21/07/2016 House of Commons


21/07/2016

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

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stamp it out before it becomes something even more vile.

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THE SPEAKER: Questions to the minutester for women and equal --

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Minister for Women and equalities. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am proud

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of... Number one. Thank you, Mr Speaker. As the House

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has just been discussing hate crime of any kind, including that targeted

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at communities has no place in our society. I am sure I speak for the

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whole House when I say how appalled I am. The Government is monitoring

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this situation, working across Government departments and also with

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the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and community partners too

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to provide reassurance and to send out a clear message that hate crime

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will not be tolerated and we will take action against those who

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promote hatred. I am proud of the neath partnership

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which has been working to counter the rise in hate crime, more

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prevalent since the referendum by holding hate crime sessions. We

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should all say no to hate crime. What steps is the minister taking to

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adopt this practise and roll it out across the country to heal

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divisions? Communities? I will be interested to talk to her about the

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community she is in. She highlights one of the most effective things we

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can do is to work at community level to spread a message of inclusion and

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acceptance andal rans across our society. So the broader work which

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is happening in Government is not just through policing and the Home

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Office, it is also through DCLG and in my Department of Education

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through schools. Can I welcome my Right Honourable

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friend to her position. Does she feel, as I do, that we should be

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looking at online hate crime, which is often where people can suffer the

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most? Does she believe, as I do, the platforms and social media outlets

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should do more to standardise reporting in this area? And take

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more action against the perpetrators?

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I agree that the online element of this crime is important to address.

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One of the things the government has done is to strengthen online

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reporting and part of the increase in hate crime came through that tool

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that we set up, that website where people can more effectively report

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online. She is right to say that there are different channels where

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we see hate crimes perpetrated and all of them need a strong response.

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The Minister's and is on online hate crime is welcome but given the level

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of bile and hatred that exists in certain parts of social media, it is

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essential that law enforcement agencies chase this down, with

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specific cases brought to court to ensure that there is no hiding place

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for this behaviour on social media. I agree with him. As crime moves on

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to different forms, including online, that the CPS, collectively,

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take strong action and show that this sort of attitude across our

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country will not be tolerated, and where ever it raises its head, we

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will take action against it. It may be a special occasion when all 12

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members of both the government and opposition front bench as are

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female. Mr Speaker, last night, Kettering Borough Council last

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motion condemning racism, xenophobia and hate crime. I am proud to be a

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member of Kettering Borough Council and do have supported that motion.

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Would my Right Honourable Friend and courage other local authorities to

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do the same? The merit in making the point about the make-up of the front

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bench is that it is now on the record in Hansard for ever.

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Minister. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Perhaps appropriate given

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it is questions for women and the qualities in particular. I should

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say that when we decide as a government to draw across government

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departments to answer this question there was no attempt to make sure

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that we had an all - woman list of ministers to answer questions, but I

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think it shows how things are changing in Parliament in terms of

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female representation and, alongside the fact we have as of last week got

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away second female Prime Minister. To come to My Honourable Friend was

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Mike very important question, I'd like to applaud Kettering Borough

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Council for its strong stance against racism. I think part of how

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we can ensure that we stamp out hate crime and racism generally is, not

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only to work strongly on the ground, but those people in positions of

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authority, community leaders included, need to advocate of the

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kind of society, the kind of inclusive society that we all want.

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So those steps that Kettering Borough Council has taken are

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particularly well Act and I hope that other councils follow suit. --

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welcome. It was amazing to see people of multi-faith and no faith

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engaging together through sport and other activities. Does the Minister

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agree that these events should be encouraged where possible in these

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troubled times where we are seen an alarming rise in hate crime? Yes, I

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think we all have our own experience at constituency level. My local

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Amadiyah Muslim community holds an event that brings together all sides

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of the community and those fundraising that benefits the

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Amadiyah community stop these are the kinds of community leadership I

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was referring to. As MPs we can play a real role in encouraging and

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supporting that when we see happening in narrowing the Cal at

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is. -- in our own localities. I am really proud to be one of the women

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on the front bench, if we have got an all women front bench. It seems

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that we might be taking over the world, slowly but surely. Which is

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fantastic. We have heard from many members on all sides of the House

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that there's been a dramatic wave of hate crime and intolerance towards

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EU nationals and members of the McAfee community living in the UK. I

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have been encouraged by members of the public who have challenged this

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behaviour and shown what a great multicultural Britain we are, but

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like many across this House and the country I was dismayed and upset by

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the Sun columnist Kelvin MacKenzie's disgraceful Islamophobia attack on

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the Channel 4 News presenter Fatima Manji. Could we explain that all

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members of the South Regardez comments as unacceptable and all the

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Minister join me in urging Mr MacKenzie to make a full public

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apology and urge the Sun newspaper and other media to be more

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responsible in what they allow on their media outlets Butt never again

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must she ask such a long question. It was far too long, albeit very

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important. Minister. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. She raises an

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important question. Not the first time that John MacKenzie has written

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and said things that are on the controversial -- Kelvin MacKenzie. I

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think it is for him to decide how he wants to respond to the wave of

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criticism he has received since writing that article. From my

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perspective am I am proudly live in a country where men and women are

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equal, but that includes women having the right to be able to wear

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what they want and to be able to get on in their job, wearing what they

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want to be able to wear, and that includes needs -- newscasters and

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journalists, in my view. We need to have some kind of consensus around

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not rising to the bait of people like Kelvin MacKenzie and I hope

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that we can give his comments the derision that they deserve. The

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Minister has put the bigoted fellow in its place pretty comprehensively.

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Thank you, Mr Speaker, with permission I will answer questions

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two, three and ten together. We have reformed the pension system to

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introduce a simple estate pension with automatic and Roman, the triple

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lock, protection of benefits and new pension freedoms will ensure that

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engineers, both women and men have greater protection, security and

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choice. -- that pensioners. I thank the Minister for that answer. The

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new state pension will see, a man born on the same day slightly later

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but was received pensions under the new arrangements. Sugar Pensions

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Minister -- pensions commission be established to end these

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inequalities? I thank the honourable gentleman for his welcome. ?1.1

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billion was committed to reduce the maximum delay anyone with experience

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in claiming their state ancient. As a result of the government's triple

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lock, the basic state pension has risen by ?570 per year. The

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government position on this policy is very clear. The current review by

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John Criddle and into the state ancient age is critical to ensure

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that the existing inequalities in the current pension system do not

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plague future retirees. Does the Mr agree that the leader strip is in

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life expectancy such as those amongst the poorest women in society

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and across UK regions must be closely examined to prevent gender

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inequality? I absolutely agree. It is important to prevent gender

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inequality. But we must acknowledge that across the country people are

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living longer, and if we want to have a sustainable, affordable

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ancient system we must equalise the state pension age for men and women.

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-- pension system. Mr Speaker, for get the triple lock and other

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measures that the Minister promoted, the simple fact is, according to the

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Institute for Fiscal Studies, 14% of women in future will receive a law

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income at state pension age than they would have otherwise under the

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current system. What discussion is the Minister having with colleagues

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from the DWP to prevent this from happening? The new state pension is

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more generous to many women. Over 3 million women stand to gain ?550 per

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year more by 2030 as a result of these changes. Can I take this up

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unused -- this chance to -- to welcome the Minister to her place?

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As a fellow feminist she will agree that the generation of women were

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talking about is our mothers are what the generation who broken the

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barriers on equal pay. What message does it send to a future generation

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burdened by student debt, what incentive is there for younger women

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to save for their future? I thank the honourable lady for her welcome.

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In fact what we have seen from the reforms the government has made is

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that woman of her age and my age are doing more now to save for their

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future than ever before. It is important to reflect that some of

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the previous arrangements dating back to the 1940s, and the world has

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moved on an incredible amount since that time and I would argue,

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absolutely for the better. Thank you, Mr Speaker. With your

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permission I am going to group this question with questions five and

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seven. This area is a real success story. We have more women on boards

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than ever before but we know we have got to do more. I fully endorse the

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target of 33% of women on FTSE 250 boards by 2020. To achieve this we

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have established the Hampton Alexander review which will have a

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focus on improving gender representation in the all important

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executive lair of FTSE complete. The statutory mail on the government

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front bench. I would have invited the member for Shipley, but I

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suspect that might have been a divisible proposition. Mr Andrew

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Stevenson. I thank the Minister for that answer. Does the Minister agree

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that the 33% target of women on FTSE 250 boards is achievable? I do,

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absolutely. There will be some steps we need to take but so far the

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proposal of working voluntarily with as this has seen some real progress,

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and we have seen a doubling of women on boards in the FTSE 350 boards to

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23% now from 2010. And the number of all-male board has dropped from 152,

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252, today. I expect that we can meet this ambitious and achievable

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target by 2020. Can I congratulate the front bench on its fantastic,

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it's fantastically women representation on the front bench as

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well. Kent University is taking the lead in having almost half of the

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board of governors being women. What is her department doing to ensure

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that more women in senior leadership roles at universities? I should

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start biking graduating Weymouth University for making what is

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fantastic progress. -- biking graduating Weymouth University. A

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third of governing bodies are now gender balanced. It is good that we

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now have the high education funding Council for England which has set an

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aspirational target of 40% of women on governing bodies. There is an

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Athena Swan Charter Mark which is something that I strongly support. I

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would like to congratulate the Secretary of State. She's long been

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a role model to many women and I know that when she came to

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Parliament in 2005 it look very different ways. May I ask the

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Secretary of State what her department is doing to ensure that

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women across the UK, not just in London, have access to senior

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executive roles, and can she reassure me that these women will be

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encouraged not just into traditional sect is usually occupied by women?

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There are two parts to the question. First, we have extended the women's

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business Council to 20 members, including organisations based in

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Scotland and Wales, so we are expanding and making sure that the

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geographical focus is UK wide, and we are changing so that it has got

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greater representation of the kinds of industries she's talked about,

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such as engineering, defence and construction. A good example of that

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is the Halfords group which is based in the West Midlands whose board is

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50% women, and in fact their Chief Executive is female, too, and we

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have got to champion best practice. Will the government lead by example

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and increasing the number of women in senior management roles in its

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departments, agencies and other organisations with which it has an

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influence, including the NHS? We are certainly going to try to make sure

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that we lead by example. The fact that we have our second female Prime

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Minister is a very, very good, strong and historic start. As she

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recognises, the public sector needs to make progress in this, as does

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the private sector. The minister has mentioned getting

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female representation in the boardrooms. It is a fact and

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researched by the Guardian that there are more men called "John" and

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a fine name it s Mr Speak e that our bosses in the FTSE-100 companies

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than there are women all together running those companies too. So,

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what more can this Government do to make sure that women actually see it

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as their role to run FTSE-100 companies? He's right to point out

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the problem. In spite of the progress, the reality is if you look

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

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need to do is make sure that women are aiming high, but also ensure

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that, for example, when women have children and come back into the

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workplace, that their careers are not hindered by that and indeed they

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can still go on and get to the very top.

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318 female executive women run 238 across genders. 122 held roles where

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they heldfy man shall -- held financial roles.

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Well, I really welcome that question as somebody whose background is

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being a chartered accountantment actually some of the accounting

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firms have done great work on pulling through their best and

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brightest women. It is seeing women in the roles which are pivotal on a

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board. That is the next step we want to see companies take.

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Thank you. Can I welcome my Right Honourable friend to her post. She

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is there on merit and the Conservative Party have shown that

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women can get to the very top by merit. So, when she's looking at

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these particular issues, can she give me an assurance that merit will

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always be the deciding factor on whether people are promoted to a

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role or not, irrespective of people's gender, race or sexual

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inclination, that we are recruiting people, recruiters should be blind

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to those things? Well, I have great news for him. There are plenty of

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fantastic women out there who are ready, willing and able to get into

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those top jobs. I can assure him there'll be no come poem on --

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compromise on merit. We might see a raising of the performance levels.

:19:54.:19:58.

Six, Mr Speaker. Thank you, Mr Speaker, the

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Government set out the assessment of the welfare policies in the well

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form and work act. Every Government policy change is carefully

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considered in line with the legal obligations.

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Thank you, Mr Speaker. In gender have said from 2010, 26 billion of

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cuts have been made. 86% of that figure has come from women's income.

:20:30.:20:32.

The statement made by the Secretary of State for work and mention

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concludes the child policy are carrying on. That will also have an

:20:38.:20:42.

effect on women's incomes. What is she doing to redress that balance?

:20:43.:20:47.

I thank the honourable lady for that question. It is really important to

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reflect on the economic statistics. There are more women in work than

:20:52.:20:56.

ever before. With the roll out of universal credit it will be a

:20:57.:20:59.

position where being in work pays. It is important to focus on the

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reforms we have made are assessing people into work and making sure

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that women are at the forefront of that.

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Mr Speaker, the minister will be aware of the continuing concern

:21:12.:21:19.

across the United Kingdom on welfare proposals on women with young

:21:20.:21:23.

families. Will she keep under review that continuing concern right across

:21:24.:21:27.

the entire country to ensure that there's no continuing disadvantage

:21:28.:21:30.

to females, particularly with young families? The honourable gentleman

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makes a really important point about women with families and the

:21:37.:21:39.

childcare support that this Government has invested in, doubling

:21:40.:21:46.

free care child from 15 to 30 hours for 15,000 working parents for three

:21:47.:21:50.

and four year olds. Is an example of how we are making sure that women

:21:51.:21:55.

can get back into work. Can I welcome the Secretary of State

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and all new anyone ministers and existing ministers to their place.

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Priority to Brexit it was said it was could ?36 billion to tax every

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year, not just public services, it will be our jobs, livelihoods and

:22:14.:22:19.

those on low incomes. We know that 80% of wells fall on women. Can the

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minister assure me these cuts will not fall on women's shoulders?

:22:25.:22:30.

What we are very conscious of is the honourable lady would have heard the

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Prime Minister say yesterday we have to make the changes which will come

:22:34.:22:37.

about as a result of the EU referendum work for everybody across

:22:38.:22:40.

society and of course that includes women.

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Thank you. The Equality and Human Rights Commission performs a very

:22:48.:22:53.

important and valuable role. Its appointed the chair and board are

:22:54.:22:57.

well equipped. The commission receives and will continue to

:22:58.:23:00.

receive sufficient funds to enable it to fulfil its full range of

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statutory duties. I thank the minister for her answer. Can he stop

:23:06.:23:10.

the rumour there are cuts on the way to the HRC budget. 69% down on what

:23:11.:23:17.

it was in 2010. In this climate of post Brexit racism of employment fee

:23:18.:23:22.

charges, is needed more now than ever. It is operating on less than

:23:23.:23:26.

the old Disability Rights Commission, which is only one part

:23:27.:23:31.

of its multiple good works. Mr Speaker, I am very happy to Scottish

:23:32.:23:38.

these rumours when the ERHC was established in 2007 it was done

:23:39.:23:42.

without a full understanding of what it would need from a budgetary point

:23:43.:23:46.

of view. Nearly ten years later we have a better understanding of the

:23:47.:23:49.

running costs and constituency costs of that organisation. It did have a

:23:50.:23:53.

reduction in function in 2013. They have had to make significant

:23:54.:23:57.

savings. At each stage they have done so after huge discussions

:23:58.:24:03.

between our ministry and the ERHC. They are not discussing -- disputing

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they will be able to fulfil their statutory functions to the highest

:24:08.:24:10.

possible standard. Thank you. With permission I will

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answer questions nine and 11 together. Spending to support people

:24:18.:24:20.

with disabilities and health conditions will be higher in real

:24:21.:24:25.

terms in every year to 2020 than it was in 2010. The Government set out

:24:26.:24:30.

our assessment of the impact of the welfare policies and work act with

:24:31.:24:34.

similar assessments for previous changes.

:24:35.:24:39.

Mr Speaker, can UN committee on economic and cultural rights called

:24:40.:24:43.

for this Government's regressive cuts to social security to be

:24:44.:24:48.

reversed and for a comprehension assessment on their impact on

:24:49.:24:53.

vulnerable women, children and disabled people. Will she commit to

:24:54.:24:57.

raising these concerns with her colleagues so these shameful cuts

:24:58.:25:01.

are abandoned? I thank the honourable lady for her question.

:25:02.:25:05.

Spending on the main disability benefits went up by ?3 billion in

:25:06.:25:09.

real terms over the course of the last Parliament. Spending on dip and

:25:10.:25:15.

DLA will be higher than spending was on DLA in 20106789 our welfare

:25:16.:25:22.

reforms will ensure the billions we spend better reflect today's

:25:23.:25:26.

understanding of disability and it will enable disabled people to live

:25:27.:25:28.

independent lives. Thank you. Can I give a personal

:25:29.:25:34.

welcome to the minister, a former colleague on the education Select

:25:35.:25:36.

Committee. The minister will be aware of the long promised work and

:25:37.:25:40.

health programme from our Government and that disabled people are still

:25:41.:25:45.

awaiting publication of the green paper to map out what employment

:25:46.:25:48.

support will be made available for those with disabilities. Does the

:25:49.:25:54.

minister agree with me that her Government must now map out the time

:25:55.:25:58.

line for publication and ensure sufficient funding is made available

:25:59.:26:05.

for disabled people who have born the brunt of austerity cuts I thank

:26:06.:26:10.

the lady for her welcome. I very much enployed -- enjoyed the time we

:26:11.:26:15.

spent on the education committee together. We will produce the paper

:26:16.:26:21.

to build a strategy which will work for them. It is critically important

:26:22.:26:25.

that we get more disabled people into work. I spent time before the

:26:26.:26:29.

general election as a PPS to the minister for disabled people. I know

:26:30.:26:32.

how hard he worked to promote disability confident, to make sure

:26:33.:26:37.

we have good examples and companies we can champion who show that

:26:38.:26:39.

bringing disabled people into work is not only good for disabled people

:26:40.:26:44.

but good for the economy and good for individual companies.

:26:45.:26:48.

Number one, Mr Speaker. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am

:26:49.:26:52.

delighted to be able to stand at the dispatch box today as the Minister

:26:53.:26:56.

for Women and equalities. I want the House to know this Government is one

:26:57.:27:01.

which is committed to tackling inequality wherever it exists so we

:27:02.:27:04.

can have a country for everyone. We want to see opportunity levelled up.

:27:05.:27:08.

We should never accept the status quo in a society where there are

:27:09.:27:16.

still some of our girls undergoing FGM. Where home phobic bullying

:27:17.:27:23.

takes place. It was a part of my work and I will bring all that

:27:24.:27:28.

passion and practicality to my role as Minister for Women and

:27:29.:27:31.

equalities. Can I welcome the new Secretary of

:27:32.:27:36.

State to her place? She will no doubt have heard the Prime Minister

:27:37.:27:39.

say in answer to my colleague's question, which was more to do with

:27:40.:27:43.

violence against women, it is the best way to ratify the Istanbul

:27:44.:27:49.

convention. Will the new Secretary of State support my honourable

:27:50.:27:54.

friend's bill which commits the Government to do more by ratifying

:27:55.:27:58.

the convention? I take on board the points he made. I spent much of the

:27:59.:28:03.

last three-and-a-half years internationally pressing for

:28:04.:28:07.

stronger action to combat violence against women and girls, including

:28:08.:28:11.

being at the commission on status of women earlier this year, in March,

:28:12.:28:16.

where I was with my honourable friend, the minister for equalities.

:28:17.:28:20.

He is right to highlight this issue. I will get back to him with an

:28:21.:28:26.

updated Government position. I welcome the Ministry of Defence's

:28:27.:28:29.

decision to allow women to fight on the front line. Can I ask my

:28:30.:28:33.

honourable friend the minister to explain what steps the Government

:28:34.:28:37.

will take to encourage women to take up these new posts? Well, as he has

:28:38.:28:43.

pointed out, there is the recent decision enables women to serve in

:28:44.:28:49.

the Royal Marines t royal armoured corps, infantry, so they will be

:28:50.:28:54.

able to fill those close ground combat roles. With reputting in a

:28:55.:29:00.

range of activity, including improved processes. There is a

:29:01.:29:04.

target of 15% of all recruitments to be female by 2020.

:29:05.:29:10.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Government took six long Mondays to

:29:11.:29:16.

release its response to women and equalities into transgender

:29:17.:29:21.

equality. The LGB campaigners have called the Government's response

:29:22.:29:25.

lots of precise words signifying nothing. Why did the Government

:29:26.:29:34.

reject the main recommendations, regarded transpeople should be

:29:35.:29:39.

changed to gender identity? Well, Mr Speaker, I do refute that.

:29:40.:29:46.

The response to the committee took representation from over 12

:29:47.:29:50.

different Government departments and Government bodies. I was a

:29:51.:29:54.

comprehensive piece of work and many of the recommendations were accepted

:29:55.:29:58.

and followed up. Not least the can commitment to look at gender

:29:59.:30:02.

recognition act, one of the things that transpeople tell me is the most

:30:03.:30:06.

disturbing, long-winded and in much need of reform. This department

:30:07.:30:11.

takes very, very seriously our commitment to transpeople.

:30:12.:30:18.

Will my honourable friend join me in congratulating the organisers of the

:30:19.:30:22.

2016 Essex women's business experience and networking event in

:30:23.:30:26.

Southend? Will her department do all they can to help and encourage women

:30:27.:30:32.

set up their own businesses? Mr Speaker, I am delighted to hear

:30:33.:30:36.

about the success of the experience, which I am told offered a range of

:30:37.:30:44.

networks and opportunities to inspire entrepreneur. The Government

:30:45.:30:49.

is working very hard to support them with not least a 2.2 million woman

:30:50.:30:56.

in broadband package to help women engage the confident they need to

:30:57.:31:00.

start their own businesses. Can I welcome the Secretary of State

:31:01.:31:05.

to her place? A report published this week detailed by 2014, 2015

:31:06.:31:11.

two-thirds of children classified as living under the poverty line where

:31:12.:31:16.

from families where one parent was in work. Should the Government

:31:17.:31:21.

commit to abandoning the cuts to work allowances which will see low

:31:22.:31:26.

to income families who are struggling to keep their heads above

:31:27.:31:34.

water struggle focus on eleaving these households. One of the most

:31:35.:31:38.

important things we have seen happen under this Government and the last

:31:39.:31:41.

Government was a dramatic fall in unemployment and in the end, as I no

:31:42.:31:45.

efrom my own childhood experience, where my dad spent a year

:31:46.:31:48.

unemployed, the most important thing we can do to combat poverty is to

:31:49.:31:54.

create jobs. She is right to say we want to go beyond that and see

:31:55.:31:58.

people doing better in work. It is not only the right thing for them to

:31:59.:32:05.

do and their own household circumstances, the smart thing

:32:06.:32:19.

In September, I am hosting the first engineering festival. Will the

:32:20.:32:27.

Secretary of State join me there? Well, this Wiltshire festival of

:32:28.:32:31.

engineering does sound like a great initiative. I would be delighted if

:32:32.:32:35.

she could send me details and I will see if I can come along to it. The

:32:36.:32:41.

good news is there is 13,000 more entries by girls to maths and A

:32:42.:32:47.

levels compared to 2010. We need to do more to challenge the per

:32:48.:32:54.

sections which put girls off from doing these subjects. The number of

:32:55.:33:00.

organisations have conveyed disdisappointment at the committee

:33:01.:33:06.

transgender enquiry. Stone wall's insistent and further evidence

:33:07.:33:09.

believing it has sufficient evidence to take proper action. Does the

:33:10.:33:13.

minister accept the assessment that this has been a lost opportunity to

:33:14.:33:19.

ensure that all trans people are clearly protected and will she

:33:20.:33:24.

commit to working them and others to achieve true equality for all

:33:25.:33:27.

trans-people? Well, yes, Mr Speaker. Once again I

:33:28.:33:32.

refute the allegations that this has been a missed opportunity. We have

:33:33.:33:35.

taken on board so many of the recommendations. It with was

:33:36.:33:39.

ground-breaking piece of work. It has encouraged 12 different

:33:40.:33:41.

Government bodies and organisations to look at what they do and makes

:33:42.:33:46.

some strong commitments to the transgender population and we

:33:47.:33:50.

support them and we are looking out for their needs. The Secretary of

:33:51.:33:54.

State said she was committed to stamping out inequality and the

:33:55.:33:58.

Government was committed to stamping out inequality. One of the starkest

:33:59.:34:03.

areas is on sentencing. For every single category of offence a man is

:34:04.:34:06.

more likely to be sent to prison than a woman. To give an example,

:34:07.:34:12.

for child cruelty and neglect. 33% of men convicted were sent to

:34:13.:34:17.

prison. Only 15% of women were sent to prison. Will she write to the

:34:18.:34:22.

chairman of the Sentencing Council to instruct him to treat men and

:34:23.:34:26.

women the same when they come before the courts?

:34:27.:34:30.

The honourable gentleman clearly knows that the judiciary are

:34:31.:34:36.

independent of government, and rightly so. There are no gender

:34:37.:34:42.

preferences in sentencing guidelines. Every sentence is based

:34:43.:34:45.

on the offence committed and other mitigating factors. He also knows

:34:46.:34:50.

that, in the offence he identified, although women are less likely to go

:34:51.:34:53.

to prison, the Saint and says they receive when they do are actually

:34:54.:34:58.

longer than their male counterparts. -- the sentences. This week we have

:34:59.:35:04.

learned that the pensions portfolio has been downgraded from Minister of

:35:05.:35:09.

State to run on the Secretary of State. She agree with me that the

:35:10.:35:15.

vast inequalities facing women and those that will face future

:35:16.:35:20.

pensioners under a new state pension are suddenly shameful that the

:35:21.:35:25.

Minister of State that has not been appointed to deal with these

:35:26.:35:30.

inequalities and the uncertainties that retirees will face following

:35:31.:35:34.

the vote to leave the EU? I thank the honourable gentleman for that

:35:35.:35:37.

question. The Department for Work and Pensions takes his

:35:38.:35:42.

responsibilities seriously on these issues. The department was

:35:43.:35:45.

strengthened by having an additional half of Minister, and I think that

:35:46.:35:50.

it is trivial to focus on the job title when in fact we get qualified,

:35:51.:35:56.

competent and determined people into the right roles. Thank you, Mr

:35:57.:36:03.

Speaker. I can graduate my Right Honourable Friend on her

:36:04.:36:06.

appointment. One of the key decision shall have to date quickly is that

:36:07.:36:12.

the two-year period of discussion on clusters termination comes to an

:36:13.:36:15.

end. I've written to her already. Will she undertake to have a meeting

:36:16.:36:20.

with me and a delegation from the Hindu immunity who are determined to

:36:21.:36:25.

see this illogical discrimination removed from the statute book --

:36:26.:36:34.

caste the scrum and is in. I will locate his letter at the Department

:36:35.:36:37.

and make sure that I read it very carefully. Urgent question, Neil

:36:38.:36:46.

Carmichael. The reason I applied for an urgent question this morning...

:36:47.:36:52.

We don't need to go into any of that. The right now gentleman needs

:36:53.:36:58.

to ask the Secretary of State for a statement on... He will get his

:36:59.:37:03.

opportunity in a minute. Can I ask about the situation with school

:37:04.:37:07.

funding and whether the department can meet its timetable? Minister,

:37:08.:37:14.

the Secretary of State for Education, Justine Greening. Thank

:37:15.:37:21.

you Mr Speaker. I'm committed to introducing fairer funding for

:37:22.:37:24.

schools. This is an important reform to transparently allocate funding on

:37:25.:37:31.

the basis of schools' and children's' actual needs. As we set

:37:32.:37:35.

out today this government is investing in record levels of

:37:36.:37:38.

funding for schools and with that, fairer funding will set a common

:37:39.:37:44.

foundation allowing schools to maximise the potential of every

:37:45.:37:47.

child. They will no longer be held back by a funding system that is

:37:48.:37:53.

arbitrary, out of date and unfair. Fairer funding will underpin the

:37:54.:37:56.

education system to Act as a motor for social mobility and social

:37:57.:38:04.

justice. The first step has been met with an overwhelmingly positive

:38:05.:38:07.

response from head teachers, governors and parents. I am clear

:38:08.:38:14.

that this is a once in a generation opportunity for historic change, and

:38:15.:38:16.

therefore we have got to make sure that we take the time to get that

:38:17.:38:19.

final approach right. I would therefore publish the government was

:38:20.:38:25.

Mac will response to the post stage of the consultation and set out my

:38:26.:38:29.

proposals for the second stage, once Parliament returns in the autumn. We

:38:30.:38:34.

will run a full consultation and make final decisions early in the

:38:35.:38:38.

New Year. Given the importance of consulting widely and fully with the

:38:39.:38:42.

sector and getting the fermentation right, the new system will apply

:38:43.:38:47.

from 2018-19 and we will set out plans for a national funding formula

:38:48.:38:53.

for early years shortly. I understand local authorities need

:38:54.:38:55.

sufficient information to begin planning funding arrangements for

:38:56.:39:01.

2017-18. Local authorities need time to consult with schools, both

:39:02.:39:06.

academies and maintained, to ensure that the funding they provided

:39:07.:39:10.

beanbag erected appropriately. As well as a fair system, schools and

:39:11.:39:15.

local authorities need stability and early notice of any changes to

:39:16.:39:19.

fulfil the support that future properly. I confirm today in my

:39:20.:39:22.

written statement that no local authority will see a reduction from

:39:23.:39:27.

their 2016-17 funding for schools and final allocations will follow in

:39:28.:39:33.

December on the basis of the latest pupil numbers as usual. My written

:39:34.:39:39.

statement confirms that the 2017 - 18 will retain a minimum funding

:39:40.:39:43.

guarantee for schools so that no school can face a funding reduction

:39:44.:39:48.

of more than 1.5% per pupil, and as my written statement today confirms,

:39:49.:39:52.

and the term and to make sure that we moved to a fair funding system

:39:53.:39:56.

and that we do that in a measured, properly consultative fashion. Mr

:39:57.:40:01.

Speaker, this will be a crucial part of delivering an education system

:40:02.:40:04.

that works for every child, no matter their background, and I hope

:40:05.:40:08.

that update has been helpful for the House. The honourable gentleman for

:40:09.:40:16.

Stroud can now operate, but only 40 minutes. I thank you, Mrs Peter,

:40:17.:40:20.

that is extremely help or. The key point and the Secretary of State has

:40:21.:40:26.

spotted it is that local authorities need time to prepare, and so, too,

:40:27.:40:30.

do schools. So the essential question is, can the government meet

:40:31.:40:34.

this timetable it has set out, because that is the desire of all

:40:35.:40:41.

schools, particularly in England obviously, and it is of interest to

:40:42.:40:44.

every single member of Parliament in England. What I would ask the

:40:45.:40:49.

Secretary of State to confirm is when she does expect this programme

:40:50.:40:55.

to be fulfilled, and how it is that she is going to be sure that the

:40:56.:40:58.

next consultation period does not take quite as long as the previous

:40:59.:41:03.

one, the cause that took some three months to complete and we still

:41:04.:41:05.

actually don't know where we are. Those are the key questions. He's

:41:06.:41:11.

absolutely right to say that what we want to do is strike a balance

:41:12.:41:17.

between moving rapidly towards a fairer funding formula but at the

:41:18.:41:20.

same time making sure that we do that in a way that clearly allows

:41:21.:41:25.

time for the details of that formula to be debated, because they will

:41:26.:41:28.

have a big impact on how it works effectively. Also then time for

:41:29.:41:33.

local authorities to understand the changes and to prepare, and for

:41:34.:41:36.

schools themselves as well. That is the balance I have tried to strike.

:41:37.:41:41.

I want to be responsible in making sure that we don't rush into changes

:41:42.:41:47.

without absolutely being fully sighted on the ramifications of

:41:48.:41:51.

them. I know that this is a long-standing frustration and debate

:41:52.:41:55.

that Parliament has had around the fairer funding formula and I am

:41:56.:41:59.

committed to resolving that. I want to make sure that when I do, and be

:42:00.:42:04.

resolved effectively, so that we don't have too revisit this funding

:42:05.:42:08.

formula, because we haven't got it right first time. This government

:42:09.:42:14.

was Mac attitude to school funding is woeful. Talk about last minute.

:42:15.:42:21.

Schools are struggling to cope with a 5% funding shortage already that

:42:22.:42:26.

was announced resulting from the Chancellor's decision to increase

:42:27.:42:30.

national insurance and teachers pension contributions. Will the

:42:31.:42:34.

Minister recognise the issues pupil numbers rising and we have a growing

:42:35.:42:38.

teacher shortage, and will she put money in to help schools within this

:42:39.:42:44.

new form? Early this government could have the audacity to deliver

:42:45.:42:48.

real term cost of school budgets across the country and claim that

:42:49.:42:51.

this represents fair funding. And all the Secretary of State publish,

:42:52.:42:58.

in the library of the House, the amount that each local authority

:42:59.:43:04.

will receive under the existing funding formula, and that is what

:43:05.:43:07.

they will receive now, under today's announcement? She has asked a range

:43:08.:43:15.

of questions but in summary, I have been clearer in my written statement

:43:16.:43:19.

that no authority will lose funding for schools or for high needs. This

:43:20.:43:24.

will enable us to give authorities a firm foundation on which to start

:43:25.:43:29.

planning for next year. The reality is that we have seen funding across

:43:30.:43:33.

education and for schools rise. It has been one of those areas that

:43:34.:43:37.

under this government and the coalition government, we sought to

:43:38.:43:40.

protect, and that is evidenced in the results. We now have more

:43:41.:43:47.

children who are in good or outstanding schools, and we want to

:43:48.:43:53.

see that progress continue. Schools in Staffordshire are some of the

:43:54.:43:57.

lowest funded in the country. This has been of great concern to head

:43:58.:44:03.

teachers that I met last week. We had understood we were moving to a

:44:04.:44:08.

fairer funding formula from 2017-18. It now seems it is given to be one

:44:09.:44:11.

year later. Will she make absolutely clear that there could forcibly be

:44:12.:44:15.

transitional funding for those authorities which are in a desperate

:44:16.:44:20.

position at the moment, as Staffordshire is? I recognise the

:44:21.:44:28.

pressures that he has set out. This gives us time to look at how we can

:44:29.:44:30.

deal with those effectively. We should recognise that, whilst there

:44:31.:44:35.

are schools that are disadvantaged by the current formula, there will

:44:36.:44:39.

be changes for schools under the new formula. It gives us a chance to

:44:40.:44:43.

work effectively with those to ensure that there is a sensible and

:44:44.:44:48.

measured transition from the historic approach that we are

:44:49.:44:52.

currently under, to the new approach, the fairer one that we

:44:53.:44:58.

will be introducing. The noises coming out of the Department for

:44:59.:45:01.

Education suggested London schools in particular would be seriously yet

:45:02.:45:04.

by any changes to the funding formula. Schools in Harrow have been

:45:05.:45:11.

advertised they face a 3% - 8% cut in real terms to their budgets as a

:45:12.:45:16.

result of the changes that her department are considering. Can she

:45:17.:45:19.

offer any reassurance to the head teachers and parents in my

:45:20.:45:22.

constituency that that is not going to be the case? I've set out the

:45:23.:45:27.

details of how we will proceed in my statement. As his point clearly sets

:45:28.:45:32.

out, for schools that will see a change in the funding they receive

:45:33.:45:37.

as a result of this evening up and making the system fairer, these are

:45:38.:45:40.

important changes, and it is right that we give ourselves time to

:45:41.:45:44.

effectively make sure that we can help schools deal with them well,

:45:45.:45:51.

and help them steady the transition. Will the Secretary of State

:45:52.:45:56.

recognise that optimism that schools in Chippenham constituency felt

:45:57.:46:03.

directed by what is a ludicrous situation to receive over ?2000 less

:46:04.:46:07.

than other areas, can she echoed her commitment to the people of

:46:08.:46:11.

Wiltshire including the 8000 people who signed my fairer funding

:46:12.:46:15.

petition? We are going to get on with this funding formula. Just to

:46:16.:46:22.

deal with the point made by the honourable gentleman opposite, we

:46:23.:46:26.

have this school funding system and we have introduced the Pupil Premium

:46:27.:46:30.

so we have entered mechanisms to make sure that where we see

:46:31.:46:33.

disadvantage and additional needs we can make sure that funding follows

:46:34.:46:37.

those pupils, so what we are now trying to do is get a system that is

:46:38.:46:41.

sensible in terms of the core funding that schools receive and

:46:42.:46:46.

that isn't based on data that is frankly very, very old at this

:46:47.:46:49.

stage, but at the same time takes account of the fact that, under the

:46:50.:46:54.

Pupil Premium and other funding mechanisms, we have an ability to

:46:55.:46:58.

top up where we particularly want to tackle disadvantage. Can the

:46:59.:47:04.

Secretary of State confirm that behind the warm words fairer

:47:05.:47:07.

funding, school funding is still set to be cut by around 8% by 2020, has

:47:08.:47:13.

confirmed the Institute for Fiscal Studies? That is the same time as we

:47:14.:47:20.

see teacher numbers falling, over one third of the children in this

:47:21.:47:22.

country currently leave school without five good GCSEss. Will she

:47:23.:47:28.

confirm this and secondly confirm whether my local authority in

:47:29.:47:32.

Hounslow will see a cup in its funding, and when all they know?

:47:33.:47:39.

No local authority will see a reduction? Funding 2017-2018. The

:47:40.:47:46.

statement will make sure we have the time to bring in this fair funding

:47:47.:47:51.

formula effectively. As I have set out to her, she shouldn't forget

:47:52.:47:57.

under the pupil premium introduction we have ?2.5 billion which is

:47:58.:48:01.

specifically targeted to make sure children who are disadvantaged get

:48:02.:48:06.

an additional toppup so their schools can provide additional

:48:07.:48:08.

support. I am delighted by the Secretary of

:48:09.:48:15.

State's commit commitment to fair funding. Can I urge her to look at

:48:16.:48:22.

arrangements for counties like Sussex, who need it. He's made that

:48:23.:48:29.

point clearly. I can assure we will have a sensible approach to this

:48:30.:48:36.

period 2017/18. Address a former Select Committee colleague I am

:48:37.:48:38.

pleased to see the Secretary of State in her place and

:48:39.:48:42.

congratulations. Can I urge she does not follow the example of her predes

:48:43.:48:47.

is source and builds a strong relationship with teachers. Can she

:48:48.:48:55.

make clear that the pupil premium which is hugely important for

:48:56.:48:59.

targeting funding at tz disadvantaged will be protected in

:49:00.:49:02.

real terms going forward when the changes are made?

:49:03.:49:08.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I remember my time on the DWP Select Committee

:49:09.:49:13.

with him with real fondness. I very much enjoyed it and learnt a lot

:49:14.:49:19.

during those years. He talked about head teachers and teachers. One of

:49:20.:49:24.

the first thing I did was pick up the phone to teaching unions to

:49:25.:49:28.

introduce myself and to set up initial meetings with them. I

:49:29.:49:31.

briefly saw them yesterday. I hope that I can have a constructive,

:49:32.:49:36.

productive relationship. I know the most important people who help me

:49:37.:49:41.

get educated were my teachers. To whom I will be eternally grateful.

:49:42.:49:44.

So, it is important that we recognise that. He asked about the

:49:45.:49:51.

pupil premium. The pupil premium rates are protected for the entire

:49:52.:49:57.

Spending Review at the 2015/16 rates. Thank you. As someone who

:49:58.:50:04.

like my Right Honourable friend was educated in a comprehensive school

:50:05.:50:08.

in Rotherham, can I warmly welcome my Right Honourable friend to her

:50:09.:50:13.

new role. Does my Right Honourable friend agree that whilst we can

:50:14.:50:17.

adjust the school funding formula in the short-term t only way to

:50:18.:50:20.

increase resources for schools in the long-term is to have a strong

:50:21.:50:26.

and growing economy? I think he's hit the nail on the head. I annual

:50:27.:50:30.

very proud that both of us went through the state school system in

:50:31.:50:34.

Rotherham. I hope to go back up to Rotherham in the coming weeks and

:50:35.:50:38.

months to revisit some of the schools that enabled me to have the

:50:39.:50:44.

edge dhags gave me a platform to try to reach some of my goals that I set

:50:45.:50:50.

myself. As he says, a strong economy is vital for making sure that we

:50:51.:50:54.

have the funding to invest in our education system, but also it is

:50:55.:50:58.

vital to make sure that the children coming through our state school

:50:59.:51:02.

system have the opportunities to stretch themselves and the dignity

:51:03.:51:07.

of work. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have writ

:51:08.:51:11.

on the the Secretary of State today, so she will receive a letter very

:51:12.:51:17.

shortly and hopefully she will keep an eye out for that in the coming

:51:18.:51:22.

days. Under the formula proposed by F 40, the campaign for fairer fund

:51:23.:51:26.

gds in schools, schools in North-East Lincolnshire suffer a

:51:27.:51:31.

?1.2 million cut. Equivalent to ?100 per pupil each year. Does the

:51:32.:51:38.

Secretary of State agree any formula which takes funding away from my

:51:39.:51:42.

constituency, in which no school is rated as outstanding, can be

:51:43.:51:48.

described as fair? Well, I agree with her that the current formula

:51:49.:51:51.

had steadily over THE COMMENTATOR: Out of dasmt was

:51:52.:51:56.

based on statistics which needed to be updated but couldn't be. It was

:51:57.:52:00.

time to look at how we could make it fair. The second point that she

:52:01.:52:06.

raises around, absolutely focussing efforts on those remaining parts of

:52:07.:52:10.

the UK, where our education system is just simply not delivering for

:52:11.:52:15.

our children, is absolutely vatle. Something -- vital and something I

:52:16.:52:19.

plan to focus on. The Secretary of State, in my constituency there are

:52:20.:52:26.

significant areas of deprivation where there is underachievement

:52:27.:52:32.

among white working-class boys. Can she confirm nothing will adversely

:52:33.:52:36.

effect the areas in my constituency? Well, I have set out how local

:52:37.:52:41.

authorities, inclooding her own, will not see a reduction? Funding

:52:42.:52:47.

for 2017/18. This issue of now targeting in on those parts of our

:52:48.:52:50.

country where children are not getting the start they need and

:52:51.:52:54.

deserve to do well in life is will be central to my efforts, alongside

:52:55.:53:00.

making sure we continue to lift outcomes for children overall across

:53:01.:53:06.

the rest of the country. Mr Speaker, can I warmly welcome the

:53:07.:53:10.

Secretary of State to her post and the other new ministers, the Skills

:53:11.:53:14.

Minister and the old team. Can I say we would very much like, I chaired

:53:15.:53:19.

the advisory council of the Sutton Trust. We look forward to working

:53:20.:53:24.

positively and creatively with her. Can I remind her that England is a

:53:25.:53:29.

vastly changing society, all the time. Other Governments, Labour

:53:30.:53:34.

Governments have not actually cracked the ability to get funding

:53:35.:53:37.

to the right places at the right time. Would she consider at some

:53:38.:53:42.

time an independent group, even a commission which could look at this

:53:43.:53:47.

year on year, month on month, to actually get it right? It is just an

:53:48.:53:51.

idea. Could she consider it? We all get it wrong at some stage. I think

:53:52.:53:55.

two points in response to his point, with I think is a really important

:53:56.:54:00.

one. First of all, we have to make sure that although we set policy at

:54:01.:54:04.

the Whitehall level, that we really understand how best to make sure

:54:05.:54:09.

that at an individual child level it can have the impact that we are

:54:10.:54:13.

seeking to make sure happens. That is not always easy. I think we can

:54:14.:54:18.

learn from some of the examples on city deals, for example, where we

:54:19.:54:23.

have seen local areas take ownership of often physical infrastructure to

:54:24.:54:28.

make sure there's a common plan that Government is investing alongside a

:54:29.:54:34.

local plan. I think his points is aing really strong one. I would like

:54:35.:54:39.

to see my department be a central engine for social mobility. We need

:54:40.:54:44.

to challenge ourselves across Government and it has a key role, in

:54:45.:54:48.

saying we don't just want children to come out of our schools better

:54:49.:54:52.

educated. We want to make sure that the jobs and the careers are there

:54:53.:54:55.

for them to really be able to make the most of their potential. In the

:54:56.:55:00.

end, a country's most important asset is its people, which is why I

:55:01.:55:04.

am so delighted that I am in the job I am in.

:55:05.:55:09.

May I highlight to my honourable friend that in Kettering there are

:55:10.:55:21.

8879 places raises to 667 by 2021. 6700 secondary places raises to 7731

:55:22.:55:27.

by 2021. The County Council says all places will be full by the 2017/18

:55:28.:55:33.

academic year. Will she ensure when she looks at this issue of fairer

:55:34.:55:37.

funding, counties like Northamptonshire and places like

:55:38.:55:41.

Kettering, with the fastest rates of house building in the whole country

:55:42.:55:46.

get the funding they need to make sure we have enough school places

:55:47.:55:51.

for our children? Well, he raises this important issue that alongside

:55:52.:55:56.

many of the reforms there is a demographic shift which means we

:55:57.:56:00.

need to scale up our edgeation system to keep pace with the number

:56:01.:56:06.

of children. We have created 6600 school places. We need to do more.

