07/11/2017 House of Commons


07/11/2017

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and in ten and 15 years. We are on

track to and lead to achieve 94 and

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93% of what we need to do. I think

it is good or that he will achieve

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them.

Order. Just before BBD in the

urgent question in the name of

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Matthew Penicuik, I do wish to

emphasise to the house that it is

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narrowly focused. Colleagues sure

will of course I tend to the wording

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and will have already at end of the

honourable gentleman's urgent

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question which is on the matter of

when the Government will provide

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impact assessments on leaving the

European Union arriving from

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analyses provided by the ministers.

Questions must focus on that matter,

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not an occasion for a general rerun

of Brexit related matters. Of which

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I'm sure... We will meet many

examples in the days, weeks and

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months to come but I'm sure

colleagues can it extend energy more

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than adequately on the terms of

which the honourable gentleman has

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drawn. Matthew Penicuik, urgent

question.

Thank you. They ask the

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Secretary of State for Exiting the

European Union if you will make a

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statement on when the Government

intends to provide the committee on

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exiting the European Union with

impact assessment arriving from the

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sectoral analysis carried out by Her

Majesty's ministers.

Mr Speaker, we

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have this morning laid a written

ministerial statement on this issue

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which set out the timeline and the

nature of response to last week's

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notion. During the opposition they

debate, the Department of the

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Secretary of State Robin Walker told

the house there has been some

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misunderstanding as to what this

sectoral analysis actually is, it is

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not a series of 58 impact

assessments. The Secretary of State

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for exiting the EU made the same

point during his appearance before

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the Lord's EU committee of ethics

over and during questions on

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November two. Let me clarify exactly

what the sectoral analysis is. It is

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a wide mix of qualitative and

quantitative analysis contained in a

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range of documents developed at

different times since the

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referendum. It means looking at 58

sectors to help inform our

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negotiating positions. The analysis

examines the nature of activity in

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the sectors, have a disconnected

with the EU currently. -- how trade

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is conducted. And offers

alternatives to have we leave the EU

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as well as looking at existing

precedents. Our analysis is

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constantly evolving and being

updated. It is not and I have never

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been a series of impact assessments

are examining the quantitative

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assessment of Brexit on these

sectors. -- quantitative impact. It

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will take the Government to collates

some -- it will take the Government

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sometime to collate this information

in a way that will be presented to

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the committee of your provider as

soon as possible. We have made

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claims to the house authorities that

he can't they expect this to be no

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more than three weeks.

Matthew

Penicuik.

Here we are again Mr is

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eager. Members from across the house

have repeatedly asked that the

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analyses undertaken by a governing

the release. On each occasion prior

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to the debate on the motion on

Wednesday last week, ministers

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argued that publication of these

analyses would compromise the

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negotiating position. An delegation

did ministers either argue or

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inferred the information did not

exist at this week documents.

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Yesterday in his letter to the

charity site committee, that is what

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the Secretary of State argued. Any

minister tell his house wide? If the

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information call for does not exist

as a series of discrete impact

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assessments, a clear impression that

the allied to develop over many

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months that they do. In a response

they did 29 September 2017 Tribune

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of information requests admitted to

my honourable friend, requesting

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details about the publication of

analyses, the teams they did, and I

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quote, a Department for exiting the

European Union home the information

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you have requested. In his letter to

the charity selling committee, the

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Secretary of State in visit will

take time to collate and bring

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together the information the costs

on SL by other Government

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departments of any Minister confirm

the information given by his

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apartment's team is correct and that

the department hold the information?

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If not, can you Minister tell the

house by the Department were

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committed to state that the

information is held. If it is the

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case that department hold some

information but not all, can you

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Minister tell the house what is

preventing the information that is

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available from being released to the

Brexit committee immediately? Mr

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Speaker, this farce has dragged on

for far too long. Ministers cannot

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use semantics and doublespeak to

avoid the clear instruction that

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this house as given. There can be no

further delay. Ministers just need

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to get on with it.

Mr Speaker, the

honourable gentleman said an

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impression has been allowed to

develop. It was never a purpose to

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allow such an impression to develop.

The situation, and if this teacher,

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-- Mr Speaker, is that the

Government as I have explained

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carried out a wide range of analysis

across the sectors to inform our

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negotiating position. Our purpose is

to develop our negotiating capital,

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not to create the kind of stories

which the honourable gentleman seems

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to be pursuing. The Government holds

a wide range of information across a

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wide range of documents. The

information is provided by the

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apartment and collated by my

department. -- provided by

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departments. It has never provided

quantitative forecasts on those

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sectors. Mr Speaker, what I will say

is I think the public will get the

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Labour Party today, look at what

they are asking for, they will get

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the kind of narrative of which

members opposite of trying to create

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and they will ask, whose side are

they on the? Sign John Whittingdale.

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Thank you, as vice-chairman of

select committee of leaving the

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European Union, can I thank my

friend for his answer? And SAB have

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not actually discuss this matter

formally got from my own point of

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view, can I tell him what he has

said to this now seems to be

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entirely reasonable.

Mr Speaker, I'm

very grateful to my honourable

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friend and I believe it is the case

that my honourable friend, the

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Secretary of State, has spoken to

the chairman of the committee from

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whom I'm sure we will here and I can

confirm another meeting has been

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scheduled.

Mr Speaker, firstly, I

think it's an absolutely astonishing

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that more than 500 days on from the

referendum, these are not prepared

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yet. First of all, that is

astonishing. If they are scrabbling

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together this in three weeks, were

the tide of all. -- will be tied.

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Will he share -- the Secretary of

State for leaving the EU intimated

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to the committee and can you confirm

what other assessments have been

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made that the regional impact of

leaving the European Union as well?

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Mr Speaker, first and foremost I

should say this criticism comes from

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a party which decided to leave the

United Kingdom without deciding what

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currency it would use. What I would

say to him at the sectoral analysis

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has been discussed at the devolved

administrations and DJ MC and we

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will give careful consideration as

and when we share that information

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with the devolved administrations.

-- the JMC. The information we have

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now does not and have never

comprised of quantitative forecast

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of impact not an sectors or on any

region.

This is a storm in a teacup.

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Given the extent of analysis, time

frame seems reasonable given the

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incomplete picture presented, the

opposition would be the first to

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criticise it and suggest you are

hiding something. What I also

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suggested we should not want to

weaken our negotiating hand.

I'm

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grateful to my honourable friend, he

is exactly right. It is the day is

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to go forward and maximise our

negotiating capital in order to

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deliver the best possible deal for

all people in the United Kingdom.

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Thank you very much. We now know

what this material consists of what

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I am concerned to read in the letter

the Secretary of State sent to me

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that ministers now intend, and I

quote, to collate and bring together

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this information in a way that is

accessible and informative for the

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committee. Mr Speaker, I would

expect the committee to receive

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these documents in the form they

were when the motion was carried. In

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other words, an amended. As I lay

clear my to the secretary of state,

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it is for the committee to decide in

what form they are published. -- not

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amended. Any Minister confirm that

is what will happen and there will

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be no further Anju Delay? -- undue

delay?

It is commercially sensitive

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material and contains material which

is relevant to our negotiating

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position. The hours as previously

noted not release information which

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would be prejudicial to negotiating

position. What I would say to the

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honourable gentleman is if we were

to give him and the committee the

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original reports which were

commissioned at the beginning of the

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department's live, he would find

that material was now incomplete and

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out of date. It is our intention to

satisfy the motion by providing him

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information which is relevant and

timely.

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The minister does themselves no

favours by treating a privately

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legitimate requests by the sovereign

parliament for information about the

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most important negotiations to

affect this country for decades by

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turning it into a partisan matter.

In the Secretary of State's letter

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to the right honourable gentleman,

he talks about a wide mix of

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qualitative and quantitative

analysis. And presumably one part of

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that is the model the Chancellor of

30 when he gave evidence to the

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Treasury committee recently that

there is a cross departmental model

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that looks at different impact of

our economy. My understanding is

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that model is available immediately.

While that model be disclosed

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immediately?

The model to which my

right honourable friend has referred

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is not contained within the

documents I carefully studied.

If

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there is nothing of measure in these

documents then what is the point of

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them? On the timing, you were very

clear last week after that votes,

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you talked about days not weeks, and

was also discussion of ministers

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being in contempt of Parliament.

Perhaps you would like to remind the

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minister what the potential

sanctions are for a minister found

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in contempt of Parliament?

I would

say first to him that he has put the

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words of nothing of significance in

my mouth will stop I don't think I

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have ever said that. What rising to

the House is that this central

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analysis does not contain

quantitative rejections of impact as

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the honourable gentleman's vinyl

gems question, that is a matter for

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you, I think, Mr Speaker?

The motion

that has placed passed last week

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without objection referred to the

impact assessments arising from

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those analyses, referring to the

previous list. I can well imagine

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that these assessments are scattered

around different departments and

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different officials are looking at

different bits of work and saying

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does this count as one of these

assessments or not? I think it would

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be unconscionable for the Government

to have come to the House and

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suggested that the Government was

not going to apply this motion and

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was not going to release the

permission. Can I suggest there is

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some private dialogue with the

highly respected chair of the Brexit

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committee on Privy Council terms on

how to resolve this without this

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becoming a matter of embarrassment

that actually disrupts the

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negotiations?

It is our attention to

comply the will of the House, but we

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cannot release what we do not have.

We will bring up for it material

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which is timely, up to date and

informs the Committee. Steps were

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being taken for it to carry out the

appropriate meetings. In response to

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detailed questioning, Defra

ministers revealed the existence of

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a sectoral analysis for waste and

chemical sectors. Given these two

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analyses excess and have been read

by ministers, what is preventing

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their immediate publication?

The

reports I have read on waste and

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chemicals date back to the origins

of the Department and our therefore

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as I said earlier, out of date and

do not reflect our current thinking

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and we wish to inform the Commitee

with the latest information.

I

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attended, unlike the minister, I

think, the entirety of the debate. I

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have gone back on my phone, looking

at the words from the Minister, the

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honourable member for Worcester. I

make it absolutely clear, Hansard is

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absolutely clear, in its

recollection of that debate. The

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nuts and bolts about it were of rich

action. The argument advanced by the

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Government is that there was

material within these papers that

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would be commercially sensitive,

possibly have some impact on the

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negotiations. With the Minister

please take this matter seriously?

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This is a gross content of this

place. The Government was

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specifically asked that wasn't going

to vote against the motion then what

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was its most receiver problem?

Disclose this information properly

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and quickly.

What I say is that

she's possibly being unnecessarily

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unkind to me. I did attend the

entire way. I may have possibly

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slipped out briefly, I may perhaps

have to watch the entire video is be

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the cause of the weekend. What I

potatoes that has been no suggestion

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of redaction from the Treasury

bench, certainly not in the course

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of that debate. They came from the

Opposition front bench... She says

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it's not true. The records will show

that it was the right honourable and

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learned gentleman from Saint Holborn

and St Pancras that stood at the

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dispatch box and in violating his

experience as Director of Public

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Prosecutions, and he offered

redaction, jesting and summaries,

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and he did that in his opening

speech, whatever the honourable lady

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might save.

There are times when

this Government has the stench of

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death about it. Leaderless,

directionless and we learn today

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that their defence is that they are

also contentless. But most

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concerning of all is the most

APPLAUSE

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Attempt today to come to the House

and say that those who ask for this

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information should have their

patriotism questioned.

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This will not stand and it cannot be

allowed to stand. The House gave the

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minister and instruction. So my

question today is to show that in

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this week of oh weeks, a modicum of

confidence and pass the studies to

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the Commitee without redaction as

soon as possible. We have been given

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an instruction and we are seeking to

comply with it and. What I would say

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to him is that there is no question

of being content-free, what we need

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to do is draw it together and

presented to Commitee in a form that

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is useful. I do think it bears

repeating that it is time for this

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House to come together and strife in

the national interest after

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implementing the referendum result

not to seek after anything which

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would undermine our negotiating

capital.

When they're published,

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will the inform the negotiations in

anyway? And in that respect, as he

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sometimes wonder who is side members

opposite are on?

I'm grateful to my

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honourable friend. I think it's

very, very important that we end

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this House did not do the work of

our negotiating partners for them.

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We should go forward in the spirit

of friendship, but it is not our

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place to do analysis of our own

negotiating capital for our

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partners.

I'd actor like to commend

the Minister. I thought it was

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impossible for this Government to

get more incompetent, but they are

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making a very good go of it. When

they release the data, will explain

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why they have done all this analysis

and none of it is quantitative,

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because that does not bear any

credence whatsoever. You do not

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undertake analysis in the do not

check what impact it has.

I'm glad I

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so many honourable friends from

Scotland, I think that gives a

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statement what the Scottish people

think of the competence of his own

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party. What I would say, in so far

that there is quantitative analysis

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in the document that I carefully

studied, it is a statement of the

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facts as they are known at the time

another projects into the future.

I

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think most fair-minded people would

accept it is reasonable that some of

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this material may not be available

until three weeks have expired. But

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Summers material could be available

now or sooner than three weeks. For

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my honourable friend assured the

House that he will do his best to

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make sure that material which is

available before the three-week

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deadline available soon?

It is our

intention to make available again

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here at and up to date set of

information within those three

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weeks. -- a coherent and up to date

set of information.

I hesitate to

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ask this question, because I have an

image on my mind of the most rocking

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up to the office of the right

honourable member for at Central

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with carrier bags asking him to sit

through them. Nevertheless, can be

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honourable member issue meet that

went document is in is made

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available it'll can contain

comparative information about the

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sectoral impact of the different

forms Brexit that the Government has

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considered but discounted?

It's an

interesting question, precisely

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because we wish to avoid unnecessary

information on the Commitee that we

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wish to take the time necessary to

bring together this information and

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an appropriate form. That's what the

honourable lady said. The honourable

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lady has asked for comparative

economic forecast, but I Bourdy said

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repeatedly that this data does not

include quantitative economic

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forecasts.

What the Minister has

said is perfectly reasonable, but I

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do own, to release the documents in

full as soon as possible, because

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redactions only inflame interest. I

lived through many of these rows,

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and once these documents are

published, they are often found to

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be very long and boring. When

parliament phone gets itself

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involves in this odd passion, often

travelling is more fun than

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arriving.

On his final points,

having carefully read the initial

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analysis, I think I can say to him

with some certainty I have already

0:21:080:21:15

set of the House that I have read

the initial round of analysis. What

0:21:150:21:19

I would say to my honourable friend

is that, indeed on this case, I

0:21:190:21:25

think that the arrival will be far

less interesting than the journey.

0:21:250:21:32

The House will be handsomely

staggered to hear ministers say

0:21:320:21:37

today that it is not the case that

the sect analyses exist. This

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secular state said the Prime

Minister had seen the summaries. He

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said they comprised excruciating

detail and that the apartment and my

0:21:460:21:51

response to every of information

requests that the information is

0:21:510:21:54

concluded and as such all the

studies Roberto had been concluded.

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Did the Minister confirm what it is

the Prime Minister is so when the

0:22:000:22:03

Department does not have an? And get

the studies Roberto be released to

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the Select Committee today?

The

honourable lady is conflating

0:22:110:22:19

certain times. There is sent for

analysis, what there is not as a

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quantitative impact analysis

forecasting the future. It might

0:22:220:22:27

help the House if I repeat what I

said earlier. It has been a wide mix

0:22:270:22:34

of quantitative and positive

analysis contained in documents at

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different times since the

referendum. It exports the nature of

0:22:370:22:40

action within the sector is how

trade is currently conducted within

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the EU and in many cases considered

the alternatives after we leave as

0:22:450:22:49

well is looking at existing

precedents.

The House has clearly

0:22:490:22:57

voted for these papers to be

released. My wits advise me not to

0:22:570:23:04

vote against that, so they had to be

released. The Minister is trying to

0:23:040:23:07

be helpful in providing additional

information. I would say ten that's

0:23:070:23:11

not what the House requires. It

requires lots of cardboard boxes

0:23:110:23:16

with the information for the Select

Committee to look at the Select

0:23:160:23:22

Committee would then decide what, if

any, be published.

I am very

0:23:220:23:29

grateful to my honourable friend,

but what I would say to him is that

0:23:290:23:32

the information we have enclosed

commercially sensitive information.

0:23:320:23:36

It includes information which is

material to our negotiating capital

0:23:360:23:39

and an add spice to ministers. I

think House must be very careful not

0:23:390:23:45

to establish precedents which

occurred coming to court, regret.

0:23:450:23:52

De-escalation for the delay is

frankly laughable and wasn't used in

0:23:520:23:57

rejecting my FOI request two weeks

ago. His explanation smacks of

0:23:570:24:01

cover-up and smoke screen. He

questions which side the Opposition

0:24:010:24:06

are on. We are on the side of the

public. When he gains the publishes

0:24:060:24:11

reports, we also publish a report

that the public can have which will

0:24:110:24:14

set out exactly for then the cost of

the Brexit that he so

0:24:140:24:20

enthusiastically endorses?

As I'd

not ceased to say, we are not in

0:24:200:24:27

possession of quantitative studies

forecasting impact of leading the

0:24:270:24:31

EU. But the public deserve is a

hapless House pulled together to

0:24:310:24:38

deliver a result that maximises our

negotiating capital, by not

0:24:380:24:42

releasing any information

prejudicial to the future of the

0:24:420:24:44

country.

0:24:440:24:50

Am Ali 's analysis do not contain

impact analysis, they may contain

0:24:500:24:59

private information. Can reconfirm

that the information in these

0:24:590:25:02

reports will be handled

appropriately with the public and

0:25:020:25:04

the committee?

I'm very grateful to

my honourable friend and as I

0:25:040:25:11

understand, anything has already

been arranged between the secretary

0:25:110:25:13

of state and the chairman of the

committee to do just that.

And

0:25:130:25:20

Geordie public on the whole will

with common-sense agree this timing

0:25:200:25:25

is reasonable. That's back I'm sure

the public. Can I have the Minister

0:25:250:25:29

to make it very clear that these

Government. Until you'll be sitting

0:25:290:25:33

up all night to read when there are

published, they will make no change

0:25:330:25:36

to the Government policy, the policy

of this country that we are leaving

0:25:360:25:41

the European Union, leaving the

single market and the customs union?

0:25:410:25:45

Am very grateful to agree with the

honourable lady anti-government

0:25:450:25:48

policy is as follows. It follows on

from the democratic decision to

0:25:480:25:53

leave the European Union, take back

control of our laws, borders, money

0:25:530:25:57

and trade policy and I'm confident

we'll make a success of it.

You have

0:25:570:26:04

said that this particular question

should focus on the issue of when.

0:26:040:26:09

The minister said within three

weeks. During that period, the

0:26:090:26:11

select committee will have a proper

debate about what they want to see

0:26:110:26:17

and in what format. There is going

to Brussels this afternoon will have

0:26:170:26:21

a candy firstly as Guy dropped that

what the man is the European Union

0:26:210:26:28

will have and Michel Barnier what

plans the commission will have

0:26:280:26:33

supervised the same answers. -- Guy

Verhofstadt. No one would want to

0:26:330:26:45

see us damage this type of

negotiation with another party.

I

0:26:450:26:49

agree with what he said.

For members

opposite as what size they are on an

0:26:490:26:58

assault exercise has been an

exercise in party with management

0:26:580:27:00

over the national interests. The

question is party interest on

0:27:000:27:05

national interests, what side are

they an? On any issue of timing, I'm

0:27:050:27:11

on the situation of British

businesses who have won the Treasury

0:27:110:27:13

that before Christmas in some

sectors, they are having to take

0:27:130:27:18

decisions that are potentially

irreversible and that worsens in

0:27:180:27:20

quarter one of next year. Is three

weeks really a reasonable time frame

0:27:200:27:28

and what could be a reasonable

exhalation for such critical

0:27:280:27:33

information not to be held in a way

that is readily available and

0:27:330:27:36

readily understood?

Mr Speaker, he

refers to an exercise in party

0:27:360:27:42

management but I have to just of the

last two years I very much enjoyed

0:27:420:27:45

working with members of Labour

leader and a Liberal leader. --

0:27:450:27:55

members of Labour Leave and Liberal

Leave full the weakening gauge with

0:27:550:27:58

businesses continuing me and I met

the sexy yesterday. The answer to

0:27:580:28:04

this question is the weeks

reasonable? Yes, -- amid the sector

0:28:040:28:08

yesterday. -- yes, it is reasonable.

Further to the question from my

0:28:080:28:17

honourable friend, the member from

Boston, is our honourable friend

0:28:170:28:20

aware of any request from the

opposition for those EU sectoral

0:28:200:28:23

documents.

No, not aware of any such

request.

The Minister confirmed in a

0:28:230:28:36

response to me on the 13th of

September that the department and

0:28:360:28:39

the analysis. He has confirmed two

day that he has seen the analysis.

0:28:390:28:46

He has then said that there is no

quantitative work that cat is it I

0:28:460:28:51

to the future. The question is why?

-- casts an eye to the future. Why

0:28:510:28:57

has that worked not been done to a

critical issue? Surely he is in

0:28:570:29:02

contempt of the house and we should

repurposed the calibre for his and

0:29:020:29:06

his department heads oche purpose.

-- 40 and his department heads's

0:29:060:29:15

purpose.

I refer to a range of

answers I have already given.

Thank

0:29:150:29:23

you. The sectoral announcements as

the minister confirms will need to

0:29:230:29:28

be released in relevant timing and

have correct information. With the

0:29:280:29:34

Minister agree that neither at

resolving this matter to the

0:29:340:29:37

satisfaction of the whole of this

house is the most important matter

0:29:370:29:45

and long-term damage to the UK is

what no one should be thinking?

As I

0:29:450:29:51

said to because of this debate,

members of this Government

0:29:510:29:54

parliamentarians first thing we do

is to satisfy the house that

0:29:540:29:57

whatever taken hers is the first

priority as a department of securing

0:29:570:30:01

the long-term future of this country

and it is do this and that they will

0:30:010:30:05

bend all our work.

I wonder if he

recognises that with his statement

0:30:050:30:11

to date, he has turned fast into a

new art form. When the axe what size

0:30:110:30:15

they are on, now can I also says we

are on the side of the 29 million

0:30:150:30:20

workers whose livelihoods absolutely

depend on the impact of Brexit on

0:30:200:30:25

the UK economy and can he tell us

pleased and recognise the is

0:30:250:30:29

treating not only the house with

contempt by the British public as

0:30:290:30:32

well.

Al tell you and the house what

is turning fast into an artform and

0:30:320:30:38

that is blogging about the Greek

debt crisis under the hashtag, this

0:30:380:30:44

is a coup and supporting the

European Union as this lady has

0:30:440:30:48

done, that takes the public for

fools. What I would say to her is

0:30:480:30:52

they are all on the side of the

British public, the UK took a

0:30:520:30:57

democratic decision to leave the

European Union and he will now carry

0:30:570:30:59

through that decision.

When they

started are released as a result of

0:30:590:31:08

the opposition Day motion, a key

asset well have been handed to

0:31:080:31:13

negotiating partners within the EU.

When the minister in winning the

0:31:130:31:16

notion of this house, will you

ensure they take as much time as is

0:31:160:31:21

necessary to ensure that the leaky

and the Secretary of State continued

0:31:210:31:23

to act in the matter of national

interest?

We well as they seek to

0:31:230:31:30

satisfy the house and is motion and

it is to that end that the Secretary

0:31:300:31:33

of State will be meeting the

chairman of the select committee.

0:31:330:31:39

People are increasingly concerned

about jobs and the National health

0:31:390:31:42

service. The Minister has given some

very confusing information is

0:31:420:31:46

answers to day. Who will be the

centre of what the MPs in the public

0:31:460:31:52

are allowed to know about these

issues of national importance?

The

0:31:520:31:58

element have a proud record on jobs

and a proud record on the NHS and we

0:31:580:32:01

will continue to give those issues

the first importance.

My

0:32:010:32:08

constituents more than this one is

Government to get on with delivering

0:32:080:32:11

Brexit and can I say is that what

they told me was they were saddened

0:32:110:32:15

that this has had voted as it did

because it does not help our

0:32:150:32:19

negotiating position. What they

would like this house to get on with

0:32:190:32:24

doing and what they would like his

department's officials to get on

0:32:240:32:29

with doing is negotiating our best

possible deal rather than spending

0:32:290:32:34

the time facilitating wins of this

house.

Order! Order! There was an

0:32:340:32:40

unseemly atmosphere in the chamber.

I understand the rising passions on

0:32:400:32:43

the subject but as colleagues

although I visit schools across the

0:32:430:32:48

country and conduct Skype settings

with schools. One question is, why

0:32:480:32:55

do people feel the need to bawl at

each other? We ought to set a better

0:32:550:32:59

example to the next generation of

leaders. Minister.

Mr Speaker, I

0:32:590:33:04

listened carefully to my honourable

friends and what I would say is that

0:33:040:33:08

it is the case that officials and

ministers will have to spend some

0:33:080:33:11

time on this work over the next

three weeks which will of course

0:33:110:33:16

distract both ministers and

officials from the negotiation. That

0:33:160:33:18

is regrettable but we take seriously

the notion which the house has

0:33:180:33:24

passed and the ways in which I set

out, we are seeking to comply with

0:33:240:33:27

it.

This is outrageous. Whose side

are we on? We are on the side of the

0:33:270:33:37

truth being told. The side of the

British people. We are on the side,

0:33:370:33:41

we are on the side of British

workers and is not the case that the

0:33:410:33:46

Minister is simply making it up as

he goes along and treating

0:33:460:33:50

Parliament and the people of Britain

with other contempt.

No, it is not

0:33:500:33:56

the case.

Thank you. Is the Minister

for getting that this time in one

0:33:560:34:05

week, we will have three of 400

amendments before this house and

0:34:050:34:10

does he believe this is a good way

to start the committee stage of the

0:34:100:34:13

EU withdrawal Bill?

And very

conscious of the EU withdrawal Bill

0:34:130:34:18

coming forward. -- I'm very

conscious. I would like to begin

0:34:180:34:23

that stage in a positive spirit of

collaboration in order to deliver

0:34:230:34:27

any national interest. I have sought

to day to give straightforward

0:34:270:34:31

answers to the questions which have

been asked and I stand by what I

0:34:310:34:34

have said.

Sorry, this is turning

into the Government equivalent of

0:34:340:34:42

the dead Parliament sketch. -- dead

parrot sketch. We're comprising the

0:34:420:34:49

negotiating hand but could not turn

up to vote in the first place. The

0:34:490:34:54

secretary of state said the Scotland

offers just that when the basic Tory

0:34:540:34:56

analysis of the impact of the

economy of Scotland with regard to

0:34:560:34:59

Brexit existed and had been shared

with the Scottish Government. Could

0:34:590:35:02

I have him does that exist or does

it not? When will they release that

0:35:020:35:07

information?

As I have said

throughout this urgent questions, we

0:35:070:35:13

are not in possession of qualitative

forecasts of the impact of Brexit.

0:35:130:35:17

We are in possession of sectoral

analysis and it is that which we

0:35:170:35:20

will be reworking on in order to

satisfy the motion.

It is very, very

0:35:200:35:27

simple. Parliament has told the

Government to hand these documents

0:35:270:35:31

over to the committee. The governing

extracts it is a binding resolution

0:35:310:35:37

of the house and will have to do it.

The Government except the things

0:35:370:35:42

exist because the Minister said he

has read them and the Prime Minister

0:35:420:35:45

has read the outlines of them. It is

very simple. He has to hand them

0:35:450:35:51

over to the committee and he has to

do so any timely fashion but he

0:35:510:35:55

seems to think what he can do in the

meantime is rewrite all of these

0:35:550:35:58

documents because they are not good

enough. That is not good enough. If

0:35:580:36:03

I might just say to him, it is all

very well for him to smack, it is

0:36:030:36:07

all very well for him to sneer at is

about patriotism but if you hold

0:36:070:36:12

this housing contempt, he holds the

British public in contempt.

Mr

0:36:120:36:17

Speaker, there is absolutely no

question of us holding the housing

0:36:170:36:22

contempt. We seek earnestly to

deliver a tree house what has been

0:36:220:36:25

requested. I say a gain, what I have

read the initial analysis which is

0:36:250:36:30

conducted by departments at the

beginning of the department and what

0:36:300:36:34

is necessary is to hand to the

select committee not out of date

0:36:340:36:38

documents spread across multiple

documents reducing at different

0:36:380:36:42

times which is now not

representative of our latest

0:36:420:36:46

thinking. We will therefore bring

together the right information to

0:36:460:36:50

provide the select committee.

Listening to the Minister and his

0:36:500:36:58

slippery evasions... It seems to me

that it calls into question why his

0:36:580:37:07

department and he as a minister in

this at all. What is the point of

0:37:070:37:12

the Department if it is not doing

its job?

Order. The honourable

0:37:120:37:21

gentleman is in extremely versatile

and extras parliamentarian and

0:37:210:37:24

should not accuse the Minister of

slippery evasions because there is a

0:37:240:37:30

connotation there of alleged

dishonesty which the honourable

0:37:300:37:32

gentleman normally a good-natured

fellow should withdraw. He has

0:37:320:37:38

already got the thrust of this

point, withdrawal.

Happy to

0:37:380:37:43

withdraw.

Well done.

And most

grateful and I reiterate my

0:37:430:37:48

confidence to answer these questions

directly. The purpose of our

0:37:480:37:52

department is to deliver a

successful exit from the European

0:37:520:37:55

Union and I have the honourable

gentleman nobody opposes that cause

0:37:550:37:58

as he has a long gone but I have to

say to that we continue to work with

0:37:580:38:04

all our might to deliver a

successful exit from the EU which

0:38:040:38:06

works for everyone.

The quantitative

assessment that actually count is

0:38:060:38:14

one of the British people and they

are determined that -- they

0:38:140:38:19

determined that the Conservatives

should not have an overall majority

0:38:190:38:21

in this house and that is why a

majority of this house demanded that

0:38:210:38:26

the Minister make these documents

available to the select committee.

0:38:260:38:28

It is not beyond the wit of the

Minister to be able to negotiate

0:38:280:38:34

with the site committee clerks how

confidential information may be

0:38:340:38:37

handled and kept confidential and he

should proceed on that basis and

0:38:370:38:44

negotiate how these documents can be

handled, just exactly what is it he

0:38:440:38:48

fears that the site committee

members will do with the

0:38:480:38:51

confidential information?

As I

explained earlier, understand that

0:38:510:38:56

the Secretary of State has made

arrangements to meet the chair

0:38:560:38:58

select committee to these matters.

Thank you. We are currently fighting

0:38:580:39:04

for the survival of the Vauxhall car

plant in my constituency and we're

0:39:040:39:07

working to come up with a plan for

the future. Brexit is a huge part of

0:39:070:39:11

that. We'll be Minister share as

much as he can as soon as he can

0:39:110:39:16

limit any impact he has seen on the

automotive sector?

We would like to

0:39:160:39:21

get on with delivering the best

possible deal for his constituents

0:39:210:39:25

and you'll country. It's why we have

constantly sought to get onto

0:39:250:39:29

talking about the future

relationship and I will undertake to

0:39:290:39:32

come and visit at part with him at

the business of the house allows.

Mr

0:39:320:39:39

Speaker, this is astonishing,

dizzying levels of theatre from this

0:39:390:39:44

Government. We have had all sorts of

Brexit. We now see an improv Brexit

0:39:440:39:51

ahead of us, improvising and making

it up as you go along. No tangible

0:39:510:39:56

appreciation but away from here

Brexit is being played out in

0:39:560:39:59

everyday lives with a first for

practical guidance to Brexit. -- a

0:39:590:40:07

thirst. Three weeks seems enough

time to make it up and I quote from

0:40:070:40:11

we shall not publish to it is not

the case that these exist. What is

0:40:110:40:17

the Government's -- what is the

Government's quantitative analysis

0:40:170:40:23

actually quantify?

As I said

earlier, the quantitative analysis

0:40:230:40:26

which is in the documents which we

have and which I have studied

0:40:260:40:30

reflect conditions at the time there

were written.

0:40:300:40:38

Urgent question,.

To ask the secular

state for International Development

0:40:380:40:52

Secretary woman make a statement on

the circumstances surrounding the

0:40:520:40:55

meetings in Israel and August 2017?

Mr Speaker, may I start by

0:40:550:41:05

explaining the Secretary of State is

on a prearranged Government visit to

0:41:050:41:09

Africa to focus on how we're

breaking down barriers. She's

0:41:090:41:14

presently in the air. She's on a

prearranged visit to Africa to focus

0:41:140:41:25

on how we're breaking down barriers

to trade, helping African countries

0:41:250:41:32

achieve their development ambitions,

reducing dependence on aid and

0:41:320:41:35

building Britain's trading partners

of the future. I welcome the

0:41:350:41:39

opportunity to update the house I am

on the Secretary of State as my trip

0:41:390:41:44

to Israel earlier this year. The

secondary statement of public

0:41:440:41:48

segment yesterday in that she

explained she had the opportunity to

0:41:480:41:51

meet a number of people and

organisations in Israel. A list of

0:41:510:41:54

who she met and what was covered was

published in yesterday's statement.

0:41:540:41:59

The Secretary of State realises, in

hindsight, these meetings were not

0:41:590:42:04

arranged following the usual

procedures and she has apologised

0:42:040:42:07

for that. The Foreign Office has

said that UK interest were not

0:42:070:42:13

damaged or affected by the meetings

on this visit. I hope, therefore,

0:42:130:42:17

that honourable members will now

agree that he has made that apology,

0:42:170:42:22

published details of the meetings,

and we should avatar that and move

0:42:220:42:26

on.

I thank the Minister for being

here, but it's simply unacceptable

0:42:260:42:35

that the Secretary of State is not

here before the house firm and so

0:42:350:42:38

this question and explain herself.

The British public outrage that the

0:42:380:42:45

Secretary of State held 12 meetings

in Israel, including whether

0:42:450:42:52

Israel's Prime Minister, Netanyahu,

without telling either the Foreign

0:42:520:42:54

Office or the Prime Minister. And

was accompanied by a pro-Israeli

0:42:540:42:57

lobbyist. She then misled the

British public the Commons yesterday

0:42:570:43:04

that yesterday she finally

corrected. It is now known that she

0:43:040:43:13

met her Israeli counterpart last

week without even knowing about the

0:43:130:43:16

secret meeting in August. We now

know that the credit status applied

0:43:160:43:20

pressure to her department to divert

humanitarian funding to the Israeli

0:43:200:43:23

army. So will the Minister tell the

House exactly what was discussed in

0:43:230:43:32

the secret meetings and exactly what

pressure the Secretary of State

0:43:320:43:36

applied on her department when she

returned to the UK? It is hard to

0:43:360:43:42

think of them all black and white

case of breaking the ministerial

0:43:420:43:46

code of conduct. But rather than

change the Minister, the Prime

0:43:460:43:51

Minister somehow decided last night

that it is the ministerial code it

0:43:510:43:55

self that needs changing. We have a

Prime Minister who has lost her

0:43:550:44:01

authority and her control of the

classroom. Does the Minister accept

0:44:010:44:06

it is time the Secretary of State

either faces a Cabinet Office

0:44:060:44:11

investigation, or does the decent

thing and just resigning?

First of

0:44:110:44:21

all, I again repeat that the

Secretary of State is already on her

0:44:210:44:24

way to Africa, a prearranged visit,

and she's already flying. Not

0:44:240:44:30

possible to deal with the question,

but that's why I'm here, and the

0:44:300:44:36

Secretary of State published a

statement yesterday with an apology.

0:44:360:44:40

Let me take the honourable lady's

questions as she produced then. The

0:44:400:44:46

Foreign & Commonwealth Office was

informed of the Secretary of State's

0:44:460:44:50

visit during the course of the

visit. But not before. The Secretary

0:44:500:44:55

of State has been a very clear and

absolute contrite in her statement

0:44:550:45:00

yesterday, she recognises that she

should have informed the Foreign

0:45:000:45:02

Office before the visit,, she

didn't, that is why the statement

0:45:020:45:07

was made and why she has apologised.

She is also in the statement given a

0:45:070:45:11

full details of the meeting she had.

They're not verbatim accounts, but

0:45:110:45:16

she gave details of who she saw and

the subjects discussed, which I

0:45:160:45:19

think is quite appropriate. I don't

think that means they were

0:45:190:45:23

particularly secret meetings,

particularly as the Foreign Office

0:45:230:45:27

was aware, during the course of the

visit, that she had been seeing

0:45:270:45:32

people in Israel. In relation to the

codes, International Development

0:45:320:45:39

Secretary has apologised to the

Prime Minister for the handling of

0:45:390:45:41

this matter. The Prime Minister has

accepted her apology. The Foreign

0:45:410:45:46

Office was aware of a visit to

Israel while it was under way, and

0:45:460:45:48

the Foreign Office is also clear

that UK interests were not damaged

0:45:480:45:53

or affected by this visit. The Prime

Minister regards the matter as

0:45:530:45:57

closed. A couple more things, if I

may. It you look at who my right

0:45:570:46:05

honourable friend met, from leading

politicians to the urgency, Terry in

0:46:050:46:16

aid NGO, work on water farming solar

hospital budgets in Africa, a visit

0:46:160:46:22

to save a child's colophon to talk

about a coexistence profit. A group

0:46:220:46:29

start-ups with a focus on Africa and

that it does the honourable lady

0:46:290:46:33

think that she should not have met

these people? All these people are

0:46:330:46:37

perfectly... This is... In I had

been in Israel and I have been on a

0:46:370:46:46

two-day visit, I would have wanted a

programme just like this. I went out

0:46:460:46:50

the ambassador, of I would. If you

look at the quality of meetings, if

0:46:500:46:55

you look at the quality of meetings,

whose you saw and what her job is,

0:46:550:47:01

these are all absolutely paramount

to that. May I make a last point, if

0:47:010:47:05

I may? The honourable lady racer

question press in the department

0:47:050:47:11

afterwards. As the most responsible

for the moment in that area, I can

0:47:110:47:14

say two issues were raised on the

Secretary of State does not return.

0:47:140:47:19

One was a currently being provided

by the Israeli army for those in

0:47:190:47:22

Syria who could not get medical

assistance and cross the border in

0:47:220:47:25

order to get it from the IDF, and

the other issues you raised was

0:47:250:47:29

whether or not there was room for

more corporation between the UK and

0:47:290:47:34

the Israeli aid agency. We looked at

both those issues, the Department's

0:47:340:47:40

view is that aid to the IDF is not

appropriate, we don't do that. That

0:47:400:47:47

was the advice given to the

Secretary of State. We're looking

0:47:470:47:50

hard to see if there is room to a

concrete with the Israeli aid

0:47:500:47:55

organisation as we do with others in

the region. There was no pressure

0:47:550:47:58

put on the departments, they were

pertinent questions to raise on her

0:47:580:48:01

return. She raised in an entirely

proper way with the Department and

0:48:010:48:06

with me, as we're dealing with it.

She's doing her job as the Roman

0:48:060:48:11

secretary, which is what she's doing

today and what those meetings

0:48:110:48:13

disclose.

The spotlight is on this

place and the proceedings of this

0:48:130:48:25

place and the behaviour of all of us

as never before. What people want is

0:48:250:48:31

transparency and accountability. So

does my right honourable friend not

0:48:310:48:35

agree with me that it is time,

finally, to address the issue of

0:48:350:48:40

access, privileged access and

lobbying and funding if we are not

0:48:400:48:47

to have this repeated time and time

again? And would he not agree with

0:48:470:48:51

me that all organisations involved

with active lobbying of members of

0:48:510:48:56

Parliament and ministers should open

their books, be entirely

0:48:560:49:01

transparent, so we can just see who

is lobbying to and who is providing

0:49:010:49:05

the funding?

Questions about

lobbying and transparency are really

0:49:050:49:14

important for the House and

important for ministers, which is

0:49:140:49:17

why is important to disclose as the

Secretary of State has whose she

0:49:170:49:20

met. Wider questions about lobbying

and funding are for others. But I

0:49:200:49:27

think the Secretary of State has

been transparent about her visit and

0:49:270:49:31

now she made the statement yesterday

and disclose what she has done.

I

0:49:310:49:40

shared the member for Edmonton's is

stylish and that the Secretary of

0:49:400:49:43

State is not here to defend herself.

This current has such little

0:49:430:49:48

credibility left that ministers are

now freelancing on foreign policy. I

0:49:480:49:52

wonder the most answer these

questions and as we confirm whether

0:49:520:49:56

the Chancellor was briefed about the

greatest development in UK aid

0:49:560:49:59

funding was to be given to the

Israeli army? What action is the

0:49:590:50:03

Prime Minister taking to ensure this

matters investigated in terms of the

0:50:030:50:06

material codes? And does he have

faith that the Secretary of State

0:50:060:50:12

still has the ability and

credibility to carry on?

OK. No, I

0:50:120:50:19

don't think the Chancellor was

informed, because it never became a

0:50:190:50:23

policy or chance of being our policy

to find the Israeli defence Force.

0:50:230:50:29

Secondly, as I said a month ago, as

far as a zero code is concerned, the

0:50:290:50:32

Prime Minister has seen the

Secretary of State has apologies

0:50:320:50:37

again for not informing people for

hands, and the Prime Minister

0:50:370:50:40

regards the matter as closed, but

she is looking to tighten the

0:50:400:50:45

ministerial code. Do have full

confidence? Of course I do.

When I

0:50:450:50:56

met the Israeli Deputy Prime

Minister, he stormed out of the

0:50:560:50:58

meeting. The Secretary of State got

a much more cordial reception. Is it

0:50:580:51:03

just because she's a lady?

JEERING I'm not sure Mr Speaker in

0:51:030:51:13

it's appropriate for me to answer

either how my right honourable

0:51:130:51:17

friend was treated himself or the

reception for the Secretary of State

0:51:170:51:23

for International Development and.

I'm quite sure both meetings were

0:51:230:51:26

quite proper and appropriate.

It was

incredibly long list of meetings on

0:51:260:51:37

what I thought was supposed to be a

family holiday. Did she have any

0:51:370:51:40

meetings with the Palestinian side,

because he will appreciate the

0:51:400:51:45

importance of a wholly balanced

approach to the Middle East peace

0:51:450:51:47

process and not a one-sided one.

Also she could have delayed her

0:51:470:51:56

departure insurance and courtesy to

this House. It is important to know

0:51:560:52:04

which of the Secretary of State or

the Foreign Minister has the worst

0:52:040:52:07

relationship. If the premise wasn't

so weak, both would have been

0:52:070:52:10

sacked.

The Secretary of State says

in her statement of yesterday at you

0:52:100:52:16

was on a family holiday between 13

and 25th of August, which is well

0:52:160:52:20

days. She took two days out of that

holiday to have a series of meetings

0:52:200:52:26

with Israeli alterations and

political people and a number of

0:52:260:52:31

different charities, including Save

A Child's Heart which works with

0:52:310:52:40

Israeli and Palestinian children.

The list of meetings are published.

0:52:400:52:45

I did not see that she specifically

had separate meetings with those

0:52:450:52:49

representing Palestinian interests,

but of course, she has met those on

0:52:490:52:53

other occasions. It's a full

disclosure of work. She had two days

0:52:530:53:00

kick in the middle of the holiday,

which I suspect is not particularly

0:53:000:53:05

unusual is for ministers when they

may do other things. But US, of

0:53:050:53:11

course, that the Foreign Office know

in advance, which my right

0:53:110:53:14

honourable friend did not, and she

has apologies. But the meetings were

0:53:140:53:22

all burst into her work and British

interests.

Given we now have Foreign

0:53:220:53:28

Office ministers and international

wood office ministers whose share

0:53:280:53:31

responsibilities across departments,

we have to Secretary of State, is

0:53:310:53:36

right now need to clarify what the

position is in relation to ministers

0:53:360:53:42

visiting particular countries,

whether we informed the Foreign

0:53:420:53:44

Office about it, whether

international development is

0:53:440:53:47

informed about it, so we clear this

matter once and from?

Personally,

0:53:470:53:55

having been around a bit, I would

have the ministerial code would make

0:53:550:53:58

clear what the sequence of events

ought to be. I think actually most

0:53:580:54:02

members should let the local

embassies mass they're there just in

0:54:020:54:07

case something happens and I think

it is reasonable practice that you

0:54:070:54:10

do, sometimes even on holiday.

Certainly, if you want to have

0:54:100:54:17

meetings in a country, you need to

make it very clear you want to have

0:54:170:54:21

those meetings and get them said up.

And I would have thought that was

0:54:210:54:25

the appropriate process. Again, my

right honourable friend has said

0:54:250:54:29

clearly she did not do that and has

apologised for not doing that. I

0:54:290:54:33

suspect somebody will not be doing

this for a very long time. It's real

0:54:330:54:43

shame it's

the Minister acting as an

original to hear, and every reflect

0:54:430:54:47

later he will not be proud of what

he has done today. The honest truth

0:54:470:54:50

of the matter is that if the

Secretary of State had said in this

0:54:500:54:55

House what do you said in public

last week when she misled the

0:54:550:54:58

public, by now she would be referred

to the committee on. I honestly say

0:54:580:55:06

there is either a Government which

has collective responsibility in

0:55:060:55:09

which people talk to one another

before they meet intentionally

0:55:090:55:12

significant other people and other

governments, where there isn't a

0:55:120:55:15

Government. And there isn't around,

it hasn't question of whether she

0:55:150:55:21

should resign, it's question of

whether this should all resign.

