21/03/2016

:00:14. > :00:23.To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if you will make a

:00:24. > :00:50.statement on changes to the budget? Mr Speaker, immediately after this

:00:51. > :00:56.urgent question, the prime minister will make a statement, following a

:00:57. > :00:59.Secretary of State for work and agents will sit out a government

:01:00. > :01:06.position on payments and developer gap. For the rest of the date the

:01:07. > :01:11.debates on the budget will continue, and tomorrow we will continue with

:01:12. > :01:17.the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The house will have three opportunities

:01:18. > :01:25.to discuss these issues before tomorrow. I am grateful for the

:01:26. > :01:37.opportunity to talk about how this government, through our long-term

:01:38. > :01:40.economic plan, is creating growth, generating employment, cutting the

:01:41. > :01:46.deficit, and securing long-term prosperity for the people of this

:01:47. > :01:49.country. The budget delivered last week by my right honourable friend

:01:50. > :01:54.the Chancellor of the Exchequer said how we are taking more people out of

:01:55. > :02:00.income tax, supporting small businesses, encouraging investment,

:02:01. > :02:05.tackling tax avoidance, helping young people safe, and investing in

:02:06. > :02:11.our education system, all while restoring the public finances. That

:02:12. > :02:21.is what the British people voted for last May, and that is what we are

:02:22. > :02:25.delivering. Thank you for granting this urgent question. I asked

:02:26. > :02:33.because the budget process is an absolute chaos. It is unprecedented

:02:34. > :02:38.for a government to withdraw a large part of its budget and except to

:02:39. > :02:42.oppositional amends before they even reach the third day. I have to say

:02:43. > :02:46.that we are little wiser from what we have heard from the check

:02:47. > :02:55.secretary today. I have some of for the honourable gentleman who yet

:02:56. > :02:58.again set out to defend the indefensible while the Chancellor

:02:59. > :03:05.insults this house by refusing to attend. This whole debacle started

:03:06. > :03:14.two weeks ago when the government announced cuts of up to hundred

:03:15. > :03:18.pounds a week to disabled people. Last week we discovered that these

:03:19. > :03:22.cuts to disabled people had been forced through by the Chancellor to

:03:23. > :03:30.pay for cuts in capital gains taxes for the buggiest 5% in our society.

:03:31. > :03:33.And cuts and corporation tax. I agree with the pension secretary

:03:34. > :03:39.that these are not defensible when placed in a budget that benefits

:03:40. > :03:42.irons. Can ask the question, how can the Chancellor suggest that we are

:03:43. > :03:47.all in this together when the ISS confirmed today that households that

:03:48. > :04:01.are the poorest with children are hit the hardest? Over 600,000

:04:02. > :04:04.disabled people and their family have been caused considerable

:04:05. > :04:10.distress, and they need the reassurance that their benefits are

:04:11. > :04:17.safe. The money required from the DWP still sit in the Redbook. Can

:04:18. > :04:21.ask the chief Secretary, can he tell us which other vulnerable groups the

:04:22. > :04:26.Chancellor is considering targeting for cuts? If the Chancellor holds

:04:27. > :04:32.the attacks on disabled people, a ?4.4 billion black hole is created

:04:33. > :04:43.in the budget. Added to this the billions of unidentified cuts, taxes

:04:44. > :04:52.on solar, we have one today. An enormous hole has appeared in the

:04:53. > :04:57.budget, and isn't the best thing to do withdraw the budget and start

:04:58. > :05:04.again? This is no way to deliver a budget, and no way to manage an

:05:05. > :05:07.economy. First of all, then I think the shadow chancellor for promoting

:05:08. > :05:15.me to chief Secretary of the Treasury. Secondly, to make the

:05:16. > :05:21.point that in terms of disability benefits, there is no question of

:05:22. > :05:26.this government cutting disability benefits back to the level we

:05:27. > :05:40.inherited in 2010. Spending has gone up by it ?3 billion in real terms on

:05:41. > :05:45.disability benefits. Thirdly, is the shadow Chancellor really wanting to

:05:46. > :05:48.talk about fiscal black holes? Mr Speaker, last week the Chancellor of

:05:49. > :05:54.the Exchequer reported on an economy set to grow faster than any other

:05:55. > :05:59.major advanced economy in the world. Wages are up, the deficit is cut by

:06:00. > :06:03.almost two thirds, there are a thousand people in work almost every

:06:04. > :06:11.single day, our plan is delivering for Britain. It is a plan that

:06:12. > :06:15.continues recovery, it will take us into a surplus, it backs British

:06:16. > :06:20.businesses I'm a protect jobs in difficult economic times, a budget

:06:21. > :06:26.that helps more people buy their first home or save for their

:06:27. > :06:30.retirement, a budget that builds our young people skills to invest in

:06:31. > :06:34.generation. It helps close the gap between the rich and poor, between

:06:35. > :06:41.North and South, because we believe in helping people succeed wherever

:06:42. > :06:46.they come from. Since 2010, inequality is down, child poverty is

:06:47. > :06:53.down, pension property is down, the gender pay that gap is smaller than

:06:54. > :06:57.ever -- when the Minister is addressing the house, he is entitled

:06:58. > :07:01.to be heard. He is raising his voice, but it should be no

:07:02. > :07:06.requirement to do so. Experience shows that all sides of the argument

:07:07. > :07:11.will be heard. Members need have no worry on that score. The Minister in

:07:12. > :07:20.the first instance must be heard. Minister. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The

:07:21. > :07:25.richest 1% are paying a greater proportion of income tax than in any

:07:26. > :07:28.other year in the Labour government. This is the government introduced

:07:29. > :07:34.the national living wage, the government that increased personal

:07:35. > :07:40.allowance so that in a year a taxpayer will pay over ?1000 less in

:07:41. > :07:44.tax than they were in 2010. This is the government that is helping to

:07:45. > :07:48.generate record numbers of jobs on the helping young people get on the

:07:49. > :07:51.property ladder, increasing spending on health and education and

:07:52. > :07:55.disability benefits. Protecting pensions, helping people achieve

:07:56. > :08:02.their aspirations at every stage of their lives, delivering for Britain,

:08:03. > :08:06.creating economic security with jobs and growth. This is the record of

:08:07. > :08:10.this government, that is the record of the Chancellor of the Exchequer,

:08:11. > :08:20.and it is a record two to be proud of. Would might friend the financial

:08:21. > :08:24.Secretary agree with me that the first duty of the Chancellor and his

:08:25. > :08:30.Treasury team, when preparing a budget, is to watch the medium-term

:08:31. > :08:34.national interests and provide sound finances for the benefit of our

:08:35. > :08:37.businesses, investments, and our appointment. If we turn to a

:08:38. > :08:42.situation where chancellors are expected to produce on every

:08:43. > :08:46.occasion populace spending commitments, popular tax cuts, and a

:08:47. > :08:50.failure to control an out-of-control budget, we are going to go to the

:08:51. > :08:54.sort of economic performance achieved by the recent governments

:08:55. > :09:07.of Greece, Italy, or the United Kingdom under Gordon Brown. I agree,

:09:08. > :09:11.and it is by taking that long-term approach that we are taking it now

:09:12. > :09:19.so that we can secure prosperity and economic security for the British

:09:20. > :09:25.people. We will shortly have a statement from the AWP which, if

:09:26. > :09:31.rumours are correct, will announce a substantial change to the budget

:09:32. > :09:39.announcements from last week. It is likely to amount to substantial

:09:40. > :09:42.extra borrowing, extra taxes, or potentially, the charting of the

:09:43. > :09:51.fiscal charter rules. This is a substantial change like the budget

:09:52. > :10:05.last week. Surely, it would require a supplementary, corrective budget?

:10:06. > :10:13.Can ask the Minister has the Chancellor penciled in a date for a

:10:14. > :10:16.summit? As he says, we have a statement from the Secretary of

:10:17. > :10:20.State for Work and Pensions, and would have two days of budget

:10:21. > :10:26.debates. And I make the point that in terms of changes to the fiscal

:10:27. > :10:36.position, I think that we should look at the consequences for

:10:37. > :10:40.Scotland if it had been independent? On the 9th of December, the

:10:41. > :10:44.government issued a document announcing an increase in VAT on

:10:45. > :10:51.energy saving materials from five to 20% to raise 65 million in the first

:10:52. > :10:55.full year. Then I welcome the government's decision not to go

:10:56. > :10:59.ahead with that proposal, and how are they going to deal with the fact

:11:00. > :11:06.that the European Court and European laws require us to impose this

:11:07. > :11:10.unpopular tax? The decision was taken some weeks ago not to proceed

:11:11. > :11:16.in this finance built with any changes to VAT on energy-saving

:11:17. > :11:20.materials, because new material has emerged that we do not need to go

:11:21. > :11:25.ahead with what was suggested. The prime minister will say something

:11:26. > :11:29.about this later, it has been suggested, because the European

:11:30. > :11:34.commission agreed to the arguments that we have made about greater

:11:35. > :11:43.flexibility on VAT rates, that we do not believe that these changes will

:11:44. > :11:48.be necessary. Five days ago, the Chancellor stood at the dispatch

:11:49. > :11:53.box, published the budget's scorecard with a ?4.4 billion cut to

:11:54. > :11:59.PIP. Where is the revised scorecard without it? Is it true that this cut

:12:00. > :12:05.will instead come from elsewhere in the DWP budget? And if the

:12:06. > :12:13.Chancellor is too scared to answer questions in this House on the

:12:14. > :12:16.issue, he is not fit to do the job. The Chancellor will be debating the

:12:17. > :12:22.finance Bill, the budget resolutions tomorrow evening. He will be the

:12:23. > :12:29.first Chancellor of the Exchequer to have done so since my friend the

:12:30. > :12:36.member rock live. Gordon Brown never once participated on debates in the

:12:37. > :12:42.budget apart from his initial speech. In terms of the public

:12:43. > :12:47.finances, as far as they're concerned in terms of compliance

:12:48. > :12:53.with the welfare gap, we will set that out at the Autumn Statement.

:12:54. > :12:58.Let's be absolutely clear. For the party opposite to be upset about the

:12:59. > :13:07.public finances, they shouldn't listen to what they have been saying

:13:08. > :13:16.for the last six years. My honourable friend will know that the

:13:17. > :13:19.armed Forces are, sadly, not immune from members suffering from mental

:13:20. > :13:26.health problems, and some of them take their own lives. May I thank

:13:27. > :13:30.him and my right honourable friend the Chancellor, as a member of the

:13:31. > :13:34.advisory board for Samaritans, for the three and half billion pounds

:13:35. > :13:44.that they have given to assist military personnel who are suffering

:13:45. > :13:53.in that way. I'm very grateful to my right honourable friend for

:13:54. > :13:59.highlighting that point. There is a serious problem with the votes that

:14:00. > :14:04.we have two make a decision on the budget tomorrow. How will we make

:14:05. > :14:09.the judgement when the page in the Redbook has been ripped up and

:14:10. > :14:12.changed, and we are none the wiser about the contents of that? He has

:14:13. > :14:22.just got to answer one question, on a scale of 1-10, how embarrassed if

:14:23. > :14:26.he today? I would be a little embarrassed if I was the honourable

:14:27. > :14:36.member for not being aware that there are no votes tomorrow on the

:14:37. > :14:39.personal independent payments. The role of the budget is surely to

:14:40. > :14:45.promote growth and promote employment. Has he noticed that

:14:46. > :14:53.small business rate relief measures have been widely welcomed, and as

:14:54. > :15:00.growth we need and targets unemployment across all status of

:15:01. > :15:04.people? He is right, and there has been support for the contents of

:15:05. > :15:08.this budget and small businesses. This government-backed small

:15:09. > :15:13.businesses to ensure growth and implement opportunities that the

:15:14. > :15:15.British people need top green I regret the chaos that one attends to

:15:16. > :15:32.get with unstable -- the Chancellor's budget

:15:33. > :15:38.leave the richest 10% of people to hundred and ?60 better off, and

:15:39. > :15:43.until that was found out, that was going to be paid for by punishing

:15:44. > :15:48.the disabled. Doesn't this conjuring show that his choices are driven by

:15:49. > :15:57.cynical politics and not economic necessity? So this charter, should

:15:58. > :16:05.therefore be scrapped? Let me point out to the house at 28% of income

:16:06. > :16:12.tax was paid by 1% of taxpayers in 2013 to 2014. The fact is that under

:16:13. > :16:19.the policies that we have, the 20% wealthiest will be paying more tax

:16:20. > :16:25.revenues. That would not have happened if we stuck with the tax

:16:26. > :16:29.system we had in 2010. Would the Minister agree with me that what the

:16:30. > :16:34.British people want, what they voted for ten months ago was a government

:16:35. > :16:44.which was encouraging growth, creating employment unseen for

:16:45. > :16:49.years, and still focuses on investment in health services and

:16:50. > :16:51.investment in medical health, and other issues that make this a

:16:52. > :17:01.compassionate, conservative government? My honourable friend

:17:02. > :17:04.puts it extremely well. Last maybe British people endorse our long-term

:17:05. > :17:13.economic planning, and you have to stick to it. I as the financial

:17:14. > :17:18.Secretary has said, he cut in business rates has been welcomed by

:17:19. > :17:25.the small business community. In oral questions an hour ago,

:17:26. > :17:29.ministers said that local authorities would be completely

:17:30. > :17:35.compensated for this reduction. There is no sign of that in the

:17:36. > :17:41.Redbook. Isn't this another 1.7 billing black hole? No, it isn't.

:17:42. > :17:51.Local authorities will be compensated. I very much support the

:17:52. > :17:54.Chancellor and wanting to live within our means and trying to be

:17:55. > :17:59.the budget to balance as quickly as possible. In my normal spirit of

:18:00. > :18:02.helpfulness, can I suggest that the problem that we have at the moment

:18:03. > :18:10.is that there are too many government departments with the same

:18:11. > :18:20.departments having to face cut year after year, and it is time to end

:18:21. > :18:24.this ludicrous policy? Although I appreciate the spirit of

:18:25. > :18:28.helpfulness, I am afraid that I don't agree with him. It was a

:18:29. > :18:39.manifesto commitment by our party that we would fulfil our target. It

:18:40. > :18:46.was once said that a week is a long time in politics. How long is a

:18:47. > :18:53.long-term economic plan? Three days? Four days? Five days? Let's be

:18:54. > :19:04.clear, this is a government that has turned the economy around, that has

:19:05. > :19:09.delivered this country from -- into the fastest growing economy in 2014,

:19:10. > :19:16.is forecast to be the fastest growing again, we have record

:19:17. > :19:22.unemployment, and that is what this government is delivering and we will

:19:23. > :19:25.continue to deliver it. With the financial Secretary confirm that

:19:26. > :19:30.spending on disability payments has increased by ?2 billion over the

:19:31. > :19:35.last five years, and will increase by millions more over the coming

:19:36. > :19:41.five years? Actually, it is slightly more than that of the last five

:19:42. > :19:45.years. The reality is that disability spending has risen

:19:46. > :19:56.significantly under this government, even though we inherited the largest

:19:57. > :20:01.deficit in our peacetime history. Today's urgent question isn't just

:20:02. > :20:04.about the budget documentation or the EU referendum, nor who will be

:20:05. > :20:09.the next leader of the Tory party, by the hundreds of thousands of

:20:10. > :20:13.disabled people across this country and their fate. Will the Minister

:20:14. > :20:16.take the opportunity to apologise to all of the disabled people across

:20:17. > :20:21.the country will be left in turmoil over the past few days in relation

:20:22. > :20:24.to the support, if any, that there would be for this government, and

:20:25. > :20:34.what would the future plans before them? We have increased spending on

:20:35. > :20:39.the disabled. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for

:20:40. > :20:46.Work and Pensions will be making a statement on government policy in

:20:47. > :20:49.this area surely this afternoon. You frequently remind us, Mr Speaker,

:20:50. > :20:54.about people listening and watching at home. On the second day of the

:20:55. > :20:59.budget debate, the shadow Chancellor pledged that if the government would

:21:00. > :21:07.look again at the plant, they would not play politics. Would my right

:21:08. > :21:16.honourable friend agree with me that this is too serious of an issue to

:21:17. > :21:22.play politics with? I think my honourable friend has had a point.

:21:23. > :21:26.We have had assurances about not playing politics once or twice

:21:27. > :21:37.before from the shadow Chancellor. I'm not sure she has always

:21:38. > :21:44.delivered on that. Last week's budget makes the 2012 budget of like

:21:45. > :21:49.a model of good policymaking. Is the Redbook is still the basis for the

:21:50. > :22:00.budget, and if it is with the ?4.4 billion cut to disability benefits

:22:01. > :22:04.still stand? Of the plans we have set out, by the end of this

:22:05. > :22:10.Parliament we will deliver a budget surplus that would have never

:22:11. > :22:20.happened if we had followed the plans of the party opposite. 600,000

:22:21. > :22:24.small businesses will benefit from the rate relief cut. With the chief

:22:25. > :22:31.secretary continue to support those small businesses -- the financial

:22:32. > :22:34.Secretary, who generate the jobs for people who want to work, and

:22:35. > :22:40.generate text for the people who can't? I can give that assurance.

:22:41. > :22:44.This government is on the side of businesses that create the growth

:22:45. > :22:47.and jobs that that we need. The biggest threat to recovery is the

:22:48. > :22:55.anti-business approach that we see from the party opposite. One of the

:22:56. > :23:00.most disregarded mysteries of the budget is the announcement of a

:23:01. > :23:09.growth field that seems to exist in name only. With the Mr Eleni house

:23:10. > :23:13.to its details? We will be engaging with the Welsh Government and local

:23:14. > :23:19.authorities on this point. The future for the Welsh economy will be

:23:20. > :23:29.best pursued by electing a conservative government indwells as

:23:30. > :23:34.well as any United Kingdom. Will he agreed that it is anchored to the

:23:35. > :23:39.steadfast stewardship of the Chancellor of the Treasury team that

:23:40. > :23:44.this year we have been able to introduce a budget that has

:23:45. > :23:47.supported small businesses, supported the motorist, supported

:23:48. > :23:54.local brewers and the public industry, and is continuing policies

:23:55. > :24:04.that support business and creates jobs. It is only state -- steadfast

:24:05. > :24:07.commitment that delivers that. This is a government and this is a

:24:08. > :24:16.Chancellor of the X check with drives the economy. We are in

:24:17. > :24:21.position to run more strongly -- grow more slowly than our

:24:22. > :24:27.competitors, especially given that we inherited the mess that we

:24:28. > :24:30.inherited. The Chancellor made no effort to justify the cut in

:24:31. > :24:36.disability benefits beyond saying that they would save a lot of money.

:24:37. > :24:43.Yesterday we heard from the former DWP Secretary that the Chancellor's

:24:44. > :24:56.view that people with disabilities will never vote Tory. Will he

:24:57. > :25:01.respond to that? Act wasn't even at the -- that wasn't even the

:25:02. > :25:07.allegation, but if we look at the facts, independent payments have

:25:08. > :25:16.gone up by ?3 billion. That is not a government that is cutting at the

:25:17. > :25:20.expense of disabled people. In the Minister confirm that as well as

:25:21. > :25:25.continuing to take many of my constituents from paying income tax

:25:26. > :25:31.as well as shifting the burden of taxes from small to larger

:25:32. > :25:38.businesses, this government remains committed to shortening the

:25:39. > :25:45.disability gap -- income inequality gap? I pointed out earlier that the

:25:46. > :25:52.Secretary of State for wealth and pensions will be addressing this

:25:53. > :25:56.point later this afternoon. Last Wednesday, the Chancellor announced

:25:57. > :26:01.that this was a budget for the next generation. Which member of the next

:26:02. > :26:17.generation will succeed the Chancellor? Is that really the best

:26:18. > :26:21.the honourable member can do? Does my honourable friend agree with me

:26:22. > :26:25.that the best way of reducing the welfare bill is to create more jobs,

:26:26. > :26:28.and to give people the opportunity of the dignity of earning their own

:26:29. > :26:36.living rather than being stuck for life on benefits? He is right, and

:26:37. > :26:46.that is why we should all be delighted in this house that we have

:26:47. > :26:50.record number of people in work. As of last Wednesday, this Chancellor

:26:51. > :26:59.had delivered five budgets in 15 months. That is one every three

:27:00. > :27:09.months. Will you try to improve on that record, and give us one every

:27:10. > :27:20.week? I feel the quality of the questions might be deteriorating.

:27:21. > :27:29.The answer is no. I'm sure the Minister will share the urgent

:27:30. > :27:35.question is laying off the debate on a budget. Will he assure me that

:27:36. > :27:38.looking at budgets will be more concerned with thoughts on a

:27:39. > :27:43.long-term economic policy than on Chairman Mao? I am delighted that

:27:44. > :27:54.the quality of questions have improved, he is right.

:27:55. > :28:04.A simple question, when will the budget schedule be published? We

:28:05. > :28:11.have a debate on the budget today, and tomorrow. The Chancellor will be

:28:12. > :28:17.responding to the debate tomorrow. In terms of any future changes of

:28:18. > :28:24.the physical evidence, there will be an understatement in the autumn.

:28:25. > :28:31.Will my honourable friend confirm that the budget, the many positive

:28:32. > :28:38.things in the budget including the small business rates and the tax

:28:39. > :28:42.threshold changes that take a lot of people who should never have been

:28:43. > :28:49.caught up in a tax threshold will go ahead as planned? Yes, I can confirm

:28:50. > :28:55.that. The change to small business rate relief will help hundreds of

:28:56. > :28:58.thousands of businesses, small businesses in particular. We are

:28:59. > :29:04.delivering on the pledge in the conservative party manifesto about

:29:05. > :29:08.increasing the threshold to ?50,000. This budget take it to 40,000, but

:29:09. > :29:13.we are also raising the personal allowance, and it is the case that

:29:14. > :29:17.the typical taxpayer is now paying over a thousand times less income

:29:18. > :29:26.tax as a consequence of the changes that we have put in. The Minister

:29:27. > :29:31.talked about debt, and our record. The last government borrowed more in

:29:32. > :29:44.five years in the Labour government did and 30. Then I asked, the

:29:45. > :29:50.members opposite are clamoring for a change about the PIP payments. If

:29:51. > :30:03.that is the case, why not reverse another measure that hits the

:30:04. > :30:10.disabled, the better attacks? -- bedroom tax? We debated earlier with

:30:11. > :30:18.the party opposite measures to reduce spending. They argued that we

:30:19. > :30:24.should borrow more, presumably from what the honourable member has just

:30:25. > :30:29.said in order to borrow less. If that is the position of the shadow

:30:30. > :30:34.shadow chancellor, it is not much of an improvement from the chatter

:30:35. > :30:37.Chancellor. In terms of the Spirit room with subsidy, it is right that

:30:38. > :30:44.we try to find savings within the welfare budget, and the subsidy is a

:30:45. > :30:58.part of that. before I became an member of

:30:59. > :31:02.Parliament are was a goodly part of this country. What my Honorable

:31:03. > :31:05.friend agree with me that we have cut back on the red tape and put

:31:06. > :31:10.more money into the self-employed is more than what the last part of dead

:31:11. > :31:14.and 13 years. I was a self-employed person so I can stick with Doherty

:31:15. > :31:19.on that. My Honorable friend brings much expertise this issue, I know

:31:20. > :31:25.that he is very pleased, one of the things that we were able to do was

:31:26. > :31:33.to finally remove class to national insurance contributions and

:31:34. > :31:40.management of burden. I'm pleased he could remove it. Mr Speaker, can I

:31:41. > :31:47.reflect the shock and sadness and my own constituency, of the loss of

:31:48. > :31:51.life of a family, last night, can I ask of the financial Secretary how

:31:52. > :31:55.can he continue to talk about a long-term economic plan when he is

:31:56. > :32:02.describing what our increasingly tough about budget and when will

:32:03. > :32:08.deed government finally move and stop using it as a search engines

:32:09. > :32:13.for benefit costs? Can I associate myself with his own and perhaps

:32:14. > :32:16.through him express the condolences throughout the house to the family

:32:17. > :32:24.that suffered so grievously last night. In terms of the government of

:32:25. > :32:28.throats, we do believe that it isn't interest of the whole of the country

:32:29. > :32:34.that the public finances on a sound footing. Reducing the deficit from a

:32:35. > :32:37.record level to surplus, is a significant challenge but it is one

:32:38. > :32:42.that we have to meet as a country and we have to be willing to take

:32:43. > :32:46.difficult decisions that it involves. That is what the

:32:47. > :32:50.government was elected to do in 2010 and that is what we were reelected

:32:51. > :32:57.to do in 2015 and it is what what we will do. -- and no change in the

:32:58. > :33:01.budget commitment to tackle homelessness with a record boost of

:33:02. > :33:05.some hundred 50 million on top of the protection of the homeless

:33:06. > :33:08.division grant from cells of the government has credentials and

:33:09. > :33:12.protecting the vulnerable. My Honorable friend is right to

:33:13. > :33:16.highlight that measure that was announced last week, this is a

:33:17. > :33:19.government that is taking the issue of homelessness seriously and it is

:33:20. > :33:27.an important set of policies that was announced last week. Given that

:33:28. > :33:30.the Chancellor has the warning is all about the global cocktail of

:33:31. > :33:34.risk that we learn from the but the statement that our growth forecast

:33:35. > :33:39.is down as is our productivity which I think it is fast reaching, what

:33:40. > :33:42.possible justification can the Minister offer given all of the

:33:43. > :33:49.changes that have been made to the budget for retaining the substantial

:33:50. > :33:51.clubs to capital gains tax which disproportionately benefits the

:33:52. > :34:00.better off. We do not need it at this point. One of the importance

:34:01. > :34:03.jobs that we do phase is improving productivity in this country. If we

:34:04. > :34:07.want to do that, we want more investment. If we want more

:34:08. > :34:11.investment would don't want high rates of tax that discourage

:34:12. > :34:15.investment and cannot point out in terms of capital gain tax, the rate

:34:16. > :34:27.is still higher than the one that we in 2010. Last week I met two

:34:28. > :34:34.vigilance is fast constituents, one was unemployed and he has now have a

:34:35. > :34:41.job. Another has disabilities and has told with a vessels agency. Both

:34:42. > :34:46.of them have gone jobs. They have benefited hugely from the

:34:47. > :34:49.conservatism which... Well my Honorable friend confirmed that this

:34:50. > :34:55.will continue and that people like Mark and Luke will be held going for

:34:56. > :34:58.it? I'm very grateful to my Honorable friend, he puts it well

:34:59. > :35:03.and I am grateful for highlighting those examples, there is something

:35:04. > :35:08.compassionate about having a society where there are a lot of jobs. I'm

:35:09. > :35:17.pleased at the government we are delivering that time of economy. And

:35:18. > :35:20.the chances speech last week he referred the ?20 million being given

:35:21. > :35:24.and the southwest of England and when he said that he said that this

:35:25. > :35:32.is proof that won the Southwest goes blue their voices are heard loudly.

