing a fall in unemployment and a rise

:01:28. > :01:35.The newest member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee,

:01:36. > :01:38.Philip Davies, and the co-leader of the Green Party, Caroline Lucas,

:01:39. > :01:57.All that in the next hour and a half, and with us

:01:58. > :02:00.for the whole of the programme today are the Work and Pensions

:02:01. > :02:02.Minister Penny Mordaunt, and the Shadow Transport Secretary

:02:03. > :02:06.Now, the planned evacuation of injured civilians and defeated

:02:07. > :02:09.Syrian rebels from eastern Aleppo has been delayed and there

:02:10. > :02:11.are reports of a resumption of fighting in the city.

:02:12. > :02:14.A ceasefire was declared in Aleppo yesterday in order to allow

:02:15. > :02:21.civilians and injured rebels to evacuate.

:02:22. > :02:27.It was overseen by Russia and Turkey.

:02:28. > :02:30.Government buses were brought in to rebel areas this morning

:02:31. > :02:32.but they are now reported to have left.

:02:33. > :02:36.Opposition sources have suggested that Shia militias loyal

:02:37. > :02:38.to President Assad had been blocking people from leaving.

:02:39. > :02:40.And fresh fighting will dash hopes for those civilians

:02:41. > :02:46.In recent days, though, hundreds of civilians have crossed

:02:47. > :02:49.from the remaining rebel-held areas in the east of Aleppo

:02:50. > :02:53.to government-controlled areas in the west of the city.

:02:54. > :02:59.Yesterday, the United Nations claimed that pro-government forces

:03:00. > :03:01.had been killing people, including women and children,

:03:02. > :03:09.on the spot in their homes and on the street.

:03:10. > :03:17.The UN human rights office said they had seen reports

:03:18. > :03:20.of up to 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children,

:03:21. > :03:24.being executed in the days running up to yesterday's ceasefire.

:03:25. > :03:27.Of course, these reports are as yet unconfirmed, although the UN has

:03:28. > :03:32.made them. Yesterday, MPs were granted

:03:33. > :03:33.an emergency debate It included a notable

:03:34. > :03:37.contribution from the former Chancellor George Osborne -

:03:38. > :03:38.his first speech from I think we are deceiving

:03:39. > :03:44.ourselves in this Parliament, if we believe that we have no

:03:45. > :03:47.responsibility for what has The tragedy in Aleppo did not

:03:48. > :03:55.come out of a vacuum. Of American leadership,

:03:56. > :04:02.British leadership. I take responsibility,

:04:03. > :04:05.as someone who sat on the National Security Council

:04:06. > :04:08.throughout those years. Parliament should take its

:04:09. > :04:15.responsibility because of what it prevented being done

:04:16. > :04:16.and there were multiple Once this House, the Commons,

:04:17. > :04:21.took its decision, it I believe it did have an impact

:04:22. > :04:24.on American politics. and then think our decisions have no

:04:25. > :04:32.impact on the rest of the world. I think it did cause a delay

:04:33. > :04:35.in the administration's action. It did cause Congress

:04:36. > :04:38.to get cold feet. Tens of thousands of people have

:04:39. > :04:44.been killed as a result. Millions of refugees have been sent

:04:45. > :04:50.from their homes across the world. We have allowed a terrorist state

:04:51. > :05:00.to emerge, in the form of Isis, Key Allies like Lebanon

:05:01. > :05:04.and Jordan are destabilised. The refugee crisis has transformed

:05:05. > :05:06.the politics of Europe, allowed fascism to rise

:05:07. > :05:08.in Eastern Europe, created extremist parties in Western Europe

:05:09. > :05:12.and Russia, for the first time since Henry Kissinger kicked them

:05:13. > :05:16.out of the Middle East in the 1970s, is back as the decisive player

:05:17. > :05:20.in that region. That is the price

:05:21. > :05:31.of not intervening. George Osborne in the House of

:05:32. > :05:35.Commons yesterday. Penny Mordaunt, do you agree with Mr Osborne that

:05:36. > :05:39.what is happening in Aleppo and other things are a result of what he

:05:40. > :05:44.called a vacuum of Western leadership, which London must share?

:05:45. > :05:49.Well, ultimately the responsibility for what's going on lies with Assad

:05:50. > :05:54.and with his supporters but I think that George is right that Parliament

:05:55. > :06:01.has to do take responsibility for the consequences of the decision

:06:02. > :06:06.that it took back in 2013. There were consequences to that. We didn't

:06:07. > :06:13.just do nothing, we gave a green light to Assad to proceed with the

:06:14. > :06:19.atrocities that he was committing and we, at that moment, lost any

:06:20. > :06:24.ability to influence our American allies in getting involved. More

:06:25. > :06:29.than that, you did influence the American allies. When they saw the

:06:30. > :06:32.House of Commons voting against any intervention, President Obama

:06:33. > :06:36.immediately changed his position and sided with the British House of

:06:37. > :06:42.Commons. And people sometimes think that that vote was a vote about

:06:43. > :06:45.going to war. It wasn't. What it did was take the option of military

:06:46. > :06:53.force off the table and that was a grave error. You were one of the 220

:06:54. > :06:58.Labour MPs who voted against the government on Syria. Do you regret

:06:59. > :07:01.that now? No, I don't talk when you were talking about intervention, we

:07:02. > :07:05.got to describe what that intervention would be and how it

:07:06. > :07:10.would secure an improvement in the situation, and Labour quite rightly,

:07:11. > :07:16.in my view, tried to set up a framework to identify the criteria

:07:17. > :07:20.by which intervention would be justified unsuccessful. What was the

:07:21. > :07:23.main element of a? That you know what the objective is going to be,

:07:24. > :07:27.who we are trying to get rid of, who we would replace it with and who we

:07:28. > :07:31.were going to bomb. And what were the main objectives behind the

:07:32. > :07:35.government motion? It didn't commit us to any specific action. It

:07:36. > :07:39.condemned the use of chemical weapons, which was what a sad was

:07:40. > :07:45.doing against his own people, in that week, against a school. It kept

:07:46. > :07:49.the option open for military force and it was our chance to say, don't

:07:50. > :07:54.do these things, we know where you're heading, don't do them. We

:07:55. > :07:57.lost that opportunity. You lost the vote but why did you then

:07:58. > :08:01.effectively give up? Couldn't you, as events on the ground took several

:08:02. > :08:06.turns for the worse, have returned to this issue in the Commons? The

:08:07. > :08:11.Prime Minister did not want to go back to the Commons until he was

:08:12. > :08:16.confident he was going to win the vote and during part of this time, I

:08:17. > :08:21.was Minister of State for the Armed Forces and spent many hours with

:08:22. > :08:26.some of our generals sitting down, sometimes on a one-to-one basis,

:08:27. > :08:29.with Labour MPs, some of which were in tears during the conversation

:08:30. > :08:34.because it was a very difficult subject for them. Trying to persuade

:08:35. > :08:38.them, trying to methodically go through what would be the

:08:39. > :08:42.consequences of doing one thing or another. It was at the point where

:08:43. > :08:48.we knew we had that support from, I have to say, some very brave Labour

:08:49. > :08:50.MPs who were facing, at the time, incredible intimidation not to

:08:51. > :08:56.support the government, that we were able to take it back to the floor of

:08:57. > :08:59.the House. One of those MPs was John Woodcock, chairman of the Labour

:09:00. > :09:01.backbench defence committee. Let's have a look at what he had to say in

:09:02. > :09:08.the debate. I still feel sick at the idea

:09:09. > :09:12.of the then Leader of the Opposition going from that vote,

:09:13. > :09:14.into the whip's office, and congratulating himself and them

:09:15. > :09:16.on "stopping a war." Well, look what is happening today

:09:17. > :09:29.and look what's happened over What do you say to that? The motion

:09:30. > :09:31.is predicated on the basis that if we doubted we would have secured an

:09:32. > :09:35.improvement in the situation and there is some causative link being

:09:36. > :09:39.made between this vote in the House of Commons and the subsequent

:09:40. > :09:45.slaughter in Syria. What could be worse than the situation at the

:09:46. > :09:49.moment? That we do not know. I think Patrick Cockburn described Syria as

:09:50. > :09:53.3-D chess with nine players and no rules. It is hard to imagine

:09:54. > :10:00.anything worse, isn't it? It certainly is. Ed Miliband played a

:10:01. > :10:05.major part, indeed celebrated, the defeat of the government in that

:10:06. > :10:12.famous motion in 2013, and yet didn't turn up yesterday. Well, I've

:10:13. > :10:18.no reason why he wasn't there yesterday. I wouldn't suggest that

:10:19. > :10:22.there was some sort of celebration on an important issue. I know John

:10:23. > :10:25.said that but he's got his own views on this. I do remember Douglas

:10:26. > :10:31.Alexander was very sombre about the whole process. Emily Thornberry, who

:10:32. > :10:36.I think also voted against the motion in 2013, is now calling to

:10:37. > :10:42.get aid. She's calling for the use of unmanned drones. I'm not sure

:10:43. > :10:46.what drones are not unmanned. I think by definition a drone is not

:10:47. > :10:50.manned or it would be an aircraft. I think what she's talking about our

:10:51. > :10:55.drones that can carry cargo. How many of these drones do we have? I

:10:56. > :11:01.don't know the answer to that. We can't do that. We don't have these

:11:02. > :11:06.drones, do we? Not to deliver packages of age. We don't have cargo

:11:07. > :11:10.carrying drones? You might have thought the Shadow Foreign Secretary

:11:11. > :11:13.might object that first. That is the need to be addressed. You either

:11:14. > :11:18.address them by cargo planes, if they can be secured. How could you

:11:19. > :11:23.put a British cargo plane over Aleppo when the Russians on the

:11:24. > :11:29.Syrians are surrounding the area with missiles? Are you going to

:11:30. > :11:32.pilot that? Absolutely not. It is the right point. It can only be done

:11:33. > :11:37.if the situation has been secured and that has been agreed that those

:11:38. > :11:43.cargo planes can access. I accept entirely that, as we speak right

:11:44. > :11:46.now, that has got to be... She also called for the use of GPS guided

:11:47. > :11:51.parachutes. These are parachutes that are dropped out from very high

:11:52. > :11:58.altitude planes that may avoid the SAM missile, but I'm not sure, and

:11:59. > :12:02.you can then, with the digital technology, helped to guide where

:12:03. > :12:08.the parish of my client. How many GPS guided parachutes do we have? I

:12:09. > :12:13.don't know. We can't do that. That is not an option. We don't have any.

:12:14. > :12:19.So the Shadow Foreign Secretary calls for two things to be done,

:12:20. > :12:22.neither of which the UK has the capability to do. You criticise the

:12:23. > :12:26.Government. Is it not incumbent on the Shadow Foreign Secretary to find

:12:27. > :12:29.out what she's talking about? It's incumbent on us all to try to

:12:30. > :12:33.encourage the circumstances where we can get aid supplies into this

:12:34. > :12:37.dreadfully stressed area, where people are absolutely desperate, by

:12:38. > :12:41.whatever means, but clearly that's got to be by diplomatic pressure and

:12:42. > :12:46.agreement, to make sure that there is a safe and secure area for that

:12:47. > :12:49.to happen. Have you followed Secretary of State Kerry's schedule

:12:50. > :12:54.in recent months? Nobody could have done more to try and bring this...

