0:00:18 > 0:00:22Hello and welcome to our look back at the day here in Westminster.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Coming up, the Brexit secretary makes a
0:00:24 > 0:00:28surprise concession to pro-EU MPs, the Foreign Secretary admits he was
0:00:28 > 0:00:32wrong over controversial remarks about the British woman jailed in
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Iran, And the Ministry of Justice gets a dressing down over its
0:00:35 > 0:00:38electronic tagging system.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40Whoever put this down as a procurement
0:00:40 > 0:00:46strategy I don't think had any idea what they were trying to achieve.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48But first, Tuesday will be a big day for Brexit,
0:00:48 > 0:00:50MPs are to start their long-awaited scrutiny of the
0:00:50 > 0:00:54European Union withdrawal bill.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56But as something of a curtain raiser the
0:00:56 > 0:00:58government has offered a concession to MPs,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01calling for Parliament to
0:01:01 > 0:01:03have a greater say on the final Brexit agreement.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06In a significant shift the Brexit secretary told the
0:01:06 > 0:01:07Commons he intends on bringing forward
0:01:07 > 0:01:09a new lot to implement the
0:01:09 > 0:01:13final deal, giving MPs the chance to go through it in detail.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17Labour described the move as a climb-down
0:01:17 > 0:01:20by ministers facing potential defeat on the EU withdrawal bill.
0:01:20 > 0:01:21David Davis warns that if MPs voted the
0:01:21 > 0:01:26new bill down the UK with leave without a deal.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Mr Davis unveiled a plan while reporting back on last
0:01:29 > 0:01:32week's talks with Brussels.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35I can now confirm that once we have reached an agreement we will bring
0:01:35 > 0:01:38forward a specific piece of primary legislation to implement that
0:01:38 > 0:01:42agreement known as the withdrawal agreement and implementation bill.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45This confirms the major policy set out in the withdrawal agreement,
0:01:45 > 0:01:50will be done correctly implemented in the UK by primary legislation.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55Not by secondary legislation of the withdrawal bill.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57This also means that Parliament will be given time
0:01:57 > 0:01:59to debate, scrutinise and vote on the final
0:01:59 > 0:02:00agreement we strike with
0:02:00 > 0:02:01the EU.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05This agreement will only hold of Parliament approves it.
0:02:05 > 0:02:06Can the Secretary of State confirm to
0:02:06 > 0:02:10this house that this house will get a vote in the event that there is no
0:02:10 > 0:02:14deal?
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Mr Speaker these questions have been pressing for months, this
0:02:17 > 0:02:19last-minute attempt to climb-down brings them into very sharp focus.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25And we are entitled to clear answers.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Will it simply be a question of take it or leave it?
0:02:28 > 0:02:29The deal or no deal.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Will the house be given an opportunity to amend that
0:02:31 > 0:02:34bill as the house must have the opportunity to amend any
0:02:34 > 0:02:36bill and therefore will the house have the
0:02:36 > 0:02:39opportunity to amend to amend the agreement?
0:02:39 > 0:02:42I don't think it is in the gift of the government to put a
0:02:42 > 0:02:45piece of primary legislation before the house which is incapable of
0:02:45 > 0:02:46amendment.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48It is the nature of primary legislation that it is
0:02:48 > 0:02:49always capable of amendment.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Of course we will have the practical limitations of having a deal with
0:02:52 > 0:02:55signed and there will be applications to that, and the whole
0:02:55 > 0:02:59thing will be put in front of the house.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01I welcome the Secretary of State's announcement that there will
0:03:01 > 0:03:04be primary legislation to implement EU withdrawal agreement and I would
0:03:04 > 0:03:09say it is other recognition of the government having to listen.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11If the House of Commons votes down the new
0:03:11 > 0:03:14withdrawal bill, will the consequence be that we will still
0:03:14 > 0:03:17leave on the 29th of March 2019 but without an agreement?
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Yes.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24What was that?
