11/01/2017

:00:35. > :00:38.Morning folks, welcome to the Daily Politics.

:00:39. > :00:43.Record numbers of patients facing long waits in A and dangerously

:00:44. > :00:45.high levels of bed occupancy - why is this winter proving worst

:00:46. > :00:56.It was supposed to be Jeremy Corbyn's big re-launch -

:00:57. > :00:58.so why did it end in confusion about the party's policy

:00:59. > :01:04.Will the Labour leader do any better at the despatch box today

:01:05. > :01:06.as he takes on Theresa May in the first Prime Minister's

:01:07. > :01:15.We'll bring you that live and uninterrupted at midday.

:01:16. > :01:18.Jared is a very successful real estate person, but I actually think

:01:19. > :01:21.he likes politics more than he likes real estate,

:01:22. > :01:25.I'm going to tell you, and he's very good at politics.

:01:26. > :01:27.And Donald Trump has been accused of nepotism over the appointment

:01:28. > :01:32.But is it sometimes better to keep it in the family?

:01:33. > :01:40.We'll ask Neil and Christine Hamilton.

:01:41. > :01:43.All that in the next 90 minutes of the finest public service

:01:44. > :01:48.broadcasting you'll have seen in 2017.

:01:49. > :01:51.And with us for the duration today - two MPs who obviously wanted

:01:52. > :01:55.to start the New Year with a work out for old grey matter

:01:56. > :02:04.in the interrogational boot camp that is the Daily Politics -

:02:05. > :02:07.Wrote that? I could barely say it! It was a struggle but we got through

:02:08. > :02:08.it! Work and Pensions Secretary,

:02:09. > :02:10.Damian Green and his Shadow, First this morning -

:02:11. > :02:21.the Royal College of Nursing has said that conditions in the NHS

:02:22. > :02:28.are the worst they have ever experienced, and in a letter

:02:29. > :02:31.to the Prime Minister 50 leading doctors have warned the prime

:02:32. > :02:34.minster that lives are being put Charities working with elderly

:02:35. > :02:37.people said long-term solutions were needed,

:02:38. > :02:39.with a similar call from a group of Conservative, Labour

:02:40. > :02:45.and Lib Dem MPs this morning. So how bad are things this winter

:02:46. > :02:49.in the NHS in England and what's Much of the focus has been

:02:50. > :02:57.on England's A departments, with hospitals struggling to meet

:02:58. > :03:00.the target that they treat or discharge 95% of patients

:03:01. > :03:03.within four hours. Since the start of December,

:03:04. > :03:07.hospitals have seen only 82.3% of patients within this time -

:03:08. > :03:10.the worst performance since a target Over the last decade,

:03:11. > :03:19.there's been a substantial increase in the number

:03:20. > :03:22.of patients turning up at A In 2015-16, five million more people

:03:23. > :03:24.passed through the doors Most of the increase

:03:25. > :03:30.in attendance has been at minor injuries departments,

:03:31. > :03:32.and this week Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt reiterated statistics

:03:33. > :03:34.that show a third of people attending A are only

:03:35. > :03:41.in need of advice. A shortage of GP appointments -

:03:42. > :03:45.and problems with the NHS 111 advice line - could be contributing

:03:46. > :03:50.to the increase in the number But more fundamentally the size

:03:51. > :04:01.of the UK population has grown - partly because of immigration,

:04:02. > :04:03.but also because people The number of people aged 90

:04:04. > :04:06.plus has almost tripled Research shows older people tend

:04:07. > :04:12.to have higher rates of A attendance and are also more likely

:04:13. > :04:17.to need a hospital bed. Patients waiting for admission tend

:04:18. > :04:19.to wait longer in A, especially Last month the NHS reported

:04:20. > :04:27.dangerously high levels of bed occupancy, with 94.7% of beds full -

:04:28. > :04:30.well above the "safe" Local councils and charities

:04:31. > :04:38.have said a lack of investment in social care means

:04:39. > :04:46.many older people are stuck in Official figures suggest this

:04:47. > :04:50.affects a third of patients. While the government has said that

:04:51. > :04:53.councils will be able to raise an extra 3% this year and 3% next

:04:54. > :04:56.year for spending on social care, council leaders called

:04:57. > :04:58.it a sticking plaster, and are demanding

:04:59. > :05:12.a longer-term solution. Thank you. Damian Green, the

:05:13. > :05:15.government says that the problem is caused by unprecedented demand, on

:05:16. > :05:21.NHS services. What causes that? Some of it is what you have been talking

:05:22. > :05:26.about, pressure is always high, there is a permanent pressure on the

:05:27. > :05:33.NHS, it is high in winter... But we know that when winter comes... And a

:05:34. > :05:35.rising population. What causes this unprecedented demand? The

:05:36. > :05:42.unprecedented demand is partly due to rising populations, as you have

:05:43. > :05:46.just said, and things the government is addressing, not just inside of

:05:47. > :05:52.the NHS where we spend more money, we have met demands for Simon

:05:53. > :05:59.Stephens plan... We will come back to that... But also there is the

:06:00. > :06:03.social care aspect. We will come to that... You say the demographics,

:06:04. > :06:06.people are living longer which creates a pressure, people tend to

:06:07. > :06:10.use more health care in their later years. You have failed to control

:06:11. > :06:18.migration, quite a lot of migrants come to the country and they do not

:06:19. > :06:23.have doctors and A in there... But even young people get old.

:06:24. > :06:26.Demographics and migration, both are entirely predictable, they don't

:06:27. > :06:30.come out of the blue, why didn't you plan for them? We did, specifically

:06:31. > :06:36.this year, you were right about winter, we could see it coming and

:06:37. > :06:42.we did. We spent ?400 million last autumn on a specific plan for this

:06:43. > :06:47.winter, and... Why isn't it working? It is, in some ways. Interestingly,

:06:48. > :06:51.if you go below the surface of the figures, it is how patchy these

:06:52. > :06:57.problems are. Clearly there are problems there and there have been

:06:58. > :07:02.some bad events but, you find they are concentrated in a relatively

:07:03. > :07:05.small area. It is not a straightforward NHS problem but in

:07:06. > :07:10.19 specific areas. But some of this unprecedented demand is caused by

:07:11. > :07:15.things in the pipeline for years, we were entirely able to enter is about

:07:16. > :07:18.them. You say it is working but in one week this month already, three

:07:19. > :07:21.times the number of people have had to wait for more than 12 hours on a

:07:22. > :07:28.trolley than in the whole of January last year, three times the number!

:07:29. > :07:33.12 hours on a trolley! In one week... How is that working? We can

:07:34. > :07:40.swap statistics. As it happens... That is a human story, not a

:07:41. > :07:45.statistic. As you mentioned, Jo, bed occupancy figures were lower at

:07:46. > :07:52.Christmas this year than last year. Bed blocking is up 25% in two years.

:07:53. > :07:56.The OECD statistic there. It is three times bigger than other

:07:57. > :08:01.countries. Three times bigger than Denmark, twice as big as Norway. It

:08:02. > :08:06.is a real problem and is caused, I would suggest, because you, in your

:08:07. > :08:11.funding formula, slashed social care to councils? But actually, we are

:08:12. > :08:17.increasing social care funding... I'm sorry, Minister, that is just

:08:18. > :08:22.not true. You are increasing it after you cut it, you cut local

:08:23. > :08:29.government funding by 37% and the result is, social care funding has

:08:30. > :08:33.been cut by 25%. The figures are quite dramatic on this. The number

:08:34. > :08:41.of days people had to wait for a care home is up 224%, 260 care homes

:08:42. > :08:47.have closed! But, that is why we've introduced both the better care

:08:48. > :08:52.fund, which is straightforward national funding, and the allowance

:08:53. > :08:58.for local councils to increase this... I will come to you in a

:08:59. > :09:04.moment, but I think you appreciate what I'm doing here. Yes. That is

:09:05. > :09:08.try to hold the government to account, you are increasing some

:09:09. > :09:13.money now but after you have slashed it and the increases will in no way

:09:14. > :09:18.compensate for the slashing of this. The amount of people who cannot get

:09:19. > :09:23.back out of hospital, and into social care, it is just growing and

:09:24. > :09:29.growing. The Royal College of Physicians is paralysed by

:09:30. > :09:36.spiralling demand going on. You have shut daycare centres, for the

:09:37. > :09:40.elderly and disabled. 260 daycare centres have closed. An elderly

:09:41. > :09:49.woman died after 35 hours on a trolley. In Britain, in 2016. In the

:09:50. > :09:53.fifth richest country in the world. She died after 35 hours on a

:09:54. > :09:59.trolley. And your government has spent ?5 million on the Ethiopian

:10:00. > :10:06.Spice Girls. How does it work? We have stopped spending that now. I'm

:10:07. > :10:09.happy to defend the aid budget... 35 hours on a trolley... Absolutely

:10:10. > :10:14.that is unacceptable, nobody thinks it is acceptable. But the point

:10:15. > :10:19.about the social care fund is that the raw parts of the country where

:10:20. > :10:24.there is not bed blocking -- there are parts. But there are always

:10:25. > :10:28.parts! But they are significant parts. The idea that there is a

:10:29. > :10:34.uniform national problem is simply not the case. I do not need to be

:10:35. > :10:40.remotely partisan on that. To pick two areas where there is not a

:10:41. > :10:46.problem with bed blocking and social care, one is Rutland, a pretty Tory

:10:47. > :10:50.area, the other is Barnsley which is as Labour as you can get.

