:00:00. > :00:00.confident the ministers will do their best to ensure the regime in
:00:00. > :00:09.place will deal with the challenges they face in the tragic situations
:00:10. > :00:15.around family breakdown. On the 21st of January I asked for the Leader of
:00:16. > :00:20.the House to get the meeting the prime Minister promised with my
:00:21. > :00:28.constituents regarding the scandal of the baby Ashes. I have heard
:00:29. > :00:34.nothing. I also asked the Minister for Justice and the 26th of January,
:00:35. > :00:41.and I have not heard from her either. Politicians need to keep
:00:42. > :00:45.their promises, and we would like this meeting. I have checked on this
:00:46. > :00:49.and I think she has possibly misinterpreted the response. If the
:00:50. > :00:57.ministerial meeting has not come through I will follow it today. The
:00:58. > :01:03.flooding in your was devastating for so many because so many could not
:01:04. > :01:09.afford insurance. The government still have not applied for the EU
:01:10. > :01:13.Solidarity fund. Can we have an urgent statement as to why that has
:01:14. > :01:20.not taken place and what progress is being made? The government's
:01:21. > :01:25.approach is being trying to get finance on those who need it
:01:26. > :01:28.quickly, rather than complicated bidding processes. If you look at
:01:29. > :01:37.the amounts of money provided, I think we have done the right thing.
:01:38. > :01:39.Last Saturday marked the 126th anniversary of the landmark colliery
:01:40. > :01:48.disaster in my constituency in which a number of men and boys lost their
:01:49. > :01:53.lives. Can we have a debate on the sacrifices made by miners and their
:01:54. > :01:59.families and communities over generations? There is no doubt that
:02:00. > :02:04.mining communities played a huge role in this country. They provided
:02:05. > :02:09.the energy which kept this country going for decades. I am glad that
:02:10. > :02:14.today we can provide energy sources from a variety of different areas so
:02:15. > :02:20.we do not have too subject those workers to those conditions today.
:02:21. > :02:34.Order. Statement, the Secretary of State for health, Secretary Jeremy
:02:35. > :02:37.Hunt. Nearly three years ago today the government first sat down with
:02:38. > :02:41.the British Medical Association to negotiate a contract for junior
:02:42. > :02:45.doctors. Both sides agreed that the current arrangements drawn up in
:02:46. > :02:49.1999 were not fit for purpose. And that the system of paying for a
:02:50. > :02:57.unsociable hours was unfair. Under the existing contact, Dutch
:02:58. > :02:59.contract, doctors can receive different pay for different
:03:00. > :03:09.unsociable hours. Doctors paying nights can be paid the same as those
:03:10. > :03:14.who do not, and pay rise can be triggered for all doctors on a road
:03:15. > :03:19.if they stay past their shift length. Despite the unfairness of
:03:20. > :03:23.this, processing it and reforming it has been slow, with the BMA walking
:03:24. > :03:33.out without notice before the general election. Following the
:03:34. > :03:42.election, which... The committee refused point blank to reforms.
:03:43. > :03:47.Discussions started with ACAS in December, but we have since have two
:03:48. > :03:55.damaging strikes with operation cancelled. In January I asked the
:03:56. > :03:59.chief executive of Salford Royal to read the negotiating team for the
:04:00. > :04:03.government. Under his outstanding leadership, for which the whole
:04:04. > :04:08.House will be immensely grateful, progress has been made on almost 100
:04:09. > :04:13.different points of discussion, with agreement secured the BMA on
:04:14. > :04:16.approximately 90% of them. Despite this progress and willingness from
:04:17. > :04:22.the government to be flexible on the crucial issue of Saturday paid, Sir
:04:23. > :04:27.David wrote to me yesterday advising that a negotiated solution is not
:04:28. > :04:32.realistically possible. Along with other senior NHS leaders and
:04:33. > :04:39.supported by NHS employers, the NHS can Confederation, he has asked me
:04:40. > :04:46.to end the uncertainty for the service by preceding with the
:04:47. > :04:51.introduction of a new contract that they consider safer for patients and
:04:52. > :04:59.reasonable for junior doctors. I have decided to do that. Tired
:05:00. > :05:02.doctors risk patient safety. In a new contract, the maximum number of
:05:03. > :05:11.hours worked in one week will be reduced from 91, 272. The number of
:05:12. > :05:16.consecutive -- the maximum number of consecutive nights will be reduced
:05:17. > :05:23.from seven, two four. The maximum number of long days will be reduced
:05:24. > :05:27.from seven, 25. No doctor will ever be working to consecutive weekends.
:05:28. > :05:30.Banning substantial improvements to patient safety and Doctor
:05:31. > :05:41.well-being. We will also introduce a new guardian role who will have the
:05:42. > :05:47.authority to impose fines for breaches in work. A new contract
:05:48. > :05:54.will give additional paid to those working Saturday evenings from 5pm,
:05:55. > :06:04.nights from 9pm until 7am, and all day on Sunday. I said the government
:06:05. > :06:11.was willing to be flexible on Saturday premium paid, and we have
:06:12. > :06:16.been. Those working one in four or more or more Saturdays, will receive
:06:17. > :06:21.a paid premium of 30%, which is higher than average of that
:06:22. > :06:26.available to most other clinical staff. It is also a higher premium
:06:27. > :06:30.of that available to fire officers, police officers and those in other
:06:31. > :06:39.walks of life. Nonetheless it still represents a reduction compared to
:06:40. > :06:43.current rates. At is necessary to ensure they can afford weekend
:06:44. > :06:49.rostering. We do not want take on paid to go down for junior doctors,
:06:50. > :07:04.so I can tell the House that they will receive an increase of basic
:07:05. > :07:08.salary, of not 11%, but of 13.5%. No trainee working within contracted
:07:09. > :07:12.hours will have their pay cut. Our strong preference was also for a
:07:13. > :07:17.negotiated solution. Our door remained open for three years. We
:07:18. > :07:25.demonstrated time and again our willingness to negotiate with the
:07:26. > :07:28.BMA on their concerns. However the definition of negotiation is a
:07:29. > :07:37.discussion where both sides demonstrate flexibility and
:07:38. > :07:41.compromise, and the BMA proved unwilling to do this. In such a
:07:42. > :07:50.situation, any government must do what is right for both patients and
:07:51. > :07:55.doctors. We have now had eight independent studies in the last five
:07:56. > :07:59.years identifying higher mortality rates at the weekend to be a key
:08:00. > :08:04.challenge is to be addressed. Six of these say that staffing levels need
:08:05. > :08:07.to be investigated. Professors describe the status quo as
:08:08. > :08:13.unavoidable weekend affect. -- effect, which could save lives if
:08:14. > :08:16.addressed. They have set out ten clinical standards necessary to
:08:17. > :08:22.remedy this. Today we're taking one important step necessary.
