08/02/2016

:00:25. > :00:33.Order order. I wish to repeat what is said to the house last Friday. It

:00:34. > :00:40.is with great sadness that I have to report to the house the death from

:00:41. > :00:52.the Honorable member from Sheffield and Hillsboro. He was a researcher

:00:53. > :01:00.for David Plunkett. And as a representative for the union of mine

:01:01. > :01:04.workers. He was also a counsellor on Sheffield City Council for 15 years

:01:05. > :01:08.holding important cabinet responsibilities during that time.

:01:09. > :01:18.And serving as deputy leader from the Council. He held the executive

:01:19. > :01:22.to account on behalf of his constituents. Most recently on the

:01:23. > :01:30.Wednesday the 20th of January he asked the Prime Minister what the

:01:31. > :01:36.support was providing... I must tell the House that Harry informed me a

:01:37. > :01:40.few weeks ago of his circumstances. Noted be recorded that he fought

:01:41. > :01:44.bravely his illness and then bore it with stoicism and fortitude.

:01:45. > :01:54.Continuing to battle on behalf of his constituents. To the very end.

:01:55. > :02:01.Our thoughts are with Harry's wife Jill and his family at this very sad

:02:02. > :02:06.time. Order. Questions to the Secretary of State for Communities

:02:07. > :02:17.and Local Government. Number one please Mr Speaker. Thank you Mr

:02:18. > :02:24.Speaker. May associate myself and my colleagues about Harry and we will

:02:25. > :02:28.all be missing. With permission I would also answer questions one and

:02:29. > :02:35.18 together. The government has always been clear that the most

:02:36. > :02:38.vulnerable will be protected. We will work with the sector to ensure

:02:39. > :02:47.appropriate protections are in place. May associate with myself

:02:48. > :02:59.with the sentiments that have been expressed as well. The review the

:03:00. > :03:02.report in spring. Meanwhile the Secretary of State is still pressing

:03:03. > :03:07.ahead with the cuts before the review comes out. Kenny minister say

:03:08. > :03:12.what is this? I would say to the Honorable Lady that as she may of

:03:13. > :03:16.heard on the debates on this recently. We have already been very

:03:17. > :03:20.clear that the most vulnerable in our society will be protected. We

:03:21. > :03:26.must also make it fair for taxpayers as well. With the Minister

:03:27. > :03:32.acknowledged that while his announcement will be delayed. And

:03:33. > :03:41.his welcome. He does not go far enough and that the proposals should

:03:42. > :03:45.project much-needed stability back into the sector. As I said at the

:03:46. > :03:51.debates recently we are working with the sector and the changes coming in

:03:52. > :03:55.2018, we have been always very clear that the most horrible in our

:03:56. > :04:05.society will be protected. That's vulnerable. I'll be grateful if my

:04:06. > :04:10.Honorable friend could confirm that housing associations will be given

:04:11. > :04:18.urgent clarity as to whether the local housing... If it is not there

:04:19. > :04:27.is a real worry that many will close. And he'll be an unnecessary

:04:28. > :04:32.rise and on homelessness. Preventing youth homeless is a priority for

:04:33. > :04:39.governments where investing in a ?50 million fair chance fund. This is

:04:40. > :04:43.helping 2000 vulnerable you don't homeless people get into

:04:44. > :04:46.accommodation in education and training and employment. We are

:04:47. > :04:55.working closely to provide a long-term solution for this. Thank

:04:56. > :05:01.you Mr Speaker, and I to associate myself and these pitches with big

:05:02. > :05:05.comments that you made Mr Speaker. He will be very missed by the Labour

:05:06. > :05:15.Party, his constituents, and his families and friends. Research from

:05:16. > :05:18.changing lives in Newcastle based specialist housing agency says that

:05:19. > :05:22.they and other housing support providers across the country will

:05:23. > :05:28.lose a huge sum of money from the Chancellor's crude cuts. Meaning the

:05:29. > :05:32.discretionary fund that the government says they must rely on is

:05:33. > :05:37.totally inadequate. What is the Minister going to do? It is vital

:05:38. > :05:41.for many thousands of people for disabilities and other specialist

:05:42. > :05:49.needs remains and is properly funded in the future. We will make sure the

:05:50. > :05:59.most vulnerable in our society are protected. To deliver homes to

:06:00. > :06:03.specialist for the elderly and those with disabilities. We also provide a

:06:04. > :06:16.?3 billion investment in the better care fund. Thank you. Can I

:06:17. > :06:21.associate myself with your sentiments about a former colleague.

:06:22. > :06:25.This government is committed to increase homeownership. About 30,000

:06:26. > :06:33.households have purchased a home through 2012. Major sponsor

:06:34. > :06:39.programme in London. In the first seven days, 15,000 people have

:06:40. > :06:45.registered. Since April 2010, many homes have been sold. This would

:06:46. > :06:52.give 1.3 million more families the opportunity to do this. This is a

:06:53. > :06:58.major employer in our constituency. We all know that we more small-scale

:06:59. > :07:06.developments in the supply chain to increase the supply of homes. Does

:07:07. > :07:11.my right honourable friend agree that franchising so their plots to

:07:12. > :07:19.ask an EE developers is one way to get small-scale developers into the

:07:20. > :07:31.supply chain? One of the effect of the financial crash... We need to

:07:32. > :07:35.get them back involved. We will use public sector land to carve it up a

:07:36. > :07:46.new small plots so that small builders can take advantage of it.

:07:47. > :07:51.Should have and to excuse his? Busy generation that have no hope of

:07:52. > :07:56.owning their own homes. Isn't it about time we have some bold and

:07:57. > :08:00.Methodist policies. How many new talents, how many new generations of

:08:01. > :08:07.buildings are going on, how many houses are being built, can he

:08:08. > :08:13.answer that? I would say to the honourable gentleman that over the

:08:14. > :08:21.last five years homeownership and in particular house-building, has been

:08:22. > :08:27.revived from the crash. Hear, hear!. He should welcome these. You should

:08:28. > :08:30.welcome the introduction of starter homes to give first-time buyers

:08:31. > :08:34.afoot on the housing ladder. Should welcome the extension of help to buy

:08:35. > :08:44.which is helped so many people achieve their dream of a hell of

:08:45. > :08:47.their own. -- home of their own. Does the Secretary of State agree

:08:48. > :08:55.that affordable housing in rural areas is absolutely key? In

:08:56. > :08:59.providing homes in all communities we need to make sure that we have

:09:00. > :09:08.diversity. Especially in rural areas. The idea to any of these

:09:09. > :09:16.schemes are affordable isn't Orwellian myth. In my constituency

:09:17. > :09:19.do need an income of 70,000 to get into an affordable home. It is going

:09:20. > :09:29.to go up to 90,000. Who is that affordable to. ? I think he does a

:09:30. > :09:34.good service to his constituents, he should know that under the

:09:35. > :09:38.combination of help to buy and shared ownership in London, the

:09:39. > :09:48.deposits that a first-time buyer can acquire is as low of ?4800 on the

:09:49. > :09:56.average price paid... He would do his constituents a service of

:09:57. > :09:59.promoting the schemes to them. I welcome the comments about the

:10:00. > :10:04.importance of small and medium sized building sector. One of the most

:10:05. > :10:09.damaging things that could happen in the involvement of that sector and

:10:10. > :10:15.London would be the provision of a affordable housing target which have

:10:16. > :10:21.no viability and would actually drive developers away from breeding

:10:22. > :10:30.sites forward. This is not a matter of speculation is the matter of

:10:31. > :10:36.facts. Housing in London fell. Want to provide homes for Londoners. The

:10:37. > :10:41.mayor has had an exemplary record of providing homes of all type for

:10:42. > :10:48.Londoners. The ?400 million that is being invested in the 20 housing

:10:49. > :10:53.zones across London. That is a tribute to the tenacity of our

:10:54. > :10:59.Honorable friend. I am pleased to say the hundreds of families in my

:11:00. > :11:05.constituency of Bath and North East Somerset have been helped by this

:11:06. > :11:16.scheme. Don't families are still unable to access it. With victory as

:11:17. > :11:22.they agree with me -- agreed to meet with me and other constituents who

:11:23. > :11:27.have high-value areas their constituencies... I will certainly

:11:28. > :11:32.meet with them. It is vastly essential that we have homes built

:11:33. > :11:35.in every area of the community. So that young people and the rising

:11:36. > :11:38.generations have the chance to continue to be part of the

:11:39. > :11:56.communities in which they were born and raised. Where is the fellow?

:11:57. > :12:00.LAUGHTER With permission I want to answer questions four and five

:12:01. > :12:10.together. All tenants much have a safe place with which to live. They

:12:11. > :12:24.must provide good quality and safe accommodation. According to an

:12:25. > :12:32.inquiry, there were many complaints and only 14,000 were subject to

:12:33. > :12:36.update the assessments, and they only prosecuted one I broken

:12:37. > :12:41.landlord every year. It is irrefutable that local authorities

:12:42. > :12:47.lack the resources and in some cases the will to take action against

:12:48. > :12:54.rogue landlords. Can he resist a modest change against tenets for

:12:55. > :13:01.homes that are not fit for human habitation? Local authorities should

:13:02. > :13:06.be using the powers that got. It is already a requirement for properties

:13:07. > :13:14.to be fit and proper. She might want to welcome the ?5 million of the

:13:15. > :13:19.?6.7 million to help. If she sees the way finds work she will see is

:13:20. > :13:26.beyond anything you've ever seen before. I have to say that much of

:13:27. > :13:32.what the Minister has said is not what I hear. People that speak to me

:13:33. > :13:40.speak of substandard homes. Without any checks. They deal with their

:13:41. > :13:46.landlords due to fears of being evicted? Does he now regrets not

:13:47. > :14:01.supporting Labour agreements of the housing and planning bill. Hear,

:14:02. > :14:08.hear!. I would hope for council tax or duty properly. Which is what will

:14:09. > :14:13.enable local authorities to issue several pen as he is up to ?30,000

:14:14. > :14:22.and seek repayment orders dropped to 12 months. This gives resources that

:14:23. > :14:29.they've never had before. Sounds of some very heavy breathing going on.

:14:30. > :14:34.While the Honorable lady is right to point out the difference, very

:14:35. > :14:37.offering neighbouring councils with the same resources are enforcing

:14:38. > :14:42.these regulations in radically different ways. Can I encourage the

:14:43. > :14:45.Minister to promote the best practice enforcement and most

:14:46. > :14:51.importantly to challenge those councils are failing to use the

:14:52. > :14:56.powers they have. My Honorable friend who has a wealth of

:14:57. > :14:59.experience in this field speaks with great common sense and logic. The

:15:00. > :15:04.local authorities should be using the powers that got by far. They

:15:05. > :15:09.should be using the powers that got to crack down on the rogue landlords

:15:10. > :15:15.that all of us including good landlords want to see driven out of

:15:16. > :15:26.the system. They commend the government for the toughest action

:15:27. > :15:33.possible on rogue landlords. Will he give continue to work a cross party

:15:34. > :15:41.basis is necessary on a trust which is that a commitment on both parties

:15:42. > :15:49.of years. It's particularly in areas of affordability issues? We are

:15:50. > :15:55.working across government and sins of the institutions that may have

:15:56. > :16:04.come forward. I can tell the House of the states regeneration panel

:16:05. > :16:12.will be meeting tomorrow. 33% of constituents, many of these

:16:13. > :16:18.constituents have been victims of addictions and we estimate that 4000

:16:19. > :16:21.people were victims of revenge eviction, and 200,000 people across

:16:22. > :16:26.the country and a calendar year suffered from rogue landlords. The

:16:27. > :16:31.minister has a sticky about how much work the government has been doing.

:16:32. > :16:38.That is all supported last year. One impact has that had on a number of

:16:39. > :16:43.evictions across the country? Local authorities must use these powers to

:16:44. > :16:51.crack down on these rogue landlords to ensure they are providing the

:16:52. > :16:57.services. Some of the worst landlords have been prosecuted by

:16:58. > :17:05.the Council and the Department of local government has awarded them a

:17:06. > :17:09.?74,000 grants to keep about work. When councils are proactive there

:17:10. > :17:16.are resources available for them to be more proactive. My honourable

:17:17. > :17:23.friend is right. They are well protected and well served. Use the

:17:24. > :17:30.extra funding we put in. A new ?30,000 civil fines against local

:17:31. > :17:41.authorities will build up of forward.

:17:42. > :17:47.On the 20th of January the government were able to announce the

:17:48. > :17:55.Aberdeen city deal heads of terms. Idea which in terms includes an

:17:56. > :18:02.investment fund which shows the investment going in and Aberdeen

:18:03. > :18:08.across the country as a whole. With the treasury having received over

:18:09. > :18:12.?300 million from rosy revenue of the last four years and knowing of

:18:13. > :18:14.the current low oil price is aggravated by deliberate

:18:15. > :18:19.underpricing and coding from our friends in Saudi Arabia, does the

:18:20. > :18:22.Minister not think that the UK Government should at least match the

:18:23. > :18:29.250 million given by the Scottish Government extended just a 125

:18:30. > :18:36.million by the UK Government to help the region from a difficult time? I

:18:37. > :18:41.think most people welcomed the deal, a significant investment is going in

:18:42. > :18:44.that demonstrates the British Government and the Scottish

:18:45. > :18:48.Government to drive forward the economy and Aberdeen to face the

:18:49. > :18:57.challenges. It underlines that we are better together. Hear, hear! I

:18:58. > :19:09.would first like to offer the condolences of the SNP to the family

:19:10. > :19:15.and friends of Harry Harper. The deal and the investment of 2.9

:19:16. > :19:20.billion, that is not much. They only stepped up 125 million for the deal.

:19:21. > :19:28.We're disappointed and let down by the government. When you agree a

:19:29. > :19:33.city deal with ?125 million added to the other money that is going in as

:19:34. > :19:37.wanted wanted by local people, and is something I think should be

:19:38. > :19:42.welcomed and is a that will drive growth. Other areas would be very

:19:43. > :19:49.keen to secure it if they could as well. This government is not

:19:50. > :19:54.providing the 50-50 basis for this deal. The Scottish Government is

:19:55. > :20:00.intruding 379 million to this deal. Was there but respond to calls from

:20:01. > :20:05.the secretary and step up the additional ?200 million the Aberdeen

:20:06. > :20:09.clearly needs? I had hoped that when I saw I was an area of questioning

:20:10. > :20:13.which which would be dealing today that the questions will focus on the

:20:14. > :20:17.great positivity on the announcement that is the characteristic of

:20:18. > :20:21.working together that the terms of this deal have been announced. Is

:20:22. > :20:26.the deal that is only possible from the contribution from the rich

:20:27. > :20:29.government has made a long sigh with the Scottish Government working with

:20:30. > :20:39.local partners, I think it is one that should be welcomed on the

:20:40. > :20:43.benches. As though Mr Speaker to underline the point that I was

:20:44. > :20:48.making other areas like city deals as well. Went to work with them to

:20:49. > :20:53.deliver them. To make sure they're properly thought through but we will

:20:54. > :20:54.continue had those discussions and deliver something which can make a

:20:55. > :21:05.real difference. This city deal was submitted in

:21:06. > :21:11.September with further information to be sent knitted with the UK and

:21:12. > :21:17.Scottish governments. Local government has received the

:21:18. > :21:20.settlements from the UK Government. Despite follow-up we have yet to

:21:21. > :21:28.hear anything back. Kenny minister confirm whether a deal will be in

:21:29. > :21:40.place prior to the elections? And Deborah and Scott went city deal

:21:41. > :21:48.Edinburgh and Scotland city deal. That's a good he opportunities as

:21:49. > :21:52.well as the cost. It is no surprise he is keen to seek a deal for his

:21:53. > :21:58.area as well. If the right you can be reached is something we will

:21:59. > :22:02.deliver on. Government committed ?500 million to the Greater

:22:03. > :22:09.Cambridge city deal. Following the news that only 25% of Aberdeen in

:22:10. > :22:14.Shire's deal. What percentage of the deal with the Minister be

:22:15. > :22:18.committing. Those discussions are ongoing and we will see what

:22:19. > :22:22.conclusion they reached. The recognition across the house of the

:22:23. > :22:27.city deals can make is a real difference. The value that they can

:22:28. > :22:30.bring an aggressive they can generate real continuing his

:22:31. > :22:36.discussions and I hope that we can retake Falluja and that will be

:22:37. > :22:44.welcomed. The deals to the whole of making a real difference and will

:22:45. > :22:50.continue to do so. I will answer questions 89 and together. We have

:22:51. > :22:58.committed to fulfilling a commitment of supporting Brownfield land and to

:22:59. > :23:01.that end recommending a ?2 billion fund. We are determined to make sure

:23:02. > :23:13.that we get 90% of that land by 2020. In my constituency we place

:23:14. > :23:22.great importance that the green belt provides for communities. Can he

:23:23. > :23:26.tell me what support he is providing for more commercial as well as

:23:27. > :23:39.housing development to encompassing green belt. ? We are protecting

:23:40. > :23:45.green belt. This ?2 billion fund will make that land more attractive.

:23:46. > :23:57.To make sure we do everything we can to give those Brownfield areas.

:23:58. > :24:08.Which isn't included in the Derby city councils strategy. The site

:24:09. > :24:13.however say will be ready by 2018. Does my honourable friend agree that

:24:14. > :24:21.the local authorities should be more to utilising these sites, and making

:24:22. > :24:25.ready for development? My honourable friend who is working passionately

:24:26. > :24:31.for her local community to make sure that Brownfield land is

:24:32. > :24:35.appropriately and properly use, it is true to say that the local

:24:36. > :24:38.authorities should be in working with local communities to make sure

:24:39. > :24:43.the programme for land are understanding its availability is to

:24:44. > :24:57.take advantage of the new ?2 billion fund as well. ... Just days ago the

:24:58. > :25:05.head application to build 500 homes in the green belt site, I a shot

:25:06. > :25:09.support of localism but how can the government make councils step up to

:25:10. > :25:18.the challenge of Brownfield development? My honourable friend

:25:19. > :25:25.highlights a very good case. The prison minister she was raped

:25:26. > :25:33.counsel -- positive... The local community and pencil take note what

:25:34. > :25:41.they think it about luck next time around. Harry Harper will probably

:25:42. > :25:50.be the last man alleges House of Commons. Despite a series of this

:25:51. > :25:55.illness. He was still here weeks ago passionately arguing for the workers

:25:56. > :25:59.in Sheffield. Here is a dedicated service for the people of Sheffield

:26:00. > :26:09.including closing of the home was programmed. Can I say to Mr there

:26:10. > :26:14.are many sites in Sheffield where more than a thousand homes to be

:26:15. > :26:22.built up. The land is subject to flooding. The City Council have

:26:23. > :26:29.identified ?40 million to a flood prevention programme. Will he agree

:26:30. > :26:31.to those to find out how we can get a joint approach to make sure this

:26:32. > :26:41.land can be I think he outlines a really good

:26:42. > :26:43.example of where everyone can be working together for the best

:26:44. > :26:46.interests of the community to see more housing built, I am happy to

:26:47. > :26:49.organise that meeting and I will make sure I have that conversation

:26:50. > :26:54.with an local authority with himself and myself. Thank you Mr Speaker,

:26:55. > :26:57.York desperately needs family and social housing and get the Council

:26:58. > :27:01.are planning on building predominantly high-value units on

:27:02. > :27:06.the 72 York Central round field site which will go nowhere in addressing

:27:07. > :27:09.our holding prices. Will the Minister meet with me to discuss a

:27:10. > :27:15.principal of York first, putting the interest of the city ahead of asset

:27:16. > :27:18.housing? Eight I'm sure the honourable lady will appreciate that

:27:19. > :27:21.it is absolutely right, the local communities make local decisions

:27:22. > :27:24.about what is right, and her local authority has the ability to look at

:27:25. > :27:28.their housing meet and make a decision of what is right to debt

:27:29. > :27:32.due for them is what we need to do in York. Thank you Mr Speaker, in

:27:33. > :27:36.2012 the Secretary of State told the House that the new planning policy

:27:37. > :27:39.framework offered clear and unequivocal protection of the green

:27:40. > :27:44.belt, green belt approvals have increased fivefold in the last five

:27:45. > :27:49.years under this government. The new permission and principle powers

:27:50. > :27:52.under Clause 102 will only further undermine the green belt. One will

:27:53. > :27:59.be government put urban regeneration first rather than this? I would say

:28:00. > :28:02.to the honourable gentleman if you look to the national planning policy

:28:03. > :28:05.framework and the guidance that he has come out with a strength of the

:28:06. > :28:10.protection and green belt over what has been there before, I would say

:28:11. > :28:11.if you look at the new planning commission principle, the new

:28:12. > :28:16.requirement for a Brownfield register and the ?2 billion fund,

:28:17. > :28:20.they'll be going further than any government before and make sure that

:28:21. > :28:23.Brownfield is the first. Thank you Mr Speaker, does the Minister agree

:28:24. > :28:28.with me that my Honorable friend for Richmond Park spent to try the

:28:29. > :28:32.London land commission to force local authorities to bring forward

:28:33. > :28:35.unused lines will secure the homes that Londoners need and also protect

:28:36. > :28:40.the environment and give rounded the quality London deserves? I think my

:28:41. > :28:44.Honorable friend outlines an approach and a very productive

:28:45. > :28:46.approach about the next Mayor of London has outlined to make sure we

:28:47. > :28:50.are delivering more housing for London and look forward to working

:28:51. > :28:54.with him as the joint chair of the commission on that issue? Does the

:28:55. > :28:58.Minister understand the plight of the residents of Port in green and

:28:59. > :29:04.urban vintage in my constituency who I have seen under the greater

:29:05. > :29:07.Manchester combine the authorities special framework, every piece of

:29:08. > :29:12.open green space that is left remaining in that area identified

:29:13. > :29:16.for future developments is it about time that we had a planning system

:29:17. > :29:21.that works for the people of Port in green? Well, I think the honourable

:29:22. > :29:26.gentleman's council has represented on that authority, I hope they would

:29:27. > :29:28.have their voice and I am also co-chairing the Manchester

:29:29. > :29:34.commission and respect with the Labor interim chair on that panel as

:29:35. > :29:44.well. Thank you Mr Speaker, having previously failed to sorry don't

:29:45. > :29:50.number ten. It's Monday. LAUGHTER On this occasion I will answer this

:29:51. > :29:55.question so low on his own, ?22 million to enable planning for 2015

:29:56. > :30:00.to 2018 and provides planning groups with online resources and advice

:30:01. > :30:03.services and brands. And technical support in priority areas, the

:30:04. > :30:09.housing and planning bill I will say will speed up and simplify the

:30:10. > :30:14.planning process further. I think the Minister for that import an

:30:15. > :30:19.answer to the question number ten, having previously failed to deliver

:30:20. > :30:22.the first time, the Lib Dem led the Borough Council not consulting on

:30:23. > :30:28.its new and somewhat controversial local planet to draft documents. As

:30:29. > :30:33.the Minister agree with me the best possible solution for my

:30:34. > :30:37.constituents to have a suitable and properly supported local plan and to

:30:38. > :30:41.back parishes on their community created neighbourhood plans as there

:30:42. > :30:46.are currently none going to referendum in easy. My Honorable

:30:47. > :30:50.friend makes a very good point, I am pleased to be able to say to the

:30:51. > :30:54.House to give her constituents if they go forward with the

:30:55. > :30:57.neighbourhood plan it will have weakened planning law, the local

:30:58. > :31:05.authorities failing to do that duty by locals residents Aaron Weber plan

:31:06. > :31:09.is the best way to do that. A number of neighbourhood plans have failed

:31:10. > :31:14.because of causes including insufficient evidence, unrealistic

:31:15. > :31:20.expectations, and also failing to meet European environmental

:31:21. > :31:23.requirements. How is the department giving those formulating these plans

:31:24. > :31:29.to ensure that they meet the standards set down by the

:31:30. > :31:32.independent examiners? As outlined in my initial answer Mr Speaker, we

:31:33. > :31:40.have not only online resources and services, we have grants of up to

:31:41. > :31:43.?8,000 with a further ?6,000 in particular difficult areas. I will

:31:44. > :31:47.say to the honourable lady we have workshops going out around the

:31:48. > :31:49.country to talk the areas the national Association of local

:31:50. > :31:53.councils also talking to their parish council about how this works.

:31:54. > :31:56.I would say to her that every single neighbour plan has gone to

:31:57. > :32:06.referendum and passed a huge majority. Would it not be a good

:32:07. > :32:10.idea to highlight and example are neighbourhood plan in each shire

:32:11. > :32:13.area which could be specifically rolled out across that Conte to

:32:14. > :32:18.encourage more parish councils in particular to get involved? My

:32:19. > :32:23.Honorable friend, as he often does raises a very good idea, I will be

:32:24. > :32:27.talking to the group who gone out and do this kind of work, sharing

:32:28. > :32:30.best practices around the country, and I think it is a very good idea

:32:31. > :32:32.for local authorities to look at what others have done and will be

:32:33. > :32:42.doing our best to promote that further fullback.... Thank you Mr

:32:43. > :32:45.Speaker, we have provided up to the 5p of funding to meet demographic

:32:46. > :32:49.pressures on social care, this is significantly more than the ?2.9

:32:50. > :32:55.billion the local Government Association estimates it is needed.

