24/04/2017 Monday in Parliament

Hello and welcome to the programme. Coming up The government's

challenged over its plans to delay its proposals

Should children be able to take their books

And with Parliament due to come to an end this week so MPs can hit

a Lords minister is gearing up for a busy time.

When all the MPs disappear to try and get re-elected, it is the Lords

The Environment Secretary, says the Government will publish

draft plans to tackle air pollution on 30th June,

The courts had given ministers until 4pm to set out measures

to combat illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution.

On Friday the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

lodged an application with the High Court

to postpone publication of its draft clean air plan

It argued the move was necessary to comply with

election "purdah" rules limiting government announcements

with political implications during the election period.

Answering an urgent question in the Commons,

the Environment Secretary said significant progress

on air quality had been made since 2010, but...

Due to the failure of Euro vehicle

emissions standards to deliver the expected improvements in air

quality, the UK is among 17 European countries, including France and

Germany, who are not yet meeting EU emissions targets for nitrogen

dioxide in parts of some of our towns and cities.

We are taking strong action to remedy that.

My department, since last November, has

been working jointly with the Department for Transport to update

the government's national air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide.

We have updated the analytical base for the plan to reflect new

evidence, following the VW scandal, and the failure of the EU regulatory

regime to deliver the improvements expected on emissions. The plan

adapts to these new circumstances by setting out a framework for action.

But the new plan had been postponed

in line with longstanding guidance and convention.

The propriety and ethics team in Cabinet Office had told us that it

would not be appropriate to launch the consultation and publish the air

So the government has therefore applied

to the High Court for a short extension of the deadline, to

publishing the National air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide. So that

the government can comply with pre-election propriety rules. So

the government is seeking to publish a draft plan by the 30th of June and

live in areas with illegal air pollution.

2000 schools and nurseries are close to roads with

damaging levels of fumes and NHS estimates are that poor air quality

contributes to 40,000 premature deaths every year.

The situation has gone from bad to worse on this government's watch.

And it has now escalated into what the Defra committee calls

a public health emergency.

It is unacceptable to hide behind the election to delay

Cabinet Office rules are clear that purdah is not

an excuse to delay acting on vital public health matters.

Once the UK leaves the EU, the Commission are no longer able to

levy fines on the UK Government for failing to act with due speed on the

premature deaths of 40,000 people a year, caused by toxic air.

Who does the government expect will be

levying fines, initiating cases against the government

I agree with the honourable gentleman again that this is a very

significant and serious issue, and I find it rather distasteful

that he would suggest the only reason we might be motivated

as a government to deal with this is because of the threat of EU fines.

We absolutely intend to deal with the issues,

to make sure that the air is cleaner for the people

of our country and to ensure that we are the generation that

leaves our environment in a better state than we found it.

Can I encourage her to look at the article in this week's

British Medical Journal which clearly sets out the growing

evidence to the benefits of active commuting,

particularly travelling by bicycle and to encourage us

She has been dragged to the House to make this statement.

She has been putting off major decisions right

across the future of her department on all those important issues.

Can I put the record straight, just on the fact,

my constituents won't understand, where children are being poisoned

now, where pregnant women are being poisoned, now,

pedestrians and cyclists are being poisoned and she is bringing some

obscure mention about purdah to stop us doing something about it.

Can I remind her that it is two years since we knew that Volkswagen

had the scandal which broke and she has been here for two years

What this government did was to lead the EU in sorting out emissions

calculations to make sure that they were accurate, so, a few years ago,

the EU assessment and the VW cheating and the wrong-headed

emissions assessments were just that, they were wrong. Subsequently,

led by this government, we have pressed for better calculations and

assessments. We have been working extremely hard to get our plans

ready, and this is a very short the peril to deal with propriety rules.