:08:23. > :08:29.And I understand that this process has generated dismay amongst junior
:08:30. > :08:33.doctors, I believe that this new contract we are introducing shaped
:08:34. > :08:37.by Sir David Dalton and with over 90% of the measures agreed by the
:08:38. > :08:40.BMA through negotiation, it is one that in time can command the
:08:41. > :08:47.confidence of both the workforce and their employers. I do believe,
:08:48. > :08:51.however, that the process of negotiation has uncovered some wider
:08:52. > :08:55.and more deep-seated issues relating to the morale of June doctors and
:08:56. > :09:02.the quality of life, which must be addressed. -- junior doctors. This
:09:03. > :09:07.includes inflexibility around these, lack of notice about placements that
:09:08. > :09:11.can be a long way from home. Separation from spouses and families
:09:12. > :09:17.and sometimes inadequate support from employers, professional bodies
:09:18. > :09:21.and senior clinicians. I have asked Professor Dame Sue Bailey, president
:09:22. > :09:26.of the Academy of Royal colleges, alongside other senior clinicians to
:09:27. > :09:31.beat a review into measures outside of the contracts that can be taken
:09:32. > :09:37.to improve the morale of the junior doctor workforce. Further details of
:09:38. > :09:38.this review will be set out soon. Mr Speaker, no government or Health
:09:39. > :09:46.Secretary could responsibly ignore the evidence that hospital mortality
:09:47. > :09:51.rates are higher at the weekend or the overwhelming consensus that the
:09:52. > :09:55.standard of weekend services is to bowl with insufficient senior
:09:56. > :10:01.clinical physician 's -- decision-makers. The likes of
:10:02. > :10:04.Morecambe Bay and Basildon show that patients suffer when governments
:10:05. > :10:09.drag their feet over such high mortality rates and this covenant is
:10:10. > :10:13.determined our NHS should offer the safest, highest quality care in the
:10:14. > :10:16.world. We have committed an extra ?10 billion to the NHS this
:10:17. > :10:22.Parliament. But with that extra funding must, reform to deliver
:10:23. > :10:26.safer services across all seven days. This is not just about
:10:27. > :10:32.changing the contracts of doctors, we need better we can support
:10:33. > :10:36.services, such as physiotherapy, pharmacy and diagnostic scans as
:10:37. > :10:41.well as social care services over seven days, better discharging and
:10:42. > :10:45.primary care access to avoid problems and admissions at the
:10:46. > :10:49.weekends. Today this is a decisive step forward to deliver our
:10:50. > :10:55.manifesto commitment and I commend this statement to the House.
:10:56. > :11:01.Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am grateful to the Secretary of State for
:11:02. > :11:05.advanced sight of his statement. It would have been good to have plagued
:11:06. > :11:08.this exchange on Monday during the urgent question but be no that the
:11:09. > :11:14.secretary of state could not be bothered to turn up. Mr Speaker, you
:11:15. > :11:17.might also think that the House Secretary would do me the courtesy
:11:18. > :11:24.of responding to the two letters I have said to him in the last week,
:11:25. > :11:28.but you would be wrong. So much for a health service over seven days, a
:11:29. > :11:35.five-day elite Health Secretary would be nice! Mr Speaker, this
:11:36. > :11:38.whole dispute could have been handled differently. They have
:11:39. > :11:44.Secretary's failure to listen to junior doctors, has deeply dubious
:11:45. > :11:48.misrepresentation about research and care at the weekends and his desire
:11:49. > :11:54.to make these contract negotiations into a symbolic fight for delivery
:11:55. > :11:59.of services over seven days has led to a situation that has been
:12:00. > :12:05.unprecedented in my lifetime. Everyone, including the BMA, agrees
:12:06. > :12:09.with the need to reform the current contract, but hardly anyone thinks
:12:10. > :12:15.they need to do that is so urgent that it justifies imposition and all
:12:16. > :12:18.the chaos that will bring. The Health Secretary, Mr Speaker, said
:12:19. > :12:25.NHS leaders have asked him to end the uncertainty, but can you confirm
:12:26. > :12:31.that means the support imposing a new contract? One of the hospital
:12:32. > :12:36.chief executives, who the secretary of state claims are supporting, he
:12:37. > :12:40.has treated this morning. I have supported the view that the offer
:12:41. > :12:45.made is reasonable. I have not supported contract imposition. That
:12:46. > :12:49.is what he has said. For clarity, can he categorically say that the
:12:50. > :12:55.NHS leaders he mentioned all fully support his actions today? Can the
:12:56. > :13:00.Health Secretary not see that imposing a new contract which does
:13:01. > :13:05.not enjoy the confidence of junior doctors will destroy morale, which
:13:06. > :13:10.is already at rock bottom? Does he not realise that this decision could
:13:11. > :13:15.lead to a protracted period of industrial action, which will be
:13:16. > :13:21.distressing for everyone. Patients, doctors, everyone who works in or
:13:22. > :13:25.depends upon the NHS? Order! Far too much noise in the Chamber, let me
:13:26. > :13:31.say to members on both sides of the House who are shouting out, do it
:13:32. > :13:35.again and you will not be called. As simple as that. If members cannot
:13:36. > :13:39.exercise the self restraint to be quiet whilst the front benches are
:13:40. > :13:44.speaking, they have no business in taking part in the exchanges.
:13:45. > :13:47.Heidi Alexander. Grateful, Mr Speaker, what is the House secretary
:13:48. > :13:52.honestly think the impact of an imposed contract would be on
:13:53. > :13:56.recruitment and retention? A poll earlier this week found that nearly
:13:57. > :14:01.90% of junior doctors are prepared to be the NHS if a contract is
:14:02. > :14:07.imposed. How does the Health Secretary propose to deliver
:14:08. > :14:11.services over seven days but one tenth of the current junior doctor
:14:12. > :14:16.workforce? How can it possibly be right for us to be training junior
:14:17. > :14:20.doctors and the consultants of tomorrow only to be exporting them
:14:21. > :14:27.on Mars to the southern hemisphere? The Health Secretary needs to stop
:14:28. > :14:31.behaving like a recruiting agent for Australian hospitals and start
:14:32. > :14:35.acting like the Secretary of State for our NHS. Mr Speaker, I would
:14:36. > :14:40.also like to ask the Secretary of State what advice he has taken
:14:41. > :14:46.before making this decision. He may not want to respond to my letters,
:14:47. > :14:49.but what does he say to the volume -- Royal College of Surgeons, Royal
:14:50. > :14:55.College of obstetricians and an ecologist? All of whom have or is
:14:56. > :15:01.the Secretary of State not to impose a contract? What legal advice has
:15:02. > :15:05.the secretary of state taken about how an imposed contract would work
:15:06. > :15:11.in practice? What employment rights do junior doctors have in this
:15:12. > :15:15.context and what happens if they simply refuse to sign? Mr Speaker,
:15:16. > :15:20.the Health Secretary has been keen to present a new junior doctor
:15:21. > :15:25.contract as the chief watch on mocks the delivery of services over seven
:15:26. > :15:30.days. This is a massive oversimplification and he knows it!