:32:56. > :32:59.20 the government going to set that the problems of social care would

:33:00. > :33:02.only be overcome when there is a comprehensive public and provided

:33:03. > :33:07.system of social care free had the point of need, a national care

:33:08. > :33:09.service exactly parallel to and into Brody National Health Service, each

:33:10. > :33:15.with public service free of privatsation? I think the honourable

:33:16. > :33:18.gentleman for his question, what I would say to him is that this

:33:19. > :33:25.government is absolutely committed to full integration of health and

:33:26. > :33:29.social care by 2020, and we will require all areas will have a clear

:33:30. > :33:34.plan for achieving that by 2017. He will also be interested to know that

:33:35. > :33:37.the spending review does include over ?500 million by the end of the

:33:38. > :33:41.decade for the disabled facilities grants which is more than doubling

:33:42. > :33:46.from this year the amount, this will fund around 85,000 home adaptations

:33:47. > :33:55.by that year, this is expected to prevent 8500 people from meeting to

:33:56. > :33:58.go into a care home by 2019, 20 20. Adult social care is going to be one

:33:59. > :34:03.of the biggest challenges we face over the next several decades, with

:34:04. > :34:06.the Minister agree with me that more needs to be done to integrate health

:34:07. > :34:10.and social care, particularly building on the success of the

:34:11. > :34:13.better care funds to encourage local authorities to work with local

:34:14. > :34:23.health providers to provide innovative solutions for adult

:34:24. > :34:27.social care? I thank him for his questions and he's a real campaigner

:34:28. > :34:33.on this particular issue, as he identifies the particular fund is

:34:34. > :34:38.paying dividends and the icing significant work that in many areas

:34:39. > :34:40.is reducing delayed transfers of care from hospitals for example, we

:34:41. > :34:45.are absolutely intent on spreading the best practice from this around

:34:46. > :34:48.all areas of the country, and where areas are the most challenge we have

:34:49. > :34:56.put plans in place to improve those areas. I'm afraid what we have just

:34:57. > :35:00.heard is nonsense, government funding for social care. Assured of

:35:01. > :35:04.what is needed, directors of adult social services tell us that 4.6

:35:05. > :35:08.billion has already been cut and that the gap is growing at ?700

:35:09. > :35:13.million a year. The social care presets will on the ?400 million a

:35:14. > :35:15.year, and the particular fund is the Minister mentioned does not start

:35:16. > :35:20.until next year at 105 million a year. I think we be given what they

:35:21. > :35:24.have got to think about the fact that they are risking the collapse

:35:25. > :35:29.of social care because the funding is too little and too late. Hear,

:35:30. > :35:34.hear! I would say to the honourable lady that the funding that is coming

:35:35. > :35:39.into the particular fund, the one billion is all new money to adult

:35:40. > :35:44.social care and that money is going directly to local authorities. The

:35:45. > :35:48.absolute key here is the integration of health and social care and as I

:35:49. > :35:54.have set out to the colleague in my Honorable friend this government is

:35:55. > :36:01.determined to achieve that integration. Thank you very much Mr

:36:02. > :36:08.Speaker, does the Minister agree with the conserved cons of either

:36:09. > :36:11.through was recently called in the press that inadequate government

:36:12. > :36:16.funding has left his local consuls struggling to provide adult social

:36:17. > :36:20.care services? Hear, hear! Will firstly, I would like to welcome the

:36:21. > :36:27.honourable lady to the dispatch box, I hear what she says about the

:36:28. > :36:32.conservative leader of my local authority, Warwickshire County

:36:33. > :36:39.Council, I speak to my lady that she is referring to at all times. What I

:36:40. > :36:45.would say to her is Warwickshire County Council said a sustainable

:36:46. > :36:53.budget last week and we are able to do that by protecting social care

:36:54. > :37:04.services. Hear, hear! Number 13 Mr Speaker. Resettlement costs for year

:37:05. > :37:06.one half undivided department for developments to the official

:37:07. > :37:11.development assistance budget, I'd be spending review we announced a

:37:12. > :37:16.further ?129 million towards local authorities across years two through

:37:17. > :37:20.five, this was calculated after consulting with the LGA, and also

:37:21. > :37:24.local authorities experiencing to this field as they like because they

:37:25. > :37:31.would incur on being part of our Syrian refugee resettlement

:37:32. > :37:34.programme. I am working up an icon to by refuge of two Syrian families

:37:35. > :37:38.in Redic, with my right honourable friend of relief is the right thing

:37:39. > :37:47.do and reassure people this would not be paid for by local council

:37:48. > :37:52.taxes? The leader of French consul I would like to thank them for their

:37:53. > :37:55.part in the big with the console, as they are aware, we work closely with

:37:56. > :38:01.local authorities to ensure that the capacity is identified as being

:38:02. > :38:06.suitable for that area. I would again like to confirm it to the

:38:07. > :38:09.honourable lady that the funding available to the spending review

:38:10. > :38:14.will go a long way towards funding for the resettlement of the Syrian

:38:15. > :38:20.refugees. Can I come in the Minister for being the first Home Office

:38:21. > :38:25.minister in living memory to have set a target for resettlement and

:38:26. > :38:28.met that targets? However, there are still another 19,000 Syrian refugees

:38:29. > :38:33.to be resettled before the next election. And the number of other

:38:34. > :38:42.asylum-seekers has risen from 9000 to 17,000 people. Where are we going

:38:43. > :38:45.to find this accommodation? This is because, if you would excuse me, but

:38:46. > :38:50.to become permitted by the chairman of the Senate committee does put one

:38:51. > :38:55.off 1's stride. LAUGHTER I would like to remind the right

:38:56. > :39:01.honourable gentleman that the refugee scheme I am responsible for

:39:02. > :39:04.requires very much the good nature of local authorities, that together

:39:05. > :39:07.would be at Saddam programme is very important to us. We work closely

:39:08. > :39:14.with them and I am very pleased to say that we have an equal demand for

:39:15. > :39:17.places for the supply of refugees. I understand the Minister, it is

:39:18. > :39:23.humbling indeed to be praised by someone of the right honourable

:39:24. > :39:32.gentleman exalted status. LAUGHTER 14 Mr Speaker. The average council

:39:33. > :39:38.tax has long been higher in the will areas than urban areas, several

:39:39. > :39:41.consuls and honourable members have pointed out the extra cost of

:39:42. > :39:47.providing services in rural areas, something which I am determined to

:39:48. > :39:51.address. Figures from the rural fair share campaign show that those who

:39:52. > :39:55.live in urban areas received 45% more funding than their rural

:39:56. > :40:00.counterparts. One at the same time those rural residents are paying on

:40:01. > :40:02.average ?81 more in council tax. With the right honourable friend

:40:03. > :40:06.agree with me that my constituents have every right to feel aggrieved

:40:07. > :40:11.in inequality, what steps is the government going to do to address

:40:12. > :40:16.this issue? I been looking very carefully the responses to the

:40:17. > :40:20.consultation on local government finance including that from

:40:21. > :40:24.Leicestershire, which seems to make a perfectly reasonable point that

:40:25. > :40:27.the essential requirement is that the underlying formula should

:40:28. > :40:30.reflect the costs of providing services in different places and if

:40:31. > :40:36.the honourable gentleman is patient and comes back a bit later I will

:40:37. > :40:41.have more to say about that. Isn't it the fact that in practice despite

:40:42. > :40:44.their rhetoric, and the conservative consuls are charging more than they

:40:45. > :40:50.were consuls? That is what the honourable gentleman's question

:40:51. > :40:53.conceals. It is a very long established fact that conservative

:40:54. > :40:57.consuls offer the works council tax the works council tax and Labor

:40:58. > :41:01.consuls is something that is accountable for the success and

:41:02. > :41:06.majority and local government. Could my right honourable friend confirms

:41:07. > :41:11.whether or not to the gap between urban and rural authorities is

:41:12. > :41:16.widening because if it is widening, in favour of urban authorities, will

:41:17. > :41:20.not be council tax payers in rural authorities were going to see their

:41:21. > :41:23.council tax rise considerably over the next two years have to conclude

:41:24. > :41:28.that they are subsidizing higher spending urban authorities? What I

:41:29. > :41:33.will say to my Honorable friend is that they are moving to a world in

:41:34. > :41:36.which consuls are going to be funded by council tax and business rates,

:41:37. > :41:44.it seems to be essential in doing this fact the formula that underpins

:41:45. > :41:46.it is fair to all the types of authority and that has been very

:41:47. > :41:53.clear and representations that he and others have made. The Tory

:41:54. > :41:58.election manifesto promises to keep council tax well, the secretary of

:41:59. > :42:01.state explained to the House why he has just written to town halls up

:42:02. > :42:05.and down the country saying that he expects them to force council tax up

:42:06. > :42:11.by over 20% over the next four years? I have written no such letter

:42:12. > :42:16.letter, what I will remind him is that council tax doubles under the

:42:17. > :42:19.previous government, and that all the forecast we have made it to be

:42:20. > :42:24.lower in real terms than it was at the beginning of the last

:42:25. > :42:28.Parliament. Last but not forgotten. Thank you Mr Speaker, may I

:42:29. > :42:32.associate myself with the comments regarding Harry, he was a dear

:42:33. > :42:38.friend, a decent man, and we will miss him very much indeed. Mr

:42:39. > :42:44.Speaker,... Annexing grateful for what the honourable has said. We are

:42:45. > :42:48.committed to ensure that has she remains at the heart of their

:42:49. > :42:53.community, we have introduced a one billion package of support which

:42:54. > :42:56.includes business rates relief, help for small business, measures to

:42:57. > :43:02.tackle overzealous parking enforcement and practical changes by

:43:03. > :43:04.the planning system. A week before the general election, at the

:43:05. > :43:08.consulate told the report said that within the first 100 days of a Tory

:43:09. > :43:12.government, the comedy added to pride zones in which new businesses

:43:13. > :43:16.with the spirit business rates over the next five years, can he confirm

:43:17. > :43:19.that nine month into a Tory government, there is no enterprise

:43:20. > :43:31.zone in my constituency, local businesses are still painful rates.

:43:32. > :43:35.We offer an apology to the people... I thank the honourable lady for that

:43:36. > :43:39.question, what I would say to her is that we are absolutely committed to

:43:40. > :43:47.supporting high street, the high street bank rates, investment in

:43:48. > :43:49.Heisey property is up by 30%, and where areas are doing the right

:43:50. > :43:55.things, they are seeing a return of people back to their high street,

:43:56. > :43:57.that was seen to the great British high street competition, there are a

:43:58. > :44:02.number of winners from Yorkshire, I am sure those in the constituency

:44:03. > :44:05.will be able to take some of those gives from the people forward so

:44:06. > :44:23.that we can improve their high street. Topical questions Mr Jeffrey

:44:24. > :44:31.Robinson. Topical question number two Mr Speaker. Since the beginning

:44:32. > :44:38.of January, the cities and local government the Venetian bill has

:44:39. > :44:41.been passed its third reading, the right to buy has been launched in

:44:42. > :44:44.five different areas, and direct commissioning of housing has been

:44:45. > :44:48.launched. Mr Speaker can I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the

:44:49. > :44:53.life and work of this is Hazel Pearson who died on Friday at the

:44:54. > :44:56.age of 92, having retired from being a counsellor for the last year at

:44:57. > :45:01.the age of 91. She was a formidable leader of conservatives and achieve

:45:02. > :45:05.much for her town and was greatly respected by all parties and by her

:45:06. > :45:08.community of over 47 years of service, this is because she

:45:09. > :45:16.represented everything that was best in public service. Infield has the

:45:17. > :45:19.fourth highest inflation figure of all London boroughs, and the last

:45:20. > :45:26.census said that we saw a population increase of more than 41% in one

:45:27. > :45:29.decade. This rapid population growth in boroughs is well above the

:45:30. > :45:34.national average and is not reflected in an increased funding

:45:35. > :45:38.settlements, I am grateful to the honourable member who I met with

:45:39. > :45:41.last month on these matters but in the light of that meeting and

:45:42. > :45:47.submissions made, what further measures if the government willing

:45:48. > :45:52.to provide to ensure a more equitable funding mechanism for

:45:53. > :45:55.borrowers in this situation? I understand the point she makes which

:45:56. > :45:59.is a very reasonable point, I think it is important that the funding

:46:00. > :46:05.that local governments receives reflects the very latest information

:46:06. > :46:10.that is available in terms of the population, I have reflected on the

:46:11. > :46:15.presentations that have been made in the consultation and I have more to

:46:16. > :46:19.say about that later. Thank you Mr Speaker, my city of Plymouth local

:46:20. > :46:24.campaign seems to mislead my constituents on the subsidies,

:46:25. > :46:27.something many people see as a fairway of bringing parity between

:46:28. > :46:32.sectors. I commend the government for making funds available for

:46:33. > :46:36.specific cases where it is not appropriate. Could the Minister

:46:37. > :46:39.therefore confirm that Plymouth City Council has chosen to return his

:46:40. > :46:42.housing payment every year to central government and therefore no

:46:43. > :46:48.one should be struggling as a result of this policy. I think my Honorable

:46:49. > :46:50.friend had like a very interesting point that they are sending the

:46:51. > :47:01.subsidy back and claiming that it cannot look after it, that local...

:47:02. > :47:07.Hear, hear! The Secretary of State will know that one of the many proud

:47:08. > :47:10.achievements over the last Labor government was the rise in a number

:47:11. > :47:17.of families able to realise their dream of owning their own home. Up

:47:18. > :47:21.by 1 million over 13 years, can you Secretary of State tell us since

:47:22. > :47:28.conservative ministers took charge since 2010, what has happened to the

:47:29. > :47:31.number of homeowners? I can say to the honourable gentleman, I find it

:47:32. > :47:35.interesting that he raises the question, bearing 90 said he thought

:47:36. > :47:40.a falling homeownership was not a bad thing. I disagree with him on

:47:41. > :47:43.that as I do other things. I think homeownership is something people

:47:44. > :47:46.should aspire to and we should be supporting it. I am proud that a

:47:47. > :47:50.number of first-time buyers has doubled since 2010, and I hope it

:47:51. > :47:55.will take it further and we must go further to support his aspirations.

:47:56. > :48:01.Let me repeat it Mr Speaker, the number of homeowners on their Labor

:48:02. > :48:06.was up by 1 million. Since 20 down -- 2010, it is down by 200,004 young

:48:07. > :48:11.people, it is now in freefall with little or no hope of ever being able

:48:12. > :48:18.to buy their own homes. Never mind if this policy he has no long-term

:48:19. > :48:22.plan for housing in this country. That is why, I have commissioned the

:48:23. > :48:27.independent record review to look at the decline in home ownership. Now,

:48:28. > :48:31.we have welcomed evidence from ministers, will we at least agreed

:48:32. > :48:37.to look at its findings so that five years of failure and homeownership

:48:38. > :48:45.does not turn him -- in two Tanev. Coming from someone who oversaw this

:48:46. > :48:50.since 1923, I saw this interesting is the review is being led by who

:48:51. > :48:54.himself has called for an end to hope to buy, the very product that

:48:55. > :48:57.is helping tens of thousands more people reach homeownership. Maybe

:48:58. > :49:03.he's about to tell us if the Labor partners will and hope to buy. He

:49:04. > :49:06.and his party voted against that and delivered start homes with increased

:49:07. > :49:09.up to buy and extended all of these measures to make sure there are more

:49:10. > :49:13.homes being built for those people working hard, aspiring to own their

:49:14. > :49:21.own homes, being let down by the crush on Labor. What advice does my

:49:22. > :49:24.Honorable friend have for groups like the neighbourhood for room in

:49:25. > :49:30.my constituency, how found himself in the constant fights with the

:49:31. > :49:33.local authority to make progress, it appears to ignore government advice

:49:34. > :49:37.on Brownfield sites without any consequence? I will say to my

:49:38. > :49:42.Honorable friend having met some of these constituents I know he has

:49:43. > :49:46.supported them hard, he should move forward, we are putting funding into

:49:47. > :49:48.support, it does give them that waiting law. It is a really good way

:49:49. > :50:05.of having control. What does the Minister estimates

:50:06. > :50:14.will be the total percentage rise for residents of Birmingham, once

:50:15. > :50:19.the Chancellor's social care tax increase the presets and 1.9%

:50:20. > :50:26.council tax rise are all added together? What I would say to the

:50:27. > :50:29.honourable gentleman is that in due course spending power figures that

:50:30. > :50:34.we released just before Christmas and be have just consulted on, it

:50:35. > :50:37.does not take into account authorities putting their council

:50:38. > :50:41.tax up to the maximum referendum principle, the council tax in

:50:42. > :50:43.Birmingham is a question for Birmingham City Council, my right

:50:44. > :50:48.honourable friend was absolutely right. We should not take any

:50:49. > :50:53.lectures from the party over council tax, they have been in power for 13

:50:54. > :50:57.years and council tax doubled. My Honorable friend confirms to the

:50:58. > :51:00.House that geeky people of Redic want to be a full member of the

:51:01. > :51:07.combined authority, they will be to take part in the direct election of

:51:08. > :51:10.a Mayor? I know she is a passionate advocate for the people of Redic and

:51:11. > :51:16.she is doing a very good and effective job of explaining and

:51:17. > :51:21.whenever I see her why she has a desire to pursue this matter and

:51:22. > :51:25.ensure her constituents will get a say if it is appropriate at an

:51:26. > :51:29.appropriate time. I can confirm that for a to become a full member then

:51:30. > :51:33.yes they would have a vote in back mirrored election. That would only

:51:34. > :51:36.be done by local agreements, as we have pursued throughout devolution

:51:37. > :51:39.in this government, we want to build consensus and work with local people

:51:40. > :51:47.to find deals and structures that meet their ambitions. Aberdeen has

:51:48. > :51:50.supported oil, with our residents having to put up with the bad and

:51:51. > :51:54.good that comes with this, the UK Government has tried to tell

:51:55. > :51:59.Aberdeen that their investments will inspire hundreds of millions of

:52:00. > :52:02.pounds of investments from Aberdeen businesses. Can the government Tommy

:52:03. > :52:06.what they will be doing to encourage business is in Aberdeen who are

:52:07. > :52:12.suffering along with the rest of us to stump up cash. I thank her for

:52:13. > :52:17.her important question, it ties to these questions we will have to be

:52:18. > :52:20.about the Aberdeen to the deal and the significant amount of money

:52:21. > :52:23.going in from the British Government from West minister and going in with

:52:24. > :52:26.partnership with the Scottish Government am I in partnership with

:52:27. > :52:29.local authority leadership and local leadership of business communities

:52:30. > :52:33.in Aberdeen. We intend to ensure that that deal brings real growth

:52:34. > :52:36.and benefit, we recognise the challenges it faces because of the

:52:37. > :52:41.price of web and the other factors which affect its local economy, we

:52:42. > :52:44.will work with local people who understand what is needed to drive

:52:45. > :52:49.change and do everything we can to support the economy. Under Mayor

:52:50. > :52:52.Livingstone, the number of new housing stock in London, did as a

:52:53. > :52:58.direct result of developers walking away from having an affordable site

:52:59. > :53:04.thing to the 50% affordable housing target. What is my Honorable friend

:53:05. > :53:10.think what happened if the new mayor were to introduce a 50% affordable

:53:11. > :53:14.housing target Islamic State in his questions he outlined the evidence

:53:15. > :53:22.that those kinds of targets if they are not appropriate for the local

:53:23. > :53:25.mayor create things, local areas have got to look at what is right

:53:26. > :53:34.for them and make sure it is viable. I would say that it is my fervent

:53:35. > :53:41.hope that my Honorable friend. Undivided unity speaker, can I ask

:53:42. > :53:44.the Minister the city deal from Highland Council is based on the

:53:45. > :53:47.region for young people, they have over many decades to see Adrian of

:53:48. > :53:53.young people and much work has been done to address this including the

:53:54. > :53:57.campus, more needs to be done to retain young people, a plant such as

:53:58. > :54:01.the one put forward can help to assist the rebalance of population,

:54:02. > :54:04.demographics, does the Minister agree that the aims of the plan and

:54:05. > :54:11.the statement of intent are worthy of support? The Honorable member is

:54:12. > :54:15.diligent in raising this issue we have discussed in the chamber

:54:16. > :54:18.before, he recognises as to why Mr Speaker the value that the sort of

:54:19. > :54:21.US can bring, he recognises the difference they can make, I

:54:22. > :54:25.recognise the comments he makes and the importance he attaches to it as

:54:26. > :54:31.a diligent member and local member of Parliament. I cannot pronounce

:54:32. > :54:34.deals, at this dispatch box here today, we would determine to deliver

:54:35. > :54:45.whether the deal is the right one and his effective advocate the is

:54:46. > :54:48.essential in that objective. They have been taken in by other areas

:54:49. > :54:52.under the voluntary dispersal scheme, with more refugee children

:54:53. > :54:55.coming, could my Honorable friend advise how his department will get

:54:56. > :55:02.local authorities across the country to exact their share of the asylum

:55:03. > :55:05.seeking children already here? We hope dispersal arrangements remain

:55:06. > :55:08.voluntary and are working with the Home Office, Department for

:55:09. > :55:12.Education, local Government Association, and the Association of

:55:13. > :55:16.directive children services on a national dispersal scheme for asylum

:55:17. > :55:20.seeking children. Provisions in the Immigration Bill will underpin

:55:21. > :55:26.dispersal arrangements and if necessary enforce them. I know the

:55:27. > :55:32.Minister will understands the extraordinary high cost of hybrid

:55:33. > :55:35.sector housing in London, does he understand the impact that the

:55:36. > :55:41.changes of the local housing alliance are having on residence in

:55:42. > :55:44.my constituency in Brent North and would he ask his department official

:55:45. > :55:49.to provide data on the impact of those changes? I would say to the

:55:50. > :55:52.honourable gentleman if he looks at the answer I gave earlier on, we

:55:53. > :55:56.have already outlined a one-year delay, we are also looking to these

:55:57. > :56:04.implications before the 2018 into the Treo working closely with the

:56:05. > :56:08.secretary at the moment. Maybe Council are currently working on the

:56:09. > :56:13.local plant, could the Minister give an update on the work of the expert

:56:14. > :56:21.panel which was set up in September to help streamline the local plan

:56:22. > :56:25.process? We are determined to make sure the local areas can have a very

:56:26. > :56:29.clear cut, simple system to deliver local plans to get that working to

:56:30. > :56:32.give control to the local community as it should be locally led and am

:56:33. > :56:39.looking forward to seeing the feedback for the panel in the weeks

:56:40. > :56:43.ahead. Ministers hinted in responses to earlier questions from local

:56:44. > :56:47.government benches on the funding allocations to work areas that they

:56:48. > :56:51.think there is some unfairness in the system. Can I encourage

:56:52. > :56:55.ministers to look again because I agree there is a great deal of

:56:56. > :57:01.unfairness. My borough is seeing its funding decimated and cuts are

:57:02. > :57:07.devastating for local economies similar sized town is seeing its

:57:08. > :57:14.spending power increase over the coming years. This is fundamentally

:57:15. > :57:20.unfair, will he look again? Well, I will be responding to the financial

:57:21. > :57:23.system and shortly. All I would say that it is important for every type

:57:24. > :57:30.of authority that its needs and the cost of providing for that is the

:57:31. > :57:35.object of the government has. My right honourable friend is cheating

:57:36. > :57:39.as an eye on building on Brownfield sites, with the closure of

:57:40. > :57:43.coal-fired power stations and the possible closure of one in my

:57:44. > :57:47.constituency, what are we doing to encourage building on Brownfield

:57:48. > :57:55.sites like that but which include contaminated land? The answer is

:57:56. > :57:58.that the Chancellor in the spending review established a fund to

:57:59. > :58:05.decontaminate Brownfield sites so that they can be made available in

:58:06. > :58:11.the way he recommends. Mr Speaker, the local Government Association is

:58:12. > :58:14.predicting that the proposals be to some 50,000 council tenants needing

:58:15. > :58:17.their homes, had the same time they're saying they do not know how

:58:18. > :58:22.much their attendants earned. Can the Minister to consuls how or why

:58:23. > :58:27.they should be asking their tenants how much they own? I would say to

:58:28. > :58:34.the Honorable gentleman, through the process of the planning bill this

:58:35. > :58:38.would be looking at to bring this in. We are working with them, it is

:58:39. > :58:44.absolutely right that we come up with a deal that is also fair to

:58:45. > :58:51.taxpayers to make sure it they do so anyway that always make sure they

:58:52. > :58:56.will always pay to work. I am soon to minister is aware that the patent

:58:57. > :58:59.is due for adoption this spring. But he gives some reassurance to the

:59:00. > :59:03.planning committee of the council that they cannot start to make

:59:04. > :59:06.decisions in line that plan, save any knowledge of the planning

:59:07. > :59:09.expectorant will not overturn those decisions for protecting the country

:59:10. > :59:15.from speculative development. Hear, hear! I think it is good news, my

:59:16. > :59:20.Honorable friend outlines that at this late stage, I can confirm that

:59:21. > :59:23.as a local planning gets to that stage it takes a more weight and

:59:24. > :59:27.therefore the local authorities should be making plans in line with

:59:28. > :59:33.that local plan as it comes forward and that is the right thing to do

:59:34. > :59:37.for local communities. What assessments of ministers made about

:59:38. > :59:41.consuls who do bring forward the preset increase around social care

:59:42. > :59:44.for those consuls who have a very low council tax base and actually

:59:45. > :59:48.this will not bring forward the required funding to ensure that

:59:49. > :59:54.social care continues at the level it should in areas like this? Part

:59:55. > :59:57.of the settlement that was made in the spending review was to include

:59:58. > :00:02.this new council tax preset lawful in addition to the better care funds

:00:03. > :00:10.so that on top of the resources that consuls already invest, we will be

:00:11. > :00:12.able to invest more than the local Government Association requested for

:00:13. > :00:18.social care in advance of the spending review.

