12/09/2016 Monday in Parliament


12/09/2016

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Hello and welcome to Monday in Parliament.

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The Education Secretary prolises that bringing back grammar schools

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will mean a better education for everyone.

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We do not want to see a rettrn to the old binary system of good

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But Labour tears into the changes, accusing the Government

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Under Labour, we had educathon, education, education. This

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government's mantra is segrdgation, segregation, segregation.

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As David Cameron announces he is resigning from Parlialent

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there's a tribute - of sorts - from a Brexit adversary.

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I think he was a pretty good Prime Minister,

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and I'm not going to criticise him today.

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The big news of the day, of course, is that David Cameron

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He said that having a former Prime Minister on the backbdnches

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But there's speculation that he is leaving Parliament

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because he doesn't agree with Theresa May's decision

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to reintroduce grammar schools in England.

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In the past, Mr Cameron has said he regards bringing back gr`mmars

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Although, when questioned about his resignation, he said it had

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There is a lot of merit in the policy but I don't want to get into

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the wares and why force of this individual policy.

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His announcement coincided with the publication of the

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Government's consultation paper on education.

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It sets out plans to create new grammars and to allow existing

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state schools to apply for the right to select children

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The Education Secretary, Justine Greening, was in thd Commons

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We want this country to be ` truly meritocratic country,

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where what matters most is a person's individual talent

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And so we need to build a schools system that works for everyone,

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We need to radically expand the number of good schools places

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available to all families, not just those who can afford

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to move into the catchment `reas of the best state schools,

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or those who can afford to pay for private education.

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And she offered some reassurance to critics.

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Mr Speaker, I think it's re`lly important that I am clear about how

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We do not want to see a rettrn to the old binary system of good

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For Labour, Angela Rayner tore into the policy.

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Mr Speaker, if I may, I would like to start by offering

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That reaction is very interdsting because that wasn't my advice,

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it was the advice of the last Prime Minister, still in post

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as I think, today, the right honourable member for Witnex.

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When asked about Tory MPs w`nting to return to grammar schools,

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he went on to say, "I think it is delusional to think that

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a policy of expanding a number of grammar schools is either a good

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idea, a sellable idea or even the right idea."

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He was the future once, but this Prime Minister wants

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Where once under Labour we had education, education,

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education, this government's mantra is segregation,

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A former Education Secretary was concerned

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about plans to allow faith schools to select all pupils

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And also, can I ask her to reconsider pretty fundamdntally,

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the announcement she has made about faith schools.

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Because we need to live in ` society where we actually reduce barriers

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and improve contacts and integration between people of all faiths

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and if it has been imperfect, we do need to know why it's not

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worked and it may be right to modify.

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But isn't just removing the cap altogether going to lead us into

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There was praise from anothdr former Education Secretary.

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Can I congratulate the Secrdtary of State for the clear moral purpose

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that runs through every word of her statement?

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Her commitment to ensuring that every child in this country receives

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a high-quality education and that we narrowly attainlent gap

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between rich and poor has been the driving mission

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that she has taken to the role of Education Secretary and H,

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for one, am delighted to see her at the dispatch box.

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Schools that work for everyone and families is exactly what members

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on this side of the House are in favour of.

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And I want to press the Secretary of State on this

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Where's the evidence that any of the improvement we have seen

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in the last 15-20 years has come as a result of selection?

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And, in particular, can she name a school system elsewhere

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in the world that succeeds on the basis of selection at 11

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Well, our proposals are verx clear, that we don't want to see a test

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at 11 to be the main principal way that children get into gramlars

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We want much more flexibility in the grammar system.

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This is about having a 21st-century education system

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I have to say that I have sdvere reservations about introduchng

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I was at a grammar school, 50 years ago, and I've often

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wondered, if I had failed the 1 plus, where I would be?

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system has moved on, but I have to say that I thhnk it's

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not a question of introducing more grammar schools -

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if people want grammar schools, that is fine.

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It is what is happening in the main part of the system.

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I'm quite sorry for her, anxway because I'm sure this is not

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Could she tell us confidenthally whether she was as surprised

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as we were when she found ott the chaotic nature of futurd

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government policy, and when she was informed of it by government

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Well, Mr Speaker, I think on behalf of children in Britain,

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that was a totally pointless question and I'm not

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The Education Secretary, refusing to answer a question there.

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Now, at Defence Question Tile, all eyes were on Syria,

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where a ceasefire was due to come into force.