:10:51. > :10:55.Local authorities are coping with their NHS trusts, and some are doing

:10:56. > :11:00.better than others. But the overall picture is... Let me bring in Labour

:11:01. > :11:03.here. There's clearly a major problem. Money does not grow on

:11:04. > :11:09.trees but it is clear that social care and the NHS need more money,

:11:10. > :11:15.where'd you get it from? It is about the choices you make. We heard the

:11:16. > :11:20.promised during the EU referendum about ?350 million a week being made

:11:21. > :11:26.available to the NHS. Of course, that was not the government promised

:11:27. > :11:31.that... We had not left the EU yet! The government has been a bit

:11:32. > :11:36.disingenuous in terms of the amount of investment that they have put

:11:37. > :11:42.into the NHS, ?4.6 billion instead of the ?10 billion that they

:11:43. > :11:48.actually... That is the health select committee? You are absolutely

:11:49. > :11:53.right about social care funding, 4.6 million cut since 2010. In my own

:11:54. > :12:00.area of Oldham, what used to be one quarter of the budget and social

:12:01. > :12:05.care is now three quarters and they will not go anywhere near addressing

:12:06. > :12:11.the problem. Let's put it to you. You have cut social care budgets

:12:12. > :12:17.because of the huge 37% cuts to local authorities which has resulted

:12:18. > :12:21.in a 25% cut in social care. And, you are actually in the process of

:12:22. > :12:28.increasing NHS spending, in real terms, by much less than ?10

:12:29. > :12:34.billion. It's not that, if you look at the 2014-15 figure, the NHS

:12:35. > :12:41.budget was about ?99 billion but by 2021 it will be about 120 billion,

:12:42. > :12:46.we will have gone up about ?10 billion in real terms. Those are the

:12:47. > :12:50.facts... What do you say to that? We are back to this situation of the

:12:51. > :13:00.1990s, well below the EU average in terms of percentages spend, and we

:13:01. > :13:04.have brought it up now. That is the title, not government spending. I

:13:05. > :13:09.understand that but the OECD figures are comparable. It is less. France

:13:10. > :13:15.and Germany are 11, Switzerland 11.5, Sweden is 11. That is private

:13:16. > :13:22.and... And we have a growing population... Few European countries

:13:23. > :13:27.are growing as fast as we are per capita, and we are on track to

:13:28. > :13:34.overtake Germany's population by 2025. The point that Jo makes is

:13:35. > :13:38.that by per capita spending on health, it is falling under your

:13:39. > :13:42.government. But what is important is the outcome, that's the point I'm

:13:43. > :13:48.making... But we are failing on that as well! No, we aren't. What you

:13:49. > :13:57.mentioned recently was our target. Look at Europe, does anyone else

:13:58. > :14:05.match it? You have essentially abandoned the four our target. We

:14:06. > :14:11.are at 80%. But hold on, Minister. One in four people wait for more

:14:12. > :14:16.than four hours in A That is for emergency care. It was not Jeremy

:14:17. > :14:22.Hunt but the director of acute services in the NHS who said that

:14:23. > :14:27.30% of people turn up at A who do not have an emergency. The point is,

:14:28. > :14:32.nobody else even aspires to get this target. But what is the point in

:14:33. > :14:37.getting a target that you cannot hit for one in four people? 80,000

:14:38. > :14:43.people waited 12 hours or more on a trolley. Last week. 485 people had

:14:44. > :14:50.to wait for more than 12 hours? That is not... Your target. If they are

:14:51. > :14:56.waiting for emergency care of course that is not good enough. But at 85%,

:14:57. > :15:00.we are in the high 80s. But the point is, you say that somehow we

:15:01. > :15:04.are worse than other comparable European countries, other comparable

:15:05. > :15:10.European countries do not aspire to do what the NHS does. They have much

:15:11. > :15:17.better health outcomes, cancer recovery rates are far higher,

:15:18. > :15:20.higher in almost every measure of output. Germany, France,

:15:21. > :15:22.Scandinavian countries, they are better than us and we are around

:15:23. > :15:33.Slovenia and the Czech Republic. We are addressing those specifics

:15:34. > :15:36.and the cancer bond is getting better, stroke services are getting

:15:37. > :15:42.better. We are addressing those issues which have been there for

:15:43. > :15:46.decades. Cuts in public and mental health... We are spending more money

:15:47. > :15:47.on mental health. We had better leave it there.

:15:48. > :15:50.So - it was supposed to be Jeremy Corbyn's big relaunch day.

:15:51. > :15:52.In the wake of the success of political insurgents

:15:53. > :15:55.like Donald Trump, could the Labour advisors sprinkle the same magic

:15:56. > :15:58.Well, yesterday they scheduled a major speech setting out

:15:59. > :16:00.the party's Brexit policy, alongside a series

:16:01. > :16:05.However, on the Today programme, Jeremy Corbyn got diverted

:16:06. > :16:08.into talking about pay, saying he would like to see

:16:09. > :16:10.a "high earnings cap", suggesting it could cover

:16:11. > :16:15.Later on, he had to clarify his plans, suggesting

:16:16. > :16:21.for companies bidding for government contracts.

:16:22. > :16:24.On the issue of Brexit, it had been briefed that Labour

:16:25. > :16:27.would no longer be "wedded to freedom of movement for EU citizens"

:16:28. > :16:29.but, in an interview with Laura Kuenssberg,

:16:30. > :16:32.Corbyn suggested he was still comfortable with the number

:16:33. > :16:38.We've asked you previously whether or not you think

:16:39. > :16:40.the levels are too high, and you've said that you don't think

:16:41. > :16:43.the levels are too high, and for many of your supporters

:16:44. > :16:45.that is a proud principle that you've always stuck to.

:16:46. > :16:50.No. My mind is quite clear, that we need to end the exploitation

:16:51. > :16:53.that is going on, we need to maintain market access

:16:54. > :16:57.within Europe and we need to ensure there are good relations

:16:58. > :17:11.Debbie Abrahams, where does Labour now stand on freedom of movement for

:17:12. > :17:18.EU citizens? Should it end or continue? What Jeremy was setting

:17:19. > :17:23.out was that we needed to recognise that they needed to be flexibility

:17:24. > :17:28.in our labour market. You didn't see the whole interview. But he doesn't

:17:29. > :17:32.clarify exactly. On that point, he was meant to say that Labour was not

:17:33. > :17:38.wicked -- wedded to the principle of the EU's freedom of movement rules,

:17:39. > :17:43.but he went on to say that they wouldn't rule it out. So should it

:17:44. > :17:49.end or carry on? What he was trying to say is that we need to value our

:17:50. > :17:57.migrants. They contribute ?20 billion to the economy. One in five

:17:58. > :18:01.care workers comes from Europe. 135 -- 130,000 doctors and nurses. They

:18:02. > :18:07.are an invaluable part of society and the economy and we need to

:18:08. > :18:10.recognise that. We can't cut off our noses to spite our faces. We need to

:18:11. > :18:17.recognise the contribution migrants make to the economy and not during

:18:18. > :18:21.the negotiations scupper any potential... So you are underlining

:18:22. > :18:25.what Jeremy Corbyn said, which is that he doesn't rule out keeping EU

:18:26. > :18:31.freedom of movement in exchange for full access to the single market. He

:18:32. > :18:36.wants to make sure these are part of the negotiations. That is important.

:18:37. > :18:40.The speech was supposed to answer some of the concerns of Labour

:18:41. > :18:46.voters about levels of immigration. Does the Labour Party pose

:18:47. > :18:53.uncontrolled migration to the UK? No, we don't. There are controls in

:18:54. > :18:58.terms of migration. And we need to make sure that we continue those. So

:18:59. > :19:03.you want the levels of immigration, you are happy, like Jeremy Corbyn

:19:04. > :19:09.said in that clip, that levels of immigration to the UK are not too

:19:10. > :19:12.high? We must make sure that any controls around immigration could

:19:13. > :19:16.potentially affect the economy. Nobody voted to potentially damage

:19:17. > :19:20.the economy. They wanted to make sure they will do better for

:19:21. > :19:25.themselves and their families, and we need to be careful about this.

:19:26. > :19:28.Can I say also, about the tone of the debate around this. There has

:19:29. > :19:33.been some deplorable language, which has really cast aspersions around

:19:34. > :19:41.migrants. Goodwillie has vilified migrants. -- it really has vilified.

:19:42. > :19:45.People want to know the policy of the Labour Party, and Jeremy Corbyn

:19:46. > :19:49.was supposed to make that clear yesterday, but I put to you that

:19:50. > :19:55.Labour MPs and voters are still confused. Does the Labour Party want

:19:56. > :20:07.levels of immigration to come down? Yes, we do. How much? We can't state

:20:08. > :20:09.that. Do you have an aspiration? 1.3 million workers employed from

:20:10. > :20:15.recruitment agencies. That figure isn't monitored by the government.

:20:16. > :20:21.But we know that in 2007 there are estimates that one in seven of those

:20:22. > :20:25.agency workers came from Europe. If you ended the worker exploitation,

:20:26. > :20:31.which Jeremy Corbyn talked about and you are alluding too, how many fewer

:20:32. > :20:35.people would you like to see coming to the UK? I think this is a red

:20:36. > :20:40.herring. You don't think that Labour voters would like to know that the

:20:41. > :20:44.Labour Party is committed, either by curbs or freedom of movement to EU

:20:45. > :20:49.citizens or by dealing with exploitation, that they would like

:20:50. > :20:54.to see a lower figure? Yes, we would. But Jeremy Corbyn says he is

:20:55. > :20:59.happy, and the levels are not too high. It isn't helpful to talk about

:21:00. > :21:03.ratios and numbers. That is for the reasons the Tory doesn't have found.

:21:04. > :21:07.I understand they missed their target but, it Jeremy Corbyn is

:21:08. > :21:11.saying he is happy the present levels and they are not too high,

:21:12. > :21:17.but you have said you would like to bring those levels down. Jeremy said

:21:18. > :21:20.that it is about making sure we stop recruitment solely from abroad. We

:21:21. > :21:24.don't have a number. The government doesn't keep a number of how many EU

:21:25. > :21:30.migrants come directly from these recruitment agencies. If 1.3

:21:31. > :21:35.million, potentially, 600,000 have come from Europe, that gives an

:21:36. > :21:40.estimate, but we don't know how reliable that figure is, so it would

:21:41. > :21:46.be responsible... But Jeremy Corbyn is happy with the current level. If

:21:47. > :21:49.we jeopardise the level of migration at the moment, we could potentially

:21:50. > :21:55.impact on the economy. We can't do that. The speech was breached at a

:21:56. > :21:59.change of policy and emphasis Labour, a change of direction for

:22:00. > :22:03.Jeremy Corbyn, and in the end he stuck to the principles he has

:22:04. > :22:07.always held there, which may be fine, but it wasn't what we were

:22:08. > :22:12.told was going to happen. We've got to move on because we are short of

:22:13. > :22:17.time. We can come back to it. A call for a cap on maximum salaries. Was

:22:18. > :22:23.that something you discussed with him in Shadow Cabinet? We had Shadow

:22:24. > :22:28.Cabinet yesterday morning and we certainly discussed it. You

:22:29. > :22:33.discussed this idea of a cap for maximum salaries? We discussed the

:22:34. > :22:38.idea of inequality around salary. Barry Gardiner said he had discussed

:22:39. > :22:43.it at Shadow Cabinet with Jeremy Corbyn, so was there a specific

:22:44. > :22:48.discussion? I can't be sure if Barry was there or not but we certainly

:22:49. > :22:54.did discuss it. If you look at the context of the interview, it was

:22:55. > :22:58.about the inequalities. We know that 7.4 working people, 7.4 million

:22:59. > :23:02.working people are living in poverty, three out of four children,

:23:03. > :23:07.4 million children are from working families. It isn't right that a

:23:08. > :23:11.chief executive from a top company is earning 130 times the average

