22/02/2017

:00:38. > :00:41.Morning, folks - welcome to the Daily Politics.

:00:42. > :00:49.The Supreme Court says rules which stop thousands of British

:00:50. > :00:53.citizens bringing their foreign spouses to the UK do not

:00:54. > :00:55.contravene human rights law, but they are still defective.

:00:56. > :00:58.This British man was released from Guantanamo Bay and paid

:00:59. > :01:01.compensation by the British Government.

:01:02. > :01:05.But he went on to join Islamic State and carried out a suicide bombing

:01:06. > :01:12.There's plenty on the agenda today, as our political masters meet

:01:13. > :01:14.for their regular bout of PMQs - live and uninterrupted

:01:15. > :01:23.And as elections approach in Northern Ireland,

:01:24. > :01:25.will political peace reign once the polls close?

:01:26. > :01:33.Or are we heading for further stalemate?

:01:34. > :01:45.All that in the next 90 minutes, and with us

:01:46. > :01:47.for the duration are the Northern Ireland

:01:48. > :01:49.Secretary James Brokenshire and the Shadow International Trade

:01:50. > :01:54.First this morning, let's head over to the Supreme Court which has been

:01:55. > :01:56.considering the Government's income rules which apply to British

:01:57. > :02:07.Several couples have been challenging these rules through the

:02:08. > :02:11.Supreme Court and it to the High Court. Our correspondent Dominic

:02:12. > :02:17.Casciani is there at the Supreme Court. Doiminic, I will come to the

:02:18. > :02:23.defective bit in a minute, but in principle is this a victory for the

:02:24. > :02:28.Government? I think even though in technical terms they have lost, and

:02:29. > :02:32.I dare say James Brokenshire with you in the studio will be one

:02:33. > :02:33.pleasantly surprised and pleased by this judgment given his former

:02:34. > :02:40.involvement in immigration policy, but what this

:02:41. > :02:44.amounts to is an endorsement by the Supreme Court, our highest judges,

:02:45. > :02:48.to be very controversial policy, saying British citizens who wanted

:02:49. > :02:56.to bring in a foreign spouse from outside the EEA, that they had of a

:02:57. > :03:05.minimum income to bring that in an sponsor that arrival of ?18,600. And

:03:06. > :03:09.they have been called escape generation, lots of criticism of

:03:10. > :03:12.this, people saying that it was a breach of their family life, of

:03:13. > :03:17.their human rights, but the Supreme Court today has ruled in effect that

:03:18. > :03:21.the Government has the power to set that minimum income level, and

:03:22. > :03:30.although it has a harsh effect on some families, it is an entirely

:03:31. > :03:33.legitimate exercise in order to help control immigration. OK, so the

:03:34. > :03:36.court has ruled they are illegal in principle and this has been through

:03:37. > :03:43.the High Court, the appeals court and now the Supreme Court. But the

:03:44. > :03:52.7-member team at the Supreme Court also said they were using, in their

:03:53. > :03:55.words, defective, so what will the Government now have to do to make

:03:56. > :03:59.sure they are not just legal in principle, but not defective? There

:04:00. > :04:05.are two key issues, Andrew. Firstly, how the rule has dealt with

:04:06. > :04:07.children. The court has said when immigration officers are assessing

:04:08. > :04:11.each case of each family that wants to be reunited to settle in the UK,

:04:12. > :04:17.the immigration officers have to do more to dig into account the best

:04:18. > :04:20.interests of children including exceptional circumstances -- take

:04:21. > :04:24.into account. That may tip the balance of allowing a settlement

:04:25. > :04:29.depending on the nature of what is going on in that family. Secondly,

:04:30. > :04:36.the court says effectively that although the minimum level itself

:04:37. > :04:39.has been set on a rational basis, at ?18,500 or thereabouts, there needs

:04:40. > :04:44.to be wider consideration of the entire circumstances of a family,

:04:45. > :04:48.so, for instance, if you own a house or have other assets, should that be

:04:49. > :04:52.taken into account for the final decision on whether they can stay?

:04:53. > :04:56.In essence it means the rules would need to be tweaked here and there

:04:57. > :04:58.and in practical terms means it would almost certainly benefit some

:04:59. > :05:05.of the wealthier families caught up in this. We hear tales of bankers in

:05:06. > :05:09.America for instance who cannot come over to the UK to join their

:05:10. > :05:13.British, but in practical terms it will not have a lot of satisfaction

:05:14. > :05:16.to many families caught in this from the polar end of the spectrum,

:05:17. > :05:24.including many families from Asian backgrounds across the UK -- poorer

:05:25. > :05:28.end of the spectrum. Doiminic, thank you for summing up what has been

:05:29. > :05:32.happening in the Supreme Court. James Brokenshire, in principle the

:05:33. > :05:35.Supreme Court accepts this but it sounds like you will have to change

:05:36. > :05:38.the operation of the rules? Certainly we will look at the

:05:39. > :05:42.judgment in detail, what the judges have said, but it is right, from

:05:43. > :05:49.what we have just heard, that the court has said the rules are

:05:50. > :05:56.compliant with article Eight, the right to a family life. That was the

:05:57. > :05:59.primary test in relation to this particular case. It is worth

:06:00. > :06:03.underlining why these rules were introduced in the first place. About

:06:04. > :06:06.fairness to the UK taxpayer, in other words that people coming here

:06:07. > :06:11.to settle had a minimum income in order to support themselves. As

:06:12. > :06:15.ministers we took advice from the body of experts advising ministers

:06:16. > :06:21.on a range of issues in relation to immigration. And they came up and

:06:22. > :06:24.endorsed this figure, ?18,600, but also in relation to higher figures

:06:25. > :06:31.were children were involved. You need to be earning more if you have

:06:32. > :06:36.children? That is right. In other words it goes to about ?22,400 with

:06:37. > :06:41.one child and slightly higher thereafter, again in relation to

:06:42. > :06:46.that reliance on the state. Saw the court has sided with the Government.

:06:47. > :06:49.In principle, but has criticisms of the organisation. But what is your

:06:50. > :06:53.view on the principal? Is it right from the Government to set a minimum

:06:54. > :06:58.income level before you can bring a foreign spouse into the country? I

:06:59. > :07:01.think the Supreme Court has given a very well reasoned judgment,

:07:02. > :07:06.actually. They have conceded the principle, which I think is right.

:07:07. > :07:09.That is that if you are a British citizen and you want to marry

:07:10. > :07:14.somebody from abroad and bring them here then you should be able to

:07:15. > :07:19.support and accommodate them without recourse to public funds. It is your

:07:20. > :07:22.decision to get married. It is your decision to get married, but you

:07:23. > :07:26.could also go to live in their country, if that is how you want to

:07:27. > :07:30.conduct your family life, so I think it is reasonable to say that you

:07:31. > :07:33.should not be putting that additional burden on the state, but

:07:34. > :07:37.the Supreme Court has been absolutely right to speak about the

:07:38. > :07:40.way in which this may discriminate against poorer families and the way

:07:41. > :07:44.in which we must take into account the needs of children. And I am

:07:45. > :07:47.pleased James has acknowledged that and said the Government will look at

:07:48. > :07:51.that again, I think that is the right approach. It was a good

:07:52. > :07:53.judgment and should now be studied carefully and implement it. Once we

:07:54. > :08:09.leave the EU, can you tell us, with this rule

:08:10. > :08:11.apply to British citizens marrying EU citizens? There is a completely

:08:12. > :08:13.different arrangement that exists regarding EU citizens, you are

:08:14. > :08:15.right. Well, there is no arrangement... I know this has been

:08:16. > :08:19.a point of issue raised... That is why I am raising it. Can we tell at

:08:20. > :08:21.the moment? At the moment we are looking at the whole immigration

:08:22. > :08:25.policy. We have not reached a determination in respect of that but

:08:26. > :08:29.it is precisely these issues that obviously us being able to take back

:08:30. > :08:35.control allows us to relook at some of these themes. A brief word? I

:08:36. > :08:38.think we have at the moment and unbalanced system with preferential

:08:39. > :08:41.treatment given to people from the European Union. One of the

:08:42. > :08:45.consequences of leaving the EU is that system might become more

:08:46. > :08:51.egalitarian. It will certainly have to be addressed. Indeed. We will not

:08:52. > :08:55.have time to address that this morning, though, Jo... Yes.

:08:56. > :08:58.It's emerged that a British man who joined the so-called

:08:59. > :09:00.Islamic State group, and who died in a suicide bomb

:09:01. > :09:03.attack in Iraq on Monday, was a former prisoner at Guantanamo

:09:04. > :09:06.The terrorist, named by the group as Abu Zakariya al-Britani,

:09:07. > :09:09.is believed to have detonated a car bomb in a village south of Mosul.

:09:10. > :09:11.The 50-year-old, also known as Jamul-Uddin al-Harith,

:09:12. > :09:13.was suspected of terrorism by the Americans but freed

:09:14. > :09:19.He was also reportedly paid up to ?1 million in compensation

:09:20. > :09:30.The 50-year-old was born Ronald Fiddler in Manchester, later

:09:31. > :09:35.changing his name to Jamul-Uddin al-Harith after converting to Islam.

:09:36. > :09:42.Shortly after 911 he travelled to Pakistan and was later seized by

:09:43. > :09:47.American forces, there was taken to Guantanamo Bay where he was held for

:09:48. > :09:52.two years accused of being an Al-Qaeda operative. He was one of at

:09:53. > :09:58.least 16 British detainees. He was eventually released in 2004. US

:09:59. > :10:00.interrogators found he provided useful information on Taliban

:10:01. > :10:04.interrogation techniques. On his return he was reportedly awarded

:10:05. > :10:11.compensation by the British Government as part of a settlement

:10:12. > :10:17.to detainees. In 2014 he crossed from into Turkey volunteering to

:10:18. > :10:20.fight for IS but claiming his knowledge of Islam was basic. They

:10:21. > :10:29.eventually blew himself up in a car bomb attack near Mosul on Monday.

