:00:18. > :00:19.Hello and welcome to Monday in Parliament,
:00:20. > :00:24.Reassurance about the Government's intentions towards EU citizens
:00:25. > :00:38.No EU citizen currently in the UK lawfully will be asked to leave at
:00:39. > :00:39.the point the UK leaves the EU. We want you to stay.
:00:40. > :00:44.But Labour says this should have been settled long ago.
:00:45. > :00:49.This is not a generous offer. This is confirmation that Government is
:00:50. > :00:50.prepared to use people as bargaining chips.
:00:51. > :00:52.And hostility from many Scottish and Welsh MPs in the Commons
:00:53. > :00:59.to a ?1 billion Government deal with the Democratic Unionist Party.
:01:00. > :01:05.My first thought in saying it was that the Government had scraped the
:01:06. > :01:09.bottom of the pork barrel in reaching it. But I have to tell
:01:10. > :01:11.them, I is the suspect he will land in the months to come there is no
:01:12. > :01:13.bottom to that particular barrel. "We want you to stay,"
:01:14. > :01:16.Theresa May has told EU citizens She's making an offer as part
:01:17. > :01:20.of the EU negotiations which would allow families to remain
:01:21. > :01:23.together as long as they have Those with less than that amount
:01:24. > :01:28.of residency would be allowed Labour argue these moves should have
:01:29. > :01:33.been made a year ago, and that people are being used
:01:34. > :01:36.as bargaining chips. I know there has been some anxiety
:01:37. > :01:40.about what would happen to EU citizens at the point we leave
:01:41. > :01:45.the European Union. Today, I want to put
:01:46. > :01:48.that anxiety to rest. I want to completely reassure people
:01:49. > :01:51.that under these plans, no EU citizen currently in the UK
:01:52. > :01:54.lawfully will be asked to leave at the point the UK
:01:55. > :01:57.will leave the EU. Second, any EU citizen in the UK,
:01:58. > :02:03.with five years of continuous residence at a specified
:02:04. > :02:06.cut-off date, will be They will be treated
:02:07. > :02:11.as if they were UK citizens, for health care, education,
:02:12. > :02:15.benefits and pensions. Our obligations in the withdrawal
:02:16. > :02:23.treaty with the EU will be binding on the UK as a matter
:02:24. > :02:27.of international law. And we will incorporate commitments
:02:28. > :02:30.into UK law guaranteeing that we will stand firmly
:02:31. > :02:34.by our part of the deal. So, our offer will give those
:02:35. > :02:37.3 million EU citizens in the UK certainty about the future
:02:38. > :02:40.of their lives, and a reciprocal agreement will provide the same
:02:41. > :02:44.certainty for the more 1 million UK citizens who are living
:02:45. > :02:48.in the European Union. She wanted a landslide
:02:49. > :02:50.and she lost her majority. But the Prime Minister still insists
:02:51. > :02:59.she is the first person to get And incredibly, incredibly believes
:03:00. > :03:08.she is the best person to strike a deal with the very people she has
:03:09. > :03:11.spent the last six months The truth is, it is
:03:12. > :03:18.too little, too late. That could have been done and should
:03:19. > :03:22.have been done a year ago, when Labour put that very proposal
:03:23. > :03:26.to the House of Commons. But by making an offer only
:03:27. > :03:30.after negotiations had begun, the Prime Minister has dragged
:03:31. > :03:33.the issue of citizens and families deep into the complex and delicate
:03:34. > :03:36.negotiations of our future trade Which she herself has
:03:37. > :03:44.been willing to say, This is confirmation the Government
:03:45. > :03:53.is prepared to use people When will she honour the pledge
:03:54. > :03:59.of a united United Kingdom approach to Brexit and give Scotland a place
:04:00. > :04:04.at the table of negotiations? Has the Prime Minister
:04:05. > :04:07.costed her plans for EU nationals, which she presented to the EU 27
:04:08. > :04:10.last week, and when will the costings be laid
:04:11. > :04:13.before the House? Will she confirm that EU citizens
:04:14. > :04:16.in Scotland will not have to fill out the 85-page
:04:17. > :04:21.paper form for residency? I congratulate the Prime Minister
:04:22. > :04:24.on her policy, which will bring many benefits to the UK
:04:25. > :04:27.and the rest of the EU. Can she tell the House a little more
:04:28. > :04:30.about how far we can go in negotiating free trade agreements
:04:31. > :04:34.with non-EU countries before we leave, and when we will learn
:04:35. > :04:37.when we can spend all the money As my right honourable friend
:04:38. > :04:49.will know, one of the issues that we proposed during the election