:23:12. > :23:17.worker. Wright so you would like to see a maximum cap for CEOs of

:23:18. > :23:21.private companies and footballers and bankers, as Jeremy Corbyn

:23:22. > :23:29.suggested? It isn't right... So why did he wrote back? In the morning,

:23:30. > :23:32.he said that a cap on salaries for chief executives and footballers, I

:23:33. > :23:36.think was the other example he used but, by the afternoon, he had

:23:37. > :23:39.changed his position to ensuring it would be bosses of companies with

:23:40. > :23:47.government contracts, that they could earn more than 20 times the

:23:48. > :23:50.pay of junior staff. Why did he change his position? I listened to

:23:51. > :23:56.the interview and snippets have been played. No, there was a clear

:23:57. > :23:59.change. In the morning, he said he wanted a general, maximum cap on

:24:00. > :24:03.salaries in private and public sectors. In the afternoon, he

:24:04. > :24:09.singled out the public sector and said it should be a ratio of 20 to

:24:10. > :24:14.one. No, he didn't. He said it was a rat inequality. In the context of

:24:15. > :24:20.high executive pay, it wasn't right. -- it was around inequality. In the

:24:21. > :24:25.morning, he said, I'd back capping the maximum salaries of football. In

:24:26. > :24:29.the afternoon, I want to ensure bosses of companies with government

:24:30. > :24:35.contracts cannot earn 20 times their junior staff. That was adding to the

:24:36. > :24:42.general direction. So he will do both? We are looking at a policy

:24:43. > :24:46.document and when we have our manifesto I will come back and

:24:47. > :24:50.explain in detail. This was the development of our thinking on a

:24:51. > :24:59.ratios. Edge economic advisers said it was a lunatic -- lunatic idea and

:25:00. > :25:02.unworkable. What do you say to that? We need to follow the evidence and

:25:03. > :25:04.that is what we intend to do as part of policy development.

:25:05. > :25:06.Now - we've learned more about the Queen's

:25:07. > :25:10.Not only is Her Majesty said to be an avid viewer of this programme,

:25:11. > :25:18.it turns out that she is also a fan of a quiz show called "Pointless".

:25:19. > :25:24.The Queen is said to have stumbled upon it whilst waiting to watch

:25:25. > :25:34.Not an "appointment to view" programme like this one then.

:25:35. > :25:36.And, I'm told, it doesn't offer you the opportunity to win one

:25:37. > :25:39.of these prized receptacles either - no wonder it's called "Pointless".

:25:40. > :25:42.So - Ladies, gentlemen, your majesty - if you are looking

:25:43. > :25:44.for something to drink from whilst watching the Daily Politics or even

:25:45. > :25:47.Pointless, we're not fussy, let us know when this happened.

:25:48. > :25:53.And this film does contain some flashing images.

:25:54. > :25:56.# Don't ever stand aside Don't ever be denied

:25:57. > :26:01.# You oughta be who you be if you're coming with me...

:26:02. > :26:07.# I think I've got a feeling I've lost inside...#

:26:08. > :26:20.# Look back before you leave my life...#

:26:21. > :26:27.# Baby, if I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey...#

:26:28. > :26:33.Sardines will be thrown into the sea.

:26:34. > :26:44.# Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to...#

:26:45. > :26:47.# Oh, I love the thought of coming home to you

:26:48. > :26:56.# Yes, I love the thought of giving hope to you...#

:26:57. > :26:58.Party leadership apparently said that they would endorse him

:26:59. > :27:12.as a candidate in a future election, which I find extraordinary.

:27:13. > :27:15.To be in with a chance of winning a Daily Politics mug,

:27:16. > :27:18.send your answer to our special quiz email address -

:27:19. > :27:24.Entries must arrive by 12.30 today, and you can see the full terms

:27:25. > :27:27.and conditions for Guess The Year on our website - that's

:27:28. > :27:42.It's coming up to midday here - just take a look at Big Ben -

:27:43. > :27:50.The first Prime Minister's Questions of 2017 is coming up. Laura

:27:51. > :27:55.Kuenssberg is here. Happy New Year to you. I must surely be right in

:27:56. > :28:00.assuming that Mr Corbyn will go on the NHS. I think for once we can

:28:01. > :28:04.assume that Jeremy Corbyn will go on the subject not just of the day but

:28:05. > :28:08.the New Year. They are the day, there has been a drumbeat getting

:28:09. > :28:13.louder and louder of warnings about the strain in the NHS. It is way

:28:14. > :28:16.beyond the usual lobbying you see from interest groups, and it can't

:28:17. > :28:21.be dismissed, not least because you now have a cross-party group of MPs,

:28:22. > :28:26.former Health Secretary 's, Labour, Tory and Lib Dem is now really

:28:27. > :28:30.trying to grapple with this idea and push Theresa May into considering a

:28:31. > :28:35.big conversation, a national convention on the future of the NHS.

:28:36. > :28:40.As we talked about on this programme many times, privately, many

:28:41. > :28:43.politicians say, we've got to have a conversation about whether the NHS

:28:44. > :28:49.can continue and be sustainable in its current form forced publicly,

:28:50. > :28:53.not many of them are willing to say that in the record, but Jeremy Hunt

:28:54. > :28:57.this week said that we have to have an honest debate about A in

:28:58. > :29:02.particular, and I think that was a significant moment. And that would

:29:03. > :29:05.be part of a long-term preparing the NHS for the 21st century. It

:29:06. > :29:09.wouldn't help those waiting on trolleys at the moment. Is their

:29:10. > :29:16.concern on Tory backbenches that this was an entirely predictable set

:29:17. > :29:20.of events and that the May government, its first really big

:29:21. > :29:26.challenge outside breakfast, has not really anticipated or dealt with it?

:29:27. > :29:31.I think there is concern on the Tory benches and, as we have said many

:29:32. > :29:35.times, there is a lot of concern among Tory councillors, many of whom

:29:36. > :29:40.have gone on the record to say, look, this crunch of cuts in council

:29:41. > :29:44.budgets, directly affecting the provision of social care, combined

:29:45. > :29:48.with demographics, is a car crash. Central government so far, beyond

:29:49. > :29:52.the precept, allowing councils to charge a bit more on council tax,

:29:53. > :29:56.they haven't grapple with what many people see as a yawning gap between

:29:57. > :30:01.the amount of resources needed on the ground and what is available. It

:30:02. > :30:05.is worth saying, and what Number Ten consistently says, is that there is

:30:06. > :30:09.more to it than that because, if you look at different parts of country,

:30:10. > :30:14.there are different outcomes. Which is the point Damian Green was making

:30:15. > :30:18.when I interviewed him. I imagine Theresa May may make that response

:30:19. > :30:23.today, if she is pressed on this issue, as we expect she will be. The

:30:24. > :30:26.other difficulty for the NHS in calling for more money, which

:30:27. > :30:30.Theresa May is referred to publicly many times, which might go some way

:30:31. > :30:34.to explaining the front page of the Times today, which suggests Number

:30:35. > :30:40.Ten have been stirring the pot against the NHS chief executive,

:30:41. > :30:43.Simon Stevens. They have set on the record that the NHS asked for an

:30:44. > :30:47.amount of money and they were given the amount of money they asked for

:30:48. > :30:51.so, for them to come back a year later and say it isn't enough, they

:30:52. > :30:54.should take responsibility for that and deal with the cash better. What

:30:55. > :30:59.they have actually done is dispute the amount of money so that doesn't

:31:00. > :31:04.really agree with the government's figures. And it doesn't cover the

:31:05. > :31:06.social care budget. Wright it was remarkable that the health budget

:31:07. > :31:11.wasn't mentioned in the Autumn Statement. I would suggest he is

:31:12. > :31:16.unlikely to get away with that in the budget, on March the 8th. One

:31:17. > :31:19.senior minister has said to me, in the run-up to the Autumn Statement,

:31:20. > :31:23.they didn't believe there would be more money available for the NHS in

:31:24. > :31:27.the Autumn Statement but later in the year it was something they would

:31:28. > :31:34.not be surprised to see. Let's go straight

:31:35. > :31:39.The Prime Minister. This morning I had meetings with ministerial

:31:40. > :31:45.colleagues and others in addition to my duties in this house, I will have

:31:46. > :31:50.further meetings today. Happy New Year to you, Mr Speaker, let me

:31:51. > :31:54.extend it to everyone in this house. It has been over six months since

:31:55. > :31:57.European referendum and embarrassingly, for the Prime

:31:58. > :32:00.Minister, the Scottish Government is the only administration on the

:32:01. > :32:11.islands which have published a plan on what to do next. LAUGHTER

:32:12. > :32:17.Has the Prime Minister read it yet? And, when will she be publishing her

:32:18. > :32:21.own plan? Can I join the honourable gentleman in wishing everyone in the

:32:22. > :32:25.house, not only members but the staff of the house a happy New Year.

:32:26. > :32:29.Can I say that as I said to the liaison committee when I appeared in

:32:30. > :32:34.front of them before Christmas, I will, in a matter of weeks, be

:32:35. > :32:37.setting out more details of our proposals on the issue. I would like

:32:38. > :32:42.to remind the honourable gentleman that when he talks about the

:32:43. > :32:46.Scottish Government's plan, it is his party, the Scottish Nationalists

:32:47. > :32:56.party, that wants to leave the UK and therefore the U. -- the EU. In

:32:57. > :33:01.my constituency they employ over 1200 people in high skilled jobs,

:33:02. > :33:09.Manufacturing nuclear fuel which generates 15% of the UK's

:33:10. > :33:13.electricity. Do you agree that this industry is of crucial importance to

:33:14. > :33:18.the Northwest economy and will you support the new generation of power

:33:19. > :33:21.stations to guarantee jobs? I certainly agree with my honourable

:33:22. > :33:26.friend that new nuclear has a crucial role to play in securing our

:33:27. > :33:31.future energy needs, especially as we are looking to move to a low

:33:32. > :33:34.carbon society. The industrial strategy that the government will be

:33:35. > :33:38.setting out will have a strong emphasis on the role of regions in

:33:39. > :33:42.supporting economic growth and ensuring the economy works for all.

