:00:00. > :00:00.Now on BBC News, it's time for Monday in Parliament.
:00:00. > :00:21.Hello, and welcome to Monday in Parliament.
:00:22. > :00:25.There's an extra ?1.3 billion for schools in England.
:00:26. > :00:28.Labour says the Government is in retreat, but the Education Secretary
:00:29. > :00:47.Fury over the Government's decision on where to route
:00:48. > :01:03.These constituencies are going to be demolished, and roads are going to
:01:04. > :01:06.go straight to a development that is only just taking place.
:01:07. > :01:08.And a debate about parliamentary debate.
:01:09. > :01:11.Opposition parties say the Government is stifling democracy.
:01:12. > :01:16.This is what happens when you do nothing, bad stuff happens. This is
:01:17. > :01:18.a government at war with itself. But first, education in England
:01:19. > :01:21.was thought to be a big issue on the doorstep
:01:22. > :01:25.during the general election. The Government announced recently
:01:26. > :01:28.that it will not be scrapping free school lunches for four
:01:29. > :01:31.to seven year olds. Now, the Education Secretary has
:01:32. > :01:33.announced an extra ?1.3 billion Labour said the money -
:01:34. > :01:37.to be found out of existing education budgets -
:01:38. > :01:40.was no more than a sticking plaster. We recognise that at the election,
:01:41. > :01:42.people were concerned about the overall level of funding
:01:43. > :01:45.in schools as well And as the Prime Minister has said,
:01:46. > :01:53.we are determined to listen. So that is why today,
:01:54. > :01:56.I am confirming our plans to get on with introducing a national
:01:57. > :01:59.funding formula in 2018-19, and I can announce that this
:02:00. > :02:02.will additionally now be supported by significant extra investment
:02:03. > :02:05.into the core schools budget over... There will therefore be
:02:06. > :02:16.an additional ?1.3 billion for in addition to the schools budget
:02:17. > :02:20.set at spending review 2015. This funding is across the next two
:02:21. > :02:23.years as we transition I will always be the first
:02:24. > :02:40.to welcome new money for schools. After all, I have spent a year
:02:41. > :02:43.asking the Secretary of State to give our schools the funding
:02:44. > :02:47.they need, so it's nice to know I'm But sadly, Mr Speaker,
:02:48. > :02:54.today's statement raises more I welcome the 1.3 billion announced
:02:55. > :02:59.today, but can the Secretary of State confirm if it will protect
:03:00. > :03:02.per-pupil budgets in real terms Astoundingly, this is all been
:03:03. > :03:05.funded without a penny Perhaps the Chancellor didn't
:03:06. > :03:18.want to fund schools and thought that teachers and teaching
:03:19. > :03:21.assistants are simply more I wonder if the Secretary
:03:22. > :03:24.of State agrees with him? I know they are in full retreat
:03:25. > :03:27.from their own manifesto, but I don't see how this 1.3 billion
:03:28. > :03:31.can possibly fit with it. Mr Chalk, you're usually
:03:32. > :03:42.a very understated fellow. Rather a gentlemanly type,
:03:43. > :03:46.I'd always thought. And you're sitting next to a very
:03:47. > :03:50.senior member who normally behaves, Prince Andrew over there,
:03:51. > :03:52.the very embodiment of... I think there's only one
:03:53. > :03:59.party that is retreating We heard over the weekend
:04:00. > :04:17.that the promise to students wasn't worth the paper it was written on,
:04:18. > :04:22.and I think it was one of the most dishonest pieces of electioneering
:04:23. > :04:24.I have seen in many, many years, and our young people
:04:25. > :04:27.deserve better than to be peddled some snake oil propaganda that
:04:28. > :04:30.proves to be not true. I call the chair of
:04:31. > :04:46.the education select committee. The news will be welcomed
:04:47. > :04:49.by schools, teachers and parents, especially given the additional
:04:50. > :04:51.costs facing our schools. In addition to moving money
