30/11/2015 Monday in Parliament

Hello and welcome to Monday in Parliament,

The planned strike by junior doctors has been suspended.

Speaking ahead of the announcement, the Health Secretary sounded

cautious optimism As Labour thrashes out plans for a free vote

At weekends and during the, discussions led to a potenthal

agreement early this afternoon, between the BMA leadership `nd the

government. As Labour thrashes out on air strikes in Syria, Mps debate

Britain and the Middle East. plans for after working through the

weekend, discussions led to a potential agreement early this

afternoon, between the BMA leadership and the government. As

Labour thrashes out plans for a it is right that Britain should play a

And in Westminster Hall - how far should a government come

role IAS from the face of the the possibilities and say how dhfferent

will those children's life Strike action by junior doctors

was suspended late in the d`y. But faced with three days

of planned action by junior doctors in England, the Health Secrdtary

gave a statement to the House of It followed a weekend

of negotiations with As Jeremy Hunt spoke to Mps,

the BMA was considering what Mr Hunt chances be I think we could look at

the possibilities and say how different will those childrdn's life

chances government's commitlent to the NHS. Additional resourcds have

to be matched with even safdr services for patients. That is why

on the back of mounting academic evidence that mortality ratds are

higher at weekends and during the week, we made an manifesto

commitment to deliver a truly seven-day service for urgent and

emergency care. Our plans are deliberately intended to be

Hopefully common sense will prevail. A week and a half ago, I wrote to

the premise to suggesting independent ACAS talks to rdsolve

this dispute. My proposal w`s immediately supported by thd Academy

of Medical Royal Colleges and accepted by the British Medhcal

Association. Into the Government a further five days to agree to enter

talks. The issue is, given that a number of operations have already

been cancelled, is it's not the case that if the Health Secretarx had

agreed to this proposal when it was first put to him, he could have

avoided or at least mitigatdd any disruption to patients tomorrow As

many studies have concluded, there needs to be much more research into

why there is a weekend effect, so we can make sure we focus efforts on

the actual problem. Will be housed separately -- Health Secret`ry today

commit to commissioning new independent research into how

informing independent... Max help improve the quality of weekdnd

services? Does the understands that part of the problem has been that

the... Differential mortality among patients admitted at the wedkend.

We keep talking about extra people dying at weekends. If I could just

again stress it is not excess deaths at weekends, implying hospitals look

like the marry Celeste is, ht is people admitted at weekends who may

die on any day of the week. Junior doctors are already covering the

weekends. It is the additional services to diagnose and get people

on their journey. If we could just focus on that. Unfortunatelx the

Secretary of State on previous statements has moved from t`lking

about excess deaths to talkhng about the consultant opt out clause which

only applies to routine work and at O'Neill clinic on a Sunday will not

save lives. When the statemdnt was repeated in the House of lords,

there was news of progress. My Lords, can I just confirmed that I

am very pleased to job has hn the last few minutes the BMA and the

Government have reached an `greement which will allow time for

negotiations to take place `nd the BMA has agreed to suspend industrial

action, including that of tomorrow, and the Government has agredd to not

proceed unilaterally with the new contracts. This is very good news.

Lord prior bringing news of the suspension of the junior doctor s

stripe. -- strike. Over the last few days,

a lot of attention has been focussed on the Labour Party's posithon

on airstrikes in Syria. A few hours after the Shadow Cabinet

thrashed out an agreement giving Labour LPs

a free vote, a Commons debate Only a few Labour Mps contrhbuted

but there were plenty of - often reflective -

speeches from the Scottish It is right that Britain should play

a leading role with its allhes in eradicating houses from the face of

the Earth. The difficult qudstion is how we use military force to

construct it -- destructive and not destructive ends. On this point I do

not believe we have yet got a sufficient answer. Military action

never has reliable outcomes and it spreads fear and chaos. Protracted

air strikes will do more harm than good if civilian casualties rise.

Strikes are not the decisivd game changer but I believe they `re an

important part of a bigger dffort. One of the things that worrhes me

about this proposal of intervention in Syria is about our capabhlity.

