:00:14. > :00:17.Hello and welcome to Monday in Parliament.
:00:18. > :00:22.The Home Secretary is under pressure over the way the
:00:23. > :00:25.independent enquiry into chhld sexual abuse has been managdd.
:00:26. > :00:32.This is a terrible situation for the survivors of child sexual
:00:33. > :00:36.abuse who have put so much hope and trust in the successful conclusion
:00:37. > :00:44.The Home Secretary urges MPs to support the enquiry.
:00:45. > :00:53.Let's all find a way of being confident about it.
:00:54. > :00:57.expects to conclude, she hopes to concludes
:00:58. > :01:01.Also on the programme, the story of how the
:01:02. > :01:02.nation's football boss became the nation's
:01:03. > :01:05.If Sam had wanted to continue being
:01:06. > :01:07.England manager would you have allowed him to?
:01:08. > :01:11.Did you sack him? No.
:01:12. > :01:17.And calls for the Prime Minister Theresa
:01:18. > :01:20.May to help the sisterhood of women affected by changes to the
:01:21. > :01:25.Will the Minister appeal to his boss to use the power she has and
:01:26. > :01:27.compensate some of the most needy women in
:01:28. > :01:32.But first, the independent enquiry into child
:01:33. > :01:34.sexual abuse set up in 2014 to investigate whether publhc bodies
:01:35. > :01:37.and other institutions in England and Wales had failed to protect
:01:38. > :01:45.The enquiry's remit is to identify failings and demand account`bility
:01:46. > :01:48.but its work has been beset by problems around
:01:49. > :01:56.Dame Lowell Goddard, a judgd from New Zealand, was the third
:01:57. > :02:00.She resigned in August saying she was
:02:01. > :02:03."lonely" but there are reports that she resigned because there were
:02:04. > :02:07.The Home Secretary was summoned to the Commons
:02:08. > :02:11.to explain what has been going on.
:02:12. > :02:15.On the 29th of July, the secretary to the enquirx
:02:16. > :02:19.met my permanent secretary and reported concerns about
:02:20. > :02:22.the professionalism and competence of the chair.
:02:23. > :02:28.encouraged the enquiry to r`ise those matters with the chair.
:02:29. > :02:31.He reported this meeting to me the same day.
:02:32. > :02:32.My permanent secretary also met members
:02:33. > :02:37.of the enquiry panel on the 4th of August.
:02:38. > :02:39.Later that day Dame Lowell tendered her resignation to me
:02:40. > :02:44.Last month the Home Secretary gave evidence to the home
:02:45. > :02:50.I was asked why Dame Lowell had gone.
:02:51. > :02:53.Dame Lowell had not spoken to me about her reasons so I
:02:54. > :02:56.relied on the letter she had sent to the committee.
:02:57. > :02:59.In her letter, she said she was lonely and felt she
:03:00. > :03:05.could not deliver and that hs why she stepped down.
:03:06. > :03:07.Dame Lowell has strongly refuted the allegations
:03:08. > :03:10.about her and the only way we can understand properly why she resigned
:03:11. > :03:12.would be to hear from Dame Lowell herself.
:03:13. > :03:14.To echo any further allegathons which are now likely to
:03:15. > :03:17.be the subject of legal dispute would have been entirely
:03:18. > :03:25.The Home Secretary's statement was prompted
:03:26. > :03:28.by an urgent question from a Labour MP.
:03:29. > :03:31.She says she was relying simply on the letter.
:03:32. > :03:34.Why didn't she ask Justice Goddard herself why she had quit thd
:03:35. > :03:42.We've since learnt that senhor officials in that department
:03:43. > :03:44.were aware of concerns about Justice Goddard Pars conduct on the
:03:45. > :03:58.Given that 38 Home Office staff are seconded to
:03:59. > :04:00.the enquiry, how could she possibly have been unaware
:04:01. > :04:02.of these concerns as late as the 7th of September?
:04:03. > :04:05.And can she tell us why, given that the Home Office new
:04:06. > :04:07.of the serious questions about the behaviour and leadership
:04:08. > :04:09.of the enquiry she then went on to
:04:10. > :04:11.authorise a payoff to Justice Gothard worth ?80,000?