:04:52. > :04:54.from healthy pupil programmes, my right honourable friend has said
:04:55. > :04:57.she is redirecting 200 million from the Department's central
:04:58. > :04:59.programme to Well, we will now go
:05:00. > :05:08.through a process of looking across those programmes to identify
:05:09. > :05:10.that ?200 million. But I think across an entire
:05:11. > :05:12.departmental resource budget of ?60 billion,
:05:13. > :05:15.it is a reasonable request to make sure that my department and civil
:05:16. > :05:18.servants in my Department are having to similarly make
:05:19. > :05:34.efficiency savings. While I welcome this announcement,
:05:35. > :05:37.of extra money today, isn't the fact that the Government
:05:38. > :05:40.got themselves into such a mess over schools funding an indication
:05:41. > :05:43.of the fact that they haven't been And I'm not sure they are being
:05:44. > :05:48.entirely straight with people now. The Secretary of State talks
:05:49. > :05:51.about an increased schools budget, but fails to mention
:05:52. > :05:53.that the number of pupils And isn't it the case that even
:05:54. > :05:57.with this money today, the truth is that since 2015,
:05:58. > :06:00.the real terms cuts per pupils that schools have faced is ?2.8 billion
:06:01. > :06:03.and will be further, additional of ?8.9 billion even
:06:04. > :06:06.when you take into account So there is still a massive
:06:07. > :06:10.shortfall here, and I think it is about time the Government
:06:11. > :06:12.started being straight with the figures of the reality
:06:13. > :06:15.of what schools on I think we are setting
:06:16. > :06:19.out our figures very transparently. One thing I don't expect to happen
:06:20. > :06:23.as a result of today's funding announcement is for the website that
:06:24. > :06:25.has been worrying parents I don't expect any of those numbers
:06:26. > :06:31.to be updated because it is far easier just to simply continue
:06:32. > :06:34.to peddle out of date data. She asked me about the numbers
:06:35. > :06:37.of pupils, she is of course quite right and that is why I'm sure
:06:38. > :06:41.she will welcome the fact that I'm saying that actually,
:06:42. > :06:43.the real terms per-pupil spending The Government has announced
:06:44. > :06:46.its preferred routes for the HS2 high-speed railway
:06:47. > :06:48.north of Birmingham. One main route is to run east
:06:49. > :06:52.of Sheffield, with a separate spur to take passengers
:06:53. > :06:54.to the city centre. The Government has also announced
:06:55. > :06:56.seven contracts worth nearly ?7 billion for some
:06:57. > :06:58.of the engineering work There was anger from Conservative
:06:59. > :07:02.and Labour MPs over the absence of a Commons statement
:07:03. > :07:05.from the Transport Secretary, The points of order
:07:06. > :07:08.came thick and fast. And sure enough, the Transport
:07:09. > :07:11.Secretary Chris Grayling did get the message and made a statement
:07:12. > :07:15.in the Commons later in the day. Can I seek your advice on an urgent
:07:16. > :07:21.matter of the HS2 route and the announcement is due to be
:07:22. > :07:24.made by the Transport ..Which will affect
:07:25. > :07:27.millions of people? The Secretary of State
:07:28. > :07:30.began his consultation with an oral statement last November
:07:31. > :07:32.and there had been an expectation, Mr Speaker, that he would announce
:07:33. > :07:35.his final decisions today with an oral statement,
:07:36. > :07:37.and parts of the media All the indications
:07:38. > :07:48.are now that the news will be sneaked out in a written statement
:07:49. > :07:50.any time now. Mr Speaker, this is a gross
:07:51. > :07:53.discourtesy and adds insult So I would seek your advice
:07:54. > :07:58.about how we can get the Transport Secretary to come
:07:59. > :08:01.to the House and show some Very grateful to the right
:08:02. > :08:04.honourable gentleman As others relate to the same