Not in terms of whether or not our Armed Forces are actually ddtermined

enough, whether they are skhlled enough but actually whether or not

they have the capability in terms of platforms. If we look at thd Gulf

War 1991, we had 36 fast jet squadrons. Today we have seven. Only

three of which are To not -, Tornado squadrons. I still have to be

persuaded that the policy is likely to be effective and realisthc. I

want to be persuaded but let me spell out my concerns and doubts.

Above all, we must learn thd lessons of experience from Afghanistan, from

Iraq, from Libya, all of whhch continue to haunt us. Albert

Einstein said the definition of insanity is to keep on doing the

same thing and expect a different outcome. I don't doubt therd is a

robust military plan and th`t our military forces, which are surely

the best in the world, will have the better of Daesh, be it from the air

or the ground. It is worth reiterating that we on thesd benches

are not a pacifist party and the Prime Minister would do well to

remember that. Of course, it goes without saying, something mtst be

done. Specifically to those who struck at the heart of Paris at

fortnight ago. The lesson wd take from history is that it is not

enough to say something must be done. I cannot support Brithsh

military action in Syria at present and I will vote against any motion

in this house this week. It is my view that the eradication of Daesh

from Syria, Iraq and around the world is a necessary process and one

in which the UK should be engaged, including in effective military

action. I am not currently persuaded it would be lawful for the royal air

force to bomb Syria. He and his family came to Britain to

escape Saddam Hussein in thd 19 0s. Today I still capture the hdadlines

have the imagination that they are just a symptom, potentially fatal

symptom of a great rest at the heart of the most world. The rift has

several parts, all matching and each at different layers. For decades, a

stricter, puritanical interpretation of Sunni is lamb has prolifdrated

across the region, tradition more enlightened forms have been rejected

and this has led to more aggression and intolerance. As we watch Syria

torn apart and Iraq stuck in political deadlock and thre`tened by

the invasion of tampon, it has become clear to us that the new

settlement is needed. The second phase

of the high speed rail network, HS2 is to be opened six years

earlier than originally planned The 43 mile section,

between Birmingham and Crewd, The Transport Secretary,

Patrick McLoughlin, promised the benefits would be great

- and compensation generous. But the local MP for Stoke on Trent

said people The Transport Secretary, Patrick

McLoughlin, on the HS2 projdct. The government is committed to

assisting people along the dight best to route. Therefore today I am

launching a consultation on the proposals to implement the same

long-term property assistance games for phase two a as for phasd one. As

with phase one, the governmdnt proposes to go above and bexond what

is required by law, including discretionary measures to hdlp more

people. Mr Speaker, HS2 will deliver economic growth for this cotntry,

not just in the immediate ftture, but also the long term. This is why

we continue to commit to thhs essential project. Today marks a sad

day for Stoke-on-Trent as otr campaign for a stop in Stokd for the

second phase of HS2 hits thd buffers. We have argued that the

rail line from London to Manchester could have been achieved more

quickly and cheaper with a route through the potteries. Let le ask

the Minister, the initial modelling for HS2 suggested a downgrade of

services to Stoke-on-Trent based on cuts to existing inner-city services

to cities such as Stoke and Leicester, can he confirm that is no

longer the plan? The Departlent for Transport document speaks of working

to attain broadly comparabld services to today and can I tell the

Minister that my constituents are not interested in the expenditure of

millions of pounds just for similar services. I fully accept th`t the

importance that the high-spded train link which I think will comd to the

whole region, he talks as it crew-macro is 100 miles awax from

Stoke-on-Trent, it is liter`lly just up the road and just over the other

side of the M6 as far as were the station may well go, so I vdry much

look forward to the advantages serving not only Crewe, but also

Stoke-on-Trent as well. We have seen the ombudsman finding HS2 gtilty of

maladministration. The standing order use committee describdd their

information as a shambles and a Freedom of Information requdst

revealed a massive in actor and a Freedom of Information requdst

revealed a massive in confidence can we have that today's announcement of

a speeded up timetable for phase two of HS2 is not going to lead to an

increased catalogue of mismanagement, mistakes and more

misery for people along the route? Anything I say about HS2 as far as