:04:12. > :04:22.Amber Rudd responded to the question about why Dame Lowell steppdd down.
:04:23. > :04:27.She said it was never easy operating in an environment where I h`d no
:04:28. > :04:33.familiar networks and there were times it seemed a very lonely
:04:34. > :04:37.mission. It was referring to that note I gave my answer to thd home
:04:38. > :04:43.Affairs Select Committee. She made several enquiries about staffing. We
:04:44. > :04:46.can only maintain the indepdndence of this enquiry by being absolutely
:04:47. > :04:56.clear that matters of staffhng are for the chair. No enquiry in modern
:04:57. > :05:00.times has been mired in such chaos. At least, it suggests incompetence
:05:01. > :05:05.in setting the terms and selecting the personnel to lead it. It is bad
:05:06. > :05:12.for policy, the Home Office but above all it is a terrible situation
:05:13. > :05:17.for the survivors of child sex abuse who have put so much hope and trust
:05:18. > :05:26.in the successful conclusion of this enquiry. The latest scandal is the
:05:27. > :05:32.departure of Dame Lowell. The Home Secretary has said that when she
:05:33. > :05:36.appeared before the home affairs select committee she said all the
:05:37. > :05:41.information she had was that Dame Lowell had quit because she was a
:05:42. > :05:52.long way from home and lonely. She said that she was reliant on Justice
:05:53. > :05:54.Gothard pop Best Justice Gothard's 's letter.
:05:55. > :05:59.Professor Alexis Jay is now chairing the enquiry.
:06:00. > :06:07.Letters find a way of being confident about it. Alexis Jay says
:06:08. > :06:14.she hopes to conclude the enquiry by the end of 2020 but it is for others
:06:15. > :06:17.in the house to give her thd assistants, I'm not suggesthng
:06:18. > :06:21.anything but the most thorotgh of scrutiny, but it may be that we need
:06:22. > :06:25.to give as much assistance `s we can to make sure that the new chair can
:06:26. > :06:32.do a thorough and successful job going forward. I welcome thd
:06:33. > :06:37.appointment of Professor J to take forward the enquiry. Can thd Home
:06:38. > :06:42.Secretary confirmed that thhck seams in my constituency will be `ble to
:06:43. > :06:49.share their experiences? Shd is absolutely right. Alexis Jax has the
:06:50. > :06:54.experience to be able to do the enquiry and under the truth project,
:06:55. > :07:00.we are encouraging people to come forward and speak to the enpuiry
:07:01. > :07:07.about their experience. The sole report took 12 years and look ? 90
:07:08. > :07:15.billion to report on a single incident that took place ovdr two
:07:16. > :07:19.hours. This enquiry has been given mission impossible to report on
:07:20. > :07:26.hundreds of thousands of incidents that took place over many ddcades.
:07:27. > :07:30.Isn't it time to, first that this was an escape old to recover from a
:07:31. > :07:32.political embarrassment. The Home Secretary rejected
:07:33. > :07:35.the idea that it was a MPs will get the chance to `sk
:07:36. > :07:39.further questions on Tuesday when the home affairs
:07:40. > :07:41.committee takes evidence from Professor Alexis Jay,
:07:42. > :07:44.the new chair of the enquirx. Now, no doubt Sam Allardyce has
:07:45. > :07:46.had cause to reflect on the familiar football phrase
:07:47. > :07:49.it's a funny old game. Sam Allardyce left his
:07:50. > :07:51.job as manager of the England football team last lonth
:07:52. > :07:55.after just 67 days in the job. Undercover reporters
:07:56. > :08:00.from the Daily Telegraph recorded Mr Allardyce offering advicd
:08:01. > :08:02.on how to get around Mr Allardyce who is on a ?3 million
:08:03. > :08:10.salary as England team boss remarked after his sudden exit
:08:11. > :08:13.that entrapment had won. The culture committee has bden
:08:14. > :08:26.digging into his downfall. We quite often here in Fort
:08:27. > :08:30.ballplayers giving of 110, 020% What percentage effort and
:08:31. > :08:37.commitment did Mr Allardyce give to the job in his short period of time?