:04:50. > :04:52.campaign was that some of the money that is returned is actually spent
:04:53. > :04:55.in a Shared Prosperity Fund here in the United Kingdom,
:04:56. > :04:58.which will be looking to deal with and remove the disparities that
:04:59. > :05:00.occur within regions and within nations and between the parts
:05:01. > :05:05.of the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister will be aware
:05:06. > :05:08.that EU citizens living and working here are particularly concerned
:05:09. > :05:13.about the status of their children. Can she confirm that
:05:14. > :05:15.a young person who has lived in Britain for four years,
:05:16. > :05:18.of EU parents, she is currently studying at a university elsewhere
:05:19. > :05:21.in the EU and will be over the age of 18 when she returns,
:05:22. > :05:25.will be able automatically to return to her parents,
:05:26. > :05:29.and will her parents be required Yes, that individual
:05:30. > :05:39.would be allowed to return Is she going to take the opportunity
:05:40. > :05:45.to make sure that EU nationals who sadly have come to this country
:05:46. > :05:48.and abused our hospitality by committing crimes,
:05:49. > :05:52.she will use the full opportunity of this to make sure they can be
:05:53. > :05:56.removed from our country? Well, my right honourable friend
:05:57. > :06:01.with one of his previous roles knows very well about the issue of those
:06:02. > :06:04.who have come to this country and abused the rights that they have
:06:05. > :06:08.been given by their criminality, and I certainly will ensure
:06:09. > :06:11.that those who are serious and persistent criminals,
:06:12. > :06:13.that we can take action The Prime Minister replying
:06:14. > :06:21.to the Conservative MP, Mark Harper. More than two weeks
:06:22. > :06:23.after the election, the Democratic Unionist Party has
:06:24. > :06:26.agreed a deal to support a minority The agreement will see
:06:27. > :06:31.Northern Ireland receive an extra ?1 billion over two years
:06:32. > :06:34.for public services. In the Commons, the two parties said
:06:35. > :06:38.it was a good deal for the UK But opponents have
:06:39. > :06:43.described it as shabby. This agreement delivers
:06:44. > :06:45.the certainty we need in the United Kingdom's national
:06:46. > :06:51.interest at this crucial time. This agreement means the DUP
:06:52. > :06:54.will support the Government in votes on the Queen's Speech,
:06:55. > :06:57.the budget and on legislation relating to our exit
:06:58. > :07:00.from the European Union It will ensure that we can govern
:07:01. > :07:07.in the national interest, strengthening and enhancing
:07:08. > :07:10.the Union, keeping our country safe, delivering prosperity
:07:11. > :07:13.for all and securing a departure from the European Union
:07:14. > :07:16.which benefits all parts Then came a harder sell
:07:17. > :07:21.for the First Secretary - explaining to a Commons filled
:07:22. > :07:24.with MPs from all parts of the United Kingdom that
:07:25. > :07:26.Northern Ireland would be getting To address immediate priorities
:07:27. > :07:31.in Northern Ireland, the UK Government will also allocate
:07:32. > :07:36.an additional ?50 million a year for two years,
:07:37. > :07:38.to enable the Executive to address And recognising the priority
:07:39. > :07:44.given by the Executive to securing a modern,
:07:45. > :07:46.sustainable Health Service in Northern Ireland,
:07:47. > :07:49.the UK Government will allocate ?100 million per year for two years
:07:50. > :07:53.to support the Northern Ireland's Executive priority in
:07:54. > :07:57.Health Service transformation. This is a shabby and reckless deal
:07:58. > :08:03.which has taken the Government And whose true cost for the future
:08:04. > :08:09.of peace in Northern Ireland The Good Friday Agreement is rightly
:08:10. > :08:16.seen across the world as a model for other countries who are seeking
:08:17. > :08:19.to end conflict. But it is also fragile,
:08:20. > :08:24.and relies above all on trust, good faith and the impartiality
:08:25. > :08:27.of the British Government. This agreement is
:08:28. > :08:31.all about the money. So let me first ask
:08:32. > :08:33.the First Secretary First, can he explain how much
:08:34. > :08:38.extra funding will be going to support infrastructure,
:08:39. > :08:42.broadband, health, education and tackling deprivation in the rest
:08:43. > :08:46.of the United Kingdom? No-one would begrudge the ?1 billion
:08:47. > :08:50.of extra support for these areas in Northern Ireland,