:10:30. > :10:33.Was this man be monitored by British security services? I am unable to

:10:34. > :10:36.comment on individual security aspect and indeed we are unable to

:10:37. > :10:39.confirm whether this individual was involved in the way you have

:10:40. > :10:44.described, but what I can say is this Government has done more than

:10:45. > :10:47.any in terms of the powers we have introduced to stop people being able

:10:48. > :10:54.to travel out to get involved in Jeff Hart. We introduce powers to

:10:55. > :10:58.seize passports -- to get involved in Jihad. And we have used the royal

:10:59. > :11:02.prerogative to do that. I pay tribute to the work of our security

:11:03. > :11:06.agencies in keeping our country safe and doing all they do to prevent

:11:07. > :11:10.travel where that is identified. But if you have put all those things in

:11:11. > :11:16.place to protect the British people, how was it possible for Iman held in

:11:17. > :11:26.Guantanamo accused of being an Al-Qaeda operative -- a man held.

:11:27. > :11:30.Then being able to join IS? As I say, I cannot comment on the

:11:31. > :11:33.specifics and I am sure there were a number of factors, but I can see

:11:34. > :11:38.there is a huge amount of effort undertaken by our security and

:11:39. > :11:41.intelligence agencies. So it was a security failure? I do not think you

:11:42. > :11:45.can comment in that way. I think clearly steps are taken by our

:11:46. > :11:50.agencies and also at the border as well. You have information used for

:11:51. > :11:53.passengers who travel on airlines to better identify but it is a question

:11:54. > :11:56.of what the facts may or may not have been in this case and I do not

:11:57. > :12:00.think they can jump to any judgments. But you were the security

:12:01. > :12:03.minister in 2014 of course when this man did leave the country, so you

:12:04. > :12:07.would be any perfectly good position to be able to advise people about

:12:08. > :12:10.whether the proper security precautions were taken or whether,

:12:11. > :12:20.as I say, it was a failure, because he managed to leave the country? Jo,

:12:21. > :12:23.as I have said I cannot comment on the specific factors on this case.

:12:24. > :12:26.Do you know them? We do not comment... But this happened on your

:12:27. > :12:29.watch, James Brokenshire, and people will not want to think you are

:12:30. > :12:35.evading the question because the straightforward point here is that

:12:36. > :12:39.people might expect for detainees from the camp, and of course people

:12:40. > :12:43.were not tried after they had left, but people accused of being Al-Qaeda

:12:44. > :12:48.operatives, even if there is a ten year lag, there might be a red flag

:12:49. > :12:51.if someone was trying to leave the country, for example, particularly

:12:52. > :12:57.heading for an area like Syria in 2014 when you read the security...

:12:58. > :13:01.There are a few thinker. Where there is evidence we will prosecute for

:13:02. > :13:07.terrorist offences. -- there are a few things here. And there are when

:13:08. > :13:12.certain thresholds are met things to stop people travelling again. There

:13:13. > :13:15.is also ongoing work from the security and intelligence agencies.

:13:16. > :13:18.So it depends on thresholds and the individual factors of a case. But

:13:19. > :13:21.would you broadly say that was a failure if someone like that had

:13:22. > :13:27.been able to get out of the country and go to fight in Syria? I think it

:13:28. > :13:30.would depend on the individual factors and circumstances, what that

:13:31. > :13:35.individual had disclosed, and indeed what information was held. So it is,

:13:36. > :13:39.yes, the work that the agencies do the monitor, as they do in relation

:13:40. > :13:43.to subject of interest, but I think it is important not to jump the

:13:44. > :13:46.judgment but knowing that, yes, rigorous work is undertaken when

:13:47. > :13:50.there is information to stop people travelling, when it is thought they

:13:51. > :13:57.are travelling out to become involved in Jihad. When this man was

:13:58. > :14:02.released in 2004 David Blunkett them Labour minister at the time said, I

:14:03. > :14:05.don't think will find anyone released in the announcement today

:14:06. > :14:08.will actually be a threat to the security of the British people. What

:14:09. > :14:17.do you see now? It was absolutely wrong and it sticks in my croc as I

:14:18. > :14:22.am sure it does to everyone who heard the news of this man. Given a

:14:23. > :14:25.settlement from the public funds of the British Government at that time.

:14:26. > :14:29.I understand one has to see that settlement was to avoid a court case

:14:30. > :14:33.in which the Government believed security information would be

:14:34. > :14:37.revealed. That is important, isn't it? And that of course keeps us all

:14:38. > :14:42.safer. Whilst I understand it I think it is really galling that

:14:43. > :14:45.someone like that was given that settlement and clearly there was a

:14:46. > :14:52.failure at that time of information coming back from Guantanamo. It does

:14:53. > :14:57.us no good to have people held without trial. It does us no good to

:14:58. > :15:01.have people tortured and we must absolutely stand-up for that

:15:02. > :15:06.principle. It was wrong Guantanamo should have been constructed. Lieber

:15:07. > :15:10.got the balance wrong at the time? Yes, we got the balance wrong in not

:15:11. > :15:14.making sure people were properly monitored and kept in check --

:15:15. > :15:20.Labour got the balance wrong at the time? Where people monitored for a

:15:21. > :15:23.period of time are forever, people ask why they were given

:15:24. > :15:28.compensation? I want to pick up on one point on how the law has

:15:29. > :15:33.changed. The Justice And Security Act to be able to have evidence that

:15:34. > :15:35.was sensitive and touched on national security issues that was

:15:36. > :15:39.not able to be put into evidence because it would have been public at

:15:40. > :15:46.that time, and therefore we are now in a position to defend cases we

:15:47. > :15:53.were not able to defend previously. Why did the British taxpayer give

:15:54. > :15:56.him ?1 million? , I cannot comment on confidential settlement and court

:15:57. > :16:01.cases but I can say that, yes, cases were settled in the past, because

:16:02. > :16:04.otherwise we would have had to disclose publicly highly sensitive

:16:05. > :16:07.information and that was why we changed the law. There were

:16:08. > :16:14.certainly cases settled and that was because of this factor of having to

:16:15. > :16:20.the school 's national security... Trials are held in camera? At that

:16:21. > :16:25.stage the rules were different -- having to disclose national

:16:26. > :16:29.security. In other words, certain sections of a trial that are able to

:16:30. > :16:33.consider highly sensitive information in a way not possible

:16:34. > :16:36.previously, this was a gap in the way the courts operated and that was

:16:37. > :16:44.why we still bet on why the situation is very different now

:16:45. > :16:49.About 850 people considered a national security threat have gone

:16:50. > :17:01.to fight with IES, half of whom have returned to the UK. What precautions

:17:02. > :17:06.are put in place for them? -- IS. It is a question of the way in which we

:17:07. > :17:15.use data to monitor people coming back, advanced passenger

:17:16. > :17:21.information,... Not 450, but security services do not have the

:17:22. > :17:28.money. There could be more. The security services do an incredible

:17:29. > :17:31.job. That is not the point. Why we have invested heavily into their

:17:32. > :17:35.work and given extra powers to disrupt. It is important to

:17:36. > :17:37.recognise the incredible work they do every day to keep us safe. We

:17:38. > :17:41.appreciate that. Now, we're told the Prime Minister

:17:42. > :17:48.has full confidence in her Business Secretary,

:17:49. > :17:56.Sajid Javid, over the issue That is always a worry if you are

:17:57. > :17:59.the minister concerned if the Prime Minister says that.

:18:00. > :18:02.Mr Javid has been accused of misleading party colleagues over

:18:03. > :18:04.the effect of a business rate revaluation which could leave more

:18:05. > :18:06.than a quarter of companies facing higher bills.

:18:07. > :18:08.The Government has dismissed claims that they underestimated

:18:09. > :18:11.potential rate rises, but some Tory MPs have

:18:12. > :18:14.One of those is former Conservative Chairman

:18:15. > :18:21.Grant Shapps and he joins us now from central lobby.

:18:22. > :18:28.As the government been misleading you on business rates? Yes,

:18:29. > :18:33.certainly in my constituency because I received a letter at the weekend

:18:34. > :18:39.which suggested from ministers that business rates for companies in my

:18:40. > :18:46.area would go down by about 1.5% but actually I discover in the heart of

:18:47. > :18:50.my constituency in a not very well of and salubrious part of the

:18:51. > :19:03.constituency there are businesses about to be wiped with a ?1000 or

:19:04. > :19:07.3000 -- 1000 - 3000% rise. I am very concerned. It is certainly at odds

:19:08. > :19:17.with the reassurances we have been given. When Sajid Javid says that

:19:18. > :19:22.business rates will fall in some areas in England do you accept these

:19:23. > :19:27.figures? No. This has been poorly handled. I think I know what has

:19:28. > :19:32.happened. I used to be in the community is the parliament and our

:19:33. > :19:37.officials said to us this is on the domestic rates. These have to be

:19:38. > :19:42.revalued. We told them politely we would not do it. Domestic rates have

:19:43. > :19:45.not been reviled for 24 years in England and they should have

:19:46. > :19:53.followed the same examples with business rates than we would not be

:19:54. > :19:58.in this mess -- not been revised. It is going to raise about ?1 billion

:19:59. > :20:06.or more. The statistics that have been sent out have in the case of my

:20:07. > :20:08.constituency been very misleading and do not take into account the

:20:09. > :20:12.businesses will try to challenge the new rates are many will be

:20:13. > :20:19.successful -- and take that into account. Your statistics are so

:20:20. > :20:25.dodgy you cannot convince your own site. It is important to recognise

:20:26. > :20:29.these changes are about fairness, dealing with values and property

:20:30. > :20:36.that were last valued at the time of the financial crash. That is at the

:20:37. > :20:40.heart of this. These are revenue neutral. Increases are to do with

:20:41. > :20:46.the number of businesses there. The revaluation itself in more has to be

:20:47. > :20:49.revenue neutral. It is important to recognise 600,000 businesses are

:20:50. > :21:00.being taken out of this tax altogether. 500,000 facing rises of

:21:01. > :21:01.up to 300%. That is why the Business Secretary has introduced

:21:02. > :21:08.transitional arrangements, that there is a separate fund work around

:21:09. > :21:14.?2.3 billion to ease this process. It is that sense of fairness on how

:21:15. > :21:18.property values have changed. If it is going so swimmingly and is so

:21:19. > :21:23.fair and you have already got this package that is going to be put to

:21:24. > :21:31.use why is that talk of further compensation in the budget? You have

:21:32. > :21:38.got the ?2.3 billion. There is talk of more. We recognise the issues and

:21:39. > :21:43.listening carefully. Should you not have listened carefully before

:21:44. > :21:47.proceeding? It is important to note that it is about the increase in

:21:48. > :21:52.those valuations that lies behind why these changes are being brought

:21:53. > :21:57.about and how listening to the issues that have been raised we will

:21:58. > :22:03.be asleep you focused on the implementation of the transitional

:22:04. > :22:09.relief. It is not true the cap is 300%, it is 3000%. If you were rates

:22:10. > :22:14.exempt before but the property value happens to have gone up you can go

:22:15. > :22:18.from paying ?100 to being several thousand pounds a year. It is all

:22:19. > :22:22.very well to say this is because the rateable value has gone up but if

:22:23. > :22:24.you are at the rateable value has gone up but if you are a

:22:25. > :22:29.hairdressing company or the noodle bar in Hatfield in a very run down

:22:30. > :22:32.area then the value of the property has nothing to do with the ability

:22:33. > :22:42.of your business to generate sufficient profits to pay that kind

:22:43. > :22:48.of increase, 1000, 2000, 3000%. The system is not fit for purpose.

