:00:00. > :00:00.rights obligations and make sure these charges are dropped? We will
:00:00. > :00:00.be making representation. She is absolutely right to flag that up as
:00:00. > :00:07.a key area of human rights that needs to be addressed, wherever it
:00:08. > :00:25.takes place. Questions to the Prime Minister.
:00:26. > :00:30.We all watched his exciting take-off yesterday and is the first Briton to
:00:31. > :00:33.visit the International Space Station it signals a landmark in
:00:34. > :00:37.this country's involvement in space exploration. I'm proud the
:00:38. > :00:42.government took the decision to fund it and we wish him the best of luck.
:00:43. > :00:45.This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others,
:00:46. > :00:48.and in addition to my duties in this House I will have further such
:00:49. > :00:57.meetings later today. Richard Graham. I welcome today's falling on
:00:58. > :01:04.a month the -- unemployment. Stalking is a horrible crime. AGP in
:01:05. > :01:07.Gloucester and resident in Cheltenham was harassed for several
:01:08. > :01:12.years by a stalker who slashed her tyres, hacked her water pipe, cut
:01:13. > :01:18.off her gas and put via items in her letterbox. She and her family
:01:19. > :01:21.suffered. The judge said if he could give more than the maximum five
:01:22. > :01:25.years he would have done. My honourable friend for Cheltenham has
:01:26. > :01:27.raised sentencing guidelines with the Justice Secretary. Would my
:01:28. > :01:31.Right Honourable friend the Prime Minister today give his support for
:01:32. > :01:36.greater flex ability where it is clear a stalker is a real menace? --
:01:37. > :01:41.flexible itty. I agree with my honourable friend that stalking is a
:01:42. > :01:44.terrible crime. We have introduced to Muqrin you stalking offences
:01:45. > :01:49.during this parliament and I will make sure the honourable member for
:01:50. > :01:52.Cheltenham has his meeting with my Right Honourable friend the Justice
:01:53. > :01:55.Secretary. I cannot comment on the case without looking at it in more
:01:56. > :01:58.detail but we are taking the necessary action and will continue
:01:59. > :02:01.to do so. On unemployment I'm sure the whole house will want to welcome
:02:02. > :02:08.the fact there are half a million more people in work in our country
:02:09. > :02:13.in the last year alone. We have had wages growing above inflation every
:02:14. > :02:18.month for a year. The claimant count is at the lowest level since 1975.
:02:19. > :02:27.I'm sure this will be welcomed right across the House. SPEAKER: Jeremy
:02:28. > :02:34.Corbyn. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Could I start
:02:35. > :02:38.by wishing you, and all Members of the House and all of the staff here
:02:39. > :02:48.and major Tim Peake, who is not on the planet at this time...
:02:49. > :02:55.LAUGHTER A very happy Christmas and a
:02:56. > :03:04.peaceful New Year. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
:03:05. > :03:07.Mr Speaker, the number of days that patients are being kept in hospital
:03:08. > :03:13.because there is nowhere safe to discharge them to has doubled since
:03:14. > :03:16.the Prime Minister took office. On the 4th of November I asked him if
:03:17. > :03:20.he could guarantee there would be no winter crisis in the NHS this
:03:21. > :03:23.winter. He didn't answer then, I wonder if he would help us with an
:03:24. > :03:27.answer today. First of all let me join the Right
:03:28. > :03:31.Honourable gentleman and be clear I don't want to wish him the season's
:03:32. > :03:35.greetings, I want a full happy Christmas for the Right Honourable
:03:36. > :03:39.gentleman and everyone in the House. He asked specifically about the NHS
:03:40. > :03:43.and let me answer specifically about the NHS. The average stay in
:03:44. > :03:49.hospital has fallen since I became Prime Minister from five and a half
:03:50. > :03:52.days, to five days. One of the reasons for that is we kept our
