21/07/2016

:00:00. > :00:00.tackle this. We know what it can lead to and therefore we have to

:00:00. > :00:07.stamp it out before it becomes something even more vile.

:00:08. > :00:11.THE SPEAKER: Questions to the minutester for women and equal --

:00:12. > :00:14.Minister for Women and equalities. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am proud

:00:15. > :00:30.of... Number one. Thank you, Mr Speaker. As the House

:00:31. > :00:37.has just been discussing hate crime of any kind, including that targeted

:00:38. > :00:43.at communities has no place in our society. I am sure I speak for the

:00:44. > :00:47.whole House when I say how appalled I am. The Government is monitoring

:00:48. > :00:51.this situation, working across Government departments and also with

:00:52. > :00:55.the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and community partners too

:00:56. > :00:59.to provide reassurance and to send out a clear message that hate crime

:01:00. > :01:05.will not be tolerated and we will take action against those who

:01:06. > :01:10.promote hatred. I am proud of the neath partnership

:01:11. > :01:16.which has been working to counter the rise in hate crime, more

:01:17. > :01:20.prevalent since the referendum by holding hate crime sessions. We

:01:21. > :01:27.should all say no to hate crime. What steps is the minister taking to

:01:28. > :01:33.adopt this practise and roll it out across the country to heal

:01:34. > :01:38.divisions? Communities? I will be interested to talk to her about the

:01:39. > :01:42.community she is in. She highlights one of the most effective things we

:01:43. > :01:48.can do is to work at community level to spread a message of inclusion and

:01:49. > :01:52.acceptance andal rans across our society. So the broader work which

:01:53. > :01:58.is happening in Government is not just through policing and the Home

:01:59. > :02:02.Office, it is also through DCLG and in my Department of Education

:02:03. > :02:05.through schools. Can I welcome my Right Honourable

:02:06. > :02:12.friend to her position. Does she feel, as I do, that we should be

:02:13. > :02:19.looking at online hate crime, which is often where people can suffer the

:02:20. > :02:22.most? Does she believe, as I do, the platforms and social media outlets

:02:23. > :02:25.should do more to standardise reporting in this area? And take

:02:26. > :02:32.more action against the perpetrators?

:02:33. > :02:41.I agree that the online element of this crime is important to address.

:02:42. > :02:43.One of the things the government has done is to strengthen online

:02:44. > :02:49.reporting and part of the increase in hate crime came through that tool

:02:50. > :02:52.that we set up, that website where people can more effectively report

:02:53. > :02:56.online. She is right to say that there are different channels where

:02:57. > :03:06.we see hate crimes perpetrated and all of them need a strong response.

:03:07. > :03:13.The Minister's and is on online hate crime is welcome but given the level

:03:14. > :03:17.of bile and hatred that exists in certain parts of social media, it is

:03:18. > :03:23.essential that law enforcement agencies chase this down, with

:03:24. > :03:28.specific cases brought to court to ensure that there is no hiding place

:03:29. > :03:35.for this behaviour on social media. I agree with him. As crime moves on

:03:36. > :03:42.to different forms, including online, that the CPS, collectively,

:03:43. > :03:45.take strong action and show that this sort of attitude across our

:03:46. > :03:51.country will not be tolerated, and where ever it raises its head, we

:03:52. > :03:55.will take action against it. It may be a special occasion when all 12

:03:56. > :04:01.members of both the government and opposition front bench as are

:04:02. > :04:06.female. Mr Speaker, last night, Kettering Borough Council last

:04:07. > :04:12.motion condemning racism, xenophobia and hate crime. I am proud to be a

:04:13. > :04:16.member of Kettering Borough Council and do have supported that motion.

:04:17. > :04:24.Would my Right Honourable Friend and courage other local authorities to

:04:25. > :04:28.do the same? The merit in making the point about the make-up of the front

:04:29. > :04:33.bench is that it is now on the record in Hansard for ever.

:04:34. > :04:40.Minister. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Perhaps appropriate given

:04:41. > :04:43.it is questions for women and the qualities in particular. I should

:04:44. > :04:46.say that when we decide as a government to draw across government

:04:47. > :04:51.departments to answer this question there was no attempt to make sure

:04:52. > :04:55.that we had an all - woman list of ministers to answer questions, but I

:04:56. > :04:58.think it shows how things are changing in Parliament in terms of

:04:59. > :05:04.female representation and, alongside the fact we have as of last week got

:05:05. > :05:09.away second female Prime Minister. To come to My Honourable Friend was

:05:10. > :05:13.Mike very important question, I'd like to applaud Kettering Borough

:05:14. > :05:18.Council for its strong stance against racism. I think part of how

:05:19. > :05:24.we can ensure that we stamp out hate crime and racism generally is, not

:05:25. > :05:28.only to work strongly on the ground, but those people in positions of

:05:29. > :05:32.authority, community leaders included, need to advocate of the

:05:33. > :05:37.kind of society, the kind of inclusive society that we all want.

:05:38. > :05:39.So those steps that Kettering Borough Council has taken are

:05:40. > :05:50.particularly well Act and I hope that other councils follow suit. --

:05:51. > :05:54.welcome. It was amazing to see people of multi-faith and no faith

:05:55. > :05:57.engaging together through sport and other activities. Does the Minister

:05:58. > :06:02.agree that these events should be encouraged where possible in these

:06:03. > :06:07.troubled times where we are seen an alarming rise in hate crime? Yes, I

:06:08. > :06:17.think we all have our own experience at constituency level. My local

:06:18. > :06:20.Amadiyah Muslim community holds an event that brings together all sides

:06:21. > :06:24.of the community and those fundraising that benefits the

:06:25. > :06:29.Amadiyah community stop these are the kinds of community leadership I

:06:30. > :06:32.was referring to. As MPs we can play a real role in encouraging and

:06:33. > :06:41.supporting that when we see happening in narrowing the Cal at

:06:42. > :06:45.is. -- in our own localities. I am really proud to be one of the women

:06:46. > :06:49.on the front bench, if we have got an all women front bench. It seems

:06:50. > :06:55.that we might be taking over the world, slowly but surely. Which is

:06:56. > :06:59.fantastic. We have heard from many members on all sides of the House

:07:00. > :07:08.that there's been a dramatic wave of hate crime and intolerance towards

:07:09. > :07:12.EU nationals and members of the McAfee community living in the UK. I

:07:13. > :07:15.have been encouraged by members of the public who have challenged this

:07:16. > :07:19.behaviour and shown what a great multicultural Britain we are, but

:07:20. > :07:27.like many across this House and the country I was dismayed and upset by

:07:28. > :07:32.the Sun columnist Kelvin MacKenzie's disgraceful Islamophobia attack on

:07:33. > :07:39.the Channel 4 News presenter Fatima Manji. Could we explain that all

:07:40. > :07:42.members of the South Regardez comments as unacceptable and all the

:07:43. > :07:47.Minister join me in urging Mr MacKenzie to make a full public

:07:48. > :07:51.apology and urge the Sun newspaper and other media to be more

:07:52. > :07:59.responsible in what they allow on their media outlets Butt never again

:08:00. > :08:04.must she ask such a long question. It was far too long, albeit very

:08:05. > :08:09.important. Minister. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. She raises an

:08:10. > :08:14.important question. Not the first time that John MacKenzie has written

:08:15. > :08:22.and said things that are on the controversial -- Kelvin MacKenzie. I

:08:23. > :08:26.think it is for him to decide how he wants to respond to the wave of

:08:27. > :08:32.criticism he has received since writing that article. From my

:08:33. > :08:35.perspective am I am proudly live in a country where men and women are

:08:36. > :08:39.equal, but that includes women having the right to be able to wear

:08:40. > :08:44.what they want and to be able to get on in their job, wearing what they

:08:45. > :08:51.want to be able to wear, and that includes needs -- newscasters and

:08:52. > :08:56.journalists, in my view. We need to have some kind of consensus around

:08:57. > :09:02.not rising to the bait of people like Kelvin MacKenzie and I hope

:09:03. > :09:08.that we can give his comments the derision that they deserve. The

:09:09. > :09:16.Minister has put the bigoted fellow in its place pretty comprehensively.

:09:17. > :09:21.Thank you, Mr Speaker, with permission I will answer questions

:09:22. > :09:24.two, three and ten together. We have reformed the pension system to

:09:25. > :09:29.introduce a simple estate pension with automatic and Roman, the triple

:09:30. > :09:33.lock, protection of benefits and new pension freedoms will ensure that

:09:34. > :09:39.engineers, both women and men have greater protection, security and

:09:40. > :09:49.choice. -- that pensioners. I thank the Minister for that answer. The

:09:50. > :09:53.new state pension will see, a man born on the same day slightly later

:09:54. > :10:00.but was received pensions under the new arrangements. Sugar Pensions

:10:01. > :10:05.Minister -- pensions commission be established to end these

:10:06. > :10:09.inequalities? I thank the honourable gentleman for his welcome. ?1.1

:10:10. > :10:13.billion was committed to reduce the maximum delay anyone with experience

:10:14. > :10:18.in claiming their state ancient. As a result of the government's triple

:10:19. > :10:22.lock, the basic state pension has risen by ?570 per year. The

:10:23. > :10:29.government position on this policy is very clear. The current review by

:10:30. > :10:33.John Criddle and into the state ancient age is critical to ensure

:10:34. > :10:37.that the existing inequalities in the current pension system do not

:10:38. > :10:42.plague future retirees. Does the Mr agree that the leader strip is in

:10:43. > :10:45.life expectancy such as those amongst the poorest women in society

:10:46. > :10:55.and across UK regions must be closely examined to prevent gender

:10:56. > :10:59.inequality? I absolutely agree. It is important to prevent gender

:11:00. > :11:03.inequality. But we must acknowledge that across the country people are

:11:04. > :11:06.living longer, and if we want to have a sustainable, affordable

:11:07. > :11:13.ancient system we must equalise the state pension age for men and women.

:11:14. > :11:18.-- pension system. Mr Speaker, for get the triple lock and other

:11:19. > :11:24.measures that the Minister promoted, the simple fact is, according to the

:11:25. > :11:27.Institute for Fiscal Studies, 14% of women in future will receive a law

:11:28. > :11:31.income at state pension age than they would have otherwise under the

:11:32. > :11:35.current system. What discussion is the Minister having with colleagues

:11:36. > :11:42.from the DWP to prevent this from happening? The new state pension is

:11:43. > :11:47.more generous to many women. Over 3 million women stand to gain ?550 per

:11:48. > :11:57.year more by 2030 as a result of these changes. Can I take this up

:11:58. > :12:03.unused -- this chance to -- to welcome the Minister to her place?

:12:04. > :12:06.As a fellow feminist she will agree that the generation of women were

:12:07. > :12:13.talking about is our mothers are what the generation who broken the

:12:14. > :12:16.barriers on equal pay. What message does it send to a future generation

:12:17. > :12:24.burdened by student debt, what incentive is there for younger women

:12:25. > :12:28.to save for their future? I thank the honourable lady for her welcome.

:12:29. > :12:31.In fact what we have seen from the reforms the government has made is

:12:32. > :12:35.that woman of her age and my age are doing more now to save for their

:12:36. > :12:38.future than ever before. It is important to reflect that some of

:12:39. > :12:43.the previous arrangements dating back to the 1940s, and the world has

:12:44. > :12:51.moved on an incredible amount since that time and I would argue,

:12:52. > :12:54.absolutely for the better. Thank you, Mr Speaker. With your

:12:55. > :13:00.permission I am going to group this question with questions five and

:13:01. > :13:04.seven. This area is a real success story. We have more women on boards

:13:05. > :13:11.than ever before but we know we have got to do more. I fully endorse the

:13:12. > :13:16.target of 33% of women on FTSE 250 boards by 2020. To achieve this we

:13:17. > :13:19.have established the Hampton Alexander review which will have a

:13:20. > :13:28.focus on improving gender representation in the all important

:13:29. > :13:33.executive lair of FTSE complete. The statutory mail on the government

:13:34. > :13:37.front bench. I would have invited the member for Shipley, but I

:13:38. > :13:44.suspect that might have been a divisible proposition. Mr Andrew

:13:45. > :13:51.Stevenson. I thank the Minister for that answer. Does the Minister agree

:13:52. > :13:56.that the 33% target of women on FTSE 250 boards is achievable? I do,

:13:57. > :14:01.absolutely. There will be some steps we need to take but so far the

:14:02. > :14:06.proposal of working voluntarily with as this has seen some real progress,

:14:07. > :14:18.and we have seen a doubling of women on boards in the FTSE 350 boards to

:14:19. > :14:27.23% now from 2010. And the number of all-male board has dropped from 152,

:14:28. > :14:31.252, today. I expect that we can meet this ambitious and achievable

:14:32. > :14:39.target by 2020. Can I congratulate the front bench on its fantastic,

:14:40. > :14:43.it's fantastically women representation on the front bench as

:14:44. > :14:47.well. Kent University is taking the lead in having almost half of the

:14:48. > :14:51.board of governors being women. What is her department doing to ensure

:14:52. > :14:59.that more women in senior leadership roles at universities? I should

:15:00. > :15:03.start biking graduating Weymouth University for making what is

:15:04. > :15:10.fantastic progress. -- biking graduating Weymouth University. A

:15:11. > :15:18.third of governing bodies are now gender balanced. It is good that we

:15:19. > :15:22.now have the high education funding Council for England which has set an

:15:23. > :15:30.aspirational target of 40% of women on governing bodies. There is an

:15:31. > :15:38.Athena Swan Charter Mark which is something that I strongly support. I

:15:39. > :15:42.would like to congratulate the Secretary of State. She's long been

:15:43. > :15:44.a role model to many women and I know that when she came to

:15:45. > :15:49.Parliament in 2005 it look very different ways. May I ask the

:15:50. > :15:52.Secretary of State what her department is doing to ensure that

:15:53. > :15:58.women across the UK, not just in London, have access to senior

:15:59. > :16:01.executive roles, and can she reassure me that these women will be

:16:02. > :16:09.encouraged not just into traditional sect is usually occupied by women?

:16:10. > :16:13.There are two parts to the question. First, we have extended the women's

:16:14. > :16:16.business Council to 20 members, including organisations based in

:16:17. > :16:21.Scotland and Wales, so we are expanding and making sure that the

:16:22. > :16:25.geographical focus is UK wide, and we are changing so that it has got

:16:26. > :16:29.greater representation of the kinds of industries she's talked about,

:16:30. > :16:34.such as engineering, defence and construction. A good example of that

:16:35. > :16:40.is the Halfords group which is based in the West Midlands whose board is

:16:41. > :16:43.50% women, and in fact their Chief Executive is female, too, and we

:16:44. > :16:47.have got to champion best practice. Will the government lead by example

:16:48. > :16:51.and increasing the number of women in senior management roles in its

:16:52. > :16:58.departments, agencies and other organisations with which it has an

:16:59. > :17:03.influence, including the NHS? We are certainly going to try to make sure

:17:04. > :17:07.that we lead by example. The fact that we have our second female Prime

:17:08. > :17:13.Minister is a very, very good, strong and historic start. As she

:17:14. > :17:14.recognises, the public sector needs to make progress in this, as does

:17:15. > :17:26.the private sector. The minister has mentioned getting

:17:27. > :17:30.female representation in the boardrooms. It is a fact and

:17:31. > :17:37.researched by the Guardian that there are more men called "John" and

:17:38. > :17:41.a fine name it s Mr Speak e that our bosses in the FTSE-100 companies

:17:42. > :17:46.than there are women all together running those companies too. So,

:17:47. > :17:52.what more can this Government do to make sure that women actually see it

:17:53. > :17:57.as their role to run FTSE-100 companies? He's right to point out

:17:58. > :18:02.the problem. In spite of the progress, the reality is if you look

:18:03. > :18:07.at the FTSE 350 companies, only 18 of them have female CEOs. What we

:18:08. > :18:12.need to do is make sure that women are aiming high, but also ensure

:18:13. > :18:16.that, for example, when women have children and come back into the

:18:17. > :18:20.workplace, that their careers are not hindered by that and indeed they

:18:21. > :18:30.can still go on and get to the very top.

:18:31. > :18:39.318 female executive women run 238 across genders. 122 held roles where

:18:40. > :18:44.they heldfy man shall -- held financial roles.

:18:45. > :18:51.Well, I really welcome that question as somebody whose background is

:18:52. > :18:56.being a chartered accountantment actually some of the accounting

:18:57. > :19:00.firms have done great work on pulling through their best and

:19:01. > :19:05.brightest women. It is seeing women in the roles which are pivotal on a

:19:06. > :19:09.board. That is the next step we want to see companies take.

:19:10. > :19:13.Thank you. Can I welcome my Right Honourable friend to her post. She

:19:14. > :19:17.is there on merit and the Conservative Party have shown that

:19:18. > :19:21.women can get to the very top by merit. So, when she's looking at

:19:22. > :19:26.these particular issues, can she give me an assurance that merit will

:19:27. > :19:31.always be the deciding factor on whether people are promoted to a

:19:32. > :19:35.role or not, irrespective of people's gender, race or sexual

:19:36. > :19:39.inclination, that we are recruiting people, recruiters should be blind

:19:40. > :19:44.to those things? Well, I have great news for him. There are plenty of

:19:45. > :19:48.fantastic women out there who are ready, willing and able to get into

:19:49. > :19:53.those top jobs. I can assure him there'll be no come poem on --

:19:54. > :19:58.compromise on merit. We might see a raising of the performance levels.

:19:59. > :20:07.Six, Mr Speaker. Thank you, Mr Speaker, the

:20:08. > :20:12.Government set out the assessment of the welfare policies in the well

:20:13. > :20:15.form and work act. Every Government policy change is carefully

:20:16. > :20:21.considered in line with the legal obligations.

:20:22. > :20:29.Thank you, Mr Speaker. In gender have said from 2010, 26 billion of

:20:30. > :20:32.cuts have been made. 86% of that figure has come from women's income.

:20:33. > :20:37.The statement made by the Secretary of State for work and mention

:20:38. > :20:42.concludes the child policy are carrying on. That will also have an

:20:43. > :20:47.effect on women's incomes. What is she doing to redress that balance?

:20:48. > :20:51.I thank the honourable lady for that question. It is really important to

:20:52. > :20:56.reflect on the economic statistics. There are more women in work than

:20:57. > :20:59.ever before. With the roll out of universal credit it will be a

:21:00. > :21:03.position where being in work pays. It is important to focus on the

:21:04. > :21:05.reforms we have made are assessing people into work and making sure

:21:06. > :21:11.that women are at the forefront of that.

:21:12. > :21:19.Mr Speaker, the minister will be aware of the continuing concern

:21:20. > :21:23.across the United Kingdom on welfare proposals on women with young

:21:24. > :21:27.families. Will she keep under review that continuing concern right across

:21:28. > :21:30.the entire country to ensure that there's no continuing disadvantage

:21:31. > :21:36.to females, particularly with young families? The honourable gentleman

:21:37. > :21:39.makes a really important point about women with families and the

:21:40. > :21:46.childcare support that this Government has invested in, doubling

:21:47. > :21:50.free care child from 15 to 30 hours for 15,000 working parents for three

:21:51. > :21:55.and four year olds. Is an example of how we are making sure that women

:21:56. > :22:02.can get back into work. Can I welcome the Secretary of State

:22:03. > :22:08.and all new anyone ministers and existing ministers to their place.

:22:09. > :22:13.Priority to Brexit it was said it was could ?36 billion to tax every

:22:14. > :22:19.year, not just public services, it will be our jobs, livelihoods and

:22:20. > :22:24.those on low incomes. We know that 80% of wells fall on women. Can the

:22:25. > :22:30.minister assure me these cuts will not fall on women's shoulders?

:22:31. > :22:33.What we are very conscious of is the honourable lady would have heard the

:22:34. > :22:37.Prime Minister say yesterday we have to make the changes which will come

:22:38. > :22:40.about as a result of the EU referendum work for everybody across

:22:41. > :22:47.society and of course that includes women.

:22:48. > :22:53.Thank you. The Equality and Human Rights Commission performs a very

:22:54. > :22:57.important and valuable role. Its appointed the chair and board are

:22:58. > :23:00.well equipped. The commission receives and will continue to

:23:01. > :23:05.receive sufficient funds to enable it to fulfil its full range of

:23:06. > :23:10.statutory duties. I thank the minister for her answer. Can he stop

:23:11. > :23:17.the rumour there are cuts on the way to the HRC budget. 69% down on what

:23:18. > :23:22.it was in 2010. In this climate of post Brexit racism of employment fee

:23:23. > :23:26.charges, is needed more now than ever. It is operating on less than

:23:27. > :23:31.the old Disability Rights Commission, which is only one part

:23:32. > :23:38.of its multiple good works. Mr Speaker, I am very happy to Scottish

:23:39. > :23:42.these rumours when the ERHC was established in 2007 it was done

:23:43. > :23:46.without a full understanding of what it would need from a budgetary point

:23:47. > :23:49.of view. Nearly ten years later we have a better understanding of the

:23:50. > :23:53.running costs and constituency costs of that organisation. It did have a

:23:54. > :23:57.reduction in function in 2013. They have had to make significant

:23:58. > :24:03.savings. At each stage they have done so after huge discussions

:24:04. > :24:07.between our ministry and the ERHC. They are not discussing -- disputing

:24:08. > :24:10.they will be able to fulfil their statutory functions to the highest

:24:11. > :24:17.possible standard. Thank you. With permission I will

:24:18. > :24:20.answer questions nine and 11 together. Spending to support people

:24:21. > :24:25.with disabilities and health conditions will be higher in real

:24:26. > :24:30.terms in every year to 2020 than it was in 2010. The Government set out

:24:31. > :24:34.our assessment of the impact of the welfare policies and work act with

:24:35. > :24:39.similar assessments for previous changes.

:24:40. > :24:43.Mr Speaker, can UN committee on economic and cultural rights called

:24:44. > :24:48.for this Government's regressive cuts to social security to be

:24:49. > :24:53.reversed and for a comprehension assessment on their impact on

:24:54. > :24:57.vulnerable women, children and disabled people. Will she commit to

:24:58. > :25:01.raising these concerns with her colleagues so these shameful cuts

:25:02. > :25:05.are abandoned? I thank the honourable lady for her question.

:25:06. > :25:09.Spending on the main disability benefits went up by ?3 billion in

:25:10. > :25:15.real terms over the course of the last Parliament. Spending on dip and

:25:16. > :25:22.DLA will be higher than spending was on DLA in 20106789 our welfare

:25:23. > :25:26.reforms will ensure the billions we spend better reflect today's

:25:27. > :25:28.understanding of disability and it will enable disabled people to live

:25:29. > :25:34.independent lives. Thank you. Can I give a personal

:25:35. > :25:36.welcome to the minister, a former colleague on the education Select

:25:37. > :25:40.Committee. The minister will be aware of the long promised work and

:25:41. > :25:45.health programme from our Government and that disabled people are still

:25:46. > :25:48.awaiting publication of the green paper to map out what employment

:25:49. > :25:54.support will be made available for those with disabilities. Does the

:25:55. > :25:58.minister agree with me that her Government must now map out the time

:25:59. > :26:05.line for publication and ensure sufficient funding is made available

:26:06. > :26:10.for disabled people who have born the brunt of austerity cuts I thank

:26:11. > :26:15.the lady for her welcome. I very much enployed -- enjoyed the time we

:26:16. > :26:21.spent on the education committee together. We will produce the paper

:26:22. > :26:25.to build a strategy which will work for them. It is critically important

:26:26. > :26:29.that we get more disabled people into work. I spent time before the

:26:30. > :26:32.general election as a PPS to the minister for disabled people. I know

:26:33. > :26:37.how hard he worked to promote disability confident, to make sure

:26:38. > :26:39.we have good examples and companies we can champion who show that

:26:40. > :26:44.bringing disabled people into work is not only good for disabled people

:26:45. > :26:48.but good for the economy and good for individual companies.

:26:49. > :26:52.Number one, Mr Speaker. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am

:26:53. > :26:56.delighted to be able to stand at the dispatch box today as the Minister

:26:57. > :27:01.for Women and equalities. I want the House to know this Government is one

:27:02. > :27:04.which is committed to tackling inequality wherever it exists so we

:27:05. > :27:08.can have a country for everyone. We want to see opportunity levelled up.

:27:09. > :27:16.We should never accept the status quo in a society where there are

:27:17. > :27:23.still some of our girls undergoing FGM. Where home phobic bullying

:27:24. > :27:28.takes place. It was a part of my work and I will bring all that

:27:29. > :27:31.passion and practicality to my role as Minister for Women and

:27:32. > :27:36.equalities. Can I welcome the new Secretary of

:27:37. > :27:39.State to her place? She will no doubt have heard the Prime Minister

:27:40. > :27:43.say in answer to my colleague's question, which was more to do with

:27:44. > :27:49.violence against women, it is the best way to ratify the Istanbul

:27:50. > :27:54.convention. Will the new Secretary of State support my honourable

:27:55. > :27:58.friend's bill which commits the Government to do more by ratifying

:27:59. > :28:03.the convention? I take on board the points he made. I spent much of the

:28:04. > :28:07.last three-and-a-half years internationally pressing for

:28:08. > :28:11.stronger action to combat violence against women and girls, including

:28:12. > :28:16.being at the commission on status of women earlier this year, in March,

:28:17. > :28:20.where I was with my honourable friend, the minister for equalities.