:22:49. > :22:51.Advice to ministers is to be straightforward. Let's not carry on

:22:52. > :22:58.telling people that is revenue neutral when it is going to raise an

:22:59. > :23:02.extra ?1 billion. Let's not send out people table saying they are going

:23:03. > :23:07.to see a fall in rates when they are going to see a rise. Let's make sure

:23:08. > :23:10.we are on the side of small businesses who generate all the

:23:11. > :23:16.wealth in this country. Other than calling for a review of business

:23:17. > :23:20.rates does Labour have a policy? We need to understand exactly what has

:23:21. > :23:26.gone on because James said this is revenue neutral yet the Chancellor

:23:27. > :23:30.in the budget last year said he was putting ?6.7 billion to ensure that

:23:31. > :23:35.business rates would come down. Either he has broken that promise or

:23:36. > :23:40.it is revenue neutral. The point is that what the government has not

:23:41. > :23:45.done in publishing the figures, and that Grid Grant was talking about,

:23:46. > :23:52.it has not included either the 2% factor for inflation or the appeals

:23:53. > :23:56.adjustment, which is when like when the airlines overbook seats because

:23:57. > :24:00.they know, from the government's point of view, they know that the

:24:01. > :24:06.appeals that will come in will reduce their revenue by about 5%. We

:24:07. > :24:13.are 7% shy and those of visual figures and James needs to be

:24:14. > :24:18.honest. If it is revenue neutral as you claim, it does not bring revenue

:24:19. > :24:25.to the tragedy, at the time when it needs it, why bother? It is about

:24:26. > :24:31.fairness. Values of property. You are making more enemies than

:24:32. > :24:35.friends. Why bother? It is the sense of overall furnace with businesses

:24:36. > :24:39.where the property value has increased. Recognising businesses

:24:40. > :24:46.not paying at all. The money that sits behind all of that. 6.7 billion

:24:47. > :24:54.of the 600,000 businesses, recognising the contribution that

:24:55. > :24:59.small business makes. Sajid Javid is the Communities Secretary, not the

:25:00. > :25:00.Business Secretary. He was the Business Secretary, we are just slow

:25:01. > :25:07.catching up! Now, all eyes will be on Copeland

:25:08. > :25:09.and Stoke-on-Trent Central tomorrow and the crucial

:25:10. > :25:11.by-elections taking place. I'll be up all night

:25:12. > :25:14.with results over on BBC One. Stoke, as you all know,

:25:15. > :25:17.is home to British pottery-making. But, whatever the result there,

:25:18. > :25:20.you can be sure of one thing, that the exclusive and strictly

:25:21. > :25:22.limited supply of Daily Politics The Staffordshire Potteries may be

:25:23. > :25:29.home to a 200 year-old tradition of Josiah Wedgwood,

:25:30. > :25:32.Royal Doulton, the finest bone china But none of those terms can be

:25:33. > :25:39.applied to Daily Politics stoneware. But wherever they're

:25:40. > :25:45.from and whatever they're made from, Yes, there is only one way you can

:25:46. > :25:53.get your hands on one of these, by entering our Guess the Year

:25:54. > :25:55.competition, and there He does amuse and entertain

:25:56. > :26:16.so many people, including my children,

:26:17. > :26:18.who would be heartbroken I am today introducing

:26:19. > :26:30.a new National Living Wage. # I must have called

:26:31. > :26:52.a thousand times #. # Cos the players gonna play,

:26:53. > :26:54.play, play, play, play # And the haters gonna hate,

:26:55. > :26:56.hate, hate, hate, hate # Baby, I'm just gonna shake,

:26:57. > :26:59.shake, shake, shake, shake # Heartbreakers gonna break,

:27:00. > :27:05.break, break, break, break # And the fakers gonna fake,

:27:06. > :27:13.fake, fake, fake, fake #. To be in with a chance of winning

:27:14. > :27:15.a Daily Politics mug, send your answer to our special quiz

:27:16. > :27:18.email address - Entries must arrive by 12:30pm

:27:19. > :27:24.today, and you can see the full terms and conditions

:27:25. > :27:27.for Guess The Year on our website - Yes, Prime Minister's

:27:28. > :27:42.Questions is on its way. And we've also been

:27:43. > :27:56.joined by John Pienaar. I have no idea where to go. So much

:27:57. > :27:59.the front benches could talk about. All I would suggest for the Prime

:28:00. > :28:06.Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, in the shadow of these

:28:07. > :28:10.two crucial elections. Absolutely. On the eve of polling if you were

:28:11. > :28:15.going to guess what was going to come up, the perceived strong cards,

:28:16. > :28:21.you would expect Jeremy Corbyn to look for a way to attack on the NHS,

:28:22. > :28:26.in particular an issue in Copeland, and you would expect a reason made

:28:27. > :28:32.to attack Jeremy Corbyn as a reader and human being, but that is pretty

:28:33. > :28:36.much what she does every week. The business rates story is bubbling

:28:37. > :28:45.along nicely. I think whatever is going to be offered as sweeteners to

:28:46. > :28:50.those people affected, that is going to be held back probably until the

:28:51. > :28:57.budget. We are also waiting to see whether the Ronald Fidler case comes

:28:58. > :29:05.up. The suicide bomber, who went from Guantanamo Bay. Jeremy Corbyn,

:29:06. > :29:10.the leader of the party defending both by-elections. Labour holds both

:29:11. > :29:16.seats. Normally when you are the opposition you do not worry about

:29:17. > :29:20.you losing by-elections eats. Precisely. The fact we are having

:29:21. > :29:25.this conversation about what is going to be happening in Copland and

:29:26. > :29:31.Stoke, by the normal rules it should be a slam dunk for Labour. It shows

:29:32. > :29:36.you there is a problem on the Labour side. No one would deny that it

:29:37. > :29:42.exists. Start with the opinion polls, 14 points behind the Tories,

:29:43. > :29:51.then 16, then 18. Theresa May even went to Stoke. We thought the Tories

:29:52. > :29:59.were leaving it for you cap. To try to win. You will get exotic the

:30:00. > :30:09.rising that the Tories might be dark horse the race. We would be

:30:10. > :30:17.surprised. Much shorter odds in Copeland. The NHS has been an issue

:30:18. > :30:25.in Copeland. Talk of the maternity hospital closing, having to go to

:30:26. > :30:32.Carlisle. If I was Jeremy Corbyn perhaps I would make Copeland the

:30:33. > :30:37.priority. When you mentioned those issues, in Copeland there is the

:30:38. > :30:43.hospital future that is in question, you have Sellafield, this debate is

:30:44. > :30:51.huge. As far as Jeremy Corbyn is concerned that is a negative. It is

:30:52. > :30:55.coming back to his doorstep. Although his line on nuclear power

:30:56. > :31:01.is softened when you talk to people randomly around the constituency in

:31:02. > :31:12.Copeland, it is all people seem to want to talk about. If I was to say

:31:13. > :31:18.Brickhouse you would know why. I would say it is another beautiful

:31:19. > :31:28.constituency. That is true. I say that because that was the last time

:31:29. > :31:33.the constituency held by an opposition party was lost in a

:31:34. > :31:41.by-election. That was 1960. It is really unusual. Really unusual for

:31:42. > :31:46.an opposition party to lose a by-election in a seat it is holding.

:31:47. > :31:52.Absolutely. When you go back to the past or years example of a governing

:31:53. > :32:01.party winning a seat in 1982, the other side, split between the social

:32:02. > :32:04.democratic and Labour Party. It is complicated by the dynamic around

:32:05. > :32:09.the Sellafield nuclear plant and the issue of nuclear power which clouds

:32:10. > :32:14.the water in national terms. The local Labour Party said in the

:32:15. > :32:20.north-west constituency that they were so pro-nuclear you could see

:32:21. > :32:24.them glow in the dark. They are trying to make a clear distinction

:32:25. > :32:29.between the liberal bill-mac local Labour Party... Let us go to the

:32:30. > :32:56.House of Commons. Mr Speaker, last year the campaign

:32:57. > :33:01.group Fighting Cuts at the hospital were due to deliver a strong

:33:02. > :33:06.petition to Downing Street, but they were turned away at the gates and

:33:07. > :33:10.told, today is not a good day. Comeback after Thursday. How can the

:33:11. > :33:21.Prime Minister justify this disgraceful dismissal of the people

:33:22. > :33:24.of Corb Lund? -- Copeland. The petition was indeed delivered and

:33:25. > :33:28.accepted by Downing Street yesterday so I suggest to the honourable lady

:33:29. > :33:32.she considers what she said in her question, but I am aware of the

:33:33. > :33:36.issues raised around West Cumberland Hospital, and I am aware of those

:33:37. > :33:45.because the very good Conservative candidate in Copeland, Trudy

:33:46. > :33:50.Harrison, has indeed raise those issues with me, and made very clear