:33:43. > :33:50.Like my honourable friend I welcome the proposals from Toshiba to open a

:33:51. > :33:53.new power station in Cumbria and they continue to work closely with

:33:54. > :34:04.developers as they bring proposals forward. Jeremy Corbyn... Thank you,

:34:05. > :34:09.Mr Speaker, it is nice to have such a warm welcome and may I wish all

:34:10. > :34:13.members a happy New Year, as well as all members of staff in the house. I

:34:14. > :34:19.hope the whole house will join me, I'm sure that they will, in playing

:34:20. > :34:22.tribute to 22-year-old Lance Corporal Scott Hetherington who died

:34:23. > :34:28.in a non-combat incident in Iraq last Monday, I'm sure that the whole

:34:29. > :34:36.house will send condolences to family and friends of Katie Rough

:34:37. > :34:41.who died in York this week, it is right to send condolences. Last

:34:42. > :34:47.week, 485 people in England spent more than 12 hours on trolleys in

:34:48. > :34:52.hospital corridors. The Red Cross described this as "A humanitarian

:34:53. > :34:58.crisis". I call on the Prime Minister to come to Parliament on

:34:59. > :35:02.Monday. She did not. She sent the Health Secretary, but she agree that

:35:03. > :35:06.the best way of solving the crisis of the four-hour wait is fiddling

:35:07. > :35:11.the figures so that people are not seem to be waiting so long on

:35:12. > :35:14.trolleys in NHS hospitals? Well firstly, may I join the right

:35:15. > :35:19.honourable gentleman in sending condolences to the family of Lance

:35:20. > :35:23.Corporal Hetherington who died in a non-combat incident in Iraq, from

:35:24. > :35:29.everything I have seen and read, he was a very fine young man. We were

:35:30. > :35:33.delighted -- he was delighted to be in the Armed Forces and we are proud

:35:34. > :35:37.that such a fine young man was in the Armed Forces. I also join the

:35:38. > :35:42.right honourable gentleman in expressing condolences to the family

:35:43. > :35:46.and friends of little Katie, who died so tragically. Now, he talks

:35:47. > :35:50.about pressures on the NHS, and we acknowledge that there are pressures

:35:51. > :35:54.on the national Health Service. There are always extra pressures on

:35:55. > :35:59.the NHS over the winter, but of course we have at the moment added

:36:00. > :36:03.pressures of the ageing population, and the growing complex needs of the

:36:04. > :36:09.population. He refers to the British Red Cross term of a "Humanitarian

:36:10. > :36:13.crisis" but I must say that we have all seen humanitarian crisis around

:36:14. > :36:21.the world. And, to use that description of a national health

:36:22. > :36:27.service... Which, last year, saw 2.5 million more people treated in A

:36:28. > :36:35.than six years ago, was irresponsible and overblown. Mr

:36:36. > :36:42.Speaker, 1.8 million people had to wait longer than four hours last

:36:43. > :36:46.year in A departments. The Prime Minister may not like what the Red

:36:47. > :36:50.Cross said, that on the same day, the British Medical Association said

:36:51. > :36:54.conditions in hospitals across the country are reaching a dangerous

:36:55. > :36:59.level. The Royal College of Nursing has said NHS conditions are the

:37:00. > :37:03.worst ever. The Royal College of Physicians told the Prime Minister

:37:04. > :37:06.that the NHS is underfunded, not enough doctors, and overstretched.

:37:07. > :37:11.If she will not listen to the Red Cross, who will she listened to?

:37:12. > :37:14.I've said to the right honourable gentleman that I have acknowledged

:37:15. > :37:19.that there are pressures on the NHS, the government has put in extra

:37:20. > :37:27.funding and the fact that we are seeing more people being treated in

:37:28. > :37:31.our NHS, 2500 more people are treated within four hours every day

:37:32. > :37:35.in the NHS because of the government adding extra funding and the hard

:37:36. > :37:39.work of medical professionals in our NHS. But I also say to him it is not

:37:40. > :37:44.just a question of targets in relation to the health service. We

:37:45. > :37:48.continue to have a commitment, as the Health Secretary made clear, to

:37:49. > :37:52.the four hour target. It is a question of making sure people are

:37:53. > :37:57.provided with appropriate care for them and the best possible care in

:37:58. > :38:02.their circumstances. Jeremy Corbyn! Mr Speaker, she seems to be in a

:38:03. > :38:05.degree of denial about this and will not listen to professional

:38:06. > :38:10.organisations who have spent their whole lifetime doing their best for

:38:11. > :38:15.the NHS. But, can I ask if she will listen to Sian, who works for the

:38:16. > :38:19.NHS. She has a 22-month-old nephew who went into hospital, there was no

:38:20. > :38:24.bed and he was treated on two plastic chairs pushed together with

:38:25. > :38:27.a blanket. She says one of the nurses told her sister that it is

:38:28. > :38:33.always like this nowadays. She asks the question to all of us. Surely,

:38:34. > :38:36.we should strive to do better than this? Does the Prime Minister and

:38:37. > :38:41.Health Secretary think that this is an acceptable way of treating a

:38:42. > :38:53.22-month-old child needing help? Shameful! I accept there have been a

:38:54. > :38:59.small number of incidents... Where, an acceptable practices have taken

:39:00. > :39:02.place. But, what matters, we do not want those things to happen, but

:39:03. > :39:08.what matters is how you deal with them. That is why it is so important

:39:09. > :39:11.that the NHS looks into issues where there are unacceptable incidents

:39:12. > :39:15.which have taken place and learned lessons from them. But I come back

:39:16. > :39:19.to the point I was making earlier. He talks of the hard-working health

:39:20. > :39:23.care professionals, like Sian, in the NHS. And indeed, we should be

:39:24. > :39:32.grateful for the work that all of those working in the NHS do, over

:39:33. > :39:36.Christmas, we saw the busiest day ever in the NHS and over the few

:39:37. > :39:43.weeks around Christmas, we saw the day where more people were treated

:39:44. > :39:48.in A within four hours than had ever happened before. This is the

:39:49. > :39:54.reality of the National Health Service. Jeremy Corbyn!

:39:55. > :40:00.We all thanked NHS staff and praise them, but her government is

:40:01. > :40:04.proposing through sustainability and transformation to cut one third of

:40:05. > :40:09.beds in all of our hospitals in the very near future. On Monday, she

:40:10. > :40:14.spoke about mental health, and doing more to help people, particularly

:40:15. > :40:17.the young, with those conditions. I welcome that, except last night

:40:18. > :40:23.the BBC revealed that over five years, there had been an 89%

:40:24. > :40:28.increase in young people with mental health issues, having to go to A

:40:29. > :40:32.departments. So, doesn't she agree that the 1.25 billion committed to

:40:33. > :40:36.child and adolescent mental health in 2015 should have been ring

:40:37. > :40:40.fenced? Rather than used as a resource to be raided to plug other

:40:41. > :40:48.holes in other budgets within the NHS? If we look at what is happening

:40:49. > :40:53.in relation to mental health treatment on the NHS we see 1400

:40:54. > :40:58.more people every day accessing mental health services. When I spoke

:40:59. > :41:01.about this issue on Monday, I said that there is, of course, more for

:41:02. > :41:05.us to do. It is not a problem that will be

:41:06. > :41:09.resolved overnight. I have set out ways in which we will see an

:41:10. > :41:13.improvement in the services we see in relation to mental health but it

:41:14. > :41:17.is about appropriate care for any individual and, as I mentioned

:41:18. > :41:23.earlier, it is not just about A When I was in Aldershot on Monday, I

:41:24. > :41:29.spoke to service users with mental health problems, who said that they

:41:30. > :41:34.did not want to go to A, the provision of alternative services

:41:35. > :41:38.has meant that the A locally has seen their numbers stabilising

:41:39. > :41:41.rather than going up. It is about the appropriate care for the

:41:42. > :41:47.individual, and we want to see good practice spread across the whole

:41:48. > :41:52.country. Jeremy Corbyn! Mr Speaker, nobody wants people with mental

:41:53. > :41:56.health conditions to go to A departments, A departments do not

:41:57. > :42:00.want them to go there but under the government, there are 6000 nurses

:42:01. > :42:04.fewer working in mental health, 400 fewer doctors working in mental

:42:05. > :42:08.health, it is obviously they will go somewhere to get help when they are

:42:09. > :42:13.in a desperate situation. Mr Speaker, our NHS is under a huge

:42:14. > :42:18.pressure, and much of it is caused by cuts to social care. The Royal

:42:19. > :42:22.College of Physicians has said that it is pushing more people into our

:42:23. > :42:26.hospitals and trapping them there for longer. We'll be Prime Minister

:42:27. > :42:31.do what my friend, the member for Leicester South has called for, and

:42:32. > :42:38.bring forward the extra 700 million allocated in 2019 now into social

:42:39. > :42:41.care so that we did not have this problem of people staying too long

:42:42. > :42:46.in hospital when they should be cared for by a social care system?

:42:47. > :42:53.The right honourable gentleman has asked me these questions before

:42:54. > :42:56.Christmas in the last PMQs... He may find it difficult to believe that

:42:57. > :43:08.somebody will say the same thing that they said a few weeks ago...

:43:09. > :43:14.But... We have put extra money into social care. In the medium term, we

:43:15. > :43:18.are ensuring that best practice is spread across the country, because

:43:19. > :43:21.he talks about delayed discharge. There are some local authorities

:43:22. > :43:28.working with their health service locally where there are virtually no

:43:29. > :43:34.delayed discharges. 50%, half of the delayed discharges, are in only 24

:43:35. > :43:39.local authority areas. What does that tell us? That it is not just

:43:40. > :43:42.about funding but best practice. If the right honourable gentleman comes

:43:43. > :43:46.back to me and talks about funding again, he should think on this. We

:43:47. > :43:54.can only fun social care and the NHS if we have a strong economy with the

:43:55. > :43:57.Conservatives! Mr Speaker, I'm sorry to have to bring the Prime Minister

:43:58. > :44:01.back to the subject of social care which I raised before Christmas, the

:44:02. > :44:07.reason I did so and will continue to do so is because she has not

:44:08. > :44:11.addressed the problem! The government has cut ?4.6 billion from

:44:12. > :44:17.social care budgets. The Kings fund says there is a social care funding

:44:18. > :44:21.gap of ?2 billion almost this year. Earlier this week, the Prime

:44:22. > :44:26.Minister said that she wanted to create a "Shared society". We

:44:27. > :44:30.certainly have that. More people sharing hospital corridors on

:44:31. > :44:35.trolleys! More people sharing waiting areas and A departments.