:35:33. > :35:43.This is all about the personal interests of that. Denied remind the

:35:44. > :35:48.Honorable gentleman that there have been a number of city deals done

:35:49. > :35:58.with authorities in the northeast of England, and, the truth is that

:35:59. > :36:06.employment records, it is the case, employment records in the northeast

:36:07. > :36:11.of England is extremely strong. There are many welcome measures for

:36:12. > :36:14.my constituents. More the Minister comments on that and have a

:36:15. > :36:24.government who listens when it is compared to Gordon Brown and his

:36:25. > :36:30.refusal to reconsider the tax rate. My Honorable friend does remind me

:36:31. > :36:33.of 2007 and 2008. There is a distinction between the two

:36:34. > :36:37.governments whereas Gordon Brown doubled its tax rate on the lower

:36:38. > :36:46.orders, we have a abolished tax for low honours. Thank you Mr Speaker,

:36:47. > :36:50.for billion seems to have fallen out of the buses, can he confirm that

:36:51. > :36:56.and when is the chance of going to get it and where is he finding the

:36:57. > :37:00.money? I would say to the honour wasn't summoned, as he is worried

:37:01. > :37:09.about black holes of the public finances he should have a word with

:37:10. > :37:14.his own front bench. Does my right honourable friend agree that the

:37:15. > :37:16.governments track record and tackling unemployment demonstrates

:37:17. > :37:22.the commitment not just the enterprise but to improving chances

:37:23. > :37:27.as well in life? The truth is that the government has taken steps to

:37:28. > :37:31.improve the last chances of the British people, but it also helps in

:37:32. > :37:40.the long term the chance of the British people to have public

:37:41. > :37:50.finances under control. The Honorable Silverman agrees with the

:37:51. > :37:57.ombudsman that the cuts to disabled people... ... Let's be clear about

:37:58. > :38:03.the record of this government. Let's be clear, let's put it in context of

:38:04. > :38:07.what this government has done as a consequence of the policy changes

:38:08. > :38:15.that we have pursued, and will not be the case that the highest earning

:38:16. > :38:20.20% will pay more than half of all taxes, that would not have had have

:38:21. > :38:30.been if we started with the policies we inherited. The financial

:38:31. > :38:41.secretary will notice today that the discipline has not lasted long. Mr

:38:42. > :38:46.Speaker. They have spent more money. The transfer from ?2 million to

:38:47. > :38:49.start the new Children's Hospital in Southampton was so greatly benefit

:38:50. > :38:53.thousands of young people across the South. It has nothing to do with the

:38:54. > :38:57.body politic that we are seeing in the chamber this afternoon. I'm

:38:58. > :39:01.grateful to my Honorable friend. I would make this point that we can

:39:02. > :39:06.only afford to take steps like that including properly funding our NHS

:39:07. > :39:08.because we have a strong economy. A sound economy that is then delivered

:39:09. > :39:17.by the government and by the Chancellor of the six years. Wheel

:39:18. > :39:29.distances agree that we must control the debt. It should not be done on

:39:30. > :39:36.the backs of the book. There are three that have been cut that will

:39:37. > :39:40.come in 2019 and 2020. Corporation tax cuts, capital gains tax cut,

:39:41. > :39:45.trekking tax, that he will he believed that we are all in this

:39:46. > :39:48.together? I am pleased to hear that the ombudsman believes that we have

:39:49. > :39:53.to get deficit and debt under control. But he will be aware that

:39:54. > :39:59.an independent... Given what has happened will face the biggest

:40:00. > :40:02.deficit and the rest of the world. Can the Minister confirmed what the

:40:03. > :40:09.top right of income tax is today, with the tax rate for an the Labour

:40:10. > :40:13.government and how many basic rate taxpayers have been taken out of

:40:14. > :40:26.paying income tax altogether under the Conservatives? 45, 40, and about

:40:27. > :40:31.for Emily and I think LAUGHTER. -- 4 million. Does the Minister agree

:40:32. > :40:35.that it would of taken brokerage for the Chancellor to come here today

:40:36. > :40:38.and that in a failing to show that courage, he has shown that he is not

:40:39. > :40:42.fit in the future to leave the party. But it is the value of

:40:43. > :40:48.courage, not just that failure but it is a discrepancy to the house

:40:49. > :40:51.which renders us and capable of properly examining the budget

:40:52. > :40:58.because we don't know how the Chancellor isn't upholding to meet

:40:59. > :41:04.his fiscal targets. With the greatest respect to the ombudsman, I

:41:05. > :41:12.think that is pompous nonsense. -- honourable gentleman. We will be

:41:13. > :41:17.responsible for bait, the first time the Chancellor has done that in the

:41:18. > :41:21.1990s. Thank you very much, the best ways to improve the lives chances of

:41:22. > :41:26.those were able-bodied or disabled is to invest in education. Does the

:41:27. > :41:31.Honorable member agreed that the 1.6 billion investment in the budget

:41:32. > :41:37.will help the next generation get the best start in life? This was an

:41:38. > :41:41.excellent present for an education, it was an excellent budget for the

:41:42. > :41:44.next iteration, if we are going to have the prosperity and economic

:41:45. > :41:48.security that this country once we are going to have a world class

:41:49. > :41:54.education system, that's what the government as in the process of

:41:55. > :41:59.delivering. Is it fair to make for billion worth of cuts to disabled

:42:00. > :42:05.people to personal and independent payments when they are twice as

:42:06. > :42:11.likely to live in poverty? At the same time, giving tax breaks and

:42:12. > :42:14.Corporation and capital gains tax? There will be a statement on

:42:15. > :42:17.personal independence payments either on this afternoon. The point

:42:18. > :42:23.I would make to the Honorable Lady is that over the course of the last

:42:24. > :42:30.six years we have seen a significant increase in real terms in terms of

:42:31. > :42:35.vending on DLA and... We also need to ensure that we have a productive

:42:36. > :42:38.economy credit wealth in different plays an eye makes no apologies for

:42:39. > :42:49.us wanted to have a competitive system. One of the notable points of

:42:50. > :42:54.this budget was that self-employed people got some help, and these can

:42:55. > :42:57.often be the unsung hero of our community. They have been playing

:42:58. > :43:01.such an important part in local business. Does the Minister agree

:43:02. > :43:04.that by helping them, this government is just a missed

:43:05. > :43:09.demonstrating and understands what is making the economy worked and

:43:10. > :43:13.what won't benefit so many people. My little friend is right, this is a

:43:14. > :43:19.government that is backing before millions self-employed people that

:43:20. > :43:23.we have in this country. We are on the side of those who are going out

:43:24. > :43:25.and taking risk and working for themselves and pretty well for the

:43:26. > :43:41.British people. -- create things. Where is the Chancellor and why is

:43:42. > :43:51.he not here to apologise and how would the full .4 billion black hole

:43:52. > :43:54.be filled? -- 4.4 billion. This Chancellor has worked tirelessly to

:43:55. > :43:59.turn the Bush economy around. He is continuing to do that. In terms of a

:44:00. > :44:04.black hole can I point out that every single day, we hear proposals

:44:05. > :44:10.from the party opposite, either to oppose some spending item, or to cut

:44:11. > :44:19.some taxes, just borrowing, and barring more. Misses bigger this

:44:20. > :44:27.very welcome budget for Cardiff is delivering the Cardiff city deal.

:44:28. > :44:30.And in contrast to the government and Western democracy, businessmen

:44:31. > :44:36.and businesswomen welcome to business rate relief and it is an

:44:37. > :44:39.incredibly popular. When my right honourable Frank anchor as she

:44:40. > :44:45.labours of the government to follow our lead and empowering businessmen

:44:46. > :44:49.and women? I think if the Welsh assembly Government is going to

:44:50. > :44:54.follow our lead it needs to change is position and it has operatives to

:44:55. > :45:02.do that and a few weeks' time. Order! ! Statement, the Prime

:45:03. > :45:05.Minister. Thank you Mr Speaker, what permission I would like to make a

:45:06. > :45:09.statement on last weeks European Council was focus on the migration

:45:10. > :45:17.prices affecting continental Europe. The biggest single cause has been

:45:18. > :45:22.the war in Syria. We have seen huge growth in people coming to Southern

:45:23. > :45:25.Europe from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and North Africa. Offices located by

:45:26. > :45:31.the rapid growth of criminal networks of people smugglers. There

:45:32. > :45:40.are over 8000 migrants fill arriving in Greece every week. So far, 10,000

:45:41. > :45:45.have come this year. Of course, because the vice puzzles that is in

:45:46. > :45:48.the European Union. Britain is not part of the Schengen open border

:45:49. > :45:57.arrangements and we will not be joining. People cannot travel

:45:58. > :46:03.through Greece or Italy, on what to constantly Europe and into Britain.

:46:04. > :46:05.That will not change. It is in our national interest to help our

:46:06. > :46:10.European partners deal effectively with this enormous and destabilising

:46:11. > :46:13.shamans. We have argued for a consistent and clear approach for

:46:14. > :46:19.from the start, and in the conflict in Syria, supporting the refugees in

:46:20. > :46:22.the region, and securing Europe's borders. Taking refugees directly

:46:23. > :46:27.from the camps and the neighbouring countries but not from Europe.

:46:28. > :46:48.Cracking down on people smuggling, this

:46:49. > :46:51.approach of this plan, the council agreed to stop migrants leaving

:46:52. > :46:53.Turkey in the first place. To intercept those who do Levi the RNC

:46:54. > :46:56.turning back their boats, and return back to Turkey does that make it to

:46:57. > :46:59.Greece. There can be no guarantee of the success but if the plan is

:47:00. > :47:02.properly and fully implemented it will be the best chance to make a

:47:03. > :47:05.difference. For the first time we have a plan that breaks the business

:47:06. > :47:08.model of the people smugglers, by breaking the link between getting in

:47:09. > :47:12.a boat and getting settlement in Europe. Mr Speaker, I want to be

:47:13. > :47:17.clear about what Britain is doing and what we are not doing as a

:47:18. > :47:23.result of this plan. What we are doing is contributing our expertise

:47:24. > :47:31.and our skilled officials to help with a large-scale operation. But

:47:32. > :47:37.asylum experts and interpreters already working and agrees to help

:47:38. > :47:43.them process individual cases. Britain stands more to support these

:47:44. > :47:47.efforts. Above all what is needed, is a detailed plan to implement this

:47:48. > :47:50.agreements and to ensure that all the offers of support are coming

:47:51. > :47:54.from around Europe are properly coordinated. Are sure of the

:47:55. > :47:56.additional money that will go to hell the refugees under those

:47:57. > :48:03.agreements will come from our existing budget. Let me be clear

:48:04. > :48:07.about what we are not doing, we want not give visa free access for Turks

:48:08. > :48:12.coming to the UK. Schengen countries are planning to give visa free

:48:13. > :48:15.access to text but because my not a part of Schengen were not banned by

:48:16. > :48:22.the decision. We met on the system which is to maintain our own

:48:23. > :48:26.borders. Second, the visa free access to Schengen countries will

:48:27. > :48:30.not need a back door route to Britain. Visa free access only means

:48:31. > :48:36.the right to visit, and does not mean a right to work or a right to

:48:37. > :48:38.settle. Just because friends of the citizens can enjoy visa free travel

:48:39. > :48:45.for Chavez to America does not mean that they can work that alone there.

:48:46. > :48:52.This is not the Turco citizens their rights in the EU. A number of theory

:48:53. > :48:55.and are in camps and Turkey will be presentable and Turkey will be

:48:56. > :48:59.presentable into the Schengen countries of the EU. Again, that is

:49:00. > :49:12.not applied to Britain. We have our resettlement programme and we are

:49:13. > :49:16.delivering on it. We promised 8000 resettled here before Christmas and

:49:17. > :49:22.that is what we were delivered. The other countries agreed to two

:49:23. > :49:27.schemes, one to relocate the people in the EU up by the time of last

:49:28. > :49:32.December council only 208 people had been relocated, and the second 200

:49:33. > :49:38.voluntary resettlement schemes from outside the EU, but by the end of

:49:39. > :49:41.last year, the 483 refugees have been resettled to out of the seven

:49:42. > :49:47.countries. We said we would do and we are doing it. Britain has given

:49:48. > :49:51.more money to support his and the countries hosting them than any

:49:52. > :49:55.other European country. Indeed, we are doing more than any other

:49:56. > :50:00.country in the world, other than the United States bending over ?1

:50:01. > :50:05.billion so far with another ?1.2 billion place we are fulfilling our

:50:06. > :50:08.moral responsibility of the nation. Turning to the central

:50:09. > :50:12.Mediterranean, the EU naval operation we established last summer

:50:13. > :50:20.has had some success was over 90 vessels destroyed and more than 50

:50:21. > :50:25.smugglers arrested. What is a splendid it is a government in Libya

:50:26. > :50:31.that we can work with. So that we can co-operate and turn back the

:50:32. > :50:36.bolts and stop the smugglers. There is a new prime minister and a

:50:37. > :50:40.government that we have recognise. These are early days but we must do

:50:41. > :50:51.what we can to make this work, that is why this Council I brought to the

:50:52. > :50:55.other leaders. Mr Speaker, turning to other matters I took the

:50:56. > :51:00.opportunity to deal with a lot issue of how to back the rate of sanitary

:51:01. > :51:05.products. We have had some EU ride rules in order to make the single

:51:06. > :51:10.market for it but the system has been far too flexible and has caused

:51:11. > :51:22.frustration. We said a change them as well be dead. The European

:51:23. > :51:25.commission will produce a proposal. This is an important breakthrough

:51:26. > :51:32.and dimming fabrics and will be able to have a zero rates and that it

:51:33. > :51:35.will be the end of the tampon fax. And on this basis, the government

:51:36. > :51:41.will be accepting both amendments on the finance Bill tomorrow night. My

:51:42. > :51:45.right honourable friend, the Member for it strengthened and brains but

:51:46. > :51:49.almost a decade for welfare reform and improving peoples lives chances,

:51:50. > :51:53.he has been the last six years implementing those policies and

:51:54. > :51:57.government. In that time we have seen nearly half a million fewer

:51:58. > :52:01.children living and households over a million flu or people aren't out

:52:02. > :52:06.of urban affairs and nearly two million more people and work, and in

:52:07. > :52:10.spite of having the take of the clothes on the deficit, child

:52:11. > :52:15.poverty, inequality all down. Am I right honourable friend contributed

:52:16. > :52:19.an enormous amount of the work of government and he can be proud of

:52:20. > :52:24.what he has achieved. Mr Speaker, let me say this, this government

:52:25. > :52:27.will continue to give the highest priority to improving the lives

:52:28. > :52:32.chances of the poorest in our country. We will continue to reform

:52:33. > :52:37.our schools, we will continue to find childcare and great job, he

:52:38. > :52:40.will carry on cutting taxes for the loan was paid, and the last

:52:41. > :52:43.parliament beats up for a million of the lowest pay people out of income

:52:44. > :52:48.tax altogether and I further rises will take many many more house as

:52:49. > :52:50.well. Combined with the zoo will go on with our plan to rebuild states

:52:51. > :53:03.and help those with mental health conditions.

:53:04. > :53:05.To extend our troubled families programme and to reform our prisons,

:53:06. > :53:07.and societal discrimination for those whose lives chances suffer,

:53:08. > :53:10.because of the colour of their skin. Mr Speaker, in two weeks' time, we

:53:11. > :53:14.will introduce the first ever national living wage giving a pay

:53:15. > :53:18.rise to the poorest people in our country. All of this is driven by a

:53:19. > :53:23.deeply held conviction that everyone in Britain should have the chance to

:53:24. > :53:27.make the most of their lives, and Mr Speaker let me add this, none of

:53:28. > :53:32.this would be possible if it was not for the actions of government the

:53:33. > :53:39.work of the Honorable friend the Chancellor and turning our economy

:53:40. > :53:46.around. We can only improve life chances if our economy is secure and

:53:47. > :53:50.strong. You end up having to raise taxes without finances and make

:53:51. > :53:54.deeper cuts and bending. You don't get more opposite to that way you

:53:55. > :53:59.get less. And we know that when that happens, and is working people that

:54:00. > :54:04.suffer as we saw and labours recession. We must continue to cut

:54:05. > :54:09.the deficit, control the cost of welfare and live with our means. We

:54:10. > :54:12.must not burden our children and grandchildren with debt that we do

:54:13. > :54:19.not have the courage to pay off ourselves. So securing our economy,

:54:20. > :54:23.extending opportunity, we will continue with this approach in full,

:54:24. > :54:25.because we are a modern and compassionate one nation

:54:26. > :54:26.conservative government and I commend the statements of the house

:54:27. > :54:40.by! Thank you Mr Speaker and I said that

:54:41. > :54:46.I would like to thank the prime minister for an advance copy of half

:54:47. > :54:51.of his statement. In I can deal with it in order, first of all Mr

:54:52. > :54:57.Speaker, the refugee crisis that Europe faces, at the present time is

:54:58. > :55:04.the largest since the end of the world -- Second World War. There are

:55:05. > :55:08.more misplaced people around the world than there have ever been.

:55:09. > :55:12.Thousands of people have died making perilous journeys across the

:55:13. > :55:17.Mediterranean and other places around the world, we have a duty as

:55:18. > :55:22.an advance democratic civilized nation to reach out, the hand of

:55:23. > :55:28.humanity, support, and friendship to people going to the most disastrous

:55:29. > :55:34.time of their lives. I think we should also recognise, that it has

:55:35. > :55:40.been a disproportionate burden placed on neighbouring countries, to

:55:41. > :55:45.Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon, they have accepted a number of refugees

:55:46. > :55:49.as has Turkey, and the European countries of Italy and Greece as

:55:50. > :55:53.boarder countries have done far more than anybody else and a Germany and

:55:54. > :55:57.Sweden have taken a very large number of asylum seekers. There has

:55:58. > :56:03.not been an imbalance response all across Europe. I would like to ask

:56:04. > :56:07.the Prime Minister if he had had a chance to read the statement made by

:56:08. > :56:12.Amnesty International at the weekend after the agreement was reached. And

:56:13. > :56:16.missed the normally noted for their very cautious view of words and very

:56:17. > :56:21.careful way and which they describe things. They are a overnight patient

:56:22. > :56:27.dedicated to human rights and the rule of law. I quote from the

:56:28. > :56:31.statement that they made, guarantees respect for international law are

:56:32. > :56:35.incompatible with the return to Turkey of all irregular migrants

:56:36. > :56:40.arriving on Greek Island as of Sunday, Turkey is not a state budget

:56:41. > :56:45.for refugees and migrants, and the return process for Dick did on it

:56:46. > :56:51.being sold will be flawed and illegal and it goes on to register

:56:52. > :56:54.for the conference. I asked the Prime Minister to respond very

:56:55. > :57:02.carefully to the points that are being put by Amnesty International.

:57:03. > :57:05.Will he also confirmed that priesthood and receive asylum

:57:06. > :57:11.seekers coming from Turkey, they will all be end interviewed and

:57:12. > :57:16.we'll all have access to interpreters, they will all have

:57:17. > :57:20.access to a right of a hearing and a right of appeal, even when they're

:57:21. > :57:25.in the done by officials that have come by other countries on behalf of

:57:26. > :57:31.the European Union. Secondly, those that will return to Turkey will also

:57:32. > :57:37.have similar rights in Turkey, and that they will in turn be properly

:57:38. > :57:42.treated because he must be very well aware of the deep concerns many

:57:43. > :57:45.people have of the recent events in Turkey, particularly the

:57:46. > :57:51.imprisonment of journalists who have attempted to stick out on a number

:57:52. > :57:54.of issues. Clearly, the issue of number of the people of people

:57:55. > :57:57.seeking asylum in Europe is heavily bound up with the wars that have

:57:58. > :58:05.taken place and indeed take place still. He referred to the need for a

:58:06. > :58:09.political settlement in the Syria and Libya. In that sense he is quite

:58:10. > :58:13.right, could he give us some information on progress that may

:58:14. > :58:17.have been made toward bringing about a political settlement in the area

:58:18. > :58:24.which will enable peoples were to return to their homes, will enable

:58:25. > :58:28.them to live safe and secure lives? Likewise, the situation and Libya is

:58:29. > :58:33.equally perilous for many people particularly those in unsecured

:58:34. > :58:38.refugee camps. He will be aware that many those who seek asylum in other

:58:39. > :58:43.countries make as I said perilous journeys, they also end up an

:58:44. > :58:48.refugee camps with very limited facilities, despite the great work

:58:49. > :58:55.by volunteers, I visited the camps and Calais and Dunkirk which are an

:58:56. > :59:00.appalling situation, and they are in a very prolific situation. They are

:59:01. > :59:03.all humans to whom we must reach out and hand of friendship of support. I

:59:04. > :59:10.recognise that the Buddhist government has paid a great deal of

:59:11. > :59:13.money through support of refugee camps and refugees around the world.

:59:14. > :59:17.I've recognise the work that the world Navy has done and plucking

:59:18. > :59:22.people from the seat in saving them from drowning in the ocean, I

:59:23. > :59:26.recognise those things, but, the Prime Minister still things to be

:59:27. > :59:31.seen in the next that and the narrative that printable only accept

:59:32. > :59:35.20,000 refugees over the next four years, and they will be brought from

:59:36. > :59:40.Camp in the region rather of the problems faced by many of those

:59:41. > :59:46.refugees who are travelling across Europe at the present time and stop.

:59:47. > :59:50.Can we not for once, please Prime Minister for want co-operate with

:59:51. > :59:54.every other European countries on providing aid European wide response

:59:55. > :00:00.to the crisis that is engulfing the lives of so many people rather than

:00:01. > :00:06.trying to avoid but I believe to be our responsibilities in this

:00:07. > :00:15.respect. Mr Speaker, when the Prime Minister gave me his advance copy of

:00:16. > :00:18.about half of the statement, he went on to talk about the sanitary

:00:19. > :00:23.products and some other issues and then delivered a much longer speech

:00:24. > :00:26.on many other things. Can I say first of all, I think the house

:00:27. > :00:32.should pay great tribute to my friend the Member for dues vary for

:00:33. > :00:36.the work that she has done in trying to eliminate this unfair tax. I

:00:37. > :00:44.think the Prime minister, he has come here today the Secretary of

:00:45. > :00:47.State for Work and Pensions this year, every other cabinet minister

:00:48. > :00:55.is here, what ever has happened to the Chancellor? Where is he today?