:12:55. > :13:00.He's never off the plane. He's in a different time zone every week. Is

:13:01. > :13:05.it credible that the Russians and the Syrians, given that we know how

:13:06. > :13:11.they behave, from Chechnya to how Syria was even before the Civil War

:13:12. > :13:16.broke out, that they will facilitate humanitarian aid to people they want

:13:17. > :13:22.to destroy? Absolutely, and even... The Russians have signed up to a UN

:13:23. > :13:27.resolution saying that they will do this but it is absolutely the case

:13:28. > :13:32.that they have consistently prevented aid from getting through

:13:33. > :13:37.and they are using starvation as a weapon of war against their own

:13:38. > :13:43.civilian population. Rather than hand-wringing, shouldn't the British

:13:44. > :13:47.Government just admit that, given decisions taken in the past, it is

:13:48. > :13:51.pretty powerless to do anything? Of course it can urged to dramatic

:13:52. > :13:55.initiatives but as long as China and Russia can control the security

:13:56. > :13:58.council, that can't happen, America can't make it happen. We should

:13:59. > :14:05.admit our strategy, which was to get rid of Assad, has failed. Well, I

:14:06. > :14:10.think that the opportunities that we had to avoid what's happening - and,

:14:11. > :14:17.of course, we can't take the blame away from Assad and his supporters -

:14:18. > :14:22.but yes, we have missed opportunities to try and mitigate

:14:23. > :14:27.this and we now have very few options, other than the immense

:14:28. > :14:35.diplomatic efforts that are being made. OK, what do you make of the

:14:36. > :14:39.Morning Star's front page quoting the liberation of Aleppo. That was a

:14:40. > :14:40.huge error, and it was ill judged. It shouldn't have been expressed in

:14:41. > :14:43.that way. Thank you for that. Southern Rail passengers face

:14:44. > :14:46.a second day of chaos on the network due to an ongoing strike

:14:47. > :14:48.by train drivers. However, talks between the company

:14:49. > :14:51.and the unions are being held today to try to bring an end

:14:52. > :14:53.to the dispute. Another 24-hour stoppage is due

:14:54. > :14:57.to take place on Friday. But it's not just rail commuters

:14:58. > :14:59.who are being affected We're a long way from a winter

:15:00. > :15:09.of discontent, but a string of strikes are due to arrive just

:15:10. > :15:12.in time for Christmas. Today is the second of three days

:15:13. > :15:17.of strike action by the Aslef train hundreds of thousands of passengers

:15:18. > :15:23.on Southern Rail services. The RMT union is due to stage

:15:24. > :15:26.further walk-outs next week. Post Office workers will also stage

:15:27. > :15:29.five days of walk-outs from Monday in a dispute over jobs,

:15:30. > :15:32.pensions and branch closures. And the Unite Union announced

:15:33. > :15:37.yesterday that Argos delivery drivers at its key

:15:38. > :15:40.distribution centre will also strike for three days

:15:41. > :15:43.from the 20th December. New figures out today show the UK

:15:44. > :15:49.has lost 304,000 working days to strikes in the 12 months

:15:50. > :15:53.to October this year. That's less than the average

:15:54. > :15:57.over the past 20 years, when around half a million working

:15:58. > :15:59.days have been lost And it's just a fraction

:16:00. > :16:11.of the 29 million working days lost So is there anything

:16:12. > :16:14.the Government can do? The Conservatives have already

:16:15. > :16:16.passed the Trade Union Act - delivering their manifesto pledge

:16:17. > :16:20.to introduce minimum turnouts and tougher thresholds for strikes

:16:21. > :16:23.in essential public services. Could ministers go further

:16:24. > :16:29.by changing the law to ban strikes or require minimum levels of service

:16:30. > :16:33.when industrial action takes place? Transport Secretary Chris Grayling

:16:34. > :16:46.said yesterday that he would rule Penny more dant. What did that mean,

:16:47. > :16:49.do you think? Chris Grayling hinting yesterday that the Government may

:16:50. > :16:53.look at changing the law on strike action? Is that something the

:16:54. > :16:58.Government is now seriously considering? Well, as you heard,

:16:59. > :17:02.he's not ruled anything out. No doubt he will be working through

:17:03. > :17:08.what those options might be. I think we are in a new territory with

:17:09. > :17:12.regard to the rail strike. I think that passengers have put up with

:17:13. > :17:19.this for a long period of time and it has been extreme. And the

:17:20. > :17:23.situation that has led to the strike, I think, is not justifiable.

:17:24. > :17:27.No-one is losing a job. Right. You are blaming the unions, clearly,

:17:28. > :17:32.rather than the company in this. But would it be warranted to change the

:17:33. > :17:39.law, in terms of perhaps banning strikes by railway drivers? I think

:17:40. > :17:43.that where you have a situation where a strike is not justifiable,

:17:44. > :17:48.where you haven't met those thresholds. But they have met the

:17:49. > :17:53.thresholds. The point about this, if you look at the figures I quoted.

:17:54. > :18:00.The level of industrial unrest historically, is pretty low and the

:18:01. > :18:03.strike action on Southern Ray, it followed a -- on Southern Rail, it

:18:04. > :18:08.was legal, it met the threshold, what do you mean - in cases that are

:18:09. > :18:13.not justifial. I think what we have seen is so bad, so detrimental,

:18:14. > :18:16.people losing jobs because they cannot continue their role.

:18:17. > :18:20.Commuters even contemplating bringing in their own train in order

:18:21. > :18:24.to get them to work. It is extreme stuff. So I do think it is worth

:18:25. > :18:30.looking at the issues. What is it you want to look at? That's the

:18:31. > :18:33.point. I understand your sentiment. You have said just there "it is

:18:34. > :18:38.worth looking at the law." What would you change to stop the strike

:18:39. > :18:41.happening? Well, there is nothing on the cards being announced by the

:18:42. > :18:45.Department for Transport as yet. But I think we do need to recognise that

:18:46. > :18:48.the public has had enough. They are fed up of this. I have great

:18:49. > :18:53.sympathy. My constituents are affected by this. We really do need

:18:54. > :18:56.to look at protecting them. Interestingly, it's not - the

:18:57. > :19:01.situation on Southern is not just the issue around the union, there

:19:02. > :19:04.was some issues around the infrastructure that the company was

:19:05. > :19:07.managing which the Department for Transport has moved to address.

:19:08. > :19:11.There are hints there that the law is going to be changed to try to

:19:12. > :19:15.prevent this sort of strike happening, do you agree with Penny

:19:16. > :19:20.it has gone on too longs it is unfair on the commuters and that the

:19:21. > :19:23.unions are to blame I agree it has gone on too long and people are

:19:24. > :19:28.suffering greatly as a result but I am delighted that at long last,

:19:29. > :19:32.dragged kicking and screaming, Chris Grayling is at ACAS today. It is the

:19:33. > :19:35.very thing we have been asking for, unconditional discussions. But Chris

:19:36. > :19:39.Grayling has a habit of saying this, if he doesn't like the outcome, he

:19:40. > :19:46.takes more and more Draconian steps. To suggest you go down the path of

:19:47. > :19:49.starting to ban strikes in a company that compares very favourably with

:19:50. > :19:55.European counter-Nats terms of industrial action. -- counterparts.

:19:56. > :20:02.Do you think he will do that Well he is not ruling it out. That's his

:20:03. > :20:06.position, for him to deny people the ability to withdraw their labour is

:20:07. > :20:10.a Draconian step a slippery slope. It won't work, that's for sure. The

:20:11. > :20:19.response would be - there would be great outcry. Do you support the

:20:20. > :20:24.strike by Aslef on Southern? It is about a critical safety issue. I

:20:25. > :20:31.support. I'm asking if you support it. Absolutely. It is highlighting a

:20:32. > :20:34.hugely important issue that's being dismissed continuously and relegated

:20:35. > :20:38.and denigrated to a discussion about buttons. Can you tell me how many

:20:39. > :20:41.accidents have been on those trains which are driver-only operated, as

:20:42. > :20:46.opposed to having the driver and the guard? Out with the Croydon

:20:47. > :20:50.incident, we have - there are ten ongoing investigations with the rail

:20:51. > :20:54.accident investigation branch... Who to do with the doors? Eight are

:20:55. > :21:00.directly-connected with driver-only operational activities. Right. So

:21:01. > :21:03.there is a real safety concern. I mean, we've had Government ministers

:21:04. > :21:10.dismissing the issue of safety that has been put forward by Aslef. Well,

:21:11. > :21:14.that speaks for it, doesn't it? The body that looks at safety on the

:21:15. > :21:17.railway has said it is not a safety issue. And also, where you have

:21:18. > :21:21.Southern services that currently have a second person on the train,

:21:22. > :21:25.you are still going to have that. You are still going to have that.

:21:26. > :21:28.So, for example, if a passenger needs assistance. So, it is not the

:21:29. > :21:32.case that that is not going to happen or anyone is losing their

:21:33. > :21:36.jobs and the body that is charged with looking at safety on the

:21:37. > :21:42.railway says there is no issue around this change. Right. That's

:21:43. > :21:45.how trains are operating elsewhere. There are 30% of trains on these

:21:46. > :21:49.lines that are driver-only operated. Well, what's wrong with them? If

:21:50. > :21:53.they work and operate perfectly well. What is eight problem with

:21:54. > :21:57.having them on other lines? When you have something where you have

:21:58. > :22:01.problems with, you deal with it. We used to chuff children up chimneys

:22:02. > :22:07.and we stopped it because we didn't think it was a very good idea. Are

:22:08. > :22:14.you comparing that? When you see a lady being dragged down the platform

:22:15. > :22:20.and she sustained life-changing issues. And that was with a

:22:21. > :22:23.driver-only train. Well, you have a driver with the responsibility of

:22:24. > :22:28.looking at 12 screens, the size of mobile phones, and we are saying

:22:29. > :22:31.take on the responsibility... Why did the boss of Aslef support

:22:32. > :22:34.driver-only operated trains on Thameslink? It is horses for

:22:35. > :22:40.courses. If you have different circumstances. Why did he support

:22:41. > :22:44.it? If it is such a big safety issue and I take the point there have been

:22:45. > :22:49.these instances perhaps without the guard you cannot see up and down the

:22:50. > :22:53.train in the same way if you have a guard and driver, why did the boss

:22:54. > :22:58.of Aslef give it the go-ahead on Thameslink? Well, it is horses for

:22:59. > :23:02.courses. What does that mean? Well I will explain, if you have 12

:23:03. > :23:05.carriages coming out of Victoria and curved platforms where drivers

:23:06. > :23:09.simply cannot see, they don't have full vision, we have all seen the

:23:10. > :23:13.hundreds of people on those platforms, it is a dangerous

:23:14. > :23:20.environment. That wasn't the case on Thameslink. Mick will speak for

:23:21. > :23:24.himself -- Mick will have to speak for that, I don't know the answer.

:23:25. > :23:28.But I'm trying to explain to you, this is the safety-critical issue at

:23:29. > :23:33.the heart of the matter now at arbitration.