:44:36. > :44:42.More people sharing an anxiety created by this government. Our NHS,

:44:43. > :44:47.Mr Speaker, is in crisis but the Prime Minister is in denial. Can I

:44:48. > :44:52.suggest to her, on the economic question, cancelled the corporate

:44:53. > :44:56.tax cuts! Spend the money where it is needed, and people in desperate

:44:57. > :45:03.need in social care, or in our hospitals! The right honourable

:45:04. > :45:06.gentleman talks about crisis, I suggest that he listens to the

:45:07. > :45:11.honourable member for Don Valley, a former Labour health minister, who

:45:12. > :45:15.said the following. With Labour, it is always about crisis. The NHS is

:45:16. > :45:20.on its knees, we had to be a bit more grown-up about this. And come

:45:21. > :45:27.he talks to be about corporation tax. -- and he talks to me about

:45:28. > :45:32.corporation tax and cuts, the Labour Party has already spent that money

:45:33. > :45:36.eight times! The last thing the NHS needs is a check from Labour which

:45:37. > :45:41.bounces, the only way we can ensure we have funding for the NHS is a

:45:42. > :45:45.strong economy. Yesterday, the right honourable gentleman proved that he

:45:46. > :45:46.was not only incompetent but would destroy our economy which would

:45:47. > :46:04.devastate our NHS. Cyber bullying, sexting and revenge

:46:05. > :46:09.pornography are part of British teenage life today, and so is a

:46:10. > :46:15.rapid increase in mental health problems among our teenagers. How is

:46:16. > :46:19.the Prime Minister helping to tackle the pressures teenagers face in

:46:20. > :46:23.Britain today? My right honourable friend raises an important point,

:46:24. > :46:27.and one of the things I spoke about when I spoke about mental health on

:46:28. > :46:32.Monday was trying to ensure we can provide better training for staff

:46:33. > :46:37.and teachers in schools to identify the early stages of mental health

:46:38. > :46:42.problems for young people, so that those problems can be addressed. I

:46:43. > :46:45.think it is something like half of all mental health problems start

:46:46. > :46:49.before age 14, so it's a real issue we need to address. We are going to

:46:50. > :46:54.look at how we can provide that training, and we will be looking at

:46:55. > :46:57.a number of other ways and reviewing the mental health services provided

:46:58. > :47:01.for young people to ensure we can identify what is working and make

:47:02. > :47:08.sure that good practice is spread across the country. May I begin with

:47:09. > :47:12.a tribute to father George Thompson, who died shortly before Christmas.

:47:13. > :47:19.He led a remarkable life as a teacher, priest and SNP member for

:47:20. > :47:24.Galloway. We extend our sympathies to his family. All of us in this

:47:25. > :47:29.house and across these islands care about the peace process and the

:47:30. > :47:33.democratic institutions in Northern Ireland, so may I wish the premise

:47:34. > :47:38.done well, the Taoiseach, the Northern Secretary, the political

:47:39. > :47:41.parties all the best in trying to resolve the serious political

:47:42. > :47:47.difficulties there. Will the Prime Minister tell us what consequences

:47:48. > :47:51.will be if no agreement be found? I join the honourable gentleman in

:47:52. > :47:57.offering condolences to the family and friends of George Thompson, the

:47:58. > :48:02.member for Galloway between 1974 and 1979. On the issue he has raised

:48:03. > :48:05.about the situation in Northern Ireland, we are treating this with

:48:06. > :48:09.the utmost seriousness, and as he will know the Northern Ireland

:48:10. > :48:14.Secretary made a statement in this house earlier this week on this

:48:15. > :48:21.issue. He has spoken to the First Minister and the former Deputy First

:48:22. > :48:26.Minister and he is urging all parties to work together to find a

:48:27. > :48:28.way forward. I have also spoken to the Taoiseach about this issue, so

:48:29. > :48:37.we are putting every effort into this. The legislation is that, if,

:48:38. > :48:39.within seven days, we don't have a nomination for a Deputy First

:48:40. > :48:45.Minister, the matter would go to an election. The Prime Minister has

:48:46. > :48:51.indicated that she wants to date the views of the elected representatives

:48:52. > :48:55.and the devolved institutions on Brexit seriously. So it stands to

:48:56. > :48:57.reason then that, if there is no Northern Ireland Assembly and there

:48:58. > :49:05.is no Northern Ireland Executive for much of the time before the March

:49:06. > :49:09.timetable she has set before invoking Article 50, that she will

:49:10. > :49:12.be unable to properly consult, to fully discuss and find agreement on

:49:13. > :49:18.the complex issues during this time period. In these circumstances, will

:49:19. > :49:29.the Prime Minister postpone invoking Article 50? Will she postpone

:49:30. > :49:37.Article 50, or will she just plough on regardless? It's about ensuring,

:49:38. > :49:42.as he says, we all want to ensure that we do hear the views from all

:49:43. > :49:46.parts of the UK. That is why we have established the GMC, European

:49:47. > :49:53.committee, specifically to take the views and the GMC plenary, which is

:49:54. > :49:57.also meeting more frequently than previously. First, we want to ensure

:49:58. > :50:01.that, within this period of seven days, we can find a resolution to

:50:02. > :50:05.the political situation in Northern Ireland so we can continue to seek

:50:06. > :50:09.the assembly government continuing, but I am also clear that, in the

:50:10. > :50:14.discussions we have, it will be possible and it is still the case

:50:15. > :50:17.that actually ministers are in place and that obviously there are

:50:18. > :50:22.executives in place, and we are still able to take the views of the

:50:23. > :50:34.Northern Irish people. Closed question, Michael fabricant. Thank

:50:35. > :50:38.you, Mr Speaker. Apologies. The fundamentals of the UK economy are

:50:39. > :50:43.strong, including in Staffordshire and the West Midlands. Employment in

:50:44. > :50:47.Staffordshire has risen by over 20,000 since 2010. We have protected

:50:48. > :50:52.schools and police budgets and we have seen more doctors and nurses in

:50:53. > :50:57.the Burton hospitals trust. We are going further than this in the West

:50:58. > :50:59.Midlands by giving new powers to the region with the devolution deal and

:51:00. > :51:06.the election of a directly elected mayor, and I think Andy Street, with

:51:07. > :51:11.his business and local experience, would be a very good mayor for the

:51:12. > :51:14.West Midlands. I think the Prime Minister for that answer.

:51:15. > :51:20.Unemployment in my constituency, my beautiful Litchfield constituency,

:51:21. > :51:27.is around 0.7%, which is fantastic, but I want it even lower. I have

:51:28. > :51:30.found out that 24% of my constituents work in the area of the

:51:31. > :51:34.West Midlands combined authority. So can I press my right honourable

:51:35. > :51:40.friend just a little bit further about what she thinks is needed in

:51:41. > :51:47.the West Midlands combined authority to improve employment still more?

:51:48. > :51:52.Well, I think my honourable friend, and of course I have had the

:51:53. > :51:58.advantage, having visited his beautiful constituency. In relation

:51:59. > :52:03.to the Midlands, we have very strong ambitions to make the Midlands and

:52:04. > :52:07.engine for growth in the UK. That is why we have plans for a Midlands

:52:08. > :52:10.engine that demonstrates that, when we say we are going to build an

:52:11. > :52:15.economy that works for everyone, we actually mean it. In the Autumn

:52:16. > :52:22.Statement, ?5 million was confirmed for a Birmingham rail hub, 250

:52:23. > :52:26.million Midlands engine investment funds, and we will shortly publish a

:52:27. > :52:31.strategy for the Midlands engine, but I repeat that I think, for the

:52:32. > :52:35.West Midlands, having the devolution deal, the mayor and the right person

:52:36. > :52:42.elected as mayor, who I think we'll be Andy Street, is important. Sur

:52:43. > :52:46.Ivan Rogers, in his resignation letter, said people may have to

:52:47. > :52:51.deliver messages to the government that they may find disagreeable, so

:52:52. > :52:55.here is one. Her lack of priority for the single market is putting

:52:56. > :53:00.jobs in Scotland and the economy at risk. That means that government is

:53:01. > :53:04.as big a threat to the union as the SNP. Her government is not worthy of

:53:05. > :53:08.the trust Scots, let alone their blind trust, so will the Prime

:53:09. > :53:13.Minister take this opportunity to apologise for threatening the union

:53:14. > :53:19.and give a solemn promise to every single person in this country that

:53:20. > :53:24.they will not be a penny worse off after a Tory Brexit? The honourable

:53:25. > :53:29.gentleman will be well aware that I want to see the best possible trade

:53:30. > :53:33.deal for the UK with the EU, the best possible deal for trading with

:53:34. > :53:37.an operating in the single European market. When we enter the

:53:38. > :53:41.negotiations, obviously that is one of the issues I have said I want to

:53:42. > :53:45.see, and we will be out there and delivering on it. Unlike the

:53:46. > :53:49.downplaying he does about the approach we are taking, it is

:53:50. > :53:54.government that is ambitious for the opportunities available to this

:53:55. > :54:01.country once we leave the EU. Cheshire schools in areas of reality

:54:02. > :54:05.and high deprivation will receive some of the lowest per-pupil funding

:54:06. > :54:09.rate in the country under the new proposed funding formula. -- in

:54:10. > :54:15.rural areas. Does the Prime Minister agreed that these discrepancies must

:54:16. > :54:20.be addressed to ensure that pupils in my area receive the best possible

:54:21. > :54:24.start in life? I think everybody recognises that the way schools have

:54:25. > :54:28.been funded in the past has been unfair and many pupils have missed

:54:29. > :54:32.out, and that is why it is right for us to look at bringing forward a new

:54:33. > :54:36.fair funding formula, making sure funding is attached to children's

:54:37. > :54:41.needs. We recognise the issues of rural areas in this, which is why,

:54:42. > :54:46.within the fair funding formula, additional funding for such schools

:54:47. > :54:49.has been included, but of course the Department for Education as this out

:54:50. > :54:52.for consultation at the moment and I would urge my honourable friend to

:54:53. > :55:00.make a representation is part of that consultation. Dewsbury hospital

:55:01. > :55:06.A is set for downgrade this year. Over Christmas, I had constituents

:55:07. > :55:10.waiting over 20 hours for a bed, in a facility that might not even exist

:55:11. > :55:17.next year. Would the Prime Minister now please face reality and act now

:55:18. > :55:24.to stop this vital A service from disappearing? The honourable ladies

:55:25. > :55:37.referring to the plans being put forward at local level to

:55:38. > :55:42.consider... shouting. IF THE HONOURABLE MEMBER FOR DEWSBURY, IF

:55:43. > :55:45.SHE WERE BEHAVING LIKE THAT IN ANOTHER AREA, WOULD PROBABLY BE

:55:46. > :55:53.SUBJECT TO AN ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR ORDER. I returned to the point,

:55:54. > :55:57.decisions about services in the local area are rightly taken by the

:55:58. > :56:01.local National Guard service, because we believe that it is local

:56:02. > :56:06.clinicians and local patients and leaders who know what is less for

:56:07. > :56:09.their area, so it is about trying to tailor services to provide the best

:56:10. > :56:13.possible needs for local people, modernising care and facilities and

:56:14. > :56:18.making sure the services are appropriate to the local area. This

:56:19. > :56:23.trust has an extensive improvement plan to ensure both hospitals within

:56:24. > :56:30.it can care for patients attending A within as timely a way as

:56:31. > :56:34.possible. Next Thursday evening, I will host the first session of the

:56:35. > :56:38.Bedford community business school, free of charge, open to all, with

:56:39. > :56:43.250 local people sharing a passion for entrepreneurship and learning

:56:44. > :56:45.tips about business from national and local business leaders, so will

:56:46. > :56:50.my right honourable friend ensure that her forthcoming national

:56:51. > :56:53.strategy is that it's part be passionate interests of Britain's

:56:54. > :57:01.small business leaders and entrepreneurs? -- has at its heart.