:15:31. > :15:35.Whilst research shows a high mortality rate among patients
:15:36. > :15:38.admitted to hospital at the weekend, there is absolutely no evidence
:15:39. > :15:44.which shows a lack of junior doctors specifically causes this. Will he
:15:45. > :15:48.stayed for the record that he accepts that? One of the real
:15:49. > :15:53.barriers to more consistent services over seven days is the consultant
:15:54. > :15:57.contract and Tom now, at least, the BMA and the government were making
:15:58. > :16:04.progress in those negotiations. Could a decision to impose a new
:16:05. > :16:08.junior doctors' contract not put the consultant negotiations at risk and
:16:09. > :16:13.make the delivery of services over seven days even harder? Could the
:16:14. > :16:16.secular state be clear about how the definition of unsociable hours will
:16:17. > :16:21.need to change and other contracts in order to deliver services over
:16:22. > :16:26.seven days and which groups of staff will this apply to? What we have
:16:27. > :16:31.heard from the Secretary of State to date could amount to the biggest
:16:32. > :16:38.gamble in patient safety this House has ever seen. He has failed to win
:16:39. > :16:42.the trust of the very people who keep our hospitals running and he
:16:43. > :16:48.has failed to convince the public of his grounds for change. Imposing a
:16:49. > :16:56.contract is a sign of failure, it is about time the Secretary of State
:16:57. > :16:59.realise that. Secretary of State. Mr Speaker, she has made a number of
:17:00. > :17:04.incorrect statements that I will come to, but what the country will
:17:05. > :17:08.notice about her response is a straightforward. When we have an NHS
:17:09. > :17:11.any viewers time that runs over seven days, people will see it is
:17:12. > :17:15.obvious and the correct thing to do. They will remember how hard it was
:17:16. > :17:19.to get there but they will sadly remember the big coal that she made
:17:20. > :17:24.to date which was to put short-term political advantage over the
:17:25. > :17:31.long-term interests of patients. -- the big political call. She has
:17:32. > :17:36.vulnerable constituents, we all have vulnerable constituents who need a
:17:37. > :17:39.true NHS that runs over seven days. Those people are precisely the
:17:40. > :17:43.people that the NHS should be there for and sorting this out should not
:17:44. > :17:50.be a party issue, it should be something that unites the entire
:17:51. > :17:53.house. She will come to regret the line that she has taken today. Let
:17:54. > :17:55.me address some of our particular points. She has said today and on
:17:56. > :18:02.other occasions that this has been badly handled. Well, if she wants to
:18:03. > :18:05.know who has handled contract negotiations badly, it was the party
:18:06. > :18:11.that gave consultants the right to opt out from weekend work in 2003.
:18:12. > :18:15.Who gave GPs the right to opt out of out of hours care in 2004. Is it
:18:16. > :18:21.difficult to sort those problems out? Yes, will be the lecture tab
:18:22. > :18:28.over by those who caused them? No. She also said that she questioned
:18:29. > :18:31.whether there is support for imposition. Let me read to her
:18:32. > :18:38.exactly what the letter that I got from Sir David Dalton says. It says
:18:39. > :18:41.on the basis of this stalemate, I advise the government to do whatever
:18:42. > :18:45.it deems necessary to end uncertainty for the service and make
:18:46. > :18:50.sure that a new contract is in place which is as close as possible to the
:18:51. > :18:55.final position put forward to the DNA yesterday. What does Simon
:18:56. > :19:00.Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England tell us? Are the regrettable
:19:01. > :19:05.and avoidable circumstances, hospitals are calling for the end of
:19:06. > :19:09.uncertainty and the implication of the package that the Dalton team are
:19:10. > :19:13.recommending. She talked about the impact upon her and. Perhaps you
:19:14. > :19:18.would like to look at the hospitals that have commented here over seven
:19:19. > :19:24.days, some of which have the highest morale in the NHS because morale for
:19:25. > :19:28.doctors is higher when they are getting better care for patients.
:19:29. > :19:33.She has said that we should not impose this contract, but what she
:19:34. > :19:37.is telling us is that because the BNP point-blank refused to negotiate
:19:38. > :19:40.on patient care, we should give up on looking after vulnerable
:19:41. > :19:47.patients. What an extraordinary thing for a rape Shadow Secretary to
:19:48. > :19:53.tellers. -- BNA. She said that we were conflating this contract. Let
:19:54. > :19:56.us look at what the Academy of medical colleges said in 2012. They
:19:57. > :20:02.said that the weekend is it is likely to be 22 problems linked to
:20:03. > :20:06.the absence of skilled and empowered senior staff. -- BMA. Most medical
:20:07. > :20:15.colleges have told us that junior doctors will call the fight as
:20:16. > :20:20.senior staff. Mr Speaker, the NHS has made great strides in improving
:20:21. > :20:24.the quality of care. Since I have been Health Secretary, avoidable
:20:25. > :20:27.harm in hospitals has merely halfed, nearly 20% of acute hospitals have
:20:28. > :20:31.been put into a new special measures regime and we are turning them
:20:32. > :20:40.around. Record levels of the public has said that their care is safe and
:20:41. > :20:44.that they are treated with dignity and respect. An NHS over 70s is not
:20:45. > :20:47.just a manifesto commitment, it is because we are willing to fight to
:20:48. > :20:49.make the NHS is the safest, the highest quality health care system
:20:50. > :20:55.in the world. Today we have seen the party opposite is not going to have
:20:56. > :21:01.that fight. So it would appear that the Conservative Party is the true
:21:02. > :21:05.party of the NHS. Kenneth Clarke. May I congratulate my rate
:21:06. > :21:09.honourable friend on taking the clear and correct decision. It is
:21:10. > :21:13.obvious after three years that the BMA were prepared to let the whole
:21:14. > :21:18.thing back on with talks and days of action until he either abandoned the
:21:19. > :21:24.service over seven days or give them a substantial settlement to provide
:21:25. > :21:28.them to do it. Can I ask him in future discussions to concentrate as
:21:29. > :21:32.he has done, on essential public interest, which is to meet the
:21:33. > :21:40.rising and Moss was the man on the servers from an ageing population
:21:41. > :21:47.and to use the extra resources that the NHS is getting at the moment to
:21:48. > :21:52.deliver that better service to the patients and not allow it to be
:21:53. > :21:58.taken away as so often in the past, including ten years ago, orbital
:21:59. > :22:04.more than 2003, and to very large pay claims by the various staff
:22:05. > :22:09.unions which will lessen his ability to give us a modern NHS that he
:22:10. > :22:13.talks about. My right honourable friend speaks
:22:14. > :22:16.with great wisdom and also great experience because many people in
:22:17. > :22:22.this House will remember when he was Health Secretary how BMA put up
:22:23. > :22:27.posters of him over the country asking what you call a man who
:22:28. > :22:31.ignores medical advice and there was my right honourable friend smoking
:22:32. > :22:35.his cigar! Every Health Secretary on the website has had similar
:22:36. > :22:41.treatment as well, I would suggest. He makes a very important point.
:22:42. > :22:45.Under the new Labour administration of Tony Blair, a huge amount of
:22:46. > :22:52.extra resources were put into the NHS, but unfortunately because of
:22:53. > :22:56.the contract changes in 1999, 2003 and 2004, the impact was actually
:22:57. > :23:00.that it made clear at the weekend less effective, not more effective.
:23:01. > :23:04.We have now, thanks to the tough decisions we have taken on public
:23:05. > :23:08.spending and pulling the economy around, being able to give the NHS a
:23:09. > :23:13.funding settlement mixture which is the sixth biggest in its entire
:23:14. > :23:16.nearly 70 year history and we are absolutely determined that we are
:23:17. > :23:20.putting that extra money into the NHS, that it should come with reform
:23:21. > :23:30.that leads to better care for patients, that is the conservative
:23:31. > :23:34.week and we will not deflected from it.