:23:34. > :23:37.Can I just ask. Why is it then that Her Majesty's Chief Inspectorate of

:23:38. > :23:40.Rail wanes the rail accident investigation branch, say they have

:23:41. > :23:46.no safety concerns for driver-only operated trains? And then why is it

:23:47. > :23:49.that the rail safety Standards Board said while there is nothing

:23:50. > :23:52.inherently wrong with the mechanism, what they did say it s it makes an

:23:53. > :23:57.accident more likely to happen and if it does happen, it will be

:23:58. > :24:00.severe. Now, I take that in terms of risk assessment, as sufficient

:24:01. > :24:05.notice that something can happen and it has happened and we can readily

:24:06. > :24:07.see this. Who is going to bear responsibility if somebody is badly

:24:08. > :24:12.injured in these circumstances? The driver, we are asking too much. Can

:24:13. > :24:20.I ask Penny, would you support a ban on strikes of this kind? I would be

:24:21. > :24:23.reluctant to do anything that would infringe on someone's ability to

:24:24. > :24:29.withdraw their labour. I think we need to see how those new

:24:30. > :24:33.regulations, when they come into affect work. But, in situations like

:24:34. > :24:38.this, it is clear that perhaps more needs to be done. Like a ban. The

:24:39. > :24:40.public I think have had enough. And I think we are right to look at

:24:41. > :24:45.these issues. All right. Now, have you heard the one

:24:46. > :24:48.about Ukip's Christmas party? Why are Jeremy Corbyn's Christmas

:24:49. > :24:58.cards on the floor? And, what is David Cameron's

:24:59. > :25:01.favourite Christmas song. Yes, it's that time of year

:25:02. > :25:13.for bad cracker jokes and me and Jo Co have been writing

:25:14. > :25:15.them all year. Sadly, they all got rejected,

:25:16. > :25:18.so these come courtesy of Twitter, from where TV channel UK Gold has

:25:19. > :25:21.compiled the best list But, forget about

:25:22. > :25:23.Christmas crackers. We all know that there's only one

:25:24. > :25:26.thing that matters this yuletide. And that's what's wrapped

:25:27. > :25:28.under your Christmas tree. Shoppers are falling over themselves

:25:29. > :25:31.to get their hands on this year's But all the gold,

:25:32. > :25:38.frankincense and myrrh Yes, it's time for our

:25:39. > :25:45.Guess the Year contest. Just tell us which

:25:46. > :25:47.year this happened. A warning - this does

:25:48. > :25:54.contain flash photography. # Will she know how

:25:55. > :26:06.much I loved her? # We've got a little

:26:07. > :26:21.world of our own #. This disease that has changed

:26:22. > :26:23.an industry finally defeated. # I don't want to run away

:26:24. > :26:29.but I can't take it #. I'd like to again sincerely

:26:30. > :26:32.apologise for the huge offence that # Why does my heart

:26:33. > :26:42.tell me that I am #. The bed shook, my husband

:26:43. > :26:48.jumped out of bed, panicked, he ran out,

:26:49. > :26:50.I jumped up and we thought, # Round, round, baby, round,

:26:51. > :26:58.round # And we'll ride still fired

:26:59. > :27:07.on the beach down low # I don't need nobody,

:27:08. > :27:10.got my honeys when I go # Round, baby, round,

:27:11. > :27:13.round, spinning out on me # I don't need no man,

:27:14. > :27:23.got my kicks for free #. To be in with a chance of winning

:27:24. > :27:26.a Daily Politics' mug, send your answer to our special

:27:27. > :27:28.quiz email address. Entries must arrive by 12.30 today,

:27:29. > :27:33.and you can see the full terms and conditions for Guess

:27:34. > :27:35.The Year on our website. That can mean only one thing - Prime

:27:36. > :28:00.Minister's Questions is on its way. We are going to talk about the

:28:01. > :28:04.unemployment figures and social care development. Another decent set of

:28:05. > :28:09.unemployment and even average earnings figures for the Government

:28:10. > :28:13.Indeed and relief I think again in the post-referendum world that they

:28:14. > :28:17.are not seeing signs, so far, of what many people warned of before

:28:18. > :28:21.the vote. And I think, certainly, particularly in the Treasury, I

:28:22. > :28:26.think there is a view that at some point this will come to pass. Maybe

:28:27. > :28:30.they want to be proven right because they made so many dire predictions.

:28:31. > :28:34.Also, there is the situation that the Chancellor, we know, is more

:28:35. > :28:40.interested in a deal that is with the rest of the EU that's more like

:28:41. > :28:44.the current system we have now. Close to the status quo and if there

:28:45. > :28:50.are political consequences that happen, that may make his case. Far

:28:51. > :28:53.be it from me to suggest that the Chancellor wants the economy to

:28:54. > :28:55.suffer, but there is a difference between political convenience and

:28:56. > :28:59.holding their breath in anticipation of things going wrong and the

:29:00. > :29:03.evidence is not suggesting that right at this stage. The thing to

:29:04. > :29:09.watch will be the inflation average earnings figures. The misery gap.

:29:10. > :29:12.Inflation was up to 1.2% on the CPI measure but average earnings, I

:29:13. > :29:18.forget whether it includes bonuses or not, they go to 2.6, so double

:29:19. > :29:23.Exactly. But inflation could catch up and will average earnings go

:29:24. > :29:27.ahead and go 3% or not? The expectation is that there will be,

:29:28. > :29:31.what some people call the misery gap, if you feel more and more skint

:29:32. > :29:35.every year, we saw that for a long time during the years of the crash.

:29:36. > :29:38.That hits consumer spending And therefore, hits politics. The

:29:39. > :29:42.Government has been criticised for being slow to recognise the maybe

:29:43. > :29:47."crisis" is not too strong a word, developing in social care there.

:29:48. > :29:50.Have been developments on that, too? There have and last week we were

:29:51. > :29:55.discussing that this had been left out of the Autumn Statement. No

:29:56. > :29:57.mention. But the local Government settlement, the amount to councils

:29:58. > :30:00.have not been settled that. Is now officially done, it will be

:30:01. > :30:05.announced tomorrow but we know, now, that what the Government is going to

:30:06. > :30:09.do is not give extra cash to social care, which many people say

:30:10. > :30:14.absolutely has to happen but they will allow councils to increase

:30:15. > :30:19.council tax bills by up to 3% for the next two years... Per year Per

:30:20. > :30:23.year. Instead of, what they were going to be allowed to do, to

:30:24. > :30:27.increase it by up to 2%, for three years in a row. So what they are

:30:28. > :30:31.going to do is allow councils to increase council tax bills a bit

:30:32. > :30:36.more in the next couple of years to try to plug the gap but it is not

:30:37. > :30:38.actually extra cash and most people say that's desperately needed. It

:30:39. > :30:48.may well come up to This I had the ministerial

:30:49. > :30:51.colleagues and others in addition to my duties in this House, and I shall

:30:52. > :30:56.have further such meetings later today to talk can I take the

:30:57. > :31:04.opportunity to wish you, Mr Speaker, and all members of the House a merry

:31:05. > :31:09.Christmas. In the light of the Foreign Secretary's display of

:31:10. > :31:17.chronic foot in mouth disease, when deciding on cabinet positions, does

:31:18. > :31:20.the Prime Minister now regret that placing F O by his name should have

:31:21. > :31:28.been an instruction, not a job offer?

:31:29. > :31:34.LAUGHTER Mr...

:31:35. > :31:38.LAUGHTER Order! There is far too much noise

:31:39. > :31:43.in the chamber. We've heard the question but I want to hear the

:31:44. > :31:47.Prime Minister's answer. Thank you, Mr Speaker. First of all, I join the

:31:48. > :31:52.honourable gentleman in wishing everybody happy Christmas. I will,

:31:53. > :31:55.of course, have an opportunity to do that on Monday when I'm sure the

:31:56. > :32:01.House will be as full for the Senate on the European council meeting.

:32:02. > :32:06.LAUGHTER -- statement on the European council

:32:07. > :32:15.meeting. I have to say that the Foreign Secretary is doing an

:32:16. > :32:28.absolutely excellent job. He is, in short, and F F S, a finer Foreign

:32:29. > :32:32.Secretary. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Maistre constituency has a really

:32:33. > :32:39.bright future ahead... I want to hear the voice of Cannock Chase!

:32:40. > :32:43.Thank you. Rugeley has a really bright future ahead but only if we

:32:44. > :32:48.are ambitious, bold and visionary in our redevelopment plans. Will my

:32:49. > :32:53.right honourable friend outline how the Government's industrial strategy

:32:54. > :32:57.can create the conditions which will help us build a sustainable local

:32:58. > :33:02.economy and highly skilled jobs for future generations? She is

:33:03. > :33:08.absolutely right that communities across this country have a bright

:33:09. > :33:12.future ahead of them, but we need to ensure that we create the conditions

:33:13. > :33:15.that future. That's why we will be producing a modern industrial

:33:16. > :33:20.strategy that will show how we can encourage strategic strengths of the

:33:21. > :33:25.UK, deal with our underlying weaknesses. It will enable companies

:33:26. > :33:29.to grow, to invest in the UK, to provide those jobs for the future,

:33:30. > :33:32.but we also need to make sure that that prosperity is spread across the

:33:33. > :33:43.whole of the UK and is prosperity for everyone. Jeremy Corbyn. Thank

:33:44. > :33:46.you, Mr Speaker. That I start by wishing yourself, Mr Speaker, and

:33:47. > :33:48.all members of the House and everyone who works in the House a

:33:49. > :33:53.very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Sadly, Mr

:33:54. > :33:58.Speaker, our late colleague Jo Cox will not be celebrating Christmas

:33:59. > :34:02.this year with her family. She was murdered and taken from us. So I

:34:03. > :34:08.hope the Prime Minister - I'm sure she will - will join me in

:34:09. > :34:13.encouraging people to download the song which many members helped to

:34:14. > :34:17.create as a tribute to Jo's life and work and in everlasting memory of

:34:18. > :34:21.her. The right honourable gentleman is absolutely right to raise this

:34:22. > :34:25.issue. I'm sure everybody in this House, we should send a very clear

:34:26. > :34:29.message, download this single for the Jo Cox foundation. It is a very

:34:30. > :34:33.important cause and we all recognise that Jo Cox was a fine member of

:34:34. > :34:37.this House and would have carried on contributing significantly to this

:34:38. > :34:41.House and to this country, had she not been brutally murdered. I think

:34:42. > :34:48.the Chancellor is waving the VAT on this single. Everybody involved and

:34:49. > :34:54.it gave their services for free. I am having a photograph with them

:34:55. > :35:00.later this afternoon. LAUGHTER

:35:01. > :35:05.and, once again, let's just encourage everybody to download the

:35:06. > :35:14.single. The Prime Minister was of course referring, for the benefit of

:35:15. > :35:20.those referring outside, to the Parliamentary Rock band MP4. I

:35:21. > :35:27.applaud the work of MP4 but for the benefit of their quality, I am not a

:35:28. > :35:31.member of it! I thank her for that answer. Social care is crucial. It

:35:32. > :35:38.provides support for people to live with dignity. Yet Age UK research

:35:39. > :35:43.has found that 1.2 million older people are currently not receiving

:35:44. > :35:51.the care that they need. Will the Prime Minister AXA is a crisis in

:35:52. > :35:54.social care? -- is a crisis. Government I have consistently said