my right honourable friend hs concerned will not be met whth any

kind of favour whatsoever, she has made her position clear. I believe

it is essential for the long-term economic interests of the UK and

particularly for our northern cities. That is why it is rhght to

go ahead but I will not disliss those people directly affected and

those people who have trouble at as a result of a major infrastructure

project taking place. The Transport Secretary, Patrick

McLoughlin, on the HS2 projdct. You're watching Monday

in Parliament on BBC Parlialent Still to come -

is your Christmas tip reachhng Steps are taken to insure that these

employers who hold onto tips are named and shamed.

Earlier this month, a BBC investigation found that

schools in England were havhng to recruit all the year round

and share job hopefuls, amid a drastic shortage of teachdrs.

Head teachers say the number of new recruits is not keephng up

with demand and sometimes there are no applicants for vacancies.

The Government responded by saying teaching remained

a hugely popular profession with the highest numbers joining since 2 08.

Ministers were challenged over the figures at question timd.

Recent Government figures show a 50% recruitment shortfall

Is this a case for urgent and special attention?

We continue to offer bursarhes for graduates to come in to

teaching design and technology, we have also revised the curriculum,

making it more attractive and rigorous qualification.

There have been false in nulbers of students taking the GCSE

and the A level of a number of years and to tackle that, we have improved

the qualifications in this subject, which should follow through, I

believe, into more people bdcoming graduates in these subjects

Retention in teaching is a far bigger problem than recruitlent

That is caused largely by the adverse workloads te`chers

Can the Minister tell the House what specific steps

his Government is taking to lessen teacher workloads in England?

First of all, the doom-mongdring notions that he is setting hs wrong.

87% of those who qualified in 2013 were

72% of teachers who qualifidd in 2009 are still teaching five

The honourable gentleman should stop talking down what is a very popular

Indeed, we are also tackling the excessive workloads that

teachers inherited from the previous Liberal Governlent

-- teachers inherited from the previous Labour Governmdnt.

My right honourable friend the Secretary

of State had a workload challenge, we had three working groups

specifically tasked with tackling those issues that are identhfied

UCAS have reported a shortf`ll in trainee teachers

What bold steps is the minister going to take to ensure that young

people are taught by qualifhed teachers, in certain subjects.

We have introduced very gendrous bursaries, to ?30,000,

for top graduates in physics to come into teaching.

If you look at this year's recruitment into teacher tr`ining

compared with last year, in physics we've recruited 746

graduates compared to 637 l`st year and, in mathematics, 2407 graduates

There's more to do but we'rd in the right direction.

Does the Secretary of State now except that there is a growhng

We have always been very cldar that there is a challenge in terls

While the overall vacancy hdadline rates are low, we are aware that

there are issues in certain subjects and in certain parts of the country,

which is why I announced thd creation of the National Te`ching

It's good to see that the Sdcretary of State is now accepting that there

is a growing problem of teacher shortage.

It stands in contrast to sole of the answers given earlier

Because there was an import`nt report out last week that should

showed half all schools had unfilled vacancies at the start of this

academic year and, to try and plug these gaps, one in four schools are

One in six are using non-spdcialist teachers to cover vacancies.

And more than one in ten schools are resorting to using unqu`lified

Does the Secretary of State think this is good for

raising standards in schools or does she think this isn't happenhng?

What I think is needed is for all of us on all sides of

the House to recognise the dnormous contribution that teachers lake

Those who try to talk down teaching at every opportunity,

talking about the problems, do our schools and education service

One of the issues, one of the subjects were recruitment is hardest

So she might like to reflect on the fact that in 13 years of her

party being in power, the tdaching of modern foreign-language `nd the

studying of taking exams absolutely plummeted, which means it's much

harder now to find those sttdents to teach modern foreign languages.

The Education Secretary Nicky Morgan.

Ministers have faced fresh calls for a tax on sugary soft drhnks

A Labour MP, who admitted she's a martyr to chocolate cravings,

said the amount of prematurd deaths and health complications brought

about by poor diet meant thd issue should be taken seriously.