0:55:210:55:27

I thank the honourable gentleman. It

is whether this is accepted that she

0:55:270:55:30

should have discussed the visit

before she went and made very clear

0:55:300:55:33

what she was going to do. In

relation to what he said to the

0:55:330:55:37

Guardian last week, again my

honourable friend Lewes make clear

0:55:370:55:43

that her words left to

misinterpretation and

0:55:430:55:45

misunderstanding which is why she

issued the statement yesterday that

0:55:450:55:51

is clarifying matters. You grep not

being clear and her language and

0:55:510:55:56

that is appropriate. I feel that as

a personal readable thing I have

0:55:560:55:58

been asked to do to day she carries

on her work as international

0:55:580:56:03

secretary abroad and would not be

here.

Then I welcome the apology

0:56:030:56:08

that is being given by the Secretary

of State and my honourable friend

0:56:080:56:14

will understand the importance that

we often come to this issue on

0:56:140:56:18

history and positions that are

taken. Especially in terms of the

0:56:180:56:25

issue around Israel and the

Secretary of State as strong

0:56:250:56:29

supporters of Israel. When they get

into those positions and the whole

0:56:290:56:34

of Government policy, my honourable

friend would understand just how

0:56:340:56:37

important it is to understand

perspectives around this conference

0:56:370:56:44

that is at the heart of problems

around the Middle East. He is

0:56:440:56:48

probably the most equipped of her

Minister's -- of her ministers to

0:56:480:56:55

take on this issue at hand. I hope

he does. I'm grateful to my

0:56:550:56:59

honourable friend and appreciate

that he welcomes my honourable

0:56:590:57:05

friend's apology. He's right. Many

people in the south have history in

0:57:050:57:12

relation to this terrible

long-standing conflict. -- those in

0:57:120:57:19

ministerial positions have to be

careful that whatever their

0:57:190:57:22

background is they apply themselves

honestly and objectively to your

0:57:220:57:24

shoes they deal with anything real

tragedy is out. We cannot pretend we

0:57:240:57:27

did not have affiliations but we do

make sure that when we are acting in

0:57:270:57:32

UK interest on a UK foreign policy,

that is organising life and nothing

0:57:320:57:37

else. I've seen nothing to suggest

the Secretary of State takes a

0:57:370:57:41

different view.

The Minister said

that the Foreign Office were made

0:57:410:57:49

aware of the Secretary of State's

visit to Israel during her visit.

0:57:490:57:53

Can he give us more information

about when the Foreign Office were

0:57:530:57:59

made aware? Was before or after

meetings with Israeli ministers and

0:57:590:58:06

politicians and at what level were

the Foreign & Commonwealth Office

0:58:060:58:09

may allow? Was that because someone

in the embassy found out or is it

0:58:090:58:12

because the Secretary of State told

a London that she was in Israel?

My

0:58:120:58:20

understanding is that the foreign

Commonwealth office officials became

0:58:200:58:24

aware of the Secretary of State from

development 's private visit, my

0:58:240:58:29

right honourable friend's visit on

the 24 the longest during the course

0:58:290:58:33

of her visit. I don't have the dates

of all the meetings. I suspect it is

0:58:330:58:40

after the meetings to place but I

believe it was my honourable

0:58:400:58:46

friend's who told the official she

was there and she was having the

0:58:460:58:52

visit. That is my understanding of

the case. Has guidance now been

0:58:520:59:00

reissued to ministers and Secretary

of State that they should not feel

0:59:000:59:02

as an foreign policy when they are

on holidays or indeed on policy in

0:59:020:59:06

relation to any ligament department

with a without Tory donors present?

0:59:060:59:14

Well, the Prime Minister said

yesterday that the ministerial code

0:59:140:59:19

be tightened in relation to this.

I'm quite sure it will be. The

0:59:190:59:25

common sense of what we are all

talking about is very clear and that

0:59:250:59:28

is where my honourable friend

recognises she should have done this

0:59:280:59:32

differently as I'm sure we all would

if we were in a similar position.

0:59:320:59:37

The Minister has been very clear

neither his department of the home

0:59:370:59:42

Department knew about these

meetings. They said they weren't set

0:59:420:59:48

up in the usual way. Could you tell

us how they were set up and in

0:59:480:59:52

relation to my friend from Milton

south's question when he said the

0:59:520:59:56

Foreign Office were made aware of

these meetings, is it very important

0:59:561:00:01

that the question is clarified?

Because if they knew beforehand,

1:00:011:00:04

with any attempt made by the embassy

to actually attend these meetings

1:00:041:00:07

and make sure the minister new

responsibilities?

Again, as far as

1:00:071:00:16

I'm aware, no officials sought to

attend the meeting and I think what

1:00:161:00:25

I said earlier, the Foreign Office

was aware of the visit after they

1:00:251:00:29

had taken place because that seems

to be appropriate thing but again,

1:00:291:00:37

the root of this is that my

honourable friend knows that she

1:00:371:00:41

should have told the embassy and the

Foreign Office in advance. I'm

1:00:411:00:45

sorry, I thought I did say clearly

what I understand to be the sequence

1:00:451:00:50

of events. The meetings were set up

by Lord Pollock through his contacts

1:00:501:00:56

and interests with Israel which are

widely known.

It appears to me that

1:00:561:01:04

there is a growth of the existing

ministerial of conduct and every

1:01:041:01:08

code of conduct are seen as a

minister of some nine years standing

1:01:081:01:12

in previous Government, I would have

thought this was a resigning matter.

1:01:121:01:16

Can the minister who have a lot of

respect for explain whether or not

1:01:161:01:21

he has just said no officials

attended, can you explain whether

1:01:211:01:25

the Secretary of State has divided a

full minutes to his department at

1:01:251:01:31

the Foreign Office, the Prime

Minister of the content of the

1:01:311:01:33

meetings that she appears to be

attended alone without any official

1:01:331:01:37

attendance to try and fulfil this

appalling gap she has created?

My

1:01:371:01:43

honourable friend has supplied a

statement yesterday a list of those

1:01:431:01:47

meetings and the subjects covered.

She has spoken... I don't think

1:01:471:01:56

anybody would expect a verbatim

account of those meetings and she

1:01:561:02:01

has spoken both to the Foreign &

Commonwealth Office and to the Prime

1:02:011:02:04

Minister about them. Again, drawing

attention to the house these

1:02:041:02:09

meetings which range from the

foreign ministry, the Prime Minister

1:02:091:02:12

for the sake of Israel, the Minister

of Public Security information and

1:02:121:02:15

should eject affairs and several

charities, I don't think there is

1:02:151:02:21

anything in this programme that

anyone interested in the subject of

1:02:211:02:24

Israel and the Middle East would

have any quibble with. The

1:02:241:02:28

difficulty was the meetings were not

spoken about in advance that my

1:02:281:02:32

right honourable friend recognises

that none of these meetings would be

1:02:321:02:36

considered in any way onto wards as

having taken place. That is why the

1:02:361:02:40

Prime Minister and Foreign Office

are satisfied there are any UK's

1:02:401:02:45

interest and nothing has happened

which is detrimental to the UK's

1:02:451:02:48

interest.

Eyes feel for the Minister

being sent you to answer these

1:02:481:02:57

questions but identikit is

unreasonable to expect the Minister

1:02:571:03:00

to arrive being able to furnish the

house in full detail about what was

1:03:001:03:04

disclosed, to whom, when and under

what circumstances and the Minister

1:03:041:03:09

says he has. In response to the

question from my honourable friend,

1:03:091:03:14

the member for -- and the member for

North West Durham, North Durham. He

1:03:141:03:23

has not been able to provide

accurate and factual responses about

1:03:231:03:29

who was met and about... Stop waving

bits of paper just for one moment at

1:03:291:03:37

getting hot under the collar. The

key questions are, at what point was

1:03:371:03:41

the Foreign Office informed. What

were they informed about, was at the

1:03:411:03:48

full-scale meetings and the content,

and at what stage and what

1:03:481:03:52

circumstances? I think that is the

key question. Finally if I may,

1:03:521:03:56

there has been some controversy

around the issue with the IDF, was

1:03:561:04:00

discussing findings with regard to

those meetings? If so it was not

1:04:001:04:05

disclosed.

The reason I held the

piece of paper is this is the what

1:04:051:04:18

was held yesterday. It is not a

verbatim account of what it is

1:04:181:04:24

pretty detailed as do the things

that she discussed. The embassy... I

1:04:241:04:29

gave the answer to the honourable

gentleman that the embassy was aware

1:04:291:04:33

on the 24th of August which I think

will be after some of these

1:04:331:04:38

meetings. Very clearly. The details

that have been provided in terms of

1:04:381:04:45

who was met and what was said but

again, I'm sure colleagues don't

1:04:451:04:51

believe that discussing with the

programme for global evasion,

1:04:511:05:00

discussing the emergency

humanitarian aid and the work that

1:05:001:05:02

they do, the visit to save a child's

heart, if I have is in Israel on

1:05:021:05:10

development terms, I would be

looking to have exactly the same

1:05:101:05:14

meetings. The root of this is not

having disclosed first of all, that

1:05:141:05:23

is what the concern is, that is what

my honourable friend has addressed

1:05:231:05:26

and that is at the heart of the

concern but the details of the

1:05:261:05:29

meetings have been made clear in a

statement.

Thank you. The deputy

1:05:291:05:38

Leader of the House earlier was

accusing members of the front bench

1:05:381:05:44

opposite of pursuing this little in

the league and I Israel. I freely

1:05:441:05:50

admit that I have some profound

disagreements with some of the

1:05:501:05:55

perspectives on this conflict from

some of my colleagues on this side

1:05:551:06:00

but let me say to him and to

everyone in the south, as a fuller

1:06:001:06:04

proud chair of Labour friends of

Israel, I have full by what has

1:06:041:06:11

happened and the Minister is indeed

right that these meetings involve

1:06:111:06:17

themselves with not a heinous thing

about the lack of accountability is

1:06:171:06:22

highly suspect. The Prime

Minister...

It is a most interesting

1:06:221:06:27

and engaging statement but we are

teetering on the brink of the

1:06:271:06:34

question.

Does he not agree that it

is beyond credibility that the

1:06:341:06:44

secretary thought it would be an

appropriate use of public funds to

1:06:441:06:49

pay... Divert UK funds to the Golden

Heights? This is surely an example

1:06:491:06:56

of the development secretary...

Apologies. The development secretary

1:06:561:07:07

seeking position within the

Conservative Party and bringing the

1:07:071:07:10

country into disrepute.

Marked as my

friend and would not expect me to

1:07:101:07:19

defend any suggestion that this is

being pursued because of an Israel

1:07:191:07:23

angle, it is a perfectly legitimate

question for the honourable lady to

1:07:231:07:26

have raised because the substance of

it is already a ministerial apology.

1:07:261:07:31

As you know, my honourable friend

except she got the sequence wrong

1:07:311:07:35

and should have done something

differently so I except the question

1:07:351:07:40

in a perfectly straightforward way

and I think it is then a stretch to

1:07:401:07:42

say that having learned on that trip

if my honourable friend didn't

1:07:421:07:47

already know of the work of the

Israeli army in looking after those

1:07:471:07:51

from Syria who cannot get medical

aid for their acute injuries in

1:07:511:07:58

Syria and come across the border,

and that aid is properly and freely

1:07:581:08:02

given by the Israeli defence Force,

that she should not have come back

1:08:021:08:06

and thought this was an

extraordinary humanitarian gesture,

1:08:061:08:09

is anything we should do about this?

To which the ad is known for the

1:08:091:08:12

reasons I gave earlier but not to

believe that is a perfectly genuine

1:08:121:08:16

question to ask honourable lady

carrying basis strikes me as

1:08:161:08:20

honestly a bit of a stretch.

It is a

dismal prospect seen the Minister,

1:08:201:08:29

is how to defend the indefensible in

this way and he's doing his very

1:08:291:08:32

best to put a gloss on this in a

positive way but could she really

1:08:321:08:36

clarify whether he believes the

Secretary of State didn't know or

1:08:361:08:40

didn't care that when she offered to

make a financial assistance

1:08:401:08:44

available to the Israel defence

Force, tea that settlement, did she

1:08:441:08:48

not know or did she not care that

the UK Government does not recognise

1:08:481:08:51

the legality of that? Can you

clarify that point?

Can I make clear

1:08:511:08:58

to the honourable lady is no

question supporting any settlement

1:08:581:09:03

around the Golan Heights. What the

Israeli Defence Secretary does is

1:09:031:09:07

that they find civilians in Syria

who come to them with their injured

1:09:071:09:12

who cannot get help on the outside

of the border and aspirin for

1:09:121:09:19

medical help from the defence Force

which they give. It's an

1:09:191:09:23

extraordinary humanitarian act and

has been going on for some time. My

1:09:231:09:26

honourable friend, I don't think was

unreasonable to get this work that

1:09:261:09:31

is going on and as if there was

something the United Kingdom could

1:09:311:09:34

do to assess this. Because the

record Golan Heights is occupied

1:09:341:09:39

territory and because they cannot

support Israeli occupation of to

1:09:391:09:42

give any support, the answer to your

query was no but I think it entirely

1:09:421:09:46

reasonable for her to come back and

have thought about it and of course

1:09:461:09:50

the Department provided the

appropriate answer.

1:09:501:09:56

Does the Minister understand the

concerns the public will have when

1:09:561:09:59

it seems that British foreign policy

on Israel and Powell Steyn is being

1:09:591:10:05

run by Conservative-Link lobby group

are not the civil service of the

1:10:051:10:09

Government. Is this not just another

example of the Government in

1:10:091:10:12

disarray with lobby group is not a

Downing Street running our country?

1:10:121:10:17

And finally, if I may, has the

Minister been referred for the

1:10:171:10:21

mysterious code of conduct to Sally

Allen?

The short answer to the

1:10:211:10:31

second part of a statement is no,

because the Prime Minister considers

1:10:311:10:34

the matter closed. The answer to the

first part of the question is that

1:10:341:10:41

it's palpably obvious that the

attitude towards Israel is not made

1:10:411:10:48

by the lobby group, but by the

Government. Since my right

1:10:481:10:53

honourable friend returned from

Israel, support for West Bank and

1:10:531:11:00

the urgency appeal from Gaza has

come from international development.

1:11:001:11:04

So ministers quite properly make the

policy informed by lots of people,

1:11:041:11:08

but they make the policy, not

lobbyists.

It feels like another

1:11:081:11:15

case of shooting the manager, but

are we supposed to believe,

1:11:151:11:17

according to the Minister that the

Secretary of State had meetings were

1:11:171:11:23

so beneficial and worthwhile, but

she didn't fill a brief what do you

1:11:231:11:27

came back, it's never come up and

Parliamentary questions at all? Also

1:11:271:11:32

she is so incapable of carrying out

her role, but were also to believe

1:11:321:11:37

it was a good idea to get IDF money

in the Golan Heights, but we can't

1:11:371:11:41

because we don't as dieters

legitimate territory. I ask one

1:11:411:11:53

question on on the subject of

villages, where they raise about

1:11:531:11:58

concerns about international aid

money?

I can't answer the last part

1:11:581:12:03

of the honourable gentleman was my

question because I don't have the

1:12:031:12:06

verbatim account of all meetings.

Then I can say the Secretary of

1:12:061:12:11

State is firmly behind the

Government's policy which is to

1:12:111:12:14

oppose demolitions in occupied

villages and the policy hasn't

1:12:141:12:20

changed in relation to that. In

relation to the issue of the IDF,

1:12:201:12:25

the Secretary of State should see,

as we all have, my right and wrong

1:12:251:12:30

friends should see, rather, there is

viable work going on to provide,

1:12:301:12:36

Terran assistance and say people

from debt they would have suffered

1:12:361:12:39

if they had not been treated.

Wherever that support has come from,

1:12:391:12:46

with the UK be able to contribute to

that, that strikes me as a

1:12:461:12:49

reasonable request. We cannot do it

for reasons I have given.

The

1:12:491:12:54

Minister speaks from that dispatch

box, the issues become less QI

1:12:541:12:57

rather than more. It seems to me the

Secretary of State informed the

1:12:571:13:04

Foreign Office her trip the day

before she left committing to me

1:13:041:13:08

because she got caught. In the

interests of transparency, could the

1:13:081:13:13

Minister provide the full timeline

of her trip to Israel, when she met

1:13:131:13:16

the organisation she met, and that

timing should start with the first

1:13:161:13:21

correspondence between the Secretary

of State and whoever organised these

1:13:211:13:26

trips and whether she used official

legal addresses or unofficial legal

1:13:261:13:30

addresses?

OK. Firstly, I have to

say my right honourable friend did

1:13:301:13:39

not suddenly contrive a long planned

visit to Africa in the course of the

1:13:391:13:44

last 24 hours, I can genuinely

reassure... Yes, you did. You

1:13:441:13:49

implied she suddenly found a reason

to go to Africa, and that's not

1:13:491:13:52

fair. In relation to other

questions, there is no reason why

1:13:521:14:00

further questions may not be asked

through written Parliamentary

1:14:001:14:03

questions or the like. If more

information is needed. Again, I draw

1:14:031:14:08

the attention, it was a full

statement and apology made by my

1:14:081:14:12

right honourable friend who

recognise that what she did was not

1:14:121:14:14

the right sequence, the details of

who she saw and I'm sure is more

1:14:141:14:21

information is sought by calling so

will be answered in the appropriate

1:14:211:14:23

way.

We'll get to the honourable

gentleman. Very difficult!

I also

1:14:231:14:36

have great respect for the

honourable gentleman, but even he

1:14:361:14:39

must concede the malt we pull about

this affair the murkier it begins to

1:14:391:14:45

sound. Kerry have assurance that

apartments will publish a summary of

1:14:451:14:52

all discussions which take place in

the month prior to this holiday that

1:14:521:15:00

had any connection to Israel are any

organisations in Israel, and can we

1:15:001:15:03

have a summary of all discussion

that have taken place within the

1:15:031:15:06

Department since the holiday?

The

honourable gentleman can ask these

1:15:061:15:13

questions. I have to say we discuss

issues relating to Israel virtually

1:15:131:15:23

all the time. As we look at the

long-standing relationships between

1:15:231:15:30

them and the aid we get to the West

Bank and Gaza for emergency appeals

1:15:301:15:36

and long-standing development

programmes. That is all open and

1:15:361:15:38

public and clear. The honourable

gentleman would like to ask further

1:15:381:15:41

questions, he can, but the

information and support given to the

1:15:411:15:45

area is well-known. And that policy

has not changed in anyway since my

1:15:451:15:51

right honourable friend came back.

I

really feel for the Minister who is

1:15:511:16:00

a very decent man when here's

brought here to answer questions

1:16:001:16:05

about significant failings about the

Secretary of State who, frankly,

1:16:051:16:10

should be here today. At that meant

cancelling or postponing a flight,

1:16:101:16:14

then so be it. Can I press him about

when the Secretary of State bust

1:16:141:16:18

formed her own department of these

meetings and whether she received

1:16:181:16:23

any advice?

I know the Secretary of

State... Can I thank her for

1:16:231:16:35

generous remarks, I appreciate it

very much. My right honourable

1:16:351:16:40

friend informs the Foreign Office on

the 24th of August. If I recall

1:16:401:16:46

rightly, the SCO said to make the

matter known tyrant department and

1:16:461:16:49

to the rest of the FCO. It was known

at that stage and would seem clear

1:16:491:16:56

that discussions would not held in

advance and that is what my right

1:16:561:17:00

honourable friend has apologised for

an recognise as she got wrong. That

1:17:001:17:03

is what we have been trying to make

clear during the course of the

1:17:031:17:08

statements, as best I can, and also

the purpose of a statement

1:17:081:17:12

yesterday.

I take the point of order

if it relates to these matters? The

1:17:121:17:20

honourable gentleman is nodding.

Point of order?

I don't wish to

1:17:201:17:26

delay the House, but the Minister

has given a number of answers to

1:17:261:17:29

myself and other colleagues whereby

there is some lack of quality and

1:17:291:17:33

some uncertainty. Then I seek your

advice, Mr Speaker, how can we best

1:17:331:17:39

ensure that the House gets the full

facts about the timing of the role

1:17:391:17:45

of the two departments in the period

up to, during and at the end of this

1:17:451:17:50

hysteria will private visit to

Israel -- ministerial private visit

1:17:501:17:55

to Israel?

The answer is that

ministers can table questions either

1:17:551:18:00

written or oral or both. If the

honourable gentleman is

1:18:001:18:09

dissatisfied, he can, when the House

returns next week, seek by one or

1:18:091:18:14

other means of the various types of

questions available, attempt to

1:18:141:18:21

procure the information that he

seeks. In all likelihood from the

1:18:211:18:26

Secretary of State for International

Development woman herself. I am not

1:18:261:18:30

sure that there is, but I will give

the honourable Gentlemen at Arms.

1:18:301:18:34

Point of order?

Just to clarify,

when he gave his statement and

1:18:341:18:41

announced questions, he said the

Foreign Office in Israel found out

1:18:411:18:45

about these men things as they were

going on. It was quite clear that

1:18:451:18:52

they found out it had actually after

taking place. It was just to get

1:18:521:18:59

piracy in terms of when they did

find out?

In answer to the right

1:18:591:19:05

honourable gentleman, the Minister

can Tymon if he wishes, when he was

1:19:051:19:10

first put to him and, effectively

acknowledge the likelihood that was

1:19:101:19:13

so. I do think it is regarded as an

issue in the course of the

1:19:131:19:18

questioning. The right honourable

gentleman reiterated the same point.

1:19:181:19:22

So all of them may not be

specificity today about precise

1:19:221:19:28

dates, on the concept involves, I

think the right honourable gentleman

1:19:281:19:30

was clear that it is open to

members, as I have just said, to

1:19:301:19:35

return to these matters in the

normal way through written and oral

1:19:351:19:42

interrogation. And the right

honourable gentleman will have to be

1:19:421:19:46

only modestly patient. But I think

we should preserve the last words on

1:19:461:19:50

this matter for the Minister of

State, who's emollient tone we will

1:19:501:19:55

now hear.

I very grateful and will

do the best I can with being as

1:19:551:20:02

clear as I can. The information I

have is that my right honourable

1:20:021:20:07

friend told Foreign Office officials

on the 24th of August that she was

1:20:071:20:13

on a visit. It seems likely that the

meetings took place beforehand. And

1:20:131:20:21

that is why, and that is the reason

for this statement and her

1:20:211:20:30

expiration yesterday is that she

recognises that she should have told

1:20:301:20:33

people beforehand. There's no doubt

about that, that is what the

1:20:331:20:38

escalation is for, that's what the

statement is for, and's apologised

1:20:381:20:41

for that, and she got that wrong. I

don't think there is any lack of

1:20:411:20:48

clarity on the sequence now.

I'm

grateful to the right honourable

1:20:481:20:51

gentleman. Finally, at this point,

point of order?

Bearing a mind for

1:20:511:20:58

the Minister has just said and about

giving advance notice, wouldn't just

1:20:581:21:02

be nice and rather charming the

Secretary of State told you, today

1:21:021:21:07

for instance, that she was going to

come and make a statement next

1:21:071:21:10

Monday so all this could be cleared

up and around?

I always welcome

1:21:101:21:19

communication from the right of the

lady who I've known for many, many

1:21:191:21:21

years. If she becomes aware of these

matters and wishes to indicate to me

1:21:211:21:29

an intention to come to the House,

she's welcome to do so and I would

1:21:291:21:33

welcome it. But that has to be for

her to judge. We'll leave it there

1:21:331:21:39

for now. Bagsied question, Mr

Stephen twerk? -- urgent question,

1:21:391:21:48

Mr Stephen quake?

To make a

statement on the escalation of Saudi

1:21:481:21:57

Arabia's blockades on the? Terrier

situation in Yemen?

I think in first

1:21:571:22:06

answer to the right honourable

gentleman, it is, the Secretary of

1:22:061:22:09

State is and therefore apologise for

her being on a visit to Africa, let

1:22:091:22:16

me answer the question. Yemen is the

world's largest humanitarian crisis.

1:22:161:22:21

21 million people in Yemen are in

need of humanitarian assistance.

1:22:211:22:24

There were 10 million in need of

immediate help to support and

1:22:241:22:27

sustain life. As the third largest

humanitarian donor to Yemen, in the

1:22:271:22:33

UK is already leading the world's

response to the crisis in Yemen.

1:22:331:22:38

Whether funding of £150 million this

year will provide food for one point

1:22:381:22:42

8 million people for at least a

month. And clean water and

1:22:421:22:48

sanitation for an expected 1.2

million people. As an holder on the

1:22:481:22:52

Yemen at the item nation Security

Council, the UK was responsible for

1:22:521:22:57

a presidential statement this year

that called in all parties to

1:22:571:23:00

provide safe, rapid and unhindered

access for humanitarian supplies and

1:23:001:23:06

personality all affected governments

in Yemen. We continue to call on all

1:23:061:23:11

parties in the conflict to respect

and take action accordingly. As the

1:23:111:23:15

Foreign Secretary set out in his

statement on Sunday 5th of November,

1:23:151:23:20

the United Kingdom condemns the

attempted missile strike on Riyadh

1:23:201:23:23

this Sunday in the most uncertain

times. The attacks threaten regional

1:23:231:23:32

security and prolong the conflict.

The latest attack diligently

1:23:321:23:35

targeted a civilian area. Met Office

recognise the coalition's concerns.

1:23:351:23:45

We also recognise that Bolling

Saturday night's attacks... It is

1:23:451:23:56

vital that the country remains open

to humanitarian and commercial

1:23:561:24:00

access. The Saudi-led coalition has

confirmed they are taken into

1:24:001:24:06

account the provision of

humanitarian supplies. We are in

1:24:061:24:08

correlating them to ensure access to

commercial supplies continue and our

1:24:081:24:14

ambassadors making this case

directly to the Saudi authorities on

1:24:141:24:18

this point. There remains a

desperate need for a solution to

1:24:181:24:26

ease the suffering of the Yemeni

people and end attacks on

1:24:261:24:30

neighbouring countries. It is vital

the situation does not escalate

1:24:301:24:33

further. United Kingdom will

continue to work towards a political

1:24:331:24:37

settlement which supports regional

stability and calls on all countries

1:24:371:24:41

in the region to support that goal.

We will also continue to support our

1:24:411:24:45

partners in the region to protect

themselves against security threats.

1:24:451:24:49

Mr Speaker, can I join the minister

in condemning the missile strike on

1:24:491:24:56

Riyadh, which has been described by

Human Rights Watch as most likely a

1:24:561:25:00

war crime. We have seen alleged

violations of international

1:25:001:25:04

humanitarian law on all sides of

this conflict. Can the Minister of

1:25:041:25:08

Labour has on progress towards the

independent investigation that was

1:25:081:25:13

agreed at the recent UN human rights

Council? Can I welcome what the

1:25:131:25:16

minister has said about seeking to

bring all parties back to the table

1:25:161:25:20

in Geneva and can he tell us more

about what progress is being made

1:25:201:25:23

towards securing a ceasefire, so a

political solution can be achieved?

1:25:231:25:29

The scale of the humanitarian crisis

in Yemen is truly appalling. The

1:25:291:25:34

cholera outbreak is considered the

worst on record and as the Minister

1:25:341:25:40

said, the UN estimates that over 20

million Yemenis are in need of

1:25:401:25:44

humanitarian assistance, with 7

million - 7,000,000- on the brink of

1:25:441:25:52

famine. A Saudi led coalition has

now intensified its blockade, with

1:25:521:25:57

90% of Yemen's food coming in

imports, this risks making the dire

1:25:571:26:05

humanitarian situation even worse.

Does he agree with me that this

1:26:051:26:09

blockade could constitute unlawful

collective punishment of the people

1:26:091:26:12

of Yemen? He mentioned the

representations that our ambassador

1:26:121:26:18

is making. Can I ask what

representations he has made and

1:26:181:26:22

indeed the Foreign Secretary has

made to Saudi Arabia to have the

1:26:221:26:25

blockade lifted as soon as possible?

Can I, Mr Speaker, urged the

1:26:251:26:32

Minister, urged the Government, to

do everything in their power to get

1:26:321:26:36

this inhumane blockade lifted.

I'm

grateful to the right honourable

1:26:361:26:43

gentleman and the chair of the

International development select

1:26:431:26:47

committee for raising this. Let me

try and take matters in order.

1:26:471:26:51

Firstly, in relation to reaction to

the incident, we shouldn't in any

1:26:511:26:55

way mistake the intent of the

direction of this particular missile

1:26:551:27:00

or where it came from. An Iranian

supplied missile to the Hutus,

1:27:001:27:05

deliberately fired towards Riyadh

airport with all the implications

1:27:051:27:11

that there might be, that they would

take steps to safeguard their

1:27:111:27:16

country and ensure that the flow of

missiles into Yemen was further

1:27:161:27:20

checked was not unreasonable. At the

same time, as he makes clear, it is

1:27:201:27:27

vital that humanitarian commercial

access continues. We have

1:27:271:27:30

consistently urged the coalition to

take all reasonable steps to

1:27:301:27:34

facilitate rapid and save access for

humanitarian assistance and

1:27:341:27:37

essential commercial imports of fuel

and we are actively engaged with the

1:27:371:27:43

coalition and those responsible for

humanitarian support in Yemen to try

1:27:431:27:48

and find a way which enables the

blockade not to affect the

1:27:481:27:53

humanitarian access but still, of

course, safeguard the important

1:27:531:27:57

rights of those in Saudi Arabia who

may be under attack. I spoke to the

1:27:571:28:03

Saudi minister on Saturday shortly

before the attack took place. I

1:28:031:28:11

intend to speak to him again either

today or tomorrow and the ambassador

1:28:111:28:15

since Saturday night has been

actively engaged in Riyadh in trying

1:28:151:28:19

to deal with these issues. In

relation to cholera and

1:28:191:28:28

malnutrition, again, we try to be at

the forefront of international

1:28:281:28:31

efforts in both those topics, to

provide support to UN agencies who

1:28:311:28:36

are actively involved and will

continue to do so, but importantly,

1:28:361:28:40

in relation to the political

negotiations, I'm very aware of what

1:28:401:28:43

is happening there. We had a meeting

in New York recently, there is

1:28:431:28:48

looking to be another ministerial

meeting shortly where we are trying

1:28:481:28:50

to find a pathway through to the

descaling of the conflict, but it

1:28:501:28:56

isn't just about the coalition

forces, it is about the Houthis and

1:28:561:29:03

those who support them and whether

they have any willingness to take

1:29:031:29:07

regard of the appalling condition

for the people of Yemen that has

1:29:071:29:09

been caused by their actions in

starting the conflict and usurping a

1:29:091:29:16

legitimate, elected Government.

Would my right honourable friend

1:29:161:29:20

agree that the UK is playing a

leading role in the response to the

1:29:201:29:24

appalling humanitarian crisis in

Yemen, as the third largest

1:29:241:29:28

humanitarian donor to Yemen in the

world and the second largest donor

1:29:281:29:31

to the UN appeal?

I am grateful to

my honourable friend for helping to

1:29:311:29:39

make that case. The United Kingdom,

whether through its bilateral

1:29:391:29:45

support or through UN agencies, has

played as big a part as it possibly

1:29:451:29:52

can. Recently, we announced a £60

million uplift in funding to Yemen

1:29:521:29:57

in September, which took our total

funding for this year to £155

1:29:571:30:03

million, as detailed in the earlier

part of my statement, in terms of

1:30:031:30:07

supporting millions of people for

food, clean water and sanitation and

1:30:071:30:11

towards life-saving interventions.

£8 million reallocated specifically

1:30:111:30:17

towards the cholera response also

suggests further work is necessary

1:30:171:30:20

and the UK is contributing what it

can.

I would like to thank the

1:30:201:30:28

Member for Liverpool West Derby for

asking this urgent question. The

1:30:281:30:32

escalation of the conflict in Yemen

in recent weeks resulted in the

1:30:321:30:35

Saudi led coalition closing all

entry bought by land, air and sea

1:30:351:30:40

and represents a particularly

alarming development, even in the

1:30:401:30:44

protracted conflict and crisis that

is now more than two years old. The

1:30:441:30:49

country is already facing the

world's worst ever cholera outbreak

1:30:491:30:53

recorded in history, with over

800,000 cases. Over 20 million

1:30:531:30:58

people are in need of urgent

humanitarian assistance. The

1:30:581:31:02

blockading ports will only add to

this already humanitarian situation

1:31:021:31:07

and the UK must do whatever it can

to make sure we mitigate the impact

1:31:071:31:11

of this new development. With the

UK's own actions in mind, will the

1:31:111:31:17

Minister tell us how gifted is

responding to this new development

1:31:171:31:21

and what assessments have been made

on the operation across Yemen, given

1:31:211:31:30

that other countries such as the US

refused to sell arms to countries

1:31:301:31:35

that impose humanitarian blockades.

Will Her Majesty's Government now

1:31:351:31:41

also finally re-evaluate their

decision to continue selling arms to

1:31:411:31:45

the Saudi led coalition and suspend

further arms immediately?

I thank

1:31:451:31:52

the honourable lady for her remarks.

The first and most important thing

1:31:521:31:56

is to try and ease any impact of the

blockade in relation to humanitarian

1:31:561:32:02

access. I returned to the fact that

missiles flow into Yemen through

1:32:021:32:08

ports and through other areas, which

puts innocent civilians at risk with

1:32:081:32:14

the firing of them both in Yemen and

outside and it is not unreasonable

1:32:141:32:18

to seek to make sure that that does

not happen. And we stand by those

1:32:181:32:23

who would want to take such measures

to prevent that action happening. At

1:32:231:32:28

the same time, making sure that

there is appropriate access to

1:32:281:32:33

humanitarian and commercial

supplies, and the commercial

1:32:331:32:36

supplies the people as well as the

humanitarian aid, it is essential.

1:32:361:32:40

DFID, since the events of the

weekend, as part of the Government's

1:32:401:32:43

approach, as of course is made --

made representation and is making

1:32:431:32:49

representation because we want to

make sure the agencies we fund at

1:32:491:32:52

the access, but it is a particularly

difficult situation in the immediate

1:32:521:32:57

aftermath of something which could

have had catastrophic consequences,

1:32:571:33:01

including for UK citizens, had that

missile landed on Riyadh airport.

1:33:011:33:05

But she is right to concentrate on

the blockade and we shall do all we

1:33:051:33:09

can to press the point that we have

to find a way through for increased

1:33:091:33:13

humanitarian and commercial access.

In relation to the Arms control

1:33:131:33:19

issues, again, as the house well

knows, these are extensively trawled

1:33:191:33:25

over by the Department, we have a

rigorous arms control regime in

1:33:251:33:30

place and every request for support

is dealt with on a case-by-case

1:33:301:33:33

basis. The Government recently was

successful in a legal action in

1:33:331:33:37

relation to that, but that doesn't

stop us being very careful about any

1:33:371:33:42

supplies. But the important thing is

to end the conflict and that is what

1:33:421:33:45

the United Kingdom is devoted to but

all too little attention is given to

1:33:451:33:48

the fact that there are two sides in

this conflict and the conflict could

1:33:481:33:54

come to an end tomorrow if the

Houthis and those who support them

1:33:541:33:57

would agree to the negotiations that

are necessary to end this and Yemen

1:33:571:34:00

can emerge from some years where the

people have not been well regarded

1:34:001:34:05

by those who purport to govern them

and give them the chance they

1:34:051:34:07

deserve.

As the Government made an

assessment of the current political

1:34:071:34:14

convulsions going on in Saudi Arabia

and, if so, how might that affect

1:34:141:34:19

what we may expect to happen in

Yemen?

I'm so sorry, Mr Speaker, I

1:34:191:34:26

genuinely missed the first part.

Could I ask my right honourable

1:34:261:34:30

friend to repeat?

Yes, of course, I

was asking whether the Government

1:34:301:34:34

had made an assessment of the

current political convulsions going

1:34:341:34:37

on in Saudi Arabia and whether he

thought that might have implications

1:34:371:34:41

for the situation in Yemen?

Well, if

the house has 20 minutes... In an

1:34:411:34:50

ever fascinating region, to add to

what we know about the region and

1:34:501:34:54

what is happening in the Kingdom of

Saudi Arabia at the moment would

1:34:541:34:57

take a little while. Events in Saudi

Arabia recently, in terms of the

1:34:571:35:03

Crown Prince, his Highness Mohammed

bin Salman, consolidating his

1:35:031:35:12

already strong position, taking

action at the weekend in relation to

1:35:121:35:16

corruption as part of his efforts to

drive Saudi Arabia forward, the

1:35:161:35:21

vision 2030, which it believes

cannot be achieved, the economic and

1:35:211:35:25

social advancement of Saudi Arabia,

without dealing with the issue of

1:35:251:35:28

corruption which is so widespread

across the region, has clearly had

1:35:281:35:31

an impact by the decision that

certain individuals had to be

1:35:311:35:36

arrested and questioned about their

activities. Its relevance in

1:35:361:35:39

relation to Yemen on that particular

issue is limited, but there is no

1:35:391:35:44

doubt that the impact of the missile

strike on Saudi Arabia, in addition

1:35:441:35:49

to the missile strikes that already

take place... Again, the house does

1:35:491:35:54

not always concentrate on the number

of civilians in Saudi Arabia who

1:35:541:35:57

have already lost their lives

because of missiles coming from

1:35:571:36:01

Yemen towards them, but the

combination of the two, my right

1:36:011:36:04

honourable friend is right, means we

have to work harder to find the

1:36:041:36:07

negotiated solution to the conflict

which I believe is all parties now

1:36:071:36:11

seriously want.

The scale of the

devastation and cruelty as outlined

1:36:111:36:17

by the chair of the select committee

and Minister should haunt all of us,

1:36:171:36:20

but I'm afraid he sees his

Government's record through rose

1:36:201:36:28

tinted glasses. The Saudi Government

has benefited by the sale of £3.8

1:36:281:36:33

billion from this country to them in

weapons, yet the Government have

1:36:331:36:37

given only £200 million in aid for

Yemen. Can he explain why there is

1:36:371:36:44

such a large disparity there? And

should we not, as has been mentioned

1:36:441:36:49

by other members, join countries

like Germany and the Netherlands by

1:36:491:36:52

suspending arms sales to Saudi

Arabia? Does the Minister not see

1:36:521:36:58

there is an inconsistency in the

Government previously suspending or

1:36:581:37:02

ending a prison contract with Saudi

Arabia over concerns for human

1:37:021:37:06

rights, but will not suspend arms

sales when it comes to humanitarian

1:37:061:37:11

crisis in Yemen? And will he finally

outlined what it is he hopes to

1:37:111:37:14

achieve at the joint foreign

ministers meeting with Saudi Arabia

1:37:141:37:19

and the United States, I'll man and

the UAE on the 14th of November?

1:37:191:37:25

What will our majesties Government

be calling for and what is he hope

1:37:251:37:28

of achieving at that meeting?

Let me

start with the last part of the

1:37:281:37:36

honourable gentleman's question,

because we have convened at that

1:37:361:37:39

meeting. We hope it will be in

London and it will be after a

1:37:391:37:45

meeting I hosted in New York of the

UN General Assembly, which is the

1:37:451:37:51

United Kingdom, the United States,

the UAE and Saudi Arabia, met with a

1:37:511:37:55

special representative for Yemen to

discuss progress on negotiations and

1:37:551:38:00

talks. The engagement of Omar is to

try and get the link that will get

1:38:001:38:05

Houthis and those who support them

to engage in talks and use the good

1:38:051:38:09

offices of Oman to achieve that in

Muscat. It is part of an effort made

1:38:091:38:14

over many months to support the work

of the UN's special representative

1:38:141:38:18

in order to make political progress.

So the United Kingdom is doing all

1:38:181:38:23

it can to facilitate this. What do I

hope comes out of it? I hope we get

1:38:231:38:28

a detailed plan for the

de-escalation of the conflict, but

1:38:281:38:31

that will only work of all parties

will agree to it. But it is a matter

1:38:311:38:35

of the utmost concern to the United

Kingdom if we do that than that is

1:38:351:38:38

what we are engaged in. In terms of

the other questions, I spoke earlier

1:38:381:38:44

about the arms control situation. It

is not UK policy to change matters

1:38:441:38:50

in relation to Saudi Arabia but to

continue to use the rigorous arms

1:38:501:38:54

controls mechanisms and the legal

obligations that we have, not least

1:38:541:38:59

to ensure that international

humanitarian law is applied in

1:38:591:39:04

relation to the use of any weapons

by the Saudis in relation to the

1:39:041:39:09

United Kingdom, and any allegations

that that is not the case is open to

1:39:091:39:13

legal challenge. In terms of the

humanitarian aid, as I indicated, we

1:39:131:39:18

are the third largest donor to

Yemen, £155 million supplied for

1:39:181:39:24

this year to support people. 1.8

million people, for food, nutrition

1:39:241:39:31

for 1.7 million people, clean water

and sanitation for 1.2 million

1:39:311:39:35

people but I fully appreciate that

unless the conflict comes to an end,

1:39:351:39:39

the handing of aid is a plaster over

the situation. The whole house

1:39:391:39:43

should be united in wanting to see

negotiations succeed and that is

1:39:431:39:46

what the UK is spending all its

efforts towards.

1:39:461:39:54

Does my right honourable friend

agreed no one should envy the

1:39:541:39:57

coalition and the task it has set

itself under a unanimous mandate

1:39:571:40:02

from the UN security Council in

delivering stability and security in

1:40:021:40:05

the Yemen and would he be able to

give us some sense of the numbers of

1:40:051:40:13

Saudi civilians who have been killed

in Saudi Arabia by action by

1:40:131:40:17

missiles coming from the areas.

I am grateful for my right

1:40:171:40:29

honourable friend comments. In

relation to the number of deaths

1:40:291:40:34

among the Saudis, it is measured in

hundreds in relation to a variety of

1:40:341:40:39

missile attacks over the significant

period of time. I am grateful to his

1:40:391:40:45

remarks in relation to the

complexity of the difficulty the

1:40:451:40:48

coalition is dealing with, and

interdiction against an elected

1:40:481:40:52

Government and that is why it takes

such effort to put it all together

1:40:521:40:57

and the unwelcome involvement of

those supplying weapons to the

1:40:571:41:03

rebels instead of contributing to

the peace process. But there is

1:41:031:41:06

always a part for all sides to play

in the peace process.

1:41:061:41:15

There was an increase in the profile

of Daesh horizon in the region and

1:41:151:41:19

what is the UK doing... To prevent

the prolonging of the terrible

1:41:191:41:29

humanitarian situation.

The

honourable gentleman is mostly right

1:41:291:41:37

in his question. As Daesh lapses

elsewhere they will look for other

1:41:371:41:42

areas of instability to exploit, the

peninsula is already exploited by

1:41:421:41:50

Al-Qaeda and that is why the

prolonging of this dispute and

1:41:501:41:52

particularly the engagement of the

outside who supply weapons to the

1:41:521:41:59

Houthis make it more difficult. We

are trying to end the conflict by

1:41:591:42:04

negotiation and in the meantime

support efforts made by the

1:42:041:42:08

coalition to prevent further damage

to civilians.

With my right

1:42:081:42:12

honourable friend agree that the

actions of the Iranian Government in

1:42:121:42:15

this region are directly impacting

on the lives of millions of people

1:42:151:42:20

on the living financial and would

you also agreed possession of this

1:42:201:42:23

Government must be to face enemies

not only of own countries of our

1:42:231:42:29

allies, which in this region points

Iran?

1:42:291:42:36

In many ways, we are trying to

understand a future Iran which, on

1:42:361:42:41

the one hand, is looking for

engagement with the wider world and

1:42:411:42:45

on the other is engaged in

disruptive activities, whether

1:42:451:42:48

Syria, Yemen, Iraq, or Bahrain.

There are efforts, always the

1:42:481:42:57

opportunity for those who have been

responsible for disruption to change

1:42:571:43:01

and our engagement with Iran is

partly to provide the opportunity so

1:43:011:43:04

in some cases they might be part of

an answer rather than part of the

1:43:041:43:07

problem.

Isn't it a bit misleading for the

1:43:071:43:13

Minister to suggest that is rigorous

control in this house of arms

1:43:131:43:20

exports one the committee on arms

exports controls has not met for

1:43:201:43:26

several months for various reasons,

it will meet soon, almost a year has

1:43:261:43:35

gone by without the committee

meeting and the outcome might have

1:43:351:43:38

been very different on exports to

Saudi Arabia.

