:00:18. > :00:19.Order! Questions to the Prime Minister
:00:20. > :00:26.Mr Craig Tracy. Question number one, Mr Spe`ker
:00:27. > :00:30.At the last Prime Ministers Questions, before Armistice Day
:00:31. > :00:33.I know the whole house will join me in paying tribute to all those who
:00:34. > :00:38.They gave their lives so we could live ours in frdedom
:00:39. > :00:42.and it is right to pause and reflect every year on Armistice
:00:43. > :00:46.Day, also on the contribution of all of those who served our country
:00:47. > :00:49.This morning, I had many medtings with ministerial colleagues
:00:50. > :00:54.and others and I shall have further such meetings later today.
:00:55. > :01:00.I would like to associate mxself with the Prime Minister's comments.
:01:01. > :01:03.I look forward to joining the Armistice Parade
:01:04. > :01:07.in my constituency which has been in existence since 1921 and grown to
:01:08. > :01:12.On the point of the militarx, speaking to constituency in
:01:13. > :01:14.North Warwickshire, the government commitment of 2%
:01:15. > :01:20.Would the Prime Minister agree with me that given the volatile state
:01:21. > :01:23.of many parts of the world, it is more important than ever that
:01:24. > :01:26.we maintain that commitment and give our brave troops the stpport,
:01:27. > :01:34.I think my honourable friend is absolutely right, we do livd
:01:35. > :01:40.I think these key commitments we have made, 2% on defence spdnding
:01:41. > :01:44.throughout this Parliament, 0.7% on aid spending which helps
:01:45. > :01:48.our security as well as makhng sure we are a generous and moral nation.
:01:49. > :01:53.And crucially, having the ultimate security of a replacement
:01:54. > :02:12.I concur with the Prime Minhster's remarks concerning Remembrance
:02:13. > :02:20.We mourn all those that havd died in all wars and surely we also
:02:21. > :02:23.resolve to try and build a peaceful future where the next
:02:24. > :02:28.generation doesn't suffer from the wars of the past generations.
:02:29. > :02:31.Last week, I asked the Prime Minister the same
:02:32. > :02:36.He has now had a week to thhnk about it.
:02:37. > :02:43.I want to ask him one more time can he guarantee that next April, nobody
:02:44. > :02:48.is going to be worse off as a result of cuts to working tax credhts?
:02:49. > :02:53.Let me be absolutely clear with the honourable gentleman,
:02:54. > :02:58.what I can guarantee you next April is there will be an 11,000 personal
:02:59. > :03:02.allowance so you can earn ?01,0 0 before you pay tax.
:03:03. > :03:05.What I what I can guarantee is there will be a national living w`ge
:03:06. > :03:09.of national of ?7.20, giving the lowest paid in our country
:03:10. > :03:14.a ?20 a week pay rise compared with the election next year.
:03:15. > :03:18.On the issue of tax credits, we suffered the defeat in the House of
:03:19. > :03:21.Lords so we have taken the proposals away, we are looking at thel, we
:03:22. > :03:24.will come forward with new proposals in the Autumn Statement and at that
:03:25. > :03:27.point in exactly three weeks' time, I will be able to answer
:03:28. > :03:33.Now, if he wants to spend the next five
:03:34. > :03:36.questions asking it all over again, I'm sure he will find that ht is
:03:37. > :03:41.How it fits with the new politics, I'm not quite sure.
:03:42. > :03:51.Mr Speaker, this isn't about entertainmdnt.
:03:52. > :04:02.This is not funny for peopld who are desperately worried abott what
:04:03. > :04:08.If the Prime Minister won't listen to the questions I put, won't listen
:04:09. > :04:16.to the questions put by the public, then, perhaps the Prime Minhster
:04:17. > :04:20.will listen to a question that was raised by his honourable frhend the
:04:21. > :04:24.member for Brigg and Goole who last week, concerning
:04:25. > :04:29.tax credit changes said, and I quote, "The changes cannot go ahead
:04:30. > :04:33.next April and that any mithgation should be full mitigation."
:04:34. > :04:38.What is the Prime Minister's answer to his friend?
:04:39. > :04:45.It is very much the same answer that I gave to him.
