04/11/2015 Prime Minister's Questions

outstanding university, I share the honourablegentleman's concerns and

the Scottish Government could do a great deal of learning from the

English universities. Questions to the Prime Minister.

I know the whole house will join me in paying tribute to those who have

fallen serving our country. They gave their lives so we could live

hours in freedom. It is right to reflect on Armistice Day and a

contribution to all of those who have served our country. This

morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others

and in addition to my duties in this House I shall have further meetings

today. I would like to associate myself with the comments from the

Prime Minister. I look forward to joining the Armistice Day parade in

my constituency. It has grown to the largest in Britain. Speaking to

constituents in Warwickshire, the Government commitment of 2% GDP

spending was very welcome. Given volatile state of many parts of the

world, it is more important than ever that we maintain that

commitment and give rage chew support, resources and commitment

available. -- give our brave troops. We live in an uncertain world. The

2% on defence spending and .7% on aid spending helping our security as

well as making sure we are a generous and moral nation and having

the ultimate insurance policy of a replacement for Trident submarines.

Jeremy Corbyn... Thank you, Mr Speaker. I concur with the Prime

Minister's marks concerning remembrance -- Sunday and

remembrance weekend. We mourn all of those who die in all wars and

resolved to build a peaceful future where the next generation does not

suffer from billboards of past generations. Last week, I asked the

Prime Minister the same question six times and he could not answer. He

has had the week to think about it. I want to ask him one more time...

Can he guarantee that next April nobody is going to be worse off as a

result of cuts to working tax credits? Let me be absolutely clear

with the honourable gentleman. What I can guarantee next April as there

will be an 11,000 passenger allowance, so you can earn 11,000

before paying tax. There will be a national living wage of ?7 20,

giving the lowest paid in our country a ?20 pay rise. On the issue

of tax credits, we suffered the defeat in the House of Lords. We

suffered the defeat in the House of Lords. With new proposals in the

Autumn Statement. At that point, in exactly three weeks' time, I will be

able to answer his question. Now, if he wants to spend the next five

questions asking it all over again, I am sure he will find it is very

entertaining and interesting. How it fits with the new politics, I am not

quite sure. Over to you. This is not about entertainment. This is

about... This is not funny for people who are

desperately worried about what is going to happen next April. If the

Prime Minister will not listen to the questions I put, will not listen

to the questions that are put by the public, then perhaps the Prime

Minister will listen to a question that was raised by his honourable

friend, the member for Brigg and Goole, who last week concerning tax

credit changes said, the changes cannot go ahead next April and that

any mitigation should be for mitigation. What is the Prime

Minister's answer to his friend? Very much the same answer that I

gave to him. In three weeks' time, we will announce our proposals and

he will be able to see what we will do to deliver the high pay, low tax,

lower welfare economy we want to see. That is what we need in our

country. We are cutting taxes and increasing pay but we also believe

it is right to reform welfare. He will have his answer in three weeks'

time. Meantime, he had to think about this but if we do not reform

welfare, how will we find the police service we are talking about today?

How will we find the health service we could be talking about today? How

will we paid for the defence forces we are talking about today? The

honourable gentleman has been consistent. He has opposed every

reform to welfare that has ever come forward. If we listened to him, we

would still have families in London getting ?100,000 a year in housing

benefit. The answer to the question is, you will find out in three

weeks' time. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The reality is that the Prime

Minister makes choices and he has made a choice concerning working tax

credits that has not worked very well so far. But he must be

aware... I give an example. A serving soldier, a private in the

Army with two children and a partner would lose over ?2000 next April. I

asked the question... The questions will be heard. And the

answers will be heard. Simple as that. Mr Jeremy Corbyn... Thank you,

Mr Speaker. Surely that is the whole point of our parliament, that we're

able to put questions to those authority. And so, I have a

question... I have a question from Kieron, a veteran of the first Gulf

War. His family are set to lose out. He rides it is a worry for the

family. There is fear and trepidation about whether we will be

able to get by. Is this how the Government complete -- treats

veterans of the armed services? Let me take the case of the serving

soldier. Many soldiers, indeed all soldiers, will benefit from the

?11,000 personal allowance that comes in next year. That means they

will be able to earn more money before they even start to pay

taxes. Serving soldiers with children will benefit from the 30

hours of childcare. Of course, serving soldiers and others will be

able to see our proposals on tax credits in exactly three weeks'

time. What I would say to the serving soldier is that he is now

dealing with an opposition party, the leader of which, said he could

not see any use for UK forces anywhere in the world at any time.