:57:02. > :57:03.I can absolutely give that commitment. The industrial strategy

:57:04. > :57:07.will look to the economy of the future, what is the sort of economy

:57:08. > :57:11.we want in this country, and crucial to that will be the growth generated

:57:12. > :57:15.by entrepreneurs, small businesses and the very passion he speaks

:57:16. > :57:20.about. We want to see an environment in which those who can grow can

:57:21. > :57:24.emerge and develop and provide future jobs for people, so they can

:57:25. > :57:27.contribute to the strength of the economy. That is what the industrial

:57:28. > :57:33.strategy is about and I agree with my honourable friend. The Prime

:57:34. > :57:37.Minister, I am sure, will understand, despite the

:57:38. > :57:43.reassurances, that there are genuine and really serious concerns among

:57:44. > :57:45.staff across the NHS and the care system and patients and their

:57:46. > :57:51.families about the pressures they are under. It is for that reason

:57:52. > :57:55.that MPs from her own party, from the Labour Party and my own have

:57:56. > :57:59.come together to call for the government to establish an NHS and

:58:00. > :58:04.care convention to engage with the public, so we can come up with a

:58:05. > :58:08.long-term settlement for the NHS and care. Would the Prime Minister be

:58:09. > :58:14.prepared to meet with us just to discuss it so she can hear our case?

:58:15. > :58:18.I recognised the interest and attention the honourable gentleman

:58:19. > :58:21.has given to these issues, and he is a former health minister himself and

:58:22. > :58:29.I will be happy to meet with him and others as he suggests. There can be

:58:30. > :58:34.nothing as distressing for a parent as the death of their child,

:58:35. > :58:41.particularly where that child has been murdered. That is what happened

:58:42. > :58:47.to the two ladies, one of them a constituent of mine, who set up

:58:48. > :58:49.Justice After Acquittal, successfully campaigning for

:58:50. > :58:55.voluntary national standards of support by the CPS and policed by

:58:56. > :58:59.the families of murder victims following an acquittal. They are due

:59:00. > :59:04.to be launched next Tuesday. -- for the families. Would the Prime

:59:05. > :59:07.Minister join with me in paying tribute to determination and energy

:59:08. > :59:11.with which they have campaigned, and will she continue to ensure that the

:59:12. > :59:16.voices of the victims of crime and their families are always listened

:59:17. > :59:20.to? My honourable friend raises an important point and I am happy to

:59:21. > :59:23.join with him in paying tribute to these campaigners. I am sure the

:59:24. > :59:28.whole house would want to pay tribute to the work they are doing.

:59:29. > :59:34.I remain committed to ensuring that the voices of victims are heard.

:59:35. > :59:39.That is what I did as Home Secretary, looking at issues such as

:59:40. > :59:42.introducing new measures to tackle modern slavery, strengthening BIP

:59:43. > :59:46.CC, legislating in relation to police complaint and discipline

:59:47. > :59:51.systems to strengthen public confidence in policing, and I'm

:59:52. > :59:56.pleased to say that the Home Secretary is taking that same

:59:57. > :00:03.passion to ensure the voices of victims of crime are heard. --

:00:04. > :00:07.strengthening the IPC C. Across the UK, many banks are accelerating

:00:08. > :00:11.their closure of local branches, with adverse effects on vulnerable

:00:12. > :00:14.and older people and the high street. The Royal Bank of Scotland

:00:15. > :00:22.is closing down branches across Scotland, including Juniper Green in

:00:23. > :00:25.my constituency. Local convenience stores are taking the strain,

:00:26. > :00:30.processing bills and often facing exorbitant bank charges for the

:00:31. > :00:33.privilege of doing that. Will the Prime Minister meet with me to

:00:34. > :00:37.discuss how we can realise a situation where banking across the

:00:38. > :00:45.UK services customers and the real economy? The issue of bank branches

:00:46. > :00:49.and accessibility of bank services is one which is for individual banks

:00:50. > :00:55.themselves to take and consider, and there are many ways in which people

:00:56. > :00:58.are now accessing bank services other than going physically into a

:00:59. > :01:04.branch, but I will certainly look at the issue she has raised. Building a

:01:05. > :01:09.country that works for everyone means doing even more to tackle

:01:10. > :01:18.economic and social deprivation that has come to afflict pockets of

:01:19. > :01:24.seaside towns such as Rhyl in my constituency. Would the right

:01:25. > :01:28.honourable friend support a locally developed plan to invest in rail

:01:29. > :01:32.infrastructure to help unlock the true potential of the north Wales

:01:33. > :01:35.and Mersey economic region as an integral part of the northern

:01:36. > :01:41.powerhouse, connected to the rest of the country by the proposed a Harb

:01:42. > :01:47.at Crewe? I welcome the establishment of the north Wales and

:01:48. > :01:52.Mersey rail task force and the work they are doing. The plan he mentions

:01:53. > :01:56.sets out an ambitious programme of improvements for the area. I am sure

:01:57. > :01:59.they will prioritise the most promising option, but I can say that

:02:00. > :02:02.the Department for Transport will continue to work closely with the

:02:03. > :02:09.top force and the Welsh government to consider what can be jointly

:02:10. > :02:17.accomplished. As pensions Minister, Steve Webb... The value of a single

:02:18. > :02:23.rate pension. He also gave us the 2011 act. It is now deemed suitable

:02:24. > :02:29.for a knighthood. Unless this couldn't take action to help the

:02:30. > :02:35.struggling mostly women, that knighthood is a final insult to

:02:36. > :02:38.these women. Action has been taken in relation to women's pensions. The

:02:39. > :02:44.government took action to ensure that the number of people affected

:02:45. > :02:48.and the period for which they were affected would be reduced, and money

:02:49. > :02:53.was put in to that was possible, but I also say to the general -- the

:02:54. > :02:57.honourable gentleman that, if you look at the new structure being put

:02:58. > :03:04.in place, women will be some of the greater beneficiaries. I welcome the

:03:05. > :03:08.Prime Minister raising the awareness of the importance of child mental

:03:09. > :03:15.health this week. Not least because, last year, 65% of young people

:03:16. > :03:19.requiring mental health support in south Warwickshire had to wait over

:03:20. > :03:20.12 weeks before starting treatment. Can my right honourable friend

:03:21. > :03:34.outline how the new proposals will By honourable friend raises an

:03:35. > :03:39.important issue, we are investing more in mental health than ever

:03:40. > :03:43.before, spending a record ?4 billion per year, and it was conservative

:03:44. > :03:48.led government which introduced the parity of the scheme between mental

:03:49. > :03:52.and physical health but there is more for us to do in ensuring that

:03:53. > :03:56.we see the appropriate care available for people, and I cited

:03:57. > :04:00.that example earlier where I saw excellent work being done to provide

:04:01. > :04:04.care and support for people in the community. Which was relieving

:04:05. > :04:07.pressure on accident and emergency and ensuring that people get the

:04:08. > :04:15.best possible care for them which is obviously what we want to see.

:04:16. > :04:18.Strained accident and emergency provisions in my constituency are

:04:19. > :04:25.under review and further up the Cumbrian coast the community risks

:04:26. > :04:30.losing 24 hour access to A and consultant led maternity from its

:04:31. > :04:35.local hospital. I understand that she will save these decisions are to

:04:36. > :04:40.be made locally but will she at least say that she can understand

:04:41. > :04:46.the anxiety of expectant mothers who face a 40 mile journey on difficult

:04:47. > :04:52.roads which are often blocked if they have a difficult birth? I say

:04:53. > :04:56.to the honourable gentleman that I think the problems facing the health

:04:57. > :04:59.service in Cumbria are widely recognised and I understand the

:05:00. > :05:05.concerns of the local people in terms of services available to them.

:05:06. > :05:07.We put robust national support in place to address long-standing

:05:08. > :05:12.challenges in Cumbria and are developing a lasting plan to deliver

:05:13. > :05:15.high-quality sustainable services which are what patients rightly

:05:16. > :05:20.expect. He is right in that in relation to these decisions they are

:05:21. > :05:25.taken locally, no final decisions have been taken. I recognise the

:05:26. > :05:30.concern raised previously particularly about services at West

:05:31. > :05:32.Cumberland Hospital and there will be considerable involvement in

:05:33. > :05:36.taking these decisions but I recognise that there are

:05:37. > :05:42.long-standing challenges for health service provisions in Cumbria.

:05:43. > :05:50.Doctor Caroline Johnson... Thank you. I know from my career in

:05:51. > :05:53.medicine that the men and women of our East Midlands Ambulance Service

:05:54. > :05:59.do a brave and sterling job for the people of Sleaford and North Hykeham

:06:00. > :06:06.and others, they save people's lives every day. East Midlands Ambulance

:06:07. > :06:10.Service responded to a total of 11,662 999 calls over the Christmas

:06:11. > :06:18.and bank holiday weekend alone. 2500 of which were in Lincolnshire. We'll

:06:19. > :06:22.be Prime Minister join me in paying tribute to their dedication,

:06:23. > :06:27.particularly over the busy winter period and say what more can be done

:06:28. > :06:31.to support our Ambulance Services and improve response times in rural

:06:32. > :06:37.areas like Sleaford and North Hykeham. Can I thank my honourable

:06:38. > :06:42.friend for her question and bringing her personal experience as a medical

:06:43. > :06:47.professional in relation to this issue, I am very happy to join her

:06:48. > :06:49.in paying tribute to the men and women of the Ambulance Service and

:06:50. > :06:54.the dedication and commitment that they show. She asked what the

:06:55. > :06:57.government have been doing and we recognise that the Ambulance

:06:58. > :07:03.Services are very busy which is why we see over 2000 more paramedics now

:07:04. > :07:09.compared to 2010 and are increasing paramedic training places by over

:07:10. > :07:13.60% this year. Also, the Department of Health, NHS employers and

:07:14. > :07:16.ambulance unions have agreed changes in compensation for paramedics,

:07:17. > :07:20.potentially giving them a pay increase of up to ?14,000 as they

:07:21. > :07:25.progress but we recognise that excellent work. Can I commend the

:07:26. > :07:31.Prime Minister for her considered statement last night, and indeed the