:08:38. > :08:44.In the overlap period of tile I had with him I think he worked
:08:45. > :08:50.phenomenally hard. I heard he was there all the time, talking to
:08:51. > :08:56.everybody, a ball of energy. But it was clear that he was plannhng to
:08:57. > :08:59.fly off to Singapore and thd Far East between November and M`rch when
:09:00. > :09:09.England didn't have competitive games. You think that is giving 100%
:09:10. > :09:14.to the job? It is questionable that he should have been counten`ncing
:09:15. > :09:20.such activity in addition to his duties. How did that make you feel
:09:21. > :09:26.given that you were paying him 3 million per year? I think hd let us
:09:27. > :09:33.down badly. We want a managdr whose sole priority is running for the
:09:34. > :09:40.England team. You admit that wasn't his sole priority. I didn't say
:09:41. > :09:51.that. How much time do you think he should spend inspiring and lanaging
:09:52. > :10:00.the team? The majority of hhs time. Give me a percentage. 51%? H said
:10:01. > :10:05.let's take a deep breath and rather than race into coming up with a
:10:06. > :10:11.contract and candidate for the new job, let's specify exactly what a
:10:12. > :10:18.successful manager looks like. How much time he should contribtte. How
:10:19. > :10:23.much time would you like hil to contribute to managing this
:10:24. > :10:28.underperforming team? I would like all paid work to be solely hn
:10:29. > :10:37.pursuit of the job of FA manager. If you want to give free speech is for
:10:38. > :10:39.charity, I would be OK with that. If Sam had wanted to continue being
:10:40. > :10:50.England manager, would you have allowed them to? No. Did yot sack
:10:51. > :10:55.him? No. We conducted an internal investigation very quickly. Most of
:10:56. > :11:01.the time used was to get information out of the Daily Telegraph. I sat
:11:02. > :11:07.down with Sam having take all legal advice externally having looked at
:11:08. > :11:13.the facts we had. We decided on the face of it that Sam was in breach of
:11:14. > :11:17.his duties. We had some subset of the evidence that was published by
:11:18. > :11:22.the Daily Telegraph. We belheved it was enough. The things he s`id, I
:11:23. > :11:27.confronted him with them. I said, why have you done this? He said it
:11:28. > :11:32.was very foolish. A brief investigation was about half a day.
:11:33. > :11:37.There wasn't a lot to investigate. Sam and I agreed that his bdhaviour
:11:38. > :11:41.was on becoming of the manager of the England team and we agrded that
:11:42. > :11:48.it would be sensible for hil to depart. So his contract was
:11:49. > :11:57.terminated immediately? His contract was terminated by mutual consent.
:11:58. > :12:03.Was there a financial settldment? I can't tell you due to a
:12:04. > :12:08.confidentiality agreement. This is a chap who is out to make a fdw extra
:12:09. > :12:15.quid. That is it in a nutshdll. You say that you parted our muttal
:12:16. > :12:19.company. My colleagues don't see this was not gross misconduct. You
:12:20. > :12:27.said you couldn't prove that but you have paid him anyway. Mr Allardyce
:12:28. > :12:33.doesn't care now. He has got his Ukip -- his few quid and is sat on
:12:34. > :12:39.the beach now. Do you not understand how it was the people's gamd... I
:12:40. > :12:44.have worked in football for a while and I have also run a Footshe 2
:12:45. > :12:49.company and employed hundreds of thousands of people turning over
:12:50. > :12:53.tens of millions of pounds. Many times the answer I wanted to a legal
:12:54. > :12:55.problem wasn't the answer I got because we obey the laws of the
:12:56. > :12:57.land. The government has announced
:12:58. > :12:59.a ?40 million fund to prevent people from
:13:00. > :13:01.becoming homeless. Half the money will
:13:02. > :13:03.go to areas that are testing new ways to keep
:13:04. > :13:08.people off the street. Newcastle, Manchester,
:13:09. > :13:10.and Southwark in London. In the Lords, the government said
:13:11. > :13:18.it was rising to the challenge of We live in one of the richest
:13:19. > :13:23.countries in the world. Does the noble Lord agree with me th`t the
:13:24. > :13:30.increase in homelessness in recent years is a national disgracd and
:13:31. > :13:34.what assessment have they m`de of the homelessness reduction Bill
:13:35. > :13:39.which seems to me to be verx welcome and deserves cross-party support? I
:13:40. > :13:43.share the feelings that homdlessness is something we need to takd action
:13:44. > :13:49.on, he'll know it's a high priority for the Prime Minister and the
:13:50. > :13:55.government. The bill is worth serious consideration. It's gone for
:13:56. > :13:59.pre-legislative scrutiny. The government is looking at it very
:14:00. > :14:05.closely. Does the Minister Deb or the fact there are 100,000 children
:14:06. > :14:11.living in homeless accommod`tion in this country, the highest ldvel
:14:12. > :14:14.since the early 2000s? When does the government anticipates that number
:14:15. > :14:22.of homeless children will bdgin to decline? The noble Lord is right, it
:14:23. > :14:28.is a matter of concern. Young people being homeless. The governmdnt has
:14:29. > :14:33.contributed a significant alount of money to a framework, two thirds of
:14:34. > :14:38.local authorities are benefhting, ?15 million has gone into a fund
:14:39. > :14:39.helping homeless young people with complex needs.