:08:51. > :08:55.but in Scotland, in Wales and other English regions of the UK,
:08:56. > :08:59.the needs are just as great. So when will the rest of the country
:09:00. > :09:03.be getting its share? I thank the First Secretary
:09:04. > :09:06.for advance sight of his statement. My first thought in seeing
:09:07. > :09:09.it was that the Government had scraped the bottom of
:09:10. > :09:12.the pork barrel in reaching it. I have to tell him though,
:09:13. > :09:15.I suspect, as he will learn in months to come,
:09:16. > :09:17.there probably is no bottom The Government cannot be blamed
:09:18. > :09:23.to the fact that this agreement does place in jeopardy their role under
:09:24. > :09:28.the Good Friday Agreement. And that agreement can only be
:09:29. > :09:31.secured if the Government Not just today, but every step
:09:32. > :09:37.of the way for as long It is a good agreement for
:09:38. > :09:43.the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,
:09:44. > :09:44.and it's a good agreement for all of the people
:09:45. > :09:47.of Northern Ireland. And in particular, their money
:09:48. > :09:50.for mental health and in terms of hard-to-reach areas,
:09:51. > :09:52.all of the money that's been outlined is for every section
:09:53. > :09:54.of the community This is a deal that delivers
:09:55. > :09:59.for all of the people We are very open to that, and some
:10:00. > :10:06.day, I'd like to think we might publish all the correspondence
:10:07. > :10:10.andconversations we had in 2010 publish all the correspondence
:10:11. > :10:13.and conversations we had in 2010 ..and in 2015
:10:14. > :10:18.with the Labour front bench, While the Prime Minister is busy
:10:19. > :10:26.bribing the DUP to stitch up the seams of this threadbare
:10:27. > :10:29.administration, she continues to neglect the people of Wales
:10:30. > :10:32.and treats us like third-class citizens in this so-called
:10:33. > :10:36.family of equals. Mr Speaker, my party has always
:10:37. > :10:39.been at pains to prove that the Barnett Formula is not
:10:40. > :10:43.fit for purpose. The Government's disregard for it
:10:44. > :10:46.today seems to indicate This is quite simply a pathetic,
:10:47. > :10:52.grubby little deal, demonstrating all the worst excesses
:10:53. > :10:55.of pork barrel politics. Designed to prop up a Government
:10:56. > :10:59.without a majority, and increasingly We now know that ?1.5 billion
:11:00. > :11:06.is the price that this country will have to pay to keep this
:11:07. > :11:10.shambolic Government in power. I welcome my right honourable
:11:11. > :11:13.friend's statement, and his personal commitment to ensuring
:11:14. > :11:16.that the imbalances and inequalities that exist
:11:17. > :11:19.in all parts of the United Kingdom are effectively tackled by this
:11:20. > :11:21.Government. So can he say a bit more about how
:11:22. > :11:25.the UK Prosperity Fund will be used to raise economic output
:11:26. > :11:28.in the poorest parts of United Kingdom, and could
:11:29. > :11:31.I encourage him to keep an open mind on some of the ideas that maybe
:11:32. > :11:34.Welsh colleagues of his might have The First Secretary of State,
:11:35. > :11:38.Damien Green, replied there would be many recipients
:11:39. > :11:40.of the new prosperity fund, to be set up after
:11:41. > :11:47.the UK's exit from the EU. Cladding from 75 high-rise
:11:48. > :11:50.buildings across England have failed a fire safety test,
:11:51. > :11:52.the Communities Secretary, He was briefing MPs on how
:11:53. > :11:57.the Government is supporting the victims of the Grenfell Tower
:11:58. > :12:01.tragedy and the steps being taken He announced that the Government
:12:02. > :12:08.was giving ?1 million to charities. Almost a fortnight has passed,
:12:09. > :12:13.but the shock has not subsided. I have visited Kensington
:12:14. > :12:15.and witnessed the terrible anguish And in some cases, people that have
:12:16. > :12:23.lost literally everything. I'm sure that like me,
:12:24. > :12:27.many honourable members have returned from their constituencies
:12:28. > :12:30.today with the anger and the fears of residents
:12:31. > :12:34.still ringing in their ears. An estimated 600 high-rise
:12:35. > :12:37.buildings could have similar Councils and social landlords have
:12:38. > :12:43.been asked to get samples tested. I can inform the House
:12:44. > :12:46.that as of midday today, the cladding from 75 high-rise
:12:47. > :12:49.buildings in 26 local authority areas has failed
:12:50. > :12:55.the combustibility test. The combustibility test has three
:12:56. > :12:59.categories, rated one to three. And it is judged that cladding