:07:32. > :07:34.words she gave this afternoon. She knows our commitment to the

:07:35. > :07:40.institutions in Northern Ireland but would she agree that nothing can be

:07:41. > :07:45.or should be gained from threatening the peace process, the progress that

:07:46. > :07:51.we have made, or the institutions that we have fought so hard to

:07:52. > :07:55.sustain in Northern Ireland? Well, the progress that has been made in

:07:56. > :07:59.Northern Ireland has been hard won. And we should all recognise that we

:08:00. > :08:03.do not want to put that progress in jeopardy. That is why I think it is

:08:04. > :08:07.so important for the government and all parties to work as hard as we

:08:08. > :08:11.can to see a resolution to this issue, so there we can see a return

:08:12. > :08:16.to the power-sharing institutions and ensure, as we say, that progress

:08:17. > :08:23.that has been hard-won can be continued. Nicky Morgan... Hankey Mr

:08:24. > :08:29.Speaker. Let me welcome what I said -- thank you Mr Speaker. Let me draw

:08:30. > :08:33.attention to a burning injustice, a constituent of mine has been

:08:34. > :08:37.battling cancer for four years, she is recovering from an operation and

:08:38. > :08:41.has taken 28 weeks off work, and is on half pay. Her working tax credits

:08:42. > :08:47.have been stopped so she is worrying about making ends meet rather than

:08:48. > :08:51.her recovery. Can I ask my right honourable friend to look at this in

:08:52. > :08:58.the Treasury in the course of budget preparations? Let me thank my right

:08:59. > :09:00.honourable friend about the comments about mental health announcements

:09:01. > :09:04.I've made. I'm sorry about the particular difficulties she has set

:09:05. > :09:10.out that her constituent is experiencing and the distressed

:09:11. > :09:13.cause -- the distress caused. These tax credits are designed to

:09:14. > :09:18.incentivise people to increase working hours. We will be with the

:09:19. > :09:21.universal credit system, having a system of benefits with single

:09:22. > :09:25.streamlined payments which encourages work. In the individual

:09:26. > :09:28.case my right honourable friend has raised, I'm sure the financial

:09:29. > :09:39.Secretary to the Treasury would be happy to look at that case and the

:09:40. > :09:43.issue that it has set out. Order... STUDIO: Prime Minister's Questions

:09:44. > :09:48.comes to an end, the first of 2017. Jeremy Corbyn used all six of his

:09:49. > :09:53.questions on the NHS, as we expected. Beginning with the number

:09:54. > :09:59.of people waiting in trolleys and in hospitals, A, so on. A range of

:10:00. > :10:03.medical institutions and representative bodies have been

:10:04. > :10:06.mentioned, the Prime Minister decided to attack the Red Cross in

:10:07. > :10:10.saying there was a humanitarian crisis which is why Jeremy Corbyn

:10:11. > :10:15.then named other medical institutions, that were not the Red

:10:16. > :10:19.Cross. I am not sure that the exchange produced anything that we

:10:20. > :10:23.did not already know. Jeremy Corbyn moved on to social care cuts which

:10:24. > :10:29.we have been discussing, before we went to PMQs. We did not any

:10:30. > :10:32.indication, that the Prime Minister has any intention of changing policy

:10:33. > :10:39.or adding more money, or whatever. But she has just decided to tough it

:10:40. > :10:45.out. Jeremy Corbyn finished with remarks about the Prime Minister 's

:10:46. > :10:52.speech, what she has called a "Shared society". Not Mr Cameron's

:10:53. > :10:55."Big society". He defined it as "Shared misery".

:10:56. > :11:00.We will get comments shortly from the panel. But let's hear what you

:11:01. > :11:06.thought. Jo, you have e-mails? A lot on the subject of the NHS.

:11:07. > :11:10.And funding. Peter Kane said it was a strong performance from Jeremy

:11:11. > :11:16.Corbyn but he faced an open goal, Theresa May struggle to face those

:11:17. > :11:20.points. No doubt that health care cuts voters more than any other

:11:21. > :11:24.issue. The choice of words was clear and rebuke for that organisation was

:11:25. > :11:29.noteworthy. PMQs gave us a glance at the future of exchanges to come

:11:30. > :11:32.between frontbenchers. Marjorie says that sadly Jeremy Corbyn 's

:11:33. > :11:36.criticisms could be legitimate but how can we have confidence that he

:11:37. > :11:44.could govern better? Easy to criticise but difficult to govern.

:11:45. > :11:49.Noreen says that with cuts and the release of patients, why does no one

:11:50. > :11:54.ask about putting up taxes to cover the problem? What did you make of

:11:55. > :11:58.it? I think Theresa May struggled to come back with convincing answers on

:11:59. > :12:03.what was going on in the NHS. It was interesting she acknowledged that in

:12:04. > :12:09.her words there were a small number of cases where an acceptable things

:12:10. > :12:13.had taken place. She's gone slightly further -- and unacceptable number

:12:14. > :12:18.of things had taken place. A small number of things are going on which

:12:19. > :12:22.are unacceptable, that could come back to haunt her, to some people it

:12:23. > :12:26.would sound dismissive. The argument put forward on the other side...

:12:27. > :12:31.Remember that why this matters so much, voters care hugely about the

:12:32. > :12:35.NHS and David Cameron invested huge amount of political capital and

:12:36. > :12:41.energy into detox of the Tories reputation on the NHS. He did not

:12:42. > :12:47.completely overcome the perception of voters, Labour is seen as the

:12:48. > :12:51.party of the NHS. And more trusted. There is a real danger for the

:12:52. > :12:54.government of squandering some of the work that the previous

:12:55. > :12:59.administration had gone into to try and get the Tories to catch up on

:13:00. > :13:02.people's perceptions in terms of stewardship of the NHS. As you said,

:13:03. > :13:07.at this stage, she does not seem willing to budge on how things have

:13:08. > :13:12.gone but there is a big danger in it seems that she is putting her

:13:13. > :13:14.fingers in her ears. Yesterday, the former Health Secretary Andrew

:13:15. > :13:16.Lansley said on the programme or certainly suggested that Theresa May

:13:17. > :13:26.had not quite grasp grasped the seriousness in this

:13:27. > :13:31.issue. Nor the amount of money needed at one end of the social care

:13:32. > :13:35.or A Is that the case? Certainly there is something in the suggestion

:13:36. > :13:39.that the NHS is not one of her issues. She was at the Home Office

:13:40. > :13:43.for a long time and understands those issues and security, she is

:13:44. > :13:49.very familiar with that. It was suggested to me that there is not

:13:50. > :13:53.necessarily a problem and people would not stated is that necessarily

:13:54. > :13:58.but the NHS is not her turf, and it could well be that Number ten has

:13:59. > :14:03.not been up for understanding the scale of the challenge that the NHS

:14:04. > :14:07.faces but they do have a very strong defence. Simon Stephens asked for a

:14:08. > :14:11.certain amount of cash and the government gave them it, as they

:14:12. > :14:17.would argue. Of course, it is disputed... But it is hotly

:14:18. > :14:19.disputed. By all sorts of people. In terms of political necessity,

:14:20. > :14:23.there's a sense among some in government that for the moment, it's

:14:24. > :14:30.kind of been dealt with. You were shaking head there? With that point

:14:31. > :14:34.that in some way the Prime Minister does not regard the health service

:14:35. > :14:39.as her issue, or an issue she wants to get involved in, actually it is

:14:40. > :14:43.her first big speech of the year, it was about mental health and of

:14:44. > :14:47.course she cares as much as anyone about the health service. She chose

:14:48. > :14:53.to make this speech to illustrate her ideas about a shared society. On

:14:54. > :14:58.the issue of mental health, which, for years, we've all been discussing

:14:59. > :15:02.and agreeing that mental health is the Cinderella of the health

:15:03. > :15:06.service, and dealing with one of the mystical parts of the NHS. I do

:15:07. > :15:12.disagree with that analysis. Mr Corbyn has said that the government

:15:13. > :15:17.has planned to close a third of hospital beds in the near future, is

:15:18. > :15:17.that true? According to the sustainability and transformation

:15:18. > :15:27.plans, we did a Freedom of information request,

:15:28. > :15:31.and a third of all... With consultations there is not a single

:15:32. > :15:36.plan to close these, it is wholly bogus. It is good to know... They

:15:37. > :15:40.are all local plans but the point about these transformation plans...

:15:41. > :15:44.They are plans developed by local and clinical commissioning groups.

:15:45. > :15:45.They are clearly not top-down reorganisations and they are all

:15:46. > :15:57.after consultations. Are you saying that there are local

:15:58. > :16:04.plans to close hospital beds that, when you add them all up, will

:16:05. > :16:07.amount to a third...? There are no plans at all. They are at the

:16:08. > :16:13.initial stages of consultation. The overall thrust is what Simon Stevens

:16:14. > :16:16.has been saying since 2014, there is nothing new in it, which is that

:16:17. > :16:22.people who shouldn't been in hospital, what we have been saying

:16:23. > :16:26.about people staying too long. The more services you provide outside

:16:27. > :16:31.hospital, the better treatment. But this is in the context of a

:16:32. > :16:36.dwindling budget. I am a former NHS Trust chair and former public health

:16:37. > :16:39.consultant. I can remember that you work within the budget limitations

:16:40. > :16:45.you add. The government has reduced the amount of funding available.