:03:53. > :03:58.promise is on the NHS, we put an extra 12 billion in in the last
:03:59. > :04:03.Parliament and we will be putting ?19 billion in cash terms in the NHS
:04:04. > :04:10.in this Parliament. Jeremy Corbyn. Just for the record, Mr Speaker, I
:04:11. > :04:17.did say happy Christmas. But maybe the Prime Minister wasn't listening
:04:18. > :04:19.at the time. As always! If he is so happy about the state of the
:04:20. > :04:25.national health service, could he explain why he's decided to cancel
:04:26. > :04:30.the publication of NHS performance data this winter? There was a time
:04:31. > :04:34.when the primers to was all in favour of transparency. It's not
:04:35. > :04:41.that long ago. In fact, it was 2011 when he said," Information is power,
:04:42. > :04:47.it lets people hold the powerful to account, giving them the tools they
:04:48. > :04:50.need to take on politicians and bureaucrats. Is it because the
:04:51. > :04:55.number of people who have been kept waiting on trolleys in accident and
:04:56. > :04:58.emergency has gone up fourfold that he doesn't want to publish these
:04:59. > :05:02.statistics? First of all, the data he quoted in
:05:03. > :05:06.his first question was not published before this government came to
:05:07. > :05:11.office. That's right! And let me quote him some data about the NHS:
:05:12. > :05:15.let me take an average day today compared with five years ago when I
:05:16. > :05:22.became Prime Minister. On an average day in the NHS today there 4400 more
:05:23. > :05:28.operations. There are 21,000 more outpatient appointments. Yes, there
:05:29. > :05:34.are challenges in a any but there are 2100 more people seen within
:05:35. > :05:37.four hours today than five years ago -- challenges in A There is more
:05:38. > :05:45.data published in our NHS and there ever was under Labour.
:05:46. > :05:49.Mr Speaker, there are huge pressures on the NHS and they are largely due
:05:50. > :05:54.to the pressures on the adult care system which is under enormous
:05:55. > :05:59.pressure at the moment but there has been huge cuts in adult social care
:06:00. > :06:01.because of cuts in local government funding. The NHS Chief Executive
:06:02. > :06:05.Simon Stevens has called for a radical upgrade in prevention of
:06:06. > :06:08.public health. With the Prime Minister agree with me that cutting
:06:09. > :06:12.these crucial services is indeed a false economy?
:06:13. > :06:17.First of all, we are increasing the money that is able to go into social
:06:18. > :06:23.care by having the 2% precept on the council tax so that local councils
:06:24. > :06:27.can spend more. But I notice that the Right Honourable gentleman
:06:28. > :06:33.mentioned Simon Stevens, our NHS plan is Simon Stevens's plan, the
:06:34. > :06:40.NHS for the first time got together and wrote their plan. They asked us
:06:41. > :06:46.for ?1 billion, we are committed to the plan, unlike Labour in the last
:06:47. > :06:51.election and we funded it upfront and that is why we see a bigger and
:06:52. > :06:54.better NHS -- ?8 billion. None of this would be possible, including
:06:55. > :06:57.the action on social care we are taking with the Better Care Fund,
:06:58. > :07:01.none of it would be possible without the growing economy we have and the
:07:02. > :07:07.more jobs being created. Mr Speaker, the problem is to do
:07:08. > :07:14.with adult social care for stop this morning the NHS Confederation said
:07:15. > :07:18.on BBC Radio 4, and I quote, "Cuts to social care and public health
:07:19. > :07:24.will continue to pile more pressure on hospital and will worsen deficits
:07:25. > :07:27.in the acute sector." What was announced on social care in the
:07:28. > :07:29.Autumn Statement falls well short of what was needed. The health
:07:30. > :07:36.foundation estimates a funding shortfall of 6 billion will be in
:07:37. > :07:39.place by 2020. How is the Government planning to me that shortfall?