That serving soldier would not have a job if the honourable gentleman

got anywhere near power. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I invite

the Prime Minister to cast his mind to another area of public service

that is causing acute concern at the present time? I know he is trying to

dig himself out of the hole with the junior doctors offer this morning

which you await the detail. There is a question I want to put to him. I

quote Doctor Cliff man, the president of the Royal College of

emergency medicine. He said that this winter will be worse than last

winter. Last winter was the worst winter we have ever had in the NHS.

Can the Prime Minister guarantee there will be no winter crisis in

the NHS this year? First of all, when it comes to the Royal College

of emergency medicine, they actually support what we are saying about a

seven-day NHS and the junior doctors contract. He says, wait for the

detail. I would urge anyone in this House and all junior doctors who are

watching to go on to the Department of Health website and look at the

pay calculator. You will be able to see that no 1 working legal hours

will lose out in any way at all. It is an 11% basic pay rise. Deliver is

the stronger and safer NHS. As for the state of our NHS more generally,

it is benefiting from ?10 billion that we put in the money that the

Labour Party at last election said they did not support. I believe the

NHS has the resources that it needs. That is why we are seeing it

treating more patients with more treatments, more drugs being

delivered, more tests being carried out. It is a much stronger NHS and

the reason is simple. We have a strong economy supporting our strong

NHS. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I note that the Prime Minister has not

offered any comment whatsoever about the Windsor crisis -- the winter

crisis of last year and what will happen this year.

Mr Speaker... Order, order! The leader of the position is entitled

to ask questions without a barrage of noise. The Prime Minister is

entitled to answer questions without a barrage of noise. That is what the

public is entitled to expect. Mr Jeremy Corbyn... If the Prime

Minister will not answer questions that I'd put, then I quote to him,

the renowned King's Fund, which has enormous expertise in NHS funding

and NHS Administration, and I quote, the national health service cannot

continue to maintain standards of care and balance the books. A rapid

and serious decline in patient care is inevitable unless something is

done. Could I ask the Prime Minister, which is rising faster?

NHS waiting lists or NHS deficits? Let me deal directly with the Kings

fund. What we have done on this side of the house is the point in new

chief executive to the NHS, Mr Simon Stephens where he worked under the

last Labour government and did a very good job for them. He produced

the Stevens plan which he said required ?8 billion of government

funding. We are putting in ?10 billion behind that plan. That is

the plan we are producing. The results you can see, we have 1.3

million more operations, 7.8 million more outpatient appointments and 4.7

million more diagnostic tests. What is going up in the NHS is a number

of treatments, the number of successful outcomes. He wants to

know who is heading for a winter crisis. I would predict it is the

Labour Party that is heading for a winter crisis. Look at his

appointments! His media adviser is a Stalinist. His new policy advisor is

a Trotskyist and his economic adviser is a Communist was the

busiest trying to move the Labour Party to the left, I give him full

marks. -- a Communist. If he is trying to move the Labour Party to

the left, I give him full marks. Mr Speaker, the issue I raised with the

Prime Minister was the national health service. In case he had

forgotten. I would like to remind him that since he took office in

2010, the English waiting list is up by a third. There are now 3.5

million people, 3.5 million people waiting for treatment in the NHS. If

his party cannot match its actions by its words, then I put this to

him. Will he just get rid? The NHS is in a problem. It is in a problem

of deficit in many hospitals, a problem of waiting lists, a problem

of the financial crisis that has been faced with so many others. Can

he now addressed that issue and ensure that everyone in this

can rely on the NHS which is surely can rely on the NHS which is surely

the jewel in all of our crowns? Since I became premise, let me tell

him what has happened since then. The number of doctors up by 10,500,

the number of nurses up by 5800, fewer patients waiting to start

treatment than under Labour, we have seen mixed sex wards virtually

abolished and seen rates of hospital infection plummet. It's happened for

a reason. Because we've had a strong economy and some of the strongest

growth anywhere in the world, because we have unemployment

falling, inflation on the floor, we are able to fund an NHS whereas the

countries that he admires all over the world with their crazy socialist

plans cut their health service and that the people who need their help

the most! -- they hurt the people who need their help the most. The

UK's Internet economy is much the largest of the T20 nations at 12.4%

of GDP but as consumers move online soda criminals. Does the Prime

Minister agree that the Investigatory Powers Bill must give

our security services the powers they need to keep us safe, whilst

ensuring that proper controls exist on how we use those powers? My

honourable friend is absolutely right to raise this. It is one of

the most important bills that this House were discussed. It is going

through pre-legislative scrutiny. The Home Secretary today will set

out very clearly what this bill is about and why it is necessary. Let

me make one some ballpoint. Communications data, the who called

who and when of Telecom allegations has been absolutely vital in

catching rapists, child abductors and solving other crimes. The

question before us is, do we need that data when people are using

social media to commit those crimes rather than a mobile phone. My

answer is yes, we must help the police and our security and

intelligence services to keep us safe. Mr Angus Robertson. Think you,

Mr Speaker. This week when remember all the sacrifices from past and

present conflicts and show respect to veterans and service families.