:35:55. > :35:58.that we recognise the pressures on social care so it might be helpful

:35:59. > :36:04.if I set out what the government is doing in social care. We recognise

:36:05. > :36:07.the precious. That is why the government is putting more money

:36:08. > :36:10.into social care and at the end of this Parliament, that will be

:36:11. > :36:14.billions of pounds extra. We have enabled the social care precept for

:36:15. > :36:19.local authorities. We recognise that there are immediate pressures on

:36:20. > :36:22.social care, that's why this will be addressed by my right honourable

:36:23. > :36:26.friend, the Secretary of State for communities and local and in the

:36:27. > :36:31.local government finance settlement tomorrow. But we also recognise that

:36:32. > :36:36.this is not just about money, it is about delivery. There was a

:36:37. > :36:39.difference in delivery across the country. We need to make sure reform

:36:40. > :36:42.takes place we see best practice in terms of integration of health and

:36:43. > :36:47.social care across the country but we also need to ensure that we have

:36:48. > :36:52.a longer term solution to give people the reassurance for the

:36:53. > :36:54.future that there is a sustainable system, which will ensure that they

:36:55. > :36:59.are receiving the social care that they need in old age, and that is

:37:00. > :37:02.what the Government is working on. There is a short-term issue, there

:37:03. > :37:05.is a medium-term need to make local authorities and health services are

:37:06. > :37:11.delivering consistently, and there is a long-term solution we need to

:37:12. > :37:15.find. Care Quality Commission warned as recently as October that evidence

:37:16. > :37:19.suggests we have approached a tipping point so instead of passing

:37:20. > :37:23.the buck on to local government, shouldn't the Government take

:37:24. > :37:26.responsibility itself for the crisis? Could the Prime Minister

:37:27. > :37:29.take this opportunity to inform the House exactly how much was cut from

:37:30. > :37:37.the social care budget in the last Parliament? We have been putting

:37:38. > :37:39.more money into social care in this House...

:37:40. > :37:44.more money into social care in this We have been putting more money into

:37:45. > :37:48.social care and health. We recognise the pressures that exist and that's

:37:49. > :37:52.why we will be looking at the short-term pressures that exist in

:37:53. > :37:55.relation to social care. But you cannot look at this question as

:37:56. > :38:01.simply being an issue of money in the short term. It is about

:38:02. > :38:06.delivery, it is about reform, it is about the social care system working

:38:07. > :38:09.with the health system. That's why this is an issue that is being

:38:10. > :38:14.addressed not just by the Secretary of State for communities and local

:38:15. > :38:16.and but also the Secretary of State for Health. But if we are going to

:38:17. > :38:20.give people the reassurance that they need in the longer term that

:38:21. > :38:24.their social care needs will be met, this isn't just about looking for a

:38:25. > :38:30.short-term solution, it's about finding a way forward that can give

:38:31. > :38:34.a sustainable system of social care for the Prime Minister doesn't seem

:38:35. > :38:39.to be aware that 4.6 billion was cut from the social care budget in the

:38:40. > :38:45.last Parliament. And that her talk of putting it on to local government

:38:46. > :38:51.ought to be taken for what it is, a con. To % of council tax is clearly

:38:52. > :38:56.a nonsense. 95% of councils use this social care precept and it raised

:38:57. > :39:01.less than 3% of the money they planned to spend on adult social

:39:02. > :39:06.care. Billions seem to be available for tax giveaways to corporations,

:39:07. > :39:11.not mentioned in the Autumn Statement, underfunded, and many

:39:12. > :39:16.elderly people left isolated and in crisis because of the lack of

:39:17. > :39:21.government funding of social care. We see many councils around the

:39:22. > :39:25.country that have taken the benefit of the social care precept and have,

:39:26. > :39:30.as a result, seen more people being able to access social care and needs

:39:31. > :39:34.being met. Sadly, there are also some councils across the country,

:39:35. > :39:37.some Labour councils, who haven't taken the opportunity, where we do

:39:38. > :39:42.see a worse performance in relation to social care. But he once again

:39:43. > :39:46.refers to the issue of money. I might remind him that at the last

:39:47. > :39:49.election, the then Shadow Chancellor said that if Labour were in

:39:50. > :39:57.government there would be not a penny more for local authorities and

:39:58. > :40:01.also that when recently asked about spending more money on social care,

:40:02. > :40:06.Labour's Shadow Health Secretary said when he was asked where the

:40:07. > :40:15.money would come from, "Ooh, well, we're going to have to come up with

:40:16. > :40:19.a plan for that". Mr Speaker, this government has cut social care and

:40:20. > :40:25.she will knows it and she well knows the effect of that. She also well

:40:26. > :40:29.knows that raising council tax has a different outcome in different parts

:40:30. > :40:34.of the country. For example, if you raise the council tax in Windsor and

:40:35. > :40:39.Maidenhead, you get quite a lot of money. If you raise a council tax

:40:40. > :40:45.precept in Liverpool or Newcastle, you get a lot less. Is she saying

:40:46. > :40:48.that older people, frail, elderly, vulnerable people are less valuable

:40:49. > :40:55.in our big cities than they are in wealthier parts of the country? Mr

:40:56. > :41:00.Speaker, this crisis is a crisis for many elderly people who are living

:41:01. > :41:05.in a very difficult situation because of this. It is also a crisis

:41:06. > :41:09.for the National Health Service. Those people who are in hospital

:41:10. > :41:16.cannot be discharged because there is nowhere for them to go to, so

:41:17. > :41:19.I'll ask her again - the crisis affects individuals, families and it

:41:20. > :41:25.affects the national Health Service, so why doesn't she do something

:41:26. > :41:33.really bold - cancel the corporation tax cut and put the money into

:41:34. > :41:35.social care instead? The right honourable gentleman has quoted

:41:36. > :41:39.Newcastle council in the list that he set. I have to say, Newcastle

:41:40. > :41:44.council is one of the councils where we saw in September virtually no

:41:45. > :41:47.delayed discharges, so elderly people were not being held up in

:41:48. > :41:51.hospital and they didn't need to be and when they didn't want to be, so

:41:52. > :41:56.what this shows is that it is possible for councils to deliver on

:41:57. > :41:59.the ground. So you see councils like Newcastle and Torbay doing that, and

:42:00. > :42:06.you see councils like evening not using the social care precept and a

:42:07. > :42:11.different result it can -- Ealing. The worst performing council -- the

:42:12. > :42:14.difference between the worst performing council and the best is a

:42:15. > :42:19.20 fold difference. That is not about the difference of funding but

:42:20. > :42:24.about the difference of delivery. Councils work very hard to try to

:42:25. > :42:27.cope with a 40% cut in their budgets across the whole country and the

:42:28. > :42:31.people that pay the price are those who are stuck in hospital, who

:42:32. > :42:35.should be allowed to go home, and those that aren't getting the care

:42:36. > :42:39.and support they need. This is a social care system that deep in

:42:40. > :42:44.crisis. The crisis is made in Downing Street by this government.

:42:45. > :42:48.The former chair of the health select committee, Stephen Doll, says

:42:49. > :42:53.the system is inadequately funded. The current chair of the health

:42:54. > :42:57.select committee says, "The issue can't be ducked any longer because

:42:58. > :43:02.of the impact it's having not just on vulnerable people but also on the

:43:03. > :43:06.NHS". Why can't the Prime Minister listened to those in local

:43:07. > :43:12.government, to the King's Fund, the NHS Confederation, her own council

:43:13. > :43:15.leaders, and recognise this social care crisis forces people to give up

:43:16. > :43:19.work to care for loved ones because there isn't a system to do it, makes

:43:20. > :43:23.people stay in hospital longer than they should and leads people into a

:43:24. > :43:27.horrible, isolated life when they should be cared for by all of us

:43:28. > :43:35.through a properly funded social care system? Get a grip and funded

:43:36. > :43:38.properly, please. -- fund it properly. The issue of social care

:43:39. > :43:43.is, indeed, one that has been dogged by governments for too long. That is

:43:44. > :43:49.why it is this government, it is this government, that will provide a

:43:50. > :43:53.long-term, sustainable system for social care that gives reassurance

:43:54. > :43:57.to people. But when he talks about governments docking social care,

:43:58. > :44:08.let's look about 13 years of Labour in government. They said in 1997

:44:09. > :44:15.that they would sort it in their manifesto. They had a royal

:44:16. > :44:23.commission in 1999, a green paper in 2005, the Wanless Report in 2006. In

:44:24. > :44:32.2007, they said they'd sorted. In 2009, they had another green paper.

:44:33. > :44:43.13 years and no action whatsoever. Order! Mr Speaker, today a

:44:44. > :44:47.constituent of mine from shore who struggled to get to university

:44:48. > :44:51.College Hospital in London for drug trials. Across Sussex, thousands of

:44:52. > :44:56.others will be unable to get to work, school and college because

:44:57. > :45:03.Affleck Aslef -- Aslef object to their drivers operating doors. Aslef

:45:04. > :45:07.drivers are driving tens lick trains on the same rails. And the Prime

:45:08. > :45:11.Minister give her assurance that everything will be done at the ACAS

:45:12. > :45:15.talks today to end this nonsense of a strike, address any residuals

:45:16. > :45:20.safety issues and give our constituents their lives back? He is

:45:21. > :45:26.right to raise this issue. This is an appalling strike. He's right to

:45:27. > :45:31.raise the discrepancy in attitude of Aslef. We've seen driver only

:45:32. > :45:37.operated trains on rail networks in the UK for decades. They are on the

:45:38. > :45:41.Thameslink train. I hope that the talks at ACAS are going to lead to

:45:42. > :45:45.an end to this strike but, actually, I've got a suggestion for the Leader

:45:46. > :45:47.of the Opposition. I think the Leader of the Opposition could do

:45:48. > :45:54.something to help members of the public. The Labour Party is funded

:45:55. > :46:01.by Aslef. Why doesn't he get on the phone and tell them to call the

:46:02. > :46:13.strike of immediately? Angus Robertson. We join with the leader

:46:14. > :46:18.of the Labour Party and with the Prime Minister in wishing great

:46:19. > :46:21.success to the Jo Cox single that's available for download on Friday.

