25/04/2016 Monday in Parliament


25/04/2016

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Hello and welcome to Monday in Parliament,

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the main news from Westminster.

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The Health Secretary urges the British Medical Association

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to call off the strike by junior doctors

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for the sake of patients.

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It would be an absolute tragedy for the NHS if something goes wrong

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in the next couple of days, and they have a duty

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to make sure it doesn't.

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Labour says history won't be kind to the Health Secretary.

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Tomorrow's strike is one of the saddest days

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in the history of the NHS, and the saddest thing

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is that the person sitting opposite me could have prevented it.

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Also on the programme...

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As BHS goes into administration,

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MPs raise concerns about the conduct of Sir Philip Green.

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It appears that this owner has extracted

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hundreds of millions of pounds from the business and walked away

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to his favourite tax haven,

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leaving the pensions protection scheme to pick up the bill!

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And will there be a U-turn on academies?

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The Education Secretary isn't giving anything away.

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The point about academies and academisation is that they are

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the vehicle for schools to innovate and to make best use of the freedom

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to drive up standards, do the right things for their children.

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But first, the row between the Department of Health

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and the British Medical Association over new contracts for

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junior doctors has been debated in the Commons on many occasions

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over the last few months.

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But this time, the exchanges were more biting and emotive than ever.

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Up until now, strike action by junior doctors has been confined

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to non-emergency care, such as routine operations.

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But now, the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, told MPs the BMA

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has called on junior doctors to withdraw emergency care

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for the first time ever.

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I wish to appeal directly to all junior doctors not

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to withdraw emergency cover, which creates particular risks

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for A, maternity units and intensive care units.

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He said he understood that some doctors may disagree

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with plans for a seven-day NHS

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and with the introduction of a new contract.

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I also understand that doctors work incredibly hard,

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including at weekends, and that strong feelings exist

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on the single remaining disagreement of substance -

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Saturday premium pay.

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But the new contract offers junior doctors,

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who work frequently at weekends, more Saturday premium pay

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than nurses, paramedics and the assistants who work

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in their own operating theatres.

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More than police officers, more than firefighters and nearly

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every other worker in the public and private sectors.

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The impact of the next two days will be unprecedented,

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with over 110,000 outpatient appointments and over

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12,500 operations cancelled.

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However, the NHS has made exhaustive preparations in order to try

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to make sure patients remain safe.

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He said every trust had plans in place and there would be

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a strike page on the NHS website, which would provide as much

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information as possible about alternatives to local hospital care.

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Over the weekend, Labour initiated a cross-party plan for

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the new NHS contract to be piloted.

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The Health Secretary rejected the idea.

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Tomorrow's strike is one of the saddest days in the history

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of the NHS, and the saddest thing is that the person

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sat opposite me could have prevented it.

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Yesterday...

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Yesterday, the Health Secretary was presented presented

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Yesterday, the Health Secretary was presented with a genuine

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and constructive cross-party proposal to pilot the contract.

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This would have enabled him to make progress towards his manifesto

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commitment on seven-day services and, crucially,

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could have potentially averted this week's strike.

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Any responsible Health Secretary would have grasped that

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opportunity immediately, or at least considered it

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and discussed it. But not this one!

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Yesterday morning, he tweeted, "Labour plan is opportunism."

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That was a deeply disappointing and irresponsible response.

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She said Jeremy Hunt would try and blame Labour.

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The truth is, it is his actions, and his actions alone,

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that can stop this strike!

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Not me!

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Not the Labour Party!

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Him!

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If he ploughs on, then I warn him know that history will not

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be kind to him.

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It will show that, when faced with a compromise,

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the Health Secretary chose a fight.

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When presented with a way out, this Health Secretary chose to dig in.

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And that, when asked to put patients first,

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this Health Secretary chose strikes!

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And she said NHS staff had lost trust in the Health Secretary.

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He can barely show his face in a hospital, because he ends up

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being chased down the road!

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This is a deeply, deeply sad day for the NHS

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and, even at this 11th hour, I urge him to find a way out.

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Mr Speaker, the Shadow Health Secretary can

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do better than that. She talked...

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She...she talked... She talked about the judgments...

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She talked about the judgments that I have made as Health Secretary.

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Well, I'll tell her a judgment issue.

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It's whether or not you back a union that's is withdrawing life-saving

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care from your own constituents!

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Health Secretaries should stand up for their constituents,

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for their patients, and, if she won't, I will.

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There are only losers in this bitter dispute,

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but those who have the most to lose are patients and their families.