1:43:381:43:43

I understand the right honourable

lady questions have not been at the

1:43:431:43:46

receiving end of Sir John Stanley

Communications, I understand how

1:43:461:43:51

rigorous the house can be what it is

more a matter for Parliament rather

1:43:511:43:55

than Government to re-establish that

committee. The rigorous control of

1:43:551:43:59

the law is certainly very clear and

very much in the Government's mind.

1:43:591:44:05

The minister at the dispatch box

highlights easing the blockade and

1:44:051:44:11

supporting innocent civilians as a

priority. QT update the house on the

1:44:111:44:16

viability of peace talks and the

role the UK is playing and cajoling

1:44:161:44:21

everyone to come to the table and

how likely these are possible and

1:44:211:44:25

what the outcome could be?

I am grateful for my honourable

1:44:251:44:31

friend question and could I commend

the actions firstly of our

1:44:311:44:34

ambassador to Yemen and also the

permanent representative at the UN

1:44:341:44:43

for the efforts they have been

making both locally and

1:44:431:44:46

internationally in support of the

work I mentioned earlier, to get the

1:44:461:44:50

various parties together and find a

negotiated outcome. They are doing

1:44:501:44:54

all they can and getting support

from the foreign & Commonwealth

1:44:541:44:57

Office in those efforts.

How does the Minister reconcile the

1:44:571:45:06

fact that urgent humanitarian

disaster we are rightly sending aid

1:45:061:45:09

to try and address in Yemen has been

made worse by the weapons the UK has

1:45:091:45:13

sold to Saudi Arabia?

I have to say, if no further weapons

1:45:131:45:22

were being supplied by the UK the

conflict would still go on. That

1:45:221:45:27

simply happens to be true. There has

been conflict in that area for a

1:45:271:45:32

considerable time and there are many

issues to be decided behind it. I

1:45:321:45:37

wish it was as simple as the UK

making a single decision and all the

1:45:371:45:41

conflict in the area ends but I

cannot see that. That is why we

1:45:411:45:49

have... It is exactly what she said

and I am making it very clear I do

1:45:491:45:53

not believe that would assess the

situation and I think it would make

1:45:531:45:57

it more difficult for the UK to play

the part it is playing in

1:45:571:46:00

negotiations and that is the most

important thing.

1:46:001:46:05

Is my right honourable friend away

at the UN appealed for Yemen has

1:46:051:46:10

raised just half of its target and

does he agree to style pine for

1:46:101:46:14

other countries to follow the UK's

by making pledges or other wrinkles

1:46:141:46:21

pledges already made?

-- honouring

those pledges.

1:46:211:46:28

There is a real appeal fatigue,

whether it is a new issues such as

1:46:281:46:36

in and Mark, both in northern Iraq

with the fall of morsel and rack up

1:46:361:46:39

as well as Yemen, it is true efforts

to raise money through the UN have

1:46:391:46:47

been difficult and it is very

important the UK keeps up its record

1:46:471:46:51

in relation to this and I am proud

of the fact the UK has been such a

1:46:511:46:55

donor.

There certainly seems to be a

1:46:551:47:04

softening of the attitude towards

human rights in Saudi Arabia and

1:47:041:47:07

hopefully a more secular society but

could the Minister say if he has had

1:47:071:47:13

discussions with the new regime to

resume peace talks using the

1:47:131:47:19

schedule by meeting of foreign

ministers between several countries

1:47:191:47:22

on the 14th of November?

My right honourable friend the

1:47:221:47:30

Foreign Secretary has already

engaged in direct conversations with

1:47:301:47:33

the Crown Prince, I engage with the

Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia at

1:47:331:47:40

the weekend and others. It's a

constant conversation and we

1:47:401:47:46

desperately want to see an end to

this crisis and conflict and there

1:47:461:47:50

is more than just the coalition

involved which is why efforts have

1:47:501:47:54

to be made with Houthis and those

who support them and why the

1:47:541:47:58

involvement of Iran is so important

as they could also contribute to

1:47:581:48:02

peace but all efforts are being

made.

1:48:021:48:05

Order. Statement the Secretary of

State for Foreign & Commonwealth

1:48:051:48:14

Affairs. Secretary Boris Johnson.

With your permission I will make a

1:48:141:48:18

statement updating the house on the

campaign against... In Iraq and

1:48:181:48:23

Syria. I would like to begin by

inform the house I called the

1:48:231:48:27

reigning Foreign Minister this

morning to discuss the case of Ms

1:48:271:48:38

Radcliffe I expressed my anxiety

about her suffering and the ordeal

1:48:381:48:41

of her family and expressed my hope

for a swift solution. I also voiced

1:48:411:48:45

my concern about one suggestion from

one branch of the perihelion

1:48:451:48:55

judicially -- a reading judicially

that my remarks had some bearing on

1:48:551:48:58

her case. The UK has no doubt she

was on holiday in Iran when she was

1:48:581:49:04

arrested last year that was the sole

purpose of our visit. My point was I

1:49:041:49:09

disagree with the Iranians view that

training journalists was a crime.

1:49:091:49:14

Not that I wanted to lend any

credence to allegations that she had

1:49:141:49:20

been engaged in such activity. I

accept my remarks could have been

1:49:201:49:27

clearer in that respect and I am

glad to provide this qualification.

1:49:271:49:32

I am sure the house will join me in

paying tribute to the tireless

1:49:321:49:39

campaigning of Mr Radcliffe on

behalf of his wife and we will not

1:49:391:49:42

relent in our efforts to help all

our cases in Iran. He told me in a

1:49:421:49:52

recent development in the case had

no link to my testimony last week

1:49:521:49:57

and he would continue to seek a

solution on humanitarian grounds. I

1:49:571:50:02

will visit Iran in the coming weeks,

where I will discuss all our

1:50:021:50:08

consulate cases. I turned to the

campaign against.... In the summer

1:50:081:50:15

of 2014 Daesh swept down the Tigris

and Euphrates valleys, up by

1:50:151:50:19

thousands of square miles of Iraqi

territory and pillaging cities and

1:50:191:50:24

massacring and excluding minorities

and seeking to impose a demented

1:50:241:50:28

vision of an Islamist you talk --

Islamist utopia. The seed oil fields

1:50:281:50:38

and carved out a base from which to

launch their assault on Iraq. I can

1:50:381:50:44

tell the house today Daesh have been

rolled back of every battlefront

1:50:441:50:48

thanks to the courage and resolve of

Iraqi security forces, our partners

1:50:481:50:53

in Syria and the steadfast action of

the 73 members of the caller should,

1:50:531:50:59

including this country, Daesh have

lost 90% of the territory they once

1:50:591:51:03

held in Iraq and Syria. Including

the former capital, and 6 million

1:51:031:51:10

people have been freed from their

rule. When my right honourable

1:51:101:51:13

friend the former Defence Secretary

last updated the house in July, the

1:51:131:51:18

biggest city in northern Iraq had

just been liberated. Since then

1:51:181:51:23

Iraqi forces have broken... 'S grep

on several other towns and cleared

1:51:231:51:29

the terrorists from all but a

relatively small area of the Syrian

1:51:291:51:36

border, demonstrating how the field

caliphate is crumbling before our

1:51:361:51:40

eyes. The house will join me in

paying tribute to the men and women

1:51:401:51:46

of the British Armed Forces who have

been vital to every step of the

1:51:461:51:49

advance. Over 600 British soldiers

are in Iraq would have helped train

1:51:491:51:56

50,000 members of the Iraqi security

forces and the RAF have delivered

1:51:561:52:02

1352 air strikes against... In Iraq

and 263 in Syria, more than any

1:52:021:52:08

other air force apart from the

United States. I turned to Syria

1:52:081:52:12

where on the 20th of October the

coalition confirmed the fall after

1:52:121:52:23

three years of brutal occupation. I

acknowledge the sacrifices by those

1:52:231:52:29

on the ground and especially the

civilian population. We have been

1:52:291:52:36

working with partners throughout the

province to supply food, water,

1:52:361:52:40

health care and shelter wherever

possible. On the of October the

1:52:401:52:48

International Development Secretary

announced another £10 million worth

1:52:481:52:50

of aid. In order to clear the

landmines placed by Daesh, restart

1:52:501:52:57

hospitals and mobile surgical units

and provide clean water for 15,000

1:52:571:53:02

people. The permanent defeat of

Daesh in Syria, by which I mean

1:53:021:53:08

removing the conditions that allow

them to seize large areas in the

1:53:081:53:13

first place, will require a

political settlement and that must

1:53:131:53:18

include a transition away from the

Assad regime which did so much to

1:53:181:53:26

create the conditions for the rise

of Daesh. How that is reached if the

1:53:261:53:31

matter for the city in themselves

and we will continue support the

1:53:311:53:34

work of the UN special envoy -- for

the Syrians themselves. I am

1:53:341:53:42

encouraged hope the USA and Russia

have stayed in close contact over

1:53:421:53:48

the future of Syria and we must

continue to emphasise to the tremor

1:53:481:53:51

that instead of blindly supporting a

murderous regime, even after UN

1:53:511:53:57

investigators found its forces

guilty of using nerve gas, Russia

1:53:571:54:04

should join the international

community and support a negotiated

1:54:041:54:09

settlement in Syria under the

auspices of the UN. Turning to Iraq,

1:54:091:54:14

more than 2 million people have

returned to their homes in areas

1:54:141:54:18

liberated from Daesh including

255,000 who have gone back to Mosul.

1:54:181:54:26

Britain is providing over £200

million of life-saving assistance

1:54:261:54:30

for Iraqi civilians. We are helping

to clear the explosives that were

1:54:301:54:35

laid by Daesh, restore water

supplies that the terrorist sabotage

1:54:351:54:40

and give clean water to 200,000

people and health care to 150,000.

1:54:401:54:46

Now that Daesh is close to defeat in

Iraq the leaders of the country must

1:54:461:54:51

resolve political tensions that, in

part, paved the way for its advanced

1:54:511:54:55

in 2014.

1:54:551:55:00

The Kurdistan region held a

unilateral referendum on

1:55:001:55:03

independence on the of September, a

decision we did not support -- 25th

1:55:031:55:10

of September. Since then, Masood

Barzani has stepped down as

1:55:101:55:15

president of the regional Government

and Iraqi forces have taken over

1:55:151:55:23

control of disputed territory. We

are working alongside our allies to

1:55:231:55:28

reduce tensions in northern Iraq.

Rather than reopen old conflicts,

1:55:281:55:33

the priority must be to restore the

stability, prosperity and national

1:55:331:55:38

unity that is the right of every

Iraqi. A general election will take

1:55:381:55:47

next May, giving the opportunity to

parties to set out their respective

1:55:471:55:51

visions of a party that overcomes

sectarianism and serves every

1:55:511:55:56

citizen, including Kurds. The

National reconciliation will require

1:55:561:56:01

justice and justice demands that

Daesh are held accountable for their

1:56:011:56:05

atrocities in Iraq and elsewhere.

That is why I acted over a year ago

1:56:051:56:10

in concert with the Government of

Iraq to launch the global campaign

1:56:101:56:13

to bring Daesh to justice. In

September, the Security Council

1:56:131:56:20

unanimously adopted UN resolution

2379, a British drafted text,

1:56:201:56:27

co-sponsored by 46 countries, that

will establish a UN investigation to

1:56:271:56:31

help gather and preserve the

evidence of Daesh crimes in Iraq.

1:56:311:56:36

Every square mile of territory that

Daesh have lost is one square mile

1:56:361:56:41

less for them to exploit and tax and

plunder, and the impending

1:56:411:56:48

destruction of the so-called

caliphate will reduce their ability

1:56:481:56:51

to fund terrorism abroad and attract

new recruits. Yet Daesh will still

1:56:511:56:58

try to inspire attacks by spreading

their hateful ideology in cyberspace

1:56:581:57:04

even have that they have lost every

inch of their physical domain. That

1:57:041:57:08

is why Britain leads the coalition

efforts to counter Daesh propaganda,

1:57:081:57:13

through a communication cell based

here in London and Daesh's total

1:57:131:57:16

propaganda output has fallen by half

since 2015. But social media

1:57:161:57:21

companies can and must do more,

particularly to speed up the

1:57:211:57:27

detection and removal of dangerous

material and prevented from being

1:57:271:57:33

uploaded in the first place. Hence

my right honourable friend the Prime

1:57:331:57:36

Minister co-hosted an event at the

UN General Assembly in September on

1:57:361:57:40

how to stop terrorists from using

the Internet. The Government has

1:57:401:57:44

always made clear that British

nationals who join Daesh have chosen

1:57:441:57:48

to make themselves legitimate

targets for the coalition. We expect

1:57:481:57:53

that most foreign fighters will die

in a terrorist domain they opted to

1:57:531:57:57

serve, but some may surrender or try

to come home, including to the UK.

1:57:571:58:01

As the Government has previously

said, anyone who returns to this

1:58:011:58:05

country after taking part in the

conflict in Syria or Iraq must

1:58:051:58:10

expect to be investigated for

reasons of national security. While

1:58:101:58:14

foreign fighters face the

consequences of their actions, the

1:58:141:58:17

valour and sacrifice of the armed

forces of many nations, including

1:58:171:58:22

our own, has prevented a terrorist

entity from taking root in the heart

1:58:221:58:25

of the Middle East and I commend

this statement to the house.

Emily

1:58:251:58:30

Thornberry.

Thank you very much,

Madam Deputy Speaker. I'd like to

1:58:301:58:37

thank the Foreign Secretary for

advance sight of his statement, I

1:58:371:58:39

will come to his remarks regarding

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in a

1:58:391:58:45

moment but Leadbitter has address

the formal purpose of this

1:58:451:58:48

statement, the Government's

quarterly update on the fight

1:58:481:58:50

against Daesh. We are all agreed in

this House that Daesh is nothing but

1:58:501:58:56

an evil death cult and must be wiped

off the face of the Earth. We

1:58:561:59:00

therefore warmly welcomed the recent

hard-fought successes in both Syria

1:59:001:59:03

and Iraq, with their vision of a

caliphate stretching in both

1:59:031:59:08

countries now lying in absolute

ruins. But while but specific danger

1:59:081:59:13

evaporates before our eyes, we all

know too well that the wider threat

1:59:131:59:16

they pose as they cease to operate

as a conventional military force,

1:59:161:59:20

seeking to occupy territory in towns

and retreat to the role of a well

1:59:201:59:24

armed, well trained and fanatical

network of terrorist cells, seeking

1:59:241:59:30

to indoctrinate others and inflict

indiscriminate mass casualties in

1:59:301:59:33

Iraq, Syria and also far, far

beyond. We must therefore not let

1:59:331:59:39

our guard down, the fight against

Daesh has not been won, it is simply

1:59:391:59:43

switching to a new phase. So I have

a number of questions and I hope the

1:59:431:59:47

Foreign Secretary will address them.

First, will he correct his junior

1:59:471:59:51

colleague, the Minister for State

for Africa, who said recently the

1:59:511:59:55

only way to deal for British

citizens who have gone to fight for

1:59:551:59:59

Daesh is, and I quote, "In almost

every case, to kill them." This

1:59:592:00:04

sends a very unfortunate signal to

groups in Syria and beyond who are

2:00:042:00:15

currently holding in detention

British citizens captured on the

2:00:152:00:17

battlefield. Can the Foreign

Secretary make clear today that it

2:00:172:00:19

remains Government policy that those

individuals should be returned to

2:00:192:00:21

this country to face trial for their

crimes, not simply be executed by

2:00:212:00:24

their captors? He might also advise

the Minister for Africa that in

2:00:242:00:27

positions of responsibility in the

Foreign Office, you have to engage

2:00:272:00:30

your brain and think about the

consequences of your words before

2:00:302:00:35

opening your mouth. Secondly, Mr

Speaker, the Foreign Secretary will

2:00:352:00:39

have noted last week the first US

drone strikes targeting Daesh rather

2:00:392:00:45

than Al-Shabab inside Somalia.

Wilbur Foreign Secretary guarantee

2:00:452:00:48

that has that of the UK is asked to

participate in the opening of a new

2:00:482:00:54

front against Daesh, it will be

subject to a proper Parliamentary

2:00:542:00:57

divided back through debate and

vote. Thirdly, as Daesh continues in

2:00:572:01:06

the Syrian civil war, can the

Government tell us what is the

2:01:062:01:09

current strategy in Syria? What we

now seeking to achieve in both

2:01:092:01:13

military and a diplomatic sense from

our engagement there and can he tell

2:01:132:01:19

us, is the Government intention to

continue channelling funds to Syrian

2:01:192:01:22

opposition groups and of the £20

million that has already been

2:01:222:01:26

channelled to those groups over the

past three years, can he give us a

2:01:262:01:29

cast-iron guarantee today that none

of that money has ended up in the

2:01:292:01:34

hands of the Al-Masrahi front or

other Jihadi groups? For fun

2:01:342:01:39

finally, as attention turns to

Daesh's last remaining stronghold,

2:01:392:01:45

the Foreign Secretary will be aware

of the risks as the Russian Iranians

2:01:452:01:49

that forces approached the town from

one side and democratic forces

2:01:492:01:53

approached the town from the other

side, can he tell the house what

2:01:532:01:58

steps Britain is taking in the

battle to liberate the city from

2:01:582:02:05

Daesh both from the air and ground

does not lead to clashes between the

2:02:052:02:11

two liberating armies? Turning to

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. We

2:02:112:02:19

appreciate the Foreign Secretary

Bosma clarification, we welcome the

2:02:192:02:21

phone call he made this morning to

his Iranians counterpart and we all

2:02:212:02:26

hope that no lasting damage is done

to Nazanin as a result of his

2:02:262:02:29

blunder. However, I hope that he

will now take the opportunity to

2:02:292:02:35

apologise to this woman's family, to

have friends and through her

2:02:352:02:40

employers. To my honourable friend

the Member for Hampstead and Kilburn

2:02:402:02:43

and to all those others in this

House and beyond who have been

2:02:432:02:48

working so hard to obtain this young

mother's release from the distress

2:02:482:02:52

and anguish that his foolish words

have caused to them and to this

2:02:522:02:56

woman in recent days. We are all

bound to ask, Madam Deputy Speaker,

2:02:562:03:02

how many more times does this data

happen? How many more times does the

2:03:022:03:07

Foreign Secretary have do insult our

international partners, damage our

2:03:072:03:12

diplomatic relations and now in

peril the interests of British

2:03:122:03:15

national is abroad? How long will it

be before the Prime Minister says

2:03:152:03:21

enough is enough? But if the truth

is that she can't, because she

2:03:212:03:26

doesn't have the strength or

authority to sack him, how about the

2:03:262:03:31

Foreign Secretary himself shows at

the top personal responsibility and

2:03:312:03:34

admits that a job like this, where

your words hold gravity and your

2:03:342:03:40

actions have consequences, it is

simply not the job for him?

2:03:402:03:50

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. To

take the points raised by The Right

2:03:502:03:57

Honourable Lady in... Madam Deputy

Speaker, forgive me. The points made

2:03:572:04:00

by the Right Honourable Lady in

turn, our view about UK nationals

2:04:002:04:08

fighting in Iraq or Syria for Daesh

is, of course, that they must think

2:04:082:04:14

of themselves as legitimate targets

whilst they are doing that, though

2:04:142:04:17

when they seek to come back here,

they of course will be subject to

2:04:172:04:25

investigation and the full force of

the law. On her second question, we

2:04:252:04:30

have had no requests, Madam Deputy

Speaker, for the air strikes of the

2:04:302:04:36

type that she mentions, so the

military operation of the kind she

2:04:362:04:42

describes in Somalia. In respect of

the policy on Syria, her third

2:04:422:04:50

point, we are working to bring

together the Astana and Geneva

2:04:502:04:57

processes. We believe the great

political leverage that we in the UK

2:04:572:05:02

and more broadly in the West have

over the Russians and, indeed, over

2:05:022:05:08

all those who are involved in the

future of Syria, is that it is the

2:05:082:05:11

West, it is the UK, the EU, the US,

that have the budgets for rebuilding

2:05:112:05:18

Syria and it is only if the Assad

regime, the Russians, the Iranians,

2:05:182:05:24

accept the need for a political

process that we can begin with that

2:05:242:05:28

process of rebuilding. Carla, are

going on to avoid the conflict and

2:05:282:05:38

the factions concerned do not come

into conflict. Her final point, she

2:05:382:05:44

comes back to the case of Nazanin

Zaghari-Ratcliffe and let me repeat,

2:05:442:05:49

I think what everybody in this House

wants to see is Nazanin

2:05:492:05:54

Zaghari-Ratcliffe released and that

is what... That is exactly what the

2:05:542:06:00

Foreign Office is working for, that

is what we have been working for

2:06:002:06:03

solidly over the last 18 months and

I may say, and I may say, it is

2:06:032:06:09

simply untrue for her to say, as she

has said today, that there is any

2:06:092:06:12

connection whatever between my

remarks last week and the legal

2:06:122:06:20

proceedings under way against

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Tehran

2:06:202:06:24

today. And I may say to The Right

Honourable Lady that she has a

2:06:242:06:27

choice, she always has a choice in

these matters. She can choose to

2:06:272:06:32

blame, to heap blame on to the

British Foreign Office that is

2:06:322:06:37

trying to secure the release of

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and in so

2:06:372:06:46

doing, she deflects blame, she

deflects accountability from those

2:06:462:06:48

who are truly responsible for

holding that mother in jail and that

2:06:482:06:52

is the Iranians regime.

Order!

Order! The Foreign Secretary is

2:06:522:06:58

dealing with a very important matter

of some delicacy and nobody anywhere

2:06:582:07:05

in this House ought to be shouting

while he is doing so. And they

2:07:052:07:10

certainly shouldn't be shouting

while I am speaking from the chair.

2:07:102:07:14

Foreign Secretary might wish to

finish his point.

I completed my

2:07:142:07:20

point but I will say it again, Madam

Deputy Speaker, it is a great shame

2:07:202:07:25

that in seeking to score political

points, she is deflecting blame,

2:07:252:07:32

accountability and responsibility

from where it truly lies which is

2:07:322:07:36

with the Iranian regime and it is

towards releasing Nazanin

2:07:362:07:43

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, not blaming the

UK Foreign Office, that we should

2:07:432:07:46

direct our efforts.

Thank you, Madam

Deputy Speaker. May I appeal to the

2:07:462:07:54

Foreign Secretary, even at this late

stage, to adopt a more realistic

2:07:542:07:59

policy to the outcome in Syria? It

was always the case that if Daesh

2:07:592:08:06

were going to lose, the Iraqi

Government were going to win in its

2:08:062:08:11

territory and the Syrian Government

were going to win in its territory.

2:08:112:08:15

We have not seen any sign of 70,000

moderate fighters as a third force.

2:08:152:08:21

Will he now and accept the fact

that, unpleasant though it is, it is

2:08:212:08:26

better to recognise that the regime

is going to persevere in Syria, even

2:08:262:08:33

though that is a price that we have

to pay for the elimination of Daesh?

2:08:332:08:40

My right honourable friend speaks

with great wisdom in this matter and

2:08:402:08:43

we must accept that the Assad regime

does now possess itself up most of

2:08:432:08:48

what you might call operational

Syria, and that is a reality, but

2:08:482:08:53

they have not won, they do not

possess all of Syria and if they

2:08:532:08:57

want that country rebuild, they know

it can only be done with the support

2:08:572:09:01

of us in the UK and in the European

Union and United States, and that is

2:09:012:09:05

the leverage we hold and that is how

we hope to get the Assad regime and

2:09:052:09:10

the Russians engaged in proper

political process.

Can I thank the

2:09:102:09:16

Foreign Secretary for early sight of

his statement. Firstly on Syria, we

2:09:162:09:20

on these benches obviously welcome

any reversals of Daesh and the

2:09:202:09:25

short-term humanitarian help

provided to the people of Syria. The

2:09:252:09:28

Foreign Secretary will be aware that

there must be long-term

2:09:282:09:32

consolidation, so what long-term

funds have been set aside for

2:09:322:09:36

restructuring in Syria after this

conflict? He mentioned

2:09:362:09:40

accountability as well. Is it the

case he will be supporting the cases

2:09:402:09:44

of Daesh fighters being referred to

the International criminal Court? On

2:09:442:09:49

the case of Nazanin

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, can I just ask

2:09:492:09:52

the Foreign Secretary if he will

tell us, he told the foreign affairs

2:09:522:09:56

committee she was simply teaching

people journalism. The Foreign

2:09:562:10:00

Secretary must be aware of the

impact of his words. Will he tell

2:10:002:10:04

us, will he be crystal clear about

what he said? Secondly, will he tell

2:10:042:10:16

Has he met with her family and what

guidance has he taken from her and

2:10:162:10:21

her family about her case?

I can confirm the UK is the second

2:10:212:10:28

biggest donor to the reconstruction

and humanitarian relief effort in

2:10:282:10:32

said here and we will be a major

contributor when the Geneva talks

2:10:322:10:37

get back under way. On bringing

Daesh to gestures there is a

2:10:372:10:50

question still about which for them

we are going to find to bring these

2:10:502:10:56

people to justice. But we are

determined to do that and are

2:10:562:11:01

assembling the evidence. On his

point about Nazanin

2:11:012:11:08

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, these are

allegations made against her by the

2:11:082:11:15

Iranians, which we think there is no

substance, whatever as I said in my

2:11:152:11:22

statement and I will, before I go to

Iran in the next few weeks, I will

2:11:222:11:30

seek a meeting with Mr Ratcliffe,

who has been in regular contact with

2:11:302:11:39

our ministers and with the Foreign

Office.

2:11:392:11:47

I thought I the Foreign Secretary's

statement that his reference with

2:11:472:11:52

regard to the fight in Raqqa to the

coalition's Kurdish partner forces,

2:11:522:11:58

the word Kurdish does not appear in

the written version, he also spoke

2:11:582:12:03

of the consequences of the

referendum by the Kurdish regional

2:12:032:12:09

Government for Kurds in Iraq. As

matters unfold with the effective

2:12:092:12:15

end of an Islamic state control of

territory in Syria and Iraq, will he

2:12:152:12:20

bear in mind the Kurds have been let

down by history over the course of

2:12:202:12:26

the last century, they think they

have friends in the UK and the USA

2:12:262:12:30

and will he try and ensure in

protecting Kurdish cultural

2:12:302:12:36

interests and Kurdish freedoms in

all the countries of that region, it

2:12:362:12:40

is not just the mountains that are

their friends?

2:12:402:12:45

Can I thank my right honourable

friend for the eloquent way he

2:12:452:12:48

expresses himself on that point.

This country and this house is

2:12:482:12:53

indeed a great friend of Kurdistan

and the will remember in that

2:12:532:12:59

mountainous region they brought this

Conservative Government played back

2:12:592:13:05

in 1991 in setting up the safe

havens for the Kurds which was the

2:13:052:13:10

origin of the Kurdish regional

Government of today. And I see

2:13:102:13:15

campaigners on the other side of the

house who have also played a major

2:13:152:13:19

role and they can be in no doubt of

our lasting friendship. We also said

2:13:192:13:25

to them a referendum must not be

right way forward and the best

2:13:252:13:28

course now for our Kurdish friends

is surely to take advantage of you

2:13:282:13:38

is the best possible hope and enter

into substantial negotiations.

2:13:382:13:44

The Foreign Secretary had a week to

collect the records and to apologise

2:13:442:13:49

-- contract the record and

apologised over Miss honourable

2:13:492:13:57

lady. It is not the first time the

Foreign Secretary has said things

2:13:572:14:00

that are inaccurate and he cannot

keep simply shrugging them off as a

2:14:002:14:07

lack of clarity only careless choice

of words. In this case there are

2:14:072:14:12

fears this could mean the extended

incarceration of the British Iranian

2:14:122:14:15

women and he will know the lives and

the safety of British citizens

2:14:152:14:25

across the globe depend on having a

Foreign Secretary who does not

2:14:252:14:29

bluster and who is not too careless

or too lazy to consider his words.

2:14:292:14:35

Well the Foreign Secretary now

apologise, but you cannot be trusted

2:14:352:14:41

to do this job and he should resign?

I really think I have made my

2:14:412:14:49

position clear already on this and

the Iranians have made the position

2:14:492:14:54

clear, there was absolutely no

connection between anything said

2:14:542:14:56

last week which I see members of the

FAC here today and they did not pass

2:14:562:15:08

any comment on it and there was no

impact on those remarks and Teheran.

2:15:082:15:15

Rather than posturing and party

political point scoring, if I may

2:15:152:15:19

say, is recognised in the extreme

sensitivity of these negotiations

2:15:192:15:26

and get on with securing the release

of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. That

2:15:262:15:31

is why I am going to tell and in the

next few weeks and, yes, I agree it

2:15:312:15:38

will not be easy at all but it is a

very difficult negotiation but that

2:15:382:15:43

is the effort to watch the Foreign

Office is devoted and dedicated and

2:15:432:15:47

they deserve the full support of the

right honourable lady.

2:15:472:15:53

Does the Foreign Secretary share my

concerns on the one hand when we

2:15:532:15:59

recognise the destruction of Daesh

at its base, on the other, they will

2:15:592:16:04

regroup in other areas, in

particular and potentially merging

2:16:042:16:08

with the Taliban in Afghanistan? Can

the Foreign Secretary Tilney is

2:16:082:16:12

there anything that can be done

about this? -- and the Foreign

2:16:122:16:17

Secretary tell me.

Daesh and Islamist terrorism is

2:16:172:16:26

widespread and ubiquitous, but we

can defeat it is and if you look at

2:16:262:16:30

what we have done just in Iraq and

Syria we have removed them from 90%

2:16:302:16:37

of the territory they held. 6

million people back in their homes,

2:16:372:16:41

they can be defeated in the

ungoverned spaces where they made

2:16:412:16:45

their homes and set up their

headquarters. And they will

2:16:452:16:49

ultimately be defeated in

Afghanistan as well. I am not saying

2:16:492:16:53

this is for tomorrow or indeed the

day after but we will win the

2:16:532:16:57

struggle and moderate Muslims

everywhere will win the struggle.

2:16:572:17:06

The casual disregard for the truth

shown by the right honourable

2:17:062:17:10

gentlemen in his campaign boss last

year was bad enough, but his

2:17:102:17:14

carelessness in the case of Nazanin

Zaghari-Ratcliffe last week is

2:17:142:17:20

unforgivable. Does the Foreign

Secretary realise that in this ball

2:17:202:17:24

in his words have a serious impact

caused this is not a game. If you

2:17:242:17:31

will not take his job seriously

enough even to read his belief he

2:17:312:17:35

should step down and make way for

one of his colleagues who will.

2:17:352:17:39

With great respect I refer the

answer to give month ago.

2:17:392:17:49

I commend the Foreign Secretary on

his statement today. Could you not

2:17:492:17:53

give us an undertaking that in

future he will concentrate on the

2:17:532:17:57

very important matters he has worked

in his brief as Foreign Secretary,

2:17:572:18:02

to that end, could he give an

undertaking to support the Prime

2:18:022:18:07

Minister in her efforts in relation

to the Florence speech, for example,

2:18:072:18:11

and make sure his own ambitions are

put secondarily to the well-being of

2:18:112:18:17

all my constituents and everybody

else in the country because that is

2:18:172:18:20

his job?

I can assure my right honourable

2:18:202:18:27

friend she and I are united, as I am

sure the whole house is, in support

2:18:272:18:35

of the Florence speech.

My constituent, Nazanin

2:18:352:18:41

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, has been

imprisoned in Iran for 18 months

2:18:412:18:44

now, separated from her daughter,

often in solitary confinement and

2:18:442:18:49

denied access to medical treatment

because she was a British citizen

2:18:492:18:51

having a holiday in Iran. The

Foreign Secretary, his ministers and

2:18:512:18:58

even the Prime Minister will be

aware of this because I have raised

2:18:582:19:02

her case countless times in the

house. It is not enough for the

2:19:022:19:06

Foreign Secretary not to know the

basic details of this case, it is

2:19:062:19:13

unforgivable to repeat the lives of

the Iranian Revolutionary guards and

2:19:132:19:17

to say I should be clear that does

not cut it when it is a matter of

2:19:172:19:21

life and death. I will ask the

Foreign Secretary four questions. Is

2:19:212:19:28

it the official position of the

British Government they are calling

2:19:282:19:31

for the release of Nazanin

Zaghari-Ratcliffe? Is it possible

2:19:312:19:37

the Foreign Secretary could

apologise and retract for damaging

2:19:372:19:39

comments he made about Nazanin

Zaghari-Ratcliffe? Will be Foreign

2:19:392:19:48

Secretary finally, after a year of

failed attempts, meet with Richard

2:19:482:19:53

Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, and finally, will

2:19:532:19:57

be Foreign Secretary reiterate that

when he goes to Teheran he will be

2:19:572:20:04

having a face-to-face meeting with

my constituents, Nazanin

2:20:042:20:07

Zaghari-Ratcliffe?

I can certainly say the Government

2:20:072:20:12

is of course calling for the release

of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe on

2:20:122:20:16

humanitarian grounds and we will

continue to do so. I can confirm

2:20:162:20:25

several ministers, including my

right honourable friend on my left,

2:20:252:20:31

has already met Mr Ratcliffe several

times and I have had a note from him

2:20:312:20:36

saying he welcomes the clarification

we made earlier today and would like

2:20:362:20:41

to meet and I look forward to doing

that. And the honourable lady's

2:20:412:20:50

final point was she wants to secure

the release of Nazanin

2:20:502:20:58

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, we all want to

secure the release of Nazanin

2:20:582:21:01

Zaghari-Ratcliffe. And if it is

possible in the course of the trip

2:21:012:21:08

to Teheran, to meet her

constituents, then of course I will

2:21:082:21:12

seek to do that. But I cannot stand

before the house today and guarantee

2:21:122:21:18

that will be possible but I will

certainly do my best to ensure it is

2:21:182:21:22

so.

May I welcome the Foreign Secretary

2:21:222:21:28

to the house today and welcome some

of the qualification he has made to

2:21:282:21:33

the comments he made in the Foreign

Affairs Committee last week. May I

2:21:332:21:37

say his errors in choice of work,

however unfortunate they may seem,

2:21:372:21:43

are entirely secondary and perhaps

even tertiary compared to the crimes

2:21:432:21:48

committed by the Iranian regime over

nearly four decades. With the

2:21:482:21:54

Foreign Secretary now take this

opportunity to address the threat

2:21:542:21:58

that Iran poses to your key in the

region and whether, after 40 years

2:21:582:22:03

of instability and tyranny, we need

a wider review of the union policy.

2:22:032:22:11

From folding British citizens

hostage to failing to allow embassy

2:22:112:22:20

staff to bring an secure

communications could you explain why

2:22:202:22:25

maintaining normal diplomatic

communications with this regime

2:22:252:22:32

should qualify as a nation with

which we should have friendly

2:22:322:22:35

diplomatic relations?

I thank my honourable friend for his

2:22:352:22:42

question. I think he is right in the

sense in Iran poses a threat to the

2:22:422:22:47

region and is because of instability

and, as he says, you can see it in

2:22:472:22:53

Yemen, their influence with

Hezbollah, in Lebanon, in Syria. And

2:22:532:22:58

Iran needs to be constrained, there

is no question about that. I must

2:22:582:23:03

say, I think to throw out all

diplomatic relations with Iran and

2:23:032:23:08

then bang -- abandon all engagement

with the country would be provided

2:23:082:23:13

mistake. And it is slightly

surprising he should take that line

2:23:132:23:18

because I think the Iran nuclear

deal was an important diplomatic

2:23:182:23:26

accomplishment and it is still

excellent and alive and part of

2:23:262:23:33

achievement of British diplomacy

over the past few months that it

2:23:332:23:37

remains in its essence intact and we

intend to preserve it and it is the

2:23:372:23:41

single best way of preventing Iran

from securing a nuclear weapons, the

2:23:412:23:45

best method we have at the moment.

As for severing diplomatic relations

2:23:452:23:50

entirely, let's go to the sort many

of the questions honourable members

2:23:502:23:57

opposite here today have asked, how

can we secure the release of Nazanin

2:23:572:24:02

Zaghari-Ratcliffe unless we are

willing to get out there and engage

2:24:022:24:05

with the Iranians diplomatically and

make an effort to secure her

2:24:052:24:09

release? That is what we are doing.

2:24:092:24:15

Zaghari-Ratcliffe's family and the

right honourable gentleman and I,

2:24:152:24:16

some years ago, shared an

accommodation poured in Baghdad and

2:24:162:24:20

I think from that experience, he is

experienced enough to know that

2:24:202:24:29

Daesh, while I welcome the defeat on

the ground, are still active on

2:24:292:24:34

social media platforms and he

referred to that. Would he agree

2:24:342:24:37

with me and therefore press them to

be much more nimble at stifling the

2:24:372:24:42

activities they are involved in? And

on the question of Nazanin

2:24:422:24:48

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, The Right

Honourable gentleman more than most

2:24:482:24:51

is in a position to know that words

matter and they matter because they

2:24:512:24:56

confer meaning. Whether he spoke

clumsily or was misinformed last

2:24:562:25:05

week on that case, won't he accept,

and I mean this in a good spirit,

2:25:052:25:08

that the very least that is required

is an apology?

Madam Deputy Speaker,

2:25:082:25:17

I think on the second point, with

great respect my right honourable

2:25:172:25:21

friend, I've answered that in some

detail already but on his first

2:25:212:25:25

point about countering Daesh online,

as he knows, that is a subject in

2:25:252:25:31

which the Prime Minister herself

takes a very keen interest and we

2:25:312:25:37

have, working with the Internet

providers, we have taken 295,000

2:25:372:25:41

separate pieces of Daesh propaganda

down from the web, but there is

2:25:412:25:47

much, much more that needs to be

done, particularly by the social

2:25:472:25:51

media giants.

Words do matter in

here, Madam Deputy Speaker, and the

2:25:512:25:58

Art IGC, the Revolutionary Iranians

guard Corps who will be watching

2:25:582:26:04

today, are the ones to blame for the

incarceration of a wife, mother, a

2:26:042:26:11

British citizen spuriously charged

with falsehoods. So if our words

2:26:112:26:16

really do matter, then it is only

right that we don't play party

2:26:162:26:19

politics, and I'm looking at the

Shadow front bench who were giggling

2:26:192:26:23

a minute ago about the discomfort

that the Foreign Secretary may be

2:26:232:26:28

feeling. And I would ask the Foreign

Secretary to get Nazanin released as

2:26:282:26:36

soon as possible.

I'm very grateful

to my honourable friend, who speaks

2:26:362:26:42

with huge authority about that

region and I can certainly say that

2:26:422:26:49

we are redoubling our efforts to

secure the release of Nazanin

2:26:492:26:52

Zaghari-Ratcliffe and I think he is

entirely right that the focus of the

2:26:522:26:57

house should not be on any failings

or the responsibility of the UK

2:26:572:27:02

Government for the incarceration of

this mother... I really think that

2:27:022:27:08

if she is going to continue to blame

the British Government for the

2:27:082:27:13

incarceration of Nazanin

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, she is living in

2:27:132:27:15

cloud cuckoo land, had endeavoured

to speak of. The world is upside

2:27:152:27:20

down in the Labour Party, absolutely

upside down, it is the Iranian

2:27:202:27:24

authorities against whom she should

be directing her attention and her

2:27:242:27:27

anger.

While he is correcting

inaccurate statements he made to the

2:27:272:27:34

foreign affairs committee last week

Tom would he care to correct the

2:27:342:27:38

answer he gave to my honourable

friend the Member for Rhondda when

2:27:382:27:42

he said he had seen no evidence of

Russian meddling in the EU

2:27:422:27:45

referendum? Come on.

The answer to

that, Madam Deputy Speaker, is no.

2:27:452:28:01

Madam deputies Speaker, I thank the

Foreign Secretary for his comments

2:28:012:28:04

clarifying the case of Mrs Radcliffe

and the concerns and convey the

2:28:042:28:10

concerns also from my constituents

and I to urge the Foreign Secretary

2:28:102:28:14

to seek an urgent solution to this

terrible case. If only because there

2:28:142:28:19

was a very small child, minutes and

hours away from their mother, really

2:28:192:28:25

do matter so as he travels to that

country, have that in mind. Canales

2:28:252:28:31

go ask my right honourable friend to

commend all service personnel

2:28:312:28:37

working so hard against the scourge

of Daesh. All our service men and

2:28:372:28:42

women, the exceptional sacrifices

they give, we remember this weekend

2:28:422:28:45

in all of our constituencies.

I

warmly applaud the sentiments my

2:28:452:28:51

honourable friend has just expressed

about our serving men and women and

2:28:512:28:54

I think we should all take the

opportunity in this statement again

2:28:542:28:58

to recognise their towering

achievement in clearing Daesh out of

2:28:582:29:02

90% of the territory they previously

occupied in Iraq and Syria.

Can I

2:29:022:29:09

suggest that the Foreign Secretary

is unwise to talk about the

2:29:092:29:12

collection when he himself is thy

looting scrutiny -- the looting

2:29:122:29:19

scrutiny of this appalling issue by

wrapping it up in a hugely important

2:29:192:29:22

update to the house on countering

Daesh, which he himself reviews,

2:29:222:29:29

despite repeated questions, to come

to the house and give at the rack

2:29:292:29:33

had fallen, so let me ask a question

about Daesh's to medication. He is

2:29:332:29:39

right to talk about restricting the

number of posts which Daesh are able

2:29:392:29:44

to make but what about the counter

narrative, which is at least equally

2:29:442:29:49

as important? What new approaches

will the Government take now?

2:29:492:29:53

Foreign fighters, UK fighters will

be coming back home and potentially

2:29:532:29:58

spreading this?

If I may say so,

that is an extremely important and

2:29:582:30:03

very good question, because it is

all very well trying to divert

2:30:032:30:06

people away from the path of

radicalisation and we do what we can

2:30:062:30:10

there. One of the most difficult

things is to reverse radicalisation

2:30:102:30:15

once it has taken place, as I think

the honourable member understands

2:30:152:30:19

very well. We have a can indications

sell as he knows, we are working on

2:30:192:30:24

it and we have all sorts of means to

try to do it, but the most important

2:30:242:30:29

thing is to stop them being

radicalised in the first place.

We

2:30:292:30:35

have got the Foreign Secretary in

front of us today, but I do believe

2:30:352:30:38

that he has chosen his words very

carefully today and I think we

2:30:382:30:42

should reserve our ire for the evil

of this regime, but can I just

2:30:422:30:45

asking what this statement is about,

really, which is why did Islamic

2:30:452:30:50

State grow in the first place mark

has the Foreign Office finally

2:30:502:30:54

learned the lesson that our

catastrophic invasion of Iraq, of

2:30:542:31:00

Libya, our deliberate

destabilisation of Syria, has

2:31:002:31:05

unleashed a untold misery and has

the Foreign Office really cottoned

2:31:052:31:09

on to the fact that if we undermined

deeply unpleasant authoritarian

2:31:092:31:15

leaders, we simply unleashed

totalitarian movements like Daesh

2:31:152:31:18

and who suffers? The minorities in

the Middle East.

My right honourable

2:31:182:31:24

friend makes an important point here

that if you look back at 2003, in

2:31:242:31:30

the words of the Chilcot Report,

nobody could say that our strategic

2:31:302:31:36

objectives have been entirely

obtained -- attained, putting it

2:31:362:31:41

mildly. But there are signs of hope

and across the region, there are

2:31:412:31:48

people who are willing to take up

the battle of leadership, there are

2:31:482:31:54

international institutions being

born. We must support them and we

2:31:542:31:57

must encourage them and we must not

disengage. It would be absolutely

2:31:572:32:01

fatal for this country to turn its

back on the region and think we can

2:32:012:32:06

thereby somehow insulate ourselves

from the problems germinating in

2:32:062:32:09

that region. We must engage, we must

support the political process and we

2:32:092:32:13

must be prepared to support freedom

and democracy where we can.

Given

2:32:132:32:19

the mistakes of the past, the world

owes it to the Government of Iraq

2:32:192:32:25

now win the peace. That does require

justice and it does require

2:32:252:32:29

prosecutions for genocide. Now

because Iraq is not a signatory to

2:32:292:32:33

the Treaty of Rome, those

prosecutions will be difficult in

2:32:332:32:37

Iraq, but we can prosecute those 400

plus foreign fighters who have

2:32:372:32:40

returned here to Britain. Yet we

have not sent a single one of them

2:32:402:32:46

to The Hague. In fact, in answers to

me in this House, the Attorney

2:32:462:32:50

General said the Government is not

even keeping figures on which

2:32:502:32:55

foreign fighters have been

prosecuted for what. This is, at

2:32:552:32:59

best, slipshod. So can the Foreign

Secretary give us an assurance this

2:32:592:33:02

afternoon that he will give us a

timetable for when we will send,

2:33:022:33:07

like Germany, people from this

country to the International

2:33:072:33:09

criminal Court and throw against

them the full weight of

2:33:092:33:13

international law?