:28:21. > :28:26.He is right to highlight this issue. I will get back to him with an

:28:27. > :28:29.updated Government position. I welcome the Ministry of Defence's

:28:30. > :28:33.decision to allow women to fight on the front line. Can I ask my

:28:34. > :28:37.honourable friend the minister to explain what steps the Government

:28:38. > :28:43.will take to encourage women to take up these new posts? Well, as he has

:28:44. > :28:49.pointed out, there is the recent decision enables women to serve in

:28:50. > :28:54.the Royal Marines t royal armoured corps, infantry, so they will be

:28:55. > :29:00.able to fill those close ground combat roles. With reputting in a

:29:01. > :29:04.range of activity, including improved processes. There is a

:29:05. > :29:10.target of 15% of all recruitments to be female by 2020.

:29:11. > :29:16.Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Government took six long Mondays to

:29:17. > :29:21.release its response to women and equalities into transgender

:29:22. > :29:25.equality. The LGB campaigners have called the Government's response

:29:26. > :29:34.lots of precise words signifying nothing. Why did the Government

:29:35. > :29:39.reject the main recommendations, regarded transpeople should be

:29:40. > :29:46.changed to gender identity? Well, Mr Speaker, I do refute that.

:29:47. > :29:50.The response to the committee took representation from over 12

:29:51. > :29:54.different Government departments and Government bodies. I was a

:29:55. > :29:58.comprehensive piece of work and many of the recommendations were accepted

:29:59. > :30:02.and followed up. Not least the can commitment to look at gender

:30:03. > :30:06.recognition act, one of the things that transpeople tell me is the most

:30:07. > :30:11.disturbing, long-winded and in much need of reform. This department

:30:12. > :30:18.takes very, very seriously our commitment to transpeople.

:30:19. > :30:22.Will my honourable friend join me in congratulating the organisers of the

:30:23. > :30:26.2016 Essex women's business experience and networking event in

:30:27. > :30:32.Southend? Will her department do all they can to help and encourage women

:30:33. > :30:36.set up their own businesses? Mr Speaker, I am delighted to hear

:30:37. > :30:44.about the success of the experience, which I am told offered a range of

:30:45. > :30:49.networks and opportunities to inspire entrepreneur. The Government

:30:50. > :30:56.is working very hard to support them with not least a 2.2 million woman

:30:57. > :31:00.in broadband package to help women engage the confident they need to

:31:01. > :31:05.start their own businesses. Can I welcome the Secretary of State

:31:06. > :31:11.to her place? A report published this week detailed by 2014, 2015

:31:12. > :31:16.two-thirds of children classified as living under the poverty line where

:31:17. > :31:21.from families where one parent was in work. Should the Government

:31:22. > :31:26.commit to abandoning the cuts to work allowances which will see low

:31:27. > :31:34.to income families who are struggling to keep their heads above

:31:35. > :31:38.water struggle focus on eleaving these households. One of the most

:31:39. > :31:41.important things we have seen happen under this Government and the last

:31:42. > :31:45.Government was a dramatic fall in unemployment and in the end, as I no

:31:46. > :31:48.efrom my own childhood experience, where my dad spent a year

:31:49. > :31:54.unemployed, the most important thing we can do to combat poverty is to

:31:55. > :31:58.create jobs. She is right to say we want to go beyond that and see

:31:59. > :32:05.people doing better in work. It is not only the right thing for them to

:32:06. > :32:19.do and their own household circumstances, the smart thing

:32:20. > :32:27.In September, I am hosting the first engineering festival. Will the

:32:28. > :32:31.Secretary of State join me there? Well, this Wiltshire festival of

:32:32. > :32:35.engineering does sound like a great initiative. I would be delighted if

:32:36. > :32:41.she could send me details and I will see if I can come along to it. The

:32:42. > :32:47.good news is there is 13,000 more entries by girls to maths and A

:32:48. > :32:54.levels compared to 2010. We need to do more to challenge the per

:32:55. > :33:00.sections which put girls off from doing these subjects. The number of

:33:01. > :33:06.organisations have conveyed disdisappointment at the committee

:33:07. > :33:09.transgender enquiry. Stone wall's insistent and further evidence

:33:10. > :33:13.believing it has sufficient evidence to take proper action. Does the

:33:14. > :33:19.minister accept the assessment that this has been a lost opportunity to

:33:20. > :33:24.ensure that all trans people are clearly protected and will she

:33:25. > :33:27.commit to working them and others to achieve true equality for all

:33:28. > :33:32.trans-people? Well, yes, Mr Speaker. Once again I

:33:33. > :33:35.refute the allegations that this has been a missed opportunity. We have

:33:36. > :33:39.taken on board so many of the recommendations. It with was

:33:40. > :33:41.ground-breaking piece of work. It has encouraged 12 different

:33:42. > :33:46.Government bodies and organisations to look at what they do and makes

:33:47. > :33:50.some strong commitments to the transgender population and we

:33:51. > :33:54.support them and we are looking out for their needs. The Secretary of

:33:55. > :33:58.State said she was committed to stamping out inequality and the

:33:59. > :34:03.Government was committed to stamping out inequality. One of the starkest

:34:04. > :34:06.areas is on sentencing. For every single category of offence a man is

:34:07. > :34:12.more likely to be sent to prison than a woman. To give an example,

:34:13. > :34:17.for child cruelty and neglect. 33% of men convicted were sent to

:34:18. > :34:22.prison. Only 15% of women were sent to prison. Will she write to the

:34:23. > :34:26.chairman of the Sentencing Council to instruct him to treat men and

:34:27. > :34:30.women the same when they come before the courts?

:34:31. > :34:36.The honourable gentleman clearly knows that the judiciary are

:34:37. > :34:42.independent of government, and rightly so. There are no gender

:34:43. > :34:45.preferences in sentencing guidelines. Every sentence is based

:34:46. > :34:50.on the offence committed and other mitigating factors. He also knows

:34:51. > :34:53.that, in the offence he identified, although women are less likely to go

:34:54. > :34:58.to prison, the Saint and says they receive when they do are actually

:34:59. > :35:04.longer than their male counterparts. -- the sentences. This week we have

:35:05. > :35:09.learned that the pensions portfolio has been downgraded from Minister of

:35:10. > :35:15.State to run on the Secretary of State. She agree with me that the

:35:16. > :35:20.vast inequalities facing women and those that will face future

:35:21. > :35:25.pensioners under a new state pension are suddenly shameful that the

:35:26. > :35:30.Minister of State that has not been appointed to deal with these

:35:31. > :35:34.inequalities and the uncertainties that retirees will face following

:35:35. > :35:37.the vote to leave the EU? I thank the honourable gentleman for that

:35:38. > :35:42.question. The Department for Work and Pensions takes his

:35:43. > :35:45.responsibilities seriously on these issues. The department was

:35:46. > :35:50.strengthened by having an additional half of Minister, and I think that

:35:51. > :35:56.it is trivial to focus on the job title when in fact we get qualified,

:35:57. > :36:03.competent and determined people into the right roles. Thank you, Mr

:36:04. > :36:06.Speaker. I can graduate my Right Honourable Friend on her

:36:07. > :36:12.appointment. One of the key decision shall have to date quickly is that

:36:13. > :36:15.the two-year period of discussion on clusters termination comes to an

:36:16. > :36:20.end. I've written to her already. Will she undertake to have a meeting

:36:21. > :36:25.with me and a delegation from the Hindu immunity who are determined to

:36:26. > :36:34.see this illogical discrimination removed from the statute book --

:36:35. > :36:37.caste the scrum and is in. I will locate his letter at the Department

:36:38. > :36:46.and make sure that I read it very carefully. Urgent question, Neil

:36:47. > :36:52.Carmichael. The reason I applied for an urgent question this morning...

:36:53. > :36:58.We don't need to go into any of that. The right now gentleman needs

:36:59. > :37:03.to ask the Secretary of State for a statement on... He will get his

:37:04. > :37:07.opportunity in a minute. Can I ask about the situation with school

:37:08. > :37:14.funding and whether the department can meet its timetable? Minister,

:37:15. > :37:21.the Secretary of State for Education, Justine Greening. Thank

:37:22. > :37:24.you Mr Speaker. I'm committed to introducing fairer funding for

:37:25. > :37:31.schools. This is an important reform to transparently allocate funding on

:37:32. > :37:35.the basis of schools' and children's' actual needs. As we set

:37:36. > :37:38.out today this government is investing in record levels of

:37:39. > :37:44.funding for schools and with that, fairer funding will set a common

:37:45. > :37:47.foundation allowing schools to maximise the potential of every

:37:48. > :37:53.child. They will no longer be held back by a funding system that is

:37:54. > :37:56.arbitrary, out of date and unfair. Fairer funding will underpin the

:37:57. > :38:04.education system to Act as a motor for social mobility and social

:38:05. > :38:07.justice. The first step has been met with an overwhelmingly positive

:38:08. > :38:14.response from head teachers, governors and parents. I am clear

:38:15. > :38:16.that this is a once in a generation opportunity for historic change, and

:38:17. > :38:19.therefore we have got to make sure that we take the time to get that

:38:20. > :38:25.final approach right. I would therefore publish the government was

:38:26. > :38:29.Mac will response to the post stage of the consultation and set out my

:38:30. > :38:34.proposals for the second stage, once Parliament returns in the autumn. We

:38:35. > :38:38.will run a full consultation and make final decisions early in the

:38:39. > :38:42.New Year. Given the importance of consulting widely and fully with the

:38:43. > :38:47.sector and getting the fermentation right, the new system will apply

:38:48. > :38:53.from 2018-19 and we will set out plans for a national funding formula

:38:54. > :38:55.for early years shortly. I understand local authorities need

:38:56. > :39:01.sufficient information to begin planning funding arrangements for

:39:02. > :39:06.2017-18. Local authorities need time to consult with schools, both

:39:07. > :39:10.academies and maintained, to ensure that the funding they provided

:39:11. > :39:15.beanbag erected appropriately. As well as a fair system, schools and

:39:16. > :39:19.local authorities need stability and early notice of any changes to

:39:20. > :39:22.fulfil the support that future properly. I confirm today in my

:39:23. > :39:27.written statement that no local authority will see a reduction from

:39:28. > :39:33.their 2016-17 funding for schools and final allocations will follow in

:39:34. > :39:39.December on the basis of the latest pupil numbers as usual. My written

:39:40. > :39:43.statement confirms that the 2017 - 18 will retain a minimum funding

:39:44. > :39:48.guarantee for schools so that no school can face a funding reduction

:39:49. > :39:52.of more than 1.5% per pupil, and as my written statement today confirms,

:39:53. > :39:56.and the term and to make sure that we moved to a fair funding system

:39:57. > :40:01.and that we do that in a measured, properly consultative fashion. Mr

:40:02. > :40:04.Speaker, this will be a crucial part of delivering an education system

:40:05. > :40:08.that works for every child, no matter their background, and I hope

:40:09. > :40:16.that update has been helpful for the House. The honourable gentleman for

:40:17. > :40:20.Stroud can now operate, but only 40 minutes. I thank you, Mrs Peter,

:40:21. > :40:26.that is extremely help or. The key point and the Secretary of State has

:40:27. > :40:30.spotted it is that local authorities need time to prepare, and so, too,

:40:31. > :40:34.do schools. So the essential question is, can the government meet

:40:35. > :40:41.this timetable it has set out, because that is the desire of all

:40:42. > :40:44.schools, particularly in England obviously, and it is of interest to

:40:45. > :40:49.every single member of Parliament in England. What I would ask the

:40:50. > :40:55.Secretary of State to confirm is when she does expect this programme

:40:56. > :40:58.to be fulfilled, and how it is that she is going to be sure that the

:40:59. > :41:03.next consultation period does not take quite as long as the previous

:41:04. > :41:05.one, the cause that took some three months to complete and we still

:41:06. > :41:11.actually don't know where we are. Those are the key questions. He's

:41:12. > :41:17.absolutely right to say that what we want to do is strike a balance

:41:18. > :41:20.between moving rapidly towards a fairer funding formula but at the

:41:21. > :41:25.same time making sure that we do that in a way that clearly allows

:41:26. > :41:28.time for the details of that formula to be debated, because they will

:41:29. > :41:33.have a big impact on how it works effectively. Also then time for

:41:34. > :41:36.local authorities to understand the changes and to prepare, and for

:41:37. > :41:41.schools themselves as well. That is the balance I have tried to strike.

:41:42. > :41:47.I want to be responsible in making sure that we don't rush into changes

:41:48. > :41:51.without absolutely being fully sighted on the ramifications of

:41:52. > :41:55.them. I know that this is a long-standing frustration and debate

:41:56. > :41:59.that Parliament has had around the fairer funding formula and I am

:42:00. > :42:04.committed to resolving that. I want to make sure that when I do, and be

:42:05. > :42:08.resolved effectively, so that we don't have too revisit this funding

:42:09. > :42:14.formula, because we haven't got it right first time. This government

:42:15. > :42:21.was Mac attitude to school funding is woeful. Talk about last minute.

:42:22. > :42:26.Schools are struggling to cope with a 5% funding shortage already that

:42:27. > :42:30.was announced resulting from the Chancellor's decision to increase

:42:31. > :42:34.national insurance and teachers pension contributions. Will the

:42:35. > :42:38.Minister recognise the issues pupil numbers rising and we have a growing

:42:39. > :42:44.teacher shortage, and will she put money in to help schools within this

:42:45. > :42:48.new form? Early this government could have the audacity to deliver

:42:49. > :42:51.real term cost of school budgets across the country and claim that

:42:52. > :42:58.this represents fair funding. And all the Secretary of State publish,

:42:59. > :43:04.in the library of the House, the amount that each local authority

:43:05. > :43:07.will receive under the existing funding formula, and that is what

:43:08. > :43:15.they will receive now, under today's announcement? She has asked a range

:43:16. > :43:19.of questions but in summary, I have been clearer in my written statement

:43:20. > :43:24.that no authority will lose funding for schools or for high needs. This

:43:25. > :43:29.will enable us to give authorities a firm foundation on which to start

:43:30. > :43:33.planning for next year. The reality is that we have seen funding across

:43:34. > :43:37.education and for schools rise. It has been one of those areas that

:43:38. > :43:40.under this government and the coalition government, we sought to

:43:41. > :43:47.protect, and that is evidenced in the results. We now have more

:43:48. > :43:53.children who are in good or outstanding schools, and we want to

:43:54. > :43:57.see that progress continue. Schools in Staffordshire are some of the

:43:58. > :44:03.lowest funded in the country. This has been of great concern to head

:44:04. > :44:08.teachers that I met last week. We had understood we were moving to a

:44:09. > :44:11.fairer funding formula from 2017-18. It now seems it is given to be one

:44:12. > :44:15.year later. Will she make absolutely clear that there could forcibly be

:44:16. > :44:20.transitional funding for those authorities which are in a desperate

:44:21. > :44:28.position at the moment, as Staffordshire is? I recognise the

:44:29. > :44:30.pressures that he has set out. This gives us time to look at how we can

:44:31. > :44:35.deal with those effectively. We should recognise that, whilst there

:44:36. > :44:39.are schools that are disadvantaged by the current formula, there will

:44:40. > :44:43.be changes for schools under the new formula. It gives us a chance to

:44:44. > :44:48.work effectively with those to ensure that there is a sensible and

:44:49. > :44:52.measured transition from the historic approach that we are

:44:53. > :44:58.currently under, to the new approach, the fairer one that we

:44:59. > :45:01.will be introducing. The noises coming out of the Department for

:45:02. > :45:04.Education suggested London schools in particular would be seriously yet

:45:05. > :45:11.by any changes to the funding formula. Schools in Harrow have been

:45:12. > :45:16.advertised they face a 3% - 8% cut in real terms to their budgets as a

:45:17. > :45:19.result of the changes that her department are considering. Can she

:45:20. > :45:22.offer any reassurance to the head teachers and parents in my

:45:23. > :45:27.constituency that that is not going to be the case? I've set out the

:45:28. > :45:32.details of how we will proceed in my statement. As his point clearly sets

:45:33. > :45:37.out, for schools that will see a change in the funding they receive

:45:38. > :45:40.as a result of this evening up and making the system fairer, these are

:45:41. > :45:44.important changes, and it is right that we give ourselves time to

:45:45. > :45:51.effectively make sure that we can help schools deal with them well,

:45:52. > :45:56.and help them steady the transition. Will the Secretary of State

:45:57. > :46:03.recognise that optimism that schools in Chippenham constituency felt

:46:04. > :46:07.directed by what is a ludicrous situation to receive over ?2000 less

:46:08. > :46:11.than other areas, can she echoed her commitment to the people of

:46:12. > :46:15.Wiltshire including the 8000 people who signed my fairer funding

:46:16. > :46:22.petition? We are going to get on with this funding formula. Just to

:46:23. > :46:26.deal with the point made by the honourable gentleman opposite, we

:46:27. > :46:30.have this school funding system and we have introduced the Pupil Premium

:46:31. > :46:33.so we have entered mechanisms to make sure that where we see

:46:34. > :46:37.disadvantage and additional needs we can make sure that funding follows

:46:38. > :46:41.those pupils, so what we are now trying to do is get a system that is

:46:42. > :46:46.sensible in terms of the core funding that schools receive and

:46:47. > :46:49.that isn't based on data that is frankly very, very old at this

:46:50. > :46:54.stage, but at the same time takes account of the fact that, under the

:46:55. > :46:58.Pupil Premium and other funding mechanisms, we have an ability to

:46:59. > :47:04.top up where we particularly want to tackle disadvantage. Can the

:47:05. > :47:07.Secretary of State confirm that behind the warm words fairer

:47:08. > :47:13.funding, school funding is still set to be cut by around 8% by 2020, has

:47:14. > :47:20.confirmed the Institute for Fiscal Studies? That is the same time as we

:47:21. > :47:22.see teacher numbers falling, over one third of the children in this

:47:23. > :47:28.country currently leave school without five good GCSEss. Will she

:47:29. > :47:32.confirm this and secondly confirm whether my local authority in

:47:33. > :47:39.Hounslow will see a cup in its funding, and when all they know?

:47:40. > :47:46.No local authority will see a reduction? Funding 2017-2018. The

:47:47. > :47:51.statement will make sure we have the time to bring in this fair funding

:47:52. > :47:57.formula effectively. As I have set out to her, she shouldn't forget

:47:58. > :48:01.under the pupil premium introduction we have ?2.5 billion which is

:48:02. > :48:06.specifically targeted to make sure children who are disadvantaged get

:48:07. > :48:08.an additional toppup so their schools can provide additional

:48:09. > :48:15.support. I am delighted by the Secretary of

:48:16. > :48:22.State's commit commitment to fair funding. Can I urge her to look at

:48:23. > :48:29.arrangements for counties like Sussex, who need it. He's made that

:48:30. > :48:36.point clearly. I can assure we will have a sensible approach to this

:48:37. > :48:38.period 2017/18. Address a former Select Committee colleague I am

:48:39. > :48:42.pleased to see the Secretary of State in her place and

:48:43. > :48:47.congratulations. Can I urge she does not follow the example of her predes

:48:48. > :48:55.is source and builds a strong relationship with teachers. Can she

:48:56. > :48:59.make clear that the pupil premium which is hugely important for

:49:00. > :49:02.targeting funding at tz disadvantaged will be protected in

:49:03. > :49:08.real terms going forward when the changes are made?

:49:09. > :49:13.Thank you, Mr Speaker. I remember my time on the DWP Select Committee

:49:14. > :49:19.with him with real fondness. I very much enjoyed it and learnt a lot

:49:20. > :49:24.during those years. He talked about head teachers and teachers. One of

:49:25. > :49:28.the first thing I did was pick up the phone to teaching unions to

:49:29. > :49:31.introduce myself and to set up initial meetings with them. I

:49:32. > :49:36.briefly saw them yesterday. I hope that I can have a constructive,

:49:37. > :49:41.productive relationship. I know the most important people who help me

:49:42. > :49:44.get educated were my teachers. To whom I will be eternally grateful.

:49:45. > :49:51.So, it is important that we recognise that. He asked about the

:49:52. > :49:57.pupil premium. The pupil premium rates are protected for the entire

:49:58. > :50:04.Spending Review at the 2015/16 rates. Thank you. As someone who

:50:05. > :50:08.like my Right Honourable friend was educated in a comprehensive school

:50:09. > :50:13.in Rotherham, can I warmly welcome my Right Honourable friend to her

:50:14. > :50:17.new role. Does my Right Honourable friend agree that whilst we can

:50:18. > :50:20.adjust the school funding formula in the short-term t only way to

:50:21. > :50:26.increase resources for schools in the long-term is to have a strong

:50:27. > :50:30.and growing economy? I think he's hit the nail on the head. I annual

:50:31. > :50:34.very proud that both of us went through the state school system in

:50:35. > :50:38.Rotherham. I hope to go back up to Rotherham in the coming weeks and

:50:39. > :50:44.months to revisit some of the schools that enabled me to have the

:50:45. > :50:50.edge dhags gave me a platform to try to reach some of my goals that I set

:50:51. > :50:54.myself. As he says, a strong economy is vital for making sure that we

:50:55. > :50:58.have the funding to invest in our education system, but also it is

:50:59. > :51:02.vital to make sure that the children coming through our state school

:51:03. > :51:07.system have the opportunities to stretch themselves and the dignity

:51:08. > :51:11.of work. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have writ

:51:12. > :51:17.on the the Secretary of State today, so she will receive a letter very

:51:18. > :51:22.shortly and hopefully she will keep an eye out for that in the coming

:51:23. > :51:26.days. Under the formula proposed by F 40, the campaign for fairer fund

:51:27. > :51:31.gds in schools, schools in North-East Lincolnshire suffer a

:51:32. > :51:38.?1.2 million cut. Equivalent to ?100 per pupil each year. Does the

:51:39. > :51:42.Secretary of State agree any formula which takes funding away from my

:51:43. > :51:48.constituency, in which no school is rated as outstanding, can be

:51:49. > :51:51.described as fair? Well, I agree with her that the current formula

:51:52. > :51:56.had steadily over THE COMMENTATOR: Out of dasmt was

:51:57. > :52:00.based on statistics which needed to be updated but couldn't be. It was

:52:01. > :52:06.time to look at how we could make it fair. The second point that she

:52:07. > :52:10.raises around, absolutely focussing efforts on those remaining parts of

:52:11. > :52:15.the UK, where our education system is just simply not delivering for

:52:16. > :52:19.our children, is absolutely vatle. Something -- vital and something I

:52:20. > :52:26.plan to focus on. The Secretary of State, in my constituency there are

:52:27. > :52:32.significant areas of deprivation where there is underachievement

:52:33. > :52:36.among white working-class boys. Can she confirm nothing will adversely

:52:37. > :52:41.effect the areas in my constituency? Well, I have set out how local

:52:42. > :52:47.authorities, inclooding her own, will not see a reduction? Funding

:52:48. > :52:50.for 2017/18. This issue of now targeting in on those parts of our

:52:51. > :52:54.country where children are not getting the start they need and

:52:55. > :53:00.deserve to do well in life is will be central to my efforts, alongside

:53:01. > :53:06.making sure we continue to lift outcomes for children overall across

:53:07. > :53:10.the rest of the country. Mr Speaker, can I warmly welcome the

:53:11. > :53:14.Secretary of State to her post and the other new ministers, the Skills

:53:15. > :53:19.Minister and the old team. Can I say we would very much like, I chaired

:53:20. > :53:24.the advisory council of the Sutton Trust. We look forward to working

:53:25. > :53:29.positively and creatively with her. Can I remind her that England is a

:53:30. > :53:34.vastly changing society, all the time. Other Governments, Labour

:53:35. > :53:37.Governments have not actually cracked the ability to get funding

:53:38. > :53:42.to the right places at the right time. Would she consider at some

:53:43. > :53:47.time an independent group, even a commission which could look at this

:53:48. > :53:51.year on year, month on month, to actually get it right? It is just an

:53:52. > :53:55.idea. Could she consider it? We all get it wrong at some stage. I think

:53:56. > :54:00.two points in response to his point, with I think is a really important

:54:01. > :54:04.one. First of all, we have to make sure that although we set policy at

:54:05. > :54:09.the Whitehall level, that we really understand how best to make sure

:54:10. > :54:13.that at an individual child level it can have the impact that we are

:54:14. > :54:18.seeking to make sure happens. That is not always easy. I think we can

:54:19. > :54:23.learn from some of the examples on city deals, for example, where we

:54:24. > :54:28.have seen local areas take ownership of often physical infrastructure to

:54:29. > :54:34.make sure there's a common plan that Government is investing alongside a

:54:35. > :54:39.local plan. I think his points is aing really strong one. I would like

:54:40. > :54:44.to see my department be a central engine for social mobility. We need

:54:45. > :54:48.to challenge ourselves across Government and it has a key role, in

:54:49. > :54:52.saying we don't just want children to come out of our schools better

:54:53. > :54:55.educated. We want to make sure that the jobs and the careers are there

:54:56. > :55:00.for them to really be able to make the most of their potential. In the

:55:01. > :55:04.end, a country's most important asset is its people, which is why I

:55:05. > :55:09.am so delighted that I am in the job I am in.

:55:10. > :55:21.May I highlight to my honourable friend that in Kettering there are

:55:22. > :55:27.8879 places raises to 667 by 2021. 6700 secondary places raises to 7731

:55:28. > :55:33.by 2021. The County Council says all places will be full by the 2017/18

:55:34. > :55:37.academic year. Will she ensure when she looks at this issue of fairer

:55:38. > :55:41.funding, counties like Northamptonshire and places like

:55:42. > :55:46.Kettering, with the fastest rates of house building in the whole country

:55:47. > :55:51.get the funding they need to make sure we have enough school places

:55:52. > :55:56.for our children? Well, he raises this important issue that alongside

:55:57. > :56:00.many of the reforms there is a demographic shift which means we

:56:01. > :56:06.need to scale up our edgeation system to keep pace with the number

:56:07. > :56:11.of children. We have created 6600 school places. We need to do more.