:07:40. > :07:47.I'm glad the Right Honourable gentleman listens to the Today
:07:48. > :07:54.problem, he might bother to go on it one day. A bit of cans bouncy would
:07:55. > :07:58.be welcome. If he wants to swap quotations -- transparency. This is
:07:59. > :08:00.what the chairman of the Local Government Association says, the
:08:01. > :08:03.Local Government Association has long called for further put civility
:08:04. > :08:06.in the setting of council tax, and today's announcement will go some
:08:07. > :08:11.way to allowing a number of councils to raise the money needed. --
:08:12. > :08:15.flexible at evil stop 1.5 billion more in the Better Care Fund
:08:16. > :08:18.announced today is good news. It is this government that funded the NHS,
:08:19. > :08:21.they didn't, it is this government that set up the Better Care Fund,
:08:22. > :08:26.they opposed it, this government at the strong and growing economy, and
:08:27. > :08:32.I note that question four and still but they welcome for the
:08:33. > :08:37.unemployment figures. Mr Speaker, the issue of adult
:08:38. > :08:40.social care and cuts in local government spending are very much
:08:41. > :08:45.the responsibility of central government. Can he confirmed that
:08:46. > :08:52.NHS trusts are forecasting a deficit of 2.2 billion this year, and indeed
:08:53. > :08:54.I understand that the Prime Minister as part of the Oxford
:08:55. > :08:58.anti-austerities movement will be concerned about this, but his own
:08:59. > :09:03.local health care trust is predicting a 1.7 million deficit.
:09:04. > :09:08.There is a problem of NHS funding. Has he forgotten the simple maxim
:09:09. > :09:13.that prevention is cheaper and better than cure?
:09:14. > :09:20.How can he possibly complain about NHS funding when his party didn't
:09:21. > :09:27.commit to fund the Stevens plan? We are spending ?19 billion more on the
:09:28. > :09:32.NHS, money that wouldn't be available if we'd listened to the
:09:33. > :09:34.Labour Party. He says that social care is a responsibility of
:09:35. > :09:39.government. Everything is a responsibility of government, but in
:09:40. > :09:43.fact it is local councils that decide how much to spend on social
:09:44. > :09:48.careful stop with the Better Care Fund they have more to spend. But I
:09:49. > :09:52.challenge him again, how do we pay for the NHS? We pay for it by more
:09:53. > :09:57.growth, more jobs and more people having a livelihood. Is he going to
:09:58. > :10:02.welcome back at Christmas time, or doesn't he care about the reduction
:10:03. > :10:13.in unemployment? SPEAKER: Jeremy Corbyn.
:10:14. > :10:19.Mr Speaker, I have a question from Abby. Abby wants to train to be a
:10:20. > :10:23.midwife and she says, I'm 28 years old, this year I left my successful
:10:24. > :10:29.career to go back into university to retrain as a midwife. I already have
:10:30. > :10:34.a debt of 25,000 from my first degree, well over half of my cohort
:10:35. > :10:37.have studied a first degree in another subject and many of my
:10:38. > :10:42.fellow colleagues have children and partners with elderly parents and
:10:43. > :10:46.mortgages. Many people were put off by the lack of financial support and
:10:47. > :10:48.massive debts. In the spirit of Christmas, will the Prime Minister
:10:49. > :10:52.have a word with his friend the Chancellor who is sitting next to
:10:53. > :10:57.him, it could be done very quickly, to reverse the cuts in the nurse
:10:58. > :11:00.bursary scheme so that we do get people like Abby training to be
:11:01. > :11:06.midwives which will help all of us in the future?
:11:07. > :11:09.First of all I want Abby to train as a midwife and I can guarantee the
:11:10. > :11:13.funding will be there for her training. There are thousands more
:11:14. > :11:17.midwives operating in the NHS today than when I became Prime Minister.
:11:18. > :11:21.He mentions the question of nurse bursary is. The truth is today two
:11:22. > :11:25.out of three people who want to become nurses can't do that because
:11:26. > :11:31.of the constraints on the system and our new system will mean many more
:11:32. > :11:36.doctors and many more nurses. Already we have got 10,000 more
:11:37. > :11:40.doctors in the NHS since I became Prime Minister and 4500 more nurses.
:11:41. > :11:44.At all of this is happening, Mr Speaker, because the economy is
:11:45. > :11:47.growing, because the deficit is falling, unemployment is coming
:11:48. > :11:52.down, you could fill up a tank of gas at less than ?1 a litre, wages
:11:53. > :11:56.are going up, Britain is getting stronger as we go into Christmas
:11:57. > :12:05.because our economy is getting stronger too. Anne-Marie Drozdz
:12:06. > :12:11.thank you, Mr Speaker. Yesterday colleagues from across the House
:12:12. > :12:16.formed the Armed Forces covenant scrutinising the support of the
:12:17. > :12:22.government's fulfilment of support to servicemen and their families.