:04:46. > :04:49.In three weeks' time, we will announce our propos`ls and
:04:50. > :04:54.he will be able to see what we will do to deliver the high pay, low tax,
:04:55. > :05:04.We are cutting taxes, we ard increasing pay but we also believe
:05:05. > :05:10.He will have his answer in three weeks time, meanwhile, he h`s to
:05:11. > :05:14.think about this, if we don't reform welfare, how will we fund the police
:05:15. > :05:21.How will we fund the health service that we could be
:05:22. > :05:26.How will we afford the defence forces we are talking about today?
:05:27. > :05:30.The honourable gentleman has been completely consistent,
:05:31. > :05:38.If we listen to him, we would still have family in London getting
:05:39. > :05:44.The answer to the question is you will find out
:05:45. > :05:56.The reality is that the Prime Minister makes choices
:05:57. > :05:59.and he has made a choice concerning working tax credits which h`sn't
:06:00. > :06:04.But he must be aware, I will give him an example.
:06:05. > :06:08.A serving soldier, a privatd in the army with two children and ` partner
:06:09. > :06:40.Surely that is the whole pohnt of our Parliament, that we are able to
:06:41. > :07:01.His family are set to lose out and he writes, it is a worrx to
:07:02. > :07:04.the family, there is fear and trepidation about whethdr we
:07:05. > :07:08.And he asks, is this how the government treats
:07:09. > :07:18.First of all, many soldiers, indeed, all soldiers, will benefit
:07:19. > :07:22.from the ?11,000 personal allowance that comes in next year.
:07:23. > :07:27.That means they will be abld to earn more money before they
:07:28. > :07:32.Serving soldiers who have children will benefit from 30 hours
:07:33. > :07:38.And, of course, they will bd able to see our proposals on tax crddits
:07:39. > :07:45.But what I would say to the serving soldier is that he is
:07:46. > :07:48.now dealing with an opposithon party, the leader of which said he
:07:49. > :07:52.couldn't see any use for UK forces anywhere in the world at anx time.
:07:53. > :07:55.That serving soldier wouldn't have a job if the honourable gentleman
:07:56. > :08:15.Can I invite the Prime Minister to cast his mind to another arda
:08:16. > :08:19.of public service that is c`using acute concern at the present time.
:08:20. > :08:23.I note he is trying to dig him self out of a hole with the junior
:08:24. > :08:28.doctors' offer this morning which we await the detail of.
:08:29. > :08:31.But there is a question I want to put to him
:08:32. > :08:35.I quote the president of thd Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
:08:36. > :08:48.He said, this winter will be worse than last
:08:49. > :08:51.winter and last winter was the worst winter we have ever had in the NHS.
:08:52. > :08:55.Can the Prime Minister guar`ntee there will be no winter crisis
:08:56. > :09:01.First of all, when it comes to the Royal College of Emergency
:09:02. > :09:04.Medicine, they actually support what we say about the seven-day NHS
:09:05. > :09:12.I would urge everyone in thhs House and I would urge all junior doctors
:09:13. > :09:15.who are watching this to go on the Department of Health websitd and
:09:16. > :09:19.look at the pay calculator because you will be able to see then no
:09:20. > :09:23.doctor working legal hours will lose out in any way at all.
:09:24. > :09:27.This is an 11% basic pay rise and what it will deliver is
:09:28. > :09:34.And as for the state of it generally, it is benefiting from ?10
:09:35. > :09:40.billion, money that we put hn, money that the Labour Party, at the last
:09:41. > :09:47.So, I believe the NHS has the resources that it needs.
:09:48. > :09:50.And that is why we are seeing it treating more patients with more
:09:51. > :09:53.treatments, more drugs being delivered,
:09:54. > :09:57.It is a much stronger NHS and the reason is simple.
:09:58. > :09:59.Because we have a strong economy supporting our NHS.
:10:00. > :10:11.I note that the Prime Minister has not offered any comment whatsoever
:10:12. > :10:15.about the winter crisis last year or what will happen this ye`r.
:10:16. > :10:39.The Leader of the Opposition is entitldd to ask
:10:40. > :10:43.questions without a barrage of noise and the Prime Minister is
:10:44. > :10:48.entitled to answer questions without a barrage of noise.
:10:49. > :10:52.That is what the public are entitled to dxpect.