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Yes.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29The Secretary of State said yes.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32Can he confirm that in the event of no agreement, no deal, this
0:03:32 > 0:03:37place will have no say and we will leave on that date
0:03:37 > 0:03:39because it is on the face of the bill without any say
0:03:39 > 0:03:42from this supposedly sovereign Parliament which voted to take back
0:03:42 > 0:03:49control.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52What I can say to her is that if we don't have a withdrawal
0:03:52 > 0:04:00agreement we can have a withdrawal agreement Bill.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Hasn't he does giving the game away on what a sham
0:04:03 > 0:04:04offer this is?
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Totally worthless to Parliament, essentially tried to buy
0:04:06 > 0:04:09people by saying we're going to give you an act
0:04:09 > 0:04:13to shake things when in
0:04:13 > 0:04:15fact is a post-hoc after the horse has bolted
0:04:15 > 0:04:17piece of legislation, we
0:04:17 > 0:04:19might have left the EU, the Treaty and the deal would have
0:04:19 > 0:04:22been done and Parliament could do nothing at
0:04:22 > 0:04:26all to shape the nature of that withdrawal agreement.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29He has to do much better than this.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Parliament must have a say on that withdrawal
0:04:31 > 0:04:37agreement before we are thrown over the cliff edge.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42Let the repeated and the probable sequence of events.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44If Mr Barnier hit his target and I had
0:04:44 > 0:04:46mine we will include the withdrawal agreement and associated agreements
0:04:46 > 0:04:49in the latter part of next year.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52He is aiming for October next year, that is his stated aim.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54If we do that then the withdrawal, the first
0:04:54 > 0:04:57withdrawal and treaty vote will come to the house, the simple in
0:04:57 > 0:04:59principle vote and then as soon as possible thereafter
0:04:59 > 0:05:03the withdrawal agreement Bill will come through the
0:05:03 > 0:05:05house.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09That is the sequence and that will be plenty of time and it will
0:05:09 > 0:05:10be implemented at the time.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12If the agreement only happens on the very
0:05:12 > 0:05:14last day in March, could he explain how
0:05:14 > 0:05:15the bill which is intended to
0:05:15 > 0:05:18ensure the meaningful vote only comes forward after that date,
0:05:18 > 0:05:20in any sense meaningful?
0:05:20 > 0:05:24A meaningful vote is a vote that allows you to say you want the deal
0:05:24 > 0:05:29or you don't want the deal.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31While Parliamentary involvement is essential, this is not and never
0:05:31 > 0:05:33should be construed as an opportunity to reverse Brexit, to
0:05:33 > 0:05:36return the UK to the EU or go behind the wishes
0:05:36 > 0:05:37of the British people as
0:05:37 > 0:05:44expressed in last year 's referendum.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47My honourable friend is entirely right, it is a meaningful
0:05:47 > 0:05:49vote but not meaningful in the sense that some
0:05:49 > 0:05:50believe meaningful, which
0:05:50 > 0:05:51is that you can reverse Article 50.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56That is not available.
0:05:56 > 0:06:02David Davis.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Now the case of British Iranian national being held in prison in
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Iran continues to make headlines.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being held on charges of plotting to
0:06:09 > 0:06:10overthrow the Iranian regime.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12You may remember that the Foreign Secretary issued a clarification
0:06:12 > 0:06:15after appearing to suggest she was in the country training
0:06:15 > 0:06:17journalists Rather than merely on holiday as her
0:06:17 > 0:06:21family have stated.
0:06:21 > 0:06:22The remarks prompted fears that her five-year
0:06:22 > 0:06:26term could be extended.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Boris John was called to the Commons to update
0:06:28 > 0:06:31MPs on the situation and there was anger on both
0:06:31 > 0:06:33sides of the house.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36The whole house will join me in expressing our deep concern about
0:06:36 > 0:06:38the ordeal of this young mother who has spent the last 19
0:06:38 > 0:06:42months in jail in Iran and have the honourable
0:06:42 > 0:06:49member will join the government in urging the Iranian authorities to
0:06:49 > 0:06:50release on humanitarian grounds.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55I spoke by phone to her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, yesterday, and we
0:06:56 > 0:06:58agreed to meet later this week.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01I told Mr Ratcliffe that the whole country is behind him and we all
0:07:01 > 0:07:04want to see his wife home safe.