:14:40. > :14:41.You're watching Monday in Parliament with me
:14:42. > :14:46.The government's come under fire from MPs of all parties
:14:47. > :14:49.over planned cuts to funding for community pharmacies by 12% from
:14:50. > :14:51.December but, in response to an urgent question,
:14:52. > :14:53.a health minister insisted that patients would not
:14:54. > :15:06.suffer and dismissed suggestions that 3,000 chemists could close
:15:07. > :15:14.Community pharmacies and thd cuts do them are a force economy to the NHS.
:15:15. > :15:23.It can only add further pressures to our already overstretched A and GP
:15:24. > :15:28.surgeries. What is the ministerial assessment to the consequent on the
:15:29. > :15:36.NHS to the cuts? We agree that the pharmacy sector is vital. A vital
:15:37. > :15:41.sector which has as many as a dozen pharmacies within half a mile of
:15:42. > :15:46.each other. That is not an hsolated occurrence. Each one of those
:15:47. > :15:50.receives ?25,000 per annum of money and it's our job as the govdrnment
:15:51. > :15:55.to ensure that money couldn't be better spent in other parts of the
:15:56. > :15:59.national health service. Thdre is great concern about these proposals
:16:00. > :16:04.because if there's ever an `rgument to increase the role of pharmacies
:16:05. > :16:10.it is now. They perform it hugely powerful job in making sure people
:16:11. > :16:15.don't go and bother their GPs and A because many of the matters they
:16:16. > :16:21.can deal with, they are best dealt with because they are a minor
:16:22. > :16:27.nature. There's been an increase of nearly 20 -- 20% in the last decade
:16:28. > :16:32.of numbers of locations. Thdy each get ?25,000 per annum just for being
:16:33. > :16:37.open and being a pharmacist. One of the consequences is a great deal of
:16:38. > :16:41.clustering. 40% of all pharlacies are within half a mile of three
:16:42. > :16:48.other pharmacies. It's right for the government to look at it. Hhs
:16:49. > :16:51.predecessor sought up to 3000 pharmacies closing. Is it hhs
:16:52. > :16:56.judgment and if not can he tell us how many pharmacies he thinks will
:16:57. > :17:00.close and how many in deprived areas? We don't believe it will be
:17:01. > :17:06.anything like that many. Thdre may be... There are some areas hn which
:17:07. > :17:13.there are ten or 11 pharmaches within half a mile of each other.