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It's not the first time there's been a cessation of hostilities.

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There was a brief lull in the conflict earlier in the year.

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Aid agencies and charities said they were on stand-by,

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once again, to send humanitarian supplies

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The Defence Secretary was asked about Russia's role in the deal

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and in the fight against the so-called Islamic Sate group -

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Given the announcement of a US- and Russia-negotiated ceasefire

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in Syria, does the Secretarx of State believe that Russi` is now

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an unpredictable ally or an unwelcome threat

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Well, my honourable friend knows Russian military activity in Syria

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has supported the Assad reghme, a regime which bombs,

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While we welcome the latest ceasefire from tonight,

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it is Russia that must make it work by stopping Assad from attacking

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Syrian civilians and moderate opposition groups and helping to get

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humanitarian aid into Aleppo and other cities that have

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This is indeed a critical thme for the future of Syria.

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And may I add the SNP's voice to those across this chamber

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in wishing well the proposed ceasefire in Syria and we echo

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the call for all sides in this awful conflict to observe it.

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Given that the ceasefire is vital to the campaign to defeat D`esh

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could I ask the Secretary of State what discussions the UK Govdrnment

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has had, both with the US Sdcretary of State and the Russian Federation,

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and what role did the UK Government play in helping

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I'm grateful to the honourable gentleman for his earlier rdmarks.

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The UK Government has been hnvolved in promoting the ceasefire

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all the way back from the original cessation of hostilities

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which was announced at the Munich Security Confdrence

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and we have been part of the intense efforts to gdt,

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and to keep, moderate opposhtion groups around the table to negotiate

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a future settlement for Syrha and we have also been

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part of encouraging the ceasefire as well.

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Mr Speaker, talking of the loderate forces, what contact

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has UK Government had with the representatives

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of the 70,000 moderate troops who, we were led to believe

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we were discussing ahead of last year's bombing or Syria

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and could he tell us what contact has been made and what assurances

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have been given by those moderate forces that this

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We have been in contact with exactly those moderate forces,

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and representatives from the different opposition groups

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in Syria were in London last week for exactly those

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We very much hope the ceasefire will stick now.

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A large part of that will ddpend on Russia persuading the Syrian

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regime to back the ceasefird but it's also important

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that it is properly respectdd right across northern Syria as well.

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We all welcome very much thd recent announcement of a ceasefire in Syria

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which, as well as providing opportunities for all sides to focus

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on defeating Daesh, create ` space for further negotiations ailed

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at ending the conflict once and for all.

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The need for a negotiated sdttlement in Syria is as urgent as evdr,

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particularly in light of horrifying reports of yet another chlorine

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Can the Secretary of State tell the House a little bit more

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potentially about the implications for the delivery of humanit`rian aid

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to civilians in Syria under the ceasefire?

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Well, I'm grateful to the Shadow Defence Secretarx

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for what he has said and for his support.

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Yes, getting humanitarian ahd into Aleppo and some of the other

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towns and cities that have suffered is a key part of the ceasefhre

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and I think, will be one of the tests of the ceasefire,

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as to whether the regime is really prepared to allow these

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Staying with question time, remarks made over the weekend by

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the International Trade Secretary, Liam Fox, were brought up

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Liam Fox was reported as saxing that Britain is "too lazy and too fat",

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with businessmen preferring "golf on a Friday afternoon" to trying

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Downing Street has said that Dr Fox was expressing his own views.

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Would she disassociate hersdlf from the "fat and lazy" terl used

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We have no fat and lazy bushnessman in Huddersfield.

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Mr Speaker, those are certahnly not my words and I would like to pay

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tribute to the certainly many businesses in Huddersfield

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and around South Yorkshire which do such wonderful work in terms of

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You're watching Monday in Parliament, with me

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The Secretary of State for Dxiting the European Union - David Davis -

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has been setting out how he will go about the huge task of extr`cting

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He was speaking to the Lords European Union Committee.

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One peer was critical of thd process that took place ahead

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She said the public only had three months to consider the new DU deal

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Unless and until you can prepare for what you

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people are not going to be `ble to assess whether what you want

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is what they want on the other side or indeed find other ways of getting

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to what you want so it is not just a matter of A says

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this and B says that, it is a matter of a longer term

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conversation and it hasn't been done very well.

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I really can't comment on the records.

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Today of all days when the Prime Minister is standing down.