:00:19. > :00:28.Urgent question. Thank you Mr Speaker. The Secretary of State for

:00:29. > :00:32.Health to make a statement on the junior doctors contract

:00:33. > :00:39.negotiations. I'd be delighted to get the house. This government was

:00:40. > :00:44.elected on a mandate to provide for the NHS of the resources that asked

:00:45. > :00:54.for and to Mitch hour and a truly seven-day service. Demand better we

:00:55. > :01:00.can support services, a better seven-day social care services to

:01:01. > :01:06.facilitate begins discharging, and better primary care access.

:01:07. > :01:12.Consistent seven-day services also demand reform for staff contracts

:01:13. > :01:15.including those of junior doctors. Anyway the matches patient demand

:01:16. > :01:23.more evenly across every day of the week. Despite a government asking

:01:24. > :01:27.them to return, did not start talking again and to the end of

:01:28. > :01:33.November last year. It talks facilitated. There are December we

:01:34. > :01:42.made very good progress on a wide range of issues. Regrettably we do

:01:43. > :01:52.not come to an agreement. On many issues including we can pay rates.

:01:53. > :01:58.We supported one of our most respected executives to take

:01:59. > :02:04.negotiations on behalf of the NHS. However despite agreeing to

:02:05. > :02:11.negotiate on the issue we can pay rates we have been advised that they

:02:12. > :02:17.have refused to discuss Saturday pay. As letter to Secretary of

:02:18. > :02:23.State, given that we have made much progress of the last few weeks it is

:02:24. > :02:34.very disappointing that they refuse to negotiate on Saturday payment.

:02:35. > :02:39.Both parties agree to debate on this. The government is clear that

:02:40. > :02:47.our door remains open for further discussion and we urge them to

:02:48. > :02:52.return the cable. Or greatly they are striking for a 24-hour period

:02:53. > :02:58.this Wednesday. They're trying to minimise risk for harm to the

:02:59. > :03:05.public, but I regret to inform the House that latest estimates say that

:03:06. > :03:11.more than 2000 operations have been cancelled. Hope that the members

:03:12. > :03:16.from both of the house or will join me in telling them to call off the

:03:17. > :03:20.strike and work with us to offer patients consistent standards of

:03:21. > :03:30.care every day of the week. Hear, hear! Thank you Mr Speaker. There's

:03:31. > :03:36.so much to be said about this abuse it's hard to know where to begin.

:03:37. > :03:47.Let me ask the Minister for questions one, the Health Secretary

:03:48. > :03:57.says his door is open. Kenny Mr envision a new contract where it

:03:58. > :04:04.only applies to Saturday morning. The second question, will the

:04:05. > :04:10.Minister will out imposing a second contract. Can he not see how harmful

:04:11. > :04:15.it would be to patients given its impact on staff row the risk of a

:04:16. > :04:20.projected period of industrial action and the applications of

:04:21. > :04:26.future recruitment and retention. The third question, can he confirm

:04:27. > :04:29.that pay protection to one in four junior doctors mean that those doing

:04:30. > :04:34.the equivalent jobs in the future will be worse off. Shouldn't we

:04:35. > :04:42.value the junior doctors of tomorrow as much as we value those of today?

:04:43. > :04:45.And finally the fourth question, throughout this dispute ministers

:04:46. > :04:50.have repeatedly conflated the need to reform the junior doctor contract

:04:51. > :04:56.with their manifesto commitment to a seven-day NHS. Kenny Messer name a

:04:57. > :05:02.single chief executive who has told him that the junior doctor contract

:05:03. > :05:11.is the barrier to providing high-quality care 24/7. If junior

:05:12. > :05:15.doctors of the staff group have to change their working powders to

:05:16. > :05:20.deliver this, which other groups of NHS staff will need to have the

:05:21. > :05:25.definition of unsocial hours changed in their contracts in this

:05:26. > :05:29.Parliament? Mr Speaker, in the last year the house secretary had implied

:05:30. > :05:33.that the doctors do not work weekends. He has insinuated that

:05:34. > :05:38.juniors are somehow to blame for deaths among patients admitted on

:05:39. > :05:44.Saturdays and Sundays. He has insulted the profession's

:05:45. > :05:49.intelligence that they had been misled by the AMA. If he was here, I

:05:50. > :05:57.would ask him if he regrets how he has handled this dispute. But he has

:05:58. > :06:01.not got the nerve to turn up. No one is saying that the contract is

:06:02. > :06:07.perfect, but speak to anyone in the NHS and they will tell you that this

:06:08. > :06:11.whole episode has been an exercise in using a sledgehammer to crack a

:06:12. > :06:13.nut. It is time for the governments to do what is right the patients,

:06:14. > :06:29.staff, and the NHS. The Honorable Lady asks where to

:06:30. > :06:34.begin. I will say this to her. Where we begin is a promise of the

:06:35. > :06:37.electorate with the seven-day services so we can make care more

:06:38. > :06:42.consistent throughout the week. And bring down the rates of avoidable

:06:43. > :06:48.death. That is the aim of this government. It is one they have

:06:49. > :06:54.pursued previous Coalition guys in this government for some years. The

:06:55. > :06:56.negotiations that have been going on for some years has been framed

:06:57. > :07:04.probably in that respect during that time. She asks a number of questions

:07:05. > :07:09.which I shall answer directly. She asked was the door is open and

:07:10. > :07:15.whether the Secretary of State is whether to see further talks. They

:07:16. > :07:20.remain open throughout this entire process. In the summer when they

:07:21. > :07:24.made a principal point on not returning to talks with asked them

:07:25. > :07:29.to come back to the negotiating table time and time again. I have

:07:30. > :07:33.done so personally. As is the Secretary of State. The door does

:07:34. > :07:41.remain open and hold those contacts will retain you up until the strike.

:07:42. > :07:47.She asks if there is discussion to be had on Saturdays. The secretary

:07:48. > :07:51.has made plain through this aspect that the contract is open to

:07:52. > :07:56.discussion. What is not up for discussion is the ability of

:07:57. > :08:03.hospitals to be able to Roster clinicians on the consistent basis

:08:04. > :08:14.throughout the reek. The people who are big refusing to negotiate is the

:08:15. > :08:18.British medical Association. Despite their assurances, or their promises,

:08:19. > :08:24.that they wish to discuss this issue have now refused to do precisely

:08:25. > :08:29.that. We are left at an impasse where I am it afraid the one item

:08:30. > :08:34.left to discuss which is Saturdays, they refusing point-blank to open.

:08:35. > :08:40.As they call it on an issue of principle. For us, the principal is

:08:41. > :08:44.patient safety. That is why we will not move. The second point she asked

:08:45. > :08:49.about, was around the introduction of a new contract. At some point the

:08:50. > :08:54.government needs to make a decision. We've extended time and time again

:08:55. > :08:59.at the point which will introduce a new contract. So we can give time

:09:00. > :09:05.for talks to proceed. Even though the BMA refused to discuss this for

:09:06. > :09:09.years. Up until this point. At some point we'll have to make the changes

:09:10. > :09:17.which are necessary in order to get the consistency of service. The

:09:18. > :09:22.weekend. We cannot delay this any longer. No secretary or Minister of

:09:23. > :09:25.health could stand in the face of many academic studies which have

:09:26. > :09:30.shown an avoidable week and effect fact is that nothing should happen.

:09:31. > :09:36.Of course it should be done in concert with other contract changes

:09:37. > :09:41.with changing the availability of diagnostics and pharmacy and other

:09:42. > :09:47.services. It has to be done at some point. That point is fast

:09:48. > :09:52.approaching. She asks whether imposition would be harmful to

:09:53. > :09:57.patients. Ask her to consider whether avoiding changing blustering

:09:58. > :10:03.patterns so that we can eliminate the weekend effect would itself be

:10:04. > :10:12.harmful to patients. She asks around pay protection, pay protection which

:10:13. > :10:15.we have urged the members by the beginning of this process to be

:10:16. > :10:22.clear and they willfully misled their members about the payoff that

:10:23. > :10:26.we put on the table. I would ask are therefore to be careful what she

:10:27. > :10:31.says because this cohort of junior doctors, this is a very good deal.

:10:32. > :10:36.For those coming to the service, they could be ensured a quality of

:10:37. > :10:48.contract with the current cohort had not been able to benefit from. A

:10:49. > :10:52.reduction in the massive number of consecutive... A reduction in the

:10:53. > :10:57.consecutive long late shifts down from 12 to five. A reduction in the

:10:58. > :11:03.massive number of hours and a week from 91 to 72. Improvement in the

:11:04. > :11:04.contract which will protect the safety and working practices of

:11:05. > :11:10.future generations of working doctors. I will remind the Honorable

:11:11. > :11:16.Lady when she wrapped up her remarks. Whether she asked whether

:11:17. > :11:21.we has any regrets about the way this is proceeded, we do have

:11:22. > :11:29.regrets. We have regrets that the BMA willfully misled its members.

:11:30. > :11:34.Hear, hear! Making them believe that there would be a cut hours neither

:11:35. > :11:44.of which was true. The BMA refused to talk to us for months on end when

:11:45. > :11:51.many of these issues... The BMA has gone back on its promise to discuss

:11:52. > :12:02.playing time hours. A promises they have reneged upon. Those matters

:12:03. > :12:06.which are most important to doctors to protect patient safety. That is

:12:07. > :12:10.why in the end we will have to come to a decision on this contract for

:12:11. > :12:17.the betterment of patients in the consistency of clinical standards

:12:18. > :12:21.throughout the week. Under the current contract to many junior

:12:22. > :12:23.doctors are being forced to work excessive hours and are

:12:24. > :12:29.overstretched during the hours that they are working. Could the

:12:30. > :12:32.ministers had a setup of those hours will be reduced could ensure that

:12:33. > :12:35.those measures will be put in place to make sure that managers do not

:12:36. > :12:43.let that slip and we do not return the days of worked junior doctors?

:12:44. > :12:52.She is right to say that new measures have been interested in

:12:53. > :12:55.this contract. They will help protect the hours of junior doctors

:12:56. > :13:01.within individual trust. This is been a point of success in terms of

:13:02. > :13:04.negotiation between the BMA and NHS employers. We have a new fine system

:13:05. > :13:10.not currently in place which will penalise trusts and ensure that the

:13:11. > :13:12.monies that are generated by the finds go toward enhancing the

:13:13. > :13:22.general well-being in training in the doctors of the stress. I'm

:13:23. > :13:25.disappointed that is not the Secretary of State we are speaking

:13:26. > :13:31.to today. The minister does refer again to weaken deaths. They gently

:13:32. > :13:35.point out that if the evidence from Fremantle studied there is actually

:13:36. > :13:40.a lower level of deaths at weekends and maybe we could be a bit more

:13:41. > :13:46.precise over talking about people admitted on weekends who died within

:13:47. > :13:48.the next 30 days. I welcome the commitment to increase diagnostics

:13:49. > :13:54.and social care and I think anyone in the NHS will. Junior doctors

:13:55. > :13:59.already worked seven days in seven nights a week. I do not see how

:14:00. > :14:04.junior doctors can actually be the barrier in this case to the safety

:14:05. > :14:10.of patients. I do think that looking back the Secretary of State, and

:14:11. > :14:14.indeed the Minister may regret how this was handled. From last summer

:14:15. > :14:18.and has been so combative. In October one we debated the junior

:14:19. > :14:25.doctors, the Secretary of State was the refusing to go to the table.

:14:26. > :14:29.This cannot all be put on the BMA. Doctors are not stupid and they are

:14:30. > :14:32.capable of reading what is offered. Many of the junior doctors that have

:14:33. > :14:36.written to me have talked about the fear of hours getting out of

:14:37. > :14:43.control. And the fact that when I was a junior doctor are hours

:14:44. > :14:50.ridiculous, it was the automatic financial and to trust to change

:14:51. > :14:58.things. They should be listened to and not patronized. I think that is

:14:59. > :15:03.aggravated things further. Husband dealt with from beginning to end has

:15:04. > :15:08.been very disappointing. We are facing a second day of strike for

:15:09. > :15:11.the first time in 40 years. What is the Minister feel will be brought to

:15:12. > :15:15.the table by the Department of Health in the next few days to try

:15:16. > :15:19.and get out of this, and try and get a different approach? We do not have

:15:20. > :15:23.junior doctors in the streets in Scotland. You have to ask yourself

:15:24. > :15:34.what you have them in the streets here. You rightly point the fact

:15:35. > :15:38.that vulnerable mortality attributed to weekends is different for Beacon

:15:39. > :15:47.mortality. In public statements he has made, it does exist, that gap. A

:15:48. > :15:50.professor has been clear in his statements that there is an

:15:51. > :15:57.avoidable rate of mortality. Because of the weekend effect. He said he

:15:58. > :16:06.could save lives. We as clinicians said should collectively seek to

:16:07. > :16:09.solve. I have to say to her that the way she characterize the discussions

:16:10. > :16:17.in September and October and November are not quite right. We

:16:18. > :16:26.were employing the BMA to come to talk. They refused to do so. It was

:16:27. > :16:30.only when they came and talked to us and we made substantive progress.

:16:31. > :16:35.She is absolutely right to raise many of the issues, and many of them

:16:36. > :16:42.were around protecting for excess hours. We have a counterpart with

:16:43. > :16:48.him to negotiate. Since we have a counterparty revealed to have a

:16:49. > :16:52.really good series of progress and the result is the starting position

:16:53. > :16:57.and one that she welcomed any other place, and the Guardian will be able

:16:58. > :17:04.to levy fines. It is a process which I hope, and I expect to reduce the

:17:05. > :17:13.excess hours with currently are seen. We need to get away from the

:17:14. > :17:16.perverse incentives, which means that unsafe working hours are

:17:17. > :17:25.perpetuated. Of course we all regret that this has taken a bad course. I

:17:26. > :17:29.would taken this course had the BMA taken a responsible position right

:17:30. > :17:33.from the beginning. If you lie to your members, if you say they're

:17:34. > :17:39.going to have a pay cut and I was raised of course doctors are going

:17:40. > :17:43.to be angry it. The fact is that it is never true. The result is that as

:17:44. > :17:47.inflamed the situation we could have had the counterproductive talks that

:17:48. > :17:51.we have had over the last few weeks, we could've had this back in August

:17:52. > :17:58.or September, having not had any mess beforehand because of

:17:59. > :18:06.untruthful statements by the BMA. The level of support among junior

:18:07. > :18:08.doctors among the pay dispute is in part to you the dissatisfaction of

:18:09. > :18:16.the experience being a junior doctor. Could my Honorable friend

:18:17. > :18:21.advised with the government intends to commission the sort of review? I

:18:22. > :18:30.think my Honorable friend I can confirm that we will be looking at

:18:31. > :18:40.Sir David Dalton's recommendation. The 1995 contract is an imperfect

:18:41. > :18:45.one. That contract and its generality has helped contribute to

:18:46. > :18:53.the lessening of morale and the junior doctor workforce. As has the

:18:54. > :18:59.Secretary of State. The training placements are put on a source of

:19:00. > :19:02.problems of the contract. You very long periods of consecutive nights

:19:03. > :19:11.in dates all of which are brought in the contract. Is the Minister aware

:19:12. > :19:15.that it takes two sides to cause a strike. It cannot happen just

:19:16. > :19:21.because one side of the argument what they strike. This minister, the

:19:22. > :19:26.Secretary of State has been looking for a fight with the doctors ever

:19:27. > :19:34.since he got the job. Does he realise that when I came here 45

:19:35. > :19:42.years ago I was getting time at the half for all day Saturday and

:19:43. > :19:47.double-time like other minors for Sunday. The doctors, every time the

:19:48. > :19:54.replaced by nurses is costing the government and the taxpayers a small

:19:55. > :20:02.fortune, get the matter centred and be decent for a change! The

:20:03. > :20:06.Honorable gentleman has long prided himself as being a champion of the

:20:07. > :20:10.working people. The current contract and the proposed contract of the BMA

:20:11. > :20:20.that the Honorable Lady I presume supports, before his junior doctors

:20:21. > :20:26.over other jobs giving a better pay rates, a premium rate that could not

:20:27. > :20:30.be enjoyed by lesser paid workers. Under contract because she do but

:20:31. > :20:35.unions that he supports. The final morphing of the Labour Party into a

:20:36. > :20:45.party that prefers professionals over portals.

:20:46. > :21:04.I support the governments stance on June doctors. That's junior doctors.

:21:05. > :21:13.When he agree that the doctors set the tempo? Via said Ray from the

:21:14. > :21:18.beginning that it is the contract that is going to be critical into

:21:19. > :21:22.delivering seven-day services. It is important to make sure the

:21:23. > :21:25.consultants are providing cover over weekends. Not just for the benefit

:21:26. > :21:40.of patients but for juniors. Is it not at the very least odd Mr

:21:41. > :21:44.Speaker, that the Secretary of State yet again chooses to stay away and

:21:45. > :21:51.not come himself to answer questions on this very important subject? I

:21:52. > :21:56.know is a former health minister at the BMA could be difficult. The

:21:57. > :22:02.Secretary of State has become the main obstacle to this crisis. The

:22:03. > :22:07.honourable gentleman will know the previous Labour government had far

:22:08. > :22:18.more scraps with the BMA to the previous Coalition. This is

:22:19. > :22:24.something that is a mark of how secretaries. He will be here

:22:25. > :22:33.tomorrow, since the honourable gentleman asks. Nobody that came

:22:34. > :22:38.into the chamber after the questions started with expect to be called,

:22:39. > :22:49.that would be quite out of keeping with our parliamentary traditions.

:22:50. > :23:02.This view has nothing to do with pay. It has led to a national strike

:23:03. > :23:11.for the first time in 40 years. What is going on here? That is a question

:23:12. > :23:17.I am increasingly asking of the BMA leadership. They have agreed with

:23:18. > :23:25.Sir David Dalton that the issue is around pay. They're now in the end

:23:26. > :23:33.come clean that is not about pay. That is what we're dealing with.

:23:34. > :23:44.They whisper preferred rates -- which for preferred rates. I would

:23:45. > :23:51.say to administer the junior doctors in my constituency are reluctantly

:23:52. > :23:55.taking action on this, but they are supported by my constituents who

:23:56. > :24:00.think it is a disgrace that they enforce to take industrial action.

:24:01. > :24:07.The government is failing to address the concerns being raised by BMA.

:24:08. > :24:15.The minister says his door is open, but can he say he will actually do

:24:16. > :24:22.anything to settle this dispute. The Honorable lady that junior doctors

:24:23. > :24:28.have legitimate concerns, and every single one of them has been

:24:29. > :24:34.answered. Apart from one, and that is the one that the BMA refuses to

:24:35. > :24:38.open negotiations on. Guess our door remains open but they first have to

:24:39. > :24:48.remain open to talk to us which they are refusing to do so. Junior

:24:49. > :24:53.doctors are some of the most dedicated and hard working peoples

:24:54. > :24:57.and our local community. Some have cited information from the BMA

:24:58. > :25:00.suggesting that the government is proposing a pay cut. Any minister

:25:01. > :25:10.make the position crystal clear is that right? No it is not. Does the

:25:11. > :25:14.Minister ever wonder whether he has chosen the wrong target. He bases

:25:15. > :25:23.his entire argument on safety and rightly so. Chairs and chief

:25:24. > :25:29.executives tell me they have no difficulty staffing the hospitals

:25:30. > :25:33.with junior doctors over weekends, but our GP services are under

:25:34. > :25:40.incredible strain across the country, it is threadbare. That is

:25:41. > :25:43.where the real concern lies. The right honourable gentleman will know

:25:44. > :25:49.that we are looking at contract for GPs and consultants and junior

:25:50. > :25:54.doctors. You cannot see one clinical group in isolation. They were

:25:55. > :25:57.together. He he should know that in concluding discussions with doctors

:25:58. > :26:03.and GPs may need to make sure that we give hospitals and primary care

:26:04. > :26:10.is consistently trumps evidence of week. I met with junior doctor

:26:11. > :26:16.colleagues of the last few weeks and months, many of whom are cautious

:26:17. > :26:21.about the new contracts, but strike action is the last resort and they

:26:22. > :26:26.would rather not take it. The operation is going to be cancelled

:26:27. > :26:33.this week thanks to the strike action, is his door still open at

:26:34. > :26:40.this late hour. Would you not also called the Secretary of State to

:26:41. > :26:47.condemn the strike? My Honorable friend points to an interesting fact

:26:48. > :26:52.that despite his many months of discussion we were never had a clear

:26:53. > :26:54.line from the Secretary of State whether they condemn or support the

:26:55. > :27:00.industrial action. Elisa would know whose side they're on. What are they

:27:01. > :27:04.on the side of patients, whether we are trying to illuminate the weekend

:27:05. > :27:15.effect or whether they ought on the side of the BMA. I find it very

:27:16. > :27:18.unfortunate from the tone from the Minister opposite in regards to

:27:19. > :27:24.these doctors if they don't care and don't want to help their patients, I

:27:25. > :27:31.find that really regrettable. In my time as an official, when I used to

:27:32. > :27:36.represent workers in the health care sector, the BMA was highly known as

:27:37. > :27:44.a militant in that organisation. Can I ask the Minister does he really

:27:45. > :27:48.think that this is all the blame of the BMA and the doctors? Doctors

:27:49. > :27:54.care about their patients, that is why they are in this position! Do

:27:55. > :28:02.you not respect -- accept any responsibility? We have questioned

:28:03. > :28:13.the tactics that the leadership of the BMA, and I also agree with her

:28:14. > :28:17.about her previous employer, we disagree often but we agree on many

:28:18. > :28:24.things and we have a very straightforward relationship. They

:28:25. > :28:27.promised to talk about one thing, but refuse to weeks later. They

:28:28. > :28:42.refuse to cut the negotiation table months. The residents of my

:28:43. > :28:54.constituency tell things, secondly just how disappointed they are that

:28:55. > :29:03.we are not united in this house. Is the Minister as disappointed as my

:29:04. > :29:11.residence? The 2800 people who have had cancellations their operations.

:29:12. > :29:16.I wonder whether they think the opposition supports the cancellation

:29:17. > :29:20.or whether they condemn it? As soon as we have an answer to that

:29:21. > :29:27.question it will be easy to know the official position. Yesterday at the

:29:28. > :29:33.Secretary of State for Health accused the BMA a misleading junior

:29:34. > :29:39.doctors. Today the Minister comes to the house and accuses the BMA

:29:40. > :29:43.applying. If you really asking this house to believe that the most

:29:44. > :29:46.intelligent people in the country, the junior doctors, really cannot

:29:47. > :29:53.see what the government is proposing for themselves. Does he feel that

:29:54. > :29:58.this continued abuse that directed at that junior doctors is hindering

:29:59. > :30:08.any possibility of a settlement of this to be at what is damaging to

:30:09. > :30:13.patients? I'll ask her this, if the trusted body like the BMA tells its

:30:14. > :30:19.members that they will have a pay cut to 30% and an increase in hours

:30:20. > :30:27.and that's statement is incorrect, does it constitute a lie? Is the

:30:28. > :30:36.question I would put to her. A number of colleagues met with the

:30:37. > :30:39.parliaments and we were disappointed that they refused to go to the

:30:40. > :30:48.negotiating table. They eventually did and made progress. My

:30:49. > :30:51.constituents want a safe NHS. Is it time to get back to the tables that

:30:52. > :30:58.provide the services that the patients want. That's why we need to

:30:59. > :31:05.move ahead with this in the and the people that will suffer most from

:31:06. > :31:11.not making reforms will be patients. Any

:31:12. > :31:16.The Shadow Health Secretary at the Minister if he could miss the

:31:17. > :31:20.hospitals which do not have a new junior doctors working over the

:31:21. > :31:26.weekend, here is another chance. Would you name them for us now. In

:31:27. > :31:28.evidence given to the doctors peer review body, it is clear that rough

:31:29. > :31:33.terrain was made more difficult by the current playing time terms

:31:34. > :31:36.within the contract, that is why it has been on the table now for

:31:37. > :31:41.several years, it is why it has formed part of the discussions when

:31:42. > :31:44.we had them with the British medical Association, it is why the latest

:31:45. > :31:46.round of talks led by one of the leading chief executives in the

:31:47. > :31:51.country, search Ada Dalton, he has pressed the BMA to come and talk

:31:52. > :31:56.about it particularly this time in general and he refused to speak

:31:57. > :32:00.about both. Whatever the arguments in this case, I can think of no more

:32:01. > :32:02.honourable decent and honest negotiations than my right

:32:03. > :32:07.honourable friend the Secretary of State. The report is that the

:32:08. > :32:11.graduating medical students applying to the foundation in year one and

:32:12. > :32:14.two junior hospital doctors are seeking work in Northern Ireland,

:32:15. > :32:19.Scotland, and will still avoid the new contract. Is this true and if it

:32:20. > :32:24.is, what can be done to stop this train of our best medical students?