:12:23. > :12:25.With the primaries to join me in praising the bravery of our Armed
:12:26. > :12:29.Forces especially in my constituency at this festive time when many are
:12:30. > :12:33.separated from their loved ones. And can he reaffirmed his personal
:12:34. > :12:36.commitment to the House for delivering his Armed Forces Covenant
:12:37. > :12:40.in practice and in full? I thank my honourable friend for her question.
:12:41. > :12:45.It is right, as all of us get ready to spend time with our families this
:12:46. > :12:48.Christmas there will be many in the brave armed services who will not be
:12:49. > :12:51.able to because they are serving abroad or at home. We should wish
:12:52. > :12:55.them the very best as Christmas comes. In terms of the military
:12:56. > :12:59.covenant it is one of the things I'm proudest of that we did in the last
:13:00. > :13:03.five years, putting that into law, and every year adding to the
:13:04. > :13:07.military covenant, giving veterans priority in health care, increasing
:13:08. > :13:11.funding for veterans' mental health service, prioritise and school
:13:12. > :13:14.places for children. Every year we've made progress on the Armed
:13:15. > :13:15.Forces Covenant and every year I stand at this dispatch box and will
:13:16. > :13:26.continue to do so. Angus Robertson. The Prime Minister will meet shortly
:13:27. > :13:33.with heads of state and governments of the European Union. Will he heed
:13:34. > :13:38.the advice of John Major and stop flirting with leaving the European
:13:39. > :13:43.Union, which would be in his words very dangerous and against our
:13:44. > :13:47.national interest? I will be getting the best deal for Britain. That is
:13:48. > :13:52.what we should be doing. This government was the first to cut the
:13:53. > :13:56.EU budget and veto a treaty and bring back substantial powers to
:13:57. > :14:02.Britain. We have a great record on Europe and will get a good deal for
:14:03. > :14:08.Britain. We were reminded that there is a very strong majority in
:14:09. > :14:13.Scotland to remain within the EU. The Prime Minister has failed, I
:14:14. > :14:17.know his side doesn't like to hear it, but he has failed to give any
:14:18. > :14:24.guarantees that Scotland won't be forced out of the EU by the rest of
:14:25. > :14:28.the UK. Does he have any idea of the consequences of taking Scotland out
:14:29. > :14:36.of the EU against the wishes of voters in Scotland? This is a United
:14:37. > :14:41.Kingdom and this is a UK issue. I would say to him, why is he so
:14:42. > :14:45.frightened of listening to the people and holding this historic
:14:46. > :14:50.referendum, passed through both of these houses in the last week. Get a
:14:51. > :15:00.good deal for Britain and trust the people. The Prime Minister has
:15:01. > :15:04.visited RAF Waddington in my constituency and would wish all the
:15:05. > :15:09.service personnel and their family well as they carry out operations
:15:10. > :15:13.throughout the Christmas period. Given we are now conducting air
:15:14. > :15:21.strikes over Syria, why is our country now not at the highest level
:15:22. > :15:26.of threat? Let me join him in praising those at RAF Waddington who
:15:27. > :15:30.are doing such a vital work. As he will know, the threat level is set
:15:31. > :15:38.in this country not by politicians but by the joint terrorism
:15:39. > :15:44.assessment centre. They set it at severe, the second-highest level. I
:15:45. > :15:47.confirm what I said on 26 November, the UK is in the top level of
:15:48. > :16:06.countries threatened by Daisy Makro. The highest level is that we believe
:16:07. > :16:21.an attack is imminent. But that would be for JATAC to set and not
:16:22. > :16:28.ministers. Last night, Donald Trump reiterated that one of the
:16:29. > :16:32.communities would not be allowed into America because of religion,
:16:33. > :16:42.seemingly unaware of how divisive this is. We have legislation that
:16:43. > :16:48.stops people entering the country if it is not believed to be in the
:16:49. > :16:53.public good. Should we be making exceptions for billionaire
:16:54. > :16:57.politicians? Let me join the honourable lady in being proud of
:16:58. > :17:03.representing a country which I think has some claim to say we are one of