:56:07.:56:11.

The formula I am setting out today means we are in a better position

:56:12.:56:15.

going forward as we introduce it to make sure that fair funding follows

:56:16.:56:22.

the child, including in Kettering. Mr Speaker, I warmly congratulate

:56:23.:56:25.

the Secretary of State on her appointment. She is right not to

:56:26.:56:31.

rush this. Getting the new formula wrong would be a disaster. It was

:56:32.:56:35.

offered at the Select Committee to meet with me and my friend for

:56:36.:56:41.

Gateshead, who is in his place, to discuss a rapid pupil turnover in

:56:42.:56:45.

the new formula. Can she confirm that offer still stands? Can she let

:56:46.:56:49.

us know which member of her team that meeting should now be with?

:56:50.:56:53.

That offer does stand. I will get back to him when we have worked out

:56:54.:56:57.

which minister will attend the meeting.

:56:58.:57:02.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Following on from the honourable member for

:57:03.:57:05.

Kettering, more and more importants in many parts of my constituent find

:57:06.:57:10.

it difficult to get chair child into the school of their choice. One

:57:11.:57:14.

example, there is a desperate need for more secondary school places in

:57:15.:57:19.

my constituency. Can I ask the Secretary of State, who I warmly

:57:20.:57:22.

welcome to her role, that she looks at the need for school places in the

:57:23.:57:26.

Shipley constituency and make sure that my parents can get their

:57:27.:57:30.

children into the school of their choice, because at the moment for

:57:31.:57:34.

many that is a distant dream. Well, again I think this is an

:57:35.:57:39.

incredibly fundamental issue. I can assure him I am well aware of the

:57:40.:57:43.

need to make sure that alongside all the other changes that are rippling

:57:44.:57:48.

through the education system that fundamentally we have enough places

:57:49.:57:52.

for the children of our country. But that also we have enough teachers to

:57:53.:57:57.

be in those classrooms teaching them and the teachers should be

:57:58.:58:00.

outstanding and excellent and be able to excite children in the

:58:01.:58:03.

classroom, help them learn and give them that best start in life.

:58:04.:58:09.

Can I also welcome the Secretary of State to her place. I am sure she's

:58:10.:58:12.

looking ford ward to appearances before the education Select

:58:13.:58:15.

Committee probably starting in the autumn. The Secretary of State, the

:58:16.:58:21.

fairer funding inherently means a process of redistribution. Many

:58:22.:58:26.

schools, heads and gove verps, whose budgets are at the margins who are

:58:27.:58:33.

looking forward to potential 1.5% per pupil cut will look at that with

:58:34.:58:37.

real trep preations particularly if they are in re-Croat -- trepidation,

:58:38.:58:49.

particularly if they are in re-Croat of that. It is an appeal from the G

:58:50.:58:54.

40 and an awful lot of schools in the inner cities are wondering if

:58:55.:58:57.

they will be on the receiving end of a cut.

:58:58.:59:01.

Well, I recognise the point he's making. I underline the rationale

:59:02.:59:07.

behind why we introduced the pupil premium in the first place, which is

:59:08.:59:11.

to address many of the points he has made, but also the comments why I am

:59:12.:59:14.

setting out the statement I am making today. It is a substantial

:59:15.:59:20.

change in funding for all schools ultimately and therefore we need to

:59:21.:59:24.

make sure we get it right. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I welcome

:59:25.:59:30.

Secretary of State into her role and welcome the incorporation of skills

:59:31.:59:36.

into the title. It has been two far from -- too far from the centre of

:59:37.:59:41.

education policy recently. I welcome that. Mr Speaker, following up the

:59:42.:59:49.

question from my fellow Hounslow colleague for Feltham and Heston,

:59:50.:59:54.

will imply MEPation of fairer funding in Hounslow mean greater

:59:55.:59:58.

cuts from 2018? Will she reassure the heads that we met a couple of

:59:59.:00:05.

weeks ago, who are already having to cut, make cuts, such as A level

:00:06.:00:11.

options, support for children with special needs, mental health and

:00:12.:00:16.

counselling support, et cetera? As I have set out in my statement today

:00:17.:00:21.

we will launch a consultation on the detail of how we plan to introduce

:00:22.:00:25.

the funding formula. That will give both her and her local schools and

:00:26.:00:29.

teachers ample opportunity to be able to feed into that, in terms of

:00:30.:00:35.

their local perspective. Representing as I do across borough

:00:36.:00:40.

constituency, I know the unfairness of the current system. It cannot be

:00:41.:00:45.

fair that a child from Stockport receives less funding thatten a

:00:46.:00:50.

child from -- funding than a child from Denton. Areas which share the

:00:51.:00:54.

same characteristics but are in different local authorities. Can the

:00:55.:01:00.

Secretary of State say whether her new fairer funding formula will

:01:01.:01:06.

ensure that those children in Redditch are not disadvantaged

:01:07.:01:11.

because they are in a more prosperous borough overall, but

:01:12.:01:14.

their funding will be match to those of the children in Denton?

:01:15.:01:21.

I think I can confirm to him that the funding formula will start to

:01:22.:01:26.

iron out those sort of inequities and once we launch the second phase

:01:27.:01:30.

consultation, I know he'll be interested to see the criteria and

:01:31.:01:35.

the characteristics that we will incorporate to help make sure we do

:01:36.:01:38.

a fairer approach on funding for schools in the future than we have

:01:39.:01:43.

been able to do in the past. I would also set out to him, if you like,

:01:44.:01:46.

the architecture of what we are trying to achieve. If we want to

:01:47.:01:52.

overlay significant additional resources in relation to deprivation

:01:53.:01:56.

we want to do it in a smarter way and use the pupil premium to do that

:01:57.:02:04.

effectively. We recognise we need an element of understanding,

:02:05.:02:07.

obtainment, eligibility for free school meals and others in the corps

:02:08.:02:09.

formula too. Order, business question, Paul

:02:10.:02:24.

Flynn. Will the leader was the business for September? The business

:02:25.:02:28.

for the week commencing the September will include Monday fifth

:02:29.:02:36.

September, remaining stages of the Finance Bill first stage, Tuesday

:02:37.:02:39.

the sixth of them, conclusion of remaining stages of the Finance

:02:40.:02:43.

Bill, Wednesday the 7th of September, an opposition day, the

:02:44.:02:47.

second allotted day with a debate on an opposition motion subject to be

:02:48.:02:52.

announced, Thursday the 8th of September, a debate on a motion on

:02:53.:02:57.

scanning and its effect on vulnerable individuals, followed by

:02:58.:03:02.

a debate on a motion on the fourth Industrial Revolution, both subjects

:03:03.:03:05.

having been determined by the back inch business committee. On Friday

:03:06.:03:08.

nights at them but the House will not be sitting. The provisional

:03:09.:03:14.

business of the week commencing 12th September will include Monday the

:03:15.:03:20.

12th, remaining stages of the Wales bill. The business in Westminster

:03:21.:03:25.

Hall for the fifth, eight and 12 September will be as follows, Monday

:03:26.:03:31.

the fifth, debate on and a petition relating to EU referendum rules,

:03:32.:03:35.

Thursday the 8th of September, a debate on the missing Chibok

:03:36.:03:47.

schoolgirls in Nigeria, then on the 12th petition in relation to South

:03:48.:03:53.

Korea and the dog meat trade. And as this is the last business questions

:03:54.:03:58.

before the summary says, I'd like to wish colleagues on all sides of the

:03:59.:04:03.

House a restful recess and time for constituency duties and thank in

:04:04.:04:07.

particular the hard-working staff of this House, who serve members of all

:04:08.:04:13.

political parties professionally and with dedication and thank especially

:04:14.:04:20.

those who are retiring or otherwise leaving the service of the House at

:04:21.:04:24.

this recess, and I hope I would speak for members on all sides if I

:04:25.:04:27.

said that members in particular would want to say a big thank you to

:04:28.:04:39.

Noleen Delaney, one of the stalwart of the tea room staff, who is

:04:40.:04:43.

retiring after 30 years, a record of service for which we are all very

:04:44.:04:48.

grateful. I would like to echo the words of the leader of the scum

:04:49.:04:52.

particularly concerning Noleen Delaney whom we all know as a valued

:04:53.:04:56.

friend, adviser, can but the and over many years. And the other

:04:57.:05:01.

members of staff who serve so faithfully. In recent days we might

:05:02.:05:07.

consider accelerating progress on making This Place a habitable

:05:08.:05:13.

accommodation for staff, many of whom have suffered in the recent

:05:14.:05:18.

heat, and perhaps I'm thinking of following your example of having

:05:19.:05:23.

less formal dress that members of staff are forced to wear, which must

:05:24.:05:27.

be very uncomfortable at this time of the year. It is also right to

:05:28.:05:33.

note that we have lost the previously from the House, the

:05:34.:05:45.

member for Epsom and Ewell. We must pay tribute to his services which

:05:46.:05:49.

were considerable over his period as leader and although these doubts of

:05:50.:05:54.

Question Time is between leader and deputy had their own personality. We

:05:55.:05:59.

remember with fondness the number of questions the previous leader

:06:00.:06:05.

answered, and some of his answers were occasionally related to the

:06:06.:06:09.

questions asked. I believe what we will miss is the rapier like wit of

:06:10.:06:16.

my friend the member for the Rhondda Valley striking against the Steven

:06:17.:06:21.

solidity of the member for Epsom and Ewell. It is an undiluted pleasure

:06:22.:06:25.

to welcome the present Leader of the House. I've fear that, as long

:06:26.:06:32.

admirer of the honourable gentleman, his political career might not the

:06:33.:06:37.

honour upward with lecturing with this appointment, because his career

:06:38.:06:42.

has been blighted by his solid devotion to the three Rs,

:06:43.:06:51.

rationality, restraint and reasonableness. These are not

:06:52.:06:55.

attributes that go well in his party at the moment. He was a splendid

:06:56.:07:02.

spokesman on European affairs and a voice of sanity on so many issues. I

:07:03.:07:07.

am sure that we look forward to his continuing with his restrained and

:07:08.:07:13.

mature performances at Question Time. He is also, I am told by my

:07:14.:07:19.

friend the member for Cardiff West, the supreme champion on the

:07:20.:07:24.

television programme, University challenge. Not only did he win

:07:25.:07:30.

splendidly, but when it came back to have a challenge and challenges, he

:07:31.:07:36.

was the supreme winner then. So it is great to know that he is doing

:07:37.:07:45.

this job from the platform of his own scholarship and knowledge. It is

:07:46.:07:49.

going to be a vintage year, a vintage period for leadership of the

:07:50.:07:52.

House. We have the Welsh Bill returning. It is a great shame we

:07:53.:08:00.

didn't get it right the first time, but Welsh bill is not just for St

:08:01.:08:04.

David's Day but for eternity. Oh that we would have got it right the

:08:05.:08:09.

first time. I'm afraid the attitude of this House towards devolution,

:08:10.:08:14.

which was not a popular cause when the first bill was introduced in the

:08:15.:08:18.

90s is now universally accepted, but evolution is seen to Wales as a

:08:19.:08:25.

grudged gift, giving out in small parcels a little at a time and then

:08:26.:08:30.

some is pulled back. I hope the generosity of the government in

:08:31.:08:36.

becoming completely converted to the idea of evolution will be expressed

:08:37.:08:39.

in this Bill, with the support of all parties, and will help to serve

:08:40.:08:44.

the well-being of the people of Wales. Baroness Altman made some

:08:45.:08:51.

contribution this morning about her resignation. I believe that all

:08:52.:08:56.

parties in the House should listen carefully to what she's said. She

:08:57.:09:01.

gave a reason for retiring, which was that her party, the Conservative

:09:02.:09:08.

Party, but also it is true of our party, paid too much attention to

:09:09.:09:12.

their internal divisions, to the detriment of policy-making. And this

:09:13.:09:18.

is a very penetrating criticism of both the Conservative and Labour

:09:19.:09:25.

Party that we would do all too well to heed. We should look forward to

:09:26.:09:32.

the new system, the new session of Parliament, and we should bear in

:09:33.:09:38.

mind the dreadful event that still casts a terrible shadow over This

:09:39.:09:44.

Place. The family of Parliament was believed by the cowardly and brutal

:09:45.:09:49.

murder of one of our family of members, Jo Cox, and the grief is

:09:50.:09:54.

still raw. We can do no better than ensure that our work here is

:09:55.:10:01.

illuminated and inspired by her thought, there are more things that

:10:02.:10:07.

unite us, than divide us. The Leader of the House of Lords our most

:10:08.:10:14.

illustrious egghead. -- the Leader of the House is perhaps Allah most

:10:15.:10:19.

illustrious egghead. As I respond that complement, I have felt as a

:10:20.:10:23.

student of Elizabethan history that in the last three, four weeks it has

:10:24.:10:28.

been the closest thing to living through one of the crises of the

:10:29.:10:33.

16th century chew the court that any of us is likely to experience and I

:10:34.:10:38.

suspect that events in British politics this year will have given

:10:39.:10:42.

Hilary Mantel ample material for her next trilogy. Can I thank the

:10:43.:10:47.

honourable gentleman opposite for his warm welcome to myself and for

:10:48.:10:51.

the deserved tribute he paid to my predecessor, the Secretary of State

:10:52.:10:56.

for Transport, who, indeed did Act as a champion of the House, not just

:10:57.:11:03.

in the Chamber but in the many exchanges behind-the-scenes that

:11:04.:11:10.

fall to the leader of that. And I, on behalf of the House, wish him

:11:11.:11:16.

well in his new responsibility. I felt that listening to the

:11:17.:11:21.

honourable gentleman opposite of that, the three Rs that he laid out

:11:22.:11:27.

before us, reasonableness, rationality and restraint summed up

:11:28.:11:35.

Allah Prime Minister was Mac approach to government and to

:11:36.:11:40.

politics. He has presented a motto for my Right Honourable Friend's

:11:41.:11:42.

Administration and approach to government. And of course he himself

:11:43.:11:51.

is a man of undimmed ambition, who has leapfrogged on to the front

:11:52.:11:57.

bench of the opposition after so many years of Parliamentary

:11:58.:12:03.

experience and indeed fallen two Shadow Cabinet roles are just a

:12:04.:12:11.

bagatelle, something which he can easily cope with. I think his

:12:12.:12:16.

ambition should not be restrained even now. I have been studying the

:12:17.:12:23.

honourable gentleman's remarks and I note he said that as the Leader of

:12:24.:12:30.

the Opposition it is difficult to see how he can unite the Labour

:12:31.:12:33.

Party. The honourable gentleman went on to say that we are in the worst

:12:34.:12:37.

position we have been in, in the position of the party. A smack the

:12:38.:12:42.

history of the party. I think that the embryonic leadership campaign is

:12:43.:12:46.

there. I would encourage the honourable gentleman to disregard

:12:47.:12:50.

any taunts that he may have and throw his hat into the ring while

:12:51.:12:55.

there is still time! Can I say in response to the serious point he

:12:56.:12:59.

made about the legacy of Jo Cox, I think that on the first point, the

:13:00.:13:06.

security risks that members face do need to be considered very carefully

:13:07.:13:11.

and action taken. And without going into details on the floor of the

:13:12.:13:15.

House, I think I can say that there has been agreement amongst the House

:13:16.:13:20.

of Commons Commission that there should be new measures taken, and we

:13:21.:13:28.

will be able to go into further detail soon after the House returns

:13:29.:13:31.

in September. And I would say finally that I had members of every

:13:32.:13:36.

political party would look to Jo Cox, see someone there, whether they

:13:37.:13:43.

agree or disagree on a particular issue, who was motivated above all

:13:44.:13:48.

by a drive to improve the lot of the people she served in her

:13:49.:13:51.

constituency, nationally and globally, and in that sense, there

:13:52.:13:55.

could be few finer examples for us to follow. Mr Andrew Symonds. Thank

:13:56.:14:06.

you very much, Mr Speaker. May I congratulate My Honourable Friend on

:14:07.:14:09.

his desert the motion as Leader of the House of Lords macro I wonder if

:14:10.:14:13.

he could see to it that we could have an early debate about the

:14:14.:14:17.

Troubles of Southern rail which are causing significant problems for

:14:18.:14:21.

commuters south of London and for my constituents coming in from Leighton

:14:22.:14:26.

buzzard. Would he agree that the way to relieve the problems of commuters

:14:27.:14:30.

south of London is not to wreck the real service north of London but to

:14:31.:14:35.

pay attention to what needs to be done south of the River? My humble

:14:36.:14:41.

friend makes an important point. I can say that the Secretary of State

:14:42.:14:45.

for Transport and the new rail Minister have already met the

:14:46.:14:53.

operators responsible for Southern train services and with Network

:14:54.:15:00.

Rail. They have emphasised the need for the operators to work with the

:15:01.:15:06.

trade unions to try to find a rapid and also listen to the current

:15:07.:15:12.

dispute that is causing misery to many thousands of passengers every

:15:13.:15:16.

day. The Secretary of State is giving this his personal priority

:15:17.:15:22.

and I hope very much that we will see a satisfactory resolution soon.

:15:23.:15:30.

Can I thank the new leader of the four listing the business of the

:15:31.:15:34.

week we were done after recess and can I welcome him to his new role?

:15:35.:15:40.

He comes with a huge reputation for working consensually across the

:15:41.:15:45.

House and is known as one of the nice guys of the House. We have got

:15:46.:15:51.

great ambitions that he will be a real reforming Leader of the House

:15:52.:15:54.

of Lords can I gently suggest a couple places he might want to start

:15:55.:16:03.

first of all? Get rid of EVEL. It is loathed in this House beyond the

:16:04.:16:07.

confines of the Conservative Party. It is totally associated with his

:16:08.:16:13.

predecessor. Unite the House again with one class member of Parliament.

:16:14.:16:18.

Do not divide us by nationality and do not divide us geography. That

:16:19.:16:24.

should be as first task. Secondly, you know, Mr Speaker, we waste one

:16:25.:16:29.

day per week just voting in this House. It is an absurd waste of

:16:30.:16:34.

time. Bring this House into the 21st century. The circus down the

:16:35.:16:44.

corridor. What gets me is all these Tory Brexit dudes who go on about

:16:45.:16:49.

the imaginary, unelected European bureaucrats. Down the corridor there

:16:50.:16:56.

are unelected Lords. Come on, as Leader of the House make sure that

:16:57.:17:01.

they are going to be abolished. You will have noticed all those small

:17:02.:17:04.

children the Scottish accents around the House recently and that is

:17:05.:17:08.

because Scottish schools have been on holiday for almost three weeks.

:17:09.:17:12.

The Leader of the House will of seen an example of this is when he had to

:17:13.:17:15.

come to the Scottish affairs committee and spent an hour in the

:17:16.:17:21.

charming company of some lovely children, Rebecca and Harris, she

:17:22.:17:24.

had no place else to put them. We are on recess for almost three

:17:25.:17:28.

months of the year. Surely it is not beyond the wit of a member of staff

:17:29.:17:33.

in a leader 's office to design the summer recess to accommodate all the

:17:34.:17:36.

school holidays in the United Kingdom, not just the Scottish

:17:37.:17:41.

school holidays? My Honourable Friend had to leave their children

:17:42.:17:45.

at ten o'clock on Monday evening so that they could go and vote against

:17:46.:17:49.

these evil weapons of mass destruction, bringing to life our

:17:50.:17:58.

slogan, McVitie. And can I wish you and all the staff up in plastic

:17:59.:18:05.

recess 's and I will pay tribute to Noreen Delaney who served us so well

:18:06.:18:11.

over the last 30 years, and can I say, have a happy Civil War to my

:18:12.:18:16.

friends in the Labour Party? I don't know whether we're going to return

:18:17.:18:21.

to one Labour Party or one social Democratic party or Blairite party

:18:22.:18:25.

emerging from these benches but we will be back as a real and effective

:18:26.:18:27.

opposition. I look forward to working with him

:18:28.:18:38.

and members of his party in my new capacity. On English votes for

:18:39.:18:43.

English laws, as I said when I gave evidence to the Scottish Select

:18:44.:18:48.

Committee earlier this week, there is a Government review promised by

:18:49.:18:54.

my predecessor, which will start 12 months after the introduction of the

:18:55.:18:59.

procedures. The Select Committee on procedure of the House has said it

:19:00.:19:05.

is undertaking a review of these arrangements. I think the sensible

:19:06.:19:12.

thing is to see how the new arrangements go for the first year

:19:13.:19:16.

and take stock of what the Government and procedure committee

:19:17.:19:19.

conclude and come to a decision at that point. On his question to me

:19:20.:19:28.

about voting procedures, while I can understand the point that he is

:19:29.:19:36.

making, indeed for those of us who are going through the lobby on

:19:37.:19:40.

Monday, it took longer to go through than if we had gone through his

:19:41.:19:48.

lobby. There are actually advantages, as well as drawbacks to

:19:49.:19:52.

arrangements that we currently have. I would not lightly want to lose the

:19:53.:19:58.

opportunity for backbench members on all sides of the House to be able to

:19:59.:20:05.

grab hold of ministers at a time when no civil servants are present

:20:06.:20:11.

in order to make reputations on behalf of their constituents.

:20:12.:20:19.

And I, having looked at voting procedures in the European

:20:20.:20:22.

Parliament and elsewhere I don't think they are perfect either. I was

:20:23.:20:29.

told earlier this morning that in the New Zealand Parliament the

:20:30.:20:34.

Government chief whip is able to cast a vote, recording vote of his

:20:35.:20:40.

entire parliamentary party. But I suspect that is not the sort

:20:41.:20:46.

of simplification which would command widespread support, even

:20:47.:20:49.

though it might on the bench to my right. Look, I will understate to

:20:50.:20:58.

look at. This I understand the problems the current arrangements

:20:59.:21:02.

cause for colleagues from Scotland and Northern Ireland. But even know,

:21:03.:21:08.

it is not the case that our current recess arrangements suit parents

:21:09.:21:13.

with children at schools in different local authorities in

:21:14.:21:18.

various parts of England. I think it will be very difficult ever to craft

:21:19.:21:25.

a system of recess dates which gives everybody everything they would like

:21:26.:21:29.

to see. I will take up a fresh look at this in view of what the

:21:30.:21:33.

honourable gentleman has urged. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. In

:21:34.:21:38.

congratulating my honourable friend will he resist the attempt by the

:21:39.:21:45.

SNP benches to urge less, many of us on these benches would like to see

:21:46.:21:55.

much more evil. In echoing about Southern Rail, will

:21:56.:21:59.

the Leader of the House ensure that we can have a debate in Government

:22:00.:22:02.

time about the appalling situation that my and many other constituents

:22:03.:22:08.

face because of the disruption on Southern Rail and urge that the

:22:09.:22:11.

Transport Secretary does everything he can to sosht this out will -- to

:22:12.:22:16.

sort this out? Will he ensure the kons trart secretary is fully

:22:17.:22:20.

aprized of the causes of the disruption at the moment? While they

:22:21.:22:26.

include network failures are principally because of an effective

:22:27.:22:29.

work to rule which has been driven by the rail unions who are resisting

:22:30.:22:33.

perfectly sensible changes in the rail industry.

:22:34.:22:37.

It is true that if the trade unions were to return fully to work that

:22:38.:22:46.

that would ease the situation enormously to the benefit of

:22:47.:22:53.

passengers using both Southern Rail services and as the member for

:22:54.:22:57.

South-West Bedfordshire pointed out earlier, passengers elsewhere, whose

:22:58.:23:01.

services are interrupted to give extra support to Southern. I will

:23:02.:23:07.

undertake to contact my height honourable friend the Transport

:23:08.:23:11.

Secretary and make him aware of the points that my friend for ar ren

:23:12.:23:16.

tellhas raised. I would hope by the time we return in September this

:23:17.:23:19.

dispute will be over and that services would have been restored to

:23:20.:23:23.

an acceptable level and we will therefore not need to have such a

:23:24.:23:27.

debate. I am sure my honourable friend will want to consider the

:23:28.:23:34.

points he's made. Fear pressure and unrealistic

:23:35.:23:37.

expectations is what workers at Sports Direct say about their

:23:38.:23:43.

employment. May we please have a debate on zero-hours contracts and

:23:44.:23:46.

exploitation of workers in the retail industry? Something is going

:23:47.:23:57.

badly wrong there. Of course the management of Sports

:23:58.:24:01.

Direct, evidence has been give on the a Select Committee and their

:24:02.:24:04.

report will no doubt inform debate in the House later on. I have to say

:24:05.:24:11.

to the honourable gentleman that it was this Government that legislated

:24:12.:24:17.

to outlaw exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts. And for all

:24:18.:24:24.

the prot stations opposition in Labour Government, no such action

:24:25.:24:28.

was taken. Mr Speaker, last Thursday, a terrible school bus

:24:29.:24:34.

accident happened in my constituency. Thankfully everybody

:24:35.:24:36.

has now been discharged from hospital. Would the Leader of the

:24:37.:24:42.

House send his best wishes to the parents, the pupils, the parents at

:24:43.:24:49.

Prince William school and join me on calling on Northamptonshire county

:24:50.:24:52.

county to -- council to review the situation at the crossroads and

:24:53.:24:56.

thank our remarkable emergency services. Can we have a debate when

:24:57.:25:01.

we return to congratulate them on their efforts? I am sure my

:25:02.:25:09.

honourable friend's constituent will be thankful for the tribute. I would

:25:10.:25:16.

send my best wishes to the two schools concern and to all who were

:25:17.:25:19.

caught up in that accident. Obviously it is a matter for the

:25:20.:25:27.

County Council to decide whether it wishes to review the highways issues

:25:28.:25:31.

involved. I would have thought, in view of what has happened, that it

:25:32.:25:35.

would be sensible for any local authority to take a fresh look at

:25:36.:25:40.

these things. I am sure with regard to a debate that my honourable

:25:41.:25:45.

friend is already skilled enough in how to seek adjournment debates in

:25:46.:25:48.

order to raise constituency issues of this tape.

:25:49.:25:54.

-- of this type. I think it was Harold Wilson who said it is a week

:25:55.:25:58.

that is a long time in politics. We vents in this place it feels like

:25:59.:26:02.

ten minutes is a long time in politics. It is of an essence for

:26:03.:26:07.

the backleader committee. Can I welcome you to your place. Can I

:26:08.:26:11.

thank you for confirming the business of the 8th September. If we

:26:12.:26:15.

are to confirm backbench debates f we were to be allocated that time,

:26:16.:26:19.

we would have to do it on Tuesday 6th. Can I ask the leader to

:26:20.:26:23.

confirm, by usual channels, please, as soon as possible, so we can deal

:26:24.:26:29.

with it on 6 6th September? I thank the honourable member for his words

:26:30.:26:35.

of welcome and I will make sure that the Backbench Business Committee

:26:36.:26:38.

gets proper notice so they are able to plan.

:26:39.:26:44.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am somewhat worried about the Europe minister,

:26:45.:26:49.

sorry, the Leader of the House, since he's been appointed, he's had

:26:50.:26:54.

a rather nasty gash on his forehead. There is a rumour when he was

:26:55.:26:58.

appointed the Prime Minister said, I have got some good news, David, you

:26:59.:27:03.

are no longer going to be the minister for Europe. And his reply

:27:04.:27:08.

was, that is great. I won't have to answer questions from the member for

:27:09.:27:12.

cleave Thorp, Shipley and Wellingborough. And when she told

:27:13.:27:16.

him he was going to become the Leader of the House, he started

:27:17.:27:21.

banging his head against the wall. Could the leader confirm that is not

:27:22.:27:26.

true and very much welcoming to Hezbollah post. That is not true,

:27:27.:27:32.

nor was it a the have sult of a visit to the European Scrutiny

:27:33.:27:39.

Committee. I am always overall with joy when in the company of my

:27:40.:27:43.

honourable friends for welling burger, Kettering, Shipley and...

:27:44.:27:56.

I do actually think that, you know, even where, as was the case over the

:27:57.:28:07.

issue of Europe, there was, you know, genuine principled differences

:28:08.:28:09.

between us. It is always important in this place that we acknowledge

:28:10.:28:18.

that differences that exist are held to honestly, honourably and on a

:28:19.:28:22.

principled basis and we should respect one and other, even when we

:28:23.:28:26.

differ profoundly. Thank you. Can I join in the welcome

:28:27.:28:32.

to the new leader of the House. I wonder when we might have a debate

:28:33.:28:35.

about the Government's life chances strategy and how it might help

:28:36.:28:39.

children of alcoholics. I am the child of an alcoholic. I grew up

:28:40.:28:44.

knowing what that hell was like. I was lucky. Children of alcoholics

:28:45.:28:49.

are three times more likely to contemplate suicide and three times

:28:50.:28:52.

more likely to become alcoholics themselves. This is not a marginal

:28:53.:28:57.

issue. It affectings 2.5 million children. That is one in five who

:28:58.:29:02.

are the innocent victims of drink. We couldn't change things for our

:29:03.:29:05.

parents, but we can for our children. This Government can help

:29:06.:29:11.

and we should debate how. The honourable member raises a very

:29:12.:29:15.

serious issue. I like, I suspect many other members of the House,

:29:16.:29:19.

have come across some of the very serious problems he has described in

:29:20.:29:24.

our own constituent case work. I will undertake to let my Right

:29:25.:29:27.

Honourable friend, the Secretary of State, know about the priority that

:29:28.:29:31.

he gives to this subject. I am sure that he will get a response from the

:29:32.:29:33.

department. Can the Leader of the House conduct

:29:34.:29:43.

a search party to find where the updated drug strategy has gone

:29:44.:29:47.

missing in Government and have a statement to reveal how the

:29:48.:29:55.

Government will tackle the growing residential rehab funding? With cuts

:29:56.:30:01.

in budget. And some areas, such as Birmingham not making any referrals

:30:02.:30:05.

to rehab, which means the end of life chances to many vulnerable

:30:06.:30:09.

addicts? My honourable friend makes the point powerfully. I shall draw

:30:10.:30:15.

those comments to the attention to the Secretary of State. Thank you,

:30:16.:30:19.

Mr Speaker. The EU referendum act 2016, which we baited in the last

:30:20.:30:24.

session does not obtain any requirements for the Government to

:30:25.:30:27.

implement the referendum nor to set a time limit when we should trigger

:30:28.:30:33.

Article 50. I have had a lot of constituents who have come to see me

:30:34.:30:37.

who are concerned. I have had a meeting with local form farmers who

:30:38.:30:41.

are concerned about the EU funding streams and asking for assurance on

:30:42.:30:45.

that. Can the Leader of the House clarify if we will have an

:30:46.:30:49.

opportunity to debate these very important matters as soon as

:30:50.:30:53.

possible after our return from the summer recess? Because of the

:30:54.:30:58.

principal of parliamentary sovereignty, it is ultimately for

:30:59.:31:02.

Parliament to determine our membership of the European Union,

:31:03.:31:05.

but the Government has consistently said and acted on the basis that the

:31:06.:31:10.

referendum outcome would be decisive and the Government would honour the

:31:11.:31:14.

result, whatever that result turned out to be and that is the approach

:31:15.:31:20.

that the Government intends to take. I think the country would expect no

:31:21.:31:25.

less. On the point, on the serious point she makes about agriculture,

:31:26.:31:30.

this is a matter that is very much at the top of the priority list for

:31:31.:31:35.

my Right Honourable friend the new DEFRA secretary. She is going to be

:31:36.:31:41.

considering, along with my Right Honourable friend, the Secretary

:31:42.:31:45.

Secretary of State for exit from the European Union, how we address this

:31:46.:31:50.

question of the next few years of farm funding while we are still in

:31:51.:31:54.

the EU. Particularly for those programmes that might carry on

:31:55.:31:59.

beyond the actual date of exit. I am sure there'll be opportunities for

:32:00.:32:04.

Parliament to debate this and other matters early on after recess. Of

:32:05.:32:09.

course my Right Honourable friend the Secretary of State for exit will

:32:10.:32:13.

have a dedicated Question Time where the honourable lady and other

:32:14.:32:16.

members will be able to press him on these matters.

:32:17.:32:23.

Will my Right Honourable Friend buying time for a debate on the

:32:24.:32:31.

dissolution of funds by Local Enterprise Partnerships? Southend

:32:32.:32:33.

was number four on the list and we have dramatically drop off the

:32:34.:32:36.

radar. Something needs to be looked at again. My understanding is that

:32:37.:32:44.

this was an internal decision by the Local Enterprise Partnership for

:32:45.:32:52.

South Essex and I would encourage My Honourable Friend first of all to

:32:53.:32:56.

make representations, I'm sure he will do, on behalf of his

:32:57.:33:04.

constituents, to the local LEP and I am sure that the Minister in the

:33:05.:33:08.

business Department will be keen to hear from him if there is no

:33:09.:33:14.

response. Can I welcome the on-board gentleman to his new post? I well

:33:15.:33:20.

recall the many happy though fruitless hours we spent together on

:33:21.:33:23.

the original EU Referendum Bill. Whatever happened to that? Can I

:33:24.:33:31.

support the members from opposite who raised the issue of Southern

:33:32.:33:38.

trains and the appalling service that they are failing to provide.

:33:39.:33:44.

The minute -- the Mayor of London has written to the Secretary of

:33:45.:33:46.

State for Transport suggesting he is prepared to take on the Southern

:33:47.:33:51.

franchise. In discussions with the Secretary of State in arranging a

:33:52.:33:54.

debate on government time in this matter, could he prevail upon him to

:33:55.:33:59.

accept the Mayor of London's offer or at least look into it in great

:34:00.:34:04.

detail? I am sure that the Secretary of State will want to consider all

:34:05.:34:10.

options. It's not really the franchise that is the answer. It is

:34:11.:34:16.

for the management to get on top of the operational difficulties that do

:34:17.:34:19.

exist, and for management and unions to sort out the industrial dispute

:34:20.:34:24.

that at the moment is aggravating matters. Tonight echoed the words of

:34:25.:34:32.

many members to welcome the new Leader of the House of Lords post,

:34:33.:34:38.

but also do his deputy, and I am sure that between them they will

:34:39.:34:42.

make an excellent team. I understand the new Secretary of State for

:34:43.:34:45.

Transport is visiting derby this afternoon to discuss the Midlands

:34:46.:34:51.

Engine, so can be have a debate on ensuring that the rail industry is

:34:52.:34:55.

given the same level of investment and to note that Midlands means the

:34:56.:35:03.

East as well as the West Midlands? I thank My Honourable Friend for her

:35:04.:35:07.

words of welcome to myself and the member for Northampton North. Yes is

:35:08.:35:13.

my answer. I think the fact that the Transport Secretary is visiting

:35:14.:35:17.

Derby today so early on in his tenure is a visible demonstration

:35:18.:35:23.

that the Midlands Engine is about the East Midlands as much as about

:35:24.:35:29.

the West Midlands, and the strategy that the government plans to have in

:35:30.:35:37.

place by March next year is multinodal, in the jargon and it

:35:38.:35:44.

will cover rail as well as roads. The backdating of child tax credits

:35:45.:35:49.

be on the manse was only made after a protracted process with two

:35:50.:35:53.

appeals to the adjudicator 's office, adding to the stress that

:35:54.:35:56.

the family. Will be set aside government time for a debate on

:35:57.:36:02.

errant and child and other relevant benefits after a lone parent dies?

:36:03.:36:10.

The details that the honourable gentleman has just given that

:36:11.:36:13.

particular case concerned me. I am sure that the relevant Minister at

:36:14.:36:20.

the Department for Work and Pensions will be happy to look into the

:36:21.:36:23.

details to see whether anything went wrong in the system. I welcome my

:36:24.:36:30.

Right Honourable Friend to his place. I wonder if he's had a chance

:36:31.:36:35.

to look at early day motion 351 in my name regarding the persecution of

:36:36.:36:39.

religious minorities in Bangladesh. This week I hosted a meeting

:36:40.:36:45.

commemorating a massacre 45 years ago and still, we see Hindu priests

:36:46.:36:51.

murdered and other minorities massacred. Can we have a debate in

:36:52.:36:55.

government time on reordering the overseas developing a wee gifted

:36:56.:36:59.

Bangladesh so that more money is given to the security of minorities

:37:00.:37:08.

rather than just capacity building? I will draw the attention of the

:37:09.:37:11.

Secretary of State Boynton National development to the last point the

:37:12.:37:17.

member made. It is a fact that Bangladesh is experiencing a wave of

:37:18.:37:28.

violent terrorism, driven by Islamist extremism, that is

:37:29.:37:31.

targeting religious and ethnic minorities as well as LGBT people

:37:32.:37:39.

and independent journalists and editors. This is something on which

:37:40.:37:47.

my Right Honourable Friend and his team at the Foreign and Commonwealth

:37:48.:37:52.

Office are in regular contact with ministers at all levels in the

:37:53.:37:55.

Bangladesh government, and we will continue to do everything we can to

:37:56.:38:00.

try to help the government of Bangladesh to bring about an end to

:38:01.:38:06.

these appalling incidents. I detect a new acronym creeping into the

:38:07.:38:17.

government language, PBO, post-Brexit opportunities. One of

:38:18.:38:20.

the most important thing is for business is connectivity, whether at

:38:21.:38:25.

the end the nations, regions, London or international markets. We need

:38:26.:38:30.

the Davis commission. It is long overdue. Can the leader of the, and

:38:31.:38:37.

I welcome him and his deputy to their positions, can he say whether

:38:38.:38:43.

he's had any indication from Number Ten the Department for Transport

:38:44.:38:46.

that we might have this statement September rather than later? I thank

:38:47.:38:50.

the honourable gentleman for his welcome. With a new Prime Minister

:38:51.:38:58.

and Transport Secretary, we will obviously, they will obviously want

:38:59.:39:02.

to breathe themselves stubbornly on the Davis commission conclusions and

:39:03.:39:07.

the other issues around this very important decision, but I know that

:39:08.:39:12.

my Right Honourable Friend the Prime Minister believes it would be right

:39:13.:39:15.

to take the decision as soon as is of. As soon as the government is in

:39:16.:39:19.

a position to make a statement to the House, we will do so. I am

:39:20.:39:24.

delighted that my Right Honourable Friend is in his post. And that the

:39:25.:39:30.

deputy will is in his post, too. I what Mac them to the front bench.

:39:31.:39:35.

Could we have a debate on the welfare of dogs? There's much

:39:36.:39:38.

material that could used in such a debate such as the appalling

:39:39.:39:43.

practice of dogfighting, the terrible distress caused by the

:39:44.:39:47.

theft of dogs that has happened to a number of my constituents, but also,

:39:48.:39:51.

with the hot weather we've seen recently, dogs being left in cars in

:39:52.:39:54.

hot weather and getting into a great deal of distress. Last weekend the

:39:55.:40:03.

RSPCA's 24-hour emergency helpline had 160 reports of dogs left in hot

:40:04.:40:07.

environments. I suspect that will be much worse this week which has been

:40:08.:40:11.

unseasonably hot. And we have debated what ancient to the welfare

:40:12.:40:15.

of dogs and how things like that can cause unnecessary distress? My

:40:16.:40:21.

Honourable Friend raises an important issue for those of us

:40:22.:40:31.

concerned about animal welfare. His reference to how people sometimes

:40:32.:40:33.

leave pet dogs in cars in hot weather, he alighted upon the fact

:40:34.:40:42.

that often, it is not a matter of need for new legislation, it is a

:40:43.:40:45.

matter of people recognising that they have a responsibility to care

:40:46.:40:52.

for the animals that they own. And if a debate in able is My Honourable

:40:53.:40:59.

Friend to highlight that, I can see the benefit of such a debate taking

:41:00.:41:02.

place. I would I reckon either towards the edge of the debate

:41:03.:41:08.

process of backbench business committee, where he find those

:41:09.:41:14.

opportunities. Can I congratulate the leader on winning the year's

:41:15.:41:18.

prize for the most reduced carbon footprint? Can I also join in the

:41:19.:41:26.

tributes to Noleen Delaney who serve us with discretion, and was ready

:41:27.:41:33.

with consideration and chat, and typical of her Donegal decency,

:41:34.:41:38.

another gossip. Can I ask the leader feed commission a study into how

:41:39.:41:43.

many amendments this Chamber discharges in groups of amendments

:41:44.:41:46.

without any debate whatsoever, which then leads it to the unelected up

:41:47.:41:54.

the building to get Dean Harrison but the patient of being the key

:41:55.:41:59.

amending Chamber. In this age of taking control, can this Chamber

:42:00.:42:03.

take more control of the legislation that passes through this Parliament?

:42:04.:42:07.

Can I thank the honourable gentleman for his words of welcome? He does

:42:08.:42:14.

raise an important point. I think there's responsibility on ministers

:42:15.:42:19.

first of all to make sure that when bills are brought to the House, they

:42:20.:42:26.

are technically sound and that the policy has been properly worked out,

:42:27.:42:33.

so that there is no ambiguity about the invention of a particular

:42:34.:42:39.

clause. And I think there is then a responsibility on the House,

:42:40.:42:41.

collectively, through the programming process, to try to

:42:42.:42:46.

ensure that bills are probably debated, that we don't waste time

:42:47.:42:52.

simply scoring party political points, but Achilles at committee

:42:53.:42:57.

and report stage, but allocate time fairly so that all aspects of the

:42:58.:43:00.

bill can be properly considered. There are lessons for the government

:43:01.:43:04.

but for the House collectively as to how we might do our job better. Many

:43:05.:43:09.

of my constituents have raised the issue of the awareness and treat of

:43:10.:43:15.

lines disease. I was recently diagnosed after a constituent came

:43:16.:43:20.

to my surgery and raise awareness of the symptoms. There is a stark issue

:43:21.:43:25.

over the clarity of the treatment that is available and should be

:43:26.:43:30.

used. Well the leader of the consider a debate in government time

:43:31.:43:41.

on this important issue I am aware from a constituency case of my own

:43:42.:43:45.

about some of the treatments that are or are not available, and I will

:43:46.:43:49.

make sure that the Minister for health is aware of My Honourable

:43:50.:43:58.

Friend's concern and response to it. I'd like to congratulate the

:43:59.:44:03.

Minister on his new position. There seems to be a growing consensus

:44:04.:44:05.

across the House in opposition to the proposals for the member for

:44:06.:44:10.

Tatton to drive up as Channel 4, the latest team the honourable member

:44:11.:44:18.

for Wantage yesterday. When is he going to come to this House and make

:44:19.:44:21.

a statement that there's valuable asset is kept in public ownership?

:44:22.:44:27.

This will be one of the many items on the agenda of My Honourable

:44:28.:44:35.

Friend, the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and I

:44:36.:44:38.

am sure she will want to spend the summer considering this and other

:44:39.:44:41.

matters and will report to the House as soon as she is able. May I

:44:42.:44:48.

welcome the leader and his deputy? Could we have a debate on the better

:44:49.:44:54.

care fund and how it applies in Staffordshire? We've seen ?15

:44:55.:44:58.

million not given to Staffordshire County Council as a result of which

:44:59.:45:03.

services such as the drugs services referred to by the member for Bury

:45:04.:45:08.

and Portugal and four in sealed Southgate are to be caustically

:45:09.:45:13.

reduced in addition to numbers of health visitors. -- the member for

:45:14.:45:23.

Enfield Southgate. There is a responsibility on central government

:45:24.:45:28.

to set the overall budget for local authorities and the National Health

:45:29.:45:32.

Service, and the responsibilities of local authorities and local NHS

:45:33.:45:36.

management to ensure that their services are structured in a way

:45:37.:45:43.

that maximises the value for each pound that is spent. That sometimes

:45:44.:45:50.

means a need for significant reforms in how services are delivered. I

:45:51.:45:55.

take note of what My Honourable Friend says about Staffordshire. I

:45:56.:46:02.

am sure that he will want to seize opportunities to question the

:46:03.:46:05.

Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for

:46:06.:46:09.

Communities and Local Government after the recess to make those

:46:10.:46:13.

points directly to the ministers. The new Leader of the House has the

:46:14.:46:18.

respect of the House because of the courteous way he is operated in his

:46:19.:46:21.

previous ministerial positions. And can I pay tribute to Noreen Delaney

:46:22.:46:30.

for her 30 years of public service in this House was matter I'd like to

:46:31.:46:34.

have a debate about Personal Independence Payments. I constituent

:46:35.:46:40.

of mine was refused it when she was out of the country for 54 weeks when

:46:41.:46:46.

the legislation says he cannot be out for more than 32. She was

:46:47.:46:54.

involved in a serious car accident in Australia, and it took a long

:46:55.:46:58.

time in intensive care and in the spinal injuries unit and a long time

:46:59.:47:01.

to coordinate the specialist spinal unit in Glasgow and landing

:47:02.:47:06.

certificates in Dubai to get home, which meant she was 54 weeks out of

:47:07.:47:10.

the country. This surely is not fair, and a reasonable person would

:47:11.:47:15.

see that this is not there. She's now in a wheelchair and requires

:47:16.:47:19.

that additional support and I hope that the Minister would be able to

:47:20.:47:20.

look at it. Clearly there have to be rules that

:47:21.:47:33.

govern the payment of all kinds of welfare benefits. What the

:47:34.:47:38.

honourable gentleman described was a case where he felt there were very

:47:39.:47:43.

powerful circumstances. If he cares to write to me with the details of

:47:44.:47:49.

that, I will refer it to the relevant minister at DWP and make

:47:50.:47:53.

sure he gets the response. The Leader of the House is clearly

:47:54.:47:58.

enjoying his new role. I warmly congratulate him on his appointment.