Again, I think

that is an excellent point, Madam

2:33:132:33:19

Deputy Speaker and it is a subject

of recurrent anxiety to me that

2:33:192:33:24

people are coming back and although

we want to bring the full force of

2:33:242:33:27

the law upon them, it is proving

difficult to do so and as he rightly

2:33:272:33:32

says, we haven't yet been able to do

that insufficient cases. -- in

2:33:322:33:41

efficient cases. What we are trying

to do, and why we passed resolution

2:33:412:33:45

to 379, to make sure we have

evidence and make sure that where we

2:33:452:33:49

can get a locus and where we can get

caught, he mentions The Hague, we

2:33:492:33:55

will have the facts, the testimony,

that will be needed to send those

2:33:552:33:59

people down.

On the last occasion

the house was updated on the counter

2:33:592:34:05

Daesh campaign, it was confirmed

from dispatch box that there were

2:34:052:34:09

zero reported casualties as a result

of the United Kingdom's actions in

2:34:092:34:14

Syria and Iraq. Can the Secretary of

State update the house as to whether

2:34:142:34:18

this figure is still as low and in

doing so, will he join me in

2:34:182:34:23

commending the RAF in carrying out

so many campaigns against Daesh, I

2:34:232:34:26

think second only to the United

States.

I thank my honourable friend

2:34:262:34:32

very much and it is absolutely true

that as far as we know, the figures

2:34:322:34:37

that I have seen suggest that we

have no reports of civilian

2:34:372:34:39

casualties as a result of RAF

action. Obviously we can't be sure,

2:34:392:34:45

but we don't have any evidence and I

therefore really do pay tribute to

2:34:452:34:50

the skill and the effort of the RAF

crews and very, very brave people

2:34:502:34:55

they are too.

May I congratulate the

Foreign Secretary on the fact that

2:34:552:35:01

46 countries co-sponsored his UN

resolution on bringing Daesh to

2:35:012:35:09

justice, which was then unanimously

supported in the Security Council,

2:35:092:35:11

and doesn't this show that Britain

is both leading diplomatic efforts

2:35:112:35:17

against Daesh and rallying the

international community around the

2:35:172:35:22

supporting cause?

It is a vital

cause, Madam Deputy Speaker, and we

2:35:222:35:27

will continue to pressure and I am

grateful for my honourable friend's

2:35:272:35:33

support.

The Foreign Office says it

has three strategic objectives in

2:35:332:35:37

the first of these is protecting our

people. And my fear from the bluster

2:35:372:35:41

the Foreign Secretary has shown

today is that he has learned

2:35:412:35:44

absolutely nothing about what has

happened in the last week. He says

2:35:442:35:50

"My point was that I disagreed with

the Iranians view that training

2:35:502:35:54

journalists was a crime, not that I

lent any credence to allegations

2:35:542:36:00

that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe had

been engaged in such activity" but

2:36:002:36:04

last week, the Foreign Office said

to us as a committee that when we

2:36:042:36:09

look at Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

and what she was doing, she was

2:36:092:36:14

teaching people journalism. There is

not an age old in a country that

2:36:142:36:17

couldn't say to the Foreign

Secretary this does not match what

2:36:172:36:21

you said last week. Not a single age

old that couldn't tell the Foreign

2:36:212:36:26

Secretary had to do his job better

and I fear history can't show some

2:36:262:36:30

contrition today, the honest truth

is he shouldn't be in his job

2:36:302:36:33

because our people aren't safe.

With

great respect, I think I have

2:36:332:36:38

answered the point that The Right

Honourable gentleman makes. I was

2:36:382:36:46

giving the foreign affairs committee

and a of the allegations raised that

2:36:462:36:51

I had personally heard in the course

of my decisions from the Iranians. I

2:36:512:36:55

don't for one minute believe they

are true but that is what they say.

2:36:552:36:59

Our job now as diplomats is to get,

and I hope we have support of the

2:36:592:37:06

entire House of Commons, is to get

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe released

2:37:062:37:09

and the best way to do that is not

to score party political points, but

2:37:092:37:16

to concentrate our energies and our

criticism on those who are actually

2:37:162:37:20

responsible for her incarceration.

Taking the fight to Daesh in Syria

2:37:202:37:26

was a difficult but right thing to

do, eroding their territorial base

2:37:262:37:30

and resources, but in some ways,

that was the easy bit because the

2:37:302:37:35

warped ideology and jewels. Does my

honourable friend agree we should

2:37:352:37:38

continue to support the security

services, including those in my

2:37:382:37:43

constituency, who skilfully and

conscientious they are taking the

2:37:432:37:45

fight to the extremists online?

I

completely agree and provide online

2:37:452:37:51

can be every bit as valuable in

saving lives as the struggle in Iraq

2:37:512:37:55

and Syria.

Instead of

misrepresenting what he said to the

2:37:552:38:04

foreign affairs committee last week,

wouldn't it be better if he was to

2:38:042:38:09

write to the foreign affairs

committee withdrawing and correcting

2:38:092:38:13

his remarks, so they are no longer

on the record?

Madam Deputy Speaker,

2:38:132:38:19

I have dealt with that point

abundantly.

Thank you, Madam Deputy

2:38:192:38:29

Speaker and can I welcome the UK

Government's leadership in the fight

2:38:292:38:33

against Daesh and thanked the

Foreign Secretary for updating the

2:38:332:38:36

house. Just as we show leadership in

this area, isn't it right therefore

2:38:362:38:41

that we bring forward more

leadership in the area of cyber

2:38:412:38:45

security and online radicalisation?

Can he update the house on more

2:38:452:38:48

detail of the measures taken to

tackle the scourge that affects our

2:38:482:38:52

young people's minds?

I thank my

honourable friend. As I have said to

2:38:522:39:00

the house earlier on, we are

stepping up our activity with the

2:39:002:39:04

communications sell that we have,

but also trying to work with our

2:39:042:39:11

international friends and partners

to get Internet companies to take

2:39:112:39:13

down pre-emptively much of the

pollution that appears online and

2:39:132:39:19

that is where our activities are

directed at the moment. We need more

2:39:192:39:24

cooperation from the social media

companies.

As a member of the

2:39:242:39:31

foreign affairs select committee,

the only conclusion that many in the

2:39:312:39:33

country can come to after his

performance at the committee last

2:39:332:39:36

week is not only is The Right

Honourable gentleman ill-equipped to

2:39:362:39:39

be Foreign Secretary but he is

indeed an international

2:39:392:39:43

embarrassment. He has been forced to

come to this House today and include

2:39:432:39:46

a statement of Mrs Radcliffe as part

of his statement on the counter of

2:39:462:39:51

Daesh. He hasn't forced to do that

and hasn't corrected the record.

2:39:512:39:54

What he has said in the statement is

completely contrary to what he said

2:39:542:39:58

at committee last week, so I give

him one last opportunity in response

2:39:582:40:01

to my honourable friend from the

Rhondda to correct the record, do

2:40:012:40:06

himself a favour, do the Foreign

Office a favour and do the family a

2:40:062:40:09

favour.

2:40:092:40:14

For the sake of brevity I can tell

the honourable gentleman Richard

2:40:142:40:18

Ratcliffe himself has welcomed the

clarification I have offered today

2:40:182:40:22

and I think I am content with that

and we will push on and on that

2:40:222:40:27

basis. I may say to the honourable

gentleman, he sat through that

2:40:272:40:33

committee in a statement classy

indifference and made no remark at

2:40:332:40:36

all about anything I said either

then or two days later our Armed

2:40:362:40:43

Forces can be proud of the work they

have done encountering Daesh but

2:40:432:40:49

there is no way this house can be

proud of Foreign Secretary because

2:40:492:40:54

he is quite right and others have

been right to argue the

2:40:542:40:57

responsibility for the detainment of

the British citizen is solely the

2:40:572:41:02

responsibility of the Iranian regime

but with the ill judged remarks he

2:41:022:41:06

made last week the only person in

this house who did the bidding of

2:41:062:41:10

the Iranian regime was the Foreign

Secretary and what is so egregious

2:41:102:41:14

about this whole affair as he did

not take ownership of this mistake

2:41:142:41:18

and did not seem to quickly rectify

it and he has compute today and

2:41:182:41:24

cannot bring himself to show any

contrition or even an apologise.

2:41:242:41:27

This is not a criticism of the party

opposite of the finest dogmatic

2:41:272:41:32

servers in the world, it is a

criticism firmly of the Foreign

2:41:322:41:36

Secretary who does not have the care

and attention necessary to do one of

2:41:362:41:40

the most important jobs in

Government.

I must respectfully

2:41:402:41:45

repeat the point I have made several

times now, which is I have clarified

2:41:452:41:53

the remarks I gave to the Foreign

Affairs Committee and pointed out

2:41:532:41:56

the most important conclusion of

today, that nothing I said has had

2:41:562:42:05

any impact whatever, contrary to the

assertions made repeatedly across

2:42:052:42:09

the house, on the other side of the

host, on the judicial proceedings

2:42:092:42:13

taking place in Teheran. I think

what we should be doing is working

2:42:132:42:21

together to secure the release of

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and that

2:42:212:42:24

is certainly what we are doing.

My constituents, Colin and Rosemary

2:42:242:42:32

are family members of Nazanin

Zaghari-Ratcliffe and they have been

2:42:322:42:39

worried sick by his irresponsible

comments. On a human level is the

2:42:392:42:42

Foreign Secretary at all sorry for

the roller-coaster of emotions she

2:42:422:42:47

has caused her and her family this

week and could yet to apologise to

2:42:472:42:51

them today?

Of course, I am sorry if any words

2:42:512:42:58

of mine have been so taken out of

context and so misconstrued as to

2:42:582:43:04

cause any kind of anxiety for the

family of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

2:43:042:43:08

Of course I am. But the most

important thing is I do not believe,

2:43:082:43:18

and I have this from the Iranians

themselves, those words had any

2:43:182:43:24

impact on the judicial process. And

we are going to work flat out to

2:43:242:43:29

secure the release of Nazanin

Zaghari-Ratcliffe. I am very happy

2:43:292:43:34

to have been able to make that

qualification to the house today. I

2:43:342:43:38

am delighted is, as I say, Richard

Ratcliffe welcomes the clarification

2:43:382:43:44

I have made. As I pass on my

thoughts to their constituents and

2:43:442:43:51

the family of Nazanin

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, I would be very

2:43:512:43:53

grateful.

It is precisely because many of us

2:43:532:44:00

have many months been working to

working to try to secure her release

2:44:002:44:04

that many of us are so upset about

this mistake which has been made. I

2:44:042:44:11

accept perhaps inadvertently, we are

aware of the impact of her detention

2:44:112:44:16

on her and her family and that is

occasioning this extent of this May.

2:44:162:44:22

It is not an attempt to politicise

this, it is genuine... I hope the

2:44:222:44:30

Foreign Secretary will go to look at

the website of the availing judicial

2:44:302:44:34

authorities where his remarks are

repeated for all to see. -- the

2:44:342:44:40

reigning judicial authorities. I

think it is difficult for him to

2:44:402:44:44

resolve herself responsibility. We

know the Iranian authorities do not

2:44:442:44:50

deal with ambiguity, they need

clarity, clear words and we need to

2:44:502:44:56

know -- weekly six words, -- we need

sex once. If -- we need six words.

2:44:562:45:11

We need this now from the Foreign

Secretary. "I Am sorry, I made a

2:45:112:45:18

mistake. " Please give us those six

words now.

2:45:182:45:25

I think the mistake and the fault

lies with the Iranian authorities.

2:45:252:45:33

And it is against them she should

direct their anger.

2:45:332:45:38

Order. Point of order.

The Foreign Secretary has come to

2:45:382:45:45

the house this afternoon to provide

a statement clarifying comments that

2:45:452:45:48

were made last week. He said in his

statement, my point was I disagreed

2:45:482:45:57

with the reigning view the training

journalist was a crime, not that I

2:45:572:46:01

give any credence to intervene in

allegations that Nazanin

2:46:012:46:04

Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been engaged

in to such activity. The transcript

2:46:042:46:10

says that when we look at what

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was doing

2:46:102:46:12

she was simply teaching people

journalism. Those two statements are

2:46:122:46:19

inaccurate and contradictory. Could

you also give me advice, the Foreign

2:46:192:46:24

Secretary accused me of being on the

foreign affairs select committee

2:46:242:46:27

last week of performing with glassy

indifference, was the phrase he

2:46:272:46:34

used. Can I say every does not like

me asking questions about Iran and

2:46:342:46:38

US sanctions it was more incredulity

at his incompetence in answering the

2:46:382:46:44

questions, and not glassy

indifference.

2:46:442:46:48

On his first point, it is not a

matter for me to opine on this

2:46:482:46:56

matter. We have had considerable

time this afternoon when these

2:46:562:47:00

questions have been put to the

Foreign Secretary and the Foreign

2:47:002:47:04

Secretary had answered. If that is a

difference of opinion, that is the

2:47:042:47:08

nature of political debate and not a

matter for the chair. On the second

2:47:082:47:13

point, if the honourable gentleman

has put a rather different

2:47:132:47:16

description to be one the Foreign

Secretary gave him and once again

2:47:162:47:21

that is a matter of opinion and the

two opinions have been expressed and

2:47:212:47:24

it is not for me to rule one is

correct.

2:47:242:47:29

Point of order.

Earlier on today during the urgent

2:47:292:47:35

question on the Brexit analysis, the

member for Edinburgh South said,

2:47:352:47:44

quite rightly, the Secretary of

State for Scotland said the central

2:47:442:47:49

analysis on the impact on Scotland

existed and was shared with the

2:47:492:47:54

Scottish Government. My colleagues

in the Scottish Government have not

2:47:542:47:58

seen such an analysis despite

repeated requests. Can you give us

2:47:582:48:03

some advice on how we can correct

the record of this?

2:48:032:48:07

I appreciate the point the

honourable gentleman is making but

2:48:072:48:11

once again it is not a matter for

the chair. He asks for my advice on

2:48:112:48:15

correcting the record and I think he

has just put his issue on the

2:48:152:48:22

records. It will be noted and I am

quite sure those on the Treasury

2:48:222:48:28

bench will note it. I thank the

honourable gentleman for his point

2:48:282:48:32

of order and we now come to

presentation of a bill. Secretary

2:48:322:48:40

Liam Fox.

Trade bill.

Second reading. What

2:48:402:48:50

they? Monday the 13th of November.

Monday the 13th of November. We will

2:48:502:48:58

now consider the ten minute rule

motion on leasehold reform.

2:48:582:49:07

I beg to move that please be given

to bring in a bill to make provision

2:49:072:49:12

about the regulation of the purchase

of freehold by leaseholders to

2:49:122:49:15

introduce a system for establishing

a maximum charge for such freehold

2:49:152:49:19

to make provision about the award of

legal costs in all property Tribunal

2:49:192:49:24

cases and established compensation

scheme for cases were misleading

2:49:242:49:28

have led to certain leasehold

agreements. The working title of

2:49:282:49:33

this bill is the leasehold reform

Bill but it has been suggested to me

2:49:332:49:37

a better title might be the

leasehold emancipation bill because

2:49:372:49:41

while I welcome the Government's

recent consultation on end the

2:49:412:49:45

unfair useful practices and would

urge ministers to hold their nerve

2:49:452:49:49

in ending this, there is little

suggest it will address the ongoing

2:49:492:49:53

situation of existing leaseholders,

many of whom feel trapped in their

2:49:532:49:56

homes. There is genuine cross-party

support for this and I hope that

2:49:562:50:00

will uncover when -- encourage the

Government to facilitate its passage

2:50:002:50:05

through Parliament or at least come

up with a bill of their own. On

2:50:052:50:09

cross-party support I would like to

take the opportunity to pay tribute

2:50:092:50:12

to the members for Worthing West who

have been true champions of the

2:50:122:50:18

leasehold community. The principal

aim of the bill is to deliver a fair

2:50:182:50:24

and simple mechanism to help tens of

thousands of our constituents escape

2:50:242:50:28

from our current leasehold

agreements and before I set out how

2:50:282:50:31

that will work in practice I will

briefly explain the background. Many

2:50:312:50:34

of my constituents and those of

other members have spoken about how

2:50:342:50:40

they thought they were buying their

dream home is new housing

2:50:402:50:46

developments. Many but not all knew

the property was being sold to them

2:50:462:50:50

on basis but very few were fully

aware of the finer detail of what

2:50:502:50:59

they were signing up to. Almost all

were left with the impression they

2:50:592:51:04

would have first refusal on the

freehold of the property at it could

2:51:042:51:07

be purchased for a reasonable price.

Figures quoted for this work driven

2:51:072:51:14

and bear little resemblance to the

figures they were given later on

2:51:142:51:18

because shortly after they moved in

the freehold on the property had

2:51:182:51:23

been sold to a third party, without

their consent. In many cases the

2:51:232:51:27

freehold has been moved offshore so

what they thought was their home had

2:51:272:51:32

become the property of the shady and

secretive string of companies

2:51:322:51:35

operating from a tax haven, often it

is impossible to say who the

2:51:352:51:39

ultimate beneficiary is. Under the

terms of the lease and an order

2:51:392:51:43

could continue to live in their own

home they are charged an annual

2:51:432:51:47

growth letter which in some cases

will double every two years, taking

2:51:472:51:50

an initially modest sum to an

exorbitant annual fee within their

2:51:502:51:56

lifetime. In some cases that renders

the property and sellable. This

2:51:562:52:00

ground rent is separate and in

addition to the service and

2:52:002:52:05

maintenance charge. While those

charges pay for something that is

2:52:052:52:08

clearly defined I have never been

given a satisfactory answer as to

2:52:082:52:13

what ground rent pays for other than

to give an additional cash flow for

2:52:132:52:18

the builder. The person living in

the house gets nothing in return for

2:52:182:52:23

their annual payments. When those

living in the leasehold home

2:52:232:52:27

enquired about whether the new owner

is willing to sell their often told

2:52:272:52:32

no. I have had to threaten

freeholders with them the names on

2:52:322:52:37

the floor of the house to elicit a

response and nor is the response

2:52:372:52:42

consistent. Neighbours then almost

identical houses in my constituency

2:52:422:52:46

have been quartered where the

different prices. It was but

2:52:462:52:49

dramatic my attention a situation in

another constituency where residents

2:52:492:52:55

were asked to Pete Reed additional

songs to avoid their leasehold being

2:52:552:53:02

sold to... A lucky few were given

theirs for free and such an

2:53:022:53:06

inconsistent and unfair approach

could no longer be possible under

2:53:062:53:08

this bill. When they eventually

received the quote for purchasing

2:53:082:53:13

the freehold there are often quoted

an astronomical sum and told that as

2:53:132:53:18

non-negotiable. These are always

many p higher at anything in the

2:53:182:53:22

developer's sales staff would have

told them. The same is true when

2:53:222:53:27

residents of a block of flats sort

of flats sought to purchase their

2:53:272:53:29

freehold. Instead of the simple

purchase for a set price the

2:53:292:53:36

developer led them to expect they

could take advantage of instead they

2:53:362:53:39

enter into the expensive and

convoluted process of incessant

2:53:392:53:45

horse trading that exist to

establish correct valuations and

2:53:452:53:50

providing lucrative market for

surveyors and lawyers. It is often

2:53:502:53:53

the case the provisions of the

recent require the person wanting to

2:53:532:53:57

buy the freehold have to pay the

freehold's cost. We have a situation

2:53:572:54:03

where they are footing the bill for

the cost of professionals whose job

2:54:032:54:07

it is to maximise the amount of

money they will take of you. The

2:54:072:54:10

first aim of this bill is to

introduce a fair and transparent

2:54:102:54:16

scheme and pricing model cap that no

more than ten times the annual... At

2:54:162:54:22

the more leasehold is often quoted

very high prices and we can change

2:54:222:54:29

lives. Such a system exist in

countries such as Scotland and

2:54:292:54:34

Northern Ireland and it is people in

England and Wales have the same

2:54:342:54:36

rights. would involve a simple form

to cotula the value of the freehold

2:54:362:54:42

based on the ground rent and years

left on the lease and a cap of the

2:54:422:54:49

maximum payable. Everyone knows that

the outset what they are dealing

2:54:492:54:51

with. Although bad news for lawyers

and surveyors in this field, it

2:54:512:54:57

would enable constituents to finally

own their own homes in a

2:54:572:55:00

straightforward way and provide

security for their futures.

2:55:002:55:02

Currently, too many leaseholders are

prevented from exercising their

2:55:022:55:07

rights because they can't afford to

do so. One retired couple paid

2:55:072:55:12

£38,000 to buy their freehold. They

are being ripped off when they first

2:55:122:55:15

by the house and then ripped up

again when they try to buy the

2:55:152:55:18

freehold. The second provision of

the bill seeks to balance the

2:55:182:55:22

awarding of costs and property

Tribunal is. The balance of power --

2:55:222:55:28

imbalance of power between

leaseholder and freehold and ensures

2:55:282:55:31

a leaseholder won't have to pay a

freehold's cost to ensure their own

2:55:312:55:35

rights under the lease. Finally, I

have deep concerns about the

2:55:352:55:39

information provided to purchasers

by developers and also the advice

2:55:392:55:42

given by solicitors who are often

recommended by the developer which

2:55:422:55:47

is why I'm calling for statutory

compensation. I labelled this

2:55:472:55:51

scandal the PPI of the

house-building industry and that

2:55:512:55:54

phrase has caught on because of

those similarities. We need a

2:55:542:55:58

similar process to compensate those

who have fallen victim to this camp.

2:55:582:56:01

I have evidence where developers

insisted purchasers used solicitors

2:56:012:56:06

nominated by them for the sale to go

ahead or offered large incentives

2:56:062:56:10

like paying legal fees and a

leaseholder and in many cases,

2:56:102:56:14

buyers were put under pressure to

use a recommended solicitor because

2:56:142:56:16

they were told there was a short

window of time available to complete

2:56:162:56:20

the purchase and only a solicitor

from their panel would be able to

2:56:202:56:24

complete the relevant searches

within this time frame. This meant

2:56:242:56:27

many of my constituents used firms

whose advice on these leases was

2:56:272:56:32

that they were standard documents.

That might have been standard for

2:56:322:56:35

that development but it doesn't make

it fair or reasonable. The third

2:56:352:56:39

element of my bill therefore seeks

to establish in law a system of

2:56:392:56:43

compensation where misleading people

has led to certain leaseholder

2:56:432:56:47

agreements. I would ask for a full

independent inquiry to take place to

2:56:472:56:51

look into relationships between

developers, freeholders, finance

2:56:512:56:55

companies and conveyancers in order

to establish how the system has left

2:56:552:57:00

so many innocent people ripped off.

It is time we held to account the

2:57:002:57:04

guilty men and women who must've

known that the scam would ultimately

2:57:042:57:06

be up the cost of their customers.

The leasehold scandal is one that

2:57:062:57:11

nobody emerges from with credit,

Government, lenders, freeholders and

2:57:112:57:15

lawyers have all played a role but I

must reserve the lion's share of

2:57:152:57:19

obloquy for those developers who

have deliberately and systematically

2:57:192:57:25

created a set of toxic assets with

those left in the lurch finding the

2:57:252:57:29

biggest purchase of their life is a

pub. When people bought their

2:57:292:57:32

houses, they thought they were doing

that, buying their home. But

2:57:322:57:35

whenever complicate -- thought of a

moment was the owner of the home was

2:57:352:57:40

someone they never knew the identity

of who could sell the lion's share

2:57:402:57:44

of the property to someone else

without their consent. We need to

2:57:442:57:47

give people the chance to escape the

trap. Adam Deputy Speaker, it will

2:57:472:57:51

take years before the stench of

ignominy that envelops those

2:57:512:57:55

developers wears off but this bill

may hope in that process because

2:57:552:57:58

until we come up with an effective

way to release people from the

2:57:582:58:02

shackles of leasehold, the authors

of this injustice will never be

2:58:022:58:05

forgiven. I commend this to the

house.

Question is that the

2:58:052:58:10

honourable member of leave to bring

in the bill. As many of that opinion

2:58:102:58:14

say I? On the contrary, no. The

"ayes" have it. The "ayes" have it.

2:58:142:58:21

Who will prepare and bring in the

bill?

Lynn Fitzpatrick, said Peter

2:58:212:58:28

Bottomley, David Hanson, Ian Austin,

Mary Clinton, Justin Tomlinson, Ruth

2:58:282:58:33

George, Bill Stenson, Gareth Thomas,

Derek Twigg and myself.

2:58:332:58:38

Well done.

Hear hear.

2:58:542:59:07

Birnerova leasehold reform bill.

Second reading, what day? Friday the

2:59:122:59:18

2nd of February, 2018.

Friday, the

2nd of February, 2018.

Hear hear.

We

2:59:182:59:28

now come to the debate on a

backbench business motion on

2:59:282:59:33

temporary accommodation.

Siobhan-Marie O'Connor to move the

2:59:332:59:37

motion.

Thank you Madam Deputy

Speaker. Can I thank the backbench

2:59:372:59:46

business committee for granting

today's debate on such an important

2:59:462:59:52

issue. The housing market is broken,

that was the damning verdict of The

2:59:522:59:57

Right Honourable Secretary of State

for communities and that of an

2:59:573:00:00

earlier this year. The 9712

residents on the housing register

3:00:003:00:06

where my constituency is based in

the London Borough of Merton would

3:00:063:00:09

absolutely agree with him. Perhaps

the most visible indication of the

3:00:093:00:14

broken housing market is the

thousands of people sleeping on our

3:00:143:00:18

streets, but the homeless crisis

that this country faces is far

3:00:183:00:23

greater and it is hidden, hidden in

hostels, hidden in the and thes and

3:00:233:00:28

the heart of an industrial estate.

If they homeless applicant has

3:00:283:00:32

nowhere to stay and is priority

need, the local authority has a duty

3:00:323:00:38

to ensure immediate temporary

accommodation is made available.

3:00:383:00:41

This is the reality of the 78,180

households across the country, where

3:00:413:00:49

121,170 children did not have a

permanent home. This staggering

3:00:493:00:52

figure is rising fast...

I am

grateful both for her getting this

3:00:523:01:01

debate and her giving way to me.

Though she accept through Universal

3:01:013:01:06

Credit, we have now got a state

recruiter to the numbers of people

3:01:063:01:10

who will be homeless. We know more

will be hungry, the Government is

3:01:103:01:15

collecting no figures on that, nor

on the theme of her debate, which is

3:01:153:01:22

homelessness, and isn't that a

shameful reflection on the

3:01:223:01:24

Government's concern? Slick work and

I agree with my right honourable

3:01:243:01:29

friend and thank him for all of the

work he has done for the most

3:01:293:01:33

forgotten in our society over

decades. The truth is that Universal

3:01:333:01:38

Credit will be yet another driver to

force families out of the private

3:01:383:01:43

rented sector, where personally I

believe most of them should not be

3:01:433:01:47

in the first place.

The staggering

figure of homeless families is

3:01:473:01:52

moving fast, with an additional 960

households in temporary

3:01:523:01:58

accommodation in the last quarter

alone. Incidentally, this figure has

3:01:583:02:02

risen a quarter on quarter since

2010, with the number of children in

3:02:023:02:07

temporary accommodation increased by

66% since the Conservatives came to

3:02:073:02:12

power. Despite public misperception,

housing benefit data suggests that a

3:02:123:02:21

third of householders in temporary

accommodation in England are in

3:02:213:02:24

work, rising to half of households

in the temporary accommodation in

3:02:243:02:27

London. But three quarters of

families in temporary accommodation

3:02:273:02:32

in London have been there for more

than six months, with one in ten

3:02:323:02:37

therefore more than a not so

temporary five years, and that is

3:02:373:02:42

without mentioning the cases in

Harrow and Camden of households in

3:02:423:02:46

temporary accommodation for a

baffling 19 years. Of course, these

3:02:463:02:51

are extreme cases but the fact is

that more than 100 councils across

3:02:513:02:57

the country have households living

in temporary accommodation for

3:02:573:02:59

longer than a year. Can I clear --

make it clear, the purpose of my

3:02:593:03:06

debate is not to bash local

authorities. They are dealing with

3:03:063:03:09

very difficult situations as best

they can and I would like to pay

3:03:093:03:12

particular praise to the head of my

housing department in Merton, Steve

3:03:123:03:17

Langley, who I've known for over 20

years and I have seen the distress

3:03:173:03:21

that it causes him to place families

hundreds of miles away from home and

3:03:213:03:26

in accommodation that he would not

accept for his own family and I give

3:03:263:03:30

thanks for his public service. But

there is a cost to the taxpayer as

3:03:303:03:36

well. In November 2016, the BBC

reported that councils in Britain

3:03:363:03:40

have spent more than £3.5 billion on

temporary accommodation over the

3:03:403:03:44

last five years. A net cost that has

tripled in the last three years

3:03:443:03:51

alone. Now that the scene is set, I

would like to make three main

3:03:513:03:56

reasons that I have called to the's

debate won one. I will stop without

3:03:563:04:02

a borough temporary housing before

moving on the need for enforcement

3:04:023:04:05

of current legislation and finished

by assessing the standard of

3:04:053:04:09

temporary accommodation for the

70,000 families. That started

3:04:093:04:14

housing outside a borough. Over 28%

of households in temporary

3:04:143:04:19

accommodation are housed outside

their local authority area, are

3:04:193:04:23

simply remarkable increase of 248%

between March 2011 and March 2017.

3:04:233:04:33

For London boroughs, that figure

increases to a staggering 36% of

3:04:333:04:37

households, with a number being

placed outside the capital rising

3:04:373:04:41

fivefold since 2012 alone. Last

year, the London Borough of Harrow

3:04:413:04:47

temporarily moved residence as far

as Bradford, Wolverhampton and even

3:04:473:04:51

Glasgow. A regular recipient of the

residences Birmingham. The scale of

3:04:513:04:58

the issue illustrated by a letter

from Birmingham City Council to all

3:04:583:05:01

London councils calling for this to

end, with their resources at

3:05:013:05:05

breaking point. For these families,

that is 140 miles away from their

3:05:053:05:11

homes, their children's schools and

their friends, family and community.

3:05:113:05:18

Only last Thursday, my office to the

call at 5pm from a lady who was told

3:05:183:05:22

she was to go off to Birmingham with

her four children under the age of

3:05:223:05:27

eight. It took a collection from the

parents at her children's school to

3:05:273:05:32

pay for a Travelodge that night

before she was offered a one-bedroom

3:05:323:05:35

flat for herself and her four

children the next day. Similarly, at

3:05:353:05:40

my advice surgery last Friday, I met

a full-time nurse from St Helier

3:05:403:05:46

Hospital who had just been offered

temporary accommodation 44 miles

3:05:463:05:49

away in Luton. Meanwhile, for a

homeless resident in Kensington,

3:05:493:05:57

Chelsea, there is a remarkable 72%

chance that their temporary

3:05:573:06:00

accommodation will be outside their

borough. It seems ard, therefore,

3:06:003:06:06

that the Communities and Local

Government Secretary state that

3:06:063:06:09

housing people away from their homes

and support networks should be an

3:06:093:06:12

action of last resort.

I do

apologise, but I am both intrigued

3:06:123:06:21

and appalled by the record she is

giving us, because in fact, it is

3:06:213:06:26

worse than the poor law. In the Poor

law, you were sent back to the

3:06:263:06:30

village they thought you came from.

Under these rules, you are sent back

3:06:303:06:35

to any old village or city,

providing the local authority can

3:06:353:06:39

actually done is on them -- dump

family on them.

There are 22,000

3:06:393:06:49

households currently facing such a

last resort and being placed in

3:06:493:06:53

temporary accommodation outside

their borough. When local authority

3:06:533:06:58

undertakes its housing duty to

people, placing them in temporary

3:06:583:07:02

accommodation in another borough,

they should notify the receiving

3:07:023:07:05

borough that they have done so

according to the Housing act 1996.

3:07:053:07:10

That notice should be in writing and

at least 14 days before the

3:07:103:07:13

householders placed in the area. If

the department confident that each

3:07:133:07:19

of these households is accounted for

in the new temporary home. A letter

3:07:193:07:24

I received from Thurrock Council,

who had 183 placements from London

3:07:243:07:30

boroughs in attendance April 20 16th

of February 2017 highlighted, and

3:07:303:07:35

the chief executive said

"Unfortunately, our experience has

3:07:353:07:41

been that the notifications are

either not sent or sent to the wrong

3:07:413:07:44

contact within the Council. Over the

past cover housing departments have

3:07:443:07:49

noticed an increasing the number of

cases who report they were placed in

3:07:493:07:52

borough from London without the

formal notification been received."

3:07:523:07:59

Whilst housing outside a borough

itself is not unlawful, councils are

3:07:593:08:03

legally obliged to ensure relocation

is a suitable and appropriate for

3:08:033:08:06

the family circumstances, taking in

potential disruption for education,

3:08:063:08:11

medical needs and employment into

account. Does the Minister agree

3:08:113:08:16

with me that the processes must be

put in place and have to be enforced

3:08:163:08:21

to ensure a receiving local

authority is fully aware of a

3:08:213:08:24

family's arrival and can ensure that

they receive the health care,

3:08:243:08:30

education and welfare support they

are entitled to once they are there?

3:08:303:08:35

Then there is the issue of

enforcement of current legislation

3:08:353:08:37

on the issue. In 2004, the homeless

the suitability of accommodation

3:08:373:08:43

order came into force, providing

that homeless families with children

3:08:433:08:47

should not be placed in a B and B in

accepting our emergency. Such an

3:08:473:08:52

emergency were to arrive, it would

the no longer than six weeks. As of

3:08:523:08:59

June this year, 6660 families are

temporarily house in B and B, three

3:08:593:09:05

times as many as when the

Conservatives came to power in 2010.

3:09:053:09:11

A deplorable 2710 of these

households are trapped in the and

3:09:113:09:16

bees and include children and for

1200 of those families, their living

3:09:163:09:21

hell has gone on for far longer than

the six-week legal limit, with the

3:09:213:09:26

local authorities housing them quite

simply breaking the law. One of

3:09:263:09:30

these families joins us in the

gallery today. Kelly's family were

3:09:303:09:35

evicted earlier this year. Homeless,

Sutton Council plays Kelly, her

3:09:353:09:40

husband and her two young children

in a single room in a b&b in

3:09:403:09:44

Wimbledon. They had low -- so little

space that Kelly's stepson had to

3:09:443:09:50

leave the family home. For ten

weeks, the family was left in one

3:09:503:09:54

tiny room, hidden from society in a

b&b. No one told Kelly when a

3:09:543:09:59

nightmare would end. After ten long

weeks, Kelly is finally now out of

3:09:593:10:04

b&b, though her temporary home is

not much better.

3:10:043:10:10

She says she does not feel safe

there and I completely understand.

3:10:103:10:15

The other does not work, the

electrics are precarious and the

3:10:153:10:19

flimsy front door is not secure. She

was told there is no planning

3:10:193:10:31

permission for the flat she lives in

to exist.

3:10:313:10:36

I am grateful to my honourable

friend for the manner in which she

3:10:363:10:41

leading this debate. Does she think

it is a violation of human rights we

3:10:413:10:48

have so many people living in these

Dickensian conditions?

3:10:483:10:52

I think it is an abuse of human

rights and a moral duty on behalf of

3:10:523:10:57

all of us to bring a resolution to

this. As for her daughter, she is

3:10:573:11:03

old enough to question but too young

to understand their situation. When

3:11:033:11:08

she returns from school she asks why

none of her friends have two share a

3:11:083:11:12

room with their parents, both Kelly

and her husband whole darn good jobs

3:11:123:11:16

and she tells me she simply does not

know how to get out of this

3:11:163:11:21

situation and if she complained she

fears she will be moved far away

3:11:213:11:26

from her children's school and the

job. Birmingham City Council

3:11:263:11:30

currently has 85 children and

families in B&Bs for more than six

3:11:303:11:39

weeks while other councils have done

similar for longer than the legal

3:11:393:11:44

limit of six weeks. Take another

family, two young brave girls I met

3:11:443:11:53

in Parliament a fortnight ago after

living in their friend's house for

3:11:533:11:57

over a year they became homeless and

had to move to temporary

3:11:573:12:00

accommodation away from their

friends, family and school. A double

3:12:003:12:05

bed, single bed and bunk beds filled

their tiny room with their bathroom

3:12:053:12:09

and kitchen shared with another

family. They tell me they felt

3:12:093:12:13

brushed under the carpet because

they were on scene from society, too

3:12:133:12:18

ashamed to open the curtains to the

outside world and this makes her

3:12:183:12:23

recent GCSE success even more

remarkable and I congratulate her

3:12:233:12:29

for her well-deserved achievements.

Does the Minister agree with me a

3:12:293:12:33

B&B is no place for her or any

family for longer than six weeks and

3:12:333:12:38

the existence of the law against

that is superfluous if there is no

3:12:383:12:42

way to enforce it? What tangible

changes as he suggest to ensure

3:12:423:12:48

local authorities abide by the law

and this chamber -- that this

3:12:483:12:53

chamber has agreed upon. Behind the

facts and figures these are real

3:12:533:12:57

homes, real people and real families

and in my own constituency, one very

3:12:573:13:01

real building named Her House. At my

surgery this name has become an

3:13:013:13:10

increasingly regular feature of the

past year with constituents are

3:13:103:13:14

first constituency calling me for

help, desperate to escape what they

3:13:143:13:18

described to me as their living

nightmare. It is very difficult to

3:13:183:13:24

summarise the conditions of Connect

house without visiting in person so

3:13:243:13:27

at the end of this debate I invite

each and every member to join me in

3:13:273:13:33

committee room number nine where I

will be releasing a video so each of

3:13:333:13:37

you and the general public can see

for your own eyes the appalling

3:13:373:13:42

conditions the 84 families living

inside Connect house find himself

3:13:423:13:47

in. I will do my best to find the

right words for now. Willow Lane

3:13:473:13:52

industrial estate is home to a

plethora of successful businesses,

3:13:523:13:56

from timber windows to scare for

those to join us, one of the busiest

3:13:563:14:01

industrial estate in South London.

Almost two years ago there was a

3:14:013:14:06

peculiar change in the state with

the business is beginning to north

3:14:063:14:10

as prams walking before their front

doors, children playing whilst

3:14:103:14:16

lorries and vans race through, they

began to notice hundreds of

3:14:163:14:19

residents using their working

industrial estate as a home. Connect

3:14:193:14:26

house is at the heart of this is the

house is 84 families placed there by

3:14:263:14:31

four different local authorities.

There is little collaboration

3:14:313:14:37

between authorities as to who is

placed in Connect house, heightening

3:14:373:14:41

the danger of vulnerable residents

being placed amongst completely

3:14:413:14:45

inappropriate neighbours. To reach

the latest amenities the residents

3:14:453:14:51

have to walk through the industrial

Street, castling the pavements,

3:14:513:14:55

causing those with prams onto the

road. The local workers are not

3:14:553:15:02

expecting 84 families to be living

on their industrial estate. Wastes

3:15:023:15:07

around the Connect house with

industrial bins ill-equipped for the

3:15:073:15:11

residents' needs. This attracts rats

and Fox's letter across the adjacent

3:15:113:15:16

car park. O is also found throughout

the building itself, with

3:15:163:15:20

considerable damage. It is not

staffed at evenings or weekends,

3:15:203:15:28

what one resident finding herself

locked up in the middle of an

3:15:283:15:31

industrial estate were arriving back

at night. A single key fob is

3:15:313:15:36

allocated to each room and

additional fobs come at a cost of

3:15:363:15:40

the deposit of £20. For those who

are able to enter one resident told

3:15:403:15:48

me of the danger she and her

daughter had been an when a man was

3:15:483:15:51

able to follow her to her front

door. These doors have neither a spy

3:15:513:15:58

hole nor a chain for safety. For the

vulnerable family their security is

3:15:583:16:04

nothing more than a thin door

separating their home from the

3:16:043:16:07

industrial estate. There is no

communal room in Connect house,

3:16:073:16:13

neither is there any way for the

children to go other than their tiny

3:16:133:16:17

bedroom where they are so often

forced to share a bed with their

3:16:173:16:22

parents and siblings. They complain

of children running through

3:16:223:16:24

corridors all night whilst the car

park outside has been described as a

3:16:243:16:31

playground. With the Minister agree

an industrial estate car park is not

3:16:313:16:35

a fit playground for the hundreds of

children inside Connect house?

3:16:353:16:42

Residents and businesses have

described Connect house as an

3:16:423:16:44

accident waiting to happen and a

death trap. Yet this is probably

3:16:443:16:50

Bromley council have not even

visited, despite placing their

3:16:503:16:54

families there. They argue there is

simply not enough time or resources

3:16:543:16:58

to be able to do so and in their own

words, this is compounded by the

3:16:583:17:03

fact a significant number of

properties are out of the borough.

3:17:033:17:06

The remote location of the building

means there are no immediate shot or

3:17:063:17:11

immunities for residents. The

location is so remote that even an

3:17:113:17:16

ambulance was unable to find it when

called for a heavily pregnant lady

3:17:163:17:21

Howe stayer who had to have her baby

in the car park outside. It fills me

3:17:213:17:27

with sadness to tell the chamber

that particular baby is no longer

3:17:273:17:31

with us. This is a property that

promotes the landlord with an

3:17:313:17:35

estimated and simply staggering up

to £1.5 million of taxpayer money

3:17:353:17:42

each year, with local authority

charge between 30 and £40 per room

3:17:423:17:47

per night. Connect house is a

21st-century multi-million pound

3:17:473:17:52

death trap in the middle of my

constituency. In the gallery today

3:17:523:17:57

said dozens of residents from

Connect house and joining us year to

3:17:573:18:02

have their voices heard and to find

out why the Government considers

3:18:023:18:05

felt like to be a suitable place for

them to live, to listen to what

3:18:053:18:10

changes the Minister will propose

before this death trap takes its

3:18:103:18:14

next victim and from down here in

this chamber I would like to tell

3:18:143:18:19

their experiences, challenges and

stories. Laura shares a room with

3:18:193:18:23

her teenage daughter despite having

a spinal disability. I room is so

3:18:233:18:28

small she had to move items out just

to show me inside. She sleeps in her

3:18:283:18:39

bed in the day saw her daughter can

sleep better at night. Then there's

3:18:393:18:41

Alice, who had a three hour return

journey to collect her children from

3:18:413:18:44

school, finishing at the transport

boats to the industrial estate. It

3:18:443:18:47

is dark when she returns and so they

always hope they will make it

3:18:473:18:55

safely. Finally Sarah, whose two

children are not yet of school age

3:18:553:19:00

and so are confined every day to the

industrial estate and it is no

3:19:003:19:04

wonder when her baby boy was taken

to the doctors with a cough the

3:19:043:19:07

doctor put it down to the constant

fumes he was hailing from the

3:19:073:19:11

factories outside the window. There

is a Connect house in so many of our

3:19:113:19:17

constituencies and today is our

chance to shine a light on them.

3:19:173:19:21

What can be done? If there are

tangible actions that should be

3:19:213:19:24

taken and let them be as follows.

Firstly, if a local authority is

3:19:243:19:30

forced to Houston resident and

another local authority area does

3:19:303:19:32

the Minister agree it is fundamental

of it is a designated officer in the

3:19:323:19:40

receiving authority who is clearly

informed of their arrival sort of

3:19:403:19:44

their safety and welfare can be

insured? Secondly, I cannot help but

3:19:443:19:49

question why we have laws and

regulations regarding temporary

3:19:493:19:54

accommodation if they are simply not

enforced. Does the Minister agree

3:19:543:19:59

local authorities should be held to

account for the regulations this

3:19:593:20:03

chamber is decided upon? Assuming

so, how does he propose to ensure

3:20:033:20:07

families like Kelly's art no longer

in the greenhouse in B&Bs for more

3:20:073:20:14

than six weeks? And do the Minister

and my colleagues agree with me

3:20:143:20:19

there should be a minimum standard

for temporary accommodation and the

3:20:193:20:23

conditions I have today described

simply not fit for purpose? For

3:20:233:20:27

anyone in any doubt, I encourage you

to join me in committee room line

3:20:273:20:31

after debate. The 70,180 families in

temporary accommodation are heading

3:20:313:20:38

for our society, whether in a

hostel, B&B or an industrial estate.

3:20:383:20:44

-- hidden in our society. Many of

those families sit proudly in the

3:20:443:20:50

House of Commons and a story will be

held on zero I call on each of us to

3:20:503:20:54

be their voice and to call for

change.

3:20:543:20:58

The question as it's on the order

paper.

3:20:583:21:06

I congratulate the November for

securing this debate and also the

3:21:063:21:11

passionate way she has delivered the

debate -- I congratulate the

3:21:113:21:16

honourable member. I can certainly

say I agree with almost every word

3:21:163:21:22

she uttered in relation to her

desire to see regulation of proper

3:21:223:21:30

appropriate measures on temporary

accommodation. The situation on

3:21:303:21:38

temporary accommodation should be

looked at as a threefold. It is a

3:21:383:21:41

case when people are faced with the

crisis of homelessness and they

3:21:413:21:48

approached a local authority that is

the crisis point. Because they then

3:21:483:21:53

have no place to live and the local

authority have to finding somewhere

3:21:533:21:56

to live, presuming they are priority

needs a home was immediately, which

3:21:563:22:03

is expensive and means that the

accommodation is not suitable and

3:22:033:22:08

right now it is the case in London,

certainly, it is likely to be an

3:22:083:22:14

offer of accommodation we outside

the area they have been living.