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I think he was a pretty good Prime Minister and I am not

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-- I'm not going to criticise him today.

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I was only commenting on the process, not the man.

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In those terms I'm not agreeing to comment on that.

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In terms of our approach, it will be something over two years

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I imagine because the triggdr has that intrinsic to it.

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As I have said, I will seek to be as open as is possible.

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Bear in mind, unlike that negotiation which was relathvely

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narrow, this will be as bro`d as the entire governmental front

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so even were I to decide I was going to behave like Rasputin

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and keep everything secret, I would feel because it

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Lord Teverson said the European Parliament would expect to be kept

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Are you going to get ahead of this process or are we all every

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Monday morning going to be on the European Parliament website

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to find what is going on or talk to our British MEP colleaguds

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who are positive and helpful to seek what is really going on in?

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This Parliament would not w`nt to be treated as a second-class chtizen.

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Neither do I want to treat Parliament like that.

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It will be a little bit of matching between the two.

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That is no interest whatsoever for the government to leave the text

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We will certainly match what the European

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It may be the most complicated negotiation of all times.

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So we won't always be entirdly a free agent but we will be as open

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And he told the committee hhs department was attracting

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This is really the sexiest `rea of politics at the moment.

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My department at the moment is quite tiny.

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It has quadrupled in one month, it is eight weeks but everybody

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knows what Whitehall and Brtssels are like in August so it has

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It will probably double agahn in size but it will still bd small

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I have a lot of bright and young civil servants

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grey hair yet which I might have to find outside.

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Now, there's been a lot of talk about how redrawing the electoral

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boundaries in time for the 2020 general election will affect MPs.

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The change has been describdd by the Electoral Commission

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Fifty seats will go - and they could include

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Jeremy Corbyn's constituencx of Islington North in London

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and George Osborne's constituency of Tatton in Cheshire.

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During a discussion in the Lords on electoral fraud, a Labour peer

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couldn't resist bringing up the boundary changes.

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talked about the integrity of the voting system which is something we

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all want to seek. Why then hs the government pressing ahead whth

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boundary changes on an electoral register which they know is out of

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date given that so many extra people registered in time to participate in

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the European referendum. Wotld it not be better to use a register

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which is more current than the one they have chosen to use? I do not

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think this is anything to do with the question but I am happy to

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announce it. Parliament has agreed that the data of December should be

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used as the data for this rdview. Unless you have a defined d`te and

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set of registers to assess ht, it is impossible to run a review.

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Boundaries are necessarily `s snapshot and will continue to change

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Staying with the House of Lords where some peers greeted

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Government's plans to reintroduce grammar schools with dismay.

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One of David Cameron's formdr advisers urged the Government

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I regret to say that it does appears to me that it is no more th`n a dog

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whistle response by the Conservatives to the current state

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How much easier it is to throw up the idea of more grammar

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schools than concentrate on the real difficulties facing many working

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The most disadvantaged children are from those families whose

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parents are not motivated or have any educational

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For those children even entering school at

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five, they are well behind the rest of their cohort.

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Wouldn't it be far better if the government gave

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more attention to early years attention than coming

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up with silly plans like

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I do agree with the noble l`dy that early years is very important

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indeed and it is of course sadly the case that many

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parents do not engage as well as they could on behalf of

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their children in the school system but that to me is why we should be

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One of the things we have said is that

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selective schools could perhaps help primary education.

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Everyone gets so fixated on GCSEs results but the work has to be done

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in primary because the deprdssing statistic is if you do not get

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your required levels when you leave your primary, you have only 7%

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One of David Cameron's formdr advisers urged the Government

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I welcome the government commitment to

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a meritocratic society and to increasing the number of good school

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The government is into contested territory

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Can he confirm that the government will

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only agree to an increase in academic selection if thdy

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are totally confident that ht will increase the number of good

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school places and secondly, following an increase the

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Department of Education will evaluate the impact of thesd changes

:20:17.:20:18.

on the school system to enstre that social mobility has indeed been

:20:19.:20:24.

He makes good points and it is our intention to ensure that

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the impact across the whole system is favourable and there is ` net

:20:31.:20:33.

benefit across the whole system and of course we will continue to

:20:34.:20:36.

We end with a rather grisly debate about the fact that five million

:20:37.:20:44.

dogs are slaughtered for food in South Korea every year.

:20:45.:20:51.

MPs were debating an online petition signed by more than one hundred

:20:52.:20:53.

thousand people - urging thd UK government to speak out -

:20:54.:20:56.

and calling for the dog meat trade to be banned.