:32:25. > :32:28.We do not see any particular evidence at the moment, the best

:32:29. > :32:32.thing we would like to see Virginia's is he the new contract so

:32:33. > :32:36.that we can see it is going to be but therefore there working

:32:37. > :32:39.practices than the current one. It all of our interests, not just

:32:40. > :32:42.humans but also patients to make sure that juniors are working the

:32:43. > :32:46.hours which is why the new contract has got reductions on long days and

:32:47. > :32:52.it is why we want to reduce and eliminate the excessively long hours

:32:53. > :32:56.of the week. I am sure that the ministers have a very good idea and

:32:57. > :32:59.clear idea of how their proposals would affect working practices. Can

:33:00. > :33:06.I the Minister on how many occasions last year did a junior doctor worked

:33:07. > :33:10.91 hours or more a week? Believe that there are about 500 junior

:33:11. > :33:15.doctors treat the cars of last year operating on the been the payment

:33:16. > :33:19.which equates to the payments above the working Time regulations, it is

:33:20. > :33:21.a regularly small number, it is still significant and for those

:33:22. > :33:28.doctors who are working the excessive hours, it is unsafe. We'll

:33:29. > :33:32.be minister join me in thanking those junior doctors who ignore the

:33:33. > :33:36.call for strike last time during the election, and also agree with me

:33:37. > :33:42.that the lack of condemnation from the opposition means that there are

:33:43. > :33:46.putting their supports in front of my constituents and their health

:33:47. > :33:49.care needs Islamic State I completely agree with my Honorable

:33:50. > :33:53.friend, rather like an arsonist poured petrol on a fired in running

:33:54. > :33:57.for hope to put it out, the opposition has done very little to

:33:58. > :34:01.help you get this contract into a place that it needs to be and stop

:34:02. > :34:06.industrial action. I'm afraid that those patients were going to have

:34:07. > :34:09.council operations this week are to suffer because of the opposition's

:34:10. > :34:15.Philly to take a firm stand on this issue. The Minister will be aware

:34:16. > :34:18.that works in hospital has been enormously improved in the quality

:34:19. > :34:22.of care which it gives to its patients. It has done that with the

:34:23. > :34:26.same stuff, but with a leadership which says to the people working in

:34:27. > :34:31.the hospital, they have confidence in them, they share values, and yet

:34:32. > :34:34.this minister is saying that he's the only person who cares about

:34:35. > :34:38.patient safety and suggesting that doctors do not. What does that do

:34:39. > :34:46.for morale and their ability to improve the quality of care? I am

:34:47. > :34:49.not sure how to enter the Honorable Lady's question seeing as he

:34:50. > :34:52.misconstrued what I said, I never once suggested that it is only the

:34:53. > :34:56.government that cares for patient safety. Almost every doctor out

:34:57. > :35:00.there cares for nothing other than patient safety, and patient care. I

:35:01. > :35:04.have to say to her, that if we are going to get consistent levels of

:35:05. > :35:08.care across the weekend, according to the academy and medical colleges

:35:09. > :35:14.of ten clinical standards, part of that is going to be achieved by

:35:15. > :35:20.staff contracts, one of those is the junior doctors. That is why we must

:35:21. > :35:23.press ahead with it. I would like to start by committing my Honorable

:35:24. > :35:27.friend for all the work he is doing to deliver the chilli seven day a

:35:28. > :35:31.week health service that I know, not just members of my constituency will

:35:32. > :35:34.benefit from but each and every one of us in this chamber. I am a little

:35:35. > :35:39.surprised though that the Honorable lady opposite said no one is saying

:35:40. > :35:41.the existing contract is perfect. Would you agree with me that we

:35:42. > :35:47.should all be working together in the interest of our constituents to

:35:48. > :35:55.bring this situation to a successful conclusion? And that band playing

:35:56. > :35:58.political points with it. I agreed my Honorable friend, I am afraid it

:35:59. > :36:03.is a mark of the week the Labour Party has changed, I suspect had

:36:04. > :36:05.there been a Labour Party of a different era, one that was rather

:36:06. > :36:08.more responsible about the way that it dealt with industrial disputes,

:36:09. > :36:15.that they would have seen on whose side they should be acting at this

:36:16. > :36:21.point. Thank you Mr Speaker, it is a conservative government and to have

:36:22. > :36:27.a strike of this sort on a government's watch it a bit grace

:36:28. > :36:31.and a failure, and really listen to the Minister and I like the Minister

:36:32. > :36:35.actually, but he is only ever played the blame elsewhere, Shorty, a

:36:36. > :36:38.government should be evaluating its own performance and saying we can do

:36:39. > :36:45.better than this, we can make sure that this does not happen even at

:36:46. > :36:49.this 11th hour. The honourable gentleman tempt me with kindness, I

:36:50. > :36:53.repaid the compliment, all I can say to him is that having been involved

:36:54. > :36:58.in this process for some months now, I have found it incredibly

:36:59. > :37:01.frustrating, every time we have asked the BMA to, talked up until

:37:02. > :37:05.the end of November, they have refused, despite personal

:37:06. > :37:08.entreaties. When they did talk, they did find that we have no doubt an

:37:09. > :37:12.agreement only to find it soothing of your fingers the next day in

:37:13. > :37:15.front of the media. It has been a hugely frustrating process for

:37:16. > :37:19.everyone concerned, it is White has been such a difficult process, not

:37:20. > :37:26.just for us but for junior doctors who have been left confounded and

:37:27. > :37:31.confused by the whole thing. Thank you Mr Speaker, with the Minister

:37:32. > :37:38.agree with me that junior doctors most of them if not all exceed their

:37:39. > :37:44.contracted hours? And therefore the 72 hour limit is essential and will

:37:45. > :37:50.he acknowledge even after when I hope these negotiations are

:37:51. > :37:55.complete, there will be many junior doctors exceeding their contracted

:37:56. > :38:00.hours? There are some junior doctors who exceed their hours, the arms

:38:01. > :38:03.across the country is 72 hours, some are exceeding eight to 91 which is

:38:04. > :38:06.the currently permitted limit outside the working Time directive.

:38:07. > :38:10.We wish to stop it altogether and bring it down an absolute maximum 70

:38:11. > :38:16.hours in a week which would equate to a 48 hour average over the period

:38:17. > :38:20.it is looked at, currently six months. The keys to get the number

:38:21. > :38:28.of hours down because when you are working excessive hours it is unsafe

:38:29. > :38:32.for patients and for doctors. The Minister has been keen to establish

:38:33. > :38:38.what he sees as the preferential conditions that junior doctors

:38:39. > :38:40.endure. Yet, sir David Goffin in his interview with the health service

:38:41. > :38:44.Journal said my assessment is that the staff group that will have to

:38:45. > :38:47.contribute the least above that which they are providing at the

:38:48. > :38:52.moment with the outward doctors in training. He says our messaging on

:38:53. > :39:00.this has got muddled, but the Minister agree? Sir David Goffin is

:39:01. > :39:02.clear that we have to reform all contracts, now you can place the

:39:03. > :39:07.balance where you wish, but it is important that we actually perform

:39:08. > :39:11.the juniors and the consultants contracts together so they can fit

:39:12. > :39:15.other pieces within the service. It is wrong for instant to be able to

:39:16. > :39:17.have a junior on duty taking decisions over the weekend, not

:39:18. > :39:23.covered by consultants who are able to supervise and help with that

:39:24. > :39:26.decision and we need to make sure there is consistency through the

:39:27. > :39:34.week and weekend involving both juniors and seniors. Mr Speaker I

:39:35. > :39:36.represent many Junior doctors, I have met them and have tried to

:39:37. > :39:39.represent their views to the government, but I have always taken

:39:40. > :39:45.the view that my primary possibility is to the patient of the NHS, of one

:39:46. > :39:48.of those patients they e-mailed me this weekend to see that one of the

:39:49. > :39:53.consequences of the strike will be the cancellation of his White's

:39:54. > :39:59.biopsied plan for next week with cheap rights without this are the

:40:00. > :40:02.shortened a difficult life will be even shorter. We'll the shadow

:40:03. > :40:06.minister and the whole house join me in condemning the strike, it will

:40:07. > :40:11.achieve nothing, it is a distraction from the negotiations that need to

:40:12. > :40:17.continue, and will put the lives of my constituents and others across

:40:18. > :40:22.the country at risk. Hear, hear! I cannot possibly add to the comment

:40:23. > :40:27.of my Honorable friend, I shall hope the service areas they take note.

:40:28. > :40:34.Strike action is always a last resort, I can say categorically as

:40:35. > :40:40.an ex-NHS worker that no NHS worker wants to go on strike, what we have

:40:41. > :40:45.here is a complete failure of metal Ossetians. The Secretary of State

:40:46. > :40:48.door may be open by the inflammatory and frankly insulting comments he

:40:49. > :40:54.made on the media this weekend do not exactly invite people to cross

:40:55. > :41:00.that threshold and talk to him. Given that he has manifested failed

:41:01. > :41:07.as a negotiator, is it about time he stood by him as he aside, and that a

:41:08. > :41:13.negotiator deal with the BMA and come to an agreement before it is

:41:14. > :41:15.too late? I am not sure the honourable lady has been listening

:41:16. > :41:19.to the statements made in this House and elsewhere. I am not sure she has

:41:20. > :41:24.been missing because she would have heard that the negotiations already

:41:25. > :41:29.have been taken on by beating was she stares from NHS employers and by

:41:30. > :41:34.Sir David Dalton one of the leading executives in the country,

:41:35. > :41:38.significant progress has been made, contrary to what she has thus

:41:39. > :41:42.suggested, negotiations have worked, we have managed to nail down, she

:41:43. > :41:48.shakes her head, but the fact is sir David Dalton has managed to secure

:41:49. > :41:52.on every single point of contention other than the rates for playing

:41:53. > :41:58.time, unsocial hours, and on Saturdays. The kind of results we

:41:59. > :42:02.are going to see across the country on Wednesday would essentially be

:42:03. > :42:05.around the rates on a Saturday for which the BMA wants preferential

:42:06. > :42:12.rates over nurses, porches, cleaners and other workers in the NHS. May I

:42:13. > :42:16.join colleagues in thanking the Minister and the Secretary of State

:42:17. > :42:21.for all their work in negotiating a contract which is obviously quite a

:42:22. > :42:25.tough discussion. On many of my constituents may have sympathized

:42:26. > :42:27.last year with the BMA's case, patients and their families

:42:28. > :42:30.including my own father after a recent heart valve replacement job

:42:31. > :42:35.will be concerned that the BMA is not getting around negotiating

:42:36. > :42:38.negotiating table placing undue stress on the most vulnerable. We

:42:39. > :42:45.agree with me that the BMA should consider those patients as they

:42:46. > :42:47.protect their negotiations? If the BMA were replanting its members they

:42:48. > :42:52.would be thinking about the patient welfare during the strikes, we have

:42:53. > :42:55.heard with great eloquence just now about the effects on individual

:42:56. > :42:59.levels the strikes will cost. The strikes will get us no nearer to a

:43:00. > :43:05.solution. The only way to come to a solution here is by negotiation.

:43:06. > :43:08.This is Speaker, this testament to the progress being made over the

:43:09. > :43:12.course of these negotiations at the BMA has cancelled some strikes and

:43:13. > :43:15.indeed downgraded the one that we are expecting on Wednesday, does my

:43:16. > :43:19.Honorable friend agree with me that one crucial thing that would make

:43:20. > :43:24.the greater difference would be condemnation from the other side of

:43:25. > :43:29.this house? Hear, hear! I think you'd make a significant difference

:43:30. > :43:31.now that the leader for Her Majesty's opposition is sitting on

:43:32. > :43:35.the front bench, he would like to take note. The fact is if you have

:43:36. > :43:39.united response condemning strikes which affect patients and their

:43:40. > :43:47.safety, it helps to bring negotiations to a more profitable

:43:48. > :43:49.and? The infirmary is currently under blackbird, local people have

:43:50. > :43:56.been told not to attend the hospital unless it is a matter of life or

:43:57. > :43:59.death. Can the Minister Tommy how the secretary of state the insults

:44:00. > :44:01.he has been throwing around and insult the Minister has made today

:44:02. > :44:07.about hard-working and dedicated junior doctors, will help people who

:44:08. > :44:11.need a functioning NHS and also improve the morale of those doctors?

:44:12. > :44:14.The honourable lady does dangerous work if she tries to complete the

:44:15. > :44:19.comment that I and others have made about the leadership of the BMA, not

:44:20. > :44:22.of whom I have impugned, the fact is that I recognised the junior doctors

:44:23. > :44:26.worked incredibly hard, they care passionately about their patients,

:44:27. > :44:29.and they have a vocational drive to do the best to the people they care

:44:30. > :44:34.for, it is different from an organisation which refuses to talk,

:44:35. > :44:38.refuses to negotiate, lies to its members, and is very slippery in the

:44:39. > :44:44.statement put out to the press. Hear, hear! The General Hospital is

:44:45. > :44:48.under huge pressure and the Junior doctors at the hospital do a

:44:49. > :44:51.fantastic job, but may I tell the Minister that my constituents would

:44:52. > :44:56.be extremely disturbed to hear him tell the House today that at the

:44:57. > :45:01.talks, the BMA said they would negotiate about that today pay and

:45:02. > :45:04.and are now refusing to do so, and consequence of the strike on

:45:05. > :45:10.Wednesday, my constituents are appalled that 2884 operations have

:45:11. > :45:15.already been cancelled with that number possibly going even higher.

:45:16. > :45:19.The Honorable friend is right, it is one of the number of agreements that

:45:20. > :45:22.we have come to be the BMA over the course of these discussions which

:45:23. > :45:25.have been reneged upon by the organisation. It is why this whole

:45:26. > :45:32.process has been so torturous for everyone involved. Order! The

:45:33. > :45:43.Secretary of State for International Development. Secretary Justine

:45:44. > :45:48.Greening. Thank you Mr Speaker, with permission I should make a statement

:45:49. > :45:52.updating the House on the recent theory a conference which the UK

:45:53. > :45:56.co-hosted with chelate, Norway, Germany, and the United Nations last

:45:57. > :46:01.Thursday. 25 years, the Syrian people have suffered unimaginable

:46:02. > :46:07.horrors at the hands of the Assad regime and more recently Daesh,

:46:08. > :46:10.inside Syria there are 13 and a half million people in desperate need and

:46:11. > :46:16.a further 4.6 million people have become refugees. And indeed as we

:46:17. > :46:21.have seen the past hours alone, the impact of this crisis on the people

:46:22. > :46:25.of the region is terrible and profound. I was in Lebanon last

:46:26. > :46:31.month and Jordan, spoke to refugees, some of whom are now spending their

:46:32. > :46:35.fifth winter under a tent. Their stories are similar. When they left

:46:36. > :46:41.their homes and when they thought that they would be back in weeks or

:46:42. > :46:46.months at most, but for over a the many of them minister not to be

:46:47. > :46:53.years with no end in sight. Syria is now not only the world's biggest and

:46:54. > :46:55.most urgently crisis, a far-reaching consequences are being felt across

:46:56. > :47:00.Europe and touching our lives here in Britain. More than 1 million

:47:01. > :47:03.refugees and migrants risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean

:47:04. > :47:08.last year, and of those around half were fleeing from the bloodbath in

:47:09. > :47:12.Syria. Mr Speaker, since the fighting began. Britain has been at

:47:13. > :47:17.the forefront of the humanitarian response to the Syria conflict. A

:47:18. > :47:22.firm the UK is already helping to provide food for people inside Syria

:47:23. > :47:27.every month, as well as clean water, and sanitation for hundreds of

:47:28. > :47:30.thousands of refugees across the region. Our work on the Syria crisis

:47:31. > :47:35.is people in the region hope for a better future, and is also firmly in

:47:36. > :47:40.Britain's national interest. In fact, without British aid, hundreds

:47:41. > :47:44.of thousands more refugees could feel they have no alternative but to

:47:45. > :47:50.risk their lives by seeking to get to Europe. But more is needed, the

:47:51. > :47:56.UN Syria appeals for the whole of last year ended up only 54% funded.

:47:57. > :48:01.Other countries needed to follow the UK's lead and to step up to the

:48:02. > :48:04.plate. That is why the UK announced that we would co-host an

:48:05. > :48:08.international conference in London on behalf of Syria and the region.

:48:09. > :48:13.This will build on the successful conferences held in chelate in

:48:14. > :48:17.previous years. Mr Speaker, on Thursday last week we brought

:48:18. > :48:21.together over 60 countries and organizations including 33 heads of

:48:22. > :48:24.states and governments. The stage was set for the international

:48:25. > :48:29.community to deliver real and lasting change for the people

:48:30. > :48:35.affected by this crisis. But, in the end it was going to come down to

:48:36. > :48:38.choices. Could we pledge the record-breaking billions needed

:48:39. > :48:45.going much further than previous conferences? Could be commit to

:48:46. > :48:50.going beyond people's basic needs and delivering viable long-term

:48:51. > :48:55.solutions on jobs and education for Syria's refugees but also for the

:48:56. > :48:57.countries supporting them. At the London conference, the world may be

:48:58. > :49:02.right choices to do all of those things, countries, donors, and

:49:03. > :49:11.businesses all stacked up and read new funds for this crisis to the of

:49:12. > :49:17.over $11 billion. This included five for the 2016 and another $5.4

:49:18. > :49:21.billion over the period of 2017 to 2020. This is the largest ever

:49:22. > :49:27.amounts committed in a response to a humanitarian crisis in a single day.

:49:28. > :49:30.He means More ace being raised in the first five weeks of this year

:49:31. > :49:38.for the Syria crisis than in the whole of 2015. The UK once again

:49:39. > :49:40.played a part. We announced he would be doubling our commitment,

:49:41. > :49:46.increasing our total pledged to Syria and the region to over ?2.3

:49:47. > :49:50.billion. Going beyond people's basic needs at the London conference, the

:49:51. > :49:55.world said that there must be no lost generation of Syrian children.

:49:56. > :50:01.Pledging to deliver education to children, inside Syria, and

:50:02. > :50:03.education to at least 1 million refugees and host community children

:50:04. > :50:10.in the region outside Syria who are out of school. This is an essential

:50:11. > :50:14.investment Mr Speaker, not only in these children but in Syria's

:50:15. > :50:18.future. It also gives those countries generously hosting

:50:19. > :50:22.refugees temporarily the investment in their education systems that will

:50:23. > :50:26.benefit them for the longer-term. The London conference also made

:50:27. > :50:31.equivocal choice on supporting jobs for refugees and economic growth in

:50:32. > :50:35.the countries hosting them. We hope that historic commitments for

:50:36. > :50:38.Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan will create at least 1 million jobs in

:50:39. > :50:44.countries neighbouring Syria so that refugees have a livelihood and place

:50:45. > :50:48.to live among this will create jobs for local people and against the

:50:49. > :50:51.legacy this time of economic growth. By making these choices, we are

:50:52. > :50:55.investing in what is overwhelmingly the first choice of Syrian refugees

:50:56. > :51:00.to stay in the region and to stay closer to their home country. And

:51:01. > :51:04.their families that are so often still in it. If we can give Syrians

:51:05. > :51:08.hope for a better future where they are, they are less likely to feel

:51:09. > :51:12.that they have got no other choice left but to make perilous journeys

:51:13. > :51:16.to Europe. Mr Speaker I would like to thank all of those civil servants

:51:17. > :51:21.for my own department from the Cabinet office, from the Foreign

:51:22. > :51:26.Office, and also who worked tirelessly as a team to help us

:51:27. > :51:30.deliver such a successful and vital conference. It is not often that

:51:31. > :51:32.civil servants get the things that I believe they deserve, but in this

:51:33. > :51:39.location I want to put that on record. Mr Speaker, the word has

:51:40. > :51:42.offered by vision of hope affected by those crisis but only piece will

:51:43. > :51:45.give the Syrian people their future back. The establishment of the

:51:46. > :51:50.international serious support group at the end of 2015 was an important

:51:51. > :51:54.step on the path to finding a political settlement to the

:51:55. > :51:59.conflict. The Syrian opposition has come together to form the hired

:52:00. > :52:03.negotiations committee to engage in negotiations on political transition

:52:04. > :52:08.with the regime, and the UN launch proximity talks between the Syrian

:52:09. > :52:12.parties in January. The UN special for Syria to the Division to pause

:52:13. > :52:16.these talks, following an increase in air strikes and violence by the

:52:17. > :52:23.Assad regime, backed by Russia. The UK continued to call on all sides to

:52:24. > :52:28.take steps to create the conditions for peace negotiations to continue.

:52:29. > :52:32.In particular, Russia must use its influence over the regime to put a

:52:33. > :52:38.stop to indiscriminate attacks and the unacceptable violations of

:52:39. > :52:42.international law. Across the area, I thought, and other parties to the

:52:43. > :52:47.conflict are willfully impeding humanitarian access on a day by day

:52:48. > :52:53.basis, it is a brutal, unacceptable, and illegal actions to use

:52:54. > :52:58.starvation as a weapon of war. In London, world leaders demanded an

:52:59. > :53:02.end to these abuses, including the illegal use of siege and abstraction

:53:03. > :53:04.of humanitarian aid. In London conference reviewer sourcing for

:53:05. > :53:11.life-saving humanitarian supports but it was also be allowed to reach

:53:12. > :53:15.those in need as a result of the Syria conflict, irrespective of

:53:16. > :53:18.where they are. I also want to take this opportunity to provide an

:53:19. > :53:23.update on the campaign against Daesh interact and interior. Since my

:53:24. > :53:25.right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary last updated the House in

:53:26. > :53:30.the campaign against Daesh in the area and the rack come at the global

:53:31. > :53:35.Coalition with partner forces has put further pressure on --. Iraqi

:53:36. > :53:39.forces with Coalition support has to be taken large portions of Ramadi,

:53:40. > :53:46.and in Syria, the Coalition has supported the capture of the

:53:47. > :53:53.surrounding villages as well as areas south. The UK is playing our

:53:54. > :53:56.part. As of the 5th of February, arias typhoon, tornado, and aircraft

:53:57. > :54:03.have flown over 2000 combat missions and carried out more than 585

:54:04. > :54:07.successful air strikes. Across Syria and Iraq. We are also leading

:54:08. > :54:11.efforts to sanction those treating with or in the supporting Daesh. My

:54:12. > :54:15.right honourable friend in agreement at the European Council in December

:54:16. > :54:20.on asset freezes and other restrictive measures. Mr Speaker, in

:54:21. > :54:25.conclusion, since the want of this crisis, the UK has led the way in

:54:26. > :54:28.funding and shaping the international response. We have

:54:29. > :54:34.evolved our responses in this incredibly Compex crisis itself has

:54:35. > :54:37.evolved. There will be no end to the suffering on till a political

:54:38. > :54:42.solution can be found. The Syria conference co-hosted by the UK and

:54:43. > :54:45.held here in London was a pivotal moment to at least respond to how

:54:46. > :54:49.this people affected and those countries affected. We see the

:54:50. > :54:56.chance to offer the Syrian people and their children the hope for a

:54:57. > :55:00.better future. The UK will of off course be making that ambition a

:55:01. > :55:03.reality in keeping the international communities promised to the Syrian

:55:04. > :55:07.people, this is the right thing to do on behalf of those suffering and

:55:08. > :55:10.for the mentally it is also the right thing to do for Britain as

:55:11. > :55:17.well. A committee statement to the House.

:55:18. > :55:23.The Syrian crisis is the most pressing humanitarian challenge

:55:24. > :55:27.facing us at this time. The government is to be commended on

:55:28. > :55:33.co-hosting this important conference, which is raised over $10

:55:34. > :55:36.billion, for Siri and refugees. And the government is also to be

:55:37. > :55:43.commended on doubling our own commitments to over ?2.3 billion.

:55:44. > :55:51.The emphasis on education and jobs is entirely correct, and we cannot

:55:52. > :55:58.allow a whole generation of Syrian children to be lost. However, they

:55:59. > :56:04.will build whereby it the concern worldwide, that one third of the

:56:05. > :56:08.funds pledged to Syria during 2015 had not been confirmed by December

:56:09. > :56:14.of that year, so is she able to say whether all of the money pledged in

:56:15. > :56:18.2015 has been confirmed now? And that she appreciate the entire

:56:19. > :56:24.house's ropes, that she will get other countries, not just to match

:56:25. > :56:30.our generosity, but actually to hand the money over? But the highly

:56:31. > :56:37.commendable efforts for Siri and refugees in the region belied the

:56:38. > :56:45.government's will for myopia to pledge over half a million refugees

:56:46. > :56:52.who are here in Europe. It is true that the majority of Syrian refugees

:56:53. > :56:57.in the region, and the Syrian refugees -- situation continues to

:56:58. > :57:03.worsen. They are waiting at the border with Turkey, in response to

:57:04. > :57:07.Assad's bombardment of Aleppo. Can they explain how much longer this

:57:08. > :57:11.country and the EU can expect to keep its border with Syria open,

:57:12. > :57:18.while one in the same time, we want to prevent refugees from transiting

:57:19. > :57:24.towards Western Europe? The front desk conference Marais are vital.