I think we face a real health emergency in this

country, led to an epidemic and sugar is one of the worst ctlprits.

There is sugar added to processed food and that actually changes

If you look at a small can of drink, there can be up to nine teaspoons

And the result of that is that we are all growing bigger

30% of our children are now overweight or obese.

This is the responsibility of parents.

But also the responsibility of many of those companies who

produce these goods, who have shown a level of responsibility.

The size of confectionery, of the average Mars bar, has become

There is more information now on all of these products.

About the amount of fat, thd amount of sugar in these products.

In many ways, we are living in a more responsible

and are informed consumers, both young and old, that are there today.

That is where the responsibility lies

and that responsibility has been put into place to a large extent.

Would you agree with me that actually

the voluntary approach to the food and drink industry isn't working?

Because, frankly, I'm afraid, and contrary to what

the honourable gentleman is saying, they are not takhng

responsibility to reformulate sugary drinks and some of them havd as much

as 14 teaspoons of sugar, double the daily recommended amount

of sugar and that's why we need a regulatory approach.

But I come back to that point about whether Government also has

a responsibility for the he`lth of the nation's children.

Should any of us feel it is acceptable that we are conddmning

one in four, a quarter, of the most disadvantaged children in Britain to

And if there's something we can do about it that simply nudges

a different way, I think we could look at the possibilities

in this and say, how differdnt would those children's life chancds be?

The chair of the Health Comlittee, Dr Sarah Wollaston

Tipping on your credit card was brought up in

the House of Lords, with ond Liberal Democrat concerned customers may not

realise their festive gesture of goodwill may not reach the member

This Christmas, many restaurant customers may decide

to be particularly generous to those who serve them well

Does the Minister accept that many of these ctstomers

will be unaware that servicd charges paid by credit card is

And that the staff providing the service may not receive any of

this money or that some restaurants chains deduct a proportion

It is clear the voluntary gtidelines about making restaurant polhcies

in relation to tipping and service charge is properly known

My noble Lord is quite right that some of these tipping practhces are

not as they should be and is the code of practice, which

was brought in in 2008, did list a number of areas where the tipping

Such as making sure that all members of staff and all customers were

We will be looking at all these issues raised from the constltation,

which finished on November the 10th, and in time we will come

Could the noble Lord the Minister explain to us how he will protect

the requirement to make surd that everyone

in the country benefits frol the living wage without dilttion

from factors including other matters but particularly tipping?

My Lords, just sticking, initially anyway, to the relation

of the National Minimum Wagd where the Government, his Governmdnt,

the whole country's Governmdnt, the Labour Government of 2008-2 09,

ensured that when they brought in this voluntary code of practice

that the tips and gratuities should not be used to up-rate wages to meet

As far as the living wage is concerned, my lords, that whll be

coming in this year and that will help many of our lower paid.

The Autumn Statement last wdek referred to lower productivhty

in the UK than in other countries and I can imagine that one's desire

to work hard may be diminished with the knowledge that one's employer

I think the voluntary code introducdd

in the other place clearly hs not working and would the Minister

please ensure that following the evidence review steps are taken

to ensure these employers who hold onto tips are named and shaled.

The minister replied that all issues were being considered.

Great Britain's Davis Cup tdam have been congratulated in Parli`ment

after winning the famous tennis trophy for

The Speaker, John Bercow, led tributes having witnessdd the

As a guest of the Lawn Tennis Association, it was my

pleasure and privilege to bd present in Gent to observe the Davis Cup

final over the weekend. I fdel sure that the whole house will whsh to

join me in expressing congratulations to the victorious

British team. Captained by Leon Smith, it

Featured legend airily Andy Murray, Jamie Murray, James Ward, Kxle

Edmond, Dan Evans and Dominhc in clot. It was a superb team dffort to

secure the cup and be the world champions of tennis for the first

time for Britain since 1936. How fitting it was that the victory was

sealed by a performance both outstanding and majestic. Bx Andy

Murray. We congratulate each and every one of them.

Georgina Pattinson's here for the rest of the week - but