:46:22. > :46:26.I'm sure we're all going to download it. Civilians have suffered

:46:27. > :46:33.grievously with the bombing of hospitals opt all, of schools, of

:46:34. > :46:37.markets. The United Nations believes that 60% of civilian casualties are

:46:38. > :46:44.caused by air strikes. In the last 24 hours, the United States has

:46:45. > :46:48.stopped the supply of provisional guided munitions to Saudi Arabia to

:46:49. > :46:52.bomb Yemen. When will the UK follow suit? As the right honourable

:46:53. > :46:58.gentleman knows, we do have a very strict regime of export licences in

:46:59. > :47:04.relation to weapons here in the UK. We exercise that very carefully and

:47:05. > :47:09.in recent years, we have indeed refused export licences in relation

:47:10. > :47:18.to arms, including two Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The US government has

:47:19. > :47:23.just said, and I quote, "Systematic, endemic problems in Saudi Arabia's

:47:24. > :47:28.targeting drove the US decision to halt a future weapons sale involving

:47:29. > :47:37.precision oil guided munitions". The Saudis have UK supplied missiles,

:47:38. > :47:40.made in Scotland. The UK has licensed ?3.3 billion of arms to

:47:41. > :47:45.Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the bombing campaign. What will it

:47:46. > :47:51.take for the UK to adopt an ethical foreign policy when it comes to

:47:52. > :47:58.Yemen? As the right honourable gentleman knows, the intervention in

:47:59. > :48:01.Yemen is a UN backed intervention. As I've said previously, where there

:48:02. > :48:04.are allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law, we

:48:05. > :48:10.require those to be properly investigated. We do have a

:48:11. > :48:13.relationship with Saudi Arabia. The security of the Gulf is important to

:48:14. > :48:18.us and I would simply also remind the right honourable gentleman that,

:48:19. > :48:22.actually, Saudi intelligence, the counterterrorism links we have with

:48:23. > :48:25.Saudi Arabia, the intelligence we get from Saudi Arabia, has saved

:48:26. > :48:33.potentially hundreds of lives here in the UK. Mr Speaker, one of my

:48:34. > :48:36.constituents has just had to move to residential care because no carers

:48:37. > :48:41.could be found to support her in her own home. She's at the sharp end of

:48:42. > :48:45.a crisis in social care that is as much about inadequate funding as it

:48:46. > :48:51.is about a shortfall in our very valued social care workforce. I'm

:48:52. > :48:54.looking forward to hearing what immediate further support will be

:48:55. > :48:57.provided for social care but isn't it time that rather than having

:48:58. > :49:04.confrontational dialogues about social care funding, all parties

:49:05. > :49:07.work together across this House to look for a sustainable, long-term

:49:08. > :49:13.solution for funding of both integrated health and social care?

:49:14. > :49:16.My honourable friend is right to raise the issue of looking at a

:49:17. > :49:21.sustainable way in which we can support integrated health and social

:49:22. > :49:24.care and a sustainable way for people to know that in the future

:49:25. > :49:28.they are going to be able to have the social care they require. As I

:49:29. > :49:30.said earlier in response to the Leader of the Opposition, we

:49:31. > :49:34.recognise the short-term pressures on the system but I think it is

:49:35. > :49:37.important for us to look at those medium and longer term solutions if

:49:38. > :49:40.we are going to be able to address this issue and I was very pleased to

:49:41. > :49:44.be able to have a meeting with my honourable friend to discuss this

:49:45. > :49:49.last week and I look forward to further such meetings. Can I tell

:49:50. > :49:52.the Prime Minister that the cross-party delegation led by the

:49:53. > :49:56.right honourable member for common Valley will meet the Russian

:49:57. > :50:00.ambassador tomorrow morning on Aleppo, and we will reflect and

:50:01. > :50:03.amplify, in precisely the sort of terms that she and the Foreign

:50:04. > :50:09.Secretary have used, about Russia, the Assad regime and Iran, not least

:50:10. > :50:13.because we want to protect those who have heroically struggled to save

:50:14. > :50:18.lives in that city who are now going to be at particular risk because of

:50:19. > :50:21.the witness they can give. But does she accept that many of us believe

:50:22. > :50:26.that those sort of messages are more cogent when we are equally

:50:27. > :50:28.unequivocal about the primacy of human rights and international

:50:29. > :50:32.humanitarian law when we need the Gulf states? We do raise the issues

:50:33. > :50:37.of human rights when we meet the Gulf States but he's absolutely

:50:38. > :50:41.right in relation to the role that Russia is playing in Syria. There is

:50:42. > :50:46.a very simple message to President Putin. He has it within his own

:50:47. > :50:50.hands to be able to actually say to the Assad regime that enough is

:50:51. > :50:54.enough in Aleppo, we need to ensure that humanitarian aid is there for

:50:55. > :51:00.people and the people who have, as he says, been heroically saving the

:51:01. > :51:02.lives of others, ensure that they have their security ensured. I'm

:51:03. > :51:10.sure that is a message she and others will be giving to the Russian

:51:11. > :51:12.ambassador. It is an President Putin's hands. He can do it - why

:51:13. > :51:20.doesn't he? Will the Prime Minister thank me in

:51:21. > :51:24.enjoying the many people it from this House who Sung for Syrians. It

:51:25. > :51:28.was created in order to pay the salaries of the medical staff in

:51:29. > :51:33.Aleppo. Since our hospital was shut two weeks ago, bombed two weeks ago,

:51:34. > :51:37.we have been buying pros thetedic limbs with all of our money. --

:51:38. > :51:42.prosthetic limbs. We have a waiting list of 30,000 people. What can we

:51:43. > :51:46.do to target our humanitarian aid it make sure it gets to the most

:51:47. > :51:51.vulnerable people in Syria, the old, very young and people who are too

:51:52. > :51:54.injured to move? Well, first of all, I absolutely join my honourable

:51:55. > :51:58.friend in congratulating everyone who took part in Singing for

:51:59. > :52:02.Syrians. I'm sure the whole House would welcome the work that that

:52:03. > :52:06.group is doing and the money that is being put to extremely good use,

:52:07. > :52:09.that is being raised. She raises, I think, the House was struck by the

:52:10. > :52:14.number of people she referred to being on the waiting list for

:52:15. > :52:19.prosthetic limbs. Of course, in terms of our humanitarian aid

:52:20. > :52:23.support for Syria, which is the biggest humanitarian effort that the

:52:24. > :52:29.United Kingdom has made, of course we are giving money to the refugees

:52:30. > :52:32.who have fled from Syria, we're also, of course, working

:52:33. > :52:36.diplomatically to try to reduce the suffering, to try to make sure that

:52:37. > :52:38.we can see the sort of aid and medical support she is talking

:52:39. > :52:43.about, getting through to the citizens of Aleppo. But we will

:52:44. > :52:46.continue to ensure that our humanitarian aid is being put to

:52:47. > :52:50.good use, helping those who are vulnerable but also helping those

:52:51. > :52:56.who need the education and support to be able, in due course, to

:52:57. > :53:02.rebuild Syria when we see a stable and secure Syria.

:53:03. > :53:07.Mr Speaker, rip-off interest rates on household goods are wrong.

:53:08. > :53:12.Companies like Brighthouse exploit families, who have no other way to

:53:13. > :53:17.furnish their homes. So, will the Prime Minister look at capping these

:53:18. > :53:21.interest rates, to help those who are just about managing?

:53:22. > :53:25.Well, the honourable gentleman raises an important issue and I

:53:26. > :53:31.recognise there are many people who are just about managing, who are

:53:32. > :53:35.struggling to get by, who did find themselves actually having to revert

:53:36. > :53:39.to support from companies who do, sadly, as we see, charge the sort of

:53:40. > :53:42.interest rates he is talking about. Of course action has been taken in

:53:43. > :53:49.relation to some of these activities in the past. But I will look at the

:53:50. > :53:55.issue he raised. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Across the

:53:56. > :53:59.country, and particularly in Kent, lorry fly park something a blight.

:54:00. > :54:04.It's antisocial and dangerous. Will my right honourable friend, the

:54:05. > :54:08.Prime Minister, support my campaign for more lorry parking spaces, more

:54:09. > :54:14.effective enforcement and ultimately, a ban on lorries parking

:54:15. > :54:17.in unauthorised places? Well, I recognise the concern my

:54:18. > :54:22.honourable friend has raised. This is one I think is shared by many

:54:23. > :54:25.Kent MPs, who see this problem only too closely in their own

:54:26. > :54:29.constituencies. Can I assure her that the Government shares the

:54:30. > :54:34.desire to ensure that we don't see this fly parking of lorries across

:54:35. > :54:37.Kent, that we do provide suitable lorry parking facilities in Kent. I

:54:38. > :54:40.know that my right honourable friend, the minister for roads, is

:54:41. > :54:45.looking at this issue very carefully indeed. I recognise it from my time

:54:46. > :54:49.as the Home Secretary, the pressure at particular times that can be put

:54:50. > :54:52.on the roads and villages and towns in Kent, in relation to this. It is

:54:53. > :54:59.something that Government is working on and we will find a solution.

:55:00. > :55:03.Thank you, Mr Speaker. Now we know, courtesy of the

:55:04. > :55:07.Government's own infrastructure watchdog, that mobile coverage in

:55:08. > :55:14.the UK is worse than Romania, will the Prime Minister take steps to

:55:15. > :55:18.introduce a universal service obligation, in the Highlands, it is

:55:19. > :55:22.fair typical to get the message, no signal. It would often be better to

:55:23. > :55:25.use carrier pigeons. Will the Prime Minister recognise this is not

:55:26. > :55:28.acceptable and will she take responsibility? It's time to connect

:55:29. > :55:36.the Highlands to the rest of the world.

:55:37. > :55:40.Well, I can assure the honourable gentleman that the issue of decent

:55:41. > :55:43.mobile coverage isn't one that only affects the Highlands. There are

:55:44. > :55:47.some other parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland that also get

:55:48. > :55:50.affected by it, but the Government has very strong commitments in

:55:51. > :55:53.relation to this. We have very strong commitments in relation to

:55:54. > :55:57.broadband and my right honourable friend, the Culture Secretary, will

:55:58. > :56:06.be delivering on those. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker,

:56:07. > :56:10.money cannot compensate somebody who has been charged accused of a very

:56:11. > :56:15.similar offence and then finds the details of that are in the press,

:56:16. > :56:19.along with their name. Nothing can restore, in truth, their reputation,

:56:20. > :56:23.after it has been thrashed in those circumstances. In 2011 I tried it

:56:24. > :56:29.change the law in a private member's bill. Today, Sir Bernard Hogan how

:56:30. > :56:33.said now is the time to introduce new legislation. Would the Prime

:56:34. > :56:38.Minister, agree to at least consider changing the law, so that everyone,

:56:39. > :56:41.with a few exceptions, should have a right anonymity if they are a

:56:42. > :56:48.suspect in criminal proceedings, until such time as they are charged?

:56:49. > :56:51.Quite right. I recognise the interest that my honourable friend

:56:52. > :56:55.has taken in this particular issue. As she will know, it is one that has

:56:56. > :57:01.been debated on a number of occasions in this House. The general

:57:02. > :57:06.assumption is that somebody should not be named before the point of

:57:07. > :57:11.charge but there is an allowance for the police to be be able to raise

:57:12. > :57:16.somebody's name if it is a case where they believe that doing that

:57:17. > :57:19.will help, perhaps, to find other victims coming forward. This has

:57:20. > :57:25.been particularly of concern where it is matters of sexual violence, of

:57:26. > :57:28.rain, for example, or where they believe -- of rape, for example, or

:57:29. > :57:31.where they believe the naming of the individual will help in the

:57:32. > :57:34.detection of the crime. But this is a delicate issue. I recognise the

:57:35. > :57:38.concern my honourable friend has shown. The college of politician is

:57:39. > :57:41.looking at this issue very carefully. -- the college of

:57:42. > :57:47.policing. They are Go going to deliver new

:57:48. > :57:51.guidance in the new year in relation to this issue to the media. The

:57:52. > :57:57.heartbreaking humanitarian crisis and genocide in Syria, continues to

:57:58. > :58:00.take place as the world watches on impotently, yet there is still no

:58:01. > :58:04.end in sight. Does the Prime Minister agree with the right

:58:05. > :58:08.honourable member for Tatton, that what is happening in Syria is a

:58:09. > :58:13.failure of Western leadership and does she agree with me, that what is

:58:14. > :58:20.now urgently required, is what our dear friend, Jo Cox called for,

:58:21. > :58:24.nearly a year ago, and that is - a UK-led strategy to protect

:58:25. > :58:30.civilians. Whether it is those fleeing persecution. Whether it is

:58:31. > :58:34.those surrendering themselves or those that are still besieged?