:23:35. > :23:40.If I could pick up the secretary of state on to statements he has made.
:23:41. > :23:44.Can you step away from the trees increased mortality at the weekend.
:23:45. > :23:50.The Fremantle paper does not show that, it shows 30 day mortality for
:23:51. > :23:54.people admitted at the weekends. There is a lower mortality rate. The
:23:55. > :23:58.junior minister said that the secretary of state is careful, but
:23:59. > :24:01.that is twice in the statement and I think that is very misleading. I
:24:02. > :24:05.have to tell them that what should have happened in terms of things
:24:06. > :24:10.like the Fremantle papers and other papers, is trying to understand why.
:24:11. > :24:16.The only study that guides us a clear answer and backs up the
:24:17. > :24:20.Francis Report is the paper into 103 stroke units showing the single most
:24:21. > :24:23.important thing, the ratio of registered nurses. We should know
:24:24. > :24:28.what the problem is before we try to fix it and the one group of staff
:24:29. > :24:36.along with nurses that are there are junior doctors, they are not the
:24:37. > :24:38.barrier to achieving this step ten standards. I welcome the progress
:24:39. > :24:41.that has been made since last November. In the debate in this
:24:42. > :24:46.Chamber in October, the secretary of state was relatively unloving. The
:24:47. > :24:52.process has been made since those negotiations started and
:24:53. > :24:56.particularly since Sir David Dalton became involved in the last month. I
:24:57. > :25:02.find it incredible that with 90% of agreement, having traded at four
:25:03. > :25:06.minutes past eight o'clock, let's go get both sides back to the table, to
:25:07. > :25:11.see the next thing on the BBC that the contract is going to be imposed.
:25:12. > :25:14.My two concerns are that the problem around recognition of unsocial hours
:25:15. > :25:22.may increase the difficulty we already have in recruiting people
:25:23. > :25:25.for the acute specialties A, maternity and acute medicine. They
:25:26. > :25:31.are already struggling. This could make that worse and I have concerns
:25:32. > :25:36.about the problem of the junior doctor at the bottom of a hierarchy
:25:37. > :25:42.will have to go and complain. Then a hierarchical system, we can simply
:25:43. > :25:46.imagine how difficult that could be and how easily they could get
:25:47. > :25:49.labelled as a troublemaker. So I think there are things to begin
:25:50. > :25:54.with, I do welcome the progress that has been made in the last month, but
:25:55. > :25:56.I do not feel that this is a time to pour petrol on the fire and throw in
:25:57. > :26:10.the towel. First of all can I welcome the tone
:26:11. > :26:14.of her comments, which are more constructive than the comments we
:26:15. > :26:19.have had from other opposition spokesmen, and she is right that
:26:20. > :26:26.what the studies talk about is mortality rates for people admitted
:26:27. > :26:29.at weekends, if you include International studies, there have
:26:30. > :26:35.been eight study since 2010, and if you look at by those factors
:26:36. > :26:41.happened, she is right. You have to look at why we have these problems.
:26:42. > :26:45.Clinical standards say that when someone is admitted they should be
:26:46. > :26:51.seen by a senior decision within 14 hours of admission. They will be
:26:52. > :26:59.seen by a doctor by someone before then, but they will be seen by
:27:00. > :27:14.someone seen in badge senior within 14 hours. That is made in one and
:27:15. > :27:19.eight hospitals. Consultants are also part of this, and contract
:27:20. > :27:25.reform is therefore essential. It is also about the presence of nurses,
:27:26. > :27:30.and the terms we are offering today for junior doctors are better on
:27:31. > :27:34.average than the nurses working in the very same hospitals, better than
:27:35. > :27:38.the midwives and paramedics, which is why Sir David Dalton and many
:27:39. > :27:45.others say that this is up there and reasonable offer. With respect to
:27:46. > :27:50.accident and emergency recruitment, the impact of this contract changes
:27:51. > :27:54.that people who regularly work nights and weekends will actually
:27:55. > :28:00.see their pay go up relatively compared to the current contract.
:28:01. > :28:08.These are the people delivering a seven day NHS, and we must support
:28:09. > :28:17.them. I know that colleagues across the House would want to thank junior
:28:18. > :28:25.doctors for the work they do. I hope they will look carefully at the
:28:26. > :28:34.improvements and the safeguard that will encourage premium rates if they
:28:35. > :28:41.have to work more than one weekend. I would hope that the BMA would also
:28:42. > :28:50.recognise and welcome the very important appointment to lead the
:28:51. > :28:54.enquiry into all the other aspects that lead to discontent with junior
:28:55. > :28:58.doctors. What we now need is to move forward in a positive spirit that
:28:59. > :29:02.actually brings this dispute to an end, takes the temperature down and
:29:03. > :29:10.recognises that we all want the same thing, which is safety for patients.
:29:11. > :29:17.Can I thank her for her constructive comments. She is right, at 13.5%
:29:18. > :29:23.increase in basic pay is very significant because, unlike overtime
:29:24. > :29:26.and premium pay, it is pensionable, it helps applying for a mortgage, it
:29:27. > :29:28.aims you get more money if you are on maternity, and it is something
:29:29. > :29:34.that will be much better for junior doctors. The review that Dame Sue
:29:35. > :29:40.Bailey is doing, which was much derided IV opposition when I
:29:41. > :29:44.mentioned it, is very significant, because one of the things that has
:29:45. > :29:48.gone wrong in training is that since the implementation of the working
:29:49. > :29:52.Time directive, we have moved away from the old firm system, which
:29:53. > :29:56.means junior doctors were assigned to a consultant who had they would
:29:57. > :30:01.see on a regular basis, who would be able to coach them, on a continuous
:30:02. > :30:06.basis over weeks, months, that has been lost, and many people think
:30:07. > :30:12.that has led to lower morale, and we want to see what we can do to sort
:30:13. > :30:18.it out. I want to echo what she said about going forward with a positive
:30:19. > :30:21.and constructive spirit. When the government took the decision to
:30:22. > :30:26.proceed with implementing new contracts, we had the choice to go
:30:27. > :30:31.many different routes because essentially we can decide exact link
:30:32. > :30:37.what it is. We have chosen to implement the contract recommended
:30:38. > :30:40.by NHS Chief Executive is as being fair and reasonable. It was
:30:41. > :30:45.different to our original position. We have moved on most of the major
:30:46. > :30:51.issues a considerable distance, but it is what the NHS thinks is a fear
:30:52. > :30:57.and decent contract, and we have to move forward. The Secretary of State
:30:58. > :31:00.and sure has the grace to acknowledge that the application
:31:01. > :31:05.rate for speciality training has fallen since the government put
:31:06. > :31:09.forward the last year. But can he accept that if he gets less junior
:31:10. > :31:16.doctors, then the problem here is strong to solve would only get
:31:17. > :31:23.worse? What I would say is that we have 10,600 more doctors working in
:31:24. > :31:27.the NHS now than we did five years ago, and we are investing record
:31:28. > :31:34.amounts going forward, and I think there has been a lot of smoke and
:31:35. > :31:38.mirrors about what is actually in the contract proposals. I hope that
:31:39. > :31:42.all trainees and medical students will look at what these proposals
:31:43. > :31:46.are, they will see that independent people have looked over them and
:31:47. > :31:50.believe they are fear and reasonable, actually better for
:31:51. > :31:59.junior doctors, and we will continue to recruit more doctors into the
:32:00. > :32:04.NHS. As one gets a bit older like myself, you get to rely on the NHS
:32:05. > :32:09.more and more, and I have just had an operation and might have one
:32:10. > :32:12.coming up, so people like me get worried about strikes, and I would
:32:13. > :32:19.hope the Secretary of State would try to build on the morale of junior
:32:20. > :32:23.doctors, but can I say that the NHS is not for the Labour Party or the
:32:24. > :32:27.Conservative Party, it is for the people. And why should people like
:32:28. > :32:34.me who are admitted on Saturday have a greater chance of dying? He has to
:32:35. > :32:46.take on the vested interests and take care of the people. He is
:32:47. > :32:51.absolutely right. If you look at the change... If we want the NHS to be
:32:52. > :32:54.the best in the world, we have to be confident that we are giving
:32:55. > :32:59.patients the best care in the world. I completely agree, and there is no
:33:00. > :33:03.reason why this could not be something that the whole House could
:33:04. > :33:09.unite behind. But what we cannot do is look at eight study is in five
:33:10. > :33:13.years and say that we will do that as soon as we get a consensus in the
:33:14. > :33:17.medical profession. We have been trying to get that for over three
:33:18. > :33:27.years, you have to say enough is enough and we have got to do the
:33:28. > :33:36.right thing for patients. As someone who spent 40 years in trade
:33:37. > :33:43.disputes, can we ask how he expects industry relations to improve when
:33:44. > :33:52.he has posed a contract, accused people of lying, and now he has told
:33:53. > :33:58.us he will build into a contract the differential between the anti-social
:33:59. > :34:04.payments will be a difference between those working next to them.