3:22:143:22:19

There are two other elements of

homelessness. The first is, as the

3:22:193:22:27

honourable lady mentioned, families

that have been living in temporary

3:22:273:22:29

accommodation for 19 years or more.

The reality is most people who own

3:22:293:22:37

their own home move on average every

seven years so someone in temporary

3:22:373:22:42

accommodation for that length of

time is an absurdity, frankly and

3:22:423:22:48

quite clearly we need to take

appropriate action. There is also

3:22:483:22:52

another for temporary accommodation

that happens, when someone literally

3:22:523:22:57

has nowhere to move but lives with

friends and switched on the sofas or

3:22:573:23:03

other accommodation. That is a

hidden form of homelessness but

3:23:033:23:09

quite clearly a form of temporary

accommodation. I am pleased to say

3:23:093:23:15

my Homelessness Reduction Act which

secured all-party support and

3:23:153:23:20

support from the front benches of

both parties, and right across the

3:23:203:23:25

host, has gone through its processes

and coming in in due course on the

3:23:253:23:30

1st of April 2018 and that produces

some remedies for what the

3:23:303:23:35

honourable lady was referring to.

The first being on a concession from

3:23:353:23:40

the Government we have the duty on

local authorities, if they place

3:23:403:23:44

anyone in accommodation, the local

authority must visit and inspect

3:23:443:23:53

those promises and make sure they

are fit for accommodation and fit

3:23:533:23:56

for purpose. That is something we

should see all local authorities and

3:23:563:24:02

old colleagues should make sure

their local authorities order that

3:24:023:24:06

requirement.

3:24:063:24:11

Justice, there can be anything in

law, if it is not enforced, it

3:24:113:24:17

doesn't work -- just say. So unless

there is an Ofsted, CQC for housing,

3:24:173:24:22

it isn't going to work.

I thank the

Honourable lady, and she is

3:24:223:24:28

absolutely right. Unless laws are

enforced, there's not much point in

3:24:283:24:30

having them and clearly that is

something that has to take place and

3:24:303:24:34

one of the things I will ask the

Minister to do and when he responds

3:24:343:24:38

is to say what he is doing to make

sure that we actually have

3:24:383:24:42

enforcement of the existing rules,

because some of the points the

3:24:423:24:47

honourable lady has mentioned

clearly fall foul of the existing

3:24:473:24:52

requirements on authorities and are

not being properly enforced. So I

3:24:523:24:56

think one of the issues is we have

to deal with the consequences of

3:24:563:25:01

this temporary accommodation crisis

and the reality is in London, it is

3:25:013:25:06

something of the order of £600

million a year is spent on providing

3:25:063:25:10

temporary accommodation. Most of

that accommodation is not fit for

3:25:103:25:15

purpose and indeed is certainly not

fit for the accommodation needs of

3:25:153:25:19

the individuals who are placed

there. If we can reduce that bill

3:25:193:25:24

dramatically, and I think one of the

points is how do we go about that,

3:25:243:25:27

is quite clear. Under the

Homelessness Reduction Act, anyone

3:25:273:25:33

who is approaching the crisis of

homelessness will be able to

3:25:333:25:38

approach their local authority two

months before they faced that

3:25:383:25:41

crisis. The aim is quite clear, the

aim is that no one should become

3:25:413:25:44

homeless at all, that the local

authority should take the

3:25:443:25:48

appropriate action prior to someone

becoming homeless. If I could just

3:25:483:25:54

conclude with this point, I will

gladly give way to the honourable

3:25:543:25:58

gentleman. If local authorities

carry out their duties properly,

3:25:583:26:01

that will mean we will not have that

crisis of temporary accommodation

3:26:013:26:06

which is incredibly expensive. This

is a cost-effective way of actually

3:26:063:26:10

reducing down the challenge. I give

way.

I welcome that act, and I just

3:26:103:26:22

want to ask, is there any extra

money available for the councils to

3:26:223:26:27

deal with the extra demand they are

going to get as a result of this

3:26:273:26:30

act?

I thank the honourable member

and I'm pleased to say that yes, the

3:26:303:26:36

Government have given extra money,

£81 million over a two-year period

3:26:363:26:40

for the implementation of the act.

It may be that that is not

3:26:403:26:45

sufficient and you can bet your

bottom dollar that the Communities

3:26:453:26:49

and Local Government Secretary,

which is going to look at the

3:26:493:26:52

fermentation of the act, will be on

the minister's case to make sure

3:26:523:26:56

that if extra funding is required,

it will be divided, because quite

3:26:563:27:02

clear that is something, but if

authorities do their jobs properly,

3:27:023:27:05

they will sue savings in the

temporary accommodation budget which

3:27:053:27:08

should balance up on being provided.

One of the issues that is important

3:27:083:27:14

here is that the most often cause of

homelessness is the end of a short

3:27:143:27:19

hold tenancy. We have a six-month

period normally for a short short

3:27:193:27:30

hold tenancy is and after that

point, families have to move. --

3:27:303:27:38

assured short hold tenancy is. We

need more security tenancy for

3:27:383:27:43

families but also assurances or

landlords that they will get paid

3:27:433:27:46

their rent and the tenants will

behave themselves according to the

3:27:463:27:49

contract they have signed. From that

perspective, I would ask the

3:27:493:27:56

Minister to go to somewhere we are

going in terms of lengthening

3:27:563:28:00

tenancies, because that would reduce

homelessness quite radically in this

3:28:003:28:03

country at a stroke. If we could do

that, it would be something... Will

3:28:033:28:08

give way on that point.

I am very

grateful to him for giving way. Just

3:28:083:28:14

in terms of longer tenancies, does

he agree that not all tenants want

3:28:143:28:18

to sign no longer tenancy, because

it ties them in into something they

3:28:183:28:22

might not want to be tied into the

two longer and what we need to have

3:28:223:28:26

this asymmetric tenancies, so the

landlord signs of prolonged period,

3:28:263:28:30

say three years, but the tenant can

break earlier to encourage them to

3:28:303:28:34

sign that longer tenancy agreement?

Clearly, any tenancy agreement that

3:28:343:28:41

would be signed would have break

clauses in by mutual convenience and

3:28:413:28:44

I think that would be something that

would be appropriate. Can I just

3:28:443:28:50

conclude on this particular issue

around that and then I will gladly

3:28:503:28:52

give way to the honourable lady, the

reality is we have got a position

3:28:523:28:57

whereby large numbers of young

people, children, are in temporary

3:28:573:29:03

accommodation and for far too long

and I would ask the Minister to

3:29:033:29:07

updaters, when he sums up, on the

position the Government is taking to

3:29:073:29:11

make sure that children are put into

permanent accommodation with their

3:29:113:29:16

families in an appropriate way. I

give way to the honourable lady.

3:29:163:29:21

Thank you to the honourable member.

He made an important point about

3:29:213:29:25

landlords being assured that they

will be paid the rent, but was he

3:29:253:29:31

not in the debate last week and the

debates last week in the week before

3:29:313:29:35

on Universal Credit, where we have

increasing evidence that the

3:29:353:29:38

Universal Credit system, including

the building delays of six weeks, is

3:29:383:29:44

actually making it more and more

difficult for landlords to the paid

3:29:443:29:47

the rent that they are owed?

I thank

the honourable lady for that

3:29:473:29:54

intervention and the reality is that

under Universal Credit, the tenant

3:29:543:29:58

can choose to have the rent paid

direct to the landlord. I would

3:29:583:30:02

recommend certainly that families in

that condition should actually take

3:30:023:30:07

of that particular issue. I am also

of the view that I think we should

3:30:073:30:11

make sure that the delay of paying

Universal Credit should not be six

3:30:113:30:15

weeks but for weeks and that is my

personal view that I have advanced

3:30:153:30:20

to ministers about this. The other

point I just want to make about

3:30:203:30:23

solutions to the problem going

forward, I have mentioned in this

3:30:233:30:28

House already, that of introducing a

rent deposit guarantee project and

3:30:283:30:36

they help to rent project. Now, the

reality of this is that many

3:30:363:30:41

households face a crisis of not

being able to raise the deposit to

3:30:413:30:45

be able to rent a property and

become homeless as a result. The

3:30:453:30:49

estimate is that by investing £31

million a year, we could actually

3:30:493:30:56

help 32,000 families in England

alone to raise the deposit and

3:30:563:31:05

secure the property of friends that

they could afford. That would

3:31:053:31:11

actually save potentially the

accommodation budget one billion

3:31:113:31:15

over a three-year period. To me,

this is a very sensible route that

3:31:153:31:20

we should follow and I would ask the

Minister when he sums up what

3:31:203:31:24

lobbying he is doing of his friends

in the Treasury to look at this

3:31:243:31:29

particular aspect, because quite

clearly, this is something where we

3:31:293:31:34

save money, we will save people's

lives and we will save a lot of

3:31:343:31:39

angstrom and anger and problems that

people have. I would also just

3:31:393:31:45

mentioned two of the things before I

sit down, Madam Deputy Speaker, and

3:31:453:31:49

that is the rise in rough sleeping

that is taking place. I applaud the

3:31:493:31:53

Government for setting out the need

to halve the number of rough

3:31:533:31:59

sleepers in this country and

eliminate rough sleeping completely,

3:31:593:32:01

but the reality is that rough

sleeping is on the rise and we have

3:32:013:32:07

got to take urgent action about it.

So I would ask the Minister to

3:32:073:32:13

updaters. I have given away several

times and I know many colleagues

3:32:133:32:17

wanted to speak in the debate, so...

Can my honourable friend update the

3:32:173:32:25

house on the position of rough

sleepers, in particular the

3:32:253:32:32

designation of rough sleepers

because in London alone, the

3:32:323:32:35

position is that only about half of

the rough sleepers are UK citizens

3:32:353:32:39

and a large number of other rough

sleepers in London and beyond are

3:32:393:32:42

from outside the United Kingdom.

This is a really is serious problem

3:32:423:32:47

that if people are coming to this

country, if they have been

3:32:473:32:52

trafficked or whatever, we need to

get to the bottom of why people are

3:32:523:32:55

sleeping rough on our streets today.

And finally, Madam Deputy Speaker,

3:32:553:33:01

in terms of I will ask for the

Minister, in terms of the

3:33:013:33:05

bed-and-breakfast accommodation,

this is the most expensive form of

3:33:053:33:08

temporary accommodation that there

is and there has, in my judgment,

3:33:083:33:12

been a rise in the use of

bed-and-breakfast accommodation.

3:33:123:33:15

Obviously, the situation around

Grenfell Tower, we need to exclude

3:33:153:33:22

that, because that is a very

different position, but in terms of

3:33:223:33:26

bed-and-breakfast accommodation use,

this is a really expensive means of

3:33:263:33:34

accommodating families and indeed

not a very satisfactory means of

3:33:343:33:37

doing so. Finally, in terms of the

solutions I think our key, it is

3:33:373:33:44

more than 40 years since we built

250,000 properties in this country.

3:33:443:33:51

This is the fault of governments of

all persuasions and we clearly need

3:33:513:33:54

to get to a position whereby we are

building 300,000 properties just to

3:33:543:33:59

deal with the need that there is

right now. So can the Minister

3:33:593:34:05

updaters on the position of how we

are doing in terms of improving the

3:34:053:34:11

level of house-building in this

country, so we can actually address

3:34:113:34:16

the fundamental issue, which is

providing enough homes for the

3:34:163:34:18

people that want to live in them.

The house will be aware that this is

3:34:183:34:25

a short debate and a great many

people wish to speak, so I have do

3:34:253:34:29

impose a time in eight of seven

minutes. -- a time limit of seven

3:34:293:34:35

minutes.

I am pleased to have the

opportunity to speak in this

3:34:353:34:38

important debate, which I have

supported my colleague in in calling

3:34:383:34:44

the debate and for the fantastic

opener that she gave to this debate.

3:34:443:34:49

I hope that the Government are

listening to the debate, because of

3:34:493:34:53

what we are seeing, all of us, I

think, across the house in our

3:34:533:35:00

constituencies amounts, frankly to a

very, very serious crisis indeed. It

3:35:003:35:05

is no longer accurate to talk of

temporary accommodation. In the last

3:35:053:35:11

three months, I have represented to

families in my constituency who have

3:35:113:35:16

been living in so-called temporary

accommodation for over ten years.

3:35:163:35:21

Temporary accommodation is becoming

permanent accommodation and if we

3:35:213:35:25

look at the broader context of this

debate, then this is happening

3:35:253:35:30

because of a huge shortage of social

housing across our country. One

3:35:303:35:36

family has been living in temporary

accommodation for the past 14 years,

3:35:363:35:41

that I can think of in the

constituency of Tottenham and

3:35:413:35:44

another for 17 years. The family has

lived to see their children grow up

3:35:443:35:50

in temporary accommodation. It is

the only home their children have

3:35:503:35:54

ever known from the first day at

primary school and the first day at

3:35:543:36:02

secondary school. And next year,

they will celebrate their eldest

3:36:023:36:06

child's 18th birthday in this

so-called temporary accommodation.

3:36:063:36:10

Another of my constituents has been

placed in temporary accommodation

3:36:103:36:15

with her son, who suffers from

cerebral palsy and the room is too

3:36:153:36:21

small to accommodate the equipment

for his needs. Another two cases

3:36:213:36:25

came into my postbag this month of

two households living in temporary

3:36:253:36:30

accommodation since 2010. There are

3140 households living in temporary

3:36:303:36:39

accommodation in my borough of

Haringey. And let us be clear about

3:36:393:36:42

the conditions in which people are

being housed. If the Minister has

3:36:423:36:47

not visited an emergency

accommodation hostel, I would be

3:36:473:36:51

happy to facilitate a visit. In the

last couple of months, I have asked

3:36:513:36:56

the minister's Department about the

state of temporary accommodation but

3:36:563:36:59

they seem unable to answer, so maybe

he can tell the house today what he

3:36:593:37:03

has failed to tell me in the last

month. How much of our temporary

3:37:033:37:08

accommodation stock is unfit for

human inhabitation or in disrepair

3:37:083:37:14

and requiring refurbishment? How

many children are living in such

3:37:143:37:18

inappropriate accommodation? What is

the average length of time that a

3:37:183:37:23

household spends in temporary

accommodation? How many households

3:37:233:37:28

have spent more than a year in

temporary accommodation or more than

3:37:283:37:34

two years, or more than three years?

How many households in temporary

3:37:343:37:38

accommodation are being moved into a

permanent social home? Because in my

3:37:383:37:45

borough of Haringey, the wait for

social housing is around ten years,

3:37:453:37:49

even for those families in the most

dire need of a home. What impact

3:37:493:37:56

will the freeze in the local housing

allowance have as night follows day,

3:37:563:38:01

households currently rented in the

private sector will become homeless

3:38:013:38:07

as they fall into rent arrears. The

number of homeless families the

3:38:073:38:13

council will need to house in

temporary accommodation will

3:38:133:38:16

increase. This will cause a surge in

homelessness yet the Minister for

3:38:163:38:22

Housing told me in an answer to a

written question last month that the

3:38:223:38:26

Government had not even carried out

and impact assessment. But this is

3:38:263:38:30

not about the numbers, as awful as

they are, this is about the reality

3:38:303:38:34

of life for hundreds and thousands

of people in this country, one of

3:38:343:38:38

the wealthiest in the world. The

hostels in which these people are

3:38:383:38:42

being placed on not acceptable

places for vulnerable women escaping

3:38:423:38:47

abusive relationships awful parents

bringing up their children. Clearly,

3:38:473:38:50

there are real problems in the

system when vulnerable people are

3:38:503:38:55

being left in temporary

accommodation for many, many years.

3:38:553:38:58

What steps will the Minister be

taking to address this to improve

3:38:583:39:03

the system of assessment for

vulnerability and the needs of

3:39:033:39:07

families placed in temporary

accommodation? Over the years, I

3:39:073:39:12

have heard horror stories of needles

and stairwells, young children

3:39:123:39:16

sharing bathrooms with strangers and

vulnerable women being abused and

3:39:163:39:19

exploited and in the end, the story

comes back to a chronic problem of a

3:39:193:39:26

decimation in our social housing.

Last year, local authorities

3:39:263:39:31

stretched to breaking point after

years of austerity and budget cuts,

3:39:313:39:36

spent 845 million on temporary

accommodation. The Royal Borough of

3:39:363:39:42

Kensington and Chelsea and the

borough that has been at the centre

3:39:423:39:46

of the Grenfell storm built just ten

new council funded homes since 1990.

3:39:463:39:54

In 2016, only 1,000... 1102 social

homes were built with Government

3:39:543:40:01

money in England. So we've got a

serious, serious crisis. The

3:40:013:40:08

chartered Institute of Housing

estimates that by 2020, nearly

3:40:083:40:12

250,000 social homes will have been

lost in just a year. -- ages.

3:40:123:40:19

I say to the Minister we have got to

group the issue of houses sold off

3:40:193:40:25

over right to buy. It is criminal

for the state to give people a

3:40:253:40:30

subsidy to take even more house is

off the market and see these sorts

3:40:303:40:35

of people we are talking about today

an even more dire circumstances as a

3:40:353:40:39

result.

I will give way.

3:40:393:40:49

At the moment Manchester City

council is having to buy back former

3:40:493:40:53

rights to buy council houses that

have been sold off to cope with the

3:40:533:41:00

demands of homeless families

presenting at Manchester Town Hall.

3:41:003:41:03

Does he agree it is a disgrace

councils are put in the position to

3:41:033:41:07

have to do that?

They are absolutely put in that

3:41:073:41:12

position and it is appalling and

there are many councillors up and

3:41:123:41:16

down the country having to make the

hardest decisions that all of us as

3:41:163:41:21

Members of Parliament are quite

pleased we do not have to meet on

3:41:213:41:25

behalf of people. We now have the

ridiculous situation where we are

3:41:253:41:31

spending almost £10 billion a year

of taxpayer's money on housing

3:41:313:41:41

benefits straight to private

landlords. Slashing social housing

3:41:413:41:43

funding is a false economy. Instead

of blaming the pockets of private

3:41:433:41:47

landlords it should be used to build

new social homes.

3:41:473:41:54

Last night I work out you could

purchase 88,000 prefabs for the cost

3:41:543:42:02

of the money in one year we give to

the private rented sector in housing

3:42:023:42:08

benefit.

We have got to find new ways to

3:42:083:42:11

build houses and we drew breath of

giving someone a home for what may

3:42:113:42:16

be 40 or 50 years -- we would be

better off getting some money home.

3:42:163:42:23

The state grant available for

landlords to build social homes was

3:42:233:42:27

slashed to zero. In its place we got

a new category of homes, homes for

3:42:273:42:33

affordable rents and affordable

homes for first-time buyers. This

3:42:333:42:37

crisis will not be solved by

building affordable homes that cost

3:42:373:42:41

400,000 bones in London. It is time

to banish the world affordable when

3:42:413:42:49

it comes to housing policy, it means

nothing ordinary people. The

3:42:493:42:56

Government are not building social

homes but they are also spending 80%

3:42:563:43:00

of the total housing budget on

subsidising private homes through

3:43:003:43:04

help to buy and discounted starter

homes, so they are not even really

3:43:043:43:10

serious about their own affordable

homes programme. The situation we

3:43:103:43:15

are seeing in temporary

accommodation is symptomatic of the

3:43:153:43:18

intrinsically linked shortage of

homes and housing crisis and we only

3:43:183:43:25

will get to grips with this crisis

through a mass social housing

3:43:253:43:32

building programme. The Government

are welcome -- beginning to realise

3:43:323:43:38

this. The Prime Minister said last

month this crisis will not be solved

3:43:383:43:43

by further overheating of the

housing market by offering help to

3:43:433:43:49

buy loans to first-time buyers who

have the help of the bank of mum and

3:43:493:43:53

dad anyway. It will not be solved by

5000 homes each year, a drop in the

3:43:533:44:00

ocean. Only half of the households

waiting to be house in the London

3:44:003:44:04

Borough of Haringey and a 1.2

million are waiting across the

3:44:043:44:12

country. I hope the Government are

listening and on behalf of those

3:44:123:44:17

families in Haringey, I hope they

will finally act.

3:44:173:44:23

It is a pleasure to speak after the

honourable gentleman for Tottenham.

3:44:233:44:26

Congratulate the member for bringing

forward this very important debate.

3:44:263:44:33

There is no question we have a

problem and nobody can be

3:44:333:44:37

comfortable with the situation with

a 70,000 people in temporary

3:44:373:44:43

accommodation, 70% increase -- 7%

increase on the past year.

3:44:433:44:51

And the numbers of people living in

bed and breakfast accommodation,

3:44:513:44:59

6600 people. Slight decline on the

previous year, four percent decline.

3:44:593:45:05

In terms of the overall context of

temporary accommodation, to take

3:45:053:45:11

some of the party political heat of

this, that figure peaked in 2003 at

3:45:113:45:18

100,000 so we need to look at this

in the overall context but that is

3:45:183:45:22

making no excuse for the fact we do

need to move people out of temporary

3:45:223:45:28

accommodation and into decent

housing. The is taking action on

3:45:283:45:33

this particular issue, allocating

£550 million by 2020 in terms of

3:45:333:45:42

homelessness reduction and the first

thing to try and do it reduce the

3:45:423:45:45

number of people becoming homeless.

The ambitious objectives of the

3:45:453:45:51

Government, to halve homelessness by

2022 and completely abolish

3:45:513:45:56

homelessness by 2027 are very

profound and ambitious targets and

3:45:563:46:03

must be welcomed. I also welcome the

actions of my honourable friend for

3:46:033:46:09

Harrow East in his work on

Homelessness Reduction Act. I sat on

3:46:093:46:14

that committee to help bring that

legislation forward and it is a very

3:46:143:46:18

important piece of legislation. We

saw many anecdotes and lots of

3:46:183:46:21

evidence about people that just were

not well served when they presented

3:46:213:46:27

themselves to be local authorities

in desperate need of advice to

3:46:273:46:31

prevent them becoming homeless or

repost them and this will have a

3:46:313:46:35

profound effect in trying to help

those people. New duties for local

3:46:353:46:40

authorities and eight new code of

conduct. Can I also welcome the

3:46:403:46:46

Government's actions supported

housing which will have an effect

3:46:463:46:50

here. There was concern about the

new policy is unsupported housing

3:46:503:46:55

and the Government has listened to

the joint committee on this issue

3:46:553:47:01

and we look at this issue to try to

form a policy that would work better

3:47:013:47:05

nationally and locally and the

Government has listened and it has

3:47:053:47:11

put in place pretty much what we

recommended in terms of looking at

3:47:113:47:14

the different types of supported

housing in terms of sheltered

3:47:143:47:20

accommodation, sheltered red

category, but also making sure we

3:47:203:47:24

have money allocated for short-term

supported housing. In terms of wider

3:47:243:47:31

solutions, I agree with the number

of contributors already, the

3:47:313:47:35

fundamental problem we have to solve

is the number of houses we are

3:47:353:47:39

building in the country. That is a

fundamental problem and that drives

3:47:393:47:44

all the affordability issues that

drive many people into homelessness.

3:47:443:47:48

We need to build more homes and

clearly we are, in terms of as we

3:47:483:47:59

saw through the housing market crash

and it was a very difficult to build

3:47:593:48:04

homes in 2008 and so numbers of new

homes have been delivered at twice

3:48:043:48:08

the rate of 2008, which is good. We

also need to build, that is a fact,

3:48:083:48:17

more affordable homes and more

social homes. I agree with the

3:48:173:48:20

honourable gentleman, 80% of market

value in many cases is simply not

3:48:203:48:28

enough. Absolutely affordable homes,

more of those that for many people

3:48:283:48:33

and I will address that point in

terms of how she says from a

3:48:333:48:39

sedentary position but the extra £2

billion the Government announced, 9

3:48:393:48:43

billion in total.

The viability assessment is

3:48:433:48:50

something we have got to get to

grips with because this is a way for

3:48:503:48:54

developers to avoid their

responsibilities of delivering

3:48:543:48:57

affordable homes. Absolutely, 79% of

affordable homes that should have

3:48:573:49:06

been delivered through section one

contributions have been avoided by

3:49:063:49:12

the use of viability assessments.

They were right to bring in

3:49:123:49:17

viability assessments in 2012 when

sites were not viable but that time

3:49:173:49:20

has passed and we should look at a

new policy into and contributions

3:49:203:49:26

from developers and landowners. This

money is supposed to come from

3:49:263:49:29

landowners to pay for affordable

homes and social homes to rent. I

3:49:293:49:33

would favour a simple system of

tariffs, or bedroom or square foot,

3:49:333:49:40

rather than a complex system of

section 106, in terms of a local

3:49:403:49:45

authority presenting a policy of a

certain percentage of affordable.

3:49:453:49:48

That would work much better. Happy

to give way.

I faxed the honourable

3:49:483:49:55

member and he is making an

interesting point. Does he not

3:49:553:50:00

realise if the private sector was

expected alone that to meet the need

3:50:003:50:07

for neutral affordable social rented

homes, and were required by law

3:50:073:50:15

would comply with the tariff to the

extent he suggests is not likely the

3:50:153:50:20

private sector would just walk away

from delivering homes at all?

I do

3:50:203:50:25

not accept that. It is already in

requirement for them to deliver in

3:50:253:50:32

section 106 contributions. It has to

be fair to the landowner and the

3:50:323:50:36

community and to much of the

planning game goes to the landowner

3:50:363:50:39

and not enough to the community and

the viability assessment allows the

3:50:393:50:44

developer is to have a race to the

top in terms of land prices. I would

3:50:443:50:48

be happy to have a longer the bit

about it but I built the system at

3:50:483:50:52

the moment create a loophole for

developers. It is not just the

3:50:523:50:57

responsibility of the private sector

and the Government needs to

3:50:573:51:00

contribute, as it is, and I would

say to contribute more.

3:51:003:51:06

Can I draw the house to the register

of members interests. It is

3:51:063:51:15

something I have some business

interests in the housing market. One

3:51:153:51:18

other area to look at in terms of

delivering more social rented homes

3:51:183:51:24

is allowing investors to put

property, private rented sector

3:51:243:51:29

property in a self invested pension.

As long... Would you cannot do at

3:51:293:51:35

the moment, you can buy commercial

property but not to residential

3:51:353:51:39

property. I spoke to the Chancellor

and the Communities Secretary about

3:51:393:51:45

why we can't allow private sector

investors to put residential

3:51:453:51:50

property in a pension as long as

they are willing to rent it out at

3:51:503:51:54

the social rent. Less than 50% of

Lent. Another way of delivering

3:51:543:51:58

social rented homes. Local

authorities and housing associations

3:51:583:52:03

are part of the solution. We should

allocate more money or allow local

3:52:033:52:09

authorities to borrow more money to

develop more affordable homes or

3:52:093:52:14

homes for social rent, and I also

would like to pick up on issues on

3:52:143:52:17

the private rented sector. I believe

most landlords are very responsible

3:52:173:52:22

in terms of delivering decent

quality accommodation into the

3:52:223:52:25

private rented sector and will

remain a key part of delivering

3:52:253:52:33

decent accommodation for temporary

and permanent, in the future. I do

3:52:333:52:38

think we should look at the proxy

rental standard -- property rental

3:52:383:52:45

standard and the new bills coming

through in terms of the graph

3:52:453:52:49

Territories Bill or other

legislation might give us the

3:52:493:52:53

opportunity to put in a property

rental standard to ensure all

3:52:533:52:56

private rented sector is obvious in

quality and we have decent

3:52:563:53:01

enforcement. Longer penances, I

agree we should look at that --

3:53:013:53:12

tenancies. They should be voluntary

for landlords but there should be

3:53:123:53:16

incentives. I wonder about

incentives to allow dispensation

3:53:163:53:21

around section 24 mortgage interest

provisions that were brought in and

3:53:213:53:25

have been quite badly received by

many landlords. If they are willing

3:53:253:53:31

to offer longer tenancies perhaps

there should be some dispensation

3:53:313:53:37

around those. Overall, congratulate

the honourable lady yet again. I am

3:53:373:53:44

very keen, as she is, to see much

higher quality of accommodation in

3:53:443:53:49

the private rented sector and in

temporary accommodation.

3:53:493:53:56

Can I congratulate the honourable

gentleman for his speech and also on

3:53:563:54:02

reminding me also to bring members'

attention to my interest in the

3:54:023:54:09

register of members' interest. I

would like to thank my friend Matt

3:54:093:54:15

for securing this important debate

and for his speech. The situation in

3:54:153:54:23

my local area is dire. More than

5600 people approached the council

3:54:233:54:29

worried about homelessness. In

total, 4725 households are in some

3:54:293:54:38

kind of temporary accommodation and

more than half of these are

3:54:383:54:43

currently in the least stable form

of nightly paid accommodation. I

3:54:433:54:48

hope members across the house agree

these statistics drive home the

3:54:483:54:52

scale of the problem we are

discussing today. Temporary housing

3:54:523:54:58

conditions can master the damage the

well-being and opportunities for

3:54:583:55:02

families and to illustrate I would

like to talk about one case out of

3:55:023:55:07

hundreds I have received recently.

In August I heard from Kamala, a

3:55:073:55:13

grandmother writing our behalf of

her grandchildren and their mother,

3:55:133:55:18

Lisa. Three granddaughters, 14, 11

and five and Lisa has had to live in

3:55:183:55:25

temporary accommodation for 15

years.

3:55:253:55:30

The children have known nothing

else. The conditions in Lisa's flat

3:55:303:55:35

ar awful and it is having a real

impact upon the family's health. The

3:55:353:55:40

walls are either black with mould or

covered with mildew because of the

3:55:403:55:44

damp. One of the daughters has

breathing problems and the whole

3:55:443:55:48

family is frequently sick with

infections. Lisa and her daughters

3:55:483:55:53

have, as we although in London, they

have had to move a number of times

3:55:533:55:58

already and on one occasion, she was

moved out of new and they have

3:55:583:56:02

recently been told they might be

moved out of London entirely.

3:56:023:56:08

Camilla is really worried about

Lisa's mental health because of the

3:56:083:56:12

living conditions of the family and

the stresses it causes and Camillo

3:56:123:56:17

believes that having to move out of

London and away from the support

3:56:173:56:21

network of the family could, and I

quote, "Push her over the edge

3:56:213:56:25

entirely"

3:56:253:56:27

quote, "Push her over the edge

entirely", leaving the family in

3:56:273:56:29

very difficult circumstances. The

problem is, as we have heard, of

3:56:293:56:36

homelessness, debt, unstable homes

and constant moves impact on

3:56:363:56:40

children and families, preventing

children and families from putting

3:56:403:56:43

down basic roots, making friends,

getting on Doctor's registers or

3:56:433:56:52

even joining a library or a youth

club. We already storing of social

3:56:523:56:56

problems for the future. I often say

I was really privileged to grow up

3:56:563:57:01

in a council flat in east London. I

was moved their aged two and a half

3:57:013:57:06

during the slum clearances around

the docks. That flat provided me

3:57:063:57:12

with the security to learn and do as

well as I could. My little sister,

3:57:123:57:18

well, younger sister, is a well

respected solicitor and I am

3:57:183:57:21

standing in this House. She is

actually both, it is true. We could

3:57:213:57:27

not have done it without the

security of an affordable, secure

3:57:273:57:32

tenancy, the security of a council

property behind us. The housing,

3:57:323:57:41

social housing shortage, requires

urgent, extensive long-term policy

3:57:413:57:46

responses, but one decision is

really crucial and would help to

3:57:463:57:50

continue to improve the housing

conditions in my constituency and

3:57:503:57:55

across the board. The Secretary of

State could today approved the

3:57:553:57:59

renewal of Newham's widely respected

scheme for private sector licensing.

3:57:593:58:04

The scheme has run, I believe,

utterly successfully since 2013, but

3:58:043:58:10

it now requires approval from the

DCLG and this decision is overdue.

3:58:103:58:18

Newham's current scheme expires on

the 31st of December, so there is a

3:58:183:58:22

real risk that my constituents will

be left without these protections if

3:58:223:58:25

the decision is not made quickly.

My

honourable friend is making an

3:58:253:58:31

excellent speech. Does she agree

with me that for those of us who

3:58:313:58:35

grew up a working class and spent

time in social council homes that

3:58:353:58:40

what we had was security, and what

we see so often in our

3:58:403:58:46

constituencies is deep insecurity

and the depression, mental health

3:58:463:58:51

and health problems that go with

that insecurity? That is the

3:58:513:58:56

difference between yesterday's

working classes and today's.

My

3:58:563:59:01

honourable friend is absolutely

right. Things went easy at home, you

3:59:013:59:05

know, but my mum never ever will let

us feel we went without. Both of

3:59:053:59:10

them worked in factories in silver

town and although there wasn't a

3:59:103:59:12

huge amount of money, there was

always enough to pay the rent

3:59:123:59:16

because the rent was a social rent.

Now my constituents have two jobs,

3:59:163:59:27

working in very hard circumstances

and still can't afford the private

3:59:273:59:29

sector rents because that is all

that is available to them in my home

3:59:293:59:32

borough. But let me get back to the

issue of the scheme in Newham to

3:59:323:59:36

protect my residence. The value of

the scheme to enforcement of Housing

3:59:363:59:40

standards is clear. It gives Newham

the information and the powers that

3:59:403:59:45

it needs to monitor and enforce

standards within the private rented

3:59:453:59:49

sector. All private landlords have

to register and must agree to terms

3:59:493:59:54

with the council and they are held

to account for failures to live up

3:59:543:59:57

to the agreement. Just last week,

enforcement officers, working as

3:59:574:00:02

part of the scheme, found a man

living in ale one metre by two

4:00:024:00:08

metres space under the stairs of a

property. There were 11 other people

4:00:084:00:16

living throughout the rest of that

house and dangerous electrical and

4:00:164:00:20

fire hazards were found as well.

Through this scheme, Newham council

4:00:204:00:25

has helped to bring more than 1200

prosecutions against criminal

4:00:254:00:29

landlords. That is 60% of the London

total, more than every other London

4:00:294:00:36

borough combined. If standards are

continually driven up through the

4:00:364:00:42

private sector renting locally and

enforcement strengthened so there

4:00:424:00:49

are fewer rogue landlords and less

scope for exploitative practice like

4:00:494:00:54

the horrendous overcrowding I have

explained here today, conditions

4:00:544:00:59

will improve in temporary housing

and that can only be for the good of

4:00:594:01:03

the children and our society at

large. I hope that we will see some

4:01:034:01:07

serious commitment today from the

Minister to deal with the root

4:01:074:01:11

causes of the ills of long-term,

expensive poor quality temporary

4:01:114:01:16

accommodation but given that he has

sat there generally list --

4:01:164:01:22

generously listing and nodding as I

have chatted, I would also like to

4:01:224:01:26

hear positive noises from the

Minister about this game and he will

4:01:264:01:29

soon be in a position to announce

approval for the scheme extension

4:01:294:01:33

has been granted.

I also

congratulate the honourable lady. It

4:01:334:01:39

is a great pleasure to follow her

and all the other members in this

4:01:394:01:43

House to highlight the importance of

this absolutely critical issue. So I

4:01:434:01:49

understand the importance of

temporary accommodation, it does

4:01:494:01:53

play a vital role, because I do

believe that no child should be left

4:01:534:01:57

without a roof over their head at a

time of their life when they are

4:01:574:02:03

facing a crisis situation and I do

know that this is not a new problem.

4:02:034:02:09

We have seen numbers of children in

temporary accommodation at their

4:02:094:02:14

peak in 2006 and they have come down

somewhat since then, but I

4:02:144:02:19

absolutely accept that the

Government should not be complacent

4:02:194:02:22

and it must do more to continue to

bring down this problem. I have

4:02:224:02:29

sought assurances from Redditch, my

constituency, Redditch Borough

4:02:294:02:32

Council. They do have 21 units their

designated as temporary

4:02:324:02:37

accommodation, but I am very keen to

seek assurances that we have only a

4:02:374:02:43

minimal, as small as possible,

number of families being sent

4:02:434:02:47

outside the borough and I do commit

to doing more to work with the

4:02:474:02:50

council to ensure those numbers are

not excessive, but I think this

4:02:504:02:55

issue has a number of root causes,

admirably tackled by other members.

4:02:554:03:02

The first is, of course, ending

homelessness. The Government has

4:03:024:03:08

shown its commitment to preventing

and ending homelessness,

4:03:084:03:11

particularly in the area of the

Homelessness Reduction Act,

4:03:114:03:15

introduced and championed by my

friend the honourable member for

4:03:154:03:19

Harrow East and I thank him for the

detailed description of the act,

4:03:194:03:23

where the Government is committed

to... He has done a fantastic job

4:03:234:03:30

championing this issue and I welcome

the work and all of our constituents

4:03:304:03:34

will benefit. The Government is

reduced to half of sleeping and

4:03:344:03:40

eliminated altogether by 2027. This

is challenging but the Government

4:03:404:03:46

has committed to making real

progress by spending over 550

4:03:464:03:51

million between now and 2022 jackal

this -- to tackle the serious in --

4:03:514:04:02

issue. They can intervene earlier

where the family most needs help and

4:04:024:04:11

that is what we all want to see with

this. So of course we need to fix

4:04:114:04:15

the housing market, hammy times have

we heard this. This is not a new

4:04:154:04:24

issue, 30 or 40 years, all

governments have not built in houses

4:04:244:04:29

and we have absolutely had fantastic

stories from the honourable lady who

4:04:294:04:34

just preceded me about her

experience in social homes and that

4:04:344:04:40

is what we need to get to. So we

have heard the commitment to fix the

4:04:404:04:47

housing market, to diversify and we

have seen progress, 333,000

4:04:474:04:55

affordable housing, including

240,000 for affordable rent since

4:04:554:04:57

2010. And I accept the definition of

affordable and that does need to be

4:04:574:05:06

looked at in the London area, many

members represent and in my own

4:05:064:05:14

constituency of Redditch, homes are

more affordable in general and the

4:05:144:05:17

average age of a first-time buyer in

Redditch is 25, so there is a

4:05:174:05:21

massive difference across the

country and policy needs to reflect

4:05:214:05:26

that. My final point is that we know

another reason for homelessness is

4:05:264:05:31

the ending of an assured short hold

tenancy. I have heard there will be

4:05:314:05:36

some announcements in the budget, so

I hope the Government will look at

4:05:364:05:40

that in the budget and bring forward

plans to ensure that private

4:05:404:05:45

landlords can offer a longer tenancy

is where it suits the individual

4:05:454:05:50

situation, as one or friend has

highlighted. So more security of

4:05:504:05:54

tenure would very much help families

in that situation and help to reduce

4:05:544:05:59

homelessness. There is no simple

solution to this issue. Members

4:05:594:06:05

opposite have raised the issue of

Universal Credit and that has been

4:06:054:06:09

rolled out in my constituency last

week. I visited the housing

4:06:094:06:14

providers who provide the most homes

in my patch and also visited the

4:06:144:06:18

John Senden and I have spoken to

them and asked them, what are they

4:06:184:06:22

going to do to help them prevent

anyone being made homeless as a

4:06:224:06:25

result. They say they welcome

Universal Credit because it is

4:06:254:06:29

helping people get back into work

and for those families who are in

4:06:294:06:33

work, it is helping them to take on

more hours. I heard from people who

4:06:334:06:38

are debt counsellors are made told

me the difficulties that families

4:06:384:06:42

had had before when they couldn't

take on more hours even if they

4:06:424:06:46

wanted to, so I think this system

can work only can support people out

4:06:464:06:51

of poverty. In Redditch, they have a

very proactive approach. Giving

4:06:514:06:56

every claimant the advanced by

default, and I really hope with this

4:06:564:07:00

proactive approach, we can see

families benefit from Universal

4:07:004:07:06

Credit. I will give way.

It is

considered speech and I am listening

4:07:064:07:11

very carefully but did not have

social mammals also say there has

4:07:114:07:15

been a huge increase in rent arrears

because of the roll of Universal

4:07:154:07:19

Credit on her patch?

Actually, I can

assure him that I asked that

4:07:194:07:28

question to them directly and the

answer I got was in fact, many of

4:07:284:07:32

those tenants are already in arrears

when they, to the Universal Credit

4:07:324:07:36

system so of course it is important

that the social landlords need to

4:07:364:07:41

work closely with them to help them

through that process to get them

4:07:414:07:45

back earning and reduce those

arrears and they have support there,

4:07:454:07:50

neighbourhood workers who will go

and work with those tenants and they

4:07:504:07:54

assure me that the risk for those

tenants being made homeless is very

4:07:544:07:59

very low, if not negligible but I

assure him that I will keep in close

4:07:594:08:03

contact with those social mammals to

ensure that doesn't happen. I will

4:08:034:08:08

end by congratulating the honourable

lady again and thank you very much

4:08:084:08:13

for raising this issue and I very

much of the minister, with copious

4:08:134:08:18

notes he was taking, will be able to

reassure those who and we can all

4:08:184:08:22

work together to resolve some of the

issues highlighted.

I am pleased to

4:08:224:08:30

follow my honourable friend from

Redditch. I also would like to

4:08:304:08:36

congratulate my honourable friend

and Morden and thank her for

4:08:364:08:40

bringing this very important debate

to the house. The use of temporary

4:08:404:08:47

accommodation is currently

increasing and will continue to

4:08:474:08:49

increase unless we tackle the root

of its cause. Every day, 150

4:08:494:08:59

families in Britain become homeless,

according to the housing charity

4:08:594:09:02

Shelter. Overstretched and

underfunded councils like Bedford

4:09:024:09:09

Borough are trying to deal with

homelessness in the midst of a

4:09:094:09:12

housing crisis. A lack of affordable

housing and private sector rents

4:09:124:09:19

continuing to rise above household

income, which has been fuelled by

4:09:194:09:24

the freeze to housing benefit in the

private rented sector. It is

4:09:244:09:31

becoming very difficult for the

councils to procure accommodation

4:09:314:09:36

within our affordable financial

framework and we have the ridiculous

4:09:364:09:40

situation where councils are

offering cash incentives to private

4:09:404:09:43

landlords to persuade them to rent

to people who are on low income, to

4:09:434:09:51

bridge the gap between the lower

income on the high Mark the Wrens.

4:09:514:09:57

So this is a serious problem when

people are refusing to rent out to

4:09:574:10:00

the people on low income and the

Government need to look into that

4:10:004:10:02

very urgently.

4:10:024:10:08

There has been a 229% increase in

the temporary accommodation in

4:10:084:10:17

Bedford Borough. In 2016-17 there

was... It is 229% increase in

4:10:174:10:37

Bedford Borough and I hope the

minister is paying attention to this

4:10:374:10:40

figure. The sharp increase in the

number of low income families living

4:10:404:10:47

in temporary accommodation is a

disease created under this

4:10:474:10:50

Government's watch. We are

discussing the housing needs of the

4:10:504:10:57

most vulnerable people in society,

families and vulnerable individuals

4:10:574:11:01

living the roof over their heads in

desperation and accepting

4:11:014:11:07

accommodation many miles away from

the communities they belong to and

4:11:074:11:11

this displacement and uncertainty

and months spent in unfamiliar bed

4:11:114:11:16

and breakfasts only adds to the

hardship. According to Shelter 118

4:11:164:11:27

children are living in temporary

accommodation in Bedford alone which

4:11:274:11:30

I think is a very pro-situation and

we need to look into it very

4:11:304:11:34

urgently. -- very perverse

situation. Nearly 1400 families in

4:11:344:11:44

Bedford body alone. The only target

the Government is set to reach is on

4:11:444:11:57

child poverty, 5.2 million in the

last five years. How can we expect a

4:11:574:12:04

child to suddenly moved schools,

perhaps the only stable environment,

4:12:044:12:11

away from friends and family, to an

role in a new school in a new town,

4:12:114:12:17

only to have to change again and

again in a few months down the line.

4:12:174:12:21

The damage to their life chances,

their mental health, the education

4:12:214:12:29

and the ability to form and secure

relationships, the long-term

4:12:294:12:35

solution to this must be found now.

It cannot be that temporary

4:12:354:12:45

accommodation becomes the permanent

solution. The Government need to

4:12:454:12:48

look at this issue very urgently and

in Bedford the situation is getting

4:12:484:12:54

worse and worse every minute.