:58:35. > :58:38.We must all take responsibility for decisions we have taken, whether we

:58:39. > :58:42.take those decisions sitting around National Security Council table or

:58:43. > :58:51.indeed this House, in taking the decision that it did in 2013. The

:58:52. > :58:54.honourable lady raises the question of a UK-led action in relation to

:58:55. > :58:59.the protection of civilians. It is the UK that has been pressing for

:59:00. > :59:03.action inside the United Nations' Security Council, working with the

:59:04. > :59:05.French, the two most recent emergency UN Security Council

:59:06. > :59:10.meetings were those that we called for. The most recent of those took

:59:11. > :59:14.place yesterday. As I'm sure the honourable lady will know, there

:59:15. > :59:18.have been six UN Security Council resolutions which have been vetoed

:59:19. > :59:21.by Russia. The most recent also vetoed by China. We are continuing

:59:22. > :59:25.to work with the United Nations, but if we are to get a solution that

:59:26. > :59:28.works on the ground, then it has to be a solution that is actually

:59:29. > :59:33.bought into by other countries and it has to be a solution that Russia

:59:34. > :59:38.is going to buy into as well as the regime.

:59:39. > :59:44.Ment Thank you, Mr Speaker, I have received a message from Nick from

:59:45. > :59:48.Grantham. Actually it was a text message from our honourable friend

:59:49. > :59:53.the member for Grantham and Stanford. For the avoidance of doubt

:59:54. > :59:59.this is one text message he is willing to be read in public. Mr

:00:00. > :00:03.Speaker, getting rid of his tumour and making a swift return to this

:00:04. > :00:08.place and nothing matters more to him than that, than ensuring around

:00:09. > :00:11.the clock emergency services are restored had his local hospital in

:00:12. > :00:13.gran that. Will my right honourable friend the Prime Minister, receive

:00:14. > :00:18.the petition he has organised, ensure that the passionate views of

:00:19. > :00:22.his constituents are heard and, above all, reassure people, in this

:00:23. > :00:27.rural area, that they will always have access to safe, emergency care

:00:28. > :00:33.for them and their families? Well, can I first of all, I'm sure

:00:34. > :00:37.that the thoughts of the whole House are our honourable friend, the

:00:38. > :00:42.member for Grantham and Sandford and can I wish him the very best for his

:00:43. > :00:48.recovery as he goes through this illness. And I recognise the

:00:49. > :00:53.strength of feeling that he has about the emergency services in his

:00:54. > :01:03.local hospital. I believe that there are also concerns that are shared by

:01:04. > :01:08.ou new honourable friend, the member for Sleaford and I can assure my

:01:09. > :01:11.honourable friend the member for Grantham and Sandford, that the

:01:12. > :01:15.process that is taking place in looking at the development of local

:01:16. > :01:20.services, is about listening to local people, hearing the local

:01:21. > :01:23.voice and about ensuring that the services available to local people

:01:24. > :01:26.in their area are the right services for that area and that can be

:01:27. > :01:31.delivered safely and securely for local people.

:01:32. > :01:34.Thank you, Mr Speaker. At the last election, the Conservative Party

:01:35. > :01:42.manifesto said, "We will help local authorities keep council tax low for

:01:43. > :01:49.hard-working tax payers and ensure residence will continue to veto

:01:50. > :01:52.rises comboep "Tax payers in my area face paying more with no veto

:01:53. > :01:56.because of the account of Government's failure to tackle the

:01:57. > :01:59.social care crisis, so will the Prime Minister now admit her pledge

:02:00. > :02:03.on council tax has been bane donned. I have to say obviously we put the

:02:04. > :02:06.social care precept in place, in recognition of the pressures on

:02:07. > :02:11.social care but I'm pleased to say we have seen many examples over the

:02:12. > :02:13.country, of good local authorities, actually ensuring they were keeping

:02:14. > :02:18.council tax down, including may I say the Royal Borough of Windsor and

:02:19. > :02:24.Maidenhead which cut council tax, for six years running.

:02:25. > :02:28.Mr Speaker, on 14th August, my constituents George Lowe and Ben

:02:29. > :02:34.Barker were the victims of a vicious knife attack in eye nappia. George

:02:35. > :02:39.Lowe sadly died later that day from his injuries. The two culprits fled

:02:40. > :02:41.to northern Cyprus where they were actually arrested in unrelated

:02:42. > :02:46.matters. Despite representations made by the Foreign Office, one of

:02:47. > :02:50.these men was recently able to simply walk free and it is feared

:02:51. > :02:56.the second man will follow shortedly. Will the Prime Minister

:02:57. > :03:01.do all she can to help bring justice for George Lowe and Ben Barker for

:03:02. > :03:04.what was an horrific, vicious attack that was completely without

:03:05. > :03:09.provocation and has bob devastating for both of their families? -- and

:03:10. > :03:15.has been. I'm sure all of us across the House would want to send our

:03:16. > :03:22.deepest sympathies to the family of George Lowe and our best wishes for

:03:23. > :03:25.a full recovery for Ben Barker from the terrible injuries that he

:03:26. > :03:29.suffered at what my honourable friend said was a violent and

:03:30. > :03:35.unprovoked attack. The previous time this case was raised by the relevant

:03:36. > :03:40.Government was during by the Foreign Secretary during his visit to Cyprus

:03:41. > :03:44.and he clearly set out his desire to see those guilty brought to justice.

:03:45. > :03:47.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will continue to offer support to

:03:48. > :03:52.those familiar lanes we'll continue to raise this issue and I'm sure the

:03:53. > :04:01.Foreign Office will keep my honourable friend informed of any

:04:02. > :04:04.developments. . Many food and drink projects have benefited a European

:04:05. > :04:07.scheme, with a guarantees the Prime Minister can give us that we'll

:04:08. > :04:14.continue to get that protection, should we end up leaving the EU?

:04:15. > :04:17.Well, first of all, of course, issues like that are ones that we

:04:18. > :04:21.will be needing to address as we look at the arrangement that is will

:04:22. > :04:26.be in place, following the EU I'm sure everybody would recognise the

:04:27. > :04:31.significant of the Arbroath smokey and, indeed other products around

:04:32. > :04:36.the UK. But, can I just say to the honourable gentleman, at the end

:04:37. > :04:43.there, he should "should we leave the EU." I can tell him we will be

:04:44. > :04:49.leaving the EU. Thank you, Mr Spearer, on December

:04:50. > :04:55.19th, 35 years ago, 16 people lost their lives in ferocious storms off

:04:56. > :04:59.the coast of West Cornwall. Eight lives were men who launched their

:05:00. > :05:10.lifeboat to rescue the crew of the Union Star. 35 years later, this

:05:11. > :05:16.tragedy still haunts the village and many people mark this referry year.

:05:17. > :05:20.Would the Prime Minister join with me in marking this day, and pay

:05:21. > :05:23.credit to those men and women who risk their lives for those in peril

:05:24. > :05:30.on the sea. I thank my honourable friend for raising this issue. I

:05:31. > :05:33.absolutely join him in marking the 35th anniversary of the Penlee

:05:34. > :05:37.lifeboat tragedy and sending our sympathies to all those families

:05:38. > :05:41.affected but also to the local communities who were affected, as he

:05:42. > :05:46.has set out. Finally I'm sure everybody in this House would want

:05:47. > :05:49.to pay tribute to the RNLI. The tireless work they do. It is an

:05:50. > :05:55.island. It is important we have that security and safety around our

:05:56. > :05:57.shores. The RNLI work tirelessly to protect people, who, as my

:05:58. > :06:00.honourable friend say are in peril on the sea and we pay tribute to

:06:01. > :06:04.them. The Prime Minister knows that I and

:06:05. > :06:10.colleagues from all parties across this House are keen to guarantee the

:06:11. > :06:14.rights of some 3 million EU and EA citizens in this country. This will

:06:15. > :06:20.be the largest administrative task the Home Office has ever undertaken.

:06:21. > :06:23.Could I encourage her to look at the report producedes by British Futures

:06:24. > :06:27.which suggests practical suggestions on how the Home Office can implement

:06:28. > :06:31.this and possibly encourage the Home Secretary to update us on any

:06:32. > :06:35.progress made? Well, I say to the honourable lady I'm keen to ensure

:06:36. > :06:39.we can protect the rights of EU citizens living here but I'm also

:06:40. > :06:44.keen that UK citizens' rights for those living in the EU are

:06:45. > :06:47.protected. The home Serbs I think is aware of the proposals that have

:06:48. > :06:50.been put forward and is looking at them very carefully. Thank you very

:06:51. > :06:58.much, Mr Speaker. In October, hundreds of people from -- the Home

:06:59. > :07:11.Secretary Hundreds of people from across European attended a neo-Nazi

:07:12. > :07:24.in my constituency. What steps is the what happens taking about this?

:07:25. > :07:28.Can we make it clear there is no allowance for racial hatred. Earlier

:07:29. > :07:31.this week my right honourable friend, the Home Secretary,

:07:32. > :07:34.proscribed the Right Wing Organisation National action, which

:07:35. > :07:38.means being a member of or inviting support for that organisation will

:07:39. > :07:42.be a criminal efence. I think it is important we take every step we can

:07:43. > :07:45.to stop racial hatred in this country. I was pleased to announce

:07:46. > :07:50.on Monday, that Britain will be the first country in Europe it adopt the

:07:51. > :07:52.International Haul cast Remembrance Alliance's definition of

:07:53. > :07:59.anti-Semitism. Yesterday, I met with the CEO of

:08:00. > :08:03.Providence Financial, one of two FTSE 100 companies in Bradford, yes,

:08:04. > :08:07.outside of London right in the heart of the North and being in my

:08:08. > :08:12.condition constituencicy. We agreed that for Bradford to fulfil the

:08:13. > :08:15.potential of its young #350e78 we need better educational outcomes and

:08:16. > :08:19.transport. Having been overlooked for so long, can I invite the Prime

:08:20. > :08:23.Minister to come and meet the leaders of my great city and pave

:08:24. > :08:30.the way for long overdue investment in Bradford.

:08:31. > :08:35.-- of its young people. The honourable lady is right to talk

:08:36. > :08:39.about what is needed that's why I'm pleased the say there has been an

:08:40. > :08:45.increase of 16,000 people in Bradford who are at good or

:08:46. > :08:49.outstanding schools since 2010. We are taking control of quality

:08:50. > :08:52.education but I want it make sure there are enough good school places

:08:53. > :08:56.for children across the council and this is' what our education

:08:57. > :09:01.consultation is B I came to PMQs today from an incredibly moving and

:09:02. > :09:05.powerful private session with the DWP Select Committee, talking and

:09:06. > :09:08.listening to four Vic tilts of modern slavery who are living in

:09:09. > :09:14.safe houses. I don't think I will ever forget it in my life. Please

:09:15. > :09:19.would the Prime Minister take her enshoes yachl -- victims. -- please

:09:20. > :09:21.would she take her passion and work with the Secretary of State for

:09:22. > :09:26.Pensions. These people are vulnerable. When thee come to job

:09:27. > :09:31.centres their back cases are not understood. The same as women and

:09:32. > :09:35.survivors of domestic violence they need to be fast-tracked F ever they

:09:36. > :09:38.need the state to step up and support them, please can we do more?