:34:05. > :34:13.Did he put in the library the full list of what he believes the BMA
:34:14. > :34:23.lied? How can he get things back to an even keel? As someone who I can
:34:24. > :34:28.see has more experience of industrial relations disputes than I
:34:29. > :34:34.have, let me say this, I think it is very clear that where you are able
:34:35. > :34:36.to make progress is when you have given take from both sides, the
:34:37. > :34:41.sides are both prepared to negotiate and come to a deal in the interests
:34:42. > :34:56.of the service and the people working in the service. With respect
:34:57. > :35:09.to some of the things put out by the BMA, such as the pay calculator they
:35:10. > :35:18.put on their website, which caused a great amount of anger and dismay, I
:35:19. > :35:22.do not think it is... If I could say to him, the differential between
:35:23. > :35:27.doctors and other workers in hospitals is what the BMA is seeking
:35:28. > :35:33.to protect. It still exists, but we have reduced it because we think it
:35:34. > :35:46.is fairer that way and better for junior doctors. May I add to what my
:35:47. > :35:51.honourable friend said by delving into past history, in 1977I was
:35:52. > :35:57.knocked off a motor cycle by a careless driver on a Sunday because
:35:58. > :36:02.staff were not in the hospital -- because staff were not in the
:36:03. > :36:08.hospital, the room could not be cleaned and I got an infection. It
:36:09. > :36:19.is about the prolongation of small and routine episodes and injuries,
:36:20. > :36:26.and can we say again to the House that when we look at back again to
:36:27. > :36:33.this episode, but it took 40 years to bring about this long overdue
:36:34. > :36:36.change. He is absolutely right. X-rays illustrate the point that it
:36:37. > :36:44.is not just about Doctor presence, it is about people who are able to
:36:45. > :36:48.do x-ray scans, CT scans, get results from laboratories, there is
:36:49. > :36:53.a whole raft of things necessary for seven day care. He is also right
:36:54. > :37:00.that there are huge savings if you get this right. If someone gets an
:37:01. > :37:04.unavoidable pressure ulcer because they have not had the care that they
:37:05. > :37:09.should, they are likely to stay in hospital for over ten days longer.
:37:10. > :37:13.That will cost the NHS several thousand pounds more, which means
:37:14. > :37:20.this is the right thing to do economically and ethically. There
:37:21. > :37:28.are huge pressures everywhere in the NHS, for instance GP out-of-hours
:37:29. > :37:30.services are under strain. What is the Secretary of State doing about
:37:31. > :37:35.those pressures and the additional strain that could be triggered by an
:37:36. > :37:40.exodus of doctors following the imposition of the doctors contract?
:37:41. > :37:48.Will he entertain a commission, as my honourable friends on both sides
:37:49. > :37:56.of the House have suggested, to find a long-term solution? The problem
:37:57. > :37:59.with commissions as they take a long time to come up with solutions, and
:38:00. > :38:05.we need to sort these problems out now, which is why the Chancellor has
:38:06. > :38:09.committed to 3.8 billion next year. We want 5000 more GPs working in
:38:10. > :38:16.general practice, which will help the issues of the out-of-hours
:38:17. > :38:22.services. We have a five-year plan that the NHS is at the mentoring,
:38:23. > :38:31.has the funding to implement, which will transform
:38:32. > :38:37.Can I thank my right honourable friend for his patience in bringing
:38:38. > :38:42.this matter to a conclusion. Go see also share the real sadness that so
:38:43. > :38:47.many of us feel that these wonderful young people who come into the
:38:48. > :38:51.health service to be doctors, with such high ideals, are caught up in
:38:52. > :39:00.this terribly debilitating and damaging dispute? And can I ask him
:39:01. > :39:04.to reinforces average to re-engage directly with junior doctors and the
:39:05. > :39:09.medical profession as a whole to speak directly with and not allow
:39:10. > :39:13.the destructive behaviour of the British Medical Association destroy
:39:14. > :39:19.the relationship? He is absolutely right. There was
:39:20. > :39:25.absolutely no reason to have this dispute. The things we're trying to
:39:26. > :39:31.sort out, seven day safest care for patients, is something every doctor
:39:32. > :39:37.wants to do. They choose the medical profession for the highest ethical
:39:38. > :39:41.reasons. I share his sadness that it has come to this. Given that the
:39:42. > :39:45.counterpart is not willing to budge, we have to take action to remove
:39:46. > :39:49.uncertainty, do the right thing for patients and do the right thing for
:39:50. > :39:57.doctors. I will certainly continue doing gauge. The new commission will
:39:58. > :40:00.also look at wider issues of morality which will make a big
:40:01. > :40:04.difference. I must advise the House that so far
:40:05. > :40:08.we have got through eight questions in 14 minutes, which by the
:40:09. > :40:19.standards of the House operating at its best, is poor. That means
:40:20. > :40:23.shorter questions and pithy answers. I had an e-mail from a doctor in my
:40:24. > :40:26.constituency this morning who thanked me for forwarding replies
:40:27. > :40:32.from the department, although he did say he was disappointed with them.