:08:05. > :08:09.subject, I will take them, or at least a number
:08:10. > :08:11.of them, and then respond. Further to that point
:08:12. > :08:15.of order, Mr Speaker, Because today, the Government has
:08:16. > :08:19.announced, it's certainly been all over the airwaves,
:08:20. > :08:21.?6.6 billion worth of contracts on HS2, and it would seem to me that
:08:22. > :08:25.when such a large amount of taxpayers' money is being spent,
:08:26. > :08:28.that the minister should come I appreciate the urgent question
:08:29. > :08:33.in the statement and the business on the order paper today is equally
:08:34. > :08:36.important, but I'm wondering whether you could extend
:08:37. > :08:38.the sitting of this House, Mr Speaker, and allow us to
:08:39. > :08:42.have a statement from the Minister? This is the latest in a long line
:08:43. > :08:45.of actions by the Government which demonstrates an unwillingness
:08:46. > :08:47.to make itself available, properly, I, too, sadly think it is outrageous
:08:48. > :08:52.that this major item of public expenditure
:08:53. > :08:54.which is affecting my constituents and those of many others
:08:55. > :08:57.is not being reflected A lot of houses in my constituency
:08:58. > :09:02.are going to be demolished and roads are going to go straight
:09:03. > :09:05.through a development that has only just taken place,
:09:06. > :09:07.that in Derbyshire there will be a slow track dawdling
:09:08. > :09:10.its way to Sheffield and beyond and then a fast track
:09:11. > :09:13.that goes to Meadowhall. This is a very important matter
:09:14. > :09:16.and should be debated at length. I'm afraid it is not
:09:17. > :09:18.within the power of I can only deal with
:09:19. > :09:24.the situation as it evolves. But what I would say is that if no
:09:25. > :09:27.statement is forthcoming from the Minister, it would be
:09:28. > :09:30.perfectly open to members to do their best to secure
:09:31. > :09:33.parliamentary time and attention tomorrow, and it may be that
:09:34. > :09:36.such an exploration would take And it may be that faced
:09:37. > :09:45.with that scenario, a minister might think
:09:46. > :09:48.it prudent and judicious to anticipate the
:09:49. > :09:49.difficulty and to offer Liberal Democrat Tom Brake has
:09:50. > :10:12.raised reports that Saudi Arabia He said they included at least two
:10:13. > :10:18.who were juveniles at the time of their alleged offences
:10:19. > :10:20.and who were convicted on the strength of confessions
:10:21. > :10:23.obtained through the use of torture. The Foreign Office Minister Alistair
:10:24. > :10:26.Burt insisted that the UK Government opposed the death penalty
:10:27. > :10:28.in all circumstances. He said Saudi Arabia was going
:10:29. > :10:31.through a process of reform. The new chair of the Commons
:10:32. > :10:33.Foreign Affairs Committee Will the minister ask
:10:34. > :10:40.the Prime Minister to call on Saudi King Salman
:10:41. > :10:43.and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to stop the executions,
:10:44. > :10:45.especially of juveniles Mujtaba Sweikat and Salman Qureish,
:10:46. > :10:47.from going ahead? Of the executions of juveniles
:10:48. > :10:49.and others arrested English into alleged protest activity go
:10:50. > :10:52.ahead, will the UK committed to freezing and reviewing any
:10:53. > :10:54.criminal justice systems which could contribute
:10:55. > :10:56.to the arrest of protesters And what further steps
:10:57. > :11:04.will Her Majesty's Government to take to condemn Saudi Arabia's
:11:05. > :11:07.use of the death penalty, especially in the case of people
:11:08. > :11:10.with disabilities and juveniles such as Ali al-Nimr, Dawoud al-Marhoon,
:11:11. > :11:25.and Abdullah al-Zaher? Our starting point for engagement
:11:26. > :11:28.on human rights with all countries is based on what is practical,
:11:29. > :11:30.realistic and achievable and we will always be ready to speak
:11:31. > :11:34.out as a matter of principle. Ministers frequently discuss human