0:07:04 > 0:07:11The Foreign Secretary argued last week
0:07:11 > 0:07:14that his comments to the select committee and I quote no connection
0:07:14 > 0:07:16whatsoever with the latest threat by the Iranian authorities to extend
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Nazanin's sentence and that it was simply untrue to suggest otherwise.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24That, Mr Speaker, is entirely contradicted by what has been said
0:07:24 > 0:07:27by the Iranian courts last weekend and an Iranian judiciary websites
0:07:27 > 0:07:32and an Iranian state TV.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35All of them set explicitly that the Foreign
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Secretary's remarks were the basis of the renewed action against
0:07:39 > 0:07:43Nazanin so in conclusion after one week of obtuse Cajun and plaster,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47though he finally take the opportunity today to states simply
0:07:47 > 0:07:50and unequivocally for the removal of any doubt, either here or in
0:07:50 > 0:07:57Teheran, that he simply got it wrong?
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Mr Speaker I am more than happy to see again what I said to
0:08:07 > 0:08:10the Right Honourable Lady last week, that yes of course I apologise for
0:08:10 > 0:08:18the distress, for the suffering, but that has been caused by the
0:08:18 > 0:08:20impression that I gave that the government believed,
0:08:20 > 0:08:22that I believe that she was there any professional
0:08:22 > 0:08:28capacity she was there on holiday and that is the view of...
0:08:28 > 0:08:30I do apologise, I do apologise and of
0:08:30 > 0:08:33course I retract any suggestion that she was there in a professional
0:08:33 > 0:08:37capacity.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42You must have heard that from me about a dozen times.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Regrettably more than a faint whiff of opportunism hangs over this
0:08:45 > 0:08:53urgent question.
0:08:53 > 0:09:03Others will question the wisdom of having this
0:09:06 > 0:09:07discussion at all.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Would my right honourable friend not agree with me
0:09:09 > 0:09:12that it is incumbent on each and every one of us in this house
0:09:12 > 0:09:15to pay very close attention to what we may
0:09:15 > 0:09:17may not be about to say because the Iranians
0:09:17 > 0:09:18will be watching the
0:09:18 > 0:09:20deliberations and we do not want to exacerbate an already extremely
0:09:20 > 0:09:21difficult situation.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24At the weekend when asked about the case the
0:09:24 > 0:09:25Environment Secretary said he did not know
0:09:25 > 0:09:26why Nazanin had been in
0:09:26 > 0:09:27Iran.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Why and another Cabinet member not briefed properly and said live
0:09:30 > 0:09:33on television that he did not know why she was there?
0:09:33 > 0:09:35What is going on in the heart of this government?
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Every time he says things like my words were open
0:09:38 > 0:09:40to misinterpretation for, he provides a lack of clarity
0:09:40 > 0:09:43and sounds like he's wriggling in a way other people can exploit.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45So could see for the sake of the -- of
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Miss Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, say unequivocally for the record I got
0:09:47 > 0:09:53it wrong.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58I hope that the house will understand, with crystal clarity,
0:09:58 > 0:10:03that Mrs Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was there on holiday and she was not
0:10:03 > 0:10:06there in any professional capacity, insofar as people got a different
0:10:06 > 0:10:08impression of what I was seeing at the FAC
0:10:08 > 0:10:09that was my mistake, I
0:10:09 > 0:10:19should have been, they should have been clearer.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22In the Foreign Secretary tell me if you've
0:10:22 > 0:10:24considered in the quality and competitiveness of the Foreign
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Office briefings and that they are promptly made available to other
0:10:27 > 0:10:32government ministers in advance of media appearances?
0:10:32 > 0:10:35If not, will he sorted out?
0:10:35 > 0:10:38If so does he accept that that is most useful ministers
0:10:38 > 0:10:41to continue to get it wrong?
0:10:41 > 0:10:42Does my right honourable friend accept that
0:10:42 > 0:10:50this has not been his finest hour?
0:10:50 > 0:10:52But before the opposition make too much of that
0:10:52 > 0:10:55may I offer them the
0:10:55 > 0:11:01right deadlines such as that in the independent online where it
0:11:01 > 0:11:03says Boris to should resign if British
0:11:03 > 0:11:06mother stays in Iranian jail for even one more day.