:40:33. > :40:37.He did say the BMA have proposed a contract which meets the cost skills
:40:38. > :40:43.requirement of the government, although this seems to be rejected
:40:44. > :40:47.by the government. Is it true? I am going to be pithy. It is not just
:40:48. > :40:53.about cost neutrality, it is about dealing with weekend care, which is
:40:54. > :40:57.why the proposal was not accepted. May I congratulate my right
:40:58. > :41:06.honourable friend for always having at the forefront of patient care and
:41:07. > :41:11.the well-being of junior doctors. Would my right honourable friend
:41:12. > :41:17.remind the House how much extras are involved with the NHS in contrast to
:41:18. > :41:21.the opposition? He is absolutely right. There are some regrettably
:41:22. > :41:25.political elements within the BMA. The great irony is that without the
:41:26. > :41:28.austerity measures those same people opposed in the last Parliament, we
:41:29. > :41:35.would not have been able to give the NHS its sixth biggest funding
:41:36. > :41:40.increase ever. I watched the Secretary of State on the TV on
:41:41. > :41:43.Sunday. Two to -- two things struck me. One that he got more pale as the
:41:44. > :41:49.letters were read out from junior doctors. And two that the Secretary
:41:50. > :41:55.of State made clear that the point was the senior doctors not being
:41:56. > :42:01.president -- that the senior doctors not being present was a barrier. Why
:42:02. > :42:04.pick a fight with junior doctors? Senior decision-makers are the most
:42:05. > :42:10.important people in terms of delivering care. But I junior doctor
:42:11. > :42:14.with substantial training does qualify as a senior decision-makers,
:42:15. > :42:20.and that is why we need them more. BMA has taken the oversubscribed
:42:21. > :42:28.political speciality of spin doctoring to a whole new level. Can
:42:29. > :42:30.I express my admiration of the Secretary of State's ability to keep
:42:31. > :42:37.his cool under the sort of provocation he has had, and say how
:42:38. > :42:42.it is that a 13.5% increase in the pensionable pay could possibly lead
:42:43. > :42:48.to problems with recruitment and retention. My honourable friend
:42:49. > :42:51.speaks with personal knowledge of this. This is one of the things that
:42:52. > :42:55.has been wrong with the junior doctors contract for many years.
:42:56. > :43:01.Basic pay is too low. Therefore they feel under huge pressure to boost
:43:02. > :43:05.basic pay by some of the premium working. That has led to some
:43:06. > :43:10.distortions. So yes, it is a significant increase in basic pay,
:43:11. > :43:14.which is a big step forward. Mr Speaker, I spent 30 years in the
:43:15. > :43:19.world of work representing employees, conducting negotiations
:43:20. > :43:25.and solving disputes. I have seldom seen a sense of grievance so
:43:26. > :43:28.grotesquely mishandled, insulting the intelligence of junior doctors
:43:29. > :43:33.by telling them they do not understand what is on offer. Does
:43:34. > :43:40.the Secretary of State not feel a sense of shame that his handling of
:43:41. > :43:46.this dispute should have so poisoned relationships with junior doctors,
:43:47. > :43:51.the backbone of the NHS? Mr Speaker, he can do a lot better than that. We
:43:52. > :43:55.have been willing to negotiate since June. It was not me that refused to
:43:56. > :44:00.sit around the table and talk until December, it was the BMA, who before
:44:01. > :44:04.even talking to the government, balloted for industrial action. What
:44:05. > :44:10.totally irresponsible behaviour. If Labour were responsible they would
:44:11. > :44:14.be condemning it as well. I would like to thank the Minister
:44:15. > :44:18.for his statement today and for the work he is doing to deliver the
:44:19. > :44:24.truly seven-day week NHS we already want. But Willie confirmed that the
:44:25. > :44:30.BMA, the Royal colleges, government and the wider NHS, are agreed on the
:44:31. > :44:37.need to improve weekend care, which, as Professor Bruce Kehoe has said,
:44:38. > :44:40.is a clinical and moral course? She is absolutely right. There is a huge
:44:41. > :44:45.amount of support are doing the right thing for patients, and that
:44:46. > :44:48.is why it is so extraordinary that the BMA have decided to defend the
:44:49. > :44:53.indefensible, not to sit around and talk about how we can do this, and
:44:54. > :45:00.indeed to go back to the earlier question, to put out Commons that
:45:01. > :45:02.are deeply misleading to their own members that have inflamed the
:45:03. > :45:06.situation admitted for worse than it needed to be. The Royal College of
:45:07. > :45:10.GPs have reacted to the decision by saying they are shocked and
:45:11. > :45:14.dismayed. The Royal Oak of psychiatrists have also said it will
:45:15. > :45:19.exacerbate the recruitment and retention issues that the NHS is
:45:20. > :45:23.facing currently. Why does the Health Secretary ignore the concerns
:45:24. > :45:29.of these two Royal colleges? When they have had a chance to look
:45:30. > :45:35.carefully at what we are proposing, I think they will find a lot in it
:45:36. > :45:39.they can commence. Both are psychiatrists and GPs we are putting
:45:40. > :45:41.in a premium to attract more people into those specialties, which are
:45:42. > :45:46.immensely important to them and the NHS.
:45:47. > :45:50.Willie Secretary of State wrote to the attention of the Shadow
:45:51. > :45:55.secretary of state the research in the Netherlands that has shown that
:45:56. > :45:59.improved weekend working, in fact, seven day working, as cut stillbirth
:46:00. > :46:05.rates in the Netherlands dramatically and was up by 6.8%? And
:46:06. > :46:09.that seven-day working has the potential to have a real impact on
:46:10. > :46:13.survival rates for young babies. I would like to commend her for her
:46:14. > :46:19.campaigning on that. She could not be more right. We had a report by a
:46:20. > :46:24.professor before Christmas, which said the mortality rates for
:46:25. > :46:33.neonatal children were 7% higher at weekends. That just underlines why
:46:34. > :46:39.it is so important. On the 5th of December 2011 the government tried
:46:40. > :46:42.to bring in a cut to unsocial hours. Can the Secretary of State, at a
:46:43. > :46:47.time when morale is so low across the NHS, guarantee he will not bring
:46:48. > :46:53.forward cuts? The reason for that was to introduce seven-day working.
:46:54. > :46:57.We have no plans to do that but I cannot be drawn any further except
:46:58. > :47:01.to say we do have to deliver our manifesto commitments. The specific
:47:02. > :47:04.issues we have identified with respect to seven-day working, do
:47:05. > :47:11.relate to consultant and junior doctor presences.
:47:12. > :47:15.Can I thank my honourable friend for the clear way in which he has kept
:47:16. > :47:20.the House up-to-date on his progress. It is very important,
:47:21. > :47:23.surely, that not only do we actually free up beds in hospitals at
:47:24. > :47:29.weekends, but also we should be making greater use of our pharmacies
:47:30. > :47:33.to deliver better health care within the committee. Can my right
:47:34. > :47:38.honourable friend explain how that might happen? I believe my right
:47:39. > :47:41.honourable friend, the Minister of State, is actually with the
:47:42. > :47:46.pharmacists discussing that precise issue. He raises this issue
:47:47. > :47:51.regularly and rightly and they do have a very important part in the
:47:52. > :47:55.future of the NHS. On Sunday I witnessed seven-day working in a
:47:56. > :47:59.Welsh hospital where a clinic was held in Neville Hall for the
:48:00. > :48:05.convenience of patients and to get maximum use of an expensive gamma
:48:06. > :48:10.camera. Wally constantly denigrates the work of the Welsh health
:48:11. > :48:13.service, will he paused to congratulate the Welsh and Scottish
:48:14. > :48:17.governments, who avoided the misery of a strike and will also avoid the
:48:18. > :48:25.poisonous legacy of resentment that he will face from junior doctors?