:33:51. > :33:54.she wants to see no downgrading of services at West Cumberland

:33:55. > :34:02.Hospital, she has made that clear to me and the health ministers. Thank

:34:03. > :34:07.you, Mr Speaker. I have constituents concerned about the new funding

:34:08. > :34:12.formula. Can I be assured that when deciding on funding for our schools

:34:13. > :34:14.we will look at costs such as the apprenticeship levy and things like

:34:15. > :34:19.that to ensure they have the money they need to educate our children? I

:34:20. > :34:23.thank my honourable friend for raising this. The question of

:34:24. > :34:27.schools funding and the system we have is important. I think the

:34:28. > :34:31.current system is unfair, not transparent and out of date and that

:34:32. > :34:35.has been the general view for some time now. The problem is it cannot

:34:36. > :34:38.support the aspiration of all our children to get a great education

:34:39. > :34:43.and we do indeed want to see children being able to get the

:34:44. > :34:48.education they deserve that ensures they can go as far as their talent

:34:49. > :34:50.and hard work take them. The Labour Government did nothing to address

:34:51. > :35:03.the funding system and we are looking at that funding system. It

:35:04. > :35:08.is... It is a consultation and I am sure the comments my honourable

:35:09. > :35:18.friend has raised will be noted by the Secretary of State for

:35:19. > :35:24.Education. Thank you, Mr Speaker. When hospitals are struggling to

:35:25. > :35:28.provide essential care, why is the Prime Minister's Government cutting

:35:29. > :35:37.the number of beds in our National Health Service? Thanks to the

:35:38. > :35:43.medical advances, the use of technology, the quality of care,

:35:44. > :35:47.what we see in hospital stays is actually the average length of time

:35:48. > :35:53.for staying in hospital has virtually halved since the year

:35:54. > :36:03.2000. Let's actually look at Labour's record on this issue. In

:36:04. > :36:08.the last six years of the last Labour Government, 25,000 hospital

:36:09. > :36:15.beds were cut, but we don't even need to go as far back as that.

:36:16. > :36:22.Let's just look at what was Labour's policy before the last election.

:36:23. > :36:31.Because before the last election, the Right Honourable member, a

:36:32. > :36:39.former Shadow Health Secretary, said, what I would cut our hospital

:36:40. > :36:50.beds. Labour policy to cut hospital beds. Mr Speaker, back in 2010 there

:36:51. > :36:53.was the highest ever level of satisfaction with the health service

:36:54. > :37:03.delivered by a Labour Government. The BMA tells us, Mr Speaker, that

:37:04. > :37:11.is doctors, that 15,000 beds have been cut in the last six years, the

:37:12. > :37:17.equivalent of 24 hospitals, and as a result we have longer waiting times

:37:18. > :37:21.in A, record charges and more people on waiting lists. The Prime

:37:22. > :37:27.Minister claims the NHS is getting the money it needs, so why is it one

:37:28. > :37:34.in six of A units in England are set for closure or downgrading? I

:37:35. > :37:39.will tell the honourable gentleman what is happening and what has been

:37:40. > :37:44.happening since 2010 in A 1500 more emergency care doctors, which

:37:45. > :37:56.includes more Andrew Neil consultants, 2400 more paramedics,

:37:57. > :38:00.-- more emergency consultants. What the NHS... He speaks about what the

:38:01. > :38:04.NHS needs and what it needs is more doctors and we are giving it more

:38:05. > :38:08.doctors. What it needs is more funding and we are giving it more

:38:09. > :38:18.funding. What it does not need is a bankrupt economy, which is exactly

:38:19. > :38:24.what Labour would give it. Mr Speaker, I asked the Prime Minister

:38:25. > :38:28.by one in six A units are currently set for closure or

:38:29. > :38:33.downgrading. She did not answer. One of the problems, and she well knows

:38:34. > :38:38.this, is that ?4.6 billion cut the social care which has a knock-on

:38:39. > :38:41.effect, and her friend, the Tory chair of the Local Government

:38:42. > :38:46.Association, Lord Porter, has said, and I quote, "Extra council tax

:38:47. > :38:54.income will not bring in anywhere near enough money to alleviate the

:38:55. > :38:58.growing pressure on social care. Two weeks ago -- social care." Two weeks

:38:59. > :39:05.ago we found out about the sweetheart deal with Tory Surrey.

:39:06. > :39:13.When will the other 151 social department in England get the same

:39:14. > :39:17.as the Surrey deal? The right honourable gentleman refers to the

:39:18. > :39:20.questions he asks me about Surrey County Council two weeks ago. Those

:39:21. > :39:27.claims were utterly destroyed the same afternoon. So rather than

:39:28. > :39:44.asking the same question, he should stand up and apologise. Mr Speaker,

:39:45. > :39:49.far from apologising it is the Prime Minister who ought to be reading her

:39:50. > :39:55.correspondence and answering the letter from 62 council leaders

:39:56. > :39:59.representing social services authorities who want to know if they

:40:00. > :40:03.are going to get the same deal as Surrey, as they are grappling with a

:40:04. > :40:09.crisis that has left over 1 million people not getting the social care

:40:10. > :40:20.they need. Mr Speaker, we opposed the Tory cuts in the NHS which

:40:21. > :40:23.involved scrapping of nurses' bursaries because we believed it

:40:24. > :40:27.would dissuade people from entering training. We were told it would

:40:28. > :40:34.create an extra 10,000 training places in this Parliament. Has this

:40:35. > :40:38.target be met? There are 10,000 more training places available for nurses

:40:39. > :40:42.in the NHS, but the right honourable gentleman talks about the amount of

:40:43. > :40:47.money being spent on the NHS. It is this Conservative Government that is

:40:48. > :40:52.putting the extra funding into the NHS, and I remind the right

:40:53. > :40:57.honourable gentleman, I remind the right honourable gentleman that we

:40:58. > :41:02.are spending ?1.3 billion more on the NHS this year than Labour

:41:03. > :41:07.planned to do if they had won the election. Mr Speaker, my questions

:41:08. > :41:12.were about the social services funding to pay for social care. No

:41:13. > :41:19.answer. My questions were about the number of nurse training places

:41:20. > :41:24.being brought in. No answer. In reality, 10,000 fewer places have

:41:25. > :41:30.been filled because there are fewer applications. There is a problem in

:41:31. > :41:36.building up for the future. In addition, the Royal College of

:41:37. > :41:40.Midwives estimate is shortage of 3500 midwives in England, and the

:41:41. > :41:46.Royal College of Nursing warned the nursing workforce is in crisis. If

:41:47. > :41:51.fewer nurses graduate in 2020 it will exacerbate what is already an

:41:52. > :41:55.unsustainable situation. Will the Prime Minister at least commit

:41:56. > :42:03.herself to reinstating the nurses' bursary? He asked me a question

:42:04. > :42:07.about nurses' training places which I answered. I have to say to him, if

:42:08. > :42:12.he doesn't like the answer he gets, he cannot just carry on asking the

:42:13. > :42:17.same question. If I have answered it previously. He is talking about all

:42:18. > :42:19.these issues in relation to what is happening in the NHS. Let's just

:42:20. > :42:28.look at what is happening in the NHS. We have 1800 more midwives in

:42:29. > :42:39.the NHS since 2010. We have more people being seen in A since 2010.

:42:40. > :42:44.We have more operations every week in the NHS. Our NHS staff are

:42:45. > :42:49.working hard, providing a quality of care for patients up and down the

:42:50. > :42:54.country. What they do not need is a Labour Party policy that leads to a

:42:55. > :42:57.bankrupt economy, because Labour's policy, you spend money on

:42:58. > :43:01.everything which means you bankrupt the economy, and have no money to

:43:02. > :43:05.spend on anything. That does not help doctors and nurses, it does not

:43:06. > :43:08.help patients, it does not help the NHS and it does not help ordinary

:43:09. > :43:15.working families up and down this country. Mr Speaker, yes, let's look

:43:16. > :43:19.at the National Health Service. Let's thank all those that work so

:43:20. > :43:25.hard in our National Health Service, but recognise the pressures they are

:43:26. > :43:30.under. Today the married to re-foundation trust finds nurses are

:43:31. > :43:38.so overstretched they cannot provide the high care needed for patients at

:43:39. > :43:41.the very end of their lives -- the Marie Curie Foundation. It prevents

:43:42. > :43:44.patients from having the dignity of dying at home. There is a nursing

:43:45. > :43:50.shortage and something should be done about it such as reinstating

:43:51. > :43:52.the nurses' bursary. Mr Speaker, her Government has put the NHS and

:43:53. > :44:03.social care in the state of emergency. Nine out of ten NHS

:44:04. > :44:11.trusts are unsafe. 18,000 patients per week are waiting. Mr Speaker, I

:44:12. > :44:19.repeat the figure. 18,000 patients a week are waiting on trolleys in

:44:20. > :44:23.hospital corridors. 1.2 million of them very dependent... Mr Speaker,

:44:24. > :44:29.it seems to me that some members do not want to be concerned about the

:44:30. > :44:34.fact there are 1.2 million elderly people not getting the care that

:44:35. > :44:40.they need. The legacy of her Government will be blighting our NHS

:44:41. > :44:43.for decades. There are hospitals, fewer A departments, fewer nurses

:44:44. > :44:49.and fewer people getting the care they need. We need a Government that

:44:50. > :44:55.puts the NHS first, and will invest in our NHS. First of all I have to

:44:56. > :45:04.say to the right honourable gentleman that he should consider

:45:05. > :45:07.correcting the record, because 54% of hospital trusts are considered

:45:08. > :45:14.good or outstanding. Quite different from the figure he has shown.

:45:15. > :45:25.Secondly, I will take no lessons on the NHS from the party... Oh, the

:45:26. > :45:28.deputy leader of the Labour Party says we should take lessons on the

:45:29. > :45:35.NHS. I will not take any lessons from the party that presided over

:45:36. > :45:43.met staff's hospital, and what happened at that hospital. --

:45:44. > :45:49.Midstaff. They say we should learn lessons. I tell you who should learn

:45:50. > :45:52.lessons. The Labour Party, who still fail to recognise that if you are

:45:53. > :45:57.going to fund the NHS, and we are putting more money in - there are

:45:58. > :46:01.more doctors, more operations, more hospitals. If you're going to fund

:46:02. > :46:05.the NHS you need a strong economy. Now we know that Labour have a

:46:06. > :46:09.different sort of phrase for their approach to these things. Remember

:46:10. > :46:22.they used to speak about boom and bust. Now it is borrow and bankrupt.