:57:25. > :57:31.But surely it is also vital that this country shows a willingness to

:57:32. > :57:36.take its fair share of refugees, including Syrian refugees, currently

:57:37. > :57:42.the UK has agreed to take over five years, fewer refugees, then Germany

:57:43. > :57:48.has taken in one month. We appreciate on this side that this

:57:49. > :57:51.country is not signed up. But that the Secretary of acknowledged State

:57:52. > :57:56.that the fact that we are not signatures to that, does not remove

:57:57. > :58:03.the moral responsibility that falls on us as part of the European family

:58:04. > :58:07.of nations? And because the Secretary of State accept that very

:58:08. > :58:11.many people are surprised and disappointed that the government has

:58:12. > :58:17.rejected the save the children campaign's which is taken just 3000

:58:18. > :58:20.child refugees? The Secretary of State may well wish that these

:58:21. > :58:25.children had stayed in the region, but the direction in which the

:58:26. > :58:29.children chose to flee does not make them any less vulnerable. These

:58:30. > :58:32.children may not be in the part of the world at the Secretary of State

:58:33. > :58:40.would prefer, but they are still low children at risk of abuse, sex

:58:41. > :58:45.trafficking, and worse. The Secretary of State cannot behave as

:58:46. > :58:49.if there are two classes of child Siri and refugees. Once that he stay

:58:50. > :58:56.in the region, who she is prepared to help, but then another class

:58:57. > :59:00.travel to Europe, on whom she turns her back. The Secretary of State

:59:01. > :59:05.will also have heard reports of the German chancellor's speech in Turkey

:59:06. > :59:09.today. That she agreed with Angela Merkel that the ultimate solution to

:59:10. > :59:15.the current migrant crisis is safe and legal, pathways for refugees?

:59:16. > :59:22.Other political processes, I'm glad to say that on this site, we have

:59:23. > :59:26.very much supported it, to take steps to move forward to sustainable

:59:27. > :59:31.peace negotiations, in particular, Russia must use its influence on the

:59:32. > :59:37.Assad regime, and we entirely agree that it is unacceptable and illegal

:59:38. > :59:41.to use siege, starvation, and the blockage of humanitarian aid as a

:59:42. > :59:48.weapon of war. And we welcome the steps being taken to freeze Daesh

:59:49. > :59:53.assets, and other restrictive measures, such as the opposition

:59:54. > :00:00.have been calling on for some time. In conclusion, let me say this: Of

:00:01. > :00:05.course, most Syrians -- all Syrian refugees, want to return home, and

:00:06. > :00:11.immigrants and refugees, whether they go home or not never lose that

:00:12. > :00:16.hope in their hearts, that they will return to the contrary they were

:00:17. > :00:21.born in. But the fact is, whether the Secretary of State prefers it or

:00:22. > :00:27.not, there are half a million Syrian refugees here draft -- Western

:00:28. > :00:32.Europe. I visited the camp and Calais, and met very many Syrian

:00:33. > :00:36.refugees there. Many of whom would have actually had a legal right to

:00:37. > :00:43.come to this country. But all of whom were living in appalling

:00:44. > :00:48.conditions. When the caravan of these international events have

:00:49. > :00:52.moved on, there are still going to be thousands of Syrians and other

:00:53. > :00:58.refugees including an increasing proportion of women and children,

:00:59. > :01:02.living in appalling conditions in Europe, frightened, terrorised, and

:01:03. > :01:09.at the mercy of people traffickers, and we may all wish... We may all

:01:10. > :01:13.wish that they had not listened to the people traffickers, but this

:01:14. > :01:17.government should be doing more, not just the Syrian refugees in the

:01:18. > :01:23.region, but for the very many suffering Syrian refugees here in

:01:24. > :01:27.Western Europe. Thank you, Mr Speaker. She raises an important

:01:28. > :01:32.point that it is vital that countries came and made promises at

:01:33. > :01:36.last week's conference, and they live up to them, too often at

:01:37. > :01:42.similar meetings in the past countries have wanted to come in and

:01:43. > :01:47.make plans or set out promises that they have not simply lived up to,

:01:48. > :01:51.and the UK will play its role in delivering certain promises that we

:01:52. > :01:55.have in the past, and in the future, but also we will make sure that the

:01:56. > :01:59.transparency there to enable us to ensure that other countries live up

:02:00. > :02:03.to the promises that they made. I think it is wrong of her quite

:02:04. > :02:10.simply to say that we have not played on a roll. Frankly, our

:02:11. > :02:15.strategy has been to tackle the root causes of the crisis that we have

:02:16. > :02:24.seen reaching our own shores, which is actually to make staying close to

:02:25. > :02:29.home, which is overwhelmingly most refugees's first choice, it has been

:02:30. > :02:34.a failure to deliver on those sorts of promises, and those sorts of

:02:35. > :02:38.resources that they need, that has led them over time to steadily give

:02:39. > :02:42.up on that. Indeed, we are absolutely playing a role close to

:02:43. > :02:48.home, here in Europe. It has been the UK that has been working with

:02:49. > :02:52.UNHCR, making sure that newly arrived refugees are effectively

:02:53. > :02:56.registered, although she will understand the challenges of that on

:02:57. > :03:00.occasion, but also making sure that they have the kind of shelter,

:03:01. > :03:06.clothing, blankets, and sustenance that they need, and often making

:03:07. > :03:11.that often fatal journey. She will know that we are resettling 20,000

:03:12. > :03:17.from the region itself directly, that is not only a safer route for

:03:18. > :03:21.people to be able to get to the UK, if that is where being resettled to

:03:22. > :03:24.come and come and actually enables us also to focus on the most

:03:25. > :03:28.vulnerable people, affected by this crisis, you need to be resettled.

:03:29. > :03:33.People who could not otherwise make the kind of journey we have seen

:03:34. > :03:36.with other refugees, making across Europe, and of course, in more

:03:37. > :03:43.recent days, we have set out that we will be doing helpless children. I'm

:03:44. > :03:48.very proud of the work that the UK has done to put children at the

:03:49. > :03:57.centre of our response to the Syrian crisis. It was the United Kingdom...

:03:58. > :04:04.Has been buried UK helped that Unicef has been able to put safe

:04:05. > :04:08.zones in refugee camps to help link up children who have got separated

:04:09. > :04:12.from their families, and it has been the UK that has been helping to make

:04:13. > :04:17.sure that the kind of psychosocial support that children so often need,

:04:18. > :04:23.having been involved in the sort of crisis is, it has been the UK

:04:24. > :04:28.helping to make sure that support is there for those children, and we

:04:29. > :04:34.will continue to do that. More broadly, she has talked about her

:04:35. > :04:44.condemnation of Russia, which again, is correct, and we can debate on how

:04:45. > :04:47.the UK's support affected by this crisis is working, but I think that

:04:48. > :04:52.we should all be able to agree on is that the routine, flagrant,

:04:53. > :04:55.deliberate breaches, day-to-day of international humanitarian law that

:04:56. > :05:01.we see in relation to this crisis, are totally unacceptable, and a

:05:02. > :05:05.country like Russia should be playing its role in pressing the

:05:06. > :05:09.Assad regime, which it is spending so much time and resources in

:05:10. > :05:14.supporting, to allow the aid that is there, in places like Damascus to

:05:15. > :05:18.get down the road to the people who desperately need it, and I believe

:05:19. > :05:24.that in time, as we look back on this crisis, in the years to come,

:05:25. > :05:28.this breach that we see of international humanitarian law will

:05:29. > :05:31.be one of the most telling aspects that people ask themselves, how

:05:32. > :05:38.could this have been allowed to go on? But I commend my right

:05:39. > :05:43.honourable friend for that very calm, and factual statement that she

:05:44. > :05:48.made about the situation for the Syrian refugees, but I suppose to

:05:49. > :05:52.the rather shadow Secretary of State, she is trying to whip up a

:05:53. > :05:55.motion about these things, and which you agree with me that actually we

:05:56. > :05:59.do need peace and the region, and we do need to talk to Russia about what

:06:00. > :06:04.they are doing, and somebody needs to to to -- tackle Assad, and we

:06:05. > :06:08.should be looking at keeping as many people as possible in the area where

:06:09. > :06:13.they have been brought up, with a culture is correct, would they

:06:14. > :06:16.understand the lifestyle, rather than encouraging them, as the party

:06:17. > :06:20.opposite might choose to do, to get them to come to this country where

:06:21. > :06:29.we are putting so much money I'm a taxpayer's money, to helping these

:06:30. > :06:34.people settle elsewhere. These are two related issues, but of course,

:06:35. > :06:39.we are playing a role close to home here in Europe, in helping refugees

:06:40. > :06:42.who have finally arrived on our shores, but she is right to

:06:43. > :06:48.recognise that overwhelmingly refugees basically want to stay

:06:49. > :06:58.close to home. I met a lady in my last trip to Jordan who family's

:06:59. > :07:05.stolen homes, -- still in the homes. -- homes. But she desperately needed

:07:06. > :07:10.there was to be able to work legally, to support herself, while

:07:11. > :07:14.she tried to get on with the light that she suddenly found herself

:07:15. > :07:18.living. A life, as I said at the beginning of this crisis, that

:07:19. > :07:21.overwhelmingly, none of the refugees that they would leave Syria for

:07:22. > :07:24.anything more than a few weeks, or a few months, and we should all think

:07:25. > :07:28.about how we would cope with those sorts of situations. It is incumbent

:07:29. > :07:32.on the industrial community go to make sure that we now go beyond this

:07:33. > :07:37.day-to-day support for people, so they're not just a block, but they

:07:38. > :07:41.are able to have some kind of life. It is in their interest, it is also

:07:42. > :07:50.in the interests of the host communities, who are so generously

:07:51. > :07:53.accommodating them. Thank you. We also welcome the pledges and

:07:54. > :07:57.commitments that have been made at the conference, recognising the

:07:58. > :08:01.chief and the biggest ever pledges in one day, particularly the

:08:02. > :08:04.commitments on child education. I would echo the concerns about the

:08:05. > :08:08.difference between making a pledge, and fulfilling a pledge, and being

:08:09. > :08:14.able to hear what was discussed at the conference and any processes,

:08:15. > :08:20.and implementation of pledges, bear in mind the pledges last year.

:08:21. > :08:25.There's also a feeling in some quarters that civil society was

:08:26. > :08:27.underrepresented. Especially in local and national, and society

:08:28. > :08:31.organization, yet it is those organizations that are on the

:08:32. > :08:37.front-line responders to the crisis, and inside Syria, other

:08:38. > :08:40.international counterparts not. It would be interesting to see what

:08:41. > :08:44.will the Secretary of State sees, or civil society about the terms of

:08:45. > :08:50.decision-making, and implementation. In recognising while the government

:08:51. > :08:53.has played, we would echo the concerns about response to the

:08:54. > :09:01.refugee crisis in Europe, and I would also suggest that rather than

:09:02. > :09:05.20,000 refugees over four years, it should be 24,000 this year alone, so

:09:06. > :09:10.I hope the commitments the UK has made, with those displaced by the

:09:11. > :09:13.conflict, especially those already in Europe. Already, the only viable

:09:14. > :09:17.long-term solution must be negotiated peace. The discussions

:09:18. > :09:23.has she continued to have with the Cabinet colleagues about the impact

:09:24. > :09:30.of UK air strikes? The she believed that it has been helped or hindered?

:09:31. > :09:33.While seeking to improve humanitarian response among time it

:09:34. > :09:39.is not adding to the crisis on the other. The prize may not be one that

:09:40. > :09:47.he craves, probably the longest sentence and the parliament. Thank

:09:48. > :09:51.you. I will try and briefly answer the points that he is raised. They

:09:52. > :09:55.are all important ones, and I said before, we tried to do our best to

:09:56. > :09:59.make sure that the commitments made last Thursday are honoured. He is

:10:00. > :10:04.red to highlight the important role of civil society, in fact we have

:10:05. > :10:13.the day dedicated to that, last Wednesday, and there are actually 17

:10:14. > :10:16.Syrian civil society organizations, and 27 nanograms eighth overall. The

:10:17. > :10:21.role that they have, already played, and continue to play, is delivered

:10:22. > :10:25.on the ground. Many of them put their lives on the line every single

:10:26. > :10:29.day of the week to get into communities who desperately need

:10:30. > :10:35.their help. Secondly, to continue to assess needs. In order to make sure

:10:36. > :10:38.that we target our... And is often vital information that we get from

:10:39. > :10:43.civil society, and finally, I think looking ahead, optimistically,

:10:44. > :10:46.perhaps but nevertheless importantly, when we find that we

:10:47. > :10:50.get to a position where we can see Syria getting back on its feet, and

:10:51. > :10:56.rebuild the role of civil society, not only in understanding needs and

:10:57. > :10:59.priorities of local people, but forming networks that can actually

:11:00. > :11:04.help on the ground to deliver that work will be critical, and I have

:11:05. > :11:10.already sent out that I believe that we are playing our role, not only in

:11:11. > :11:16.the region, but also closer to home, here in the UK. I would like to

:11:17. > :11:19.point out that ?1 spent here in Europe is not did anyone -- anywhere

:11:20. > :11:23.near as far as supporting refugees as a talent that can be delivered

:11:24. > :11:27.closer to home in the region, providing food, water, shelter,

:11:28. > :11:30.getting a child into school, who is currently out of school, so it is

:11:31. > :11:36.incredibly important that we make sure that we do not lose sight of

:11:37. > :11:40.the root causes that underlie the refugees that we have seen coming to

:11:41. > :11:45.Europe over recent months. Finally, I could not disagree even more, on

:11:46. > :11:49.UK air strikes. You will not be surprised to hear that, but one of

:11:50. > :11:54.the key challenges to ever reaching any kind of a peaceful settlement

:11:55. > :12:01.and Syria is of course the presence of the barbaric Daesh. Who,

:12:02. > :12:04.day-to-day, routinely commit -- acts of unspeakable brutality,

:12:05. > :12:09.particularly on women, on people more generally, in the territories

:12:10. > :12:13.that they control. His people are not simply going to get up and go

:12:14. > :12:17.home, that is why we need to take military action against them, to

:12:18. > :12:23.force them, out of those territories, who are already seeing

:12:24. > :12:26.it happening in Iraq, and they are leaving a wasteland behind them, but

:12:27. > :12:31.it is a wasteland that we can start to rebuild. We will do the same and

:12:32. > :12:36.Syria. I wholeheartedly support what the government are doing here. It is

:12:37. > :12:42.a critical part of our strategy, to ensure that the two small nations

:12:43. > :12:48.nearby, in particular Jordan and Lebanon, are able to cope, with the

:12:49. > :12:51.most incredibly difficult number of refugees, to their overall

:12:52. > :12:54.populations. Can the Secretary of State give us some detail as to work

:12:55. > :13:02.they're doing to encourage those two nations, in relation to customs, for

:13:03. > :13:06.the idea of economical operation, perhaps not just for the UK, but

:13:07. > :13:10.within the EU as a whole. To try to ensure that they do their best, but

:13:11. > :13:14.also recognising the fact that many hundreds of thousands of those eerie

:13:15. > :13:21.refugees, are likely to be in Jordan, and Lebanon for many years

:13:22. > :13:26.to come. I am pleased he raises this issue of... I think it is a historic

:13:27. > :13:29.step forward, in terms of getting an agreement to start to create jobs

:13:30. > :13:34.for refugees, for many years, they have not been able to work legally.

:13:35. > :13:37.That has forced many into working illegally to try and support

:13:38. > :13:41.themselves, many of them might have left Syria, with some assets, but

:13:42. > :13:44.with over the weeks months and years, the assets have been

:13:45. > :13:48.depleted, and it is reaching the end of that, as many of them have to

:13:49. > :13:51.decide that they know how alternative to try to find a life

:13:52. > :13:55.somewhere else. This matters, and what we was essentially countries

:13:56. > :14:01.like Jordan and Lebanon taking the decision to now allow work permits

:14:02. > :14:04.so that Syrian refugees with greater numbers can work legally, and those

:14:05. > :14:09.were big decisions for them today, but decisions that I think were

:14:10. > :14:14.right. As they coped, and indeed often struggled to cope with the

:14:15. > :14:19.refugees who are temporarily put in large numbers, within their

:14:20. > :14:24.countries, what are we doing? Well, on the Jordanian and Lebanese side,

:14:25. > :14:31.particularly with Jordan, which have and they just tax rates, some of

:14:32. > :14:36.this will be the Syrian economy and exile, business leaders are

:14:37. > :14:39.establishing their Syrian... That is not just good for Syrians who can

:14:40. > :14:44.get back into work, it is also providing work for local people who

:14:45. > :14:47.are unemployed, and of course that is been complemented by investment

:14:48. > :14:52.coming in from the World Bank, from the European investment Bank, who

:14:53. > :14:57.critically also reformed the European Union level, and making our

:14:58. > :15:00.own trade barriers more flexible, so that actually countries like Jordan

:15:01. > :15:04.can more easily sell their goods into the huge market that is the

:15:05. > :15:09.European market. I think we should be really proud of the work that was

:15:10. > :15:15.achieved at the conference, but with Jordan and Lebanon, it was very calm

:15:16. > :15:19.growing UK, ideas that were put on the table, and international support

:15:20. > :15:24.was there. Most importantly, it gave us the chance to work directly with

:15:25. > :15:27.governments in Jordan and Lebanon to help in the long-term, to provide

:15:28. > :15:34.jobs and growth that will be there hopefully long after their generous

:15:35. > :15:39.hosting of refugees. It cannot be disputed. I will point out that we

:15:40. > :15:46.got the to backbench questions in seven minutes, ask, so we should try

:15:47. > :15:56.it -- drive for productivity improvement. It is immensely

:15:57. > :16:01.important, but she did say that Britain was also helping refugees in

:16:02. > :16:05.Europe. The honest truth is that his timing that is being provided, and

:16:06. > :16:11.she will note that there are refugees in Greece, in the Balkans,

:16:12. > :16:14.closer to home, and Calais, and there I was humanitarian conditions

:16:15. > :16:17.than those in the region, and they are being denied the Board by

:16:18. > :16:22.governments, the UN, and aid agencies, because they are in

:16:23. > :16:24.Europe. Can't you tell us when children are suffering, from

:16:25. > :16:28.scabies, bronchitis, from the cold, how much of the London conference

:16:29. > :16:33.funding will go to helping refugees in Europe, and if the answer is

:16:34. > :16:35.none, but is she doing to have a similar approach in conference to

:16:36. > :16:41.help those refugees who are in Europe as well? Conference was

:16:42. > :16:47.indeed to make sure that we are responding in the region, to Syrian

:16:48. > :16:51.refugees, and indeed host countries who are affected by this crisis. She

:16:52. > :16:55.asked about the responses here in Europe, but we are talking about

:16:56. > :16:58.European countries who have the resources themselves to be able to

:16:59. > :17:03.respond and help refugees who are currently in their own countries,

:17:04. > :17:11.and as far as I have set out, the UK has played its role in helping

:17:12. > :17:14.refugees who arrived. I strongly support the government's approach,

:17:15. > :17:20.giving maximum help to refugees near their homeland. I strongly support

:17:21. > :17:24.the government's participation, and crucial initiatives for political

:17:25. > :17:31.progress and peace. What impact on British Government policy is there

:17:32. > :17:33.from the intensive vocation of Russian supported Assad supported

:17:34. > :17:38.Russian military intervention? The main impact has been the breakdown

:17:39. > :17:43.of peace talk progress. In the short-term, in the end, it is going

:17:44. > :17:47.to be resettlement that gives people the hope and future that they want

:17:48. > :17:55.to be able to be able to go back and rebuild their country. The positive

:17:56. > :18:01.role Artie being played by the RAF in the Coalition campaign to drive

:18:02. > :18:06.Daesh back from territory, but that she agreed that the catastrophe

:18:07. > :18:09.including the humanitarian catastrophe, and refugee Ted

:18:10. > :18:14.Cassidy, will continue as long as Daesh control large areas of Syria,

:18:15. > :18:20.and as long as President Assad supported by Pugin, slaughters his

:18:21. > :18:25.own people? Yes I do, entirely, I have set out the Honorable

:18:26. > :18:29.gentleman, where I think it is critical that we maintain Syria's

:18:30. > :18:33.integrity as a country, and that means regaining the territory that

:18:34. > :18:37.has been lost to Daesh. They can be no peace settlement in a so-called

:18:38. > :18:42.Syria, until we have that territory back under control, and it can form

:18:43. > :18:47.part of the peace talks. I'm grateful to the Secretary of State

:18:48. > :18:55.for coming here. She is always a good commentator. Can GE confirm

:18:56. > :18:59.that we will continue to focus our different work in the camps, and in

:19:00. > :19:03.the region, with ultimately tackling the root cause of this problem, that

:19:04. > :19:11.a political solution is the only long-term solution? I strongly agree

:19:12. > :19:16.with her, and the talks need to get back under way, and of course UN

:19:17. > :19:20.Security Council for this resolution at the end of last year set out a

:19:21. > :19:25.road map for that being able to take place, but there were two key areas

:19:26. > :19:29.that were highlighted. One was for a cease-fire, the second was for free

:19:30. > :19:34.access to humanitarian supplies to get to people, and it is the lack of

:19:35. > :19:41.progress on these that during peaks talks, combined with actually

:19:42. > :19:50.attacks by the Assad forces, and supported by the Russians that is

:19:51. > :19:54.undermining them making progress. Words cannot convey the impotence

:19:55. > :20:01.and the anger that we as politicians of the lack of progress in the peace

:20:02. > :20:08.process. The contribution made by the government, but at the same

:20:09. > :20:16.time, we are seeing humanitarian crisis developed today, at the

:20:17. > :20:22.border with Turkey, and the single Merkel has made it quite clear what

:20:23. > :20:25.she feels about it. She says the Russians are primarily responsible

:20:26. > :20:31.for the bombing. The reason the people are fleeing in droves from

:20:32. > :20:36.Syria, has the foreign office called in Russia on Assad, has the Prime

:20:37. > :20:41.Minister called in the Assad? He should be called in every day until

:20:42. > :20:48.they stop bombing civilians in Syria. She will be pleased to hear

:20:49. > :20:51.that the foreign secretaries part of the international Syrian support

:20:52. > :20:54.group, and I will be meeting in Munich this Thursday, hopefully with

:20:55. > :20:57.the Russians there, and is precisely the sorts of messages that we will

:20:58. > :21:01.be delivering to the Russians, which is that they have a critical part to

:21:02. > :21:06.play in enabling the peace talks to move forward, at the moment, their

:21:07. > :21:10.actions are taking us further away from a peaceful settlement, because

:21:11. > :21:12.they are bombing the very moderate opposition around which a political

:21:13. > :21:20.transition government should be able to form. The Secretary of State has

:21:21. > :21:25.every right to be exceptionally proud of what was achieved at the

:21:26. > :21:36.conference. But, I'm afraid that we need to do more locally in Europe.

:21:37. > :21:40.Shall know that I... I can tell her that the Greeks are not coping. We

:21:41. > :21:45.need, as Britain, to lead, as we have done, and there are children

:21:46. > :21:50.and refugees in Europe who need our help, Greece is on its knees, and

:21:51. > :21:55.will she meet with us to hear our first hand account emotionally, and

:21:56. > :21:59.factually, about what we saw? I'm very happy to meet with her, and I

:22:00. > :22:10.have read about the reports of the visit that she made. I would be that

:22:11. > :22:14.-- are her that we can work with Greece. It has been with the UK that

:22:15. > :22:20.has been working with UNHCR, which has been registering many of the

:22:21. > :22:24.refugees who have been arriving. In the end, we also have to accept that

:22:25. > :22:31.Greece has sovereign control over itself, and will want to ultimately

:22:32. > :22:34.organise how it deals with refugees. Yes, it needs resource and, that is

:22:35. > :22:37.what the European Community is discussing, how it can effectively

:22:38. > :22:41.do that, the UK has been a part of that, but in the meantime, our focus

:22:42. > :22:46.is also on dealing with the root causes as to why those people lost

:22:47. > :22:50.any hope of feeling like there was a future for them in the region that

:22:51. > :22:57.they lived in and had grown up in. That surely has to be the main focus

:22:58. > :23:02.for us as well. The prime minister accepted when the House supported to

:23:03. > :23:07.exempt military campaign against Isis, from Iraq to Syria in

:23:08. > :23:12.December, that is extended, not only our involvement, but the

:23:13. > :23:17.responsibility to. Can I ask her more about the peace process that

:23:18. > :23:22.she has touched on, it would be needy -- easy to lose faith in this.