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Tomorrow, there will be people visiting hospitals to see

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the people they care about more than anything in the world,

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and they will be asking themselves why the doctors on the picket

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line are not inside looking after the people they love.

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So can I ask the BMA directly whether they will show dignity,

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put patients first and draw back from this dangerous escalation?

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Whatever their differences with me, whatever their

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differences with the government, to think about patients.

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It would be an absolute tragedy for the NHS if something goes wrong

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in the next couple of days, and they have a duty

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to make sure that it doesn't.

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When the Secretary of State came into the chamber today, I don't know

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whether he realises it or not, but there is a smirk and arrogance

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about him that almost betrays the fact that he's delighted

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in taking part in this activity!

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He could start negotiations today, wipe that smirk off his face, get

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down to some serious negotiations!

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It's had to be done in the past, but instead, he comes

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into here to try and blame the opposition

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for what's taking place!

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The Health Secretary said that contribution from Dennis Skinner

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was not worthy of him, and he said the Government

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had been talking to the BMA for over three years.

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Now, for 88 years, the retailer BHS has been a mainstay of high streets

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up and down the country.

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But the company has been put into administration

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and 11,000 jobs are at stake.

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The Business Minister came to the Commons to make a statement

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about the future of BHS and to answer MPs' questions.

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The administrators are looking to sell BHS as a going concern.

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If this proves not to be possible, then the government will

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obviously stand ready to offer its assistance,

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including through Jobcentre Plus rapid response service,

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to help people move into new jobs as quickly as possible.

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Now, there's been a lot of comment and speculation

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about British Home Stores' pension scheme and it is a fact

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that the pension regulator is investigating a number

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of concerns and indeed allegations.

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The Shadow Minister was concerned about the conduct of the previous

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owner of BHS, Sir Philip Green.

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When Sir Philip bought BHS, the pension fund had

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a surplus of over ?5 million, and it remained in the black

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as late as 2008, yet, when he got rid of the business,

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he had turned this into a deficit of hundreds of millions of pounds,

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and the pension fund now reportedly has a black hole of ?571 million.

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If the worst happens, the liability will be covered

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by the pension protection scheme, as the Minister indicated,

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and BHS staff will get only 90% of the pension they've worked

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so hard for and saved for.

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But Philip Green seems to have got much more out of BHS for himself

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and his family than that.

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BHS staff and the public will understandably want to know

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whether the former owner, who took so many millions of pounds

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out of the business, will have to pay his fair share

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of the liabilities which accrued during his stewardship.

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We know that Sir Philip is such a vocal supporter

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of the Conservative Party that, in 2010, the Prime Minister

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asked him to conduct a review of the Cabinet Office,

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of how to slash government spending.

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What he appears to have done with BHS is to extract huge value

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from the business before walking away and leaving all the liabilities

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to others, including the public purse.

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Well, I have to say that my concern is for the workers of BHS,

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and indeed those creditors, notably the small businesses.

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And I really do find it most peculiar, but perhaps not

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unexpected, that the Honourable Lady should turn this into some

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party political game!

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I think this is way above all of that.

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I could say this, that it is perhaps unfortunate that the party opposite

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decided to vote against our very moderate but very important

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proposals on Sunday trading, where there was clear evidence that

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that would actually have helped the retail sector.

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Perhaps if they had done that, they might have a little

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bit more credibility, when they now decide to turn this,

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this very unfortunate situation in BHS.

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This is not a political football to be kicked around

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by the opposition!

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In some respects, the predicament of BHS is a reflection mode

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In some respects, the predicament of BHS is a reflection more

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of the UK Government's failure to stimulate economic

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recovery and confidence of people across these isles,

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than Sunday trading, and I am shocked and surprised

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that the Minister, in one breath, tells the party opposite not

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to political point score and, in the second, makes a political

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point scoring herself!

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I would agree with some of the concerns that have been

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expressed on the other side of the House, and I do hope

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that the department will undertake an urgent enquiry as to the conduct

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of the erstwhile and indeed the current owners of BHS

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in this regard.

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Because it does seem appalling that the pension protection fund

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is being abused in this way, and I don't suspect that BHS

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is the only company in this particular position.

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Will the Minister consider changing companies legislation to ensure

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that, in terms of directors' duties, former owners can simply walk

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away from any fall out, having taken the fast buck,

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and that substantial long-term value creation

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is prioritised in company law over short-term value extraction.

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I think that what's going on with British Home Stores should

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ring alarm bells with the Minister.

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When Hull-based Comet went into administration in 2012,

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there were 7000 redundancies and the taxpayers ended up

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paying up to ?100 million in redundancy costs.