:00:56. > :00:59.Because it could he not instead of covering up for his friends, ask him

:01:00. > :01:05.if he would be kind enough to come along to the house and explain why

:01:06. > :01:10.for the first time in my memory in Parliament, a government budget has

:01:11. > :01:14.followed up when in two days of his delivery, and there is an enormous

:01:15. > :01:20.hole in it and the enormous hole is brought about by possibly a

:01:21. > :01:25.temporary retreat on the issue of personal independence payments but,

:01:26. > :01:32.can he guarantee as there will be no further cuts in the DWT budgets and

:01:33. > :01:37.more people with disabilities facing more cuts as the euros goals on or

:01:38. > :01:41.that he instead tell us why he is still defending a budget that has an

:01:42. > :01:45.equality at its core, that has impact on the disabled and the pores

:01:46. > :01:49.in our country at its core, and gives tactilely to the riches and

:01:50. > :01:54.the big corporations and this country? The budget has a big hole

:01:55. > :01:59.in it and it is up to the Prime Minister to persuade his friend the

:02:00. > :02:04.Chancellor to either come here and explain how he's going to fill the

:02:05. > :02:08.hole or perhaps he should consider his position and look for something

:02:09. > :02:12.else to do because clearly he has not been very successful at

:02:13. > :02:14.producing a balanced budget in the interest of everyone and this

:02:15. > :02:23.country particularly those with Let me thank the honourable

:02:24. > :02:27.gentleman for his response. First of all on the refugee issue, he says we

:02:28. > :02:30.have a duty to help and he is right, we have helped and spent billions of

:02:31. > :02:34.pounds supporting refugees in refugee camp, more than any other

:02:35. > :02:38.European country. The Royal Navy has helped a huge measure. Picking

:02:39. > :02:42.people out of the C and saving lives. We are taking 20,000 refugees

:02:43. > :02:45.from the neighbouring countries and when you look at the figures, what

:02:46. > :02:49.other European countries have done, we have put in place that planned

:02:50. > :02:54.and delivered a far faster than many other and most other countries. The

:02:55. > :02:58.second point he raised was about Amnesty International. He is

:02:59. > :03:01.absolutely right that we must in this process respect international

:03:02. > :03:05.law and the role of the NHC are and the agreement with Turkey made that

:03:06. > :03:09.clear. But I do not think it is right to say that Turkey is an

:03:10. > :03:14.unsafe country for Syria and refugees. I think that is like

:03:15. > :03:18.insulting to the Turks who are currently hosting to .6 million

:03:19. > :03:22.people who have fled Syria. So what is going to happen is those people

:03:23. > :03:27.who do not apply for asylum will be returned to Jordi immediately. Those

:03:28. > :03:31.who do will go through a rapid process, but with all the proper

:03:32. > :03:36.procedures in place, and as the agreement says, all migrants will be

:03:37. > :03:41.returned to Turkey because it it is a sick country for refugees. For

:03:42. > :03:45.anyone it is unsafe for, then of course that is different. I would

:03:46. > :03:48.say to him he is missing the point. Which is, it sounds very

:03:49. > :03:52.compassionate to say to refugees, keep coming, you can comment. But

:03:53. > :03:56.you are encouraging people to make a perilous journey where so many have

:03:57. > :04:00.lost their lives. It is actually a more compassionate thing to make

:04:01. > :04:05.sure you have firm borders and proper processes and you support the

:04:06. > :04:08.refugees in the countries that they are in. We should be encouraging --

:04:09. > :04:11.should not be encouraging more people to travel. About the Syria

:04:12. > :04:15.peace process, I can say that the cease-fire is holding better than I

:04:16. > :04:19.think people expected, as a result the talks are under way still and we

:04:20. > :04:24.are hopeful of progress but it will be a slow and difficult process. In

:04:25. > :04:26.Libya, there is a new prime minister, the Foreign Secretary said

:04:27. > :04:30.to him over the weekend they will give every support that we can for

:04:31. > :04:35.the reasons that he gives. He asked questions about Calais. Let me say

:04:36. > :04:39.this to him, of course everybody is disturbed by the pictures of what

:04:40. > :04:42.happens in Calais, in those camps, but there is a very simple answer

:04:43. > :04:47.for those people which is that France is a safe country. If they

:04:48. > :04:50.want asylum, they should apply for asylum in France. If there are

:04:51. > :04:57.children in those camps, you have -- who have direct family in Britain,

:04:58. > :05:01.they can join their family in Britain. We should not be doing

:05:02. > :05:04.anything to discourage people from taking that correct step. In terms

:05:05. > :05:08.of his question about whether we will take people from inside Europe,

:05:09. > :05:11.I do not think that is the right answer. I would argue that the

:05:12. > :05:16.approach the home Secretary and I set out almost a year ago of

:05:17. > :05:21.tackling this problem upstream concentrating on borders, taking

:05:22. > :05:25.migrants from, taking asylum seekers from refugee camps, is a better

:05:26. > :05:29.approach than most countries in Europe can see the merit of. He

:05:30. > :05:34.asked if there is a European plan and yes, there is, we are one of the

:05:35. > :05:36.more important countries there at this counsel arguing to get this

:05:37. > :05:40.deal done and implemented properly because while it has many

:05:41. > :05:46.imperfections, it is our best hope of trying to stem this tied of

:05:47. > :05:51.people coming toward Europe and the misery that is causing and bringing.

:05:52. > :05:55.On the issue of the tampon tax, I should pay tribute to the honourable

:05:56. > :05:59.member as well for the hard work done. I am delighted we now have

:06:00. > :06:03.this proposal coming forward. In terms of the Chancellor of the

:06:04. > :06:09.Exchequer, he will be in the House tomorrow winding up the budget

:06:10. > :06:12.debate. You have the first Lord of the Treasury today, you're going to

:06:13. > :06:17.have the second Lord of the Treasury tomorrow, and when it comes to holes

:06:18. > :06:20.in the budget, we can perhaps hear from the lords that set upset

:06:21. > :06:27.because they left us the biggest black call there ever was. When I

:06:28. > :06:30.became Prime Minister, we had an 11% budget deficit, that was the biggest

:06:31. > :06:35.budget deficit anywhere and as for the budget, let me remind them, this

:06:36. > :06:38.budget increased funding for our schools. This budget took more

:06:39. > :06:43.low-paid people out of income tax, this budget help hard-working

:06:44. > :06:47.people. This budget help the poorest in our country to say Demarco safe,

:06:48. > :06:52.this backs small business and that is why it'll strengthen our economy

:06:53. > :06:59.and make sure we have a fairer society. The fifth point of the

:07:00. > :07:03.Council conclusions is that the EU reiterates that it expects Turkey to

:07:04. > :07:07.respect the high standards when it comes to democracy, rule of law,

:07:08. > :07:12.respect the fundamental freedoms including freedom of expression. Any

:07:13. > :07:19.reference to this was absent from the accompanying EU - Turkey

:07:20. > :07:23.statement. How many Kurds have to be killed by the Turkish security

:07:24. > :07:27.forces before we no longer regard Turkey as a first country of asylum

:07:28. > :07:36.or safer third country, not least for Syrian Kurds? First of all he is

:07:37. > :07:40.right that their conclusions mentioned of commitment and

:07:41. > :07:45.democracy and freedom of speech and the freedom of speech Doctor Price,

:07:46. > :07:49.that was spelled out in even more detail, mentioning the newspaper

:07:50. > :07:52.that has faced difficulties. All European countries including this

:07:53. > :07:55.one raise this issue at every available opportunity. The point I

:07:56. > :08:01.would make is that if you are a Syria and seeking refuge, Turkey has

:08:02. > :08:05.been a safe place for those serious and we should pay tribute to Turkey

:08:06. > :08:08.for looking after to .6 million of those people but we should also make

:08:09. > :08:13.the point that anyone who does genuinely based persecution and

:08:14. > :08:19.Turkey will be ale to take that claim to their asylum claim. Thank

:08:20. > :08:23.you very much and may I think the prime minister as well for the

:08:24. > :08:27.advanced statement of the first tab of the statement and that is a

:08:28. > :08:31.statement that the European Union began with the EU - Turkey joint

:08:32. > :08:35.action plan. The statement I want to say about Turkey, Greece, refugees

:08:36. > :08:40.from Syria and elsewhere impact at the management of the sure zone

:08:41. > :08:46.countries, and the prime minister's statement I looked at 12 think the

:08:47. > :08:50.UK is not going to do. So given the projection of refugee numbers for

:08:51. > :08:55.this year, what will it take for the UK to review its 20,000 limit on

:08:56. > :09:01.accepting refugees? With the attempts to change and close the

:09:02. > :09:05.West Balkan route for the refugees, can the premise or update us what

:09:06. > :09:09.this will mean for attempted crossings from Libya? Last week in

:09:10. > :09:12.prime minister's questions I asked about UK plans to send troops to

:09:13. > :09:18.Libya. The Prime Minister chose his words very carefully. He said and I

:09:19. > :09:22.quote "He had no plans to send conventional forces to Libya" with

:09:23. > :09:26.the prime minister acknowledged that he has a policy of neither

:09:27. > :09:36.confirming nor denying the presence of special forces. Willie also

:09:37. > :09:41.confirm that operations conducted by special forces are not subject to

:09:42. > :09:44.parliamentary oversight by either this intelligence or security

:09:45. > :09:48.ministry or the defence select committee. On VAT and sanitary

:09:49. > :09:52.products, we very much welcome this agreement. It would be egregious of

:09:53. > :09:58.the Prime Minister to thank my colleague for Glasgow Central, who

:09:59. > :10:02.is a first member of this house to table amendments to the finance Bill

:10:03. > :10:07.and tribute to be paid to all members across as House across all

:10:08. > :10:11.parties for this welcome change. The second half of the Prime minister's

:10:12. > :10:18.statement on the Civil War within the government. Will the Prime

:10:19. > :10:20.Minister confirm that he, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the

:10:21. > :10:25.Secretary of State for Scotland, and his whole cabinet, agreed last week

:10:26. > :10:30.to cut support for the disabled by four points ?3 billion while at the

:10:31. > :10:34.same time adding a tax cut to the very wealthy. I repeatedly asked the

:10:35. > :10:37.Prime Minister about the devastating impact of benefit cuts to the most

:10:38. > :10:43.vulnerable, including the disabled and ill, who will go on many, sadly,

:10:44. > :10:47.tragically, to take their own lives. Does the Prime Minister understand

:10:48. > :10:52.that people watching the ongoing fallout in the conservative party

:10:53. > :10:57.are totally horrified that more time is spent talking about the jobs of

:10:58. > :11:03.Tory ministers then the impact that is damaging policies on the weakest

:11:04. > :11:06.in society? First of all, I say to the right honourable gentleman,

:11:07. > :11:10.enter the 20,000 what we have said and let me repeat again is that we

:11:11. > :11:15.are looking at the issue of the child migrants and those we can help

:11:16. > :11:20.more of, we took 3000 in last year. Of the 20,000 we expect, many are

:11:21. > :11:23.expected to be children and we are working with the UNHCR and we're

:11:24. > :11:25.looking at children within the region and have talked about

:11:26. > :11:29.potentially in the hundreds rather than thousands and my right

:11:30. > :11:34.honourable rent is examining that. On the West Balkan route, I am not

:11:35. > :11:36.surprised that countries have decided to erect borders because

:11:37. > :11:42.they have been very concerned about the huge flow of people through that

:11:43. > :11:47.route. But obviously those in the Schengen countries and others of a

:11:48. > :11:50.whole to secure the borders is better and that is what we are

:11:51. > :11:54.helping with. I think it has particular locations are Libya,

:11:55. > :11:58.those migrants have been coming through Malta and Italy but we need

:11:59. > :12:02.to address that. On special forces, let me confirm the long-standing

:12:03. > :12:06.policy of all governments have exactly the same approach and we

:12:07. > :12:09.have not changed that at all. On sanitary products I'm very happy to

:12:10. > :12:14.pay tribute to the Member for Glasgow Central and apologise for

:12:15. > :12:17.missing them out. On this disability, I am saying we're not

:12:18. > :12:20.going ahead with the changes that were put forward, but what we are

:12:21. > :12:25.going ahead with is the situation, when I was Prime Minister first, we

:12:26. > :12:29.spelled so much on disability benefits and at the end of this

:12:30. > :12:33.Parliament we are spending over 46 billion, which is a real terms

:12:34. > :12:37.increase of over 4 billion. What we did in that budget was also help

:12:38. > :12:41.take the low-paid people after tax and assist in many ways. That is why

:12:42. > :12:49.it was a good budget, we have taken the right decisions with that. In

:12:50. > :12:53.addition to the refugees we are taking from the camps, each year

:12:54. > :12:58.thousands of people enter this country irregularly and by other

:12:59. > :13:01.means from North Africa and the Middle East seeking asylum and many

:13:02. > :13:05.are granted. Those numbers are increasing. Does the Prime Minister

:13:06. > :13:10.therefore agree with me that it is a complete mistake to regard the

:13:11. > :13:15.current crisis over migration as somehow something apart from the

:13:16. > :13:21.United Kingdom, if only we were not in the European Union and that

:13:22. > :13:26.actually it is in the British incest to play and continue playing --

:13:27. > :13:29.interest. To play a role in these European Council discussions to

:13:30. > :13:34.achieve a solution to external European border and how we will deal

:13:35. > :13:37.with genuine migrants in civilized conditions and returned those who

:13:38. > :13:44.have no claim to come. And will continued to commit to the European

:13:45. > :13:50.effort, the Navy, the aid money, the resources we are giving, to these...

:13:51. > :13:55.-- diplomatic efforts? I thank my friend for his honourable remarks.

:13:56. > :14:00.Whether we're in the European Union or out of it, there is still a

:14:01. > :14:04.migration crisis the continent of Europe and that does have knock on

:14:05. > :14:08.effects to us. The more people that come, the more people who end up

:14:09. > :14:12.that Calle, and worsen the problem we have. I would argue that we have

:14:13. > :14:15.the best of both worlds because we are sad around the table trying to

:14:16. > :14:19.solve this problem, and I think good progress has been made, but because

:14:20. > :14:22.we are not in Schengen or these resettlement schemes, we keep our

:14:23. > :14:26.own decisions by borders and visas and all the rest of it, but clearly

:14:27. > :14:30.it does benefit us to co-operate so we should continue to do that and

:14:31. > :14:33.continue to recognise that Britain could bring its experience there in

:14:34. > :14:37.helping our friends in Greece who face a real crisis now in their

:14:38. > :14:44.country and they deserve our assistance and help. Can I think the

:14:45. > :14:49.Prime Minister for his statement and his somewhat revised and link the

:14:50. > :14:55.assessment of the merit to the right honourable member. Let's be clear

:14:56. > :14:59.though, the Turkey- EU deal is a result of failure by European

:15:00. > :15:01.leaders including our own Prime Minister to develop safe,

:15:02. > :15:06.sustainable, and humane routes for refugees who are fleeing for their

:15:07. > :15:11.lives. It is an operable, may well be illegal, and has a public image

:15:12. > :15:17.of protecting human lives. Given the Prime Minister is today painting the

:15:18. > :15:20.stress of he is being a compassionate conservative, will he

:15:21. > :15:24.show some compassion for the 43,000 people currently stuck in Greece,

:15:25. > :15:28.including 20,000 children, and on the century for some of them, in

:15:29. > :15:32.particular those incredibly vulnerable unaccompanied children

:15:33. > :15:36.and families with babies was white I have to say I profoundly disagree

:15:37. > :15:40.with the right honourable gentleman. The idea that if we had found safe

:15:41. > :15:44.Routes for people to come to Europe, then somehow the whole people

:15:45. > :15:48.smuggling, criminal games, and amassed him and the people would

:15:49. > :15:53.have come to an end is a complete and utter nonsense. And yet you have

:15:54. > :15:55.to have some hard borders. A country is responsible for having its

:15:56. > :15:59.borders and if you're the expert a country to the European Union you

:16:00. > :16:02.are particularly responsible for your border. That combination of

:16:03. > :16:06.harder border controls, but compassion and helping refugees in

:16:07. > :16:10.the region, that is the answer. We play our part by putting in our

:16:11. > :16:13.money and taking the 20,000 refugees, but the idea that you open

:16:14. > :16:25.up safe Routes and the problem would be solved is complete nonsense.

:16:26. > :16:30.Given the extraordinary difficulties that have occurred with regard to

:16:31. > :16:34.the charter of fundamental rights and the human rights and asylum

:16:35. > :16:38.laws, how does my right honourable friend proposed that the Turkey deal

:16:39. > :16:45.will be legally and politically enforceable? It is the view of the

:16:46. > :16:50.lead advisor to the European Council that what is being proposed is

:16:51. > :16:54.legal. Is it difficult to achieve? Yes it is because you have to

:16:55. > :16:57.consider each case individually. But is it is impossible if you deck

:16:58. > :17:03.signalling Turkey as a safe country for refugees to return there? And

:17:04. > :17:06.yes it is possible. I would say if you look at problems we have had

:17:07. > :17:11.with mass movements of people over years, you have to have a set of

:17:12. > :17:15.nations that break the line between getting in a boat and getting

:17:16. > :17:19.settled. Until you do that you are basically unable to deal the crisis.

:17:20. > :17:24.That is what Europe has now set out to do and we shouldn't encourage

:17:25. > :17:27.them in that goal. -- should encourage them. I agree that

:17:28. > :17:31.progress has been made but it has come at a cost. Turkey will be

:17:32. > :17:36.getting 3 billion euros and they asked for another three bearing

:17:37. > :17:39.euros by the end of 2018. Greece on the other hand, which is the

:17:40. > :17:45.process, house, and return these migrants have not been given any

:17:46. > :17:50.additional resources. Does he agree with me that what we need to do next

:17:51. > :17:55.is to take preventative action to stop the criminal gangs exploiting

:17:56. > :18:01.those migrants who come now from different routes? I am grateful to

:18:02. > :18:04.what the honourable gentleman says. I would argue, first of all the

:18:05. > :18:08.money that is going to Turkey is not money for Turkey it is money for

:18:09. > :18:11.Syrian refugees in Turkey and for them to make sure they are properly

:18:12. > :18:16.looked after. We have given support to Greece, that is a European

:18:17. > :18:23.programme to help, but above all Greece needs support from experts,

:18:24. > :18:26.translators, asylum expertise, which all of the main countries in Europe

:18:27. > :18:31.are now offering to provide, and what is required is a plan to make

:18:32. > :18:34.sure they get what they need. Any help in kind would be probably more

:18:35. > :18:42.useful for firming up the Greeks system than just giving the money.

:18:43. > :18:50.Pressure on time requires brevity. In my experience, unfailingly

:18:51. > :18:54.represented. Given the obvious difficulty in unifying the varying

:18:55. > :18:57.economies and societies of the current EU, why is now a good time

:18:58. > :19:07.to accelerate possible Turkish membership? I think the issue here

:19:08. > :19:10.is there is no, it is not remotely on the cards for this to happen for

:19:11. > :19:14.many years to come. Every country has a veto at every stage, including

:19:15. > :19:19.this country. The French for instance has said they will hold a

:19:20. > :19:24.referendum on Turkish membership and 75% of the French public do not want

:19:25. > :19:29.Turkey to join. Of the process of applying and opening these chapters

:19:30. > :19:31.and going through things like press freedom and human rights,

:19:32. > :19:38.independence of the judiciary and so much, so such. It has been a good

:19:39. > :19:45.process and that is how we should see it. Since the Bloomberg speech,

:19:46. > :19:50.the Prime Minister hold European strategy has been trying to manage

:19:51. > :19:56.the divisions in his own party on this issue. In the recent days,

:19:57. > :20:03.could you update the House on how that is going? What I would say to

:20:04. > :20:06.the right of -- right honourable gentleman who speaks a lot of sense

:20:07. > :20:10.about this issue, this country has to make a decision. It is not just

:20:11. > :20:14.one political party or the other who has people on both sides of this

:20:15. > :20:18.argument. The country, I think it is time for us to have this debate, to

:20:19. > :20:22.look at the advantages of staying and the risks on both sides and to

:20:23. > :20:27.make a decision. I am very clear about what the decision should be,

:20:28. > :20:31.but you cannot hold a country inside an organisation against its will. I

:20:32. > :20:42.think it is time again to put that question to the

:20:43. > :20:45.British people. I will campaign enthusiastically for remaining, not

:20:46. > :20:48.least of these the agreements I have achieved, but it is for others to

:20:49. > :20:50.set their arguments. But for Democrats in this House of Commons,

:20:51. > :20:53.we should not be frightened by the will of the people. Has my right

:20:54. > :20:55.honourable friend noticed that the three and a half billion pound

:20:56. > :20:59.savings that are for benefits of disabled people that the Chancellor

:21:00. > :21:03.needed to find is not exactly equal to the planned increase since his

:21:04. > :21:08.previous budget and our EU contributions over this Parliament?

:21:09. > :21:13.Given his success in persuading our partners to be flexible over VAT,

:21:14. > :21:17.could he now challenge them, most of Hume are not seeing any increase in

:21:18. > :21:23.contributions, to forgo our increase since the British people would not

:21:24. > :21:26.take kindly to the idea that we must cut benefits to vulnerable people in

:21:27. > :21:33.order to hand over every penny to the EU? I respectfully disagree with

:21:34. > :21:38.my right honourable friend about this fundamental European issue. I

:21:39. > :21:42.make the point that the ?46 billion we spend on disability benefits is

:21:43. > :21:46.many times more than anything we give to the European Union and

:21:47. > :21:53.indeed, few think about it in tact, every pound paid in tax, a little

:21:54. > :21:56.over 1p goes to the EU in terms of contribution. We are on different

:21:57. > :22:01.sides of the argument, I believe that penny in every pound gets us

:22:02. > :22:04.the trade and investment and cooperation we need. He takes a

:22:05. > :22:08.different view but I am sure will have a civilized argument about it.

:22:09. > :22:12.The one thing I would say is that because of the budget agreement I

:22:13. > :22:14.reached in the last Parliament, our contributions are much lower than

:22:15. > :22:19.they otherwise would have been. We were falling -- we have a falling EU

:22:20. > :22:24.budget rather than a rising one and that is because of this government

:22:25. > :22:31.and House of Commons. The EU- Turkey deal will do nothing to help the

:22:32. > :22:36.26,000 children, child refugees, who are already alone in Europe. I met a

:22:37. > :22:40.12-year-old in Calais this morning with no one to look after them. If

:22:41. > :22:48.the House of Lords both this evening to support the amendment to help

:22:49. > :22:53.3000 child refugees, will he drop his opposition and support children

:22:54. > :22:58.as we did with the candour transport so many decades ago, that itself

:22:59. > :23:02.helped rescue the life of that child? First of all we do not

:23:03. > :23:07.support that amendment because we think it is right to take additional

:23:08. > :23:10.children, have just said in another answer, to take additional children

:23:11. > :23:16.above 20,000 stop to take them from the region and do it by working with

:23:17. > :23:19.UNHCR. I think the unfairness of I might say of comparing Child

:23:20. > :23:26.migrants in Europe with the candour transport is of course, countries

:23:27. > :23:30.like France and Germany and Italy, these are safe countries. These are

:23:31. > :23:33.countries where anyone who claims asylum, if they have family in

:23:34. > :23:42.Britain, they are able to come to Britain. So I do not think it is a

:23:43. > :23:46.fair comparison. All of us on this side of the House were delighted to

:23:47. > :23:51.hear the Prime Minister reaffirmed with vigour and confidence his

:23:52. > :23:53.determination to continue as a great reforming government with the

:23:54. > :23:58.successful central themes of his administration. But will he review

:23:59. > :24:04.whether or not there is a need to add to the deployment of... And

:24:05. > :24:12.perhaps add other vessels in support? I think they're very well

:24:13. > :24:15.may be a need to do so because their two operations under way. A Nato

:24:16. > :24:19.operation and frankly we want that operation to do more, it is not the

:24:20. > :24:23.moment sufficiently in Turkish waters able to work with the Turkish

:24:24. > :24:27.Coast Guard, sending back boats to Turkey, we want that to happen.

:24:28. > :24:31.There is also operations of you in the central Mediterranean where you

:24:32. > :24:34.have these boats, but as the weather improves I am concerned that the

:24:35. > :24:38.central Mediterranean room will open up again and that is why I held the

:24:39. > :24:41.meeting with the other prime ministers and presidents to say we

:24:42. > :24:45.all have to put more resources then, recognising that we cannot let this

:24:46. > :24:56.route open up just as we sort out or hope to sort out the others. The

:24:57. > :25:01.Lithuanian president has described the EU- Turkey deal as being on the

:25:02. > :25:04.edge of international law. Does the Prime Minister agree with that

:25:05. > :25:09.assessment and does he accept that from June of this year, from the

:25:10. > :25:15.English Channel to the Syria border, it will be a visa free zone across

:25:16. > :25:17.all of Europe? What international security questions does that pose

:25:18. > :25:22.for the United Kingdom and its borders? First of all on what the

:25:23. > :25:27.president was saying, we are very clear that this deal must be

:25:28. > :25:30.compliant with international law and international rules and that is

:25:31. > :25:34.exactly what the European commission and Council and all the countries

:25:35. > :25:38.helping Greece make sure is going to happen. The key thing is, if Turkey

:25:39. > :25:41.is a safe country for Syrian refugees, then it should be possible

:25:42. > :25:46.to return Syrian refugees in Turkey because they should be applying for

:25:47. > :25:55.asylum there rather than going on with their journey. On the second

:25:56. > :26:02.issue you raised? If the rest of the EU gives right... It is not a right

:26:03. > :26:05.to settle does not in any way change the rest to rest to come to the UK,

:26:06. > :26:08.so I think there is a lot of scaremongering going on about this

:26:09. > :26:17.issue because we're not changing our or proposals one bit. Does the Prime

:26:18. > :26:21.Minister share my concern at the study Islamization of Turkish

:26:22. > :26:28.society by its government, does he share my surprise that Turkey is now

:26:29. > :26:32.so confident that it can't stop the votes coming when it has not been

:26:33. > :26:40.able to in the past. -- boats. And does he share my fear that the mass

:26:41. > :26:44.migration into Europe will fuel the rise of the far right neo-Nazi

:26:45. > :26:49.parties in those EU countries that were foolish enough to get rid of

:26:50. > :26:52.their national borders? I am in the happy position to be able to agree

:26:53. > :26:58.with my right honourable friend on all of those measures. As someone

:26:59. > :27:04.who's spent time in Turkey as a student, I think it is secularism

:27:05. > :27:07.and its believe in wanting to become more like a Western democracy is one

:27:08. > :27:12.of its strengths and we should encourage it. I also agree with them

:27:13. > :27:15.that countries that do not control their borders do risk the rise of

:27:16. > :27:19.unsavoury elements and that is why it is important we maintain our

:27:20. > :27:23.borders. Obviously when it comes to this issue on wanting to return

:27:24. > :27:32.migrants to Turkey, it is very important that Turkey is and remains

:27:33. > :27:37.a safe country but that it is today. The Prime Minister says he is a

:27:38. > :27:43.compassionate conservative, leading a one nation government. So how does

:27:44. > :27:49.he feel when a former leader of his party, a member of his cabinet for

:27:50. > :27:55.six years, says this simply is not true? Obviously we were not closely

:27:56. > :28:00.together for the last six years and I am proud of the things we have

:28:01. > :28:03.done together because it is is this government has enlisted almost for

:28:04. > :28:08.me people out of the government income tax. It is seen an increase

:28:09. > :28:12.in disability benefit and it is thanks to the hard work of the right

:28:13. > :28:17.honourable member, because of the growing economy and the changes to

:28:18. > :28:21.welfare, we have thing to .4 million people get work and our country. And

:28:22. > :28:24.behind the statistics, the human beings are able to put food on a

:28:25. > :28:27.table and have a better life for their families because of the work

:28:28. > :28:31.we have done together. I am sad that he has left the government but I can

:28:32. > :28:37.guarantee the work on being a compassionate conservative

:28:38. > :28:39.government will continue. Given the nature of the terrorist threat, does

:28:40. > :28:46.my right honourable friend not agree with me how important it is that the

:28:47. > :28:50.European countries intelligence and security agencies operate fully with

:28:51. > :28:54.hours and defeating ices and that it is absurd to suggest that membership

:28:55. > :28:59.of the EU is likely to result in tariffs and tax on the United

:29:00. > :29:06.Kingdom? It is important that our indices were together and on the

:29:07. > :29:10.whole, that will be on a bilateral basis, but it is worth understanding

:29:11. > :29:15.that in the modern European Union, there are a series of mechanisms

:29:16. > :29:19.about criminal records, about border information, about watch lists,

:29:20. > :29:23.passenger name records, all of which help to keep us safer than we would

:29:24. > :29:27.otherwise have been. I want to be completely fair, if we left the

:29:28. > :29:30.European Union, you could try to negotiate your way back into those

:29:31. > :29:33.things, but it would take time, and it does beg the question that if you

:29:34. > :29:39.want to get back into them, why are you getting out of them?