:17:04. > :17:08.the most successful multiracial, multi-faith, multiethnic countries
:17:09. > :17:12.anywhere in the world. There is more to do to bring opportunity and fight
:17:13. > :17:17.discrimination. I think it is right that we exclude people if they are
:17:18. > :17:23.going to radicalise and encourage extremism. I disagree about Donald
:17:24. > :17:26.Trump. I think his remarks are divisive, stupid and wrong. If he
:17:27. > :17:34.came to our country, it would unite as all against him. By the time the
:17:35. > :17:38.house next meets, many people will have started their New Year 's
:17:39. > :17:43.resolutions. For many that will be to give up smoking. Given that
:17:44. > :17:49.Public Health England has recently stated that e-cigarettes are 95%
:17:50. > :17:53.safer than tobacco and half of the population is unaware of that, will
:17:54. > :17:58.he highlight the role that e-cigarettes can play in helping
:17:59. > :18:02.people give up tobacco? As somebody who has been through this battle a
:18:03. > :18:06.number of times, eventually relatively successfully, lots of
:18:07. > :18:10.people find different ways of doing it. For many e-cigarettes are
:18:11. > :18:16.successful. We need to be guided by the experts. We should be looking at
:18:17. > :18:20.Public Health England. It is promising to see that 1 million
:18:21. > :18:27.people are estimated to have used e-cigarettes to help them quit. We
:18:28. > :18:29.should be making clear that this is a very legitimate path for many
:18:30. > :18:34.people to improve their health and the health of the nation. During the
:18:35. > :18:39.referendum, the Prime Minister pledged to deliver carbon capture
:18:40. > :18:44.and storage at Peterhead, reiterated in the Tory manifesto. On the eve of
:18:45. > :18:48.the Paris climate talks, he pulled the plug. Which is the greatest
:18:49. > :18:57.betrayal, of Scotland, of the manifesto or of the entire planet?
:18:58. > :19:01.The greatest success is the Paris climate change talks. I would like
:19:02. > :19:05.to pay tribute to the Secretary of State who was one of the key
:19:06. > :19:10.negotiators who helped deliver this global goal which is so much better
:19:11. > :19:14.than Copenhagen and better even than Kyoto. On carbon capture and
:19:15. > :19:18.storage, in government you have to make tough choices and decisions
:19:19. > :19:24.about technology that works and technology that isn't working. We
:19:25. > :19:29.are spending the money on innovation and energy storage, an small nuclear
:19:30. > :19:33.reactors and other things, energy heat systems for local communities
:19:34. > :19:42.that will make a difference. We made the right choice. This Friday,
:19:43. > :19:49.sadly, sees the closure of Britain's deep coal mine in my constituency.
:19:50. > :19:54.Will my right honourable friend join me in thanking the hundreds of
:19:55. > :19:58.workers who will be working there final shift this Friday. Also,
:19:59. > :20:03.praise the thousands of workers whose bravery and hard graft over 50
:20:04. > :20:09.years has helped warm our homes, power factories and keep our lights
:20:10. > :20:13.on? I think my honourable friend speaks very strongly for his
:20:14. > :20:18.constituents. I join him in thanking people who've worked so hard at that
:20:19. > :20:25.mine and elsewhere. It is a difficult time. As part of the
:20:26. > :20:29.closure process we have ?80 million to ensure that the miners received
:20:30. > :20:33.the same package as the recently closed mine at Busby. Can I just
:20:34. > :20:42.tell the honourable members opposite, this is the official
:20:43. > :20:50.policy of the Labour Party. We must take action to keep fossil fuels in
:20:51. > :20:55.the ground. That is their policy. We have also seen they have a policy of
:20:56. > :21:00.reopening, is. Are they going to open a big Colin the ground and sit
:21:01. > :21:04.there and do nothing? What a metaphor for the leadership of his
:21:05. > :21:21.party? -- to open a big hole in the ground. Alison Pulis. The Prime
:21:22. > :21:26.Minister promised during the election campaign that he would not
:21:27. > :21:38.restrict child benefit to to children. Not only has he reneges on
:21:39. > :21:47.that, he has been asked a number of time and has not been able to
:21:48. > :21:53.explain how he will do this. Will he dropped this and the rape laws?