:47:59.:48:04.

The future of health care in Shropshire has been on hold for

:48:05.:48:09.

three years while there are maybe closures to A and B. They are unable

:48:10.:48:15.

to make a decision. It is in a severe state of para sis. This has

:48:16.:48:22.

cost over ?3 million and has caused poor moral at the hospital in

:48:23.:48:27.

Telford. Can we please have a debate on the issue. From the description

:48:28.:48:32.

that my honourable friend has given of the situation in Shropshire, it

:48:33.:48:39.

would seem to me that what is needed is certainty, that the local NHS

:48:40.:48:44.

management, including the senior clinicians, who will be part of

:48:45.:48:48.

those teams, need to decide what they want and argue their

:48:49.:48:51.

justification for any changes they wish to make. In terms of a debate,

:48:52.:48:57.

again, this strikes me as something which may well fall within the scope

:48:58.:49:03.

of an adjournment debate that either a ballot or Mr Speaker might be able

:49:04.:49:07.

to make available to my honourable friend.

:49:08.:49:14.

Mr Speaker, today's order paper shows a written statement on the UK

:49:15.:49:17.

commission on employment and skills. I don't think it has yet been

:49:18.:49:24.

published online. The education skills and sub committee has

:49:25.:49:28.

expressed regret at the closure of the commission. I wonder if he will

:49:29.:49:36.

join me on congratulating the achievement. And it also, in

:49:37.:49:43.

commending the record of independent analysis and advice, successive

:49:44.:49:47.

Governments. Isn't it a shame that the enthusiasm of the Government

:49:48.:49:52.

which set up the this is not shared by the current Government?

:49:53.:49:57.

I am happy to join The Right Honourable gentleman in expressing

:49:58.:50:01.

thanks to the committee and its leadership for all the work that

:50:02.:50:06.

they have done, but it is also the fact that from time to time

:50:07.:50:11.

Governments of all political colours need to review the institutions

:50:12.:50:15.

through which policy is delivered and this is one of those occasions.

:50:16.:50:24.

Can I welcome and congratulate the new leader unr and his deputy on

:50:25.:50:28.

their well deserved promotion to the front bench. I look forward to my

:50:29.:50:33.

Right Honourable friend 's appearance before the procedure

:50:34.:50:38.

committee. Can we please have a debate on the written ministerial

:50:39.:50:41.

statement issued by the Prime Minister on Monday to the changes to

:50:42.:50:47.

the ma sheepry of Government, and in particular the establishment of the

:50:48.:50:50.

new Government department. This will give members across the House an

:50:51.:50:54.

opportunity to consider what consequences flow from these

:50:55.:50:59.

changes. The leader did mention, briefly, that there would be a

:51:00.:51:06.

Question Time set aside. But, is that one question time for one or

:51:07.:51:11.

each department? How long will it be and will the Government create new

:51:12.:51:15.

Select Committees so that backbenchers can scrutinise these

:51:16.:51:18.

new committees and therefore, I think it would be important if we

:51:19.:51:23.

had a debate in Government time as soon as possible.

:51:24.:51:28.

I am grateful to my honourable friend for his welcome. I will

:51:29.:51:32.

certainly look forward to the opportunity of appearing before the

:51:33.:51:39.

Scrutiny Committee. I have already had a meeting with the procedure

:51:40.:51:44.

committee, I should have said. I had a meeting with the honourable

:51:45.:51:49.

member... I am released of the Scrutiny Committee. I have had a

:51:50.:51:55.

meeting the member, the chair of the Procedure Committee, to discuss some

:51:56.:52:02.

issues. And I hope that there'll be a fruitful dialogue on procedure. On

:52:03.:52:06.

the particular points he made, I can confirm that there will be dedicated

:52:07.:52:13.

question times for the new Government departments and a

:52:14.:52:20.

schedule of those question times should be made available very soon,

:52:21.:52:23.

if it has not already been published. There will also be a need

:52:24.:52:29.

for new Select Committees to be established. I hope that we can mo

:52:30.:52:35.

forward with that in the autumn. That is not a matter for Government,

:52:36.:52:41.

that is a matter for the House. I also welcome the leader to his

:52:42.:52:47.

place and congratulate the member for birkshire, who must be the

:52:48.:52:52.

longest serving spokesperson. Will he look at the private member

:52:53.:52:59.

bills, the current system is discredited, despite the massive

:53:00.:53:03.

success that SNP members had in the ballot. We need an urgent debate on

:53:04.:53:07.

reform. This is one of the issues which the chair of the Procedure

:53:08.:53:12.

Committee has raised with me. I have said as a new leader of the House I

:53:13.:53:17.

will take a fresh look at. This but at this stage I think the honourable

:53:18.:53:20.

gentleman will understand that I am not going to make any commitments

:53:21.:53:22.

either way. I warmly congratulate my honourable

:53:23.:53:32.

friend and his Northamptonshire deputy on their promotions. As one

:53:33.:53:37.

of his first acts in office, will he arrange when we come back for a

:53:38.:53:40.

statement from the Secretary of State for Health about the financial

:53:41.:53:45.

situation of hospitals in high-growth areas? Kettering General

:53:46.:53:51.

Hospital is a fantastic hospital. The directors, clinicians, staff,

:53:52.:53:55.

nurses and ancillary staff do a tremendous job. Last year the

:53:56.:54:00.

deficit was ?6.7 million. This year ?11.2 million and next year

:54:01.:54:06.

projected to be ?15 million. Last year, almost 400,000 people came to

:54:07.:54:10.

the hospital for treatment and the number of houses being built in the

:54:11.:54:15.

local area and the rise in the local population is placing an incredible

:54:16.:54:19.

strain on our local hospitals. Something needs to be done about

:54:20.:54:24.

this. Will the leader of the House arrange for the Secretary of State

:54:25.:54:26.

for Health to make a statement to the House?

:54:27.:54:30.

I thank my honourable friend for his welcome. As a member who himself

:54:31.:54:37.

represents another such high-growth area, I mean these are issues with

:54:38.:54:41.

which I am very familiar indeed. I think what I would say to my

:54:42.:54:48.

honourable friend is that these matters need to be looked at

:54:49.:54:52.

holistically because it is not a question simply of looking at the

:54:53.:54:56.

provision of hospital services, but at looking at the treatment of

:54:57.:55:01.

health services as a whole, because sometimes these pressures can be

:55:02.:55:08.

eased by some sensible reconfiguration of services overall

:55:09.:55:12.

that take account of the way in which medical science has moved on,

:55:13.:55:15.

with more people able to be treated as out patients or day patients

:55:16.:55:19.

rather than have a long in-patient stay in hospital. I draw the points

:55:20.:55:25.

about Kettering that my honourable friend has drawn to the attention of

:55:26.:55:29.

the Health Secretary. Can I welcome the new leader of the House. In 2012

:55:30.:55:37.

my 14-year-old constituent Ellie blackman was diagnosed - and her

:55:38.:55:43.

treatment included having her leg amputated above the knee. She wished

:55:44.:55:50.

to have a drug she was prescribed but could not tolerate when she was

:55:51.:55:56.

younger. Her oncologist advocated for her but could not fund, even

:55:57.:56:03.

though if th is if first new drug to be acted with this tumour in 30

:56:04.:56:08.

years. Can we have a debate on introducing new drugs in rare

:56:09.:56:12.

tumours for children which are so needed by remarkable young people

:56:13.:56:17.

such as Ellie? Mr Speaker, well, I am not familiar with obvious reasons

:56:18.:56:22.

with the case or the particular drug that the honourable lady mentions. I

:56:23.:56:27.

will draw her remarks to the attention of the responsible health

:56:28.:56:31.

minister and I would suggest this is precisely the sort of subject for

:56:32.:56:35.

which an adjournment debate in the autumn might be suitable. Thank you,

:56:36.:56:40.

Mr Speaker. I joined in the congratulations to the leader and

:56:41.:56:43.

the deputy on their new roles. Earlier this week, a critical report

:56:44.:56:50.

from CQC was published, branding a care home in my constituency

:56:51.:56:54.

inadequate. This is a continuation of a serious of number of critical

:56:55.:56:58.

reports, some of which have resulted in the closure of those homes. Could

:56:59.:57:05.

we have a debate about the criteria that the CQC operate and whether it

:57:06.:57:09.

is more rigorous or if there has been a decline in the standards of

:57:10.:57:17.

these care homes? My honourable friend makes a good case there. I

:57:18.:57:23.

hope that this is a subject he might want to take to the Backbench

:57:24.:57:28.

Business Committee because the questions that he has raised this

:57:29.:57:32.

afternoon are ones that I know will concern a very large number of

:57:33.:57:35.

constituencies and a very large number of members and all parties.

:57:36.:57:42.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Given the frightening rise of bigoted and

:57:43.:57:47.

racist incidents against EU nationals, will the minister call a

:57:48.:57:53.

debate on EU nations living and working in the UK before 23rd June

:57:54.:57:57.

the right to demain, so we can push this Government to make the right

:57:58.:58:02.

decision and fight bigotry in this country? As my Right Honourable

:58:03.:58:07.

friend, the Prime Minister, has been clear that our objective is we

:58:08.:58:14.

should ensure there is indeed a legally-biepding agreement that

:58:15.:58:17.

people who are here lawfully are able to stay and equally that

:58:18.:58:22.

British citizens who are lawfully resident in other EU member-states

:58:23.:58:27.

should be able to continue living or studying or working there after we

:58:28.:58:30.

leave the European Union. These are things that I think will

:58:31.:58:37.

have to be dealt with, I hope early on, in the forthcoming negotiations.

:58:38.:58:43.

But on the point about the physical attacks and the abuse directed and

:58:44.:58:48.

directed I have to say not just at EU nationals, but sometimes at

:58:49.:58:54.

people from other ethnic or religious minorities in this

:58:55.:58:59.

country, I feel that -- think they bring shame upon this country. I

:59:00.:59:05.

think that all of us have a responsibility to denounce such

:59:06.:59:09.

behaviour, make it clear that that has no place, whatsoever, in our

:59:10.:59:13.

society. And I have always found that those honourable members who

:59:14.:59:20.

have, for principled, honourable reasons taken a stance opposing the

:59:21.:59:24.

UK's membership of the European Union, have always been vehement in

:59:25.:59:28.

saying that this sort of behaviour has no place in the kind of society

:59:29.:59:34.

that they want to live in. Thank you. May I also warmly

:59:35.:59:39.

congratulate my honourable friend and his deputy on their new

:59:40.:59:43.

appointments. Can I draw his attention to a manifesto commitment

:59:44.:59:48.

which ought to now be honoured, that is the 15-year rule for overseas

:59:49.:59:54.

voters. There are one million people disenfranchised by this exemption.

:59:55.:59:57.

It is a particularly sore subject among those living in the European

:59:58.:00:01.

Union at the moment who are denied a vote in the referendum.

:00:02.:00:09.

The Government remains committed to new legislation that will lift the

:00:10.:00:14.

15-year bar, something introduced by Mr Blar's Government during its --

:00:15.:00:28.

Mr Blair's time in office. We would have to establish a new system of

:00:29.:00:35.

voter res voter registration, which is not straightforward given that

:00:36.:00:40.

voter registers no longer exist for periods that go back earlier than 15

:00:41.:00:47.

years. We have to find some way of allocating the individuals, to

:00:48.:00:51.

constituents and verifying a previous place of residence. My

:00:52.:00:56.

honourable friends are at work on this matter already. What he said

:00:57.:01:03.

earlier, can I remind him it was a Labour Government that introduced

:01:04.:01:08.

the national minimum wage against strenuous Tory opposition. I

:01:09.:01:11.

remember it well because I voted for the change. But can I ask the leader

:01:12.:01:17.

of the House n view of the further situation in Turkey, the state of

:01:18.:01:23.

emergency, the thousands more, teachers, academics, judges,

:01:24.:01:26.

journalists, who are now being suspended from work, travel ban and

:01:27.:01:30.

all the other measures, apart from those who have been arrested, can we

:01:31.:01:35.

have a statement today on the situation, baring in mind the House

:01:36.:01:39.

will -- bearing in mind the House will not meet until 15th September?

:01:40.:01:43.

Will the British Government make it quite clear to the Turkish

:01:44.:01:46.

authorities that what is happening is causing deep concern in this

:01:47.:01:50.

country. It doesn't seem to be the most effective way of dealing with

:01:51.:01:53.

those who plotted a coup last week. introduced a and the Conservative

:01:54.:02:45.

that has As the leader of the House will

:02:46.:04:48.

know, the defence committee of which I am a member has had

:04:49.:04:53.

recommendations which include the establishment of a safety authority,

:04:54.:04:58.

the introduction of a duty holder of the armed forced and the

:04:59.:05:02.

recommendations that the MoD take it widely so, the families can have

:05:03.:05:04.

confidence. And I think it would be wrong for me

:05:05.:06:15.

to speculate about lessons to be learned until we know the outcome of

:06:16.:06:25.

those reports. I receptdly convened a support and

:06:26.:06:30.

campaign group for women of Livingstone and one of my

:06:31.:06:35.

constituents raised the matter that her divorce settlement was

:06:36.:06:38.

predicated on the age of which she would retire and get her pension.

:06:39.:06:41.

That has been moved by a number of years. Will The Right Honourable

:06:42.:06:46.

gentleman, who I welcomed to his place, perhaps have a discussion

:06:47.:06:51.

with his colleague, the Work and Pensions Secretary, to look at this

:06:52.:06:56.

issue, in the hope that fresh eyes will not bring the same style ideas

:06:57.:07:07.

but bring justice for the women? This is something the House has

:07:08.:07:11.

voted on recently. I don't want to, in I anyway, suggest there is likely

:07:12.:07:19.

to be a change in policy on this matter.ly report to the honourable

:07:20.:07:23.

lady's concerns to my honourable friend at the DWP. I gently say

:07:24.:07:28.

everybody will get in. The honourable gentleman for

:07:29.:07:31.

Huddersfield is a fine man s the human equivalent of a smouldering

:07:32.:07:35.

volcano, as he sits on the benches, waiting to be called with ever

:07:36.:07:39.

growing frustration at the fact he's not yet been called. I say, the

:07:40.:07:42.

honourable gentleman will get in. He's been there long enough to know

:07:43.:07:49.

it didn't always be that way. People didn't always get in. As much as I

:07:50.:07:53.

admire the honourable gentleman, he has, if I may politely say so, a

:07:54.:07:58.

slightly underdeveloped sense of others and I cannot help but think

:07:59.:08:03.

if he spoke three times in the day, he would think, why on earth didn't

:08:04.:08:09.

I get called to speak a fourth. We are saving him up. He's a specialist

:08:10.:08:22.

delicacy in the House! Thank you. I would like to welcome the honourable

:08:23.:08:28.

gentleman to his place. 34-year-old Kate Grainger is in a hospice die

:08:29.:08:38.

from terminal cancer. She help with a campaign. This week she achieved

:08:39.:08:45.

her aim of raising 250,000 for a Yorkshire cancer charity. Her dying

:08:46.:08:48.

wish is to have the new Prime Minister endorse her campaign. Could

:08:49.:08:53.

the leader of the House possibly use his considerable powers of

:08:54.:08:57.

persuasion to facilitate this amazing lady's dying wish? The case

:08:58.:09:08.

that the honourable lady describes strikes me as inspiring.

:09:09.:09:18.

And I would want to pass on immediately sympathy, but also

:09:19.:09:22.

admiration to the family and friends of the young lady.

:09:23.:09:28.

And I will, of course, if the honourable lady would like to write

:09:29.:09:32.

to me with details, I will be in touch with the Prime Minister.

:09:33.:09:37.

I find it very positive to hear the Leader of the House condemn the

:09:38.:09:44.

racist incidents which took place post EU referendum. It was

:09:45.:09:47.

unfortunate that the Prime Minister didn't take the opportunity on

:09:48.:09:50.

Wednesday when she had the opportunity to condemn the

:09:51.:09:54.

unforgivably racist language used by the new Foreign Secretary, I wonder

:09:55.:09:59.

if we can have a debate in Government time on the importance of

:10:00.:10:04.

our roles on all of us here, on the language used and the impact it has

:10:05.:10:10.

on other people? I think, as you, Mr Speaker, remind us regularly. We all

:10:11.:10:15.

need to bear in mind the impact which the language we choose has

:10:16.:10:18.

outside this building. I would reiterate that I have been

:10:19.:10:36.

genuinely shocked by the way in which, in recent weeks, decent,

:10:37.:10:43.

law-abiding people who, in many cases have been living here 20, 30

:10:44.:10:49.

years have been subjected to abuse or even worse. And I think it is

:10:50.:10:55.

very important that all of us, which other political party we are from,

:10:56.:10:59.

and whichever side we've supported during the referendum campaign, need

:11:00.:11:04.

to come together and say that type of behaviour has no place in our

:11:05.:11:17.

society. I have just been advised by a distinguished bewigged counsellor

:11:18.:11:20.

to the cheer that alternatives to smouldering volcano are pregnant

:11:21.:11:27.

volcano and imminently explosive volcano. Mr Barry Shearman. As a

:11:28.:11:38.

genuine backbencher, night ask, can I welcome the leader of the studies

:11:39.:11:44.

position? I hope that he will be a good force for making sure that this

:11:45.:11:46.

is about business questions rather than some of the things that go on

:11:47.:11:52.

under the name or business questions, and I can say to the

:11:53.:11:56.

Speaker who called him an egg head, I hope I didn't cause offence, but

:11:57.:11:59.

those who did work on the European Private Members' Bill watched him in

:12:00.:12:04.

action would believe also that he must have had some training in

:12:05.:12:13.

acting and drama, just as everything he does at the dispatch box ingests

:12:14.:12:18.

that's the case. I was a smouldering volcano Mr Speaker because I would

:12:19.:12:22.

not say it was about time we had a debate in this House on the barriers

:12:23.:12:26.

to people with autism to living a full life. We've had the Chair of

:12:27.:12:30.

the autism commission make a fantastic report to the barriers in

:12:31.:12:35.

the health service to autistic people living a full life. Surely an

:12:36.:12:41.

early debate when we get back on that subject would be welcomed, even

:12:42.:12:46.

by the Speaker. Can I first of all thank the right honourable gentleman

:12:47.:12:54.

for his welcome? I agree with him that, as a House, as a country, this

:12:55.:12:58.

question of giving greater opportunity to people with autistic

:12:59.:13:04.

spectrum disorders is something to which we should turn our attention.

:13:05.:13:07.

I would hope that this might be a matter which the backbench business

:13:08.:13:16.

committee should see as a priority. I am more of a slow burner than a

:13:17.:13:20.

smouldering volcano but I am still very passionate! Can I welcome the

:13:21.:13:25.

new of the House of Lords Place? Can I ask him for a debate or statement

:13:26.:13:29.

in government time on the effect witness of the assessment process on

:13:30.:13:35.

the stability of mandatory reconsideration and the cost to the

:13:36.:13:41.

taxpayer of the tribunal process for Personal Independence Payments,

:13:42.:13:43.

because many of these are causing great distress to claimants in Wales

:13:44.:13:52.

and across the UK? I thank the honourable lady for her welcome.

:13:53.:13:58.

These are clearly matters that My Honourable Friend is in the

:13:59.:14:00.

Department for Work and Pensions will wish to consider. I will draw

:14:01.:14:04.

her remarks to their attention. I think that the quickest way in which

:14:05.:14:07.

to bring these matters before the House would be to raise these in the

:14:08.:14:14.

first DWP questions after we come back. It was last September the

:14:15.:14:20.

government announced they were likely to publish Teachout heard of

:14:21.:14:22.

obesity strategy in the autumn. Orton came and went. Winter came and

:14:23.:14:30.

went, spring came and went and it was an urgent question that he

:14:31.:14:34.

granted me kindly in May, and the public-health minister stood at the

:14:35.:14:38.

dispatch box and told the House the strategy would be published before

:14:39.:14:44.

the summer recess giving members the opportunity to debate thoroughly the

:14:45.:14:50.

contents therein. Where is it? I think while this is undoubtedly an

:14:51.:14:57.

important issue, there have been one or two other political events in the

:14:58.:15:00.

last few weeks that have meant that a number of other announcements have

:15:01.:15:06.

been postponed. We have a new public-health minister in place now.

:15:07.:15:11.

I am sure that My Honourable Friend will want to give urgent attention

:15:12.:15:18.

to this point. I would also like to welcomed the new leader. I pay

:15:19.:15:28.

tribute to his wisdom in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which will

:15:29.:15:35.

be much missed, I fear, in future. I would like to ask him to page of U2

:15:36.:15:41.

Noreen Delaney, a very long serving person in this House for her

:15:42.:15:50.

service. I would also ask about the cat at Number Ten, seems to be in a

:15:51.:15:59.

sorry situation, is it because he misses the old Prime Minister and

:16:00.:16:06.

does the new Prime Minister care for the welfare of cats as much as the

:16:07.:16:10.

old Prime Minister did? And I want specifically to ask for a statement

:16:11.:16:15.

or debate as soon as we get back in September on the situation in

:16:16.:16:20.

Turkey, which is very serious. Some of my own friends have been arrested

:16:21.:16:27.

in this first round of arrests and also, the ongoing humanitarian

:16:28.:16:32.

disaster in Syria. Behrami only 100,000 people in detention, some of

:16:33.:16:37.

them in very bad conditions and I ask if the Home Office could keep --

:16:38.:16:42.

the Foreign Office could keep their eye on the ball on these issues? Can

:16:43.:16:49.

I thank the right honourable member for her kind remarks? I think that

:16:50.:16:53.

on the two foreign policy questions that she raised, whilst the House is

:16:54.:17:00.

in recess, the work of government will go on and the Foreign Office

:17:01.:17:07.

will be maintaining a very close watch on evidence both in Turkey and

:17:08.:17:14.

in Syria. And my Right Honourable Friend the Development Secretary

:17:15.:17:19.

will of course also maintain not just a keen interest in these

:17:20.:17:23.

humanitarian disasters, to which she alluded, but also in making sure

:17:24.:17:26.

that the pledges made by this country and other countries, to put

:17:27.:17:32.

money down to help those in such enormous need in Syria and

:17:33.:17:37.

neighbouring countries, are delivered in practice and that the

:17:38.:17:45.

aid gets through to them. I am sure that my Right Honourable Friend the

:17:46.:17:48.

Foreign Secretary will wish to keep the House up they did when we return

:17:49.:17:51.

from recess at about what is happening in that region. On the

:17:52.:17:57.

other matter she mentioned, I can completely reassure her about the

:17:58.:18:04.

Prime Minister's good intentions towards a Larry the cat. I saw some

:18:05.:18:10.

reports in the media that he had been involved in a fracas with the

:18:11.:18:13.

Foreign Office cat, but I hope that they have now established a modus

:18:14.:18:19.

vivendi. Eagle-eyed members would have

:18:20.:18:30.

noticed some 30 whether itten statements to be made by the

:18:31.:18:41.

Government on today's order paper. Will the leader wish to dispel any

:18:42.:18:46.

cynicism by giving members a debate to consider and discuss the contents

:18:47.:18:53.

of this statement on our return? I thank the honourable lady for her

:18:54.:19:00.

welcome. She's miss construing the Government's intention, which is to

:19:01.:19:02.

put the information before Parliament. I think the honourable

:19:03.:19:10.

lady would have had much more cause for grieve vans had ministers

:19:11.:19:14.

withheld this information which instead is being made available. The

:19:15.:19:17.

opportunity is there now for all members of the House to look at the

:19:18.:19:22.

announcements being made in the written ministerial statements, to

:19:23.:19:26.

come to a considered view about them and then to return to the fray in

:19:27.:19:32.

September, ready to question and challenge ministers on the basis of

:19:33.:19:35.

some time for analysis and reflection.

:19:36.:19:42.

On a fine ending, Mr Speaker, when he was Europe minister, I confess I

:19:43.:19:47.

used to feel sorry for him given he was sent out here like a lamp to the

:19:48.:19:53.

wolves every so often. I still do. He's left behind the finest salons

:19:54.:19:56.

of Europe to come here every Thursday to fend off requests for

:19:57.:20:04.

debates on Southern Rail, which I am fed up haeshing about. Nonetheless I

:20:05.:20:09.

-- fed up of hearing about. Nonetheless I welcome him. We heard

:20:10.:20:14.

about vauk haul, over the fact that recalling almost 300,000 vehicles,

:20:15.:20:18.

over 300 of them have spontaneously burst into flames, putting families

:20:19.:20:23.

and consumers in danger. On top of that, we have also had the vaux

:20:24.:20:28.

wagon scandal over the past 12 months. Can we have a debate on the

:20:29.:20:33.

car industry, so we can push them to get their act together and stop

:20:34.:20:41.

putting people's lives at risk and endangering public health, so we can

:20:42.:20:44.

get the Government to get its finger out and bring this industry to book.

:20:45.:20:50.

I think that what would be the right sequence of events would be for us

:20:51.:20:55.

to see the report from the Transport Select Committee that no doubt will

:20:56.:21:00.

make recommendations to the Government and to other parties and

:21:01.:21:05.

then to have the benefit of the committee's findings, and of the

:21:06.:21:08.

evidence that was taken by the committee, when the House comes to

:21:09.:21:12.

debate this subject. As the honourable gentleman knows there are

:21:13.:21:15.

opportunities during the parliamentary year for Select

:21:16.:21:17.

Committee reports to be debated, either on the floor of the House or

:21:18.:21:21.

in Westminster Hall and if there is a strong body of support for this

:21:22.:21:26.

report to be so debated, then that seems to be a good opportunity. I

:21:27.:21:33.

say finally to him that while I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent

:21:34.:21:37.

serving in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, it is to this

:21:38.:21:41.

House that I sought election in the first place and I reward having been

:21:42.:21:45.

asked by the Prime Minister to serve as leader of the House of Commons as

:21:46.:21:52.

an enormous privilege and an enormous opportunity that I have no

:21:53.:22:00.

regrets whatsoever. I think this is something I still find... It is

:22:01.:22:04.

amazing after being elected to this place on behalf of your constituents

:22:05.:22:08.

to be asked to serve as leader of the House is a privilege indeed.

:22:09.:22:13.

THE SPEAKER: Thank you to the leader and all colleagues who took part in

:22:14.:22:22.

those exchanges. I wish colleagues a very enjoyable, stimulating, but

:22:23.:22:26.

restful, we hope, recess. A point of order, Mr Graham Jones. Thank you.

:22:27.:22:31.

Today the Government rushed out some 21 ministerial statements, right on

:22:32.:22:34.

recess day, which is appalling in itself. But not one was on

:22:35.:22:42.

fixed-odds betting terminals T sustainable communities act

:22:43.:22:45.

application, which sits in the department, lodged by Newham Council

:22:46.:22:49.

and 95 other councils, is the biggest application under the act,

:22:50.:22:55.

with the LGA, to lower fixed-odds betting terminals from ?100 to ?2

:22:56.:23:01.

was lodged in December, 2015. More than six months have now passed and

:23:02.:23:04.

we're at the summer recess. I understand that the deadline for

:23:05.:23:09.

this was 14th July and only one meeting has taken place, thanked was

:23:10.:23:14.

a preliminary meeting between the department and the LGA. The minister

:23:15.:23:19.

has failed to update the House on the meetings with the LGA, failed to

:23:20.:23:23.

indicate what those meetings, that first meeting was about. Which is

:23:24.:23:27.

implicit under the conditions of the act. The act requires that the

:23:28.:23:32.

Government must try to reach agreement by constructive

:23:33.:23:34.

negotiation between the LGA and the Government. Which must act in good

:23:35.:23:43.

faith w the provision that all DCS support evidence is included. What

:23:44.:23:47.

advice would you give me, you know, on this matter, which I think is an

:23:48.:23:52.

appalling dereliction of responsibility?

:23:53.:23:58.

THE SPEAKER: My first advice of a point of order is it should be

:23:59.:24:01.

brief. It is not a matter for the chair. He has, through the device of

:24:02.:24:07.

the point of order, registered his dissatisfaction very forcefully.

:24:08.:24:11.

Unforted natly he has done so in the presence of the leader of the House

:24:12.:24:17.

and of the deputy, together with a number of representatives of the

:24:18.:24:22.

patronage secretary as well. My further observation to the

:24:23.:24:24.

honourable gentleman is if he is able to contribute to the second

:24:25.:24:30.

adjournment debate this afternoon, and it is up to him whether he seeks

:24:31.:24:37.

to do so, he might illicit a response from the Government to the

:24:38.:24:41.

points that he's raised. Admittedly he will not have a responsible

:24:42.:24:46.

departmental minister to answer today. He might, as I say, because

:24:47.:24:50.

there is collective responsibility in Government, be able to attract

:24:51.:24:56.

some sort of response. I can tell he's extremely dissatisfied. But we

:24:57.:25:01.

cannot let the best be the enemy of the good in a pragmatic sense, I

:25:02.:25:04.

think that is the best he can hope for today.

:25:05.:25:10.

If there are no further points of order we come now to the press

:25:11.:25:15.

sensation of -- presentation of bill. Tim Morton.

:25:16.:25:24.

Civil partnership act, 04 amendment bill. Second reading which day 13th

:25:25.:25:34.

January, 2017. Thank you. We now come to the backbench motion

:25:35.:25:43.

on a ban on the manifesto, sale, possess -- manufacture, sale and

:25:44.:25:47.

possess of snares. To move the motion, I can call Mr Jim Dowd.

:25:48.:25:56.

Thank you, very much. First of all, my thanks to the Backbench Business

:25:57.:25:59.

Committee for giving me the opportunity to bring this motion to

:26:00.:26:05.

the House. I am keenly aware because of the

:26:06.:26:11.

urgent, the urgent questions on school funding that we are running

:26:12.:26:18.

late. I am aware that the summer adjournment debate is generally

:26:19.:26:20.

oversubscribed, so I will attempt to be brief and hope to conclude this

:26:21.:26:25.

matter within a reasonable time. I don't propose to call a division

:26:26.:26:29.

myself. I can assure the House that if one

:26:30.:26:35.

is called, then I will defend this motion. Although motions araising

:26:36.:26:44.

from backbench business debates have a somewhat uncertain pedigree, if

:26:45.:26:48.

you like, the status of them is disputed, they are not binding, they

:26:49.:26:52.

are not mandatory, there have been a number of motions passed in similar

:26:53.:26:57.

debates over recent months, which the Government have, whilst urging

:26:58.:27:01.

the Government to take action, the Government have declined so to do,

:27:02.:27:05.

so I have no illusion were this motion to be successful, then a

:27:06.:27:09.

Government action would swiftly follow. I suspect it probably won't.

:27:10.:27:14.

But I do believe and I will attempt to outline as briefly as I can what

:27:15.:27:20.

I believe to be a compelling case for the prospect outlined in the

:27:21.:27:26.

motion. There is widespread support across the House for such a ban. I

:27:27.:27:34.

know the later ribbing Forth, when he used to be here on -- late Eric

:27:35.:27:41.

Forth, when he used to be here on Fridays, when people said this bill

:27:42.:27:48.

has wide-spread support he used to wave his arms and say, where are

:27:49.:27:53.

they then? And I accept. I accept... Well, they knew you were

:27:54.:28:01.

coming, Geoffry. No, that's not true. I am deeply grateful to the

:28:02.:28:07.

League Against Cruel Sports to the Royal Society for the prevention of

:28:08.:28:12.

animals, to the cat protection league and other organisations who

:28:13.:28:16.

have assisted me in this matter. I know there are members in this House

:28:17.:28:21.

who are ideologically opposed to bans of any kind.

:28:22.:28:26.

I don't obviously share that view myself. I think we have to exercise

:28:27.:28:34.

caution and judgment. The legal framework is generally about

:28:35.:28:37.

regulating what should, what behaviour is and is not permissible

:28:38.:28:43.

and what should be punished. I am grateful to my honourable

:28:44.:28:45.

friend for giving way. On that point, isn't one of the issues of

:28:46.:28:50.

the use of snares now, that they simply aren't being used for the

:28:51.:28:55.

stated purpose. That often the specieses that is targeted isn't the

:28:56.:29:01.

species that is often target -- captured I agree with my honourable

:29:02.:29:05.

friend. I hope to go on and elaborate that in more detail later

:29:06.:29:09.

on. It is my contention, the thrust of this motion is not just the

:29:10.:29:18.

inherent cruelty, and barbarism of snares, single snares that are

:29:19.:29:22.

currently legal. It is actually the gross inefficiency of it that... It

:29:23.:29:28.

is not even useful for what it does without causing unacceptable

:29:29.:29:32.

consequences. Particularly we have to exercise responsibility as

:29:33.:29:35.

legislators when we are doing it on behalf of those who cannot speak for

:29:36.:29:39.

themselves, whether it be children or animals. I believe there is an

:29:40.:29:44.

imper rayive here for us to take action. Snares are thin wire nooses,

:29:45.:29:53.

set to trap animals seen as a threat, usually foxes and rabbits.

:29:54.:29:57.

They catch them around the neck, rather like a lasso. There are two

:29:58.:30:01.

types. The self--locking snare, which is not legal. It is not

:30:02.:30:06.

permitted. This is a devise which tightens the more the animal

:30:07.:30:12.

struggles. Even when the animal stops struggling it is tightened and

:30:13.:30:15.

serious causes injury and death. That is illegal under the current

:30:16.:30:21.

regulations. One type of snare, known as the free-running snare,

:30:22.:30:24.

which is still currently legal and this should, if it is operated

:30:25.:30:29.

properly tighten as the captured animal struggles. But relax when the

:30:30.:30:33.

animal stops pulling. This type of snare intended to hold the animal

:30:34.:30:37.

alive until the snare operator returns to it to kill it, usually by

:30:38.:30:43.

shooting, if it is caught the right target creature, as my honourable

:30:44.:30:47.

friend pointed out, or release it if it is not one of the target creates.

:30:48.:30:54.

And legal free-running snares though, the disadvantage of them

:30:55.:30:56.

operationally and I will mention this later as well, is they can, in

:30:57.:31:02.

many circumstances, act like a self-locking snare and, which are of

:31:03.:31:07.

course, as I mention, illegal when they become kinked or rusty.

:31:08.:31:13.

Although their purpose is to immobilise target animals most cause

:31:14.:31:17.

extreme suffering to animals and often lead to a painful, lingering

:31:18.:31:22.

death. Animals caught suffer huge stress and can sustain horrific

:31:23.:31:26.

injuries. Snares can cause abdominal, chest, neck, leg and head

:31:27.:31:31.

injuries to animals. Some animals get their legs caught in the snares

:31:32.:31:34.

and end up with the wire cutting through to the bone. Such animals

:31:35.:31:42.

may attempt to escape by biting off their own limbens. Others are caught

:31:43.:31:47.

around the body. The number of animals which fall victim is

:31:48.:31:50.

immense. It is not possible to control which animals will be caught

:31:51.:31:55.

in a snare. A snare is set to catch a fox is just as capable of catching

:31:56.:32:03.

other species, cats, dogs, badgers, otters, dear, hares and livestock

:32:04.:32:08.

have all suffered terrible injuries or been killed. In 2012 DEFRA

:32:09.:32:13.

produced an extensive report on snaring in England and Wales, which

:32:14.:32:18.

suggests that up to 1.7 million animals are trapped in these

:32:19.:32:23.

primitive devices every year, which equates to 200 animals caught each

:32:24.:32:25.

and every hour. Because snares capture any animal, a

:32:26.:32:37.

little more than a quarter in the field studies were foxes, the

:32:38.:32:41.

intended victims. The other three quarters included badgers, 26% and

:32:42.:32:50.

here's 33%, both of which are protected species, and a further 14

:32:51.:32:55.

described as other. That is almost a quarter of a million animals,

:32:56.:33:02.

including dear, cats and dogs caught every year. This goes to the heart

:33:03.:33:06.

of the inefficiency of the snare as a device for animal control. Defra's

:33:07.:33:12.

independent working group concluded in 2005 that it would be difficult

:33:13.:33:18.

to reduce nontarget captures to less than 40%. According to Defra's 2012

:33:19.:33:25.

report, 260,000 snares are in use in England and Wales. Defra's report

:33:26.:33:41.

reveals that they are more likely on land holdings with game bird

:33:42.:33:47.

shooting. I will not go into my attitude towards shooting as a

:33:48.:33:51.

sport, that is an argument for another day, but in common with over

:33:52.:33:56.

62% of the population of this country I cannot see shooting as a

:33:57.:34:02.

sport and cannot see what possible pleasure can be derived from

:34:03.:34:06.

blasting a living creature to smithereens. I will. I am very

:34:07.:34:15.

grateful to the honourable gentleman and I want to know if he is aware of

:34:16.:34:22.

the piece of scientific research called wagers on the edge which says

:34:23.:34:29.

if you want to go to sleep lapwing, the place to see them where their

:34:30.:34:35.

numbers are rising rather than falling within managed shoots on the

:34:36.:34:39.

uplands? I am not aware of the honourable gentleman's entry in the

:34:40.:34:45.

register of interest, I am not sure what relevance that has, perhaps I

:34:46.:34:51.

will see later. There are all kinds of conflicting arguments on this, I

:34:52.:34:56.

do not dispute that, but the snare is cruel and barbaric and if the

:34:57.:35:00.

price of seeing apparently are lapwing is considering suffering of

:35:01.:35:05.

tens of thousands of creatures, I do not think that is a price worth

:35:06.:35:13.

paying. I wonder if he would agree with me that a key concern for

:35:14.:35:16.

myself and many constituents is the welfare of wildlife. We should put

:35:17.:35:23.

that at the top of our priorities. I completely agree with the honourable

:35:24.:35:29.

lady. Animal welfare more generally is a widespread concern. It is one

:35:30.:35:35.

of the most regular subjects upon which constituents contact us. I

:35:36.:35:39.

will wait for a moment, if I may. I am sure you will be able to catch

:35:40.:35:43.

the speaker's I at some stage and you will be able to tell us what

:35:44.:35:49.

your entry in the register is. Can I congratulate my honourable friend on

:35:50.:35:54.

securing this debate in the backbench business committee and for

:35:55.:35:58.

the compelling case he is making. Will he accept from me on Bihar of

:35:59.:36:02.

the constituents who have contacted me over this that the barbarity of

:36:03.:36:07.

the practice and the cruelty that is inherent in it, most people find

:36:08.:36:15.

appalling and they thank you for raising this important issue? I am

:36:16.:36:21.

extremely grateful to my right honourable friend for his support in

:36:22.:36:26.

this matter and his constituents BIG BROTHER: Support. Snares are only

:36:27.:36:31.

legal in six European countries, Belgium, France, Ireland, Spain,

:36:32.:36:37.

Latvia and the UK. In all other countries they are either band,

:36:38.:36:40.

strictly controlled or not used at all. The idea that they are an

:36:41.:36:47.

inescapable means of animal control clearly is not true because large

:36:48.:36:53.

numbers of countries do not use them at all. The predominate legislation

:36:54.:36:57.

in this matter covering all parts of the 19 -- United Kingdom is the 1981

:36:58.:37:09.

Wildlife And Countryside Act. It prohibits the use of snares to catch

:37:10.:37:16.

animals such as autos and badgers. The code of practice acknowledges

:37:17.:37:21.

the welfare problems associated with snares and Defra introduced a

:37:22.:37:25.

voluntary code in the use of snares in 2005 which was designed to reduce

:37:26.:37:29.

the suffering caused by snares through the adoption of best

:37:30.:37:34.

practice. Gamekeepers have shown themselves to be incapable of

:37:35.:37:37.

complying with the code of practice on the use of snares. In its 2012

:37:38.:37:43.

report, Defra found that although 95% of gamekeepers they survey were

:37:44.:37:49.

aware of the code of practice, and some had been trained in the use of

:37:50.:37:56.

Fox snares, some 38%, not a single fox snare or visited during the

:37:57.:38:00.

study was fully comply with the code of conduct a full seven years after

:38:01.:38:06.

it had been introduced. Among farmers there is a lack of knowledge

:38:07.:38:10.

of the code of practice with a shocking 36% of farmers being

:38:11.:38:14.

unaware of its existence. What was clear from the report was that aware

:38:15.:38:20.

or not, the code of practice was not being adhered to. Most operators

:38:21.:38:27.

used snares which were not compliant and 66% had got nontarget animals in

:38:28.:38:34.

Fox snares at some point. The majority of operators set snares

:38:35.:38:37.

insights were entanglement was likely and most rabbits near

:38:38.:38:41.

operators took no measures to avoid capture of nontarget animals. Nearly

:38:42.:38:48.

30% had caught a domestic cat. Snares must not be used as killing

:38:49.:38:52.

devices, however 19% in the study snare users set snares to kill the

:38:53.:39:01.

target animal. Over 30% were found to be using snares which were rusty

:39:02.:39:07.

or where the cable was distorted. The League Against Cruel Sports has

:39:08.:39:09.

always questioned the likelihood that snares would be free running in

:39:10.:39:15.

an outdoors environment and have warned against the potential welfare

:39:16.:39:20.

of pets in rusty wires which can prevent the snare from slackening

:39:21.:39:24.

off. At the honourable when and as he will be aware of much of this

:39:25.:39:29.

issue is devolved to the Scottish parliament and it remains a concern

:39:30.:39:34.

to many of our constituents. Since 2013 it has been an offence to set a

:39:35.:39:39.

snare in Scotland unless you have successfully completed a training

:39:40.:39:44.

course. I wonder if he has any view on whether or not that is an

:39:45.:39:48.

appropriate measure to counter some of the issues he has identified? I

:39:49.:39:52.

am grateful to the honourable gentleman. The devolved assembly has

:39:53.:39:58.

made far more progress on this in recent years, including in both

:39:59.:40:04.

Wales and Northern Ireland as well as Scotland. Tightening the code of

:40:05.:40:10.

practice is one route, but my strong feeling is that it is ineffective

:40:11.:40:14.

and it is impossible to implement. The only humane thing to do is

:40:15.:40:21.

abandon it, but I am aware of the progress that has been made in

:40:22.:40:27.

Scotland. I want to congratulate him on getting this debate. I have had

:40:28.:40:30.

many letters from constituents who are all saying the same things. They

:40:31.:40:35.

think this method of killing is absolutely obscene. When you think

:40:36.:40:43.

that every 20 seconds and animal is caught in a snare somewhere in the

:40:44.:40:51.

UK. That is around 1.7 wild and domestic animals each year. It is

:40:52.:40:57.

cruel, legal and a sop for the commercial shooting industry. I am

:40:58.:41:04.

very grateful to my right honourable friend. The point about snares is

:41:05.:41:13.

they are not supposed to kill. They are supposed to be a disabling

:41:14.:41:18.

device to allow the target animal, if it is worked correctly, to be

:41:19.:41:25.

humanely disposed of, or if it is not the target animal, which is the

:41:26.:41:28.

majority of occasions, for it to be released. It is not supposed to

:41:29.:41:34.

kill, but it does. During field trials in which Fox snares were set

:41:35.:41:38.

in accordance with the code of practice, nontarget species were

:41:39.:41:42.

still captive, illustrating it is impossible to eliminate the risk to

:41:43.:41:49.

nontarget animals. A recent investigation by the League Against

:41:50.:41:55.

Cruel Sports, and I want to say in passing that I am delighted to be an

:41:56.:42:00.

honorary life member of the League Against Cruel Sports, but a recent

:42:01.:42:03.

investigation by them provided further evidence that a code of

:42:04.:42:08.

practice cannot prevent animals from suffering in snares. In February

:42:09.:42:14.

2015, investigators captured graphic scenes of foxes and rabbits caught

:42:15.:42:18.

in snares. Despite government guidelines, all of the animals film

:42:19.:42:30.

would were dead. The footage explodes a large death pic,

:42:31.:42:33.

purposely dug pit filled with carcasses dead wild life and stop.

:42:34.:42:42.