I also congratulate Mike honourable

4:12:544:13:02

friend for securing this debate is

the and describing the situation, as

4:13:024:13:12

others have done,. Examples not too

different from the experience I find

4:13:124:13:18

in my own constituency. In a borough

in my constituency there are now 768

4:13:184:13:30

households in temporary

accommodation and there are 3500

4:13:304:13:34

households in housing need. This

debate has been focusing on

4:13:344:13:38

temporary housing for those accepted

as homeless for which the local

4:13:384:13:44

authority may have a duty to our

house but that there are other

4:13:444:13:47

people in temporary accommodation

and those being housed by social

4:13:474:13:52

services, for whom there is no duty

to house but there is a duty of care

4:13:524:13:57

for those children. I mean families

who are being helped by social

4:13:574:14:02

services in temporary accommodation

to don't even have the level of

4:14:024:14:07

information and confirmation of how

long they will be there. As other

4:14:074:14:13

members have rightly said, with

adequate, affordable social rented

4:14:134:14:18

housing those 760 families would be

able to move fairly swiftly and Sue

4:14:184:14:22

homes locally. Since the Labour

Government's programme of social

4:14:224:14:32

rented homes was stopped in 2010 by

the Conservative led coalition the

4:14:324:14:37

situation of housing need has

reached crisis point. The lack of

4:14:374:14:42

social rented housing, coupled with

rising rent in London, declining

4:14:424:14:47

real wages, punitive cuts to income

on those on benefit and particularly

4:14:474:14:53

the local housing allowance cuts

fuelled this crisis. The Government

4:14:534:14:57

has left local authorities with the

job of picking up the pieces and

4:14:574:15:02

trying to find adequate temporary

accommodation to place people while

4:15:024:15:05

they are waiting to be assessed and

then waiting for a suitable

4:15:054:15:09

permanent accommodation and I want

to pay tribute to the front line

4:15:094:15:13

housing staff who are having to deal

with the trauma, stress, their own

4:15:134:15:20

jobs are just incredibly stressful.

It is not a position they went into

4:15:204:15:25

housing management for but it's what

they are having to deal with and it

4:15:254:15:29

is not fair on them and of course

not fear on the affected families.

4:15:294:15:34

Local authorities are chasing an

ever declining stock of

4:15:344:15:43

accommodation to please homeless

families that are fit for habitation

4:15:434:15:46

and the right size.

4:15:464:15:47

Is she aware in my above there are

over 3300 and -- 3311 households in

4:15:524:15:58

temporary accommodation in one of

the situations we have tried to find

4:15:584:16:03

is set up a house in Gateway

organisation to buy stock. It is

4:16:034:16:09

only temporary solution but will she

agreed with me the best solution is

4:16:094:16:12

to build more council house in?

I would absolutely agree and I

4:16:124:16:18

congratulate local authorities that

are trying to find solutions to the

4:16:184:16:24

temporary accommodation prices but

they need to have the power of

4:16:244:16:27

security to invest in proper

good-quality permanent housing. I

4:16:274:16:31

want to move on to the lack of local

temporary accommodation, borrowers

4:16:314:16:35

and west London where there are high

rents find they cannot square the

4:16:354:16:43

circle about quality and rent

levels. The is increasing and supply

4:16:434:16:49

is drying up, even for private

sector accommodation. Families are

4:16:494:16:53

in temporary accommodation -- they

are in temporary accommodation not

4:16:534:16:59

for weeks or months but for years

and I met a mother who had been in

4:16:594:17:05

temporary accommodation for nine

years and many of us move permanent

4:17:054:17:09

home more often than that. Temporary

accommodation is too often not

4:17:094:17:15

local. I met a family who are being

housed in Birmingham. One family

4:17:154:17:21

moved around 20 miles away but the

father is a restaurant worker who

4:17:214:17:27

finishes work after public transport

has stopped so he could not get back

4:17:274:17:32

to his family at night. The impact

on children of changing schools,

4:17:324:17:37

should they change schools or carry

on the two hour journeys each-way or

4:17:374:17:46

make a decision on their new

temporary home could be permanent

4:17:464:17:49

for some time and they moved

schools. A decision to make but this

4:17:494:17:54

stressful on children and difficult

for the educational outcomes. What

4:17:544:17:59

about those with medical needs? Or

the children with special

4:17:594:18:06

educational needs? Or other mental

health, already severe, just getting

4:18:064:18:10

worse with the stress. Do they shift

their children or move their

4:18:104:18:16

clinical consultant, as they are

moved by the local authority to

4:18:164:18:20

temporary accommodation a long way

away or do they fight with housing

4:18:204:18:25

officers to make a case for why they

should have what is already too

4:18:254:18:30

little local available temporary

accommodation. On local, if they

4:18:304:18:37

seek help or advice from their MP,

who is the MP? How long you have to

4:18:374:18:44

be in temporary accommodation before

the MP for your last permanent home

4:18:444:18:48

is no longer your MP? I think this

is a matter we will have to take up

4:18:484:18:54

in the house because it is confusing

when trying to deal with casework or

4:18:544:18:59

having casework referred to as Mac

from somebody from another

4:18:594:19:03

authority. Finally, the quality and

suitability of temporary

4:19:034:19:09

accommodation. I have a family

expecting their fourth child living

4:19:094:19:13

in one room in a bed and breakfast

for months. Families living in homes

4:19:134:19:17

that are down, repairs are

inadequate, they are dangerous and

4:19:174:19:25

inaccessible for those with

disabilities, unsuitable for

4:19:254:19:28

children with special needs such as

autism. Temporary accommodation is

4:19:284:19:34

becoming more unaffordable. Landlord

in west London can expect a higher

4:19:344:19:39

return than local housing allowance

cap has fallen so the local

4:19:394:19:43

authority is left finding the

difference between rents and the

4:19:434:19:46

amount the DWP is prepared to pay

and I am not just talking about

4:19:464:19:51

nonworking families, this includes

working families. We should not be

4:19:514:19:56

using taxpayer money to fund housing

benefit to be a high rents and lined

4:19:564:20:00

pockets of private landlords who

provide temporary accommodation.

4:20:004:20:05

Local authorities are forced to take

drastic action to reduce the demand

4:20:054:20:11

for temporary accommodation.

Including tightening the rules on

4:20:114:20:14

acceptance for the duty to house. If

you are served with an eviction

4:20:144:20:21

notice but leave your home before

the bill is about you will be

4:20:214:20:25

defined as intentionally homeless

and the council will not help with

4:20:254:20:28

finding a place for temporary

accommodation and will discharge

4:20:284:20:35

their duty to house. Too many

families find they think they are

4:20:354:20:40

doing the right thing by planning

ahead and they are not helped.

4:20:404:20:46

Hounslow has been reducing the use

of temporary accommodation in the

4:20:464:20:49

private sector by using council

housing properties waiting to be the

4:20:494:20:53

parent but the funding should be

available to make those houses

4:20:534:20:58

adequate -- that are waiting to be

repaired. Temporary accommodation

4:20:584:21:02

should be just that, temporary, a

short period. In the days when

4:21:024:21:11

supply of affordable accommodation

balanced out, that is what it was.

4:21:114:21:17

It lies in the delivery of truly

affordable social rented housing

4:21:174:21:23

instead of blaming the last Labour

Government, this Government should

4:21:234:21:26

act now.

It is usually a pleasure to follow

4:21:264:21:33

my friend Mike but my speech paints

a similarly bleak picture. Until

4:21:334:21:45

next year I am still an elected

councillor in my London borough. I

4:21:454:21:51

want to begin by reflecting as I

prepared to leave the Council and I

4:21:514:21:56

stayed local authorities find

themselves in trying to wrestle with

4:21:564:22:00

the scale of the housing crisis in

London. There is a net increase of

4:22:004:22:10

37% in those they are dealing with,

and 10% in the last year alone. In

4:22:104:22:16

my Buddha they were looking to house

over 2000 families in temporary

4:22:164:22:24

accommodation with over 8000 on the

housing register and this Christmas

4:22:244:22:27

that will be an even more bleak

picture as my casework begins to

4:22:274:22:33

bulge even more than it has with

some pretty horrifying cases. It is

4:22:334:22:42

very hard to describe, except by

telling individual stories, what

4:22:424:22:46

this means in human terms for those

we have sent you to the present. One

4:22:464:22:52

constituent who used to live in a

three-bedroom flat who lost her home

4:22:524:22:57

due to a fire in August 2016 and she

and her former children -- four

4:22:574:23:08

children were rehoused in a

two-bedroom flat in temporary

4:23:084:23:13

accommodation which is not at all

temporary and she is still there.

4:23:134:23:17

She has GP letters about her stress

which has been made worse by her

4:23:174:23:24

housing situation and her eldest

daughter, just 11 years old, showing

4:23:244:23:29

signs of stress and anxiety which is

caused her daughter's school to

4:23:294:23:33

express concern about the impact on

her education but the response from

4:23:334:23:36

the Council is they do not have

anything bigger. She does not feel

4:23:364:23:41

the council listening and when I

challenge housing officers they say,

4:23:414:23:44

what can we do and I do understand

constituent rightly feels her

4:23:444:23:52

situation is unreasonable and

intolerable and I also understand

4:23:524:23:54

the dilemma the housing officers

face that the supply of

4:23:544:23:58

accommodation is simply not there. I

was heartbroken when one of my

4:23:584:24:03

constituents came to see me

regarding her condition living in

4:24:034:24:06

the hostel in one room of her

15-year-old daughter in a tiny room

4:24:064:24:12

with very basic facilities. A doctor

is preparing for her GCSEs but was

4:24:124:24:16

having to do heart -- her daughter

was revising but had to do her

4:24:164:24:25

revising under the covers with a

torchlight in order not to disturb

4:24:254:24:28

her mother. I'm also having to do

basic household chores like washing

4:24:284:24:33

and laundry without basic

facilities.

4:24:334:24:41

It is heartbreaking to see families

and that's kind of condition. The

4:24:424:24:45

first cases I have seen was a victim

of domestic violence who fled her

4:24:454:24:50

home and was therefore deemed as

intentionally homeless. We in my

4:24:504:24:55

office had asked the decision to be

overturned widgets duly was. She was

4:24:554:25:00

placed in the early Essex pub, an

old pub which gained notoriety in a

4:25:004:25:06

BBC News segment which was very

powerful piece about the housing

4:25:064:25:09

crisis generally. This is not a

suitable condition for her or her

4:25:094:25:17

two children to live in. They all

sleep in the same room, all of their

4:25:174:25:21

beds are next to each other. Hasan

has been deferred to mental health

4:25:214:25:25

service and they have taken the

trouble to redecorate his room to

4:25:254:25:30

try and make sure he had a better

environment. That was also temporary

4:25:304:25:36

accommodation, he has since been

moved on and is back to square one.

4:25:364:25:41

Her daughter is going through

puberty very uncomfortable with the

4:25:414:25:44

fact she has to sleep in such close

proximity to her mother and younger

4:25:444:25:49

brother. I have to say the housing

case I see most troubling of all was

4:25:494:25:55

the 11-year-old boy who approached

me after a school visit at the end

4:25:554:25:59

of the lesson to tell me he wanted

to speak to me privately which is

4:25:594:26:03

unusual for an 11-year-old. I went

to the headteacher's office and met

4:26:034:26:08

with him. The reason he wanted to

see me was, you grew up in a council

4:26:084:26:14

flat didn't you? Can you help me and

my mum and two brothers because we

4:26:144:26:19

live in one room in a hostel in the

constituency Ilford South. It really

4:26:194:26:27

breaks my heart because one of the

things motivated me to get involved

4:26:274:26:31

in politics in the first place was

an awareness as I was growing up I

4:26:314:26:36

didn't have the same opportunities

of the people from wealthier

4:26:364:26:40

backgrounds. Thanks to a good

education is changed my life. A

4:26:404:26:44

council estate boy could be an MP. I

have no doubt he approached me

4:26:444:26:52

because he thought I would

understand the position he is in.

4:26:524:26:55

The truth is I don't. Growing up in

that council flat in the 1980s which

4:26:554:27:00

I thought was a terrible place to

live, I realise how lucky I was to

4:27:004:27:05

have a place where my mother had

security of tenure, where we were at

4:27:054:27:10

risk of being evicted overnight and

when it meant I could go to the same

4:27:104:27:13

school with the same friends and

have some degree of stability if not

4:27:134:27:18

all of the opportunities money can

buy. The truth is, kids growing up

4:27:184:27:23

in the same circumstances I grew up

in today are in a worse position

4:27:234:27:27

than I grew up in. This country is

going backwards not forwards and it

4:27:274:27:33

is simply intolerable. I have heard

some cliched speeches in this place

4:27:334:27:37

about how can we afford to revamp

the Palace of Westminster or how can

4:27:374:27:42

we afford to find money for the

revamp of Buckingham Palace? You can

4:27:424:27:46

make a case to make sure we look

after our national institutions and

4:27:464:27:51

fabric but people have surprised

when they say, why can we find money

4:27:514:27:57

for those projects that you can't

find money for housing? I will

4:27:574:28:00

conclude with the point, this

doesn't rest on his shoulders.

4:28:004:28:05

Pretty much every policy we had the

Conservative Party conference this

4:28:054:28:09

year and in previous years has been

about tackling the demand side of

4:28:094:28:14

the problem, helping problem --

people to buy their own home but

4:28:144:28:18

this is a supply places. The --

sensible thing the Minister has said

4:28:184:28:27

is we need money to build new homes.

Helen Hayes.

I congratulate my

4:28:274:28:37

honourable friend for securing this

important debate and on her powerful

4:28:374:28:40

speech. It is a pleasure to follow

my honourable friend the member for

4:28:404:28:45

Ilford North. Both councils have

amongst the most of this is council

4:28:454:28:53

House building programmes in the

country, they are doing everything

4:28:534:28:56

possible to deliver new affordable

homes. They face an impossible task

4:28:564:29:12

in the current policy and funding

environment. In 2015-16, said the

4:29:124:29:19

council placed 3400 households in

temporary accommodation. In Lambeth

4:29:194:29:24

there are 1500 councils including

5000 children in temporary

4:29:244:29:26

accommodation. Cervix spend has gone

up fivefold since 2011, -- so that's

4:29:264:29:34

spent. This increase in expenditure

has come at the same time the

4:29:344:29:41

government has cut 50% of the grant

for both councils. 70,000 households

4:29:414:29:48

including 120,000 children are

living in temporary accommodation.

4:29:484:29:56

Each one of these households are

placed at greater risk of physical

4:29:564:30:00

and mental ill-health and children

in particular are more likely than

4:30:004:30:03

their peers to have respiratory

problems. Across the country,

4:30:034:30:06

expenditure is up around £845

million was spent on temporary

4:30:064:30:14

accommodation nationally in

2015-2016. It isn't money well spent

4:30:144:30:22

to deliver better outcomes, it is

money spent in a situation of last

4:30:224:30:26

resort delivered in distress and

instability. Responsibility for this

4:30:264:30:31

growth breast squarely at the door

of this government. Government

4:30:314:30:36

policy is directly driving the

increase in homelessness. It is the

4:30:364:30:40

government which imposes a cap on

the local housing allowance causing

4:30:404:30:43

an increase in the number of people

becoming homeless because they are

4:30:434:30:48

unable to afford the cost of an

increase in rent which has been left

4:30:484:30:51

behind by the rate. The cap could

not be more stark than in Southwark

4:30:514:30:56

where they capped rate is 38% of the

average rental sector. The NHA is

4:30:564:31:10

capped at £265 a week. Soon there

will be no private sector

4:31:104:31:13

accommodation available in the

borough at all which can be afforded

4:31:134:31:16

by a resident reliance on the and

88. This is forcing previous

4:31:164:31:23

households to seek support from the

council because they find themselves

4:31:234:31:27

facing homelessness. Temporary

accommodation is often where these

4:31:274:31:35

households are placed. It is the

government which is refusing to

4:31:354:31:39

listen to the evidence that the six

weeks delay in receiving Universal

4:31:394:31:43

Credit 's payment is directly

contributing to an increase in

4:31:434:31:46

homelessness.

4:31:464:31:56

It is the government which has

presided in a drop of social houses

4:31:574:32:04

are from 95% since 2010. I was proud

last year to have supported the

4:32:044:32:08

homelessness eviction act which

amazed from a select committee. It

4:32:084:32:13

places an emphasis on helping people

facing homelessness to prevent them

4:32:134:32:18

from becoming homeless. It comes

into force next year. Preventing

4:32:184:32:24

homelessness is labour-intensive and

then a grave concerns that the

4:32:244:32:27

funding the government has committed

to the implementation of the

4:32:274:32:30

homelessness protection act won't

come close to resource in councils

4:32:304:32:33

to implement it. The act was largely

based on legislation in place in

4:32:334:32:37

Wales but the scale of the challenge

is completely different in England.

4:32:374:32:42

Southwark made more homelessness

applications decisions last year and

4:32:424:32:46

were made in the whole of Wales over

the same period. The homelessness

4:32:464:32:50

eviction act must be resourced if it

is to be effective. If it is not the

4:32:504:32:55

government will have missed an

opportunity to take meaningful

4:32:554:32:57

action to prevent homelessness. I

want to say a word about the

4:32:574:33:02

personal consequences of living in

temporary accommodation. Every week

4:33:024:33:07

and my surgeries I see people who

are at their wits and living in a

4:33:074:33:10

accommodation that is overcrowded

and damp. They are the most

4:33:104:33:18

harrowing and assessing I have

heard. I think of the woman who was

4:33:184:33:30

she was pregnant was placed in a

studio flat with no running water

4:33:304:33:34

where she remained after the birth

of her child. The only alternative

4:33:344:33:37

was a mixed sex hostel on

accommodation a long way from her

4:33:374:33:43

family. The couple who live with

their three children, two of whom

4:33:434:33:48

has sickle cell disease in

accommodation which is damp, cold

4:33:484:33:50

and Molde, kid dishes which

precipitate sickle cell crises. The

4:33:504:33:58

conditions in which these

constituents are forced to live a

4:33:584:34:00

distressing enough but the also said

that the psychological consequences

4:34:004:34:05

of living in in security without a

permanent home, unable to put down

4:34:054:34:09

roots and travelling a long way to

maintain employment and supportive

4:34:094:34:14

relationships particularly with

their children's school. The

4:34:144:34:18

government is perpetuating this

problem. Most notably with regard to

4:34:184:34:22

the cap and Universal Credit when

the same public sector funds spent

4:34:224:34:26

on poor quality accommodation could

be made to sustain tenancies. In his

4:34:264:34:35

forthcoming budget speech at the

Chancellor has an opportunity a

4:34:354:34:39

month before Christmas to stem the

increase in families living in

4:34:394:34:42

temporary accommodation and take

action to tackle this. The

4:34:424:34:46

government must lift the cap on the

NHA. -- LHA. It must make funding

4:34:464:35:02

available to councils and housing

associations to address the

4:35:024:35:05

shortfall in supply in the short

term. The increase in the number of

4:35:054:35:08

families living in temporary

accommodation is to this government

4:35:084:35:12

's's shame and it must take action

to reduce the distress and the

4:35:124:35:15

damage that it failed housing

policies are taking. Angela Crawley.

4:35:154:35:24

Can I firstly thank the honourable

member for Mitcham and Morden for

4:35:244:35:28

bringing forward this debate and via

her own heartfelt contribution and

4:35:284:35:33

remarks. None of us could fail to be

moved by her call for change for the

4:35:334:35:38

families who are here today and the

many more who are affected by the

4:35:384:35:42

scourge of homelessness and

temporary accommodation. I recognise

4:35:424:35:46

the contributions of the honourable

members who spoke of their

4:35:464:35:57

backgrounds. Nobody should be

ashamed about where they came from

4:35:574:36:00

and make sure young men like the

honourable member for Ilford North

4:36:004:36:07

spoke of, young men can see this

place there are people who represent

4:36:074:36:11

them and to understand where we come

from. The honourable member for

4:36:114:36:14

Tottenham spoke at length about the

right to buy and he is Scotland we

4:36:144:36:20

abolish the right to buy and it is

necessary that this government

4:36:204:36:24

replaces the social housing. They

have to define what it constitutes

4:36:244:36:29

as affordable homes. What exactly is

an affordable home? The honourable

4:36:294:36:36

member for Redditch spoke at length

about the role of Universal Credit

4:36:364:36:40

which was only rolled out in her

constituency last week.

4:36:404:36:45

Thank you for giving way. The

roll-out of Universal Credit started

4:36:454:36:51

in Inverness with a pilot in 2013

and since then we have been

4:36:514:36:54

reporting to the UK Government a

range of problems that have been

4:36:544:36:59

cause for people. Needing to people

being evicted from their homes

4:36:594:37:04

adding to the homelessness numbers.

As my honourable friend agree with

4:37:044:37:07

me this is a ridiculous situation

and a stressful one to put people

4:37:074:37:12

through and contributing to a much

greater distress than it should be?

4:37:124:37:16

I thank my honourable friend for

those comments. I equalled those

4:37:164:37:20

sentiments. I represent a

constituency where we witnessed the

4:37:204:37:24

roll-out of universes credit some

years ago. This government and its

4:37:244:37:31

particular governing party would

trial and error examples of its

4:37:314:37:36

catastrophic programmes for

government in Scotland and only to

4:37:364:37:39

hear the honourable member red bit

has kindly informed me it happened

4:37:394:37:49

to her last week. Come to my

constituency to the Highlands and

4:37:494:37:54

Islands and see how the roll-out

really works because it is not

4:37:544:37:58

working. The fact is I am sure all

of us can agree when it comes to our

4:37:584:38:05

constituents they approach with

regard to homelessness and temporary

4:38:054:38:08

accommodation is absolutely pivotal

to predicting that protecting

4:38:084:38:12

families who are impacted. It is

unclear, or rather it is clear, how

4:38:124:38:17

harrowing this situation can be for

many of the people who come to our

4:38:174:38:22

constituency surgery. Growing up in

a council damp House, I come here to

4:38:224:38:28

represent my neighbours are my

friends who continue to live in

4:38:284:38:31

those houses, who continued to live

in those conditions. It is

4:38:314:38:37

refreshing to hear people talking of

their background because nobody in

4:38:374:38:40

this place has the same level of

privilege. In this House we are all

4:38:404:38:45

equal. Homelessness is a result of

complex and difficult circumstances.

4:38:454:38:49

It can be from a need to escape

abuse in the home, from job loss,

4:38:494:38:55

financial insecurity and be as a

result of holes in the Social

4:38:554:38:59

Security system that allow people to

fall through which should be a

4:38:594:39:02

safety net. When people are facing

homelessness they approach as in a

4:39:024:39:12

time of need, they are in a

vulnerable position. They are scared

4:39:124:39:15

and stressed. I may be generalising

but the point is, to leave people

4:39:154:39:27

with nowhere to go is immoral and I

yet met from the benches. I hope you

4:39:274:39:34

have constituency can enlighten you.

The right honourable member can

4:39:344:39:41

respond to his constituencies and

explain why he has not yet resolved

4:39:414:39:47

this issue as the minister

responsible for this. I will

4:39:474:39:50

continue on.

4:39:504:39:56

All four nations of the UK have

legislated to introduce a legal duty

4:39:564:40:01

to secure accommodation for at least

some of those people rendered

4:40:014:40:05

homeless. Scottish local authorities

have a statutory duty to find

4:40:054:40:10

permanent accommodation for all

applicants unintentionally homeless

4:40:104:40:13

or faced with the threat of

homelessness. I recognise how

4:40:134:40:18

difficult and challenging that task

is and I recognise the hard work of

4:40:184:40:21

the housing offices in South

Lanarkshire across Scotland and

4:40:214:40:24

across the UK who work hard every

day to ensure that no one is left

4:40:244:40:29

without a roof over their head every

night. For every person who comes to

4:40:294:40:33

the door of a council office,

surgeries or visit the local

4:40:334:40:38

councillor, I am reminded every time

of one particular example, the story

4:40:384:40:42

of a mother and two children

sleeping on a friend's so far after

4:40:424:40:45

escaping an abusive relationship. I

want to ensure that she can sleep

4:40:494:40:52

somewhere safe that night but no

doubt the conditions she was forced

4:40:524:40:56

to stay in, no matter how great it

was to have a roof over her head, it

4:40:564:41:02

was temporary accommodation, damp,

and unfit to take two young and

4:41:024:41:05

vulnerable children into. This is

the reality many families face

4:41:054:41:10

across the country. For those with

nowhere to sleep tonight housing

4:41:104:41:13

officers make arrangements for them

not to sleep on the street. Some

4:41:134:41:18

experience homelessness as a result

of drug and alcohol abuse. Others

4:41:184:41:22

through depression or even a veteran

experiencing PTSD after returning

4:41:224:41:28

from active duty. This does not

generalise the examples of people

4:41:284:41:32

who find themselves without homes to

sleep into night but the fact is,

4:41:324:41:37

not only having temporary

accommodation places available, to

4:41:374:41:42

act as councillors to give advice to

people in crisis or to listen daily

4:41:424:41:47

to the truly harrowing stories and

to help people get back on their

4:41:474:41:50

feet, they need the support too and

the funding and this government must

4:41:504:41:55

recognise that they have a role to

play in this. The reality is we need

4:41:554:41:59

to ensure that council officers are

appropriately funded and that

4:41:594:42:06

council services are appropriate

funded. Local authorities have

4:42:064:42:09

relevant funding and the key

communication that must take place

4:42:094:42:13

between local authorities is in

place. The fact is, as many have

4:42:134:42:17

outlined previously, in Scotland,

devolved is devolved and the

4:42:174:42:24

Scottish Government have gone to

great lengths to ensure that those

4:42:244:42:27

who find themselves homeless are

protected but the fact is for a

4:42:274:42:30

variety of reasons many are simply

not afforded those protections and

4:42:304:42:34

no matter how all have the

government tries, I believe the

4:42:344:42:41

government, for all of its failures

and losses, that I may stand on this

4:42:414:42:44

side of the house and criticise but

I also recognise it's a challenge

4:42:444:42:49

for any government to tackle

homelessness and I do not wish to

4:42:494:42:51

stand here and throw stones at

glasshouses. This will go in my

4:42:514:42:56

favour, I hope, when I ask the

Minister the following questions. I

4:42:564:43:00

hope that you will recognise that I

want to work with this government so

4:43:004:43:03

I want to ask this minister, will

the government acknowledged

4:43:034:43:08

Universal Credit? Will he

acknowledged that a 6-12 week delay

4:43:084:43:12

in what I have personally

experienced in constituents in South

4:43:124:43:16

Lanarkshire under the pilot of

Universal Credit is unacceptable?

4:43:164:43:20

Will this government acknowledge

that the government must do more to

4:43:204:43:24

tackle homelessness throughout the

UK and will the Minister come to my

4:43:244:43:27

constituency to see the Universal

Credit impact first-hand? What

4:43:274:43:31

action will it take to prevent

people from sleeping in the cold

4:43:314:43:34

tonight and what action will it take

to ensure a family is on hand to

4:43:344:43:38

sleep on someone else's sofa

tonight? What commitment will be

4:43:384:43:41

government make to tackle the

problems of homelessness and

4:43:414:43:46

temporary accommodation and will be

government to ensure the necessary

4:43:464:43:49

funding and support it provides,

ensuring those who deliver those

4:43:494:43:52

valuable services are supported to

do so. I'm calling on everyone in

4:43:524:43:56

this house to check your privilege

and do not forget why you came here

4:43:564:43:59

in the first place because there's a

reason why we are here, there's an

4:43:594:44:03

opportunity to change this. I want

to work with this government. Let's

4:44:034:44:07

do more to tackle homelessness.

John

Healey.

Thank you, Madam Deputy

4:44:074:44:13

Speaker. I think what has been a

really powerful and moving debate is

4:44:134:44:17

a testimony to the importance of the

reform of introducing a backbench

4:44:174:44:21

business committee and these

debates. Can I congratulate my

4:44:214:44:26

honourable friend, the member for

Mitch Inman modern, she told me

4:44:264:44:29

before this debate that she had 44

members from all sites behind her

4:44:294:44:34

bid for this debate. I think she has

led it very effectively but this is

4:44:344:44:42

such an important debate, so badly

squeezed for time this afternoon,

4:44:424:44:48

she gave us a speech which those of

us who know her and know her well

4:44:484:44:52

have come to see as a

characteristic. It was passionate,

4:44:524:44:58

practical, and it was laced with the

personal commitment and care that

4:44:584:45:02

she gives to her constituents. At

one point, Madam Deputy Speaker, she

4:45:024:45:07

said she was worried she could not

find the right words in order to

4:45:074:45:11

convey the anguish of some of her

constituents. She did, and in doing

4:45:114:45:17

so, she did her constituents proud

and did this house a real service

4:45:174:45:20

this afternoon. In a country as

decent and well off as ours, it

4:45:204:45:28

really should shame us all that

120,000 children this Christmas will

4:45:284:45:33

have no home. And spend Christmas

Day in bed-and-breakfast style

4:45:334:45:40

accommodations, hostels, and, in

some cases, Private rented

4:45:404:45:45

accommodation which just is simply

not fit for human habitation. As we

4:45:454:45:50

have heard this afternoon. Madam

Deputy Speaker, this has been a

4:45:504:45:54

really important debate. What it has

underlined from a number of

4:45:544:45:58

contributions is that temporary

accommodation is too often not

4:45:584:46:02

temporary but Karen last up to a

decade or more. Temporary

4:46:024:46:07

accommodation is too often

substandard, and sometimes downright

4:46:074:46:14

dangerous. Temporary accommodation

is not available in people's and

4:46:144:46:17

home areas. Some of the solutions

were set out for the house today as

4:46:174:46:24

well. Tougher planning obligations

that the honourable member for

4:46:244:46:27

Thirsk and Malton asked for, build

more social rented homes and council

4:46:274:46:34

homes. My right honourable friend,

the member for Tottenham, for

4:46:344:46:38

Brentford and Isa worth, for Enfield

Southgate, they all made that

4:46:384:46:45

argument -- Isa worth. Back Private

landlord licensing, as my honourable

4:46:454:46:49

friend, the member for West Ham

argued. Ends temporary -- replace

4:46:494:47:02

all right to buy sales with new

council and social rented homes, as

4:47:024:47:05

the honourable member for Lanark and

Hamilton East argued, and longer

4:47:054:47:16

tendencies as the member for Harrow

East argued for. Homelessness is

4:47:164:47:22

both highly visible with the rapidly

increasing number of people we see

4:47:224:47:28

sleeping rough on our streets but it

is also hidden. Homelessness crisis

4:47:284:47:34

is essentially a hidden crisis in

our country today. The figures for

4:47:344:47:39

temporary accommodation, which are

in the motion before us today, are

4:47:394:47:42

the tip of the iceberg. Our councils

across the country, irrespective of

4:47:424:47:49

political party leadership, are

doing their best, as my honourable

4:47:494:47:52

friend, the member for Ilford North,

said of his own in Redbridge. As

4:47:524:47:56

well as the 60,000 families accepted

as statutory homeless in the last

4:47:564:48:03

year by our councils, together they

helped prevent homelessness, or

4:48:034:48:07

helped to house, 215,000 more

families. In the last year. But they

4:48:074:48:14

are doing their best at the same

time as the numbers and pressures

4:48:144:48:20

are rising. The options available

for housing for councils are

4:48:204:48:24

reducing and that is why we have

seen the number of people accepted

4:48:244:48:30

as statutory homeless rise since

2010 by nearly 50%. That's why we

4:48:304:48:35

seen the numbers of rough sleeping

homelessness more than double. It

4:48:354:48:39

has gone up by 50% in the last two

years alone. The honourable member

4:48:394:48:45

for Harrow East's Homelessness

Reduction Act, for which my

4:48:454:48:48

honourable member, my honourable

friend, led for Labour on the select

4:48:484:48:56

committee, the member for Norwood,

it's a good step. It had all-party

4:48:564:49:01

support, including from the front

bench but it comes to something when

4:49:014:49:04

there is one standout piece of

housing legislation and housing

4:49:044:49:08

policy from a Conservative

government which came from the bank

4:49:084:49:11

benches and not the front benches in

the last seven years but I pay

4:49:114:49:15

tribute to the honourable member for

Nuneaton. I'm well aware of how hard

4:49:154:49:19

behind the scenes he worked with

colleagues to get backing for the

4:49:194:49:24

bill and get financial resources

behind the bill. My honourable

4:49:244:49:28

friend, the member for donnish and

West Norwood says that there is very

4:49:284:49:31

much more to do on that. -- Dulwich.

While I am speaking about this, my

4:49:314:49:38

honourable friend was right. This

legislation this house passed was

4:49:384:49:44

modelled on the Housing Wales act

2014. It was introduced four years

4:49:444:49:51

ago this month by Carl Sargeant. I

think today, the house will want to

4:49:514:49:58

pay the deepest sympathies to his

family, his wife and his close

4:49:584:50:04

friends. He was a passionate

politician that the community at the

4:50:044:50:11

heart of all of his politics. His

legislation was the first-ever piece

4:50:114:50:20

of housing legislation passed in

Wales and today I think we mark his

4:50:204:50:23

legacy because every month in Wales,

hundreds of families are helped to

4:50:234:50:31

avoid the trauma of homelessness

because of his legislation and what

4:50:314:50:34

he did. The reason that it offered

some remedies but no solutions is

4:50:344:50:42

that it does not deal with the root

causes of the rapidly rising

4:50:424:50:46

homelessness. I have to say that

many of those are now driven by

4:50:464:50:51

decisions taken by this government

over the last seven years. A big cut

4:50:514:50:57

in investment in new, affordable

homes. The ending of all government

4:50:574:51:01

investment behind social rented

homes. Crude cuts to housing

4:51:014:51:05

benefit. The introduction of the

roll-out of Universal Credit, and

4:51:054:51:09

reform. Reduced funding for

homelessness services, the lack of

4:51:094:51:14

action to protect private renters

and, I said to my honourable friend,

4:51:144:51:20

connect how is probably only exists

because of changes in the planning

4:51:204:51:24

regime that this government brought

in to prevent councils from being

4:51:244:51:28

able to stop or give permission to

that sort of development -- Connect

4:51:284:51:34

House. But Mr Speaker, it works

because we've done it before. The

4:51:344:51:39

minister is sometimes guilty of

saying, in response to the rapidly

4:51:394:51:43

rising homelessness, that it was

high and Labour. And he is right, of

4:51:434:51:47

course. When we came in in 1997, the

levels were over 100000 and rising.

4:51:474:51:55

It peaked in 2003 but the critical

question is the action we took them.

4:51:554:52:01

And the fact that after that, the

independent Joseph Rowntree trust

4:52:014:52:04

and crisis monitor described it as

an unprecedented decline in

4:52:044:52:11

statutory homelessness and we saw

the level of rough sleeping

4:52:114:52:14

homelessness down by over 75%. It

can be done, we know what works, let

4:52:144:52:20

us do it. Can I recommend, finally,

to finish... This is a government

4:52:204:52:26

with no majority in this house. No

real mandate in the country and

4:52:264:52:31

without a domestic policy programme

because it isn't covered by the deal

4:52:314:52:34

with the DUP. Let me offer, in the

spirit of a backbench business

4:52:344:52:39

committee debate like this, action

the government could take to start

4:52:394:52:42

to get to the bottom and deal with

the homelessness crisis that we

4:52:424:52:46

face. Overhaul the way we measure of

rough sleeping so we know how many

4:52:464:52:50

people are sleeping rough on the

streets. Transform capacity to get

4:52:504:52:54

people off the streets for good by

making 4000 homes available now for

4:52:544:53:00

people with a history of rough

sleeping. Halt plans to change

4:53:004:53:05

supported housing which could still

lead to the closure of homeless

4:53:054:53:08

hostels. Protect the housing cost

element of Universal Credit. Above

4:53:084:53:15

all, build thousands, tens of

thousands, of new homes. Affordable

4:53:154:53:22

and for social rent, including

council homes, needed to help to fix

4:53:224:53:27

the housing crisis and increase

security for private renters. Make

4:53:274:53:30

three-year is the norm. Cap and

control the rise in rent. That way

4:53:304:53:37

we can tackle the homelessness

crisis. I'm just winding up, I will

4:53:374:53:45

if he presses me.

I thank the

honourable gentleman for his remarks

4:53:454:53:50

on the support for the Homelessness

Reduction Act. While I am on my

4:53:504:53:53

feet, may I just draw the members

attention to my entry, which I

4:53:534:53:59

inadvertently forgot to do when I

spoke. Can he inform us of the

4:53:594:54:04

policy of the Labour Party, in

relation to the NHA. The honourable

4:54:044:54:10

member for Dulwich and West Norwood

drew attention to this particular

4:54:104:54:13

issue and so far in his speech, he

has been silent on that particular

4:54:134:54:18

issue and I would be quite keen, and

I think the whole house would be, to

4:54:184:54:21

hear the view of the opposition on

what should happen on NHA.

4:54:214:54:29

I think that is a disappointing

intervention. I will send him our

4:54:294:54:34

manifesto. We would end the bedroom

tax, he brought it in. We will

4:54:344:54:39

restore housing benefit support,

they cut it. We will review the

4:54:394:54:45

housing benefit system including the

local housing allowance and the lack

4:54:454:54:48

of a link with rising rents which

they brought in. Problems in the

4:54:484:54:54

system which are driving directly

the rapidly rising homelessness and

4:54:544:54:58

need for temporary accommodation we

see. I hope this debate will give a

4:54:584:55:03

lead to the government, accepting

there are problems, agreeing with

4:55:034:55:08

concerns raised is not enough.

Action is now needed. Let's hear

4:55:084:55:14

from the government that is exactly

what they will do.

Minister.

4:55:144:55:21

I would like to start by

congratulating the honourable member

4:55:214:55:25

for more than four security in this

debate on such an important subject.

4:55:254:55:33

The provision of good temporary

accommodation is a vital part of

4:55:334:55:36

getting people to help they need.

And ensure a family is never without

4:55:364:55:41

a roof over their head. The number

of households in temporary

4:55:414:55:45

accommodation does remain below the

peak of the levels experienced in

4:55:454:55:52

September 2004. This government is

not complacent. In order to ensure

4:55:524:55:59

families and moved into settled

accommodation more quickly and spend

4:55:594:56:02

less time in temporary

accommodation, we took a major step

4:56:024:56:05

and change the law in 2011 so

councils can place families in

4:56:054:56:11

decent and affordable private rented

homes. The quality of temporary

4:56:114:56:17

accommodation is extremely

important. The quality and standard

4:56:174:56:24

for temporary accommodation is

ensured through a legal duty placed

4:56:244:56:27

on local authorities that they must

undertake an assessment of

4:56:274:56:31

suitability before any one in

temporary accommodation.

4:56:314:56:38

Affordability, its size and

condition, accessibility and

4:56:384:56:41

location should be taken into

account. This assessment includes

4:56:414:56:46

destruction to jobs and children

schooling. Point I note that have

4:56:464:56:51

been made during this debate. Just

to pick up on the first point the

4:56:514:56:55

honourable lady raised. Through my

response I will respond to as many

4:56:554:57:03

of her questions as possible. Just

on the point of health and safety,

4:57:034:57:08

this is a situation we should take

extremely seriously. All homes

4:57:084:57:14

should be of a reasonable standard

antennas should have a safe place to

4:57:144:57:18

live regardless of tenure. Local

authorities have strong powers to

4:57:184:57:26

deal with unsafe accommodation. The

housing health and safety rating

4:57:264:57:30

system assesses the health and

safety risks in all residential

4:57:304:57:34

properties. If the property is found

containing serious hazard the local

4:57:344:57:39

authority has a duty to take the

most appropriate action. We expect

4:57:394:57:43

local authorities to use those

powers so it is important that

4:57:434:57:48

safety is always met and we ensure

homes are of a decent standard.

4:57:484:57:57

Madam Deputy Speaker, we are also

embarking on an ambitious programme

4:57:574:58:00

to reform the response to

homelessness which will replace

4:58:004:58:05

prevention right at the heart of its

approach. So far, this has included

4:58:054:58:11

replacing the DWP temporary

accommodation management fee with a

4:58:114:58:15

flexible homelessness support grant

which allows local authorities to

4:58:154:58:17

prevent homelessness. Taken action

earlier and getting on the front

4:58:174:58:24

foot in order to prevent

homelessness will result in fewer

4:58:244:58:27

households having to face the stress

and upheaval of a homelessness

4:58:274:58:32

crisis. We expect it will relieve

the pressure on temporary

4:58:324:58:37

accommodation. This funding will

drive change in local areas and my

4:58:374:58:42

ambition is to see local authorities

and voluntary sector organisations,

4:58:424:58:46

health services and the wider public

sector working partnership to

4:58:464:58:51

deliver services that support

people's needs. We've allocated £950

4:58:514:58:55

million to deduce rough sleeping as

well as supporting my honourable

4:58:554:59:03

friend 's homelessness protection

act. The act is the most ambitious

4:59:034:59:10

legislative reform in decades. It

will fundamentally transform the

4:59:104:59:14

culture of homelessness, service

delivery. Local authorities public

4:59:144:59:19

bodies and the third sector will

work together to actively prevent

4:59:194:59:24

homelessness for all those at risk,

irrespective of priority need,

4:59:244:59:30

intentional homelessness or local

connection. The actor will require

4:59:304:59:33

local authorities to work with those

in need to develop personalised

4:59:334:59:37

housing plans which will be tailored

to focus on the knees and

4:59:374:59:41

circumstances of the individual.

This can include actions for other

4:59:414:59:45

support services which are best

suited to support the individual.

4:59:454:59:49

Alongside the act we are making

positive changes in the way we

4:59:494:59:54

gather statutorily homelessness

data, a point that was rightly

4:59:544:59:58

raised by the Right honourable

gentleman on the opposition front

4:59:585:00:02

bench. The additional data we are

going to gather will enable us to

5:00:025:00:06

get a better insight into rooms of

causes of homelessness and support

5:00:065:00:11

the people need. It will enable us

to monitor and help people who have

5:00:115:00:16

received help from their local

authority and whether it helps to

5:00:165:00:21

prevent them becoming -- from not

becoming homeless. It'll provide us

5:00:215:00:28

with more detail on temporary

accommodation amplified to those in

5:00:285:00:34

need including size, location and

quality of accommodation. To support

5:00:345:00:37

the delivery of that we are widely

consulting on the revised

5:00:375:00:42

statutorily homeless guide. We will

be providing £72.7 million of

5:00:425:00:51

funding in line with the new burdens

doctoring. We want to see fewer

5:00:515:00:58

individuals and families face

homelessness and we are committed to

5:00:585:01:00

ending rough sleeping and we want to

deduce homelessness overdrawn. We

5:01:005:01:05

are setting up a homelessness

reduction task force which will

5:01:055:01:08

focus on prevention and the

important issue of affordable

5:01:085:01:12

housing. To take on some of the

other point the honourable lady for

5:01:125:01:18

Mitcham and Morden made, in terms of

the homelessness protection act in

5:01:185:01:29

the Department, we have employed a

team of advisers because the

5:01:295:01:33

honourable lady quite rightly

mentioned how we're going to hold

5:01:335:01:37

local ladies to account and think it

is about not holding them to account

5:01:375:01:42

but supporting them to make sure

places have the right systems and

5:01:425:01:48

work practices in place. That team

will go out to support local

5:01:485:01:53

authorities in the implementation of

the homeless reduction act. In terms

5:01:535:01:57

of the code of guidance which I have

also mentioned, that is an extremely

5:01:575:02:03

important place that we need to get

to to make sure the code of guidance

5:02:035:02:08

reflects some of the challenges the

honourable lady mentioned. It is

5:02:085:02:14

also important to say and they know

my honourable friend for Harrow,

5:02:145:02:20

there is also the provision for the

government to bring forward a code

5:02:205:02:26

of practice if it is deemed

necessary because local authorities

5:02:265:02:32

are not taking on their

responsibilities under the code of

5:02:325:02:37

guidance. I also heard were the

honourable lady had to say about

5:02:375:02:44

some of the temporary accommodation

in her constituency. I wasn't aware

5:02:445:02:49

of the meeting she is holding

tonight, I can't make that meeting.

5:02:495:02:56

What I would say is I take the

comments she made in that respect

5:02:565:03:00

very seriously indeed. I would be

grateful if the honourable lady

5:03:005:03:06

would be willing to meet with me in

the Department to go through and

5:03:065:03:10

discuss the concerns she had in more

detail. My honourable friend

5:03:105:03:20

mentioned bed-and-breakfast and in

terms of the use of bed and

5:03:205:03:23

breakfast in the last few quarters,

the usage of bed-and-breakfast is

5:03:235:03:26

starting to deduce. It is good news.

But again we are not complacent.

5:03:265:03:37

Importantly, there are certain local

authorities such as Barnett,

5:03:375:03:40

Haringey, Tower Hamlets, who are now

in a position where they are not

5:03:405:03:45

using bed-and-breakfast

accommodation at all. We need to

5:03:455:03:50

learn from the places where good

practice is happening and again that

5:03:505:03:55

is something the team of advisers

our department is employing will be

5:03:555:04:00

absolutely focused on spreading that

best practice across the country.

5:04:005:04:05

Affordable housing supply is

mentioned. That is important. The

5:04:055:04:12

government has delivered 240,000

affordable housing for rent since

5:04:125:04:16

2010. We want to build on that bring

forward another 225,000 affordable

5:04:165:04:24

homes by 2020. In terms of the

recent announcements made, my right

5:04:245:04:28

honourable friend the Secretary of

State has been clear that we want to

5:04:285:04:32

bring forward houses full social

rent particularly in areas where

5:04:325:04:39

there are extreme affordability

challenges. My honourable friend for

5:04:395:04:42

Harrow mention the issue of ending

short tenancy. My department is

5:04:425:04:57

committed to looking at how it can

incentivise land was to provide

5:04:575:05:01

longer tenancies. We will be coming

forward with details with that soon.