:21:54. > :21:55.There is no question that anyone who has a child through rate losing
:21:56. > :22:12.their benefit at all. Is my right honourable friend aware
:22:13. > :22:17.that thanks to the Chancellor's detection of the police budget, 108
:22:18. > :22:21.more police officers are being recruited to protect the people of
:22:22. > :22:26.Hampshire. While there is more to do in tackling crime in Rowell areas,
:22:27. > :22:31.would he agree that this is an important step in prioritising the
:22:32. > :22:34.front line and the Home Office and Hampshire Constabulary have made
:22:35. > :22:40.real progress in making our police more effective and resilient? It was
:22:41. > :22:44.the right decision to make sure we have this extra funding for police.
:22:45. > :22:51.By the end of the spending settlement it is an increase of ?900
:22:52. > :22:53.million in cash terms by 2020. I am delighted there will be more
:22:54. > :22:59.officers on the street in Hampshire. You cannot find the NHS, the Home
:23:00. > :23:05.Office, the police unless you have a growing economy with more jobs and
:23:06. > :23:11.people paying taxes. A strong and stable economy. That is what is
:23:12. > :23:17.happening in Britain today. In his farewell speech, the outgoing
:23:18. > :23:20.director of the British museum said, the British Museum is perhaps the
:23:21. > :23:27.noblest dream that Parliament has ever dreamt. A collection free to
:23:28. > :23:31.all, native or foreign, where every citizen has the right to information
:23:32. > :23:37.and were all enquiry will be outside political control. Does the Prime
:23:38. > :23:46.Minister agree that the partnership working with museums and like those
:23:47. > :23:51.in Birmingham, will not happen unless museums and galleries
:23:52. > :23:57.continue to be funded properly? Let me join her in paying tribute to the
:23:58. > :24:00.British Museum, a jewel in the cultural crown, and also to Neil
:24:01. > :24:06.MacGregor, who gave it such extraordinary leadership. Given her
:24:07. > :24:17.heritage, she might be amused by the fact that when they took that
:24:18. > :24:20.brilliant exhibition on Germany, I took Angela Merkel, and later on
:24:21. > :24:28.they poached Neil MacGregor to look after their museums. I do want to
:24:29. > :24:32.see the British Museum Comp Lea to all of its partnerships, not just
:24:33. > :24:39.across the united kingdom and also internationally. She will have seen
:24:40. > :24:45.in the Autumn Statement that they got a funding settlement with which
:24:46. > :24:51.they were rightly pleased. According to Oxfam, the UK has donated a
:24:52. > :24:56.generous 229% of its fair share of aid in support of Syrian refugees.
:24:57. > :25:01.The highest proportion of the G8. Worldwide, only 44% of what is
:25:02. > :25:04.needed has been donated. Does the Prime Minister agree that it is
:25:05. > :25:09.critical that other countries step up to the plate as the UK has more
:25:10. > :25:13.than done? Would he update the house on progress in support of Syrian
:25:14. > :25:19.refugees? I agree with my honourable friend. Written is doing its moral
:25:20. > :25:22.duty in terms of funding refugee camps. We are holding a conference
:25:23. > :25:27.bringing the world together to make sure there is more funding in
:25:28. > :25:31.future. In terms of the number of refugees we have resettled, I
:25:32. > :25:38.promise to resettle 1000 by Christmas. I can confirm today that
:25:39. > :25:45.we have met our commitment. The charter flights arrived yesterday at
:25:46. > :25:49.Stansted and Belfast meaning that over 1000 have been settled. Another