The dead fox was found hanging from one of the snares, clearly strangled

:42:43.:42:47.

to death. Placing snares alongside Pitt violates the government's code

:42:48.:42:53.

of practice, yet a snare operator admitted that he catches 50-100

:42:54.:42:57.

foxes this way every year, demonstrating that attempts to

:42:58.:43:01.

regulate, and this is the point I was making earlier, attempts to

:43:02.:43:05.

regulate a clandestine activity which takes place primarily on

:43:06.:43:09.

private land in remote locations is futile. Hence my conclusion that we

:43:10.:43:17.

need to introduce the ban. At the second location the soaking wet

:43:18.:43:21.

bodies of several rabbits were discovered in snares and two of

:43:22.:43:24.

these were trapped in snares set along a fence in which the rabbit

:43:25.:43:28.

had become heavily entangled during their struggle to escape. The

:43:29.:43:33.

placement of the snares clearly violated the code of practice. There

:43:34.:43:39.

is plenty of other evidence to show where the code is not being

:43:40.:43:43.

flagrantly ignored, it is utterly ineffective. 77% of British people

:43:44.:43:55.

think snares should be banned. 68% of MPs would support a ban according

:43:56.:44:01.

to a poll taken last year. Itinerary opinion is firmly in support of a

:44:02.:44:05.

ban on these cruel and indiscriminate traps. The 2015 poll

:44:06.:44:12.

of veterinary surgeons and nurses felt that 87% of respondents

:44:13.:44:16.

believed sneering is neither humane, is not a humane method of pest

:44:17.:44:22.

control. The figure was even higher at 92% amongst those who had

:44:23.:44:25.

experience of treating animals who had been smeared. In testimony to

:44:26.:44:30.

the Scottish Parliament, and this relates to the point the honourable

:44:31.:44:33.

gentleman made earlier, Professor Ronald Munro, a leading veterinary

:44:34.:44:41.

pathologist stated, from the veterinary perspective snares are

:44:42.:44:45.

primitive, indiscriminate traps that are recognised as causing widespread

:44:46.:44:50.

suffering to a range of animals. At the least injurious, snares can

:44:51.:44:54.

result in abrasion and splitting of the skin. However, being caught in a

:44:55.:44:59.

snare is extremely distressing for any creature and vigorous attempts

:45:00.:45:01.

to escape are perfectly natural. These efforts caused the snare wire

:45:02.:45:11.

to King, thereby changing a free running snare to a self locking one.

:45:12.:45:17.

Strangulation as choking followed. It is common for them to lodge

:45:18.:45:24.

around the chest, abdomen and legs and the wire cuts through skin and

:45:25.:45:28.

muscle and eventually burn. Badgers may be eviscerated Wendy abdominal

:45:29.:45:36.

wall is cut through. Amputation of a limb and foot by a snare is well

:45:37.:45:42.

documented in dear. These unfortunate animals suffer

:45:43.:45:49.

immensely. I am sure the honourable gentleman will be coming close to

:45:50.:45:53.

his end, but he is past the 20 minutes. If he could wind up very

:45:54.:46:02.

shortly, I would be very grateful. He will be aware that agencies like

:46:03.:46:06.

the government and his sponsors in this debate have occasionally used

:46:07.:46:11.

snares for research and tagging purposes. All the descriptions he

:46:12.:46:16.

has just attached to this practice apply when it is used for those

:46:17.:46:20.

purposes which could be construed as being important. All I would say is

:46:21.:46:25.

I thought I had been generous with my time. Maybe you have been overly

:46:26.:46:32.

generous, but the fact is that it is normally 15 minutes and I have been

:46:33.:46:37.

generous and tolerant. Quite right, it is an important subject, but I

:46:38.:46:43.

want to get other members in. I accept your direction implicitly and

:46:44.:46:48.

shall draw my remarks to a conclusion. It is the overwhelming

:46:49.:46:51.

view of all the animal welfare organisations who are in support of

:46:52.:46:59.

this motion, the RSPCA, and many others. If a medical product was as

:47:00.:47:05.

ineffective as snares are in their purpose, if it has that hideous

:47:06.:47:09.

side-effects and detrimental side effects as they do, it would be

:47:10.:47:15.

banned. I believe snares should be as well. I will leave the final word

:47:16.:47:20.

to Mr Chris Patten, a well-known TV broadcaster when he says,

:47:21.:47:24.

indiscriminate and inhumane, they should be illegal. There is not much

:47:25.:47:26.

more to say about snares. There is now a six-minute limit.

:47:27.:47:39.

I am grateful to catch your eye in debate. I draw your attention to the

:47:40.:47:47.

members benefit. I am a farmer and I draw attention that I am chairman of

:47:48.:47:52.

the all party shooting and conservation group which has an

:47:53.:47:55.

interest. I respect a lot of what the gentleman has said. I want to

:47:56.:47:59.

put my remarks into context and disagree with much of what he said.

:48:00.:48:04.

The use of snares is an important tool in wildlife management, which

:48:05.:48:08.

benefits conservation and I was a little bit disturbed to hear the

:48:09.:48:13.

honourable gentleman for Lewisham West and penning paying so little

:48:14.:48:20.

attention to endangered species such as curlew and lapwings which are

:48:21.:48:29.

severely endangered by foxes. It is necessary to control foxes if that

:48:30.:48:33.

situation if we want these very important species to survive and

:48:34.:48:40.

thrive. There is often no practical replacement for snaring at crucial

:48:41.:48:44.

times of the year, particularly during summer and spring. This is

:48:45.:48:51.

booze there are heavily leafed areas on trees and often this is at the

:48:52.:48:58.

time of year when lambs, piglets and other farmed animals at their most

:48:59.:49:02.

vulnerable. At the same time foxes are having cubs and therefore become

:49:03.:49:08.

the biggest predators on those farmed young animals. It is an

:49:09.:49:15.

important part of the fox control. Well designed snares, as the

:49:16.:49:21.

honourable gentleman said, used properly are effective for fox

:49:22.:49:26.

control. It has been illegal to use self-locking snares throughout the

:49:27.:49:31.

UK for over 20 years. DEFRA commission research, which he

:49:32.:49:35.

referred to in 2012 has identified how snare canning be improved

:49:36.:49:39.

through the snare design and operating practises. I just want to

:49:40.:49:46.

quote from the game and wildlife conservation trust, so called GWCT,

:49:47.:49:52.

there is a widely respected body for its independent research and they

:49:53.:50:00.

say, Foxes kill young lambs, piglets, reared outdoor, free-range

:50:01.:50:10.

poultry. They pray on vulnerable wildlife, ground-resting birds.

:50:11.:50:14.

Several of these are species of conservational concern. There are

:50:15.:50:17.

several methods to control foxes, but none are effective in all

:50:18.:50:21.

circumstances. One method widely used for foxes is snaring. Snares

:50:22.:50:25.

are particularly effective for foxes in places and at times of the year

:50:26.:50:29.

when rifle shooting is not possible because of the dense cover. When fox

:50:30.:50:34.

control may be critical for wildlife prey.

:50:35.:50:46.

His own colleague, the honourable member for, I think, of the

:50:47.:50:49.

Government said, when he was Under-Secretary of State for DEFRA,

:50:50.:50:57.

on 28th November, 20 2006, column 495, in Hansard. I quote, "The

:50:58.:51:03.

Government consider where there is a need for wildlife management, the

:51:04.:51:07.

proper use of snares is one of the range of control methods. Used to

:51:08.:51:14.

best practise they can be an effective means of wildlife

:51:15.:51:17.

management and are needed where other forms of pest control are

:51:18.:51:22.

impractical. In these circumstances snares restrain rather than kill and

:51:23.:51:26.

may prove to be more humane than other methods. If snares were to be

:51:27.:51:30.

banned entirely, it may encourage the use of more dangerous and

:51:31.:51:34.

illegal alternatives, such as poisons." I would like to come on to

:51:35.:51:39.

one or two in the time available. I accept your restrictions Mr Deputy

:51:40.:51:43.

Speaker, of the things that the honourable gentleman has put

:51:44.:51:50.

forward, to try and rebut them. In 2012, as I have referred to the

:51:51.:51:57.

DEFRA study, it set out to estimate the scale of the perceived problems.

:51:58.:52:04.

Inevitably the figures are an aproxation, with uncertainty

:52:05.:52:08.

attached. This is where the honourable member for the valley got

:52:09.:52:11.

her figures from. This is a particularly important thing. And

:52:12.:52:18.

she, I think, some organisations have constructed figures by

:52:19.:52:20.

extrapolating from small samples, which are unlikely to be

:52:21.:52:23.

representative of all the situations in which snares are used or of

:52:24.:52:29.

current working practises. For instance, the humanist assessment in

:52:30.:52:33.

the DEFRA study, involving a single operator, working in one set of

:52:34.:52:36.

circumstances, while the assessment of the extent of use made across a

:52:37.:52:44.

random sample of house landing, multiplied together and get the

:52:45.:52:48.

figure she referred to. I think the figure she referred to is most

:52:49.:52:52.

unlikely to be true. Let's look at some of the evidence N an extensive

:52:53.:53:00.

field study involving 429 fox captures, we show that given good

:53:01.:53:03.

practise, less than 1% of snare-caught foxes were injured or

:53:04.:53:08.

dead as a result of capture. Some believe that animals held in snares

:53:09.:53:12.

may seem already at the time of release but go on to develop

:53:13.:53:16.

life-threatening conditions, the honourable gentleman referred to

:53:17.:53:19.

this. There is no evidence that this commonly occurs. On the contrary.

:53:20.:53:24.

Foxes and badgers caught in snares by scientists for radio tagging have

:53:25.:53:31.

typically not shown sni abnormal behaviour or higher mortality. In

:53:32.:53:35.

GWC studies some individual foxes have been recaptured in snares with

:53:36.:53:41.

no apparent ill effect. Going on, how much time have I got? Not

:53:42.:53:49.

enough. In some... THE SPEAKER: Order!

:53:50.:53:56.

Mr Deputy Speaker. Can I congratulate my honourable friend

:53:57.:53:59.

from Lewisham, he made a strong case in support of the motion. I am not

:54:00.:54:04.

only very pleased to follow the honourable gentleman from the

:54:05.:54:06.

Cotswold who was making an argument and got out of time and we didn't

:54:07.:54:11.

hear whether his case was as strong as my honourable friends. It didn't

:54:12.:54:14.

appear to where from where I am sitting. I would like to thank the

:54:15.:54:20.

league against cruel league, the RSPCA, the NFU for their briefings

:54:21.:54:26.

for this debate and also to Nicky Sutherland and Olly ben net from the

:54:27.:54:31.

House of Commons Library for their very useful briefing to members.

:54:32.:54:39.

Befering to those papers the RSPCA write DEFRA introduced a code of

:54:40.:54:44.

practise on the use of snares. Including guidance on where and how

:54:45.:54:49.

to set snares for different species and possible steps to avoid trapping

:54:50.:54:53.

nontarget spe sisss. It should be noted that compliance with the code

:54:54.:54:58.

is voluntary and a 2012 report produced for DEFRA, found an

:54:59.:55:03.

awareness of the code was high, 95% of gamekeepers and 65% of farmers,

:55:04.:55:09.

the levels of compliance with the best practise were low, which was

:55:10.:55:13.

very much one of the strong arguments my honourable friend was

:55:14.:55:17.

making T League Against Cruel Sports say they believe it is cruel and

:55:18.:55:23.

indiscriminate and leads to untold suffering and horrific deaths for

:55:24.:55:26.

wild, domestic and farm animals throughout the country. Most snares

:55:27.:55:30.

are used by gamekeepers to protect quarry, which are bred and protected

:55:31.:55:35.

to act as targets for blood sports, not the farmer's argument we have

:55:36.:55:40.

heard previously. I apoll Iz to the minister for not welcoming her to

:55:41.:55:43.

her new position when I opened my remarks. I didn't get a chance

:55:44.:55:47.

yesterday in the committee because I was not there for her full evidence

:55:48.:55:51.

session. I wish her success in her new job. I would like, if she could,

:55:52.:55:57.

answer the point raised by the league about the use of snares are

:55:58.:56:02.

set by gamekeepers as opposed by farmers. 2012, the DEFRA report on

:56:03.:56:08.

snaring confirms that it is not possible for snares to be

:56:09.:56:14.

species-specific. And nontarget an maps are captured when -- animals

:56:15.:56:18.

are captured. It is not possible to regulate the use of snares through a

:56:19.:56:23.

statutory code as adhere rans is low and there's no incentive for

:56:24.:56:28.

operators to obey it. It says it is clear and cruel and the use of

:56:29.:56:34.

snares, primitive primitive legislation.

:56:35.:56:37.

I would like the minister to comment on that if she has an opportunity.

:56:38.:56:42.

The National Farmers' Union, an organisation which I have high

:56:43.:56:47.

regard, not surprisingly says the NFU believes the use ofnaries is an

:56:48.:56:53.

essential part of wild -- the use of snares is essential and in certain

:56:54.:57:00.

it is situations they can be the most humane method. More often than

:57:01.:57:05.

not it is not about humane destruction it is about the animals

:57:06.:57:10.

dieing in the snares and not having the humane dispatch that everybody

:57:11.:57:15.

would want to see. The library briefing says that

:57:16.:57:18.

snares are commonly used to catch certain animals prior to their

:57:19.:57:24.

killing. They can be legally used to capture animals including foxes,

:57:25.:57:29.

rabbits, cats and grey squirrels. They have the potential to cause

:57:30.:57:32.

injury and death, the point made by my honourable friend. They can catch

:57:33.:57:36.

nontarget animals such as badgers and cats. Again, made by my

:57:37.:57:40.

honourable friend and their use is therefore controversial. The library

:57:41.:57:45.

briefing goes on to outline and save time I will not make reference to

:57:46.:57:49.

the Wales and Northern Ireland additional regulator -- regulations.

:57:50.:57:53.

My honourable friend has covered those. The remarks about Scotland,

:57:54.:57:58.

recently Scotland has tightened regulations on snares beyond the

:57:59.:58:03.

situation in England and Wales, snares must have safety stops

:58:04.:58:07.

fitters and users are required to attend training courses and register

:58:08.:58:11.

for a personal identification number. This ID number is required

:58:12.:58:16.

to be displayed on all snares which are set.

:58:17.:58:21.

I thank the honourable member. Snare users in Scotland are required to

:58:22.:58:27.

have an approed accreditation and must have a personal identification

:58:28.:58:29.

number from the police. Snaring without an ID number is an illegal

:58:30.:58:36.

activity. Would he agree with me this measure should be implemented

:58:37.:58:40.

south of the border? I think the honourable lady makes a case and the

:58:41.:58:44.

honourable friend has made the case. Obviously preferring a complete ban

:58:45.:58:47.

on these things. It has been demonstrated by the Scottish

:58:48.:58:50.

Government that improvements to the press September situation that

:58:51.:58:52.

exists in England and Wales can be made. It is certainly impresses me

:58:53.:58:57.

that the fact that each snare has to have an ID number, where it can be

:58:58.:59:01.

proven that they are not being used the way they ought to be used, for

:59:02.:59:06.

which people are trained, then the ID number can be traced back to the

:59:07.:59:09.

person not doing it properly. That is a safeguard. In conclusion, I

:59:10.:59:13.

think my honourable friend has made out a very strong argument for a

:59:14.:59:18.

complete ban on snares. Even if the Government don't accept this

:59:19.:59:21.

argument, there seems also to be a very strong case, as the honourable

:59:22.:59:25.

lady and I have just agreed, to amend the regulations in England, as

:59:26.:59:28.

they stand at the moment. Internationally, we appear to in a

:59:29.:59:34.

small minority of countries and the UK, Northern Ireland, Wales and

:59:35.:59:37.

Scotland have all seen fit to move on this issue. I would hope we hear

:59:38.:59:41.

from the Government that they are in a motion to agree with the devolved

:59:42.:59:46.

assemblies and we should move to improve the situation, hopefully to

:59:47.:59:50.

a full ban. I look forward to hearing the minister's response in

:59:51.:59:52.

due course. Thank you. Can I draw the House's

:59:53.:59:58.

attention to the intry in the member's register. I want to focus

:59:59.:00:02.

on the farming angle. It is worrying to hear the member for the valley,

:00:03.:00:05.

who is not in her place, referring to all of this as a stop to

:00:06.:00:18.

commercial shootses and the member referring to farmers and

:00:19.:00:21.

gamekeepers. It takes place on farmland. There is no

:00:22.:00:25.

distinguishment whether it is a shoot or a farm. Most of hill

:00:26.:00:35.

farmers in Wales who rely on this as a few method to... This is a vital

:00:36.:00:40.

method they use for commercial and economic purposes in the management

:00:41.:00:44.

of their farms. I also wanted to stress because I

:00:45.:00:47.

think it has been lost in the debate, that actually nobody goes

:00:48.:00:51.

out and sets a snare with any sense of glee or pleasure. This is a

:00:52.:00:55.

practical requirement for people whose job it is to manage wildlife

:00:56.:00:59.

populations for the protection either of game birds or agriculture

:01:00.:01:04.

rat animals. Everybody who does it does to the best of their ability.

:01:05.:01:10.

Nobody derivers a pleasure. If it was as inefficient as the honourable

:01:11.:01:14.

gentleman claimed it was in his opening remarks then the fact is

:01:15.:01:18.

these people would not use it as a means of control.

:01:19.:01:22.

Secondly, Mr Deputy Speaker, I think, but I could not ascertain

:01:23.:01:27.

from the honourable members opposite, whether they accept that

:01:28.:01:31.

some wildlife management or control is necessary. If the question is, if

:01:32.:01:35.

the answer to that question is, yes, we accept that some degree of

:01:36.:01:40.

wildlife, then sat case of how it is not a case of if. Other speakers

:01:41.:01:45.

have referred in brief to what the alternatives are. Sometimes it is

:01:46.:01:50.

easy to say, well, if there is a problem, why not use cage traps? We

:01:51.:01:55.

know they work well for foxes, particularly in urban areas. They

:01:56.:01:58.

too have a nontarget species problem. All sorts of stuff ends up,

:01:59.:02:04.

including raptors in cage traps for foxes. Because they may be inspected

:02:05.:02:09.

once a day or twice a day does not there is up to a point the same

:02:10.:02:14.

degree of potential suffering for animals retained in a cage trap as

:02:15.:02:17.

there is for those captured by a snare.

:02:18.:02:24.

The idea that that is an alternative solution, when it comes down to

:02:25.:02:31.

practical land management experience, it does not add up.

:02:32.:02:37.

There are limitations as to the use of rifles and shotguns and the

:02:38.:02:42.

control of foxes. It intrigues me that members of who were vociferous

:02:43.:02:51.

in their opposition to the badger cull appeared to recommend the same

:02:52.:02:55.

method in the same areas operated by the same people for the control of

:02:56.:03:00.

foxes. I do not think they can have it both ways. All of these methods

:03:01.:03:06.

of control have their place. No single one works perfectly. But as a

:03:07.:03:12.

part of the mix available to land managers, then the reluctant use of

:03:13.:03:18.

snares is one of those. Members will not be surprised to hear it from me,

:03:19.:03:22.

it was ironic that the one other method of controlling foxes, using

:03:23.:03:29.

dogs underground to flush them to waiting guns, is only permitted for

:03:30.:03:33.

the protection of game birds, not permitted for the protection of

:03:34.:03:39.

agricultural animals, the matter included in previous legislation

:03:40.:03:41.

which was supported by the honourable gentleman opposite when

:03:42.:03:48.

he voted on it in 2005. Mr Deputy Speaker, I think we can cut out a

:03:49.:03:54.

lot of this debate by simply referring to what the code of

:03:55.:03:58.

practice as published by the Welsh government in Cardiff was. They have

:03:59.:04:02.

listened to all of these arguments, they have heard from both sides in

:04:03.:04:07.

this heated debate. They have come up with a proposal which is largely

:04:08.:04:11.

practical and which has the confidence of land managers,

:04:12.:04:18.

sensible wildlife conservationists and politicians. If the Welsh

:04:19.:04:22.

assembly can come to a conclusion which satisfies all of those

:04:23.:04:26.

conflicting interests, I do not see why we cannot achieve the same here.

:04:27.:04:34.

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, I congratulate my honourable friend,

:04:35.:04:39.

the member for Lewisham West and pension for this debate. I apologise

:04:40.:04:44.

that I was not unable to hear all of his speech. As a former vice

:04:45.:04:49.

president for the League Against Cruel Sports, I pay tribute to the

:04:50.:04:55.

many constituents who have contacted me calling for a ban. 77% of the

:04:56.:05:02.

public support a ban. The supposedly humane option of free running snares

:05:03.:05:09.

as we have heard in graphic and horrific detail can tap an animal,

:05:10.:05:13.

strangle them, cut through the fire, muscle and bone. They are meant to

:05:14.:05:19.

be kept daily and animals died from starvation. The League Against Cruel

:05:20.:05:26.

Sports says 69% of animals caught are not the target species and even

:05:27.:05:34.

cats and dogs can be caught. I saw pictures of Scottish Wildcats been

:05:35.:05:37.

killed in snares, Britain's wildest mammal. It is illegal to set any

:05:38.:05:45.

track or snare intended to injure a protected animals such as badgers,

:05:46.:05:50.

otters and red squirrels. But it cannot be right that people can

:05:51.:05:53.

escape prosecution by arguing a lack of intention to catch those animals

:05:54.:05:58.

went the likelihood of a protected animal being caught is so high.

:05:59.:06:04.

Other countries have managed to ban snares. The UK is one of only five

:06:05.:06:09.

countries in Europe where snares are illegal and in countries where they

:06:10.:06:13.

are not banned outright, such as Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden,

:06:14.:06:17.

they are more tightly regulated. We are always hearing from this

:06:18.:06:21.

government that the UK leads the way in animal welfare, I wish that that

:06:22.:06:29.

was true. Iran has just banned wild animals in circuses and we cannot

:06:30.:06:34.

even do that. Although we have much to be proud of, we need to recognise

:06:35.:06:39.

where we are, not leading the way, where we could take lessons from

:06:40.:06:44.

other countries. She mentioned the ban on wild animals in circuses, we

:06:45.:06:48.

won that argument and the government accepted it and it was a

:06:49.:06:53.

Conservative manifesto promise in the 2015 election, so we hope the

:06:54.:06:57.

government will deliver on it by 2020. The sooner the better. The

:06:58.:07:05.

government has notionally accepted the evidence and they say they are

:07:06.:07:08.

going to act, but they do not act upon it. The British Association for

:07:09.:07:19.

conservation says snares are important for conservation and

:07:20.:07:21.

security and they accept that farmers have a right to control

:07:22.:07:26.

predators, but that does not mean we cannot look for more effective and

:07:27.:07:31.

humane ways to do so. The RSPB accepts there is a need to control

:07:32.:07:35.

foxes, but they have not found the need to resort to the use of snares

:07:36.:07:41.

on their reserves. Indeed fox snares kill capercaillie, the large

:07:42.:07:46.

woodland grouse at risk of distinction. The Woodland Trust do

:07:47.:07:52.

not use snares. Network Rail, the Highways Agency, the Forestry

:07:53.:07:54.

Commission, all manage their land without using snares. Mr Deputy

:07:55.:08:03.

Speaker, we know they are mostly used on shooting estates, despite

:08:04.:08:07.

the best efforts for the honourable member for Carmarthen West. Birds

:08:08.:08:17.

are spared death by fox only to be shot by humans in unimaginable

:08:18.:08:22.

numbers. Not for food or conservation, but for sport. As

:08:23.:08:26.

Chris Packham would say, not sport, but slaughter. We are here today to

:08:27.:08:32.

discuss animal snares, not wider issues, but today 62,000 people have

:08:33.:08:41.

signed a petition to ban grouse shooting, supported by conservation

:08:42.:08:46.

experts. They are concerned about the persecution of hen Harriers, the

:08:47.:08:51.

increase flood risk by gross mu management as well as the use of

:08:52.:08:55.

snares. These are legitimate snares that concerns, but the government

:08:56.:09:02.

has so far given a complacent response to the petition. There is

:09:03.:09:10.

also the issue of lead ammunition, there are viable alternatives, but

:09:11.:09:13.

the government have shelved a report which was submitted more than a year

:09:14.:09:18.

ago. There are concerns about the welfare of the millions of pheasants

:09:19.:09:23.

and partridges raised in cramped cages purely for the purpose of

:09:24.:09:27.

shooting. The Labour government introduced a code of practice, the

:09:28.:09:32.

Coalition Government withdrew that code and they failed to publish the

:09:33.:09:38.

review findings. A similar picture emerges when we look at the efforts

:09:39.:09:45.

to reduce the use of snares. Research from Defra concluded in

:09:46.:09:51.

2010 and it took the coalition two used to publish that and nothing has

:09:52.:09:56.

been done. Four years after the report has come out that then Defra

:09:57.:10:01.

minister could only tell Parliament that officials worked with

:10:02.:10:04.

stakeholders to explore options and were considering options and would

:10:05.:10:09.

make an announcement in due course. The League Against Cruel Sports

:10:10.:10:12.

documented evidence of animals found in pits in violation of the code of

:10:13.:10:20.

practice. Clearly there is a need to act, but the government does not

:10:21.:10:26.

seem willing to do so. This has happened on other animal welfare

:10:27.:10:30.

issues under this government. There are many other issues where the

:10:31.:10:34.

government has been too slow to publish research, failed to

:10:35.:10:37.

commission reviews which would help them get the evidence they need,

:10:38.:10:41.

dismissed expert advice as we have seen on the badger cull. We can only

:10:42.:10:49.

feel that neither animal welfare nor evidence -based policy is a priority

:10:50.:10:54.

for this government. Ministers are enthralled to vested interests and

:10:55.:10:59.

are against any form of intervention or regulation to hold sway. To

:11:00.:11:04.

prevent unnecessary suffering is something they do not care about.

:11:05.:11:10.

Given the new Secretary of State's enthusiasm for repealing the fox

:11:11.:11:15.

hunting ban, I fear today's debate may not meet with her approval.

:11:16.:11:22.

However I hope on this issue she will be more receptive. I hope she

:11:23.:11:27.

does not stand before us today and tell us the code of practice is

:11:28.:11:32.

working. From what I have heard today and read and watched in recent

:11:33.:11:37.

days, video evidence and footage of graphic slaughter of these animals,

:11:38.:11:41.

it seems to me all too obvious that the voluntary approach and the code

:11:42.:11:46.

of practice is not working and very little practice has been made.

:11:47.:11:50.

Unless the minister is very persuasive, I feel the conclusion a

:11:51.:11:56.

ban is necessary. I would like to congratulate the honourable member

:11:57.:11:59.

for Lewisham West and pension for bringing this debate. My

:12:00.:12:04.

constituency is in Cumbria. A large part of it is rural and its

:12:05.:12:09.

landscapes and habitats need to be managed. I was born and bred in the

:12:10.:12:14.

country so I understand and accept this management also includes

:12:15.:12:19.

managing wildlife. The honourable member for The Cotswolds went into

:12:20.:12:23.

some detail about this. However, I do not accept that this management

:12:24.:12:28.

has to cause suffering either as a direct result of or as a consequence

:12:29.:12:32.

of the methods being used. I would urge the government to look at

:12:33.:12:36.

proper detailed research into alternative methods that can be used

:12:37.:12:41.

for this management. I was pleased to hear the honourable member for

:12:42.:12:44.

Carmarthen West and temperature praising the Welsh government and I

:12:45.:12:47.

hope this is the start of a trend for him. But I believe we have a

:12:48.:12:56.

moral duty to treat animals in a humane and compassionate way. To

:12:57.:13:00.

that end I have been a member of Labour's animal welfare Society for

:13:01.:13:04.

many years. I am proud of the work we have done within laws and that

:13:05.:13:08.

the previous Labour government has done much to achieve the end of

:13:09.:13:13.

cruel and unnecessary suffering for animals. The Labour government

:13:14.:13:17.

introduced the animal welfare act which embedded in statute clear

:13:18.:13:22.

standards relating to the welfare of animals and made it a criminal

:13:23.:13:26.

offence to subject any animal, including those caught in snares, to

:13:27.:13:33.

unnecessary suffering. In 2005, the Labour government issued guidance

:13:34.:13:34.

which has been discussed by honourable members which included

:13:35.:13:40.

information about how snares should be maintained and set to reduce the

:13:41.:13:45.

pain inflicted. In addition, this guidance also detailed the steps

:13:46.:13:50.

that must be taken to reduce the chance that a nontarget animal is

:13:51.:13:55.

caught. My honourable friend, the member for Poplar and Limehouse went

:13:56.:13:59.

into some detail about this and demonstrated just how indiscriminate

:14:00.:14:05.

the snares can be. As has been mentioned before, they are mainly

:14:06.:14:09.

designed to catch foxes and rabbits, but Defra's own figures which were

:14:10.:14:12.

mentioned earlier are worth repeating. 33% caught our hares, 26%

:14:13.:14:22.

badgers, 14% others, including pet cats and dogs. In 2008, the Labour

:14:23.:14:30.

government commissioned research to determine how often snares are used

:14:31.:14:34.

in England and Wales and the level of suffering they inflict on the

:14:35.:14:38.

animals they catch. This was published by Defra in 2012. The

:14:39.:14:44.

report recommended increased education for people who use snares

:14:45.:14:50.

and also improving the uptake of the code of practice on snaring and

:14:51.:14:53.

encouraging the use of cold compliant snares and this is

:14:54.:14:56.

something the government could be doing right now. The Coalition

:14:57.:15:02.

Government said it was considering options for improving welfare

:15:03.:15:06.

standards, but as we have heard we have had no proposals as yet. I was

:15:07.:15:11.

pleased earlier this year when my fellow Cumbria, the honourable

:15:12.:15:17.

member when he was Defra minister, did say they were considering

:15:18.:15:23.

options. But as we know there has been no announcement, so I would ask

:15:24.:15:28.

the Minister to urgency look at this so that concerns in the report are

:15:29.:15:31.

addressed and we have an announcement as soon as possible

:15:32.:15:37.

following the summary says. We have also heard about the League Against

:15:38.:15:42.

Cruel Sports' petition, so we know there is huge public support for a

:15:43.:15:48.

ban. The petition has 66,000 signatures, that surely has to be

:15:49.:15:52.

listened to and taken into account when the government does any review

:15:53.:15:58.

of the situation. The League Against Cruel Sports describes sneering as a

:15:59.:16:02.

cruel, indiscriminate, wholly unnecessary practice that has no

:16:03.:16:08.

place in modern society. So I would ask the Minister and the government

:16:09.:16:14.

to work with farmers, gamekeepers, animal welfare groups, in order to

:16:15.:16:17.

develop a coherent and effective package of measures to prevent

:16:18.:16:22.

illegal sneering and the unnecessary suffering of animals and I would ask

:16:23.:16:27.

them also to consider working towards a ban. I would like to thank

:16:28.:16:36.

my right honourable friend for Lewisham West and pension for

:16:37.:16:40.

calling this important debate. Despite many Parliamentary

:16:41.:16:42.

questions, fierce campaigning from groups such against the League

:16:43.:16:48.

Against Cruel Sports, the problem of snares remains persistent. The

:16:49.:16:53.

situation seems to becoming a war of attrition. In March 2015, we were

:16:54.:16:58.

told ministers were considering options for improving guidance on

:16:59.:17:01.

snares. A date for publication was unknown. In February this year, the

:17:02.:17:07.

government was asked if they would make it their policy to introduce

:17:08.:17:12.

stricter regulations and a ban on the use of snares. Once again the

:17:13.:17:15.

answer was they were considering all options.

:17:16.:17:20.

How many options are there to consider and how long is due course?

:17:21.:17:26.

Much is made of the code of practice which is commendable in its

:17:27.:17:31.

promotion of good practice. But it is not statutory and its enforcement

:17:32.:17:39.

remains by voluntary compliance. The national anti-snaring campaign has

:17:40.:17:42.

argued the code serves no useful purpose and in March 2014 the then

:17:43.:17:48.

government stated it had no plans to put the code on a statutory basis.

:17:49.:17:52.

Legislation provides the use of self locking snares and outlaws the

:17:53.:17:56.

setting of snares where there is setting of snares where there is

:17:57.:18:00.

increased likelihood of catching untargeted animals and requires them

:18:01.:18:05.

to be checked daily, and these requirements are all worked out. I'm

:18:06.:18:09.

pleased to hear of a clear framework, but it is evident that

:18:10.:18:14.

the law needs to go further. In Scotland it does and in recent years

:18:15.:18:18.

we have seen a tightening of regulations so snares must be fitted

:18:19.:18:24.

with safety stops and people are going to go on the training. There

:18:25.:18:32.

is a number which needs to be displayed on all snares. Research

:18:33.:18:41.

was published in 2012 regarding the humane use of snares, and the

:18:42.:18:45.

government said this year that following publication of the report

:18:46.:18:49.

officials worked with stakeholders to looking to options. They said

:18:50.:18:56.

they would make an announcement in June course. As a result of this

:18:57.:19:01.

research, the Welsh government has not legislated but it has published

:19:02.:19:07.

the code of best practice on the use of snares in fox control, in

:19:08.:19:14.

September 2015, is aimed to deliver higher animal welfare standards,

:19:15.:19:19.

increased efficiency in terms of fox control and make sure that fewer

:19:20.:19:24.

nontarget species are being caught. The productive relationships, the

:19:25.:19:29.

Welsh Labour government has forged with the agricultural sector has

:19:30.:19:39.

allowed stakeholders to communicate why a code of practice is so

:19:40.:19:42.

important and this makes enforcement much easier as users of snares see

:19:43.:19:47.

the benefit of self policing and best practice which improve the

:19:48.:19:55.

effectiveness of a snare. I appreciate the of the subject and

:19:56.:19:59.

acknowledge the calls from organisations like the British

:20:00.:20:03.

Association for conservation and shooting, for a reasoned and

:20:04.:20:10.

reasonable analysis of the subject which is detailed and measured. But

:20:11.:20:18.

I condemn the sometimes barbaric suffering suffered by animals, both

:20:19.:20:24.

targeted by the snare and those that are not, which is quite clearly not

:20:25.:20:30.

the purpose of the snare. I appreciate the measured responses

:20:31.:20:34.

from organisations like the wildlife trust, National farmers union, and

:20:35.:20:38.

the National gamekeepers organisation, calling for the

:20:39.:20:45.

members in Wales certainly to adhere to best practice and use snares

:20:46.:20:51.

properly. I call on the government to make statutory decoder practice

:20:52.:20:58.

-- the code of practice. Surely we all agree that we must do all we can

:20:59.:21:05.

do Jews unnecessary suffering -- we must do all we can to rid juice

:21:06.:21:08.

unnecessary suffering. Thanks calling me this debate. I

:21:09.:21:23.

have a different opinion from some of my colleagues on this side, and

:21:24.:21:29.

at the same time I have a different opinion, but I know we be friends at

:21:30.:21:32.

the end of and that is important. -- we will. I will still be your

:21:33.:21:40.

friend, no matter what. LAUGHTER If water snares surpass

:21:41.:21:46.

international standards for traps, snares must be checked once a day.

:21:47.:21:56.

The first checked at sunrise, when most catches are made, and I want to

:21:57.:22:06.

make a point. If it is done right and correctly, it is humane and

:22:07.:22:13.

possible to control some of those predators, foxes, who have no

:22:14.:22:19.

compulsion about what they kill and what they do, and whoever is in this

:22:20.:22:25.

house will be aware of the predations of a fox and whenever

:22:26.:22:34.

they enter a farm, they do not just eat one chicken, they take great

:22:35.:22:40.

pleasure in eating them all. This is a humane and effective form of fox

:22:41.:22:43.

control and if it is done the right way, the legislation in place

:22:44.:22:48.

relates to the free running snares. They are not a source of evil and

:22:49.:22:54.

death, as some would have us believe. I respect a different point

:22:55.:23:00.

of view, but I would also ask them to consider the point of view that

:23:01.:23:06.

we are putting forward. Some of the examples. There is a snare has been

:23:07.:23:18.

used for Leopard research, and so if it is done correctly, that is the

:23:19.:23:25.

way it should be done. A modern snare is much different to the old

:23:26.:23:29.

style, it is now similar to the simple dog lead but made with a thin

:23:30.:23:37.

ribbon. It is about improving the welfare of the foxes caught. I'm

:23:38.:23:46.

sure that those seeking a ban or a change are very well intended. We

:23:47.:23:52.

have to look at the unintended consequences of their desire. Foxes

:23:53.:23:58.

are prolific predators. Game birds, small mammals, young livestock, such

:23:59.:24:09.

as lambs. I could give you examples. Snares is a key method of control.

:24:10.:24:16.

Otherwise there is a loss of biodiversity. The brown hair is a

:24:17.:24:23.

biodiversity species, and I take great pleasure of seeing them in

:24:24.:24:30.

abundance in the fields and that is down to the fox control carried out

:24:31.:24:36.

by ourselves on the farm and also by those who are neighbouring farmers.

:24:37.:24:42.

We need to have predator control. Predator control makes sure that 46%

:24:43.:24:52.

of the hare population changed. If you have in place it will be

:24:53.:25:02.

advantageous. Curlew numbers decreased massively in the last few

:25:03.:25:03.

years. Where this happens, Curlew numbers

:25:04.:25:16.

have increased the lapwing numbers have increased, and I think the

:25:17.:25:22.

other numbers have referred -- other members have referred to this

:25:23.:25:29.

already. A couple of Scottish farms than 16 lambs which were identified

:25:30.:25:33.

as killed by foxes and another 33 went missing. Fox predation is a big

:25:34.:25:42.

concern for farmers. These things show, if we are going to do

:25:43.:25:45.

something, we need to have a system in place when it comes to the free

:25:46.:25:52.

running snares, that they are the most effective and the most humane

:25:53.:25:57.

and they do conserve animals and mammals on the ground. Without

:25:58.:26:04.

snares, foxes would be a threat to hire diversity and also they would

:26:05.:26:11.

cause greater damage -- biodiversity. Eco-tourism relies on

:26:12.:26:18.

managed countryside. There are cases where shooting is not possible and

:26:19.:26:26.

the only way you can do it is by snaring online. Some members have

:26:27.:26:31.

referred to the legislative change in Northern Ireland. In my former

:26:32.:26:36.

life as a member of the Northern Ireland assembly, this was an issue

:26:37.:26:42.

which concerned the assembly. These changes are more than acceptable,

:26:43.:26:48.

but to put this on record, the Northern Ireland assembly decided to

:26:49.:26:50.

put it on hold on the order while further consultation continued.

:26:51.:26:58.

Northern Ireland has made changes, which I believe are welcome, but at

:26:59.:27:02.

the same time they recognise there is a surge of opinion of those in

:27:03.:27:06.

favour and those against, but they have a balance and I would have some

:27:07.:27:11.

concerns about what they will put forward. Thank you. It is good to

:27:12.:27:18.

see you in your chair, Mr Deputy Speaker. And I welcome the lady for

:27:19.:27:25.

Suffolk Coastal to her place. I look forward to debating with her on

:27:26.:27:28.

imported issues like this and I trust we will see a new aggressive

:27:29.:27:33.

approach, moving forward on issues like animal welfare and other issues

:27:34.:27:37.

within her brief stop today I hope she will be supporting the 77% of

:27:38.:27:44.

people to take action on a ban on the manufacturing, sale, possession

:27:45.:27:49.

and use of snares. I want to start by thanking the member for Lewisham,

:27:50.:27:57.

bringing the motion today, to enable the house to debate the cruel nature

:27:58.:28:05.

of snares. Not only he's an expert in animal welfare but a real

:28:06.:28:08.

champion of animal welfare beyond here. The honourable manner did not

:28:09.:28:14.

make the argument alone. It was echoed across these benches this

:28:15.:28:21.

afternoon. Today I want to set out four key areas, the law, the issues,

:28:22.:28:28.

research, the alternatives. Starting with the law. In 1981 the wildlife

:28:29.:28:37.

and countryside act brought prohibition around certain kind of

:28:38.:28:42.

snares, especially self locking snares, saying they must be free

:28:43.:28:45.

running, but there was no definition about what self locking actually

:28:46.:28:51.

means. We have heard today about some of the challenges from free

:28:52.:29:01.

running snares turning into locking snares because they become twisted

:29:02.:29:07.

in the wires or becoming rusted. Only 25% of targeted animals are

:29:08.:29:14.

actually caught in snares, 75% not. Clearly that piece of legislation is

:29:15.:29:18.

not being able to be upheld in practice. It says that snares should

:29:19.:29:24.

be daily inspected and we know that only 77% of snares Adelie inspected,

:29:25.:29:32.

which means 23% aren't -- snares our daily inspected. The law is not

:29:33.:29:36.

working and countries have recognised this, we have heard about

:29:37.:29:43.

the use of snares introduced by the Welsh government and we know

:29:44.:29:47.

Northern Ireland have brought forward the snare order in 2015 to

:29:48.:29:55.

talk about stocks, swivels on snares and also that they should be staked

:29:56.:29:59.

in the ground. We have heard from the member from Hamilton West about

:30:00.:30:02.

the improvements Scotland have made on this issue, again looking at the

:30:03.:30:06.

issues around training and registration and the provision of

:30:07.:30:10.

personal ID numbers in order to make sure there is better regulation

:30:11.:30:19.

around snares. Labour in 20 bullseye 2005 brought forward a code of

:30:20.:30:24.

practice -- Labour in 2005. They say they should not be a risk to other

:30:25.:30:27.

members, and it was Labour which went forward to put forward a report

:30:28.:30:31.

determining the extent of use and humane as of snares in England and

:30:32.:30:43.

Wales. Five Nations where snares remained legal, the UK, Ireland,

:30:44.:30:49.

Latvia, France and Belgium, but we can join the progressive nature in

:30:50.:30:55.

outlawing snares and recognising the cruelty they bring to animal

:30:56.:30:58.

welfare, but also recognising the fragmented nature of our

:30:59.:31:03.

legislation. Voluntary codes are not working and the legislation is not

:31:04.:31:07.

being properly enforced. Coming onto the issues, we have heard clearly

:31:08.:31:14.

this afternoon from the member for popular and Limehouse -- Poplar. We

:31:15.:31:29.

have heard 95% of large landowners should not use snares and we have

:31:30.:31:34.

heard also that snares capture and kill 1.7 million animals each year.

:31:35.:31:42.

In the course of this debate over 200 animals will have been snared

:31:43.:31:49.

today. We know there are snares which deteriorate over time and

:31:50.:31:53.

those points have been made very powerfully by honourable members,

:31:54.:31:55.

especially looking at how 30% of them become rusty or get stuck and

:31:56.:32:00.

become not free running but dysfunctional and causing additional

:32:01.:32:06.

animal cruelty. We have also heard about how catches are made

:32:07.:32:08.

indiscriminate and they don't identify the animal about to put

:32:09.:32:12.

their head or body or part of their body through the noose and only 25%

:32:13.:32:23.

of foxes are snared. 23% are badgers, 14% days and otters, and

:32:24.:32:26.

domestic animals like cats and dogs, and that is a criminal offence, to

:32:27.:32:31.

harm domestic cats, but they have also fallen foul of snares, and also

:32:32.:32:37.

humans do get caught up in snares and experience injury. We heard from

:32:38.:32:42.

the member from Bristol East about the lack of intention, but that is

:32:43.:32:48.

no defence, the reality and the evidence is before us today.

:32:49.:32:54.

We have heard from so many honourable members on these benches

:32:55.:33:03.

about the extensive cruelty. It was described as barbaric, the way that

:33:04.:33:08.

these snares cause such harm and cruelty, animals suffering for hours

:33:09.:33:13.

as they are trapped in those snares. If we believe we are in a

:33:14.:33:17.

progressive country, we must have progressive legislation and bring in

:33:18.:33:21.

a ban and today could not be soon enough. That would be a view

:33:22.:33:29.

supported by 87% of vets. 95% of landowners do not use it, 250

:33:30.:33:37.

municipal authorities do not use snares, the RSPB, Network Rail and

:33:38.:33:39.

many authorities no longer use snares. The reason why, they are

:33:40.:33:46.

indiscriminate, inhumane and the law is not being applied properly where

:33:47.:33:52.

it sits. It just does not work and it does not address the issue

:33:53.:33:57.

either. That is what has been drawn out, as the honourable member for

:33:58.:34:00.