:09:39. > :09:43.My honourable friend is absolutely right. I think nothing brings home

:09:44. > :09:49.to one more than anything else, the absolute horrific nature of the

:09:50. > :09:55.crime of modern slavery, than actually sitting down hearing the

:09:56. > :09:58.testimony of a Vic ti. These people have gone through the horrendous,

:09:59. > :10:02.dehumanising experiences very often and it is absolutely right that the

:10:03. > :10:06.Government brought forward the Modern Slavery Be a. It is right

:10:07. > :10:11.that we have been looking at how Victim Support is provided and the

:10:12. > :10:15.international referral member you nichl and a number of steps and

:10:16. > :10:18.we'll work with the DWP. My honourable friend refers to job

:10:19. > :10:21.centres but it isn't just job centres. We need to ensure that

:10:22. > :10:25.those in authority who come into contact with people who have been

:10:26. > :10:31.the victims of modern slavery, are able it recognise those signs and

:10:32. > :10:33.are able to treat it in the way and deal with people, sensitively and

:10:34. > :10:39.sympathetically in an appropriate way.

:10:40. > :10:43.Thank you I don't think the Prime Minister has any idea of the level

:10:44. > :10:45.of suffering and pain that rail passengers and businesses in

:10:46. > :10:50.Brighton and beyond are suffering. And it is not just on strike days.

:10:51. > :10:56.This has been going on for well over 18 months. So, given the failure of

:10:57. > :11:01.her passive Transport Secretary who apparently has no intention of

:11:02. > :11:09.acting to deal with this utterly incompetent company, will she sack

:11:10. > :11:11.him, strip DCR of the franchise and freeze fares for long-suffering

:11:12. > :11:13.passengers? Well, first of all my right

:11:14. > :11:18.honourable friend the Transport Secretary has been taking steps in

:11:19. > :11:24.relation to the general performance of southern railway. We've stepped

:11:25. > :11:26.in to invest ?20 million to specifically tackle the issue and

:11:27. > :11:31.bring a rapid improvement to services. We announced the delay

:11:32. > :11:35.repay 15 from 11th December for whole of Southern which will make it

:11:36. > :11:39.easier for passengers to complam exceptcation. We've nounsed a refund

:11:40. > :11:45.for a month's travel. So we have been looking at that wider issue. --

:11:46. > :11:48.we've announced. But the honourable lady raises the question of the

:11:49. > :11:51.current strievenlingt there is only one body responsible for the current

:11:52. > :11:55.strike, ASLEF. This is a strike from the trade union and she should be

:11:56. > :12:02.standing up and condemning that strike because it is passengers who

:12:03. > :12:06.suffer. Thank you, Mr Speaker, the ?1.5

:12:07. > :12:12.billion additional funding for the Bether care fund is both needed and

:12:13. > :12:16.welcome. But, the problem is, that this money is not available until

:12:17. > :12:21.2019. Will my Right Honourable Friend look at seeing whether some

:12:22. > :12:24.of this funding can be drawndown earlier than, that in order to

:12:25. > :12:28.alleviate the pressure on social care in areas such as Devon, where

:12:29. > :12:31.there is a very high level of elderly people?

:12:32. > :12:35.Well, my right honourable friend raises an important point bht

:12:36. > :12:40.short-term pressures there are on social care. Thass' why the

:12:41. > :12:44.Government has been looking at what measures can be taken to alleviate

:12:45. > :12:47.the short-term pressures. My right honourable friend the Communities'

:12:48. > :12:51.Secretary will be making the statement on the local government

:12:52. > :12:56.finance settlement tomorrow. We need to look at the medium-term

:12:57. > :12:59.delivering issues and longer term assurance to provide to people in

:13:00. > :13:02.order to ensure we have a sustainable system of care that

:13:03. > :13:06.gives people the comfort of knowing they will be cared for in their old

:13:07. > :13:10.age. Can I join colleagues who have

:13:11. > :13:17.earlier on urged people in this house and beyond to go out and buy

:13:18. > :13:21.the Jo Coxp foundation single by the excellent MP 4 not just available in

:13:22. > :13:26.download but in hard copy for those of us who prefer that kind of thing.

:13:27. > :13:31.Every day, Mr Speaker, since Brexit result on 23rd June, seems to have

:13:32. > :13:41.been a good day to bury bad news. The worst news is in our social care

:13:42. > :13:50.and health system. The daily wave of tragedies indignatory tis and near

:13:51. > :13:55.posts, the short fall in social care funding and thousands ofp hospital

:13:56. > :13:59.advice its cancelled. Yesterday the NHS and social care said they needed

:14:00. > :14:02.more money and the Chancellor of the Exchequer did not offer a single

:14:03. > :14:04.extra money for health or social care within the Autumn Statement.

:14:05. > :14:09.Which of the two does she agree with? Will she take this opportunity

:14:10. > :14:15.to provide health and social care, give it the money it needs this side

:14:16. > :14:17.of Christmas? The Secretary of State for

:14:18. > :14:19.Communities and Local Government will be making a statement tomorrow

:14:20. > :14:22.on the local Government finance settlement. I suggest the right

:14:23. > :14:32.honourable gentleman wait for that statement.

:14:33. > :14:37.Back in 2010, the overseas aid budget was around ?7 billion a year.

:14:38. > :14:42.By 2020, it will have more than doubled to over ?15 million a year.

:14:43. > :14:48.The short fall in social care funding by 2020 is estimated at

:14:49. > :14:51.about ?2.5 billion. Surely the Government priority should be to

:14:52. > :14:54.look after the elderly, vulnerable and disabled people in our own

:14:55. > :14:58.country, before we hand money over to other countries? Will the Prime

:14:59. > :15:02.Minister take some of that money, a small amount of that increase from

:15:03. > :15:06.the overseas aid budget and spend it on elderly, vulnerable and disabled

:15:07. > :15:09.people in our own country? Surely charity begins at home?

:15:10. > :15:14.I think it is absolutely right that the Government is taking steps in

:15:15. > :15:18.relation to the pressures on social care here in the United Kingdom but

:15:19. > :15:21.I would say to my honourable friend, I think it is also important for us

:15:22. > :15:25.that we do take consideration of those who are in different

:15:26. > :15:31.circumstances across the world. I think that the record that this

:15:32. > :15:36.Government has of ensuring that 0.7% of our GDP is spent over overseas

:15:37. > :15:40.aid is a record second to none. I think we should all be proud of the

:15:41. > :15:43.help and support we are giving to people around the world who are

:15:44. > :15:48.living off an incredibly difficult circumstance. So we look after old

:15:49. > :15:49.people here in the UK, we also take that moral responsibility for people

:15:50. > :16:03.around the world seriously as well. And the final Prime Minister's

:16:04. > :16:08.Questions of 2016 comes to an end. It did officially past the 45 minute

:16:09. > :16:13.mark, which I think makes it the longest Prime Minister's Questions

:16:14. > :16:18.in recent times, if not the longest ever. 46 minutes by our studio clock

:16:19. > :16:24.here. It seems to go by but it was a PMQs in which Mr Corbyn, Leader of

:16:25. > :16:27.the Opposition, performed strongly, perhaps learning from Emily

:16:28. > :16:33.Thornberry, who stood in for him last week, by narrowing the

:16:34. > :16:37.questions down into one specific area and going for that again and

:16:38. > :16:41.again, particularly where the Prime Minister has trouble answering, and

:16:42. > :16:45.on this occasion it was social care, in which there is talk of a crisis

:16:46. > :16:48.and a lack of funding and the Government moving several ways to

:16:49. > :16:52.try to plug the holes in the system and Mr Corbyn pushed the Prime

:16:53. > :16:55.Minister, saying this was the tipping point, central government

:16:56. > :16:58.had to take more responsibility, that the local government precept

:16:59. > :17:02.alone may help but was certainly not the answer to the increasing demands

:17:03. > :17:06.of social care and there were areas where the Prime Minister had trouble

:17:07. > :17:09.giving a full answer to that. There will be another statement tomorrow.

:17:10. > :17:14.Before we look into that of it, let's hear what you made PMQs. What

:17:15. > :17:19.did the viewers think? The majority was about social care.

:17:20. > :17:22.Dorothy said, very disappointed with Theresa May. Social care isn't a

:17:23. > :17:43.joke for elderly people stranded in hospital. She is in

:17:44. > :17:47.denial about the crisis in social care. We should all pay a bit more

:17:48. > :17:49.through taxation to spread the cost. This from Andy. Every time Jeremy

:17:50. > :17:52.Corbyn opens his mouth, he spent taxpayers' money. That scares the

:17:53. > :17:54.hell out of the electorate and his usual comment about stopping the

:17:55. > :17:56.lowering of corporation tax scares the hell out of investors. Joan asks

:17:57. > :17:58.how raising council tax helps last week's major concerns, the Jams,

:17:59. > :18:00.just about managing. The primaries to mention the number

:18:01. > :18:04.of areas in which she thought we were doing things to try to address

:18:05. > :18:08.this problem but the precept which local authorities will now be able

:18:09. > :18:12.to add on to the council tax which, provided they spend it in social

:18:13. > :18:15.care, is that different from the Prime Minister saying she will

:18:16. > :18:18.address immediate pressures or is that the addressing the immediate

:18:19. > :18:23.pressures? I think that is the addressing of immediate pressures

:18:24. > :18:26.with the two problems with that, most people who are familiar with

:18:27. > :18:31.the problem say it is not nearly enough. And of course better off

:18:32. > :18:35.areas have a bigger tax base to raise money, so better off councils,

:18:36. > :18:39.as Jeremy Corbyn were suggesting, in better of areas of the country, it

:18:40. > :18:42.will be easy for them to get extra cash, worse off areas will find it

:18:43. > :18:45.harder. But I thought what was really interesting about the Prime

:18:46. > :18:48.Minister's comments on social care - and you were right, she was

:18:49. > :18:52.struggling to give full and dozens of them because the Government is

:18:53. > :18:56.vulnerable on this issue - was that she did promise several times that

:18:57. > :19:01.they will find a long-term solution. In fact we know that the Cabinet

:19:02. > :19:05.office is being instructed to try to come up with some way out of what is

:19:06. > :19:08.a black hole here and we also know that before the referendum, Number

:19:09. > :19:12.Ten was considering a cross-party commission that has been urged by

:19:13. > :19:16.many people, Sarah Wollaston joining her voice, to take a cross-party

:19:17. > :19:18.approach because it seems even a private acknowledgement that many

:19:19. > :19:24.politicians have made behind closed doors for some time that this system

:19:25. > :19:26.is going to work for much longer is starting to come out into the

:19:27. > :19:30.public, that the government has to find a better solution. They have

:19:31. > :19:34.said it before but always bottled it. I wonder if it will be best in

:19:35. > :19:39.with looking at the triple lock for pensioners. This is one of the

:19:40. > :19:45.interesting things. The general welfare of pensioners may be seen as

:19:46. > :19:48.a broader picture than just pension payment. Minister suggested that to

:19:49. > :19:51.me in the last week or so that it was one of the things that they

:19:52. > :19:52.might look at, do you somehow read version the idea of guaranteeing

:19:53. > :20:21.support for the... I will bring Peddie

:20:22. > :20:26.mordant in. What is the answer to the issue that Jeremy Corbyn raised?