:11:35. > :11:36.rights and raise concerns with the Saudi Arabian government,
:11:37. > :11:39.we have a balanced relationship with Saudi Arabia and we use
:11:40. > :11:42.engagement to encourage reform. We have heard over the years
:11:43. > :11:46.Her Majesty's governments talk about the influence it has had over
:11:47. > :11:49.the actions of the Saudi government I would be very grateful
:11:50. > :11:53.if the Minister could, from his place today,
:11:54. > :11:55.give some examples of Because on days like this,
:11:56. > :11:59.it does leave some questions It's so difficult to try
:12:00. > :12:06.and prove a negative. The authorities with which we deal
:12:07. > :12:09.in Saudi Arabia are not necessarily any position to make their judicial
:12:10. > :12:11.decisions dependent on external pressure,
:12:12. > :12:14.and nor would we be in their case. What we do know is a number
:12:15. > :12:17.of allegations are made about possible executions,
:12:18. > :12:19.possible exclusions of minors, But whether or not it would be
:12:20. > :12:37.specifically laid at the door of any Saudi Arabia is one
:12:38. > :12:56.of the world's most prolific executioners and the death penalty
:12:57. > :12:58.is increasingly being used as a punishment
:12:59. > :13:00.for non-violent acts. Indeed, in January 2016,
:13:01. > :13:02.the Saudi authorities executed 47 men in a single day
:13:03. > :13:05.for alleged terrorism offences. And just last Monday,
:13:06. > :13:07.six men were killed. It is becoming clear that these
:13:08. > :13:10.executions are being used not only as a form of draconian punishment,
:13:11. > :13:14.but as a tool to suppress political opposition,
:13:15. > :13:15.to fight sectarian religious battles against the Shia minority
:13:16. > :13:18.and antagonise their religious We are constantly being told
:13:19. > :13:30.by the party opposite that we share They are not values
:13:31. > :13:38.concerning human rights. They are not values
:13:39. > :13:40.of international law. What are these values
:13:41. > :13:42.we could possibly share with Saudi Arabia when they propose
:13:43. > :13:45.to crucify somebody and to use Well, in response to the honourable
:13:46. > :13:52.lady asking for things which we may share in common,
:13:53. > :13:55.we shouldn't ignore Saudi Arabia's important contribution
:13:56. > :13:56.to regional stability. It has had its own painful
:13:57. > :13:59.experiences as the victim of numerous Daesh attacks,
:14:00. > :14:01.and the collaboration with Saudi Arabia has
:14:02. > :14:03.foiled terrorist attacks, So there are areas
:14:04. > :14:11.where our interests work together in the interests
:14:12. > :14:13.of the United Kingdom. It is a month now since
:14:14. > :14:27.the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower, in which over
:14:28. > :14:29.80 people died. The tragedy has left dozens of
:14:30. > :14:32.families without a permanent home. Some are being offered
:14:33. > :14:34.temporary accommodation. A few have received offers
:14:35. > :14:36.of permanent homes. When the Communities Secretary Sajid
:14:37. > :14:39.Javid updated MPs about re-housing the former Grenfell Tower residents,
:14:40. > :14:42.the local MP, Emma Dent Coad, The first new permanent homes
:14:43. > :14:56.will be available very shortly, and more are being secured,
:14:57. > :14:58.either in Kensington and In the meantime, good quality,
:14:59. > :15:02.fully furnished, temporary accommodation in the local area has
:15:03. > :15:07.been offered to every family. Sorry, I'm not sure
:15:08. > :15:10.about the formalities of this, but in some cases, this is due
:15:11. > :15:14.to a single unsuitable offer. The fact that people are refusing
:15:15. > :15:17.these homes is because an unsuitable One single, unsuitable offer,
:15:18. > :15:32.and this is absolutely true. I am dealing with cases day by day
:15:33. > :15:35.and I'm amazed that only 22 households have been matched