5:05:015:05:07

The right honourable gentleman on

the opposition bench shakes his

5:05:075:05:10

head. By incentivising landlords

that is the right thing to do rather

5:05:105:05:16

than bringing in things like rent

controls. It has been widely

5:05:165:05:20

acknowledged across the sector that

will reduce supply rather than

5:05:205:05:24

increase supply. Taking on the point

the honourable lady made about the

5:05:245:05:30

private sector licensing scheme. I

hear what she said. She made an

5:05:305:05:34

impassioned plea to the departments

for that. I'm not directly making

5:05:345:05:37

that decision that it will make sure

the information she has put this

5:05:375:05:41

debate is fed back full stop.

If the

department is is going to make a

5:05:415:05:55

positive decision I'd like a meeting

to discuss that with the Minister

5:05:555:05:59

that is responsible if he can do

anything to enable that to happen.

5:05:595:06:03

I will do what I can in that sense.

What I would say to the honourable

5:06:035:06:09

lady is I expect a decision should

not be too far away in relation to

5:06:095:06:15

the issue she mentions. She

mentioned rogue landlords. They form

5:06:155:06:23

a small part of the private rented

sector. But wherever rogue landlords

5:06:235:06:29

exist we must drive them out of the

system. We brought forward further

5:06:295:06:34

measures such as being able to levy

civil penalties of up to £30,000 on

5:06:345:06:41

a rogue landlords. The penalty would

go back to the local authority to

5:06:415:06:46

invest in further enforcement

powers. We have brought forward

5:06:465:06:49

banning orders. People who are rogue

landlords can be banned from renting

5:06:495:06:55

property to people or from being a

property agent. The honourable lady

5:06:555:07:01

for Dulwich and West Norwood were

mentioned the situation in

5:07:015:07:04

Southwark. I was delighted seven to

go to go to Southwark and visit

5:07:045:07:12

their housing options team who are

at an early adopter of the

5:07:125:07:15

Homelessness Reduction Act. I was

struck at the progress that is being

5:07:155:07:21

made in Southwark. The positivity of

the team in Southwark to Timmy seem

5:07:215:07:27

to be doing a fantastic job and

embraced the principles of the new

5:07:275:07:32

legislation. It was obvious they

were helping more people earlier.

5:07:325:07:38

More people to stay in their home. I

was extremely pleased with what I

5:07:385:07:43

saw during the visit. I will give

way.

5:07:435:07:47

He is absolutely right to commend

the excellent work Southwark council

5:07:475:07:50

is doing as a trailblazer to

implement this early. The government

5:07:505:07:59

commitment for funding for the act

extends to two years. Without a

5:07:595:08:02

commitment to fund and the extent

that is needed all that good work

5:08:025:08:07

will be lost.

We have invested £72 million in

5:08:075:08:14

funding for Homelessness Reduction

Act and was the act is coming into

5:08:145:08:17

force in April we are putting a

significant amount of that many

5:08:175:08:23

earlier so the councils can gear up

for the new act. She will know from

5:08:235:08:26

being heavily involved in the Bill

committee and through the process of

5:08:265:08:35

legislation, which I commend her

for, the government has committed to

5:08:355:08:39

reviewing the new funding that is

being provided within two years of

5:08:395:08:45

the act been implemented. If I may

map Madam Deputy Speaker, if I may

5:08:455:08:50

just mention a point at the right

honourable gentleman for Wentworth

5:08:505:08:57

mentioned in terms of the

Homelessness Reduction Act, what I

5:08:575:09:00

can assure him of was we were

looking very carefully at the

5:09:005:09:04

legislation that had been brought

forward in Wales. Whilst we were

5:09:045:09:10

still in the process of considering

that legislation I think it was an

5:09:105:09:14

excellent opportunity when my

honourable friend came forward from

5:09:145:09:17

Harrow East and we embraced as a

government what he came forward

5:09:175:09:22

with. It would be remiss of me if I

did not offer my condolences on the

5:09:225:09:31

government to Carl Sargeant, the

Welsh Assembly Member, who has

5:09:315:09:34

regrettably passed away the stop

just to say, just put on record I

5:09:345:09:40

know the work he did on the

Homelessness Reduction Act in Wales

5:09:405:09:45

has made a significant difference to

the lives of people in Wales and the

5:09:455:09:51

House should remember that.

5:09:515:09:57

Just to take up a couple of points

that the member on the front bench

5:09:575:10:01

mentioned, he mentioned action taken

by Labour in 2003. I think when we

5:10:015:10:06

look at what happened at the time we

should not take away the fact that

5:10:065:10:09

there were a lot of people move from

their own areas during that period.

5:10:095:10:13

A lot of those people were moved out

places like Seaside resorts and that

5:10:135:10:18

kind of thing where quite often

there was little in terms of job

5:10:185:10:22

prospects and the ability for to

make decent lives and in some of

5:10:225:10:28

those areas there is still a social

challenge that has been caused

5:10:285:10:33

because of the decisions that were

made at the time. What I would like

5:10:335:10:37

to say to the house is that this

government is committed to tackling

5:10:375:10:43

homelessness and taking an approach

where we try and do the best they

5:10:435:10:48

buy people, and the comment was made

several times in this debate about

5:10:485:10:54

people being moved out of areas,

people should not be moved out of

5:10:545:10:59

areas by compulsion. It should be a

discussion had between the local

5:10:595:11:04

authority and the individual based

on that individual's circumstances

5:11:045:11:08

at the time. On the other points he

made, he mentioned the rough

5:11:085:11:13

sleeping data. We have improved on

that data since 2010 and I would

5:11:135:11:19

point out to be right honourable

gentleman that in 2010, councils

5:11:195:11:23

were not compelled to provide rough

sleeper dated to the department. We

5:11:235:11:27

still want to go further forward and

obtain or data -- more data because

5:11:275:11:34

we know if we do that, we will be in

a position to work out exactly what

5:11:345:11:39

the challenges are and why people

become homeless, and get far more

5:11:395:11:44

effective at dealing with it. The

other thing that was mentioned was

5:11:445:11:48

rent controls and I certainly do not

think that rent controls, as I said

5:11:485:11:52

earlier in the debate, are a way in

which we can help the situation. I

5:11:525:11:57

think it would compound the

situation and make it worse. I

5:11:575:12:00

finally would like to thank again

the honourable lady for allowing me

5:12:005:12:04

to set out the government position

on this extremely important issue,

5:12:045:12:10

there's a considerable amount of

work to do still that the government

5:12:105:12:13

is making progress. We now need to

accelerate that progress and I think

5:12:135:12:17

we do that, particularly through the

Homelessness Reduction Act and

5:12:175:12:23

particularly through additional

funding provided to local

5:12:235:12:27

authorities and through the

Homelessness Reduction Act task

5:12:275:12:29

force.

Thank you, Madam Deputy

Speaker, can I thank all members

5:12:295:12:39

from both sides of the house for

being involved in this important

5:12:395:12:42

debate. Can I thank the Minister for

meeting with me to talk about

5:12:425:12:48

Connect House, I am very grateful. I

do not wish to sound angry and

5:12:485:12:54

petulant but I feel both. 84

families will still be in the middle

5:12:545:12:59

of an industrial estate, tonight,

tomorrow night, next year and the

5:12:595:13:04

year after. Homeless families are

the biggest reason for eviction,

5:13:045:13:08

eviction from an assured short hold

tenancy. No amount of advice at any

5:13:085:13:13

point in the cycle will change that,

because landlords can get more money

5:13:135:13:18

if they ran their properties out to

people who are not housing benefit

5:13:185:13:23

or Universal Credit dependent. That

side financial fact -- that is a

5:13:235:13:30

financial fact, we can wish it

better but it isn't going to work.

5:13:305:13:33

The only thing that will work as a

proper requirement for standards in

5:13:335:13:39

temporary accommodation that are

fiercely enforced by the government,

5:13:395:13:43

that God help us, we require

councils to tell other councils when

5:13:435:13:47

they move a homeless family to that

area. That would be revolutionary.

5:13:475:13:53

Madam Deputy Speaker, I have worked

in housing for 35 years. I have

5:13:535:13:58

found accommodation for homeless

families in the 1980s. I have dealt

5:13:585:14:02

with families in bed-and-breakfast

in the 1980s. I've never seen the

5:14:025:14:09

numbers the light, and the sort of

accommodation that people are

5:14:095:14:12

currently living in. We either get

real about it and do something real,

5:14:125:14:19

or we risk a future crisis among

Paul, dispossessed families of the

5:14:195:14:27

like we will have difficulties in

dealing with -- poor. I ask that

5:14:275:14:33

people get real about the situation

in which many constituents find

5:14:335:14:37

themselves in.

The question is as on

the order paper, as many that are of

5:14:375:14:43

the opinion so aye. And the country,

no? The ayes Cavett. We now come to

5:14:435:14:51

the general debate on matters to be

raised before the forthcoming

5:14:515:14:56

adjournment.

Thank you, Madam Deputy

Speaker. I beg to move for matters

5:14:565:15:07

considered by the house prior to the

short recess. May I start by giving

5:15:075:15:12

apologies from the honourable member

for Gateshead who was intending to

5:15:125:15:15

lead the debate but because of the

way that business has been rather

5:15:155:15:19

squeezed, he has had to get back to

his constituency as he has an urgent

5:15:195:15:24

function to attend tonight. On

behalf of the backbench committee, I

5:15:245:15:30

intend to lead on this debate. May I

first touch on local issues

5:15:305:15:34

affecting my constituency and

constituents, and lead onto rather

5:15:345:15:41

more international issues that need

to be raised urgently before this

5:15:415:15:45

house goes into recess. First is the

long... For those of you who have

5:15:455:15:52

attended this particular debate,

I've raced it on a number of

5:15:525:15:56

occasions, the lack of step free

access at Stanmore Station and

5:15:565:16:00

Canons Park station. Both of these

stations are on the Jubilee line, in

5:16:005:16:06

part of my constituency. They have

no way of getting to the roadway

5:16:065:16:11

from station platforms except via

steep staircases or alternatively,

5:16:115:16:17

in the case of Stanmore station,

through an almost inaccessible car

5:16:175:16:21

park route. There is potential good

news on the horizon, that the

5:16:215:16:28

Department for Transport is

conducting a consultation right now

5:16:285:16:31

about disabled access outstations

although, of course, the matter of

5:16:315:16:35

Jubilee line trains, you would be

aware they are matters for the Mayor

5:16:355:16:41

of London. I am assured by the

Minister that given the failure of

5:16:415:16:46

successive mayors of London to

actually remedy the situation, he is

5:16:465:16:51

prepared to intervene if enough

residents from my constituency

5:16:515:16:57

respond to the consultation asking

him to do so. Secondly, Madam Deputy

5:16:575:17:03

Speaker, work continues after the

adjournment debate that I led on the

5:17:035:17:08

scandal of the sale of public assets

at the hive to Barnet football club

5:17:085:17:14

with a succession of freedom of

information requests to itemise how

5:17:145:17:21

the scandal arose and indeed to

Camden Council, to see how they are

5:17:215:17:27

getting on with claiming the money

back which they should have received

5:17:275:17:31

as a result of the sale of this

public asset at a bar is the reduced

5:17:315:17:36

rate. I turned to the issues of

police funding and activity in

5:17:365:17:43

Harrow. There are concerns in

relation to the police station

5:17:435:17:50

closures that the current Mayor of

London is intent on introducing,

5:17:505:17:54

which would have dramatic effects on

the level of policing and the police

5:17:545:18:00

presence in Harrow and many other

boroughs across London. One of the

5:18:005:18:06

key issues, I think is quite clear,

that the government has two stump up

5:18:065:18:10

more money for the Metropolitan

Police's duties on counterterrorism.

5:18:105:18:16

It needs to review the budget in

terms of policing so when we get to

5:18:165:18:19

the budget next year, with policing

going forward, we see a three-year

5:18:195:18:25

settlement for police funding and at

a requisite funding given that

5:18:255:18:31

London is the capital city. I would

like to see some of that £2.3

5:18:315:18:37

billion of unallocated reserves that

he has spent on policing when the

5:18:375:18:41

people of London want to see it

actually spent. I am working at the

5:18:415:18:46

moment on two proposed free schools

in my constituency. One is the

5:18:465:18:53

Mariposa primary school which has

been resisted by the local authority

5:18:535:19:01

but has support from parents and

many other people who want to see

5:19:015:19:04

this free school brought into

operation. The Department for

5:19:045:19:11

Education and the FA have supported

this proposal but there is

5:19:115:19:16

opposition at the moment from Harrow

Council. I'm supporting a free

5:19:165:19:22

school that will be the first

state-sponsored primary school for

5:19:225:19:26

Muslim children in the borough, of

Harrow, and that is needed and

5:19:265:19:31

something I have been working on for

some time and I am hopeful that we

5:19:315:19:38

will see a site for that and it will

be blessed with council approval and

5:19:385:19:43

the Department for Education

approval in the immediate future. I

5:19:435:19:47

will give way very briefly.

Perhaps

I can use this opportunity to place

5:19:475:19:54

on record concerns I have about

schools in my own constituency,

5:19:545:20:00

specifically Ilford County high

school, one school in desperate need

5:20:005:20:04

of refurbishment. Like him, I want

to see a free school application

5:20:045:20:07

successful in the case of the Hindu

primary school which wants to

5:20:075:20:16

develop a primary school. I'm

grateful for him giving away so I

5:20:165:20:20

could put those issues from my neck

of the woods on record.

He gives me

5:20:205:20:27

the opportunity of making clear that

the first state-sponsored Hindu

5:20:275:20:30

primary school is in my constituency

and in the second state-sponsored

5:20:305:20:39

school is in my constituency as well

and I wish them well in his

5:20:395:20:42

application. Two other issues I want

to raise, which follows on from the

5:20:425:20:47

debate we just had, there is a

dramatic increase in the number of

5:20:475:20:52

unauthorised houses in occupation in

my borough. It is becoming an issue

5:20:525:20:58

in the area and I think it requires

stringent government action and

5:20:585:21:03

local authorities to carry out

particular duties. Equally, we still

5:21:035:21:09

have the problem of casual labourers

touting for work on honeypot Lane

5:21:095:21:13

outside B&Q. As there will be no

police presence on the ground in my

5:21:135:21:28

constituency, the police site within

B&Q would be an operation for where

5:21:285:21:35

police can use their equipment and

come and go which would disburse the

5:21:355:21:38

labourers on shore. May I mention to

or through other things in

5:21:385:21:43

Parliament before I sit down, and

allow colleagues to have their

5:21:435:21:49

chance. Firstly, I was very pleased

on behalf of the all-party group for

5:21:495:21:54

British Hindus to hold a very well

attended

5:21:545:22:05

Diwali celebration on the terrace,

the right honourable member for

5:22:085:22:16

Leicester East lead on this

particular issue originally and he

5:22:165:22:20

has bequeathed it to me to continue

that wonderful progress and I think

5:22:205:22:26

this is something that is pertinent.

Can I also draw the members

5:22:265:22:30

attention to the fact that last

week, we beat the other place, we

5:22:305:22:38

delivered a stunning blow for the

House of Commons and I was pleased

5:22:385:22:42

to captain the team and this year

finally we managed to get a second

5:22:425:22:48

actual member of Parliament to join

with me on the team, from the SNP,

5:22:485:22:54

and it shows that we are truly

becoming an all-party group and I

5:22:545:22:58

invite members from other parties to

join with us, so that next time we

5:22:585:23:04

were up home our advantage against

the Lord's! I was pleased to welcome

5:23:045:23:11

Almira, who has just launched her

triple volume biography, of the

5:23:115:23:18

former president of Azerbaijan. This

is a multitudinous page biography in

5:23:185:23:25

three volumes, and I would recommend

it as a right riveting good read.

5:23:255:23:31

For anyone who wishes to do so. It

does, of course, race one of the

5:23:315:23:37

issues that still remains

unresolved, which is the plight of

5:23:375:23:41

the internally displaced persons who

continue to suffer as a result of

5:23:415:23:44

the illegal occupation in the

dispute between Armenia. I have

5:23:445:23:55

sponsored the early day motion for

the role of the Islamic

5:23:555:23:59

Revolutionary guards. In human

rights abuses in Iran. It's one of

5:23:595:24:04

those areas that continues to blight

relations between the UK and Iran,

5:24:045:24:09

that despite the attempts that we

are making, to normalise relations

5:24:095:24:16

with Iran commit human rights abuses

continue and go on. Equally, in

5:24:165:24:24

Bangladesh, where we have had the

debate on the issue of the plight of

5:24:245:24:28

the Rohingya Muslims but also

Rohingya Hindus who have fled in

5:24:285:24:38

fear of their lives and are now in

Bangladesh. The reality is the

5:24:385:24:43

government of Bangladesh have

decided to introduce a voluntary

5:24:435:24:48

sterilisation programme on Rohingyas

in their camps because of the

5:24:485:24:52

explosive birth rate. This has been

widely reported in the UK press and

5:24:525:24:57

in the press in the Indian

subcontinent. I think there is a

5:24:575:25:01

sinister position over this. What

starts as something voluntary can

5:25:015:25:05

very rapidly become compulsory and

people who flee in fear of their

5:25:055:25:12

lives could go down this route

because they fear they will not get

5:25:125:25:16

help or assistance and it is

something I've hope the Foreign &

5:25:165:25:22

Commonwealth Office will take up

actively.

5:25:225:25:28

We are celebrating the centenary of

the bell for decoration. This is a

5:25:285:25:33

historic decision by the British

government, something that I warmly

5:25:335:25:40

applaud and the relationships

between the United Kingdom and is

5:25:405:25:43

strapped grow ever stronger. This

week we have the visitor of the

5:25:435:25:50

Israeli Prime Minister to this

country and it is something worth

5:25:505:25:54

celebrating. We had the centenary

celebration by the board of deputies

5:25:545:26:00

of us in the House. I attended that

function and it was graced by

5:26:005:26:10

speeches from all political parties,

demonstrating the support that is

5:26:105:26:13

across this House by members. When

we trying to combat the rise of

5:26:135:26:22

anti-Semitism in this country it is

vitally in my view that members from

5:26:225:26:27

all sides and all parties speak out

about this scourge. I give way to my

5:26:275:26:32

honourable gentleman.

He is being

very generous and allowing me to get

5:26:325:26:37

on record. I wasn't able to make the

well attended debate in Westminster

5:26:375:26:44

Hall on the declaration by Sir

support what he says and was

5:26:445:26:46

delighted to attend the board of

deputies meeting. I think this

5:26:465:26:53

country can be proud of the role is

played in the creation of the State

5:26:535:26:56

of Israel and we have got to turn

our face to the future and make sure

5:26:565:27:03

the future for Israel is a two state

solution alongside a secure and

5:27:035:27:07

viable Palestinian state.

I thank the honourable gentleman for

5:27:075:27:14

that info mention. I trust he will

lean on his party leadership to make

5:27:145:27:17

sure they echo the same views.

Occasionally they don't be to do so.

5:27:175:27:23

Can I finally thank you and the

other deputy speakers and Mr Speaker

5:27:235:27:34

the service that we have had from

the brilliant staff of the House of

5:27:345:27:37

Commons and wish them a short break

and can I wish my staff the

5:27:375:27:45

opportunity to get on with work

while I won't be here. But also,

5:27:455:27:50

finally, wish one of my former

employees who is now working for the

5:27:505:28:00

Confederation of Indian industry is

all the best in her new endeavours.

5:28:005:28:05

And congratulate her on raising more

than £14,000 towards the memorial

5:28:055:28:17

fund foundation and being nominated

for a just giving award. For those

5:28:175:28:22

who don't know, her daughter

tragically died of an allergy and

5:28:225:28:27

she has spent quite a lot of time

since raising awareness of this

5:28:275:28:31

dreadful problem that confronts

parents and children alike. It is a

5:28:315:28:37

tribute to her that she has got on

with this and raised awareness of

5:28:375:28:41

the parents don't have to go through

what she had to go through.

5:28:415:28:48

Thank you, it is a pleasure...

The

question is as on the order paper.

5:28:485:28:56

It is a pleasure to follow the

honourable member for Harrow East

5:28:565:28:59

and I'd like to thank him and all

honourable members who serve in the

5:28:595:29:05

back bench this is committee for

ensuring that matters that had

5:29:055:29:09

important to backbenchers of this

has added dated on a regular basis.

5:29:095:29:15

I'll be touching on one of them in

my contribution. Tomorrow will be

5:29:155:29:21

five months since the general

election. I have tried to continue

5:29:215:29:28

to be a left-wing anti-austerity

Member of Parliament and he is still

5:29:285:29:32

of the constituents of Glasgow South

West. The job of being a Member of

5:29:325:29:38

Parliament is an honour and

privilege. It is a job in which we

5:29:385:29:42

should highlight our constituents

concerns and to celebrate

5:29:425:29:46

constituency successes. Such as

those in early day motion 349

5:29:465:29:51

congratulating all involved in

ensuring the government stones and

5:29:515:29:59

is one of the six hidden gems in

Scotland. The Gauvin Stones add a

5:29:595:30:04

collection of early medieval stones

found in in old Church and they hope

5:30:045:30:09

all honourable members will take you

the opportunity to see the stones

5:30:095:30:13

and are more than welcome in go van.

Celebrating the work of the coming

5:30:135:30:21

home centre as displayed in early

day motion 499 which assists

5:30:215:30:27

veterans with practical advice and

provide hundreds of hot meals to

5:30:275:30:35

veterans in Glasgow who need

assistance. All indeed to celebrate

5:30:355:30:41

many things which aren't in our

constituencies like the 50th

5:30:415:30:45

anniversary of the opening of the

sports centre as I mentioned in on

5:30:455:30:50

the day motion 459. Or the awarding

of the Glasgow sole tyre award for

5:30:505:30:56

the volunteers of the participation

centre as mentioned in early day

5:30:565:31:01

motion 411. One season

parliamentarian put it to me this

5:31:015:31:06

debate is nicknamed the moment fast

and on that basis... The deputy

5:31:065:31:16

leader Lee shaking his head in

disbelief. I raced to wish some

5:31:165:31:21

issues. The Parliamentary question.

This can often be when the

5:31:215:31:38

information requested by

Parliamentary question has eluded

5:31:385:31:42

them provided in the past and the

Freedom of Information. If

5:31:425:31:47

information that has been previously

provided under the Freedom of

5:31:475:31:52

Information, it is confusing to

deceive Parliamentary questions for

5:31:525:31:56

ministers which say that information

can be provided at disproportionate

5:31:565:32:00

cost. If I were to lay down a

Parliamentary question asking how

5:32:005:32:10

many questions and with the phrase,

disproportionate cost, the answer

5:32:105:32:15

might be it can only be provided at

a disproportionate cost. I want to

5:32:155:32:22

raise the issue of a cost of

telephone calls to government

5:32:225:32:28

departments. The deputy Leader of

the House has heard me many times

5:32:285:32:30

ask this question. As a member of

the Department for Work and Pensions

5:32:305:32:36

select committee I was delighted to

hear the secretary of state say that

5:32:365:32:40

a telephone call will be free by the

end of the year and the deputy

5:32:405:32:46

Leader of the House will be aware I

have raised this issue over two

5:32:465:32:49

years. That these other government

departments and that includes the

5:32:495:32:52

Home Office Visa Hotline. I would

like to ask the government to answer

5:32:525:32:57

how my constituent who has

telephoned this Hotline on two

5:32:575:33:03

occasions in the last month has

received a phone bill totalling

5:33:035:33:13

£28.77. The whole office hotline

size the charge £1 £37 a minute over

5:33:135:33:23

and above Nacho charges. I have been

told previously by the Home Office

5:33:235:33:28

in Parliamentary questions I should

only apply to non-UK residents. I

5:33:285:33:33

hope the deputy leader powers will

raise this with the Home Office as

5:33:335:33:39

to why UK residents are being

charged such premium astronomical

5:33:395:33:43

rates to telephone a government

department. The second issue I want

5:33:435:33:46

to raise is a general one and that

is one on enforcement. Since the

5:33:465:33:53

election in June there has been a

focus on staff to take place on

5:33:535:33:59

enforcement issues. Here are some of

the figures which have been revealed

5:33:595:34:02

by the government in question. There

are three and the 99 -- 399 working

5:34:025:34:12

at the compliance unit was there

that 83 vacancies and the government

5:34:125:34:15

has intimated they have no plans to

fill those vacancies. It any wonder

5:34:155:34:20

that there are 200,000 workers in

the United Kingdom not been paid the

5:34:205:34:25

national minimum wage when there are

so many vacancies in HMRC compliance

5:34:255:34:31

units. Turning to HMRC, I asked

government ministers yesterday in

5:34:315:34:38

the House as to confirm whether they

were 420 HMRC staff in the high net

5:34:385:34:46

worth units which deals with tax

avoidance and evasion. Last years

5:34:465:34:51

was revealed that there were 420 and

there were 700 in the affluent unit.

5:34:515:34:57

I have been told today by the

government that those two sections

5:34:575:35:02

of the HMRC have combined and I was

expecting the answer to say today

5:35:025:35:06

that there were 1120 working in this

merged units. I am told today bear

5:35:065:35:15

1040. That seems to me there has

been the reduction in HMRC staff

5:35:155:35:21

dealing with tax avoidance and

evasion. Adding that the fact due to

5:35:215:35:29

HMRC office closures the department

is losing in 2017 alone, 17,000

5:35:295:35:35

years of staff experience leaving

HMRC. A potential deepfreeze surely

5:35:355:35:43

in enforcement. -- decrease.

Yesterday I had said the latest

5:35:435:35:53

figures available, 3000 employees in

the DPP chasing fraud, but the

5:35:535:36:08

full-time equivalents is 4000. If

there are 4045 to sing Social

5:36:085:36:13

Security fraud estimated at 1.2

billion, imagine if HMRC had 4045

5:36:135:36:20

employees chasing tax avoidance and

evasion, how much money could come

5:36:205:36:25

in. Last point I wanted raise is

that we need to this House is always

5:36:255:36:31

pursuing matters which help the most

vulnerable in our society. Today's

5:36:315:36:34

trestle trust report exposes the

situation in our communities with

5:36:345:36:40

the roll-out of University credit.

Food banks are up 30% in areas where

5:36:405:36:48

university credit is broadcast food

banks don't wish to be part of the

5:36:485:36:55

Social Security system. In my

constituency in the last year there

5:36:555:36:59

has been a 56% increase in food bank

use in my constituency. That is why

5:36:595:37:06

my constituency office there will be

a collection points for those who

5:37:065:37:11

wish to put cash of food donations.

A real poverty is on the rise, wages

5:37:115:37:19

are low and I hope as our

constituency with the lowest

5:37:195:37:24

percentage of public sector workers,

the government will give public

5:37:245:37:28

sector workers at a wage rise. It is

the job of all of us to hoard into

5:37:285:37:35

account...

Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. It

5:37:355:37:42

is a pleasure to follow the

honourable gentleman who's

5:37:425:37:46

demonstrated both his effective use

of Edie Adams but also some issues

5:37:465:37:50

in his constituency although he did

say he wouldn't use the debate as a

5:37:505:37:54

moan fast. I am going to use it as a

celebration because I want to use it

5:37:545:38:00

to recognise the very powerful and

important contributions that three

5:38:005:38:07

exceptional sets of constituents

have made in my constituency. These

5:38:075:38:12

are constituents that I have met

over the past few years in my role

5:38:125:38:15

as a representative. They have all

faced massive adversity in their

5:38:155:38:22

lives but have turned it into

something positive for others. I

5:38:225:38:25

hope to give a brief account of

their achievements. I want to speak

5:38:255:38:29

about the gentleman called Andy

Martin who I met recently. He has

5:38:295:38:36

also considered himself an active

and healthy person bought about five

5:38:365:38:40

years ago he was diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease. Andy has always

5:38:405:38:46

been a keen rugby player, we just

about the fact I am an old brick the

5:38:465:38:53

player. Once he was diagnosed he

decided he wanted to do something to

5:38:535:38:59

show that the diagnosis of

Parkinson's disease wasn't a barrier

5:38:595:39:04

to going out and achieving great

things. He asked himself, what might

5:39:045:39:10

he do, what made he do to raise the

profile of this disease? He could

5:39:105:39:16

sit in a corner and and hide and

hide and disappear but he decided to

5:39:165:39:20

fight and do something absolutely

extraordinary. He told me he had

5:39:205:39:24

heard about Ian Botham walking from

lands end to John O'Groats. He was

5:39:245:39:32

determined to do that which he did

while suffering from Parkinson on

5:39:325:39:36

his own throughout the month of

September 2017. This entails walking

5:39:365:39:42

on average 35 miles a day, booking

himself a hotel, staying in a hotel,

5:39:425:39:49

getting up early in the morning,

cracking on and making another 35

5:39:495:39:52

miles. Because of the gaps between

guesthouses, the distance was

5:39:525:40:00

longer. He achieved it in 30 days.

He needed a police escort as he went

5:40:005:40:04

over Dartmoor because it was pouring

with rain and he was travelling on a

5:40:045:40:08

-year-olds. But he got there and he

achieved his objective and for those

5:40:085:40:13

who is who and able-bodied we would

give no thought at all to search a

5:40:135:40:19

huge endeavour. It is an absolute

major achievement and he has done

5:40:195:40:23

that, he has raised... He has showed

he can still get on with his life

5:40:235:40:28

and achieve a great deal. He has

already raised £4000 for Parkinson

5:40:285:40:34

is through eight tourist giving

page. He is planning to go one

5:40:345:40:38

better next year and is planning to

walk from his hometown of rugby to

5:40:385:40:41

Amsterdam. I take my hat off to him.

5:40:415:40:49

He has made a magnificent

achievement and I am exceptionally

5:40:495:40:53

proud of that. Another constituent

who came to see me very shortly

5:40:535:40:58

after I became an MP is my

constituent, Peter Brough fear, with

5:40:585:41:02

his daughter Maria Leicester, has

devoted his time to raising

5:41:025:41:08

awareness of brain tumours. That is

because of the loss of his son. Pete

5:41:085:41:15

himself, however, has endured his

own battle with leukaemia. Between

5:41:155:41:22

2002-2012 when his condition

stabilised but I first met him when

5:41:225:41:25

he came to see me with his son,

Steven, and Steven was diagnosed

5:41:255:41:31

with a brain shimmer in 2007 when he

was aged only 19 -- a brain tumour.

5:41:315:41:39

He was aiming to qualify as an RAF

pilot. Sadly, Steven lost his battle

5:41:395:41:44

and he passed away in 2014, aged

just 26. In the aftermath of

5:41:445:41:50

Steven's death, his sister, Maria,

started a petition in 2015 to

5:41:505:41:59

commemorate his death and promote

awareness of brain tumours. This is

5:41:595:42:05

the petition that, on the 9th of

January 2016, secured 100,000

5:42:055:42:11

signatures that was necessary for it

to be considered for debate in

5:42:115:42:15

parliament and this debate took part

in Westminster Hall where in excess

5:42:155:42:18

of 30 members participated. It was

as full as I have seen Westminster

5:42:185:42:25

Hall being and it led to a

Parliamentary enquiry which took

5:42:255:42:29

place when Peter, Maria and his

wife, Liz, or attended. As a

5:42:295:42:35

consequence, there is now much

greater awareness of the issues of

5:42:355:42:38

brain tumours and the issue of

shortage of funding in particular

5:42:385:42:42

with respect to young people has

been highlighted there. There was a

5:42:425:42:47

Parliamentary task group established

and the report found that the House

5:42:475:42:53

of Commons petitions committee found

successive governments have failed

5:42:535:42:58

brain tumour patients and their

families for decades. Peter has

5:42:585:43:02

become very involved with the

all-party group for brain tumours

5:43:025:43:07

here in Parliament and there is a

real move towards positive change.

5:43:075:43:13

We know that brain tumours are the

biggest cancer killer in children

5:43:135:43:17

and adults under the age of 40 with

less than 20% of those diagnosed

5:43:175:43:22

with a brain tumour surviving beyond

five years compared to an average of

5:43:225:43:27

50% across all cancers. The work

that Peter and his family have done,

5:43:275:43:31

they have also seen cancer research

and best a multi-million pound

5:43:315:43:39

investment at the University of

Wolverhampton and the Queen

5:43:395:43:42

Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham

which is being called a game changer

5:43:425:43:47

by the chief executive of brain

tumour research. It is extraordinary

5:43:475:43:53

how Peter, having suffered from the

loss of his son, has been motivated

5:43:535:43:56

to put his time and effort into

improving awareness of this disease

5:43:565:44:03

so that others can benefit. I take

my hat off to this absolutely

5:44:035:44:09

tremendous job. I also want to draw

attention, Madam Deputy Speaker, to

5:44:095:44:14

my constituents George and Juliet,

who I first met in April 2012, when

5:44:145:44:22

they came to see me to tell me that

they had moved from London to rugby.

5:44:225:44:26

And I was now their MP. Would I get

involved in a campaign they started

5:44:265:44:31

to improve road safety, but in doing

so, develop a series of awards in

5:44:315:44:37

memory of their daughter who was

tragically killed in 1998 when a car

5:44:375:44:41

mounted the pavement as she was

walking to a ballet lesson. They

5:44:415:44:49

have the Olivia awards, which began

in 1999. One of the key reasons I

5:44:495:44:55

wanted to draw attention to those

awards was because those awards are

5:44:555:45:02

being held this evening, in the

company of the Commissioner of the

5:45:025:45:08

Metropolitan Police. The very hard

work of Metropolitan Police officers

5:45:085:45:15

in investigating road traffic

accidents, that is being recognised.

5:45:155:45:21

It isn't just the awards that they

have initiated. They fought

5:45:215:45:27

tirelessly for more appropriate

punishment for those found guilty of

5:45:275:45:30

causing death by dangerous driving.

On both fronts, they have been

5:45:305:45:36

incredibly successful. I would add

that I was invited to join the

5:45:365:45:40

judging panel for those who had been

put forward for wards and I read and

5:45:405:45:44

heard about accounts of police

officers who had to attend the most

5:45:445:45:53

harrowing events. It's interesting

for me as a provincial MP to learn

5:45:535:46:00

about policing in the capital, but

often people who had to pick up the

5:46:005:46:07

pieces are police officers, in

bringing families together. We had a

5:46:075:46:12

lot from family liaison officers. It

gave me a window into a world that I

5:46:125:46:15

would not have otherwise seen. They

have been campaigning to make the

5:46:155:46:25

penalties for causing death by

driving more severe and they have

5:46:255:46:30

done that, there has been a long

overdue change in the law. As a

5:46:305:46:35

consequence of their campaigning.

They have been assisted by the

5:46:355:46:38

former MP for Enfield, David

Burrows. Both George and Juliet

5:46:385:46:45

continue to campaign on road safety

and they have set up a Drive Safe,

5:46:455:46:51

Stay Alive initiative for young

people to make them aware of driving

5:46:515:46:57

on the roads, celebrating its 12th

year on the roads. The initiative is

5:46:575:47:01

predominantly run in London but is

making its way out to the provinces

5:47:015:47:06

and the country more widely. I'm

delighted that it is coming to

5:47:065:47:10

Warwickshire this coming year.

Again, these are two people who I

5:47:105:47:14

have met in my role as an MP. In

another walk of life, I may not have

5:47:145:47:19

got to know them but I have been

incredibly moved by how much effort

5:47:195:47:22

they have been putting into raising

standards in memory of their

5:47:225:47:28

daughter. They have turned something

that was a matter of great adversity

5:47:285:47:33

into something for others. There are

three sets of constituents there

5:47:335:47:39

that I am immensely proud of, I am

immensely proud that they are all in

5:47:395:47:46

Rugby, they put their loss and grief

to one side and put their energy

5:47:465:47:53

into bringing forward improvements

for others and I'm pleased to have

5:47:535:47:56

had the opportunity this evening to

recognise the work of Andy, Peter

5:47:565:48:01

and Maria, of George and Juliet and

I hope they all continue in their

5:48:015:48:05

very good work.

Thank you, Madam

Deputy Speaker. I will spend the few

5:48:055:48:13

minutes responding to the

adjournment debate yesterday on the

5:48:135:48:16

50th anniversary of the abortion

act, 1967. Only the ministerial

5:48:165:48:23

response was possible then. Firstly,

there was, in that debate, criticism

5:48:235:48:27

of a grant from the money raised by

the tampon tax for the charity,

5:48:275:48:32

Life. Since it was founded in 1970,

they have helped to house over

5:48:325:48:38

12,000 vulnerable mothers and babies

and provided help and nondirective

5:48:385:48:42

counselling to tens of thousands

more. Life was described in the

5:48:425:48:47

debate as an anti-choice

organisation. Far from being

5:48:475:48:53

anti-choice, Life seeks to give

women a genuine choice as to whether

5:48:535:48:56

to keep their baby or not and

offered them much-needed support

5:48:565:48:59

should they choose to do so. The

grant of £250,000, awarded to Life

5:48:595:49:07

over three years, was described in

yesterday's debate as "The largest

5:49:075:49:12

sum from the tampon fund tax". That

too is incorrect. It was only about

5:49:125:49:20

the tenth largest. But this sum, so

stridently objected to by some in

5:49:205:49:25

the chamber yesterday, is dwarfed by

the amount paid to abortion

5:49:255:49:31

providers. These sums are

staggering. Over the last decade,

5:49:315:49:36

hundreds of millions of pounds of

taxpayers money has been paid to

5:49:365:49:40

private-sector abortionists. The

Times newspaper reported that the

5:49:405:49:45

head of marriage Stopes

International, to whom we pay

5:49:455:49:48

millions of pounds to carry out

abortions in the UK and overseas,

5:49:485:49:52

received a phenomenal £420,000 in

one recent year alone -- marry

5:49:525:50:00

Stopes International. Four times the

Prime Minister 's salary. 22 of

5:50:005:50:05

their employees were paid more than

£100,000 each. What kind of charity

5:50:055:50:10

is it that pays its staff these

sums, and out of public money?

5:50:105:50:16

Surely this is something the Charity

commission should be investigating?

5:50:165:50:20

And on the 50th anniversary of the

abortion act, can I express my

5:50:205:50:26

concern at reports resulting from

the Care Quality Commission's

5:50:265:50:30

investigations into abortion

practices at MSI, described by some

5:50:305:50:37

as an industry. Last year, DC QC's

report identified a wide range of

5:50:375:50:42

concerns in the way in which

abortions are carried out by Marie

5:50:425:50:53

Stopes International, after

criticising them for finding dead

5:50:535:50:57

unborn babies in their veins. This

is not just about me as one

5:50:575:51:02

individual expressing concern that

the government's and regulator doing

5:51:025:51:05

so. So too, we should be concerned

about another abortion provider and

5:51:055:51:14

charity, the British Pregnancy

Advisory Service, who describe

5:51:145:51:20

themselves as a not-for-profit

charity but appears to be involved

5:51:205:51:24

in lobbying to change abortion laws,

despite statements made by the last

5:51:245:51:30

government that taxpayers will not

be made to foot the bill for

5:51:305:51:32

political campaigning and political

lobbying. Matthew Hancock, the then

5:51:325:51:39

Minister for the Cabinet Office said

in 2016, in February, that taxpayer

5:51:395:51:44

money should not be wasted on the

farce of government lobbying

5:51:445:51:47

government. Yet I recently received

this letter from BPAS, which

5:51:475:51:53

includes the following. "I Am

writing today to ask that you

5:51:535:51:58

consider defending and extending

reproductive rights in the UK during

5:51:585:52:01

the course of this Parliament. All

parliamentarians, regardless of

5:52:015:52:05

their personal view on abortion,

should support decriminalisation of

5:52:055:52:11

abortion in the UK". This letter

asks me, and I presume it has been

5:52:115:52:15

sent to all MPs, to support a

campaign. I am placing a copy of it,

5:52:155:52:21

dated the 10th of July 2017, in the

library. I understand that the CEO

5:52:215:52:29

of the abortion provider BPAS, is on

record of saying at the London

5:52:295:52:34

launch of the campaign We Trust

Women, that she said "I want to be

5:52:345:52:42

very clear and blunt, there should

be no legal upper limit"

5:52:425:52:46

very clear and blunt, there should

be no legal upper limit". This

5:52:465:52:48

campaign on its website says that

they campaign to see the 24 week

5:52:485:52:53

abortion time limit removed from

criminal law. What steps are being

5:52:535:52:57

taken both by government and the

Charity commission to address

5:52:575:53:01

lobbying of this nature that is

hugely government funded

5:53:015:53:04

organisation? In yesterday's debate,

mention was made to Professor Leslie

5:53:045:53:11

Reagan, for the College of

obstetricians, persuading the

5:53:115:53:19

council but not the membership to

back decriminalisation in a ballot.

5:53:195:53:27

I understand Professor Reagan has

argued that the practice of abortion

5:53:275:53:31

should be no more restricted by the

law then the practice of having a

5:53:315:53:35

bunion removed. If so, I find this

incomprehensible. In her response to

5:53:355:53:43

the debate last night, the

Parliamentary and Secretary of State

5:53:435:53:47

for Health reflected on this when

she said, I am sure that everyone in

5:53:475:53:50

this house agrees that no woman

undertakes a termination lightly.

5:53:505:53:55

For many, it is extremely traumatic.

I agree. And that is why there are

5:53:555:54:01

protections within the current law.

Such as, the requirement for two

5:54:015:54:06

doctors to certify approval, and

that apart from in exceptional

5:54:065:54:11

circumstances, late stage abortions

after 24 weeks should not take

5:54:115:54:15

place. And the public appreciate

this. I know that polling figures

5:54:155:54:23

can be questioned, but it's

interesting to note that the very

5:54:235:54:25

recent polling from comrades shows

that a massive 72% of people believe

5:54:255:54:31

show that far from lifting the

practice of abortion outside of the

5:54:315:54:34

current legal parameters in place

today, like the requirement of legal

5:54:345:54:40

consent from two doctors, 72% of

people believe that they should

5:54:405:54:43

remain in place. And that this

message is not a fluke, but is

5:54:435:54:48

underlined from the unlikely source

of a recent extensive BBC

5:54:485:54:53

commissioned poll by ICM. It clearly

shows respondents supporting two

5:54:535:55:01

doctors continuing to approve an

abortion. It showed a clear

5:55:015:55:04

rejection on the grounds of abortion

due to disability and showed far

5:55:045:55:09

Laureus -- lower support for other

circumstances then may have been

5:55:095:55:15

expected and certainly would be

expected of one listened to only the

5:55:155:55:19

campaigning of those pushing for

decriminalisation.

5:55:195:55:24

This is not what the British public

want. A poll from they show 70% of

5:55:245:55:31

people want the 24 week time limit

lowered and not surprisingly,

5:55:315:55:36

bearing in mind medical advancements

in faecal viability of the last 50

5:55:365:55:39

years. 91% want a specific ban on

the practice of abortion on the

5:55:395:55:46

grounds of a child's sex. In

closing, it is important for us to

5:55:465:55:52

remember this year those who

campaign for a decriminalisation and

5:55:525:56:01

the safeguards that entail never

mentioned something which is a

5:56:015:56:05

modern and human abortion law should

consider not only the dignity and

5:56:055:56:09

rights of women but also the dignity

and rights of the unborn child.

5:56:095:56:20

With the gravity of the headlines

news we have had in recent days

5:56:205:56:24

surrounding abuse at moral questions

like tax avoidance and like to take

5:56:245:56:28

this opportunity to highlight this

House does recognise these are

5:56:285:56:32

serious matters and changes are

needed to ensure due process is in

5:56:325:56:35

place. We need to remind ourselves

for our constituents it is the

5:56:355:56:41

day-to-day business of politics that

has huge impact on people's lives.

5:56:415:56:46

It is our lives here to make laws

and scrutinise the government and to

5:56:465:56:50

make sure the business continues to

be done. We must keep sight of what

5:56:505:56:55

our priorities are. In my

constituency in one of the

5:56:555:57:01

wealthiest cities of the country, we

have some of the worst pockets of

5:57:015:57:05

deprivation were reported in

children live in poverty and we have

5:57:055:57:07

some of the lowest higher education

attending rates of any constituency

5:57:075:57:12

in the UK. We are faced with some of

the biggest challenges facing

5:57:125:57:17

British politics in a very long

time. The uncertainty posed by the

5:57:175:57:23

government's handling of Brexit,

huge cost to local government

5:57:235:57:28

spending, decline in real wages, a

rise in poverty at mass inequality,

5:57:285:57:33

we have people unable to leave

hospitals because of a lack of

5:57:335:57:38

social care provision, providers

unable to continue and grieving

5:57:385:57:42

families in silent misery to try to

support their loved ones. MPs will

5:57:425:57:48

face daily questions on housing and

we have at an excellent debate on

5:57:485:57:54

the backbench committee on housing

raised by my friend the honourable

5:57:545:57:58

member by Mitcham and Morden.