:46:23. > :46:29.We must get through backbenchers' questions and the answers to them.

:46:30. > :46:35.Brendan Cox will meet with the Duchess of Cornwall to launch plans

:46:36. > :46:39.to bring communities together over the weekend of the 17th and 18th of

:46:40. > :46:46.June to mark the first anniversary of our colleague's death. It is for

:46:47. > :46:50.more than 10 million people across the country to come together as

:46:51. > :46:55.communities and neighbours for events such as student parties and

:46:56. > :47:00.picnics and bake off. Will the Prime Minister join me and agree that such

:47:01. > :47:03.event is a moment of national reflection but also celebration in

:47:04. > :47:10.our communities and it will be a fitting tribute to Jo? And as she

:47:11. > :47:15.herself said it will remind us that we have far more common with

:47:16. > :47:21.ourselves than things that divide us. I am happy to agree with him

:47:22. > :47:27.that what is becoming known as the great get-together is a fitting and

:47:28. > :47:32.important tribute to our late colleague Jo Cox and I would like to

:47:33. > :47:37.commend her husband Brendan and I am sure everybody would like to do so,

:47:38. > :47:39.for the work he has done. It is important we remember there is more

:47:40. > :47:45.that brings us together than divides us. This opportunity at this point

:47:46. > :47:49.of national reflection and celebration of the strength of our

:47:50. > :47:54.communities is important as we face the future together. We stand at

:47:55. > :47:59.momentous times for this country and it is important we remember that

:48:00. > :48:03.being united makes us strong, we should recognise the things that

:48:04. > :48:07.unite us as a country and as the people, the bonds that we shared

:48:08. > :48:13.together, and this is a very fitting tribute to our late colleague. In

:48:14. > :48:18.recent days the Prime Minister has said that it is a key personal

:48:19. > :48:22.commitment to transform the way that domestic violence is tackled. It is

:48:23. > :48:28.hugely welcome that she has called for ideas about how the treatment of

:48:29. > :48:33.victims can be improved and more convictions secured against abusers.

:48:34. > :48:37.Combating violence against women and preventing domestic violence is the

:48:38. > :48:43.aim of the Istanbul convention which the UK has yet to ratify. Does she

:48:44. > :48:51.agree with members across this house that the convention should be

:48:52. > :48:54.ratified as a priority? He has raised a particularly important

:48:55. > :48:59.subject. It is one that I take particularly seriously. I worked

:49:00. > :49:05.very hard on it as Home Secretary and I continue to do so as Prime

:49:06. > :49:11.Minister. Over 400,000 victims of sexual violence in the last year. We

:49:12. > :49:15.signed up to the Istanbul convention and are committed to ratifying it

:49:16. > :49:18.and that is why we supported the members bill in principal at second

:49:19. > :49:24.reading and that committee stage. The measures we have in place in

:49:25. > :49:27.many ways go further than the convention but I am very clear that

:49:28. > :49:31.we need to maintain this momentum and that is why I am setting up a

:49:32. > :49:35.ministerial working group to look at the legislation and how we can

:49:36. > :49:40.provide good support for victims and to look at the possibility of a

:49:41. > :49:44.domestic violence act in the future. This Friday the Commons will

:49:45. > :49:50.consider a bill on the Istanbul convention and government ministers

:49:51. > :49:53.have been working very hard with my colleague who has cross-party

:49:54. > :49:57.support for her bell. Given the importance of this issue and the

:49:58. > :50:02.Prime Minister's personal commitment she has outlined again today will

:50:03. > :50:06.she encourage members to support the bill and discourage any attempts to

:50:07. > :50:16.use Parliamentary tactics to stop it? I am very happy to join him in

:50:17. > :50:19.that. The minister for vulnerability has had a number of constructive

:50:20. > :50:24.discussions with the member for Banff and Buchan and tabled mutually

:50:25. > :50:30.agreed amendments which the government will be voting for this

:50:31. > :50:36.Friday and I hope that all born Friday will be supporting those

:50:37. > :50:38.measures. It is an important bill which the government has been

:50:39. > :50:43.supporting and I hope it will they support across all parts of this

:50:44. > :50:49.house. Residents in the village of highly in my constituency are

:50:50. > :50:52.concerned by the 4000 homes proposed under the Greater Manchester spatial

:50:53. > :50:59.framework more than doubling the size of that village. What

:51:00. > :51:03.assurances can she give to my constituents that the green belt is

:51:04. > :51:08.safe with this government? I am happy to give that commitment. The

:51:09. > :51:13.government is very clear that the green belt must be protected. Very

:51:14. > :51:18.clear that boundary should only be altered when local authorities have

:51:19. > :51:21.fully examined all other reasonable options and if they go down that

:51:22. > :51:24.route they should compensate by improving the quality or

:51:25. > :51:29.accessibility of the remaining green belt land so that can be enjoyed. I

:51:30. > :51:34.know the particular issue he has raised and I believe the framework

:51:35. > :51:38.led to quite a number of responses. There was a lot of interest in the

:51:39. > :51:45.consultation. I am sure all those views will be taken into account.

:51:46. > :51:48.Last week the all-party group for children of alcoholics launched a

:51:49. > :51:55.manifesto for change. 2.5 million children are growing up in the home

:51:56. > :52:00.of a problem drinker. I did as well. These children are twice as likely

:52:01. > :52:06.to have problems at school, three times as likely to commit suicide,

:52:07. > :52:08.four times more likely to become an alcoholic yet 138 local authorities

:52:09. > :52:13.have no plan to support these children. All the Prime Minister

:52:14. > :52:17.work with the all-party group to establish the first ever government

:52:18. > :52:21.strategy to tackle both hidden problem that blight the lives of

:52:22. > :52:25.millions? She has raised an important issue and I know she

:52:26. > :52:30.recently spoke very movingly about her experience and I am sure members

:52:31. > :52:35.recognise the devastating impact that addiction can have on

:52:36. > :52:39.individuals and their families. This is an important issue for her to

:52:40. > :52:43.raise. It is unacceptable that children bear the brunt of their

:52:44. > :52:47.parents' condition. It is important than the government is committed to

:52:48. > :52:50.working with MPs and health professionals and those affected to

:52:51. > :52:54.reduce the harm of addiction and give people the support they need

:52:55. > :53:05.and we will be looking carefully at the proposal she has raised.

:53:06. > :53:10.Question nine. It is absolutely appalling when people tried to make

:53:11. > :53:14.a business out of dragging our brave troops through the courts. In the

:53:15. > :53:19.case of Northern Ireland 90% of deaths were caused by terrorists and

:53:20. > :53:24.it is essential the justice system reflects this. It would be wrong to

:53:25. > :53:28.treat terrorists more favourably than soldiers or police officers and

:53:29. > :53:32.that is why as part of her work to bring forward the Stormont House

:53:33. > :53:36.bill we will make sure that investigate of bodies are fair,

:53:37. > :53:42.balanced and proportionate soul veterans are not unfairly treated or

:53:43. > :53:48.disproportionately investigated. It does not go as far as I and others

:53:49. > :53:51.would like. There is no prospect of new credible evidence coming forward

:53:52. > :53:56.against our veterans of the troubles up to 40 years after the event and

:53:57. > :54:01.yet people are starting to use the same techniques in Northern Ireland

:54:02. > :54:06.against them as were used against veterans of Iraq. Surely the answer

:54:07. > :54:12.has to be a statute of limitations preventing the prosecution of

:54:13. > :54:20.veterans to do with matters that concerned prior to the date of the

:54:21. > :54:24.Belfast Agreement. As he knows this is an issue that we are looking at

:54:25. > :54:28.as part of the Stormont House agreement. We are ensuring that the

:54:29. > :54:33.investigative bodies responsible for looking at depths during the

:54:34. > :54:38.troubles will operate in a fair balanced and proportionate manner.

:54:39. > :54:42.We want cases to be considered in chronological order. We are going to

:54:43. > :54:49.be consulting fully on these proposals because we want to make

:54:50. > :54:52.sure we get this right. The new local housing allowance cap for

:54:53. > :55:00.social tenants when introduced in 2019 will hit people on low income

:55:01. > :55:07.in my constituency really hard. In Maidenhead the allowance will often

:55:08. > :55:16.exceed the average rent but in Merthyr Tydfil not so. This will

:55:17. > :55:21.mean that tenants including many older be bought will be expected to

:55:22. > :55:25.find almost ?500 a year towards the rent. Will she acts to introduce

:55:26. > :55:30.clear guidance to at the very least exempt older people from these cuts

:55:31. > :55:37.and ensure that the local housing allowances in line with local rents?