:23:23. > :23:27.Given the events of recent days. But that she agreed that while the key

:23:28. > :23:31.difference that she is talking about are commendable, the only long-term

:23:32. > :23:35.solution for the people of Syria is not eight, but a country in which

:23:36. > :23:39.they can live, and is there anything more that she can say about how to

:23:40. > :23:45.get this political process back on track? He will know that the key

:23:46. > :23:49.next steps are this Thursday when the international city area support

:23:50. > :23:53.group meets, and then there is building towards hopefully a peace

:23:54. > :24:02.talk, which are having a pause, which was described by the UN, and

:24:03. > :24:05.there are two elements to this. One is the peace talks, and that

:24:06. > :24:11.political dialogue that is under way, the second is in response to

:24:12. > :24:15.what happened earlier. The military action that is needed to eradicate

:24:16. > :24:19.Daesh from that part of the country, that it is currently holding. Making

:24:20. > :24:22.progress on both of those is critical, and the final step will be

:24:23. > :24:27.the chance to put into practice much of the planning that is there

:24:28. > :24:34.already, and unable to be dead on with, which is the rebuilding of

:24:35. > :24:39.Syria. The whole generations of children have grown up in refugee

:24:40. > :24:44.camps, such as in Algeria, and with all of that education and

:24:45. > :24:45.radicalisation, but can be done to prevent something similar happening

:24:46. > :25:10.near Syria? The need to at least be able to read

:25:11. > :25:13.and write and have some sort of an education. There are too many

:25:14. > :25:17.children have lost too many days in school, but after last Thursday we

:25:18. > :25:21.have a much better chance of getting them back into the classroom and

:25:22. > :25:28.that mining. That is precisely what we're hoping to do over the next few

:25:29. > :25:35.weeks and months. Would like a Job with others in, the reminder also

:25:36. > :25:38.with the Yemeni donor conference six years ago is not the pledges that

:25:39. > :25:43.matter but also the pain over the money put back in that case only 10%

:25:44. > :25:48.has been paid over. The key local countries Turkey. The EU has pledged

:25:49. > :25:54.Turkey 3 billion euros in order to do with this crisis. At that money

:25:55. > :25:59.be repaid over at least in part and can she reassure the House that

:26:00. > :26:04.recent elements are not affecting the processing of the 19,000 Syrian

:26:05. > :26:12.refugees that the Prime Minister has pledged for to come in before the

:26:13. > :26:17.next election? Why make that 3 billion was very much reach as part

:26:18. > :26:20.of the conference that we had last Thursday and by Kim Miley very keen

:26:21. > :26:25.to make sure that all the commitments made last Thursday I

:26:26. > :26:30.delivered for us to achieve the results that we set ourselves. To

:26:31. > :26:35.make sure that there are no Syrian refugees out of school by the end of

:26:36. > :26:38.this forthcoming academic year. More broadly, he should be reassured that

:26:39. > :26:44.the UK will continue to play a role in ensuring that we do a lot in our

:26:45. > :26:48.response to this crisis, which we arty have, and have been the second

:26:49. > :26:57.is biggest bilateral donor today. We also continue to shape the response

:26:58. > :27:02.as well. Thank you Mr Speaker once someone ceases to be a displaced

:27:03. > :27:07.person internally, and crosses an international border, in their minds

:27:08. > :27:12.and in reality, they become refugees or economic migrants. It is very

:27:13. > :27:15.difficult for them to go back to their own country. It is much more

:27:16. > :27:19.difficult for them to go back to their own country. It is would be

:27:20. > :27:23.great if the international community, that has built so far to

:27:24. > :27:28.stop the world would come to some kind of agreement to set up safe

:27:29. > :27:32.areas close to other countries on the borders of other countries,

:27:33. > :27:37.which we could reach into and look after people, so that when the time

:27:38. > :27:43.comes and politics works, they can to go home within their own country.

:27:44. > :27:49.I think the hope is that following last Thursday's conference, we will

:27:50. > :27:52.be better able to help those countries that offer for the

:27:53. > :27:57.refugees to flee to on the border with Syria. But they are better able

:27:58. > :28:00.to cope with the refugees who are down there. Mr Speaker, I think we

:28:01. > :28:04.all hope in time that the refugees will be able to go back to their

:28:05. > :28:08.countries. The reality is that the difficult time that someone will

:28:09. > :28:12.spend as a refugee is now 17 years. This is why the work on getting

:28:13. > :28:21.children into school, the work on jobs, is so important. Thank you Mr

:28:22. > :28:25.Speaker. What's concrete -- concrete action does the conference agreed to

:28:26. > :28:32.following the toxic intervention of the Russians and the likelihood that

:28:33. > :28:33.a site will impose a blockade? Was the subject today convoys or

:28:34. > :28:41.airdrops discussed at the conference? This general point that

:28:42. > :28:45.he races all access and making sure that, alongside making sure that the

:28:46. > :28:49.sources for UN agencies and NGOs needed, we also then have the

:28:50. > :28:53.ability to get back resorts into people in need, is a central part of

:28:54. > :28:56.this conference will stop this is why I said out of my state and how

:28:57. > :29:00.important it is for the international community to reiterate

:29:01. > :29:04.his support for freedom and humanitarian access. We should

:29:05. > :29:09.condemn all of those who are stopping come on in day-to-day

:29:10. > :29:19.basis, key supplies for which people often need. The easiest thing in

:29:20. > :29:22.politics is to say to do more. Can I do say how proud I am of the

:29:23. > :29:26.secretaries of state, the Prime Minister and the UK's response to

:29:27. > :29:30.this humanitarian crisis. Can I say that I agree with the members that

:29:31. > :29:35.we must now tackle this issue of indiscriminate bombing by Russian

:29:36. > :29:38.Air forces. And what can be done to get the UN's special envoy back on

:29:39. > :29:45.the table with the Russians and stop the spamming which is making this

:29:46. > :29:48.crisis so much worse? I actually think this UK Palm is playing its

:29:49. > :29:54.own role in highlighting this issue. It is the thing that has led to the

:29:55. > :29:59.current path in the peace talks. It is vital that this Thursday in

:30:00. > :30:04.Munich, that the Russians take a long, hard look at their role in

:30:05. > :30:07.being able to make or break these peace talks. At the moment the

:30:08. > :30:16.actions they are taking is preventing progress. It's as simple

:30:17. > :30:19.as that. On friends, in terms of cease-fire, too in terms of failing

:30:20. > :30:21.to do is persuade the apartheid regime to allow supplies into key

:30:22. > :30:28.areas that they have under control. Mr Speaker into many request the UN

:30:29. > :30:32.agencies have made to the on-site rigging, 10% has been agreed in

:30:33. > :30:37.terms of allowing access to areas. This is a total disgrace. I would

:30:38. > :30:45.help the Russians would raise that with the assigned rigging which they

:30:46. > :30:48.are doing so much to support. Cannot commend the development cycle tour

:30:49. > :30:52.for the resources that have been allocated to educating children and

:30:53. > :30:55.young people from Syria, while being displaced. It is my understanding

:30:56. > :31:00.that this is almost exclusively being channeled through you this but

:31:01. > :31:05.-- Unicef. Can she confirm with a house that British agencies with a

:31:06. > :31:09.lot of experience in these areas, and the door for this is absent, for

:31:10. > :31:17.using then and harnessing their expertise in this matter? The

:31:18. > :31:21.initiative was a up with you this is, who is not a amazing job in

:31:22. > :31:26.allowing us to scale up this work. Of course now is essentially owned

:31:27. > :31:30.by government in Lebanon and Jordan, which I've had a privileged to work

:31:31. > :31:34.alongside in putting together these plans do not enable us to scale up

:31:35. > :31:37.to make sure that all children in those countries can get into school.

:31:38. > :31:42.I think the best thing I would suggest to him is that they NGOs do

:31:43. > :31:48.get in touch with stupid to understand what role they could play

:31:49. > :31:56.those government of Jordan and Lebanon plans, to get children back

:31:57. > :32:01.into school. Thank you Mr Speaker. Indeed I command my right honourable

:32:02. > :32:05.friend and to the government for not only convening the Syrian donor

:32:06. > :32:09.conference, but also for the significant in reaching the

:32:10. > :32:16.mandatory and support, that we are providing. In recent times Saudi

:32:17. > :32:19.Arabia and the UAE and consequent military action in Syria, can you

:32:20. > :32:23.say what those countries and others like countries in the region are

:32:24. > :32:31.doing that with regard to humanitarian aid? I think one of the

:32:32. > :32:36.big sets of this conference was the stepping up of the region itself.

:32:37. > :32:40.Stepping up to provide the resources and humanitarian supplies to get

:32:41. > :32:45.through to people and of course the last three donor conferences have

:32:46. > :32:49.been in the region in Kuwait. We have chose to host the conference

:32:50. > :32:54.this year, but it has substantial and significant risk support from

:32:55. > :33:05.the region. That is one of the reason we were able to reach such a

:33:06. > :33:08.record breaking response. Can't I talk about concerns about the

:33:09. > :33:12.conditions of some of the refugee camps? Not just in Syria in the

:33:13. > :33:15.region, but also in Europe too. What assessment has the Secretary of

:33:16. > :33:20.State's department made of the health risk in particular the public

:33:21. > :33:24.health risk, arising from those squalid conditions. What more can be

:33:25. > :33:30.done to help alleviate the risk -- refugees were living in those

:33:31. > :33:34.conditions Baggio as I said earlier that we have provided key support to

:33:35. > :33:38.refugees arriving in Europe, including most recently we announced

:33:39. > :33:42.?10 million fund that is critically going to enable us to provide

:33:43. > :33:45.practical support refugees who are having to cope with some of those to

:33:46. > :33:56.school conditions that he talked about. Can I commit my right

:33:57. > :34:00.honourable friend was invented that. What are the Turks meant to deliver

:34:01. > :34:04.a return to the 3 billion euros which the EU is getting them,

:34:05. > :34:11.especially with regard to the way to latest wave of refugees from the

:34:12. > :34:14.crisis is why might you be aware that their already substantial

:34:15. > :34:18.numbers of refugees in Turkey. Tooling in total. That plan is

:34:19. > :34:23.really around helping them to continue to provide the kind of food

:34:24. > :34:27.water and shelter and source of education, and some of the job

:34:28. > :34:35.programmes that will enable refugees to cope with the circumstances they

:34:36. > :34:39.now find themselves in. Is serious to have a stable and peaceful

:34:40. > :34:43.future, and women and girls have in part to play in that, I wonder the

:34:44. > :34:46.Secretary of State could say why there is no mention of the role of

:34:47. > :34:52.women in the Syrian stabilisation paper published last week? I fully

:34:53. > :34:57.agree with her that women have a key role to play. Not only in the

:34:58. > :35:03.rebuilding of Syria in time but in the peace talks. We should happen in

:35:04. > :35:07.advance. Shall know that alongside all the work that we have done to

:35:08. > :35:11.protect children affected by this crisis, we have particularly focused

:35:12. > :35:18.on women as well. We know that humanitarian emergencies and women

:35:19. > :35:21.and girls and in particular at adolescent girls are important and

:35:22. > :35:26.we work very hard to make sure that the risk that they face are managed.

:35:27. > :35:35.I will notify her further us on the plans that we have regarding women

:35:36. > :35:39.in regards to the Syrian crisis. The Secretary of State highlights what

:35:40. > :35:46.happens to people upon their arrival to Europe. But that's the question

:35:47. > :35:53.is what happens after that? Those that have already arrived in 2015

:35:54. > :35:59.and who should do it? Of courses is not part of the Schengen area. You

:36:00. > :36:01.keep cat -- UK played our own role in helping Syrian refugees that need

:36:02. > :36:06.to be settled out of the region. That's why the Prime Minister has

:36:07. > :36:12.pledged to have 20,000 Syrians resettled. I like to play tribute to

:36:13. > :36:17.the work of my Honorable friend, who has overseen that process today. We

:36:18. > :36:19.met our first time I'd had getting 1000 Syrian refugees resettled prior

:36:20. > :36:32.to Christmas. I think we should be proud of that. Today up to 70,000

:36:33. > :36:36.refugees and advancing forces from the Russian air strikes had been

:36:37. > :36:40.able to cross to Turkey. Can the Secretary to the House was being

:36:41. > :36:47.done to offer immediate help to these poor people? Element will of

:36:48. > :36:52.course that flow of is happening because of action by the Syrian

:36:53. > :36:57.regime. This is driving them out of their homes. This has been a

:36:58. > :37:01.persistent issue that we have seen of the last few years. We have to

:37:02. > :37:04.direct you with our own partners on the ground to make sure that

:37:05. > :37:10.humanitarian support is getting to those Syrian refugees, affected by

:37:11. > :37:14.this. Of course more broadly as we understand it, Turkish authorities

:37:15. > :37:23.rules are putting in place necessary measures to make sure people are

:37:24. > :37:28.able to cross the border. Statement of the Secretary of State for

:37:29. > :37:39.Communities and Local Government. Secretary Greg Clark. Hear, hear! Mr

:37:40. > :37:43.Speaker I am pleased to report financial information for the next

:37:44. > :37:46.year. To hundred 78 responses for the consultation. My ministers and I

:37:47. > :37:50.have met with local government leaders from all types of authority,

:37:51. > :37:56.from all parts of the country and many college in this house. Hear,

:37:57. > :37:59.hear! . I have listened carefully to each of them. Colleagues that have

:38:00. > :38:04.work with you before, know that I always take the views of the members

:38:05. > :38:07.of this house seriously and I always respond what I can to practical and

:38:08. > :38:12.sensible suggestions. I am grateful to everyone who has taken the

:38:13. > :38:16.trouble to make such suggestions. The provisional settlement contained

:38:17. > :38:23.a number of important innovations. First, although the stats to assess

:38:24. > :38:27.settlement is for 2016 and 17 I set out to allow councils to apply for a

:38:28. > :38:31.four-year budget, extending to the end of the problem. This change of

:38:32. > :38:34.its councils to plan with greater certainty. The offer was widely

:38:35. > :38:38.appreciated in the consultation. This is not surprising since as a

:38:39. > :38:41.sum that local government has been requesting for years. I want to give

:38:42. > :38:47.councils the time to consider this offer. And translate this into

:38:48. > :38:54.efficiency savings. I give councils to the Friday appointee of October

:38:55. > :38:57.to respond. Many have done so positively already. Secondly in the

:38:58. > :39:00.provisional settlement, I responded to the clear call from all tiers of

:39:01. > :39:04.local government and too many colleagues across this house, to

:39:05. > :39:08.recognise the important priorities and growing cost of caring for our

:39:09. > :39:14.elderly population. In advance of the spending review. The local

:39:15. > :39:17.Government Association and the directors of adult social services

:39:18. > :39:24.have written to me requesting additional to .9 billion per year be

:39:25. > :39:28.available by 2019. What a dedicated social care of to percent per year

:39:29. > :39:38.equivalent to ?23 per year, on average. A better care front of 1.5

:39:39. > :39:41.billion per year by 2019 and 2020. These are measures to address these

:39:42. > :39:48.issues I care. The provisional settlement made up to three and half

:39:49. > :39:53.billion available by 2019 thirdly, recognising the council services in

:39:54. > :39:56.rural areas, Faith extra cost. I suppose in the provisional

:39:57. > :40:02.settlement, that the rule services delivery of the increase from 15 and

:40:03. > :40:07.a half billion this year to 20 billion in 2015 and provisionally to

:40:08. > :40:12.65 million by 20 19. Councils and colleagues who represent rural

:40:13. > :40:17.areas, welcome to. But the gap between rural and girls councils, in

:40:18. > :40:25.terms of government funding, should not widen. Fourthly this years

:40:26. > :40:30.provisional settlement, marked the turning point for our over

:40:31. > :40:35.centralised pass. At the start of the 2010, almost 80% of the local

:40:36. > :40:44.councils expenditure was financed by central government funds. Revenue

:40:45. > :40:51.support by day she will account for. By 2019 and 2020 only 5%. Revenues

:40:52. > :40:56.will disappear altogether as we move to 100% retention. Local financing

:40:57. > :41:00.through counsel takes and business rates has been a big objective of

:41:01. > :41:04.councils for decades. However the many authorities and many honourable

:41:05. > :41:11.members, especially from counties like Dorsett, rest assured,

:41:12. > :41:17.Worcestershire and Lancashire and several mind are including Kingston,

:41:18. > :41:21.have argued for transitional help to the first to years, when central

:41:22. > :41:24.government grounds declined sharply. They have argued that other local

:41:25. > :41:30.resources would not have had the time by then to build up fully. So

:41:31. > :41:34.much in the provisions settlement is welcome, the specific points were

:41:35. > :41:38.raised about the sharpest changes in the government grounds in the early

:41:39. > :41:43.years of this part -- Parliament. Concerns about rural areas was also

:41:44. > :41:48.an issue. Another point was made. Many felt that too much time has

:41:49. > :41:52.passed since the last substantial revision of the formula, which

:41:53. > :41:56.assesses the councils needs. Hear, hear! And the cost that can be

:41:57. > :42:01.expected in meeting those needs. These responses to the consultation

:42:02. > :42:05.into me to be reasonable and ought be accommodated. Everyone would

:42:06. > :42:11.appreciate that the need to reduce the budget deficit means that

:42:12. > :42:14.meeting these recommendations is extraordinarily difficult. I'm

:42:15. > :42:18.pleased to be able to meet all of the most significant of them. I can

:42:19. > :42:25.confirm that every council will have for the financial year ahead. The

:42:26. > :42:29.resources allocated. I have agreed to the responses to the

:42:30. > :42:33.consultation, which recommended at ease in the pace of reduction during

:42:34. > :42:38.the most difficult first to years of the settlement. Councils that

:42:39. > :42:41.experienced the sharpest reductions and revenue support. So I will make

:42:42. > :42:46.additional resources available in the form of a transitional front, as

:42:47. > :42:52.proposed in the response to the consultation by colleagues in local

:42:53. > :42:55.government and the ground will be worth 150 million pounds per year

:42:56. > :42:59.paid over the first to years. On the need for myself, it is nearly ten

:43:00. > :43:04.years since the current formula was looked at thoroughly. I think there

:43:05. > :43:07.is good reason to believe that the Democratic -- demographic pressures

:43:08. > :43:10.affecting particular areas, such as the growth of the elderly

:43:11. > :43:18.population, have affected different areas in different ways. As has the

:43:19. > :43:20.costs of providing. I asked that we conduct a thorough review of what

:43:21. > :43:26.the needs assessment formula should be in a world were all local

:43:27. > :43:31.government spending is funded by local resources we will use it to

:43:32. > :43:39.determine the transition to 100% business transition. Fitting that

:43:40. > :43:51.review, including rural parts of the country car wall, and such, I

:43:52. > :43:59.recognise... LAUGHTER I suspect I will have the opportunity rich to

:44:00. > :44:03.respond to colleagues. I propose to increase by more than five votes,

:44:04. > :44:14.the rule service delivery front from 15.5 million this year to 80 .5

:44:15. > :44:19.5,000,020 16. With an extra 30 to 47 available to rule councils to the

:44:20. > :44:22.transitional front that I subscribe. 90 to 43 billion, compared to the

:44:23. > :44:27.provisional settlement is available to rural areas. There is

:44:28. > :44:30.significant, this proposal ensures that there is no deterioration in

:44:31. > :44:35.government funding for rural areas compared to urban areas for the year

:44:36. > :44:41.of the statutory settlement. Hear, hear!. I have also requested that we

:44:42. > :44:47.help the most economic councils by allowing them to without triggering

:44:48. > :44:50.referendum. I will consult on the well performing planning

:44:51. > :44:54.departments, for the possibility of increasing their fees with inflation

:44:55. > :44:57.at the most, providing that the revenue reduces the cost subsidy,

:44:58. > :45:01.that the planning function currently gets to the Council taxpayers. A

:45:02. > :45:05.final point on the consultation, although the figures for future

:45:06. > :45:13.years are indicated. A small number of councils would have to make a

:45:14. > :45:17.contribution to the councils in 2017 and 2018 or 2018 -- 19. I can

:45:18. > :45:22.confirm that no cats will have to make such pages. These are important

:45:23. > :45:26.times for local government. The devolution of power and sources is

:45:27. > :45:30.gathering momentum. I am aware that there is serious work for councils

:45:31. > :45:33.to do to continue to provide excellent service at the lowest cost

:45:34. > :45:38.possible over the years he had. I acknowledge the important role of

:45:39. > :45:42.members of this house, and represent to me the recommendation of councils

:45:43. > :45:46.which delivers the services which all of our constituents depend. I am

:45:47. > :45:49.grateful for all of our contributions. My response to the

:45:50. > :45:53.consultation has responded positively to a sensible

:45:54. > :45:57.recommendation and if there in a fair manner as possible. This holds

:45:58. > :46:03.firm to our commitment to free us from the dangers inherent with the

:46:04. > :46:11.national deficit. Mr Speaker I commend the statement to the House.

:46:12. > :46:17.Thank you very much. And I thank the Honorable gentleman for his courtesy

:46:18. > :46:21.in providing the statement. This afternoon we would welcome

:46:22. > :46:25.announcements and it is clearly a good thing that more money is being

:46:26. > :46:28.provided to rule committed -- communities that are hard hit. Let

:46:29. > :46:33.me explain exactly where the additional funding is coming from.

:46:34. > :46:38.There is just over to hundred million pounds. This is obviously a

:46:39. > :46:43.great shortfall relative to the billions, that requires

:46:44. > :46:51.understanding pressures. Can he tell us nonetheless where the additional

:46:52. > :46:55.spending is coming from? Above all when they come from, all of this is

:46:56. > :46:59.purely transitional. This reminds me of nothing more than someone

:47:00. > :47:03.speeding along the road into a disaster, who then says I will take

:47:04. > :47:11.my foot off the accelerator, without changing the destination. The local

:47:12. > :47:19.government is facing a disaster. His recent provisional announcement, and

:47:20. > :47:26.the House, the other week seems to some unusual recruits. I don't think

:47:27. > :47:31.that he knows the identity of the anonymous MP, who talked

:47:32. > :47:38.conservative home this morning. Essential reading. LAUGHTER. It

:47:39. > :47:43.certainly is true. The MP said as follows "Counsel as he or she said,

:47:44. > :47:47.has done the right thing. They have done it well. They have saved vast

:47:48. > :47:52.amounts of money in the last few years, and now all that that is

:47:53. > :47:59.gone. On the meat is gone and the government wants to knock on the

:48:00. > :48:05.bone. I'm not having local libraries and offices closed down. " Is that

:48:06. > :48:08.you that the secretary of state is known on the Secretary of State is

:48:09. > :48:16.known about? Does he acknowledge that according to what's control,

:48:17. > :48:18.LGA, even in every counsel in England, increase their council tax

:48:19. > :48:21.by the maximum allowed by the government for the next four years,

:48:22. > :48:25.and in every penny of that increase went only on supporting the elderly

:48:26. > :48:35.that they would still be a funding gap of over one billion pounds on

:48:36. > :48:38.social care about? Then the Minister for social care promised that the

:48:39. > :48:45.government would end the infamous 15 minutes fine business. Is that the

:48:46. > :48:51.secretaries policy? House is going to be funded given the shortfall?

:48:52. > :48:56.How we achieve this target? On the subject of how the government

:48:57. > :49:01.disputes funding between counsellors, how does he explain the

:49:02. > :49:06.manifest injustice that the most deprived areas are being cut the

:49:07. > :49:11.most? As things currently stand, the ten most deprived areas in England

:49:12. > :49:17.with the 18 times worse off than the ten least deprived areas. How will

:49:18. > :49:22.he explain to farmers that their services will be cut, at the same

:49:23. > :49:27.time as the engineering Council tax increases, we estimate up to 20%. We

:49:28. > :49:33.estimate this by the end of this promo. The Minister asked study

:49:34. > :49:36.carefully representations made by the rule services network and

:49:37. > :49:45.perhaps by some of these anonymous MPs. Perhaps some of them were not

:49:46. > :49:49.anonymous. LAUGHTER The rule services network conservative right

:49:50. > :49:53.says that his poor original statement, would make life difficult

:49:54. > :49:56.for hundreds of thousands of people, across all areas of rural England.

:49:57. > :50:03.Their lives would be totally insufferable. That is what the rule

:50:04. > :50:06.networks that. Can he guarantee that the relatively small increase

:50:07. > :50:13.therefore, and the rule services delivery group, which was announced

:50:14. > :50:16.today, will have to cut health, and in children's homes, and public

:50:17. > :50:21.transport? If you really recommending to rule districts that

:50:22. > :50:30.the date increase the council tax by at least to percent present or 5%,

:50:31. > :50:35.not which is a half lower, but which is the higher? He wants them to

:50:36. > :50:39.decreased by the higher amount. In a suspended 20 billion has been cut

:50:40. > :50:46.from local governments since 2020. The impact of this cuts were felt

:50:47. > :50:50.more in the more urban London boroughs in the past? It is now

:50:51. > :50:55.laterally spreading far and wide to the whole of the English

:50:56. > :50:59.countryside. But Mr Speaker I represent 20 rule villages. There is

:51:00. > :51:04.no doubt that the provisional settlement which he announced, was

:51:05. > :51:10.devastating for rule England. How did he make such an announcement?