:25:50. > :25:53.flight is coming today. We're making sure that these people get health
:25:54. > :25:57.care and education and I want to thank all those who have worked so
:25:58. > :26:03.far, including the right honourable member for Watford, because I said
:26:04. > :26:08.Britain would do its duty and with these 1000 we have made a good
:26:09. > :26:13.start. Three years ago, the Prime Minister couldn't have been clearer,
:26:14. > :26:17.his EU renegotiation would mean retaining control over social and
:26:18. > :26:26.employment law, is he still seeking that? I always find it hard to
:26:27. > :26:30.satisfy the honourable gentleman. He joined the Conservative Party when
:26:31. > :26:34.we weren't committed to a referendum and left after we had committed. I'm
:26:35. > :26:39.not surprised that he is giving his new boss as much trouble as he gave
:26:40. > :26:50.me. With that, I wish them both a very festive Christmas. Thank you,
:26:51. > :26:55.Mr Speaker. The triumphant Star Wars saga began life at Elstree Studios
:26:56. > :27:07.in my constituency. It continues to produce hits... SPEAKER: the
:27:08. > :27:12.honourable gentleman is banging on eloquently about Star Wars and I
:27:13. > :27:16.want to hear it. Will the Prime Minister join me in pledging support
:27:17. > :27:22.to the thriving film industry making such a valuable social and economic
:27:23. > :27:30.contribution in my constituency and across the United Kingdom? He raises
:27:31. > :27:33.an important point. This is not only very exciting for children and
:27:34. > :27:39.parents who are looking forward to this film but it is being made in
:27:40. > :27:43.Britain with many British actors and technicians showing the strength of
:27:44. > :27:46.the British film industry. Also, backed by the British government and
:27:47. > :27:56.taxpayers with excellent resources. Let me say, as I have worked with
:27:57. > :28:09.him in so many ways, I know that he will never join the dark side. Thank
:28:10. > :28:16.you, Mr Speaker. Resign! Despite ongoing efforts of the Scottish
:28:17. > :28:24.steel task force, my constituents are starting to receive redundancy
:28:25. > :28:29.notices. Will the Prime Minister put pressure on the EU now to reach a
:28:30. > :28:36.quick decision on permitting the PII compensation scheme and if this
:28:37. > :28:39.permission is granted, will be also commit to implement the scheme as
:28:40. > :28:43.soon as possible to provide breathing space for our steel sector
:28:44. > :28:50.and to give hope for my constituents this Christmas? The honourable lady
:28:51. > :28:54.is absolutely right to raise this. We are working hard to try and get
:28:55. > :29:00.the energy in sensitive industries plan, firmed. As soon at is cleared,
:29:01. > :29:07.money will be available for British still making companies. We expect
:29:08. > :29:10.this to be in place no later than April 2017 but it should be much
:29:11. > :29:15.earlier than that and we are working around
:29:16. > :29:23.The tragic stabbing in Poundland in Abingdon has shocked local residents
:29:24. > :29:27.and I'm sure that the house will want to send condolences to the
:29:28. > :29:32.family of the man killed in the attack and on the bravery of those
:29:33. > :29:36.who overpowered the attacker with no thought of risk to themselves. In
:29:37. > :29:43.light of this attack does the Prime Minister agree it is now right to
:29:44. > :29:49.make it more difficult for offenders to get hold of offensive weapons? As
:29:50. > :29:52.my honourable friend's constituency neighbour I was shocked by what
:29:53. > :29:58.happened and my heart goes out to the family of those who suffered.