:17:14. > :17:19.Leicester, Birmingham. We c`n talk more about this. It's quite possible
:17:20. > :17:26.that at the end of this revhew, some of those will merge. If that
:17:27. > :17:31.happens, Mr Speaker, that does not mean provision has got less. We
:17:32. > :17:36.don't believe patient provision will suffer. Pharmacists are afr`id this
:17:37. > :17:40.will be cut and see who survives. If it is felt there are too many
:17:41. > :17:46.pharmacies in one place, thhs needs to be done in a planned way or it
:17:47. > :17:50.will be the rural and deprived areas who end up without. My constituents
:17:51. > :17:55.value pharmacies. How many will he be cutting and how far does he
:17:56. > :18:01.expect people to travel? We`r sensible savings can be madd, it's
:18:02. > :18:05.like they should be explored. At a time where increasingly people in
:18:06. > :18:08.Cheltenham are turning to expert pharmacists for minor support, can
:18:09. > :18:14.the minister is surely no changes will take place which will tndermine
:18:15. > :18:20.that welcome trend towards going to pharmacies and not GPs? As H've
:18:21. > :18:26.already said, that is our intention and our belief is the package in its
:18:27. > :18:33.entirety that we will be announcing shortly will enhance the role of
:18:34. > :18:39.pharmacies in providing services. An award-winning pharmacist in my
:18:40. > :18:43.constituency estimates one hn four pharmacies in the borough whll be
:18:44. > :18:47.closed and they will predomhnantly be independent, not brutes or
:18:48. > :18:52.Superdrug. We do not believd any reductions will be skewed towards
:18:53. > :18:59.the independent sector, nor do we believe that the position of the
:19:00. > :19:04.sector overrides our duty to look at clustering and to make sure that the
:19:05. > :19:08.money we spend in this sector, .8 billion, is money that is most
:19:09. > :19:10.effectively spent and can't be spent better in other parts of thd NHS.
:19:11. > :19:12.Now, the government wants to encourage
:19:13. > :19:15.more people to put money ashde in savings and to that end ht's
:19:16. > :19:21.It introduces a lifetime IS@ under which contributions made by anyone
:19:22. > :19:23.under 40 would qualify for a 25% government bonus.
:19:24. > :19:26.There will also be a help to save scheme which is aimed
:19:27. > :19:31.at people with lower incomes who are just about managing.
:19:32. > :19:38.We want people in this country to have all the tools at their disposal
:19:39. > :19:42.to save money in a way that works for them. We want to make it easier
:19:43. > :19:45.for everyone to build up thd savings they need to meet their ambhtions
:19:46. > :19:46.and to feel secure in their finances.
:19:47. > :19:48.She said around three million households had no savings
:19:49. > :19:57.This is not a nice position for anyone to be in, to have no
:19:58. > :20:01.financial safety net in place. To know that if you lose your job, you
:20:02. > :20:02.barely got enough money to pay next month rent.
:20:03. > :20:04.But Labour said the governmdnt had to understand why
:20:05. > :20:13.I therefore ask the Minister to examine very carefully the reasons
:20:14. > :20:19.why many people are not savhng at all. Is it because they are
:20:20. > :20:23.splashing out cash on fancy cars and extravagant purchases? Or is it in
:20:24. > :20:28.fact because wages are too low and the cost of living is too hhgh to
:20:29. > :20:32.get through the month in sole cases? Never mind have a bit of sp`re cash
:20:33. > :20:33.at the end to book into a s`vings plan.
:20:34. > :20:35.Staying with money matters, the Prime Minister
:20:36. > :20:38.has been urged to recognise her sisterhood with a group of women
:20:39. > :20:41.born in the 1950s who are sdeking financial relief over changds to
:20:42. > :20:43.A petition containing thousands of signatures
:20:44. > :20:48.was presented to Parliament last week.
:20:49. > :20:51.They are having to wait longer than they expected
:20:52. > :20:59.because of increases in the pension age for their money.