Does the Prime Minister agree that everything must be done to deliver

on the military covenant, of the spirit and the letter? I agree with

both parts of the question, these remembrance services are important

up and down the country and the military covenant is one of the most

important things we have where we make a promise to our military that

because of the sacrifices they make on our behalf, they should not have

less good treatment than other good people in this country, and indeed

where we can we should provide extra support. This is the first

government to put the military government properly into law --

military covenant and every year to improve it whether by hospital

treatment, free transport, council tax discount, and so many other

things, and we report on it every. Mr Angus Robertson. Is the Prime

Minister aware that many service widows continue to be deprived of

their forces pensions if there is a change in their personal

circumstances? Does he agree that this is a clear breach in the spirit

of the military covenant and what will he do to rectify this wrong? We

made a big change, last, I think, around Armistice Day, to make sure

that many people to Schmeichel last year, to make sure that people who

had remarried could get pensions. The big step forward welcomed by

British Legion. If we need to take further steps I am very happy to

look at them and see what be done. I remember that in the last budget we

looked at the case of police widows and tried to put right their

situation as well. Doctor James Davis. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Will a

Prime Minister joined me in congratulating Prestatyn, which is a

finalist in the great British high street awards? And will he confirm

whether the UK's government will hold discussions with the Welsh

assembly have and which is about the division of business rates councils

to Wales so that other times in my constituency have a better

opportunity to regenerate? -- other towns. I do join him in

congratulating Prestatyn. I don't know if it is in the same category

as my hometown of Chipping Norton which has also been nominated so I

might have a conflict of interest. What I would say is, in Wales,

business rates is a devolved issue but it's open to the Welsh

government, should they choose to take our approach of devolving that

business rate income directly to local councils so that local

councils have a better connection between the money they raise and the

decisions they make to attract business investment and industry to

their area. I went to Cheltenham ladies College and the Prime

Minister went to Eton. Both schools which invest heavily in excellent

teaching and facilities for music, dance, arts and drama. Yet while

he's been Prime Minister, the schools which educate 92% of our

pupils have cut teachers in those subjects. Will his legacy be that

Britain stopped being a world leader in creative and cultural industries

and becomes an also-ran? I do not accept that. And if you look at

school funding, it has been protected under this government and

we want to continue protecting it. What I will make no apology for is

the clear focus we have on getting the basics right in schools. It's

absolutely essential that we get more children learning the basic

subjects and getting basic qualifications. And then on top of

that it is more possible to put in place the arts, dance and drama that

I want my children to have as they go to their schools. Damian Collins.

The Channel Tunnel and the Port of Dover are major pieces of lateral

infrastructure but when there are disruptions to services it causes

chaos on the roads of Kent. As the government computers work on the

spending review will the Prime Minister gives special consideration

to the need for an urgent long-term solution to Operation Stack? I

absolutely recognise the serious problems caused to Kent residents

and businesses when it was necessary to put into place Operation Stack.