We will be publishing our plan as soon as possible after the general

election. MPs have approved legislation that

allows for fresh Assembly elections in Northern Ireland to be deferred

until the end of June. The Government has said it hopes

the move will allow an agreement to be reached on the creation

of a new power-sharing Executive following the latest

Assembly election in March. Talks on setting up a body

stalled before Easter. avoiding the need for direct

rule or fresh elections. The Northern Ireland Secretary said

talks were continuing. The restoration of devolved

government remains achievable This will require more time and more

focused engagement by the parties on the critical issues that remain,

building on the discussions over the The bill before this house today

would provide the space and the opportunities

for the parties to do just that. We will remove the present legal

barriers so that the Assembly can meet and an Executive can be formed

at any point from Royal assent to the 29th of June, three weeks

after the general election. We recognise that there will be

focus on the general election. That is why the bill provides

parties with the scope and space to continue discussions to resolve

the outstanding issues while providing a period

of reflection for the new government if a deal still does

not prove possible. To be absolutely clear about this,

is the Secretary of State stating to the House today from the dispatch

box that the choice is very clear, and by putting in place the points

he has made about appropriations, the groundwork has been laid

for direct rule if that is required? I don't want in any way to prejudge

the outcome of the coming weeks. I earnestly hope and believe

and want to see devolved government That is what is profoundly

in the best interests of Northern Ireland,

seeing that local decision making. I think the strong message should

come across this House of wanting to see that into position

at the earliest The Shadow Northern Ireland

Secretary backed legislation and called for an inquiry into the

renewable energy scheme that brought the Zeca div down. -- the Zeca div

down. -- the executive. We need to see parties trust

each other and move away I say this to Sinn Fein

clearly from this box, drop your demand for the DUP

to stand aside while She has given assurances

that she will fully cooperate with the inquiry,

she will accept its outcomes and she won't hinder

its progress in any way. That would be a huge step

in the direction of building the trust and confidence that

allowed sworn enemies to govern in People feel that they need and

deserve answers. I have met many unionists who are horrified by the

events around that situation. I will leave it at that. Clouds of

confusion and poking each other in the IE only makes things worse. I

say to the Secretary of State that it is vital that no stone is left

unturned until devolution is restored in Northern Ireland. For me

as a supporter of the visa process going forward, I am left now with a

very serious doubt in my mind about whether Sinn Fein really want to be

in government at all. And I am left with a very serious doubt in my mind

about the work ability of the mandatory coalition model, as a

basis for government, giving, as it does, Madam Deputy Speaker, Sinn

Fein, a veto over the formation of government. Sinn Fein MPs don't take

their seats at Westminster so could not reply to that but another

unionist thought it was time to find a new way of doing things. We need

to find another way of working together whether it is a voluntary

coalition, if we have that, we have to make sure that we look after the

minorities, so it is not without difficulties. We could even have a

minority government if the two major parties cannot agree. We need to sit

down, all of us, and find a way forward, because I know every single

person sitting here wants solutions and can work together and yet, one

party that isn't here, doesn't make it easy but it doesn't mean the

other parties here are not at fault, too.

Being able to bring English Literature books

into the exam room would make testing harder, not easier,

a Labour MP has told the Education Minister.

Following a petition signed by more than 110,000 people,

the government was taken to task on closed book examinations.

Do teenagers really need to be able to recite the lines

The Chair of the Petitions Committee is herself a former English teacher.

I must confess when I saw this petition I had mixed feelings.

English is my subject, it is what I was most

interested in at school, I read English at university.

And being of the generation I am my head is stuffed full

of quotations from Shakespeare to Keats to DH Lawrence.

My colleagues here know that my party piece around this time

of year is to recite to them the opening of the general prologue

to the Canterbury Tales in middle English, which I won't inflict

The former chief regulator said in a blog, "Assessment

is about learning and understanding, not memory."

Now, I would be convinced by that were in not for one thing.

In literature the exact words are important.

A great writer chooses words with precision and an approximation

of what they have said need not have the same force or convey

I think the minister is perhaps old enough like me to perhaps

remember the old Morecambe and Wise sketch where Shakespeare is writing

rubbish and the milkman keeps coming in and helping him.

So Shakespeare writes, "It's very cold, I said to Yorkie."

And the milkman suggests how about, "Now is the winter

I also think that open book exams can actually ask more testing

questions and can do what the government says it wants

to do, that is ensure that the brightest pupils are able

So there is in fact I think a case for both kinds of examination.