:29:59. > :30:01.She is right to ask the question about offensive weapons and I'm
:30:02. > :30:06.happy to look at that. With that attack and also in Leytonstone,
:30:07. > :30:10.although it was unrelated, it is right to look at the resources that
:30:11. > :30:16.police have in terms of equipment and there is a different usage
:30:17. > :30:22.pattern for taser s across the country and that is something that
:30:23. > :30:25.the police are discussing. Prime Minister, there is nothing I believe
:30:26. > :30:32.in more passionately than the union, and yet with Scottish Nationalists,
:30:33. > :30:37.English boats were English laws, various City deals, and the creation
:30:38. > :30:43.of numerous other measures in the union, what is the Prime Minister's
:30:44. > :30:48.vision for the union... Would he please come and speak to the union
:30:49. > :30:51.all party group at some stage in the future but even more importantly
:30:52. > :30:58.would be help with the campaign throughout the union because we are
:30:59. > :31:02.Better Together. Like the honourable gentleman I am passionate about the
:31:03. > :31:05.UK and I believe we can make it stronger by accepting that it is a
:31:06. > :31:07.partnership of nations and a partnership of nations where we
:31:08. > :31:14.should treat each other with respect. I don't want to listen to
:31:15. > :31:18.the SNP, they don't want a partnership but separation. 1 of the
:31:19. > :31:22.things that is so strong about the United Kingdom and I think other
:31:23. > :31:25.countries are frankly jealous of, is that we have demonstrated you can
:31:26. > :31:31.have multiple identities and you can be proud of being an Ulsterman and a
:31:32. > :31:35.Brit, being a Hindu and Scott, proud of being Welsh and British. We have
:31:36. > :31:39.solved 1 of the problem is that the rest of the world is grappling with
:31:40. > :31:49.and that is why we should keep the United Kingdom together. As we
:31:50. > :31:55.approach the festival marking the birth of Jesus Christ... Order,
:31:56. > :31:59.there was notably eccentric gesticulation taking place from Mr
:32:00. > :32:06.McNeil and you should desist. Though and celebrate if you wish but we
:32:07. > :32:10.must hear the honourable gentleman. As we approach the festival marking
:32:11. > :32:14.the birth of Jesus Christ may I invite the Prime Minister to send
:32:15. > :32:20.out a message of support to those millions of fellow Christians around
:32:21. > :32:24.the world who are suffering persecution and may I invite him to
:32:25. > :32:28.remind the British people that we are a country fashioned by our
:32:29. > :32:33.Christian heritage and it is that heritage which has resulted in us
:32:34. > :32:36.giving refuge to so many other fates over the centuries and we will not
:32:37. > :32:44.tolerate those who abuse of freedom to try to inflict their alien and
:32:45. > :32:49.violent fashions upon us that Italy in the name of Islam. 1st of all,
:32:50. > :32:54.let me join him in saying that we should do everything we can to
:32:55. > :32:57.defend and protect the rights of Christians, to practice their faith
:32:58. > :33:02.the world over and that is an important part of our foreign
:33:03. > :33:07.policy. Let me commend also Justin Welby the Archbishop of Canterbury,
:33:08. > :33:10.for the excellent work he does on that basis. Written is a Christian
:33:11. > :33:16.country and the fact that we have an established faith and we understand
:33:17. > :33:20.the place of faith in our national life makes us and more tolerant
:33:21. > :33:24.nation and better able to accommodate other faith groups in
:33:25. > :33:27.our country. That is why as I said earlier in the session I think we
:33:28. > :33:33.should be proud of the fact that this is 1 of the most successful
:33:34. > :33:37.multiethnic, multi-faith multireligious democracies anywhere
:33:38. > :33:40.in the world. That is not in conflict with our status as a
:33:41. > :33:45.predominantly Christian country but 1 of the reasons we have done it. I
:33:46. > :33:49.know that the Prime Minister is aware of the flooding that is taking
:33:50. > :33:54.place in my constituency and the damage to the town of Cockermouth. I
:33:55. > :33:58.have had a call from a constituent saying insurance companies are
:33:59. > :34:05.refusing to pay or help constituents until they have paid the access in
:34:06. > :34:08.fall, some of them are to ?10,000, does he agree that this is
:34:09. > :34:14.outrageous and what can be done to ensure that they fulfil their
:34:15. > :34:18.obligations? The Minister for Government policy, the Member for
:34:19. > :34:22.West Dorset has had meetings to make sure that this practice does not
:34:23. > :34:27.happen. The 2nd thing is that we have announced putting money into
:34:28. > :34:30.the community funds that will form hardship funds to help people who
:34:31. > :34:35.potentially don't have insurers and the 3rd thing is the establishment
:34:36. > :34:41.of flood defences meaning that all homes can get in Shoreham is, that
:34:42. > :34:46.was a decision-making at the last Government and we're putting it in
:34:47. > :34:57.place. -- can get into your runs -- can get insurance policies. I will
:34:58. > :34:58.be happy to entertain Points of Order from the honourable lady and
:34:59. > :35:46.indeed others. Order! Urgent question, Diana
:35:47. > :35:54.Johnson. To ask the Minister for Public health to make a statement on
:35:55. > :35:55.plans to reform support for victory in -- for victims