:15:36. > :15:38.with temporary accommodation, four There are empty homes
:15:39. > :15:42.all across the borough and they are still not
:15:43. > :15:47.being taken up. They are being offered unsuitable
:15:48. > :15:49.homes, can the Secretary of State please answer
:15:50. > :15:52.what is happening here? I can tell the honourable lady,
:15:53. > :15:55.first of all, there are only 220 temporary homes that
:15:56. > :15:57.have been identified. They have been inspected,
:15:58. > :15:59.they are all good quality, they are all available
:16:00. > :16:02.with good quality accommodation. She has referred to something
:16:03. > :16:10.that she is called an unsuitable offer, she should certainly bring
:16:11. > :16:13.those details to me and we will certainly look at that
:16:14. > :16:15.and take it very seriously. In terms of the families,
:16:16. > :16:18.169 families have been, 30 offers of temporary accommodation
:16:19. > :16:27.had been accepted by those families. As she will full well know
:16:28. > :16:32.from talking to her constituents, many families don't feel ready
:16:33. > :16:35.to move into temporary accommodation yet and we will absolutely
:16:36. > :16:38.respect their wishes. You're watching Monday
:16:39. > :16:40.in Parliament, with me, Coming up, a voyage of discovery
:16:41. > :16:59.for one Minister as she watched I was amazed to see the diversity of
:17:00. > :17:01.people on horseback and on foot. And I also got some nice food for
:17:02. > :17:01.breakfast. With Brexit and the so-called
:17:02. > :17:04."Great Repeal Bill" on the horizon, MPs are putting parliamentary
:17:05. > :17:07.scrutiny high on the agenda. Labour claims the Government
:17:08. > :17:09.is trying to "stifle" debate by restricting
:17:10. > :17:10.the parliamentary timetable. But the Government says it's
:17:11. > :17:12."business as usual", and Labour should focus on policy
:17:13. > :17:15.rather than process. The convention is that each
:17:16. > :17:18.parliamentary session must include 20 days on which the opposition
:17:19. > :17:20.parties set the agenda. But as this session is twice
:17:21. > :17:23.the usual length, there's confusion The Government has not
:17:24. > :17:39.provided an opposition day before the summer recess,
:17:40. > :17:41.making the earliest This means a staggering
:17:42. > :17:44.eight months, nearly as long a time as it
:17:45. > :17:47.takes to have a baby, without a single opposition day,
:17:48. > :17:49.denying vital scrutiny The SNP and Labour
:17:50. > :18:00.were equally upset. Perhaps unfavourably,
:18:01. > :18:02.this Parliament has already been I actually think that this
:18:03. > :18:06.comparison would actually give This is turbo-charged
:18:07. > :18:08.political zombie-ism. But it's a curious type
:18:09. > :18:11.of zombie-ism, Mr Speaker, cos if you look at them,
:18:12. > :18:14.not only are they tearing the flesh from the public,
:18:15. > :18:16.but they are starting If you look around Whitehall just
:18:17. > :18:21.now, what passes for discourse, normal discourse, amongst
:18:22. > :18:23.Secretaries of State and Whitehall departmentsm is briefing
:18:24. > :18:25.and counter briefing. And this is what happens,
:18:26. > :18:28.Leader of the House, when you do nothing -
:18:29. > :18:30.bad stuff happens. This is a Government
:18:31. > :18:40.at war with itself. The Government said many important
:18:41. > :18:43.debates had already taken place. Last week, we had a vital debate
:18:44. > :18:46.on the Grenfell inquiry. Many powerful points
:18:47. > :18:48.were raised from members on all sides of the house,
:18:49. > :18:51.and it's right that we have prioritised giving time to such
:18:52. > :18:54.a catastrophic and tragic event. This week, we are having a general
:18:55. > :18:58.debate on what more could be done to eradicate the evil
:18:59. > :19:06.of drug misuse, and today, although now under threat by this
:19:07. > :19:09.debate, we're scheduled to have a debate on the intimidation