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And, at that point, Comet had been owned for a year by a private equity

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firm who had bought it for ?1, but made about ?75 million

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worth of debt, loading the company with debt,

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from which they received huge interest payments

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before walking off.

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The government commissioned a report into what happened with Comet,

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but they've never published it and I think it's about time that

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actually that report was published and we could see the similarities

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here with what's happened with BHS is whether there

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here with what's happened with BHS and whether there

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are lessons to be learnt.

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Now, there's been an impassioned debate in the Commons over

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whether the UK should be giving refuge to unaccompanied Syrian

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children who are already in the EU.

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The Lords passed an amendment to the Immigration Bill,

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requiring the Government to accept 3,000 child refugees.

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The Government said it wanted to overturn the amendment.

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We judge that the best way to make a difference, and to help

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the greatest numbers of those in need, is to support the majority

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of refugees to enable them to stay safely in their home region,

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which is why I make the point that I do in respect of

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the aid and assistance.

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But where people have made that journey to Europe,

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that we support European partners to fulfil their duties.

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The Minister's point was effectively that the children who are alone

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in Greece now are Greece's problem.

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But in fact, Save the Children have said that there are 2000 children

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alone in northern Greece, child refugees alone in northern

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Greece, and less than 500 places, child shelter places,

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for them and those are full.

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So what does he really want those children to do,

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when they are sleeping rough?

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When they are being targeted by traffickers by smuggling gangs

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When they are being targeted by traffickers, by smuggling gangs

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and subject to abuse?

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When I was in Calais at Easter, I was told by aid workers

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there that, because of the British government's refusal to take

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children from northern France, children are being trafficked

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into the United Kingdom and are attempting unsafe journeys

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by jumping onto or under lorries into the United Kingdom.

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These children are already in Europe,

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They are alone, far from their families.

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They are cold, frightened, hungry, frequently without help or access

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to those who might help or protect them.

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Their lives are miserable, brutish and at least half of them

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we know have experienced or seen violence which we can only dream

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of in our nightmares, or rather hope that we don't.

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It's the something that I can and will do by joining

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the Right Honourable Member

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for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford,

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and the Honourable and Learned Member

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for Holborn and St Pancras

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in the opposition lobby this evening.

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This is not an easy decision, or one which I've taken lightly,

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but it's the right decision, made of a conviction

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which I've reached, having searched my conscience,

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as I pray other Honourable and Right Honourable

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members will search theirs.

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The House should support the Lords and their amendment and vote

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against this motion to disagree.

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But in the end, in a vote, the Lords amendment

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was rejected by the Commons.

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You're watching Monday in Parliament,

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with me Kristiina Cooper.

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on

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this

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The Labour par on this ty

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and the SNP have

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accused the Government of delaying

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plans to have eight Royal Navy frigates built at the Clyde

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shipyard in Glasgow.

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The GMB union, which representing staff at the BAE sites, says that

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redundancies are on the cards.

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But a Defence Minister maintained that "nothing had changed"

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since the Government published the strategic defence and security

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review last year.

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I understand the strong interest in the timing of the award of

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the contract to build type 26 combat ships.

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I also understand reports of delays create anxiety but let me assure the

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shipyard workers on the Clyde, this government remains committed to the

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type 26 programme and to assembling ships on the Clyde

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and is working closely with

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BAE Systems to take the type 26 programme forward, ensuring it is

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progressed on a sustainable and stable footing.

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He was summoned to the Commons

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following a request for an urgent statement from Labour.

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Can the Minister please answer a simple question?

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Will construction begin this year in line

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with previous commitments?

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The Minister has said he claims that

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the new frigates will proceed but the SDSR says nothing about the

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timetable.

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The timetable is vitally important.

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The unions are being told there could be delays up to a year.

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Is the Minister saying this is not the case?

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Does he also deny claims made by the unions that the start has

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already been delayed?

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Has nothing changed?

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If so why is it that BAE Systems have not denied press

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reports there will be redundancies at the shipyard.

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Why are the unions being told there will be

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redundancies if that is not the case?

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I think the honourable lady is

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seeking to make a position over a routine meeting between BAE

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Systems and the trade unions which took

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place last week which happened to come nearly two weeks ahead

1:20:331:20:33

of a general election for the Scottish Parliament

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and she is trying to make party political capital out of that fact.

1:20:331:20:33

In relation to her specific questions.

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Will construction begin this year?

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The contract last month for a further ?472 million

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which takes our contract on this programme

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up to ?1.6 billion.

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That pays for equipment for

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the first three vessels, long lead items and short testing facilities.