:21:00. > :21:05.Will the minister now acknowledge that these women have been subject
:21:06. > :21:10.to a grave injustice and th`t now is the time for this government to
:21:11. > :21:17.introduce appropriate transhtional payments for the women most affected
:21:18. > :21:22.by the pension changes? I c`n only reiterate to the honourable lady
:21:23. > :21:24.what's been said many times before. The government has made transitional
:21:25. > :21:31.arrangements that came to more than ?1 billion. The lady is chuntering
:21:32. > :21:35.at me from a sedentary position I couldn't hear. I'll will trx to
:21:36. > :21:38.imagine what she was saying. The government has made a transhtion
:21:39. > :21:43.arrangement and no further loves will be made to assist thesd women,
:21:44. > :21:51.all of whom will be benefithng in time from the significant increase
:21:52. > :21:55.in the state pension age. There are shocking reports of women affected
:21:56. > :22:01.by these changes brought in last April being left destitute. Many of
:22:02. > :22:04.them who have been on low p`y all their lives where occupational
:22:05. > :22:08.pension schemes were not opdn to them or have taken on caring
:22:09. > :22:12.responsibilities, saving thhs country lots of money. What
:22:13. > :22:16.immediate measures will the government take to address this
:22:17. > :22:21.appalling situation and put these wrongs right? For those womdn, or
:22:22. > :22:25.indeed for those men, under the state pension age who are in a
:22:26. > :22:32.position of destitution that the honourable lady has mentiondd, there
:22:33. > :22:35.are very comprehensive benefit systems which I'm sure she's aware
:22:36. > :22:42.they are fully entitled to. I'd like to pay tribute to the -- to Rosemary
:22:43. > :22:47.Jordan. The Minister is better than the answers he's just given. These
:22:48. > :22:50.women are being badly affected. The Prime Minister has given a
:22:51. > :22:55.commitment to this nation to look after those people who are just an
:22:56. > :23:00.ageing. The women I've seen eye surgery are just managing bdcause of
:23:01. > :23:04.these pension changes. The transition arrangements madd in 2011
:23:05. > :23:09.are not good enough, go back to the department and improve the offer. As
:23:10. > :23:13.the honourable gentleman is aware, I've said many times on this bench
:23:14. > :23:18.that transitional arrangements that have taken place at more th`n ?
:23:19. > :23:22.billion, there are arrangemdnts in place for those people wherd there
:23:23. > :23:29.is destitution. It becomes ` question of public money spdnt. The
:23:30. > :23:33.pensions at the moment are costing ?89 billion per year on new state
:23:34. > :23:40.pensions, plus pension credht and everything else and there is no
:23:41. > :23:44.further money available. I'l very surprised their Arnaud Mela is
:23:45. > :23:49.opposite who want to ask qudstions on this topic. The Prime Minister
:23:50. > :23:54.celebrated her own 60th birthday this month, making her part of the
:23:55. > :23:59.sisterhood of 1950s born wolen who have been shabbily treated by her
:24:00. > :24:05.predecessor's government. There have been mass petitions and we've heard
:24:06. > :24:07.of the amazing change of mind by two previous pension ministers
:24:08. > :24:13.acknowledging the whole thing was wrong and a mess. I know thd Prime
:24:14. > :24:23.Minister, unlike other membdrs of this special sisterhood, probably
:24:24. > :24:26.won't need to rely on a state pension. Will the Minister `ppealed
:24:27. > :24:28.to his boss to use the power she has and compensate some of the lost
:24:29. > :24:31.needy women and our society? I find it very strange that the honourable
:24:32. > :24:34.gentleman and his party werd here when the act of Parliament was
:24:35. > :24:40.passed in 2011, the pensions act was in place, but there was no lention
:24:41. > :24:41.whatsoever in their 2015 manifesto to try to negate this.
:24:42. > :24:43.The Work and Pensions Secretary was drawn into
:24:44. > :24:51.The Minister will be aware that the SNP commissioned independent
:24:52. > :24:57.research that found the govdrnment's figures are wrong and inste`d of the
:24:58. > :25:01.30 billion, mitigation would be 8 billion. We know there's a surplus
:25:02. > :25:06.in the national Insurance ftnd. Why doesn't he now do the right thing
:25:07. > :25:13.and make sure these women gdt mitigation? Since the Scotthsh
:25:14. > :25:18.Government has the powers to pay benefits. It can create new
:25:19. > :25:23.benefits, it can top up resdrve benefits. I think the days where
:25:24. > :25:28.this chamber is just a relaxing place for the SNP to come and whinge
:25:29. > :25:32.on no longer true. They control a government which has the power to do
:25:33. > :25:34.something about this and put its money where their mouths ard.
:25:35. > :25:36.Some verbal sparring from the SNP dare to bring
:25:37. > :25:38.as to the end of Monday in Parliament.
:25:39. > :25:42.Alysia McCarthy will be here for the rest of the wedk but,