Workington has highlighted in the research. For instance, looking at

:34:01.:34:07.

the behaviour of foxes. As an animal they are very competitive and very

:34:08.:34:12.

territorial. If space is vacated because an animal has been killed,

:34:13.:34:17.

foxes will move into that area and their breeding will increase to fill

:34:18.:34:24.

that space. That has been proven and our fox community remains at a

:34:25.:34:29.

quarter of a million adults as a result of that consistency. The

:34:30.:34:33.

honourable member for The Cotswolds drew out the response might

:34:34.:34:38.

honourable friend the member for Brent North gave about wildlife

:34:39.:34:43.

management. Whilst we recognise the importance of wildlife management,

:34:44.:34:47.

he gave the response before the Defra report came out in 2012 before

:34:48.:34:52.

they moved forward the evidence and we must look at the most up-to-date

:34:53.:34:59.

evidence. Therefore, the report does go on to talk about the need for

:35:00.:35:04.

increased powers to the code, to say it is not working, to say we need to

:35:05.:35:11.

move the whole framework forward, to recognise inspections are not

:35:12.:35:14.

working themselves, and yet it says inspections should not happen just

:35:15.:35:19.

one today, but twice a day. If it was under a voluntary code, how

:35:20.:35:23.

would that be implemented? That was the point gone out by the honourable

:35:24.:35:31.

member for Strangford he said once a day is not enough, we need to go

:35:32.:35:36.

further. 36% of farmers are unaware of the content of the code or even

:35:37.:35:40.

of its existence and only 3% have had any training whatsoever on

:35:41.:35:47.

snares. Clearly the code is failing, it is failing animals and wildlife

:35:48.:35:51.

and we need to get real about this. We also know that even stops on

:35:52.:35:57.

snares do not prevent animal cruelty as so much evidence has now come

:35:58.:36:02.

forward. We need to move forward on the principles of how we uphold our

:36:03.:36:08.

wildlife, how we uphold animals and their welfare, ensuring they have

:36:09.:36:12.

freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from pain, injury and

:36:13.:36:18.

disease, freedom from discomfort, freedom to express normal behaviours

:36:19.:36:22.

and freedom from fear and distress. The psychological impact is

:36:23.:36:25.

important also. What are the options? More training, getting a

:36:26.:36:32.

licence as in the Scotland model? But the take-up of training is low

:36:33.:36:36.

and the reality is that that in itself is not enough. Training

:36:37.:36:42.

manufacturers is also recommended, but there are problems with that

:36:43.:36:47.

because as soon as snares leave the factory, they get old and rusty and

:36:48.:36:52.

out of date and they do not work. Stops and swivels work to an extent,

:36:53.:36:58.

but there is still injury caused to wild animals. The report recommends

:36:59.:37:03.

research on the design of snares. Research is always good and

:37:04.:37:07.

progressive and we welcome that, but the reality is snares are inhumane

:37:08.:37:13.

and they cause harm to animals. I am going to press on because of the

:37:14.:37:20.

time this afternoon. We know that only 1-3% of pheasants are killed by

:37:21.:37:26.

foxes. We are not looking at huge communities of animals which are

:37:27.:37:29.

prey to foxes, but there are alternatives that can be used. If we

:37:30.:37:36.

bring in a band, we can move things forward onto using the alternatives.

:37:37.:37:42.

The evidence says they can be incredibly effective. I am moving on

:37:43.:37:47.

because members have already spoken. First of all, on the issue of

:37:48.:37:52.

alternatives around foxes. We looked at issues like fencing, electronic

:37:53.:37:58.

fencing can be used. You can put fencing deep into the ground.

:37:59.:38:05.

Animals cannot burrow. Those methods are used by other landowners who do

:38:06.:38:11.

not use snares and trap animals. There are scared devices that can be

:38:12.:38:15.

used and if they are moved around it can stop habituation and animals

:38:16.:38:20.

will be scared of. There are chemical repellent and cage trapping

:38:21.:38:24.

where animals can be released unharmed as opposed to injure, which

:38:25.:38:30.

often is the case. Fencing is recommended around protection for

:38:31.:38:34.

rabbits. There are alternatives. What I would say to the Minister is,

:38:35.:38:41.

the work has been done, the research is complete, the evidence is waiting

:38:42.:38:46.

for a complete ban, like most of our progressive friends across Europe.

:38:47.:38:50.

It is time the government brought forward this legislation, no longer

:38:51.:38:55.

making excuses or delays, as we know 68% of MPs would supported, 77% of

:38:56.:39:01.

our constituents would support it, and it would be the right thing to

:39:02.:39:07.

do for animals as well as the wider nation. I would say do not delay

:39:08.:39:12.

today, Labour would bring in a ban, will the government this afternoon

:39:13.:39:16.

by the manufacturing, sell, possession and use of snares? Thank

:39:17.:39:23.

you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and it is a huge privilege to stand at this

:39:24.:39:27.

dispatch box for the first time as the Defra minister and I thank

:39:28.:39:31.

honourable members for their kind words so far. I would like to

:39:32.:39:34.

congratulate the honourable member for Lewisham West and Penge voice

:39:35.:39:40.

during this debate. I welcome contributions from all four parts of

:39:41.:39:44.

the United Kingdom, just showing the level of interest in this topic. I

:39:45.:39:50.

thank the honourable members from Poplar and Limehouse, Bristol East,

:39:51.:39:55.

Cotswolds, Workington, and from Strangford as well as the honourable

:39:56.:40:01.

lady from York Central. I fully understand the passion that

:40:02.:40:05.

honourable members have and our constituents also have in wanting

:40:06.:40:10.

high regard for animal welfare. As the honourable lady pointed out, it

:40:11.:40:13.

is accepted there needs to be a control of wildlife and as might

:40:14.:40:18.

honourable friend from Newbury and right honourable friend from

:40:19.:40:22.

Strangford pointed out, curtailing prolific species helps endangered

:40:23.:40:30.

species. The government shares the public's high regard for animal

:40:31.:40:34.

welfare and we are proud to have the highest animal welfare standards in

:40:35.:40:39.

the world. We recognise the welfare of our wild animals can be protected

:40:40.:40:44.

further and more can be done to improve snaring practices. I will

:40:45.:40:48.

make progress and take some points from her later. Snaring is one part

:40:49.:40:52.

of a range of measures that have to be used to manage species, the

:40:53.:40:59.

control of which underpins the sustainable harvesting of wild game

:41:00.:41:02.

birds, animal husbandry and wildlife. At spring in summer

:41:03.:41:08.

budgeted of cover makes other measures very impractical, often

:41:09.:41:11.

leading snaring as the only effective form of management. When

:41:12.:41:16.

practised to a high standard and with adherence to the law, snaring

:41:17.:41:22.

can provide land and wildlife managers with an effective means to

:41:23.:41:28.

restrain wild animals. But if they are used incorrectly, snares are

:41:29.:41:31.

capable of causing injuries and suffering both to the animals for

:41:32.:41:37.

which they were set and through accidental capture to nontarget

:41:38.:41:40.

species for which snaring is entirely inappropriate. I give way.

:41:41.:41:48.

I just wanted to ask the honourable lady, she said again as I have heard

:41:49.:41:52.

many times from ministers that the UK has the best animal welfare

:41:53.:41:56.

standards in the world. I pointed out in my speech some instances

:41:57.:42:01.

where I do not believe we do. What is the evidence for her saying that?

:42:02.:42:06.

Could you publish something that shows we have the best animal

:42:07.:42:10.

welfare standards in the world? Off the tip of my tongue I cannot

:42:11.:42:14.

remember the phrase, but it is something like the International

:42:15.:42:19.

index and you would find the UK, including Austria and Switzerland,

:42:20.:42:23.

are reckoned to be in the top five and it is an independent assessment

:42:24.:42:27.

and I will alert the honourable lady to exactly what I am referring to.

:42:28.:42:34.

They are congratulate my honourable friend which I failed to do in my

:42:35.:42:41.

speech on her new elevation? Would she agree that nobody wants to see

:42:42.:42:46.

unnecessary suffering from snaring or anything else? Would she agreed

:42:47.:42:51.

to look into providing a new updated code so that best practice can be

:42:52.:42:57.

for? I thank my honourable friend for his kind words. I would save the

:42:58.:43:05.

patient until a few minutes time is the best way I can answer that.

:43:06.:43:10.

Coming back to recognising that snares are capable of causing

:43:11.:43:13.

injuries, it is why the Wildlife and Countryside Act prohibited the use

:43:14.:43:18.

of inhumane self locking snares. They are accepted to be mechanisms

:43:19.:43:30.

that Titan and cause asphyxiation. The act requires travellers to check

:43:31.:43:37.

their snares every 24 hours. The same act prohibited the use of

:43:38.:43:41.

snares to take certain species including badgers, otters, red

:43:42.:43:50.

squirrels and hedgehogs and the 1991 Act does the same. There is a legal

:43:51.:43:55.

responsibility to prevent unnecessary suffering to any

:43:56.:44:05.

animals. The honourable member refers to the inefficiency of

:44:06.:44:10.

snaring, but he does not suggest any other methods that would be more

:44:11.:44:16.

efficient. Several alternatives including chemicals were mentioned,

:44:17.:44:19.

but as yet I am not aware that they have been shown to be more efficient

:44:20.:44:25.

or effective. My honourable friend referred to the efficiency and I

:44:26.:44:29.

think that is borne out, although I recognise some of the issues

:44:30.:44:33.

addressed. The honourable gentleman from Lewisham and Penge referred to

:44:34.:44:39.

the 2005 code of practice issued by Defra and 2012 study. He mentioned a

:44:40.:44:44.

number of issues which he would like to see addressed. That is a view

:44:45.:44:50.

shared by many people and has led to land management organisations and

:44:51.:44:54.

gamekeeping associations around the country developing a new code of

:44:55.:44:58.

best practice on the use of snares for fox control in England which

:44:59.:45:03.

would be suitable for the control of rabbits. Designed and written by a

:45:04.:45:08.

number of stakeholders, the game and wildlife conservation trust and the

:45:09.:45:13.

countryside Alliance, which I know the honourable gentleman is a member

:45:14.:45:17.

of, this new guidance builds on previous Defra code practice, but

:45:18.:45:23.

draws an reliable research by setting out principles for the legal

:45:24.:45:29.

and humane use of snares. In terms of nontarget species captured, that

:45:30.:45:33.

can be reduced by the appropriate setting taking into account the

:45:34.:45:37.

behaviour of the target animal. This new code of practice emphasises this

:45:38.:45:43.

very clearly that if nontarget animals are likely to be caught then

:45:44.:45:48.

snaring should not be used. Improvements in design would mean

:45:49.:45:51.

that even if caught, nontarget species are more likely to be

:45:52.:45:56.

released unharmed. My honourable friend from The Cotswolds to about

:45:57.:46:00.

well-designed snares and started to explain how breast practices can

:46:01.:46:05.

tackle a lot of these issues, reinforced by the honourable member

:46:06.:46:10.

for Strangford. The honourable member for Poplar and Limehouse used

:46:11.:46:16.

the issue about gamekeepers using them. Snares are used by different

:46:17.:46:22.

groups, including gamekeepers and farmers, and they operate in

:46:23.:46:26.

different environments and have different pressures. Snares are the

:46:27.:46:31.

most appropriate mechanism for gamekeepers, but in upland areas in

:46:32.:46:36.

a different habitat and environment with unrestricted areas, that is a

:46:37.:46:40.

different scenario then what would be the case in other parts of

:46:41.:46:45.

farmland. There have been references to the practices in Scotland and the

:46:46.:46:49.

Welsh code and calls by the honourable member for Neath for

:46:50.:46:54.

making this statutory. I think we should give this a chance to come

:46:55.:46:59.

into effect before even considering any further regulation. If people do

:47:00.:47:04.

not believe the law is being followed, they should report such

:47:05.:47:08.

incidents to the pleas and many forces have rural and wildlife crime

:47:09.:47:14.

units. As the honourable gentleman for Poplar and Limehouse referred

:47:15.:47:23.

to, there was a Labour government in power for 13 years and they did not

:47:24.:47:29.

persuade government ministers of the day to legislate for the banning of

:47:30.:47:30.

this. I'm grateful to the honourable lady

:47:31.:47:41.

for giving way. I wouldn't want to mislead the House. After the 2008

:47:42.:47:48.

animal welfare act was passed, Sirrous animals was left assigned it

:47:49.:47:53.

was during 2008 that the Labour Government was persuaded and the

:47:54.:47:58.

Labour manifesto said, had we been re-elected, we would legislate

:47:59.:48:03.

against wild animals in circuses, the lobby was successful but the

:48:04.:48:06.

honourable lady is correct that we didn't have time at that point to

:48:07.:48:11.

legislate. Well, the honourable gentleman was

:48:12.:48:16.

right, I'm not questioning what was in the manifesto. They weren't

:48:17.:48:21.

elected. I was referring to the snares. I'm confident this new code

:48:22.:48:25.

will improve the situation. What is different from the 2005 code is that

:48:26.:48:29.

this code has been designed and owned by the sector, rather than

:48:30.:48:33.

Government. Of course Government has had conversations and brought people

:48:34.:48:36.

to this place but by showing leadership in this area, they will

:48:37.:48:40.

undoubtedly have more success in promoting good practice with their

:48:41.:48:44.

members and changing behaviour, than Government could achieve on its own.

:48:45.:48:48.

I cannot announce today, Madame Deputy Speaker, exactly when the

:48:49.:48:51.

code will be published but I'm confident that it will be very soon.

:48:52.:48:57.

I'm Day 4 in this role as a Minster and I'm really looking forward to

:48:58.:49:01.

this code being published and being put into practice I think we have

:49:02.:49:05.

had an excellent debate today. I think it is crucial that we do all

:49:06.:49:09.

take responsibility and continue to work together to ensure that best

:49:10.:49:12.

practice is recognised, is shared and followed by everyone who uses by

:49:13.:49:18.

snares, we do support measures that improve animal welfare, including

:49:19.:49:22.

this new Coved practice and as I say, Madame Deputy Speaker, we are

:49:23.:49:27.

all looking forward to it being published very soon. Jim Dowd to

:49:28.:49:34.

wind up. I have listened to what the minister says, unfortunately I'm in

:49:35.:49:39.

the assuaged by t to coin a phrase "I have heard it before." Now it has

:49:40.:49:47.

become "very soon.". It took the Government two years to publish the

:49:48.:49:53.

research adevelopment unit at DEFRA to published this report. Can I also

:49:54.:49:58.

apologise for my appalling bad manners in not welcoming her to her

:49:59.:50:03.

new position, I hope she makes a success of it and more than anything

:50:04.:50:06.

enjoys her new responsibilities. The one unifying factor across the House

:50:07.:50:11.

on this, is everybody accepts the need for animal pest control and

:50:12.:50:14.

decent standards of animal welfare. Nobody disputes that that is the

:50:15.:50:19.

case. The question is always one of means, not ends. If the means

:50:20.:50:27.

deployed involves exceptional cruelty, barbarity then I don't

:50:28.:50:30.

think that's a price worth paying. Quite right. The Minster mentions

:50:31.:50:35.

there were no other alternatives. I think there are plenty of other

:50:36.:50:39.

alternatives, unfortunate lit Deputy Speaker did stop me getting on to my

:50:40.:50:46.

speech. They include adequate poultry housing, and shooting is

:50:47.:50:50.

another one. Direct killing. I hope - I was delighted it what he what

:50:51.:50:54.

she said about wild animals and circuses. Members may recall that

:50:55.:50:58.

that actually started as a resolution from this chamber on a

:50:59.:51:04.

backbench business debate. So I'm hoping that that is an omen, a

:51:05.:51:08.

precedent for the future and I hope the House will adopt the motion this

:51:09.:51:12.

afternoon. The question is as on the order

:51:13.:51:17.

paper, as many of that opinion say aye. Aye. On the contrary, no. I

:51:18.:51:22.

think the ayes have t the ayes sl it. . Point of order. Madame Deputy

:51:23.:51:31.

Speaker, this morning Government, alongside 29 other written

:51:32.:51:36.

statements sneaked out a confirmation of major increases in

:51:37.:51:42.

tuition fees by 2.8% for the year 2017-2018. Two days ago in this

:51:43.:51:49.

House, we had the debate on the higher Education Bill, at which

:51:50.:51:52.

ministers made no preference to this. Is it not disgraceful, Madame

:51:53.:51:58.

Deputy Speaker, that they should use this cynical last day of term

:51:59.:52:03.

mechanism to introduce this here. Terrible Can you tell me if you had

:52:04.:52:09.

had any indication that a Government Minster is available to answer

:52:10.:52:13.

scrutiny from colleagues in this House before we disapoor for

:52:14.:52:16.

five-and-a-half weeks. I thank the honourable gentleman for the point

:52:17.:52:20.

of order. I would like to point out we are coming to the prerecess

:52:21.:52:25.

adjournment debate straight away. If he would like to do that, he is more

:52:26.:52:32.

than welcome to do so. I'm sure the Treasury ministers will take that to

:52:33.:52:36.

the Minster. If he wants to catch my eye, I'll see what I can do. We come

:52:37.:52:41.

to the backbench dea bit on matters to be raised before the forthcoming

:52:42.:52:46.

adjournment. Bob Blackman to monchts on behalf of the backbench business

:52:47.:52:49.

committee, I beg to move we have considered matters to be raised

:52:50.:52:54.

before the forthcoming adjournment. Apologies for the honourable member

:52:55.:52:58.

for Gateshead who has had to leave to attend to constituency business

:52:59.:53:01.

as a result of having the urgent question, earlier today. . Can I son

:53:02.:53:07.

is entrait on some issues lobe lane in this House that I think will

:53:08.:53:16.

benefited from this debate. -- can I concentrate on some issues locally

:53:17.:53:27.

and in this House. On the London mayoral debate, we had a good vote

:53:28.:53:32.

but the rest of London didn't follow that line. I'm also saying that in

:53:33.:53:37.

my condition constituencicy, we had a majority vote to leave the

:53:38.:53:41.

European Union, which was echoed across the country. In terms of

:53:42.:53:45.

business transport it was mentioned this morning about Southern rail and

:53:46.:53:48.

their dreadful performance. This affects my constituents, as the

:53:49.:53:52.

service from Harrow Wealdstone station to Gatwick Airport and to

:53:53.:53:55.

Brighton has already been cut and now they are proposing to cut the

:53:56.:54:02.

service to Croydon as well. It is quite clear, I wrote to the outgoing

:54:03.:54:06.

rail minister on this particular issue and I trust there will be

:54:07.:54:10.

strong action from the new Secretary of State, and the new rail minister,

:54:11.:54:15.

to combat this disgraceful service. Flooding is a particular issue in my

:54:16.:54:22.

constituency. Many businesses from rural constituencies may not realise

:54:23.:54:27.

this but in a constituency like mine we have constantly having deep pools

:54:28.:54:31.

of water and sewage emerging as a result of the flash floods and heavy

:54:32.:54:35.

rainfall we have recently been experiencing. I have had a could

:54:36.:54:39.

have sequential series of correspondence and meetings with the

:54:40.:54:42.

council, Thames Water and the Environment Agency and it is a great

:54:43.:54:46.

source of frustration that no action seems to be taken by any of these

:54:47.:54:50.

agencies to remedy this problem which means that many homes have

:54:51.:54:56.

been flooded, unnecessary, causing immense problems from an insurance

:54:57.:55:01.

perspective as well. I would also, Madame Deputy Speaker, would have

:55:02.:55:04.

liked to have been in a position where I could report a satisfactory

:55:05.:55:09.

outcome to the ongoing saga of the redevelopment of the Royal National

:55:10.:55:13.

Orthopaedic Hospital. This has been going on, not only since I was

:55:14.:55:20.

elected but my predecessor and his predecessor has been attempting to

:55:21.:55:23.

get this hospital rebuilt. However, we are now in a position whereby the

:55:24.:55:27.

only thing that seems to have changed is that the trust

:55:28.:55:30.

development authority has changed its name. It's changed its name to

:55:31.:55:35.

the NHS improvement service Well, still the bureaucracy continues and

:55:36.:55:42.

the money, the ?20 mill grounding that is required, is still being

:55:43.:55:45.

considered carefully by the bureaucrats. I trust that the Health

:55:46.:55:50.

Secretary will, together with his team, actually reduce this level of

:55:51.:55:54.

bureaucracy, so we can get reasonable quick decisions made on a

:55:55.:55:57.

proper business-like service, for this service on which we all rely.

:55:58.:56:05.

I'm also getting a series of complaints, Madame Deputy Speaker,

:56:06.:56:07.

about the planning service in Harrow. The local authority is

:56:08.:56:14.

actually struggling at the moment to deal with enforcement notices and

:56:15.:56:19.

also the grey areas that have been left, about permitted development

:56:20.:56:22.

and retrospective planning approval. I warned about this when the

:56:23.:56:26.

Government changed the rules and regulations on planning, however

:56:27.:56:29.

this is causing immense problems, not only in my constituency but

:56:30.:56:36.

throughout London as a bhoel. I have also received numerous series of

:56:37.:56:42.

complaints on the process by which legitimate visa applications are

:56:43.:56:47.

being submitted for weddings, religious ceremonies, education or

:56:48.:56:51.

other visits to this country. In my office we are putting every case to

:56:52.:56:57.

the UK Visas and Immigration or the minister, but it seems to be that

:56:58.:57:04.

there are mass rejections for familiar travelling to my

:57:05.:57:07.

constituency for legitimate cause, I believe it needs to be rectified.

:57:08.:57:11.

Precisely on that point, the honourable member makes a good point

:57:12.:57:17.

that many MPs see in their advice surgery, people who's will he ve

:57:18.:57:21.

legitimate entry clearance applications are refused but at the

:57:22.:57:25.

same time, is he aware that from the High Commission in Islamabad,

:57:26.:57:33.

recently two hate preachers, one Hamed Quesehi, has been granted

:57:34.:57:40.

clearance. Has he any insight into what permission is granted to those

:57:41.:57:47.

who are seriously dangerous to our country, but those who are not? I

:57:48.:57:53.

hank the honourable lady. It is clear that the visa systems needs to

:57:54.:57:58.

be resolved and people who are trying to cause harm should be

:57:59.:58:01.

barred from entering here. It is clear that the new Immigration

:58:02.:58:04.

Minister has a task to review this process. I have also submitted a

:58:05.:58:11.

proposal that visitors from India should have the potential two-year

:58:12.:58:15.

visitor visa implemented in the same way as we have implemented for

:58:16.:58:18.

China. Now, it maybe possible to look at other countries as well, but

:58:19.:58:24.

it is quite clear where we have friendly relations with countries,

:58:25.:58:28.

we should enable people to come and visit here on a reasonable basis but

:58:29.:58:33.

also, bar those that we do in the want to see here and equally taking

:58:34.:58:38.

the issue of preachers that preach over the internet and also veeia

:58:39.:58:43.

satellite TV, having those messages barred from coming into our mosques

:58:44.:58:49.

which causes religious and other concerns. -- via.

:58:50.:58:55.

Can I also take up the veks issue of the garden tax in Harrow. Harrow

:58:56.:58:59.

decided in 2015, to charge for the election of garden waste. It is a

:59:00.:59:06.

fact we contacted every single London borough and Harrow is

:59:07.:59:09.

channelling the highest amount of any borough in London, probably the

:59:10.:59:14.

country for the collection of garden waste. Residents were rightly

:59:15.:59:17.

outraged by this imposition, and the policy has been approved and we have

:59:18.:59:24.

now established the position that 10,000 of my constituents' addresses

:59:25.:59:29.

have been registered for this tax. But, there have been a numerous

:59:30.:59:32.

number of complaints, 168 complaints about the poor level of service, and

:59:33.:59:41.

3,080 missed collections out of 128,000 since the service was

:59:42.:59:44.

introduced. The reality is that the service is poor, it is the highest

:59:45.:59:48.

in the country, and is absolutely outrageous.

:59:49.:59:52.

Now, also, Madame Deputy Speaker, I will also just mention that I was

:59:53.:00:03.

very pleased to attend the Priory Museum recently where there was a

:00:04.:00:07.

Spitfire as part of the celebrations of winning the Battle of Britain. I

:00:08.:00:11.

also received an interesting request because I was successful in securing

:00:12.:00:17.

from the Chancellor a ?1 million grant towards the education centre

:00:18.:00:22.

for Bentley Priory. When I received an e-mail asking for be a invoice

:00:23.:00:27.

for ?1 million and who the cheque should be made payable, I did rather

:00:28.:00:31.

check it wasn't coming from my jeeria or some other country rather

:00:32.:00:35.

than a civil servant. I'm pleased to say I was able it pass on to the

:00:36.:00:39.

relevant people, to make sure they got the money they deserved. I'm

:00:40.:00:43.

also pleased to say that the first state-sponsored Hindu secondary

:00:44.:00:46.

school in this country, has now received planning permission and

:00:47.:00:49.

will be built in my constituency and will open as soon as possible and I

:00:50.:00:54.

look forward to the new Secretary of State for Education coming to open

:00:55.:00:59.

that school in due course. In the next session, I would just

:01:00.:01:04.

advertise the fact, Madame Deputy Speaker, that I will be putting

:01:05.:01:09.

forward my private members' bill on homelessness reduction. This is

:01:10.:01:17.

supported by charities such as Crisis, Shelter, SANE Mungos and is

:01:18.:01:22.

also supported by the landlords association and also local

:01:23.:01:27.

charities. -- St Money yos. -- St Mungos.

:01:28.:01:34.

And also supported by churches. Whilst we cannot eliminate

:01:35.:01:36.

homelessness, we can reduce it as much as possible. We will also be

:01:37.:01:42.

producing from the Communities and Local Government Select Committee, a

:01:43.:01:46.

report into Myers to combat homelessness across the country and

:01:47.:01:50.

my bill will be going through prelegislative scrutiny, which I

:01:51.:01:53.

understand will be a first for any private member's bill in this House,

:01:54.:01:58.

through the CLG Select Committee. This may be an ordeal for me and

:01:59.:02:02.

others. For those members that are wishing to support this bill, the

:02:03.:02:07.

second reading is on 28th October. I look forward to cross-party support

:02:08.:02:13.

for the bill. I have already secured co-sponsors from the Conservative

:02:14.:02:19.

benches, Labour benches, the SNP, the UUP and unfortunately I couldn't

:02:20.:02:23.

find a Liberal to help but no doubt they'll also be supporting as well.

:02:24.:02:32.

I raised this morning the issue of cast legislation. We are actively

:02:33.:02:44.

looking to repeal clause nine of this legislation because it is

:02:45.:02:47.

approaching the end of its sunset clause. The consultation time with

:02:48.:02:53.

communities has been fully exhausted over the last two years and it is

:02:54.:02:57.

time to take a decision. It is Hindus deeply resent this

:02:58.:03:03.

unnecessary, ill thought, ill considered registration which was

:03:04.:03:07.

foisted upon us by the other place. I look forward to it being repealed

:03:08.:03:15.

as soon as possible. I also had the privilege of celebrating the second

:03:16.:03:20.

International Day of yoga this year. We had a very well attended meeting

:03:21.:03:28.

in this house with researchers, practitioners, parliamentarians and

:03:29.:03:31.

representatives from the NHS. The NHS is now considering putting yoga

:03:32.:03:39.

into well-being aspects of the health service. I would recommend

:03:40.:03:44.

this for all members. I start my day with a short period of yoga

:03:45.:03:49.

exercises, stretches and meditation. It has served me extremely well. I

:03:50.:03:55.

would strongly recommend this to all colleagues. I will not demonstrate

:03:56.:04:04.

at this point. On a serious point I have been able to hold two meetings

:04:05.:04:14.

to get Indian ministers to inform the government here and everyone who

:04:15.:04:18.

wants to listen that this is something that can be utilised to

:04:19.:04:22.

assist in people's well-being as well as ensuring that people can

:04:23.:04:27.

relax and have a proper, decent long life. I raised as well this morning

:04:28.:04:36.

the plight of religious minorities in Bangladesh and I would highlight

:04:37.:04:41.

early day motion 351 for members to sign if they so wish. It will ensure

:04:42.:04:49.

we get some action. At the moment we spend 157 million on overseas

:04:50.:04:55.

development aid to Bangladesh. I am proud of the fact this country

:04:56.:05:01.

spends 0.7% of our GDP on overseas development, but it seems to me that

:05:02.:05:06.

at a time when religious minorities are being victimised in Bangladesh

:05:07.:05:10.

that we should spend more of that money on improving security over

:05:11.:05:14.

there for all people of all religions, rather than some of the

:05:15.:05:20.

areas on which we spent the money. I also raised the plight of Hindus in

:05:21.:05:27.

particular in Kashmir. This is an integral part of India and part of

:05:28.:05:32.

India it shall remain. The illegally occupied section by Pakistan must be

:05:33.:05:37.

repatriated. I have spoken against the continued attacks on Hindu

:05:38.:05:40.

minorities in Kashmir on a regular basis. As a result of the

:05:41.:05:49.

assassination of the terrorist, the situation in the valley has erupted.

:05:50.:05:54.

Bandits and government establishments have been attacked by

:05:55.:05:58.

Kashmiri Muslims and other terrorists. Having visited the area

:05:59.:06:04.

to get a first-hand understanding of the situation, I met many members of

:06:05.:06:10.

civil society, politicians, lawyers, traders and residents to understand

:06:11.:06:16.

the situation. I met with senior Cabinet ministers in Delhi and it is

:06:17.:06:19.

quite clear there is huge opportunities for tourism,

:06:20.:06:24.

infrastructure improvements and for the whole of society to come

:06:25.:06:28.

together, provided that terrorism ceases. Madam Deputy Speaker, I also

:06:29.:06:35.

raised the issue of smoking and the cost to the NHS. The cost to... I

:06:36.:06:47.

will gladly give way. Thank you very much for telling us of your

:06:48.:06:52.

experiences in Kashmir. I have also been there and I would like to say

:06:53.:06:56.

that the terrorism goes both ways and it is important to acknowledge

:06:57.:07:02.

it in the House. There is a long way to go and opportunities to be had to

:07:03.:07:06.

create greater community cohesion, but I would like to register that

:07:07.:07:10.

the acts of terrorism go both ways and I have seen that first had

:07:11.:07:15.

myself. I'd add the honourable lady for the intervention. And at United

:07:16.:07:20.

Nations resolutions Pakistan is illegally occupying part of Kashmir

:07:21.:07:26.

and they should leave. I am also concerned about the linkup between

:07:27.:07:29.

China and Pakistan on the illegal silk route that is being followed

:07:30.:07:34.

and the threats to security as a result. Can I just mention the cost

:07:35.:07:42.

to the NHS of smoking. They amount to the moment to the treatment of

:07:43.:07:47.

people who choose to smoke to ?2 billion a year and a cause thousands

:07:48.:07:53.

of unnecessary deaths every year. Smoking rates remain stubbornly

:07:54.:07:57.

high, but I am delighted that the numbers of young people taking up

:07:58.:08:01.

smoking are dropping considerably and that is good news for the longer

:08:02.:08:05.

term. I will be hosting a round table event in September to discuss

:08:06.:08:11.

progress on the Tobacco control plan and I would urge the new health

:08:12.:08:16.

minister to ensure that this Tobacco control plan is introduced as fast

:08:17.:08:21.

as possible. Our meeting will ring together the key stakeholders

:08:22.:08:26.

interested in the development of the plan and ensure we give appropriate

:08:27.:08:30.

recommendations to the Department of Health on this issue. This has been

:08:31.:08:34.

delayed from the summer and with the change of ministers that will be a

:08:35.:08:38.

further consideration, but I would urge we get on with this as fast as

:08:39.:08:43.

possible. In concluding, can I wish you, all the members of staff who

:08:44.:08:47.

served us so well, a very happy recess. Personally I shall be

:08:48.:08:54.

working in my constituency as well as having a very short and brief

:08:55.:09:00.

holiday to enable me to recover over the course of this year. Thank you

:09:01.:09:06.

very much. There will be a limit of seven minutes on backbench

:09:07.:09:10.

contributions. I am grateful to have this chance at the end of this

:09:11.:09:14.

session to raise the number of important issues for my

:09:15.:09:19.

constituents. Next Wednesday I will be joining residents from the Horn

:09:20.:09:23.

Park estate in my constituency to lobby the clinical commissioning

:09:24.:09:26.

group to urge them not to take the decision to cease funding of a nurse

:09:27.:09:32.

practitioner led health centre on their estate and for them to lose

:09:33.:09:40.

any form of health service provided locally. They have no pharmacy on

:09:41.:09:44.

that estate, there is no GP practice. The nearest GP practices

:09:45.:09:51.

are almost two miles away. One of the reasons that has been given for

:09:52.:09:56.

taking this service away is that many of the patients who are

:09:57.:10:01.

treated, and it is funded by Greenwich CCG, I patients of

:10:02.:10:08.

Lewisham doctors. I campaigned against the closure of the GP

:10:09.:10:11.

practice on this estate 25 years ago when they first lost their GP

:10:12.:10:22.

practice. As part of the single regeneration budget funding, in 2007

:10:23.:10:30.

they funded these facilities for a nurse- practitioner led service to

:10:31.:10:34.

be introduced. But now, because we have separated off public health

:10:35.:10:42.

from what was the PCT, this service now falls between two stalls. Local

:10:43.:10:47.

GP practices referred people to this service, they appreciate the quality

:10:48.:10:54.

of the service, no one disputes that it is good value for money. But

:10:55.:10:59.

because of this split in the funding between public health and primary

:11:00.:11:05.

services funded by the CCG, no one is prepared to continue the funding

:11:06.:11:12.

for this service. In the last year, it treated 5332 patients. In the

:11:13.:11:20.

previous year it was 4489. It is an annual cost of ?142,000, which in

:11:21.:11:26.

the scheme of things is absolutely minuscule. The average cost per

:11:27.:11:33.

visit is about ?26.63. It is really good value for money. Everyone

:11:34.:11:39.

recognises it is really good value for money. Everyone recognises this

:11:40.:11:43.

is a deprived community and needs direct access to health services,

:11:44.:11:49.

but because of the bureaucracy people are being penalised. Despite

:11:50.:11:54.

the fact they are all Greenwich residents, because some of them were

:11:55.:11:59.

forced to join Lewisham practices because the estate is right on the

:12:00.:12:03.

border between Greenwich and Lewisham, they are now being

:12:04.:12:09.

penalised having lost their GP practice years ago, now being told

:12:10.:12:14.

because they were forced to find new GP practices and because many of

:12:15.:12:18.

them were across the border, they are being told the service will not

:12:19.:12:26.

be funded. That is despite the fact they are Greenwich residents. It is

:12:27.:12:30.

not acceptable and I will be there with my constituents lobbying very

:12:31.:12:36.

hard for all of the health managers, GP practices, the CCG, the local

:12:37.:12:41.

authority, all the health managers, to come together to maintain this

:12:42.:12:45.

service on the estate for my local residents. It provides vaccinations,

:12:46.:12:54.

it treats people who need dressings renewed, and it prevents them having

:12:55.:13:00.

to undertake very arduous journeys to other places. It has been said

:13:01.:13:04.

they will replace many of these things with home visits, and a cost

:13:05.:13:11.

of 20 and 63p to the centre, it cannot be cost-effective to make

:13:12.:13:14.

people travel all the way to the far end of the borough to treat people

:13:15.:13:19.

in their own homes when people are asking for the service to be

:13:20.:13:25.

maintained because they use it for many services indeed. I hope the

:13:26.:13:30.

Health Minister will hear this appeal and intervene and bang heads

:13:31.:13:34.

together and make sure we do not lose that vital service on that

:13:35.:13:38.

estate. The other issue I would like to raise is the quality of service

:13:39.:13:42.

being provided by South-eastern Trains. It has been utterly

:13:43.:13:50.

appalling. This week we have had for the first time this summer some

:13:51.:13:54.

truly hot weather. What has it resulted in? A minor change of

:13:55.:13:59.

weather and major disruption to the service. The matter what sort of

:14:00.:14:05.

weather we have, whether it is heavy rain, severe cold, a bit of snow,

:14:06.:14:10.

hot weather, they cannot run the trains. For us in South East London

:14:11.:14:18.

we do not have direct access to the London underground and we rely

:14:19.:14:22.

heavily on these rail services to get to and from central London.

:14:23.:14:29.

Passenger focus have recently done a survey and passenger satisfaction is

:14:30.:14:34.

going down severely. 83% were satisfied in autumn 2012, there was

:14:35.:14:43.

a 91.4% punctuality. Spring this year that satisfaction rate is down

:14:44.:14:49.

to 70% and it is 87% punctuality. It is just not good enough. When you

:14:50.:14:54.

look at the passenger focus survey of south-eastern passengers, it is

:14:55.:15:01.

only 53%, one of the worst performances. One of the issues that

:15:02.:15:06.

confront my constituents is overcrowding. We have had our

:15:07.:15:12.

platforms lengthened to accommodate 12 car trains, but we have yet to

:15:13.:15:17.

see those 12 car trains arrive. We know railway stock will become

:15:18.:15:21.

available when the Thameslink service, the Thameslink upgrade is

:15:22.:15:27.

complete and that existing rail stock will become available for

:15:28.:15:31.

south-eastern if the government gives approval. I am here to appeal

:15:32.:15:36.

to the government again. We have lengthened the platforms, we have

:15:37.:15:39.

told people they will get longer trains, we have built underground,

:15:40.:15:44.

we rely heavily on those train services and we must have that

:15:45.:15:48.

additional Railway stock to improve the quality of the service. In the

:15:49.:15:55.

last few moments I would like to say I have written to the Minister about

:15:56.:16:04.

the planning application which will be approved. It is a sports ground

:16:05.:16:13.

with a viable plan for it and we should not be building on it. What a

:16:14.:16:21.

pleasure to join today's adjournment debate which also gives me the

:16:22.:16:26.

opportunity to welcome for the first time in their places my colleagues

:16:27.:16:30.

on the front bench today as Deputy Speaker and the whip on duty on

:16:31.:16:34.

their new responsibilities. I'd Deputy Speaker, in the summer when a

:16:35.:16:40.

decade seems to have passed in the last month, indeed so much has

:16:41.:16:45.

happened that ghastly murder of Joe Kops MP, that it seems a long while

:16:46.:16:49.

ago, although in reality it was a very recent tragedy, and at a time

:16:50.:16:57.

when Brexit and in what way we leave the European Union seems to be the

:16:58.:17:01.

dominant theme of so much media focus, I want to focus today on

:17:02.:17:05.

issues over which we have always had complete control in this country and

:17:06.:17:11.

where the emphasis is very much on us, government, MPs, local

:17:12.:17:15.

government and other agencies, to come up with answers and deliver

:17:16.:17:20.

them so that life in our country and in our constituencies, in my case

:17:21.:17:25.

the ancient city of Gloucester, does get better from

:17:26.:17:30.

That's how we get to and from the city, how visitors arrive and how

:17:31.:17:36.

our investors get their first impressions. At the Gloucester

:17:37.:17:40.

railway station, there are two aspects to potential improvements.

:17:41.:17:43.

The first is that the trains, and how many of them stop there, and the

:17:44.:17:50.

second is in the infrastructure. On the trains, it is still, to me,

:17:51.:17:57.

quite extraordinary that Arriva cross-country intercity service

:17:58.:18:02.

between Birmingham and Bristol only stops three times, out of 63 trains

:18:03.:18:09.

a day, at the city of Gloucester. My honourable friend, the member for

:18:10.:18:14.

Malborough worked on this diligently when trains minister. I hope very

:18:15.:18:21.

much that the new trains minister will pursue, with the same

:18:22.:18:26.

enthusiasm, the business of getting more cross-country trains to stop at

:18:27.:18:31.

Gloucester as they complete their programme for a new franchise in the

:18:32.:18:36.

west of England. In terms of the station infrastructure, we're making

:18:37.:18:40.

good progress on a new station car park, being done by Great Western

:18:41.:18:43.

railways, which will open up the southern side of the station for the

:18:44.:18:48.

first time in its 150-odd years of existence. But there is more work to

:18:49.:18:53.

be done and I hope very much that the new Secretary of State for

:18:54.:18:57.

communities and local government will look favourably on the

:18:58.:19:02.

Gloucestershire bid which includes a significant amount of money for a

:19:03.:19:06.

general station infrastructure project, which will undoubtedly be

:19:07.:19:11.

one of the drivers of growth in our city in the future. Of course, it's

:19:12.:19:15.

also important that our bus, road and cycling infrastructure is in as

:19:16.:19:19.

good a state as possible. Our new bus station is well under way and I

:19:20.:19:25.

know that City and county councils will ensure delivery on time and on

:19:26.:19:28.

budget. The road situation is more complicated. The so-called missing

:19:29.:19:33.

link on the A 417 between the M 4 and M 5 is a major blockage to

:19:34.:19:38.

growth, not just in Gloucestershire and in the city of Gloucester but

:19:39.:19:41.

more widely between the south and north of the country. I hope very

:19:42.:19:45.

much that my right honourable friend, the new Secretary of State

:19:46.:19:48.

for transport, will take the same interest as his predecessor in

:19:49.:19:52.

ensuring that the first spade in the ground for this important new

:19:53.:19:59.

project happens before April 2020. As a keen cyclist, only marginally

:20:00.:20:05.

put off, Madam Deputy Speaker, by a promising black eye, which the

:20:06.:20:09.

keener eyed of you will spot from an incident this morning, I hope very

:20:10.:20:13.

much that the County Council's 3. 5 million project for a new cycle lane

:20:14.:20:18.

between Gloucester and Cheltenham will receive highways England

:20:19.:20:23.

approval in due course and I'm also separately pursuing longer term

:20:24.:20:28.

improvements on the tow path between the city centre and Credgely. A

:20:29.:20:34.

wonderful cycle journey. You would be excused for not realising at any

:20:35.:20:39.

stage, even before visiting the Pilot pub at the end of your

:20:40.:20:44.

journey, that you were not in a particularly glorious part of

:20:45.:20:46.

countryside, because that is what you are doing. Lastly, Madam Deputy

:20:47.:20:57.

Speaker, today, I'm like to allude to two projects which will make a

:20:58.:21:03.

huge difference. We are preparing for a Gloucestershire health

:21:04.:21:06.

university technical college, which will serve the people of our county

:21:07.:21:10.

and possibly from wider afield as well, by train from Swindon or even

:21:11.:21:15.

from Worcester and this will provide 14 to 18-year-olds with great

:21:16.:21:20.

opportunities, both to get BTEC qualifications in either health or

:21:21.:21:24.

care, but also to get significant work experience with the three NHS

:21:25.:21:29.

trusts in the county, but also in the private sector as well. It is,

:21:30.:21:35.

to me, quite wrong that we should need 400 new nurses a year and that

:21:36.:21:40.

we're only training about 120 and having to import them from as far

:21:41.:21:45.

afield as the Philippines. Excellent though our nurses from Portugal,

:21:46.:21:48.

Spain, the Philippines are, we should be training them at home. We

:21:49.:21:52.

should be giving them those opportunities to take up the 12,000

:21:53.:21:57.

jobs in the health sector in Gloucestershire from training them

:21:58.:22:00.

within our own county and I hope very much that goes ahead and is

:22:01.:22:04.

successful. The other education bid that we're doing is for a new quote

:22:05.:22:11.

raise unquota cad my for excluded pupils from our secondary schools.

:22:12.:22:15.

This is also important. Everyone deserves a second chance. Everybody

:22:16.:22:18.

deserves the opportunity to get back into learning and get the Cornwall I

:22:19.:22:21.

indications and skills they need to get good jobs later on. I hope very

:22:22.:22:25.

much the Department of Education will look favourably at that. Will

:22:26.:22:30.

the honourable member give way? I will. I note what the honourable

:22:31.:22:35.

member is saying about the great training going on. Would he agree

:22:36.:22:39.

with me that with over 300 careers, different careers in the NHS, that

:22:40.:22:44.

new training establishment for excluded pupils might look well to

:22:45.:22:48.

see if there is a place for each one of them in our great NHS? Well, yes.

:22:49.:22:55.

She's absolutely right. With her experience of the NHS herself as a

:22:56.:22:58.

doctor, it's quite right to point out that there are huge

:22:59.:23:01.

opportunities both on the technical level, on the care side and on the

:23:02.:23:07.

course that she took through university. She is absolutely right

:23:08.:23:13.

to stress that. Madam Deputy Speaker, I should finish my

:23:14.:23:16.

contribution today by drawing attention to two exciting things

:23:17.:23:19.

happening in Gloucester during this summer period. The first is the

:23:20.:23:24.

summer of music, art and culture, well under way, the world's

:23:25.:23:29.

longest-running, I think, longest festival at all, the three choirs

:23:30.:23:33.

festival of Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester starts on Saturday. There

:23:34.:23:40.

will be spectacular concerts for the next couple of weeks around that.

:23:41.:23:43.

Then we come into the Gloucester history festival, which I created

:23:44.:23:47.

with many other friends and partners some six years ago and this year is

:23:48.:23:51.

looking to be even bigger and better than usual. That will be in the

:23:52.:23:55.

first two weeks of September, immediately after Gloucester day,

:23:56.:23:59.

when we celebrate, Madam Deputy Speaker, the moment where the City

:24:00.:24:02.

of Gloucester refused to open its gates and surrender to King Charles

:24:03.:24:10.

I, there by preventing the king from succeeding in his mission in the

:24:11.:24:14.

Civil War and ensuring the supremecy of Parliament, which I'm sure we all

:24:15.:24:18.

celebrate as I wish all colleagues a very happy summer recess.

:24:19.:24:25.

Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. The vote to leave the EU a few weeks ago

:24:26.:24:28.

is a great indication that there are millions of people in our country

:24:29.:24:32.

who feel that they're being left behind not sharing in the growing

:24:33.:24:36.

prosperity of others and they're right. Unemployment may be down

:24:37.:24:41.

according to certain definitions but poverty certainly is not. For one of

:24:42.:24:46.

the first times in UK history, low wages mean most of Britain's poor

:24:47.:24:50.

families are in working households. The Institute of Fiscal Studies has

:24:51.:24:54.

found that two thirds of children, living in absolute poverty have at

:24:55.:24:59.

leaf one parent in work. Even the introduction of the new national

:25:00.:25:03.

living wage, intended in the words of a former Chancellor, the on

:25:04.:25:08.

rabble member for Tatton, to give Britain a pay rise has fallen short.

:25:09.:25:11.

It's become a vehicle for reducing the take-home pay of thousands of

:25:12.:25:17.

long-standing, loyal employees in the retail, hospitality and care

:25:18.:25:22.

sectors. In February this year, I was approached by an employee of

:25:23.:25:27.

B, given proposed new terms and conditions and thought that he might

:25:28.:25:32.

be worse off as a result of them. In these new contract terms, the

:25:33.:25:37.

employee's basic pay was going to be increased, but his overall pay would

:25:38.:25:45.

be reduced by ?2,600 a year. This is because B plan to cut Sunday and

:25:46.:25:50.

bank holiday pay as well as other discretionary bonuses, in short,

:25:51.:25:54.

everything that made B an attractive employer and allowed it

:25:55.:25:57.

to retain its staff. I was delighted that my honourable friend, the

:25:58.:26:00.

member for Enfield north, was able to speak in my place during the

:26:01.:26:03.

debate on the national living wage in this House back in April, where

:26:04.:26:09.

dozens of members voiced their concerns regarding B and Q's plans.

:26:10.:26:12.

I'm pleased that after the press attention in the debate, a great

:26:13.:26:18.

deal of lobbying and a meeting with myself and the B CEO the company

:26:19.:26:23.

extended its period of compensation for employees for two years,

:26:24.:26:27.

promising no-one would lose out for 24 months. But they are just one of

:26:28.:26:33.

many. Over the course of my campaign, I've been approached by

:26:34.:26:36.

employees around the country and from all sorts of different

:26:37.:26:40.

companies doing exactly the same thing. There were the factory

:26:41.:26:45.

employees working for subsidiaries of Samworth brothers in

:26:46.:26:48.

Lincolnshire, facing cuts in overnight pay. My honourable friend,

:26:49.:26:52.

the member for Leicester west, met with workers to hear concerns. There

:26:53.:26:58.

were employees at cafe Nero whose free lunches were scrapped. And

:26:59.:27:02.

recently, 7,000 staff at Marks Spencer who will be losing out by

:27:03.:27:05.

thousands of pounds each year because the company is cutting

:27:06.:27:10.

overall pay to fund the increase in basic pay. I've had well over 100

:27:11.:27:18.

M employees come forward to me with M's new proposals with staff

:27:19.:27:23.

terrified about their future. M are cutting Sunday and bank holiday

:27:24.:27:28.

pay, redefining unsocial hours and scrapping their pension scheme,

:27:29.:27:34.

leaving staff with over 20 years of experience significantly worse off.

:27:35.:27:37.

Let's consider Elizabeth, whose name was reported yesterday in the

:27:38.:27:40.

Evening Standard. It has been changed to protect her identity.

:27:41.:27:47.

Elizabeth used to have great wages and perks at M, whom she was proud

:27:48.:27:52.

to work for. Now she said, "Everything is being taken away from

:27:53.:27:56.

us. I wanted to see my kids through university. Now I'm not sure I'll be

:27:57.:28:03.

able to. It really frightens me." M confirmed that 2,700 employees

:28:04.:28:09.

will lose out over ?1,000 a year and 700 will lose over ?2,000 a year.

:28:10.:28:14.

Some of the employees have got in touch with me and will lose, it's

:28:15.:28:18.

hard to believe, up to ?6,000 a year. To be clear, that's after

:28:19.:28:24.

their basic pay sin creased. M maintain this is just a proposal.

:28:25.:28:29.

They cite their compensation package, which compensates staff

:28:30.:28:33.

members for 30% of their projected losses, not including how much

:28:34.:28:36.

they'll lose in terms of pension cuts. From the paperwork I've seen

:28:37.:28:43.

and the experience of B, I think M plans are foregone conclusions.

:28:44.:28:46.

To be clear, it's not as if head office staff are getting the sort of

:28:47.:28:51.

pay cut they're dishing out to long standing, shop floor staff. There

:28:52.:28:55.

were a number of options M could have pursued, other companies have

:28:56.:29:02.

invested in skills to improve productivity of employees. M have

:29:03.:29:09.

decided to offset a basic pay increase by some staff by cutting

:29:10.:29:12.

the pay of others. And other policies are letting down employees.

:29:13.:29:18.

Just consider the recent discovery of Hermes, the delivery company,

:29:19.:29:21.

using self-employed workers and paying less than the minimum wage

:29:22.:29:27.

and HMRC's investigation into sports direct's working practices. Both

:29:28.:29:31.

companies are undermining the integrity of Government poll

:29:32.:29:33.

similarity -- policy. These are huge institutions we're talking about.

:29:34.:29:37.

Their profits are in their millions and they employ thousands of people.

:29:38.:29:41.

I was delighted that the Chancellor committed to looking very carefully

:29:42.:29:45.

into the case of M earlier this week, but I want to tell the

:29:46.:29:48.

minister today, it's not good enough to introduce a policy like the

:29:49.:29:51.

national living wage without policing it. If Britain has been

:29:52.:29:56.

promised a pay rise by this Government, then Britain deserves to

:29:57.:30:00.

get a pay rise. Will the minister write to the M chief executive to

:30:01.:30:04.

express the Government's concerns, calling on M to reverse its plans?

:30:05.:30:08.

I absolutely endorse the Prime Minister's commitment to building a

:30:09.:30:12.

UK economy that works for all and her Government must start bay

:30:13.:30:16.

dressing the causes of low wages. People who work hard and play by the

:30:17.:30:20.

rules need a defender in national politics. Both the Government and

:30:21.:30:25.

these Opposition benches have a responsibility to be that champion.

:30:26.:30:32.

Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. Like many other members who've already

:30:33.:30:37.

spoken, my contribution to the debate centres on rail services and

:30:38.:30:41.

in particular, the recent decision by the office of rail and road not

:30:42.:30:50.

to approve an application for direct services from Cleethorpes through to

:30:51.:30:55.

London King's Cross. Just to provide an historical context. I do happen

:30:56.:31:02.

to have an eastern region time table for 1964. Members should be aware

:31:03.:31:08.

there were actually, at that time, two services direct services from

:31:09.:31:11.

Cleethorpes to London King's Cross. Before members opposite get excited

:31:12.:31:16.

and say that was in the nationalised British Rail days, I would also

:31:17.:31:20.

point out, that it was actually in 1992 that British Rail announced

:31:21.:31:24.

they were scrapping the direct services from Cleethorpes. Since

:31:25.:31:27.

then, though we have an improved service in the sense that it is more

:31:28.:31:36.

regular, it does involve a change. Government has repeatedly pointed

:31:37.:31:41.

out, if we're to improve the local economies, extend growth, we need

:31:42.:31:46.

greater transport connectivity. The Humber region has the largest port

:31:47.:31:51.

complex in the country. It's developing the off-shore renewables

:31:52.:31:57.

sector. And regular and direct services are supported by business

:31:58.:32:04.

and industry, the Chamber of Commerce, two local enterprise

:32:05.:32:14.

partnerships that the local authorities belong to. Two years

:32:15.:32:16.

ago, GNER lodged an application with the regulator to operate four daily

:32:17.:32:20.

trains between Cleethorpes, grimesy, and King's Cross via Scunthorpe and

:32:21.:32:25.

Doncaster. I recognise the need to regulate capacity on a network that

:32:26.:32:28.

is also overcrowded, but question whether the rules and regulations

:32:29.:32:32.

that govern the regulator are actually in the best interests of

:32:33.:32:39.

passengers and perhaps are more towards protecting the market share

:32:40.:32:41.

of the train operating companies. year to year the direct line that

:32:42.:32:59.

was scrapped in 1992 round three M of race and in my constituency.

:33:00.:33:05.

Since 1992, a catchment area of nearly 66 square miles have had no

:33:06.:33:12.

direct contact with London at all. Is it not incumbent on the rail

:33:13.:33:17.

regulator and can we have a delegation to the new Secretary of

:33:18.:33:21.

State to impress on him the need to serve rural lines. I thank my

:33:22.:33:27.

honourable friend and neighbour for his intervention and he has stolen

:33:28.:33:32.

one of my lines because I was going to conclude by asking that a

:33:33.:33:35.

delegation go to the new Secretary of State. Regulator operates under

:33:36.:33:47.

criteria set down in the privatisation act which says it will

:33:48.:33:50.

protect the interests of the users of railway services, promote the use

:33:51.:33:55.

of the network for passenger and goods and to promote competition for

:33:56.:34:01.

the benefit of rail users. It stays we would not expect to approve

:34:02.:34:06.

competing services that would be primarily abstracting the

:34:07.:34:10.

incumbent's revenue. In other words, they are there to protect the market

:34:11.:34:14.

share of the big franchise shareholders such as virgin East

:34:15.:34:19.

Coast. I can understand that the franchise holders pay an enormous

:34:20.:34:22.

speed to government for the privilege of operating the East

:34:23.:34:26.

Coast mainline or whatever line it is, but I do question whether the

:34:27.:34:32.

present criteria are in the best interests of the passengers. The

:34:33.:34:39.

regulator in their decision letter says, we have a long-standing policy

:34:40.:34:45.

of not approving new, open access services that we consider abstract

:34:46.:34:51.

funding from the main operator. I repeat this sounds far more like

:34:52.:34:55.

protecting the operators and providing better services for the

:34:56.:35:02.

passengers. In the decision left to the regulator referring specifically

:35:03.:35:06.

to the application to rent services to Cleethorpes SS, these financial

:35:07.:35:10.

impact would have been reduced at the application focused on serving

:35:11.:35:15.

just the Cleethorpes line, but because the application also

:35:16.:35:19.

included additional services into Yorkshire, serving the Bradford

:35:20.:35:23.

Halifax area, that would have impacted to greatly on other

:35:24.:35:27.

operators. It says, on balancing our statutory duties, particularly those

:35:28.:35:33.

to promote improving railway service performance and promote competition,

:35:34.:35:41.

we have to balance that against our duty to have regard to the Secretary

:35:42.:35:46.

of State's funds. Madam Deputy Speaker, new rolling stock is coming

:35:47.:35:52.

into the network thanks to the improvements and investments the

:35:53.:35:54.

government and the train operators are making in coming years. That

:35:55.:36:02.

will release new rolling stock presently used elsewhere on services

:36:03.:36:07.

on what our secondary mainlines. Services through market raisin,

:36:08.:36:12.

Lincoln, through to Grimsby and Cleethorpes suffer because they are

:36:13.:36:17.

not part of the electrified network and there are only a limited number

:36:18.:36:21.

of diesel units available to serve them. The new units are becoming

:36:22.:36:28.

available and some bimodal ones that can run the last few miles under

:36:29.:36:34.

diesel power. We are at an ideal opportunity to extend services to

:36:35.:36:43.

places such as Cleethorpes. Hints from the rail regulator would

:36:44.:36:45.

indicate they see the difficulties of the present system and they would

:36:46.:36:51.

like to accept more open access operators, but the criteria at the

:36:52.:36:58.

moment are restricting them. The new rail Minister successfully

:36:59.:37:02.

campaigned for direct services to his Blackpool constituency off the

:37:03.:37:06.

West Coast mainline. So he ought to be very sympathetic to the claims of

:37:07.:37:13.

my honourable friend and others in Northern Lincolnshire who want to

:37:14.:37:20.

improve services. When the Secretary of State for Transport introduced

:37:21.:37:25.

the privatisation built in 1992, he said, our objective is to improve

:37:26.:37:30.

the quality of railway services by creating many new opportunities for

:37:31.:37:34.

private sector involvement. This will mean more competition, greater

:37:35.:37:38.

efficiency and a wider choice of services more closely tailored to

:37:39.:37:44.

what customers want. I think in part that has been achieved, the services

:37:45.:37:48.

into my area are vastly improved on what they were in British rail days,

:37:49.:37:54.

but we have a long way to go. The customers are rightly demanding more

:37:55.:37:58.

and better services. The Department for Transport, I would urge them to

:37:59.:38:05.

drop their opposition to new long-distance access services on

:38:06.:38:08.

routes that are not presently served by direct services. We need better

:38:09.:38:14.

access, not just to the London network, but improved East - West

:38:15.:38:18.

connections. I would urge the Minister to pass onto his right

:38:19.:38:23.

honourable my concerns and say it is time to put the passenger at the

:38:24.:38:25.

head of the train operating companies. I would like to start by

:38:26.:38:34.

thanking the backbench committee for the return of this general debate.

:38:35.:38:40.

Members can see how popular it is. I want to emulate the member for South

:38:41.:38:44.

and West who is always giving us a tour of his constituency. I want to

:38:45.:38:49.

welcome the honourable member, the deputy leader to his post. Behind

:38:50.:38:55.

every great Prime Minister there is the honourable member. I am sure he

:38:56.:39:01.

will do a fantastic job. I want to raise the concerns of my

:39:02.:39:03.

constituents and that is the theme of this debate that I am having

:39:04.:39:13.

here. In relation to the University of Wolverhampton campus and

:39:14.:39:18.

Broadway, they mean a lot to my constituents. Woolston Road is a

:39:19.:39:24.

long, leafy road and in 2012 the council decided to have a

:39:25.:39:28.

consultation over the summer about this time to see whether they wanted

:39:29.:39:33.

to put humps on the road. Many people were concerned, they raised

:39:34.:39:36.

this with me, they had not had an opportunity to respond and our

:39:37.:39:42.

council takes an nonresponse as a response in favour, so a warning to

:39:43.:39:47.

everyone, always respond to surveys. As a result the road is littered

:39:48.:39:55.

with humps. The council is not listening to residents. One

:39:56.:39:58.

resident, Tracy Clifford, undertook a survey and out of 97 responses, 73

:39:59.:40:06.

people had had difficulty, or household, in dealing with humps.

:40:07.:40:11.

When they exited their drives they were abused, there were personal

:40:12.:40:16.

injuries, the cars were damaged. I have had three meetings with the

:40:17.:40:21.

council and I am coming up against a brick wall. When I asked for the

:40:22.:40:27.

evidence of reduced speed I was given a lock from 2014 about two and

:40:28.:40:33.

a half inches high traffic to go through. The residents have spoken

:40:34.:40:40.

to a police officer in 2015 who said people were going over the speed

:40:41.:40:44.

limit of 30 miles an hour. It is quite interesting, but in the

:40:45.:40:50.

traffic signs regulations and general directions as amended in

:40:51.:40:55.

2011, apparently you cannot have a repeater signs placed because if you

:40:56.:41:02.

have lamp posts within 200 yards of each other, you cannot put a sign

:41:03.:41:06.

up. That is slightly strange. Members should be aware of that. I

:41:07.:41:13.

was not. The residents have asked for a watchman sign like on Saturn

:41:14.:41:17.

Road so they can see the speed they are travelling flashing up. What my

:41:18.:41:23.

residents want is what the faculty of Public health have said, that

:41:24.:41:28.

cutting the speed limit to 20 miles an hour cut road deaths and injuries

:41:29.:41:32.

and is safer and this is the perfect solution. I am hoping my honourable

:41:33.:41:36.

friend will agree with me that residents should be listened to and

:41:37.:41:40.

the speed limit should be cut to 20 miles an hour. The other saga is

:41:41.:41:46.

that of great Barr Park and Hall. It is a planning application on green

:41:47.:41:51.

belt land. This is local policy and against national policy. The former

:41:52.:41:57.

member for Great Yarmouth wrote to members on the 7th of July to say

:41:58.:42:01.

the government has put in place the strongest protections for the green

:42:02.:42:07.

belt. It should only be adjusted in exceptional circumstances through

:42:08.:42:10.

the local plan process and with the support of local people. At great

:42:11.:42:17.

buy there is no demand for housing and yet residents are left with this

:42:18.:42:19.

planning application, planning officers have two sift through

:42:20.:42:25.

mounds of paper to decide whether this planning application should go

:42:26.:42:29.

through and yet the whole thing is against local and national policy.

:42:30.:42:34.

It should either be refused or the application should be withdrawn.

:42:35.:42:39.

With the Minister agree that my constituents require certainty,

:42:40.:42:45.

certainly in this particular planning application, otherwise they

:42:46.:42:48.

have to wait until the council decide they are going to have a

:42:49.:42:51.

meeting and push this through without the residents knowing about

:42:52.:42:55.

it. The third big issue is that of Broadway. The honourable member for

:42:56.:43:01.

Gloucester raised the issue of nurses and how it is important to

:43:02.:43:06.

train our nurses. The University of Wolverhampton have been told by the

:43:07.:43:10.

council that they have to build a road which will cost them ?1 million

:43:11.:43:15.

to have an exit from their campus onto Broadway so we are left with

:43:16.:43:22.

two sets of traffic lights within 50 yards of each other and an exit onto

:43:23.:43:26.

one of the busiest roads in Walsall South, Broadway. What was the

:43:27.:43:32.

evidence of this should take place? Every meeting I have had with the

:43:33.:43:36.

University they say that the council have insisted on it. And yet the

:43:37.:43:43.

evidence to the committee was that there were 22 letters of objection,

:43:44.:43:49.

a 67 signature petition against the proposal following the first

:43:50.:43:53.

consultation, 60 letters of objection and a 450 signature of a

:43:54.:44:01.

petition with six letters in support and yet the council decided they

:44:02.:44:05.

should have this condition. In my view that ?1 million should be spent

:44:06.:44:10.

on training and nurses that the University of Wolverhampton do so

:44:11.:44:14.

well, providing bursaries for them so we can invest in local skills and

:44:15.:44:19.

not in concrete. Finally, I want to end on rubbish. Maybe honourable

:44:20.:44:26.

members will think that is what I have been talking! But this really

:44:27.:44:33.

is an issue. On Saturday I saw the decadence of takeaways, bottles,

:44:34.:44:38.

papers with one being. Honourable members may not remember but there

:44:39.:44:44.

was a campaign done, instituted by the women's Institute, keep Britain

:44:45.:44:49.

tidy, with that lovely logo of a person putting litter into a bin. I

:44:50.:44:54.

would ask the deputy leader if he would kindly ask the government if

:44:55.:44:59.

we could start up that campaign again because there are many people

:45:00.:45:03.

who come into the country as visitors and new communities and

:45:04.:45:07.

people who live here who are not aware on the law about litter.

:45:08.:45:15.

Finally, thank you to everybody for looking after us, thank you to all

:45:16.:45:21.

the members of the House, the House of Commons library and everyone

:45:22.:45:26.

else. It has been a momentous, historic time. I hope we all have a

:45:27.:45:32.

good rest. Can I thank the member for Walsall South for a well-made

:45:33.:45:39.

points. I believe in keeping Britain tidy and I would be happy to join

:45:40.:45:43.

any of those movements. I am very lucky in my constituency of

:45:44.:45:47.

Twickenham and I applaud the friends of bushy Park. As everybody knows

:45:48.:45:54.

when they are in the parks over the summer, you must always take your

:45:55.:45:57.

litter home with you, it is especially damaging for the wildlife

:45:58.:46:01.

in the parks and I am grateful for the communities I have got that do

:46:02.:46:07.

regular litter picking, as well as the good council jobs. I would also

:46:08.:46:11.

like to welcome the new deputy leader to his post. Like the members

:46:12.:46:16.

for Eltham, Gloucester and Cleethorpes I also have concerns

:46:17.:46:21.

about rail services and I absolutely agree with the member for

:46:22.:46:25.

Cleethorpes who said passengers must, head of rail companies. I have

:46:26.:46:35.

been having many meetings and I have recently been in communication this

:46:36.:46:40.

week with South West trains. I note the franchise is coming up and I

:46:41.:46:44.

have met with South West trains and other bidders for the franchise. I

:46:45.:46:51.

have made it clear of what standards are expected, particularly for the

:46:52.:46:54.

eight stations and the network for Twickenham.

:46:55.:47:18.

The chronic problems that we have, we do not have regular and frequent

:47:19.:47:24.

trains in all our stations, which is appalling, considering many of the

:47:25.:47:29.

passengers are coming into London to work. That has an economic

:47:30.:47:32.

consequence. We don't have frequent enough services for all of the

:47:33.:47:35.

stations on a Sunday. This is the 21st century and we should be

:47:36.:47:37.

applauding passengers and their different life styles where they do

:47:38.:47:46.

need regular services now every single day of the week,

:47:47.:47:48.

unfortunately, every single station in my constituency suffers from

:47:49.:47:50.

cancellations and delays. Every single station suffers from

:47:51.:47:52.

overcrowding, but this is the chronic problem between the

:47:53.:47:54.

temperatures of five degrees Celsius and 25. Again I note we are in the

:47:55.:47:57.

21st century. We do have predictable weather. This week, we were all

:47:58.:48:01.

told, even if you weren't a climatologist, we were told it was

:48:02.:48:04.

going to be a high temperature. Here we have South West Trains acute

:48:05.:48:09.

problem. They were not functioning properly and it was Medically

:48:10.:48:20.

unhealthy. When the temperature is over 25 degrees C there must be

:48:21.:48:25.

adequate water given out free at platforms, in such temperatures,

:48:26.:48:28.

when there is delay and when there is overcrowding. There must be a

:48:29.:48:34.

plan since we can predict the next few years and next generation, these

:48:35.:48:38.

temperatures will persist. There must be a plan for air conditioned

:48:39.:48:43.

trains for people that are regularly coming into London. The other

:48:44.:48:52.

problem we have is that while the previous Mayor of London, member for

:48:53.:48:56.

Uxbridge, introduced Oyster card system for my area, which is great

:48:57.:49:00.

when you don't have much time and you're a commuter. But there must be

:49:01.:49:05.

an Oyster card way of refunding when there's been delays. It is not good

:49:06.:49:09.

enough, with the service that I've had getting home, today like many of

:49:10.:49:15.

my constituents, two hours instead of a 40-minute journey, it is

:49:16.:49:18.

impossible to navigate the website to try to get your refund and even

:49:19.:49:22.

harder if you use the Oyster card. Like most people, if you can't do it

:49:23.:49:26.

within two clicks like me, you give up. There has to be a way of putting

:49:27.:49:33.

the passenger first and making that refund easy. There has to be - I

:49:34.:49:38.

will give way in a moment - there has to be a better way of

:49:39.:49:43.

communicating, again, at the platforms on the station

:49:44.:49:46.

information, there was not information during this week about

:49:47.:49:50.

the time for delay, which is critical for people if they do have

:49:51.:49:54.

any medical problems, if they are tired or need water. I will give

:49:55.:49:58.

way. Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. And I thank my honourable friend for

:49:59.:50:03.

giving way. There's also a big problem, of course, like I do, I use

:50:04.:50:07.

my bank card instead of an Oyster card to get on the train and trying

:50:08.:50:11.

to refund on a bank card would be even more difficult, I would think.

:50:12.:50:18.

I thank the honourable member for that very, very important point. I

:50:19.:50:21.

think more and more people will be getting rid of the oyster. That also

:50:22.:50:27.

needs to be a tap and refund system, putting the passenger first.

:50:28.:50:35.

Absolutely. On transport I hope ministers will take note, if they

:50:36.:50:43.

have any members of their family or if themselves are travelling by air

:50:44.:50:47.

over the summer, I won't be, but I know many people will be, please

:50:48.:50:52.

give a thought to three quarters of a million people suffering from

:50:53.:50:56.

decibel levels of over 55, or the quarter of a million suffering from

:50:57.:51:01.

57 decibels. Please give a thought that if there is expansion of

:51:02.:51:08.

Heathrow, this will particularly affect my constituency. If there is

:51:09.:51:14.

expansion at Heathrow, then more people under that flightpath will be

:51:15.:51:21.

affected than the people around Paris airport, Amsterdam airport,

:51:22.:51:27.

Munich airport, Frankfurt airport, Madrid airport combined. On a

:51:28.:51:32.

medical level, I do not think this Government wishes to inflict that on

:51:33.:51:39.

its residents. I would also hope the minister, ministers and minister of

:51:40.:51:45.

transport will be aware every single day during the recess when the

:51:46.:51:50.

nitrogen dioxide levels are above, I don't mind if you use EU or WHO

:51:51.:51:59.

levels, they are both unhealthy. We need better, not bigger, airport of

:52:00.:52:05.

such a populated area. Nevertheless, I wish everybody a very peaceful and

:52:06.:52:10.

well deserved recess. I shall be spending it in my constituency,

:52:11.:52:15.

because we do have the best parks and the best stretch of the River

:52:16.:52:19.

Thames. You don't need to go away to have a wonderful time.

:52:20.:52:26.

Madam Deputy Speaker, you and I played a part in the creation of the

:52:27.:52:31.

backbench business committee in its very early days. I'm very proud of

:52:32.:52:36.

that and I hope you are too. Equally proud that they have restored the

:52:37.:52:41.

ability of backbench members of all parties to raise issues of concern

:52:42.:52:45.

to their constituents, which often other people may think go

:52:46.:52:49.

unremarked. Even more important, when members of Parliament are

:52:50.:52:54.

berated and abused on a regular basis for failing to do their duty

:52:55.:52:59.

or not doing what they should do, that members of the public who may

:53:00.:53:04.

be watching or reading these debates see that there is a variety of work

:53:05.:53:09.

that members of Parliament do which is unsung, but is absolutely vital

:53:10.:53:15.

in their constituency. So this debate is very important,

:53:16.:53:18.

particularly important if I may say so, when you represent one of the

:53:19.:53:24.

five most deprived constituencies in the United Kingdom, with very low

:53:25.:53:32.

income, because - and there's no competition here - but the numbers

:53:33.:53:37.

of case that's people have in those constituencies are very high and

:53:38.:53:42.

they deserve being put into the cold light of day so that people then

:53:43.:53:47.

understand how many others live. I say that without any side, but it is

:53:48.:53:52.

maybe more difficult to understand the impact of economic crises and

:53:53.:53:57.

some of the vast swathe of policies and politics that we discuss in here

:53:58.:54:03.

how they impact upon individuals and families. It is much harder to

:54:04.:54:10.

ignore that when you represent a constituency which has very great

:54:11.:54:13.

difficulties indeed, if we get it wrong in this House. One of the

:54:14.:54:19.

things I want to talk about a number of constituency cases, but I think

:54:20.:54:22.

one of the things that I ought to get on the record first of all,

:54:23.:54:27.

again without delving back into an issue which has been decided in the

:54:28.:54:32.

recent referendum, but why people vote the way they do and I would

:54:33.:54:37.

hazard a guess about some of my own constituents. Of course, they were

:54:38.:54:40.

very concerned about the European Union. Of course, many were

:54:41.:54:46.

concerned about immigration. But many also used the vote in the

:54:47.:54:52.

referendum as they used votes quite rightly in general elections and

:54:53.:54:55.

local elections almost as a cry for help, almost to say - we have

:54:56.:55:00.

problems. You need to look at us. You can no longer ignore us. People

:55:01.:55:05.

do that in different ways. I'm not saying that influenced the outcome

:55:06.:55:09.

of the recent referendum. But what I'm saying is we, here, and people

:55:10.:55:15.

in and around constituencies like mine, in my case in the city of

:55:16.:55:19.

Nottingham, will ignore that cry for help at their peril, if they

:55:20.:55:24.

continue to feel that people can be marginalised or continue to be

:55:25.:55:28.

alienated from our politics and from our politicians. I know that will

:55:29.:55:36.

not apply to very many people in here, by definition they're

:55:37.:55:39.

assiduous members by the fact that they're here at this debate. I hope

:55:40.:55:43.

we take that lesson to heart that there is a divide in society. There

:55:44.:55:48.

is a divide in our country and it is incumbent upon us to do something

:55:49.:55:52.

about that. I'd like to raise three very quick cases just to

:55:53.:55:57.

demonstrate, if you like, the breadth of the things that members

:55:58.:56:02.

of Parliament deal with. But also, as an excuse to thank people who

:56:03.:56:06.

have been involved, as all of us know in helping us on our case work

:56:07.:56:10.

and helping us to be good members of Parliament. In my own case and I'm

:56:11.:56:15.

sure, I hope, I speak for everyone here, in thanking my staff, both in

:56:16.:56:22.

Westminster and in the constituency, who across the House make us the

:56:23.:56:26.

members of Parliament that we are. I would like to place that very much

:56:27.:56:33.

on record. One particular case to highlight that. My constituency

:56:34.:56:37.

staff worked incredibly hard to help a young man called Max Buxton. He's

:56:38.:56:44.

got a severe hearing impairment. He was on an apprenticeship. In order

:56:45.:56:50.

to progress in his work and his employer was glowing about Max and

:56:51.:56:54.

the energy and dedication he displayed at work, he had to climb

:56:55.:57:00.

the apprenticeship ladder. In order to do that, he had to pass his

:57:01.:57:05.

English qualification. Unfortunately for Max and for many, many other

:57:06.:57:10.

young people, young men and women, their first language is British sign

:57:11.:57:16.

language. It's actually very, very difficult to understand English,

:57:17.:57:20.

even in - particularly written English. So my staff at my request

:57:21.:57:29.

raised this over and over again with the relevant ministry and after

:57:30.:57:32.

many, many months, I won't go into the detail of the case, but after

:57:33.:57:40.

many months, it fell to me to do something which has changed the

:57:41.:57:47.

rules around qualification for climbing that apprenticeship ladder.

:57:48.:57:50.

On a visit to the minister recently, he said that he was going to look at

:57:51.:57:56.

and indeed change the rules around British sign language so that it can

:57:57.:58:01.

be equivalent to the English qualification. That is wonderful

:58:02.:58:04.

news for Max. It's wonderful news for colleagues in other

:58:05.:58:07.

constituencies who have similar problems and I think that is the way

:58:08.:58:12.

we work in that the work that you, if I may use that expression, Madam

:58:13.:58:17.

Deputy Speaker, that you in the chair, but colleagues throughout the

:58:18.:58:21.

House, when you win a case for your own constituent, you are also

:58:22.:58:27.

winning it, very often, for many other constituents, particularly we

:58:28.:58:30.

can help Government to see the light of all colours and change the rules.

:58:31.:58:37.

Also, I was able to, by working closely with people from another

:58:38.:58:43.

constituency, happened to be Hull, help children in my constituency

:58:44.:58:48.

take up the free dental check that is there for all children. It was

:58:49.:58:51.

something we tried to do locally. We couldn't do it as well as we wanted

:58:52.:59:00.

to. So we used an example of a practice called teeth team and Chris

:59:01.:59:04.

Groombridge and his team came over and are continuing to help us. The

:59:05.:59:09.

moral of this story and this brief intervention, Madam Deputy Speaker,

:59:10.:59:14.

is if we continue to work together in this House cross-party on the big

:59:15.:59:18.

issues and the small, we can actually change our society and the

:59:19.:59:21.

lives of our constituents for the better. Thank you very much, Madam

:59:22.:59:28.

Deputy Speaker. It is always a pleasure to follow the honourable

:59:29.:59:31.

gentleman for Nottingham north and hear, in this case, how he has been

:59:32.:59:36.

getting his teeth into his local constituency issues for the good of

:59:37.:59:39.

us all. Forgive the pun. Today, Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like

:59:40.:59:43.

to speak for the constituents of Norwich north on the subject of

:59:44.:59:47.

exiting the European Union. Brits have just taken part in a giant

:59:48.:59:51.

democratic exercise about that relationship. I thank people,

:59:52.:59:55.

whatever way they voted and whatever lies ahead. The result was clear,

:59:56.:00:00.

and hard work now has to follow to put the country's wishes into

:00:01.:00:04.

practice. We all want what's best for Britain and should do this in a

:00:05.:00:09.

calm and thoughtful way. My view is that our membership of the European

:00:10.:00:14.

Union is a fundamental constitutional question, one which

:00:15.:00:18.

could not have been ducked forever. I am a democratic and it was right

:00:19.:00:22.

to use a referendum to settle that kind of question. It raises

:00:23.:00:25.

arguments about what this means for the future of our Parliamentary

:00:26.:00:28.

democracy, if we can hold a referendum on this, then why not on

:00:29.:00:32.

everything else? Do we need a Parliament? But there is a very

:00:33.:00:36.

clear distinction to be made. There are fundamental constitutional

:00:37.:00:38.

questions such as this one. It's right to put those decisions

:00:39.:00:45.

directly to the people. The detail and practical implementation is the

:00:46.:00:48.

job of the executive, scrutinised by members of Parliament. The majority

:00:49.:00:53.

wish in this referendum is a clear instruction to Parliament. Like many

:00:54.:00:58.

MPs, I am sure I've had hundreds of people be in touch since the result

:00:59.:01:02.

reflecting upon it. In my constituency mail most of these

:01:03.:01:05.

voted Remain and are understandably worried about the future therefore.

:01:06.:01:09.

Norwich did vote by a majority to remain. Now that refers to the

:01:10.:01:13.

Norwich City Council area. My own constituency is not the same as this

:01:14.:01:17.

area. It is never a simple maths job to speak in this place for all

:01:18.:01:23.

constituents on this issue or on any other issue. Before the poll most

:01:24.:01:26.

constituents that got in touch wanted to persuade me to vote out

:01:27.:01:31.

and after the poll, I'm hearing most from people who want to persuade me

:01:32.:01:36.

to vote against going out. This does remind us, there is a silent

:01:37.:01:39.

majority that never gets in touch with their member of Parliament.

:01:40.:01:42.

Counting all those people together who've been in touch on either side

:01:43.:01:47.

of the debate still numbers only a few hundred out of the 67,000 that I

:01:48.:01:52.

represent. So I welcome any tool, like a referendum, that encourages

:01:53.:01:57.

so many more to be heard. However, it's clear to me, that the point of

:01:58.:02:02.

a referendum is then that the whole electorate counts together, the

:02:03.:02:03.

whole of the UK. It continues to be my job to

:02:04.:02:20.

represent everyone in Norwich North, no matter what way they voted on

:02:21.:02:24.

this issue. Some are reflecting on how the poll was run, concerned a

:02:25.:02:29.

simple majority was used to define the result on complex question.

:02:30.:02:36.

Referenda are decided on simple majorities and consistency is

:02:37.:02:43.

important and it allows us to have a democratic process. A healthy

:02:44.:02:48.

democratic society accepts the result, recognises the concerns the

:02:49.:02:51.

other side has, and then coming together in unity. Whilst some are

:02:52.:02:57.

celebrating in my constituency, others are unhappy, but we cannot

:02:58.:03:00.

deny the result or denigrate fellow citizens. Norwich is a proud and old

:03:01.:03:08.

city, but with a youthful population. Some constituents share

:03:09.:03:12.

my deep concern about the generational rift exposed by the

:03:13.:03:17.

referendum. What happened in age terms was quite clear. A large

:03:18.:03:21.

majority of younger voters opted in and a large majority of older voters

:03:22.:03:27.

opted out. The younger generation was now outvoted and many are

:03:28.:03:32.

contemplating the result and are concerned about their future. I am

:03:33.:03:38.

always concerned by turnout rates in which younger people generally vote

:03:39.:03:41.

less than their elders in Britain. Never mind that it is an old or a

:03:42.:03:47.

new battle or a new and an old issue, but we have not got younger

:03:48.:03:51.

voters coming out in enough numbers to fight any battles at all.

:03:52.:03:56.

Democracy works for those who take part and if you care about

:03:57.:04:01.

something, you have to be there. There are not many excuses in a

:04:02.:04:05.

major democratic event. Considering many people around the world still

:04:06.:04:09.

die for one person, one vote, we must support robust politics that

:04:10.:04:17.

mean something. I call on the next Prime Minister to heal this

:04:18.:04:21.

division. The health of democracy depends on all to be represented and

:04:22.:04:24.

it must balance the needs of different generations and it is the

:04:25.:04:28.

duty and opportunity of the new government to reach out to new and

:04:29.:04:32.

young voters now to offer them a future. On precisely that point and

:04:33.:04:40.

given her participation in the APPG on voter participation, which he

:04:41.:04:44.

seriously look at automatic registration in order that we

:04:45.:04:47.

actually get young people to the point where they can actually use

:04:48.:04:53.

their vote? She knows I look seriously at all these issues and I

:04:54.:04:59.

have helped bring forward a report that goes into that option and a

:05:00.:05:04.

number of others to ensure as many people as possible are registered to

:05:05.:05:10.

vote. I know she has worked in some detail on this issue. Let me talk

:05:11.:05:16.

about EU nationals in my constituency, several thousands,

:05:17.:05:20.

friends, colleagues, family members. I welcome the government's early

:05:21.:05:23.

reassured that there has been no change to the rights and status of

:05:24.:05:28.

those people and confirm that the government fully expect their status

:05:29.:05:37.

to be protective, alongside those of our citizens living in other

:05:38.:05:44.

European countries. Norwich is a friendly and welcoming city and I

:05:45.:05:48.

was concerned like many in our city at an arson attack on a shop. It is

:05:49.:05:56.

too early to rush to any conclusions about the motives, but whether it

:05:57.:06:00.

was racist or plain criminal, it is hateful behaviour and it has no

:06:01.:06:05.

place. The response of the community has been impressive. Norwich does

:06:06.:06:09.

not welcome racism or any form of aggression. Those who have made

:06:10.:06:13.

Great Britain their home are respected and valued. The referendum

:06:14.:06:17.

result provides a clear instruction to the government, a majority of

:06:18.:06:23.

which is for a change in the way Britain handles immigration from

:06:24.:06:27.

Europe. However, to leave the EU must not mean leaving behind a

:06:28.:06:30.

strong economy or a strong cultural exchange. One in almost every ten

:06:31.:06:37.

jobs is linked to trade with the EU and we want to build on that. The

:06:38.:06:41.

case for remaining was to maintain the rules for half of our global

:06:42.:06:48.

trade. The case by making a success out of leaving is to look now to the

:06:49.:06:52.

other half. I welcome the appointment of the relevant set of

:06:53.:06:57.

new ministers who are focused on that. Norwich in particular needs a

:06:58.:07:04.

good deal of financial services. That sector makes the largest single

:07:05.:07:08.

contribution to the economy of Norfolk and Suffolk. Norwich is the

:07:09.:07:13.

largest general insurance Centre in the UK with a heritage going back

:07:14.:07:17.

more than 200 years and going strong today employing thousands of people.

:07:18.:07:23.

Firms now be looking for a technical environment of regulation that

:07:24.:07:25.

allows them to thrive in the UK and outside London. In Norwich we expect

:07:26.:07:32.

to be able to do the same with our exciting digital and technology

:07:33.:07:34.

sectors to attract investment and talent. We enjoy an ambitious

:07:35.:07:39.

science sector, a thriving cultural scene and a strong tourism industry.

:07:40.:07:44.

All of this requires an outward looking attitude if Britain is to

:07:45.:07:51.

remain a successful economy, jobs and livelihoods in my constituency

:07:52.:07:55.

depend upon it. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I want to raise an

:07:56.:08:02.

issue that is of extreme importance to my Stirling constituency and it

:08:03.:08:09.

is to do with Liz Hill. It is a beautiful area of woodland to the of

:08:10.:08:11.

sterling. The spelling is Gillies. It is the

:08:12.:08:27.

Gillies hill. It has an historic association with the Battle of

:08:28.:08:31.

Bannockburn. It is reputed to be where the Gillies, the small folk

:08:32.:08:37.

who followed the Scottish army to the Battle of Bannockburn, that is

:08:38.:08:40.

where they were camped in that the turning point in the Battle they

:08:41.:08:46.

rattled the pots and pans and acted as if it was reinforcements and the

:08:47.:08:49.

English army turned and broke. Whether or not they agree on the

:08:50.:08:54.

truth of that, I will leave that to these stories to argue about. It has

:08:55.:09:00.

been called Gillies Hill for several hundred years and it is extremely

:09:01.:09:04.

important. Why is it controversial now? There is an application for

:09:05.:09:10.

quarrying. There was previously quarrying of a large chunk of that

:09:11.:09:16.

historic and spectacular area regrettably in the 1980s. It was

:09:17.:09:19.

controversial than when I was growing up in a village on the side

:09:20.:09:24.

of the Gillies Hill. I remember well on a daily basis there were massive

:09:25.:09:29.

trucks carrying the debt which is a way, driving through the village and

:09:30.:09:35.

there were instances of bits of rock landing on people's and causing

:09:36.:09:41.

damage. The quarrying stopped in the early 90s and it was to finish in

:09:42.:09:49.

2007, when the extent of the permission would be up. It was

:09:50.:09:54.

therefore disappointing that I remember being out in January in

:09:55.:10:01.

2007 and knocking on doors in Causeway head and we felt the ground

:10:02.:10:06.

shake literally from about five miles away and it was test blasting

:10:07.:10:12.

for renewed quarrying. Stirling Council had extended the permission

:10:13.:10:17.

because you European directive and they extended the permission to the

:10:18.:10:25.

2040s. Nobody knew. In essence there was a virtual permission granted

:10:26.:10:29.

right through and the potential for this historic Hill being destroyed,

:10:30.:10:33.

as a large chunk of it already has been. It is a question really. Is

:10:34.:10:40.

planning the responsibility of the Westminster Parliament or is it a

:10:41.:10:44.

Scottish national responsibility with regard to this quarry? It is

:10:45.:10:51.

now devolved to Scotland. The original quarrying legislation, and

:10:52.:10:57.

indeed some of the things still in force, is an act of this parliament

:10:58.:11:01.

because it was back a number of decades. So, yes, strictly speaking

:11:02.:11:06.

planning is with the Scottish parliament, but the ad on which this

:11:07.:11:10.

was based was formed down here. This is not a criticism of this place.

:11:11.:11:15.

Quarrying has its place, however this is the wrong place for it.

:11:16.:11:21.

There is a local campaign against it. Hundreds of people joined the

:11:22.:11:27.

march a few weeks ago when we walked to the Bannockburn battlefield,

:11:28.:11:30.

several hundred people protesting against quarrying in this area. A

:11:31.:11:35.

look at the Gillies Hill website, which members will now be interested

:11:36.:11:44.

in, gives a lot of information about why this campaign is important as

:11:45.:11:51.

well as the history of the Hill. There are a lot of endangered

:11:52.:11:57.

species, protected wildlife, red squirrels, badgers and peregrines.

:11:58.:12:00.

It is used for pleasure and recreation, running, bicycles,

:12:01.:12:05.

motorbikes, horses. It a fantastic resource. From the top of the hill

:12:06.:12:12.

you can look down upon Stirling Castle several miles to the north

:12:13.:12:16.

and over Stirling Castle to the Wallace Monument. So, we have this

:12:17.:12:24.

campaign ongoing in terms of trying to fight this. It has got to the

:12:25.:12:27.

stage where there are two things I want to highlight. A planning

:12:28.:12:32.

application has been made for permission to begin the new

:12:33.:12:37.

quarrying of this site and taking a further chunk out of that area. That

:12:38.:12:41.

will have to be dealt with in the normal way. It has been approved by

:12:42.:12:47.

the Scottish Government on the ground that the Stirling Council did

:12:48.:12:50.

not determine it. That is regrettable. However, what else has

:12:51.:12:56.

happened is that in my time as a local councillor I was concerned

:12:57.:13:01.

about this and we investigated every avenue we could think of in order to

:13:02.:13:06.

find a way to stop the quarrying of this historic and significant area

:13:07.:13:11.

and one of the areas we looked at was under the National Parks and

:13:12.:13:15.

access to the countryside act of 1949, a Westminster act, a way of

:13:16.:13:19.

designating the area as a local nature reserve. That might be a way

:13:20.:13:24.

of making quarrying something that could not happen in that area. We

:13:25.:13:30.

looked into that and I asked the local council when I was a

:13:31.:13:35.

councillor and there was unanimous agreement to come back with options

:13:36.:13:40.

and give us a cost involved. It may lead to a compulsory purchase of all

:13:41.:13:44.

or part of the hill in order to promote it to be a local nature

:13:45.:13:48.

reserve and give it the protection it needs to be afforded.

:13:49.:13:54.

Unfortunately two years later, no action appears to have been taken by

:13:55.:13:57.

the council, which is to be regretted. I have now asked the

:13:58.:14:04.

council to go away and get this information to the councillors so

:14:05.:14:07.

they have that information to hand, and also so the wider public are

:14:08.:14:12.

aware of what would be involved in granting Gillies Hill the protection

:14:13.:14:17.

it is entitled to. I am hoping the council take my remarks on board and

:14:18.:14:20.

they recognise they have been asked by all members of the Council, by

:14:21.:14:25.

all parties, to get this information on what would be involved in giving

:14:26.:14:29.