:56:12. > :56:15.The formula I am setting out today means we are in a better position

:56:16. > :56:22.going forward as we introduce it to make sure that fair funding follows

:56:23. > :56:25.the child, including in Kettering. Mr Speaker, I warmly congratulate

:56:26. > :56:31.the Secretary of State on her appointment. She is right not to

:56:32. > :56:35.rush this. Getting the new formula wrong would be a disaster. It was

:56:36. > :56:41.offered at the Select Committee to meet with me and my friend for

:56:42. > :56:45.Gateshead, who is in his place, to discuss a rapid pupil turnover in

:56:46. > :56:49.the new formula. Can she confirm that offer still stands? Can she let

:56:50. > :56:53.us know which member of her team that meeting should now be with?

:56:54. > :56:57.That offer does stand. I will get back to him when we have worked out

:56:58. > :57:02.which minister will attend the meeting.

:57:03. > :57:05.Thank you, Mr Speaker. Following on from the honourable member for

:57:06. > :57:10.Kettering, more and more importants in many parts of my constituent find

:57:11. > :57:14.it difficult to get chair child into the school of their choice. One

:57:15. > :57:19.example, there is a desperate need for more secondary school places in

:57:20. > :57:22.my constituency. Can I ask the Secretary of State, who I warmly

:57:23. > :57:26.welcome to her role, that she looks at the need for school places in the

:57:27. > :57:30.Shipley constituency and make sure that my parents can get their

:57:31. > :57:34.children into the school of their choice, because at the moment for

:57:35. > :57:39.many that is a distant dream. Well, again I think this is an

:57:40. > :57:43.incredibly fundamental issue. I can assure him I am well aware of the

:57:44. > :57:48.need to make sure that alongside all the other changes that are rippling

:57:49. > :57:52.through the education system that fundamentally we have enough places

:57:53. > :57:57.for the children of our country. But that also we have enough teachers to

:57:58. > :58:00.be in those classrooms teaching them and the teachers should be

:58:01. > :58:03.outstanding and excellent and be able to excite children in the

:58:04. > :58:09.classroom, help them learn and give them that best start in life.

:58:10. > :58:12.Can I also welcome the Secretary of State to her place. I am sure she's

:58:13. > :58:15.looking ford ward to appearances before the education Select

:58:16. > :58:21.Committee probably starting in the autumn. The Secretary of State, the

:58:22. > :58:26.fairer funding inherently means a process of redistribution. Many

:58:27. > :58:33.schools, heads and gove verps, whose budgets are at the margins who are

:58:34. > :58:37.looking forward to potential 1.5% per pupil cut will look at that with

:58:38. > :58:49.real trep preations particularly if they are in re-Croat -- trepidation,

:58:50. > :58:54.particularly if they are in re-Croat of that. It is an appeal from the G

:58:55. > :58:57.40 and an awful lot of schools in the inner cities are wondering if

:58:58. > :59:01.they will be on the receiving end of a cut.

:59:02. > :59:07.Well, I recognise the point he's making. I underline the rationale

:59:08. > :59:11.behind why we introduced the pupil premium in the first place, which is

:59:12. > :59:14.to address many of the points he has made, but also the comments why I am

:59:15. > :59:20.setting out the statement I am making today. It is a substantial

:59:21. > :59:24.change in funding for all schools ultimately and therefore we need to

:59:25. > :59:30.make sure we get it right. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I welcome

:59:31. > :59:36.Secretary of State into her role and welcome the incorporation of skills

:59:37. > :59:41.into the title. It has been two far from -- too far from the centre of

:59:42. > :59:49.education policy recently. I welcome that. Mr Speaker, following up the

:59:50. > :59:54.question from my fellow Hounslow colleague for Feltham and Heston,

:59:55. > :59:58.will imply MEPation of fairer funding in Hounslow mean greater

:59:59. > :00:05.cuts from 2018? Will she reassure the heads that we met a couple of

:00:06. > :00:11.weeks ago, who are already having to cut, make cuts, such as A level

:00:12. > :00:16.options, support for children with special needs, mental health and

:00:17. > :00:21.counselling support, et cetera? As I have set out in my statement today

:00:22. > :00:25.we will launch a consultation on the detail of how we plan to introduce

:00:26. > :00:29.the funding formula. That will give both her and her local schools and

:00:30. > :00:35.teachers ample opportunity to be able to feed into that, in terms of

:00:36. > :00:40.their local perspective. Representing as I do across borough

:00:41. > :00:45.constituency, I know the unfairness of the current system. It cannot be

:00:46. > :00:50.fair that a child from Stockport receives less funding thatten a

:00:51. > :00:54.child from -- funding than a child from Denton. Areas which share the

:00:55. > :01:00.same characteristics but are in different local authorities. Can the

:01:01. > :01:06.Secretary of State say whether her new fairer funding formula will

:01:07. > :01:11.ensure that those children in Redditch are not disadvantaged

:01:12. > :01:14.because they are in a more prosperous borough overall, but

:01:15. > :01:21.their funding will be match to those of the children in Denton?

:01:22. > :01:26.I think I can confirm to him that the funding formula will start to

:01:27. > :01:30.iron out those sort of inequities and once we launch the second phase

:01:31. > :01:35.consultation, I know he'll be interested to see the criteria and

:01:36. > :01:38.the characteristics that we will incorporate to help make sure we do

:01:39. > :01:43.a fairer approach on funding for schools in the future than we have

:01:44. > :01:46.been able to do in the past. I would also set out to him, if you like,

:01:47. > :01:52.the architecture of what we are trying to achieve. If we want to

:01:53. > :01:56.overlay significant additional resources in relation to deprivation

:01:57. > :02:04.we want to do it in a smarter way and use the pupil premium to do that

:02:05. > :02:07.effectively. We recognise we need an element of understanding,

:02:08. > :02:09.obtainment, eligibility for free school meals and others in the corps

:02:10. > :02:24.formula too. Order, business question, Paul

:02:25. > :02:28.Flynn. Will the leader was the business for September? The business

:02:29. > :02:36.for the week commencing the September will include Monday fifth

:02:37. > :02:39.September, remaining stages of the Finance Bill first stage, Tuesday

:02:40. > :02:43.the sixth of them, conclusion of remaining stages of the Finance

:02:44. > :02:47.Bill, Wednesday the 7th of September, an opposition day, the

:02:48. > :02:52.second allotted day with a debate on an opposition motion subject to be

:02:53. > :02:57.announced, Thursday the 8th of September, a debate on a motion on

:02:58. > :03:02.scanning and its effect on vulnerable individuals, followed by

:03:03. > :03:05.a debate on a motion on the fourth Industrial Revolution, both subjects

:03:06. > :03:08.having been determined by the back inch business committee. On Friday

:03:09. > :03:14.nights at them but the House will not be sitting. The provisional

:03:15. > :03:20.business of the week commencing 12th September will include Monday the

:03:21. > :03:25.12th, remaining stages of the Wales bill. The business in Westminster

:03:26. > :03:31.Hall for the fifth, eight and 12 September will be as follows, Monday

:03:32. > :03:35.the fifth, debate on and a petition relating to EU referendum rules,

:03:36. > :03:47.Thursday the 8th of September, a debate on the missing Chibok

:03:48. > :03:53.schoolgirls in Nigeria, then on the 12th petition in relation to South

:03:54. > :03:58.Korea and the dog meat trade. And as this is the last business questions

:03:59. > :04:03.before the summary says, I'd like to wish colleagues on all sides of the

:04:04. > :04:07.House a restful recess and time for constituency duties and thank in

:04:08. > :04:13.particular the hard-working staff of this House, who serve members of all

:04:14. > :04:20.political parties professionally and with dedication and thank especially

:04:21. > :04:24.those who are retiring or otherwise leaving the service of the House at

:04:25. > :04:27.this recess, and I hope I would speak for members on all sides if I

:04:28. > :04:39.said that members in particular would want to say a big thank you to

:04:40. > :04:43.Noleen Delaney, one of the stalwart of the tea room staff, who is

:04:44. > :04:48.retiring after 30 years, a record of service for which we are all very

:04:49. > :04:52.grateful. I would like to echo the words of the leader of the scum

:04:53. > :04:56.particularly concerning Noleen Delaney whom we all know as a valued

:04:57. > :05:01.friend, adviser, can but the and over many years. And the other

:05:02. > :05:07.members of staff who serve so faithfully. In recent days we might

:05:08. > :05:13.consider accelerating progress on making This Place a habitable

:05:14. > :05:18.accommodation for staff, many of whom have suffered in the recent

:05:19. > :05:23.heat, and perhaps I'm thinking of following your example of having

:05:24. > :05:27.less formal dress that members of staff are forced to wear, which must

:05:28. > :05:33.be very uncomfortable at this time of the year. It is also right to

:05:34. > :05:45.note that we have lost the previously from the House, the

:05:46. > :05:49.member for Epsom and Ewell. We must pay tribute to his services which

:05:50. > :05:54.were considerable over his period as leader and although these doubts of

:05:55. > :05:59.Question Time is between leader and deputy had their own personality. We

:06:00. > :06:05.remember with fondness the number of questions the previous leader

:06:06. > :06:09.answered, and some of his answers were occasionally related to the

:06:10. > :06:16.questions asked. I believe what we will miss is the rapier like wit of

:06:17. > :06:21.my friend the member for the Rhondda Valley striking against the Steven

:06:22. > :06:25.solidity of the member for Epsom and Ewell. It is an undiluted pleasure

:06:26. > :06:32.to welcome the present Leader of the House. I've fear that, as long

:06:33. > :06:37.admirer of the honourable gentleman, his political career might not the

:06:38. > :06:42.honour upward with lecturing with this appointment, because his career

:06:43. > :06:51.has been blighted by his solid devotion to the three Rs,

:06:52. > :06:55.rationality, restraint and reasonableness. These are not

:06:56. > :07:02.attributes that go well in his party at the moment. He was a splendid

:07:03. > :07:07.spokesman on European affairs and a voice of sanity on so many issues. I

:07:08. > :07:13.am sure that we look forward to his continuing with his restrained and

:07:14. > :07:19.mature performances at Question Time. He is also, I am told by my

:07:20. > :07:24.friend the member for Cardiff West, the supreme champion on the

:07:25. > :07:30.television programme, University challenge. Not only did he win

:07:31. > :07:36.splendidly, but when it came back to have a challenge and challenges, he

:07:37. > :07:45.was the supreme winner then. So it is great to know that he is doing

:07:46. > :07:49.this job from the platform of his own scholarship and knowledge. It is

:07:50. > :07:52.going to be a vintage year, a vintage period for leadership of the

:07:53. > :08:00.House. We have the Welsh Bill returning. It is a great shame we

:08:01. > :08:04.didn't get it right the first time, but Welsh bill is not just for St

:08:05. > :08:09.David's Day but for eternity. Oh that we would have got it right the

:08:10. > :08:14.first time. I'm afraid the attitude of this House towards devolution,

:08:15. > :08:18.which was not a popular cause when the first bill was introduced in the

:08:19. > :08:25.90s is now universally accepted, but evolution is seen to Wales as a

:08:26. > :08:30.grudged gift, giving out in small parcels a little at a time and then

:08:31. > :08:36.some is pulled back. I hope the generosity of the government in

:08:37. > :08:39.becoming completely converted to the idea of evolution will be expressed

:08:40. > :08:44.in this Bill, with the support of all parties, and will help to serve

:08:45. > :08:51.the well-being of the people of Wales. Baroness Altman made some

:08:52. > :08:56.contribution this morning about her resignation. I believe that all

:08:57. > :09:01.parties in the House should listen carefully to what she's said. She

:09:02. > :09:08.gave a reason for retiring, which was that her party, the Conservative

:09:09. > :09:12.Party, but also it is true of our party, paid too much attention to

:09:13. > :09:18.their internal divisions, to the detriment of policy-making. And this

:09:19. > :09:25.is a very penetrating criticism of both the Conservative and Labour

:09:26. > :09:32.Party that we would do all too well to heed. We should look forward to

:09:33. > :09:38.the new system, the new session of Parliament, and we should bear in

:09:39. > :09:44.mind the dreadful event that still casts a terrible shadow over This

:09:45. > :09:49.Place. The family of Parliament was believed by the cowardly and brutal

:09:50. > :09:54.murder of one of our family of members, Jo Cox, and the grief is

:09:55. > :10:01.still raw. We can do no better than ensure that our work here is

:10:02. > :10:07.illuminated and inspired by her thought, there are more things that

:10:08. > :10:14.unite us, than divide us. The Leader of the House of Lords our most

:10:15. > :10:19.illustrious egghead. -- the Leader of the House is perhaps Allah most

:10:20. > :10:23.illustrious egghead. As I respond that complement, I have felt as a

:10:24. > :10:28.student of Elizabethan history that in the last three, four weeks it has

:10:29. > :10:33.been the closest thing to living through one of the crises of the

:10:34. > :10:38.16th century chew the court that any of us is likely to experience and I

:10:39. > :10:42.suspect that events in British politics this year will have given

:10:43. > :10:47.Hilary Mantel ample material for her next trilogy. Can I thank the

:10:48. > :10:51.honourable gentleman opposite for his warm welcome to myself and for

:10:52. > :10:56.the deserved tribute he paid to my predecessor, the Secretary of State

:10:57. > :11:03.for Transport, who, indeed did Act as a champion of the House, not just

:11:04. > :11:10.in the Chamber but in the many exchanges behind-the-scenes that

:11:11. > :11:16.fall to the leader of that. And I, on behalf of the House, wish him

:11:17. > :11:21.well in his new responsibility. I felt that listening to the

:11:22. > :11:27.honourable gentleman opposite of that, the three Rs that he laid out

:11:28. > :11:35.before us, reasonableness, rationality and restraint summed up

:11:36. > :11:40.Allah Prime Minister was Mac approach to government and to

:11:41. > :11:42.politics. He has presented a motto for my Right Honourable Friend's

:11:43. > :11:51.Administration and approach to government. And of course he himself

:11:52. > :11:57.is a man of undimmed ambition, who has leapfrogged on to the front

:11:58. > :12:03.bench of the opposition after so many years of Parliamentary

:12:04. > :12:11.experience and indeed fallen two Shadow Cabinet roles are just a

:12:12. > :12:16.bagatelle, something which he can easily cope with. I think his

:12:17. > :12:23.ambition should not be restrained even now. I have been studying the

:12:24. > :12:30.honourable gentleman's remarks and I note he said that as the Leader of

:12:31. > :12:33.the Opposition it is difficult to see how he can unite the Labour

:12:34. > :12:37.Party. The honourable gentleman went on to say that we are in the worst

:12:38. > :12:42.position we have been in, in the position of the party. A smack the

:12:43. > :12:46.history of the party. I think that the embryonic leadership campaign is

:12:47. > :12:50.there. I would encourage the honourable gentleman to disregard

:12:51. > :12:55.any taunts that he may have and throw his hat into the ring while

:12:56. > :12:59.there is still time! Can I say in response to the serious point he

:13:00. > :13:06.made about the legacy of Jo Cox, I think that on the first point, the

:13:07. > :13:11.security risks that members face do need to be considered very carefully

:13:12. > :13:15.and action taken. And without going into details on the floor of the

:13:16. > :13:20.House, I think I can say that there has been agreement amongst the House

:13:21. > :13:28.of Commons Commission that there should be new measures taken, and we

:13:29. > :13:31.will be able to go into further detail soon after the House returns

:13:32. > :13:36.in September. And I would say finally that I had members of every

:13:37. > :13:43.political party would look to Jo Cox, see someone there, whether they

:13:44. > :13:48.agree or disagree on a particular issue, who was motivated above all

:13:49. > :13:51.by a drive to improve the lot of the people she served in her

:13:52. > :13:55.constituency, nationally and globally, and in that sense, there

:13:56. > :14:06.could be few finer examples for us to follow. Mr Andrew Symonds. Thank

:14:07. > :14:09.you very much, Mr Speaker. May I congratulate My Honourable Friend on

:14:10. > :14:13.his desert the motion as Leader of the House of Lords macro I wonder if

:14:14. > :14:17.he could see to it that we could have an early debate about the

:14:18. > :14:21.Troubles of Southern rail which are causing significant problems for

:14:22. > :14:26.commuters south of London and for my constituents coming in from Leighton

:14:27. > :14:30.buzzard. Would he agree that the way to relieve the problems of commuters

:14:31. > :14:35.south of London is not to wreck the real service north of London but to

:14:36. > :14:41.pay attention to what needs to be done south of the River? My humble

:14:42. > :14:45.friend makes an important point. I can say that the Secretary of State

:14:46. > :14:53.for Transport and the new rail Minister have already met the

:14:54. > :15:00.operators responsible for Southern train services and with Network

:15:01. > :15:06.Rail. They have emphasised the need for the operators to work with the

:15:07. > :15:12.trade unions to try to find a rapid and also listen to the current

:15:13. > :15:16.dispute that is causing misery to many thousands of passengers every

:15:17. > :15:22.day. The Secretary of State is giving this his personal priority

:15:23. > :15:30.and I hope very much that we will see a satisfactory resolution soon.

:15:31. > :15:34.Can I thank the new leader of the four listing the business of the

:15:35. > :15:40.week we were done after recess and can I welcome him to his new role?

:15:41. > :15:45.He comes with a huge reputation for working consensually across the

:15:46. > :15:51.House and is known as one of the nice guys of the House. We have got

:15:52. > :15:54.great ambitions that he will be a real reforming Leader of the House

:15:55. > :16:03.of Lords can I gently suggest a couple places he might want to start

:16:04. > :16:07.first of all? Get rid of EVEL. It is loathed in this House beyond the

:16:08. > :16:13.confines of the Conservative Party. It is totally associated with his

:16:14. > :16:18.predecessor. Unite the House again with one class member of Parliament.

:16:19. > :16:24.Do not divide us by nationality and do not divide us geography. That

:16:25. > :16:29.should be as first task. Secondly, you know, Mr Speaker, we waste one

:16:30. > :16:34.day per week just voting in this House. It is an absurd waste of

:16:35. > :16:44.time. Bring this House into the 21st century. The circus down the

:16:45. > :16:49.corridor. What gets me is all these Tory Brexit dudes who go on about

:16:50. > :16:56.the imaginary, unelected European bureaucrats. Down the corridor there

:16:57. > :17:01.are unelected Lords. Come on, as Leader of the House make sure that

:17:02. > :17:04.they are going to be abolished. You will have noticed all those small

:17:05. > :17:08.children the Scottish accents around the House recently and that is

:17:09. > :17:12.because Scottish schools have been on holiday for almost three weeks.

:17:13. > :17:15.The Leader of the House will of seen an example of this is when he had to

:17:16. > :17:21.come to the Scottish affairs committee and spent an hour in the

:17:22. > :17:24.charming company of some lovely children, Rebecca and Harris, she

:17:25. > :17:28.had no place else to put them. We are on recess for almost three

:17:29. > :17:33.months of the year. Surely it is not beyond the wit of a member of staff

:17:34. > :17:36.in a leader 's office to design the summer recess to accommodate all the

:17:37. > :17:41.school holidays in the United Kingdom, not just the Scottish

:17:42. > :17:45.school holidays? My Honourable Friend had to leave their children

:17:46. > :17:49.at ten o'clock on Monday evening so that they could go and vote against

:17:50. > :17:58.these evil weapons of mass destruction, bringing to life our

:17:59. > :18:05.slogan, McVitie. And can I wish you and all the staff up in plastic

:18:06. > :18:11.recess 's and I will pay tribute to Noreen Delaney who served us so well

:18:12. > :18:16.over the last 30 years, and can I say, have a happy Civil War to my

:18:17. > :18:21.friends in the Labour Party? I don't know whether we're going to return

:18:22. > :18:25.to one Labour Party or one social Democratic party or Blairite party

:18:26. > :18:27.emerging from these benches but we will be back as a real and effective

:18:28. > :18:38.opposition. I look forward to working with him

:18:39. > :18:43.and members of his party in my new capacity. On English votes for

:18:44. > :18:48.English laws, as I said when I gave evidence to the Scottish Select

:18:49. > :18:54.Committee earlier this week, there is a Government review promised by

:18:55. > :18:59.my predecessor, which will start 12 months after the introduction of the

:19:00. > :19:05.procedures. The Select Committee on procedure of the House has said it

:19:06. > :19:12.is undertaking a review of these arrangements. I think the sensible

:19:13. > :19:16.thing is to see how the new arrangements go for the first year

:19:17. > :19:19.and take stock of what the Government and procedure committee

:19:20. > :19:28.conclude and come to a decision at that point. On his question to me

:19:29. > :19:36.about voting procedures, while I can understand the point that he is

:19:37. > :19:40.making, indeed for those of us who are going through the lobby on

:19:41. > :19:48.Monday, it took longer to go through than if we had gone through his

:19:49. > :19:52.lobby. There are actually advantages, as well as drawbacks to

:19:53. > :19:58.arrangements that we currently have. I would not lightly want to lose the

:19:59. > :20:05.opportunity for backbench members on all sides of the House to be able to

:20:06. > :20:11.grab hold of ministers at a time when no civil servants are present

:20:12. > :20:19.in order to make reputations on behalf of their constituents.

:20:20. > :20:22.And I, having looked at voting procedures in the European

:20:23. > :20:29.Parliament and elsewhere I don't think they are perfect either. I was

:20:30. > :20:34.told earlier this morning that in the New Zealand Parliament the

:20:35. > :20:40.Government chief whip is able to cast a vote, recording vote of his

:20:41. > :20:46.entire parliamentary party. But I suspect that is not the sort

:20:47. > :20:49.of simplification which would command widespread support, even

:20:50. > :20:58.though it might on the bench to my right. Look, I will understate to

:20:59. > :21:02.look at. This I understand the problems the current arrangements

:21:03. > :21:08.cause for colleagues from Scotland and Northern Ireland. But even know,

:21:09. > :21:13.it is not the case that our current recess arrangements suit parents

:21:14. > :21:18.with children at schools in different local authorities in

:21:19. > :21:25.various parts of England. I think it will be very difficult ever to craft

:21:26. > :21:29.a system of recess dates which gives everybody everything they would like

:21:30. > :21:33.to see. I will take up a fresh look at this in view of what the

:21:34. > :21:38.honourable gentleman has urged. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. In

:21:39. > :21:45.congratulating my honourable friend will he resist the attempt by the

:21:46. > :21:55.SNP benches to urge less, many of us on these benches would like to see

:21:56. > :21:59.much more evil. In echoing about Southern Rail, will

:22:00. > :22:02.the Leader of the House ensure that we can have a debate in Government

:22:03. > :22:08.time about the appalling situation that my and many other constituents

:22:09. > :22:11.face because of the disruption on Southern Rail and urge that the

:22:12. > :22:16.Transport Secretary does everything he can to sosht this out will -- to

:22:17. > :22:20.sort this out? Will he ensure the kons trart secretary is fully

:22:21. > :22:26.aprized of the causes of the disruption at the moment? While they

:22:27. > :22:29.include network failures are principally because of an effective

:22:30. > :22:33.work to rule which has been driven by the rail unions who are resisting

:22:34. > :22:37.perfectly sensible changes in the rail industry.

:22:38. > :22:46.It is true that if the trade unions were to return fully to work that

:22:47. > :22:53.that would ease the situation enormously to the benefit of

:22:54. > :22:57.passengers using both Southern Rail services and as the member for

:22:58. > :23:01.South-West Bedfordshire pointed out earlier, passengers elsewhere, whose

:23:02. > :23:07.services are interrupted to give extra support to Southern. I will

:23:08. > :23:11.undertake to contact my height honourable friend the Transport

:23:12. > :23:16.Secretary and make him aware of the points that my friend for ar ren

:23:17. > :23:19.tellhas raised. I would hope by the time we return in September this

:23:20. > :23:23.dispute will be over and that services would have been restored to

:23:24. > :23:27.an acceptable level and we will therefore not need to have such a

:23:28. > :23:34.debate. I am sure my honourable friend will want to consider the

:23:35. > :23:37.points he's made. Fear pressure and unrealistic

:23:38. > :23:43.expectations is what workers at Sports Direct say about their

:23:44. > :23:46.employment. May we please have a debate on zero-hours contracts and

:23:47. > :23:57.exploitation of workers in the retail industry? Something is going

:23:58. > :24:01.badly wrong there. Of course the management of Sports

:24:02. > :24:04.Direct, evidence has been give on the a Select Committee and their

:24:05. > :24:11.report will no doubt inform debate in the House later on. I have to say

:24:12. > :24:17.to the honourable gentleman that it was this Government that legislated

:24:18. > :24:24.to outlaw exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts. And for all

:24:25. > :24:28.the prot stations opposition in Labour Government, no such action

:24:29. > :24:34.was taken. Mr Speaker, last Thursday, a terrible school bus

:24:35. > :24:36.accident happened in my constituency. Thankfully everybody

:24:37. > :24:42.has now been discharged from hospital. Would the Leader of the

:24:43. > :24:49.House send his best wishes to the parents, the pupils, the parents at

:24:50. > :24:52.Prince William school and join me on calling on Northamptonshire county

:24:53. > :24:56.county to -- council to review the situation at the crossroads and

:24:57. > :25:01.thank our remarkable emergency services. Can we have a debate when

:25:02. > :25:09.we return to congratulate them on their efforts? I am sure my

:25:10. > :25:16.honourable friend's constituent will be thankful for the tribute. I would

:25:17. > :25:19.send my best wishes to the two schools concern and to all who were

:25:20. > :25:27.caught up in that accident. Obviously it is a matter for the

:25:28. > :25:31.County Council to decide whether it wishes to review the highways issues

:25:32. > :25:35.involved. I would have thought, in view of what has happened, that it

:25:36. > :25:40.would be sensible for any local authority to take a fresh look at

:25:41. > :25:45.these things. I am sure with regard to a debate that my honourable

:25:46. > :25:48.friend is already skilled enough in how to seek adjournment debates in

:25:49. > :25:54.order to raise constituency issues of this tape.