:10:53. > :10:59.Mr Speaker, if the Prime Minister won't answer questions that I put,
:11:00. > :11:04.then I quote to him the renowned Kings' Fund which has enormous
:11:05. > :11:10.expertise in NHS funding and NHS Administration and I quote, the
:11:11. > :11:14.National Health Service cannot continue to maintain standards
:11:15. > :11:21.Our rapid and serious decline in patient care is inevitable
:11:22. > :11:26.Can I ask the Prime Minister, which is rising faster,
:11:27. > :11:39.Let me deal directly with the Kings Fund.
:11:40. > :11:47.What we have done on this shde of the House is appoint a new Chief
:11:48. > :11:51.Executive to the NHS, Mr Silon Stephens, who worked on the last
:11:52. > :11:56.Labour government, he produced a plan that said required at least ?8
:11:57. > :12:00.billion of government funding and we are putting in ?10 billion behind
:12:01. > :12:04.that plan. That is the plan we are producing and the results you can
:12:05. > :12:10.see is that we've got 1.3 mhllion more operations, 7 million lore
:12:11. > :12:16.outpatient appointments, 4 lillion more diagnostic tests. What is going
:12:17. > :12:20.up is the number of treatments, the number of successful outcomds. Andy
:12:21. > :12:27.B wants to know who is headhng for winter crisis, I would predhct it is
:12:28. > :12:32.the Labour Party heading for a winter crisis. His media adviser is
:12:33. > :12:37.a Stalinist, his new policy adviser is a Trotskyist and is economics
:12:38. > :12:42.adviser is a communist, if he is trying to move the Labour P`rty to
:12:43. > :12:54.the left, I would give him full marks. Mr Speaker, the issud that I
:12:55. > :12:58.raised with the Prime Minister was the National Health Service, in case
:12:59. > :13:03.he had forgotten. I would jtst like to remind him that since he took
:13:04. > :13:13.office in 2010, the English waiting list is up by a third, therd are now
:13:14. > :13:21.3.5 million people waiting for treatment in the NHS. If his party
:13:22. > :13:28.can't match its actions by hts words, then I put this to hhm, will
:13:29. > :13:34.he just get real? The NHS is in a problem, it is in a problem of
:13:35. > :13:38.deficits in many hospitals, it is in a problem of waiting lists, it is in
:13:39. > :13:43.a problem of the coroner sh`ll crisis, can he now addressed that
:13:44. > :13:48.issue and ensure that everyone in this country can rely on thd NHS
:13:49. > :13:55.which is surely the jewel in all our crowns? He talks about the health
:13:56. > :14:02.service says I became Prime Minister. The number of doctors up
:14:03. > :14:08.by ten and a half thousand, the number of nurses up by 5800, fewer
:14:09. > :14:12.patients waiting more than 42 weeks to start treatment than unddr Labour
:14:13. > :14:16.and we have introduced the Cancer Drugs Fund and we have seen mixed
:14:17. > :14:22.sex wards surgery abolished and we have seen rates of MS RA cole
:14:23. > :14:26.permitting down. But it has happened for a reason. Because we have had a
:14:27. > :14:30.strong economy, because we have some of the strongest growth anywhere in
:14:31. > :14:32.the world, because we have `n implement coming down, becatse we
:14:33. > :14:40.have got inflation on the floor we are able to fund earning -- and
:14:41. > :14:54.NHS. Whereas the countries he admires with their crazy socialist
:14:55. > :15:00.planned cut the services and... The UK public internet economy hs by far
:15:01. > :15:05.the largest of the G20 nations at 12.4% of our GDP but as consumers
:15:06. > :15:09.move online, so do criminals. Does the Prime Minister agree th`t the
:15:10. > :15:13.investigatory Powers Bill mtst give our security versus the powdrs they
:15:14. > :15:15.need to keep us safe whilst ensuring the proper controls exist on how we
:15:16. > :15:20.use those powers. I think my honourable friend is
:15:21. > :15:23.absolutely right to raise this and I think it's one of the most hmportant
:15:24. > :15:26.bills that this House will discuss. It's going through
:15:27. > :15:28.pre-legislative scrutiny first. The Home Secretary today,
:15:29. > :15:30.at this dispatch box, will set out very clearly what this bill is
:15:31. > :15:33.about and why it is necessary. Communications data, the who called
:15:34. > :15:38.whom and when of telecommunhcations, has been absolutely vital
:15:39. > :15:41.in catching rapists and child And the question before us hs, do we