:19:10. > :19:12.and abuse of candidates in the general election -
:19:13. > :19:14.abuse that challenges the very heart These, to me, Mr Speaker,
:19:15. > :19:18.seem to be perfect examples of our parliamentary
:19:19. > :19:22.democracy working well. And she accused Labour
:19:23. > :19:24.of playing politics. My Government, this party,
:19:25. > :19:27.has done far more for parliamentary So far, over 10 million people have
:19:28. > :19:31.signed various petitions. The Government has formally
:19:32. > :19:33.responded to 264 petitions, and 20 petitions have been
:19:34. > :19:35.scheduled for debate. The Government has also responded
:19:36. > :19:38.to a 162 urgent questions in this Mr Speaker, this urgent debate
:19:39. > :19:42.is the result of party Nearly 13 million people voted
:19:43. > :19:46.for the party opposite to come I don't believe they were voting
:19:47. > :20:07.for petty time-wasting by Labour. One of the pledges in
:20:08. > :20:09.the Conservatives' election manifesto was to give Parliament
:20:10. > :20:12.a free vote on whether The Government has said it isn't
:20:13. > :20:16.planning to hold a vote during this parliamentary session,
:20:17. > :20:19.which is due to last for two years. It's an issue that still
:20:20. > :20:25.rouses a few passions. Obviously the message is beginning
:20:26. > :20:28.to seep through that Theresa May's support for hunting with hounds
:20:29. > :20:30.was massively unpopular The manifesto pledge to reopen
:20:31. > :20:34.the debate once again illustrated a party out of touch
:20:35. > :20:39.with the British people. The latest polls showed
:20:40. > :20:41.that an overwhelming My Lords, it is widely regarded
:20:42. > :20:46.as cruel, inhumane and ineffective. So, can the noble lady confirm
:20:47. > :20:49.that the ban on fox-hunting is now And can she give a guarantee that
:20:50. > :20:54.any approach from the Council of Hunting Associations to
:20:55. > :20:56.reverse the legislation will My Lords, I'd like to commend
:20:57. > :21:09.the noble lady for her continued Any decision or announcement
:21:10. > :21:13.on future legislation programmes will be made before the start
:21:14. > :21:16.of the second session However, the Government does
:21:17. > :21:25.acknowledge the high level of public interest in this debate,
:21:26. > :21:29.and the strength of feeling on this Since the ban, the latest research
:21:30. > :21:37.by the British Ornithological Trust and Springwatch have both shown
:21:38. > :21:39.a significant fall, a decline, in the numbers
:21:40. > :21:40.of both hares and foxes. In asking this question, I am having
:21:41. > :21:52.to declare my interest as chairman of the Hunting Association,
:21:53. > :21:55.and chairman of the Masters Of Foxhounds Association,
:21:56. > :21:57.of which I am pleased gives so much amusement opposite, but are the only
:21:58. > :22:00.two organisations, clearly, which have any interest
:22:01. > :22:09.in the welfare of Given the latest successful
:22:10. > :22:13.prosecution by the police of three members of the Grove
:22:14. > :22:15.and Rufford Hunt, does the Minister agree with me that the Hunting Act
:22:16. > :22:21.is both enforceable and effective? My Lords, I do agree with the noble
:22:22. > :22:26.lady in that the police are under a duty to enforce the Hunting Act,
:22:27. > :22:29.and enforcement is ultimately But I would also say that,
:22:30. > :22:34.as with any suspected criminal activity, we rely on
:22:35. > :22:37.the general public as well. Anyone who believes an offence
:22:38. > :22:48.is taking place, or has taken place, should report the matter
:22:49. > :22:50.to the local police. My Lords, I declare my
:22:51. > :22:53.interest as the president of the Countryside Alliance
:22:54. > :22:55.and a passionate hunter. Can I take up with the minister,
:22:56. > :22:58.if I may, very briefly, the point that has has just been
:22:59. > :23:02.made by the noble The issue where the methods