:25:55. > :25:58.-- of this type. I think it was Harold Wilson who said it is a week

:25:59. > :26:02.that is a long time in politics. We vents in this place it feels like

:26:03. > :26:07.ten minutes is a long time in politics. It is of an essence for

:26:08. > :26:11.the backleader committee. Can I welcome you to your place. Can I

:26:12. > :26:15.thank you for confirming the business of the 8th September. If we

:26:16. > :26:19.are to confirm backbench debates f we were to be allocated that time,

:26:20. > :26:23.we would have to do it on Tuesday 6th. Can I ask the leader to

:26:24. > :26:29.confirm, by usual channels, please, as soon as possible, so we can deal

:26:30. > :26:35.with it on 6 6th September? I thank the honourable member for his words

:26:36. > :26:38.of welcome and I will make sure that the Backbench Business Committee

:26:39. > :26:44.gets proper notice so they are able to plan.

:26:45. > :26:49.Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am somewhat worried about the Europe minister,

:26:50. > :26:54.sorry, the Leader of the House, since he's been appointed, he's had

:26:55. > :26:58.a rather nasty gash on his forehead. There is a rumour when he was

:26:59. > :27:03.appointed the Prime Minister said, I have got some good news, David, you

:27:04. > :27:08.are no longer going to be the minister for Europe. And his reply

:27:09. > :27:12.was, that is great. I won't have to answer questions from the member for

:27:13. > :27:16.cleave Thorp, Shipley and Wellingborough. And when she told

:27:17. > :27:21.him he was going to become the Leader of the House, he started

:27:22. > :27:26.banging his head against the wall. Could the leader confirm that is not

:27:27. > :27:32.true and very much welcoming to Hezbollah post. That is not true,

:27:33. > :27:39.nor was it a the have sult of a visit to the European Scrutiny

:27:40. > :27:43.Committee. I am always overall with joy when in the company of my

:27:44. > :27:56.honourable friends for welling burger, Kettering, Shipley and...

:27:57. > :28:07.I do actually think that, you know, even where, as was the case over the

:28:08. > :28:09.issue of Europe, there was, you know, genuine principled differences

:28:10. > :28:18.between us. It is always important in this place that we acknowledge

:28:19. > :28:22.that differences that exist are held to honestly, honourably and on a

:28:23. > :28:26.principled basis and we should respect one and other, even when we

:28:27. > :28:32.differ profoundly. Thank you. Can I join in the welcome

:28:33. > :28:35.to the new leader of the House. I wonder when we might have a debate

:28:36. > :28:39.about the Government's life chances strategy and how it might help

:28:40. > :28:44.children of alcoholics. I am the child of an alcoholic. I grew up

:28:45. > :28:49.knowing what that hell was like. I was lucky. Children of alcoholics

:28:50. > :28:52.are three times more likely to contemplate suicide and three times

:28:53. > :28:57.more likely to become alcoholics themselves. This is not a marginal

:28:58. > :29:02.issue. It affectings 2.5 million children. That is one in five who

:29:03. > :29:05.are the innocent victims of drink. We couldn't change things for our

:29:06. > :29:11.parents, but we can for our children. This Government can help

:29:12. > :29:15.and we should debate how. The honourable member raises a very

:29:16. > :29:19.serious issue. I like, I suspect many other members of the House,

:29:20. > :29:24.have come across some of the very serious problems he has described in

:29:25. > :29:27.our own constituent case work. I will undertake to let my Right

:29:28. > :29:31.Honourable friend, the Secretary of State, know about the priority that

:29:32. > :29:33.he gives to this subject. I am sure that he will get a response from the

:29:34. > :29:43.department. Can the Leader of the House conduct

:29:44. > :29:47.a search party to find where the updated drug strategy has gone

:29:48. > :29:55.missing in Government and have a statement to reveal how the

:29:56. > :30:01.Government will tackle the growing residential rehab funding? With cuts

:30:02. > :30:05.in budget. And some areas, such as Birmingham not making any referrals

:30:06. > :30:09.to rehab, which means the end of life chances to many vulnerable

:30:10. > :30:15.addicts? My honourable friend makes the point powerfully. I shall draw

:30:16. > :30:19.those comments to the attention to the Secretary of State. Thank you,

:30:20. > :30:24.Mr Speaker. The EU referendum act 2016, which we baited in the last

:30:25. > :30:27.session does not obtain any requirements for the Government to

:30:28. > :30:33.implement the referendum nor to set a time limit when we should trigger

:30:34. > :30:37.Article 50. I have had a lot of constituents who have come to see me

:30:38. > :30:41.who are concerned. I have had a meeting with local form farmers who

:30:42. > :30:45.are concerned about the EU funding streams and asking for assurance on

:30:46. > :30:49.that. Can the Leader of the House clarify if we will have an

:30:50. > :30:53.opportunity to debate these very important matters as soon as

:30:54. > :30:58.possible after our return from the summer recess? Because of the

:30:59. > :31:02.principal of parliamentary sovereignty, it is ultimately for

:31:03. > :31:05.Parliament to determine our membership of the European Union,

:31:06. > :31:10.but the Government has consistently said and acted on the basis that the

:31:11. > :31:14.referendum outcome would be decisive and the Government would honour the

:31:15. > :31:20.result, whatever that result turned out to be and that is the approach

:31:21. > :31:25.that the Government intends to take. I think the country would expect no

:31:26. > :31:30.less. On the point, on the serious point she makes about agriculture,

:31:31. > :31:35.this is a matter that is very much at the top of the priority list for

:31:36. > :31:41.my Right Honourable friend the new DEFRA secretary. She is going to be

:31:42. > :31:45.considering, along with my Right Honourable friend, the Secretary

:31:46. > :31:50.Secretary of State for exit from the European Union, how we address this

:31:51. > :31:54.question of the next few years of farm funding while we are still in

:31:55. > :31:59.the EU. Particularly for those programmes that might carry on

:32:00. > :32:04.beyond the actual date of exit. I am sure there'll be opportunities for

:32:05. > :32:09.Parliament to debate this and other matters early on after recess. Of

:32:10. > :32:13.course my Right Honourable friend the Secretary of State for exit will

:32:14. > :32:16.have a dedicated Question Time where the honourable lady and other

:32:17. > :32:23.members will be able to press him on these matters.

:32:24. > :32:31.Will my Right Honourable Friend buying time for a debate on the

:32:32. > :32:33.dissolution of funds by Local Enterprise Partnerships? Southend

:32:34. > :32:36.was number four on the list and we have dramatically drop off the

:32:37. > :32:44.radar. Something needs to be looked at again. My understanding is that

:32:45. > :32:52.this was an internal decision by the Local Enterprise Partnership for

:32:53. > :32:56.South Essex and I would encourage My Honourable Friend first of all to

:32:57. > :33:04.make representations, I'm sure he will do, on behalf of his

:33:05. > :33:08.constituents, to the local LEP and I am sure that the Minister in the

:33:09. > :33:14.business Department will be keen to hear from him if there is no

:33:15. > :33:20.response. Can I welcome the on-board gentleman to his new post? I well

:33:21. > :33:23.recall the many happy though fruitless hours we spent together on

:33:24. > :33:31.the original EU Referendum Bill. Whatever happened to that? Can I

:33:32. > :33:38.support the members from opposite who raised the issue of Southern

:33:39. > :33:44.trains and the appalling service that they are failing to provide.

:33:45. > :33:46.The minute -- the Mayor of London has written to the Secretary of

:33:47. > :33:51.State for Transport suggesting he is prepared to take on the Southern

:33:52. > :33:54.franchise. In discussions with the Secretary of State in arranging a

:33:55. > :33:59.debate on government time in this matter, could he prevail upon him to

:34:00. > :34:04.accept the Mayor of London's offer or at least look into it in great

:34:05. > :34:10.detail? I am sure that the Secretary of State will want to consider all

:34:11. > :34:16.options. It's not really the franchise that is the answer. It is

:34:17. > :34:19.for the management to get on top of the operational difficulties that do

:34:20. > :34:24.exist, and for management and unions to sort out the industrial dispute

:34:25. > :34:32.that at the moment is aggravating matters. Tonight echoed the words of

:34:33. > :34:38.many members to welcome the new Leader of the House of Lords post,

:34:39. > :34:42.but also do his deputy, and I am sure that between them they will

:34:43. > :34:45.make an excellent team. I understand the new Secretary of State for

:34:46. > :34:51.Transport is visiting derby this afternoon to discuss the Midlands

:34:52. > :34:55.Engine, so can be have a debate on ensuring that the rail industry is

:34:56. > :35:03.given the same level of investment and to note that Midlands means the

:35:04. > :35:07.East as well as the West Midlands? I thank My Honourable Friend for her

:35:08. > :35:13.words of welcome to myself and the member for Northampton North. Yes is

:35:14. > :35:17.my answer. I think the fact that the Transport Secretary is visiting

:35:18. > :35:23.Derby today so early on in his tenure is a visible demonstration

:35:24. > :35:29.that the Midlands Engine is about the East Midlands as much as about

:35:30. > :35:37.the West Midlands, and the strategy that the government plans to have in

:35:38. > :35:44.place by March next year is multinodal, in the jargon and it

:35:45. > :35:49.will cover rail as well as roads. The backdating of child tax credits

:35:50. > :35:53.be on the manse was only made after a protracted process with two

:35:54. > :35:56.appeals to the adjudicator 's office, adding to the stress that

:35:57. > :36:02.the family. Will be set aside government time for a debate on

:36:03. > :36:10.errant and child and other relevant benefits after a lone parent dies?

:36:11. > :36:13.The details that the honourable gentleman has just given that

:36:14. > :36:20.particular case concerned me. I am sure that the relevant Minister at

:36:21. > :36:23.the Department for Work and Pensions will be happy to look into the

:36:24. > :36:30.details to see whether anything went wrong in the system. I welcome my

:36:31. > :36:35.Right Honourable Friend to his place. I wonder if he's had a chance

:36:36. > :36:39.to look at early day motion 351 in my name regarding the persecution of

:36:40. > :36:45.religious minorities in Bangladesh. This week I hosted a meeting

:36:46. > :36:51.commemorating a massacre 45 years ago and still, we see Hindu priests

:36:52. > :36:55.murdered and other minorities massacred. Can we have a debate in

:36:56. > :36:59.government time on reordering the overseas developing a wee gifted

:37:00. > :37:08.Bangladesh so that more money is given to the security of minorities

:37:09. > :37:11.rather than just capacity building? I will draw the attention of the

:37:12. > :37:17.Secretary of State Boynton National development to the last point the

:37:18. > :37:28.member made. It is a fact that Bangladesh is experiencing a wave of

:37:29. > :37:31.violent terrorism, driven by Islamist extremism, that is

:37:32. > :37:39.targeting religious and ethnic minorities as well as LGBT people

:37:40. > :37:47.and independent journalists and editors. This is something on which

:37:48. > :37:52.my Right Honourable Friend and his team at the Foreign and Commonwealth

:37:53. > :37:55.Office are in regular contact with ministers at all levels in the

:37:56. > :38:00.Bangladesh government, and we will continue to do everything we can to

:38:01. > :38:06.try to help the government of Bangladesh to bring about an end to

:38:07. > :38:17.these appalling incidents. I detect a new acronym creeping into the

:38:18. > :38:20.government language, PBO, post-Brexit opportunities. One of

:38:21. > :38:25.the most important thing is for business is connectivity, whether at

:38:26. > :38:30.the end the nations, regions, London or international markets. We need

:38:31. > :38:37.the Davis commission. It is long overdue. Can the leader of the, and

:38:38. > :38:43.I welcome him and his deputy to their positions, can he say whether

:38:44. > :38:46.he's had any indication from Number Ten the Department for Transport

:38:47. > :38:50.that we might have this statement September rather than later? I thank

:38:51. > :38:58.the honourable gentleman for his welcome. With a new Prime Minister

:38:59. > :39:02.and Transport Secretary, we will obviously, they will obviously want

:39:03. > :39:07.to breathe themselves stubbornly on the Davis commission conclusions and

:39:08. > :39:12.the other issues around this very important decision, but I know that

:39:13. > :39:15.my Right Honourable Friend the Prime Minister believes it would be right

:39:16. > :39:19.to take the decision as soon as is of. As soon as the government is in

:39:20. > :39:24.a position to make a statement to the House, we will do so. I am

:39:25. > :39:30.delighted that my Right Honourable Friend is in his post. And that the

:39:31. > :39:35.deputy will is in his post, too. I what Mac them to the front bench.

:39:36. > :39:38.Could we have a debate on the welfare of dogs? There's much

:39:39. > :39:43.material that could used in such a debate such as the appalling

:39:44. > :39:47.practice of dogfighting, the terrible distress caused by the

:39:48. > :39:51.theft of dogs that has happened to a number of my constituents, but also,

:39:52. > :39:54.with the hot weather we've seen recently, dogs being left in cars in

:39:55. > :40:03.hot weather and getting into a great deal of distress. Last weekend the

:40:04. > :40:07.RSPCA's 24-hour emergency helpline had 160 reports of dogs left in hot

:40:08. > :40:11.environments. I suspect that will be much worse this week which has been

:40:12. > :40:15.unseasonably hot. And we have debated what ancient to the welfare

:40:16. > :40:21.of dogs and how things like that can cause unnecessary distress? My

:40:22. > :40:31.Honourable Friend raises an important issue for those of us

:40:32. > :40:33.concerned about animal welfare. His reference to how people sometimes

:40:34. > :40:42.leave pet dogs in cars in hot weather, he alighted upon the fact

:40:43. > :40:45.that often, it is not a matter of need for new legislation, it is a

:40:46. > :40:52.matter of people recognising that they have a responsibility to care

:40:53. > :40:59.for the animals that they own. And if a debate in able is My Honourable

:41:00. > :41:02.Friend to highlight that, I can see the benefit of such a debate taking

:41:03. > :41:08.place. I would I reckon either towards the edge of the debate

:41:09. > :41:14.process of backbench business committee, where he find those

:41:15. > :41:18.opportunities. Can I congratulate the leader on winning the year's

:41:19. > :41:26.prize for the most reduced carbon footprint? Can I also join in the

:41:27. > :41:33.tributes to Noleen Delaney who serve us with discretion, and was ready

:41:34. > :41:38.with consideration and chat, and typical of her Donegal decency,

:41:39. > :41:43.another gossip. Can I ask the leader feed commission a study into how

:41:44. > :41:46.many amendments this Chamber discharges in groups of amendments

:41:47. > :41:54.without any debate whatsoever, which then leads it to the unelected up

:41:55. > :41:59.the building to get Dean Harrison but the patient of being the key

:42:00. > :42:03.amending Chamber. In this age of taking control, can this Chamber

:42:04. > :42:07.take more control of the legislation that passes through this Parliament?

:42:08. > :42:14.Can I thank the honourable gentleman for his words of welcome? He does

:42:15. > :42:19.raise an important point. I think there's responsibility on ministers

:42:20. > :42:26.first of all to make sure that when bills are brought to the House, they

:42:27. > :42:33.are technically sound and that the policy has been properly worked out,

:42:34. > :42:39.so that there is no ambiguity about the invention of a particular

:42:40. > :42:41.clause. And I think there is then a responsibility on the House,

:42:42. > :42:46.collectively, through the programming process, to try to

:42:47. > :42:52.ensure that bills are probably debated, that we don't waste time

:42:53. > :42:57.simply scoring party political points, but Achilles at committee

:42:58. > :43:00.and report stage, but allocate time fairly so that all aspects of the

:43:01. > :43:04.bill can be properly considered. There are lessons for the government

:43:05. > :43:09.but for the House collectively as to how we might do our job better. Many

:43:10. > :43:15.of my constituents have raised the issue of the awareness and treat of

:43:16. > :43:20.lines disease. I was recently diagnosed after a constituent came

:43:21. > :43:25.to my surgery and raise awareness of the symptoms. There is a stark issue

:43:26. > :43:30.over the clarity of the treatment that is available and should be

:43:31. > :43:41.used. Well the leader of the consider a debate in government time

:43:42. > :43:45.on this important issue I am aware from a constituency case of my own

:43:46. > :43:49.about some of the treatments that are or are not available, and I will

:43:50. > :43:58.make sure that the Minister for health is aware of My Honourable

:43:59. > :44:03.Friend's concern and response to it. I'd like to congratulate the

:44:04. > :44:05.Minister on his new position. There seems to be a growing consensus

:44:06. > :44:10.across the House in opposition to the proposals for the member for

:44:11. > :44:18.Tatton to drive up as Channel 4, the latest team the honourable member

:44:19. > :44:21.for Wantage yesterday. When is he going to come to this House and make

:44:22. > :44:27.a statement that there's valuable asset is kept in public ownership?

:44:28. > :44:35.This will be one of the many items on the agenda of My Honourable

:44:36. > :44:38.Friend, the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and I

:44:39. > :44:41.am sure she will want to spend the summer considering this and other

:44:42. > :44:48.matters and will report to the House as soon as she is able. May I

:44:49. > :44:54.welcome the leader and his deputy? Could we have a debate on the better

:44:55. > :44:58.care fund and how it applies in Staffordshire? We've seen ?15

:44:59. > :45:03.million not given to Staffordshire County Council as a result of which

:45:04. > :45:08.services such as the drugs services referred to by the member for Bury

:45:09. > :45:13.and Portugal and four in sealed Southgate are to be caustically

:45:14. > :45:23.reduced in addition to numbers of health visitors. -- the member for

:45:24. > :45:28.Enfield Southgate. There is a responsibility on central government

:45:29. > :45:32.to set the overall budget for local authorities and the National Health

:45:33. > :45:36.Service, and the responsibilities of local authorities and local NHS

:45:37. > :45:43.management to ensure that their services are structured in a way

:45:44. > :45:50.that maximises the value for each pound that is spent. That sometimes

:45:51. > :45:55.means a need for significant reforms in how services are delivered. I

:45:56. > :46:02.take note of what My Honourable Friend says about Staffordshire. I

:46:03. > :46:05.am sure that he will want to seize opportunities to question the

:46:06. > :46:09.Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for

:46:10. > :46:13.Communities and Local Government after the recess to make those

:46:14. > :46:18.points directly to the ministers. The new Leader of the House has the

:46:19. > :46:21.respect of the House because of the courteous way he is operated in his

:46:22. > :46:30.previous ministerial positions. And can I pay tribute to Noreen Delaney

:46:31. > :46:34.for her 30 years of public service in this House was matter I'd like to

:46:35. > :46:40.have a debate about Personal Independence Payments. I constituent

:46:41. > :46:46.of mine was refused it when she was out of the country for 54 weeks when

:46:47. > :46:54.the legislation says he cannot be out for more than 32. She was

:46:55. > :46:58.involved in a serious car accident in Australia, and it took a long

:46:59. > :47:01.time in intensive care and in the spinal injuries unit and a long time

:47:02. > :47:06.to coordinate the specialist spinal unit in Glasgow and landing

:47:07. > :47:10.certificates in Dubai to get home, which meant she was 54 weeks out of

:47:11. > :47:15.the country. This surely is not fair, and a reasonable person would

:47:16. > :47:19.see that this is not there. She's now in a wheelchair and requires

:47:20. > :47:20.that additional support and I hope that the Minister would be able to

:47:21. > :47:33.look at it. Clearly there have to be rules that

:47:34. > :47:38.govern the payment of all kinds of welfare benefits. What the

:47:39. > :47:43.honourable gentleman described was a case where he felt there were very

:47:44. > :47:49.powerful circumstances. If he cares to write to me with the details of

:47:50. > :47:53.that, I will refer it to the relevant minister at DWP and make

:47:54. > :47:58.sure he gets the response. The Leader of the House is clearly

:47:59. > :48:04.enjoying his new role. I warmly congratulate him on his appointment.

:48:05. > :48:09.The future of health care in Shropshire has been on hold for

:48:10. > :48:15.three years while there are maybe closures to A and B. They are unable

:48:16. > :48:22.to make a decision. It is in a severe state of para sis. This has

:48:23. > :48:27.cost over ?3 million and has caused poor moral at the hospital in

:48:28. > :48:32.Telford. Can we please have a debate on the issue. From the description

:48:33. > :48:39.that my honourable friend has given of the situation in Shropshire, it

:48:40. > :48:44.would seem to me that what is needed is certainty, that the local NHS

:48:45. > :48:48.management, including the senior clinicians, who will be part of

:48:49. > :48:51.those teams, need to decide what they want and argue their

:48:52. > :48:57.justification for any changes they wish to make. In terms of a debate,

:48:58. > :49:03.again, this strikes me as something which may well fall within the scope

:49:04. > :49:07.of an adjournment debate that either a ballot or Mr Speaker might be able

:49:08. > :49:14.to make available to my honourable friend.

:49:15. > :49:17.Mr Speaker, today's order paper shows a written statement on the UK

:49:18. > :49:24.commission on employment and skills. I don't think it has yet been

:49:25. > :49:28.published online. The education skills and sub committee has

:49:29. > :49:36.expressed regret at the closure of the commission. I wonder if he will

:49:37. > :49:43.join me on congratulating the achievement. And it also, in

:49:44. > :49:47.commending the record of independent analysis and advice, successive

:49:48. > :49:52.Governments. Isn't it a shame that the enthusiasm of the Government

:49:53. > :49:57.which set up the this is not shared by the current Government?

:49:58. > :50:01.I am happy to join The Right Honourable gentleman in expressing

:50:02. > :50:06.thanks to the committee and its leadership for all the work that

:50:07. > :50:11.they have done, but it is also the fact that from time to time

:50:12. > :50:15.Governments of all political colours need to review the institutions

:50:16. > :50:24.through which policy is delivered and this is one of those occasions.

:50:25. > :50:28.Can I welcome and congratulate the new leader unr and his deputy on

:50:29. > :50:33.their well deserved promotion to the front bench. I look forward to my

:50:34. > :50:38.Right Honourable friend 's appearance before the procedure

:50:39. > :50:41.committee. Can we please have a debate on the written ministerial

:50:42. > :50:47.statement issued by the Prime Minister on Monday to the changes to

:50:48. > :50:50.the ma sheepry of Government, and in particular the establishment of the

:50:51. > :50:54.new Government department. This will give members across the House an

:50:55. > :50:59.opportunity to consider what consequences flow from these

:51:00. > :51:06.changes. The leader did mention, briefly, that there would be a

:51:07. > :51:11.Question Time set aside. But, is that one question time for one or

:51:12. > :51:15.each department? How long will it be and will the Government create new

:51:16. > :51:18.Select Committees so that backbenchers can scrutinise these

:51:19. > :51:23.new committees and therefore, I think it would be important if we

:51:24. > :51:28.had a debate in Government time as soon as possible.

:51:29. > :51:32.I am grateful to my honourable friend for his welcome. I will

:51:33. > :51:39.certainly look forward to the opportunity of appearing before the

:51:40. > :51:44.Scrutiny Committee. I have already had a meeting with the procedure

:51:45. > :51:49.committee, I should have said. I had a meeting with the honourable

:51:50. > :51:55.member... I am released of the Scrutiny Committee. I have had a

:51:56. > :52:02.meeting the member, the chair of the Procedure Committee, to discuss some

:52:03. > :52:06.issues. And I hope that there'll be a fruitful dialogue on procedure. On

:52:07. > :52:13.the particular points he made, I can confirm that there will be dedicated

:52:14. > :52:20.question times for the new Government departments and a

:52:21. > :52:23.schedule of those question times should be made available very soon,

:52:24. > :52:29.if it has not already been published. There will also be a need

:52:30. > :52:35.for new Select Committees to be established. I hope that we can mo

:52:36. > :52:41.forward with that in the autumn. That is not a matter for Government,

:52:42. > :52:47.that is a matter for the House. I also welcome the leader to his

:52:48. > :52:52.place and congratulate the member for birkshire, who must be the

:52:53. > :52:59.longest serving spokesperson. Will he look at the private member

:53:00. > :53:03.bills, the current system is discredited, despite the massive

:53:04. > :53:07.success that SNP members had in the ballot. We need an urgent debate on

:53:08. > :53:12.reform. This is one of the issues which the chair of the Procedure

:53:13. > :53:17.Committee has raised with me. I have said as a new leader of the House I

:53:18. > :53:20.will take a fresh look at. This but at this stage I think the honourable

:53:21. > :53:22.gentleman will understand that I am not going to make any commitments

:53:23. > :53:32.either way. I warmly congratulate my honourable

:53:33. > :53:37.friend and his Northamptonshire deputy on their promotions. As one

:53:38. > :53:40.of his first acts in office, will he arrange when we come back for a

:53:41. > :53:45.statement from the Secretary of State for Health about the financial

:53:46. > :53:51.situation of hospitals in high-growth areas? Kettering General

:53:52. > :53:55.Hospital is a fantastic hospital. The directors, clinicians, staff,

:53:56. > :54:00.nurses and ancillary staff do a tremendous job. Last year the

:54:01. > :54:06.deficit was ?6.7 million. This year ?11.2 million and next year

:54:07. > :54:10.projected to be ?15 million. Last year, almost 400,000 people came to

:54:11. > :54:15.the hospital for treatment and the number of houses being built in the

:54:16. > :54:19.local area and the rise in the local population is placing an incredible

:54:20. > :54:24.strain on our local hospitals. Something needs to be done about

:54:25. > :54:26.this. Will the leader of the House arrange for the Secretary of State

:54:27. > :54:30.for Health to make a statement to the House?