:51:11. > :51:14.Today's announcement -- announcement is far from it adequate. Can he

:51:15. > :51:18.confirm that sent it is transitional, it is his intention,

:51:19. > :51:21.that in this Parliament, all of the cuts which he has announced in the

:51:22. > :51:27.provisional settlement will eventually be proposed on rule

:51:28. > :51:32.areas? In regards to business rates, one will he provide the House with

:51:33. > :51:35.details on ledges which he intends to introduce? Finally does the

:51:36. > :51:41.Minister accept that all of these quotes -- cuts are in essence of

:51:42. > :51:44.political necessity? Should not the government learned lessons from

:51:45. > :51:49.other members of the European Union who are raising hundreds of millions

:51:50. > :51:55.of pounds more than we are getting from Google and other

:51:56. > :51:59.multinationals? That money could then be used to support public

:52:00. > :52:06.services. Isn't it time that the council showed some guts, stand up

:52:07. > :52:14.to the multinationals and? Hear, hear! Thank you very much indeed Mr

:52:15. > :52:19.Speaker. I'm delighted to hear about the reading material of the

:52:20. > :52:25.Honorable gentleman. LAUGHTER This makes a change from the Redbook,

:52:26. > :52:31.that is the preferred choice of the Council. I encourage him in that. If

:52:32. > :52:36.he reads that very good website, there is constant praise for the

:52:37. > :52:42.efficiency of the conservative Council that have a record of

:52:43. > :52:46.economy and good service for the residents. In terms of increasing

:52:47. > :52:52.council tax, will he would know all about that, because the last Labour

:52:53. > :52:56.government doubles Council tax. The council tax at the end of this

:52:57. > :53:02.Parliament and the projections that are made will be less in real terms

:53:03. > :53:05.than they were at the beginning of the last Parliament. We will take no

:53:06. > :53:12.lessons from him in terms of the Council tax. I detected a

:53:13. > :53:16.halfhearted welcome for the transitional funding. This is just

:53:17. > :53:19.as well. There were some Labour leaders that call for precisely

:53:20. > :53:24.that. I think they might have been disappointed if a spokesman opposite

:53:25. > :53:29.was not supporting them. He asked where the money is coming from. I

:53:30. > :53:31.can confirm that it does not come from the local government financial

:53:32. > :53:35.settlements. We have been able to find resources from outside the

:53:36. > :53:41.settlement thanks to the generosity of the chalice but. We are able to

:53:42. > :53:50.add that to the financial settlement. I can confirm that the

:53:51. > :53:56.social care and precepts that have been put in place, again were at the

:53:57. > :54:02.request of local counsel, who recognise and across parties

:54:03. > :54:07.consensus, that as the population grows towards more elderly people,

:54:08. > :54:13.in each council area to look over. It is not a reflection on the

:54:14. > :54:16.efficiency of the Council. It is a Democratic way of life. It is a

:54:17. > :54:23.right that we provide for elderly people in their retirement. He

:54:24. > :54:28.quotes to me that anonymous people and important figures in

:54:29. > :54:33.conservative local government. My experience is that they are not

:54:34. > :54:37.anonymous. My colleagues are shrinking and they can come and talk

:54:38. > :54:47.to me anytime. They will find that I will listen and respond where they

:54:48. > :54:49.make a good case. As for leaders in local government, including leaders

:54:50. > :54:54.of the local government associations, I can't help but

:54:55. > :54:57.noticing the presence, in this House today of the gentleman concerned. He

:54:58. > :54:59.seemed to have a happy smile on his face. I don't know whether that says

:55:00. > :55:11.anything to the Honorable They cannot expect to be called, and

:55:12. > :55:19.our convention on the matter is very clear, and people do need to abide

:55:20. > :55:23.by it. I think it Secretary of State is to be congratulated on having

:55:24. > :55:26.negotiated a very difficult minefield, very considerable skills,

:55:27. > :55:32.and cannot particularly thank him, for the very thoughtful approach,

:55:33. > :55:37.and the time which he gave myself, my fellow MPs, and my Council leader

:55:38. > :55:41.from only? I am welcome that he has picked up the importance of

:55:42. > :55:45.transitional as far as it affects London boroughs, and this is

:55:46. > :55:50.sometimes a risk, and particular circumstances, and they are lost in

:55:51. > :55:53.the equation. Cani a time frame on which the detail of the operation

:55:54. > :55:57.will be set up? Can he also also give us detailed on how we intend to

:55:58. > :56:02.look at the review of the needs, many of us welcome that, and I

:56:03. > :56:05.regret we will not able to do a Coalition, but it will be important

:56:06. > :56:10.for historically efficient authorities to make sure that there

:56:11. > :56:15.are comparing with the unit costs and pick up and setting the baseline

:56:16. > :56:20.for the visits rate going forward? I'm grateful to my Honorable friend,

:56:21. > :56:24.and I recall a evening with his counsel in Bromley, and a more

:56:25. > :56:30.recent meeting there. I think it is right to think of the demographic

:56:31. > :56:35.pressures in outer London boroughs. The case that was put by our London

:56:36. > :56:39.boroughs, and many places across the country is that as the population

:56:40. > :56:44.has aged, more people tend to retire to such places, than they do to

:56:45. > :56:47.others. It has not changed for ten years, and it has not kept up with

:56:48. > :56:51.us. I can confirm that the transitional funding will be

:56:52. > :56:55.available immediately, from the next financial year, so that his counsel

:56:56. > :57:05.and others will be able to apply those extra funds straightaway.

:57:06. > :57:07.Thank you. I think it Secretary of State for the slightly advanced

:57:08. > :57:12.services I had of speech, first of all public to give some background

:57:13. > :57:15.of cuts to local government in England, and I understand over the

:57:16. > :57:21.past year it has been 8% in years coming ahead, and I am glad that at

:57:22. > :57:24.the very least he has given local councils a little bit of time to

:57:25. > :57:29.think about this, and I hope they do get back to us with their views on

:57:30. > :57:35.the settlement. I know that has been said about service delivery, and the

:57:36. > :57:42.pressures on that. I would also like that I am looking at the list of the

:57:43. > :57:50.breakdown of the statement, and it doesn't reflect those areas, and in

:57:51. > :57:55.terms... I know as well that he mentions that 80% of counsel

:57:56. > :57:58.expenditure is coming down to 5%, and I wonder how much of that is

:57:59. > :58:04.actually going to be cut, rather than changes to the expenditure, and

:58:05. > :58:07.it doesn't seem to be within this statement, and of times really for

:58:08. > :58:10.local councils to respond. We talked about two years to respond, but it

:58:11. > :58:14.doesn't quite acknowledge the difficulties that some councils will

:58:15. > :58:20.have an terms of funds from business rates, and some have a relatively...

:58:21. > :58:26.I'm not convinced that two years will be enough transition for them.

:58:27. > :58:30.It also seems to be no recognition in this statement, and there is some

:58:31. > :58:32.talk about demographic pressures, but age is not only the demographic

:58:33. > :58:39.pressure that many communities face. I think there needs to be some

:58:40. > :58:42.greater acknowledgment of that within the plant, because of the

:58:43. > :58:47.demographic pressures to exist, and there are areas of multiple

:58:48. > :58:50.deprivation which require additional support in transition, and other

:58:51. > :58:56.like to see greater recognition of that. Thank you. I'm grateful for

:58:57. > :58:59.the Honorable Lady's contribution, shall never more colleagues and

:59:00. > :59:03.Collins at the local Government financial framework is a delicate

:59:04. > :59:08.matter, and it involves a lot of decisions that affect people in

:59:09. > :59:11.different ways. I hope that you will reflect that I've done this in a

:59:12. > :59:14.fairway. She talked about the transitional relief being over two

:59:15. > :59:19.years, and that is because the shape of the settlement, if I can put it

:59:20. > :59:25.this sees resources increasing towards the end of the period, as a

:59:26. > :59:29.social care precept of the care fund, as it takes effect, but the

:59:30. > :59:36.first two years, colleagues from across the House felt that this was

:59:37. > :59:40.a severe. It is right to vote as the transitional relief on that. She

:59:41. > :59:45.mentions an assessment of needs, and I completely agree with her, and

:59:46. > :59:50.this is the review that I have committed to and set out, it needs

:59:51. > :59:54.to look at all of the needs, including the common not only the

:59:55. > :59:59.demographic pressures, but the cost of delivering services, we need to

:00:00. > :00:03.look at both. And the cost of delivering the services, and I think

:00:04. > :00:07.that is a fair way to present it. Can the Secretary of State give any

:00:08. > :00:12.more detail on how to be very unwelcome transitional relief... In

:00:13. > :00:20.his original plans, are both working? I was grateful to my

:00:21. > :00:26.Honorable friend for his meeting and representations with me. Again, the

:00:27. > :00:30.authorities felt that the early years were the most pressing, so I

:00:31. > :00:36.can confirm that there will be transitional funding for West

:00:37. > :00:43.Berkshire, 1.4 million, and for working him, of 2.1 million. I think

:00:44. > :00:49.that will be welcomed by his authority having varies closely

:00:50. > :00:55.studied the representation. About the ongoing continuing cuts in my

:00:56. > :01:02.barrio, due to the lack of funding, would he be willing to meet with the

:01:03. > :01:06.Tory lead of the Council, in order to discuss what is happening on the

:01:07. > :01:13.ground, and what I have already said, by continuing cuts, which are

:01:14. > :01:16.adversely to -- affecting my constituents? Would he be willing to

:01:17. > :01:19.come to the borough in order to see for himself what is happening, and I

:01:20. > :01:27.am in no way exaggerating the position. I meet regularly with his

:01:28. > :01:31.leader, and the West Midlands is a very important area, where we are

:01:32. > :01:39.negotiating a very important devolution deal at the moment. He

:01:40. > :01:42.will know that the Authority has benefited from the settlement, so

:01:43. > :01:48.that over the course of the four years, the spending power for his

:01:49. > :01:57.local authority will increase by 1.5%, and that is something I note

:01:58. > :02:01.that will be welcomed locally. Thank you. I thank my right honourable

:02:02. > :02:04.friend for the very careful and diligent way in which he is

:02:05. > :02:08.approaching this matter. Will he agree with me that what seems to be

:02:09. > :02:16.said difficult for local government, particularly in rural areas is that

:02:17. > :02:19.counties and... Run their affairs in a very orderly fashion, be more

:02:20. > :02:22.efficient and effective they are, the less money they got. There seems

:02:23. > :02:29.to be a completely idiotic way of proceeding. It is, Mr Speaker, and

:02:30. > :02:33.that is why the transition to business rates, retention, when it

:02:34. > :02:37.is not the representations that councils make to central government

:02:38. > :02:40.for grant, but it is their ability to attract businesses, and to grow

:02:41. > :02:43.those businesses. That will be determined of the resources that

:02:44. > :02:48.they have available. That is in the councils have long wanted, isn't the

:02:49. > :02:52.Conservatives have long wanted, and I am very confident that both his

:02:53. > :02:57.County Council in West Sussex, and his excellent District Council of

:02:58. > :03:07.which I know very well, will respond to the opportunities available.

:03:08. > :03:14.Thank you. The crisis in social care in Liverpool will not be resolved by

:03:15. > :03:21.either the new presets suggested, would the Minister's statements

:03:22. > :03:25.today, it is the result of a 58% cut of funds by central government on

:03:26. > :03:29.the poorest area in the country. Will the Minister take another look

:03:30. > :03:34.at this very critical situation? What I would say to the Honorable

:03:35. > :03:38.Lady is that the introduction of the present, and of the better care

:03:39. > :03:46.fund, will be very important for Liverpool. In fact, at the end of

:03:47. > :03:50.the period, it will deliver around ?30 million a year, to spend on

:03:51. > :03:53.quite appropriately, care of elderly people in Liverpool. I would have

:03:54. > :03:58.thought I would be something that she should welcome, and it was a

:03:59. > :04:02.proposal that was made by conservative leaders in County

:04:03. > :04:04.councils, that there should be a social care precept, but it will

:04:05. > :04:12.benefit her city, as much as they do. Thank you. Can I thank my right

:04:13. > :04:16.honourable friend for the meeting he held with me, and other members from

:04:17. > :04:22.Suffolk to discuss global funding? I know he has worked hard on this, and

:04:23. > :04:25.I constantly welcomed his announcements today, particularly

:04:26. > :04:29.around additional funding to use the pace of production during those

:04:30. > :04:34.first two years. Can he inform the House as to when final figures will

:04:35. > :04:40.be given to councils? I will indeed. I was grateful for the meeting that

:04:41. > :04:45.I had with my Honorable friend. I am looking forward to the discussions

:04:46. > :04:52.of further devolution, to Suffolk, for the East Anglia and powerhouse,

:04:53. > :04:57.and we were calling a description for that very high-performing part

:04:58. > :05:01.of the country. The funds will be available right from the beginning

:05:02. > :05:04.of the next financial year, and at the usual way, they will be

:05:05. > :05:18.confirmed to councils, following the statement. Thank you. Can I get the

:05:19. > :05:26.context, is it that Holton, had a cost of over 50% since 2007, so in

:05:27. > :05:32.that context,... Let me say this poll and 68% of property simpleton

:05:33. > :05:36.are in a and B, the preceptor not raise anywhere near to what it was.

:05:37. > :05:40.Will the Minister look again at this, and will he meet the urgency

:05:41. > :05:46.to talk about this? I'm always very happy to submit the honourable

:05:47. > :05:50.gentleman. He will know that the allocation of the funds did take

:05:51. > :05:56.into account the different resources and different areas that they have,

:05:57. > :06:09.and in fact, Holton is a beneficiary of that, but I'm very happy to help

:06:10. > :06:14.them understand that. Thank you. Can I thank my right honourable friend

:06:15. > :06:19.for the meeting. Particularly, my Honorable friend from

:06:20. > :06:23.Leicestershire. As you know, our county is being one of the worst

:06:24. > :06:28.funded for central government historically. We are hopeful that

:06:29. > :06:32.this new deal will produce benefits, not only for central government, but

:06:33. > :06:36.also for Leicestershire as well. Can he tell the House today when we are

:06:37. > :06:39.likely to get the actual numbers which the County Council can deal

:06:40. > :06:49.with, and what those numbers will be? I certainly will. I am grateful

:06:50. > :06:53.for his advice on this matter. Leicestershire is one of these

:06:54. > :07:01.places that I think will make a particularly strong case for a

:07:02. > :07:04.review of the match between its needs and its resources. And, rather

:07:05. > :07:08.than keep them hanging on, I can tell them that the transitional

:07:09. > :07:21.funding for Leicestershire will be reported ?3 million. Can I just say

:07:22. > :07:25.that I think it is a bit off that the Minister has got the entire

:07:26. > :07:27.figures? These are not going to be released to counsel, and went

:07:28. > :07:32.nowhere scrutinising what he is saying, but can I raise the point

:07:33. > :07:36.raised by my Honorable friend from Holton about the better care fund? I

:07:37. > :07:44.agree with the Minister that this is an issue that affects all councils.

:07:45. > :07:50.County Durham as a low tax base,... The Minister just said that this

:07:51. > :07:56.will be in a formula? Can I ask them to meet with myself to talk about

:07:57. > :08:04.disadvantaged councils, not being able to raise the cash? Usually the

:08:05. > :08:08.complaint is that others are told first, and in this case, I feel that

:08:09. > :08:16.some people are complaining about being told first. I cannot see one

:08:17. > :08:25.of -- what is wrong with being told first. Maybe I misunderstood, but I

:08:26. > :08:28.think I understand. What I will say is that have having conversations

:08:29. > :08:35.with his local authority, they made some very positive comments, and

:08:36. > :08:39.suggestions for the settlement. Of course I'm very pleased to meet with

:08:40. > :08:42.him to discuss the very important devolution is taking place in the

:08:43. > :08:48.northeast of England, which are very proud of. I warmly congratulate the

:08:49. > :08:51.Secretary of State for his announcement today. As you will be

:08:52. > :08:59.aware from the representations that we have made, we were looking at

:09:00. > :09:04.834% reduction, next year, against a uniform reduction of 25%. Any

:09:05. > :09:09.support on this will be much appreciated. Those who share my view

:09:10. > :09:15.that there is danger that low economic activity areas, such as my

:09:16. > :09:20.own county historically, may be penalised by the transition to

:09:21. > :09:25.council tax being supplemented by rural rents, unless there is a

:09:26. > :09:29.transitional fund of some kind that stimulates economic growth? My

:09:30. > :09:35.Honorable friend makes a very good point. I think the potential of

:09:36. > :09:39.Hertfordshire, in terms of attracting businesses is great, and

:09:40. > :09:45.my Honorable friend has been a very doubtful campaign for a university

:09:46. > :09:53.there. But I think he is absolutely right, of course, the transition to

:09:54. > :09:58.a world in which local resources that fund councils has to take

:09:59. > :10:04.account of the needs in each area, and the potential that they have two

:10:05. > :10:07.raises revenues. That is why I have announced those reviews today. I

:10:08. > :10:10.might say that several colleagues from across the chamber of

:10:11. > :10:15.contribution, and have expertise in this matter, and I hope in the

:10:16. > :10:25.spirit of the statement that I am making, that I can contribute to it

:10:26. > :10:29.as well. Thank you. I 2am concerned about the future stability of

:10:30. > :10:33.funding for local services. While Council tax provides a solid base of

:10:34. > :10:39.revenue, moving toward a more reliant on business rates as more

:10:40. > :10:43.unpredictable, in a level of revenue available to local councils. The

:10:44. > :10:47.considerations is the Secretary of State given to the impact on local

:10:48. > :10:50.services, if they fall in revenue from business rates, for example,

:10:51. > :10:55.from a downturn in the economy, which is beyond control of many

:10:56. > :11:00.local councils? The great advantages of the devolution deals that we are

:11:01. > :11:04.striking including with greater Manchester, and she raises her eyes,

:11:05. > :11:11.but in fact, the leaders of greater Manchester, the elected leaders,

:11:12. > :11:15.have proposed a means of taking on the 100% retention business rates,

:11:16. > :11:20.and making sure that they can manage the ups and downs across the years

:11:21. > :11:23.about that. This is one of the proposal they have made so in

:11:24. > :11:25.attracting more businesses, to greater Manchester, the whole of

:11:26. > :11:35.that great city will benefit from it. To my right honourable friend

:11:36. > :11:40.assure me that his final settlement reflects the accurate level of

:11:41. > :11:43.reserves which are truly available to our County Council? What I would

:11:44. > :11:49.say is that I have made no assumption of reserves, and in terms

:11:50. > :11:54.of the spending review, spent -- several commentators made a

:11:55. > :11:59.suggestion that we should require councils and take account of their

:12:00. > :12:04.known reserves. I resisted this, and it seems to me that it is reasonable

:12:05. > :12:11.for councils to have reserves, just as a nation, we are looking to

:12:12. > :12:16.create a surplus as a buffer against the ups and downs of the economy in

:12:17. > :12:19.the years ahead. Something the party opposite failed to do. The great

:12:20. > :12:24.advantage of a four-year settlement is that it gives that certainty to

:12:25. > :12:27.councils, so that part of the reserves they keep against the

:12:28. > :12:30.uncertainties of year-to-year settlement is available to them, but

:12:31. > :12:40.I have made no assumptions that they will. My surgery on Friday, on her

:12:41. > :12:46.own for her serve elite disabled daughter. She was not able to get a

:12:47. > :12:49.decent night's sleep. She used to receive six night scare him up, now

:12:50. > :12:52.she told she will get nothing, and that is the reality of the

:12:53. > :12:57.conservative party of treatment of local government, since 2010. There

:12:58. > :13:00.are no more black office functions demurred, there are no more staff to

:13:01. > :13:04.be made redundant, there simply is not anything left to be cut, except

:13:05. > :13:11.the services for the people who need them most. For them, the outlook

:13:12. > :13:16.bleak. No devolution can compensate for that basic provision. Can I make

:13:17. > :13:22.a suggestion? He goes and has a cuppa tea with the leader of traffic

:13:23. > :13:25.Council next-door. Which runs its services extremely efficiently, and

:13:26. > :13:29.I do not say that the advice that he will be able to give to tame side

:13:30. > :13:41.will be very sensible, if they took it up. Can I think the Minister for

:13:42. > :13:45.revisiting this issue. We represent rural areas and want to see its

:13:46. > :13:50.fairness in the funding system. While Gloucestershire may seem to be

:13:51. > :13:55.a wealthy county, there are areas of deprivation, and we have flooding

:13:56. > :13:58.problems, a higher percentage of poor people. Regardless of where

:13:59. > :14:02.they lived, they still need social care, so can I ask that he enjoys

:14:03. > :14:06.that the final settlement that he comes to guys reflect the problems

:14:07. > :14:10.which exist in rural areas as well as other areas? I completely agree

:14:11. > :14:12.with my Honorable friend, and I was grateful for the representations

:14:13. > :14:18.that colleagues from Gloucestershire have made. He will be grateful and

:14:19. > :14:24.pleased that the pressure on them will ease for these first two years,

:14:25. > :14:30.to the tune of about ?2.5 million, which knowing the pressures on the

:14:31. > :14:37.council, for tech with reasons he says, will be welcomed greatly. Mr

:14:38. > :14:40.Speaker, no counsel has ever suffered the same level of cuts and

:14:41. > :14:46.local government in history of Birmingham, record is ?1 billion. No

:14:47. > :14:49.city has been treated so unfairly. As the Secretary of State begin to

:14:50. > :14:59.understand the dismayed that there will be over todayannouncement? It

:15:00. > :15:03.will threaten dozens of community groups, supporting the most

:15:04. > :15:08.vulnerable in Birmingham. There will be utter dismay in Britain's second

:15:09. > :15:13.city. What I would say to the honourable gentleman is that the

:15:14. > :15:17.figures that I'm publishing today include an extra ?800,000 from the

:15:18. > :15:20.new homes bonus for Birmingham. That was not included in the provisional

:15:21. > :15:25.settlement. I would have thought that would be a cause of -- for some

:15:26. > :15:31.pleasure in Birmingham, rather than the opposite of what he says. Really

:15:32. > :15:37.well done to the Secretary of State. CHEERING

:15:38. > :15:42.Enter the review that he is announced today. Could he say what

:15:43. > :15:45.assumptions you made on the uplifting parish and town council

:15:46. > :15:49.presents and the assertion that he made a few moments ago about the

:15:50. > :15:53.portion of local governments spend, and that would be consumed by the

:15:54. > :15:56.RSG, by the end of the decade, because he will note that those

:15:57. > :16:01.precepts have gone up, as the RSG has gone down, and in many places,

:16:02. > :16:05.the council tax has been frozen? My Honorable friend makes an important

:16:06. > :16:11.point, and there have been representations in the past two to

:16:12. > :16:16.include parish and town councils in the referendum principles. We have

:16:17. > :16:23.not done this, but we keep it under review, so that there is economy in

:16:24. > :16:28.those town and parish councils, which is very important, because

:16:29. > :16:34.council taxpayers are the same that paid the Council tax to his County

:16:35. > :16:40.Council. Who is the 10th most deprived area, and over the next

:16:41. > :16:45.year, it faces spending cuts, which is 50% greater than those in County

:16:46. > :16:49.councils. 20 minutes to explain why County councils are getting

:16:50. > :16:56.additional monies, but not areas like mine? Yes, because County

:16:57. > :16:59.councils and other authorities in the first two years, were

:17:00. > :17:06.experiencing sharper reductions in the revenue support Grant, and the

:17:07. > :17:09.representations that came from across local governments, including

:17:10. > :17:13.labour authorities, was that we should ease the transition there.

:17:14. > :17:20.But I would say to her constituents in Hall, is that that there huge

:17:21. > :17:24.attention being given to that very important city. Through the deals

:17:25. > :17:32.that we have established, the growth deal, investors is potentially in

:17:33. > :17:37.the area. It is very important for further opportunities for that city.

:17:38. > :17:40.I think my right honourable friend for meeting with me, and colleagues,

:17:41. > :17:46.and listening to rural communities, and I warmly welcome this statement.