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The programme remains therefore on track.

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The SNP has been campaigning on this issue too.

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I'm sure those watching will be disappointed that this

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question so quickly descended into a Tory, Labour bunfight.

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Earlier today Scotland's First Minister met with

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the unions and BAE and they expressed

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their great concern that the

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government was set to renege on the promises they made,

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along with the Labour party, before

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the independence referendum that there would be a steady stream of

1:20:331:20:33

work coming to the yards on the Clyde, guaranteed employment.

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Just three years ago the Prime Minister

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said and I quote, Scottish defence jobs are more secure as part

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of the United Kingdom.

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Given that, could the Minister confirm to us

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today there will be no redundancies at BAE Systems in Glasgow and will

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he confirm that the Ministry of Defence will stick to the timeline

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that has been agreed and set out?

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What I can confirm is that had the independence vote gone the way

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that he and his colleagues would have

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liked, there would have been no warships built on the Clyde because

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the United Kingdom government would not

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have chosen to do so.

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We made that very clear.

1:20:331:20:33

The Education Secretary Nicky Morgan was also feeling the heat as MPs

1:20:331:20:33

questioned her over plans to force all schools in England

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to become academies.

1:20:331:20:33

Many state secondaries have already made the change but concerns have

1:20:331:20:33

been raised about the impact of the policy on primary schools -

1:20:331:20:33

particularly those in rural areas with small numbers of pupils.

1:20:331:20:33

It's been reported that Nicky Morgan,

1:20:331:20:33

is considering a U-turn - allowing the best performing

1:20:331:20:33

councils to run their own academy chains.

1:20:331:20:33

But when the subject came up at question time,

1:20:331:20:33

the Education Secretary wasn't giving anything away.

1:20:331:20:33

Converting to academies is improving the education

1:20:331:20:33

for children up and down the country.

1:20:331:20:33

It is absolutely right we

1:20:331:20:33

make this opportunity available to all children.

1:20:331:20:33

Concerns have been expressed about the impact on small

1:20:331:20:33

schools, especially in a place like Cornwall where we have

1:20:331:20:33

many small schools.

1:20:331:20:33

Has she considered one of the ways to

1:20:331:20:33

address these concerns would be allowing local councils to be

1:20:331:20:33

involved in the running of the academy trusts?

1:20:331:20:33

Can I thank him very much indeed.

1:20:331:20:33

We published a white paper.

1:20:331:20:33

The point of having a white paper is to make sure we are talking about

1:20:331:20:33

members of the House and local authorities.

1:20:331:20:33

Like him, I want all young people to have the best

1:20:331:20:33

possible start in life.

1:20:331:20:33

We know academies make a difference.

1:20:331:20:33

We know small schools are improved by being

1:20:331:20:33

pooled together, including the 15 schools in Cornwall.

1:20:331:20:33

I look forward to continuing my conversation with him.

1:20:331:20:33

The Secretary of State has intimated that good local authorities can

1:20:331:20:33

form academy trusts.

1:20:331:20:33

Ironically this would give local authorities more

1:20:331:20:33

responsibility for running schools than they have now.

1:20:331:20:33

Something the prime minister suggested was holding

1:20:331:20:33

schools back.

1:20:331:20:33

Why is such costly upheaval necessary for outstanding

1:20:331:20:33

schools in good local authorities?

1:20:331:20:33

Is it not time for her to smell the coffee and shelve her plans for

1:20:331:20:33

forced academisation?

1:20:331:20:33

He perhaps knows I am a caffeine addict but he misses the

1:20:331:20:33

point which is that good schools have much

1:20:331:20:33

to offer the whole of the rest of the education system.

1:20:331:20:33

What we're seeing now in schools across

1:20:331:20:33

the country is collaboration and partnership in clusters of schools

1:20:331:20:33

and we want to see that continue across the system.

1:20:331:20:33

We know the best people to run the schools are their

1:20:331:20:33

heads and professionals.

1:20:331:20:33

The Labour party never talks about the pupils.

1:20:331:20:33

It is always about vested interest.

1:20:331:20:33

Does he agree with me that a good argument

1:20:331:20:33

for academisation is

1:20:331:20:33

to get schools out of the control of loony left

1:20:331:20:33

councils like Brighton and

1:20:331:20:33

Hove which is seeking gender assignment of four-year-olds?

1:20:331:20:33

I thank him for that question.

1:20:331:20:33

The point about academies is they are a vehicle for

1:20:331:20:33

schools to innovate and make best use of freedom to drive up

1:20:331:20:33

standards, to do the right thing for their children.