:29:40. > :29:48.With the Prime Minister now justify the nearly ?3 billion given away in

:29:49. > :29:53.capital gains to the wealthy? I think it is right to cut capital

:29:54. > :29:55.gains tax because they want an enterprising economy watch the doors

:29:56. > :29:59.want to get out there set up businesses create wealthy great jobs

:30:00. > :30:04.and generate tax revenue to pay for the health service and the schools

:30:05. > :30:09.we want for our country, and note that the capital gains tax rate at

:30:10. > :30:14.20% will actually be a little bit higher than what it was in last

:30:15. > :30:18.government! We are not cutting it for carried interest we will not

:30:19. > :30:22.have that absurd interest -- situation when he was a government,

:30:23. > :30:30.the people of the city were paying the -- less tax than people playing

:30:31. > :30:34.their -- cleaning offices my right honourable gentleman friend, that

:30:35. > :30:38.the accession of Turkey was a very long way off. Is this uncertainty

:30:39. > :30:49.what is staying in books like was the white --? There is a veto by

:30:50. > :30:53.every country at every stage. The situation as I see it with those

:30:54. > :31:02.countries and I mentioned France, has no process in this debate that

:31:03. > :31:05.we are having about Europe, unfortunately we are in opposite

:31:06. > :31:12.sides of the debate, but it will be civilized, I want to try to get rid

:31:13. > :31:16.of any of the potential -- any bit have the potential argument with

:31:17. > :31:26.what is going to happen rather than things that will not happen. There

:31:27. > :31:33.is merit in seek asylum seekers. They will have serious health

:31:34. > :31:38.problems sometimes lifelong. Would you compensate those that seek

:31:39. > :31:45.asylum in the interests of the asylum seekers in their community,

:31:46. > :31:48.will you help the asylum seekers throughout the country and those in

:31:49. > :31:53.his house comic of the truth these last year and how many would you

:31:54. > :31:56.welcome this year? First of all, I think that the Honorable judgement

:31:57. > :32:06.is right that by selecting the 20,000 from the refugee camps the

:32:07. > :32:09.organised agency are disabilities disabilities would can help with in

:32:10. > :32:16.a civilized country like United Kingdom. You have the money here, in

:32:17. > :32:23.terms of my own constituency and families, I don't know the number

:32:24. > :32:26.off the top of my head, but I agree with him that we want authorities to

:32:27. > :32:34.come forward and that's where my honourable friend is working so hard

:32:35. > :32:37.for. I'm delighted to hear that the Prime Minister is committed to

:32:38. > :32:42.running a one nation Conservative Party, which is what the country

:32:43. > :32:47.voted for only last May. On the issue of refugees, he made it

:32:48. > :32:52.increasingly clear that this terrible crisis can only be solved

:32:53. > :32:56.by collective action at the European level, will he commit that the

:32:57. > :33:01.British Government plays a leading and instructing role in this facing

:33:02. > :33:07.crisis? I think right honourable friend for what he says the scale of

:33:08. > :33:12.the challenge is so great, but the Greek border needs to be harder and

:33:13. > :33:16.more efficiently run, that requires assistance from other countries. In

:33:17. > :33:22.my view, military assets and Nato assets in the Mediterranean, other

:33:23. > :33:26.assets will help civilian authorities where it may, printing

:33:27. > :33:31.authorities to bring a lot of experience to this as written's

:33:32. > :33:35.leading military power and had to deal with asylum applications and

:33:36. > :33:48.processes and all the complicated legalities on every front stop light

:33:49. > :33:51.this is on the Tim context, this is a great victory, and I'm sure the

:33:52. > :33:59.whole House will congratulate who has been dish petitioned this. Can

:34:00. > :34:04.the Prime Minister set out that the agreement tomorrow, but the finance

:34:05. > :34:07.Bill will pass to the House before the referendum in June, will he

:34:08. > :34:17.pledged that vital funding for women for services was provided will

:34:18. > :34:25.continue? Mr Speaker, I hope that the date we can set this to history?

:34:26. > :34:29.Diet once again page a bit to the Honorable Lady with that new

:34:30. > :34:38.epithet, I think that will live on for many years to come. I'd like to

:34:39. > :34:43.pay tribute to this Honorable Lady with the amendment in terms of the

:34:44. > :34:46.timing I'm sure it was discussed and debated in the debate yesterday, all

:34:47. > :34:51.I can save for my part is explaining some of getting over the language

:34:52. > :35:04.barriers on sanitary products it will take me a while. I would call

:35:05. > :35:15.on her but she is not standing so I cannot. The Prime Minister has

:35:16. > :35:22.reiterated his support for the European Union, he has said there is

:35:23. > :35:25.no support for the... What assessment has he made on migration

:35:26. > :35:32.would be from Turkey and in the long term if they were to join, and any

:35:33. > :35:38.additional costs for the youth UK taxpayer is he in favour of their

:35:39. > :35:43.access to the EU at any price of the UK taxpayer? What I would say to my

:35:44. > :35:46.Honorable friend, there is no remote prospect of this happening so he

:35:47. > :35:53.doesn't have to worry about it in terms of future sessions to the EU,

:35:54. > :35:57.will be as set out in the manifesto was a much tougher approach that we

:35:58. > :36:02.believe countries that do join the EU, should get to the position of

:36:03. > :36:11.being much closer entrance of GDP kappa to the current level the big

:36:12. > :36:18.migrations... Because no country can get into the EU, with out all

:36:19. > :36:22.existing members, it is something we and the other countries have to be

:36:23. > :36:30.tell. On these arrangements, we have to absolutely insist on them. Thank

:36:31. > :36:37.you Mr Speaker, of the tampon on tax last year, the treasure was quite

:36:38. > :36:41.dismissive site like to commend -- come and the government on this

:36:42. > :36:47.particular issue. The women of this country put much pressure on this

:36:48. > :36:54.country to help with this important issue. Is anything you'd like to

:36:55. > :37:02.help implement? I am grateful for the Honorable Lady's work on this to

:37:03. > :37:07.help. I think she will find that other European countries of course

:37:08. > :37:10.there is huge pressure on other countries to explain their own taxon

:37:11. > :37:19.sanitary products, of course with Ireland leading the way. In terms of

:37:20. > :37:31.the manifesto, with we have an independent Scotland we want the

:37:32. > :37:37.text... Thank you Mr Speaker. May I welcome my right honourable friend

:37:38. > :37:42.who is a widely respected on these benches. Would he agree with me,

:37:43. > :37:50.that two of the greatest three reforms that he leads, are restoring

:37:51. > :37:54.the fiscal rectitude and can heed therefore continue with both

:37:55. > :38:02.equally? I wholeheartedly agree with my Honorable friend, and this does

:38:03. > :38:11.go to the point with a welfare cap, controlled very easily with

:38:12. > :38:14.departmental spending is up by 60% under the last government. That is

:38:15. > :38:23.money you cannot spend on hospitals, schools, bridal services. -- vital.

:38:24. > :38:33.This is a vital component of a one nation government. Had powerful

:38:34. > :38:47.testimony who she escaped from kidnap from the -- -- Daesh Daesh.

:38:48. > :38:53.Will the race of the government in both Iraq and Turkey will he raise

:38:54. > :39:05.that question? We will do more to help the LCDs which is why we are in

:39:06. > :39:11.terms of what the secretary said the government policy figures under

:39:12. > :39:12.previous governments that genocide is under a legal opinion very

:39:13. > :39:28.despite a legal... I want to bore my colleagues are

:39:29. > :39:32.normally call everyone, I fear it will almost certainly not be

:39:33. > :39:41.possible today. Brevity will help however. At the end of the Prime

:39:42. > :39:44.minister's remarks, he made his statement to the state of

:39:45. > :39:47.generations. Does my Honorable friend that this is a classic

:39:48. > :39:52.example of a one nation conservatism. Given that is not only

:39:53. > :39:57.improved homes for those of lifting our cities, but supplied new homes

:39:58. > :40:01.for top buyers? My Honorable friend is absolutely right. The aim here

:40:02. > :40:05.should be to remove all barriers there anyway of people progressing

:40:06. > :40:08.and making the most of their lives. That is regenerating estates, they

:40:09. > :40:14.can play a huge part in addressing the shortage of childcare places

:40:15. > :40:23.like schools, mental health issues, unblocking barriers will lead to

:40:24. > :40:28.success. Will be Prime Minister did his assurance in view of the

:40:29. > :40:31.financial mess that is being created with this budget, that this will be

:40:32. > :40:49.the Chancellor of Exchequer last budget? Here that aid, only cats

:40:50. > :40:52.have nine lives? No. Is a income at those who accept the budget cuts, to

:40:53. > :41:01.tell us how they produce the deficit? But Honorable friend is

:41:02. > :41:06.absolutely right there are decisions you have to take, when you are

:41:07. > :41:12.facing a level of... We still need to get this country back to us there

:41:13. > :41:18.plus I would argue that this is not some artificial target you have to

:41:19. > :41:23.make sure. You're putting aside money for a rainy day, that is what

:41:24. > :41:27.this is all about. It does involve difficult decisions you don't always

:41:28. > :41:29.get that right, but it is very important you stick to the long-term

:41:30. > :41:41.economic plan of getting this country back from back. He mentioned

:41:42. > :41:46.the work of his former Secretary of State, that is current chancellor,

:41:47. > :41:52.so can he tell us if he is ruling out any further negotiation with the

:41:53. > :41:56.EU on benefits of spending, just how to see intend to fix the big holes

:41:57. > :42:00.in the budget that was announced this week and? What you see in the

:42:01. > :42:04.budget is good be a good package of measures, that will get the company

:42:05. > :42:08.back to work, will support our schools. The Jester will be sure to

:42:09. > :42:11.our winding up the budget debate, and a new forecast will be produced

:42:12. > :42:24.in all these issues will be addressed. Normally, on everything

:42:25. > :42:30.he says I almost don't agree with everything, but, I'm now confused by

:42:31. > :42:36.the answers given. The government says that it lasts -- lacks

:42:37. > :42:46.enthusiastically Turkey's ascension to the EU. Can it get these facts

:42:47. > :42:55.right? We do believe in free movement, we do want to stay in the

:42:56. > :43:02.EU. The answer is no, because Turkey is in a part of the EU. In this

:43:03. > :43:05.debate, which I know will get very passionate, people want to raise

:43:06. > :43:10.potential concerns and worries in order to support their argument. But

:43:11. > :43:15.I have to say in terms of Turkey being a member of the EU, this is

:43:16. > :43:23.not remotely a prospect. If every country has a B2 -- vetoed... Let us

:43:24. > :43:29.talk about in the debate what will happen, not what will not happen. We

:43:30. > :43:35.stay in a reformed European Union would keep our borders, we keep our

:43:36. > :43:39.right to set our own asylums and immigration policies. We can stop

:43:40. > :43:42.any what we want to at our borders. Yes we do believe in the free

:43:43. > :43:50.movement of people, as other Europeans as well. It is not a

:43:51. > :43:55.qualified right now. If you come here, kept by the job, get

:43:56. > :44:01.unemployment benefits, get sent home after six months, don't ask us to

:44:02. > :44:06.our welfare system, ironically if we were to eat leaves the EU and take

:44:07. > :44:09.up a Norway style position, no one would have that welfare

:44:10. > :44:10.restrictions. Let us set out what can happen versus what will not

:44:11. > :44:25.happen. With the Civil War, the prime

:44:26. > :44:28.Minister says it is better to keep refugees in the region, they look at

:44:29. > :44:34.us and they close their borders. They have taken 4 million refugees

:44:35. > :44:40.can be province or tell the House with their European native allies of

:44:41. > :44:43.the cease-fire in Syria. Have the violations been reported, and what

:44:44. > :44:47.is the timetable to move toward the peace and democratic elections in

:44:48. > :44:57.Syria to allow those refugees to return home? Lots of customs there

:44:58. > :45:01.-- questions there. I can't pay and -- paint an entirely rosy picture

:45:02. > :45:06.but it can be better than people expected. The peace talks are under

:45:07. > :45:12.way onto Lebanon had taken a huge number of refugees of course the

:45:13. > :45:15.country. The neighbouring countries are under obligation to fulfil those

:45:16. > :45:22.obligations. We are helping with a massive aid programme, but we are

:45:23. > :45:25.also helping the Lebanese forces. They are having considerable success

:45:26. > :45:35.in making sure they keep Daesh out of their own country. The home

:45:36. > :45:42.affairs select committee visited there to see if the work with the

:45:43. > :45:47.police forces... They told as 90% of the asylum-seekers were thought to

:45:48. > :45:53.use human traffickers to reach the EU. We need to break these criminal

:45:54. > :45:59.gangs to stop them profiting from human tragedy? My Honorable friend

:46:00. > :46:04.is absolutely right and I think already the action we're starting to

:46:05. > :46:07.the people traffickers some of their markers are -- markets are becoming

:46:08. > :46:13.more difficult to operate in their costs are going up. The national

:46:14. > :46:20.crime agency, our European partners we are putting them of business. On

:46:21. > :46:26.the best aspect of his statement, can I say to the Prime Minister not

:46:27. > :46:30.once today as he shown understanding of why there was such a public

:46:31. > :46:37.outcry throughout the country over the government's intention to help

:46:38. > :46:47.the most honourable in our country. I do say he is becoming increased

:46:48. > :46:53.increasingly uncertain. We have spent 42 billion on disabilities.

:46:54. > :47:00.They'll go up to 46 billion by the end of this Parliament. We have

:47:01. > :47:05.spent more on this. More under every year under this government under

:47:06. > :47:16.then under a Labour government. He is cascading his own party. Now I've

:47:17. > :47:19.call for consider brevity. What about other native members in terms

:47:20. > :47:24.of stopping the file people trafficking trade from serious? We

:47:25. > :47:27.are having good decides -- discussion were still having me to

:47:28. > :47:29.be able to do more I would like Nader ships to be able to spend more

:47:30. > :47:52.time in Turkish territory. -- Nato. Because he is right to say that the

:47:53. > :47:56.children in Calais cannot puppeteer, but the 150 take charge request

:47:57. > :48:00.issued by the French government, could be Prime Minister look at this

:48:01. > :48:04.and bring forward proposals to get the process working, for any more

:48:05. > :48:11.children suffer anymore over there? I've looked at this with the French

:48:12. > :48:18.president, if you look at asylum with a look at the documents. In

:48:19. > :48:24.congratulation with the ships company, to my right honourable

:48:25. > :48:35.friend in particular medical team whose work extraordinary...

:48:36. > :48:40.Trigger-happy to right honourable friend that the huge privilege going

:48:41. > :48:47.to board one of the ships in Malta taken apart helping people pick up.

:48:48. > :48:52.They save literally thousands of lives whether the medic teams, the

:48:53. > :49:03.Marines, what are his is the personnel. The prime ministers

:49:04. > :49:08.tagging on a recent days who unsuccessfully tried to explain the

:49:09. > :49:13.own tragedies does the Prime Minister except with the revelation

:49:14. > :49:17.of the Chancellor doesn't care about moral people of the tour emote vote

:49:18. > :49:30.amongst them the compassionate conservatives... If I come to those

:49:31. > :49:40.and not I think that would be right when it comes to, the people costing

:49:41. > :49:47.their votes -- casting was aboard the voting people, we want to create

:49:48. > :49:50.jobs cutting taxes, reforming welfare, we are improving schools,

:49:51. > :50:00.we are investing our country and make an economy stronger, is a fair.

:50:01. > :50:06.Did not at the British public policy of taking refugees from British

:50:07. > :50:11.camps, there are no position to take position, it is absolutely right

:50:12. > :50:27.thing to do. My Honorable friend is absolutely right. If fighting

:50:28. > :50:43.resumes in Styria what is our plan? -- Styria we will combat -- --

:50:44. > :50:49.Daesh. We'll sport a transitional government into without moderate in

:50:50. > :50:59.opinion in it whenever you were -- unite the country. With the Prime

:51:00. > :51:04.Minister agree with me that the weakness of those who are

:51:05. > :51:09.criticising the agreement between the EU and Turkey would they say the

:51:10. > :51:14.opposition of the leader today as they has significantly failed to

:51:15. > :51:19.present a credible alternative to those arrangements. Surely in the

:51:20. > :51:22.British public arrangements will surely make sensible arrangements

:51:23. > :51:28.with Turkey to make sure the migrant stomach a perilous journey will omit

:51:29. > :51:33.attending our own borders? A grip my right honourable friend I do believe

:51:34. > :51:38.we will get the best of both worlds, if we hadn't been there, what would

:51:39. > :51:41.difference would we have make? I think the European Union, will

:51:42. > :51:47.continue for longer with the rather borderless approach, the relocating

:51:48. > :51:52.migrants around different but countries which had failed. The

:51:53. > :51:54.approach is more about looking upstream, supported the camps,

:51:55. > :52:01.finding the funding for that, breaking the link between getting

:52:02. > :52:15.settlement. The home Secretary has been after meeting after meeting.

:52:16. > :52:20.This woman proud woman of two disabled signs she rang me white

:52:21. > :52:30.sheet wise at people like us? Can the Prime Minister rule out, the

:52:31. > :52:35.chief Association minister said today other any further cuts to not

:52:36. > :52:45.support disabled in the sprawling? We've increased the number --

:52:46. > :52:49.money... We have set out in our manifesto of the changes we need to

:52:50. > :52:59.make to get the welfare budget under control. We have made those changes.

:53:00. > :53:07.I think my right honourable friend for the sense of the way that he or

:53:08. > :53:10.she with the can I ask my right honourable friend to ensure that

:53:11. > :53:18.local authorities and the EU such such of these places in that

:53:19. > :53:22.district Council are properly resourced and financed to welcome

:53:23. > :53:27.the refugees? I believe they are properly resourced, because of the

:53:28. > :53:34.different money that is available in the ongoing sport been given. But I

:53:35. > :53:40.have encouraged local causes to give families coming here to want to go

:53:41. > :53:42.home, will be hard-working, contributing to our communities, I

:53:43. > :53:51.encouraged the council to come forward with their plans. Mr Speaker

:53:52. > :53:55.and other European countries with refugees being taken in, just what

:53:56. > :54:02.will it take for this government to revise... There are a lot of

:54:03. > :54:07.unaccompanied children stranded. Surely to look after them in

:54:08. > :54:11.society? What I would say to the Honorable Lady, if you look at the

:54:12. > :54:16.chance that the European Union is that Britain is doing more than the

:54:17. > :54:21.vast majority of other countries. Some countries have made pledges to

:54:22. > :54:25.resettle the right Syrian refugees that have taken none were only

:54:26. > :54:36.several cases more than other countries. Our country plan is

:54:37. > :54:42.working. Can my right honourable friend assured me that it will be

:54:43. > :54:47.perfect -- perfectly reasonable for any country or our country to veto

:54:48. > :54:53.the Turkey is akin to your? Of course that is the case, every

:54:54. > :55:00.country has a veto at every stage. Had to be agreed by every country. A

:55:01. > :55:04.veto at every stage in every other country will be made every perfectly

:55:05. > :55:10.clear. Can I ask the Prime Minister when the right honourable member for

:55:11. > :55:13.them first book to the Prime Minister about pressure being put on

:55:14. > :55:21.able with disabilities to fill the gap by the deficit, --? I received a

:55:22. > :55:26.letter from my right honourable friend Thursday, there had been

:55:27. > :55:30.prolonged discussion in the heart of the government of disability bands

:55:31. > :55:38.benefit reform, but I have said we're not going to hook those

:55:39. > :55:44.proposals. Thank you Mr Speaker I believe the real test the compassion

:55:45. > :55:48.is not... To my right honourable friend confirmed that the government

:55:49. > :55:54.is taking to liquidate the tax to ensure the riches -- rich people pay

:55:55. > :56:01.the high amount of the tax and is pending overs... Went honourable

:56:02. > :56:04.friend makes a good point and you look at the figures, some of the

:56:05. > :56:14.book easy what is happening to poorest families, they are able to

:56:15. > :56:19.get jobs, of the tax... That is what is happening for those families, the

:56:20. > :56:25.people at the top the top 1% are paying a higher percentage of income

:56:26. > :56:28.taxed to me ever did under Labor. I think with a growing economy

:56:29. > :56:53.weakened build the there is certainly. Amazingly a few moments

:56:54. > :56:56.ago, Ireland the matter hands, as... The prime minister has an aside to

:56:57. > :57:11.else does he have an his sights with Scotland and Ireland port was white

:57:12. > :57:18.the island that was in the plan referring to $100 per barrel or a

:57:19. > :57:26.boil. You can tell they don't like it when you're shouting, you are

:57:27. > :57:36.losing. You are an exceptionally citable fellow you must have

:57:37. > :57:45.yourself accordingly. Now and altogether more subdued my Honorable

:57:46. > :57:49.friend now. It is often said that the EU is undemocratic, laws are

:57:50. > :57:54.imposed deposit upon us. Is it his decision that the Prime Minister

:57:55. > :57:59.reports on that, an example of how Britain can mould and shape those

:58:00. > :58:06.rules and regulations? A grit my Honorable friend it is if you get

:58:07. > :58:10.stuck it is frustrating. Those only cited the argument you should accept

:58:11. > :58:14.the frustrations referred to by the other side and it has been

:58:15. > :58:18.frustrating for us the last government, for us. It was put

:58:19. > :58:25.there, restrictions were put there to have reasonable strayed and

:58:26. > :58:25.cross-border issues. It is too inflexible, these changes worked

:58:26. > :58:35.well. With the Prime Minister agree with

:58:36. > :58:40.me that world populations are moving and changing anyway we would not

:58:41. > :58:45.wish away. Does he agree with me we need a strong and united European

:58:46. > :58:48.Union to manage those great challenges and without it, we will

:58:49. > :58:53.be alone and unable to help these people? Obviously I think

:58:54. > :58:57.cooperation amongst the European Union nations helps but it is also

:58:58. > :59:01.important, as well for cooperation, that we have the right ideas. I

:59:02. > :59:04.think he is trying to say there's a lot of movement are of people around

:59:05. > :59:08.the world but the scale of movement from Africa has been so much greater

:59:09. > :59:14.in recent years, not because of growing African poverty, but because

:59:15. > :59:18.of weakness of North African states and the lack of adequate border

:59:19. > :59:23.arrangements. If we have the right thinking plus the cooperation, we

:59:24. > :59:26.can get the right answer. Does the Prime Minister agree that the best

:59:27. > :59:30.way to show compassion and to provide support for those in need

:59:31. > :59:33.that are at home, Syria, or elsewhere in the world is to build a

:59:34. > :59:41.stronger economy and generate the resources needed to look after them.

:59:42. > :59:45.My honourable friend is absolutely right. You cannot show your

:59:46. > :59:49.compassion unless you have a strong economy generating revenues that are

:59:50. > :59:52.harping service needs, that our schools need, and that our welfare

:59:53. > :59:55.system needs. We understand on the side of the House that compassion is

:59:56. > :00:02.a commish of getting the economy right and making the right choices.

:00:03. > :00:08.Mr Speaker, despite his best efforts to forge an ever closer union with

:00:09. > :00:16.his own party, there is a real risk that the UK will become decoupled

:00:17. > :00:22.from its biggest market and its most strategic ally. What impact does he

:00:23. > :00:25.think that Russian bombing on Syria and tactical resignation by his

:00:26. > :00:31.cabinet have had on the appetite for Brexit in Britain? I think there is

:00:32. > :00:34.a strong argument to say that at a time of international danger and

:00:35. > :00:38.difficulty, there is strength in numbers. That we should stick with

:00:39. > :00:42.our allies and friends as we confront Putin in the use of our

:00:43. > :00:45.continent and Isil in the south. As for the ever closer union amongst my

:00:46. > :00:52.colleagues we believe in cooperation rather than uniformity. It is very

:00:53. > :00:58.unusual for me to not comedy everybody, order. Time is against

:00:59. > :01:02.us. Border! Time is against us and we must move on. The colleagues are

:01:03. > :01:06.under speckle of this statement -- under speckle of this statement. --

:01:07. > :01:22.an respectful. Mr Speaker with your permission I

:01:23. > :01:25.would like to make a statement. It is a privilege to stand here at this

:01:26. > :01:32.dispatch box as the new Secretary of State for worker pensions. And

:01:33. > :01:36.firstly Mr Speaker I would like to pay a huge tribute to the work or my

:01:37. > :01:45.predecessor, the right honourable member. He came into this job six

:01:46. > :01:49.years ago with a real sense of mission and purpose to transform

:01:50. > :01:53.people's lies with the better and he achieved some remarkable things. --

:01:54. > :01:58.lives. And I intend to build on his success. My vision is to support

:01:59. > :02:03.everybody to achieve their full potential and to live independent

:02:04. > :02:07.lives. That means people having the stability and security of a decent

:02:08. > :02:12.job, children going up in a home with a benefit of that stability.