:54:31. > :54:37.I thank my honourable friend for his welcome. As a member who himself

:54:38. > :54:41.represents another such high-growth area, I mean these are issues with

:54:42. > :54:48.which I am very familiar indeed. I think what I would say to my

:54:49. > :54:52.honourable friend is that these matters need to be looked at

:54:53. > :54:56.holistically because it is not a question simply of looking at the

:54:57. > :55:01.provision of hospital services, but at looking at the treatment of

:55:02. > :55:08.health services as a whole, because sometimes these pressures can be

:55:09. > :55:12.eased by some sensible reconfiguration of services overall

:55:13. > :55:15.that take account of the way in which medical science has moved on,

:55:16. > :55:19.with more people able to be treated as out patients or day patients

:55:20. > :55:25.rather than have a long in-patient stay in hospital. I draw the points

:55:26. > :55:29.about Kettering that my honourable friend has drawn to the attention of

:55:30. > :55:37.the Health Secretary. Can I welcome the new leader of the House. In 2012

:55:38. > :55:43.my 14-year-old constituent Ellie blackman was diagnosed - and her

:55:44. > :55:50.treatment included having her leg amputated above the knee. She wished

:55:51. > :55:56.to have a drug she was prescribed but could not tolerate when she was

:55:57. > :56:03.younger. Her oncologist advocated for her but could not fund, even

:56:04. > :56:08.though if th is if first new drug to be acted with this tumour in 30

:56:09. > :56:12.years. Can we have a debate on introducing new drugs in rare

:56:13. > :56:17.tumours for children which are so needed by remarkable young people

:56:18. > :56:22.such as Ellie? Mr Speaker, well, I am not familiar with obvious reasons

:56:23. > :56:27.with the case or the particular drug that the honourable lady mentions. I

:56:28. > :56:31.will draw her remarks to the attention of the responsible health

:56:32. > :56:35.minister and I would suggest this is precisely the sort of subject for

:56:36. > :56:40.which an adjournment debate in the autumn might be suitable. Thank you,

:56:41. > :56:43.Mr Speaker. I joined in the congratulations to the leader and

:56:44. > :56:50.the deputy on their new roles. Earlier this week, a critical report

:56:51. > :56:54.from CQC was published, branding a care home in my constituency

:56:55. > :56:58.inadequate. This is a continuation of a serious of number of critical

:56:59. > :57:05.reports, some of which have resulted in the closure of those homes. Could

:57:06. > :57:09.we have a debate about the criteria that the CQC operate and whether it

:57:10. > :57:17.is more rigorous or if there has been a decline in the standards of

:57:18. > :57:23.these care homes? My honourable friend makes a good case there. I

:57:24. > :57:28.hope that this is a subject he might want to take to the Backbench

:57:29. > :57:32.Business Committee because the questions that he has raised this

:57:33. > :57:35.afternoon are ones that I know will concern a very large number of

:57:36. > :57:42.constituencies and a very large number of members and all parties.

:57:43. > :57:47.Thank you, Mr Speaker. Given the frightening rise of bigoted and

:57:48. > :57:53.racist incidents against EU nationals, will the minister call a

:57:54. > :57:57.debate on EU nations living and working in the UK before 23rd June

:57:58. > :58:02.the right to demain, so we can push this Government to make the right

:58:03. > :58:07.decision and fight bigotry in this country? As my Right Honourable

:58:08. > :58:14.friend, the Prime Minister, has been clear that our objective is we

:58:15. > :58:17.should ensure there is indeed a legally-biepding agreement that

:58:18. > :58:22.people who are here lawfully are able to stay and equally that

:58:23. > :58:27.British citizens who are lawfully resident in other EU member-states

:58:28. > :58:30.should be able to continue living or studying or working there after we

:58:31. > :58:37.leave the European Union. These are things that I think will

:58:38. > :58:43.have to be dealt with, I hope early on, in the forthcoming negotiations.

:58:44. > :58:48.But on the point about the physical attacks and the abuse directed and

:58:49. > :58:54.directed I have to say not just at EU nationals, but sometimes at

:58:55. > :58:59.people from other ethnic or religious minorities in this

:59:00. > :59:05.country, I feel that -- think they bring shame upon this country. I

:59:06. > :59:09.think that all of us have a responsibility to denounce such

:59:10. > :59:13.behaviour, make it clear that that has no place, whatsoever, in our

:59:14. > :59:20.society. And I have always found that those honourable members who

:59:21. > :59:24.have, for principled, honourable reasons taken a stance opposing the

:59:25. > :59:28.UK's membership of the European Union, have always been vehement in

:59:29. > :59:34.saying that this sort of behaviour has no place in the kind of society

:59:35. > :59:39.that they want to live in. Thank you. May I also warmly

:59:40. > :59:43.congratulate my honourable friend and his deputy on their new

:59:44. > :59:48.appointments. Can I draw his attention to a manifesto commitment

:59:49. > :59:54.which ought to now be honoured, that is the 15-year rule for overseas

:59:55. > :59:57.voters. There are one million people disenfranchised by this exemption.

:59:58. > :00:01.It is a particularly sore subject among those living in the European

:00:02. > :00:09.Union at the moment who are denied a vote in the referendum.

:00:10. > :00:14.The Government remains committed to new legislation that will lift the

:00:15. > :00:28.15-year bar, something introduced by Mr Blar's Government during its --

:00:29. > :00:35.Mr Blair's time in office. We would have to establish a new system of

:00:36. > :00:40.voter res voter registration, which is not straightforward given that

:00:41. > :00:47.voter registers no longer exist for periods that go back earlier than 15

:00:48. > :00:51.years. We have to find some way of allocating the individuals, to

:00:52. > :00:56.constituents and verifying a previous place of residence. My

:00:57. > :01:03.honourable friends are at work on this matter already. What he said

:01:04. > :01:08.earlier, can I remind him it was a Labour Government that introduced

:01:09. > :01:11.the national minimum wage against strenuous Tory opposition. I

:01:12. > :01:17.remember it well because I voted for the change. But can I ask the leader

:01:18. > :01:23.of the House n view of the further situation in Turkey, the state of

:01:24. > :01:26.emergency, the thousands more, teachers, academics, judges,

:01:27. > :01:30.journalists, who are now being suspended from work, travel ban and

:01:31. > :01:35.all the other measures, apart from those who have been arrested, can we

:01:36. > :01:39.have a statement today on the situation, baring in mind the House

:01:40. > :01:43.will -- bearing in mind the House will not meet until 15th September?

:01:44. > :01:46.Will the British Government make it quite clear to the Turkish

:01:47. > :01:50.authorities that what is happening is causing deep concern in this

:01:51. > :01:53.country. It doesn't seem to be the most effective way of dealing with

:01:54. > :02:45.those who plotted a coup last week. introduced a and the Conservative

:02:46. > :04:48.that has As the leader of the House will

:04:49. > :04:53.know, the defence committee of which I am a member has had

:04:54. > :04:58.recommendations which include the establishment of a safety authority,

:04:59. > :05:02.the introduction of a duty holder of the armed forced and the

:05:03. > :05:04.recommendations that the MoD take it widely so, the families can have

:05:05. > :06:15.confidence. And I think it would be wrong for me

:06:16. > :06:25.to speculate about lessons to be learned until we know the outcome of

:06:26. > :06:30.those reports. I receptdly convened a support and

:06:31. > :06:35.campaign group for women of Livingstone and one of my

:06:36. > :06:38.constituents raised the matter that her divorce settlement was

:06:39. > :06:41.predicated on the age of which she would retire and get her pension.

:06:42. > :06:46.That has been moved by a number of years. Will The Right Honourable

:06:47. > :06:51.gentleman, who I welcomed to his place, perhaps have a discussion

:06:52. > :06:56.with his colleague, the Work and Pensions Secretary, to look at this

:06:57. > :07:07.issue, in the hope that fresh eyes will not bring the same style ideas

:07:08. > :07:11.but bring justice for the women? This is something the House has

:07:12. > :07:19.voted on recently. I don't want to, in I anyway, suggest there is likely

:07:20. > :07:23.to be a change in policy on this matter.ly report to the honourable

:07:24. > :07:28.lady's concerns to my honourable friend at the DWP. I gently say

:07:29. > :07:31.everybody will get in. The honourable gentleman for

:07:32. > :07:35.Huddersfield is a fine man s the human equivalent of a smouldering

:07:36. > :07:39.volcano, as he sits on the benches, waiting to be called with ever

:07:40. > :07:42.growing frustration at the fact he's not yet been called. I say, the

:07:43. > :07:49.honourable gentleman will get in. He's been there long enough to know

:07:50. > :07:53.it didn't always be that way. People didn't always get in. As much as I

:07:54. > :07:58.admire the honourable gentleman, he has, if I may politely say so, a

:07:59. > :08:03.slightly underdeveloped sense of others and I cannot help but think

:08:04. > :08:09.if he spoke three times in the day, he would think, why on earth didn't

:08:10. > :08:22.I get called to speak a fourth. We are saving him up. He's a specialist

:08:23. > :08:28.delicacy in the House! Thank you. I would like to welcome the honourable

:08:29. > :08:38.gentleman to his place. 34-year-old Kate Grainger is in a hospice die

:08:39. > :08:45.from terminal cancer. She help with a campaign. This week she achieved

:08:46. > :08:48.her aim of raising 250,000 for a Yorkshire cancer charity. Her dying

:08:49. > :08:53.wish is to have the new Prime Minister endorse her campaign. Could

:08:54. > :08:57.the leader of the House possibly use his considerable powers of

:08:58. > :09:08.persuasion to facilitate this amazing lady's dying wish? The case

:09:09. > :09:18.that the honourable lady describes strikes me as inspiring.

:09:19. > :09:22.And I would want to pass on immediately sympathy, but also

:09:23. > :09:28.admiration to the family and friends of the young lady.

:09:29. > :09:32.And I will, of course, if the honourable lady would like to write

:09:33. > :09:37.to me with details, I will be in touch with the Prime Minister.

:09:38. > :09:44.I find it very positive to hear the Leader of the House condemn the

:09:45. > :09:47.racist incidents which took place post EU referendum. It was

:09:48. > :09:50.unfortunate that the Prime Minister didn't take the opportunity on

:09:51. > :09:54.Wednesday when she had the opportunity to condemn the

:09:55. > :09:59.unforgivably racist language used by the new Foreign Secretary, I wonder

:10:00. > :10:04.if we can have a debate in Government time on the importance of

:10:05. > :10:10.our roles on all of us here, on the language used and the impact it has

:10:11. > :10:15.on other people? I think, as you, Mr Speaker, remind us regularly. We all

:10:16. > :10:18.need to bear in mind the impact which the language we choose has

:10:19. > :10:36.outside this building. I would reiterate that I have been

:10:37. > :10:43.genuinely shocked by the way in which, in recent weeks, decent,

:10:44. > :10:49.law-abiding people who, in many cases have been living here 20, 30

:10:50. > :10:55.years have been subjected to abuse or even worse. And I think it is

:10:56. > :10:59.very important that all of us, which other political party we are from,

:11:00. > :11:04.and whichever side we've supported during the referendum campaign, need

:11:05. > :11:17.to come together and say that type of behaviour has no place in our

:11:18. > :11:20.society. I have just been advised by a distinguished bewigged counsellor

:11:21. > :11:27.to the cheer that alternatives to smouldering volcano are pregnant

:11:28. > :11:38.volcano and imminently explosive volcano. Mr Barry Shearman. As a

:11:39. > :11:44.genuine backbencher, night ask, can I welcome the leader of the studies

:11:45. > :11:46.position? I hope that he will be a good force for making sure that this

:11:47. > :11:52.is about business questions rather than some of the things that go on

:11:53. > :11:56.under the name or business questions, and I can say to the

:11:57. > :11:59.Speaker who called him an egg head, I hope I didn't cause offence, but

:12:00. > :12:04.those who did work on the European Private Members' Bill watched him in

:12:05. > :12:13.action would believe also that he must have had some training in

:12:14. > :12:18.acting and drama, just as everything he does at the dispatch box ingests

:12:19. > :12:22.that's the case. I was a smouldering volcano Mr Speaker because I would

:12:23. > :12:26.not say it was about time we had a debate in this House on the barriers

:12:27. > :12:30.to people with autism to living a full life. We've had the Chair of

:12:31. > :12:35.the autism commission make a fantastic report to the barriers in

:12:36. > :12:41.the health service to autistic people living a full life. Surely an

:12:42. > :12:46.early debate when we get back on that subject would be welcomed, even

:12:47. > :12:54.by the Speaker. Can I first of all thank the right honourable gentleman

:12:55. > :12:58.for his welcome? I agree with him that, as a House, as a country, this

:12:59. > :13:04.question of giving greater opportunity to people with autistic

:13:05. > :13:07.spectrum disorders is something to which we should turn our attention.

:13:08. > :13:16.I would hope that this might be a matter which the backbench business

:13:17. > :13:20.committee should see as a priority. I am more of a slow burner than a

:13:21. > :13:25.smouldering volcano but I am still very passionate! Can I welcome the

:13:26. > :13:29.new of the House of Lords Place? Can I ask him for a debate or statement

:13:30. > :13:35.in government time on the effect witness of the assessment process on

:13:36. > :13:41.the stability of mandatory reconsideration and the cost to the

:13:42. > :13:43.taxpayer of the tribunal process for Personal Independence Payments,

:13:44. > :13:52.because many of these are causing great distress to claimants in Wales

:13:53. > :13:58.and across the UK? I thank the honourable lady for her welcome.

:13:59. > :14:00.These are clearly matters that My Honourable Friend is in the

:14:01. > :14:04.Department for Work and Pensions will wish to consider. I will draw

:14:05. > :14:07.her remarks to their attention. I think that the quickest way in which

:14:08. > :14:14.to bring these matters before the House would be to raise these in the

:14:15. > :14:20.first DWP questions after we come back. It was last September the

:14:21. > :14:22.government announced they were likely to publish Teachout heard of

:14:23. > :14:30.obesity strategy in the autumn. Orton came and went. Winter came and

:14:31. > :14:34.went, spring came and went and it was an urgent question that he

:14:35. > :14:38.granted me kindly in May, and the public-health minister stood at the

:14:39. > :14:44.dispatch box and told the House the strategy would be published before

:14:45. > :14:50.the summer recess giving members the opportunity to debate thoroughly the

:14:51. > :14:57.contents therein. Where is it? I think while this is undoubtedly an

:14:58. > :15:00.important issue, there have been one or two other political events in the

:15:01. > :15:06.last few weeks that have meant that a number of other announcements have

:15:07. > :15:11.been postponed. We have a new public-health minister in place now.

:15:12. > :15:18.I am sure that My Honourable Friend will want to give urgent attention

:15:19. > :15:28.to this point. I would also like to welcomed the new leader. I pay

:15:29. > :15:35.tribute to his wisdom in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which will

:15:36. > :15:41.be much missed, I fear, in future. I would like to ask him to page of U2

:15:42. > :15:50.Noreen Delaney, a very long serving person in this House for her

:15:51. > :15:59.service. I would also ask about the cat at Number Ten, seems to be in a

:16:00. > :16:06.sorry situation, is it because he misses the old Prime Minister and

:16:07. > :16:10.does the new Prime Minister care for the welfare of cats as much as the

:16:11. > :16:15.old Prime Minister did? And I want specifically to ask for a statement

:16:16. > :16:20.or debate as soon as we get back in September on the situation in

:16:21. > :16:27.Turkey, which is very serious. Some of my own friends have been arrested

:16:28. > :16:32.in this first round of arrests and also, the ongoing humanitarian

:16:33. > :16:37.disaster in Syria. Behrami only 100,000 people in detention, some of

:16:38. > :16:42.them in very bad conditions and I ask if the Home Office could keep --

:16:43. > :16:49.the Foreign Office could keep their eye on the ball on these issues? Can

:16:50. > :16:53.I thank the right honourable member for her kind remarks? I think that

:16:54. > :17:00.on the two foreign policy questions that she raised, whilst the House is

:17:01. > :17:07.in recess, the work of government will go on and the Foreign Office

:17:08. > :17:14.will be maintaining a very close watch on evidence both in Turkey and

:17:15. > :17:19.in Syria. And my Right Honourable Friend the Development Secretary

:17:20. > :17:23.will of course also maintain not just a keen interest in these

:17:24. > :17:26.humanitarian disasters, to which she alluded, but also in making sure

:17:27. > :17:32.that the pledges made by this country and other countries, to put

:17:33. > :17:37.money down to help those in such enormous need in Syria and

:17:38. > :17:45.neighbouring countries, are delivered in practice and that the

:17:46. > :17:48.aid gets through to them. I am sure that my Right Honourable Friend the

:17:49. > :17:51.Foreign Secretary will wish to keep the House up they did when we return

:17:52. > :17:57.from recess at about what is happening in that region. On the

:17:58. > :18:04.other matter she mentioned, I can completely reassure her about the

:18:05. > :18:10.Prime Minister's good intentions towards a Larry the cat. I saw some

:18:11. > :18:13.reports in the media that he had been involved in a fracas with the

:18:14. > :18:19.Foreign Office cat, but I hope that they have now established a modus

:18:20. > :18:30.vivendi. Eagle-eyed members would have

:18:31. > :18:41.noticed some 30 whether itten statements to be made by the

:18:42. > :18:46.Government on today's order paper. Will the leader wish to dispel any

:18:47. > :18:53.cynicism by giving members a debate to consider and discuss the contents

:18:54. > :19:00.of this statement on our return? I thank the honourable lady for her

:19:01. > :19:02.welcome. She's miss construing the Government's intention, which is to

:19:03. > :19:10.put the information before Parliament. I think the honourable

:19:11. > :19:14.lady would have had much more cause for grieve vans had ministers

:19:15. > :19:17.withheld this information which instead is being made available. The

:19:18. > :19:22.opportunity is there now for all members of the House to look at the

:19:23. > :19:26.announcements being made in the written ministerial statements, to

:19:27. > :19:32.come to a considered view about them and then to return to the fray in

:19:33. > :19:35.September, ready to question and challenge ministers on the basis of

:19:36. > :19:42.some time for analysis and reflection.

:19:43. > :19:47.On a fine ending, Mr Speaker, when he was Europe minister, I confess I

:19:48. > :19:53.used to feel sorry for him given he was sent out here like a lamp to the

:19:54. > :19:56.wolves every so often. I still do. He's left behind the finest salons

:19:57. > :20:04.of Europe to come here every Thursday to fend off requests for

:20:05. > :20:09.debates on Southern Rail, which I am fed up haeshing about. Nonetheless I

:20:10. > :20:14.-- fed up of hearing about. Nonetheless I welcome him. We heard

:20:15. > :20:18.about vauk haul, over the fact that recalling almost 300,000 vehicles,

:20:19. > :20:23.over 300 of them have spontaneously burst into flames, putting families

:20:24. > :20:28.and consumers in danger. On top of that, we have also had the vaux

:20:29. > :20:33.wagon scandal over the past 12 months. Can we have a debate on the

:20:34. > :20:41.car industry, so we can push them to get their act together and stop

:20:42. > :20:44.putting people's lives at risk and endangering public health, so we can

:20:45. > :20:50.get the Government to get its finger out and bring this industry to book.

:20:51. > :20:55.I think that what would be the right sequence of events would be for us

:20:56. > :21:00.to see the report from the Transport Select Committee that no doubt will

:21:01. > :21:05.make recommendations to the Government and to other parties and

:21:06. > :21:08.then to have the benefit of the committee's findings, and of the

:21:09. > :21:12.evidence that was taken by the committee, when the House comes to

:21:13. > :21:15.debate this subject. As the honourable gentleman knows there are

:21:16. > :21:17.opportunities during the parliamentary year for Select

:21:18. > :21:21.Committee reports to be debated, either on the floor of the House or

:21:22. > :21:26.in Westminster Hall and if there is a strong body of support for this

:21:27. > :21:33.report to be so debated, then that seems to be a good opportunity. I

:21:34. > :21:37.say finally to him that while I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent

:21:38. > :21:41.serving in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, it is to this

:21:42. > :21:45.House that I sought election in the first place and I reward having been

:21:46. > :21:52.asked by the Prime Minister to serve as leader of the House of Commons as

:21:53. > :22:00.an enormous privilege and an enormous opportunity that I have no

:22:01. > :22:04.regrets whatsoever. I think this is something I still find... It is

:22:05. > :22:08.amazing after being elected to this place on behalf of your constituents

:22:09. > :22:13.to be asked to serve as leader of the House is a privilege indeed.

:22:14. > :22:22.THE SPEAKER: Thank you to the leader and all colleagues who took part in

:22:23. > :22:26.those exchanges. I wish colleagues a very enjoyable, stimulating, but

:22:27. > :22:31.restful, we hope, recess. A point of order, Mr Graham Jones. Thank you.

:22:32. > :22:34.Today the Government rushed out some 21 ministerial statements, right on

:22:35. > :22:42.recess day, which is appalling in itself. But not one was on

:22:43. > :22:45.fixed-odds betting terminals T sustainable communities act

:22:46. > :22:49.application, which sits in the department, lodged by Newham Council

:22:50. > :22:55.and 95 other councils, is the biggest application under the act,

:22:56. > :23:01.with the LGA, to lower fixed-odds betting terminals from ?100 to ?2

:23:02. > :23:04.was lodged in December, 2015. More than six months have now passed and

:23:05. > :23:09.we're at the summer recess. I understand that the deadline for

:23:10. > :23:14.this was 14th July and only one meeting has taken place, thanked was

:23:15. > :23:19.a preliminary meeting between the department and the LGA. The minister

:23:20. > :23:23.has failed to update the House on the meetings with the LGA, failed to

:23:24. > :23:27.indicate what those meetings, that first meeting was about. Which is

:23:28. > :23:32.implicit under the conditions of the act. The act requires that the

:23:33. > :23:34.Government must try to reach agreement by constructive

:23:35. > :23:43.negotiation between the LGA and the Government. Which must act in good

:23:44. > :23:47.faith w the provision that all DCS support evidence is included. What

:23:48. > :23:52.advice would you give me, you know, on this matter, which I think is an

:23:53. > :23:58.appalling dereliction of responsibility?

:23:59. > :24:01.THE SPEAKER: My first advice of a point of order is it should be

:24:02. > :24:07.brief. It is not a matter for the chair. He has, through the device of

:24:08. > :24:11.the point of order, registered his dissatisfaction very forcefully.

:24:12. > :24:17.Unforted natly he has done so in the presence of the leader of the House

:24:18. > :24:22.and of the deputy, together with a number of representatives of the

:24:23. > :24:24.patronage secretary as well. My further observation to the

:24:25. > :24:30.honourable gentleman is if he is able to contribute to the second

:24:31. > :24:37.adjournment debate this afternoon, and it is up to him whether he seeks

:24:38. > :24:41.to do so, he might illicit a response from the Government to the

:24:42. > :24:46.points that he's raised. Admittedly he will not have a responsible

:24:47. > :24:50.departmental minister to answer today. He might, as I say, because

:24:51. > :24:56.there is collective responsibility in Government, be able to attract

:24:57. > :25:01.some sort of response. I can tell he's extremely dissatisfied. But we

:25:02. > :25:04.cannot let the best be the enemy of the good in a pragmatic sense, I

:25:05. > :25:10.think that is the best he can hope for today.

:25:11. > :25:15.If there are no further points of order we come now to the press

:25:16. > :25:24.sensation of -- presentation of bill. Tim Morton.

:25:25. > :25:34.Civil partnership act, 04 amendment bill. Second reading which day 13th

:25:35. > :25:43.January, 2017. Thank you. We now come to the backbench motion

:25:44. > :25:47.on a ban on the manifesto, sale, possess -- manufacture, sale and

:25:48. > :25:56.possess of snares. To move the motion, I can call Mr Jim Dowd.

:25:57. > :25:59.Thank you, very much. First of all, my thanks to the Backbench Business

:26:00. > :26:05.Committee for giving me the opportunity to bring this motion to

:26:06. > :26:11.the House. I am keenly aware because of the

:26:12. > :26:18.urgent, the urgent questions on school funding that we are running

:26:19. > :26:20.late. I am aware that the summer adjournment debate is generally

:26:21. > :26:25.oversubscribed, so I will attempt to be brief and hope to conclude this

:26:26. > :26:29.matter within a reasonable time. I don't propose to call a division

:26:30. > :26:35.myself. I can assure the House that if one

:26:36. > :26:44.is called, then I will defend this motion. Although motions araising

:26:45. > :26:48.from backbench business debates have a somewhat uncertain pedigree, if

:26:49. > :26:52.you like, the status of them is disputed, they are not binding, they

:26:53. > :26:57.are not mandatory, there have been a number of motions passed in similar

:26:58. > :27:01.debates over recent months, which the Government have, whilst urging

:27:02. > :27:05.the Government to take action, the Government have declined so to do,

:27:06. > :27:09.so I have no illusion were this motion to be successful, then a

:27:10. > :27:14.Government action would swiftly follow. I suspect it probably won't.