:15:42. > :15:47.need that data when people `re using social media to commit thosd crimes
:15:48. > :15:52.rather than just a mobile phone My answer is yes,
:15:53. > :15:55.we must help the police and our security and intellhgence
:15:56. > :16:02.services to keep us safe. At this week's Remembrance dvents,
:16:03. > :16:08.we remember all of the sacrhfices We also show our respects to
:16:09. > :16:16.veterans and to service famhlies. Does the Prime Minister agrde that
:16:17. > :16:19.everything must be done to deliver on the military covenant,
:16:20. > :16:31.both the spirit and the letter? I certainly agree with both parts
:16:32. > :16:33.of his question. These remembrance services `re very
:16:34. > :16:36.important right up and down our country and the Military Covenant, I
:16:37. > :16:39.think, is one of the most ilportant things we have where we makd a
:16:40. > :16:42.promise to our military that because of the sacrifices they make
:16:43. > :16:45.on our behalf, they should not have less good treatment than other good
:16:46. > :16:48.people in our country and, hndeed, where we can,
:16:49. > :16:50.we should provide extra support This is the first government to put
:16:51. > :16:52.the Military Covenant properly into law and to deliver, allost
:16:53. > :16:55.every year, big improvements in the Military Covenant, whether it's
:16:56. > :17:00.hospital treatment, free tr`nsport, council tax discount and
:17:01. > :17:05.so many other things. We report Is the Prime Minister aware that
:17:06. > :17:13.many service widows continud to be deprived of their Forces' pdnsions
:17:14. > :17:17.if there is a change Does he agree that this is
:17:18. > :17:22.a clear breach in the spirit of the Military Covenant and what
:17:23. > :17:28.will he do to rectify this wrong? We made a big change,
:17:29. > :17:31.I think it was last year, around the time of Armistice Day, to m`ke sure
:17:32. > :17:35.that many people who had relarried That was a very big step forward
:17:36. > :17:41.welcomed by the British Leghon. If there are further steps that we
:17:42. > :17:45.need to take or need to look at I am very happy to look at them
:17:46. > :17:48.and see what can be done. I also remember that
:17:49. > :17:51.in the last budget, I think it was, we looked at the case
:17:52. > :17:54.of police widows and we tridd to put Will the Prime Minister join me
:17:55. > :18:04.in congratulating the town of Prestatyn in my constitudncy
:18:05. > :18:07.which is a finalist in The Great And will he confirm whether the
:18:08. > :18:14.UK Government will be holding discussions with the Welsh @ssembly
:18:15. > :18:17.government about the devolution of business rates to councils hn Wales
:18:18. > :18:22.so that other town centres hn my constituency have
:18:23. > :18:28.a better opportunity to regdnerate? I certainly join him
:18:29. > :18:30.in congratulating Prestatyn. I don't know whether Prestatyn is
:18:31. > :18:34.in the same category for this prize as my hometown
:18:35. > :18:37.of Chipping Norton, which h`s also been nominated, so I might have
:18:38. > :18:42.some conflicts of interest! But what I would say to him is,
:18:43. > :18:47.obviously, in Wales, business rates is a devolved issue but it hs open
:18:48. > :18:51.to the Welsh government, should they choose to take the approach that we
:18:52. > :18:53.are taking of devolving that business rate income directly to
:18:54. > :18:57.local councils so that local councils have a better conndction
:18:58. > :19:01.between the money that they raise and the decisions that they make to
:19:02. > :19:04.attract business and investlent I went to Cheltenham Ladies'
:19:05. > :19:11.College, the Prime Minister to Eton - both schools which invest heavily
:19:12. > :19:18.in excellent teaching and f`cilities Yet, while he has been
:19:19. > :19:23.Prime Minister, the schools which educate 93% of our pupils have
:19:24. > :19:29.cut teachers in those subjects. Will his legacy be that Britain
:19:30. > :19:33.stops being a world leader hn I don't accept that and, actually,
:19:34. > :19:42.if you look at what's happened with school funding,
:19:43. > :19:44.it's actually been protected under this government and we want to
:19:45. > :19:48.continue protecting school funding. What I would make no apologx
:19:49. > :19:52.for is the very clear focus that we have on getting the basics right
:19:53. > :19:55.in our schools. I think it's absolutely essdntial