:13:00. > :13:03.material in category two or three does not meet the requirements
:13:04. > :13:06.for limited combustibility I can also confirm to the House
:13:07. > :13:13.that so far, on that basis, all samples of cladding
:13:14. > :13:17.tested have failed. The fact that all samples so far
:13:18. > :13:22.have failed underlines the value of the testing programme
:13:23. > :13:26.and the vital importance The testing facility can
:13:27. > :13:33.analyse 100 samples a day I am concerned about the speed at
:13:34. > :13:41.which samples are being submitted. I would urge all landlords
:13:42. > :13:46.to submit their samples immediately. The Prime Minister said
:13:47. > :13:48.in a statement last week that the Government's response,
:13:49. > :13:51.both national and local, in the early days,
:13:52. > :13:53.was not good enough. Nationally, it is
:13:54. > :13:56.still not good enough. Hundreds of residents of
:13:57. > :14:00.Grenfell Tower and their relatives are still struggling
:14:01. > :14:02.to keep their lives going And hundreds of thousands
:14:03. > :14:09.of residents in 4000 other tower blocks around the country
:14:10. > :14:12.are still wondering if their homes are safe, worried about sleeping
:14:13. > :14:16.at night and wanting to know what the Government is doing
:14:17. > :14:26.to ensure they're safe. The Minister has made a promise
:14:27. > :14:29.to rehouse all Grenfell Tower residents in the local area
:14:30. > :14:31.within three weeks. It is now nearly
:14:32. > :14:33.a fortnight since the fire. How many people are
:14:34. > :14:35.covered by this pledge? And two weeks on, is it correct
:14:36. > :14:38.that 370 households are still With some of the families,
:14:39. > :14:52.they actually, they doubt it when we say at the first
:14:53. > :14:56.I met one family on Friday in the Westway Centre, where,
:14:57. > :14:59.perfectly understandably, they said to me, how do I know
:15:00. > :15:03.How do I know you're not just going to leave me there
:15:04. > :15:05.and not find me better quality, more suitable,
:15:06. > :15:10.And when I probed that a bit further, the family told me
:15:11. > :15:14.that they had been told when they first moved
:15:15. > :15:16.into Grenfell Tower that that would be temporary accommodation.
:15:17. > :15:18.17 years later, they were still there.
:15:19. > :15:21.Mr Speaker, the most worrying thing in the Secretary of State's
:15:22. > :15:24.statement from my point of view was where he said that
:15:25. > :15:28.all the examples of cladding so far had not met the requirements
:15:29. > :15:30.in the building regulations, but had clearly been
:15:31. > :15:35.Can I urge him to make that the first thing
:15:36. > :15:38.that he asks his independent expert advisory panel to look at?
:15:39. > :15:41.Because it seems to me that if we have got widespread
:15:42. > :15:43.noncompliance with existing building regulations, that seems to me
:15:44. > :15:48.the most urgent thing that we need to deal with,
:15:49. > :15:51.to prevent a re-occurrence of this tragedy elsewhere in the country.
:15:52. > :15:54.I've heard this morning, shockingly, that people who have concerns
:15:55. > :15:56.about their immigration status or lack of documentation
:15:57. > :16:01.are still not coming forward, and sleeping rough, and some have
:16:02. > :16:04.been told that they may not be eligible for housing and medical
:16:05. > :16:15.services and may be reported to the Home Office.
:16:16. > :16:17.We have already made it clear that anyone coming forward,
:16:18. > :16:20.any information that they provide to either the Government
:16:21. > :16:22.will local government, will not be used for any kind
:16:23. > :16:26.It has been put in a letter that has been given to every family
:16:27. > :16:29.Several MPs questioned the Communities Secretary
:16:30. > :16:33.The Treasury Contingency Fund exists exactly to provide funding
:16:34. > :16:39.So can I ask the Secretary of State what conversations has he had
:16:40. > :16:43.with the Chancellor about releasing money to ensure that all remedial
:16:44. > :16:48.work and accommodation on an emergency basis is funded
:16:49. > :16:56.directly by central government, the local authorities
:16:57. > :16:59.Mr Speaker, the conversations I've had with the Chancellor reflect
:17:00. > :17:01.what I have said at this dispatch box today.
:17:02. > :17:03.For any necessary works, for any local authority
:17:04. > :17:05.or housing association, if they need funding help,
:17:06. > :17:09.The Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid.