:55:38. > :55:41.Yes. I believe local authorities are in a position, they have a fun they

:55:42. > :55:47.can exercise discretion in relation to this matter. There will be

:55:48. > :55:52.incidences across the country and there were some steps taken to

:55:53. > :55:59.ensure that particularly vulnerable people were not affected as you

:56:00. > :56:04.suggest. The lack of large-scale vaccine manufacturing has been

:56:05. > :56:09.described for our country as a national security issue. Which will

:56:10. > :56:12.take many years to build up. Will she look into what more the

:56:13. > :56:20.government can do to address this highly critical health and defence

:56:21. > :56:25.concerned? She is right to raise this in the context she has. The

:56:26. > :56:31.government takes it very seriously. Being able to ensure we can scale up

:56:32. > :56:36.vaccine production in the event of a pandemic is very important to

:56:37. > :56:40.national security. The precise details are confidential but I can

:56:41. > :56:45.assure her we have provisions in place to make sure that urgently

:56:46. > :56:50.needed vaccines are available in the UK at short notice including in the

:56:51. > :56:55.event of pandemic. As a contingency we are funding a ?10 million

:56:56. > :56:58.competition to establish a world leading centre on vaccine

:56:59. > :57:02.manufacturing but it is only part of the picture because we have one of

:57:03. > :57:08.the most successful vaccination programmes in the world backed up by

:57:09. > :57:13.?300 million. Last night Bristol council said its budget very

:57:14. > :57:18.difficult decisions very difficult because of the abject failure of the

:57:19. > :57:24.previous murmur to get a grip on the finances. It has taken a Labour

:57:25. > :57:29.mayor to face up to the challenge but government cuts are making his

:57:30. > :57:35.job almost impossible and it is doing more with less. We did our

:57:36. > :57:39.bit, will the Prime Minister meet with the mayor of Bristol to discuss

:57:40. > :57:47.the funding deal that the people of Bristol deserve? I understand the

:57:48. > :58:01.Communities Secretary has had such a meeting to discuss the issues she

:58:02. > :58:05.raised. 17 years ago my constituent received a phone call that no parent

:58:06. > :58:10.should ever have to take. The collar told them that their daughter

:58:11. > :58:14.Kirsty, who was backpacking in Thailand, had been brutally

:58:15. > :58:20.murdered. The tie as warranties are due to close the investigation into

:58:21. > :58:26.her murder but as yet her case remains unsolved, her killer remains

:58:27. > :58:33.free and her parents have not justice or closure. Can I ask her to

:58:34. > :58:37.push the Thai authorities to use DNA techniques to bring the killer to

:58:38. > :58:41.justice, to endeavour to provide more support to families who have

:58:42. > :58:46.lost loved ones abroad and finally to ensure that Kirsty's personal

:58:47. > :58:53.effects are at last returned home to her parents from Thailand? I am sure

:58:54. > :58:57.the whole house would offer condolences to the family and

:58:58. > :59:04.recognising the trauma they have been through as a result of the

:59:05. > :59:06.killing of their daughter. It is obviously not for the British

:59:07. > :59:11.government to interfere with police investigations that take place in

:59:12. > :59:15.another country but I understand the Foreign Office has been providing

:59:16. > :59:19.support and our embassy in Bangkok will continue to raise these issues

:59:20. > :59:26.as it has been with the Thai government and I am sure the Foreign

:59:27. > :59:29.Office will keep him updated. In the Lancaster house speech she said of a

:59:30. > :59:34.future trade agreement with the EU that no deal for Britain is better

:59:35. > :59:37.than a bad deal for Britain. In the spirit of consistency will that

:59:38. > :59:44.appeal to any future trade goals she Asians with the US? By Mike

:59:45. > :59:51.President Trump has said that America comes first -- negotations.

:59:52. > :59:59.We will be ensuring when we negotiate trade deals they will be

:00:00. > :00:05.good deals for the UK. In the same sex marriage act we took the power

:00:06. > :00:09.subject to consultation to give humanists in England and Wales the

:00:10. > :00:14.opportunity to celebrate marriages as they do in Scotland. We have had

:00:15. > :00:18.the consultation with 90% approval and there has been referenced in the

:00:19. > :00:21.Law Commission which has concluded. And she gave her attention to laying

:00:22. > :00:29.there is order and giving humanists same rights in England as they enjoy

:00:30. > :00:35.in Scotland? This is an issue he has been following closely over recent

:00:36. > :00:40.years. He recognises this is an important area of law and complex

:00:41. > :00:43.and we want to make sure the proposals are considered properly

:00:44. > :00:48.which is why the Ministry of Justice is examining the differences in

:00:49. > :00:55.treatment that exist within marriage law so that the differences can be

:00:56. > :01:04.minimised and I am sure he will agree it is right and fair to

:01:05. > :01:08.approach it that way. My constituent's chances of survival

:01:09. > :01:14.from buying the Attic cancer were no better than his mother's who died 40

:01:15. > :01:23.years earlier. A disease soon to become the fourth biggest cancer

:01:24. > :01:27.killer in the UK -- pancreatic. Will she championed a significant

:01:28. > :01:34.increase in spending on pancreatic cancer researcher, which lags behind

:01:35. > :01:39.that of other cancers? He has raised a very important point which

:01:40. > :01:45.obviously is of particular relevance in the case of the constituent

:01:46. > :01:49.referred to. It is the case that pancreatic cancer is one that is

:01:50. > :01:52.very difficult to deal with and to treat and there has been a lot of

:01:53. > :01:58.attention over the years on certain cancers, like breast cancer, bowel

:01:59. > :02:01.cancer, prostate cancer, but I am sure it is important the appropriate

:02:02. > :02:11.attention is given to cancers which are more difficult to deal with like

:02:12. > :02:15.pancreatic. In February 2008 the brother of one of my constituents

:02:16. > :02:22.was unlawfully killed in the Ukraine. His Ukrainian wife is

:02:23. > :02:28.clearly implicated in his death. Earlier this year a coroner in Devon

:02:29. > :02:33.ruled that he was tricked into standing on a carriageway before

:02:34. > :02:37.being run down by a car with stolen license plates and death was

:02:38. > :02:42.immediate. Every time an investigating officer makes progress

:02:43. > :02:46.with this case and the Ukraine they are replaced. This has happened ten

:02:47. > :02:52.times and the case has stalled. And I implore her to raise this case

:02:53. > :02:56.with the Ukrainian Prime Minister so we can get justice and closure for

:02:57. > :03:05.Barry's mother, brother and the family? I am sure that the whole

:03:06. > :03:12.house will join me in offering condolences to the family following

:03:13. > :03:18.his death in 2008. I understand he has discussed this case with the

:03:19. > :03:21.Foreign Secretary. It is not for the British government to interfere in

:03:22. > :03:25.the legal processes of another country but the Foreign Office has

:03:26. > :03:29.been regularly raising this case with the Ukrainian authorities and

:03:30. > :03:32.will continue to do so and I understand UK police have assisted

:03:33. > :03:36.the investigation on a number of occasions and all information from

:03:37. > :03:41.the UK coroner will be passed on and I am sure the Foreign Office will

:03:42. > :03:46.keep him updated. Tens of thousands of disabled people on the

:03:47. > :03:53.portability scheme have had their cars removed by this government. In

:03:54. > :03:56.November a minister said they were looking at payments to keep their

:03:57. > :04:04.car pending appeal. Next week my constituents will lose her car. Can

:04:05. > :04:11.the Prime Minister of the house on the progress of this review to help

:04:12. > :04:14.Margaret and thousands like her? He raises an issue about the way these

:04:15. > :04:23.assessments are made and the implications of decisions being

:04:24. > :04:26.taken. He referred to a review in relation to payments and the moat

:04:27. > :04:38.ability elements of that and I will write to him with further details.

:04:39. > :04:42.It was a gear this week sends a hospital was closed due to fire

:04:43. > :04:46.safety concerns. There are no community gets locally within St

:04:47. > :04:52.Ives, Penzance or Saints just or rural areas in between. Campaigners

:04:53. > :04:58.agree that there is valued Community Hospital needs to be opened a urgent

:04:59. > :05:03.priority. Will she apply some pressure to NHS property services

:05:04. > :05:12.and Cornwall NHS managers to get the building work done and open these

:05:13. > :05:15.community beds? This is obviously a concern for his constituents and he

:05:16. > :05:21.is right to raise it. He will recognise the first priority must be

:05:22. > :05:25.to ensure patients are being treated in a safe environment and I

:05:26. > :05:30.understand the local CCG and the NHS have been working to ensure that

:05:31. > :05:33.community hospitals are fit to deliver that expectation in

:05:34. > :05:38.Cornwall. A review has been undertaken into the repairs needed

:05:39. > :05:42.to bring the Community Hospital up to a safe standard and the CCG will

:05:43. > :05:47.be looking at the entrance at facilities and needs once the local

:05:48. > :05:52.plan has been agreed and then Health Secretary has heard his

:05:53. > :05:56.representations. The government business rate hike could devastate

:05:57. > :06:03.the local economy in migrating constituency. Brighton Pier is

:06:04. > :06:11.facing a 17% increase, the world end pub, a hotel a 400% increase. Does

:06:12. > :06:16.she recognise Brighton will be disproportionately affected and will

:06:17. > :06:18.she set up a discretionary fund to support small businesses and agreed

:06:19. > :06:26.to a full review of the whole system? Business rates are based on

:06:27. > :06:30.the rental values of properties and the rental values of properties

:06:31. > :06:35.change over time going up and down and it is right that rates changed

:06:36. > :06:40.to recognise that. That is the principal of furnace that underpins

:06:41. > :06:44.the business rates system. We want to support businesses and recognise

:06:45. > :06:48.that for some business rates will go up when these revaluations take

:06:49. > :06:52.place which is why we have put significant funding in place for

:06:53. > :06:56.transitional relief but I recognise there has been particular concern

:06:57. > :07:00.there will be some small businesses that are particularly adversely

:07:01. > :07:04.affected by the result of this evaluation and that is why I have

:07:05. > :07:06.asked the Chancellor and the Communities Secretary to make sure

:07:07. > :07:20.there is appropriate relief for those cases hardest-hit. She gave a

:07:21. > :07:27.sympathetic answer to the honourable friend for the new Forest. Can I put

:07:28. > :07:32.it to her that for many of us there is something profoundly wrong with a

:07:33. > :07:39.criminal justice system which can pursue veterans will risk their

:07:40. > :07:43.lives for this country, 40 years on after any possibility of new

:07:44. > :07:51.evidence, while at the same time is capable of paying out ?1 million to

:07:52. > :07:56.a terror suspect. In relation to this issue in Northern Ireland, we

:07:57. > :08:00.are... The issue with the legacy bodies was part of the Stormont

:08:01. > :08:11.House agreement and we are working to deliver on that agreement. As I

:08:12. > :08:13.said, the overwhelming majority of our armed forces serving in Northern

:08:14. > :08:18.Ireland served with great distinction and we owe them a huge

:08:19. > :08:22.debt of gratitude. The situation at the moment is there a case is being

:08:23. > :08:31.pursued against officers who served in Northern Ireland. We want to see

:08:32. > :08:34.developing a legacy body, a proportionate fair and balanced

:08:35. > :08:43.approach. We recognise the majority of individuals were the result...