:02:13. > :02:17.There are not 2 million people in work more than 2010 and almost half

:02:18. > :02:22.more children covering up to seeing a mum and dad go up to work. We are

:02:23. > :02:28.insuring these opportunities extend to all of these in our society,

:02:29. > :02:34.including disabled people. Today there are more than 3 million

:02:35. > :02:37.disabled people in work. In the last 12 months alone, 152,000 more

:02:38. > :02:45.disabled people have moved in to work, 292,000 more over the past two

:02:46. > :02:50.years. That represents real lives transformed as we support people

:02:51. > :02:55.with poor health disabilities and conditions to get all the that that

:02:56. > :02:57.brings. We are also supporting the most vulnerable and determining

:02:58. > :03:03.those with the greatest need are supported the most. Our reforms have

:03:04. > :03:10.seen support for disabled people increase, in the last Parliament

:03:11. > :03:14.spending rose by ?3 billion. We are now rightly spending about ?50

:03:15. > :03:18.billion on benefits alone to support people with disabilities and health

:03:19. > :03:22.conditions. Devoting this level of resources to such an important group

:03:23. > :03:29.of people is, I believe, the mark of a decent society. Personal

:03:30. > :03:33.independence payments introduced to be a more modern and dynamic benefit

:03:34. > :03:40.to help cover the extra costs faced by disabled people. Something it's

:03:41. > :03:44.predecessor did benefit did not do. It is supposed to focus on those

:03:45. > :03:50.with the greatest need and we have seen networking. For example, 22% of

:03:51. > :03:57.claimants are receiving the highest level of support, compared to 16%

:03:58. > :04:02.under the predecessor benefit. Before Christmas, the government

:04:03. > :04:09.held a consultation on how part of the PIP assessment works in relation

:04:10. > :04:12.to a and appliances. I can tell the House that we will not be going

:04:13. > :04:18.ahead with the changes to PIP that had been put forward. I am

:04:19. > :04:22.absolutely clear Mr Speaker and that a compassionate and fair welfare

:04:23. > :04:29.system should not just be about numbers. Behind every statistic,

:04:30. > :04:34.there is a human being. Perhaps sometimes in government we forget

:04:35. > :04:37.that. I can also confirm that after discussing this issue over the

:04:38. > :04:40.weekend with my right honourable friend the Prime Minister and

:04:41. > :04:45.Chancellor, we have no further plans to make welfare savings beyond the

:04:46. > :04:50.substantial savings legislated two weeks ago which we will now focus on

:04:51. > :04:55.implementing. I want to turn directly to the welfare cap. First

:04:56. > :04:59.of all it is right that we monitor welfare spending carefully. The

:05:00. > :05:03.principle of introducing a cap is the right one, given the huge

:05:04. > :05:07.increases in welfare spending we saw under the previous Labour

:05:08. > :05:11.governments, up nearly 60%. The reality is that if we do not control

:05:12. > :05:15.the public finances, it is always the poorest in our society that paid

:05:16. > :05:21.the biggest prize. We do need the discipline. The welfare cap does

:05:22. > :05:24.strengthen trans transient Parliament, something that simply

:05:25. > :05:30.was not in place under labour and we make no apology for this. As we are

:05:31. > :05:35.required to do, we will review the level of the cap at the Autumn

:05:36. > :05:39.Statement when the reassessment is done. But I want to repeat that we

:05:40. > :05:41.have no further plans to make welfare savings beyond the very

:05:42. > :05:47.substantial savings legislated for in Parliament two weeks ago which we

:05:48. > :05:50.are not focused on implementing. Against this backdrop I want to

:05:51. > :05:55.build on the progress we have made and supporting disabled people. We

:05:56. > :05:59.made a manifesto commitment to half the gap between the proportion of

:06:00. > :06:02.disabled people in work compare with the rest of the labour market. As

:06:03. > :06:06.I've outlined we have made good progress and supporting disabled

:06:07. > :06:12.people into work. But to go further, it will require us to work in a way

:06:13. > :06:15.we have not done before. To think beyond the artificial boundaries,

:06:16. > :06:16.organizations, sectors, and government departments, to an

:06:17. > :06:22.approach that is truly collaborative. That is why today I

:06:23. > :06:25.want to start a new conversation for disabled people, their

:06:26. > :06:30.representatives, health care professionals, and employers. I want

:06:31. > :06:34.the welfare system to work better with the health and social care

:06:35. > :06:39.systems. Together we can do so much better for disabled people. But this

:06:40. > :06:43.is a hugely complex but hugely important area of policy to get

:06:44. > :06:50.right. Disabled people themselves require the best insight into how

:06:51. > :06:53.support works for them. -- provide. I think all views will be listened

:06:54. > :06:57.to in the right way in the months ahead. I will be personally involved

:06:58. > :07:01.in these discussions, the events of recent days demonstrate that we need

:07:02. > :07:06.to take time to reflect on how best we support and help transform

:07:07. > :07:15.people's lives. That is the welfare system I believe in. I commend the

:07:16. > :07:24.statement of the House. Hear, hear! May I start by saying... To the new

:07:25. > :07:28.Secretary of State. That is welcome and congratulations. And our

:07:29. > :07:30.history, of the will of love as I look forward to renewing our

:07:31. > :07:33.relationship and on the basis of today's statement at least it looks

:07:34. > :07:38.like it will be more productive than the one I had with his predecessor

:07:39. > :07:43.so I thank them for advanced site of this statement and I welcome the

:07:44. > :07:49.vital and if I may say so, wholly inevitable U-turn on the cuts to

:07:50. > :07:52.PIP. The way this mess has been handled is a textbook example of

:07:53. > :08:01.Tory Social Security prosody. Long divisive resurrect -- rhetoric. We

:08:02. > :08:04.heard the lies before the election, the sham consultation, I welcome the

:08:05. > :08:10.fact that these new Secretary of State says he will look as -- listen

:08:11. > :08:14.to the disabled. 95% of them at the consultation told him not to go

:08:15. > :08:18.ahead and he listened to the 11 respondents and put it through. The

:08:19. > :08:23.announcement snuck out on a Friday night, the briefings before the

:08:24. > :08:26.budget, the spin afterwards of the extra ?20 million set aside to fight

:08:27. > :08:31.the appeals. Above all the deliberate targeting of disabled

:08:32. > :08:38.people to pay for tax cuts in the budget exposed so mercilessly by his

:08:39. > :08:44.predecessor, the right honourable member at the weekend. Those

:08:45. > :08:51.watching the story civil war over the weekend, what really matters are

:08:52. > :08:57.those 640,000 disabled people who have been in the firing line of the

:08:58. > :09:01.Prime minister's budget. So on their behalf I sincerely thank the new

:09:02. > :09:07.Secretary of State for doing the right thing and reversing the cuts

:09:08. > :09:12.to PIP. While I welcome the decision, the manner it came about

:09:13. > :09:15.leaves questions unanswered. It strips all credibility from the

:09:16. > :09:20.claims of this government and this Prime Minister to protect all of the

:09:21. > :09:25.people of Britain. Never again can he or this government claim that we

:09:26. > :09:32.are all in it together. Never again can he claim to leave a -- lead a

:09:33. > :09:37.one nation government because the right honourable member from

:09:38. > :09:41.Woodford Green has left that claim in tatters. Speaking from the heart

:09:42. > :09:47.of the Torah government he said that they are unfairness is damaging the

:09:48. > :09:53.people. It is attacking the poor and dividing our nation. So my question

:09:54. > :09:55.quite simply to the new Secretary of State is, does he agree with his

:09:56. > :10:02.predecessor about the fundamental unfairness of the welfare policy and

:10:03. > :10:06.is that why he is reversing the PIP cut today? Can he reassure us that

:10:07. > :10:10.those cuts will be fully reversed? Can he reassure us that the

:10:11. > :10:16.arbitrary changes made to the point system under PIP will be dropped and

:10:17. > :10:20.full support will be maintained for people who need, for example, helped

:10:21. > :10:23.going to the toilet or getting dressed in the morning? Can he

:10:24. > :10:29.reassure us this is a real U-turn, not another sleight of hand or sham

:10:30. > :10:33.as we saw with tax credits, because disabled people need to know

:10:34. > :10:39.definitively today that they are being protected. Can he rule out any

:10:40. > :10:44.further cuts to the incomes of disabled people? I presume not, Mr

:10:45. > :10:49.Speaker. Because I read in the statement he refers to the

:10:50. > :10:52.substantial savings legislated for by Parliament two weeks ago. Did not

:10:53. > :10:57.say what he meant by that but I can tell the House when he meant. When

:10:58. > :11:02.he met where the cuts to the ES a budget. ?30 a week taken away from

:11:03. > :11:09.the best part of half a million people. Losing ?1500 a year. And we

:11:10. > :11:13.know the attitude of the Secretary of State did this because he voted

:11:14. > :11:19.for it two weeks ago and he defended it just on a blog and honourable

:11:20. > :11:23.members will do well to listen to this about the Secretary of State.

:11:24. > :11:31.In a blog written last week he said that those people who were opposed

:11:32. > :11:37.to the ESA cut will engage and I quote in "Mere political banter".

:11:38. > :11:43.There is nothing fun or banter about losing ?1500 a year out of your

:11:44. > :11:49.fragile income if you are disabled. Can the Secretary of State be

:11:50. > :11:53.serious and tell us, did he mean the ESA cut? Is there any chance he will

:11:54. > :12:01.not agree with this predecessor that it is unfair and reverse it as he

:12:02. > :12:05.should? , the third tell us and correct the errors made once more

:12:06. > :12:09.from the dispatch box by his honourable friend the financial

:12:10. > :12:16.secretary earlier today that spending on disabled people in this

:12:17. > :12:21.country is not increasing in real terms as was alleged? It is

:12:22. > :12:28.declining. The ISS, independent IFF confirmed last week that spending on

:12:29. > :12:35.PIP and DLA is falling in real terms by 3% or half a billion. And in

:12:36. > :12:38.fact, if you take into account all disabled benefits, at the House of

:12:39. > :12:47.Commons has done an analysis for the Labour Party to be released later

:12:48. > :12:51.today, spending has fallen by 6%. In contrast to the 16% increase that we

:12:52. > :12:57.sought in spending on disabled people under the last Labour

:12:58. > :13:03.government. 6% down under the Tories, 60% increased for the

:13:04. > :13:07.disabled on our side. Finally, I welcome what the new Secretary of

:13:08. > :13:11.State had to say about starting a new conversation with the disabled.

:13:12. > :13:16.He has made a good start would be U-turn. Will he decide now that he

:13:17. > :13:20.will put an end to the divisive rhetoric that has characterised the

:13:21. > :13:24.approach of this government over the last few years? Will he stand up for

:13:25. > :13:27.a fair and progressive renewal of our welfare state. The system of

:13:28. > :13:32.support that should be there for all of us when we need it. The new

:13:33. > :13:37.Secretary of State stands at a crossroads today. It can choose the

:13:38. > :13:41.path drawn by his predecessor to cut the incomes of the disabled, to

:13:42. > :13:45.defend the illegal veteran tax, to take money away from working

:13:46. > :13:51.families through universal credit, or you can choose the path less

:13:52. > :13:56.trodden by secretaries of state. He can traverse the ESA cut, scrap the

:13:57. > :14:01.hated bedroom tax. He could truly speak in favour of disabled people,

:14:02. > :14:08.the poor and the vulnerable in our society. Among the many

:14:09. > :14:11.extraordinary truth spoken by his predecessor yesterday, was the

:14:12. > :14:17.shameful admission that these two nation Tories decided to cut

:14:18. > :14:24.benefits from people because they did not think they would vote for

:14:25. > :14:30.them. It was extraordinary, it was shameful. And the new Secretary of

:14:31. > :14:38.State for Work and Pensions will have a hell of a job on his hands to

:14:39. > :14:46.wash that stand out. -- stain. Let me start by saying the same to the

:14:47. > :14:53.honourable member for his welcoming remarks. It is good to renew the

:14:54. > :14:56.relationship with him, and has culminated so happily for me. On May

:14:57. > :15:04.the 7th last year when he had to crawl up and explain why the Labour

:15:05. > :15:12.Party had lost Cardiff North. Hear, hear! But I am very happy to be

:15:13. > :15:17.partnered with them again across the dispatch box once again. He has lost

:15:18. > :15:21.none of his usual spiky style if I may say and he retains what I

:15:22. > :15:26.described when he was doing the shadow Welsh job as a rather

:15:27. > :15:33.pantomime anger approach. LAUGHTER

:15:34. > :15:44.he asked me... He asked me about my right honourable friend, the Member

:15:45. > :15:48.for chamfered and Woodford Green. I was very proud and am very proud to

:15:49. > :15:53.have served in a government with the right honourable member from

:15:54. > :15:57.Woodford Green. He has a superb record as a social reformer. His

:15:58. > :16:01.record over the last six years compares any day of the week with

:16:02. > :16:07.the record of previous labour government when it comes to welfare

:16:08. > :16:10.reform. There was a time when the party opposite views to speak the

:16:11. > :16:13.language of Welfare Reform Bill. There was a time when they liked to

:16:14. > :16:17.pretend that they understood that benefits system that traps people in

:16:18. > :16:21.poverty is not a benefits system based on compassion and fairness.

:16:22. > :16:26.And a time when they took that language was a time when the British

:16:27. > :16:34.public consider them as a serious prospect voted for government. That

:16:35. > :16:37.was a long time ago. I have no intention of repeating my statement

:16:38. > :16:40.word for word, I thought it was crystal clear actually about the

:16:41. > :16:48.fact that we are not proceeding with the proposed changes to PIPs. I am

:16:49. > :16:52.sorry if he was not listening enough. We are offering real support

:16:53. > :16:56.for disabled people in real terms over the lifetime of this

:16:57. > :16:59.Parliament. It is simply not true for the member to stand there at the

:17:00. > :17:12.Can I congratulate my right not.

:17:13. > :17:19.Can I congratulate my right honourable friend on his appointment

:17:20. > :17:26.and can I join with him in paying tribute to the right honourable

:17:27. > :17:30.member from Woodford Green. He spent many years bringing passion and

:17:31. > :17:38.commitment and dedication to his post as work and pensions Secretary

:17:39. > :17:41.and he will be sorely missed. Can I say that I am delighted that the

:17:42. > :17:47.Secretary of State is going to take the opportunity of this current

:17:48. > :17:52.focus to open his dialogue with disabled people and disabled groups.

:17:53. > :17:56.Can I ask him if he would look particularly at how the welfare

:17:57. > :18:00.system works for those people with autism? I very much hope that he

:18:01. > :18:03.will agree to meet with me and the national autistic Society and

:18:04. > :18:08.members of the parliamentary group for autism to discuss how the

:18:09. > :18:15.welfare system can really work well for this very important and

:18:16. > :18:20.sometimes deserted group of people? I thank my honourable friend for

:18:21. > :18:23.that question. I am very familiar with the excellent work that she and

:18:24. > :18:29.other members of the House from both sides have done with the all party

:18:30. > :18:32.group for autism and I do want to involve them and include them in the

:18:33. > :18:39.discussions we are now having and I should put on record, the fantastic

:18:40. > :18:43.work that my honourable friend the Minister for disabled has already

:18:44. > :18:46.been doing in working with disability groups and charities. We

:18:47. > :18:56.want to include the right honourable members from the all party in those

:18:57. > :18:59.discussions. Can I welcome the new could Secretary of State in his role

:19:00. > :19:03.and thank him for advanced reading of his statement. I think he knows

:19:04. > :19:07.he is inheriting an almighty mess and as that debacle has unfolded, as

:19:08. > :19:13.having untold consequences, not just for those who depend on personal

:19:14. > :19:22.payments but those set to lose ?30 a week in ESA. And those affected to

:19:23. > :19:26.cut to the work allowances under the new universal credit. The thousands

:19:27. > :19:31.of mostly disabled people who are already affected by the bedroom tax

:19:32. > :19:35.and of course the women born in the 1950s who have had the goalposts

:19:36. > :19:40.shifted relentlessly on pension. The government propose taking a further

:19:41. > :19:45.45 ?3 billion out of the pockets of disabled people in order to fund tax

:19:46. > :19:49.cuts for the wealthiest. Even by their own standards, that is a new

:19:50. > :19:55.low. So I am glad they have been forced into backtracking on this

:19:56. > :19:59.latest round of cuts on PIP but problems with the policy are more

:20:00. > :20:03.fundamental. The role of PIP has failed to meet the government's own

:20:04. > :20:08.implementation projects and has been delayed. They have missed almost

:20:09. > :20:13.every single opportunity to sort of the fiasco around implementation of

:20:14. > :20:17.universal credit. They're cuts have butchered the very aspects of

:20:18. > :20:21.universal credit that might have created a work incentives. Instead

:20:22. > :20:26.they have hammered local workers, especially the little children. I

:20:27. > :20:29.said last week that the government's way of austerity of the political

:20:30. > :20:34.choice even that has meant heartless and careless disregard of disabled

:20:35. > :20:40.people, those same people have become pawns in an increasingly

:20:41. > :20:43.bitter Tory Civil War. Parts of the Social Security system including PIP

:20:44. > :20:48.are said to be divulged to the Scottish Parliament yet today, there

:20:49. > :20:51.has been wholly inadequate consultation and engagement with

:20:52. > :20:55.ministers ahead of these changes coming into effect. Can I urge the

:20:56. > :20:59.Secretary of State to use this opportunity to go back to the

:21:00. > :21:04.drawing board, not just on PIP but on the wider social security reform

:21:05. > :21:07.agenda, including the cuts to ESA and work allowances. Will he meet

:21:08. > :21:11.with disabled people and work with them and will he meet with me and my

:21:12. > :21:20.colleagues to identify more constructive ways forward in the

:21:21. > :21:23.future? I thank the honourable Lady for her series of questions and she

:21:24. > :21:30.lists a number of very specific issues, all of which are ones I have

:21:31. > :21:34.inherited in the department. I do not recognise the description of

:21:35. > :21:37.what she said of my inheritance. But when I arrived in the House

:21:38. > :21:43.yesterday and again today what I did inherit was an amazingly committed,

:21:44. > :21:47.passionate, capable group of civil servants, an amazing team of

:21:48. > :21:51.ministers as well who share a real determination to work together in

:21:52. > :21:56.unity to carry on reforming welfare. On the specific issue of Scotland, I

:21:57. > :21:59.have actually checked this one out already and actually, the working

:22:00. > :22:02.relationships in the department, both in ministerial and out at

:22:03. > :22:05.official level with Scottish Government are very positive and

:22:06. > :22:08.constructive, it is something I want to look at and I will be doing a

:22:09. > :22:11.visit up to Scotland and we can maybe carry on with the discussion

:22:12. > :22:23.about the devolved powers that Scottish will be getting. May I add

:22:24. > :22:27.my congratulations to my right honourable friend in welcome and

:22:28. > :22:31.into his new post. Would he agree with me that disagree with --

:22:32. > :22:34.disability is an umbrella term and at one end of the spectrum there are

:22:35. > :22:38.those with very serious disabilities for whom it is impossible to be

:22:39. > :22:43.independent but the under ended the spectrum, there are many as

:22:44. > :22:46.abilities which should not preclude people from finding employment.

:22:47. > :22:52.Isn't it right to focus spending on that group to help them gain skills

:22:53. > :22:57.and lead a productive life? I thank my right honourable friend for her

:22:58. > :23:00.question and for her warm and generous remarks. She is right and

:23:01. > :23:09.the point that she makes, disability is a term that covers an immensely

:23:10. > :23:13.varied a range of issues. And people with different challenges in their

:23:14. > :23:19.life. I think the changes we have been making to focus resources, the

:23:20. > :23:24.most of resources on the most vulnerable is absolutely right but

:23:25. > :23:29.also to increase the resources from 60 million ?200 million as part of

:23:30. > :23:31.the ESA changes and help Morris people achieve the aspiration moving

:23:32. > :23:37.into the workplace. -- help more people. Can I welcome the secretary

:23:38. > :23:42.stated the dispatch box today. Doing what we can, the officials brief

:23:43. > :23:47.them on what has happened on his department's budget with people

:23:48. > :23:50.being singled out for cuts but within those cuts, the pension

:23:51. > :23:57.budget has been protected. Not only protected, but has risen by 11%. So

:23:58. > :24:07.all of the cuts have fallen on those of working age. Might I therefore

:24:08. > :24:12.ask him as he is now unsettled that it would be sheer farce if anybody

:24:13. > :24:18.moved against him but he looks very seriously against any further cuts

:24:19. > :24:21.to ESA claims. Not only because just demands that, but also he might have

:24:22. > :24:27.difficulties getting that through his backbenchers behind him? I think

:24:28. > :24:31.the honourable gentleman and in fact the chairman of select committee for

:24:32. > :24:34.his kind remarks and message he sent me at the weekend as well. I look

:24:35. > :24:40.forward to some constructive discussions with them over the

:24:41. > :24:46.months ahead. In the statement, I did make clear that we are not

:24:47. > :24:52.pursuing further welfare savings and we are not looking to offset any

:24:53. > :25:02.savings and replacement of the changes to PIP so I hope that makes

:25:03. > :25:09.that clear today. On Saturday morning I had remarkably well-timed

:25:10. > :25:15.visit to the branch to welcome them and to speak with their members. I

:25:16. > :25:19.got a lot of feedback but can my right honourable friend tell the

:25:20. > :25:25.House how intends to move forward his dialogue with disabled groups

:25:26. > :25:29.over the next few weeks? In response to the question from my honourable

:25:30. > :25:33.friend we are already in the process of setting up meetings with those

:25:34. > :25:37.organizations. As I said earlier I will be working on some fantastic

:25:38. > :25:41.things done by my honourable friend the Minister for the disabled. But I

:25:42. > :25:44.want to lead these discussions myself and find out what they are

:25:45. > :25:47.thinking and how best we can work with them. I think there's a lot of

:25:48. > :25:51.goodwill in the sector towards what we are trying to do, and recognise

:25:52. > :25:56.the long-term challenges of performing the sector. The help

:25:57. > :26:00.system works far better with employers and other things to

:26:01. > :26:03.achieve far better things for disabled people. That is in

:26:04. > :26:11.operation I hope all of us can Unite around. -- aspiration. The Secretary

:26:12. > :26:17.of State says there will be no further savings those legislated

:26:18. > :26:21.for. Does that mean no more cuts to meet the PIP cuts or does it mean

:26:22. > :26:27.not going ahead with the further 3 billion a year cuts to meet the

:26:28. > :26:33.welfare cap on page 26 of the Redbook published on Wednesday and

:26:34. > :26:36.given that he was part of the Cabinet that agreed to be Redbook

:26:37. > :26:41.published last Wednesday, can he tell the House whether he thinks the

:26:42. > :26:49.entire cabinet got it spectacularly wrong or just the Chancellor? I

:26:50. > :26:51.think I addressed the right honourable Lady's question very

:26:52. > :27:07.fully in my statement. I welcome my right honourable friend

:27:08. > :27:10.to his position. He is a good man and I think he would do a great job

:27:11. > :27:14.and he knows of course by the conservative party is a proud

:27:15. > :27:18.heritage of welfare reform, things like public health and social

:27:19. > :27:23.housing. If he is to have a debate though, surely the debate must also

:27:24. > :27:28.be about generational fairness. In my constituents who are saying

:27:29. > :27:31.welfare reductions, they cannot understand why yesterday we are

:27:32. > :27:40.intending to spend another ?900 million funding for Scotland and...

:27:41. > :27:45.Surely we need to refocus our priorities on those most needing

:27:46. > :27:50.across our country? My honourable friend makes an important point

:27:51. > :27:54.about intergenerational fairness. There is a discussion about that.

:27:55. > :27:57.The point I am making in response to my honourable friend is that if he

:27:58. > :28:02.looks super example of the changes being made to state pension, there

:28:03. > :28:06.is half ?1 trillion of savings being achieved because of those changes

:28:07. > :28:09.over the next 50 years so I think it is being spread across the

:28:10. > :28:16.generations but there is a debate to be had. Can I join in welcoming the

:28:17. > :28:19.Secretary of State to his new role and genuinely wish him all the best

:28:20. > :28:24.of luck. I suspect he realises he will need it. But is in the problem

:28:25. > :28:29.here that there is not a sense of unfairness. -- there is a sense of

:28:30. > :28:33.unfairness. The text for the better off in this budget at the same time

:28:34. > :28:38.as the burden falling on disabled people but it is also the fact that

:28:39. > :28:42.better off pensioners again, completely protected by this budget

:28:43. > :28:47.at the same time as working age people suffer another cut. Does he

:28:48. > :28:49.set himself completely against looking again at this problem of

:28:50. > :28:58.intergenerational fairness? My intention very simply is look at

:28:59. > :29:04.all of these questions with a fresh pair of eyes in the support of a

:29:05. > :29:10.fantastic team of ministers around me. This is a similar point made

:29:11. > :29:18.earlier and my answer is the same at this moment in time. May also

:29:19. > :29:23.congratulate my right honourable friend on his appointment I am also

:29:24. > :29:33.very glad that the government is not pursuing cuts to PIP, can I remind

:29:34. > :29:41.that his predecessors showed great empathy and assisted me greatly with

:29:42. > :29:46.a constituent who had very difficult concerns regarding her disability.