Gillies Hill protection and prevent quarrying from going forward. I hope

:14:30.:14:35.

this information comes sooner and particularly now we have a live

:14:36.:14:39.

planning application that will be determined later on this year. Given

:14:40.:14:44.

they have had two years to get this information to the Council and the

:14:45.:14:50.

public, I very much hope, in fact I demand this council gets the

:14:51.:14:53.

information they have been asked for in the public domain so we can have

:14:54.:14:57.

a proper debate in the time that is left. The good thing about the

:14:58.:15:03.

planning application is that designating this area as a local

:15:04.:15:06.

nature reserve would not impinge on planning, it stands separate from it

:15:07.:15:11.

and it is something practical that we could do to offer Gillies Hill

:15:12.:15:16.

protection. I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this important

:15:17.:15:22.

issue for my constituency. It is a privilege to follow the honourable

:15:23.:15:26.

member from Stirling and Staffordshire is often used as the

:15:27.:15:29.

quarry for the whole of the Midlands, I very much sympathise

:15:30.:15:34.

with what he is saying. It is also a great honour to follow my honourable

:15:35.:15:40.

friend for Norwich North with a very thoughtful speech. On Monday I was

:15:41.:15:46.

able to see two reasons why there is great hope in Stafford for the

:15:47.:15:51.

economic future. One was the almost complete General Electric factory on

:15:52.:15:56.

the Redhill business park which the County Council set up a few years

:15:57.:16:01.

ago and is going to be an extremely important source of employment and

:16:02.:16:07.

innovation. They will base their automation division there. The

:16:08.:16:12.

second was to visit biomass, a manufacturing and design company

:16:13.:16:20.

that makes equipment, in this case it was a gas plant for Northern

:16:21.:16:26.

Ireland for the bombard EA works in Belfast which will be powered by

:16:27.:16:34.

waste and is one of the reasons why it will be successful in Belfast

:16:35.:16:37.

because it will help reduce its energy costs. As a result of many

:16:38.:16:44.

other initiatives, the jobseeker's allowance applicants have gone down

:16:45.:16:47.

to 1% in Stafford over the last six years. In that time we have also

:16:48.:16:54.

welcomed two new signals regiments, number one and number 16, and they

:16:55.:16:58.

are already playing a major role in the life of our community. Stafford

:16:59.:17:02.

has welcomed them and they have been a welcome addition to our community.

:17:03.:17:07.

We also have a new retail development which is about to open

:17:08.:17:13.

in the coming two months. We need to ensure this does not suck the life

:17:14.:17:16.

out of the middle of our town centre. I know the borough council

:17:17.:17:21.

is working with many, including me, to see what we can do to ensure we

:17:22.:17:26.

bring more life into our beautiful town centre.

:17:27.:17:36.

Staffordshire has an excellent volunteering organisation,

:17:37.:17:44.

Staffordshire women's aid. They have just opened a new refuge and I hope

:17:45.:17:52.

my colleagues will come and open it at some point. Stafford is also

:17:53.:18:03.

building a large number of houses. By and large, the houses are being

:18:04.:18:09.

in the right place. I would like to point out the problems that

:18:10.:18:13.

speculative development brings. When you have a good local plan, there is

:18:14.:18:17.

no need for speculation because we have the number of houses planned

:18:18.:18:22.

that we need. Speculative development just wastes time. I

:18:23.:18:30.

would like to thank my friend for his support following the closure of

:18:31.:18:34.

the power station in my constituency and I was wondering if he would join

:18:35.:18:39.

me in trying to get all parties to do everything they can to get that

:18:40.:18:44.

site redeveloped as quickly as possible. Of course, and might

:18:45.:18:50.

honourable friend has done an incredible work on that. I will

:18:51.:18:56.

support in any way I can because it is on the boundary of my

:18:57.:19:01.

constituency as well. Two is a quick points about housing and planning.

:19:02.:19:05.

One is the lack of enforcement. I have raised this before. It is

:19:06.:19:09.

important that when permission is given, it is carried out in the way

:19:10.:19:14.

it is given and builders and developers do not try to add bits or

:19:15.:19:19.

take away bits that have not been approved. Secondly, could we find a

:19:20.:19:23.

way to ensure that the new roads into new housing estates are quickly

:19:24.:19:27.

available on maps and especially electronic maps. For many months or

:19:28.:19:34.

years, those roads do not appear so people do not how to get to the new

:19:35.:19:38.

houses being built. I want to talk briefly about health. Our hospital

:19:39.:19:47.

is now doing well. The accident and emergency Department is seeing more

:19:48.:19:52.

people in 14 hours a day than it did in 24 hours at its peak. I will

:19:53.:19:57.

continue to urge for the restoration of 24-hour services which I believe

:19:58.:20:01.

is vital. We are seeing refurbishment of many of the wards

:20:02.:20:06.

in the hospital. The stroke unit at Stafford is under review. This is a

:20:07.:20:11.

rehabilitation work and many of my constituents have pointed out how

:20:12.:20:16.

important it is. It is all very well talking about helping people to be

:20:17.:20:20.

rehabilitated at home. If that is best for the patient, fine, but

:20:21.:20:23.

there are cases where patients are better served by going as day cases

:20:24.:20:28.

or four if you hours to the rehabilitation ward in Stafford. I

:20:29.:20:36.

also raised this morning the question of drug and alcohol

:20:37.:20:40.

treatment. We are facing a potential cut of up to half in funding for

:20:41.:20:47.

that, potentially closing the service. This House to be stopped

:20:48.:20:54.

somehow. I also raised the question of health visitors. The money

:20:55.:20:58.

dedicated to health visitors is under review if not being cut.

:20:59.:21:03.

Health visitors play a vital role in Staffordshire and across the

:21:04.:21:08.

country. Reducing the numbers would be counter-productive and will only

:21:09.:21:11.

lead to more pressure on acute hospitals. The funding of the NHS is

:21:12.:21:17.

a long-term issue and that is why I have joined with The Member For

:21:18.:21:26.

North Norfolk and the right honourable member for, his

:21:27.:21:30.

constituency has gone out of my mind, the former Secretary of State

:21:31.:21:36.

for DWP, for Birkenhead, of course. We are looking at ways we can do

:21:37.:21:42.

more, look at a longer term funding picture for the NHS and social care,

:21:43.:21:48.

because it is quite clear that after 2020, even if the current plans go

:21:49.:21:53.

ahead, and I support them, we will see major holes in health service

:21:54.:21:59.

funding. On transport, I raised in the leader's questions last week,

:22:00.:22:04.

the transport Select Committee wrote an excellent report and I would ask

:22:05.:22:09.

the government to look at this most carefully. I believe that some of

:22:10.:22:13.

this for Lee and running is dangerous. It is now proposed for

:22:14.:22:19.

junctions 13, 14 and 15 in my constituency and before this goes

:22:20.:22:25.

ahead I want them to look at having the system that operates on the M 42

:22:26.:22:30.

Smart motorway bridge a better system than the permanent for the

:22:31.:22:34.

running we have seen elsewhere. As far as real is concerned, we have

:22:35.:22:40.

had the Norton Bridge viaduct put in on the West Coast Main Line. That is

:22:41.:22:45.

bringing great improvements and I am in favour of this, just as I am

:22:46.:22:51.

against HS2, continue to be against HS2, because there are much better

:22:52.:22:58.

alternatives. There are alternatives which are, in my view, cheaper and

:22:59.:23:03.

provide greater conductivity for more cities across the country. Just

:23:04.:23:10.

finally on real, there is a proposal for a massive real freight

:23:11.:23:13.

interchange in my constituency, which would take up many, many acres

:23:14.:23:18.

of green belt. We have a look at this most carefully. The proposals

:23:19.:23:24.

put forward by the developers are simply not acceptable. They have two

:23:25.:23:28.

be looked at very carefully. It is a national issue but I would urge the

:23:29.:23:32.

Minister to look at this most carefully to see if they're not

:23:33.:23:34.

alternative sites for this interchange.

:23:35.:23:56.

To the attention of the government again. When giving evidence to the

:23:57.:24:05.

Defence Select Committee for the 26 frigates, first Sea Lord and chief

:24:06.:24:09.

of the Naval staff, Tony Douglas, in response to a question on when the

:24:10.:24:14.

type 26 design would be approved replied, and I quote, I cannot give

:24:15.:24:18.

you a time and date, it could be next year. This suggestion could

:24:19.:24:23.

place the type 26 programme in the Clyde into an indefinite delay. That

:24:24.:24:27.

would be wholly unacceptable and nothing short of a betrayal of the

:24:28.:24:31.

workers on the Clyde. The Ministry of Defence needed to be clear, open

:24:32.:24:37.

and honest about the level of uncertainty that the type 26

:24:38.:24:43.

programme faces. The new defence procurement Minister could give no

:24:44.:24:47.

assurances on the future of the contract, which were promised to the

:24:48.:24:51.

Clyde shipyards. The future of the programme has been cast into very

:24:52.:24:56.

serious doubt and this news came less than 24 hours after the

:24:57.:25:05.

Tories... They voted on Mass for the renewal of Trident. A blank cheque

:25:06.:25:10.

has effectively been written for weapons of mass destruction. My

:25:11.:25:15.

honourable friend asked the Defence Secretary on Monday if the massive

:25:16.:25:21.

expense of Trident in the analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies,

:25:22.:25:27.

that GDP might be reduced by up to 3.5% as a result of the Brexit vote

:25:28.:25:31.

and would result in a backward in public finances of up to ?40 billion

:25:32.:25:36.

in 2020 and what that meant for defence procurement. The Defence

:25:37.:25:41.

Secretary could not give an answer. I will give way. I think economists

:25:42.:25:50.

seem to get it consistently wrong. They got it wrong on Brexit. They

:25:51.:25:56.

can't talk about 2040, they cannot get it right for next week as far as

:25:57.:26:00.

I can see. Their forecasts are always wrong. I thank the honourable

:26:01.:26:08.

member for his intervention, however it doesn't matter what you think it

:26:09.:26:13.

is, we will be spending up to ?205 billion on a weapon of mass

:26:14.:26:15.

destruction that could kill hundreds of thousands of people worldwide and

:26:16.:26:21.

is based in Scotland, so, I am sorry if I do not agree with the

:26:22.:26:26.

honourable member. The nuclear weapons programme has a knock-on

:26:27.:26:29.

effect to the rest of the defence procurement budget. With other

:26:30.:26:33.

massive projects in the pipelines, such as the type 26 frigates, the

:26:34.:26:37.

ring fencing and generous contingencies given to Trident is

:26:38.:26:42.

affecting this project and it would appear that the workers in the Clyde

:26:43.:26:45.

are paying the price for the obsession in the benches of --

:26:46.:26:50.

opposite with Trident. I cannot stress how much of a betrayal this

:26:51.:26:55.

is to those shipyard workers, to their families and the communities

:26:56.:26:59.

that depend on this work. We have had assurance after assurance from

:27:00.:27:04.

the UK Government in this place and in Scotland and now we are suffering

:27:05.:27:09.

from the continuing uncertainty and mismanagement of the type 26

:27:10.:27:13.

programme. Every penny spent on Trident is a penny less spent on

:27:14.:27:17.

conventional defence, including the type 26 frigates programme. GMB

:27:18.:27:24.

Scotland organiser Gary Cook admitted in April that the type 26

:27:25.:27:30.

programme, it had 750 million removed from its budget. During the

:27:31.:27:34.

debate on Monday, the issue of jobs were brought up. When we voiced

:27:35.:27:38.

concern about weapons of mass destruction, we are told to shut up

:27:39.:27:42.

and be grateful for the jobs. They are doubtlessly at the expense of

:27:43.:27:47.

other livelihoods and it seems the government only care about defence

:27:48.:27:51.

jobs when it suits their agenda. The e-mails have shown that delays in

:27:52.:27:55.

the type 26 combat vessels are to cost the taxpayer more money than

:27:56.:28:02.

falsehood. The type 26 frigates were due to be built by the AE systems

:28:03.:28:06.

with work beginning in December. The MOD then asked for savings of ?500

:28:07.:28:13.

million to be made over five years, refusing the offer from BAE Systems

:28:14.:28:18.

to save ?275 million and begin the work on time. The delays have now

:28:19.:28:24.

put jobs at work are at risk. The delays in building work will end up

:28:25.:28:27.

costing the taxpayer more money in the long term, which has been echoed

:28:28.:28:35.

by admirable Lord West. The delays showed the ideological obsession of

:28:36.:28:40.

the government with making cuts, it was. I got back on the deal and

:28:41.:28:44.

rejected the offer from BAE Systems to make savings were beginning the

:28:45.:28:49.

work on time, the Tories have confirmed that they are prepared to

:28:50.:28:53.

put jobs at risk and waste taxpayer money pursuing cuts across all

:28:54.:29:01.

sectors of government. The point is coming through here that assurances

:29:02.:29:05.

were given to workers on the Clyde in 2014. Promises were made and they

:29:06.:29:10.

have been betrayed. In a week where we have committed to a 40 year

:29:11.:29:15.

programme on Trident, that sticks in the crop that these workers are

:29:16.:29:19.

waiting to have the promises made in 2014 delivered. He takes the words

:29:20.:29:27.

right out of my mouth. I was about to say that Scotland has come to

:29:28.:29:32.

expect cuts and broken promises from this government and we remembered

:29:33.:29:35.

the pledges that were made a couple of years ago. The Tory government

:29:36.:29:41.

told us during the independence referendum that jobs in shipbuilding

:29:42.:29:45.

would be safe if Scotland voted no. Their promises were made to the

:29:46.:29:51.

workers in the Clyde before the referendum. It is an unforgivable

:29:52.:29:56.

betrayal of the workforce and people in Glasgow and across Scotland would

:29:57.:30:01.

not be quick to forget. Now, Madam Deputy Speaker, on a lighter note,

:30:02.:30:07.

not that that is out of the way, I would like to take this opportunity

:30:08.:30:12.

to wish the Speaker, his deputies and all House of Commons members a

:30:13.:30:17.

very enjoyable, relaxing and safe summer recess. I wish to thank all

:30:18.:30:22.

the estate staff, including the table office, the House of Commons

:30:23.:30:25.

library, committee doorkeepers and all the people in the tea rooms. A

:30:26.:30:34.

special thanks have to go to the clerks and staff ago after myself

:30:35.:30:38.

and other honourable members in the Scottish affairs committee. I wanted

:30:39.:30:43.

to get that on record. I spent my time, as all others will, back in my

:30:44.:30:49.

constituency, working hard. We have to put in a break to recharge our

:30:50.:30:53.

batteries before returning to Parliament in September, so I wish

:30:54.:31:02.

every member a happy summer. A little over a year ago, I had the

:31:03.:31:07.

privilege of delivering my maiden speech, during which I set out my

:31:08.:31:11.

pledges to my constituents. I emphasised the point that it is not

:31:12.:31:15.

where you come from but when you are going and it is our duty in the

:31:16.:31:19.

cells to create opportunities. I would like to use this debate to

:31:20.:31:23.

discuss the engineering skills gap and the work I have done to open up

:31:24.:31:28.

opportunities in my constituency. One of my key pledges was to back

:31:29.:31:33.

business and help them create and retain local jobs and encourage more

:31:34.:31:38.

apprenticeship schemes. Ensuring that got people young and old are

:31:39.:31:41.

aware of the fantastic opportunities available in Wiltshire. Inspired

:31:42.:31:46.

them to know that we have some leading companies, the list is

:31:47.:31:55.

endless, in the past year I have visited over 100 local businesses to

:31:56.:31:58.

learn more about what the government can do to support them and what they

:31:59.:32:06.

need. I must stress, it is business as, job creators, good job -- jobs

:32:07.:32:14.

and put food on the table in my constituency, not politicians. We

:32:15.:32:19.

have record levels of employment. This was boosted yesterday by the

:32:20.:32:23.

features that came out. Record numbers of apprenticeship schemes.

:32:24.:32:27.

There is still a lot more to do the nature of disadvantaged get

:32:28.:32:29.

opportunities and to tackle the problem we have with long-term

:32:30.:32:35.

unemployment. The real issue in my constituency is one you find when

:32:36.:32:39.

you look deeper. The real problem is the skills gap. The skills gap in

:32:40.:32:44.

technical, design and engineering rules. In September this year, I am

:32:45.:32:48.

holding the inaugural Wiltshire Festival of engineering where over

:32:49.:32:53.

40 local manufacturing and engineering companies will be. They

:32:54.:32:59.

will meet over 1200 local school pupils and the

:33:00.:33:20.

I pledged also to address the infrastructure problems we have

:33:21.:33:31.

locally. Unfortunately, due to time commitments, I cannot explain all

:33:32.:33:37.

the things I have been doing to address the long-term traffic

:33:38.:33:42.

problems. I would like to explore the topic of the letter that was

:33:43.:33:45.

sent to the Prime Minister and the new Secretary of State today. It was

:33:46.:33:50.

signed by myself and 86 colleagues from across the House, regarding a

:33:51.:33:55.

slight tweak in the English baccalaureate which we believe will

:33:56.:33:58.

dramatically improve the qualification. I have developed a

:33:59.:34:04.

reputation in this house were banging the drum, but it is a

:34:05.:34:10.

crucial topic. The campaign is to include the new vastly improved

:34:11.:34:13.

design technology GCSE within the English baccalaureate qualification

:34:14.:34:18.

and is supported by the likes of James Dyson foundation, the design

:34:19.:34:23.

technology Association, there are Academy of engineering and a whole

:34:24.:34:27.

host of other businesses and organisations across the country.

:34:28.:34:32.

Early this year I held a Westminster debate on the topic which was very

:34:33.:34:37.

well attended. Many of our constituents suffer from a skills

:34:38.:34:41.

gap that fuels the national and local productivity crisis. The UK

:34:42.:34:46.

faces a number of challenges with an annual shortage of 69,000 annually

:34:47.:34:51.

trained engineers and with only 6% of the engineering workforce being

:34:52.:34:57.

female. Businesses have been telling me they cannot recruit adequately.

:34:58.:35:02.

This might not mean they just leave Wiltshire, but potentially the

:35:03.:35:06.

country. It would turn our market towns into nearly dormitory towns,

:35:07.:35:12.

threatening the very backbone of our communities. It is the government's

:35:13.:35:17.

responsibility to ensure our education system serves our

:35:18.:35:21.

businesses and our economic needs, as well as ensuring students are

:35:22.:35:24.

encouraged into areas that will get them jobs. Despite the fact it has

:35:25.:35:33.

been reformed, it still threatens to underline any progress being made

:35:34.:35:36.

and the stigma associated with careers in engineering. There has

:35:37.:35:43.

been a massive drop in the uptake of designer technology courses and

:35:44.:35:48.

schools offering them. Students do not have the opportunity to taste

:35:49.:35:53.

these types of careers, so how are they supposed to dispel stereotypes

:35:54.:35:56.

and understand what these careers are about. There has been a great

:35:57.:36:02.

deal of investment in designer technology as a chorus and it has

:36:03.:36:08.

been designed over years and is robust, science -based and academic

:36:09.:36:13.

and a valuable option is a GCSE. But this will come too late and it will

:36:14.:36:20.

not stop the growing trend of the uptake of other subjects, meaning

:36:21.:36:25.

that this chorus has been squeezed into a double option box. I hope the

:36:26.:36:31.

new Prime Minister and Secretary of State will bear this in mind. There

:36:32.:36:36.

is an opportunity to include it within the new baccalaureate is one

:36:37.:36:43.

of the science qualifications. This opportunity must be seized upon and

:36:44.:36:48.

I believe the skills shortage is a ticking time bomb and we must get to

:36:49.:36:52.

the grips of it if we are to remain at the forefront of global product

:36:53.:36:58.

design. Madame Deputy Speaker, we have a duty and an economic need to

:36:59.:37:03.

plug the skills gap, both on a local level and a national level and to

:37:04.:37:08.

address our productivity crisis. It is also threatening the very fabric

:37:09.:37:11.

of the market towns in Wiltshire and up and down the country. I have

:37:12.:37:16.

touched upon a few very brief areas of what we can do to improve the

:37:17.:37:22.

situation, in particular reforming the baccalaureate. We must address

:37:23.:37:28.

it to enable and encourage opportunities. If we do not, the

:37:29.:37:32.

ticking time bomb will one day explode. Today at the High Court a

:37:33.:37:42.

group of junior doctors asked the government to clarify its position

:37:43.:37:46.

on the implementation of the new contract for junior doctors. The

:37:47.:37:49.

High Court decided the Secretary of State may have a case to answer and

:37:50.:37:53.

has given them more time to prepare their case. As if this situation

:37:54.:38:00.

could not get any worse, yesterday the Secretary of State for Health

:38:01.:38:04.

demanded ?150,000 in legal fees from those junior doctors. You may ask

:38:05.:38:09.

yourself why this new member for tooting has been jumping up and down

:38:10.:38:13.

in the three weeks since she has been sworn in. This is not about

:38:14.:38:19.

party politics, it is about doing the right thing. Not once has the

:38:20.:38:23.

Secretary of State had the best interests of the patients or doctors

:38:24.:38:28.

at heart. His seven-day week proposal has been fundamentally

:38:29.:38:32.

flawed from the start. But the Secretary of State will not be let

:38:33.:38:39.

off. I will. I find it difficult, surely the Secretary of State for

:38:40.:38:42.

Health is thinking of the patients when he says we ought to have a

:38:43.:38:47.

seven day a week NHS and the ability to see a doctor seven days a week?

:38:48.:38:53.

He is surely thinking of the patients? You may disagree with him,

:38:54.:39:00.

but that is the case. Not once has the Secretary of State for Health

:39:01.:39:03.

had the best interests of the pages or doctors at heart. His seven-day

:39:04.:39:08.

week proposal has been fundamentally flawed from the start. The Secretary

:39:09.:39:14.

of State will not be let off. The junior doctors dispute will not be

:39:15.:39:18.

brushed under the carpet. The facts remain the same and he cannot try me

:39:19.:39:24.

?150,000 if I speak out, so I will make the facts are known. Our

:39:25.:39:30.

hospital departments are terribly underfunded. Staff morale is low,

:39:31.:39:35.

there is a government hell-bent on breaking them. I have met hospital

:39:36.:39:40.

doctors who have finished night shifts after working 12 hours and

:39:41.:39:43.

gone straight onto the next day shift because there are not enough

:39:44.:39:50.

staff to cover. If you are a doctor in 2016, you are constantly faced

:39:51.:39:55.

with a decision. Finish your night shifts and go home, leaving your

:39:56.:39:59.

overstretched team risking patient safety, or stay and work the extra

:40:00.:40:04.

shift, knowing you will be working dangerously long hours without a

:40:05.:40:08.

break again risking patient safety. This is not putting patients first.

:40:09.:40:13.

The procedures set out by the Department of Health are not being

:40:14.:40:18.

followed. The rule book set out to safeguard the women and men on the

:40:19.:40:22.

NHS front line are not being followed. What will it take for this

:40:23.:40:27.

government to realise the NHS is in crisis and the imposition of this

:40:28.:40:30.

new contract will turn the crisis into a disaster? From the very

:40:31.:40:36.

outset the junior doctors dispute has been based on false promise with

:40:37.:40:43.

lack of robust evidence. If the Secretary of State for Health goes

:40:44.:40:46.

into any hospital this weekend, he will notice it is already open and

:40:47.:40:50.

providing the best possible service re-sources will allow. When I was

:40:51.:40:56.

working as a doctor in St George 's Hospital in tooting I worked night

:40:57.:41:01.

and weekend and by department operated 24 hours a day, seven days

:41:02.:41:09.

a week. I want to put on record my appreciation and admiration for all

:41:10.:41:12.

of the doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, receptionists,

:41:13.:41:18.

admin staff and hospital porters who make hard to work this happen, who

:41:19.:41:22.

are already keep our hospitals open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

:41:23.:41:28.

This government is attempting to open more NHS departments at the

:41:29.:41:32.

weekend. But what we do not support is the attempt to create a fully

:41:33.:41:38.

seven-day NHS with a stretched five-day team. It cannot be

:41:39.:41:45.

delivered cost neutral, that is a fact. This will overstretched staff

:41:46.:41:50.

leaving dangerous rotor gaps in the week and it undervalues the evening

:41:51.:41:53.

and weekend time of our junior doctors. If the Secretary of State

:41:54.:42:00.

goes ahead with this imposition without adequate resource, it is

:42:01.:42:03.

patients who will pay the dangerous price. He expects the current pool

:42:04.:42:10.

of staff to fill a bigger rotor and they will worsen during the weekdays

:42:11.:42:16.

instead of the weekends. Before looking at changing contracts, he

:42:17.:42:18.

must look at the recruitment and retention crisis. NHS struggles to

:42:19.:42:25.

recruit doctors into acute specialities, such as my own,

:42:26.:42:30.

emergency medicine. Young doctors start with high hopes and Ben Lee.

:42:31.:42:36.

Junior doctors want protection from their employer, they want to know

:42:37.:42:40.

that they can honestly report illegal working hours before they

:42:41.:42:45.

become fatal. They do not have this because fundamentally the new

:42:46.:42:51.

guardianship role mean they would be expected to report to the very

:42:52.:42:53.

people who can influence the progression of their training and

:42:54.:42:58.

the very people you may be applying the pressure to work longer, more

:42:59.:43:02.

dangerous hours, therefore putting patient lives at risk. MSc in this

:43:03.:43:08.

process is health education England, a group not covered by employment

:43:09.:43:14.

law in the UK. Until this changes, junior doctors will fear speaking

:43:15.:43:20.

up. The Secretary of State states that gender equality can be

:43:21.:43:22.

sacrificed to meet a manifesto commitment. Not only is he not

:43:23.:43:28.

acknowledging the deep sacrifices made to family life by young parents

:43:29.:43:35.

to go on sale on the front line, he wants to further punish those who

:43:36.:43:40.

do. How much more must they endure? I was a junior doctor for ten years

:43:41.:43:46.

and I worked in an acute speciality, leaving behind my own babies to help

:43:47.:43:51.

other families in times of need. I do not stand on a political soapbox.

:43:52.:43:55.

I stand from experience, representing all of us who choose to

:43:56.:44:02.

work in the NHS. I am calling on the Secretary of State for Health to

:44:03.:44:04.

face me with guts and answer my questions. Onto a different topic, I

:44:05.:44:11.

am very proud to come from tooting and represent the constituency. I

:44:12.:44:15.

wish to talk about Crossrail if I may. There are regeneration and

:44:16.:44:21.

economic benefits that Crossrail would bring to tooting Broadway.

:44:22.:44:27.

Tooting high Street, Mitcham Road and tooting market would reap the

:44:28.:44:32.

benefits. The opportunity to build hundreds of genuinely affordable

:44:33.:44:34.

homes would help many local residents. Like me, those who are

:44:35.:44:40.

having to read because they cannot afford to buy their own home. Balham

:44:41.:44:45.

has seen many regeneration benefits and has a strong local economy and

:44:46.:44:50.

the upheaval building a new station is something residents have voiced

:44:51.:44:58.

worries about. I am very clear that Crossrail needs to come to tooting

:44:59.:45:02.

Broadway and I will do everything I can as the MP for tooting to ensure

:45:03.:45:08.

this happens. The transport benefit is greater and building a station

:45:09.:45:13.

here would enable direct access to Wimbledon and Clapham Junction and

:45:14.:45:16.

offer many new routes into central London. I am calling on the Mayor of

:45:17.:45:22.

London and the Department for Transport to bring Crossrail to

:45:23.:45:25.

tooting Broadway. I hope all of you will enjoy the summer recess. Can I

:45:26.:45:32.

start by congratulating my honourable friend on his new role.

:45:33.:45:37.

Trains have been a common theme this afternoon, so I thought I might

:45:38.:45:40.

stick to this theme to start off with. I recently joined council

:45:41.:45:45.

readers and the honourable member for Walsall South at an event to

:45:46.:45:52.

look at the progress of electrification. Engineering works

:45:53.:45:58.

that have been taking place in Walsall town centre have been truly

:45:59.:46:03.

impressive. I have been amazed how the works have been undertaken

:46:04.:46:06.

underneath all of the shots, but in such a way that they did not have to

:46:07.:46:11.

close. Whilst the engineering works are due to be completed as planned

:46:12.:46:17.

by the end of 2017, it has come to light that the electric trains

:46:18.:46:22.

required may not be available for up to a year. This news came about

:46:23.:46:28.

following various questions and letters I had been writing. I was

:46:29.:46:33.

concerned about this, Madam Deputy Speaker. I was concerned about the

:46:34.:46:39.

gap in time between electrification being completed and the trains being

:46:40.:46:44.

on the line. The electrification, once it is all up and running, it

:46:45.:46:50.

will mean faster trains and a more regular service which will alleviate

:46:51.:46:55.

many of the issues faced by current passengers, most particularly

:46:56.:47:00.

overcrowding. However, without the actual 323 trains, passengers will

:47:01.:47:05.

not be able to enjoy the benefits of faster and more regular service.

:47:06.:47:17.

I recently wrote to my honourable friend about this issue. As a former

:47:18.:47:26.

resident and councillor, he is familiar with this train man and has

:47:27.:47:31.

been supportive in terms of the electrification project. I do hope

:47:32.:47:34.

the new Secretary of State for Transport will be equally

:47:35.:47:38.

supportive, although I don't think he could possibly know the name of

:47:39.:47:43.

each of the bridges along the line as his predecessor did. I will be

:47:44.:47:48.

raising the specific issues with the new Secretary of State as I want to

:47:49.:47:54.

insure the passengers can enjoy the benefits of the electrified line

:47:55.:47:56.

soon after the engineering works complete. Madam Deputy Speaker, I

:47:57.:48:04.

have spoken several times about this. Last month saw the end of

:48:05.:48:12.

electricity generation at the power station. Now, my immediate

:48:13.:48:15.

priorities have been about helping to support the workforce finding new

:48:16.:48:22.

jobs and I was particularly pleased to see so many people at my job fair

:48:23.:48:27.

last month and I do hope that everyone who is working at the plant

:48:28.:48:34.

is successful in finding a new role. One of the other consequences of the

:48:35.:48:38.

power station closure is the loss of business rates to the District

:48:39.:48:43.

Council, equating to around ?1 million a year, not an insignificant

:48:44.:48:51.

sum for a Council of this size. Whilst some of this gap will be met

:48:52.:48:59.

by a new development. It will be coming to Cannock soon. In the short

:49:00.:49:05.

term, before that is built, there is a financial problem that the Council

:49:06.:49:11.

faces. So, there is a bit of a gap to be filled. I recently attended a

:49:12.:49:15.

meeting with the minister, Mike honourable friend, The Member For

:49:16.:49:19.

Nuneaton, and met with leaders from the council. We called on the

:49:20.:49:24.

government to provide transitional funding. I just wanted to use this

:49:25.:49:30.

as an opportunity to put this on the record as well. With the phasing out

:49:31.:49:37.

of coal-fired power stations by 2025 and with several announcing the

:49:38.:49:42.

closure or part closure in the coming years, Cannock District

:49:43.:49:47.

Council is unlikely to be the only council facing financial

:49:48.:49:50.

difficulties as a result of the loss of business rates. I would urge the

:49:51.:49:54.

government to consider ways to financially support those councils

:49:55.:49:57.

who are affected by the closure of coal-fired power stations. Thank

:49:58.:50:07.

you. Can I just make one other point? Slightly flippantly, but for

:50:08.:50:14.

generations of soldiers, that power station has been vital to learning

:50:15.:50:20.

the art of resection, of working out where you are, because from miles

:50:21.:50:24.

away you could see it and you take a bearing on it and you go on the back

:50:25.:50:28.

bearing and you work out where you are. It would be sad not to have

:50:29.:50:32.

that aid to teaching our soldiers how to map read. I totally agree

:50:33.:50:46.

with my college. Those towers, which you can see from his constituency,

:50:47.:50:52.

we don't necessarily agree on the beauty of the iconic cooling towers,

:50:53.:50:57.

I have to say. Madam Deputy Speaker, I will move away from power stations

:50:58.:51:01.

and would like to talk about the fantastic work at the new life

:51:02.:51:06.

foundation for disabled children, a charity in my constituency which

:51:07.:51:10.

provides specialist equipment for disabled and terminally ill children

:51:11.:51:14.

across the UK. Last week I was really proud to sponsor their

:51:15.:51:20.

operation which, I have to say, was incredibly impactful. New DWP

:51:21.:51:26.

figures show the number of disabled children has risen dramatically to

:51:27.:51:33.

roughly 1 million, an increase of 20% over the last ten years. For

:51:34.:51:39.

some time, the government have been calculating public funding for the

:51:40.:51:42.

provision of paediatric equipment based on not .8 million, an outdated

:51:43.:51:49.

statistic. I would like to support new life in their calls for the

:51:50.:51:52.

government to review the statistics they use to calculate public funding

:51:53.:51:59.

and I would like to raise this with the minister when we return in the

:52:00.:52:05.

autumn. Just one last thing, Madam Deputy Speaker. My office manager

:52:06.:52:10.

will not forgive me if I do not mention Watchman five. Watch man

:52:11.:52:18.

five is the Staffordshire Regiment mascot and he is the entry to the

:52:19.:52:27.

Parliamentary dog of the year competition. I would like to take

:52:28.:52:31.

this opportunity to urge people to vote for Watchman five. It is a

:52:32.:52:42.

great pleasure to follow the honourable fading for Cannock Chase

:52:43.:52:48.

is the proud owner of a college staff the cross, now sadly deceased,

:52:49.:52:52.

I wish Watchman five well as well. Madam Deputy Speaker, I am grateful

:52:53.:53:00.

to speech today about a matter that has happened today and to which I

:53:01.:53:03.

alerted the House with a point of order earlier today and that is the

:53:04.:53:05.

announcement that the government written statement, alongside 29

:53:06.:53:12.

other written statements, of major increases in tuition fees for the

:53:13.:53:19.

year 2017-18. I want to talk about the very specific impact that is

:53:20.:53:26.

going to have on students who study in my constituency and those who

:53:27.:53:32.

come from my constituency to study elsewhere. I want to say, by way of

:53:33.:53:38.

context, but I think the way in which the government has dealt with

:53:39.:53:42.

this matter is really very reprehensible. Only two days ago in

:53:43.:53:50.

this chamber we spent five or six hours debating the higher education

:53:51.:53:57.

and research Bill. In that they'll there was a teaching excellence

:53:58.:54:01.

framework with which we had some vigorous discussion about whether it

:54:02.:54:05.

was ready to link these to them or not, but at no time in that process

:54:06.:54:09.

was there anything said from the front bench as they had an

:54:10.:54:13.

opportunity to do on this particular issue. Now, today, we have an

:54:14.:54:22.

announcement that from 2017-18, for those who pass a test, and I will

:54:23.:54:27.

come onto the test in a moment, those universities and colleges

:54:28.:54:31.

which pass a test, fees for students will now be ?9,250 per year. Am

:54:32.:54:39.

afraid, as I said in the debate on Tuesday, this just underlines that

:54:40.:54:43.

the teaching excellence framework is being used as a cash coupon because

:54:44.:54:49.

it demands evidence of excellence in the year. It actually demands, and

:54:50.:54:55.

that, reading from the statement that was issued today, that they

:54:56.:55:01.

meet a rating of meets expectations. I think that have to be a great

:55:02.:55:08.

mangling of the English language and he said that meets expectations is

:55:09.:55:11.

the same as reaching excellence and that is what the teaching excellence

:55:12.:55:16.

framework is supposed to do. The minister himself, when he spoke

:55:17.:55:22.

about the potential for rises, not the actual statement, in the Queen's

:55:23.:55:27.

Speech, he said I can confirm that the rate of inflation applying the

:55:28.:55:30.

maximum fees for institutions demonstrating high quality teaching

:55:31.:55:36.

is 2.8% to stop I am not suggesting the Minister has been economical

:55:37.:55:40.

with the facts with the statement is economical with the facts, but to

:55:41.:55:44.

link it in the way that has been done could be regarded as economical

:55:45.:55:51.

with the truth. I said I wanted to do with the particular impact on

:55:52.:55:56.

people and, of course, it is not just a question of of increasing

:55:57.:56:00.

fees, it is a question of increasing loans to match that increase and

:56:01.:56:07.

that will hit now in due course all those potential students from

:56:08.:56:12.

disadvantaged backgrounds. There are something like half a million of

:56:13.:56:16.

them in this country. For them, nearly 40 thousand are studying at

:56:17.:56:23.

further education colleges that the higher education. That includes my

:56:24.:56:30.

excellent local college which has been in my constituency, was built

:56:31.:56:34.

with funding from the previous Labour government in 2008 and now

:56:35.:56:38.

has more than 2800 students studying there. Those students are now going

:56:39.:56:45.

to be hit by a double knock from having their grants taken away and

:56:46.:56:50.

future students as well, from 2017-18, and having to pay a fee of

:56:51.:56:57.

?9,000, they are now going to have to pay 2.8% on top of that. If we

:56:58.:57:04.

are interested in getting young people from disadvantaged

:57:05.:57:07.

backgrounds into higher education and if we are interested in getting

:57:08.:57:12.

their contribution in local economies like the North West, this

:57:13.:57:17.

is not the way to go about it. If I can quite some other features, there

:57:18.:57:22.

are 1800 students in this position of being... There are 1000 at the

:57:23.:57:33.

Manchester group of colleges. If you look at universities that cater to a

:57:34.:57:39.

large number of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, 8000 at

:57:40.:57:46.

Manchester University. I have chosen those examples because they are all

:57:47.:57:49.

within the catchment area that young people in Blackpool who might not be

:57:50.:57:54.

able to go to a university fritter away are likely to choose. If really

:57:55.:58:00.

is not satisfactory to proceed in the way in which the government has

:58:01.:58:04.

done on this. Apart from anything else, it will tarnish the reputation

:58:05.:58:09.

of the teaching excellence framework and it is not good for the processes

:58:10.:58:15.

of This House. This should have been discussed and will be, eventually,

:58:16.:58:19.

voted on in the year. Instead of which, the Minister could have

:58:20.:58:25.

addressed on Tuesday, the field to do so, clearly they weren't feeling

:58:26.:58:28.

strongly in their case. What I wanted to ask members of the House

:58:29.:58:33.

to reflect on, as well as the damage this will do to the people I am

:58:34.:58:37.

talking about, is the dangerous slope that we go down and which we

:58:38.:58:40.

went down this year when major issues that going to affect people

:58:41.:58:44.

will be dealt with by statutory instruments which is what is being

:58:45.:58:49.

indicated in the small print of the statement today. I thank him for

:58:50.:58:58.

giving way. Is he aware that another announcement was smitten by the

:58:59.:59:03.

government today, the decision to abolish the student nurse bursaries

:59:04.:59:06.

which will have some really serious implications for social mobility and

:59:07.:59:10.

higher education in the health service? I am grateful to him for

:59:11.:59:16.

making that point. It is a very germane point because the abolition

:59:17.:59:22.

of NHS bursaries and their replacement by loans is going to

:59:23.:59:27.

have a similar dampening effect on social mobility and, particularly if

:59:28.:59:31.

I can say so, in the north-west where there are large numbers of

:59:32.:59:37.

students and large numbers of institutions where students have

:59:38.:59:43.

been turned out very successfully for the benefit of our national

:59:44.:59:46.

health services, including in Blackpool and I can think of one

:59:47.:59:51.

member of my own constituency who has gone down that route. This is

:59:52.:59:56.

going to hit the process. I want to end by making... By juxtaposing

:59:57.:00:03.

those lives and careers I have talked about with the necessity to

:00:04.:00:08.

do proper processes in This House. If we are going to make decisions

:00:09.:00:12.

like this, they should not be sneaked out in a written statement

:00:13.:00:17.

when ministers do not have the opportunity to deal with any

:00:18.:00:20.

discussion would debate for at least six weeks and I would like to say to

:00:21.:00:26.

the junior minister on the bench and put it on the record that I for one,

:00:27.:00:30.

and I am sure many of my colleagues, when this matter comes to the House

:00:31.:00:34.

were expected to be dealt with on the floor of the House and not

:00:35.:00:37.

squirrelled away in some statutory instrument. Congratulations to my

:00:38.:00:48.

friend for becoming deputy the House. There are a number of issues

:00:49.:00:52.

I would like to raise. London City Airport has been a great success and

:00:53.:00:56.

I urge the government to approve the development programme that would

:00:57.:01:00.

result in 32 extra flights, 2 million more passengers and it would

:01:01.:01:05.

double the contribution to the national economy from the airport. I

:01:06.:01:09.

recently met with a company about their sport move programme. So far

:01:10.:01:20.

they have been responsible for 200,000 hours of activity and

:01:21.:01:24.

education in Beaufort Hundred and 50 schools over the last year. I

:01:25.:01:29.

support the activities and their chocolates are delicious. A

:01:30.:01:32.

12-year-old boy called Oliver Key suffered a fatal cardiac arrest

:01:33.:01:37.

during a swimming race in March 2000 11. A trust was set up in his name

:01:38.:01:41.

and more than 800 defibrillators have been placed in schools and

:01:42.:01:46.

organisations and we have one in Southend. Hope colleagues will

:01:47.:01:51.

support the foundation. 54% of the United Kingdom population

:01:52.:01:56.

experiences a skin condition over 12 months. It might be eczema or skin

:01:57.:02:01.

cancer. I urge my colleagues at the Department of Health to ensure that

:02:02.:02:05.

a dedicated leader for dermatology is appointed to address the trimming

:02:06.:02:10.

of General The fit for work UK coalition have

:02:11.:02:24.

met me to discuss what they want to do in ensuring and encouraging

:02:25.:02:27.

people with long-term conditions such as arthritis are able to return

:02:28.:02:31.

back to work and I do support them in their work. Now, the cervical

:02:32.:02:40.

cancer trust have revealed that over every year 3,000 people are

:02:41.:02:44.

diagnosed with cervical cancer, it should be of great concern to this

:02:45.:02:50.

place that the screening rates are falling. I visited Edinburgh Zoo,

:02:51.:02:55.

because I had complaints from constituents about the way the

:02:56.:03:00.

animals were kept, I'm delighted to report I thought Edinburgh zoo was

:03:01.:03:05.

marvellous and animals are very well kept now in the zoo.

:03:06.:03:23.

Southend uthend hospital has had tragic consequences through people

:03:24.:03:30.

not being diagnosed, but the department at Southend University

:03:31.:03:38.

Hospital has devised a fast track programme for this condition. I

:03:39.:03:46.

re-opened a business if that is possible in Leigh on Sea and I'm

:03:47.:03:49.

going to make the claim that they are the best fitters of kitchens in

:03:50.:04:00.

Leigh-on-Sea. Ore Over and over again this House talks about what

:04:01.:04:03.

they will do for people suffering mental health difficulties. There

:04:04.:04:10.

are so many people who are placed in the invidious situation of having to

:04:11.:04:16.

get a loved one sectioned. It is very upsetting programme. Rather

:04:17.:04:20.

than keep on staying we will do something about it, we need to

:04:21.:04:27.

improve the care of people with mental health conditions, certainly

:04:28.:04:30.

because as a member of Parliament, I see many more people with mental

:04:31.:04:34.

health conditions than I ever used to. As I hope the House knows,

:04:35.:04:43.

Southend is the alternative city of culture next year. We had a launch

:04:44.:04:47.

last week and it will be the best gig in the country next year. I have

:04:48.:04:53.

raised with the House before how disappointed I'm with the time

:04:54.:04:59.

tabling of trains run by the C2C line. More needs to be done and we

:05:00.:05:04.

need new rolling stock. Last week, we had the second responsible pet

:05:05.:05:10.

ownership competition on the green by Victoria town and the competition

:05:11.:05:19.

was won by my honourable friend. There have been too many instances

:05:20.:05:26.

of food poisoning of dogs in Southend, apparently it is because

:05:27.:05:31.

owners are picking up the mess m I'm delighted the country voted to leave

:05:32.:05:35.

the EU. My goodness aren't there sour grapes on this, I hope the

:05:36.:05:39.

country will come together and make the most of the opportunity we have

:05:40.:05:43.

been given. I'm disappointed that the Chilcot report has been

:05:44.:05:48.

overshadowed. I look forward to the SNP supply day, there must be

:05:49.:05:52.

consequences as a result of the outcome of the Chilcot report. Last

:05:53.:06:00.

week I was in Paris for a rally, supporting the NCRI I hope they can

:06:01.:06:06.

come and speak in this country. The Conservatives took back control of

:06:07.:06:12.

Southend council a month ago and we have inherited a shambles,

:06:13.:06:14.

particularly with waste management, which the member for Walsall South

:06:15.:06:19.

said something about. All members have a nightmare with school

:06:20.:06:24.

catchment areas and I do hope the new Secretary of State can give

:06:25.:06:33.

guidance. I'm not happy with ait ATOS assessments, I'm disgusted with

:06:34.:06:37.

National Grid who have decided to have roadworks in Southend which

:06:38.:06:43.

will gum up the town. I hope the National Lottery will support the

:06:44.:06:48.