1:20:331:20:33

That often doesn't happen under local authority

1:20:331:20:33

control.

1:20:331:20:33

Some Conservatives raised concerns about the role of parent governors

1:20:331:20:33

if schools convert to academies.

1:20:331:20:33

I am extremely fortunate to have many parents in my

1:20:331:20:33

constituency who engage with local schools but many have approached me

1:20:331:20:33

recently because they have been concerned that their voice

1:20:331:20:33

and influence may be diminished by academies.

1:20:331:20:33

Can she assure me this is not the case?

1:20:331:20:33

Involving parents in governance and listening

1:20:331:20:33

to the views of parents

1:20:331:20:33

are not necessarily the same thing which is why I want to see Academy

1:20:331:20:33

boards appointing parents for their experience and to engage

1:20:331:20:33

parents meaningfully and represent their views

1:20:331:20:33

to governing bodies.

1:20:331:20:33

What steps is she taking to ensure that time, focus,

1:20:331:20:33

energy and morale are not lost while the white paper is

1:20:331:20:33

discussed so teachers continue to do what they do best, inspire young

1:20:331:20:33

people and children?

1:20:331:20:33

We have set out the fact there will be six years

1:20:331:20:33

before schools become academies in 2022.

1:20:331:20:33

Teachers should be doing more teaching in the classrooms.

1:20:331:20:33

The people who will be driving the process will be the heads and

1:20:331:20:33

governors of that school.

1:20:331:20:33

At question-time - in a more relaxed moment -

1:20:331:20:33

the Education Secretary had a chance to enthuse about a production

1:20:331:20:33

of Merchant of Venice she had seen at a primary school to mark

1:20:331:20:33

the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth.

1:20:331:20:33

Over in the Lords, the Bard was providing inspiration too.

1:20:331:20:33

Peers were discussing the future of regional museums -

1:20:331:20:33

one of the subjects raised in the Culture white paper -

1:20:331:20:33

published last month.

1:20:331:20:33

My Lords, decisions on changes to regional museums service

1:20:331:20:33

provision are for those who run them.

1:20:331:20:33

However we fully appreciate regional museums are

1:20:331:20:33

important with the local communities and economies.

1:20:331:20:33

This information is not collated centrally but we have

1:20:331:20:33

asked the Arts Council to provide what information

1:20:331:20:33

they currently have on Museum

1:20:331:20:33

closures and will consider the challenges facing local museums

1:20:331:20:33

more fully in the museums review announced in

1:20:331:20:33

the Cultural white paper.

1:20:331:20:33

My Lords, in this 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare,

1:20:331:20:33

it is highly fitting we have a white paper graced with a quotation

1:20:331:20:33

from Love's Labour's Lost, slightly obscure one but it's there.

1:20:331:20:33

It raised two questions in my mind.

1:20:331:20:33

Which Shakespearean character does the Minister remind you of?

1:20:331:20:33

Was it when he was younger, shaking his

1:20:331:20:33

mane of golden locks around, the fair youth of early sonnets.

1:20:331:20:33

Or is it Ariel or Puck to successive ministers?

1:20:331:20:33

Why does the government in the white paper persist in praising local

1:20:331:20:33

museums for the contribution they can make to economic

1:20:331:20:33

growth, education and well-being when the reality is ?1

1:20:331:20:33

billion worth of cuts and regional Museum closures, up to 45 so far?

1:20:331:20:33

My Lords, I think the noble Lord Stevenson knows

1:20:331:20:33

his Shakespeare perhaps better than I do.

1:20:331:20:33

I would not like to put myself forward as any of the characters he

1:20:331:20:33

mentions.

1:20:331:20:33

He draws attention to the Cultural white paper which is of

1:20:331:20:33

course very important.

1:20:331:20:33

We are setting out our intention to increase participation of young

1:20:331:20:33

people and children, especially from

1:20:331:20:33

disadvantaged backgrounds.

1:20:331:20:33

As far as the museums are concerned, we will be

1:20:331:20:33

looking at the review and looking at the roles of government, the Arts

1:20:331:20:33

Council and Heritage lottery funding as well as directly funded museums.

1:20:331:20:33

And that obscure quotation from Love's Labour's Lost

1:20:331:20:33

in the Culture white paper is all about how books

1:20:331:20:33

and the arts nourish the world.

1:20:331:20:33

Well, that's it from Monday in Parliament.

1:20:331:20:33

Keith Macdougall will be here for the rest of the week.

1:20:331:20:33

But from me, Kristiina Cooper, goodbye!

1:20:331:20:33

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