:17:10. > :17:11.You're watching Monday in Parliament.
:17:12. > :17:15.The Prime Minister has laid out plans which she says will provide
:17:16. > :17:23.security for EU citizens living in the UK.
:17:24. > :17:25.Back to the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, which was also
:17:26. > :17:29.A south London councillor and vice president of
:17:30. > :17:32.the Local Government Association said there should be
:17:33. > :17:34.a change in attitude towards safety legislation.
:17:35. > :17:38.Lessons have to be learned, and things have to change.
:17:39. > :17:43.I hope we never again hear the nonsense we've heard
:17:44. > :17:52.about red tape and health and safety regulations.
:17:53. > :17:54.It is clear that rather than being too much regulation,
:17:55. > :17:56.there has, in this case, been a catastrophic failure.
:17:57. > :17:59.Regulations are either not good enough or not applied
:18:00. > :18:04.Another vice president of the LGA asked who would be footing the bill
:18:05. > :18:08.If there are 600 tower blocks, numerous schools,
:18:09. > :18:13.some hospitals and so on who have fulfilled the building
:18:14. > :18:18.requirements of the building regulations, but latterly have
:18:19. > :18:27.discovered that the material is combustible, who is going to pay?
:18:28. > :18:29.Who is going to fund the enormous costs of
:18:30. > :18:33.There is utter confusion at the moment, not just in terms
:18:34. > :18:36.of residents and tenants, but those in the construction
:18:37. > :18:41.industry about what will now be deemed safe because of the seeming
:18:42. > :18:45.contradiction between the building regulations and the combustible
:18:46. > :18:48.test that the Government are carrying out.
:18:49. > :18:51.Could I ask, where does the industry now go for a definitive
:18:52. > :18:59.The Prime Minister's statement on her trip to Brussels was not
:19:00. > :19:01.the only opportunity for Brexit-based
:19:02. > :19:06.The subject for day three of the Queen's Speech debate
:19:07. > :19:10.One MP asked the Brexit Secretary about suggestions that EU nationals
:19:11. > :19:14.living here would have to carry ID cards.
:19:15. > :19:19.Of course, what we're talking about here is documentation to
:19:20. > :19:22.prove that you've got the right to a job, right of residency,
:19:23. > :19:26.You don't have to carry that around all the time,
:19:27. > :19:29.That's rather like your birth certificate, not an ID
:19:30. > :19:33.Every part of the United Kingdom needs to prepare its statute book
:19:34. > :19:35.and ensure it functions after we leave the European Union.
:19:36. > :19:40.The Repeal Bell will give the devolved administrations
:19:41. > :19:44.the power to do just that and ensure a smooth and orderly exit for all.
:19:45. > :19:46.As we've also said repeatedly, we expect there will be significant
:19:47. > :19:48.increase in the decision-making power of each devolved
:19:49. > :19:56.He probably wants to wait two seconds before he intervenes.
:19:57. > :20:00.That's why, given that this Bill affects the powers of devolved
:20:01. > :20:03.institutions and legislates in devolved areas, we will seek
:20:04. > :20:07.the consent of the devolved legislatures for the Bill.
:20:08. > :20:11.We would like everyone to come together in support of this
:20:12. > :20:13.legislation, which is crucial in delivering
:20:14. > :20:22.Not membership of the EU, that was decided last year.
:20:23. > :20:25.But a full and meaningful for partnership with the EU, based
:20:26. > :20:30.I think the Foreign Secretary doesn't understand,
:20:31. > :20:36.This is particularly pertinent, I feel, for the Foreign Secretary.
:20:37. > :20:43.Anyone who's been backwards and forwards to Brussels knows very
:20:44. > :20:45.well how badly some of the Foreign Secretary's comments
:20:46. > :20:49.This is about building the environment in which we can get
:20:50. > :20:56.the best deal from our country, which is in the interests
:20:57. > :20:59.I would request him to change his tone and approach to something
:21:00. > :21:03.Brexit is an opportunity for our country to grasp,
:21:04. > :21:09.And to look behind what the British people voted for last year
:21:10. > :21:17.One of the biggest risks, Mr Deputy Speaker, to these
:21:18. > :21:25.The failure to realise the risks and complexity of the negotiations
:21:26. > :21:30.And it's quite right, quite right for the Opposition,
:21:31. > :21:34.to challenge the Government at every twist and turn to ensure
:21:35. > :21:38.that these negotiations go as well as they possibly can.