:08:44. > :08:51.Were at the result of the hands of terrorists. The Prime Minister

:08:52. > :08:55.pledged to end the burning injustice of so few working-class boys going

:08:56. > :09:00.to university. Can she tell me how cutting every single secondary

:09:01. > :09:03.school in Rochdale, Trafford and Manchester through the new schools

:09:04. > :09:09.funding formula is going to do anything other than make that

:09:10. > :09:12.injustice even worse? We want to ensure through the education system

:09:13. > :09:18.that we have a good school place for every child. And the Conservatives

:09:19. > :09:22.in government we have seen 1.8 million more children in good or

:09:23. > :09:26.outstanding schools. We are looking at the funding formula for schools.

:09:27. > :09:33.We are listening to the comments made. Everybody across this house

:09:34. > :09:37.will recognise that for some time it has been said the existing funding

:09:38. > :09:46.formula is not transparent and is fair. But I can assure that our

:09:47. > :09:50.education policy is about ensuring every child has the opportunity to

:09:51. > :10:01.go as far as their talents and hard-working Ed Balls them to do. --

:10:02. > :10:06.enables. You saw what a cut run means for a town and club like

:10:07. > :10:13.Sutton. With Wimbledon out of the picture wonder if she will join me

:10:14. > :10:19.in teen graduating Sutton for such a spirited performance on Monday and

:10:20. > :10:30.in wishing Lincoln well to keep the non-league spirit alive in the next

:10:31. > :10:36.round. He must be heard. Finally come gradually to and thanking

:10:37. > :10:46.arsenal for their generosity and allowing Sutton to keep a little bit

:10:47. > :10:58.of an extra slice of the FA Cup pie. Any reference to pie. I am happy to

:10:59. > :11:03.congratulate Sutton on the extremely good run that they had in the FA

:11:04. > :11:09.Cup. It is important and makes a huge difference to local areas when

:11:10. > :11:12.their football club is able to progress to that extent and is able

:11:13. > :11:17.to be up there with the big boys and do as well as they did and I am

:11:18. > :11:25.happy to congratulate Lincoln city on the success may have shown and we

:11:26. > :11:33.wish them well for the future. Finally, Michelle Thomson. The green

:11:34. > :11:39.investment bank is currently being sold. Some reports suggest that the

:11:40. > :11:42.contract could soon be concluded. This despite the U:K.'s dated focus

:11:43. > :11:47.on research and development and the fact that no realistic guarantees

:11:48. > :11:50.have yet been given as to the continuation of the proper

:11:51. > :11:57.headquarters and board based in Edinburgh. Will she commits to

:11:58. > :12:02.looking again as to why a sale at this time is not in the best

:12:03. > :12:12.interest of Edinburgh or the green agenda or the UK taxpayer? Before I

:12:13. > :12:15.respond I also am apologies. I am sorry to the member for Stroud and

:12:16. > :12:21.mixing him up with the member for Lincoln. I was obviously getting

:12:22. > :12:34.carried away with the football fever. In relation to the green

:12:35. > :12:39.investment bank, I will write to her with response to the questions she

:12:40. > :12:43.has raised. The Prime Minister has applied a very straight bat. We will

:12:44. > :12:59.leave it there. The Speaker although hers in the

:13:00. > :13:07.cricketing metaphor, which at least raised overall tone. Don't even go

:13:08. > :13:11.there! It is at least a proper sport. I will come onto the NHS in a

:13:12. > :13:17.minute but a developing news story here... Caroline Lucas, the Krhin

:13:18. > :13:21.member for Brighton, raised the question of business rates. Small

:13:22. > :13:27.businesses in her community, some of them faced some high-rises -- the

:13:28. > :13:30.Green member for Brighton. The Prime Minister said she had asked the

:13:31. > :13:36.Chancellor and the community secretary, Sajid Javid, for "Proper

:13:37. > :13:42.relief." That suggests to me something is in the pipeline on

:13:43. > :13:46.that. We heard earlier from Grant Shapps on this programme. Mr Corbyn

:13:47. > :13:50.went with the NHS, he had a number of figures to throw out the Prime

:13:51. > :13:55.Minister about hospital bed cuts, about the lack of doctors and

:13:56. > :14:01.nurses, taking away the nurses' bursary, 62 Council leaders writing

:14:02. > :14:07.to the prime ministers saying they did not have enough for social care.

:14:08. > :14:13.And the Prime Minister of course as is often the case on PMQs, had her

:14:14. > :14:18.own statistics, not often relevant to his. There was a kind of passing

:14:19. > :14:21.statistics across the front benches there from both sides. We will go

:14:22. > :14:25.back to the political invocations of this in a minute, but first, what

:14:26. > :14:28.did our viewers make of the exchanges? They were not that keen

:14:29. > :14:32.on the bandying about of statistics because they could not really follow

:14:33. > :14:38.them, perhaps like the rest of them. John Baker from them instead, says

:14:39. > :14:43.the Prime Minister clearly had her feathers ruffled on the NHS, could

:14:44. > :14:47.not answer any of Jeremy Corbyn's questions and looked uncomfortable.

:14:48. > :14:51.Her response was just to attack Labour. I suppose that is her job.

:14:52. > :14:54.Another one, what is the truth? I have very little confidence in most

:14:55. > :14:59.of the politicians in Westminster and PMQs only endorses this feeling.

:15:00. > :15:03.Ten Bassett, not the most stimulating PMQs, the Prime Minister

:15:04. > :15:08.displaying confidence, but I do wish the NHS was no longer a political

:15:09. > :15:12.football. We all agree citizens want and deserve great health care.

:15:13. > :15:16.Rather than fight I would like to see some consensus. Edward Buxton,

:15:17. > :15:21.he says Jeremy Corbyn is replaying the Labour Party's strategy from the

:15:22. > :15:28.losing 2015 election campaign, keep banging on and on about the NHS. All

:15:29. > :15:33.right. John, Mr Corbyn certainly got the NHS onto the agenda here for

:15:34. > :15:37.Prime Minister's Questions. But I wonder, given the importance of the

:15:38. > :15:42.two by-elections we were discussing earlier, did he do enough, in a way,

:15:43. > :15:46.to get it onto the agenda so it can be big in the news tonight, big in

:15:47. > :15:53.the papers tomorrow, so that people in Stoke and in Copeland think it is

:15:54. > :15:57.high up the agenda again? I am not sure he succeeded in doing that.

:15:58. > :16:00.There was no particular punch through moment of revelation or

:16:01. > :16:06.blood on the floor at the end of it. He did get the NHS to be the main

:16:07. > :16:10.subject of dispute in that regard it was mission accomplished, but then

:16:11. > :16:16.we got into, as you say, a crossfire of statistics, which I suspect from

:16:17. > :16:19.evidence already as well would have left many bamboozled and excluded

:16:20. > :16:24.from the substance of the debate. On both sides I think that was largely

:16:25. > :16:27.the case, and they were preaching to the converted. But Jeremy Corbyn did

:16:28. > :16:31.set out to get this as the main subject of dispute and succeeded in

:16:32. > :16:34.doing that. Theresa May was not left empty-handed or there is no

:16:35. > :16:38.ammunition. She came back, as we expected, with an attack on Labour's

:16:39. > :16:45.economic competence, a round of ammunition that will always be happy

:16:46. > :16:50.to backfire. When the leader of the opposition said nine out of ten NHS

:16:51. > :16:53.trusts are unsafe, what did he mean? I am not sure where that figure came

:16:54. > :16:58.from but the figure that really struck me in the exchange, and if I

:16:59. > :17:04.were Gillian Trout, the one I would be plucking out for the people of

:17:05. > :17:09.Copeland, that figure where she was saying, we have 80,000 more

:17:10. > :17:12.midwives. If we have 18,000 more midwives, why are you closing the

:17:13. > :17:18.maternity unit in the West Cumberland Hospital and shifting it

:17:19. > :17:21.40 miles to Carlisle, and as a doctor and blue light ambulance

:17:22. > :17:29.driver who has done that journey from West Cumberland to Carlisle,

:17:30. > :17:31.she knows just what that means. You are referring to the Copeland

:17:32. > :17:37.by-election there, making your point. In fairness, I will get you

:17:38. > :17:41.to respond briefly. Units allegation in regard to the closure of the unit

:17:42. > :17:46.that I do not think is true. I know a lot of scaremongering is around --

:17:47. > :17:51.Barry has made an allegation in regard to the closure of the unit.

:17:52. > :17:54.This is why our candidate in Corb Lund has been campaigning on this

:17:55. > :17:59.and pointing out that we are the ones sticking out for the NHS -- in

:18:00. > :18:04.Copeland. But she could not confirm one way or another whether that

:18:05. > :18:13.closure would take place. It is uncertain. Yes and regarding the

:18:14. > :18:18.birthing units, midwifery led, consultant led, it is these issues

:18:19. > :18:23.were our candidate is campaigning and sticking it for the

:18:24. > :18:29.constituency. When Mr Corbyn said nine out of ten NHS trusts are

:18:30. > :18:33.unsafe but did not explain, Barry not quite sure what he meant, but I

:18:34. > :18:37.am pretty sure that what he did mean is that they are unsafe in the sense

:18:38. > :18:43.that nine out of ten trusts this winter have broken the normal

:18:44. > :18:47.operational rule that no more than 85% of hospital beds should be

:18:48. > :18:53.occupied. You keep a margin because of the unforeseen. If there is an

:18:54. > :18:56.infection, delay, winter flu, whatever, nine out of ten have

:18:57. > :19:02.breached that rule will stop in that sense they are unsafe and that is

:19:03. > :19:05.not good. We know the pressures the NHS is under which is why I

:19:06. > :19:08.certainly pay tribute to the NHS staff working so hard, but it is

:19:09. > :19:14.also the fact we have put in the additional consultant into A I

:19:15. > :19:22.want to come back... You may have done that, but nine out of ten NHS

:19:23. > :19:30.trusts this winter were above... They had more than 85% of beds

:19:31. > :19:33.occupied, and to minimise risk of infection, delays in getting

:19:34. > :19:38.treatment, they are not meant to breach that limit. In that sense

:19:39. > :19:43.they are unsafe. I would say to you that this has been a very pressured

:19:44. > :19:47.winter, which we do understand, and we are slow to recognise that. That

:19:48. > :19:50.is why we have been putting in place additional steps, why actually in

:19:51. > :19:54.terms of the way in which additional funds have been coming into the NHS

:19:55. > :19:58.that has been factored in in a different way to front-load some of

:19:59. > :20:03.that investment. But it is right to say there are more A consultants

:20:04. > :20:06.there. And coming to this issue of beds it is also worth recognising we

:20:07. > :20:14.treat people is different now. The length of stay, which about 15 years

:20:15. > :20:17.ago was around eight days, is now about five days. Also looking at the

:20:18. > :20:20.Labour Party on this, they actually saw this as a success in terms of

:20:21. > :20:23.closures... She actually said when she was... The length of stay may

:20:24. > :20:26.have sorted but the length of time you have to wait to get in is

:20:27. > :20:31.getting longer and longer under this Government. Waiting lists are rising

:20:32. > :20:35.on a number of fronts. That is true, isn't it? That is why we have

:20:36. > :20:38.invested in the NHS, something the Labour Party said they would cut.