:16:46. > :16:49.With the 2012 health and social care act, there was an opportunity for

:16:50. > :16:54.trusts to raise their income levels through privatisation of key beds,

:16:55. > :16:59.up to 49%. I think we are going to uncover a lot in terms of the amount

:17:00. > :17:02.of beds being used in terms of private health care, which is adding

:17:03. > :17:07.to the pressure. 4 million people are now on waiting lists. We are

:17:08. > :17:11.going back to the 90s, and it is dire that we have people dying on

:17:12. > :17:17.trolleys. To say that these are small numbers, that won't give any

:17:18. > :17:21.consolation to families that have been affected by this. This is

:17:22. > :17:28.really complacent to the extreme. This consultation, this is part of

:17:29. > :17:33.the 22 billion savings that have to be made, isn't it? Not cut... 22

:17:34. > :17:41.billion savings that will then be spent better elsewhere is the plan,

:17:42. > :17:44.I think. Indeed, it is the NHS's five-year plan that basically was

:17:45. > :17:48.designed to have a more modern, better structure, more effective

:17:49. > :17:54.health service. And there is a sort of problem with this, some people

:17:55. > :18:02.see it, that you can make changes if you have got a bit scared -- a bit

:18:03. > :18:06.of spare capacity. You can try to persuade a local town they would be

:18:07. > :18:10.better served not having a local A because they have these different

:18:11. > :18:13.provisions, whatever. You can make those changes and have those

:18:14. > :18:17.discussions if you have a bit of headroom and spare cash around the

:18:18. > :18:21.edges, but the rising demand and the fact we are living longer has sucked

:18:22. > :18:26.out that spare bandwidth and capacity in the health service,

:18:27. > :18:29.which is making it so difficult. You say that Theresa May is focused on

:18:30. > :18:33.mental health, and she mentioned it in her speech, but it is also true,

:18:34. > :18:40.according to the health minister, that there has been a drop of 6610

:18:41. > :18:44.mental health nurses, representing a loss of about 1000 such specialists

:18:45. > :18:52.per year since 2010. It is such a focus, why has there been a drop of

:18:53. > :18:54.over six and a half thousand? There are many problems in mental health

:18:55. > :18:59.provision around the country, and that is what we are starting to

:19:00. > :19:02.address, not just in terms of the mental health professionals and the

:19:03. > :19:09.numbers available... You are going to replace that number? Helping

:19:10. > :19:13.schools, particularly in secondary schools, every secondary school

:19:14. > :19:17.should have some help. In my own field, making employers much more

:19:18. > :19:25.aware of the issues of people with mental health issues. But what about

:19:26. > :19:29.the increase? Since 2010. People have talked about mental health

:19:30. > :19:34.being the Cinderella inside the health service, and I think that is

:19:35. > :19:37.largely true. For the first time, we now have a government and a Prime

:19:38. > :19:43.Minister making serious attempts to get to grips with that. There has

:19:44. > :19:45.been money given. More money was put through to the clinical

:19:46. > :19:49.commissioning groups. There is some thought that some of that money

:19:50. > :19:54.didn't reach mental health patients. Clearly it should have done and it

:19:55. > :19:59.should do in the future. What about the Pledge on parity of esteem?

:20:00. > :20:03.Theresa May was a senior movement of the government. Why hasn't this

:20:04. > :20:08.happened? Last year, there was a cut of 3% in terms of the mental health

:20:09. > :20:12.tariff. It didn't go up. These are warm words not backed up by action.

:20:13. > :20:16.We must hold the government to account on this. The French,

:20:17. > :20:21.Germans, Swiss and Swedes, four affluent countries, spent 11% or a

:20:22. > :20:28.little bit more of their GDP on health. We said earlier that we

:20:29. > :20:34.spend under ten. Both figures include private and public, but in

:20:35. > :20:38.Britain it is 2% of private, in Germany 1.7, so they are all around

:20:39. > :20:47.the same area. How would Labour increase the share of GDP to 11%, to

:20:48. > :20:52.the European affluent level? These are about choices. Jeremy mentioned

:20:53. > :20:58.corporation tax. We have committed around increasing the higher rate of

:20:59. > :21:04.income tax. We need to make sure that we prioritise... How much would

:21:05. > :21:08.that race? To be honest, I don't know. There is an argument that the

:21:09. > :21:13.cuts in the higher rate of tax generating more revenue, it is an

:21:14. > :21:16.opulent economists have and there is a consensus, so it may not raise you

:21:17. > :21:23.much. -- an argument economists have. You seem to have spent the cut

:21:24. > :21:29.incorporation tax many times. That isn't true. The plans we put forward

:21:30. > :21:36.at all been costed. We are promising that, if we were in power, we would

:21:37. > :21:40.make sure that women had access to pension credit. We made sure we have

:21:41. > :21:45.a budget... How much would you save them by not cutting operation tax? I

:21:46. > :21:53.don't have that figure to my fingers. I'm sorry. Can you also

:21:54. > :21:58.assure us just that it is Labour policy? Is it written somewhere? Can

:21:59. > :22:02.we go and see it? That the savings, if there are savings, from not cut

:22:03. > :22:08.incorporation tax would be spent on the NHS? Public sector funding will

:22:09. > :22:16.be an important one. That isn't what I asked you. Will the savings from

:22:17. > :22:20.not cut incorporation tax you spent on the NHS? When I come back to talk

:22:21. > :22:27.to you on our manifesto, I will be happy to go that detail. I can

:22:28. > :22:33.hardly wait! One tangible example that Jeremy had was bringing forward

:22:34. > :22:37.that 700 million in social care. Why can't that be done? That is a key

:22:38. > :22:42.issue around delayed discharges which would free up beds and mean

:22:43. > :22:45.people on waiting lists could have access, and it wouldn't mean that

:22:46. > :22:51.their beds for people instead of them having to wait on trolleys in

:22:52. > :22:55.A -- it would mean. The Prime Minister clearly has a problem with

:22:56. > :22:59.the NHS and, if we are in for a very cold end of January, beginning of

:23:00. > :23:04.February, as it was in 2009, it could be more than just a problem.

:23:05. > :23:09.The government has been lucky that the winters have been relatively

:23:10. > :23:12.mild in recent years, but given the manner in which Mr Corbyn approached

:23:13. > :23:18.the questions today, he had pretty much an open goal. I see one

:23:19. > :23:23.centre-left commentator saying that he actually just dribbled the ball

:23:24. > :23:28.in front of the open goal. He didn't stick it in the net. To use another

:23:29. > :23:31.sports metaphor, it wasn't necessarily a slam dunk. However, I

:23:32. > :23:37.think the fact that he did, unusually, you might say, use six

:23:38. > :23:41.questions to affect that Theresa May didn't particularly have convincing

:23:42. > :23:45.answers for, that will be seen as having been a pretty decent

:23:46. > :23:50.performance for him. I think it was a win for Jeremy Corbyn today, no

:23:51. > :23:53.question. But we do see a lot Jeremy Corbyn's performance at Prime

:23:54. > :23:58.Minister's Questions is undoubtedly better than it was 18 months ago,

:23:59. > :24:02.but is he the most effective performer at that dispatch box? The

:24:03. > :24:05.answer to that is no. Is Theresa May massively comfortable in this

:24:06. > :24:12.particular format? Not particularly either. One interesting thing. I

:24:13. > :24:13.have a feeling we will be coming back to all of this.

:24:14. > :24:15.Now, this week, amid accusations of nepotism, Donald Trump

:24:16. > :24:16.announced his 35-year-old son-in-law, Jared Kushner,

:24:17. > :24:19.was taking a "key leadership role" in the White House,

:24:20. > :24:21.advising him on both domestic and foreign policy.

:24:22. > :24:23.But it's not just in the US that politicians have

:24:24. > :24:28.So, let's see how many our guests can identify the famous politicians

:24:29. > :24:30.that have a personal as well as professional relationship

:24:31. > :24:52.Do you know who that is? I will give you clues in a second, but you might

:24:53. > :25:00.know. No. He towers over his father. It's Seb Corbyn. Yes, some of Jeremy

:25:01. > :25:05.and G. Two Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell. He hasn't yet grown the

:25:06. > :25:11.trademark family bed. He has changed his hair since. This one is from

:25:12. > :25:19.north of the border. Who is that? You are not allowed to answer,

:25:20. > :25:23.Laura. He is married to the leader of a political party. He is the

:25:24. > :25:32.Chief Executive of that political party. Presumably it is Mr Sturgeon.

:25:33. > :25:37.Yes, Peter Murrell is his name. He is married to an Nicola Sturgeon.

:25:38. > :25:40.The next lady is German, married to a British politician, and she

:25:41. > :25:45.prefers to stay out of the limelight, but she has gone on

:25:46. > :25:53.record to say her husband drinks and smokes too much. Crikey, that could

:25:54. > :25:58.be a lot of people! That is Mrs Farage. Yes, also known as Kirsten

:25:59. > :25:59.Mehr. You have done quite well. The last one, going back in history,

:26:00. > :26:04.let's have a look... Finally, we're going back a bit

:26:05. > :26:06.here, but this equine beast was the favoured advisor

:26:07. > :26:12.to a particular leader, some might And to discuss we're joined

:26:13. > :26:17.from the Welsh Assembly by two experts in political nepotism,

:26:18. > :26:27.Neil and Christine Hamilton. Welcome to both of you. Tell us,

:26:28. > :26:34.Christine, what is the advantage of working with or for Neil? I can keep

:26:35. > :26:39.an eye on him 24/7. The most important thing is, if you employ a

:26:40. > :26:44.member of your family, that they are the right and best person for the

:26:45. > :26:48.job. That is the key. There is nothing wrong per se with employing

:26:49. > :26:52.a family member, but only if they are the right person. I am happy to

:26:53. > :26:57.say in the Welsh Assembly that they have a rigorous selection process. I

:26:58. > :27:00.had to apply for my job. It was publicly advertised. I don't know

:27:01. > :27:09.how many people applied, but quite if you did. I had an interview. Some

:27:10. > :27:14.might say, so you should. I 100% agree. Neil will tell you the

:27:15. > :27:20.disadvantages! So what are the disadvantages? We can did. I can't

:27:21. > :27:25.get away with anything, not that I would want to, I am far too old. --

:27:26. > :27:31.be candid. The great advantage for me is that I have got my secretary

:27:32. > :27:35.on hand 24 hours of the day, in effect. If I had a brainwave in the

:27:36. > :27:41.middle of the night, I can clobber her in the ribs and get her to take

:27:42. > :27:45.a note. I think that is beyond the call of duty. Do you get fed up with

:27:46. > :27:53.each other? Yes, but for other reasons. But shouldn't we end this

:27:54. > :27:57.circular employing relatives? I understand where people are coming

:27:58. > :28:01.from when they say that. When I was elected to the House of Commons in

:28:02. > :28:07.1983, there were scandalous examples of members we employed wives, sons,

:28:08. > :28:12.daughters, aunts, uncles, in one cases, even grandparents, who did

:28:13. > :28:16.nothing at all or next to nothing. Clearly, that is an abuse and should

:28:17. > :28:21.never curve. When Christine became my secretary in the House of

:28:22. > :28:26.Commons, she had also worked for other MPs for 12 years. So she had

:28:27. > :28:28.experience. Good luck to the two of you!

:28:29. > :28:31.There's just time to put you out of your misery and give

:28:32. > :28:43.It was 1995. Press the red button and we will find out the winner.

:28:44. > :28:46.That is Walter Whatley from Bury St Edmunds. Congratulations.

:28:47. > :28:50.The One O'Clock News is starting over on BBC One now.

:28:51. > :28:53.Jo and I will be here at noon tomorrow with all the big political

:28:54. > :29:01.We will be joined by Michael Howard, former Conservative leader.

:29:02. > :29:05.Theresa May's planning on having a speech, but it doesn't say...

:29:06. > :29:09.it doesn't say what's going to be said. No.

:29:10. > :29:15.I know she bought a pair of trousers, ?900. I know she did.