:20:27. > :20:31.If it is an affluent area, you have a big tax base so you put council

:20:32. > :20:35.tax by 3%, a lot of big houses, they pay council tax, you get a lot of

:20:36. > :20:39.money in and the poorer areas don't. And those deprived areas - I'm

:20:40. > :20:44.generalising - ten to have a higher social care need an poorer health

:20:45. > :20:48.outcomes. This is a leak from the announcement tomorrow but I would be

:20:49. > :20:52.surprised if that issue wasn't addressed. There are things like the

:20:53. > :20:58.Better Care Fund, there are things that could be announced. That is

:20:59. > :21:02.there already. We've discussed it before on this programme, the danger

:21:03. > :21:07.is that the areas that, in a sense, need at the least extra social care

:21:08. > :21:12.have the biggest tax base to raise it, the areas that have the biggest

:21:13. > :21:15.need more social care have the weakest tax base. It doesn't seem to

:21:16. > :21:21.be a sustainable solution to social care provision. I think that is

:21:22. > :21:26.absolutely the case. We will have to see exactly what is announced, in

:21:27. > :21:31.terms of the precept and what else might be announced tomorrow. It was

:21:32. > :21:36.very interesting, the Prime Minister's emphasis on something

:21:37. > :21:40.else being done. We will have to wait and see but you're right, that

:21:41. > :21:43.issue has to be addressed. Good Labour meet all the demands of

:21:44. > :21:48.social care, which are quite extensive, into the billions, and

:21:49. > :21:54.still keep its promise to balance current budgets? Spending on social

:21:55. > :21:57.care is current spending. York -- you are quite right, there is a

:21:58. > :22:00.focus on the integration of long-term, but we've got to do

:22:01. > :22:05.something fundamental to address what is a crisis. We've got to have

:22:06. > :22:09.the government acknowledging that the crisis exists and what we are

:22:10. > :22:13.hearing thus far is simply that the poorer areas will do worse off on

:22:14. > :22:16.every single occasion. We have it when it comes to the tax base across

:22:17. > :22:20.the business rates collection as well. It is or was punishing and

:22:21. > :22:24.dividing. We've got to have a much more redistributive approach to

:22:25. > :22:27.local government funding. We will no doubt be covering the statement

:22:28. > :22:31.tomorrow. We have to leave it there because the Speaker has left as much

:22:32. > :22:34.time for the rest of the show and we don't want to bump into the one

:22:35. > :22:38.o'clock news, which Laura is probably going to do, so we'd better

:22:39. > :22:44.let you go. Off for the rest of 2016! Last one of the year. Merry

:22:45. > :22:47.Christmas. And to you and all of our DP devotees.

:22:48. > :22:49.Philip Davies, the Conservative MP and well-known campaigner for men's

:22:50. > :22:51.rights, is set to join the Women and Equalities Committee

:22:52. > :22:56.Now, that's raised a few eyebrows - not because Philip Davies is a man,

:22:57. > :22:58.there are already two of them on the committee -

:22:59. > :23:01.but because Mr Davies has previously derided what he calls "militant

:23:02. > :23:03.feminists" and he even described the creation of the Women

:23:04. > :23:08.and Equalities Committee as "depressing".

:23:09. > :23:10.Well, Philip Davies joins me now from Central Lobby, as does

:23:11. > :23:16.the Co-Leader of the Green Party, Caroline Lucas.

:23:17. > :23:22.Welcome to both of you. Philip Davies, if you think the committee

:23:23. > :23:26.is depressing, why are you joining? The committee is there whether I

:23:27. > :23:29.like it not so if I can bring some common sense to the committee, that

:23:30. > :23:32.is surely a good thing, in the same way that Ukip used to take their

:23:33. > :23:35.seats in the UK Parliament not because they were fans of the EU

:23:36. > :23:41.Parliament or what it represented but because they it to account. They

:23:42. > :23:44.didn't just want to hold to account, they wanted to actually end our

:23:45. > :23:47.involvement in the parliament. Is that what you are going to do with

:23:48. > :23:51.this committee, try and bring it down, break it up? I would prefer it

:23:52. > :23:55.if it was to score the equalities commission, I don't see why it needs

:23:56. > :23:58.to be called the women and equalities commission. You can still

:23:59. > :24:01.go women's issues on a committee called equalities but it seems to

:24:02. > :24:06.indicate that there are no issues for men and clearly there are issues

:24:07. > :24:09.where men suffer so I don't see why it can't just be called the

:24:10. > :24:12.equalities commission. What do you think about that, Caroline? I hope

:24:13. > :24:16.that the time he spends on the committee will be an opportunity for

:24:17. > :24:21.him to understand a bit more about entrenched sexism in our society, so

:24:22. > :24:25.this is an MP who has been saying, as you said, that this committee

:24:26. > :24:29.shouldn't even exist, that that it was going ahead and yet he is now

:24:30. > :24:34.hoping to take his position on it and I just think that we need MPs on

:24:35. > :24:37.committee who recognise, for example, the level of the gender pay

:24:38. > :24:40.gap, who recognise the disproportionate violence against

:24:41. > :24:43.women, who recognise that there is still a very long way to go in

:24:44. > :24:47.business, politics and just every sphere of life where women are

:24:48. > :24:52.discriminated against and we need to have concerted effort to support

:24:53. > :24:55.women. I'm not against having actions to support men, and Philip

:24:56. > :25:00.does a good job doing that, but let him do that in his work there and

:25:01. > :25:04.let the women and equalities party carry on, rather than having him, a

:25:05. > :25:07.person who says he is taking his lead from Ukip in the European

:25:08. > :25:10.Parliament - as we know they are trying to bring down the presence of

:25:11. > :25:15.the European parliament. That's not a very good precedent. Do you

:25:16. > :25:20.understand the issues of entrenched sexism, Philip Davies, as Caroline

:25:21. > :25:23.Lucas is just outlined? Do you understand those issues? Absolutely.

:25:24. > :25:27.There are lots of issues that affect women. There is a gender pay gap,

:25:28. > :25:35.there is also a part-time gender pay gap where women are paid more than

:25:36. > :25:40.men. Two thirds of domestic violence are women but one third are men.

:25:41. > :25:43.Issues affecting women should be tackled on the committee but there

:25:44. > :25:45.are issues that affect men and I don't see why they should be

:25:46. > :25:49.excluded from having their views on what is supposed to be an equalities

:25:50. > :25:51.commission. I believe in equality where gender should be irrelevant

:25:52. > :25:56.and that's what I want to try to bring to the committee. What's wrong

:25:57. > :25:58.with that? When we have a society where women and men are equally

:25:59. > :26:03.represented in the different spheres of power in this country, that is

:26:04. > :26:06.the time to the debate that wants to have. If you want to go ahead and

:26:07. > :26:10.organise and raise issues around men's equality and a very serious

:26:11. > :26:14.issues around suicide rates for men and so forth, by all means please go

:26:15. > :26:17.and do that, we support that, but to have a presence on the committee

:26:18. > :26:21.when he doesn't believe the committee should exist, to have a

:26:22. > :26:25.presence who thinks this is about feminist zealots, as he put it, that

:26:26. > :26:28.Timmy doesn't suggest this is going to be a very constructive

:26:29. > :26:31.contribution to the work of the committee. One might say you haven't

:26:32. > :26:33.started off well in terms of the language you've used, feminine

:26:34. > :26:36.zealots being just one of the terms you've used to describe people like

:26:37. > :26:45.Caroline Lucas on the committee, but also you commented at an event

:26:46. > :26:51.organised by a group called justice for men and boys, who have said that

:26:52. > :26:54.women are whiny, gormless, toxic liars. Were you right to give a

:26:55. > :26:58.speech at their conference? I appear on the BBC but I'm happy the

:26:59. > :27:02.greatest fan of the BBC and so just because you appear on a flat form

:27:03. > :27:05.doesn't mean that that means you endorse everything about that

:27:06. > :27:10.organisation. -- platform. If that was the case, I would never appear

:27:11. > :27:11.on the BBC, if you were setting up to give a barrier. People should

:27:12. > :27:26.listen to what I actually said, play the case that men and women are

:27:27. > :27:30.treated equally when they go before the courts. The only difference

:27:31. > :27:33.between me and Caroline is that I want this committee to be called the

:27:34. > :27:37.equalities committee and she just wanted to be called the women's

:27:38. > :27:41.committee. I believe in genuine equality between the genders, races,

:27:42. > :27:45.sexes... You've got a funny way of showing it! What he should be doing

:27:46. > :27:48.right now on December 14 is giving us all a Christmas present by saying

:27:49. > :27:50.this is all a joke and he's not going to be on the committee because

:27:51. > :28:04.everything he's just been saying does not convince me

:28:05. > :28:08.this is going to be a constructive presence on the committee. There is

:28:09. > :28:10.serious work to be done, around women and disabilities, the gender

:28:11. > :28:13.pay gap, which are still glaring when it comes to women, women in

:28:14. > :28:15.politics. These are issues that need concerted action now. Is it a joke,

:28:16. > :28:18.your application? No, and I would have thought Caroline would have

:28:19. > :28:20.been the one person who want to protect people with minority

:28:21. > :28:24.opinions in parliament. The day you are a minority, a white, Anglo-Saxon

:28:25. > :28:27.man, I don't think so. It seems Caroline wants people to be on the

:28:28. > :28:29.committee only if they agree with her and surely the point is to have

:28:30. > :28:33.a range of opinions, otherwise what is the point of an all-party select

:28:34. > :28:37.committee if people can only get on there if they agree with Caroline?

:28:38. > :28:40.It sounds like you will get on there because you are standing unopposed

:28:41. > :28:43.but, of course, any member of Parliament can block the appointment

:28:44. > :28:45.or election to this committee. Would you try to block a? I will talk to

:28:46. > :29:00.others and see what strategies they are pursuing. We

:29:01. > :29:03.need to have a proper hearing with Philip and just check out that he

:29:04. > :29:06.doesn't think the people who are standing up for things like equal

:29:07. > :29:08.pay or standing up for women in the justice system are feminist zealots.

:29:09. > :29:11.Maybe he should have a role and he could learn something. I'm sure

:29:12. > :29:13.you're going to get on really well on this committee. Thanks very much.

:29:14. > :29:14.A white Anglo-Saxon man - you don't hear that very often!

:29:15. > :29:17.There's just time to put you out of your misery and give

:29:18. > :29:33.The one o'clock news is starting over on BBC One now.

:29:34. > :29:36.Jo and I will be here at noon tomorrow with all the big

:29:37. > :29:45.When I look in your eyes, I think, "Where's the energy?"

:29:46. > :29:47.You're not exactly a forceful character.

:29:48. > :29:52.He's probably going to tell everyone how the nation consumes

:29:53. > :29:55.You all right there? Oh, it's a very exciting day