:20:39. > :20:43.They were not going to invest in extra support and funding. They

:20:44. > :20:49.cannot get in because there are not enough hospital beds. Germany on a

:20:50. > :20:53.per capita basis has almost twice as many beds as we do in hospitals and

:20:54. > :20:57.in Germany you will find none of the waiting list is equivalent to what

:20:58. > :21:01.you have to wait for in this country, none. BBC recently had a

:21:02. > :21:04.number of reports from German hospitals. Every health system has

:21:05. > :21:09.its own faults, but in Germany and even in France, the degree of

:21:10. > :21:14.waiting times to get these things done nothing like they are in

:21:15. > :21:18.Britain. And we see huge pressures in the NHS with an ageing

:21:19. > :21:22.population, more levels of... The German population is ageing even

:21:23. > :21:27.more. They have a demographic time bomb no. With the serious issues

:21:28. > :21:33.presented in A, that is why we have put more doctors into A, why

:21:34. > :21:37.we have been taking steps to support individual NHSs under pressure and

:21:38. > :21:41.why we continue to invest in the NHS, something the Labour Party said

:21:42. > :21:46.they would not do. A quick word from you. Can I say over the last five

:21:47. > :21:52.years of the Tory Government ?20 billion was taken out of social

:21:53. > :21:55.care. We are ?4.6 billion short of what social care needs now and that

:21:56. > :22:02.is the extent of the cuts. That is what is causing the problem. The bed

:22:03. > :22:08.blocking... If you cannot get people out of hospital you cannot get them

:22:09. > :22:11.into hospital. I think our viewers are probably reeling from the

:22:12. > :22:17.statistics. Let's give them a break. While we were on PMQs, Mr Blair's

:22:18. > :22:23.office made a statement, as Mr Tony Blair. That is interesting. Yes, you

:22:24. > :22:27.will remember during question time the Conservative MP Julian Brazier

:22:28. > :22:31.invited the Prime Minister to rise to the debate of the story,

:22:32. > :22:36.prominent in a number of newspapers this morning, particularly the Daily

:22:37. > :22:39.Mail. The story of Ronald Fiddler, the Isis suicide bomber who it

:22:40. > :22:42.turned out had been a detainee at Guantanamo Bay, was returned to this

:22:43. > :22:46.country then heavily compensated by the Government at that time. Much

:22:47. > :22:51.outrage in the Daily Mail, certainly an echo of that on the Government

:22:52. > :22:58.side as well, and Tony Blair, and although Theresa May did not rise to

:22:59. > :23:01.this, Tony Blair has. Whilst PMQs was on a committee released a

:23:02. > :23:04.statement in his office who said it was actually the Conservative

:23:05. > :23:09.Government in 2010 and not his repeat this compensation to Ronald

:23:10. > :23:12.Fiddler. He was probably working his way through the system... It was the

:23:13. > :23:17.coalition Government in power when the money was paid out. Does it

:23:18. > :23:23.confirm a figure? The figure is ?1 million, as you can see. He has more

:23:24. > :23:27.interesting things to say as well about the Daily Mail. Yes, he points

:23:28. > :23:32.out that at the time of the detention the Daily Mail was arguing

:23:33. > :23:35.for the release of Guantanamo Bay detainees on the basis they were

:23:36. > :23:38.being held for an extended period without charge, and this is a fact.

:23:39. > :23:42.He also argues in the statement that we now have in the last few minutes,

:23:43. > :23:48.that the then opposition party, the Conservatives, then in -- known

:23:49. > :23:51.Government, were also echoing those calls, and he said this. "Those Who

:23:52. > :23:59.demanded their release should not be allowed to get away with telling us

:24:00. > :24:03.it is a scandal." And the Daily Mail campaign for his release. It will be

:24:04. > :24:08.interesting to read that one in the Daily Mail tomorrow. Good to have

:24:09. > :24:13.you with us, John. Let's pick up on another issue raised at PMQs.

:24:14. > :24:22.The Prime Minister was asked about ongoing police investigation is into

:24:23. > :24:26.the Trouble is in Northern Ireland. It was Julian Lewis who put the

:24:27. > :24:31.question to Theresa May, and he joins us from the Central lobby

:24:32. > :24:38.know. What is it you are calling for? I am calling for a break-out

:24:39. > :24:42.from this endless cycle of investigating and reinvestigating

:24:43. > :24:45.cases where there is no prospect of credible new evidence coming

:24:46. > :24:49.forward, and what we need to do is to draw a line under it by bringing

:24:50. > :24:57.in a statute of limitations that would prevent the further attempts

:24:58. > :25:01.to drag ex-service personnel through the courts, up to 40 years after the

:25:02. > :25:07.events which are being investigated over and over again, and for which

:25:08. > :25:09.they have never been persecuted. But as you know these police legacy

:25:10. > :25:14.investigations into killings that occurred during the Troubles are

:25:15. > :25:18.looking at paramilitaries and also security forces. Would it be right

:25:19. > :25:22.to stop those, in terms of the families that were affected? My

:25:23. > :25:30.concern has to be about the welfare of the Armed Forces. It is bad

:25:31. > :25:32.enough that people have to go into situations of extreme danger when

:25:33. > :25:35.they are serving their country. It is completely unconscionable that

:25:36. > :25:40.they should be dragged through endless processes on the basis of no

:25:41. > :25:45.credible evidence, and therefore we need to put an end to this matter,

:25:46. > :25:49.just as we have put an end to the similar behaviour in Iraq when the

:25:50. > :25:51.lawyer said it couldn't be done. It could be done and it has been done.

:25:52. > :25:53.Well, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

:25:54. > :25:55.is of course James Brokenshire, who's still with us.

:25:56. > :26:00.What will you do about it? I think there are concerns about the whole

:26:01. > :26:07.issue of legacy in Northern Ireland. This touches on victims as well

:26:08. > :26:13.obviously as well as personnel and police. The Stormont agreement two

:26:14. > :26:16.years ago set process to have a balanced fair and equitable system.

:26:17. > :26:19.We want to move forward with that. We think it provides the most

:26:20. > :26:24.effective way of dealing with these issues. To ensure... But should

:26:25. > :26:28.officers still be investigated or should there be a cut-off point?

:26:29. > :26:32.Ultimately I think it comes down to the issue of evidence, and the

:26:33. > :26:38.police and prosecutors looking at it in that way. They are independent of

:26:39. > :26:43.government and rightly so. But you yourself are quoted in the papers at

:26:44. > :26:45.the end of January. You criticise the legacy investigations for

:26:46. > :26:51.disproportionately focusing on members of the security forces. You

:26:52. > :26:58.stand by that? I think the whole system is not effectively balanced.

:26:59. > :27:01.That is a concern that was reflected in the Stormont house, and actual

:27:02. > :27:05.concept of proportionality that was born within it. That is why I do

:27:06. > :27:09.support that coming forward, that is why we have been working with the

:27:10. > :27:12.parties in Northern Ireland, recognising justice is devolved in

:27:13. > :27:16.Northern Ireland, to get agreement so we can actually see this moving

:27:17. > :27:20.forward for the benefit of everybody, who frankly the system is

:27:21. > :27:25.letting down. But the figures do not necessarily bear that out. If 70% of

:27:26. > :27:34.those legacy investigations are directed towards reviewing killings

:27:35. > :27:36.caused by paramilitaries, not of security forces? 90% of those who

:27:37. > :27:39.died during the Troubles were at the hands of terrorists. Only 10% were

:27:40. > :27:44.involved in some state -based link. But is it right to pursue those?

:27:45. > :27:48.Ultimately this is for the police and prosecutors. I believe in the

:27:49. > :27:53.rule of law... But you have waded in by giving your view. I said it was a

:27:54. > :27:55.question of having that proportionately balanced system that

:27:56. > :28:00.the Stormont has set forward and I want to step forward, to get into

:28:01. > :28:09.the public consultation to ensure we give confidence to everyone being

:28:10. > :28:11.able to take this forward. We have literally 30 seconds. What is your

:28:12. > :28:14.response to James Brokenshire? Will you push this? Learn from what they

:28:15. > :28:18.did in South Africa. Time comes when you have to say enough is enough for

:28:19. > :28:22.all concerned. Cut-off date should be the date of the Belfast agreement

:28:23. > :28:25.and anything relating to matters before that should be

:28:26. > :28:27.non-prosecutable. The end, finished and good riddance. And otherwise? I

:28:28. > :28:30.think we have run out of time. There's just time to put you out

:28:31. > :28:48.of your misery and give Not that long ago! Slam that button

:28:49. > :28:58.and we will find the winner. Matthew Mott, from London. You have the

:28:59. > :29:01.answer, well done, you win a month. -- you will win a mug.

:29:02. > :29:06.The News at One is starting over on BBC One now.

:29:07. > :29:08.Jo and I will be here at noon tomorrow with all the big

:29:09. > :29:13.I've searched the world to find these extraordinary people.

:29:14. > :29:21.I woke up and I could suddenly just play the piano.

:29:22. > :29:24.The human body is unique within nature.

:29:25. > :29:30.And the most extraordinary people on the planet

:29:31. > :29:35.are those who are helping to unlock its mysteries.