:29:47. > :29:58.Will my right honourable friend note that while pimple with disabilities

:29:59. > :30:05.-- people know how bit may impact them they are the experts. I

:30:06. > :30:11.completely agree. The NPV of my predecessor, he was a man who would

:30:12. > :30:17.spent years thinking about these problems in a very serious way. His

:30:18. > :30:24.legacy is one that we should always be proud of. The second point she

:30:25. > :30:34.makes is people who experienced these issues are the experts. We

:30:35. > :30:38.recognise that. In the end he is going to be judged by his actions.

:30:39. > :30:43.My constituents would like to know where he scrapped badger attacks,

:30:44. > :30:49.and the other cuts, and deal with the shameful treatment of older

:30:50. > :30:54.women and their pensions? If this is about judging by actions, I would

:30:55. > :30:59.happily stand by the record of this government. Every single day of the

:31:00. > :31:03.week mark against the record of previous Labour governments who

:31:04. > :31:07.allowed the benefits bill just by roll out of control but left a

:31:08. > :31:11.legacy of long-term unemployment, hundreds of thousands of people left

:31:12. > :31:15.without having worked a day in their life, with no support from the state

:31:16. > :31:22.to help them make the transition back into the workplace. I welcome

:31:23. > :31:29.the statement and a commitments you make to the house today. On Friday I

:31:30. > :31:33.visited the Adam trust as Mount industries. They're turning over ?1

:31:34. > :31:37.billion a year and currently employing nearly half their

:31:38. > :31:43.workforce, people who are disabled or have come off the disabled living

:31:44. > :31:52.allowance. This government is helping this company grow and it is

:31:53. > :31:57.happening create more jobs. Alongside the changes we need to

:31:58. > :32:02.make sure we have the jobs and the opportunities for people to come

:32:03. > :32:06.into the workforce. I agree with my Honorable friend that the Company

:32:07. > :32:11.she mentions is a great example is not one I've met purpose --

:32:12. > :32:14.personally but it is exactly the kind of organisation we want to see

:32:15. > :32:22.replicated in seeing growing throughout this country. The new

:32:23. > :32:26.Secretary of State talks about being a one nation conservative, what does

:32:27. > :32:33.that mean to the UK six to half million carers. Many of whom will be

:32:34. > :32:40.worried about losing their carers allowance. Those worries come on top

:32:41. > :32:49.of 60,000 family carriers haired -- hit by the bedroom tax. The

:32:50. > :32:57.Honorable Lady makes a really important point about the essential

:32:58. > :33:01.and vital role of carers. That is exactly why the government since

:33:02. > :33:05.2010 we have spent more than ?2 billion extra supporting carers but

:33:06. > :33:11.I would be happy to meet with her and other groups representing carers

:33:12. > :33:19.to learn about what we can do to help them. Can I warmly welcome my

:33:20. > :33:26.right honourable friend's appointments I know you'll respect

:33:27. > :33:30.the policy and legacy of his predecessor. We look that matters up

:33:31. > :33:35.a progression in this country, and the worthwhile pilots that his

:33:36. > :33:38.department is undertaking, he looks creatively and solutions across

:33:39. > :33:43.government with department business and health to ensure we are not just

:33:44. > :33:45.satisfied to get people into work, but to move them through the pay

:33:46. > :33:53.scales to sustainable independent living. That is a really important

:33:54. > :33:59.point, he is very knowledgeable about these issues. It is not just a

:34:00. > :34:04.question of Seymour disabled people into work, we want to see them

:34:05. > :34:16.earning higher wages as well. I wasn't previously a whale -- aware.

:34:17. > :34:21.My honourable friend was being generous. We have not heard a change

:34:22. > :34:26.of town today. We're hanging precisely what we heard under the

:34:27. > :34:31.previous Secretary of State. The new Secretary of State is the patron, if

:34:32. > :34:39.you seriously telling us in his listening exercises that what they

:34:40. > :34:43.would recognise is that the previous entry of state and directed to be

:34:44. > :34:54.proud of. Many transform disabled peoples lives. And he did a good job

:34:55. > :35:01.as Secretary of State. I'm not sure of the honourable member knows

:35:02. > :35:08.anyone from temperature as Pembrokeshire. They're a special

:35:09. > :35:15.group of people and I'm proud to know them. Mickey directly to

:35:16. > :35:18.Secretary of State on his recent appointment and Kai also say that it

:35:19. > :35:27.is good to see Welsh MPs in the marsh. In this government there are

:35:28. > :35:36.300,000 more disabled people in this employment. There is more important

:35:37. > :35:40.work to be done in this area. My honourable friend is exactly right,

:35:41. > :35:43.that really is the issue at the heart of the statements before the

:35:44. > :35:48.House today. We want to see society do a much better job at supporting

:35:49. > :35:56.disabled people, making a move into work. We had a commitments to have

:35:57. > :36:09.that disability gap that exists. We must work across different sectors.

:36:10. > :36:15.The Secretary of State (INAUDIBLE) He is not a position to lecture the

:36:16. > :36:21.house on a decent society. They voted to cut tax credits, and she

:36:22. > :36:29.the natural checks, and we're sharing the cuts now... Is what

:36:30. > :36:33.about providing support about those in greatest need, the public that is

:36:34. > :36:36.that that excuse only works once. If you have a disability the chances

:36:37. > :36:41.are you're not going to get cured from it. Can he guarantee from the

:36:42. > :36:47.house today that those in receipt of it will not have to reapply for

:36:48. > :36:56.because disability is so severe. The honourable gentleman raised a number

:36:57. > :37:00.of issues there. It was quite clear on some of the changes making some

:37:01. > :37:07.of we are not any longer aspirations. It is just day one for

:37:08. > :37:15.me so he will forgive me if I'm not quite on top of all the specific

:37:16. > :37:23.issues would want talk about. Welcome to the new Secretary of

:37:24. > :37:36.State. Hear, hear! Thank you to the government for their rethink. That

:37:37. > :37:43.4400 people since January 1994, what step brother taking to make sure his

:37:44. > :37:49.everything is accessible to all and they will have help when they need

:37:50. > :37:54.it? That is an important point about communications for people who are

:37:55. > :38:00.disabled. Within the departments set up a task force to look at this

:38:01. > :38:08.issue including organizations like the British deaf Association and

:38:09. > :38:15.others. I congratulate the Secretary of State on his appointment. I hope

:38:16. > :38:22.his commitment will include a more inclusive listening approach. A more

:38:23. > :38:27.positive set of outcomes for disabled people unlike of the zeal

:38:28. > :38:33.of his predecessor. Can I ask the Secretary of State, given that we

:38:34. > :38:39.now have 4.4 billion gap in the Redbook, whereas a member of the

:38:40. > :38:42.government, where will the government finds that money and if

:38:43. > :38:51.it is from the welfare budget, which parts of the budget will be taken? I

:38:52. > :38:54.think I would say the missionary zeal of my predecessor is a really

:38:55. > :39:02.important Carly when you're trying to get the changes achieved

:39:03. > :39:07.Whitehall. There's a lot when he to be proud of what comes to his

:39:08. > :39:12.achievements. The savings that you mentioned, we do have another debate

:39:13. > :39:16.for the budget tomorrow and the Chancellor will be speaking about

:39:17. > :39:19.this very issue. For absolute clarity, the government has no lands

:39:20. > :39:27.to make further reductions from welfare expenditure. The Secretary

:39:28. > :39:28.of State may be aware from the recent recommendations

:39:29. > :39:33.independent mental health commission to the government which I believe

:39:34. > :39:37.the government has accepted. Which is to put more money into the

:39:38. > :39:42.supporting those in mental health problems to get back into the

:39:43. > :39:46.workplace. A totally new and radical approach to ensuring people with

:39:47. > :39:51.mental health conditions can lead productive lives and get back into

:39:52. > :39:56.the workplace. The issue of supporting people with mental health

:39:57. > :40:00.issues, we have debated many times, there is recognition across both

:40:01. > :40:04.sides that as a society we this is all that we have not gotten right in

:40:05. > :40:11.the past. We're determined to improve on it. We are currently

:40:12. > :40:14.undertaking ?43 million of pilot projects providing individual

:40:15. > :40:25.tailored support, face support, group work, I'm a telephone support,

:40:26. > :40:28.and other services. Many thanks Mr Speaker. The Secretary of State has

:40:29. > :40:35.indicated the same people are themselves placed to inform them of

:40:36. > :40:42.their needs. I would urge him to have a meeting where he can address

:40:43. > :40:48.the changes outlined and listen to disabled people's concerns. With the

:40:49. > :40:54.Secretary of State confirm that he will attend this meeting? Gas. I

:40:55. > :40:59.very much like to attend the group at my honourable friend is

:41:00. > :41:09.whispering in my ear does excellent work. Does my right honourable

:41:10. > :41:17.friend who was brought up by a devoted single mum, facilitator of

:41:18. > :41:19.support for those looking for work but those looking for disabilities

:41:20. > :41:26.and without that so many more parents are finding good jobs and a

:41:27. > :41:30.better support their family? Some of the most impressive people I meet

:41:31. > :41:36.week in and week out are single mothers. We're doing far more than

:41:37. > :41:41.ever before to support people in the circumstances and realising

:41:42. > :41:50.ambitions and moving it to work and really achieving some quite exciting

:41:51. > :41:53.things in their careers. The tentative 40,000 disabled people

:41:54. > :41:59.will be relieved to hear the announcement this afternoon. Can he

:42:00. > :42:07.reassured me that those cuts will never be reintroduced by the

:42:08. > :42:11.government again? The honourable lady and members opposite today are

:42:12. > :42:18.trying to tease out a commitment from this side of the chamber, that

:42:19. > :42:23.we will never ever be any other changes to welfare spending again.

:42:24. > :42:27.That would be absurd. We know that there needs to carry on being

:42:28. > :42:37.performed. The commitment that I'm making today, the commitment that

:42:38. > :42:42.I'm making today is based on conversations, that we are not going

:42:43. > :42:55.ahead with those cuts. We will not be seeking offset savings and for

:42:56. > :43:00.the cities in the welfare budget. He is a one nation moderate

:43:01. > :43:11.conservative from the tips of his toes to the end of his beard. What

:43:12. > :43:17.my right elbow friend except for me, that there is still a huge amount of

:43:18. > :43:21.anxiety from employers are bringing disabled people into the workplace.

:43:22. > :43:29.Would he work with our group and others to ensure employers across

:43:30. > :43:34.the country are aware of the huge opportunities and benefits that they

:43:35. > :43:39.can bring to their enterprises? There really should be nervous this

:43:40. > :43:47.part of employers that should not be. I had the pleasure of

:43:48. > :43:54.participating in some of their work and my previous ministerial role. It

:43:55. > :44:00.too is a really excellent work. New and innovative ways to ensure the

:44:01. > :44:02.scheme which is medium-size enterprises and support more

:44:03. > :44:12.employers and hiring disabled people. Mr Speaker we have heard for

:44:13. > :44:15.almost three hours from the treasury Minister, Prime Minister, in the

:44:16. > :44:22.Secretary of State. This than I had an answer from the direct question,

:44:23. > :44:25.when -- where is that ?4 billion coming from. Other the other side

:44:26. > :44:39.does not know or they do not want to tell us. We have explored this issue

:44:40. > :44:45.in depth. For a long time. LAUGHTER They will be further opportunity

:44:46. > :44:49.tomorrow in the budget debate. Let me just repeat, the commitment that

:44:50. > :44:54.I have made today that we will not be pressing ahead with the proposed

:44:55. > :44:58.cuts, will not be seeking alternative savings, and the

:44:59. > :45:05.government does not have plans for further welfare savings. I welcome

:45:06. > :45:10.my right honourable friend to his new role. A ray of sunshine after

:45:11. > :45:17.what is considered to be a bleak view dates. Is expected to meet the

:45:18. > :45:26.extra costs of disability and those costs have been rising rapidly. Can

:45:27. > :45:30.I get reading recommendation which looks at how government can both

:45:31. > :45:37.reduce and work with the private sector to reduce those extra costs

:45:38. > :45:42.to make sure it does go further. I think my honourable friend from his

:45:43. > :45:46.kind remarks, I try to be a ray of sunshine if I can. Grateful for the

:45:47. > :45:54.reading recommendation and I'll make it a priority. The Secretary of

:45:55. > :46:00.State is doing an excellent job at avoiding answering the question.

:46:01. > :46:04.Where will the 4.4 billion be found, if it is not from the welfare bill,

:46:05. > :46:14.does he know where they will be found? I am genuinely puzzled as to

:46:15. > :46:19.why members on the benches opposite cannot listen and follow the

:46:20. > :46:23.arguments we are making. We have repeated the position of the

:46:24. > :46:26.government, and I'm sorry if she was not listening to the statement

:46:27. > :46:34.earlier but I think it was very clear. Can I welcome the Secretary

:46:35. > :46:40.of State to his new position. His personal background and experience

:46:41. > :46:46.means he knows the benefit of an extractive welfare system. Kenny

:46:47. > :46:51.also ensure me that he is going to continue his predecessor's work at

:46:52. > :46:58.getting people back into work of the last couple of years. At the end of

:46:59. > :47:05.the day work and having an effective situation and welfare system is true

:47:06. > :47:15.social justice than just the numbers bandied about by the opposition. At

:47:16. > :47:19.292,000 that he mentioned, that is 292,000 disabled people that made

:47:20. > :47:23.the transition with lots of support from the different initiatives from

:47:24. > :47:28.the government back into work. That is a terrific record. A complacent.

:47:29. > :47:34.If we're going to that manifesto Thomas of having -- cutting in half

:47:35. > :47:40.the disappointment -- disability employment gap. He faces a huge

:47:41. > :47:49.challenge and leaves a huge challenge behind him. With respect

:47:50. > :47:53.of the Wales Bill he was free. I welcome his commitment to

:47:54. > :48:03.reassessing the conversation with disabled people. It changes to PIP

:48:04. > :48:14.suggested 105 cases of the more than 600,000 people depend on PIP. With

:48:15. > :48:17.the guarantee that before further changes to welfare are proposed

:48:18. > :48:23.there'll be proper independent research publicly available

:48:24. > :48:32.beforehand? The kind of research he talks about is already being

:48:33. > :48:36.published. There is a duty on government departments to publish

:48:37. > :48:43.impact assessments. A conduct their policymaking in an open interest

:48:44. > :48:53.Paraguay. -- transparent way. We should look again but really

:48:54. > :49:00.challenging list of issues. It should be transparent, open, and

:49:01. > :49:05.based on sound evidence. Before coming up to London this afternoon I

:49:06. > :49:09.have one of my regular surgeries in my constituency. What are my

:49:10. > :49:13.constituents was a disabled lady who was in work but wanted support from

:49:14. > :49:19.her employer and support finding new work. The practical steps with the

:49:20. > :49:24.Secretary of State make with disability groups, and employers to

:49:25. > :49:33.ensure we cut in half the does it ability employment gap. To reassure

:49:34. > :49:35.employers and support them and making good decisions about

:49:36. > :49:40.recruiting and hiring disabled people. We have a really important

:49:41. > :49:45.initiative within my department, access to work, we need to publicise

:49:46. > :49:54.that a lot more. We need to get more employers looking at that and

:49:55. > :50:01.accessing that. We were all pleased to hear the Secretary of State say

:50:02. > :50:06.we have no further plans to make welfare savings than those already

:50:07. > :50:11.legislated for. Could the Secretary of State guarantee that there will

:50:12. > :50:14.be no reductions in rates or eligibility criteria for any Social

:50:15. > :50:22.Security benefits in this Parliament? The statement was very

:50:23. > :50:27.clear, but I would say to the Honorable Lady that the changes she

:50:28. > :50:29.is ascribing would be cuts to people's benefits. That is not

:50:30. > :50:37.something we're looking at at this moment in time. Can I congratulate

:50:38. > :50:46.my honourable friend on his appointment. No one more appropriate

:50:47. > :50:51.to take on the performing agenda. Ten asked him what his department is

:50:52. > :50:56.doing for disabled entrepreneurs and to remind him not to forget those

:50:57. > :51:03.entrepreneurs who are disabled? There are some amazing examples of

:51:04. > :51:11.disabled people who set up successful businesses. Add pleasure

:51:12. > :51:17.of meeting them. We need to be backing them. Schemes like access to

:51:18. > :51:26.work are a really important part of that. I welcome the Secretary of

:51:27. > :51:33.State to his place and also welcome the retreat that he has been

:51:34. > :51:37.credited with. It the Secretary of State to use his new-found power to

:51:38. > :51:43.press the treasury into for the retreat on cuts to the ESA and

:51:44. > :51:49.properly funded the white paper on health and work to the previously

:51:50. > :51:51.committed 100 million. Any commitment his predecessor made last

:51:52. > :51:57.week of having it published before the summer. The changes to ESA have

:51:58. > :52:03.been debated at length, numerous occasions in this house members have

:52:04. > :52:12.had opportunity to vote on them. The other things he mentioned I will

:52:13. > :52:16.look at and will be in touch. Can I welcome my right honourable friend

:52:17. > :52:19.to his new position. I can think of no other honourable member in this

:52:20. > :52:25.house they could bring more compassion and empathy to this role.

:52:26. > :52:33.Does he agree with me that a fair welfare system should not just be

:52:34. > :52:38.about numbers? Is about human beings, and I made that point in my

:52:39. > :52:42.opening statement. That is something that nudges in the area of welfare

:52:43. > :52:45.but in all of the statistic that we talk about. There are lives and

:52:46. > :52:50.families and individuals behind the statistics. It is especially

:52:51. > :52:58.important in the area of welfare and disability that are human beings

:52:59. > :53:04.that we are talking about. As is pointed out by the right honourable

:53:05. > :53:10.friend, page 26 of the Redbook commits the government to ?3 million

:53:11. > :53:15.of cuts and new welfare cap. It is not what his predecessor referred to

:53:16. > :53:22.as being too narrowly focused on getting the deficit down. Can he

:53:23. > :53:30.tell us is the 3 billion going to be honoured and how is he going to

:53:31. > :53:35.deliver that? With a very direct answer to that direct question. That

:53:36. > :53:38.direct answer is the one I've been giving all afternoon. Government

:53:39. > :53:48.will not be seeking further savings in the welfare budget. One of the

:53:49. > :53:52.major problems that disabled people face is the prejudice in society it

:53:53. > :53:58.talks about what they cannot do other than what they can do. What my

:53:59. > :54:01.right honourable friend set out what he is going to do leading the

:54:02. > :54:09.department to change that attitude to be concentrating on what people

:54:10. > :54:14.can do that was they cannot. The can-do principal is so important. Is

:54:15. > :54:19.that the heart of everything we are trying to achieve and all of our

:54:20. > :54:23.welfare reforms. This is the central understanding that my honourable

:54:24. > :54:28.friend brought to that department. Along with that sense of mission and

:54:29. > :54:34.purpose. In the area of disability is to get people to focus on what

:54:35. > :54:40.they can do. A genuinely cannot work with need to reorient resources so

:54:41. > :54:47.that those that are most preferable get the most resources. He would do

:54:48. > :54:53.well to recognise that there are a lot of upset and unsettled,

:54:54. > :54:58.concerned disabled people. They heard the Chancellor on Wednesday

:54:59. > :55:01.and were very concerned indeed. He wants to reset the conversation,

:55:02. > :55:08.doesn't he think he would do well to apologise for this appalling upset

:55:09. > :55:17.and the sense that they have been upset of this period over the recent

:55:18. > :55:19.days. Would he use the word sorry? This is not a particularly fruitful

:55:20. > :55:25.line of questioning from the honourable member. I made it very

:55:26. > :55:32.clear statement about what I'm trying to achieve in day one in this

:55:33. > :55:39.new role. If he is looking for apologies, look to the front bench

:55:40. > :55:42.of his own party. Ask them for an apology for the state, scandalous

:55:43. > :55:52.state that elected public finances in 2010. I congratulate the

:55:53. > :55:55.Secretary of State in his appointment, but also to pay tribute

:55:56. > :56:01.to the right honourable member for his previous work. A good welfare

:56:02. > :56:09.system is an important safety net. It sure route out of poverty is

:56:10. > :56:16.education and work. They need to raise the lowest paid by increasing

:56:17. > :56:21.the tax threshold and introducing a living wage. At some of that grew up

:56:22. > :56:26.in a poor area of Labour controlled south London, the lack of aspiration

:56:27. > :56:35.is as evident today as I was in the 70s. And you want a lecture about

:56:36. > :56:43.poverty, ask Labour if you want something done ask conservatives?

:56:44. > :56:46.With their own upbringing, with her other work, has far more

:56:47. > :56:52.understanding in real-life terms of working with vulnerable people.

:56:53. > :56:57.People that need the state that people that are displaying this

:56:58. > :57:02.afternoon on the opposite benches. We Secretary of State says read my

:57:03. > :57:05.lips, he says no more cuts to welfare it does not include the huge

:57:06. > :57:09.cuts to Social Security spending that have already been agreed but

:57:10. > :57:14.not yet implemented. The government website says if you are ill or

:57:15. > :57:22.disabled there is allowance is to support you. Last week the Secretary

:57:23. > :57:30.of State as a government minister that people were allowed to work. I

:57:31. > :57:33.think the honourable lady is referring to an error that was on my

:57:34. > :57:42.constituency a Facebook page that has been corrected. I welcome my

:57:43. > :57:52.right I will try to his position. His decision to go even further to

:57:53. > :57:56.ask us to work. We will be holding a job fair in my constituency and I

:57:57. > :58:01.would hope the Secretary of State would come to my constituency to see

:58:02. > :58:06.businesses employing a large number of disabled people. Colleagues of

:58:07. > :58:10.mine across the side of the house have got a fantastic track record in

:58:11. > :58:13.the last five years of running jobs fairs. They put themselves at the

:58:14. > :58:20.vanguard of the great turnaround of the end of appointment situation.

:58:21. > :58:28.About 50 colleagues have been doing these already. I would love to

:58:29. > :58:32.attend his. What are the big challenges the new Secretary of

:58:33. > :58:37.State will have is that most civil servants or employees of the

:58:38. > :58:41.Department of working pensions. 40% of tax credits many of the security

:58:42. > :58:47.benefits. Will he commit to when he is at limiting Social Security

:58:48. > :58:48.reform and publish an impact assessment as it affects the

:58:49. > :58:59.employees, and will he I think the department I would have

:59:00. > :59:05.a very good record in terms of pay and conditions. 80,000 people

:59:06. > :59:09.working in an apartment, right across every part of the UK. About

:59:10. > :59:14.added pleasure of meeting a few of them. I'll will be getting out and

:59:15. > :59:20.many far more in the days and weeks ahead. We'll look at it again, but a

:59:21. > :59:24.duty of the department are ready to deliver impact assessment. The

:59:25. > :59:28.welfare state is a safety net, if that safety net be sustainable in a

:59:29. > :59:33.long time, when the sound economic policy to fund it, but also work to

:59:34. > :59:37.challenge some of the underlying causes that people find themselves

:59:38. > :59:41.in that myth. Will be Secretary of State Board to assist across

:59:42. > :59:48.government, with drug addiction and Apple hall addiction and of the

:59:49. > :59:51.family breakdown challenges? He raises an important point. There has

:59:52. > :59:55.not been raised in the debate so far. Working with people with drug

:59:56. > :59:59.and alcohol problems is something that this government is focused on.

:00:00. > :00:03.Appointed as a work that is going on with the troubled families

:00:04. > :00:07.programme, it really is the key to creating lasting pathways at a

:00:08. > :00:09.property. Not just increasing jobs, but also supporting people with the

:00:10. > :00:17.underlying conditions that prevent them into work. -- Adam property.

:00:18. > :00:22.The new Secretary of State was keen to behind every statistic, there

:00:23. > :00:29.will be a human being. There are 1586 human banks in my constituency,

:00:30. > :00:33.but also understand the ability and disability. 30,000 people with

:00:34. > :00:41.disabilities lost the most ability claymation. What is he going to do

:00:42. > :00:48.to make sure that Montebello the does not disappear down the

:00:49. > :00:54.plughole? It is not decreasing, or disappearing. The numbers of people

:00:55. > :01:01.benefiting from mobility are increasing, not decreasing. I

:01:02. > :01:08.welcome my friend to his position. Like its predecessor, he said a

:01:09. > :01:12.commitment to social justice and empathy that one out of his personal

:01:13. > :01:16.experience. I have been working with local residents to set up a support

:01:17. > :01:20.group for sufferers of epilepsy. There are over 600,000 people with

:01:21. > :01:22.this condition in the country, yet many of them still encountered

:01:23. > :01:25.insensitivity and prejudice in society. Was that that the

:01:26. > :01:31.government taking to write awareness in schools and in the workplace so

:01:32. > :01:38.that the stigma is smashed? My friend is a powerful voice on behalf

:01:39. > :01:42.of many global groups to her work in this place. The issue epilepsy is so

:01:43. > :01:45.fanatical to her horror and the hearts of other honourable members.

:01:46. > :01:50.I look forward to having discussions about public about a justice issue.