:17:47. > :17:49.An ageing population is a key joiner of cost, so that I right honourable

:17:50. > :17:52.friend to ensure that future funding formerly, instead of using

:17:53. > :17:57.potentially out-of-date figures, instead keep up with the changing

:17:58. > :18:01.demographics, experienced by areas like North Yorkshire I've? That is

:18:02. > :18:03.one of the point that the honourable gentleman, as well as other

:18:04. > :18:07.colleagues have made, and that is why I have made the response that I

:18:08. > :18:12.have today, that we should look again. At that funding formula. It

:18:13. > :18:17.was also a point that was made by another MP, who knows, and I am

:18:18. > :18:26.pleased that we have been able to meet his request. Did the Secretary

:18:27. > :18:30.of State consider including the Chancellor's social care tax in the

:18:31. > :18:35.calculation of overall Council tax income for the core funding

:18:36. > :18:38.settlement, and surely that would make the changes fairer, and

:18:39. > :18:42.mitigate against the late introduction of the Medicare fund,

:18:43. > :18:49.on the Council tax base authorities, like Birmingham? The combination of

:18:50. > :18:53.the social care preset, which I think has been recognised across all

:18:54. > :18:58.parties in different types of authorities. Even those district

:18:59. > :19:04.councils that do not receive it. Their residents are the same

:19:05. > :19:08.residence of counties as they are in burrows, and it is important that

:19:09. > :19:13.that funding is there. The combination of the precept and the

:19:14. > :19:17.better care fund provide up to the 5p, and I think what I said, the

:19:18. > :19:20.representation that I had before the spending review from the local

:19:21. > :19:30.Government Association, and the director of social services said

:19:31. > :19:36.that nearly ?2.9 billion,. Can I pay my right honourable friend for his

:19:37. > :19:43.patience and courtesy? And how he has dealt with colleagues like

:19:44. > :19:47.myself who are talking about County Council, and can I welcome the heart

:19:48. > :19:52.of the announcement which my right girlfriend has made today? I'm sure

:19:53. > :19:56.rural local governments would be part of a big wet kiss on the cheek

:19:57. > :20:03.of the Secretary of State, but I'm not entirely sure that that is

:20:04. > :20:06.right. If the able at this stage to give further detail about the

:20:07. > :20:12.transitional funding for Dorset, now that he is announced it? The devil

:20:13. > :20:16.always be in detail. Kennedy also set out the timing for this very

:20:17. > :20:19.welcomed review for the assessment of need, because the sooner we can

:20:20. > :20:24.get that sorted out, the better for rural local government. I'm sure

:20:25. > :20:27.scintillating replies to his honourable friend, I take this

:20:28. > :20:33.opportunity to say what a delight it is to see our new sergeant of arms,

:20:34. > :20:40.and the chair. Can I add my welcome to the new Sergeant? Giving him my

:20:41. > :20:46.Honorable friend, as far as the way he is from the dispatch box, but IM

:20:47. > :20:53.grateful for his good wishes. Of course, Dorset is a place that is a

:20:54. > :20:58.very well run County Counsel, and has very important costs that come

:20:59. > :21:04.from being a very beautiful and rural county. The extra funding that

:21:05. > :21:12.he will received from a... Will be a ?4.10 million. Which having spoken

:21:13. > :21:16.to his leader, will make a very big difference in managing the

:21:17. > :21:24.transition that his authority will recommend. Thank you very much. We

:21:25. > :21:28.are the smallest unit authority and the country, and I in response to

:21:29. > :21:35.questions, the Secretary of State announced that fellow authorities

:21:36. > :21:42.broke at 1.4 million pounds in transitional funding, and having a

:21:43. > :21:49.very changing highly needs population, what are we going to

:21:50. > :21:56.get? Daly LAUGHTER , gobbling that want to... I'm

:21:57. > :22:04.surprised she is not welcomed the announcement is made. Thank you. Can

:22:05. > :22:07.I welcome the additional funding to my right girlfriend has made today,

:22:08. > :22:12.to piece the pace of reductions, during the most difficult two years,

:22:13. > :22:15.rich in north London was looking very frightening challenge to

:22:16. > :22:23.achieve? Cut my right honourable friend confirmed that the new North

:22:24. > :22:29.London, which is a high population of elderly people, will now be

:22:30. > :22:37.secure? What I would say to my Honorable friend is that the benefit

:22:38. > :22:42.that the project, first of all, there is the additional funding that

:22:43. > :22:46.comes from the rural services, and the transitional grant that I

:22:47. > :22:53.mentioned. Both very important, and then I will be welcomed by people in

:22:54. > :22:56.Northumberland. But also, a review of the cost of delivering services,

:22:57. > :23:01.and rural areas, and the increasing demands that they have. I notice

:23:02. > :23:03.something that many of her constituents and counsellors were

:23:04. > :23:13.calling for, and I think it is right that we should get on that

:23:14. > :23:16.straightaway. The report recently said that 37,000 elderly people who

:23:17. > :23:20.were dependent on statutory funding and residential care are at risk of

:23:21. > :23:24.losing their places and becoming homeless, because of the rise in

:23:25. > :23:30.minimum wage, and the cost of local council funding, whereas areas like

:23:31. > :23:33.mine, but for the benefit of PPS, went to reasonably, because of a

:23:34. > :23:37.high tax base out of a process, other areas of the country, will

:23:38. > :23:40.have a low tax base, which is in the Northeast, and will suffer very

:23:41. > :23:45.badly, and they have the highest areas of dependency on statutory

:23:46. > :23:48.funding for adult social care? Will be Secretary of State look again at

:23:49. > :23:53.this funding formula, and make sure that the areas of the country that

:23:54. > :23:59.need it most get I just said to the House that I do intend to look at

:24:00. > :24:07.the funding formula to make sure those areas with the highest costs

:24:08. > :24:12.and pressure are funded accordingly. We are facing a rate support grant

:24:13. > :24:15.of 44%, so I will be very grateful that my right honourable friend and

:24:16. > :24:21.his ministerial team have listened to many of us here. Could he do two

:24:22. > :24:26.things for us? Could he give an indication about whether the cost

:24:27. > :24:28.will have a speeding up of the potential business rates, and will

:24:29. > :24:32.this really resolve some many problems for local authority such as

:24:33. > :24:36.part Berkshire, could you also have a word with his colleagues and the

:24:37. > :24:42.Department of Health and told him to pull their finger out in the deal

:24:43. > :24:45.they have agreed to return care act funding, which the promise to do,

:24:46. > :24:50.which they could make a difference in settling this years budget? I'm

:24:51. > :24:55.very grateful to my Honorable friend, and he doesn't have well-run

:24:56. > :25:01.council, and it was representations from them and other colleagues in

:25:02. > :25:05.the Council that led me to be able to make the changes that I have. In

:25:06. > :25:10.terms of the early retention of business rates, I'm glad he gives me

:25:11. > :25:13.the opportunity to say to all members that weave through the

:25:14. > :25:18.devolution deals are very keen to get on with the devolution of

:25:19. > :25:22.business rates. I would encourage all areas to come forward with the

:25:23. > :25:25.proposals that are there. The Chancellor has made a commitment

:25:26. > :25:32.that they should be in place, by 2019, but that is buying rather than

:25:33. > :25:35.the West Berkshire Iraq would be in the West Berkshire Iraq would be in

:25:36. > :25:41.a very good position to but a good case together.

:25:42. > :25:49.this would only be a fair settlement were predicated on every area having

:25:50. > :25:53.an equal council tax base and also equal levels of need and

:25:54. > :26:00.representatives as I do, across borough constituency into the CPS on

:26:01. > :26:03.paying fine and thoughtful,. I know that these too authorities are very

:26:04. > :26:12.different in their abilities to raise income. There is ?16 billion

:26:13. > :26:17.deficit in adult social care. The levy on council tax. The to percent

:26:18. > :26:24.present will raise ?1.4 million only. How does the Secretary of

:26:25. > :26:27.State plan to fill that gap? I have given some advice to his neighbour

:26:28. > :26:35.on this issue and if he would like me to arrange for him to meet with

:26:36. > :26:39.the leader, he will find it a very instructive conversation. In a world

:26:40. > :26:44.of devolution, it could be that traffic would be able to provide

:26:45. > :26:51.some advice and assistance to his borough council on running an

:26:52. > :26:57.efficient set of services. I welcome very much the 3.3 million

:26:58. > :27:03.transitional release, which is at the bottom of the funding pile.

:27:04. > :27:07.Would he say a word about the discussions he has had a funding of

:27:08. > :27:12.adult social care, which very much affects our County? I will indeed.

:27:13. > :27:16.The provisional settlement as I said in my statement, made a particular

:27:17. > :27:22.response to the knowledge pressures on adult social care, across the

:27:23. > :27:27.country. This was from all tiers of local government cited as the

:27:28. > :27:33.important priority. I think the decision to establish a social care

:27:34. > :27:37.precept, was a very important step in recognising what has been

:27:38. > :27:43.building up for many years now. As particular pressures on authorities

:27:44. > :27:53.which must assure, very much runs as it is, fills those pressures. Madam

:27:54. > :27:58.Deputy Speaker, can I congratulate my right honourable friend to listen

:27:59. > :28:04.to all these ministers. We are very grateful for the arrangements. Can

:28:05. > :28:11.he perhaps the little bit further to think about the changes to the new

:28:12. > :28:14.home and business rates, so that fast-growing districts, although

:28:15. > :28:19.they will get more money in the future, are not actually penalizing

:28:20. > :28:24.the short term? Indeed I would say to my Honorable friend of the

:28:25. > :28:29.consultation is open until March. It is important that she and her

:28:30. > :28:35.counsellors contribute to that. So that will be the opportunity to

:28:36. > :28:40.consider there. Of course as a maker today, the very important step of

:28:41. > :28:44.100% business rate retention, by local government, needs to be

:28:45. > :28:47.accompanied by a fundamental look at the methodology. I hope that she

:28:48. > :28:57.will bring her considerable expertise on this matter forth. Can

:28:58. > :29:00.the Secretary of State first for his announcement about transitional

:29:01. > :29:05.relief, which I very much hope the London Borough of pavement will

:29:06. > :29:07.benefit from. Not just because of its ageing population, but the

:29:08. > :29:12.increasing demand for children's services. My right honourable friend

:29:13. > :29:16.will already know I'm sure, that the 12 inner London boroughs have more

:29:17. > :29:21.reserves collectively, than the 20 out of London boroughs. I wonder if

:29:22. > :29:28.he might reflect further on whether that might be taken into

:29:29. > :29:33.consideration? On my right honourable friend suggestion there,

:29:34. > :29:36.the council will benefit from the transitional relief. I think you

:29:37. > :29:40.want to make a good case, in terms of the review of the demographic --

:29:41. > :29:44.demographic pressures that others are facing. She invites me to do

:29:45. > :29:49.what I said I would not do. This is to require councils to dispose of

:29:50. > :29:52.their reserves. If I did that, I would incur the displeasure of some

:29:53. > :29:56.of the colleagues that have spoken earlier. I have not done that. I

:29:57. > :30:01.think it is a matter for local government. By providing a four-year

:30:02. > :30:04.settlement, this does get every counsel the ability to plan ahead

:30:05. > :30:20.and make sure it has the right level of reserves, for the circumstances.

:30:21. > :30:22.Hear, hear! Can I ask him further to the Scottish Nationalists

:30:23. > :30:28.represented, that suggested that rule areas are richer than urban

:30:29. > :30:32.areas. The opposite is true. Council tax is also much higher. As a

:30:33. > :30:37.dentist we continue to allow percentage rises on a much higher

:30:38. > :30:39.base or a much poorer people to go on, we're going to actually

:30:40. > :30:44.reinforce the equities in our system. In a world in which we have

:30:45. > :30:49.business right protection and council tax, what can the Secretary

:30:50. > :30:55.of State do to ensure that our poor older, and harder deserving citizens

:30:56. > :30:58.are not unfairly impacted, while the lower council tax areas offer richer

:30:59. > :31:02.people to pay less and continue to be subsidized by Asquith yellow

:31:03. > :31:08.honourable friend makes a valuable point. I'd like to pay tribute to

:31:09. > :31:13.him in a way that he has conducted a well reasoned, and persuasive

:31:14. > :31:16.argument. I'm grateful for the manner in which he is done that.

:31:17. > :31:22.He's absolutely right of course. It is a false assumption to make.

:31:23. > :31:28.Because the area is rule, it does not mean necessarily that is wealthy

:31:29. > :31:31.and prosperous. Some of the poor circumstances are in the most rural

:31:32. > :31:34.areas. That is why I think it is long overdue, after more than a

:31:35. > :31:38.decade, that we should look at the cost of delivering services in rural

:31:39. > :31:43.areas. We should look at the pressures they face. We should set

:31:44. > :31:45.the retention of business rates accordingly, so that they can be

:31:46. > :31:56.recognised in the way that they have not been in recent years. I normally

:31:57. > :31:58.welcome the Secretary of State statement today. I like to thank him

:31:59. > :32:02.for looking at rule areas. You will know however that the demographic

:32:03. > :32:11.areas and that the precept well committed as it is, could he set out

:32:12. > :32:15.during his review whether he will listen to other proposals to create

:32:16. > :32:18.a sustainable long-term settlement for social care which is being

:32:19. > :32:24.described as unfinished business in the fight here for review? I

:32:25. > :32:30.certainly will. I am grateful for my Honorable friend with words. It is

:32:31. > :32:34.clear that one knows that more people choose to retire to places

:32:35. > :32:39.like Devon then perhaps to other parts of the country. It is

:32:40. > :32:43.important that is recognised in the funds that are available. My

:32:44. > :32:47.Honorable friend shares a very important committee of this house.

:32:48. > :32:52.It is one of the essential task of this government over the years

:32:53. > :32:57.ahead, to make sure that health and social care come together. They are

:32:58. > :33:01.to size of the same coin. There are for looking after the same people,

:33:02. > :33:08.whether by councils or the NHS. One of my absolute things that I am

:33:09. > :33:12.absolutely determined to do is to make sure that we have a much better

:33:13. > :33:15.connection between the NHS and social care. I would be grateful for

:33:16. > :33:24.her advice to our committee on how we do that. The different councils

:33:25. > :33:32.that will be impacted on the settlement will happen in different

:33:33. > :33:37.ways. The lowest County Council tax in the country will be the most

:33:38. > :33:41.laudable. It may be long-term to ensure that proper local service

:33:42. > :33:44.delivery in the county, is a restructuring of government. But

:33:45. > :33:52.will my right honourable friend confirm that he will it give

:33:53. > :33:54.solutions that could involve an answer that ensures that public

:33:55. > :34:03.services are delivered more efficiently. ? It is within all our

:34:04. > :34:07.interest that we have councils that are effective and efficient. I have

:34:08. > :34:10.also weighed said that I do not believe in a top-down organisation

:34:11. > :34:14.of local governments. This has been attempted in the past and has not

:34:15. > :34:20.ended well, if I can put it that way. But of course the commitment

:34:21. > :34:23.that I have to dilution, carries with it the idea that if local

:34:24. > :34:26.people want to do things differently, than they should be

:34:27. > :34:32.able to do that. So what I would say to my right honourable friend is

:34:33. > :34:34.that if there are proposals that enjoy the support of local people,

:34:35. > :34:41.then they should come forward and they should have those discussions.

:34:42. > :34:44.I would like to congratulate my right honourable friend for having

:34:45. > :34:48.approached these issues in a pragmatic way. He rightly points out

:34:49. > :34:50.that demographic pressures affect different areas in different ways. I

:34:51. > :34:53.wonder whether he would say when he wonder whether he would say when he

:34:54. > :35:01.expects to needs review to be completed and what role the figures

:35:02. > :35:07.obtained from that will play in the integration of social care with the

:35:08. > :35:12.NHS? I spoke to my boyfriend and he was of considerable resistance when

:35:13. > :35:20.we consulted on the quality framework. I would like to get to

:35:21. > :35:25.review underway as soon as possible so that it can inform not only the

:35:26. > :35:28.business rates retention but it can reform of the decisions that the

:35:29. > :35:32.government has to take some time to time. Not just about rule areas but

:35:33. > :35:36.about different needs for different areas. The sooner it's done, the

:35:37. > :35:43.better. In the coming weeks I will set out a process for which we will

:35:44. > :35:54.do that. Colleagues across the House will contribute. Thank you. He has

:35:55. > :35:59.been very courteous. ?4 million or more across the County Council. Can

:36:00. > :36:06.he just confirm. I did not quite hear about the tariff adjustment. Is

:36:07. > :36:14.that going to stay or go? In 1920 they will end up paying the

:36:15. > :36:17.government half million pounds. This will take ?123 and Council tax. I

:36:18. > :36:25.don't think that's fair. Will he take this whole issue into I'm very

:36:26. > :36:31.grateful to my boyfriend for his kind words. We'll find both the

:36:32. > :36:37.transitional relief and the role grant important. While I have said

:36:38. > :36:45.on what has been called the negative grant, is that we will remove that

:36:46. > :36:48.entirely. For 2017 and 2018 and the following year we will remove it. By

:36:49. > :36:53.the time we get to the interior of the settlements, that will be when

:36:54. > :36:55.100% business pretending comes into play. Those figures will be

:36:56. > :37:00.influenced by that. You can look forward with confidence to the

:37:01. > :37:09.review to which his counsel, and I my Honorable friend himself. We have

:37:10. > :37:14.a increasingly ageing population. This has been one of the biggest

:37:15. > :37:17.areas of pressure to my local authorities. That think the

:37:18. > :37:22.Secretary of State for listening to Council leaders and for speaking

:37:23. > :37:26.regularly on this matter. Thank you for making sure that there's more

:37:27. > :37:30.money available for better care, to tend to the needs of these

:37:31. > :37:34.particularly important residents. I am very grateful to my right

:37:35. > :37:39.honourable friend. He's absolutely right. He doesn't excellent job not

:37:40. > :37:41.only in leading works of the council, but also in her national

:37:42. > :37:47.response to the local Government Association. She has been very

:37:48. > :37:53.persuasive, and making the case for extra funding recognising the cost

:37:54. > :37:56.of social care. She is of the most influential and respected Council

:37:57. > :38:02.leaders and the country. We're very lucky to have her. Madam Deputy

:38:03. > :38:09.Speaker cannot thank the Secretary State Gazette and indeed for

:38:10. > :38:17.accommodating a meeting with all the Gloucestershire MPs. Will he go a

:38:18. > :38:19.little further and explain what opportunities for North West

:38:20. > :38:23.Leicestershire and Gloucestershire and increase in the rule services

:38:24. > :38:29.deliver grant? I'm grateful to my Honorable friend and grateful for

:38:30. > :38:33.him coming back to consider these matters further. There are

:38:34. > :38:38.opportunities for rest assure and Northwest best assure that they will

:38:39. > :38:42.gain in transitional funding. One of the things that we need to do

:38:43. > :38:46.through the review is to look at areas like North West Leicestershire

:38:47. > :38:52.to see whether the resources that they have are adequately recognised,

:38:53. > :38:56.not just in the business rates retention, but through calculations

:38:57. > :39:04.such as the rule services deliver grant. Both local authorities

:39:05. > :39:08.operating in my constituency have expressed serious concerns about the

:39:09. > :39:13.draft settlement. What assurances can the Secretary of State give

:39:14. > :39:17.regarding his consideration on these concerns? As I said to his

:39:18. > :39:21.honourable friend, we have listened very carefully and the leaders of

:39:22. > :39:23.his authorities have made representations that we have

:39:24. > :39:32.listened to very seriously. I think that they will be pleased with the

:39:33. > :39:37.response that we have made. Secretary of State will be aware

:39:38. > :39:43.that the challenges faced by Nottingham and the former coalfield

:39:44. > :39:50.communities... I wonder if he can outline will be received. So that

:39:51. > :39:55.the county Council can find its own way in generating business rates in

:39:56. > :39:59.the future? Of course attracting businesses that are located in areas

:40:00. > :40:04.is a sure-fire way in to make sure that the resources available to

:40:05. > :40:08.councils continue to grow. I am grateful for his question. I can

:40:09. > :40:10.confirm to him that Nottingham sure will receive transitional grant

:40:11. > :40:13.funding of around to million pounds next year will stop by the something

:40:14. > :40:17.that they will be welcomed across the county up with thank you Madam

:40:18. > :40:23.Deputy Speaker. It was not me that Deputy Speaker. It was not me that

:40:24. > :40:27.had a cosy little chat with the conservative home, if indeed it was

:40:28. > :40:31.a conservative MP this morning, but the idea that some councils having

:40:32. > :40:37.to knock on the bone is absolutely accurate. I prefer to my own family,

:40:38. > :40:41.which has been gnawing on the phone, because of its efficiency and

:40:42. > :40:45.competence in providing services. I am very grateful for the wonderful

:40:46. > :40:49.Secretary of State for coming to visit from link and to the green to

:40:50. > :40:58.transition their rate for Bromley. Can I ask what they are certain?

:40:59. > :41:02.LAUGHTER It is always a pleasure to come to Bromley and I was to do so

:41:03. > :41:05.again in the future. We will make sure that probably benefits from

:41:06. > :41:12.around to million pounds in transitional grants for each of the

:41:13. > :41:15.next three years. That I know from looking at the representations that

:41:16. > :41:20.have been made, by London boroughs. This'll be a big help. This will

:41:21. > :41:25.help them manage through the more difficult first to years the

:41:26. > :41:30.settlement. Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. And I thank the Secretary

:41:31. > :41:34.of State for listing to the vocal representations. At those meetings

:41:35. > :41:40.he heard that it is not just morality but also sparsity of

:41:41. > :41:48.population that is important can he confirm that this new revised area

:41:49. > :41:54.that we take into account? Lincolnshire is the County that is

:41:55. > :42:00.particularly ambitious phase of its history. It is looking to negotiate

:42:01. > :42:05.a very substantial devolution deal. It is a very rule and indeed sparse

:42:06. > :42:09.County. As he said it faces particular pressures. The additional

:42:10. > :42:12.funding that Lincolnshire will receive is in the order of ?5

:42:13. > :42:19.million during the year ahead. This something I know will be widely

:42:20. > :42:22.welcomed across county. Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker as apparently

:42:23. > :42:33.falls on me to do. I like to say thank you to my right I will friend.

:42:34. > :42:36.Hear, hear! . I thank you very much indeed for listing we're are

:42:37. > :42:40.awaiting the final figures. It might be that he can provide those

:42:41. > :42:45.perished quickly if I speak slowly enough. LAUGHTER. Can he agree with

:42:46. > :42:50.me that what is important is to never again find ourselves, that we

:42:51. > :42:54.never again find ourselves in a position where cool areas face

:42:55. > :43:04.discrepancy and unfairness in the face of urban areas? Hear, hear!

:43:05. > :43:11.Hear, hear! I am very grateful to my right honourable friend. His

:43:12. > :43:15.patience is rewarded. The finding that Devon will receive next year

:43:16. > :43:20.from the government is ?8.4 million. I know this'll selected big

:43:21. > :43:26.difference to the area. North Devon will receive around one quarter of

:43:27. > :43:32.million pounds for its services. I can confirm that the opportunity to

:43:33. > :43:37.take a long hard look at the resources that areas have, the cost

:43:38. > :43:45.that they have, is something that I that they have, is something that I

:43:46. > :43:52.think is long overdue. I know both his county and district will play a

:43:53. > :43:57.full part in that review. We now come to the motion on the draft

:43:58. > :44:02.Social Security benefit up rating order, which will be debated

:44:03. > :44:04.together with the motion on the draft state pension and amendment

:44:05. > :44:10.regulations. I called to minister to move the first motion. Thank you

:44:11. > :44:15.Madam Deputy Speaker. The order relations before us, have been made

:44:16. > :44:18.in the House previously. It is my understanding that there is general

:44:19. > :44:23.agreement on both sides of the House to its contents. I do not therefore

:44:24. > :44:29.propose to detain the House any longer than is necessary. I beg to

:44:30. > :44:39.move formally. Hear, hear! The question is the draft thank you

:44:40. > :44:44.Madam Deputy Speaker. This is the first time I haven't debated at the

:44:45. > :44:47.ministers dispatch box. I would like to welcome the Minister and thank

:44:48. > :44:52.him for his very brief explanation of the draft order is before us

:44:53. > :44:55.today. I do however want to use this opportunity to debate and clarify

:44:56. > :45:01.and scrutinize aspects of these important measures. As the Minister

:45:02. > :45:05.has outlined previously, the government legislated in the

:45:06. > :45:09.pensions act up to thousand 14 to introduce a new single tier state

:45:10. > :45:16.pension, for persons reaching state pension age on our after the 6th of

:45:17. > :45:19.April to thousand 16. A central principle of this legislation has

:45:20. > :45:24.been to maintain the earnings link. This is a link that was restored in

:45:25. > :45:28.the pensions act of 2007, passed by a Labour government. The Coalition

:45:29. > :45:35.Government, committed to increasing the basic state pension, to the

:45:36. > :45:40.triple guarantee at the price of 2-.5% which was highest from a full

:45:41. > :45:46.2011, the triple lock is a policy approach these figures to support. A

:45:47. > :45:51.position that was confirmed in our manifesto at last years general

:45:52. > :45:59.election. Today we are considering to implement key features of that

:46:00. > :46:03.settlement. For existing pensioners on the current state pension scheme,

:46:04. > :46:07.the 2-.9% increase, being proposed today, which matches earnings as the

:46:08. > :46:13.highest rise of the three measures for this year, is a step in the

:46:14. > :46:19.right direction. This means that for the basic state pension will rise to

:46:20. > :46:30.?119 and ?30 per week, an increase of ?3. I'm very grateful to my right

:46:31. > :46:34.honourable friend of course the triple lock is all fine and well. If

:46:35. > :46:38.you are root in receipt of the state pension. Of course she will know

:46:39. > :46:41.that there's a group of women who have deprived -- been deprived of

:46:42. > :46:45.estate agents. These otherwise the women, these are women born in the

:46:46. > :46:49.1950s. Doesn't she think that a triple lock up nothing is still

:46:50. > :46:53.nothing and actually what we need from this government is that there

:46:54. > :46:58.transition arrangements those women. I thank my Honorable friend for that

:46:59. > :47:02.and his contributions. Hopefully I will touch on that during my speech

:47:03. > :47:10.and a half today. I would also like to commend my home -- honourable

:47:11. > :47:14.friend ankles, in campaigning on the issue for these women that feel that

:47:15. > :47:18.they have been let down by this government. The increased starting

:47:19. > :47:25.rate for the new flat rate pension, was introduced in April of this year

:47:26. > :47:30.of ?150 is again broadly welcomed, on these ventures. Of course it is

:47:31. > :47:36.an increase of only ?5 on the previous minimum guarantee of ?155

:47:37. > :47:42.and 60p. What is less welcome is the lack of communication, escalated

:47:43. > :48:24.timescales, pure management, and utter confusion caused by what

:48:25. > :49:52.Potential effect of that they will be getting the correct amounts they

:49:53. > :49:57.were promised and are entitled to. Times are another matter of the

:49:58. > :50:02.leading portals, unlike the common. An individual will no longer at the

:50:03. > :50:06.right entitlement based on national insurance record of the formal

:50:07. > :50:08.spouse or civil partner. Some transitional protection has been

:50:09. > :50:15.provided and the details are not at all clear. I'm sure all members of

:50:16. > :50:19.the side of this house have constituents in rather desperate

:50:20. > :50:25.circumstances trying to milk through the park. I myself have one

:50:26. > :50:30.constituent contact me recently,. Her husband is terminally ill and

:50:31. > :50:33.honest in that daft deathbed. He fears what will happen to his wife

:50:34. > :50:37.when he dies under these transitional arrangements. They have

:50:38. > :50:40.no children. His wife stayed home for many years, Walker has been

:50:41. > :50:46.provided for them both. She called pension help line and they were

:50:47. > :50:53.unable to offer any clarity or reassurance. I've asked this

:50:54. > :50:56.question before, but I have yet to receive a satisfactory answer. Can

:50:57. > :51:02.the Minister confirm that in an extreme scenario, a woman with no

:51:03. > :51:09.entitlement in her own right who is widowed, could end up with no state

:51:10. > :51:14.pension at all. As compared to the expected 190 -- 119 pounds and 95