:23:03. > :23:05.available now to those who were suffering fox predation,
:23:06. > :23:08.of which I have to say I have been one in recent
:23:09. > :23:10.weeks very considerably, are sneering, which is in my view
:23:11. > :23:13.likely to cause very considerably greater and prolonged suffering,
:23:14. > :23:16.and night shooting, which does cause Does the noble Minister agree
:23:17. > :23:20.that what is important, as soon as it is politically
:23:21. > :23:23.possible, is to look at the way in which we manage wildlife
:23:24. > :23:26.populations and come up with a method which is stable,
:23:27. > :23:29.which is acceptable on both sides of the argument,
:23:30. > :23:31.and which puts animal welfare at the forefront,
:23:32. > :23:33.which I don't believe Will my noble friend join
:23:34. > :23:37.with me in commending one of Anthony Trollope's novels
:23:38. > :23:39.Of The American Senator? It describes the visit
:23:40. > :23:41.to the English countryside in the mid-19th-century
:23:42. > :23:43.of Mr Senator Gotobed, who arrives and is at first
:23:44. > :23:46.shocked by what he sees in the English countryside,
:23:47. > :23:48.fox-hunting in particular, but, after weeks of experience,
:23:49. > :23:51.comes round to their merits My Lords, I have not actually read
:23:52. > :23:55.that particular book, but I will commend it to you anyway
:23:56. > :23:58.because you've got weeks off. But I would like to say, actually,
:23:59. > :24:02.that I watched my first hunt earlier this year,
:24:03. > :24:04.and I was amazed to see the diversity of people involved,
:24:05. > :24:07.from all walks of life, on horseback and on foot, and I also
:24:08. > :24:11.got a taste for mini-sausages Well, mini-sausages and port
:24:12. > :24:15.might not be on the breakfast menu at Skegness, but a Lincolnshire MP
:24:16. > :24:18.is urging holiday-makers to consider Skegness was home to the first
:24:19. > :24:22.Butlins Holiday Resort in 1936. It has a clean, sandy beach
:24:23. > :24:26.and - says the tourist board - With Parliament on its last week
:24:27. > :24:29.before the summer break, minds are, quite naturally,
:24:30. > :24:40.turning towards the holidays. Mr Speaker, as you know,
:24:41. > :24:43.in Lincolnshire we have some They trip off the tongue
:24:44. > :24:47.with a litany of sun and fun - Cleethorpes,
:24:48. > :24:56.Mablethorpe, Skegness... Indeed, Mr Speaker, when you go
:24:57. > :24:59.on your holidays on Thursday, don't go to Italy and France,
:25:00. > :25:02.come to bracing Skegness. So, can I say to my right honourable
:25:03. > :25:06.friend, can he promise to use the Coastal Communities Fund
:25:07. > :25:08.to promote all-round tourism, and after Brexit match
:25:09. > :25:10.the ?143 million we receive in European Regional Development
:25:11. > :25:12.Fund for these resorts? Mr Speaker, my right honourable
:25:13. > :25:15.friend rightly highlights the importance of all of our coastal
:25:16. > :25:18.communities, and of course those in Lincolnshire as well,
:25:19. > :25:20.many I had the pleasure of visiting during the recent
:25:21. > :25:22.general election campaign, and I can assure that we
:25:23. > :25:25.will continue to use the Coastal Communities Fund,
:25:26. > :25:27.and whatever other resources we have available,
:25:28. > :25:32.to help promote those areas. Brexit and the general election,
:25:33. > :25:35.never far from the conversation. Well, that it's from
:25:36. > :25:38.Monday In Parliament. Alicia McCarthy will be
:25:39. > :25:41.here for the rest of the week, but, from me,
:25:42. > :26:01.Kristiina Cooper, goodbye. Yesterday, we saw 27
:26:02. > :26:05.degrees in the London area, with increasing amounts of medium
:26:06. > :26:07.and upper-level cloud, but the sky stayed pretty much clear
:26:08. > :26:10.in northern Scotland. And, through the day today,
:26:11. > :26:12.we're going to see those temperatures creeping
:26:13. > :26:14.up a notch or two. 29 degrees somewhere
:26:15. > :26:17.in England and Wales.