:21:39. > :21:42.Of course, it is realistic to imagine we will not get
:21:43. > :21:45.a comprehensive trade agreement with the EU at the time
:21:46. > :21:51.that we leave, and that interim arrangements will persist under
:21:52. > :21:53.WTO rules, which may well be zero-tariff rules.
:21:54. > :21:56.But you have to believe that the EU is seriously insane
:21:57. > :22:01.if they want to ground all flights between the UK and the EU,
:22:02. > :22:04.if they refuse to do the products and standards arrangements
:22:05. > :22:07.that they have with 100 or more other countries, whether or not
:22:08. > :22:14.But they're going to check every Mini being exported to the EU
:22:15. > :22:18.to check and see if it's a car and fits the definition of the EU's
:22:19. > :22:21.Does he really think that the EU is so insane that it
:22:22. > :22:26.Mr Speaker, this mischaracterisation of the point I'm making
:22:27. > :22:34.If we don't have a lawful basis for these these
:22:35. > :22:36.activities in the UK, then we don't have the
:22:37. > :22:43.It is no good talking up a no deal as if it's a viable, tenable option.
:22:44. > :22:47.There is an acceptance of the result, and almost a resignation -
:22:48. > :22:52.it's not an agreement, it's no welcome, especially from
:22:53. > :22:55.those members in my constituency, people who run their own businesses,
:22:56. > :22:57.they didn't welcome the result, they don't welcome the fact that
:22:58. > :23:00.we're leaving the European Union, but they have accepted
:23:01. > :23:02.the referendum result and their message and their plea
:23:03. > :23:07.now is for us to come together and get the best deal that we can
:23:08. > :23:13.And that is why I'm so pleased that already we're seeing
:23:14. > :23:16.changes in the approach, and many other honourable
:23:17. > :23:18.and right honourable members have expressed that.
:23:19. > :23:21.And I do repeat much of what was said, actually,
:23:22. > :23:24.from the front bench about the need to change the tone.
:23:25. > :23:28.My own front bench has to wake up and understand that
:23:29. > :23:34.No tariffs, frictionless trade and the best possible access to but not
:23:35. > :23:37.membership of the single market - isn't it the truth that there
:23:38. > :23:40.is vanishingly little difference to win the strategic priorities
:23:41. > :23:45.And does he agree with me that it would help our constituents,
:23:46. > :23:48.and indeed our negotiators, if all parties were to make that clear?
:23:49. > :23:51.Plans to change the boundaries for MPs are dead in the water
:23:52. > :23:55.a Labour peer has claimed, and no further money
:23:56. > :24:02.A review of boundaries, which would reduce the number
:24:03. > :24:05.of MPs from 650 to 600, was first laid out during
:24:06. > :24:09.Asked in the Lords, a Government front bench spokesman said the final
:24:10. > :24:11.proposals for new boundaries would be submitted in autumn
:24:12. > :24:13.2018 and there were no plans to change that.
:24:14. > :24:15.Following laws already passed by Parliament,
:24:16. > :24:18.the Independent Boundary Commissions are consulting on their proposals
:24:19. > :24:23.And they will submit their final proposals to Parliament in
:24:24. > :24:27.autumn 2018, ensuring a fair and equal representation for the
:24:28. > :24:32.We have no plans to change this process.
:24:33. > :24:36.My Lords, millions of peoples have been registered to vote,
:24:37. > :24:40.but not taken into account for the present
:24:41. > :24:45.Will the noble lord commit the Government
:24:46. > :24:51.Would he like to comment on the general opinion
:24:52. > :24:54.that the present boundary review is, in fact, dead in the water,
:24:55. > :24:58.And that any review approved by Parliament will be
:24:59. > :25:01.on the basis of 650 seats in the House of Commons?
:25:02. > :25:03.And if that is the real intention of the Government,
:25:04. > :25:06.they should say so quickly and stop wasting any more public
:25:07. > :25:08.money on a review that will not be approved?
:25:09. > :25:11.My Lords, the country has already fought two general
:25:12. > :25:15.elections on out-of-date boundaries, for reasons that
:25:16. > :25:20.If we follow the suggestion of the noble lord and started again
:25:21. > :25:23.with a new register, there is a risk of a
:25:24. > :25:32...based on boundaries that were set in place in the year 2000.
:25:33. > :25:34.That would be an affront to democracy.
:25:35. > :25:38.We're back at the same time tomorrow.
:25:39. > :25:41.Until then, from me, Joanna Shinn, goodbye.