:19:56. > :19:59.that we get more children ldarning the basic subjects, getting
:20:00. > :20:02.the basic qualifications and then, on top of that, it's then more
:20:03. > :20:09.possible, I would argue, to put in place the arts, dance
:20:10. > :20:12.and drama that I want my chhldren to The Channel Tunnel and the Port of
:20:13. > :20:19.Dover are major pieces of n`tional infrastructure but when there are
:20:20. > :20:22.big disruptions to services, As the government completes
:20:23. > :20:27.its final work on the spendhng review, will the Prime Minister gave
:20:28. > :20:30.special consideration to the need for an urgent and long term
:20:31. > :20:35.solution to Operation Stack? I absolutely recognise
:20:36. > :20:37.the serious problems that wdre caused to Kent residents and
:20:38. > :20:41.businesses when it became ndcessary We've already implemented short term
:20:42. > :20:45.measures to reduce the impact, including using the temporary
:20:46. > :20:49.availability of Manston Airfield I know that he met this morning
:20:50. > :20:58.with the Chancellor of the Dxchequer and other Kent MPs, and we `re happy
:20:59. > :21:01.to try and build on this work. I understand the pressures
:21:02. > :21:04.and we will do everything wd can to Can I associate myself with
:21:05. > :21:08.the comments the Prime Minister made about what will happen this
:21:09. > :21:11.weekend and also his comments he Can I raise with him the issue about
:21:12. > :21:16.the fact that thousands of people who served our nation in thd Royal
:21:17. > :21:20.Navy, who served before 1987, are This means that people who have been
:21:21. > :21:27.exposed to asbestos and havd contracted the cancer disease stand
:21:28. > :21:32.to lose out massively when compared to people in civilian life, to
:21:33. > :21:36.the extent that someone who's been exposed in the industry could get
:21:37. > :21:41.?150,000 in compensation and it's probable that a service
:21:42. > :21:48.person will only get ?31,000. This is clearly a moral outrage
:21:49. > :21:51.as well as being a clear brdach I'm very grateful to the honourable
:21:52. > :21:55.gentleman for raising this hssue. I understand that the
:21:56. > :21:58.Defence Secretary is looking at it. As I said, since putting in place
:21:59. > :22:01.the Military Covenant into law, we've tried, every year, to try and
:22:02. > :22:04.make progress, whether on the issue of widows, particular groups who
:22:05. > :22:10.have been disadvantaged in some way, and I'm very happy to go aw`y and
:22:11. > :22:18.look at the points that he lakes. The Royal Society have identified
:22:19. > :22:23.the need for 1 million scientists, engineers and technical
:22:24. > :22:26.professionals by 2020. One way to bridge this skills gap is
:22:27. > :22:29.through an increase in high-quality apprenticeships such
:22:30. > :22:36.as delivered by PROCAT in B`sildon. However, for every one placd
:22:37. > :22:40.available, 20 people apply. Will
:22:41. > :22:41.my right honourable friend redouble his efforts to meet our comlitment
:22:42. > :22:46.to 3 million new apprenticeships? This 3 million target is essential
:22:47. > :22:51.and I believe we can achievd it but going back to the honourabld member
:22:52. > :22:54.for Slough's question, one of the ways we will achieve it is laking
:22:55. > :22:58.sure that more of our young people have the qualifications necdssary
:22:59. > :23:01.to apply for an apprenticeship. What many firms find is that lots
:23:02. > :23:05.of people apply but when yot knock out the people who haven't got
:23:06. > :23:08.a qualification in English `nd And I'm delighted to announce today
:23:09. > :23:14.that, in terms of my advisor on apprenticeships to try
:23:15. > :23:17.and make sure that we reallx work with businesses to get this 3
:23:18. > :23:20.million, the honourable member for Stratford-upon-Avon is going to take
:23:21. > :23:23.the place of the member for Watford, who has moved on to other things,
:23:24. > :23:26.and he's going to help me, the member for Stratford,
:23:27. > :23:29.to make sure we get businesses to Does the Prime Minister realise
:23:30. > :23:35.my constituents in Blackpool face a double whammy
:23:36. > :23:38.on police cuts from his spending review but also from the new Home
:23:39. > :23:43.Office formula which chops 04%, ?25 So I ask him, with a cross-party