:27:15. > :27:20.But I do believe and I will attempt to outline as briefly as I can what

:27:21. > :27:26.I believe to be a compelling case for the prospect outlined in the

:27:27. > :27:34.motion. There is widespread support across the House for such a ban. I

:27:35. > :27:41.know the later ribbing Forth, when he used to be here on -- late Eric

:27:42. > :27:48.Forth, when he used to be here on Fridays, when people said this bill

:27:49. > :27:53.has wide-spread support he used to wave his arms and say, where are

:27:54. > :28:01.they then? And I accept. I accept... Well, they knew you were

:28:02. > :28:07.coming, Geoffry. No, that's not true. I am deeply grateful to the

:28:08. > :28:12.League Against Cruel Sports to the Royal Society for the prevention of

:28:13. > :28:16.animals, to the cat protection league and other organisations who

:28:17. > :28:21.have assisted me in this matter. I know there are members in this House

:28:22. > :28:26.who are ideologically opposed to bans of any kind.

:28:27. > :28:34.I don't obviously share that view myself. I think we have to exercise

:28:35. > :28:37.caution and judgment. The legal framework is generally about

:28:38. > :28:43.regulating what should, what behaviour is and is not permissible

:28:44. > :28:45.and what should be punished. I am grateful to my honourable

:28:46. > :28:50.friend for giving way. On that point, isn't one of the issues of

:28:51. > :28:55.the use of snares now, that they simply aren't being used for the

:28:56. > :29:01.stated purpose. That often the specieses that is targeted isn't the

:29:02. > :29:05.species that is often target -- captured I agree with my honourable

:29:06. > :29:09.friend. I hope to go on and elaborate that in more detail later

:29:10. > :29:18.on. It is my contention, the thrust of this motion is not just the

:29:19. > :29:22.inherent cruelty, and barbarism of snares, single snares that are

:29:23. > :29:28.currently legal. It is actually the gross inefficiency of it that... It

:29:29. > :29:32.is not even useful for what it does without causing unacceptable

:29:33. > :29:35.consequences. Particularly we have to exercise responsibility as

:29:36. > :29:39.legislators when we are doing it on behalf of those who cannot speak for

:29:40. > :29:44.themselves, whether it be children or animals. I believe there is an

:29:45. > :29:53.imper rayive here for us to take action. Snares are thin wire nooses,

:29:54. > :29:57.set to trap animals seen as a threat, usually foxes and rabbits.

:29:58. > :30:01.They catch them around the neck, rather like a lasso. There are two

:30:02. > :30:06.types. The self--locking snare, which is not legal. It is not

:30:07. > :30:12.permitted. This is a devise which tightens the more the animal

:30:13. > :30:15.struggles. Even when the animal stops struggling it is tightened and

:30:16. > :30:21.serious causes injury and death. That is illegal under the current

:30:22. > :30:24.regulations. One type of snare, known as the free-running snare,

:30:25. > :30:29.which is still currently legal and this should, if it is operated

:30:30. > :30:33.properly tighten as the captured animal struggles. But relax when the

:30:34. > :30:37.animal stops pulling. This type of snare intended to hold the animal

:30:38. > :30:43.alive until the snare operator returns to it to kill it, usually by

:30:44. > :30:47.shooting, if it is caught the right target creature, as my honourable

:30:48. > :30:54.friend pointed out, or release it if it is not one of the target creates.

:30:55. > :30:56.And legal free-running snares though, the disadvantage of them

:30:57. > :31:02.operationally and I will mention this later as well, is they can, in

:31:03. > :31:07.many circumstances, act like a self-locking snare and, which are of

:31:08. > :31:13.course, as I mention, illegal when they become kinked or rusty.

:31:14. > :31:17.Although their purpose is to immobilise target animals most cause

:31:18. > :31:22.extreme suffering to animals and often lead to a painful, lingering

:31:23. > :31:26.death. Animals caught suffer huge stress and can sustain horrific

:31:27. > :31:31.injuries. Snares can cause abdominal, chest, neck, leg and head

:31:32. > :31:34.injuries to animals. Some animals get their legs caught in the snares

:31:35. > :31:42.and end up with the wire cutting through to the bone. Such animals

:31:43. > :31:47.may attempt to escape by biting off their own limbens. Others are caught

:31:48. > :31:50.around the body. The number of animals which fall victim is

:31:51. > :31:55.immense. It is not possible to control which animals will be caught

:31:56. > :32:03.in a snare. A snare is set to catch a fox is just as capable of catching

:32:04. > :32:08.other species, cats, dogs, badgers, otters, dear, hares and livestock

:32:09. > :32:13.have all suffered terrible injuries or been killed. In 2012 DEFRA

:32:14. > :32:18.produced an extensive report on snaring in England and Wales, which

:32:19. > :32:23.suggests that up to 1.7 million animals are trapped in these

:32:24. > :32:25.primitive devices every year, which equates to 200 animals caught each

:32:26. > :32:37.and every hour. Because snares capture any animal, a

:32:38. > :32:41.little more than a quarter in the field studies were foxes, the

:32:42. > :32:50.intended victims. The other three quarters included badgers, 26% and

:32:51. > :32:55.here's 33%, both of which are protected species, and a further 14

:32:56. > :33:02.described as other. That is almost a quarter of a million animals,

:33:03. > :33:06.including dear, cats and dogs caught every year. This goes to the heart

:33:07. > :33:12.of the inefficiency of the snare as a device for animal control. Defra's

:33:13. > :33:18.independent working group concluded in 2005 that it would be difficult

:33:19. > :33:25.to reduce nontarget captures to less than 40%. According to Defra's 2012

:33:26. > :33:41.report, 260,000 snares are in use in England and Wales. Defra's report

:33:42. > :33:47.reveals that they are more likely on land holdings with game bird

:33:48. > :33:51.shooting. I will not go into my attitude towards shooting as a

:33:52. > :33:56.sport, that is an argument for another day, but in common with over

:33:57. > :34:02.62% of the population of this country I cannot see shooting as a

:34:03. > :34:06.sport and cannot see what possible pleasure can be derived from

:34:07. > :34:15.blasting a living creature to smithereens. I will. I am very

:34:16. > :34:22.grateful to the honourable gentleman and I want to know if he is aware of

:34:23. > :34:29.the piece of scientific research called wagers on the edge which says

:34:30. > :34:35.if you want to go to sleep lapwing, the place to see them where their

:34:36. > :34:39.numbers are rising rather than falling within managed shoots on the

:34:40. > :34:45.uplands? I am not aware of the honourable gentleman's entry in the

:34:46. > :34:51.register of interest, I am not sure what relevance that has, perhaps I

:34:52. > :34:56.will see later. There are all kinds of conflicting arguments on this, I

:34:57. > :35:00.do not dispute that, but the snare is cruel and barbaric and if the

:35:01. > :35:05.price of seeing apparently are lapwing is considering suffering of

:35:06. > :35:13.tens of thousands of creatures, I do not think that is a price worth

:35:14. > :35:16.paying. I wonder if he would agree with me that a key concern for

:35:17. > :35:23.myself and many constituents is the welfare of wildlife. We should put

:35:24. > :35:29.that at the top of our priorities. I completely agree with the honourable

:35:30. > :35:35.lady. Animal welfare more generally is a widespread concern. It is one

:35:36. > :35:39.of the most regular subjects upon which constituents contact us. I

:35:40. > :35:43.will wait for a moment, if I may. I am sure you will be able to catch

:35:44. > :35:49.the speaker's I at some stage and you will be able to tell us what

:35:50. > :35:54.your entry in the register is. Can I congratulate my honourable friend on

:35:55. > :35:58.securing this debate in the backbench business committee and for

:35:59. > :36:02.the compelling case he is making. Will he accept from me on Bihar of

:36:03. > :36:07.the constituents who have contacted me over this that the barbarity of

:36:08. > :36:15.the practice and the cruelty that is inherent in it, most people find

:36:16. > :36:21.appalling and they thank you for raising this important issue? I am

:36:22. > :36:26.extremely grateful to my right honourable friend for his support in

:36:27. > :36:31.this matter and his constituents BIG BROTHER: Support. Snares are only

:36:32. > :36:37.legal in six European countries, Belgium, France, Ireland, Spain,

:36:38. > :36:40.Latvia and the UK. In all other countries they are either band,

:36:41. > :36:47.strictly controlled or not used at all. The idea that they are an

:36:48. > :36:53.inescapable means of animal control clearly is not true because large

:36:54. > :36:57.numbers of countries do not use them at all. The predominate legislation

:36:58. > :37:09.in this matter covering all parts of the 19 -- United Kingdom is the 1981

:37:10. > :37:16.Wildlife And Countryside Act. It prohibits the use of snares to catch

:37:17. > :37:21.animals such as autos and badgers. The code of practice acknowledges

:37:22. > :37:25.the welfare problems associated with snares and Defra introduced a

:37:26. > :37:29.voluntary code in the use of snares in 2005 which was designed to reduce

:37:30. > :37:34.the suffering caused by snares through the adoption of best

:37:35. > :37:37.practice. Gamekeepers have shown themselves to be incapable of

:37:38. > :37:43.complying with the code of practice on the use of snares. In its 2012

:37:44. > :37:49.report, Defra found that although 95% of gamekeepers they survey were

:37:50. > :37:56.aware of the code of practice, and some had been trained in the use of

:37:57. > :38:00.Fox snares, some 38%, not a single fox snare or visited during the

:38:01. > :38:06.study was fully comply with the code of conduct a full seven years after

:38:07. > :38:10.it had been introduced. Among farmers there is a lack of knowledge

:38:11. > :38:14.of the code of practice with a shocking 36% of farmers being

:38:15. > :38:20.unaware of its existence. What was clear from the report was that aware

:38:21. > :38:27.or not, the code of practice was not being adhered to. Most operators

:38:28. > :38:34.used snares which were not compliant and 66% had got nontarget animals in

:38:35. > :38:37.Fox snares at some point. The majority of operators set snares

:38:38. > :38:41.insights were entanglement was likely and most rabbits near

:38:42. > :38:48.operators took no measures to avoid capture of nontarget animals. Nearly

:38:49. > :38:52.30% had caught a domestic cat. Snares must not be used as killing

:38:53. > :39:01.devices, however 19% in the study snare users set snares to kill the

:39:02. > :39:07.target animal. Over 30% were found to be using snares which were rusty

:39:08. > :39:09.or where the cable was distorted. The League Against Cruel Sports has

:39:10. > :39:15.always questioned the likelihood that snares would be free running in

:39:16. > :39:20.an outdoors environment and have warned against the potential welfare

:39:21. > :39:24.of pets in rusty wires which can prevent the snare from slackening

:39:25. > :39:29.off. At the honourable when and as he will be aware of much of this

:39:30. > :39:34.issue is devolved to the Scottish parliament and it remains a concern

:39:35. > :39:39.to many of our constituents. Since 2013 it has been an offence to set a

:39:40. > :39:44.snare in Scotland unless you have successfully completed a training

:39:45. > :39:48.course. I wonder if he has any view on whether or not that is an

:39:49. > :39:52.appropriate measure to counter some of the issues he has identified? I

:39:53. > :39:58.am grateful to the honourable gentleman. The devolved assembly has

:39:59. > :40:04.made far more progress on this in recent years, including in both

:40:05. > :40:10.Wales and Northern Ireland as well as Scotland. Tightening the code of

:40:11. > :40:14.practice is one route, but my strong feeling is that it is ineffective

:40:15. > :40:21.and it is impossible to implement. The only humane thing to do is

:40:22. > :40:27.abandon it, but I am aware of the progress that has been made in

:40:28. > :40:30.Scotland. I want to congratulate him on getting this debate. I have had

:40:31. > :40:35.many letters from constituents who are all saying the same things. They

:40:36. > :40:43.think this method of killing is absolutely obscene. When you think

:40:44. > :40:51.that every 20 seconds and animal is caught in a snare somewhere in the

:40:52. > :40:57.UK. That is around 1.7 wild and domestic animals each year. It is

:40:58. > :41:04.cruel, legal and a sop for the commercial shooting industry. I am

:41:05. > :41:13.very grateful to my right honourable friend. The point about snares is

:41:14. > :41:18.they are not supposed to kill. They are supposed to be a disabling

:41:19. > :41:25.device to allow the target animal, if it is worked correctly, to be

:41:26. > :41:28.humanely disposed of, or if it is not the target animal, which is the

:41:29. > :41:34.majority of occasions, for it to be released. It is not supposed to

:41:35. > :41:38.kill, but it does. During field trials in which Fox snares were set

:41:39. > :41:42.in accordance with the code of practice, nontarget species were

:41:43. > :41:49.still captive, illustrating it is impossible to eliminate the risk to

:41:50. > :41:55.nontarget animals. A recent investigation by the League Against

:41:56. > :42:00.Cruel Sports, and I want to say in passing that I am delighted to be an

:42:01. > :42:03.honorary life member of the League Against Cruel Sports, but a recent

:42:04. > :42:08.investigation by them provided further evidence that a code of

:42:09. > :42:14.practice cannot prevent animals from suffering in snares. In February

:42:15. > :42:18.2015, investigators captured graphic scenes of foxes and rabbits caught

:42:19. > :42:30.in snares. Despite government guidelines, all of the animals film

:42:31. > :42:33.would were dead. The footage explodes a large death pic,

:42:34. > :42:42.purposely dug pit filled with carcasses dead wild life and stop.

:42:43. > :42:47.The dead fox was found hanging from one of the snares, clearly strangled

:42:48. > :42:53.to death. Placing snares alongside Pitt violates the government's code

:42:54. > :42:57.of practice, yet a snare operator admitted that he catches 50-100

:42:58. > :43:01.foxes this way every year, demonstrating that attempts to

:43:02. > :43:05.regulate, and this is the point I was making earlier, attempts to

:43:06. > :43:09.regulate a clandestine activity which takes place primarily on

:43:10. > :43:17.private land in remote locations is futile. Hence my conclusion that we

:43:18. > :43:21.need to introduce the ban. At the second location the soaking wet

:43:22. > :43:24.bodies of several rabbits were discovered in snares and two of

:43:25. > :43:28.these were trapped in snares set along a fence in which the rabbit

:43:29. > :43:33.had become heavily entangled during their struggle to escape. The

:43:34. > :43:39.placement of the snares clearly violated the code of practice. There

:43:40. > :43:43.is plenty of other evidence to show where the code is not being

:43:44. > :43:55.flagrantly ignored, it is utterly ineffective. 77% of British people

:43:56. > :44:01.think snares should be banned. 68% of MPs would support a ban according

:44:02. > :44:05.to a poll taken last year. Itinerary opinion is firmly in support of a

:44:06. > :44:12.ban on these cruel and indiscriminate traps. The 2015 poll

:44:13. > :44:16.of veterinary surgeons and nurses felt that 87% of respondents

:44:17. > :44:22.believed sneering is neither humane, is not a humane method of pest

:44:23. > :44:25.control. The figure was even higher at 92% amongst those who had

:44:26. > :44:30.experience of treating animals who had been smeared. In testimony to

:44:31. > :44:33.the Scottish Parliament, and this relates to the point the honourable

:44:34. > :44:41.gentleman made earlier, Professor Ronald Munro, a leading veterinary

:44:42. > :44:45.pathologist stated, from the veterinary perspective snares are

:44:46. > :44:50.primitive, indiscriminate traps that are recognised as causing widespread

:44:51. > :44:54.suffering to a range of animals. At the least injurious, snares can

:44:55. > :44:59.result in abrasion and splitting of the skin. However, being caught in a

:45:00. > :45:01.snare is extremely distressing for any creature and vigorous attempts

:45:02. > :45:11.to escape are perfectly natural. These efforts caused the snare wire

:45:12. > :45:17.to King, thereby changing a free running snare to a self locking one.

:45:18. > :45:24.Strangulation as choking followed. It is common for them to lodge

:45:25. > :45:28.around the chest, abdomen and legs and the wire cuts through skin and

:45:29. > :45:36.muscle and eventually burn. Badgers may be eviscerated Wendy abdominal

:45:37. > :45:42.wall is cut through. Amputation of a limb and foot by a snare is well

:45:43. > :45:49.documented in dear. These unfortunate animals suffer

:45:50. > :45:53.immensely. I am sure the honourable gentleman will be coming close to

:45:54. > :46:02.his end, but he is past the 20 minutes. If he could wind up very

:46:03. > :46:06.shortly, I would be very grateful. He will be aware that agencies like

:46:07. > :46:11.the government and his sponsors in this debate have occasionally used

:46:12. > :46:16.snares for research and tagging purposes. All the descriptions he

:46:17. > :46:20.has just attached to this practice apply when it is used for those

:46:21. > :46:25.purposes which could be construed as being important. All I would say is

:46:26. > :46:32.I thought I had been generous with my time. Maybe you have been overly

:46:33. > :46:37.generous, but the fact is that it is normally 15 minutes and I have been

:46:38. > :46:43.generous and tolerant. Quite right, it is an important subject, but I

:46:44. > :46:48.want to get other members in. I accept your direction implicitly and

:46:49. > :46:51.shall draw my remarks to a conclusion. It is the overwhelming

:46:52. > :46:59.view of all the animal welfare organisations who are in support of

:47:00. > :47:05.this motion, the RSPCA, and many others. If a medical product was as

:47:06. > :47:09.ineffective as snares are in their purpose, if it has that hideous

:47:10. > :47:15.side-effects and detrimental side effects as they do, it would be

:47:16. > :47:20.banned. I believe snares should be as well. I will leave the final word

:47:21. > :47:24.to Mr Chris Patten, a well-known TV broadcaster when he says,

:47:25. > :47:26.indiscriminate and inhumane, they should be illegal. There is not much

:47:27. > :47:39.more to say about snares. There is now a six-minute limit.

:47:40. > :47:47.I am grateful to catch your eye in debate. I draw your attention to the

:47:48. > :47:52.members benefit. I am a farmer and I draw attention that I am chairman of

:47:53. > :47:55.the all party shooting and conservation group which has an

:47:56. > :47:59.interest. I respect a lot of what the gentleman has said. I want to

:48:00. > :48:04.put my remarks into context and disagree with much of what he said.

:48:05. > :48:08.The use of snares is an important tool in wildlife management, which

:48:09. > :48:13.benefits conservation and I was a little bit disturbed to hear the

:48:14. > :48:20.honourable gentleman for Lewisham West and penning paying so little

:48:21. > :48:29.attention to endangered species such as curlew and lapwings which are

:48:30. > :48:33.severely endangered by foxes. It is necessary to control foxes if that

:48:34. > :48:40.situation if we want these very important species to survive and

:48:41. > :48:44.thrive. There is often no practical replacement for snaring at crucial

:48:45. > :48:51.times of the year, particularly during summer and spring. This is

:48:52. > :48:58.booze there are heavily leafed areas on trees and often this is at the

:48:59. > :49:02.time of year when lambs, piglets and other farmed animals at their most

:49:03. > :49:08.vulnerable. At the same time foxes are having cubs and therefore become

:49:09. > :49:15.the biggest predators on those farmed young animals. It is an

:49:16. > :49:21.important part of the fox control. Well designed snares, as the

:49:22. > :49:26.honourable gentleman said, used properly are effective for fox

:49:27. > :49:31.control. It has been illegal to use self-locking snares throughout the

:49:32. > :49:35.UK for over 20 years. DEFRA commission research, which he

:49:36. > :49:39.referred to in 2012 has identified how snare canning be improved

:49:40. > :49:46.through the snare design and operating practises. I just want to

:49:47. > :49:52.quote from the game and wildlife conservation trust, so called GWCT,

:49:53. > :50:00.there is a widely respected body for its independent research and they

:50:01. > :50:10.say, Foxes kill young lambs, piglets, reared outdoor, free-range

:50:11. > :50:14.poultry. They pray on vulnerable wildlife, ground-resting birds.

:50:15. > :50:17.Several of these are species of conservational concern. There are

:50:18. > :50:21.several methods to control foxes, but none are effective in all

:50:22. > :50:25.circumstances. One method widely used for foxes is snaring. Snares

:50:26. > :50:29.are particularly effective for foxes in places and at times of the year

:50:30. > :50:34.when rifle shooting is not possible because of the dense cover. When fox

:50:35. > :50:46.control may be critical for wildlife prey.

:50:47. > :50:49.His own colleague, the honourable member for, I think, of the

:50:50. > :50:57.Government said, when he was Under-Secretary of State for DEFRA,

:50:58. > :51:03.on 28th November, 20 2006, column 495, in Hansard. I quote, "The

:51:04. > :51:07.Government consider where there is a need for wildlife management, the

:51:08. > :51:14.proper use of snares is one of the range of control methods. Used to

:51:15. > :51:17.best practise they can be an effective means of wildlife

:51:18. > :51:22.management and are needed where other forms of pest control are

:51:23. > :51:26.impractical. In these circumstances snares restrain rather than kill and

:51:27. > :51:30.may prove to be more humane than other methods. If snares were to be

:51:31. > :51:34.banned entirely, it may encourage the use of more dangerous and

:51:35. > :51:39.illegal alternatives, such as poisons." I would like to come on to

:51:40. > :51:43.one or two in the time available. I accept your restrictions Mr Deputy

:51:44. > :51:50.Speaker, of the things that the honourable gentleman has put

:51:51. > :51:57.forward, to try and rebut them. In 2012, as I have referred to the

:51:58. > :52:04.DEFRA study, it set out to estimate the scale of the perceived problems.

:52:05. > :52:08.Inevitably the figures are an aproxation, with uncertainty

:52:09. > :52:11.attached. This is where the honourable member for the valley got

:52:12. > :52:18.her figures from. This is a particularly important thing. And

:52:19. > :52:20.she, I think, some organisations have constructed figures by

:52:21. > :52:23.extrapolating from small samples, which are unlikely to be

:52:24. > :52:29.representative of all the situations in which snares are used or of

:52:30. > :52:33.current working practises. For instance, the humanist assessment in

:52:34. > :52:36.the DEFRA study, involving a single operator, working in one set of

:52:37. > :52:44.circumstances, while the assessment of the extent of use made across a

:52:45. > :52:48.random sample of house landing, multiplied together and get the

:52:49. > :52:52.figure she referred to. I think the figure she referred to is most

:52:53. > :53:00.unlikely to be true. Let's look at some of the evidence N an extensive

:53:01. > :53:03.field study involving 429 fox captures, we show that given good

:53:04. > :53:08.practise, less than 1% of snare-caught foxes were injured or

:53:09. > :53:12.dead as a result of capture. Some believe that animals held in snares

:53:13. > :53:16.may seem already at the time of release but go on to develop

:53:17. > :53:19.life-threatening conditions, the honourable gentleman referred to

:53:20. > :53:24.this. There is no evidence that this commonly occurs. On the contrary.

:53:25. > :53:31.Foxes and badgers caught in snares by scientists for radio tagging have

:53:32. > :53:35.typically not shown sni abnormal behaviour or higher mortality. In

:53:36. > :53:41.GWC studies some individual foxes have been recaptured in snares with

:53:42. > :53:49.no apparent ill effect. Going on, how much time have I got? Not

:53:50. > :53:56.enough. In some... THE SPEAKER: Order!

:53:57. > :53:59.Mr Deputy Speaker. Can I congratulate my honourable friend

:54:00. > :54:04.from Lewisham, he made a strong case in support of the motion. I am not

:54:05. > :54:06.only very pleased to follow the honourable gentleman from the

:54:07. > :54:11.Cotswold who was making an argument and got out of time and we didn't

:54:12. > :54:14.hear whether his case was as strong as my honourable friends. It didn't

:54:15. > :54:20.appear to where from where I am sitting. I would like to thank the

:54:21. > :54:26.league against cruel league, the RSPCA, the NFU for their briefings

:54:27. > :54:31.for this debate and also to Nicky Sutherland and Olly ben net from the

:54:32. > :54:39.House of Commons Library for their very useful briefing to members.

:54:40. > :54:44.Befering to those papers the RSPCA write DEFRA introduced a code of

:54:45. > :54:49.practise on the use of snares. Including guidance on where and how

:54:50. > :54:53.to set snares for different species and possible steps to avoid trapping

:54:54. > :54:58.nontarget spe sisss. It should be noted that compliance with the code

:54:59. > :55:03.is voluntary and a 2012 report produced for DEFRA, found an

:55:04. > :55:09.awareness of the code was high, 95% of gamekeepers and 65% of farmers,

:55:10. > :55:13.the levels of compliance with the best practise were low, which was

:55:14. > :55:17.very much one of the strong arguments my honourable friend was

:55:18. > :55:23.making T League Against Cruel Sports say they believe it is cruel and

:55:24. > :55:26.indiscriminate and leads to untold suffering and horrific deaths for

:55:27. > :55:30.wild, domestic and farm animals throughout the country. Most snares

:55:31. > :55:35.are used by gamekeepers to protect quarry, which are bred and protected

:55:36. > :55:40.to act as targets for blood sports, not the farmer's argument we have

:55:41. > :55:43.heard previously. I apoll Iz to the minister for not welcoming her to

:55:44. > :55:47.her new position when I opened my remarks. I didn't get a chance

:55:48. > :55:51.yesterday in the committee because I was not there for her full evidence

:55:52. > :55:57.session. I wish her success in her new job. I would like, if she could,

:55:58. > :56:02.answer the point raised by the league about the use of snares are

:56:03. > :56:08.set by gamekeepers as opposed by farmers. 2012, the DEFRA report on

:56:09. > :56:14.snaring confirms that it is not possible for snares to be

:56:15. > :56:18.species-specific. And nontarget an maps are captured when -- animals

:56:19. > :56:23.are captured. It is not possible to regulate the use of snares through a

:56:24. > :56:28.statutory code as adhere rans is low and there's no incentive for

:56:29. > :56:34.operators to obey it. It says it is clear and cruel and the use of

:56:35. > :56:37.snares, primitive primitive legislation.