Members bring to those concerns

5:57:585:58:05

about interest rate rises, and

economic future for employers and

5:58:055:58:09

the security of decent work that

allows people to live in dignity and

5:58:095:58:13

support themselves and their

families, these are the daily

5:58:135:58:17

challenges that people are facing

and it is for us to focus on these

5:58:175:58:20

issues. That is indeed what

colleagues have been doing over

5:58:205:58:25

recent weeks. I would like to pay

tribute to the work of the backbench

5:58:255:58:34

business committee and this chair in

providing the House with a stream of

5:58:345:58:39

interesting and valuable subjects

for debate particularly in the

5:58:395:58:42

absence of government business in

the last few weeks. We are resolute

5:58:425:58:47

in attending this chamber to do our

job and we will continue to press

5:58:475:58:52

for government for urgent questions,

statements, opposition days, we're

5:58:525:58:56

particularly enjoying winning every

week on opposition Day motions. We

5:58:565:59:02

will continue to use every method at

our disposal in Parliamentary terms

5:59:025:59:07

to ensure this chaotic and crumbling

government is held to account for as

5:59:075:59:11

long as it continues to last. The

Prime Minister started the Brexit

5:59:115:59:16

debate with a desire to have no

running commentary and avoid debate

5:59:165:59:20

in this place but we are clear that

as we take back control it is

5:59:205:59:25

controlled to this place that it

will be taken and not sent back

5:59:255:59:31

corridor between Downing Street and

Whitehall with a couple of trusted

5:59:315:59:34

ministers and an army of civil

servants. My colleagues have done

5:59:345:59:38

that today raising issues throughout

the day and questioning the

5:59:385:59:43

government ministers. We're now on

recess for just three days. Mr

5:59:435:59:49

Speaker, I am not taking a holiday

but I would like to express

5:59:495:59:53

gratitude to the Secretary of State

International development who has

5:59:535:59:56

managed to make all future family

holiday planning for myself a great

5:59:566:00:00

deal easier. In the next few days

like many honourable Right

6:00:006:00:05

honourable members, I am looking

forward to catching up on

6:00:056:00:07

constituency visit, meeting with NHS

leaders, and visiting local schools.

6:00:076:00:18

The annual remembrance service on

Sunday in Bristol will allow people

6:00:186:00:22

in Bristol and across our country to

pause, to reflect and to remember

6:00:226:00:28

the sacrifice of those who have

given their lives so we can carry

6:00:286:00:34

out democratic debate and scrutiny

in this place. Indeed, as we leave

6:00:346:00:39

this place for the next three days

we will remember those who are

6:00:396:00:43

currently serving to keep us safe.

The deputy Leader of the House,

6:00:436:00:50

Michael Ellis.

This is my fifth

opportunity as deputy leader to

6:00:506:00:58

close this debate and it is a

pleasant opportunity in many cases

6:00:586:01:01

to achieve cross-party consensus. I

start by referring to my honourable

6:01:016:01:06

friend Harrow East from the

backbench business committee and

6:01:066:01:12

they want to thank him first for

what he and his committee do and for

6:01:126:01:18

organising this debate. We don't

normally have one for the short

6:01:186:01:21

recess. This is a bonus edition. He

spoke amongst many other things

6:01:216:01:28

about step three axis on the Jubilee

line and I know that is a

6:01:286:01:32

consultation on that. He did mention

the fact that the Mayor of London

6:01:326:01:39

would be listening to that

consultation and I hope that is

6:01:396:01:41

right. And he clearly has a

substantial reserves in his disposal

6:01:416:01:48

come over £2 billion in reserves.

The honourable member for Harrow

6:01:486:01:52

East's support for all cross

sections of his community really is

6:01:526:01:57

a nationally recognised. Through out

all quarters of this chamber. He is

6:01:576:02:04

rightly very well and acknowledged

unpopular inside and outside of his

6:02:046:02:09

constituency for the work he does.

It isn't just because he plays

6:02:096:02:12

bridge better than those in the

other place although he couldn't

6:02:126:02:16

resist mentioning that. It is

because of the hard work he actually

6:02:166:02:22

does in his constituency for

everyone in his community. In the

6:02:226:02:26

national community too. He mentioned

amongst many other things the

6:02:266:02:29

centenary of the Rohingya

declaration. The celebrations in

6:02:296:02:41

your House, Mr Speaker, he was right

to mention the frightening rise in

6:02:416:02:46

anti-Semitism. -- the Balfour

declaration. We would want to fight

6:02:466:02:50

that skirt. Moving on to the

honourable gentleman from Glasgow

6:02:506:02:57

South West and he started by saying

he didn't want to embark on a moan

6:02:576:03:05

fest. He spoke about Glasgow with

pride. He spoke about the govern

6:03:056:03:10

stones and invited everyone to come

and see them. I would like to see

6:03:106:03:13

that. He made a sound attractive.

Friendly people of Glasgow and it is

6:03:136:03:25

always worth a visit. I can

acknowledge that. He's an effective

6:03:256:03:29

member so he has campaigned

undoubtedly about the cost of

6:03:296:03:35

hotlines for example, and has spoken

many times in this chamber about

6:03:356:03:43

that effectively. He spoke about the

work of the Emmy -- HMRC. I want to

6:03:436:03:48

please the workers at the HMRC and

those who do a great deal of work in

6:03:486:03:53

order to recover those sons that are

due to the Treasury purse. We have

6:03:536:04:01

in fact, as a government, increased

resources in that area substantially

6:04:016:04:05

since 2010. And rightly so. Vast

sums come to the Treasury now from

6:04:056:04:14

that quota. We want to make sure

that all of our tax which is rightly

6:04:146:04:19

due to the Treasury, to fund our

valuable public services does come

6:04:196:04:24

in. It is right that the HMRC is

properly funded for that purpose. We

6:04:246:04:32

want to continue with the work we

have done since 2010 in that regard.

6:04:326:04:40

I think he will find that in fact

the sums of money that have been

6:04:406:04:45

coming in on the revenue as far as

tax evasion and avoidance is

6:04:456:04:52

concerned has increased since 2010

because of the extra resources that

6:04:526:04:55

have been put there. My honourable

friend the member for a bespoke

6:04:556:05:04

about several members of his

constituency that spoke about

6:05:046:05:11

several members of his constituency.

Can I mention their names again

6:05:116:05:14

because they are hard working. Their

service is very much to be

6:05:146:05:22

applauded. He mentioned Andy Martin

who has worked as a campaign on

6:05:226:05:26

Parkinson's disease and walked from

lands end to John O'Groats in 30

6:05:266:05:30

days. That is a substantial

achievement. Something that has

6:05:306:05:39

helped raise the issue of

Parkinson's disease which cover

6:05:396:05:46

sadly, in flicks too many custom

that inflicts. My friends from rugby

6:05:466:05:54

mentioned Peter Ralph and Maria less

than their campaign on brain

6:05:546:05:57

tumours. Sadly, something that

afflicts far too many people in our

6:05:576:06:02

society of all ages. He mentioned

they lost their son, Stephen, aged

6:06:026:06:11

just 26. It is crucially important

we take these opportunities to

6:06:116:06:16

promote awareness of these tragic

situations and conditions. They

6:06:166:06:24

raised 100,000 signatures for a

petition in a very effective debate

6:06:246:06:27

in Westminster Hall that took place

recently. Then my honourable friend

6:06:276:06:32

from rugby mentioned a couple and

that work they have burnt on road

6:06:326:06:39

safety. Following the tragic death

of their daughter in 1998 when she

6:06:396:06:43

was walking on her way to a ballet

class. The Olivier awards at this

6:06:436:06:51

evening in this Palace of

Westminster to Speaker and they

6:06:516:06:57

raised the opportunity to thank our

police service and particularly

6:06:576:07:00

these awards, police service that

officers involved in road traffic

6:07:006:07:04

duties. For the extraordinary work

they do in investigating road

6:07:046:07:12

traffic accidents including fatal

road traffic accidents. Officers are

6:07:126:07:17

rewarded for exemplary duty and

service when either they have as

6:07:176:07:24

detectives investigated the cause of

accidents in one particular episode

6:07:246:07:29

all many episodes throughout their

career. Those officers aren't all of

6:07:296:07:32

them should be thanked for their

service. The commission of the

6:07:326:07:39

constabulary will come to Parliament

this evening. I'm sure both sides of

6:07:396:07:43

the House would like to thank the

police for their service

6:07:436:07:47

particularly this evening in the

Road traffic area. My right

6:07:476:07:52

honourable friend is proud of all of

his constituents and so are we. My

6:07:526:07:58

honourable friend for Congleton

spoke in the House and she raised a

6:07:586:08:05

matter close to her heart, Mr

Speaker. I know how passionate and

6:08:056:08:10

committed she is to her constituents

and those in this House will

6:08:106:08:13

recognise that. She holds issues

dear to her heart and she has spoken

6:08:136:08:20

on many of these issues before. She

has on previous occasions spoken so

6:08:206:08:28

passionately and eloquently about

making sure that children have the

6:08:286:08:31

best start in life. I know that is

something we all would support. They

6:08:316:08:36

can all agree with that. I commend

her for her hard work in her

6:08:366:08:43

constituency in all of these fields

and family life. Mr Speaker, the

6:08:436:08:51

shadow deputy leader to whom it is a

pleasure to be opposite, mentioned

6:08:516:08:58

some of the issues that her party

have mention as concerns, shall we

6:08:586:09:05

say. I would gently point out he

turned the economy of this nation is

6:09:056:09:13

15.3% larger than it was seven years

ago. The deficit that we inherited

6:09:136:09:18

has been cut by two thirds. We have

collected £55 billion in corporation

6:09:186:09:25

tax just last year, which helps pay

for our treasured public services.

6:09:256:09:33

Including the billions more for the

National Health Service we all value

6:09:336:09:38

and treasures so dearly. Employment

is up by some 3 million since 2010

6:09:386:09:43

alone. The unemployment rate is --

has not been lower since 1970 five.

6:09:436:09:55

Income tax has also been cut Mr

Speaker by over 13 million, there

6:09:556:10:02

are so many fewer workless

households. There are a lot of

6:10:026:10:05

positives to refer to at this

juncture before the start of the

6:10:056:10:10

short, very short, adjournment. I

want to take this opportunity to you

6:10:106:10:16

Mr Speaker if I made to thank the

wonderful and hard-working staff of

6:10:166:10:21

this house. You, Mr Speaker, and not

just because you are here in a

6:10:216:10:26

chair, but also because of the work

that you do and your deputies of

6:10:266:10:31

course. And the clerks of the house

and the doorkeepers and all of the

6:10:316:10:35

staff of this place because they

were cool year-round -- they work

6:10:356:10:40

all year round so that we can

function as a parliament and a

6:10:406:10:46

legislature in a way that we do. We

thank everyone for that. I will give

6:10:466:10:52

a special mention if I may to the

Black Rod, I understand he is

6:10:526:11:03

retiring from service after five

years of service here in the other

6:11:036:11:08

place. I worked with him on the

occasion of Her Majesty the Queen's

6:11:086:11:14

Diamond Jubilee and he will be

missed, I know, from the other

6:11:146:11:17

place. On the subject of those to be

thanked and congratulated, it is the

6:11:176:11:30

69th birthday of his Royal Highness

the Prince of Wales, I know that his

6:11:306:11:33

long and extraordinary dedicated

service, his philanthropy, his

6:11:336:11:40

exemplary work ethic is an example

to us all. I would like to take this

6:11:406:11:43

only opportunity to wish him a happy

birthday. Finally, hats I should

6:11:436:11:52

that later this month is the 70th

wedding anniversary of the Queen and

6:11:526:11:58

his Royal Highness the Duke of

Edinburgh. I want to be the first to

6:11:586:12:09

send my congratulations and wish for

many more happy years together.

6:12:096:12:12

Perhaps I should close by remarking

that this coming weekend is

6:12:126:12:19

Remembrance Sunday. This opportunity

will no doubt be taken by members on

6:12:196:12:25

both sides of the house to

commemorate the fallen of wars both

6:12:256:12:33

a long time ago and far more

recently and of conflicts and the

6:12:336:12:37

loss of life of so many over the

generations, which have affected so

6:12:376:12:43

many families around this country

and the opportunity of commemorating

6:12:436:12:48

their service to this country and to

the causes that this country holds

6:12:486:12:53

dear, the causes that all the

parties in this household dear,

6:12:536:12:57

freedom, democracy and the rule of

law. Those are the important matters

6:12:576:13:05

in our life. Those are the ones that

we recognise in Remembrance Sunday.

6:13:056:13:11

Those that have gone before us and

given their all to serve their

6:13:116:13:15

country. Thank you. I thank you

Debbie Terry leader for what he has

6:13:156:13:21

just said and the gracious way in

which he has said it.

I will now

6:13:216:13:25

turn in the first instance to

petitions. The question is... Acting

6:13:256:13:35

the ayes habit.

It is a great

pleasure to present this on behalf

6:13:356:13:42

of the local people concerned with

the future of the Kingsway golf

6:13:426:13:49

course. It is surprisingly for they

have had the opportunity to

6:13:496:13:54

presented to the Conservative

council and I would like to give

6:13:546:13:56

particular thanks to Neil who has

coordinated this petition so well.

6:13:566:14:02

It has got over 1500 names on it.

Julie has a Commons, the residents

6:14:026:14:08

of Scunthorpe County declare the

Kingsway golf course which has been

6:14:086:14:12

open since 1971, providing local

people with an opportunity to take

6:14:126:14:18

up golf, thousands of people are

used because and many people wish to

6:14:186:14:22

retain the golf course on the site

for the use of local people. The

6:14:226:14:26

petitioners therefore request that

they -- the House of Commons reach

6:14:266:14:32

out to the council and engage with

local campaigners to reach, might as

6:14:326:14:36

to retain a golf course on the

Kingsway site.

6:14:366:14:49

Petition, Kingsway golf course

Scunthorpe.

Thank you, Mr Speaker,

6:14:526:15:01

it gives me no pleasure to have two

present this petition which is a

6:15:016:15:07

petition of local residents in North

East Hampshire against changes to

6:15:076:15:10

the south-west railway service

particularly to much loved and well

6:15:106:15:16

used stations. All of our stations

should have services protected under

6:15:166:15:19

petition reads, to the honourable

Commons of great Britain and

6:15:196:15:23

Northern Ireland impel... Parliament

assembled, the humble petition of

6:15:236:15:28

the people of these Hampshire show

that urgent action must be taken

6:15:286:15:33

concerning the south-western Railway

and the change their timetable

6:15:336:15:36

coming into force in December 2018.

Further that this line is

6:15:366:15:42

particularly highly valued,

especially the fleet, and wind field

6:15:426:15:45

stations. Any morning peak services

are removed, this will be

6:15:456:15:49

detrimental to commuters and is

clearly not in the best interests of

6:15:496:15:52

the community. Further, that these

proposals need not and must not be

6:15:526:15:58

in fermented as demonstrated by the

ability to provide good hook and

6:15:586:16:04

winch services. We pray that you

take all possible steps to urge

6:16:046:16:10

south-western Railway to reconsider

the decision to make the proposed

6:16:106:16:16

changes to the timetable due to come

into force on December 2018 and to

6:16:166:16:19

make sure that the train timetable

considers the economic, social and

6:16:196:16:24

familial imprecations to commuters

across North East Hampshire and the

6:16:246:16:27

petitioners will ever pray, etc.

6:16:276:16:39

Petition, south-western Railway. I

rise to present a petition on the

6:16:416:16:47

half of my constituents who are

deeply concerned about the

6:16:476:16:50

withdrawal of the number 67 bus

service which allowed them to travel

6:16:506:16:54

from Brixton to Torbay Hospital in

the Willows. I would like to thank

6:16:546:16:59

match forester who has collected

over 1200 signatures, demonstrated

6:16:596:17:05

the strength of feeling about the

value of the service, this petition

6:17:056:17:09

declares that the cancellation of

the number 67 bus service between

6:17:096:17:16

Brixton and the Willows, will have a

detrimental impact on local

6:17:166:17:20

residents, in particular elderly

residents. The petition has

6:17:206:17:24

therefore requested that the House

of Commons urges Torbay Council to

6:17:246:17:28

commit to providing a similar

service to the previous number 67

6:17:286:17:32

service for the benefit of local

residents as soon as. -- as soon as

6:17:326:17:43

possible.

6:17:436:17:45

Petition number 67 bus service in

Torbay.

Thank you. Point of order,

6:17:506:18:00

sir. I have given you prior and

notice of this. The outcome of what

6:18:006:18:07

of last Wednesday's vote and what is

expected of the Government on the

6:18:076:18:12

outcome of this vote. There has been

a mandate to deliver an analysis

6:18:126:18:15

papers to the Brexit select

committee is directed in motion.

6:18:156:18:18

They have too, as the motion clearly

intends, do so with the

6:18:186:18:24

qualification, reduction or

equivocation and there is also an

6:18:246:18:26

expectation that the Government

complies with the will of the house

6:18:266:18:28

is a matter of urgency. Today, in

response to the urgent question, the

6:18:286:18:33

minister response indicated that no

such commitment will be made. The

6:18:336:18:36

house was told by the honourable

member for Wycombe that the house

6:18:366:18:40

expects a publication of papers

within three weeks. This appeared to

6:18:406:18:44

me to be an intention, not a binding

promise a guarantee. They could be

6:18:446:18:53

partial and qualified. Even went so

far as to suggest that these

6:18:536:18:56

neighbours didn't even exist. Mr

Speaker, you have said that a

6:18:566:18:59

failure to comply fully with this

would mean that the Government would

6:18:596:19:03

be in contempt of this house. I have

written to you regarding a complaint

6:19:036:19:09

that this Government has held this

housing contempt for refusing to

6:19:096:19:13

fully comply with a binding vote of

this house. Mr Speaker it is within

6:19:136:19:17

your gift how you choose to reply to

this letter and indicate whether you

6:19:176:19:22

are prepared to see any progress

regressed. On page 273, it says that

6:19:226:19:27

you make a lab president so a motion

may be tabled, formerly calling

6:19:276:19:31

attention to the matter and

proposing... Making other

6:19:316:19:39

appropriate propositions. Mr

Speaker, I am sure you're aware of

6:19:396:19:42

the significance of such a process

and I would be grateful for you to

6:19:426:19:47

give me any response guidance on

this matter.

Thank you. They queue

6:19:476:19:51

for your advance notice. He is right

in my assessment that I kid

6:19:516:19:58

assessment that the correct way to

proceed is in writing to the

6:19:586:20:04

Speaker. The honourable gentleman

has just informed the house that he

6:20:046:20:07

has written to me, he will

understand that I have not yet seen

6:20:076:20:10

his letter. I can assure him that I

will study his letter most

6:20:106:20:19

carefully. He will also appreciate

that I will not and cannot be

6:20:196:20:25

expected to entertain and, to be

fair, he has not really asked me to

6:20:256:20:32

entertain, hypothetical scenarios.

As to what might follow. I will

6:20:326:20:36

consider his letter carefully and

when I have formed a view about it,

6:20:366:20:43

and any allegation that it contains,

I will revert in all probability,

6:20:436:20:49

not only to the honourable

gentleman, but as necessary to the

6:20:496:20:54

house. Given what I've said, I think

it is reasonable for people to

6:20:546:20:59

deduce that there cannot be further

legitimate points of order on this

6:20:596:21:04

matter today. Thank you. We come now

to the adjournment.

I beg to move

6:21:046:21:14

that this house adjourns.

The

question is that this house

6:21:146:21:18

adjourns.

Thank you Mr Speaker for

selecting this issue for debate and

6:21:186:21:26

thank you for the Minister and my

honourable friends for being here

6:21:266:21:30

tonight. The last few years have

seen a mountain of leaked documents,

6:21:306:21:36

the Panama papers, the other papers,

the Luxembourg leaks and the

6:21:366:21:42

so-called Russian leaks. Less than

three weeks ago, I initiated an

6:21:426:21:47

adjournment debate based on leaked

documents on Azerbaijan and the

6:21:476:21:52

money-laundering activities of the

Azerbaijan ruling elite. All these

6:21:526:21:58

important leaks involve substantial

disclosures, aggressive tax

6:21:586:22:08

avoidance, evasion,

money-laundering, they revealed how

6:22:086:22:11

the proceeds of organised crime have

been used and how powerful global

6:22:116:22:15

corporations and the nefarious,

unethical and criminal financial

6:22:156:22:25

ways to hide their money and avoid

taxes. On Sunday night, we started

6:22:256:22:31

to hear about further outrageous

wrongdoings from the Paradise

6:22:316:22:36

papers. These leaked documents

reveal documents that passed through

6:22:366:22:40

the global law firm Appleby, mostly

operating out of our own Crown

6:22:406:22:47

dependencies and overseas

Territories. They reveal a

6:22:476:22:51

completely toxic mixture of every

imaginable wrongdoing involving

6:22:516:22:57

money. Wrongdoing on an industrial

scale, implicating household names,

6:22:576:23:03

revered institutions, global

corporations and international

6:23:036:23:08

criminals. Wrongdoing that I am

afraid is not just ignored or

6:23:086:23:13

condoned by the UK Government and

regulatory audits, but wrongdoing

6:23:136:23:22

that is only made possible by our

rules and practices. We are not just

6:23:226:23:27

complicit in what happens, we are

central to its success. Our country,

6:23:276:23:34

our tax havens, our corporate

structures have become the place of

6:23:346:23:39

choice for every ne'er-do-well who

wants to hide their wealth and avoid

6:23:396:23:42

tax. If our Government is serious

about guaranteeing a fairer society

6:23:426:23:50

and if they mean what they say about

an economy that works for everyone,

6:23:506:23:56

they will really have two tackle tax

avoidance and tax evasion. Not just

6:23:566:24:01

claim progress by tinkering at the

edges. They must start by clamping

6:24:016:24:07

down on our own tax havens. The

British Overseas Territories and

6:24:076:24:11

Crown dependencies, this doesn't

need another enquiry, it needs

6:24:116:24:16

action now. I want to pay tribute to

all the journalists in 67 countries

6:24:166:24:23

who worked through the international

consortium of investigative

6:24:236:24:28

journalists to uncover these wicked

practices and opened them to public

6:24:286:24:31

gaze and scrutiny. In particular, I

congratulate the team at the

6:24:316:24:37

Guardian...

6:24:376:24:38

The House now do adjourned.

In particular, I congratulate the

6:24:446:24:52

team at the Guardian at panorama for

their brilliant investigative work

6:24:526:24:57

in making sense of the tens of

millions of documents and fires that

6:24:576:25:00

the leaks contained. This is

journalism at its best and I salute

6:25:006:25:05

all of them. I also want to salute

the brave whistle-blower who post or

6:25:056:25:11

herself at enormous risk bypassing

the papers to the media. Every time

6:25:116:25:18

this happens the accused attack the

accusers, the whistle-blowers, and

6:25:186:25:23

try to undermine their credibility.

In this case Lord Ashcroft's PA

6:25:236:25:29

agent told the Guardian that Lord

Ashcroft would not comment because,

6:25:296:25:34

you are referring to the stolen

data. The whistle-blower obtained

6:25:346:25:39

the information in the public

interest. They did not steal it for

6:25:396:25:45

private gain. Unlike Lord Ashcroft,

the whistle-blower was not driven by

6:25:456:25:50

selfish greed but by public spirited

selfless bravery. That should be

6:25:506:25:55

commended not prevailed. In the next

few days we will see even more data

6:25:556:26:01

about famous rich people, about a

greedily global corporations and

6:26:016:26:08

about advisers, lawyers,

accountants, bankers and others,

6:26:086:26:11

clever people giving advice to reach

people on how best to hide their

6:26:116:26:15

money. All are duty of immoral, if

not illegal, behaviour. It must be

6:26:156:26:23

completely obvious to us all that

anybody who is found to have used

6:26:236:26:27

artificial financial structures

offshore simply to hide their wealth

6:26:276:26:32

and avoid tax should not be awarded

with an honour from the Queen. Lewis

6:26:326:26:37

Hamilton should not receive a

knighthood. Anybody in the political

6:26:376:26:44

system who has deliberately used

offshore accounts in tax havens to

6:26:446:26:47

hide their money and to avoid paying

their fair contribution to the

6:26:476:26:51

common purse for the common good

should not in my view hold public

6:26:516:26:57

office. Much attention over the last

48 hours as been focused on the

6:26:576:27:03

Royal family. The funds held by the

Duchy of Lancaster and now to be the

6:27:036:27:10

Duchy of Cornwall. The Royal family

command admiration, respect and love

6:27:106:27:14

across all the world, I am in no

doubt the Queen was as appalled as

6:27:146:27:20

the rest of us are discovering how

many had been invested offshore in

6:27:206:27:24

Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. Some

of her money was invested through

6:27:246:27:30

the private equity firm vision

capital in unethical companies like

6:27:306:27:35

Bright House. Bright eyes and lips

of poor people who have no other

6:27:356:27:40

option than to rent essentially

household goods from them. They can

6:27:406:27:43

end up paying £1092 for a washing

machine that retailers a £300.

6:27:436:27:55

Bright House has been forced to pay

back to nearly a quarter of a

6:27:556:28:01

million customers. The Queen Trust

many invested offshore in unethical

6:28:016:28:06

business with proper Taz Bellusci of

the Duchy of Lancaster 's affairs,

6:28:066:28:11

this would never have happened. If

Treasury had properly monitored the

6:28:116:28:16

financial affairs of the Duchy of

the Queen 's reputation would not

6:28:166:28:19

have been tarnished. Can the

Minister please explain why we can't

6:28:196:28:24

have transparency at the affairs of

the Duchy of Lancaster and why be

6:28:246:28:28

totally failed to monitor the Duchy

properly and sanctioned investments

6:28:286:28:32

in offshore jurisdiction? The fact

the Queen financial advisers saw

6:28:326:28:40

nothing wrong in investing offshore

shows how entrenched they -- how

6:28:406:28:52

acceptable investing many offshore

has become. It is plain wrong and we

6:28:526:28:57

need to stop it. I want to focus the

time they have issues that have not

6:28:576:29:02

yet received a public scrutiny

attention they deserve. The Paradise

6:29:026:29:07

papers contain details of the tax

scam that operate out of the Isle of

6:29:076:29:12

Man but was facilitated by the law

firm Appleby with advice from one of

6:29:126:29:16

the big four accountants. The

lethal, tale of accountants,

6:29:166:29:23

cocktail and the super-rich. The

super-rich by private jets. These

6:29:236:29:29

planes can cost anything up to 70

million. Lewis Hamilton spent 16.5

6:29:296:29:34

million on his jet. To avoid VAT on

the purchase the rich by their

6:29:346:29:41

private jets through companies they

set up in tax havens. Lewis Hamilton

6:29:416:29:46

use the British Virgin Islands and

avoided VAT. Owners want to fly

6:29:466:29:52

their planes in Europe and for that

they need a certificate issued by a

6:29:526:29:58

European jurisdiction showing they

have accounted for VAT and other any

6:29:586:30:01

taxes. Jurisdiction in the Isle of

Man boasts the Queen as Lord of man.

6:30:016:30:11

The advisers create a company in the

Isle of Man controlled by the

6:30:116:30:19

private jet owner that releases the

Jets, and the company and the Isle

6:30:196:30:25

of Man government issues a VAT

refund on the grounds that the jet

6:30:256:30:28

is part of the leasing business

although the only customer is one

6:30:286:30:32

Lewis Hamilton. The Isle of Man

company then releases the jet to

6:30:326:30:38

another offshore company in Guernsey

that is also controlled by Lewis

6:30:386:30:42

Hamilton. This carousel of leasing

companies all controlled by Lewis

6:30:426:30:50

Hamilton simply exists to enable

Lewis Hamilton to avoid a £3.5

6:30:506:30:57

million VAT bill. The plane has only

been released in Lewis Hamilton and

6:30:576:31:00

he has never returned to the Isle of

Man on his jet. Lewis Hamilton may

6:31:006:31:06

wrap himself in the union Jack is

Formula 1 races but he should hold

6:31:066:31:10

his head in shame on his deliberate

refusal to pay the British taxes he

6:31:106:31:18

showed. In the tennis is the Isle of

Man launched aircraft registry they

6:31:186:31:25

have left hundreds of private set

overs of millions of pounds in VAT

6:31:256:31:31

bills, they have never turned down a

request for full VAT refund. Even if

6:31:316:31:38

some of the VAT exemption was

legitimate in that the planes were

6:31:386:31:42

used for some commercial rather than

personal purposes, a huge chunk of

6:31:426:31:47

that money should have been paid to

the Exchequer. Can the Minister

6:31:476:31:50

Tellez tonight why HMRC about that

happening? -- can the Minister tell

6:31:506:31:57

us tonight.

6:31:576:32:07

Either way, many we urgently need

for our hospitals and schools is not

6:32:086:32:12

being collected and the rich

jetsetters simply get richer. With

6:32:126:32:23

80,000 inhabitants who enjoy the

highest living standards in the UK,

6:32:236:32:27

the Isle of Man government issued a

statement saying that, they have

6:32:276:32:33

found no evidence of wrongdoing or

reason to believe that our customs

6:32:336:32:36

and excise has been involved in the

mistaken defunding of VAT. In my

6:32:366:32:43

view this is simply not true. The

details contained in the Paradise

6:32:436:32:50

papers demonstrate clearly that they

knowingly and purposefully and the

6:32:506:32:55

interpretation of the rules to help

the super-rich avoid VAT. The Isle

6:32:556:33:04

of Man is a tax haven. Since 2007

the Isle of Man has had zero

6:33:046:33:15

corporate tax for businesses. Apple

had the Isle of Man on the list of

6:33:156:33:22

tax havens for their beauty contest

as they look for a new country to

6:33:226:33:26

House their money. By the way, for

Apple to piously declared they are

6:33:266:33:32

not paying less tax in Jersey that

they were in Ireland, as evidence of

6:33:326:33:37

the good behaviour beggars belief.

They are not paying less tax because

6:33:376:33:42

they weren't paying much tax before.

We want them to pay more tax, fair

6:33:426:33:48

tax, proper tax on the profits they

make from their business outside the

6:33:486:33:52

USA. Back to the Isle of Man, how

one might ask how this small country

6:33:526:34:00

afford to raise enough in taxes to

rent is public services without a

6:34:006:34:06

contribution from corporation tax?

The answer is simple, we subsidise

6:34:066:34:10

them. It is our tax money that they

use to steps to tutor tax income

6:34:106:34:16

they could receive from charging

businesses properly. It is our many

6:34:166:34:21

that is enabling them to be a tax

haven. Our government doesn't just

6:34:216:34:28

tolerate tax havens that they are

using our tax money to enable the

6:34:286:34:31

Isle of Man to operate as a tax

haven. As with all these things, the

6:34:316:34:38

government refuses to be

transparent. Let me try to unravel

6:34:386:34:41

this. Because we and the Isle of Man

share a border we also share what is

6:34:416:34:48

called a common purse for VAT and of

import duties. Or VAT and import

6:34:486:34:54

duties collected by the Isle of Man

are passed to HMRC and the Exchequer

6:34:546:35:00

gives the Isle of Man a sum of money

based on a formula that is supposed

6:35:006:35:03

to reflect how much VAT is being

generated from the economic activity

6:35:036:35:09

that takes place on the Isle of Man.

In 2016 the then Chief Secretary of

6:35:096:35:16

the Treasury renegotiated the

formula and agreed a generous annual

6:35:166:35:23

uplift way above the level of

inflation. We give the Isle of Man

6:35:236:35:27

over £300 million a year, just under

one third of the entire public

6:35:276:35:33

expenditure. That figure is set

right to free and 40 million by 20

6:35:336:35:39

19. This summer appears to have

nothing to do with what is happening

6:35:396:35:45

in the Isle of Man's real economy

where employment is down and the

6:35:456:35:49

population is declining. It has

everything to do with what seems to

6:35:496:35:55

be a deliberate policy intent by our

government to subsidise the Isle of

6:35:556:36:02

Man and verse promote and support it

as a tax haven. Treasury has refused

6:36:026:36:08

to publish the details of the

formula on which the payment is

6:36:086:36:11

based and I would ask the minister

today to release those details so

6:36:116:36:16

that we can see how that sum was

determined. What this shows is that

6:36:166:36:23

we are not innocent bystanders who

simply put up with the utterly

6:36:236:36:28

unacceptable activities in tax

havens that have been exposed in the

6:36:286:36:30

Paradise papers, which actively

support and enable tax havens to

6:36:306:36:36

function and exist. Without our

subsidy the Isle of Man could not

6:36:366:36:42

afford to have a zero rate of

corporation tax, it could not

6:36:426:36:45

function as a tax haven. The Isle of

Man is well and truly a UK tax

6:36:456:36:51

haven. So far from being at the head

of the fight against tax avoidance,

6:36:516:36:59

evasion and money laundering, we are

at the heart of the evil conspiracy

6:36:596:37:05

involving advisers, the super-rich,

global corporations and governments.

6:37:056:37:09

We're aiding and abetting the very

few, very wealthiest and most

6:37:096:37:14

powerful in our society to keep

their wealth seekers and avoid

6:37:146:37:17

paying their fair share of tax. The

minister will try to claim his

6:37:176:37:22

government has achieved a lot in

tackling avoidance and evasion, he

6:37:226:37:26

may try to say how much better his

government has been in the previous

6:37:266:37:31

Labour government. I have never

defended the record of the Labour

6:37:316:37:33

government in this area. I say to

him, his government 's's record is

6:37:336:37:38

also shameful. It is what is left

undone that really matters. I urge

6:37:386:37:47

the Minister to tear down the shroud

of secrecy and force all our tax

6:37:476:37:53

havens to have public registers of

beneficial ownership. The simple ask

6:37:536:37:57

for better transparency on who owns

what and where is utterly central to

6:37:576:38:05

our desire to expose and hands

stamped on avoidance. They ask him

6:38:056:38:10

to toughen up our regulatory bodies

and to hound the owners, the Mrs

6:38:106:38:14

Brown 's boys and the Lewis Hamilton

's of this world through the courts

6:38:146:38:18

to make sure they pay their property

was. I asking to introduce

6:38:186:38:24

legislation that will ensure that

the advisers who dream up these tax

6:38:246:38:29

avoidance wheezes are held to

account for what they do and they're

6:38:296:38:33

held responsible and polished for

schemes are invent are found to be

6:38:336:38:40

unlawful. These three actions would

go a long way to ensuring a

6:38:406:38:46

responsible tax system that is fair

to us all. I look forward to his

6:38:466:38:49

response.

I called the financial

Secretary to reply to the debate.

6:38:496:38:58

Can I begin by congratulating the

Right honourable lady, the member

6:38:586:39:03

for Barking, for securing this very

important debate and for raising the

6:39:036:39:07

important issues she has covered in

her speech. She has been a

6:39:076:39:12

determined campaign over many years

on these matters especially as the

6:39:126:39:17

chair of the Public Accounts

Committee. I am grateful for the

6:39:176:39:23

opportunity to speak in this debate,

to be given the chance to discuss

6:39:236:39:27

the government approach to tackling

tax avoidance and evasion. I will

6:39:276:39:32

respond to as many of the points as

the right honourable lady has raised

6:39:326:39:35

as I can.

6:39:356:39:39

The Government takes all issues of

avoidance and the bacon is very

6:39:396:39:44

serious. If any new allegations come

to light, I will deal with them. --

6:39:446:39:54

avoidance and evasion. We have

secured 160 billion per in

6:39:546:40:03

additional tax revenues at a

consequence. More on that later.

6:40:036:40:09

Now, I will respond to the points

raised by the Right Honourable Lady,

6:40:096:40:14

the Right Honourable Lady has raised

the allegations regarding aircraft

6:40:146:40:18

importation into the Isle of Man

which were also covered in a BBC's

6:40:186:40:24

panorama programme over the last two

days. I should first note that the

6:40:246:40:27

Isle of Man, like all Crown

dependencies, RA separate democratic

6:40:276:40:35

element responsible for their own

fiscal matters. However, it has

6:40:356:40:42

agreed to follow very similar VAT

rules as the United Kingdom. Whilst

6:40:426:40:48

the Isle of Man must apply similar

VAT rules to the UK, tackling

6:40:486:40:54

avoidance and evasion is the

responsibility of their tax

6:40:546:40:58

authorities. When required, the UK

Government is always happy to

6:40:586:41:02

provide advice and technical

assistance to them to counter

6:41:026:41:06

evasion and avoidance. I welcome the

announcement from the Isle of Man

6:41:066:41:10

Government that it is conducting a

review into its procedures around

6:41:106:41:16

VAT and the importation of aircraft.

I also welcomed the income to carry

6:41:166:41:23

out an assessment of these

procedures and I can say that

6:41:236:41:27

officials have been in the Isle of

Man today engaged in that important

6:41:276:41:31

process. This is a responsible and

appropriate approach to addressing

6:41:316:41:36

these allegations and correcting any

potential noncompliance. The UK

6:41:366:41:39

Government will continue to work

with the Isle of Man to help address

6:41:396:41:43

these issues and take steps to put

an end to any evasion avoidance.

6:41:436:41:48

Whether any problems of tax

avoidance and evasion, these should

6:41:486:41:51

be dealt with by fixing these issues

together and not by ending our

6:41:516:41:55

cooperation with them. I may turn

now to some of the very specific

6:41:556:42:01

point is that the Right Honourable

Lady Reyes, she referred to the

6:42:016:42:05

plethora of leaks that there have

been over the years, and she

6:42:056:42:10

congratulated the Guardian amongst

others on their part in ensuring the

6:42:106:42:14

leaks and the dissemination of the

information coming to light over the

6:42:146:42:19

last... I will in a moment, there is

an important point. H MRC are

6:42:196:42:25

determined to follow up anything

from whatever quarter to make sure

6:42:256:42:28

we come down on tax evasion. Yet,

despite repeated requests, the

6:42:286:42:34

Guardian newspaper and the

international consortium of

6:42:346:42:39

international journalists have

refused to hand over that

6:42:396:42:41

information. If the Right Honourable

Lady is able to assist as well as to

6:42:416:42:46

congratulate those individuals

concerned that would be of great

6:42:466:42:48

assistance to both the Government

and to her endeavours, I think. I

6:42:486:42:51

give way to the honourable member.

I'm grateful for the Minister giving

6:42:516:42:55

way. Does he not agree with me that

last night when the Cayman Islands

6:42:556:43:03

chairman of the stock exchange said

that journalists should be is locked

6:43:036:43:07

up and imprisoned, does he not agree

that was RA just?

I am not privy or

6:43:076:43:12

aware of those suggested comments,

but I can certainly say that from my

6:43:126:43:19

perspective and the Government was

my perspective, we are not in the

6:43:196:43:23

business of suggesting or advocating

for the locking up of any

6:43:236:43:27

journalists. The second point the

Right Honourable Lady raised was

6:43:276:43:30

that she made the point that we were

tinkering at the edges, I think she

6:43:306:43:34

made. -- she said. Nothing could be

further from the fact, since 2010,

6:43:346:43:41

we have brought in 160 billion, as I

said, 2.8 billion of that is in

6:43:416:43:47

respect of clamping down of those

who are looking to hide wealth and

6:43:476:43:52

overseas jurisdictions. We have the

lowest tax rate, sorry, tax gaps, in

6:43:526:43:58

the world. The lowest in our

history. As she perhaps alluded to

6:43:586:44:03

in her remarks, she will probably

know that if we were today to have

6:44:036:44:08

the level of tax gap that we saw

under the last Labour Government, we

6:44:086:44:13

would be around £45 billion worse

off as a consequence. That is

6:44:136:44:16

important money that we need in our

exchequer for the purpose of

6:44:166:44:19

employing doctors, nurses, keeping

hospitals goings, teachers, police

6:44:196:44:25

force. All those public services

that are hallmark of civilised

6:44:256:44:32

society. The Right Honourable Lady

referred to the Duchy of Lancaster

6:44:326:44:38

and transparency, they do publish

their accounts. They lay them before

6:44:386:44:41

this house, in fact. There has been

no suggestion that I am aware of

6:44:416:44:46

that any of the Duchy have been

improper or illegal, of course, the

6:44:466:44:54

Queen voluntarily pays tax on all

the earnings from the Duchy of

6:44:546:45:00

Lancaster. Bright house specifically

was referred to, she is quite

6:45:006:45:06

correct in her assertions that they

have had dealings with the X... The

6:45:066:45:13

dealings that she referred. Those

investments were primarily made in

6:45:136:45:20

2005, under the last Labour

Government, as it happens, rather

6:45:206:45:24

than under this Government and I

believe the amount invested is

6:45:246:45:28

something in the order of £3000 in

total. The Right Honourable Lady

6:45:286:45:35

asks why they H MRC allowed the Isle

of Man situation to happen in

6:45:356:45:42

respect of the 80 and aircraft. The

first point I will make his lets see

6:45:426:45:46

what the investigation yields,

rather than jumping to a series of

6:45:466:45:50

conclusions based on currently, a

couple of television programmes.

6:45:506:45:58

That is something that we will get

to the bottom of an due course. The

6:45:586:46:04

Right Honourable Lady also asked

about the sharing agreement in place

6:46:046:46:09

between the Isle of Man and the

United Kingdom. In respect of VAT

6:46:096:46:14

and she was quite right that there

are ongoing discussions at the

6:46:146:46:17

moment for a new formula. She

referred to an automatic uplift in

6:46:176:46:21

the Isle of Man's share of that

formula, which is actually at 4.5%

6:46:216:46:26

uplift, suggested that that might be

overly generous. It will not be in

6:46:266:46:30

the long run because once all the

surveys and research have been

6:46:306:46:33

carried out, if it is more generous

than it should have been, there will

6:46:336:46:36

be a claw-back mechanism within the

arrangement. In terms of

6:46:366:46:41

transparency, was that is concluded,

it will be available within the

6:46:416:46:45

public domain. There is 1.I would

make about the Right Honourable

6:46:456:46:49

Lady's assertions that this is a

one-way substitute from the United

6:46:496:46:55

Kingdom to the Isle of Man. There

have been times where the reverse

6:46:556:46:59

has been the case. That has been

transferred from the Isle of Man to

6:46:596:47:02

the United Kingdom which we and her

constituents have benefited. The

6:47:026:47:06

Right Honourable Lady also made a

call to tackle avoidance schemes,

6:47:066:47:14

enable avoidance schemes, -- not

enable. It is not the most

6:47:146:47:24

entertaining of bills, it ran to

about 725 pages and was indeed

6:47:246:47:28

highly technical, but within it

there were provisions for ensuring

6:47:286:47:34

that those who enable tax avoidance

will now be subject to sanction and

6:47:346:47:42

indeed penalty. On that note, Mr

Speaker, I hope that I have covered

6:47:426:47:48

the majority of the point is that

the Right Honourable Lady race. I

6:47:486:47:54

recognise her sterling work that --

the Right Honourable Lady raised. I

6:47:546:48:01

hope I can conclude by wishing you

a... I will give way. How could I

6:48:016:48:06

refuse?

I will be kinder to him if

he is in front of the Treasury

6:48:066:48:12

committee as a result. There was a

issued that my right honourable

6:48:126:48:15

friend raised about the

long-standing issue of overseas

6:48:156:48:21

territories and Crown dependencies

being required to introduce a public

6:48:216:48:25

register of beneficial ownership.

Could the Minister address that

6:48:256:48:27

point? Is there not an opportunity

in the forthcoming budget to

6:48:276:48:32

introduce public country by

country... To practical measures

6:48:326:48:40

around transparency that this

leadership could take leadership of.

6:48:406:48:44

The Honourable member rate is to

reasonable point. I will take to the

6:48:446:48:49

bank his offer of going easy on me

as and when I appear before him at

6:48:496:48:56

his committee. The first point,

should we have registered of

6:48:566:48:59

overseas interests in the public

domain? What matters is that we give

6:48:596:49:05

HMRC the tools to do the job. I file

a tax return every year, that is not

6:49:056:49:15

in public domain. If HMRC want to

come to me and asked questions, they

6:49:156:49:20

are able to. That is widely common

reported in standards that we

6:49:206:49:24

brought in a dear earlier suggested

are so important. We transfer

6:49:246:49:31

information over 100 countries to

make sure that HMRC has the tools to

6:49:316:49:35

the job. Country by country

reporting, once again, very

6:49:356:49:39

important issue. Our view is that

this is best met on a multilateral

6:49:396:49:46

basis, all countries get involved at

the same time and we continue to

6:49:466:49:51

work with our European partners.

Finally, could I for a second

6:49:516:49:58

occasion, which is even more

delightful than the first, say, I

6:49:586:50:00

hope that you and everybody in the

house of all the staff, all those

6:50:006:50:07

who make this extraordinary and

wonderful institution work so well,

6:50:076:50:11

a very happy and productive recess.

The question is that this house

6:50:116:50:16

adjourns.

Aye. I think the aye and

Mac have it. The ayes have it.

6:50:166:50:26

Order.

6:50:266:50:36

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