:23:44. > :23:50.letter from Lancashire's MPs, one from my Neighbourhood Watch group,
:23:51. > :23:53.one from our police commisshoners and six others, mostly Torids, and
:23:54. > :23:58.our Chief Constable, all saxing that this process is flawed,
:23:59. > :24:01.how many blue lights must hd have First of all, let me say to him
:24:02. > :24:08.the reforms to the police ftnding formula is a consultation on
:24:09. > :24:12.which no decisions had been taken. Can I, through him,
:24:13. > :24:14.congratulate the Lancashire Police because crime is down in Bl`ckpool
:24:15. > :24:21.by 5% over the Parliament? Funding for Lancashire Police is
:24:22. > :24:24.?180 million, which is the same in cash terms as 2003, and H report
:24:25. > :24:33.to him that Her Majesty 's Inspectorate of Constabularx found
:24:34. > :24:35.that Lancashire Constabularx is exceptionally well prepared to face
:24:36. > :24:38.its future financial requirdments. That's the view of HMIC and in
:24:39. > :24:42.a country where crime, however you measure it, has fallen signhficantly
:24:43. > :24:50.since this government took office. My constituent, one of the TK's
:24:51. > :24:59.leading burns specialists, went out on Monday to Bucharest to hdlp
:25:00. > :25:03.the remaining medical teams deal I understand there are 150 patients
:25:04. > :25:08.in need of critical burns c`re and Sarah has asked the Prime Mhnister
:25:09. > :25:14.will consider offering practical, humanitarian, medical assistance to
:25:15. > :25:17.these burns victims by allowing the use of UK btrns
:25:18. > :25:22.facilities for their treatmdnt. First of all, I think
:25:23. > :25:24.my honourable friend is absolutely right to raise this tragic dvent
:25:25. > :25:27.that took place in Bucharest last Friday and all our thoughts are with
:25:28. > :25:30.the victims and their familhes. I'm pleased to hear about
:25:31. > :25:32.Doctor Pape's visit I think it's
:25:33. > :25:37.a very good suggestion to look at whether we can offer specialist
:25:38. > :25:40.help and support and I'll t`ke that The Prime Minister will unddrstand
:25:41. > :25:46.the heartbreak at the death For parents, then,
:25:47. > :25:50.not to know what's happened to the ashes of that child, as is the case
:25:51. > :25:55.with Mike and Tina Trowhill in Hull and other families up and down the
:25:56. > :26:00.country, must be simply verx cruel. Will the Prime Minister agrde to
:26:01. > :26:03.meet with Mike and Tina to discuss why we need a national and local
:26:04. > :26:07.enquiry as to what happened Of course, I completely unddrstand
:26:08. > :26:14.how her constituents feel. This must have been an absolutely
:26:15. > :26:17.tragic event and, as she saxs, only made worse by not knowhng what
:26:18. > :26:20.has happened to their child. I'm very happy to
:26:21. > :26:23.arrange that meeting. Let me look at it very carefully
:26:24. > :26:32.and see what I can do. I was delighted that the Ch`ncellor
:26:33. > :26:35.chose our county city of York to launch the new
:26:36. > :26:39.National Infrastructure Comlission. Will the Prime Minister confirm that
:26:40. > :26:43.this is the start of a new dra where important investment decisions,
:26:44. > :26:45.such as roads and railways between the great cities
:26:46. > :26:49.in the North, will help bring growth My honourable friend is
:26:50. > :26:56.absolutely right to raise this. People in Yorkshire have long felt
:26:57. > :27:00.that there hasn't been a fahr enough deal in terms of transport funding
:27:01. > :27:04.on roads and rail and I think people can now see that there is ?03
:27:05. > :27:09.billion being spent on transport in the North as part of our pl`n
:27:10. > :27:12.to rebalance Britain's economy. We've committed over ?4.8 bhllion
:27:13. > :27:16.but major road improvements. We are continuing to invest
:27:17. > :27:18.in improving the A64, which is absolutely vital for the people
:27:19. > :27:22.of York, and we will go on looking at what more we can do to m`ke sure
:27:23. > :27:25.this vital part of our economy has On the 9th of September,
:27:26. > :27:34.the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said to the
:27:35. > :27:40.Select Committee there are no plans Can the Prime Minister confhrm that
:27:41. > :27:46.remains the government's position, that no discussions are unddrway to
:27:47. > :27:48.privatise and thus imperil this much-loved
:27:49. > :27:56.and important public institttion? First of all, let me say,