:56:38. > :56:42.I would like the minister to comment on that if she has an opportunity.

:56:43. > :56:47.The National Farmers' Union, an organisation which I have high

:56:48. > :56:53.regard, not surprisingly says the NFU believes the use ofnaries is an

:56:54. > :57:00.essential part of wild -- the use of snares is essential and in certain

:57:01. > :57:05.it is situations they can be the most humane method. More often than

:57:06. > :57:10.not it is not about humane destruction it is about the animals

:57:11. > :57:15.dieing in the snares and not having the humane dispatch that everybody

:57:16. > :57:18.would want to see. The library briefing says that

:57:19. > :57:24.snares are commonly used to catch certain animals prior to their

:57:25. > :57:29.killing. They can be legally used to capture animals including foxes,

:57:30. > :57:32.rabbits, cats and grey squirrels. They have the potential to cause

:57:33. > :57:36.injury and death, the point made by my honourable friend. They can catch

:57:37. > :57:40.nontarget animals such as badgers and cats. Again, made by my

:57:41. > :57:45.honourable friend and their use is therefore controversial. The library

:57:46. > :57:49.briefing goes on to outline and save time I will not make reference to

:57:50. > :57:53.the Wales and Northern Ireland additional regulator -- regulations.

:57:54. > :57:58.My honourable friend has covered those. The remarks about Scotland,

:57:59. > :58:03.recently Scotland has tightened regulations on snares beyond the

:58:04. > :58:07.situation in England and Wales, snares must have safety stops

:58:08. > :58:11.fitters and users are required to attend training courses and register

:58:12. > :58:16.for a personal identification number. This ID number is required

:58:17. > :58:21.to be displayed on all snares which are set.

:58:22. > :58:27.I thank the honourable member. Snare users in Scotland are required to

:58:28. > :58:29.have an approed accreditation and must have a personal identification

:58:30. > :58:36.number from the police. Snaring without an ID number is an illegal

:58:37. > :58:40.activity. Would he agree with me this measure should be implemented

:58:41. > :58:44.south of the border? I think the honourable lady makes a case and the

:58:45. > :58:47.honourable friend has made the case. Obviously preferring a complete ban

:58:48. > :58:50.on these things. It has been demonstrated by the Scottish

:58:51. > :58:52.Government that improvements to the press September situation that

:58:53. > :58:57.exists in England and Wales can be made. It is certainly impresses me

:58:58. > :59:01.that the fact that each snare has to have an ID number, where it can be

:59:02. > :59:06.proven that they are not being used the way they ought to be used, for

:59:07. > :59:09.which people are trained, then the ID number can be traced back to the

:59:10. > :59:13.person not doing it properly. That is a safeguard. In conclusion, I

:59:14. > :59:18.think my honourable friend has made out a very strong argument for a

:59:19. > :59:21.complete ban on snares. Even if the Government don't accept this

:59:22. > :59:25.argument, there seems also to be a very strong case, as the honourable

:59:26. > :59:28.lady and I have just agreed, to amend the regulations in England, as

:59:29. > :59:34.they stand at the moment. Internationally, we appear to in a

:59:35. > :59:37.small minority of countries and the UK, Northern Ireland, Wales and

:59:38. > :59:41.Scotland have all seen fit to move on this issue. I would hope we hear

:59:42. > :59:46.from the Government that they are in a motion to agree with the devolved

:59:47. > :59:50.assemblies and we should move to improve the situation, hopefully to

:59:51. > :59:52.a full ban. I look forward to hearing the minister's response in

:59:53. > :59:58.due course. Thank you. Can I draw the House's

:59:59. > :00:02.attention to the intry in the member's register. I want to focus

:00:03. > :00:05.on the farming angle. It is worrying to hear the member for the valley,

:00:06. > :00:18.who is not in her place, referring to all of this as a stop to

:00:19. > :00:21.commercial shootses and the member referring to farmers and

:00:22. > :00:25.gamekeepers. It takes place on farmland. There is no

:00:26. > :00:35.distinguishment whether it is a shoot or a farm. Most of hill

:00:36. > :00:40.farmers in Wales who rely on this as a few method to... This is a vital

:00:41. > :00:44.method they use for commercial and economic purposes in the management

:00:45. > :00:47.of their farms. I also wanted to stress because I

:00:48. > :00:51.think it has been lost in the debate, that actually nobody goes

:00:52. > :00:55.out and sets a snare with any sense of glee or pleasure. This is a

:00:56. > :00:59.practical requirement for people whose job it is to manage wildlife

:01:00. > :01:04.populations for the protection either of game birds or agriculture

:01:05. > :01:10.rat animals. Everybody who does it does to the best of their ability.

:01:11. > :01:14.Nobody derivers a pleasure. If it was as inefficient as the honourable

:01:15. > :01:18.gentleman claimed it was in his opening remarks then the fact is

:01:19. > :01:22.these people would not use it as a means of control.

:01:23. > :01:27.Secondly, Mr Deputy Speaker, I think, but I could not ascertain

:01:28. > :01:31.from the honourable members opposite, whether they accept that

:01:32. > :01:35.some wildlife management or control is necessary. If the question is, if

:01:36. > :01:40.the answer to that question is, yes, we accept that some degree of

:01:41. > :01:45.wildlife, then sat case of how it is not a case of if. Other speakers

:01:46. > :01:50.have referred in brief to what the alternatives are. Sometimes it is

:01:51. > :01:55.easy to say, well, if there is a problem, why not use cage traps? We

:01:56. > :01:58.know they work well for foxes, particularly in urban areas. They

:01:59. > :02:04.too have a nontarget species problem. All sorts of stuff ends up,

:02:05. > :02:09.including raptors in cage traps for foxes. Because they may be inspected

:02:10. > :02:14.once a day or twice a day does not there is up to a point the same

:02:15. > :02:17.degree of potential suffering for animals retained in a cage trap as

:02:18. > :02:24.there is for those captured by a snare.

:02:25. > :02:31.The idea that that is an alternative solution, when it comes down to

:02:32. > :02:37.practical land management experience, it does not add up.

:02:38. > :02:42.There are limitations as to the use of rifles and shotguns and the

:02:43. > :02:51.control of foxes. It intrigues me that members of who were vociferous

:02:52. > :02:55.in their opposition to the badger cull appeared to recommend the same

:02:56. > :03:00.method in the same areas operated by the same people for the control of

:03:01. > :03:06.foxes. I do not think they can have it both ways. All of these methods

:03:07. > :03:12.of control have their place. No single one works perfectly. But as a

:03:13. > :03:18.part of the mix available to land managers, then the reluctant use of

:03:19. > :03:22.snares is one of those. Members will not be surprised to hear it from me,

:03:23. > :03:29.it was ironic that the one other method of controlling foxes, using

:03:30. > :03:33.dogs underground to flush them to waiting guns, is only permitted for

:03:34. > :03:39.the protection of game birds, not permitted for the protection of

:03:40. > :03:41.agricultural animals, the matter included in previous legislation

:03:42. > :03:48.which was supported by the honourable gentleman opposite when

:03:49. > :03:54.he voted on it in 2005. Mr Deputy Speaker, I think we can cut out a

:03:55. > :03:58.lot of this debate by simply referring to what the code of

:03:59. > :04:02.practice as published by the Welsh government in Cardiff was. They have

:04:03. > :04:07.listened to all of these arguments, they have heard from both sides in

:04:08. > :04:11.this heated debate. They have come up with a proposal which is largely

:04:12. > :04:18.practical and which has the confidence of land managers,

:04:19. > :04:22.sensible wildlife conservationists and politicians. If the Welsh

:04:23. > :04:26.assembly can come to a conclusion which satisfies all of those

:04:27. > :04:34.conflicting interests, I do not see why we cannot achieve the same here.

:04:35. > :04:39.Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, I congratulate my honourable friend,

:04:40. > :04:44.the member for Lewisham West and pension for this debate. I apologise

:04:45. > :04:49.that I was not unable to hear all of his speech. As a former vice

:04:50. > :04:55.president for the League Against Cruel Sports, I pay tribute to the

:04:56. > :05:02.many constituents who have contacted me calling for a ban. 77% of the

:05:03. > :05:09.public support a ban. The supposedly humane option of free running snares

:05:10. > :05:13.as we have heard in graphic and horrific detail can tap an animal,

:05:14. > :05:19.strangle them, cut through the fire, muscle and bone. They are meant to

:05:20. > :05:26.be kept daily and animals died from starvation. The League Against Cruel

:05:27. > :05:34.Sports says 69% of animals caught are not the target species and even

:05:35. > :05:37.cats and dogs can be caught. I saw pictures of Scottish Wildcats been

:05:38. > :05:45.killed in snares, Britain's wildest mammal. It is illegal to set any

:05:46. > :05:50.track or snare intended to injure a protected animals such as badgers,

:05:51. > :05:53.otters and red squirrels. But it cannot be right that people can

:05:54. > :05:58.escape prosecution by arguing a lack of intention to catch those animals

:05:59. > :06:04.went the likelihood of a protected animal being caught is so high.

:06:05. > :06:09.Other countries have managed to ban snares. The UK is one of only five

:06:10. > :06:13.countries in Europe where snares are illegal and in countries where they

:06:14. > :06:17.are not banned outright, such as Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden,

:06:18. > :06:21.they are more tightly regulated. We are always hearing from this

:06:22. > :06:29.government that the UK leads the way in animal welfare, I wish that that

:06:30. > :06:34.was true. Iran has just banned wild animals in circuses and we cannot

:06:35. > :06:39.even do that. Although we have much to be proud of, we need to recognise

:06:40. > :06:44.where we are, not leading the way, where we could take lessons from

:06:45. > :06:48.other countries. She mentioned the ban on wild animals in circuses, we

:06:49. > :06:53.won that argument and the government accepted it and it was a

:06:54. > :06:57.Conservative manifesto promise in the 2015 election, so we hope the

:06:58. > :07:05.government will deliver on it by 2020. The sooner the better. The

:07:06. > :07:08.government has notionally accepted the evidence and they say they are

:07:09. > :07:19.going to act, but they do not act upon it. The British Association for

:07:20. > :07:21.conservation says snares are important for conservation and

:07:22. > :07:26.security and they accept that farmers have a right to control

:07:27. > :07:31.predators, but that does not mean we cannot look for more effective and

:07:32. > :07:35.humane ways to do so. The RSPB accepts there is a need to control

:07:36. > :07:41.foxes, but they have not found the need to resort to the use of snares

:07:42. > :07:46.on their reserves. Indeed fox snares kill capercaillie, the large

:07:47. > :07:52.woodland grouse at risk of distinction. The Woodland Trust do

:07:53. > :07:54.not use snares. Network Rail, the Highways Agency, the Forestry

:07:55. > :08:03.Commission, all manage their land without using snares. Mr Deputy

:08:04. > :08:07.Speaker, we know they are mostly used on shooting estates, despite

:08:08. > :08:17.the best efforts for the honourable member for Carmarthen West. Birds

:08:18. > :08:22.are spared death by fox only to be shot by humans in unimaginable

:08:23. > :08:26.numbers. Not for food or conservation, but for sport. As

:08:27. > :08:32.Chris Packham would say, not sport, but slaughter. We are here today to

:08:33. > :08:41.discuss animal snares, not wider issues, but today 62,000 people have

:08:42. > :08:46.signed a petition to ban grouse shooting, supported by conservation

:08:47. > :08:51.experts. They are concerned about the persecution of hen Harriers, the

:08:52. > :08:55.increase flood risk by gross mu management as well as the use of

:08:56. > :09:02.snares. These are legitimate snares that concerns, but the government

:09:03. > :09:10.has so far given a complacent response to the petition. There is

:09:11. > :09:13.also the issue of lead ammunition, there are viable alternatives, but

:09:14. > :09:18.the government have shelved a report which was submitted more than a year

:09:19. > :09:23.ago. There are concerns about the welfare of the millions of pheasants

:09:24. > :09:27.and partridges raised in cramped cages purely for the purpose of

:09:28. > :09:32.shooting. The Labour government introduced a code of practice, the

:09:33. > :09:38.Coalition Government withdrew that code and they failed to publish the

:09:39. > :09:45.review findings. A similar picture emerges when we look at the efforts

:09:46. > :09:51.to reduce the use of snares. Research from Defra concluded in

:09:52. > :09:56.2010 and it took the coalition two used to publish that and nothing has

:09:57. > :10:01.been done. Four years after the report has come out that then Defra

:10:02. > :10:04.minister could only tell Parliament that officials worked with

:10:05. > :10:09.stakeholders to explore options and were considering options and would

:10:10. > :10:12.make an announcement in due course. The League Against Cruel Sports

:10:13. > :10:20.documented evidence of animals found in pits in violation of the code of

:10:21. > :10:26.practice. Clearly there is a need to act, but the government does not

:10:27. > :10:30.seem willing to do so. This has happened on other animal welfare

:10:31. > :10:34.issues under this government. There are many other issues where the

:10:35. > :10:37.government has been too slow to publish research, failed to

:10:38. > :10:41.commission reviews which would help them get the evidence they need,

:10:42. > :10:49.dismissed expert advice as we have seen on the badger cull. We can only

:10:50. > :10:54.feel that neither animal welfare nor evidence -based policy is a priority

:10:55. > :10:59.for this government. Ministers are enthralled to vested interests and

:11:00. > :11:04.are against any form of intervention or regulation to hold sway. To

:11:05. > :11:10.prevent unnecessary suffering is something they do not care about.

:11:11. > :11:15.Given the new Secretary of State's enthusiasm for repealing the fox

:11:16. > :11:22.hunting ban, I fear today's debate may not meet with her approval.

:11:23. > :11:27.However I hope on this issue she will be more receptive. I hope she

:11:28. > :11:32.does not stand before us today and tell us the code of practice is

:11:33. > :11:37.working. From what I have heard today and read and watched in recent

:11:38. > :11:41.days, video evidence and footage of graphic slaughter of these animals,

:11:42. > :11:46.it seems to me all too obvious that the voluntary approach and the code

:11:47. > :11:50.of practice is not working and very little practice has been made.

:11:51. > :11:56.Unless the minister is very persuasive, I feel the conclusion a

:11:57. > :11:59.ban is necessary. I would like to congratulate the honourable member

:12:00. > :12:04.for Lewisham West and pension for bringing this debate. My

:12:05. > :12:09.constituency is in Cumbria. A large part of it is rural and its

:12:10. > :12:14.landscapes and habitats need to be managed. I was born and bred in the

:12:15. > :12:19.country so I understand and accept this management also includes

:12:20. > :12:23.managing wildlife. The honourable member for The Cotswolds went into

:12:24. > :12:28.some detail about this. However, I do not accept that this management

:12:29. > :12:32.has to cause suffering either as a direct result of or as a consequence

:12:33. > :12:36.of the methods being used. I would urge the government to look at

:12:37. > :12:41.proper detailed research into alternative methods that can be used

:12:42. > :12:44.for this management. I was pleased to hear the honourable member for

:12:45. > :12:47.Carmarthen West and temperature praising the Welsh government and I

:12:48. > :12:56.hope this is the start of a trend for him. But I believe we have a

:12:57. > :13:00.moral duty to treat animals in a humane and compassionate way. To

:13:01. > :13:04.that end I have been a member of Labour's animal welfare Society for

:13:05. > :13:08.many years. I am proud of the work we have done within laws and that

:13:09. > :13:13.the previous Labour government has done much to achieve the end of

:13:14. > :13:17.cruel and unnecessary suffering for animals. The Labour government

:13:18. > :13:22.introduced the animal welfare act which embedded in statute clear

:13:23. > :13:26.standards relating to the welfare of animals and made it a criminal

:13:27. > :13:33.offence to subject any animal, including those caught in snares, to

:13:34. > :13:34.unnecessary suffering. In 2005, the Labour government issued guidance

:13:35. > :13:40.which has been discussed by honourable members which included

:13:41. > :13:45.information about how snares should be maintained and set to reduce the

:13:46. > :13:50.pain inflicted. In addition, this guidance also detailed the steps

:13:51. > :13:55.that must be taken to reduce the chance that a nontarget animal is

:13:56. > :13:59.caught. My honourable friend, the member for Poplar and Limehouse went

:14:00. > :14:05.into some detail about this and demonstrated just how indiscriminate

:14:06. > :14:09.the snares can be. As has been mentioned before, they are mainly

:14:10. > :14:12.designed to catch foxes and rabbits, but Defra's own figures which were

:14:13. > :14:22.mentioned earlier are worth repeating. 33% caught our hares, 26%

:14:23. > :14:30.badgers, 14% others, including pet cats and dogs. In 2008, the Labour

:14:31. > :14:34.government commissioned research to determine how often snares are used

:14:35. > :14:38.in England and Wales and the level of suffering they inflict on the

:14:39. > :14:44.animals they catch. This was published by Defra in 2012. The

:14:45. > :14:50.report recommended increased education for people who use snares

:14:51. > :14:53.and also improving the uptake of the code of practice on snaring and

:14:54. > :14:56.encouraging the use of cold compliant snares and this is

:14:57. > :15:02.something the government could be doing right now. The Coalition

:15:03. > :15:06.Government said it was considering options for improving welfare

:15:07. > :15:11.standards, but as we have heard we have had no proposals as yet. I was

:15:12. > :15:17.pleased earlier this year when my fellow Cumbria, the honourable

:15:18. > :15:23.member when he was Defra minister, did say they were considering

:15:24. > :15:28.options. But as we know there has been no announcement, so I would ask

:15:29. > :15:31.the Minister to urgency look at this so that concerns in the report are

:15:32. > :15:37.addressed and we have an announcement as soon as possible

:15:38. > :15:42.following the summary says. We have also heard about the League Against

:15:43. > :15:48.Cruel Sports' petition, so we know there is huge public support for a

:15:49. > :15:52.ban. The petition has 66,000 signatures, that surely has to be

:15:53. > :15:58.listened to and taken into account when the government does any review

:15:59. > :16:02.of the situation. The League Against Cruel Sports describes sneering as a

:16:03. > :16:08.cruel, indiscriminate, wholly unnecessary practice that has no

:16:09. > :16:14.place in modern society. So I would ask the Minister and the government

:16:15. > :16:17.to work with farmers, gamekeepers, animal welfare groups, in order to

:16:18. > :16:22.develop a coherent and effective package of measures to prevent

:16:23. > :16:27.illegal sneering and the unnecessary suffering of animals and I would ask

:16:28. > :16:36.them also to consider working towards a ban. I would like to thank

:16:37. > :16:40.my right honourable friend for Lewisham West and pension for

:16:41. > :16:42.calling this important debate. Despite many Parliamentary

:16:43. > :16:48.questions, fierce campaigning from groups such against the League

:16:49. > :16:53.Against Cruel Sports, the problem of snares remains persistent. The

:16:54. > :16:58.situation seems to becoming a war of attrition. In March 2015, we were

:16:59. > :17:01.told ministers were considering options for improving guidance on

:17:02. > :17:07.snares. A date for publication was unknown. In February this year, the

:17:08. > :17:12.government was asked if they would make it their policy to introduce

:17:13. > :17:15.stricter regulations and a ban on the use of snares. Once again the

:17:16. > :17:20.answer was they were considering all options.

:17:21. > :17:26.How many options are there to consider and how long is due course?

:17:27. > :17:31.Much is made of the code of practice which is commendable in its

:17:32. > :17:39.promotion of good practice. But it is not statutory and its enforcement

:17:40. > :17:42.remains by voluntary compliance. The national anti-snaring campaign has

:17:43. > :17:48.argued the code serves no useful purpose and in March 2014 the then

:17:49. > :17:52.government stated it had no plans to put the code on a statutory basis.

:17:53. > :17:56.Legislation provides the use of self locking snares and outlaws the

:17:57. > :18:00.setting of snares where there is setting of snares where there is

:18:01. > :18:05.increased likelihood of catching untargeted animals and requires them

:18:06. > :18:09.to be checked daily, and these requirements are all worked out. I'm

:18:10. > :18:14.pleased to hear of a clear framework, but it is evident that

:18:15. > :18:18.the law needs to go further. In Scotland it does and in recent years

:18:19. > :18:24.we have seen a tightening of regulations so snares must be fitted

:18:25. > :18:32.with safety stops and people are going to go on the training. There

:18:33. > :18:41.is a number which needs to be displayed on all snares. Research

:18:42. > :18:45.was published in 2012 regarding the humane use of snares, and the

:18:46. > :18:49.government said this year that following publication of the report

:18:50. > :18:56.officials worked with stakeholders to looking to options. They said

:18:57. > :19:01.they would make an announcement in June course. As a result of this

:19:02. > :19:07.research, the Welsh government has not legislated but it has published

:19:08. > :19:14.the code of best practice on the use of snares in fox control, in

:19:15. > :19:19.September 2015, is aimed to deliver higher animal welfare standards,

:19:20. > :19:24.increased efficiency in terms of fox control and make sure that fewer

:19:25. > :19:29.nontarget species are being caught. The productive relationships, the

:19:30. > :19:39.Welsh Labour government has forged with the agricultural sector has

:19:40. > :19:42.allowed stakeholders to communicate why a code of practice is so

:19:43. > :19:47.important and this makes enforcement much easier as users of snares see

:19:48. > :19:55.the benefit of self policing and best practice which improve the

:19:56. > :19:59.effectiveness of a snare. I appreciate the of the subject and

:20:00. > :20:03.acknowledge the calls from organisations like the British

:20:04. > :20:10.Association for conservation and shooting, for a reasoned and

:20:11. > :20:18.reasonable analysis of the subject which is detailed and measured. But

:20:19. > :20:24.I condemn the sometimes barbaric suffering suffered by animals, both

:20:25. > :20:30.targeted by the snare and those that are not, which is quite clearly not

:20:31. > :20:34.the purpose of the snare. I appreciate the measured responses

:20:35. > :20:38.from organisations like the wildlife trust, National farmers union, and

:20:39. > :20:45.the National gamekeepers organisation, calling for the

:20:46. > :20:51.members in Wales certainly to adhere to best practice and use snares

:20:52. > :20:58.properly. I call on the government to make statutory decoder practice

:20:59. > :21:05.-- the code of practice. Surely we all agree that we must do all we can

:21:06. > :21:08.do Jews unnecessary suffering -- we must do all we can to rid juice

:21:09. > :21:23.unnecessary suffering. Thanks calling me this debate. I

:21:24. > :21:29.have a different opinion from some of my colleagues on this side, and

:21:30. > :21:32.at the same time I have a different opinion, but I know we be friends at

:21:33. > :21:40.the end of and that is important. -- we will. I will still be your

:21:41. > :21:46.friend, no matter what. LAUGHTER If water snares surpass

:21:47. > :21:56.international standards for traps, snares must be checked once a day.

:21:57. > :22:06.The first checked at sunrise, when most catches are made, and I want to

:22:07. > :22:13.make a point. If it is done right and correctly, it is humane and

:22:14. > :22:19.possible to control some of those predators, foxes, who have no

:22:20. > :22:25.compulsion about what they kill and what they do, and whoever is in this

:22:26. > :22:34.house will be aware of the predations of a fox and whenever

:22:35. > :22:40.they enter a farm, they do not just eat one chicken, they take great

:22:41. > :22:43.pleasure in eating them all. This is a humane and effective form of fox

:22:44. > :22:48.control and if it is done the right way, the legislation in place

:22:49. > :22:54.relates to the free running snares. They are not a source of evil and

:22:55. > :23:00.death, as some would have us believe. I respect a different point

:23:01. > :23:06.of view, but I would also ask them to consider the point of view that

:23:07. > :23:18.we are putting forward. Some of the examples. There is a snare has been

:23:19. > :23:25.used for Leopard research, and so if it is done correctly, that is the

:23:26. > :23:29.way it should be done. A modern snare is much different to the old

:23:30. > :23:37.style, it is now similar to the simple dog lead but made with a thin

:23:38. > :23:46.ribbon. It is about improving the welfare of the foxes caught. I'm

:23:47. > :23:52.sure that those seeking a ban or a change are very well intended. We

:23:53. > :23:58.have to look at the unintended consequences of their desire. Foxes

:23:59. > :24:09.are prolific predators. Game birds, small mammals, young livestock, such

:24:10. > :24:16.as lambs. I could give you examples. Snares is a key method of control.

:24:17. > :24:23.Otherwise there is a loss of biodiversity. The brown hair is a

:24:24. > :24:30.biodiversity species, and I take great pleasure of seeing them in

:24:31. > :24:36.abundance in the fields and that is down to the fox control carried out

:24:37. > :24:42.by ourselves on the farm and also by those who are neighbouring farmers.

:24:43. > :24:52.We need to have predator control. Predator control makes sure that 46%

:24:53. > :25:02.of the hare population changed. If you have in place it will be

:25:03. > :25:03.advantageous. Curlew numbers decreased massively in the last few

:25:04. > :25:16.years. Where this happens, Curlew numbers

:25:17. > :25:22.have increased the lapwing numbers have increased, and I think the

:25:23. > :25:29.other numbers have referred -- other members have referred to this

:25:30. > :25:33.already. A couple of Scottish farms than 16 lambs which were identified

:25:34. > :25:42.as killed by foxes and another 33 went missing. Fox predation is a big

:25:43. > :25:45.concern for farmers. These things show, if we are going to do

:25:46. > :25:52.something, we need to have a system in place when it comes to the free

:25:53. > :25:57.running snares, that they are the most effective and the most humane

:25:58. > :26:04.and they do conserve animals and mammals on the ground. Without

:26:05. > :26:11.snares, foxes would be a threat to hire diversity and also they would

:26:12. > :26:18.cause greater damage -- biodiversity. Eco-tourism relies on

:26:19. > :26:26.managed countryside. There are cases where shooting is not possible and

:26:27. > :26:31.the only way you can do it is by snaring online. Some members have

:26:32. > :26:36.referred to the legislative change in Northern Ireland. In my former

:26:37. > :26:42.life as a member of the Northern Ireland assembly, this was an issue

:26:43. > :26:48.which concerned the assembly. These changes are more than acceptable,

:26:49. > :26:50.but to put this on record, the Northern Ireland assembly decided to

:26:51. > :26:58.put it on hold on the order while further consultation continued.