:48:26. > :48:29.They may have avoided the difficult decision we are taking in the NHS in
:48:30. > :48:33.England, but I would simply say that the longer they go on avoiding that
:48:34. > :48:37.issue, the longer they will have higher mortality rates at weekends.
:48:38. > :48:43.We are determined to do something about it. I would like to thank the
:48:44. > :48:46.Secretary of State for his statement. If we do not have enough
:48:47. > :48:53.junior doctors, patient safety cannot be guaranteed. You referred
:48:54. > :48:57.to reducing the hours, the Knights, the days. Does the health minister
:48:58. > :49:02.believe this will ensure there will be no more strikes? What safeguards
:49:03. > :49:07.are in place for the medical profession if an agreement cannot be
:49:08. > :49:13.reached? It is because an agreement cannot be reached that we are taking
:49:14. > :49:17.the measures we have today. The bits of the new contract he has drawn
:49:18. > :49:20.attention to add the bits that will have the biggest impact on the
:49:21. > :49:23.morale of junior doctors, because we are saying we do not think it is
:49:24. > :49:29.right for hospitals to ask you to work five nights in a row, or to
:49:30. > :49:32.work six or seven long days in a row, and we're putting that right in
:49:33. > :49:37.the new contract. That will lead to better care for patients and less
:49:38. > :49:40.tired doctors. I met a large group of junior
:49:41. > :49:44.doctors in my constituency to discuss the new contract. They were
:49:45. > :49:49.highly professional. There were totally committed to the NHS. But
:49:50. > :49:53.for the first time some of them were considering working abroad. One said
:49:54. > :49:57.that although she loved her job, she would never let her daughter train
:49:58. > :50:02.as a junior doctor. Isn't that a demonstration that the low morale,
:50:03. > :50:05.the despair and the likely flight of junior doctors in the light of
:50:06. > :50:09.imposition, is a huge threat to the future of the NHS?
:50:10. > :50:14.I think the biggest threat to morale for doctors is if they are not able
:50:15. > :50:20.to deliver the care that they came into the profession to deliver. And
:50:21. > :50:24.that is why, that is why sorting out the proper seven-day NHS,
:50:25. > :50:27.particularly for junior doctors who work in A departments at the
:50:28. > :50:31.weekend and often do not have the support they have of the week -- in
:50:32. > :50:34.the week, that is what we are trying to put right. I appreciate it is
:50:35. > :50:37.difficult when your counterpart in the dispute does not want to
:50:38. > :50:41.negotiate. But in the end governments have to decide what is
:50:42. > :50:47.right for patients, what is right for the service and what is right
:50:48. > :50:53.for doctors. Lie Hull has traditionally struggled to recruit
:50:54. > :50:56.doctors in specialities. I'm concerned that the imposition of
:50:57. > :51:01.this contract will have a detrimental effect on staff morale
:51:02. > :51:05.and staff retention in the NHS. Isn't this going to make things even
:51:06. > :51:11.more difficult for areas like Hull that struggle to recruit in the
:51:12. > :51:16.first place? We want more doctors and more nurses in the NHS. In the
:51:17. > :51:21.end if we are putting extra money into recruit these extra doctors and
:51:22. > :51:24.nurses, it is fair to the public paying for their salaries, to have
:51:25. > :51:29.reforms that means they care gets better. That will apply to her
:51:30. > :51:38.constituents in Hull just as my constituents in Surrey.
:51:39. > :51:44.The health secretary has repeatedly and continues to mislead junior
:51:45. > :51:47.doctors. Yet 98% of them voted for industrial action. Without
:51:48. > :51:51.said the last thing they wanted to said the last thing they wanted to
:51:52. > :51:54.be doing was to be out on strike. The doctors are some of the
:51:55. > :51:59.brightest and most intelligent people we have in our country. Does
:52:00. > :52:03.the Secretary of State believe they cannot make their minds up for
:52:04. > :52:08.themselves? It is interesting because when they did that vote, the
:52:09. > :52:12.BMA had actually not sat down and talked to the government, despite
:52:13. > :52:16.repeated invitations. I personally met the leader of the junior doctors
:52:17. > :52:21.committee and invited him to talks. And despite the repeated invitation,
:52:22. > :52:26.they refused to talk. They decided to ballot for industrial action. How
:52:27. > :52:30.serious are people about reaching a negotiated settlement if that is
:52:31. > :52:34.what they do? I wonder if the Secretary of State
:52:35. > :52:41.could clarify something? He says those work doing one in four or more
:52:42. > :52:45.Saturdays will receive a pay premium of 30%, higher on average than that
:52:46. > :52:54.available to most other clinical staff. Those Clough that he sites
:52:55. > :53:01.will be employed... Those staff, if they work Saturdays, they receive
:53:02. > :53:03.30%. Can he tell me how he has calculated an average? I do not
:53:04. > :53:15.understand his mathematics. The contract gives Junior doctors
:53:16. > :53:19.who work more than one in four Saturdays, one in three Saturdays, a
:53:20. > :53:26.higher premium of 50%. On average it is a higher premium. As been pointed
:53:27. > :53:31.out by May honourable friend, the word on strikes in Wales yesterday
:53:32. > :53:37.-- were no. In response to the point, there was an increase in 10%
:53:38. > :53:41.in the budget equivalent of 135 paces pernicious training. So
:53:42. > :53:46.critical to this cover. It may have been what led to be education I had
:53:47. > :53:51.from England junior doctor to say could we have your minister for
:53:52. > :53:59.Wales please? What does this say about morale in the NHS and England
:54:00. > :54:03.went in football and rugby, the Minister has now lost the confidence
:54:04. > :54:07.of the changing and Kazakh I think that is the first time -- of the
:54:08. > :54:11.changing room. I think that is the first time a Welsh MP has got up and
:54:12. > :54:15.said they think things are better in the Welsh NHS. Look at the waiting
:54:16. > :54:20.times that people have when they want to wait for basic operations on
:54:21. > :54:23.the NHS in Wales, far far longer than England. I don't think we will
:54:24. > :54:31.take any lectures about how to run the NHS from Labour in Wales. I
:54:32. > :54:35.represent three fine hospitals, one great medical school and has spent a
:54:36. > :54:38.lot of time listening to junior doctors and medical students. The
:54:39. > :54:45.Secretary of State talks about the crisis of morale within the NHS, and
:54:46. > :54:48.junior doctors, does he not recognise his handling of the
:54:49. > :54:53.dispute has done so much to enhance that crisis and today's announcement
:54:54. > :54:59.will make it so much worse? Bottle at all. The choice I had was to do
:55:00. > :55:03.something -- not at all. To do something about mortality rates at
:55:04. > :55:06.weekends or duck the issue. On the Conservatives we don't duck the
:55:07. > :55:10.issue is about mortality rates, we do the right thing for patients.