The government should think very seriously about part, at least,

of English literature exams in future being done

There is a popular quote that says life depends on science,

Well, English literature is not an exact science and it makes no

sense to test it in a way which basically amounts

Many universities do not examine their literature students

in this way because they know that rote learning is not a sign

It is robust analysis and understanding that counts

and what undergraduates are rightly tested on, so why on earth do we

The Schools Minister, Nick Gibb, said there was no expectation that

students would have to memorise large amounts of text.

I'd like to reassure the honourable member,

all honourable members of this chamber, that this is not the case.

Pupils do not have to reproduce word for word what they have read

The examination is not about testing pupils' ability to recall portions

of the text that they have read, but it is a test of how well

they understand and can interpret the literature

And the minister said there were circumstances

where having a text to hand might encourage a student

If pupils have a good understanding of the text prior to the assessment,

there is a risk that they might spend significant portions

of the exam searching for references in the mistaken belief that this

Again unless the text is provided, the mark schemes for the reformed

qualifications do not expect extensive quotes from memory.

You're watching Monday in Parliament with me Alicia McCarthy.

The Communities Secretary has warned Labour not to play politics

The exchange was part of an often bad tempered question time

in the Commons which also saw the Conservatives accused of being

The scale of rough sleeping homelessness in Britain

And in a country as decent and as well off as ours

But the level has more than doubled since 2010,

directly as a result of the decisions that Conservative

Mr Speaker, there are very few simple rules

With a Labour government homelessness falls.

And on June the 8th people will ask themselves,

I know the honourable gentleman, he cares deeply about this issue,

as we do on this side of the House and he shouldn't play

This, Mr Speaker, is a very serious issue that unites

We all want to see an end to rough sleeping, but the honourable

gentleman knows as well as I do that the causes of rough

sleeping are complex, they are not just economic.

There are mental health problems, there are addiction

problems and the honourable gentleman knows that.

And we do have lessons to learn from abroad,

but I am sure if he works with us, if we work together,

we can all unite in helping rough sleepers for good.

Then Labour questioned the Government's record on cracking

If he actually cares about private tenants,

why is this minister blocking borough wide, private

Is his party still the slum landlords' friend?

Mr Speaker, the suggestion that members on this side of the House

don't care about these issues is as ridiculous as it is insulting.

The work of labour councils that the Shadow Minister refers

to is being funded by funding from this government.

He is factually wrong to suggest that this government is blocking

I can also point out to him the many reforms we are introducing

like banning letting agent fees, assisting client management

protection, reforms that when the Shadow Housing Minister

was running this department were not in place.

This is expected to be the last week that Parliament will sit before

From next week politicians will be in full on campaigning mode.

The election on June the 8th caught Westminster watchers by surprise

when it was announced by Theresa May last week and comes as the UK gears

Can he tell us what assessment the government has made

about the amount of Parliamentary time that will be lost thanks

to having a general election and whether that can be added

in so there is adequate Parliamentary scrutiny

of the negotiations, given that the limit

for negotiations is two years and we are going to lose

I can assure the noble Baroness and all your noble lordships

that there will be ample time I am sure for a debate about the matters

before us, not just over the months to come after the general election,

I am sure everyone is looking forward to it.

As regards the actual time lost, let me just draw the noble

Baroness's attention to the fact that my understanding is, my Lords,

that the General Affairs Council will not adopt the commission's

draft negotiating guidelines until May the 22nd at the earliest

and therefore political negotiations would not begin before

And as the commission has said, those negotiations will now begin

after the general election on June the 8th.

Isn't the deeper problem that the Eurocrats are much more

interested in keeping their sinking project of European integration

afloat because it pays them so well than they are in meeting the needs

of the real people of Europe which are much the same as ours?