0:11:06 > 0:11:12The Iranian regime plays politics with hostages
0:11:12 > 0:11:15and thus my right honourable friend agree that if they believe that they
0:11:15 > 0:11:19can get rid of the British Foreign Secretary by jailing a hostage for a
0:11:19 > 0:11:25longer then they will jail that hostage for longer?
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Could he reflect on this and the rest of his conduct
0:11:28 > 0:11:38as Foreign Secretary and realise that his
0:11:41 > 0:11:42brand of incompetence is a
0:11:42 > 0:11:45joke that is no longer funny and consider being replaced by a
0:11:45 > 0:11:47competent politician who will attract the respect of the world and
0:11:47 > 0:11:51not the ridicule that he attracts?
0:11:51 > 0:11:52Paul Flynn.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57You're watching Monday In Parliament with me, Mandy Baker.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00If you want to catch a leader with all the news
0:12:00 > 0:12:02from Westminster on the go, don't forget our sister programme,
0:12:02 > 0:12:04Today In Parliament, is available as a download
0:12:04 > 0:12:11from the BBC Radio 4 website.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Now, some 40 months have passed since voters north of the border
0:12:14 > 0:12:16decided that Scotland should stay in the United Kingdom.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19The winning margin for No to independence was 55% to 45%.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22So that was that then.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Well, not quite.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Over the last three years, a second referendum,
0:12:26 > 0:12:31sometimes called Indy Ref 2, has been much discussed.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Now a petition on the Parliamentary website is demanding that
0:12:34 > 0:12:37a second vote is held.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39While a rival petition is demanding that a second
0:12:39 > 0:12:40referendum is not held.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42The two pertitions made for an interesting debate
0:12:42 > 0:12:44in Westminster Hall.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47When people go to the polls and make their deocratic
0:12:47 > 0:12:50choice to stay part of the United Kingdom,
0:12:50 > 0:12:51that should be respected.
0:12:51 > 0:12:57Respected for a number of reasons, one, it's democratic, but secondly,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00we were promised by the proponents of an independent Scotland it
0:13:00 > 0:13:03would be once in a generation, or indeed once in a lifetime.
0:13:03 > 0:13:10When proponents say that, when you go to the polls
0:13:10 > 0:13:13and you put your cross in the box, whether it's yes or no, you should
0:13:13 > 0:13:23be able to trust what people say when your are doing that.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26I appreciate that Scotland being dragged out of the EU
0:13:26 > 0:13:29against its will hasn't yet caught the fire the general populace
0:13:29 > 0:13:31as a reason to hold a major referendum just now.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33However, surveys have shown that people would like a referendum
0:13:33 > 0:13:36when the impact and the effects of Brexit are fully understood.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38So there is actually a will to have another referendum,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41just not right now, but sometime in the future.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43The majority of people in East Lothian recognise that devolution
0:13:43 > 0:13:45was created to empower Scotland within the Union,
0:13:45 > 0:13:46not pull it further apart.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49During the recent election, I ran on the promise of no second
0:13:49 > 0:13:51independence referendum, and I know some members
0:13:51 > 0:13:52of this House do not agree.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55But the evidence from East Lothian is that they did not want,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57that they do not want, a second independence referendum.
0:13:57 > 0:14:0070% of the voters who cast their votes voted for a party
0:14:00 > 0:14:05or parties that did not want a second independence referendum.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08It will be no surprise that I often wear a Yes badge,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10it's something I'm proud of my involvement in.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14But the reasons are more important than just being in or out of Europe,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16although that's a very important issue at the moment.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19My motivation is a hope that Scotland can become a fairer
0:14:19 > 0:14:20and more equal society.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23But that, to me, requires us to have the full levers of power
0:14:23 > 0:14:26to make it a successful country.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Just now, with 70% of tax and 85% of welfare powers
0:14:30 > 0:14:33remaining controlled by Westminster, the Scottish Parliament has no say
0:14:33 > 0:14:37over immigration and is powerless to prevent Trident weapons of mass
0:14:37 > 0:14:40destruction sitting a few miles from our largest city.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43We need an alternative to the economics of austerity,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47where our Scottish Government is not merely restricted to mitigating some
0:14:47 > 0:14:48of the worst aspects of Westminster.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Since September 2014, there've been over 17 polls
0:14:52 > 0:14:57taken across Scotland, and they have consistently said
0:14:57 > 0:15:00the Scottish people do not want independence and they don't
0:15:00 > 0:15:02want to have another referendum.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05After all these elections that you have suffered so much from,
0:15:05 > 0:15:09what's it's going to take for the Scottish National Party
0:15:09 > 0:15:12to listen to the people of Scotland, who they supposedly represent?