:01:51. > :01:51.That's important to her and other members.

:01:52. > :01:58.tax cutter slasher and/ or NFL. The shipping be tried for disability

:01:59. > :02:03.benefits in that plan failed. The House wants to know, who was next.

:02:04. > :02:09.At the Chancellor of ejector told him that his budget is now set to

:02:10. > :02:16.rise. By four for duplicate? -- Chancellor of Exchequer. Spending on

:02:17. > :02:21.welfare fraud and, the budget is increasing. That's welfare is

:02:22. > :02:25.rising. The government did not have plans for further welfare state XP

:02:26. > :02:31.job that which are putting parliament has voted to focusing on

:02:32. > :02:37.implementing. And I congratulate my right, friend on his appointment and

:02:38. > :02:40.on statement. In May, he and I said in a manifesto stood to protect

:02:41. > :02:45.pensions and benefits. Cannot say how much I am sure that under his

:02:46. > :02:50.stewardship, there will be no backsliding in our commitment to

:02:51. > :02:54.other people. The commitments in the promises that we met in a manifesto

:02:55. > :02:57.were clear and where a government that is absolutely focused on

:02:58. > :03:04.delivering on the promises they can be the commitments that we have made

:03:05. > :03:07.to the British people. The budget cuts in capital gains tax supported

:03:08. > :03:11.the wealthiest in the country was paid for by spending cuts to the

:03:12. > :03:19.most disadvantaged and our society. And it was a moral, that my member

:03:20. > :03:26.said he could not watch passively while such divisive policy targeted

:03:27. > :03:31.non-Tory voters. -- M ore. Why the so craven, so came, to introduce

:03:32. > :03:39.such of their policies? -- unfair policy. I would say to him, the

:03:40. > :03:43.capital gains tax, either with the changes we are making, will still be

:03:44. > :03:50.2% higher than it was left by the previous labor government. He is

:03:51. > :03:58.always walk to talk social justice. He is the right person for the job.

:03:59. > :04:02.He emphasised the human dimension and as he reflects on the additional

:04:03. > :04:06.cost of disabled people, which is reflected in personal independence

:04:07. > :04:09.payments and social care, housing, and the national health service,

:04:10. > :04:20.look forward and work some future reform, will he do to get all the

:04:21. > :04:23.packages? It makes a important point, which is at the heart as when

:04:24. > :04:26.I was trying to come and get in my statement. If we are serious about

:04:27. > :04:32.breaking down these very long-term barriers to people moving for

:04:33. > :04:39.disability into work, why the pink and new ways. But more creative and

:04:40. > :04:42.effective. Health care, employment, education. We have a big challenge

:04:43. > :04:48.ahead of us. Well to bring in some fresh thinking and a new approach.

:04:49. > :04:52.That's what I hope to bring. To be clear, that and the Secretary of

:04:53. > :04:56.State confirm than that the ?4 billion in the print book and people

:04:57. > :05:02.have talked about in the out of statement will have to be found by

:05:03. > :05:06.somebody else's department, not his? -- four -- red book. Questions that

:05:07. > :05:13.should go to the Chancellor. He will have the opportunity tomorrow to put

:05:14. > :05:17.those new to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. This is a statement about

:05:18. > :05:20.my apartment, my budget, and the statement is extremely clear. That's

:05:21. > :05:25.my department. We are not pressing ahead with the proposed changes to

:05:26. > :05:29.tip, will not be seeking alternative savings, and the government will not

:05:30. > :05:38.be coming forward with proposals for welfare segments. -- PIP. Sorry to

:05:39. > :05:44.disappoint, before we come to... This is a rarity, my objective is

:05:45. > :05:47.always to get in every college. Every rule has been excessive. I

:05:48. > :05:52.hope colleagues will understand. I do have to move on. And that element

:05:53. > :05:57.of rough justice when that happens. We will shortly proceed, before I've

:05:58. > :06:07.taken point of order. That's not before. Before the second STB

:06:08. > :06:10.December, he said in a statement, the government would not be seeking

:06:11. > :06:14.future savings and the welfare budget. However, treasury sources

:06:15. > :06:20.have been briefing to the Sun newspaper during the course of the

:06:21. > :06:27.statement, that is that what he meant. What he means there are no

:06:28. > :06:32.planned increases. In this problem, could you tell us which one it is?

:06:33. > :06:43.Order excellent the gentleman raised its concerns under the guise, within

:06:44. > :06:50.the clothing, of an attempted point of order. As he knows, and his brand

:06:51. > :06:55.really testifies to his awareness of this point, that is not a matter for

:06:56. > :07:00.the chair. If he is the teaching the Secretary of State to come and on

:07:01. > :07:04.the point of order, he is entitled soul to two seats. The Secretary of

:07:05. > :07:11.State can do so if he wishes. That should be seen. He is not under any

:07:12. > :07:14.obligation to do so. The Secretary of State is living at that, which he

:07:15. > :07:19.is entitled to do. I think the gentleman for his statement and his

:07:20. > :07:25.responses to questions. I'll come to the right Honorable Lady. I'm saving

:07:26. > :07:32.her up. It will be worth waiting for. A point of order. Further to

:07:33. > :07:37.that point, if the Secretary of State has been put in an impossible

:07:38. > :07:43.position by the treasury, and may have an individually use misleading

:07:44. > :07:46.language to the house, does the speaker not think that the way to

:07:47. > :07:51.clear this up was to be for the Chancellor to come to the house and

:07:52. > :07:57.make a full statement in which we can ask questions, rather than

:07:58. > :08:02.simply close in the end of a debate? To the house, only that I have no

:08:03. > :08:06.knowledge had no way of possessing knowledge as to what is or is not

:08:07. > :08:12.being briefed to a particular newspaper at a given time. To meet

:08:13. > :08:17.the concerns of the right Honorable Lady, the Chancellor will be in the

:08:18. > :08:20.house tomorrow. I understand that he is wanting a of the debate, but it

:08:21. > :08:26.is customary for a minister winding up to attend most of it. There'll be

:08:27. > :08:33.opportunity for colleagues to air their concerns, beyond that, I hope

:08:34. > :08:36.to understand that if I say I preferred not to entertain

:08:37. > :08:40.hypothetical situation. I always thought that Lord what Lott was out

:08:41. > :08:50.with a set on the whole, he preferred not to cross bridges, and

:08:51. > :08:54.till he came to them. One of order. The Secretary of State says he want

:08:55. > :09:03.to listen to disabled people. A case at the moment and the Supreme Court,

:09:04. > :09:07.constituents and the second, and the High Court to be exempted from the

:09:08. > :09:10.double pack. That is now the Supreme Court. If they want to listen to

:09:11. > :09:19.disabled people, perhaps he can listen to his own constituents and

:09:20. > :09:25.nail to that extension. Order! I do wish gently to reprove the

:09:26. > :09:30.unrelated, not too gently. The shadow Secretary of State made at

:09:31. > :09:35.least a halfhearted attempt to conceal his political observation

:09:36. > :09:41.within a guys alive on order. No such attempt at disguise on the part

:09:42. > :09:45.of the lady. The point may have not been valid. It could've been related

:09:46. > :09:49.to a case that was, but what else may be a bit, and not a matter for

:09:50. > :09:54.the chair. We will leave it there for today. She has her point

:09:55. > :10:03.director. We will proceed at that we've heard the point of order. Your

:10:04. > :10:07.for defending the rights of packages and any juror bias. That you are

:10:08. > :10:12.well known for. Defending the rights of a small group of packages. In the

:10:13. > :10:19.light of emotion which is on the order paper today. That's motion.

:10:20. > :10:24.The opposition party in the government are whipped against his

:10:25. > :10:27.group of packages because they do small group that represents the

:10:28. > :10:36.interests of the constituencies that live along longer brewed of agents

:10:37. > :10:42.to. HS2 is a bill of some 470 pages, as taken six years to come to

:10:43. > :10:48.fruition, get the government has seen fit, only to tables for third

:10:49. > :10:55.reading and report states, two hours on report states, and one hour on

:10:56. > :10:57.the third reading. Only a half a day's debate, which if people wish

:10:58. > :11:03.to have the amendments voted on, will mean that it is almost

:11:04. > :11:10.impossible to have any reasonable debate. Mr Speaker, the amendments

:11:11. > :11:19.that are down cover tunneling, to help the book of all validate the

:11:20. > :11:22.structure process, the subcontractors, speed limitations,

:11:23. > :11:26.compensation for local authorities, environmental provisions and

:11:27. > :11:29.safeguards, and compensation issues covering constituents and local

:11:30. > :11:34.issues that cover both members that sit on the other side of the house

:11:35. > :11:40.constituencies, and my own and many others. Several of the entries that

:11:41. > :11:46.have been affected by this. Have expressed dismay. That's several

:11:47. > :11:51.MPs. That was to have such a short time to look at these important

:11:52. > :11:56.issue. May I ask what we can do, because at the moment, there is no

:11:57. > :12:01.point in voting against the cynics motion tonight, both parties are

:12:02. > :12:04.with against it. I think people looking at this house, would think

:12:05. > :12:09.that the process of democracy is dead, when MPs defending their

:12:10. > :12:17.constituents interests cannot even get a hold date on a 56 white

:12:18. > :12:22.elephant. That's whole day. -- 50 ?6 billion. I think ever giving me

:12:23. > :12:27.notice. Earthen tones about this bill are well known. She referred to

:12:28. > :12:34.constituencies about the line of root, animation and passing that my

:12:35. > :12:41.own constituency situation is well known to her. -- line of route. She

:12:42. > :12:48.has referenced the motion that the government has tables, that business

:12:49. > :12:51.of the motion on the day's order paper does allocate time to the

:12:52. > :12:55.remaining stages, and she has complained about what she regards is

:12:56. > :13:08.the total and adequacy of that time. I'm afraid she also knows, such

:13:09. > :13:11.emotions are not within the preserve of the chair. -- such emotions.

:13:12. > :13:16.There is nothing that the chair can do on that matter. It is up to the

:13:17. > :13:23.house whether to agree to that motion, however, I simply add the

:13:24. > :13:33.benefit of her, and those interested in these matters, if the motion is

:13:34. > :13:40.breached, after 10pm, it cannot be debated but can be agreed tonight,

:13:41. > :13:51.only if there is no objection. I am not a seer, I cannot see how events

:13:52. > :13:54.play out. Given what time it is, and the fact that we have two front

:13:55. > :14:00.bridge speeches that we are about to hear, and some dozens of colleagues

:14:01. > :14:09.which to get the house of the views of the budget, it seems at least

:14:10. > :14:17.highly probable that the motion will not be priest until after ten

:14:18. > :14:20.o'clock. At the point at which it is preached, I feel sure that she will

:14:21. > :14:25.be in her place and she will note that she thinks she should do.

:14:26. > :14:31.That's when it is true. We'd junk that, she have a chat with the

:14:32. > :14:36.Secretary of State for Transport. And the flood her intellect and time

:14:37. > :14:44.to try to secure an improvement. -- and to the bladder. Because it is

:14:45. > :14:47.her, I feel I must take it. I thank him for that piece of information.

:14:48. > :14:57.I've already deployed my intellect in time, it has failed work. In that

:14:58. > :15:01.case, I can't abide the browsable lady and anybody else who feels that

:15:02. > :15:07.she does, only as I have just done, it is not for me to tell the House

:15:08. > :15:13.had a boat. I'm simply that's how the boat. All I am doing is saying,

:15:14. > :15:17.this is the position procedure leave, and as goes into the

:15:18. > :15:25.situation with open eyes. If she was to be here, close to and beyond

:15:26. > :15:30.10pm, she knows what I'm telling her is not opinion, but based on sound

:15:31. > :15:40.procedure of advice. I think we better leave it there. Ways and

:15:41. > :15:50.means, a joint debate on question. The question is on the order paper.

:15:51. > :15:53.Before I call the Secretary of State, I simply point out that there

:15:54. > :15:58.are some dozens of colleagues who would like to speak in the debate,

:15:59. > :16:03.but will have to be a tight time limit on the backbench speeches. I

:16:04. > :16:08.know the secretary and the shadow, very considerate members, I want to

:16:09. > :16:14.treat the issues and that domain, what also want to facilitate

:16:15. > :16:21.contributions by colleagues. Secretary Greg Clark. Nobody can

:16:22. > :16:27.pretend this has been a aged budget for the government. That's been a

:16:28. > :16:30.easy budget. None of the are. Every single one of them is overshadowed

:16:31. > :16:37.by the events of the previous decade. By the deepest recession

:16:38. > :16:41.since the war. By financial and fiscal crisis when a large part of

:16:42. > :16:46.our national wealth disappeared in a puff of that. GDP, productivity, and

:16:47. > :16:50.revenues were all decimated. That is what happens when you spent a decade

:16:51. > :16:56.using a credit bubble to inflate the size of government. One big, the

:16:57. > :17:02.income suddenly disappears, for the commitments remain. That's one day.

:17:03. > :17:06.In 2010, those responsible in the party opposite, left government, and

:17:07. > :17:10.they did so without looking back. The six years that followed, they

:17:11. > :17:17.have retreated ever further from any of responsibility. It does to us on

:17:18. > :17:22.rebuild an economy on firm rebuild an economy on firm

:17:23. > :17:28.foundations, to wrestle down the deficit, to mandate many

:17:29. > :17:30.institutions left in disarray. Financial regulations, education

:17:31. > :17:35.standards, the housing market. All were broken. And all having

:17:36. > :17:39.painstakingly restored to working order by this government. Every

:17:40. > :17:45.decision that we made was a hard one. When the gap between the need

:17:46. > :17:49.and the resources of government is so wide, there are no easy answers.

:17:50. > :17:54.We have not always have the right the first time, the lease option is

:17:55. > :17:59.always not apparent. This is a government willing to listen and to

:18:00. > :18:05.respond. One also keeping on track. To squeeze out that, to encourage

:18:06. > :18:10.growth, to generate jobs, and to benefit that still the home. On all

:18:11. > :18:12.of the funds, we are moving the country in the right direction by

:18:13. > :18:22.the opposition rushes head onto the left. They can go their way, but we

:18:23. > :18:27.will keep on moving forward. This was a government that said they were

:18:28. > :18:32.going to eradicate the deficit to forget. Can he tell me when that

:18:33. > :18:37.policy change? How long does a long-term economic policy last for?

:18:38. > :18:42.I don't know whether the gentleman was in the chamber for the budget

:18:43. > :18:45.debate. He would see the budget responsibility confirmed that we are

:18:46. > :18:50.on track to eliminate the deficit by the end of the parliament and have a

:18:51. > :18:54.surplus. And is a bit of time talking to his honourable friend

:18:55. > :19:03.comes as demanded by the answer to why it is taking some time to reduce

:19:04. > :19:06.the deficit. Paying a lot of taxes, hundreds of thousands of small

:19:07. > :19:10.businesses. What assistance can be Secretary of State in the budget to

:19:11. > :19:15.the small businesses, facing great demand from local authorities? Draws

:19:16. > :19:21.attention to an important point, which is that we have extended and

:19:22. > :19:23.doubled the small business rate relief, benefiting business is right

:19:24. > :19:27.across the country. The small businesses that are the backbone of

:19:28. > :19:30.our economy and our contributing jobs at a record number that means

:19:31. > :19:38.we have more people employed ever before. On the point of small

:19:39. > :19:42.business rate, is there going to be an impact on local authorities and,

:19:43. > :19:49.as a result of being reduction and business rates? If the Honorable

:19:50. > :19:53.lady had attended the question started today, she would hurt me

:19:54. > :19:58.confirm that every penny will be made up. -- with -- would have heard

:19:59. > :20:05.me. I'm sure she is delighted to hear that. I asked the Secretary of

:20:06. > :20:09.State about this and the question to lead, and he said the cost of the

:20:10. > :20:13.small business rate relief would be funded by a section 31 grand. When

:20:14. > :20:17.he confirmed that background is not coming from any of the party at

:20:18. > :20:21.local authority budget, and it is not, what he point out and the print

:20:22. > :20:34.book where that money is funded? That's what the pointer and the

:20:35. > :20:38.bread book. Page 15. Let me turn to the subject of today's debate, which

:20:39. > :20:43.is infrastructure and devolution. Issues that will still matter a gear

:20:44. > :20:49.from out, and the 10th years and 100 years from now. The wealth of

:20:50. > :20:52.Nations, Adam Smith spoke of three fundamental duties of government.

:20:53. > :20:55.The defence of the Brown, the maintenance of Lord order, and a

:20:56. > :21:00.third duty that he describes as follows. The duty of a writing and

:21:01. > :21:04.maintaining certain public works and sudden public institutions, which

:21:05. > :21:10.can never be in the interest of any individual or small number of direct

:21:11. > :21:14.or maintain. The prophet would never be repaid the expense to any

:21:15. > :21:16.individual or small number of individuals, though they may

:21:17. > :21:23.frequently do much more than repay it to a great society. We can take

:21:24. > :21:26.it from the father of free-market economics, there is no contradiction

:21:27. > :21:31.from Faith in free markets, and public in infrastructure. They

:21:32. > :21:36.support one another, and this budget shows how. It announces new

:21:37. > :21:41.infrastructure investments, and every part of the country. From

:21:42. > :21:44.Cottrell for L2 in Clinton, two high-speed three for the northern

:21:45. > :21:49.powerhouse. There can be no mode tangible demonstration to our belief

:21:50. > :21:57.in a plantation economy. That's one nation economy. Much as we did do

:21:58. > :22:02.abundant, it is wrong to rely on a single centre for with creation.

:22:03. > :22:05.That's a value London. Both the wealth must be retained in

:22:06. > :22:11.communities across the nation. Hence our ongoing commitment to High Speed

:22:12. > :22:16.two, and north linking London to the Midlands, to the northern

:22:17. > :22:20.powerhouse. We must go further. We must build the vital east-west links

:22:21. > :22:26.needed to unlock the full potential of our great cities began London.

:22:27. > :22:31.The Pennines may be the backbone of England, but frankly, they are not

:22:32. > :22:35.the Himalayas. Some of our Nations greatest cities are stretched like a

:22:36. > :22:39.string of pearls across the north. And they can and should be drawn

:22:40. > :22:43.together. Which is why this budget strikes out in a new direction the

:22:44. > :22:50.key announcement on high-speed three. I will make some progress.

:22:51. > :22:56.This is a transformative project. In particular, the prospect of a better

:22:57. > :23:06.pastor line between Leeds and Manchester. -- factor. -- faster

:23:07. > :23:09.line. He has given a direct answer about the cost of the compensation

:23:10. > :23:16.for local authorities will come from the bread book. He mentioned page 84

:23:17. > :23:20.point 15. There actually is a cost, loss of small business rate relief.

:23:21. > :23:22.It is not the grant that will replace it. Where about is the

:23:23. > :23:42.grant? Code order! Not a point of order. That was the

:23:43. > :23:46.point I was going to make. Mr Deputy Speaker, I think the chairman said,

:23:47. > :23:54.before it comes to a edited the bay, he should do his homework. I will

:23:55. > :23:59.not help him in this debate. Our road investment will complement rail

:24:00. > :24:02.investments. This includes the M62, accelerating progress, to be

:24:03. > :24:08.achievement of a Ford lens Mart motorway fit for the 21st century.

:24:09. > :24:12.Other improvements to both rows are not high-profile, but just as

:24:13. > :24:18.important. Improving local links to bring home the benefits of national

:24:19. > :24:23.infrastructure. Does he recognise that in the

:24:24. > :24:27.improvement that is of most interest is the upgrading of

:24:28. > :24:29.will be transformative to the whole of the South peninsula and to my

:24:30. > :24:35.constituents with the tunnel at Stonehenge? I anchor with that. I

:24:36. > :24:41.know things about it, Wanda and never haven't under the party

:24:42. > :24:47.opposite, and cannot happen if we do not have a strong economy that this

:24:48. > :24:50.government has built. These investments, are long overdue. It

:24:51. > :24:54.has fallen to this government to make improvements that could and

:24:55. > :24:58.should have been made in earlier decades. That is why we must

:24:59. > :25:06.continue to make savings across the public sector. As well as improving

:25:07. > :25:10.the prolix, but the also dumb and welcoming the money put aside to

:25:11. > :25:14.further development work on a short route resilience to the shop was to

:25:15. > :25:21.ensure future years, we can actually have a abrupt way that works and

:25:22. > :25:25.serves our region? It is a welcome development that we are being that

:25:26. > :25:30.following this tradition of our Victorian predecessors and having a

:25:31. > :25:34.great revival of throwaway data. It is important for the shop with us

:25:35. > :25:44.that he represents so ably. In order to make these investments, we need

:25:45. > :25:47.to continue to make savings. The failure to control time expenditures

:25:48. > :25:51.does not mean to more borrowing, it means more blessed than available

:25:52. > :25:56.for capital expenditure. A double dose of debt for our children and

:25:57. > :26:00.grandchildren. Financial debt compounded by infrastructure debt.

:26:01. > :26:05.The decisions that we must make must be for the long-term good of the

:26:06. > :26:09.nation. This government is determined to draw the very best

:26:10. > :26:17.advice available. Including that of Lord Catholic time, who chaired the

:26:18. > :26:21.tens 2015 goals commission. The chair of the national infrastructure

:26:22. > :26:30.commission. Who do excellent work has informed many of the decisions

:26:31. > :26:33.made in this budget. Did he just tell the House on which page and

:26:34. > :26:40.with paragraph the compensation matter was referred to? I given not

:26:41. > :26:46.only the page and line number. He should have done his homework again.

:26:47. > :26:51.I am delighted to say that the remit of the commission will be expanded

:26:52. > :26:56.to include large housing development. It is vital that the

:26:57. > :26:58.big decisions that we make our transport and utilities

:26:59. > :27:01.infrastructure are accorded native but those that would make on

:27:02. > :27:05.housing. As of the building more homes, we need to build better

:27:06. > :27:09.homes. The idea that we can sacrifice quality to achieve

:27:10. > :27:14.quantity is utterly wrong-headed. The only way to build the homes that

:27:15. > :27:18.we need over the long-term is to forward planning, good design, and

:27:19. > :27:23.sound finance. That is why the budget laid the groundwork for a new

:27:24. > :27:27.generation of garden and villages towns and cities. We will provide

:27:28. > :27:30.targeted support for local authorities developed locally led

:27:31. > :27:35.skin. Well-adjusted legislative fretboard to speed up and simplify

:27:36. > :27:39.the process of new settlement. We will adopt a localised deal-making

:27:40. > :27:44.approach and planet whereupon, working with councils to tailor the

:27:45. > :27:46.system to local needs, in return for commitments on having delivered.

:27:47. > :27:51.Instead of trying to force new housing to a fundamentally

:27:52. > :27:53.unreformed system, the approach of the last government, this government

:27:54. > :28:02.understands that only a different policy can deliver different

:28:03. > :28:06.results. This month marks for yourself the introduction of the

:28:07. > :28:09.national planning policy framework. Overnight, 1300 pages of central

:28:10. > :28:17.government guidance were replaced by 52 pages of plain English. I see my

:28:18. > :28:21.friend to play an important part of that. A crystal clear guide to

:28:22. > :28:24.achieving sustainable development and we seen improvements and

:28:25. > :28:29.planning performance and housing delivery in that time. But for most

:28:30. > :28:34.councils did not even have a local plan. Now, most of them do and

:28:35. > :28:38.before long, all of them will. It is not just plans, but planning

:28:39. > :28:44.permission. Not this permission, but new homes being built. Popular

:28:45. > :28:47.support for new homes also. But we see is a rekindling of faith and

:28:48. > :28:51.development that was destroyed during the tenure of the party

:28:52. > :28:54.opposite. The actions that development can make places better,

:28:55. > :28:59.not worse. At least two to achievements of our canonical form,

:29:00. > :29:04.including the MTBF, which was to establish a fully fledged system of

:29:05. > :29:08.neighbourhood point. I am proud that they never had a cunning process is

:29:09. > :29:11.underway and thousands of communities across the country.

:29:12. > :29:17.That's neighbourhood planning. Ducasse intelligent, local people

:29:18. > :29:20.have been given a real say. Prove that when the system is ready,, we

:29:21. > :29:29.can deliver both quantity and quality. However, we do not regard

:29:30. > :29:32.the progress of the last four gears, admission the compass. Rather at a

:29:33. > :29:40.bird that is spreading further action. To put in new motions. And

:29:41. > :29:47.to continue the work of reform until we have achieved our vision of a

:29:48. > :29:52.property owning democracy. The MTBF was a new start, not an end point.

:29:53. > :29:56.The same applies to other great reform agenda that my department is

:29:57. > :29:59.responsible for the devolution. It was four years ago that I said

:30:00. > :30:04.before this House to announce the first wave of city deal. The

:30:05. > :30:08.response from the party opposite was mixed. This vegan and December, but

:30:09. > :30:13.welcoming the job the confines of Westminster. Four years later, the

:30:14. > :30:18.process of devolution has gone further and faster than even the

:30:19. > :30:27.enthusiast have thought possible. I will make progress. A second wave of

:30:28. > :30:32.city deals, but also the launch of both bills and devolution bills to

:30:33. > :30:35.encompass cities and sirens alike. We even seen something of a change

:30:36. > :30:43.of heart on the benches opposite. I welcome this is a genuine source of

:30:44. > :30:46.support. If the party of central planning to assess the power must be

:30:47. > :30:51.exercised locally, then that is progress indeed.