We've ready and permitted short-term measures to reduce the impact

including the temporary availability of one every and is contingency

measure. I know he met with the Chancellor and other Kent MPs and

we're happy to build on this work. I understand the pressures and we will

do all we to relieve them. May I associate myself with the comments

the Prime Minister made about what will happen this weekend and also

his comments he made to the leader of the SNP. God I raised the issue

about the fact that thousands of people who served in the royal navy

before 1987 are not entitled to full compensation, this means that people

who have been exposed to disease stand to lose out massively compared

with people in civilian life to the extent that some idiot who's been

exposed in industry could get ?150,000 in compensation, and it is

probable that a service person will only get ?31,000. This is clearly a

moral outrage as well as being in breach... I am grateful to the

honourable gentleman for raising this issue. I understand the Defence

Secretary is looking at it. Since putting in place the military

covenant with tried every year to make progress, whether to do with

widows or with different groups disadvantaged in some way. I am

happy to look at the points he makes. Thank you, Mr Speaker. At the

Royal Society, they've identified the need for 1 million scientists,

engineers and technical professionals by 2020. One way to

bridge the skills grab is an increase in high quality

apprenticeships like the ones in Basildon. -- the skills gap. Yet for

every one place available 20 people apply. Will my right honourable

friend redouble his efforts to meet our commitment to 2 million new

apprenticeships? This target is essential and I believe we can

achieve it. Going back to questions from the Honourable member for

Slough one way will achieve it is by making sure that more young people

have the qualifications necessary to apply for an apprenticeship will

stop many firms find that a lot of people apply but when you look at

the people who don't have a qualification in English and maths

and becomes down. I'm delighted to announce that in terms of advice and

apprenticeships, to make sure we work with businesses to get this

target, the Right Honourable member for structure and maven is going to

take the place of the Right Honourable member for Watford who is

moved on to other things -- the Right Honourable member for

Stratford-upon-Avon. He is going to help me make sure we deliver on

this. My constituents in Blackpool face a 11 me on police cuts from the

spending review and the new Home Office formula which tops ?45

million of Lancashire Police. I ask him whether a cross-party letter

from the MPs of like a ship, one from my neighbourhood watch group,

one from other commissions, mostly Tories, and the Chief Constable, all

saying that the process is flawed, how many blue lights must he have

before we had meltdown? Let me say, the reforms to the police funding

formula is a consultation on which no decisions have been taken. Mayo

congratulate the luxuries to him because crime is down in Blackpool

by 5% -- May I congratulate the like should police. Funding for the

Lancashire Police is the same in cash terms as 2003. Her Majesty's

Inspectorate of Constabulary found that Lancashire Constabulary is

exceptionally well prepared to face its future financial requirements.

That is the view of HMI sea. In a country where crime however you

measure it has fallen significantly since this government took office.

Annemarie Trevelyan. Thank you, Mr Speaker. My constituent, one of the

UK's leading burns specialists went on Monday to Bucharest to help

Romanian medical teams dealing with the nightclub fire. I understand

that there are 150 patients in need of critical care and only 25 beds in

big rest. She has asked if the Prime Minister will consider offering

practical medical assistance to these victims by allowing the use of

UK burns facilities for their treatment. I think my honourable

friend is right to raise this tragic event that happened in big rest last

Friday. All our thoughts are with the victims and their families. I'm

pleased to hear about the visit of this doctor and herself was work.

It's a very good suggestion to look that if we can offer specialist help

and I will take it away and see what can be done. The Prime Minister will

understand the heartbreak at the death of a child. For parents not to

know what has happened to the ashes of that child, as is the case with

Mike and Tina troll hill in Hull and other families around the country

must be very cruel. Will the Prime Minister agree to meet Mike and Tina

to discuss why we need national and local inquiry as to what happened in

that case around baby ashes? Paige are completely understand how her

constituents feel. This must have been an absolutely tragic event,

made worse by not knowing what has happened to their child. I am very

happy to arrange that meeting. I am not aware of this case. Let me look

at it and see what I can do. I was delighted that the Chancellor

chose our county city of York to launch the new national

infrastructure commission. Could the Prime Minister confirm that this is

the start of a new era where important investment decisions like

roads and railways between the cities of the North will help to

bring growth to our region? My friend Mike is right to raise this.

People in Yorkshire have long felt that there has not been a fair in a

deal in terms of transport funding on roads and rail. And I think that

people can now see that ?13 billion is being spent on transport in the

North as part of our plan to rebalance the British economy. We've

committed more than 4.8 ?3 on road improvements and we are still

improving the a 64, vital for York, and we will look at what more we can

do to make sure this vital part of the economy has the transport links

it needs. John Nicholson. Thank you, Mr Speaker, on the ninth these

extreme state for culture media and sport told the select committee that

there were no plans to sell Channel 4. -- the Secretary of State said

that. Can the Prime Minister confirm that that is the government 's

position that there are no initiatives underway to privatise

this important and much loved public institution. I'm a big fan of

Channel 4, it was a great Conservative innovation. A

combination of fully why slow and Margaret Thatcher that helped to

bring Channel 4 to our screens. -- Willie Whitelaw and Margaret

Thatcher. I'm a big fan. I wanted to have a strong, secure future. I

think it's right to look at all the options to see of private investment

into the channel could help to safeguard and the future. Let's look

at the options. Let's not our minds, like some on the opposition front

bench, let's not close our minds, they think that private is bad and

public is good. Let's have a proper look at how to make sure this great

channel goes on being great for years to come. Thank you, Mr

Speaker. Everyone who has had any contact with the adoption process

will be familiar with the frustration that are necessary

delays can cause to prospective parents. Would the Prime Minister

take action to speed up the adoption process so that more children can be

placed with the right families more quickly? Benchmark my friend Mike is

right to raise this. We've seen a 72% increase in the number of Jordan

adopted and the waiting time on average has fallen by five months.