0:15:12 > 0:15:15I feel that reflecting on the binary nature of that referendum
0:15:15 > 0:15:18was what truly destructed the civic discourse in Scotland.
0:15:18 > 0:15:24Having the yes or no position offered a simplistic answer
0:15:24 > 0:15:25to a very complex question.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27That was what was so unsatisfactory about it.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30I was one of those people at the very early stages of that
0:15:30 > 0:15:33referendum that favoured a third option, and that would have actually
0:15:33 > 0:15:36opened up the debate in Scotland during that referendum for a more
0:15:36 > 0:15:38nuanced discussion about the process of devolution,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40which, we recall, Donald Dewar called a process, not an event.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42So enough.
0:15:42 > 0:15:43Indeed, we've heard all the figures.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47There is now no reason, no will and a lot of
0:15:47 > 0:15:51people would argue no need for a second referendum.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Since the Smith Commission, and the latest tranche of powers,
0:15:54 > 0:15:58which remarkably seems to slip the minds of the SNP
0:15:58 > 0:16:01at any given opportunity, when they tell us about the rosy picture
0:16:01 > 0:16:05they've created in Scotland and ignoring the lack of GPs,
0:16:05 > 0:16:10the shortage of teachers, the closing of GP practices.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Christine Jardine there.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15The Government's flagship wellfare policy, Universal Credit,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19dominated Work and Pensions questions at the beginning
0:16:19 > 0:16:20of the Commons day.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Universal Credit combines six working-age benefits
0:16:22 > 0:16:24into a single payment.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27The Government says it's been designed to make the system simpler.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31There have been criticisms from Labour and the SNP over
0:16:31 > 0:16:33length of time claimments wait for money and the system
0:16:33 > 0:16:35of advance payments.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38While many Conservative MPs have supported the rollout.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42We hear a lot on the other side about Universal Credit,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45but we do need to remember this is a much more effective system
0:16:45 > 0:16:47at getting people into work and that, nationally,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50113 people move into work under Universal Credit for every
0:16:50 > 0:16:52100 under the previous system.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55And in my constituency, which was a pathfinder
0:16:55 > 0:16:58for Universal Credit, we are seeing very substantial falls
0:16:58 > 0:17:00in people claiming it.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Isn't this a better system altogether?
0:17:02 > 0:17:07My honourable friend is absolutely right.
0:17:07 > 0:17:13Universal Credit is helping people get into work,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16to progress in work, and it is also clear that people
0:17:16 > 0:17:21on Universal Credit are spending more time looking for work
0:17:21 > 0:17:23than on the legacy benefits.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28And I think it's really important we all work to ensure that
0:17:28 > 0:17:29Universal Credit is a success.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32We believe it will result in 250,000 more jobs in this country
0:17:32 > 0:17:34as a consequence of its operation, and that is something
0:17:34 > 0:17:37that is worth achieving.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40I wonder if the Secretary of State has seen the report from
0:17:40 > 0:17:42the Child Poverty Action Group on the IPPR?
0:17:42 > 0:17:45They say that cuts to Universal Credit will leave an extra
0:17:45 > 0:17:491 million children in poverty.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Is a million more children in proverty not evidence enough
0:17:52 > 0:17:55for the UK Government to reverse the cuts to work allowances
0:17:55 > 0:17:57and make work pay?
0:17:57 > 0:18:01My point was that the Scottish Government are delivering
0:18:01 > 0:18:07Universal Credit in a different way, but in a way
0:18:07 > 0:18:09that I think is worse than the situation
0:18:09 > 0:18:12in England and Wales.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17I have to say, the point about Universal Credit is that it
0:18:17 > 0:18:19will help people in the work.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21I'll give one brief example, if I may, Mr Speaker.