Southend festival chorus. I'm not happy with South Essex homes and

:06:49.:06:51.

they should allow the king's money advice centre to stay there and

:06:52.:06:58.

finally I visited the worshipful company of Goldsmiths and they're

:06:59.:07:04.

doing great work with... Grateful for giving way. I'm surprised he

:07:05.:07:09.

said finally without having mentioned that our football club

:07:10.:07:13.

West Ham United will have moved into the new Olympic stadium and played

:07:14.:07:17.

their game and I'm sure he will want to wish them well for the seasons

:07:18.:07:24.

and years ahead. I absolutely do. My first topic on city airport I was

:07:25.:07:27.

going to say what wonderful supporters they are of West Ham

:07:28.:07:32.

United and our old manager is now running the England football team,

:07:33.:07:35.

good luck with that. I hope that West Ham will be the Premier League

:07:36.:07:42.

next year after the wonderful achievements of Leicester. I want to

:07:43.:07:49.

congratulate Goldsmiths who are a fantastic company. They're one of 12

:07:50.:07:54.

in London and their charter dates back to date 1327 and they give a

:07:55.:07:59.

huge amount of money to charity and they are excellent as far as

:08:00.:08:05.

apprenticeships are concerned. I wish you, Mr Speaker the other two

:08:06.:08:09.

deputies, all the people who work in the House and colleagues a very

:08:10.:08:18.

happy summer. Thank you. There has been a number of contributions

:08:19.:08:24.

today, many have touched on the issues I wish to raise. My hope my

:08:25.:08:28.

contribution will match their quality. I want to talk about what I

:08:29.:08:36.

consider to be the Holy Trinity, not Law, Best and Charlton, but three of

:08:37.:08:42.

most important pillars of politics - jobs, homes and health. I believe

:08:43.:08:45.

people can have confidence they have security and fairness at work, have

:08:46.:08:49.

a roof over their head a they will be cared for if they fall ill, then

:08:50.:08:55.

those are the foundations, the building blocks for creating a fair

:08:56.:09:00.

and equal society. I should make it clear these principles are only the

:09:01.:09:03.

start and there is so much more beyond them, but I want to address

:09:04.:09:08.

these points, because unless we get the basics right we can't hope to

:09:09.:09:12.

address anything else. Turning to each of the issues. I have said

:09:13.:09:16.

before that a policy on jobs doesn't just mean we should aim for full

:09:17.:09:22.

employment, but value the quality of jobs created. That means they must

:09:23.:09:26.

be permanent, secure and properly paid. We saw in the EU referendum

:09:27.:09:35.

that telling someone on his zero hours contract there is a risk to

:09:36.:09:41.

their job from Brexit did not cut it. A culture views employment as a

:09:42.:09:47.

disposable concept and people don't know from one week to the next how

:09:48.:09:51.

many hours they will work or if they will work. But still people wonder

:09:52.:09:58.

why millions chose to reject the status quo. For those who have

:09:59.:10:04.

secured perm Nantes employment -- permanent employment, work place

:10:05.:10:09.

protection is pathetic. How can someone give two years of their life

:10:10.:10:13.

to an employer and find themselves cast aside without reason or

:10:14.:10:17.

recompense. How can we build a country where people feel confident

:10:18.:10:21.

to plan their future if we have such a casual attitude to the means by

:10:22.:10:29.

which they can built their future. People shod know if they do a good

:10:30.:10:34.

job they're going to be rewarded properly and are likely to stay in

:10:35.:10:39.

work. What we have instead is a hire and fire culture where workers are

:10:40.:10:47.

seen as disposable commodities. The replacement of people with machines

:10:48.:10:51.

has always been with us, but the future looks bleak for millions

:10:52.:10:58.

whose jobs are set to become automated, artificial intelligence

:10:59.:11:07.

will decimate jobs. Many politicians see this as progress, others are

:11:08.:11:12.

unaware of future and nobody has yet come up with a compelling strategy

:11:13.:11:18.

for how we respond to this challenge for every count in the western world

:11:19.:11:23.

F we don't start thinking and how we tackle this, the wave of resentment

:11:24.:11:28.

that led to Brexit vote will feel like a ripple in the pond. Turning

:11:29.:11:33.

to homes, I know that in every surgery I hold there will be people

:11:34.:11:37.

who can't get on the council waiting list, can't afford rents and because

:11:38.:11:41.

of their circumstances can't countenance owning a home of their

:11:42.:11:45.

own. Even for those in secure employment, they find themselves

:11:46.:11:48.

unable to match that with a sxur home of their own and successive

:11:49.:11:55.

governments have failed to address this, but the current administration

:11:56.:11:59.

seem determined to decimate social housing. We have sites where

:12:00.:12:03.

planning permission has been granted, but almost everyone has had

:12:04.:12:09.

one stage or another been amended to remove the obligation to build

:12:10.:12:16.

affordable housing and with the insecurity at work matched by

:12:17.:12:19.

insecurity at home leads to resentment being magnified. The

:12:20.:12:28.

final pillar of the three is health. We are incredibly fortunate to live

:12:29.:12:33.

in a country that you can be assured if you fall ill you will receive the

:12:34.:12:39.

best medical treatment in the world free of charge. But the Labour

:12:40.:12:44.

Party's proudest achievement of NHS is in danger. What has been the most

:12:45.:12:50.

unpredictable time in cent history with so many job changes, some would

:12:51.:12:56.

say one of biggest surprises from this period is that the member for

:12:57.:12:59.

Surrey is still in his job as Secretary of State for health. Be

:13:00.:13:06.

NHS is in a mess. There have been five years of decline and all the

:13:07.:13:09.

things that people would worry about. Those are not my words, they

:13:10.:13:16.

the words of Chief Executive of NHS improvement. The NHS is failing to

:13:17.:13:28.

meet targets and NHS trusts had a combined deficit of 2.54 billion and

:13:29.:13:31.

the situation continues to deteriorate. But the Secretary of

:13:32.:13:35.

State is still in his job. I know I have talk about employment security,

:13:36.:13:38.

but that is surely taking things a step too far. Only this week, the

:13:39.:13:43.

health committee confirmed that the Government's claim that they're

:13:44.:13:47.

putting additional ten million into the NHS does not stand up to

:13:48.:13:50.

scrutiny and they have put the actual figure at less than half

:13:51.:13:55.

that. They say accounting devices are being used to balance the books

:13:56.:13:58.

to give the impression that the situation it better than it is.

:13:59.:14:01.

These devices include moving hundreds of millions from a

:14:02.:14:07.

stretched cap pal budget -- capital budget. This deprives investment and

:14:08.:14:14.

stores up problems and it moves funds from the public health budget

:14:15.:14:20.

which is a false economy. There is the workforce crisis, 15% of

:14:21.:14:28.

clinical posts vacant in London and 3.5 billion spent on agency staff.

:14:29.:14:34.

That will only worse within the abolition of nurse bursaries. It is

:14:35.:14:40.

a toxic cocktail. How long before a minister says the situation is

:14:41.:14:47.

unsustainable and the idea of free treatment has to be sacrificed. So

:14:48.:14:54.

in conclusion, I consider the three pillars needed for society are

:14:55.:15:01.

crumbling. My party will spend the sum Serce discussing our leadership

:15:02.:15:08.

candidates, but I hope there will be an opportunity to consider how we

:15:09.:15:13.

tackle the challenges and provide a united front and if we can and look

:15:14.:15:18.

and sound like a government wait to rebuild our society, we will have

:15:19.:15:23.

half a chance of being able to do that. Thank you and congratulations

:15:24.:15:31.

to the deputy leader for his well deserved appointment to the front

:15:32.:15:37.

bench. After a rollercoaster few weeks in UK political history it is

:15:38.:15:41.

a wonderful opportunity to come here to talk about the needs and concerns

:15:42.:15:46.

of our constituents and it has been a great pleasure to have a canter

:15:47.:15:57.

around the UK today. I represent a new town in east Shropshire, the

:15:58.:16:03.

burst birthplace of industrial revolution and it has embraced

:16:04.:16:07.

change and made the most oef every opportunity. And it is a fantastic

:16:08.:16:16.

place to live and work and it is playing its part in the fourth

:16:17.:16:22.

industrial revolution. With a unique urban/rural mix it has an identity

:16:23.:16:25.

of its own and a spirit of determination. And it always makes

:16:26.:16:31.

the best of the cards it is dealt. Telford faces a number of challenges

:16:32.:16:36.

that are often seen in any rapidly growing new town from, a lack of

:16:37.:16:40.

infrastructure to pressure on doctors' waiting list and school

:16:41.:16:48.

places, and back in early 2013 when I set out my stall to be the MP, I

:16:49.:16:54.

pledged to fight to bring down youth unemployment and so I was delighted

:16:55.:17:00.

by yesterday's job figures. That do show that Telford's youth

:17:01.:17:03.

unemployment rate continues to fall to record lows.

:17:04.:17:21.

Another pledge was to fight for a new critical care centre to be

:17:22.:17:26.

located at the Princess Royal Hospital. A further one was to

:17:27.:17:33.

protect green spaces and one that was particularly dear to my heart

:17:34.:17:37.

was the challenge of keeping Telford moving. We have a the flora of

:17:38.:17:42.

traffic lights that have sprung up over night when no one could see any

:17:43.:17:47.

need for them at all, causing frustration and delays. In the last

:17:48.:17:51.

few years, there has been progress in almost all of these areas and I

:17:52.:17:56.

am proud to keep on chipping away at these local issues that really

:17:57.:18:00.

impact on the lives of my constituents and does make

:18:01.:18:03.

honourable friend so eloquently said, this is what we are here to

:18:04.:18:08.

do. One area which I can safely say is the most important of all to my

:18:09.:18:12.

constituents is the future of health care in Shropshire and what is to

:18:13.:18:20.

become of the A at Princess Royal. I have championed a new critical

:18:21.:18:24.

care unit to join the existing women and children's unit and it is,

:18:25.:18:29.

regrettably this one issue in these last three years weather has been no

:18:30.:18:35.

at all. As time has ticked by, there has been one missed deadline after

:18:36.:18:39.

another and the explanation for it. A final decision was due in November

:18:40.:18:45.

2015 and it was deferred again to June 20 16th and now I have learned

:18:46.:18:50.

in July 2016, that it is to be deferred to begin to some

:18:51.:18:56.

unspecified date in the future. In November, NHS England was brought in

:18:57.:19:00.

to keep the project on target but to no avail. The whole process has

:19:01.:19:03.

become paralysed, the clinical commissioning groups and clinicians

:19:04.:19:06.

involved seem completely unable to make a decision. By failing to Act,

:19:07.:19:12.

they are choosing to do nothing whatsoever about the future of

:19:13.:19:16.

health care in Shropshire and that is no answer was whether to my

:19:17.:19:20.

constituents who have told me time and again, this is the most

:19:21.:19:24.

important issue to them. While residents worried that they might

:19:25.:19:29.

lose their A provision, services deteriorate and there is a negative

:19:30.:19:33.

impact on the morale of health care workers in the hospitals affected,

:19:34.:19:36.

not to mention the ?3 million worth of cost that the future fit

:19:37.:19:41.

programme has been absorbed in simply not coming to a decision. In

:19:42.:19:48.

Telford we have a very rapidly growing population and we also have

:19:49.:19:53.

extreme health inequalities. People come to Telford all the time and it

:19:54.:19:58.

is absolutely right that when they save up and buy their new dream home

:19:59.:20:02.

that they should expect fundamental services to be available to them.

:20:03.:20:07.

There has been great progress on trains and broadband and the

:20:08.:20:12.

fantastic news on jobs but we also need a health care provision that is

:20:13.:20:17.

fit for our thriving town. I want to use this debate to highlight my

:20:18.:20:22.

constituents's concerns that they write to me about on a daily basis.

:20:23.:20:26.

We need a timetable for the completion of the future fit

:20:27.:20:30.

programme and we need absolute determination to stick to it. If NHS

:20:31.:20:37.

England cannot make that happen then surely the next stop must be the

:20:38.:20:42.

Secretary of State. I am looking forward to my summer in Telford and

:20:43.:20:46.

the great opportunity to spend time with my constituents who I am so

:20:47.:20:50.

proud and fortunate to represent. It is with huge thanks to the backbench

:20:51.:20:53.

business community that all of us have come here today to gather on

:20:54.:21:01.

both sides of the House to debate something and put attention on our

:21:02.:21:05.

constituents because this is what we all do every day of the week. Maybe

:21:06.:21:10.

we don't talk about it as much as we want to put it is a welcome

:21:11.:21:14.

opportunity to highlight that. I wish you a wonderful holiday and

:21:15.:21:18.

everybody else, I hope you have some rest from what has been a

:21:19.:21:23.

frantically busy period in our lives. Thank you. Can I thank you

:21:24.:21:32.

for calling me and can I welcome the deputy leader to his new position

:21:33.:21:37.

and working well for the times ahead. We look forward to speaking

:21:38.:21:42.

to him on many issues. I will bring something different to the House. I

:21:43.:21:50.

felt it was my responsibility to do this. I want to talk about the

:21:51.:21:54.

history of Northern Ireland and the loyal orders. Most people will think

:21:55.:22:02.

of the Orange Order. Being the largest fraternal Protestant

:22:03.:22:06.

organisation in the world, that is understandable. We have other

:22:07.:22:08.

associations linked to and not linked to the Orange Order. I would

:22:09.:22:16.

like to enlighten members about the illustrious apprentice boys of

:22:17.:22:20.

Derry, of which I am a member and have been for 39 years. I am also a

:22:21.:22:25.

member of the Orange Order. The apprentice boys of Derry is not

:22:26.:22:29.

linked to the rank order but membership overlaps. The apprentice

:22:30.:22:35.

boys has a membership of some 10,000 in Northern Ireland, Scotland, the

:22:36.:22:38.

Republic of Ireland and Canada with supporters and affiliates in many

:22:39.:22:41.

other Commonwealth countries. The institution commemorates the siege

:22:42.:22:45.

of Derry and recognises the longest siege in British military history.

:22:46.:22:50.

It goes back to the glorious Revolution which was a bloodless

:22:51.:22:54.

revolution. In that, James II was ousted from power by this place in

:22:55.:23:03.

1688. He gave the English directed Neary and William of Orange. We then

:23:04.:23:09.

assumed responsible for the government in January 1688. King

:23:10.:23:13.

William and theory assumed the throne in March. This led to the

:23:14.:23:21.

siege of Derry and the creation of the apprentice boys and the Battle

:23:22.:23:28.

of the point as well. In November 1688 there were two garrisons that

:23:29.:23:32.

were not loyal to James. They were in Enniskillen and Londonderry. At

:23:33.:23:37.

listened with interest to the honourable member for sterling. When

:23:38.:23:44.

the Earl of action tried to recruit soldiers he went to Scotland because

:23:45.:23:49.

he wanted the six foot tall men and got a force from Scotland. They were

:23:50.:23:53.

from the Scottish Highlands and they set off to Derry and on their way

:23:54.:23:58.

they made sure to strike fear into the hearts and minds of the

:23:59.:24:01.

resistance by the merciless opposition. On the 7th of December,

:24:02.:24:06.

as the forces of the King approached Derry, they were not met with the

:24:07.:24:10.

welcome they expected but with shots and cries of no surrender. 13

:24:11.:24:17.

predispose one of the central pillars of significance and

:24:18.:24:22.

symbolism within the institution. In April 1689, who arrived in the form

:24:23.:24:25.

of reinforcements led by Colonel Cunningham. The governor of the

:24:26.:24:33.

city, Robert Lundy called a meeting with his loyal supporters to discuss

:24:34.:24:37.

the surrender of the city. News of the meeting spread and the citizens

:24:38.:24:41.

were furious. He had to free the city. The impact of that was that

:24:42.:24:49.

unionists and loyalist across Ulster and in Scotland referred to a

:24:50.:24:53.

perceived traitor as a Lundy. His name went down in history for the

:24:54.:24:57.

wrong reasons. The Jacobite army reached the city expecting the

:24:58.:25:03.

inhabitants to be overwhelmed by the presence of the King and to admit

:25:04.:25:09.

them to the city. James repeated that and was refused with cries of

:25:10.:25:14.

no surrender and with shots. Hamilton's forces rounded up

:25:15.:25:21.

hundreds of Protestants and... King James was horrified and he did not

:25:22.:25:31.

approve of the violence. On the 20th of July, two merchant ships sailed.

:25:32.:25:39.

They breached the city and the ships moved in to relieve the city. Up to

:25:40.:25:44.

105 days, the siege was over with 8000 of the 30,000 inhabitants did.

:25:45.:25:49.

Mountjoy and those who oversaw the siege have become iconic and the

:25:50.:25:55.

apprentice boys and in loyalist circles. The siege is commemorated

:25:56.:25:59.

by the apprentice boys of Derry, named after the brave 13. We have a

:26:00.:26:07.

week-long festival which culminates in a parade by members of the

:26:08.:26:10.

apprentice boys of Derry. Oracle colours of the crimson red to

:26:11.:26:16.

commemorate the people who died in those battles. The Institute is now

:26:17.:26:23.

widely commended on how it conducts parades and parades have been

:26:24.:26:26.

peaceful and successful. The parade this year on the second Saturday of

:26:27.:26:30.

August and what is good about it, because of the history, it is the

:26:31.:26:38.

one place in Northern Ireland where there was once contention and now

:26:39.:26:41.

there is not. The agreement to create the city is a catalyst for

:26:42.:26:49.

other parts of the province to have parades peacefully in a mainly

:26:50.:26:52.

nationalist city and to have the tolerance for that to happen. That

:26:53.:26:56.

is the example I would give of how things can happen. It has become a

:26:57.:27:03.

tourist attraction. People from Northern Ireland, the Republic and

:27:04.:27:07.

across the world, to watch the historical enactment that takes

:27:08.:27:11.

place on that day. I would like to commend the apprentice boys for all

:27:12.:27:14.

they have done to make that happen. In conclusion, I want to thank

:27:15.:27:33.

yourself. I am very pleased to participate in debates here. I thank

:27:34.:27:46.

the staff for all their kindness which they give to us and to the

:27:47.:27:51.

Hansard staff who have put me they can understand my accent and my

:27:52.:27:56.

writing and they don't need any more examples of what it should be. I

:27:57.:28:00.

want to thank the people of Stratford for giving me the

:28:01.:28:05.

privilege here to this wonderful political and democratic institution

:28:06.:28:09.

we have. It is a pleasure to be here, to represent Strangford and it

:28:10.:28:13.

is a pleasure to have so many places the frontier. I am grateful for the

:28:14.:28:20.

opportunity to contribute to this debate and to follow my honourable

:28:21.:28:27.

friend. Despite being on different sides of an argument and despite

:28:28.:28:31.

being brought up in Glasgow as a Catholic were the Orange Order were

:28:32.:28:36.

not affectionately regarded by my community, my maternal grandfather

:28:37.:28:44.

was a member of the lodge and the order. His comments about tolerance

:28:45.:28:49.

and understanding and respect for the peace agreement in Northern

:28:50.:28:53.

Ireland are important and that is what we need to ensure it is solid

:28:54.:28:56.

and anything we can do to help, we ought to. I want to raise if few

:28:57.:29:03.

items. The first is the new terminal in London. I have welcomed the

:29:04.:29:09.

Shadow leader to his place, I welcome the honourable gentleman for

:29:10.:29:13.

his new place as well. I wish them success in the new cruise terminal

:29:14.:29:17.

in London is welcome as part of tourism infrastructure. It is

:29:18.:29:25.

costing controversy. One of the big issues in London as we know is

:29:26.:29:30.

inequality which the new mayor has made a priority of his

:29:31.:29:37.

administration. The one deficit for the planning application was that

:29:38.:29:40.

there was no short to ship power supply which means cruise ships will

:29:41.:29:44.

be parking in Greenwich in the middle of London and having to run

:29:45.:29:51.

their big diesel engines 24-7 to power the electricity production.

:29:52.:29:55.

There is no planning no planning requirement, and regulation by the

:29:56.:30:03.

authority, the union or by the UK Government in respect of making this

:30:04.:30:07.

a requirement for the other European ports do a requirement and

:30:08.:30:13.

Southampton are one. I had a long-standing meeting planned with

:30:14.:30:22.

the Minister of State. I got an e-mail from the government on Sunday

:30:23.:30:26.

saying he had been reshuffled and that the meeting was postponed. I

:30:27.:30:29.

would be grateful if the Shadow leader of the House would feedback

:30:30.:30:34.

that we need that meeting to be reorganised as quickly as possible.

:30:35.:30:41.

If I could raise the question of policing reform. A number of major

:30:42.:30:44.

issues on leasehold reform are required. England is one of the few

:30:45.:30:52.

countries in the world which still has leasehold. On fairground rides,

:30:53.:30:57.

excessive service charges, retirement home rip-offs, restricted

:30:58.:31:02.

lengths of leases, expense of dispute resolution procedures. It

:31:03.:31:06.

took us two and half years to get the Department for Communities and

:31:07.:31:09.

Local Government to recognise that there were not too and half million

:31:10.:31:13.

leaseholders in Britain. They have recalculated it to be 4.1 million.

:31:14.:31:21.

Leasehold reform MPs are active. We think there are 7 billion

:31:22.:31:23.

leaseholders and they are being ripped off. This is an area of

:31:24.:31:27.

legislation which needs reform and I am grateful to the leasehold

:31:28.:31:31.

partnership, the charity campaigning in this area, which helps those of

:31:32.:31:36.

us who are forming an all-party group in September and we invite all

:31:37.:31:39.

colleagues to join is to make sure we pressure government to get

:31:40.:31:53.

leasehold reform. Great concern from many friends of Bangladesh in This

:31:54.:31:56.

House over the recent terrorist activity, the recent murders of

:31:57.:32:00.

secularists and intellectuals and academics and bloggers.

:32:01.:32:05.

Lease He organised the very good meeting on attacks on members of

:32:06.:32:13.

minority communities and I would be grateful for all the government can

:32:14.:32:24.

can do to help Bangladesh. I want to raise the question of Chennai 6 and

:32:25.:32:37.

the member of Renfrewshire east. I'm a web of company of ship writing and

:32:38.:32:43.

I know a things about shipping, but there are six Brits in jail in India

:32:44.:32:49.

because they were armed security guards to protect that ship against

:32:50.:32:55.

piracy when it left India. But they breached security regulations. The

:32:56.:32:59.

courts in India can't make their mind up, because they have been

:33:00.:33:03.

convicted and freed and are now in jail and have been there for a

:33:04.:33:08.

thousand days. I would urge the deputy leader to impress on the

:33:09.:33:16.

Foreign Office the efforts to get these men released. And people have

:33:17.:33:18.

been working hard to look actual their families. I have mentioned

:33:19.:33:24.

West Ham United I wish them well in their new stadium and they will go

:33:25.:33:29.

from strength to strength as did the member for Southend. I wish to

:33:30.:33:40.

congratulate Mile End air cadets, of whom I'm the president, lieutenant

:33:41.:33:45.

Nichols and his volunteers achieved another fantastic year for the young

:33:46.:33:52.

people in the cadets and every secondary school in Tower Hamlets

:33:53.:33:58.

are all punching above their national average in the educational

:33:59.:34:04.

performance league tables and people in London are having a great start

:34:05.:34:09.

in life and east London is sharing the wealth of the city for the first

:34:10.:34:13.

time in history. This is an important generation. I want to

:34:14.:34:19.

congratulate all my constudents who received -- constituents who

:34:20.:34:24.

received honours in the new year's or queen's birthday list and

:34:25.:34:27.

congratulate them on their achievement. Especially Dr Sheila

:34:28.:34:39.

Fitzpatrick, who I declare is my wife and for her award on the work

:34:40.:34:46.

with the sea cadets and the orphanage in bash what -- Bangladesh

:34:47.:34:53.

and other activities. I'm very proud of what she has achieved and innen

:34:54.:34:58.

collusion if I -- in conclusion if I can wish you and your team and all

:34:59.:35:03.

the staff of the house and colleagues a restful recess. Thank

:35:04.:35:13.

you. It is hearten to end on a climatic point to congratulate Mrs

:35:14.:35:17.

Fitzpatrick. It has been a splendid debate and I believe this is part

:35:18.:35:20.

of, one of the joys of Parliament that they havest -- that we have

:35:21.:35:32.

this day. It is politics in miniature, but the issues are of

:35:33.:35:35.

vast importance in our constituencies. I welcome the member

:35:36.:35:39.

to his post as deputy Leader of the House and he is someone we have

:35:40.:35:47.

jousted together on the home affairs committee, where his ferocious

:35:48.:35:50.

skills have terrified witnesses who are subject to a cross-examination

:35:51.:35:55.

that would be worthy of a mass murderer in a High Court and many

:35:56.:36:00.

when they left the select committee room went out seeking the number of

:36:01.:36:08.

Samaritans or the counsellor on trauma. He has reached the peak of

:36:09.:36:14.

his Parliamentary career, that was on the debate to congratulate her

:36:15.:36:20.

Majesty this year. And he told an anecdote that will live long in the

:36:21.:36:27.

legend of this House and concerned the matter of the positioning of a

:36:28.:36:32.

chain around the unicorn's neck, on the... In the Westminster hall. And

:36:33.:36:40.

this anecdote was described by a writer in the Daily Telegraph, who

:36:41.:36:46.

uses the traditional admirable English gift of understatement as

:36:47.:36:52.

the single most boring anecdote of all time! I mean where can you go

:36:53.:37:00.

with his career from that major achievement? We have had a

:37:01.:37:06.

fascinating list of possible holiday destinations presented before us.

:37:07.:37:11.

From harrow, which is a place to go, if you are, interested in yoga, the

:37:12.:37:18.

yoga paradise of world, but watch out, because it is a hell hole for

:37:19.:37:23.

those who accumulate garden waste and they have the highest charges in

:37:24.:37:28.

the whole of the country. We have heard of joys of ghillies in

:37:29.:37:36.

Stirling, that is the Gallic word for a servant, for this magnificent

:37:37.:37:41.

occasion when the ghillies came out and banged their drums and convinced

:37:42.:37:46.

the English army there were reinforcements on their the way and

:37:47.:37:50.

we have heard of joys of other parts of Bushy Park in Twickenham, where

:37:51.:37:57.

the airport should be bigger, should not be bigger, but should be better.

:37:58.:38:06.

For those with exotic taips taste is there a festival of engineering in

:38:07.:38:11.

Chippenham, that will set the pulses races of all of us. A continuing

:38:12.:38:18.

theme today was transport and there were at least seven members bemoaned

:38:19.:38:23.

the deficiencies of privatised health service and could I commend

:38:24.:38:30.

to all of them a report made in this House in 1993, under the great

:38:31.:38:39.

Parliamentarian Robert Adeney who sadly ly died on the Sunday

:38:40.:38:46.

breakfast -- before the report was published. And it was about

:38:47.:38:52.

privatisation and the subjects we are talking about. He was a great

:38:53.:38:59.

expert on railaways ways and I believe it is the supreme report of

:39:00.:39:03.

any committee in my time in this House and we are seeing the legacy

:39:04.:39:10.

now and the problems are ones of privatisation and the difficulties

:39:11.:39:15.

from them, rather than the difficulties of encountered by civil

:39:16.:39:19.

servant, by any disputes that have taken place. We have heard and I

:39:20.:39:25.

think it was to the great credit of the member for Blackpool to cleverly

:39:26.:39:32.

use this debate to point out the government's publication of 29

:39:33.:39:36.

reports today that can't be scrutinised in the House and brought

:39:37.:39:42.

attention to the very important increase in the level of fees and

:39:43.:39:50.

loans that would be suffered and the withdrawal of bursaries for student

:39:51.:39:53.

nurses. These are vital matters and are just two of the 29 reports that

:39:54.:40:00.

have been published today in order presumably to bury bad news. The

:40:01.:40:11.

other points made by the member made a very impassioned plea on behalf of

:40:12.:40:19.

those who are suffering from government policy on poverty in the

:40:20.:40:24.

country. We often talk about the general economic state, but this was

:40:25.:40:30.

the, what happens at the level of the family and the difficulties that

:40:31.:40:36.

have arisen and this was a speech I think that we all read with great

:40:37.:40:45.

interest. From the member for Nottingham and Norwich North raised

:40:46.:40:52.

the crucial problem that worries us, the alienation of young people post

:40:53.:40:59.

Brexit. We realise that we do have a legacy of, from Brexit and the

:41:00.:41:03.

deficiencies in our electoral system for which we will pay a high price

:41:04.:41:09.

unless we tackle them with major reforms. The member for Rutherglen

:41:10.:41:19.

raised the problems of the defence budget, where spending on

:41:20.:41:24.

conventional weapons is being denied, or delayed, while spending

:41:25.:41:33.

on the useless virility national symbol has been approved. And great

:41:34.:41:38.

congratulations too for the member for Tooting, who who is noticed is

:41:39.:41:47.

lucky enough to be married to a Welshman. It is like being upgraded

:41:48.:41:53.

on a plane. She made the powerful point that what the government is

:41:54.:41:58.

doing with its plans for the health service is trying to stretch a

:41:59.:42:06.

seven-day health service into a five-day funding and pointed out the

:42:07.:42:11.

key weakness and spoke with great knowledge and experience of this

:42:12.:42:17.

matter and again she is a great asset to this House and we will I am

:42:18.:42:23.

sure will have a great career and why the forecast of the past Prime

:42:24.:42:28.

Minister that she be in the Shadow Cabinet in a day, it has been

:42:29.:42:32.

disappointing that has not been fulfilled, but there a few weeks to

:42:33.:42:38.

come where perhaps that will come true. I would just want to thank

:42:39.:42:42.

everyone for what they have said today and I believe I can't go into

:42:43.:42:47.

all the details of what was raised. I am sure that this is Parliament at

:42:48.:42:52.

its very best, doing the work, not on the great issues that we

:42:53.:42:58.

pontificate about but the bread and butter issues that concern or

:42:59.:43:03.

constituents. I believe all these issues will have the ear of the new

:43:04.:43:08.

Leader of the House and his deputy and we look forward for instant

:43:09.:43:16.

results and before we return in September. Thank you Mr Speaker. It

:43:17.:43:25.

is a pleasure to make my first appearance apt this dispatch -- at

:43:26.:43:33.

this dispatch box and opposite the shadow deputy leader and other

:43:34.:43:37.

positions that I'm informed that the member for Newport west holds no

:43:38.:43:42.

fewer than four shadow office positions. I'm reminded of the

:43:43.:43:50.

classic film kind hearts and cornets where Alex Guinness plays all the

:43:51.:43:57.

roles, I would invite him to consider more responsibility,

:43:58.:44:00.

because that character ended up a Duke. I know his reference to her

:44:01.:44:09.

Majesty's birthday, if he wants to hear more about the story of the

:44:10.:44:15.

unicorn, when he next has a couple of days I will give him more

:44:16.:44:20.

details. We heard from a number of MEPPest members and it -- members

:44:21.:44:27.

and it is an opportunity to expand on the activities of constituents

:44:28.:44:33.

and issues and difficulties that are being faced else wrchlts I will give

:44:34.:44:37.

way. I am grateful, before he proceeds could I add the

:44:38.:44:41.

congratulations of myself and other members of Home Affairs Select

:44:42.:44:45.

Committee to see him in ministerial appointment and to in fact to have

:44:46.:44:50.

two former members of select committee opposite each other today

:44:51.:44:58.

occupying six jobs between them. But I can also congratulate the leader

:44:59.:45:02.

of House who I first met when he was chairman of an organise over 40

:45:03.:45:06.

years ago. And he has got to the cabinet at last. Well, fit weren't

:45:07.:45:14.

for the chairman of Home Affairs Select Committee, no doubt we still

:45:15.:45:18.

be all in our original positions still. Where we will be in due

:45:19.:45:24.

course is another matter altogether. But thank you for, I thank him for

:45:25.:45:31.

his support. The member from Harrow spoke about the issues of flooding

:45:32.:45:36.

and that is something that is of considerable concern and the

:45:37.:45:43.

difficulties with flash flooding and that is something that his

:45:44.:45:47.

constituents will be grateful to him for having raised. He is well known

:45:48.:45:56.

for his representation of all communities in his constituency. But

:45:57.:46:00.

he also spoke of the advantages of yoga. I know that you have often

:46:01.:46:08.

recommended to members to take up yoga in certain circumstances, I

:46:09.:46:11.

don't know whether you and my friend from Harrow would like to get

:46:12.:46:14.

together on that subject. We will await further interest on that. The

:46:15.:46:25.

gentleman spoke of problems with southern eastern trains and he

:46:26.:46:29.

wasn't the only member who spoke about train issues today. Clearly

:46:30.:46:34.

there are some issues there and that is one issue that he will have

:46:35.:46:40.

raised to his constituents and to others. The member for Gloucester

:46:41.:46:47.

spoke about the railway station there and how there are insufficient

:46:48.:46:53.

services there, but I heard him mention his own cycling expertise. I

:46:54.:46:59.

notice he has a rather painful black yieshgs I was sorry to hear about

:47:00.:47:06.

that. But I am rea sured the whips had nothing to do with it. I hope he

:47:07.:47:08.

is well. No doubt people will want to visit

:47:09.:47:24.

Gloucester. The honourable lady from Mitch spoke of her suspect -- her

:47:25.:47:28.

success in dealing with B and I would like to congratulate her.

:47:29.:47:36.

Where there are examples of those blaming the living wage for lower

:47:37.:47:40.

remuneration packages, that would be short-sighted. It is not in the

:47:41.:47:44.

spirit of the National Living Wage and I am sure B are acting

:47:45.:47:49.

accordingly. The honourable gentleman, my friend, ultimately,

:47:50.:47:57.

what I would say about the position of the office of Freeland Road is

:47:58.:48:04.

that it is ultimately open access decisions are for them to determine

:48:05.:48:09.

at the respect their independence. However, I would recognise the

:48:10.:48:13.

potential benefits that open access competition can deliver for railway

:48:14.:48:18.

passengers and others. The honourable lady from Walsall South,

:48:19.:48:24.

I understand that the Queen's handbags are made in her

:48:25.:48:26.

constituency. Another quality product. She indicated that the

:48:27.:48:34.

local authority was not listening to her or her residence in respect of

:48:35.:48:41.

road bumps and no doubt they will want to be rejuvenated in their

:48:42.:48:48.

attention to her representations. She also spoke about later. That is

:48:49.:48:52.

something that resonated and other members spoke of that. It is a major

:48:53.:48:58.

problem and she wanted to restart the keep Britain tidy campaign. I

:48:59.:49:01.

will ask the relevant Department to write to her about that. The

:49:02.:49:10.

honourable lady from Twickenham spoke about and what could see the

:49:11.:49:15.

medical expert is coming out in her remarks to the chamber because she

:49:16.:49:21.

spoke about the importance of when it is too hot in crowded trains that

:49:22.:49:25.

water be provided on platforms and also spoke about noise issues when

:49:26.:49:33.

it comes to an aircraft and other pollution issues. Her expertise

:49:34.:49:36.

brings a great deal of richness to the House. The honourable gentleman

:49:37.:49:46.

from Nottingham North who helped create the backbench business

:49:47.:49:51.

committee, I am right in saying, apposite to credit him with that and

:49:52.:49:54.

to say how much we appreciate that this afternoon as so many members

:49:55.:49:59.

have taken part in this debate, he spoke of disadvantaged areas in his

:50:00.:50:04.

constituency and the casework that he deals with. I was struck by the

:50:05.:50:08.

fact that he thanked his staff in the way that he did and the

:50:09.:50:12.

wonderful success that he and his staff have achieved for Max and for

:50:13.:50:17.

many others. I congratulate him on that. My honourable friend from

:50:18.:50:25.

Norwich North spoke about Brexit and I know that she is particularly

:50:26.:50:29.

alive to the issue of young voters and I think she is on the committee

:50:30.:50:38.

for voter registration. It is recognised in This House, the value

:50:39.:50:43.

of her work in respect of young voters and that is not something

:50:44.:50:48.

that will be forgotten about. It is very important indeed. The

:50:49.:50:53.

honourable gentleman from Stirling spoke about quarrying and I wish

:50:54.:51:00.

them well with his lobbyists. It is a devolved matter but is lobbying

:51:01.:51:09.

will be something that gets the requisite amount of attention at the

:51:10.:51:13.

local authority in his area. Certainly, the area he described

:51:14.:51:16.

sounds very pleasant indeed as a wooded area. My honourable friend

:51:17.:51:25.

from Stafford, I would thank him for welcoming the military regiments

:51:26.:51:29.

that he spoke of coming to his area. He spoke also of the County hospital

:51:30.:51:35.

doing well and I know and the House knows him to be a powerful advocate

:51:36.:51:40.

for his area. We heard also from the honourable lady for Hamilton West

:51:41.:51:46.

who I had the pleasure of debating with in Westminster Hall yesterday.

:51:47.:51:58.

I can say to her as far as the T206 warships are concerned, they are not

:51:59.:52:01.

indefinitely delayed. My information is that is not correct. It struck me

:52:02.:52:10.

that she took the particular care to thank the staff on the Scottish

:52:11.:52:12.

affairs committee and the clerks there and wished them well over the

:52:13.:52:18.

summer recess. My honourable friend from Chippenham spoke of engineering

:52:19.:52:27.

skills gaps and it struck me on this occasion that, as far as the

:52:28.:52:31.

Wiltshire Festival of engineering is concerned, that sounds impressive.

:52:32.:52:35.

She is arranging that in her own constituency and I know there are

:52:36.:52:41.

wonderful opportunities there. She said she visited 100 local

:52:42.:52:45.

businesses in the pasture. What a superb ambassador for job creators

:52:46.:52:50.

in her constituency. The honourable lady from tooting, I would like to

:52:51.:52:56.

welcome to her place. Congratulations for her by-election

:52:57.:53:02.

success. She was a vocal advocate for junior doctors in her remarks

:53:03.:53:06.

but I can assure her that my road honourable friend, the Health

:53:07.:53:09.

Secretary, goes very deeply about the national Health Service, its

:53:10.:53:13.

patients and is its staff. She will agree with me that legal action is

:53:14.:53:17.

expensive and unnecessary and unwarranted and we hope the matter

:53:18.:53:22.

can be resolved. The honourable lady from Cannock Chase spoke of the

:53:23.:53:29.

power station in her constituency and some discussion was hard about

:53:30.:53:34.

its beauty or otherwise. That is a matter for extensive debate but she

:53:35.:53:38.

did indicate that she held a job spare in her constituency and no

:53:39.:53:45.

doubt that this extremely welcome from those who came from and work at

:53:46.:53:51.

the power station and many others. I was very interested to hear about

:53:52.:53:59.

Mill Green. I look forward to my invitation. She did mention watch 15

:54:00.:54:06.

who I believe is the dog of the year. We wish Watchman five well.

:54:07.:54:18.

The honourable than the Blackpool spoke about tuition fees and I am

:54:19.:54:26.

pleased to be given to reassure the honourable gentleman that the

:54:27.:54:30.

statistics show that there are more disadvantaged young people now gone

:54:31.:54:34.

into university education than ever there were under the Labour

:54:35.:54:38.

government and that would have thought it would be proud to welcome

:54:39.:54:41.

the written statements that have been released today because it gives

:54:42.:54:46.

the House and its members a wide opportunity over the next six weeks

:54:47.:54:51.

to study would those written statements say and return to it

:54:52.:54:57.

fully refreshed in the autumn. My honourable friend from Southend West

:54:58.:55:04.

gave his usual extremely impressive performance. If I may, as he has

:55:05.:55:08.

mentioned dozens of separate items, I will write to him. I wasn't able

:55:09.:55:16.

to write them down fast enough by hand. There are many matters that he

:55:17.:55:20.

raised. What I did want to do is to send my best wishes to his mother

:55:21.:55:26.

who I know is 104 years of age. He did mention Joe's cervical Cancer

:55:27.:55:34.

trust and know that we would support their work, raising awareness of

:55:35.:55:37.

cervical cancer and the importance of cervical screening is. It is just

:55:38.:55:42.

one of the things he mentioned amongst many very important issues.

:55:43.:55:50.

The honourable gentleman from Ellesmere Port was concerned about

:55:51.:55:55.

housing and employment security and the NHS. He will be reassured, one

:55:56.:56:00.

hopes, to hear that this government has built more housing than Labour

:56:01.:56:07.

did and its 13 years and, of course, that this government introduced the

:56:08.:56:11.

National Living Wage and is supporting the national health

:56:12.:56:18.

service to the June of ?10 billion. My honourable friend from Telford

:56:19.:56:24.

spoke about Telford passionately and said it is an expanding town. It is

:56:25.:56:31.

very proud of the fact that youth unemployment is at record lows. So

:56:32.:56:38.

much is being done to continue business investment in that town.

:56:39.:56:42.

She did say there were too many traffic lights and no doubt many

:56:43.:56:47.

members of This House will have some sympathy with that. The honourable

:56:48.:56:54.

gentleman from strong forward will be reassured that not only Hansard

:56:55.:56:58.

could understand him but everybody in the chamber can understand him.

:56:59.:57:03.

He spoke passionately about the history of Northern Ireland and the

:57:04.:57:06.

Orange Order and it was a fascinating, if brief history

:57:07.:57:10.

lesson. No doubt we will hear more in due course. The honourable

:57:11.:57:19.

gentleman for popular and Limehouse spoke of the air quality in London

:57:20.:57:25.

which members from all across the country would no doubt have an

:57:26.:57:32.

interest in as here in the House of Commons we are subject to it. It is

:57:33.:57:42.

not quite as bad as the great stink was in the Victorian period when the

:57:43.:57:45.

curtains at the Palace of Westminster had to be true in line

:57:46.:57:50.

in order to disguise some of the aroma but there are still pollution

:57:51.:57:55.

issues and no doubt he will continue to keep alive to those issues and

:57:56.:58:01.

represent his constituents accordingly. I can say aye will ask

:58:02.:58:06.

the deaf Department to write to him about the rescheduled meeting that

:58:07.:58:11.

he will appreciate that with the changes that have occurred in recent

:58:12.:58:17.

days it is regrettable that his meeting had to be postponed but it

:58:18.:58:22.

can be rearranged. He mentioned also the shipwrights company of which he

:58:23.:58:25.

is a proud member and made the important point about those who are

:58:26.:58:33.

detained in India and I will ask the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to

:58:34.:58:38.

write to him about that. Can I take this opportunity, Mr Speaker, to

:58:39.:58:44.

wish everyone well over the summer recess, particularly the staff of

:58:45.:58:50.

the House, you Mr Speaker Andreu deputies, the chairs of all of the

:58:51.:58:54.

committees, not only the Home Affairs Select Committee, but all of

:58:55.:58:59.

the committees. Perhaps particular good wishes to that one. The staff

:59:00.:59:08.

of the House and, as many members have done, the retiring staff member

:59:09.:59:18.

of the House, now Lena Dave Kearney who I understand is just approaching

:59:19.:59:22.

the 30th anniversary of her employment here. She has served

:59:23.:59:29.

generations of members of Parliament with generous, kindness and generous

:59:30.:59:38.

of spirit. It is an honour and privilege to serve in This House. It

:59:39.:59:48.

is a duty that is born with great humility and service by everyone on

:59:49.:59:54.

all sides. To be a servant of This House and to appear at this dispatch

:59:55.:59:59.

box for the first time is a great honour for me. I thank everyone for

:00:00.:00:02.

their good wishes and I wish everyone well for the recess. I am

:00:03.:00:09.

grateful on behalf of the House to the deputy leader whose warmth and

:00:10.:00:15.

good grace have been hugely appreciated and the same goes for

:00:16.:00:19.

the Shadow leader. It seems a fitting conclusion to our

:00:20.:00:23.

proceedings. I wish everyone a very relaxing and revitalising summer

:00:24.:00:28.

break. The question is as on the order paper. I think the ayes have

:00:29.:00:37.

it. The ayes have it. We do come out in motion number two relating to the

:00:38.:00:44.

committee on standards. The question is as on the order paper. The ayes

:00:45.:00:52.

have it. Motion number three, relating to the committee of

:00:53.:00:56.

privileges. The question is as on the order paper. The ayes have it.

:00:57.:01:08.

We come now to the adjournment. I beg to move the House be adjourned.

:01:09.:01:19.

Can I wish the party members a good summer and thank Mr Speaker for

:01:20.:01:23.

giving me the final debate of the session before the summer recess.

:01:24.:01:29.

And I welcome the new minister as well to the dispatch box who will be

:01:30.:01:34.

replaying shortly. Mr Speaker, I called this debate following the

:01:35.:01:38.

debate if you sicko called by my honourable friend for Jewsbury,

:01:39.:01:43.

because she and I and many Yorkshire members are deeply, deeply concerned

:01:44.:01:49.

about the staffing levels, not just at it Yorkshire trust, but also at

:01:50.:01:54.

other hospitals across Yorkshire and our health service is being

:01:55.:01:59.

seriously affected. We have warned ministers before about

:02:00.:02:09.

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