:55:11. > :55:15.After Labour's record I would have thought he would be more
:55:16. > :55:22.circumspect. Point of order. Thank you. In an earlier exchange in deck
:55:23. > :55:27.questions, the Secretary of State said in response to a question that
:55:28. > :55:34.I posted her, large-scale solar is already subsidy free. I think she
:55:35. > :55:38.may have inadvertently misled the House as I understand that under the
:55:39. > :55:43.Government's imbibing review, the Government are proposing a subsidy
:55:44. > :55:49.of ?34 per megawatt hour in terms of subsidy. How can get the Secretary
:55:50. > :55:54.of State to correct statement? I thank him for this point of order. I
:55:55. > :55:57.was not here during deck questions but as he knows, ministers take
:55:58. > :56:04.responsibility for their own statements but has put the matter on
:56:05. > :56:07.the record. Point of order. Earlier in business questions I raised the
:56:08. > :56:12.case of my constituents Mike and Tina Trouville. I raised them in
:56:13. > :56:16.Prime Minister questions on November four and the Prime Minister promised
:56:17. > :56:19.a meeting with my constituents. I raised it with Leader of the House
:56:20. > :56:23.because it is now the user of February and it is very difficult to
:56:24. > :56:26.get that meeting. The Leader of the House said I misinterpreted the
:56:27. > :56:35.response from the Prime Minister. I went back and checked Hansard on the
:56:36. > :56:38.4th of November. I specifically say, will be Prime Minister agreed to
:56:39. > :56:43.meet Mike and Tina to discuss why we need a national and local enquiry
:56:44. > :56:49.into what happened to baby as is in such cases? His responses, I quote,
:56:50. > :56:53.I am happy to arrange that meeting. I don't quite understand how I
:56:54. > :56:55.misinterpreted that and more to be point my constituents who have now
:56:56. > :57:00.been meeting three months for a meeting with the Prime Minister of
:57:01. > :57:10.misinterpreted how could I assist -- take this forward Kazakh I think she
:57:11. > :57:14.has already taken this forward. I am sure it they will take this further
:57:15. > :57:20.and perhaps she will be risen to at least. We come now to two Select
:57:21. > :57:26.Committee statements. Mr Clive Betts will speak to his subject up to ten
:57:27. > :57:30.minutes. No interventions may be taken. After his statement I will
:57:31. > :57:34.call members to put questions on the subject of the statement and called
:57:35. > :57:39.Mr Clive Betts to respond to these in turn. This is very long. Members
:57:40. > :57:42.can expect to be called only once, and a vengeance should be questions
:57:43. > :57:46.and be brief. The front bench may take part in questioning, the same
:57:47. > :57:50.procedure will be followed for the second Select Committee statement, I
:57:51. > :57:56.called Beach Arabic Communities and Local Government Committee, Clive
:57:57. > :58:03.Betts. -- the chairman. I would like to thank the chance to prevent a
:58:04. > :58:11.report on houses and right to buy. -- present. I thank them for their
:58:12. > :58:14.help in producing a report. There is clearly a housing crisis in the
:58:15. > :58:18.country. They wanted to look at one of the key policies in greater
:58:19. > :58:20.detail. Extending the right to buy pretence of us housing association.
:58:21. > :58:25.This was a Conservative manifesto commitment. The Committee did not
:58:26. > :58:28.question whether this Committee should be appointed, but as is
:58:29. > :58:32.appropriate for select committees, scrutinised how it was being
:58:33. > :58:36.invited. We also looked at other government policies such as the 1%
:58:37. > :58:39.reduction in social rents, paid to stay and started homes which will
:58:40. > :58:43.have an impact on the provision of social housing on housing
:58:44. > :58:48.associations. We had a very large response to for evidence will stop
:58:49. > :58:52.over 175 written submissions. We heard from a range of witnesses
:58:53. > :58:57.including housing association chiefs across England, Scotland, Wales,
:58:58. > :58:59.council leaders, representatives of tenants and model that lack of
:59:00. > :59:02.mortgage lenders. Three of investigations we found a great deal
:59:03. > :59:07.of uncertainty in relation to the key point, a lack of detail. The
:59:08. > :59:13.funding model of the right by is extremely question. We call on the
:59:14. > :59:18.Government to look at the programme is a matter of urgency. There was a
:59:19. > :59:21.deal to extend the right to write on a voluntary basis restricting the
:59:22. > :59:24.Government and the National Housing Federation. Recognise a voluntary
:59:25. > :59:28.deal is a way of delivering a key policy from the Government's
:59:29. > :59:30.manifesto while maintaining the independence of housing
:59:31. > :59:34.associations. In the circumstances, is the best way forward for both.
:59:35. > :59:38.However there remains much uncertainty in the wording of the
:59:39. > :59:42.agreement. A minority associations but are against it and so much then.
:59:43. > :59:46.We don't know yet how the race to buy will be imposed upon them. And
:59:47. > :59:50.how binding the terms of the voluntary agreement will be. Another
:59:51. > :59:53.issue is how much discretion each association will have to decline the
:59:54. > :59:58.sales, can they for example choose not to sell any of their homes in a
:59:59. > :00:02.certain area or will it be the case of a case-by-case basis? What is the
:00:03. > :00:05.appeal process for tenants who are refused to break the bank was buy?
:00:06. > :00:09.Extended right to buy is designed to increase home ownership and increase
:00:10. > :00:13.housing supply. We support his aspirations and the principal giving
:00:14. > :00:16.people the opportunity to own their own home. Providing a home sold on
:00:17. > :00:21.the motorbike replaced on a one-to-one basis, housing continues
:00:22. > :00:25.to be delivered across all tenders to meet the country's housing needs.
:00:26. > :00:27.The field there are unresolved issues and remain concerned the
:00:28. > :00:34.policies could have a detrimental affect on the prison of accessible
:00:35. > :00:37.and affordable housing across all places including rented homes. We
:00:38. > :00:41.looked in particular at houses in rural areas weather often is a
:00:42. > :00:45.demand. The did supply of land availability means it can be
:00:46. > :00:49.challenging to build new homes. In order of our rural committees to
:00:50. > :00:53.thrive it is important that young people and those on low incomes can
:00:54. > :00:56.afford to live on them. The terms include ability of housing
:00:57. > :01:00.associations to offer a portable discount in place of selling a home.
:01:01. > :01:05.Given that national parks can be large, it remains to be seen how
:01:06. > :01:08.this work in practice. We are also concerned that extending right to
:01:09. > :01:10.buy could hinder the provision of specialist and supporting housing
:01:11. > :01:13.schemes. They are expensive to build and can be harder to replace but
:01:14. > :01:19.provide essential services to those living in them. We believe to avoid
:01:20. > :01:22.confusion or possible legal challenges, restrictive covenants on
:01:23. > :01:26.the stricken sites and properties built using charitable funds should
:01:27. > :01:30.be explicitly exempt from the extended right to buy. We found that
:01:31. > :01:34.large numbers of homes sold through the statutory right to ride to
:01:35. > :01:37.council tenants had in its short space of time become rental
:01:38. > :01:41.properties in the private sector. This is a concern to us because of
:01:42. > 0:54:45private rented sector is often more expensive than