0:18:21 > 0:18:28I heard of an account last week of someone, a single mother,
0:18:28 > 0:18:33on income support, not currently or previously able to claim
0:18:33 > 0:18:34for her childcare costs.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Now under Universal Credit, she is able to do so.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40She is taking up a job working eight or nine hours a week,
0:18:40 > 0:18:42which she was previously unable to do.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44A first step on the ladder, that is an example of
0:18:44 > 0:18:46what Universal Credit is delivering.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51I won't ask the Government bench for a fifth time whether I should
0:18:51 > 0:18:53believe his statement that the roll-out of
0:18:53 > 0:18:59Universal Credit in Birkenhead will go hunky-dory, or the foodbank
0:18:59 > 0:19:02that says it will need ten times more food to prevent a scenario
0:19:02 > 0:19:09of people going hungry.
0:19:09 > 0:19:10They can't abide the word starving.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13We have a debate on Thursday, which is signed by members
0:19:13 > 0:19:15across the House of Commons.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18It will be the first time when members opposite can actually
0:19:18 > 0:19:22vote whether they want to reform Universal Credit.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Will he be opening that debate and hearing it and taking
0:19:25 > 0:19:30a message directly back to Cabinet, please?
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Well, the position we have made very clear for a long time
0:19:34 > 0:19:37is that we want to ensure that Universal Credit works.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41This is a test and learn system, and we are always looking for ways
0:19:41 > 0:19:46in which we can improve the system, particularly for that first period.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48David Gauke.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50The top civil servant at the Ministry of Justice has
0:19:50 > 0:19:54admitted to MPs his department was too ambitious when it attempted
0:19:54 > 0:19:58to introduce a new form of electronic tagging for criminals.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02The ankle tagging scheme makes use of GPS satellite technology.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05It was meant to be a cheaper alternative to prison.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08But a National Audit Office report found that, by March,
0:20:08 > 0:20:14it cost the Government £60 million and still hasn't been implemented.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Monday's session of the Public Accounts Committee investigated
0:20:17 > 0:20:19the report's findings.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22The failure to pilot is something we all now regret.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26I think it was done because the Department wanted to see
0:20:26 > 0:20:28results quickly and had faith in the contract being able
0:20:28 > 0:20:31to deliver more quickly than we realise now that they
0:20:31 > 0:20:32could have delivered.
0:20:32 > 0:20:38And there was an overoptimistic belief that tagging could be
0:20:38 > 0:20:42used as an alternative to other disposals.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45And without an insight into either behaviour of sentences
0:20:45 > 0:20:47or behaviour of offenders under a tagging regime.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50There was some basic research done, I understand, by the Home Office,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53but it was very limited.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56What I am accepting is that, by the time we came to renew
0:20:56 > 0:21:00the contracts that we had that were running out in 2013,
0:21:00 > 0:21:04we were effectively looking at this as a reprocurement, with wanting,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08through that reprocurement, to provide options for the future.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12What we got wrong was not recognising that this was a major
0:21:12 > 0:21:14transformation programme, and that should have been based
0:21:14 > 0:21:19on a much more solid policy base than we had,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22and we should have had better research to be able
0:21:22 > 0:21:23to launch it in that way.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Having been an IT procurement badger myself, I do have insights here.
0:21:26 > 0:21:32The procurement was absolutely shambolic.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34You had untested providers. absolutely shambolic.
0:21:34 > 0:21:40You had no clear accountability for who was responsible for the service.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45And you didn't have an integrator, so whoever put this town
0:21:45 > 0:21:55as a recruitment strategy, I don't think had any idea
0:21:55 > 0:21:56what they were trying to achieve.
0:21:56 > 0:21:57It was completely, fundamentally flawed.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01This is a mistake we made thinking, as part of the reprocurement,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04we could somehow get suppliers to invent on the hoof tags that
0:22:04 > 0:22:05could do everything.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07That was an overly ambitious reading of what the market
0:22:07 > 0:22:08was capable of delivering.