Well, the noble lord has his own unique way of saying

My lords, it is in all our interests on this side of the channel

and right across Europe to ensure that the withdrawal negotiations

are to our interests and to Europe's interests and to ensure

that our exit is smooth and orderly and that we continue to trade

with our European partners as we have done for

I think that is the overriding intention and it is good to see that

so many of our European partners are saying similar

On the subject of making the best use of Parliamentary time wouldn't

it be a good start after the general election if every party

in this house accepted the results of the referendum?

That will be a very good thing, my lords, and it would be a very

good thing as the Prime Minister has said that this party on our side

of the House will be searching for a clear approach to those

negotiations to ensure that we get the very best deal for this country

Would the noble lord Minister care to confirm as he had in the past

that accepting the results of the referendum does

not have to imply not scrutinising what comes after?

I have absolutely said many times before, and I have enjoyed

the debates we have had in this house, that clearly this place,

this house and the other place will obviously have a considerable

role to play as we leave the EU in scrutinising the government's

proposals and the way ahead and indeed obviously

in the significant pieces of legislation, not least

the Great Repeal Bill that Parliament will be asked to pass.

Now, rightly or wrongly gardening is often thought of as a pursuit

to be taken up in later life, but in the Lords one children's

campaigner thought it could have real benefits for youngsters too.

TV presenter and Liberal Democrat Peer Lady Benjamin

is an ambassador for the Royal Horticultural

Numerous reports have shown that children as young as four

are suffering from depression and anxiety and research proves that

gardening is not only therapeutic for them,

it helps them and gives them a sense of continuity,

a responsibility and understanding of food production and helps them

with subjects across the curriculum, even a career in horticulture.

So will the government work with the RHS Schools Gardening Campaign

to deliver gardening opportunities to schools across the country

and urge Ofsted to take this provision into account

Well, the noble lady is quite right about the therapeutic benefits

I know that the RHS, to which I pay tribute

to her ambassadorship, it does a great campaign

in schools for this, their campaign has over 32,000

schools and organisations, including 68% of primaries and 78%

of secondaries engaged, reaching 6 million children.

As far as Ofsted is concerned we don't want to load Ofsted up

with too many specific, narrow requirements,

but as part of school inspections, inspectors consider the breadth

and depth of the school curriculum and its impact on its children

and where the school's use of outdoor space is

having a positive impact inspectors will know this.

They also expect schools to provide rich and varied extracurricular

activities which may well include gardening.

Now that the Minister has had a windfall of time land in his diary

over the next few weeks, can I ask him whether or not

he will find time to dig through the weeds of the school

funding formula to see whether or not head teachers

would have enough resources for school gardens and then perhaps

the seeds of doubt will sprout that the line he is about to give us

about the school funding formula wears a little thin?

I am most impressed with the noble lord's ability to weave into this

question something that might appear to be so off-piste but he will know

from his previous experience of having done my job that

when all the MPs disappear to try and get re-elected it is the Lord's

But I will attempt to come back to him with a more fulsome

Finally, tributes have been paid to Sir David Beamish,

the clerk of the Parliaments, the most senior official

in the Lords, who's retiring after more than 40

The leader of the Lords said much had changed over that time.

He leaves a very different house from the one he arrived back in

1974, not least because I wasn't born before then. He leaves a more

modern and diverse institution. He leaves the House and its

administration well equipped to handle the considerable challenges

to be phased in the coming years. I lords, Parliament and politics has

changed considerably in those years since David first step through the

doors of Parliament as a new, young clerk. The noble lady Leader of the

House has rightly paid tribute to the past he has played in

overseeing, managing and also leading change. Perhaps he took the

advice of his mastermind specialist subject Nancy Astor when she said,

the main dangers in this life I'd those people who want to change

everything or nothing. Lady Smith referring there

to the fact that away from his job at Westminster Sir David won the BBC

Quiz show mastermind in 1988 with Nancy Astor

as his specialist subject. And after those triubes,

Edward Ollard was appointed as the new clerk of the Parliaments

taking over from Sir David Beamish. And that's it from me for now,

but do join me at the same time tomorrow for another roundup

of the best of the day here at Westminster as the government

tries to get the last handful of bills passed before Parliament

dissolves for the general election. But for now from me,

Alicia McCarthy, goodbye.