:27:57. > :28:00.I'm a huge fan of Channel 4. Channel 4 was a great Conservative
:28:01. > :28:04.innovation! I think it was a combination
:28:05. > :28:06.of Willie Whitelaw and Margaret Thatcher that helpdd to
:28:07. > :28:11.bring Channel 4 to our scredns I want to make sure that Ch`nnel 4
:28:12. > :28:16.has a strong and secure futtre and I think it's right to look at all
:28:17. > :28:19.of the options, including to see whether prhvate
:28:20. > :28:24.investment into Channel 4 could help Let's have a look
:28:25. > :28:27.at all the options. Let's not close our minds
:28:28. > :28:32.like some on the opposition front bench who think that privatd is bad
:28:33. > :28:37.in public is good. Let's have a proper look
:28:38. > :28:40.at how we can make sure this great channel goes on being great
:28:41. > :28:49.for many years to come! Everybody who's had any contact
:28:50. > :28:55.with the adoption process whll be familiar with the frustr`tion
:28:56. > :28:59.that unnecessary delays cause But the Prime Minister take action
:29:00. > :29:05.to speed up the adoption process so that more children can bd put
:29:06. > :29:09.with the right families much more My honourable friend is
:29:10. > :29:13.absolutely right to raise this. We have seen a 72% increase
:29:14. > :29:17.in the number of children adopted. The average waiting time has come
:29:18. > :29:20.down something like five months But if you look across the 050
:29:21. > :29:25.different councils responsible for adoption, you can see that `round 68
:29:26. > :29:30.of them don't have any mech`nism for what we call early placdment
:29:31. > :29:33.where you actually run fostdring And if we can introduce that,
:29:34. > :29:38.not least through our regional adoption agencies that we whll be
:29:39. > :29:41.establishing, we will see m`ny more children get the warm and loving
:29:42. > :29:47.home that we want them to h`ve. Will he spare a thought on @rmistice
:29:48. > :29:54.Day for the 633 of our bravdst and best who died as a result of two
:29:55. > :30:02.political mistakes, 179 in pursuit of nonexistent weapons of m`ss
:30:03. > :30:09.destruction in Iraq and 454 who died in
:30:10. > :30:12.the Helmand incursion that promised Will he rethink
:30:13. > :30:21.his own plan to order more of our brave soldiers to put their lives on
:30:22. > :30:25.the line in the chaos and confusion I have great respect for
:30:26. > :30:35.the honourable gentleman but with respect, I would suggest th`t on
:30:36. > :30:39.Armistice Day, we should put aside political questions about conflicts
:30:40. > :30:43.and decisions that were madd and we should simply remember the len
:30:44. > :30:47.and women who put on a uniform, go and serve
:30:48. > :30:50.and risk their lives on our behalf. Let's make Armistice Day about that
:30:51. > :30:57.and not about other questions. Mr Speaker, the last week h`s been a
:30:58. > :31:05.very good week for Cornwall Airport in Newquay with the announcdment
:31:06. > :31:08.of the scrapping of the airport development fee, which was `n
:31:09. > :31:12.additional tax on passengers and a barrier to growth, the annotncement
:31:13. > :31:17.of new air links that link Cornwall directly to mainland Europe
:31:18. > :31:21.and the upgrading of the Gatwick Will the Prime Minister join me in
:31:22. > :31:27.congratulating the team at Newquay Airport for their excellent work
:31:28. > :31:36.in supporting the Cornish economy? I'm a huge fan of Newquay Ahrport
:31:37. > :31:39.and a frequent user, and thd government made a series of promises
:31:40. > :31:42.about helping Newquay Airport to make sure that vital connectivity
:31:43. > :31:45.between Cornwall and the rest of the country and, indeed,
:31:46. > :31:48.Continental Europe is there, and I'm Can I thank the Prime Minister
:31:49. > :31:57.for his welcome... Can I thank the Prime Minister
:31:58. > :32:08.for his welcome for the campaign launched this week where ovdr 2 0
:32:09. > :32:12.leaders from across society joined the right honourable gentlelan,
:32:13. > :32:16.the member for Sutton Coldfheld Alistair Campbell and me
:32:17. > :32:18.in calling for equality for those The truth is that those who suffer
:32:19. > :32:32.from mental ill health to not have the same right to access trdatment
:32:33. > :32:35.as others enjoy in our NHS. The moral and the economic case
:32:36. > :32:37.for ending this historic injustice Will the Prime Minister do what it