0:22:08 > 0:22:09Richard Heaton.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Earlier this year, new penalties were introduced for people
0:22:11 > 0:22:15caught driving while using a hand-held mobile phone.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19A fine of £200 as well as six penalty points could be imposed
0:22:19 > 0:22:21for first-time offenders.
0:22:21 > 0:22:26More than 15,000 drivers have been fined under the new rules.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29In the Lords, peers asked about the impact of the regulations.
0:22:29 > 0:22:34Young people aged between the ages of 17 and 29 are more likely to use
0:22:34 > 0:22:40hand-held mobile phones and other hand-held devices.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44Can my noble friend the Minister say what the Government is doing to take
0:22:44 > 0:22:48action against this, and also in relation to further
0:22:48 > 0:22:52education for that particular group?
0:22:52 > 0:22:54My noble friend is right to highlight the importance
0:22:54 > 0:22:57of addressing young drivers.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Around 20% of new drivers will have a crash within the first
0:23:00 > 0:23:02six months of passing their test.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04So any novice drivers caught using a mobile phone
0:23:04 > 0:23:08within the first two years will have their licence revoked.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10We've announced changes to the practical driving test,
0:23:10 > 0:23:18which will come into force in December.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20I've mentioned the Think campaign, which is targeting young drivers,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22we have also produced a provisional licence mailing insert
0:23:22 > 0:23:25which is estimated to reach nearly 1.7 million new drivers annually.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27What representations, if any have Transport Ministers been making
0:23:27 > 0:23:31to the Treasury that road traffic offences,
0:23:31 > 0:23:33including vehicle theft and using hand-held mobile phones
0:23:33 > 0:23:35while driving cannot, even in increasing
0:23:35 > 0:23:38numbers of occasions, even be pursued by the police,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41let alone see perpetrators brought to justice, due to the continuing
0:23:41 > 0:23:45squeeze on police budgets and continuing reductions
0:23:45 > 0:23:47to the number of police officers?
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Can I take it the Department for Transport, despite the recent
0:23:49 > 0:23:53publicly expressed concerns of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, has
0:23:53 > 0:23:57remained utterly silent on the issue of inadequate police resources?
0:23:57 > 0:24:03My Lords, we are very sensitive to the pressures which police face
0:24:03 > 0:24:06and we recognise the importance of wider police spending in the
0:24:06 > 0:24:092015 Police Spending Review, which did protect overall
0:24:09 > 0:24:11police spending in real terms.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14It is of course up to Police and Crime Commissioners and chief
0:24:14 > 0:24:16constables for each force to decide how they deploy resources.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Can the Minister tell us what she's going to do about cyclists
0:24:19 > 0:24:22who use their phones, often at high speed,
0:24:22 > 0:24:27and are becoming a danger on our roads?
0:24:27 > 0:24:30My Lords, I agree that everyone who uses highways does have
0:24:30 > 0:24:31responsibility to behave safely.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34There are a number of offences that can cover cycling behaviour.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Fixed penalty notices, or officers can report the
0:24:37 > 0:24:40road user for prosecution.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42The Government announced last month its cycle safety review that
0:24:42 > 0:24:46will involve a consultation on these were issues, and is working
0:24:46 > 0:24:50with stakeholders for their input and will publish results this year.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Members of the Lords come from all walks of life.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Lord Bradshaw worked for Thames Valley Police association,
0:24:55 > 0:24:57specialising in road safety.
0:24:57 > 0:25:03He was concerned about drivers stopping to take calls.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Throughout the area, the regulations about parking
0:25:05 > 0:25:11are universally ignored, and some very dangerous parking
0:25:11 > 0:25:14is taking place in a town centres.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Does this not indicate a lack of respect for the law?
0:25:18 > 0:25:22I wonder what the Government is doing about that?
0:25:22 > 0:25:29I'm afraid am not aware of the incident the noble Lord raises.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Obviously, we're working with police forces across the country to ensure
0:25:32 > 0:25:33enforcement is taking place.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Because laws are only as good as their enforcement.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39That's it, but do join us at the same time tomorrow
0:25:39 > 0:25:42for another round-up of the day at Westminster.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45For now, from me, Mandy Baker, goodbye.