-- children adopted. Toulon, yet if you look across the 150 councils

responsible, 68 of them have no mechanisms for early placement,

where you run fostering and adoption alongside each other. If we could

introduce that, not least to our regional adoption agencies that will

establish, many more children will get the warm and loving home we want

for them. On Armistice Day will the prime ministers that thought for the

633 of our bravest and best who died as a result of two political

mistakes. 179 in pursuit of non-existent weapons of mass

destruction in Iraq and 454 who died in the Helmand province inclusion

that promised that no shot will be fired. Will he rethink his own plan

to order more of our brave soldiers to put their lives on the line in

the chaos and confusion of a 4-sided civil war in Syria? I have great

respect for the honourable gentleman but with great respect, on Armistice

Day we should put aside political questions about conflicts and

decisions made, and simply remember the men and women who put on a

uniform, went and served and risked their lives on our behalf. Let's

make Armistice Day about that, not about other questions. Thank you, Mr

Speaker. The last week has been a very good one for Cornwall airport

in Newquay with the scrapping of the development fee which was an

additional tax on passages and a barrier to growth, the enactment of

new air links that link Cornwall to mainland Europe, and the upgrading

of the Gatwick limp with the support of the PSL. Will the Prime Minister

join me in congratulating the team at Newquay airport for their work in

supporting the Cornish economy? I am a huge fan of Newquay airport and a

frequent user. The government made a series of promises about helping the

airport to make sure that vital connectivity between Cornwall and

the rest of the country and continental Europe is there and I am

delighted it's so well. Norman Lamb. Can I thank the Prime Minister for

his welcome... Order! I want to share this question. Mr Lamb? Davey

Mac can I thank the Prime Minister for his welcome for the campaign

launched this week where 200 leaders from across society joined the Right

Honourable member for Sutton Coldfield, Alistair Campbell, and

me, in calling for equality for those suffering from mental

ill-health. The truth is that those who suffer in this way don't have

the same rights to access treatment as others enjoy in the NHS. The

moral and economic case for ending this historic injustice is

overwhelming. Will the Prime Minister do what it takes to make

sure that this spending review delivers the investment, the extra

investment in mental health to deliver genuine equality? Let me say

to the honourable gentleman, who did a lot of work on this in the last

Parliament, I very much welcome the campaign and what they want to

achieve. We set out in the NHS Constitution parity between mental

and physical health and we have taken steps towards that for example

by introducing the first time waiting times and proper targets for

talking therapies. There are now twice as many people undergoing

those that abuse as there were five years ago. I completely accept that

there is more to do in healing this divide between mental and physical

health and this government is committed to doing so. Andrew

Mitchell. Following up the question from the gentleman from Norfolk

North, I want to emphasise that this is an all-party campaign. Does he

agree that there's now a real opportunity to build on the work for

the coalition of the coalition with widespread support across all parts

of society, and end historic injustice between the treatment of

mental health and the physical illness. My honourable friend is

absolutely right. We are investing more in mental health than ever. We

will spend in 11.4 billion in this financial year and crucially we have

asked every clinical commissioning group to make sure real terms

increases in their investment in mental health services so it can't

be treated as the Cinderella service that has sometimes been the case in

the past. If we do that, and also deal with some of the other issues

like mental health patients being held in police cells, we can have a

far better system for dealing with mental health in this country. Thank

you Mr Speaker. After the announcement of job losses in

Northern Ireland, one factor has been high energy costs, will the

Prime Minister work with the Northern Ireland energy initiative

to address these issues as a matter of urgency. For people who are

currently in work in Northern Ireland and are very worried about

the impact of cutting working tax credits. Given that the Prime

Minister and the Chancellor are in the same mode and showing a

surprising degree of flexibility across a range of issues recently

will he refers the first of the policy and remove the threat against

working families in Northern Ireland and across the country? First of

all, on the issue of industries, if a company horrifies as part of the

energy intensive industries, it will see a reduction in its bill,, and

the second point I would make to Northern Ireland is that we have

passed in this House historic legislation to allow Northern

Ireland to set its own rate of corporation tax and the sooner we

can put together all the elements of the Stormont has agreement, the

sooner Northern Ireland will be able to take action to build a stronger

private sector in Northern Ireland which is what I want to see. On the

issue of tax credits, I give the same answer. He will know in three

weeks. He also knows that people working in that business or in

others will be able to an ?11,000 before they pay taxes, get more help

with childcare and have a higher wage. We will keep welfare costs

under control so that we can build great public services.