:32:38. > :32:43.takes to ensure that this spending review delivers the investmdnt,
:32:44. > :32:45.extra investment, in mental health Let me say to
:32:46. > :32:50.the honourable gentleman who did a lot of work on this in thd last
:32:51. > :32:53.Parliament, I very much welcome the campaign that has been launched
:32:54. > :32:56.and what they want to achieve. We set out, in the NHS Constitution,
:32:57. > :32:59.parity between mental and physical health and we've taken steps towards
:33:00. > :33:02.that by, for instance, introducing for the first time waiting times and
:33:03. > :33:05.proper targets for talking therapies and there are, I think,
:33:06. > :33:08.now twice as many people undergoing those talking therapies
:33:09. > :33:15.as there were five years ago. But I completely accept there is
:33:16. > :33:17.more to do in healing this divide betwden
:33:18. > :33:20.mental and physical health `nd this Further to the question
:33:21. > :33:26.from the right honourable gdntleman for Norfolk North,
:33:27. > :33:28.may I thank the Prime Minister for his support and emphasised that this
:33:29. > :33:31.is indeed an all-party camp`ign Does he agree with me that there is
:33:32. > :33:34.a real opportunity now to btild on the work of the coalition over the
:33:35. > :33:38.last five years and with widespread support across all parts of society
:33:39. > :33:44.and a historic injustice between treatment between mental he`lth
:33:45. > :33:48.and physical illness? I think my honourable friend
:33:49. > :33:53.is absolutely right. Let me tell him
:33:54. > :33:55.what we are actually doing. We are investing more
:33:56. > :33:58.in mental health than ever before. We will be spending 11.4
:33:59. > :34:00.billion this financial year. And, crucially,
:34:01. > :34:04.we have asked every clinical commissioning group to ensure real
:34:05. > :34:08.terms increases in their investment So, you can't be treated
:34:09. > :34:12.as a Cinderella service that has And I think if we do that
:34:13. > :34:18.and also deal with some of the other issues such as mental
:34:19. > :34:22.health patients being held hn police cells inappropriately, we whll have
:34:23. > :34:24.a far better system for dealing With the announcement yesterday of
:34:25. > :34:33.the loss of 816 manufacturing jobs in Ballymena Michelin plant and one
:34:34. > :34:38.of the factors being high energy costs, will the Prime Minister work
:34:39. > :34:41.with the Northern Ireland executive to address both the short-tdrm
:34:42. > :34:44.and medium-term issues as a matter of urgency for people
:34:45. > :34:48.that are currently in work in Northern Ireland and who are
:34:49. > :34:51.extremely worried about the impact Given that the Prime Ministdr, the
:34:52. > :34:57.Chancellor and the government are in listening mode, they are showing
:34:58. > :35:01.a surprising degree of flexhbility across a range of issues currently,
:35:02. > :35:04.will the Prime Minister revdrsed the thrust of that policy
:35:05. > :35:07.and remove the burden and threat against working families in Northern
:35:08. > :35:12.Ireland and across the country? First of all,
:35:13. > :35:16.on the issue of industries, if a company qualifies as part of the
:35:17. > :35:19.energy intensive industries, it will see a reduction in its bill because
:35:20. > :35:23.of the actions that are announced The second point I would make,
:35:24. > :35:29.specifically to Northern Irdland, we have passed, in this House, historic
:35:30. > :35:33.legislation to allow Northern Ireland to set its own rate of
:35:34. > :35:36.corporation tax and the sooner we can put together all of
:35:37. > :35:39.the elements of the Stormont House agreement, then the sooner Northern
:35:40. > :35:43.Ireland will be able to takd action in order to build a stronger private
:35:44. > :35:46.sector in Northern Ireland which is On the issue of tax credits, I give
:35:47. > :35:52.him the same answer and he will know in three weeks' time but he also
:35:53. > :35:56.knows that people work in that business or in other businesses will
:35:57. > :35:59.be able to earn ?11,000 before they start paying taxes, get mord help
:36:00. > :36:02.with their childcare and have Let's build an economy wherd you
:36:03. > :36:08.earn more, pay less taxes and we keep welfare costs under control so
:36:09. > :36:13.we can build great public sdrvices.