:30:52. > :30:57.I am very grateful for the Secretary of State for giving way, I don't

:30:58. > :31:04.know if he is due to come onto this, but I wanted to ask whether he is at

:31:05. > :31:08.all concerned about social care, the independent health foundation

:31:09. > :31:14.estimates that there'll be a gap of ?6 billion by 2020. Wanted a roll

:31:15. > :31:17.forward the XML for the better care fund which has not come. Does he not

:31:18. > :31:21.have real concerns that if the amount spent on social care is not

:31:22. > :31:28.enough it will put an extra burden the NHS? The first word is as he

:31:29. > :31:32.knows the provision in the local government and the financial

:31:33. > :31:37.settlement and review was to allocate up to three and a half

:31:38. > :31:44.billion pounds by the end of the parliament for adult social care.

:31:45. > :31:51.The Directors of social services as for coupon ?9 billion. The second

:31:52. > :31:58.thing in I know is a former minister in the department of help -- health.

:31:59. > :32:04.We need to bring together the treatment of our overly population,

:32:05. > :32:15.elderly members of society, so that between councils and the NHS we

:32:16. > :32:21.looked look after them. I do hope he has seen that and will follow it

:32:22. > :32:26.with interest. In this budget announces a number of new devolution

:32:27. > :32:31.deals. Combining authorities for the West of England and others. There

:32:32. > :32:37.are more to come soon. Far from raising local diversity the deals

:32:38. > :32:43.they can most of it. Bringing together shyer unit three and

:32:44. > :32:51.district authorities are working together. Announces for the little

:32:52. > :32:55.city region and greater Manchester. By establishing an authority for a

:32:56. > :33:02.directly elected mayor is just the him and -- beginning. An ongoing

:33:03. > :33:07.basis for the devolution of power. The advance of vocalist. For the

:33:08. > :33:10.business but local interest press partnerships which are devolving

:33:11. > :33:15.control of the 12 billion local growth fund. The budget explains how

:33:16. > :33:20.we will allocate the label -- latest archers of the fund. Will encourage

:33:21. > :33:24.ambition, innovation, and the productive use of taxpayer money.

:33:25. > :33:28.I'm delighted to see the announcement of new city deals in

:33:29. > :33:32.Wales and Scotland. Specifically the conclusion of a deal with the

:33:33. > :33:37.Cardiff capital region and the opening of negotiations in Edinburgh

:33:38. > :33:45.and Southwest cotton are very important. Devolution is

:33:46. > :33:49.transforming our nation. In 2010 the UK was one of the most centralised

:33:50. > :33:55.countries in the free world. There were no combined authorities. With

:33:56. > :33:58.won big city mayor. 80% of the expenditure was centrally

:33:59. > :34:02.controlled. By 2020 there'll be combined authorities the country and

:34:03. > :34:11.at least eight big-city mayors. Local authorities will keep 100% of

:34:12. > :34:18.the income. This budget describes and accelerate a process of expand

:34:19. > :34:24.-- profound change. The rebuilding our national interest structure any

:34:25. > :34:32.redistribution of power from the few to the many. I committed to the

:34:33. > :34:41.house. Hear, hear! Mr Speaker thank you very much. How time flies. It

:34:42. > :34:48.was only late last year that the right honourable gentleman was bide

:34:49. > :34:54.up by the Chancellor who announced he found a few million extra pounds

:34:55. > :34:57.from the back of the sofa. He came to the house in nothing no less than

:34:58. > :35:08.the guaranteed budget for every counsel. Sadly as he put it recently

:35:09. > :35:12.the good times lasted about a month. By February the Chancellor was

:35:13. > :35:19.thousands of miles away in Shanghai. He announced the British people that

:35:20. > :35:23.they would have to be more cuts. I wonder did anybody not remind the

:35:24. > :35:35.Chancellor of the ancient Chinese curse which says may you live. In

:35:36. > :35:38.interesting times. In China at the Chancellor was blaming foreigners

:35:39. > :35:47.for his problems, the EU was flat-lining he said. Oil prices were

:35:48. > :35:53.collapsing everywhere. But it does make some progress. Today's retreat

:35:54. > :35:59.means that there is a further 4 billion financial hole in the

:36:00. > :36:02.government's accounts. No explanation is being given as to how

:36:03. > :36:07.the whole of being filled. We're reminded this weekend by the

:36:08. > :36:15.resigning Secretary of State that there is an ethical hole, a moral

:36:16. > :36:19.vacuum. He seems oblivious to what is going on elsewhere in the world.

:36:20. > :36:23.Trends are having in the world economy that will affect the UK. The

:36:24. > :36:31.deficit has been cut by two thirds surely he would welcome that? The

:36:32. > :36:37.truth is this Chancellor has been in charge of the nations finances for

:36:38. > :36:42.six years and he wants to wash his hands of the Mets that he is making

:36:43. > :36:51.of the economy. I was lucky but an ethical hole. They thought it was OK

:36:52. > :36:57.and we still remember them cheering last Wednesday to buy the benefits

:36:58. > :37:05.of the most vulnerable. And for what purpose, for purpose of cutting

:37:06. > :37:09.taxes for the better off. It is not simply cutting the welfare budget.

:37:10. > :37:15.Which illustrated the government's willingness to attack the poor. It

:37:16. > :37:18.is also the constant local government and furthermore the way

:37:19. > :37:21.in which cuts are being distributed across local government. That

:37:22. > :37:26.equally illustrates the ethical hole which I'm talking about. For those

:37:27. > :37:35.councils which face the greatest social needs are now so showing --

:37:36. > :37:41.suffering. He would not give way on questions of social care, that is

:37:42. > :37:48.very unfair. He keeps trotting out about three and a half billion. What

:37:49. > :37:55.they wanted what's 700 million to cover the two years for the better

:37:56. > :38:00.covenant fund will not be there. Is going to cost 21 ?7 million to pay

:38:01. > :38:13.for the national minimum wage. That is the gap we are facing. I was

:38:14. > :38:23.talking about cuts and the distribution of them. I'm going to

:38:24. > :38:30.make progress. Let me inform the House for those that are not aware.

:38:31. > :38:38.The three most affluent areas in the hole country had the least amount of

:38:39. > :38:45.cuts. Since 2010. I will give way but let me make progress. The same

:38:46. > :38:48.three affluent councils then received 33 and a half million

:38:49. > :38:58.pounds extra money from the right honourable gentleman. That 33 and a

:38:59. > :39:01.half million was 10% of the whole amount of transitional grants. That

:39:02. > :39:14.was given to the whole country just focus on the three most affluent

:39:15. > :39:23.councils. A giveaway... . I mixed a devastating point that they're still

:39:24. > :39:26.reflecting. I may draw a comparison. Between the councils and the most

:39:27. > :39:33.deprived councils. This is an important point and I hope that

:39:34. > :39:41.members opposite are not scoffing. On the other hand Liverpool largely

:39:42. > :39:49.and Manchester not only had the most severe cuts to their budgets, but

:39:50. > :39:58.they did not receive a receive a single penny. This note possible

:39:59. > :40:04.rational explanation for such a distribution. Perhaps the Secretary

:40:05. > :40:10.of State would publish the criteria by which they distributed that

:40:11. > :40:18.money. We have no idea how they did that. How they managed to produce a

:40:19. > :40:30.distribution which favoured the rich counsel and penalised the poorest.

:40:31. > :40:36.How would he reconcile his comments that they were facing a 39%

:40:37. > :40:43.reduction compared to an average of 20% reduction the metropolitan

:40:44. > :40:50.areas? I believe the Honorable member stated North Yorkshire, North

:40:51. > :40:58.Yorkshire got ?10 million. West Yorkshire and south Yorkshire got

:40:59. > :41:04.not a single penny. Every single counsel got not a single penny.

:41:05. > :41:11.Because they faced were much more acute. And they're not worse to

:41:12. > :41:16.come. What we heard last week was that there is another three and a

:41:17. > :41:20.half billion pounds worth of savings to be made in the final year of the

:41:21. > :41:28.forecast. The Secretary of State is asking many councils to agree for

:41:29. > :41:32.your funding deal. Has he heard whether those that agree to the

:41:33. > :41:37.funny gives will be spared or will they does have the money taken off

:41:38. > :41:42.them? Not a peep from the Secretary of State so far. Look at the point I

:41:43. > :41:47.am making here, the truth is that unfairness and inequality runs to

:41:48. > :41:52.the DNA of this government. In every civil departments. The government

:41:53. > :41:56.provides services which makes the lives of the most vulnerable in our

:41:57. > :42:03.society bearable. He is suffering the most draconian cuts. Those same

:42:04. > :42:10.people who relied on a personal independent papers that they wanted

:42:11. > :42:13.to cut, those same people relied on home health and community services.

:42:14. > :42:19.Nowhere in the point my Honorable friend was making, is the great

:42:20. > :42:27.crisis in which social care is experiencing. The Tory control LGA

:42:28. > :42:30.estimates that despite the governments measures is a big

:42:31. > :42:39.funding gap in social care. ?700 million this year. They're not being

:42:40. > :42:44.looked after properly anymore. The Tory leader of the LGA put it

:42:45. > :42:49.starkly, he said vulnerable members of the community still face an

:42:50. > :42:54.uncertain future where dignify care and support which they deserve such

:42:55. > :42:58.as help getting dressed, help being fed, and help doing out and about

:42:59. > :43:08.remains at risk. The Tory leader said that. They're being denied help

:43:09. > :43:16.being fed. My own family faced a crisis a few years ago. So many of

:43:17. > :43:21.us has to come from in our own times in our life. I went to visit my

:43:22. > :43:28.father. Any hospital in leaves, the staff amazed with their skills. The

:43:29. > :43:34.nurse told me hit was coming to the end of his life. He had to be

:43:35. > :43:38.discharged from hospital because there was little they could do.

:43:39. > :43:43.Clearly he cannot go home, by good fortune I was able to convert a

:43:44. > :43:47.downstairs room in our house to a bedroom with a shower. Within days

:43:48. > :43:53.he came to live with me. He died in that room a few months later. We

:43:54. > :44:01.spent a wonderful time together. The sunshine every day into our house

:44:02. > :44:06.that he was there. We have a loving family and loving neighbours that

:44:07. > :44:11.helps. We could not have done it without the frequent house visits by

:44:12. > :44:16.the Council care teams which can every day, several times a day. Last

:44:17. > :44:20.year I had a fund raising event at my house and one of our guests that

:44:21. > :44:26.date with the woman I recognise. She had been a carer who helped me with

:44:27. > :44:33.that dad. -- my dad. She would always remember the visits to my

:44:34. > :44:36.house. I felt a chill down my spine when she told them they can no

:44:37. > :44:40.longer provide the level of care to others with my family had received

:44:41. > :44:47.because of the government cuts. On a their father and mother is an

:44:48. > :44:54.injunction that no society should forget. Local government is facing

:44:55. > :44:59.?10 billion additional feature cost pressures and there are three main

:45:00. > :45:05.threats to counsel budgets in this budget. Firstly the Chancellor

:45:06. > :45:10.demands a ?3.5 billion in spending cuts which my honourable friend

:45:11. > :45:13.mentioned. To help fill the black hole the government also accounts.

:45:14. > :45:19.There also ?4 billion and you about today. The house knows that there

:45:20. > :45:23.are very few unprotected services left, but local government is one of

:45:24. > :45:29.them and is therefore a prime target. Children's libraries,

:45:30. > :45:35.children's centres, firefighters and youth clubs all are at risk. Then

:45:36. > :45:44.there is the overhaul the business rates system. We welcome this giving

:45:45. > :45:48.to small business we campaigned for. Is going to cost about ?7 billion.

:45:49. > :45:53.The government said it will compensate local government for this

:45:54. > :46:01.loss. The Secretary of State quotes page 54 in the Redbook. He is wrong.

:46:02. > :46:07.That is not where a single penny is indicated to be coming from. Where

:46:08. > :46:16.is that money coming from, that 7 billion? They said that this will

:46:17. > :46:20.mean the resources will be retained what that is brought in, there is

:46:21. > :46:26.also going to be less than previously projected. We, by

:46:27. > :46:30.contrast, would have financed these cuts to smaller business rates

:46:31. > :46:33.because we would have maintained, not cut the level of cooperation

:46:34. > :46:41.tax. There is a third area of threats which the budget inclined.

:46:42. > :46:56.Westminster alone takes more Liverpool, Sheffield, Birmingham,

:46:57. > :46:59.and Bristol combined. If prosperous of Westminster keeps its 1.8 billion

:47:00. > :47:08.that there'll be a significantly lower of money to be redistributed

:47:09. > :47:13.to the less affluent areas. Mr Speaker, it took the report of the

:47:14. > :47:17.implications of all this is a taxpayer, the Secretary of State was

:47:18. > :47:25.silence on this. They estimated that the 95% of counsel would increase

:47:26. > :47:30.taxes by the maximum allowed. This means for the first time ever that

:47:31. > :47:39.the average council tax bill payer the pain ?1500 a year. Over the next

:47:40. > :47:44.five years local residents face a 40% increase above inflation on

:47:45. > :47:50.council tax. In return they will get a worse service. So much has been

:47:51. > :48:05.the Tories for the party below taxation. They were off, and has

:48:06. > :48:10.been increased. It is unacceptable. Is he aware that the decision to

:48:11. > :48:14.remove retail rate relief would mean that for shops in Chester will be

:48:15. > :48:17.paying ?3000 a year extra does he believe that that concurs with the

:48:18. > :48:29.argument he just made? Of course it does. They're not interested in

:48:30. > :48:36.ordinary people business. Let me turn briefly to the subject of

:48:37. > :48:41.devolution. In his budget statement he announced devolution deals.

:48:42. > :48:45.Concern has been expressed on all sides of the house. Minister cannot

:48:46. > :48:51.say that we did not warn him about trouble on this. The process is to

:48:52. > :48:59.top-down. A single marrow model has caused much resentment. We stop the

:49:00. > :49:10.fault of the councils that there are these tensions, there would under

:49:11. > :49:15.enormous pressures. The fault lies entirely from the process impose.

:49:16. > :49:20.Not by the Secretary of State by the Chancellor himself. Our citizens

:49:21. > :49:29.should have a say about how they areas are governed. I will give away

:49:30. > :49:35.one more time. It sounds good on paper, this idea of devolution, but

:49:36. > :49:42.how does that square with the forced academic citation of schools. I

:49:43. > :49:53.agree with the point my honourable friend made. I may make progress on

:49:54. > :50:00.devolution from... . They made money available to these Metro mayors.

:50:01. > :50:04.That sum, 13 million a year, is dwarfed by severity of cuts and

:50:05. > :50:08.every single case in which each of those councils have suffered.

:50:09. > :50:15.Top-down devolution compounded by financial injustice will not work as

:50:16. > :50:22.a solution in our country. Probably funded real devolution, to build

:50:23. > :50:27.homes, to regulate buses, to do things marrow or not. This greatly

:50:28. > :50:38.to the implications of the budget for the North of England. Limitation

:50:39. > :50:46.Mr Speaker, Mr Deputy Speaker, this 2010 the Chancellor's budget cuts to

:50:47. > :50:53.northern counsellors alone adds up to ?3.9 billion out of the northern

:50:54. > :51:05.economy. What do we get any place of those cuts? A few million pounds for

:51:06. > :51:13.a scaled-down flood, and a few for a rail link. None of this cuts the

:51:14. > :51:22.mustard. It is a power scam more than a powerhouse. Let me begin to

:51:23. > :51:30.conclude by expressing my greatest admiration for councils of all

:51:31. > :51:35.parties. They do their very best to protect services despite cuts. What

:51:36. > :51:43.are the most prized assets of any community but the first to go, I

:51:44. > :51:47.visited a library in Radford. They're keeping it open despite

:51:48. > :51:53.losing half the budget in a decade. That library was a beacon of hope,

:51:54. > :51:58.of self improvement, of learning, I met people there studying to better

:51:59. > :52:03.their lot in life. There was no where on earth they could afford to

:52:04. > :52:08.buy their books. Not to use the Internet which was also available.

:52:09. > :52:12.It had to be putting food on the table for their kids but their work

:52:13. > :52:19.able to come the library and have access to knowledge and in one case

:52:20. > :52:26.I met a man who is using the Internet, any public library to

:52:27. > :52:34.complete his PhD. Cutting libraries and museums and theatres is nothing

:52:35. > :52:39.sort of cultural vandalism. And it is the right humble gentleman this

:52:40. > :52:45.morning was doing a round of interviews with the media. He told

:52:46. > :52:51.the party to come together again. He said they should stop scrapping.

:52:52. > :53:00.With each other. Good luck with that one. He then went to the today

:53:01. > :53:03.programme and talked about the rough and tumble budget negotiations, as

:53:04. > :53:14.if that was an explanation for the resignation. I think the right

:53:15. > :53:27.honourable gentleman as a dental man... And decent man. What does he

:53:28. > :53:31.really know about the rough and tumble budget negotiations. He was

:53:32. > :53:36.the first Secretary of State to sign the Chancellor's terms. On the radio

:53:37. > :53:42.he referred to the right honourable member as my good friend. My guess

:53:43. > :53:47.is he may not want to follow the paths of his very good friend and

:53:48. > :53:51.resigned from the government. I hope however in the future he will decide

:53:52. > :54:00.to fight in this corner more strongly against the Chancellor

:54:01. > :54:05.whose judgement is nil. I'm grateful for this riff on our resignations. A

:54:06. > :54:15.party that resigned from reality at last August it is pretty rich. I

:54:16. > :54:25.think the odds to have stated seat. Hear, hear! It is time for him to

:54:26. > :54:27.stand up to the demands of an unreasonable Chancellor then have

:54:28. > :54:40.our communities decimated. If you will not be well. There will be

:54:41. > :54:53.five-minute from now on a park in the. In particular a quite superb

:54:54. > :54:57.opening speech on the right honourable member. I would like to

:54:58. > :55:04.pay tribute to him and his team of ministers who I think serve us very

:55:05. > :55:07.well. This was a budget for small businesses and enterprise as much as

:55:08. > :55:12.anything else. I look in the doubling of small business rate

:55:13. > :55:16.relief increasing the maximum threshold from 12,000 to 15,000. I

:55:17. > :55:23.walk in the reduction in corporate tax. In particularly the 10% rate on

:55:24. > :55:29.long-term investments on unless companies. That would do a great

:55:30. > :55:34.deal for startups. I welcome the changes of commercial properties and

:55:35. > :55:40.the national insurance forced the self-employed. I was just working

:55:41. > :55:44.out the other day, Mr Deputy Speaker, this is the 40th budget I

:55:45. > :55:52.have been privileged enough to listen to. That includes emergency

:55:53. > :55:58.budgets of course. This is without doubt, one of the best, if not the

:55:59. > :56:01.best budget for small businesses, for enterprise, and for wealth

:56:02. > :56:07.creation and our communities. The opposition have accused the

:56:08. > :56:12.Chancellor of favouring the rich, but let's hang on a moment. The

:56:13. > :56:18.richest 1% last financial year paid 28% of all income tax revenue and I

:56:19. > :56:23.find that staggering. It completely undermines their argument. I will

:56:24. > :56:32.give way to my honourable friend, no. I also had a look, I will give

:56:33. > :56:35.way. He like other Google on that side seem to be celebrating the fact

:56:36. > :56:40.that under a government that seeing the rich get much richer, and the

:56:41. > :56:47.poor get poorer, the rich will start paying more tax. Would it be better

:56:48. > :56:52.if the top 20% pay more tax, and the bottom 20 were actually getting

:56:53. > :56:56.wealthier rather than poorer. I'm grateful for the intervention. He

:56:57. > :57:04.and I get a long together. And I respect his views. He pointed out

:57:05. > :57:14.that over the past few budgets higher earners have seen huge

:57:15. > :57:22.reductions. Squeezing in other ways. He points out that in this budget in

:57:23. > :57:26.terms of its impact has actually had a modest impact. I think that

:57:27. > :57:35.underscores the point that this is a fair budget. Indeed one as it is for

:57:36. > :57:40.all of our constituents in our communities. I just want to touch on

:57:41. > :57:44.a devolution proposals. I support devolution. The flexibility of

:57:45. > :57:52.making government money available at the local level makes sense. I'm

:57:53. > :58:00.going look very carefully at his for East Anglia and combined authority,

:58:01. > :58:05.I want the Mr to confirm to me was a 30 million a year is going to be new

:58:06. > :58:11.money and will the hundred and 70 million of money for housing is also

:58:12. > :58:18.going to be spread over 30 years or on a per annual basis, could we have

:58:19. > :58:24.a look at that? I certainly support the idea of devolution, however I

:58:25. > :58:33.had to tell him I am very sceptical of having an elected mayor. Back in

:58:34. > :58:39.2000 and 2001 I was one of those politicians who is vehemently

:58:40. > :58:43.proposed to the proposals on the grounds for extreme cost, empire

:58:44. > :58:49.building, and also the fact that I viewed them to the link of demise

:58:50. > :58:56.for the counties. I do regard the plan to bring in an elected mayor

:58:57. > :59:01.with some suspicion. I wrote over four years ago we were discussing

:59:02. > :59:07.plans for peace and crime commissioners, it was going to cost

:59:08. > :59:10.very little. The chairman of the Authority called the PCC sitting in

:59:11. > :59:19.the police headquarters at no extra cost. Our commissioner is now

:59:20. > :59:22.costing 1.37 million, he has got a large staff a separate building, he

:59:23. > :59:25.has built a mini empire. The cost across the country comes to 52

:59:26. > :59:35.million from the commissioners. Just a point I want to make in terms

:59:36. > :59:41.of what you said about elected mayors. The Jets was forced that

:59:42. > :59:45.elected manner onto the register as a link to having the devolution.

:59:46. > :59:52.Does he wish to have devolution without forcing elected mayors onto

:59:53. > :59:56.elected areas? I think the most important thing is to have the

:59:57. > :00:00.support of the local authorities. This new mayor is not going to hear

:00:01. > :00:08.sheet, operate out of the garden shed. I think he or she is going to

:00:09. > :00:13.want to build a large empire and have a large staff and have it

:00:14. > :00:17.directors of this and other divisions and departments. Before to

:00:18. > :00:22.long there will be a lot of pressure to have an elected assembly. These

:00:23. > :00:26.heads of highways and heads of infrastructure and housing will then

:00:27. > :00:31.become elected. So before we know we are, we could well have an elected

:00:32. > :00:35.assembly. I say to the Secretary of State, I am very glad that he has

:00:36. > :00:39.stay for my speech, because he thought as he been here waiting a

:00:40. > :00:44.long time. I think there is an infinity in the cities to the city

:00:45. > :00:50.itself, in Birmingham and Manchester and new clerk -- Newcastle and

:00:51. > :00:53.London. Therefore they are more likely to support the idea of having

:00:54. > :00:59.an mayor of that city. I feel absolutely no affinity to East

:01:00. > :01:03.Anglia. I still an infinity in Norfolk. East Anglia does not

:01:04. > :01:08.include the free counties. It does not include Cambridgeshire Essex.

:01:09. > :01:14.What about Lincolnshire or just north of my county boundary? I think

:01:15. > :01:18.the problem would be that we have an elected mayoral election. We're

:01:19. > :01:24.going to have a pitiful turnout. Maybe 12 or 15%. I worry also that

:01:25. > :01:27.we could undermine the institutions of Norfolk County. We could

:01:28. > :01:33.undermine the County Council and this could be the death of the

:01:34. > :01:38.Norfork County Counsel suffix and Cambridge as well. I also believe

:01:39. > :01:42.there could be a conflict within Leeds. If I'm opening a factory or

:01:43. > :01:47.campaigning on a big issue and an elected mayor comes along, and says

:01:48. > :01:51.I have a mandate as well, ordering up around, that would not be good Mr

:01:52. > :01:54.Deputy Speaker for the constitutional relationship between

:01:55. > :02:01.MPs and their voters. I am bruised by my experience of campaigning

:02:02. > :02:05.against Norfork County Counsel. We had the LEP suddenly weighing in

:02:06. > :02:08.behind the County Counsel. I asked my Honorable friend, can we have

:02:09. > :02:14.devolution? And we also look very very carefully at the idea of an

:02:15. > :02:20.elected mayor equipment let's have the devolution first, maybe with the

:02:21. > :02:24.Minister is angry and his colleague. Let's have devolution and move very

:02:25. > :02:28.cautiously before we go towards the election of an mayor. If I don't

:02:29. > :02:37.have assurance from him, it will read what is in my view an

:02:38. > :02:44.absolutely outstanding budget. Thank you very much Mr Deputy Speaker. The

:02:45. > :02:50.S are reporting with some success from last year, having secured the

:02:51. > :02:53.tampon tax but that may be something we can continue to pursue as the

:02:54. > :02:57.budget process continues. The Minister talks about small

:02:58. > :03:00.businesses and I would like to see that this government is picking up

:03:01. > :03:03.the success of the Scottish Government. We have for some years

:03:04. > :03:07.had a small-business bonus scheme. This has helped many small

:03:08. > :03:14.businesses across Scotland survive in these difficult times. We are now

:03:15. > :03:17.toward review of industries and we are improving the business

:03:18. > :03:20.communities and taking until 2017 to establish what the new system may

:03:21. > :03:24.look like. We are taking our time, Mr Deputy Speaker to get this right.

:03:25. > :03:28.Our government must consider these things more carefully and we don't

:03:29. > :03:33.want to jump as this government seems to like to do from one crisis

:03:34. > :03:37.to the next. We are also looking at council toxins in Scotland, which we

:03:38. > :03:40.had a cross party with local tax reform. We have reviewed very

:03:41. > :03:47.carefully all the different options on council tax and how we can meet

:03:48. > :03:51.that on a more fair system. We have had public meetings and came up with