:26:59. > :27:02.Northern Ireland has made changes, which I believe are welcome, but at

:27:03. > :27:06.the same time they recognise there is a surge of opinion of those in

:27:07. > :27:11.favour and those against, but they have a balance and I would have some

:27:12. > :27:18.concerns about what they will put forward. Thank you. It is good to

:27:19. > :27:25.see you in your chair, Mr Deputy Speaker. And I welcome the lady for

:27:26. > :27:28.Suffolk Coastal to her place. I look forward to debating with her on

:27:29. > :27:33.imported issues like this and I trust we will see a new aggressive

:27:34. > :27:37.approach, moving forward on issues like animal welfare and other issues

:27:38. > :27:44.within her brief stop today I hope she will be supporting the 77% of

:27:45. > :27:49.people to take action on a ban on the manufacturing, sale, possession

:27:50. > :27:57.and use of snares. I want to start by thanking the member for Lewisham,

:27:58. > :28:05.bringing the motion today, to enable the house to debate the cruel nature

:28:06. > :28:08.of snares. Not only he's an expert in animal welfare but a real

:28:09. > :28:14.champion of animal welfare beyond here. The honourable manner did not

:28:15. > :28:21.make the argument alone. It was echoed across these benches this

:28:22. > :28:28.afternoon. Today I want to set out four key areas, the law, the issues,

:28:29. > :28:37.research, the alternatives. Starting with the law. In 1981 the wildlife

:28:38. > :28:42.and countryside act brought prohibition around certain kind of

:28:43. > :28:45.snares, especially self locking snares, saying they must be free

:28:46. > :28:51.running, but there was no definition about what self locking actually

:28:52. > :29:01.means. We have heard today about some of the challenges from free

:29:02. > :29:07.running snares turning into locking snares because they become twisted

:29:08. > :29:14.in the wires or becoming rusted. Only 25% of targeted animals are

:29:15. > :29:18.actually caught in snares, 75% not. Clearly that piece of legislation is

:29:19. > :29:24.not being able to be upheld in practice. It says that snares should

:29:25. > :29:32.be daily inspected and we know that only 77% of snares Adelie inspected,

:29:33. > :29:36.which means 23% aren't -- snares our daily inspected. The law is not

:29:37. > :29:43.working and countries have recognised this, we have heard about

:29:44. > :29:47.the use of snares introduced by the Welsh government and we know

:29:48. > :29:55.Northern Ireland have brought forward the snare order in 2015 to

:29:56. > :29:59.talk about stocks, swivels on snares and also that they should be staked

:30:00. > :30:02.in the ground. We have heard from the member from Hamilton West about

:30:03. > :30:06.the improvements Scotland have made on this issue, again looking at the

:30:07. > :30:10.issues around training and registration and the provision of

:30:11. > :30:19.personal ID numbers in order to make sure there is better regulation

:30:20. > :30:24.around snares. Labour in 20 bullseye 2005 brought forward a code of

:30:25. > :30:27.practice -- Labour in 2005. They say they should not be a risk to other

:30:28. > :30:31.members, and it was Labour which went forward to put forward a report

:30:32. > :30:43.determining the extent of use and humane as of snares in England and

:30:44. > :30:49.Wales. Five Nations where snares remained legal, the UK, Ireland,

:30:50. > :30:55.Latvia, France and Belgium, but we can join the progressive nature in

:30:56. > :30:58.outlawing snares and recognising the cruelty they bring to animal

:30:59. > :31:03.welfare, but also recognising the fragmented nature of our

:31:04. > :31:07.legislation. Voluntary codes are not working and the legislation is not

:31:08. > :31:14.being properly enforced. Coming onto the issues, we have heard clearly

:31:15. > :31:29.this afternoon from the member for popular and Limehouse -- Poplar. We

:31:30. > :31:34.have heard 95% of large landowners should not use snares and we have

:31:35. > :31:42.heard also that snares capture and kill 1.7 million animals each year.

:31:43. > :31:49.In the course of this debate over 200 animals will have been snared

:31:50. > :31:53.today. We know there are snares which deteriorate over time and

:31:54. > :31:55.those points have been made very powerfully by honourable members,

:31:56. > :32:00.especially looking at how 30% of them become rusty or get stuck and

:32:01. > :32:06.become not free running but dysfunctional and causing additional

:32:07. > :32:08.animal cruelty. We have also heard about how catches are made

:32:09. > :32:12.indiscriminate and they don't identify the animal about to put

:32:13. > :32:23.their head or body or part of their body through the noose and only 25%

:32:24. > :32:26.of foxes are snared. 23% are badgers, 14% days and otters, and

:32:27. > :32:31.domestic animals like cats and dogs, and that is a criminal offence, to

:32:32. > :32:37.harm domestic cats, but they have also fallen foul of snares, and also

:32:38. > :32:42.humans do get caught up in snares and experience injury. We heard from

:32:43. > :32:48.the member from Bristol East about the lack of intention, but that is

:32:49. > :32:54.no defence, the reality and the evidence is before us today.

:32:55. > :33:03.We have heard from so many honourable members on these benches

:33:04. > :33:08.about the extensive cruelty. It was described as barbaric, the way that

:33:09. > :33:13.these snares cause such harm and cruelty, animals suffering for hours

:33:14. > :33:17.as they are trapped in those snares. If we believe we are in a

:33:18. > :33:21.progressive country, we must have progressive legislation and bring in

:33:22. > :33:29.a ban and today could not be soon enough. That would be a view

:33:30. > :33:37.supported by 87% of vets. 95% of landowners do not use it, 250

:33:38. > :33:39.municipal authorities do not use snares, the RSPB, Network Rail and

:33:40. > :33:46.many authorities no longer use snares. The reason why, they are

:33:47. > :33:52.indiscriminate, inhumane and the law is not being applied properly where

:33:53. > :33:57.it sits. It just does not work and it does not address the issue

:33:58. > :34:00.either. That is what has been drawn out, as the honourable member for

:34:01. > :34:07.Workington has highlighted in the research. For instance, looking at

:34:08. > :34:12.the behaviour of foxes. As an animal they are very competitive and very

:34:13. > :34:17.territorial. If space is vacated because an animal has been killed,

:34:18. > :34:24.foxes will move into that area and their breeding will increase to fill

:34:25. > :34:29.that space. That has been proven and our fox community remains at a

:34:30. > :34:33.quarter of a million adults as a result of that consistency. The

:34:34. > :34:38.honourable member for The Cotswolds drew out the response might

:34:39. > :34:43.honourable friend the member for Brent North gave about wildlife

:34:44. > :34:47.management. Whilst we recognise the importance of wildlife management,

:34:48. > :34:52.he gave the response before the Defra report came out in 2012 before

:34:53. > :34:59.they moved forward the evidence and we must look at the most up-to-date

:35:00. > :35:04.evidence. Therefore, the report does go on to talk about the need for

:35:05. > :35:11.increased powers to the code, to say it is not working, to say we need to

:35:12. > :35:14.move the whole framework forward, to recognise inspections are not

:35:15. > :35:19.working themselves, and yet it says inspections should not happen just

:35:20. > :35:23.one today, but twice a day. If it was under a voluntary code, how

:35:24. > :35:31.would that be implemented? That was the point gone out by the honourable

:35:32. > :35:36.member for Strangford he said once a day is not enough, we need to go

:35:37. > :35:40.further. 36% of farmers are unaware of the content of the code or even

:35:41. > :35:47.of its existence and only 3% have had any training whatsoever on

:35:48. > :35:51.snares. Clearly the code is failing, it is failing animals and wildlife

:35:52. > :35:57.and we need to get real about this. We also know that even stops on

:35:58. > :36:02.snares do not prevent animal cruelty as so much evidence has now come

:36:03. > :36:08.forward. We need to move forward on the principles of how we uphold our

:36:09. > :36:12.wildlife, how we uphold animals and their welfare, ensuring they have

:36:13. > :36:18.freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from pain, injury and

:36:19. > :36:22.disease, freedom from discomfort, freedom to express normal behaviours

:36:23. > :36:25.and freedom from fear and distress. The psychological impact is

:36:26. > :36:32.important also. What are the options? More training, getting a

:36:33. > :36:36.licence as in the Scotland model? But the take-up of training is low

:36:37. > :36:42.and the reality is that that in itself is not enough. Training

:36:43. > :36:47.manufacturers is also recommended, but there are problems with that

:36:48. > :36:52.because as soon as snares leave the factory, they get old and rusty and

:36:53. > :36:58.out of date and they do not work. Stops and swivels work to an extent,

:36:59. > :37:03.but there is still injury caused to wild animals. The report recommends

:37:04. > :37:07.research on the design of snares. Research is always good and

:37:08. > :37:13.progressive and we welcome that, but the reality is snares are inhumane

:37:14. > :37:20.and they cause harm to animals. I am going to press on because of the

:37:21. > :37:26.time this afternoon. We know that only 1-3% of pheasants are killed by

:37:27. > :37:29.foxes. We are not looking at huge communities of animals which are

:37:30. > :37:36.prey to foxes, but there are alternatives that can be used. If we

:37:37. > :37:42.bring in a band, we can move things forward onto using the alternatives.

:37:43. > :37:47.The evidence says they can be incredibly effective. I am moving on

:37:48. > :37:52.because members have already spoken. First of all, on the issue of

:37:53. > :37:58.alternatives around foxes. We looked at issues like fencing, electronic

:37:59. > :38:05.fencing can be used. You can put fencing deep into the ground.

:38:06. > :38:11.Animals cannot burrow. Those methods are used by other landowners who do

:38:12. > :38:15.not use snares and trap animals. There are scared devices that can be

:38:16. > :38:20.used and if they are moved around it can stop habituation and animals

:38:21. > :38:24.will be scared of. There are chemical repellent and cage trapping

:38:25. > :38:30.where animals can be released unharmed as opposed to injure, which

:38:31. > :38:34.often is the case. Fencing is recommended around protection for

:38:35. > :38:41.rabbits. There are alternatives. What I would say to the Minister is,

:38:42. > :38:46.the work has been done, the research is complete, the evidence is waiting

:38:47. > :38:50.for a complete ban, like most of our progressive friends across Europe.

:38:51. > :38:55.It is time the government brought forward this legislation, no longer

:38:56. > :39:01.making excuses or delays, as we know 68% of MPs would supported, 77% of

:39:02. > :39:07.our constituents would support it, and it would be the right thing to

:39:08. > :39:12.do for animals as well as the wider nation. I would say do not delay

:39:13. > :39:16.today, Labour would bring in a ban, will the government this afternoon

:39:17. > :39:23.by the manufacturing, sell, possession and use of snares? Thank

:39:24. > :39:27.you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and it is a huge privilege to stand at this

:39:28. > :39:31.dispatch box for the first time as the Defra minister and I thank

:39:32. > :39:34.honourable members for their kind words so far. I would like to

:39:35. > :39:40.congratulate the honourable member for Lewisham West and Penge voice

:39:41. > :39:44.during this debate. I welcome contributions from all four parts of

:39:45. > :39:50.the United Kingdom, just showing the level of interest in this topic. I

:39:51. > :39:55.thank the honourable members from Poplar and Limehouse, Bristol East,

:39:56. > :40:01.Cotswolds, Workington, and from Strangford as well as the honourable

:40:02. > :40:05.lady from York Central. I fully understand the passion that

:40:06. > :40:10.honourable members have and our constituents also have in wanting

:40:11. > :40:13.high regard for animal welfare. As the honourable lady pointed out, it

:40:14. > :40:18.is accepted there needs to be a control of wildlife and as might

:40:19. > :40:22.honourable friend from Newbury and right honourable friend from

:40:23. > :40:30.Strangford pointed out, curtailing prolific species helps endangered

:40:31. > :40:34.species. The government shares the public's high regard for animal

:40:35. > :40:39.welfare and we are proud to have the highest animal welfare standards in

:40:40. > :40:44.the world. We recognise the welfare of our wild animals can be protected

:40:45. > :40:48.further and more can be done to improve snaring practices. I will

:40:49. > :40:52.make progress and take some points from her later. Snaring is one part

:40:53. > :40:59.of a range of measures that have to be used to manage species, the

:41:00. > :41:02.control of which underpins the sustainable harvesting of wild game

:41:03. > :41:08.birds, animal husbandry and wildlife. At spring in summer

:41:09. > :41:11.budgeted of cover makes other measures very impractical, often

:41:12. > :41:16.leading snaring as the only effective form of management. When

:41:17. > :41:22.practised to a high standard and with adherence to the law, snaring

:41:23. > :41:28.can provide land and wildlife managers with an effective means to

:41:29. > :41:31.restrain wild animals. But if they are used incorrectly, snares are

:41:32. > :41:37.capable of causing injuries and suffering both to the animals for

:41:38. > :41:40.which they were set and through accidental capture to nontarget

:41:41. > :41:48.species for which snaring is entirely inappropriate. I give way.

:41:49. > :41:52.I just wanted to ask the honourable lady, she said again as I have heard

:41:53. > :41:56.many times from ministers that the UK has the best animal welfare

:41:57. > :42:01.standards in the world. I pointed out in my speech some instances

:42:02. > :42:06.where I do not believe we do. What is the evidence for her saying that?

:42:07. > :42:10.Could you publish something that shows we have the best animal

:42:11. > :42:14.welfare standards in the world? Off the tip of my tongue I cannot

:42:15. > :42:19.remember the phrase, but it is something like the International

:42:20. > :42:23.index and you would find the UK, including Austria and Switzerland,

:42:24. > :42:27.are reckoned to be in the top five and it is an independent assessment

:42:28. > :42:34.and I will alert the honourable lady to exactly what I am referring to.

:42:35. > :42:41.They are congratulate my honourable friend which I failed to do in my

:42:42. > :42:46.speech on her new elevation? Would she agree that nobody wants to see

:42:47. > :42:51.unnecessary suffering from snaring or anything else? Would she agreed

:42:52. > :42:57.to look into providing a new updated code so that best practice can be

:42:58. > :43:05.for? I thank my honourable friend for his kind words. I would save the

:43:06. > :43:10.patient until a few minutes time is the best way I can answer that.

:43:11. > :43:13.Coming back to recognising that snares are capable of causing

:43:14. > :43:18.injuries, it is why the Wildlife and Countryside Act prohibited the use

:43:19. > :43:30.of inhumane self locking snares. They are accepted to be mechanisms

:43:31. > :43:37.that Titan and cause asphyxiation. The act requires travellers to check

:43:38. > :43:41.their snares every 24 hours. The same act prohibited the use of

:43:42. > :43:50.snares to take certain species including badgers, otters, red

:43:51. > :43:55.squirrels and hedgehogs and the 1991 Act does the same. There is a legal

:43:56. > :44:05.responsibility to prevent unnecessary suffering to any

:44:06. > :44:10.animals. The honourable member refers to the inefficiency of

:44:11. > :44:16.snaring, but he does not suggest any other methods that would be more

:44:17. > :44:19.efficient. Several alternatives including chemicals were mentioned,

:44:20. > :44:25.but as yet I am not aware that they have been shown to be more efficient

:44:26. > :44:29.or effective. My honourable friend referred to the efficiency and I

:44:30. > :44:33.think that is borne out, although I recognise some of the issues

:44:34. > :44:39.addressed. The honourable gentleman from Lewisham and Penge referred to

:44:40. > :44:44.the 2005 code of practice issued by Defra and 2012 study. He mentioned a

:44:45. > :44:50.number of issues which he would like to see addressed. That is a view

:44:51. > :44:54.shared by many people and has led to land management organisations and

:44:55. > :44:58.gamekeeping associations around the country developing a new code of

:44:59. > :45:03.best practice on the use of snares for fox control in England which

:45:04. > :45:08.would be suitable for the control of rabbits. Designed and written by a

:45:09. > :45:13.number of stakeholders, the game and wildlife conservation trust and the

:45:14. > :45:17.countryside Alliance, which I know the honourable gentleman is a member

:45:18. > :45:23.of, this new guidance builds on previous Defra code practice, but

:45:24. > :45:29.draws an reliable research by setting out principles for the legal

:45:30. > :45:33.and humane use of snares. In terms of nontarget species captured, that

:45:34. > :45:37.can be reduced by the appropriate setting taking into account the

:45:38. > :45:43.behaviour of the target animal. This new code of practice emphasises this

:45:44. > :45:48.very clearly that if nontarget animals are likely to be caught then

:45:49. > :45:51.snaring should not be used. Improvements in design would mean

:45:52. > :45:56.that even if caught, nontarget species are more likely to be

:45:57. > :46:00.released unharmed. My honourable friend from The Cotswolds to about

:46:01. > :46:05.well-designed snares and started to explain how breast practices can

:46:06. > :46:10.tackle a lot of these issues, reinforced by the honourable member

:46:11. > :46:16.for Strangford. The honourable member for Poplar and Limehouse used

:46:17. > :46:22.the issue about gamekeepers using them. Snares are used by different

:46:23. > :46:26.groups, including gamekeepers and farmers, and they operate in

:46:27. > :46:31.different environments and have different pressures. Snares are the

:46:32. > :46:36.most appropriate mechanism for gamekeepers, but in upland areas in

:46:37. > :46:40.a different habitat and environment with unrestricted areas, that is a

:46:41. > :46:45.different scenario then what would be the case in other parts of

:46:46. > :46:49.farmland. There have been references to the practices in Scotland and the

:46:50. > :46:54.Welsh code and calls by the honourable member for Neath for

:46:55. > :46:59.making this statutory. I think we should give this a chance to come

:47:00. > :47:04.into effect before even considering any further regulation. If people do

:47:05. > :47:08.not believe the law is being followed, they should report such

:47:09. > :47:14.incidents to the pleas and many forces have rural and wildlife crime

:47:15. > :47:23.units. As the honourable gentleman for Poplar and Limehouse referred

:47:24. > :47:29.to, there was a Labour government in power for 13 years and they did not

:47:30. > :47:30.persuade government ministers of the day to legislate for the banning of

:47:31. > :47:41.this. I'm grateful to the honourable lady

:47:42. > :47:48.for giving way. I wouldn't want to mislead the House. After the 2008

:47:49. > :47:53.animal welfare act was passed, Sirrous animals was left assigned it

:47:54. > :47:58.was during 2008 that the Labour Government was persuaded and the

:47:59. > :48:03.Labour manifesto said, had we been re-elected, we would legislate

:48:04. > :48:06.against wild animals in circuses, the lobby was successful but the

:48:07. > :48:11.honourable lady is correct that we didn't have time at that point to

:48:12. > :48:16.legislate. Well, the honourable gentleman was

:48:17. > :48:21.right, I'm not questioning what was in the manifesto. They weren't

:48:22. > :48:25.elected. I was referring to the snares. I'm confident this new code

:48:26. > :48:29.will improve the situation. What is different from the 2005 code is that

:48:30. > :48:33.this code has been designed and owned by the sector, rather than

:48:34. > :48:36.Government. Of course Government has had conversations and brought people

:48:37. > :48:40.to this place but by showing leadership in this area, they will

:48:41. > :48:44.undoubtedly have more success in promoting good practice with their

:48:45. > :48:48.members and changing behaviour, than Government could achieve on its own.

:48:49. > :48:51.I cannot announce today, Madame Deputy Speaker, exactly when the

:48:52. > :48:57.code will be published but I'm confident that it will be very soon.

:48:58. > :49:01.I'm Day 4 in this role as a Minster and I'm really looking forward to

:49:02. > :49:05.this code being published and being put into practice I think we have

:49:06. > :49:09.had an excellent debate today. I think it is crucial that we do all

:49:10. > :49:12.take responsibility and continue to work together to ensure that best

:49:13. > :49:18.practice is recognised, is shared and followed by everyone who uses by

:49:19. > :49:22.snares, we do support measures that improve animal welfare, including

:49:23. > :49:27.this new Coved practice and as I say, Madame Deputy Speaker, we are

:49:28. > :49:34.all looking forward to it being published very soon. Jim Dowd to

:49:35. > :49:39.wind up. I have listened to what the minister says, unfortunately I'm in

:49:40. > :49:47.the assuaged by t to coin a phrase "I have heard it before." Now it has

:49:48. > :49:53.become "very soon.". It took the Government two years to publish the

:49:54. > :49:58.research adevelopment unit at DEFRA to published this report. Can I also

:49:59. > :50:03.apologise for my appalling bad manners in not welcoming her to her

:50:04. > :50:06.new position, I hope she makes a success of it and more than anything

:50:07. > :50:11.enjoys her new responsibilities. The one unifying factor across the House

:50:12. > :50:14.on this, is everybody accepts the need for animal pest control and

:50:15. > :50:19.decent standards of animal welfare. Nobody disputes that that is the

:50:20. > :50:27.case. The question is always one of means, not ends. If the means

:50:28. > :50:30.deployed involves exceptional cruelty, barbarity then I don't

:50:31. > :50:35.think that's a price worth paying. Quite right. The Minster mentions

:50:36. > :50:39.there were no other alternatives. I think there are plenty of other

:50:40. > :50:46.alternatives, unfortunate lit Deputy Speaker did stop me getting on to my

:50:47. > :50:50.speech. They include adequate poultry housing, and shooting is

:50:51. > :50:54.another one. Direct killing. I hope - I was delighted it what he what

:50:55. > :50:58.she said about wild animals and circuses. Members may recall that

:50:59. > :51:04.that actually started as a resolution from this chamber on a

:51:05. > :51:08.backbench business debate. So I'm hoping that that is an omen, a

:51:09. > :51:12.precedent for the future and I hope the House will adopt the motion this

:51:13. > :51:17.afternoon. The question is as on the order

:51:18. > :51:22.paper, as many of that opinion say aye. Aye. On the contrary, no. I

:51:23. > :51:31.think the ayes have t the ayes sl it. . Point of order. Madame Deputy

:51:32. > :51:36.Speaker, this morning Government, alongside 29 other written

:51:37. > :51:42.statements sneaked out a confirmation of major increases in

:51:43. > :51:49.tuition fees by 2.8% for the year 2017-2018. Two days ago in this

:51:50. > :51:52.House, we had the debate on the higher Education Bill, at which

:51:53. > :51:58.ministers made no preference to this. Is it not disgraceful, Madame

:51:59. > :52:03.Deputy Speaker, that they should use this cynical last day of term

:52:04. > :52:09.mechanism to introduce this here. Terrible Can you tell me if you had

:52:10. > :52:13.had any indication that a Government Minster is available to answer

:52:14. > :52:16.scrutiny from colleagues in this House before we disapoor for

:52:17. > :52:20.five-and-a-half weeks. I thank the honourable gentleman for the point

:52:21. > :52:25.of order. I would like to point out we are coming to the prerecess

:52:26. > :52:32.adjournment debate straight away. If he would like to do that, he is more

:52:33. > :52:36.than welcome to do so. I'm sure the Treasury ministers will take that to

:52:37. > :52:41.the Minster. If he wants to catch my eye, I'll see what I can do. We come

:52:42. > :52:46.to the backbench dea bit on matters to be raised before the forthcoming

:52:47. > :52:49.adjournment. Bob Blackman to monchts on behalf of the backbench business

:52:50. > :52:54.committee, I beg to move we have considered matters to be raised

:52:55. > :52:58.before the forthcoming adjournment. Apologies for the honourable member

:52:59. > :53:01.for Gateshead who has had to leave to attend to constituency business

:53:02. > :53:07.as a result of having the urgent question, earlier today. . Can I son

:53:08. > :53:16.is entrait on some issues lobe lane in this House that I think will

:53:17. > :53:27.benefited from this debate. -- can I concentrate on some issues locally

:53:28. > :53:32.and in this House. On the London mayoral debate, we had a good vote

:53:33. > :53:37.but the rest of London didn't follow that line. I'm also saying that in

:53:38. > :53:41.my condition constituencicy, we had a majority vote to leave the

:53:42. > :53:45.European Union, which was echoed across the country. In terms of

:53:46. > :53:48.business transport it was mentioned this morning about Southern rail and

:53:49. > :53:52.their dreadful performance. This affects my constituents, as the

:53:53. > :53:55.service from Harrow Wealdstone station to Gatwick Airport and to

:53:56. > :54:02.Brighton has already been cut and now they are proposing to cut the

:54:03. > :54:06.service to Croydon as well. It is quite clear, I wrote to the outgoing

:54:07. > :54:10.rail minister on this particular issue and I trust there will be

:54:11. > :54:15.strong action from the new Secretary of State, and the new rail minister,

:54:16. > :54:22.to combat this disgraceful service. Flooding is a particular issue in my

:54:23. > :54:27.constituency. Many businesses from rural constituencies may not realise

:54:28. > :54:31.this but in a constituency like mine we have constantly having deep pools

:54:32. > :54:35.of water and sewage emerging as a result of the flash floods and heavy

:54:36. > :54:39.rainfall we have recently been experiencing. I have had a could

:54:40. > :54:42.have sequential series of correspondence and meetings with the