:20:57.:20:59.

Campaigners say the eyes of the world will be on South Korea

:21:00.:21:05.

in the run up to the Winter olympics, which it's

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I know that South Korea has been picked out for this motion, I think

:21:12.:21:21.

that has more to do with thd fact that the Winter Olympics ard coming

:21:22.:21:25.

We should also be mindful of this practice is

:21:26.:21:28.

not confined to South Korea, it is very prevalent in China,

:21:29.:21:31.

Vietnam and Thailand and other countries.

:21:32.:21:37.

The main problem about it and why Korea

:21:38.:21:39.

being highlighted is not silply because of the traditional

:21:40.:21:41.

means to to eat dog meat, it is the scale of

:21:42.:21:44.

Over 5 million animals are killed every year and nearly 3

:21:45.:21:48.

million of them are farmed on puppy

:21:49.:21:49.

farms for the purpose of that so it

:21:50.:21:51.

is not surprising people highlight this country.

:21:52.:22:01.

One of the problems one has in trying to get people not to eat dog

:22:02.:22:09.

meat is that it has medical properties and is good for xou. Does

:22:10.:22:15.

he agree that it is somehow difficult to persuade peopld that

:22:16.:22:20.

their long-held beliefs are now more than codswallop? I thank hil for

:22:21.:22:26.

that intervention and it is absolutely right to highlight this

:22:27.:22:29.

long-held view about its properties...

:22:30.:22:35.

Oliver Dowden moved on to concerns about how

:22:36.:22:37.

the animals were slaughtered and the conditions

:22:38.:22:38.

They are kept on salt floor as they cannot even stand in. The evidence

:22:39.:22:53.

from charities has shown a huge range of injuries including skin

:22:54.:22:59.

diseases, ie infections, pahnfully swollen feet. When animals have no

:23:00.:23:03.

form of stimulation you get the problem of self-mutilation.

:23:04.:23:09.

Regulation has been passed classifying dog meat as

:23:10.:23:19.

a repugnant food but it has not been effective in curbing the deland

:23:20.:23:22.

There is a law in place of 2007 which prohibits some of the

:23:23.:23:32.

cruel methods to slaughter dogs but that law is widely ignored.

:23:33.:23:34.

As we have also heard, according to

:23:35.:23:36.

charities campaigning on thhs, many South Koreans believe the more dogs

:23:37.:23:42.

suffer before it dies the bdtter the meat will taste.

:23:43.:23:45.

An SNP MP said she'd found ht hard to prepare for the debate.

:23:46.:23:54.

In spite of a conscious effort to look at the trade in an hmpartial

:23:55.:23:58.

light, it was nonetheless vdry difficult to read about, look at

:23:59.:24:00.

photographs and watch videos on the subject.

:24:01.:24:06.

It is clear dogs are being treated in an appalling way

:24:07.:24:11.

something which most of us would condemn in strong terls.

:24:12.:24:13.

What I and other SNP members would encourage is

:24:14.:24:24.

rights groups in that country who are already working to bring

:24:25.:24:28.

The Minister began by showing off his dog-loving credenti`ls.

:24:29.:24:40.

My right honourable friend, the Member for Whitney,

:24:41.:24:43.

demonstrated his love for c`ts, specifically Larry the Cat,

:24:44.:24:45.

When it came to ending the dog meat trade he said it was a case

:24:46.:24:55.

Dogs are not internationallx protected species and there are no

:24:56.:25:01.

international laws or agreelents covering the trade and constmption

:25:02.:25:03.

No one would be happier than me if the consumption of dog meat ended

:25:04.:25:20.

tomorrow. consumption of dog meat enddd

:25:21.:25:35.

tomorrow but I have to say that dictating to people in South Korea

:25:36.:25:38.

or anywhere else that they should not eat dog meat would be akin

:25:39.:25:41.

to another country telling ts The tradition he said was f`ding,

:25:42.:25:44.

particularly among the young and the middle classes

:25:45.:25:48.

who saw dogs as pets. It was also thought domestic

:25:49.:25:50.

pets were being stolen And that brings us to the end

:25:51.:25:52.

of Monday in Parliament. Keith Macdougall will be

:25:53.:25:55.

here for the rest of the wedk. But from me, Kristiina

:25:56.:25:57.

Cooper, goodbye.

:25:58.:26:05.

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